Some worry his populist brand of politics is thin on specific proposals – and , in fact , not unlike Mr. Museveni ’ s , when he first came to power . But others see him as the man to herald a newly empowered youth movement to reinvigorate democracy .\nToday , the once brash Mr. Wine has left behind the strut and swagger of a bad-boy rap star . Over the years , his lyrics addressed social issues , and eventually became overtly critical of the government . During a crackdown last year , he was arrested and charged with treason ; he says he was tortured by security officers .\nThat may be stretching things . But a number of long-serving rulers have made way for successors in the past two years , from Zimbabwe to Sudan – though rarely with good grace .\n“ Young people are standing up ” across the continent , proclaims Mr. Wine , who hopes to defeat President Museveni in the 2021 elections . “ Africa is shaking . ”\nParliamentarian Bobi Wine , with his signature red beret and his “ People Power ” movement , has seized the young generation ’ s imagination here . Across Africa , the median age is 19 – but young people generally play little role in politics .\nUgandan President Yoweri Museveni has kept a grip on power for more than three decades . Can a rapper-turned-politician change that ?\nThe dirt road running through this ramshackle village is packed with a rapturous crowd of cheering young men and women . Car horns shriek . Dance music blares from sound systems . Pandemonium reigns as Bobi Wine , rapper-turned-politician , pushes through the mob .\nAs security men carve a path for him through the adoring throng , Mr. Wine , in his signature red beret , acknowledges the adulation with a smile and a clenched-fist salute . But today he makes no fiery speeches that might provoke a response from the Ugandan government , with which he has often clashed . He is simply here to plant a small tree in memory of his driver , who was shot dead exactly one year earlier , and his demeanor is as grave as his admirers are boisterous .\nOn a continent where the median age is 19 but where dispossessed young people generally play little role in politics , Robert Kyagulanyi ( who goes by the stage name Bobi Wine ) has seized the imagination of a generation . And he plans to use that energy to propel himself to the presidency of Uganda .\nHis popularity has already swept him into Parliament , where he has been a member since 2017 . Now he is preparing an audacious bid to topple Yoweri Museveni , one of Africa ’ s towering “ Big Men ” who has been in office for 33 years , in 2021 elections . His fame and appeal have crossed borders , garnering him fans well beyond Uganda .\n“ Bobi Wine has emerged as a figurehead for a generation of thwarted aspirations , ” says Ben Shepherd , an Africa expert at Chatham House , the London-based think tank .\nMelanie Stetson Freeman/Staff Supporters of Bobi Wine , a leading opposition figure in Uganda , attend a prayer service for his driver , who was shot and killed one year ago .\nAnd as the enduring strongmen blamed for dampening those dreams leave the stage – from Algeria to Zimbabwe – could Mr. Wine be the man to herald a newly empowered youth movement in Africa to reinvigorate democracy ?\nHe would like to think so . “ Young people are standing up ” from Sudan to South Africa , he proclaims . “ Africa is shaking . ”\nThat may be stretching things . But there have certainly been rumblings over the past two years as a number of long-serving African rulers have made way – rarely with good grace – for their successors .\nIn Zimbabwe , President Robert Mugabe ( who died in September ) was forced from office in 2017 , his grip on power finally pried open for the first time in 37 years since the end of the guerrilla war he and his allies had waged successfully .\nAlso in 2017 , José Eduardo dos Santos stepped down after 38 years as president of Angola , though he left two of his children in key government posts .\nThat same year , Yahya Jammeh , president of Gambia , relinquished power under military pressure from neighboring West African states , which forced him to accept that he had lost an election . He had ruled since leading a military coup 23 years earlier .\nIn April 2019 , Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir – in power for 30 years – was ousted in a military coup after months of widespread popular protests . The coup leaders have since negotiated the formation of a civilian-military transitional government , which includes opposition figures .\nAbdelaziz Bouteflika resigned as president of Algeria earlier this year as well in the face of sustained demonstrations against his decision to run for a fifth consecutive term . Young people are still protesting in large numbers every Friday , demanding greater democratic freedoms .\nStudents and other youth were at the forefront of efforts to unseat General Bashir and Mr. Bouteflika , but the ultimate outcomes in Sudan and Algeria are still unclear . And a number of historic Big Men – plus younger leaders apparently attracted to their style of governance and status in office – remain in power . Equatorial Guinea ’ s Teodoro Obiang Nguema is still ruling 40 years after he headed a military coup . In Rwanda , Paul Kagame shows no sign of leaving office , even 25 years after the rebel army he led ended the Rwandan genocide .\nHere in Uganda , President Museveni has used the ruling party ’ s overwhelming majority in Parliament to eliminate presidential term limits and abolish the age limit of 75 that would have stopped him from contesting the 2021 presidential elections . With the army loyal to him , a tame Electoral Commission , and extensive powers of patronage , Mr. Museveni has kept a firm grip on power for more than three decades .\n“ It ’ s clear he has no intention of leaving and he has all the power , so how are you going to win elections against him ? ” asks Joachim Buwembo , a political commentator in Kampala , the capital .\n“ Young people are very frustrated by the president , ” says one senior Western diplomat here . “ He ’ s been there forever . They see no future and they wonder how do they get him out . They are frustrated , but they don ’ t have solutions . ”\nMelanie Stetson Freeman/Staff Bobi Wine ( center , in white ) and his supporters walk to a prayer service for his driver , who was killed a year ago .\nIt took getting beaten up to spark Mr. Wine ’ s interest in politics .\nAbout 10 years ago , when he was famous only as a rapper , he drove to a nightclub in his new Cadillac Escalade SUV – the only one of its kind in East Africa . As he was leaving the club he was jumped by a young man , he says , “ who beat me up so bad , and asked me why I was showing off as if I didn ’ t know that this country had owners , ” referring to its rulers .\n“ I was the hot boy of the night until I was deflated by that beating , ” he says . “ That night was a very transformative night for me . Now we want to say that this country has owners and those owners are all of us . ”\nToday , the once brash Mr. Wine has left behind the strut and swagger of a bad-boy rap star . His heavily tattooed arms recall his past , but the dreadlocks are gone , and during an interview in the garden of his home outside Kampala , he is straightforward , speaking softly , in measured tones .\n“ I had to grow up much faster than my age , ” says the 37-year-old of his political education .\nAs a rapper , Mr. Wine made a name for himself across eastern and southern Africa and toured European capitals . He also amassed a small fortune : He is reportedly one of the richest musicians in East Africa .\nToday he lives behind high gates in Magere , a village 30 miles north of Kampala , in a whitewashed villa whose pillared terrace overlooks a well-watered lawn , immaculately trimmed by a gardener . It is decorated with a flock of plump guinea fowl .\nThe compound is a long way from the Kampala slum where he grew up , the sixth of 10 children , but he says he is “ proud that I came from the ghetto. ” To press the point , he sports a vanity plate on his Escalade that says GHETTO , and he has nicknamed himself the Ghetto President .\nMelanie Stetson Freeman/Staff Clenched-fist supporters of Mr. Wine , acting as his escort on motorcycles , arrive at his home in the village of Magere outside Kampala .\nAs Mr. Wine became more politically engaged , his lyrics grew more purposeful . In songs he branded “ edutainment , ” he sang about social issues and promoted personal hygiene and public health . Gradually , he became overtly political and critical of the government .\nWhen , in 2016 , Mr. Museveni won elections that international observers found neither free nor fair , “ I thought it was high time I stopped being a spectator or only a talker , ” Mr. Wine explains . So he ran for Parliament as an independent and won comfortably .\nPolitical success has turned his life upside down . For a start , he complains , the Museveni government has forbidden him to stage concerts and banned his songs from being played on Ugandan radio and TV . That hasn ’ t kept him out of his studio in Kamwokya , the slum where he was raised . He is currently recording an album to be called “ Forbidden Music , ” he says , that his fans will all be able to listen to on YouTube , regardless of the broadcast ban .\nAs we speak , a crowd of those fans and supporters can be heard in the road outside the gates , revving their motorcycle engines and demanding to be let in . They are the escort that will accompany Mr. Wine to the ceremony later that afternoon marking the anniversary of his driver ’ s death .\nThe escorts are a motley crew of young men , most of them wearing the red berets that signal their membership in the People Power movement , but they switch their engines off and glide quietly down the drive when they see that their hero is occupied .\nYasin Kawuma , the driver , was shot in the northern town of Arua last year during a crackdown by soldiers after Mr. Museveni ’ s motorcade was allegedly pelted with stones by opposition supporters following a campaign rally . Mr. Wine , who was in town campaigning with other opposition figures , was arrested along with his colleagues in a hotel far from the disturbance . He says he was beaten severely with iron bars and then tortured in the military vehicle that took him to jail . Detained for two weeks , he was charged with treason ( a charge that is still active ) before traveling to the United States for medical treatment .\nMelanie Stetson Freeman/Staff Wearing his trademark white caftan , Mr. Wine and others pay tribute to his late driver .\nThe violence of the government ’ s reaction , he says , suggests that the authorities are rattled . ( That impression would be strengthened a few weeks after our interview , when the government banned civilians from wearing red berets like Mr. Wine ’ s trademark headgear , on pain of life imprisonment . ) “ They are very scared of us and in a very shaky position , ” he insists , lapsing – as he occasionally does – into the royal “ we. ” “ As much as they ’ ve been able to intimidate a few people , ” he adds , “ they ’ ve also succeeded in emboldening us . ”\nThat doesn ’ t mean he doesn ’ t fear for his life . “ The regime is extremely threatened by the challenge we pose , ” he says . “ They seek to eliminate us once and for all . The regime in Uganda wants me dead as soon as yesterday . ”\nBut as long as he is alive he can be playful , despite the tension . “ Can I just kiss my wife ? ” he asks as Barbara Itungo Kyagulanyi , a social worker credited with raising Mr. Wine ’ s political consciousness and polishing his public image , appears from the house .\nWhy does Mr. Wine think he poses such a threat to the government ? “ Because we are the energy that seeks to unite all change-seeking forces in Uganda , ” he answers . “ We are the gum that seeks to bind all those other [ opposition forces ] so that we can exalt the people. ” The strategy is working , he claims , pointing to a string of parliamentary by-elections over the past two years in which candidates he backed were victorious .\nPeople Power , in Mr. Wine ’ s version of it , does not have the far-left connotations that the slogan carried in 1970s America . Rather , it sets “ the people ” against an autocratic president . People Power is not a political party , but a movement driven by young people . Its only ideology is embodied in the name itself .\nThe movement here is not the first of its kind in Africa , nor is this generation of youth the first to have been frustrated by a lack of opportunities . Yet Mr. Wine believes this wave of activism is different , both because of the number of young people involved and their ability to communicate .\n“ We are many . We are much more informed and connected than we have ever been , ” he says . “ I am placed in a generation that is unstoppable . ”\nBut first , the young people need to gather momentum , he adds . “ They have the power only if they choose to open their eyes to that reality . Our message has always been ‘ assert your power , claim your power through your vote . ’ ”\nMelanie Stetson Freeman/Staff Kampala , the capital of Uganda , is a throbbing city of 1.6 million people that sprawls among rolling hills .\nAnd that will take organization . Voter registration drives will be key , Mr. Wine says , but mounting such initiatives in Uganda ’ s rural areas , where the vast majority of voters live , is not easy . The countryside has always been the stronghold of Mr. Museveni ’ s National Resistance Movement political party and his supporters control much of local government , not to mention the army and police . “ The government makes it extremely , extremely complicated for us to organize , ” Mr. Wine says . “ But we always find a way , clandestine-style . ”\nThe government could certainly manipulate the elections in a way that ensures Mr. Museveni ’ s victory , as Mr. Wine is well aware . He lays out what he thinks would be the consequences if it did so .\n“ If he tries to rig the elections , the people of Uganda will make sure it ’ s not business as usual , ” Mr. Wine says . “ He is going to lose to the people of Uganda by any ... legal and constitutional means necessary. ” He prefers not to specify what that might mean , other than to forswear violence .\nNor is he very specific about what exactly he would do if he were elected , since the People Power movement has no policy platform . Mr. Wine is impatient with efforts to press him on this issue and brushes them off . “ We don ’ t have institutions here ; we have Museveni , his family , and his hangers-on , ” he says . “ In a country where institutions are empowered and allowed to work , solutions will be there .\n“ Telling people that are enslaved in their own country , asking them for their policy alternatives is like asking a person that has not had a meal for a week whether they ’ ll have their eggs scrambled or otherwise , ” he says . “ All they want is to eat . And for starters all we want to be is free . We want to matter . We want our voice to count . ”\nThat ’ s as much of a policy statement as Timothy Ssimbwa needs to hear .\nA 26-year-old who teaches middle school history and religion , Mr. Ssimbwa has taken time off from marking exams to turn out today as a member of Mr. Wine ’ s motorcycle escort . Resplendent in bright red overalls and green beret , he explains that he likes Mr. Wine simply “ because he ’ s my hope . He ’ s a youth like me .\nMelanie Stetson Freeman/Staff Mr. Wine ’ s SUV bears the vanity plate GHETTO , which is a nod to the rapper ’ s upbringing in the slums of Kampala .\n“ He ’ s ordinary ; he grew up in the ghetto , ” Mr. Ssimbwa says , as he waits patiently in the shade of a garden awning for Mr. Wine to finish a series of press interviews . “ Since he ’ s ordinary , he ’ d be a good leader . ”\nMr. Wine ’ s appeal is not unlike Mr. Museveni ’ s in the days when he was leading a bush rebellion against Uganda ’ s then-President Milton Obote , suggests Aili Tripp , who teaches African politics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison . “ It ’ s all centered on an individual , ” Professor Tripp says , and carries a strong populist message . “ That ’ s hard to escape without a stronger tradition of democratic institutions . ”\nYet in order for Mr. Ssimbwa and other members of the youth movement to translate their passion into power , they will have to remain unified and persevere in challenging authorities . Young Africans “ haven ’ t had the organizational capacity or ideological connectedness ; they are still scattered , ” says Mwambutsya Ndebesa , a professor of history at Makerere University in Kampala . “ They are aware , but not conscious , ” he says , drawing a distinction noted by Brazilian educator Paulo Freire . “ Aware of being young people with unmet needs , but not conscious enough to take action . ”\nStill , Mr. Wine could be crucial in helping Uganda ’ s youth find their voice . While most young people are simply frustrated but don ’ t know more than to say they are unhappy with their situation , “ Bobi Wine and other younger politicians who are willing to say ‘ we don ’ t agree ’ are creating a coherence in what people say ” beyond just their desire for jobs , according to the Western diplomat .\nThat kind of direction will be particularly important given the pervasive power of the government . “ Turning anger into consistent mobilization and demonstrations will take a high level of leadership ” in the face of official hostility , says Perry Aritua , who runs the Ugandan branch of the Women ’ s Democracy Network , a nongovernmental organization encouraging young women to run for political office . “ In Uganda we ’ ve yet to see the level of resilience needed to organize civic action . ”\nMelanie Stetson Freeman/Staff “ Politicians don ’ t listen to young people . We are just seen as pawns during election campaigns. ” – Julius Kateregga , president of the Makerere University Students Guild , who ran for election as a People Power candidate\nA lot is at stake , should leadership falter . “ Youth has not always been on the side of good things here , ” says Mahmood Mamdani , head of the Makerere Institute of Social Research . “ They ’ ve provided the storm troopers for warlords and for government youth wings. ” The nature of any new youth wave “ will depend on what kind of leadership emerges , ” Professor Mamdani says .\nMr. Wine ’ s leadership of a national organization has yet to be tested , but he has proved he can be adaptable . Five years ago , the rap star was denied a visa to enter Britain , where he was due to play two concerts , because some of his song lyrics were violently homophobic – matching the prevailing culture in socially conservative Uganda .\nToday , in his songs and public statements , Mr. Wine expresses greater tolerance . “ He ’ s a genuinely curious person who wants to learn , ” says Jeffrey Smith , founding director of Vanguard Africa , an NGO promoting democracy in Africa , who has hosted Mr. Wine in Washington . “ I was skeptical about him ; I expected another brash guy who was all talk , but in fact he was here to listen and learn. ” While some young African populist political stars , such as Julius Malema in South Africa , have been accused of playing on divisions and fear , “ Bobi Wine is all about bringing disparate voices to the table , ” Mr. Smith says .\nMr. Malema is not the only young African leader whom Mr. Wine sees as a kindred spirit . He mentions the names of Nelson Chamisa , the opposition leader in Zimbabwe , Saulos Chilima – currently challenging the results of last May ’ s elections in Malawi – and jailed South Sudanese human rights activist Peter Biar Ajak .\nThere is little sign , though , that such disparate rising figures could lead a continentwide movement such as the Pan-African wave that swept post-colonial Africa . “ There is a concerted effort in different countries to talk to the youth , but the ideological approach of these young leaders , what ’ s driving them , is not clear , ” says Yona Kanyomozi , a former Ugandan government minister . “ That makes it difficult for them to work together . ”\nMelanie Stetson Freeman/Staff “ Bobi Wine started in music ; that can really make youth engage in something productive. ” – Agili Prisca , a first-year student at Makerere University ( center ) , who sits with students Esther Adeke ( left ) and Asiimwe Dhurufah\nThere is certainly a huge potential following for such leaders : 78 % of Uganda ’ s population is under age 30 . At current growth rates , those under 24 across Africa will rise by more than 50 % , to 945 million , by 2050 .\n“ There is a big structural change in population across the continent , ” says Mr. Shepherd of Chatham House . “ Young people have very different outlooks and aspirations from their parents – they are globally connected and they do not want to be farmers .\n“ I see turbulence ahead , ” he adds . “ The big dynamic of the next two decades is how transformative this will be , whether the old guard will be able to absorb the momentum of this wave of change . ”\nRiding that wave , and trying to control it , will require different skills than merely stirring young people to action . “ Bobi and other young politicians understand that they have to show that they can be disciplined leaders when they may not have all the skills needed to be disciplined leaders , ” says the senior Western diplomat .\nGet the Monitor Stories you care about delivered to your inbox . By signing up , you agree to our Privacy Policy\nMr. Wine says he is working on it . As he readies himself for his Muslim driver ’ s memorial service , slipping into a white caftan over his jeans and T-shirt , he reflects on his fate . He is not reveling in the moment , he says . How could he enjoy the concert ban , the beatings , and the endless court cases to which he has been subjected ?\n“ But because this is the predicament , this is the destiny , I am trying to learn to enjoy the struggle , ” he says . “ Because the struggle has become the way of life I ’ ve had to adjust to . Life is the way it is . Because this is it . ”


Female genital mutilation ( FGM ) will not be eradicated unless women are economically empowered to make their own decisions , an activist stressed today , as the United Nations released data warning that the ancient practice may take centuries to eliminate .\nDespite world leaders promising to eradicate the practice by 2030 , FGM remains as common today as it was 30 years ago in Somalia , Mali , The Gambia , Guinea-Bissau , Chad and Senegal . `` Some countries are not moving at all , and those that are moving are not moving fast enough , '' said Claudia Cappa , an analyst at the United Nations Children 's Fund ( UNICEF ) .\nEstimated to affect at least 200 million girls and women globally , FGM causes multiple mental and physical health problems . A 12-year-old girl recently died in Egypt after undergoing FGM . The practice typically involves the partial or total removal of the external genitalia . Sometimes the vaginal opening is sewn up .\nJaha Dukureh , a survivor of child marriage and FGM , said that while it is `` not unrealistic '' to make the promise to end the practice by 2030 , people must `` put their money where their mouth is '' and stop wasting funding on ineffective aid programmes .\n`` The best way women can stand up for themselves and their rights is if they are able to earn a little more , '' said Dukureh , who in 2013 founded the advocacy group Safe Hands for Girls , which works in The Gambia , Sierra Leone and the United States .\nShe said that all too often , politicians shy away from the sensitive topic of FGM , with the responsibility falling on charities to do the work . What is more concerning is that foreign donors often fund international organisations that do not understand local customs and practices .\n`` I do n't know why anyone expects change if that 's the way the development sector is going to continue funding these issues , '' she said .\nFGM is most closely linked to 30 predominantly African countries , but UNICEF said it may be practised in about 50 countries including those in Asia , the Middle East , Latin America and Eastern Europe .\nAlthough no high-prevalence country is on track to meet the 2030 goal , Cappa said attitudes are changing in many places .\nIn countries affected by FGM , seven in 10 women think the practice should end , and half of women who have themselves been cut would like to see it stop , according to the report published on Thursday , February 6 - the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation .\nThe most dramatic decline in recent decades has been in the Maldives , a chain of islands in the Indian Ocean , where FGM used to affect nearly 40 percent of girls and women , but has now been virtually eradicated .\nUNICEF also voiced concern about increased `` medicalisation '' of FGM hampering global efforts to end the practice .\nAbout a quarter of girls and women who have undergone FGM were cut by a doctor , midwife or other health worker as opposed to a traditional circumciser , UNICEF said .\n`` Doctor-sanctioned mutilation is still mutilation . Trained healthcare professionals who perform FGM violate girls ' fundamental rights , physical integrity and health , '' said UNICEF executive director Henrietta Fore .


With reports that two Americans have now been diagnosed with the Ebola virus while working to help Africans in Liberia , Western focus has shifted to the dangers of an Ebola outbreak . According to Samaritan ’ s Purse , the group for which both Americans work , doctor Kent Brantly contracted Ebola and then isolated himself ; Nancy Writebol , an employee of Serving in Mission , was helping Ebola patients as well when she was infected .\nThe World Health Organization , according to CNN.com , has measured the current outbreak in West Africa as the “ deadliest ever , ” including at least 1,093 people in Guinea , Sierra Leone , and Liberia . CNN states , “ Of the 1,093 confirmed , probable and suspected cases , 660 people have died . ”\nTransmission . Scientists speculate that original outbreaks come from human-animal contact . The World Health Organization states :\nEbola is introduced into the human population through close contact with the blood , secretions , organs or other bodily fluids of infected animals . In Africa , infection has been documented through the handling of infected chimpanzees , gorillas , fruit bats , monkeys , forest antelope and porcupines found ill or dead or in the rainforest .\nWhile Ebola transmission is not airborne , according to the Centers for Disease Control , it can be transmitted by “ direct contact with the blood or secretions of an infected person , ” as well as “ exposure to objects ( such as needles ) that have been contaminated with infected secretions. ” That is why medical personnel are in a more dangerous position than members of the general public – they routinely deal with bodily fluids . As the CDC notes , Exposure to ebolaviruses can occur in health care settings where hospital staff are not wearing appropriate protective equipment , such as masks , gowns , and gloves. ” Ebola can be spread via semen for up to 7 weeks , according to WHO .\nUSA Today reports that according to Michael Osterholm of the Center for Infection Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota , “ Ebola is actually much harder to spread than respiratory infections , such as influenza or measles . Those viruses pose a much greater threat on a plane or in any confined space . ”\nIncubation Period . The typical incubation period for the virus is somewhere between eight and ten days after exposure , although symptoms could appear , according to CDC , “ anywhere from 2 to 21 days. ” It has been measured to survive in semen up to two months .\nSymptoms . Symptoms mimic those of the typical flu virus , until they spiral out of control . Symptoms begin with fever , headache , weakness , diarrhea , vomiting , and muscle aches . Ebola then can accelerate to include internal and external bleeding .\nKill Rate . According to the World Health Organization , “ EVD outbreaks have a case fatality rate of up to 90 % . ” A history of Ebola outbreaks shows incidents ranging from 280 deaths in Congo ( out of 318 diagnosed ) in 1976 to 224 dead out of 425 diagnosed in Uganda in 2000 . That makes this the largest outbreak in history.Treatment . There is no vaccine for Ebola . The only treatment , as Medecins Sans Frontieres states , “ consists of hydrating the patient , maintaining their oxygen status and blood pressure and treating them for any complicating infections . ”\nWill It Spread ? CNN talked to MSF epidemiologist Kamiliny Kalahne . She said Ebola has not reached first world countries because “ people generally transmit the infection when they are very sick , have a high fever and a lot of symptoms — and in these situations , they don ’ t travel . And even if they do get sick once they travel to a developed country , they will be in a good hospital with good infection control , so they are very unlikely to infect others . ”\nAll of this , of course , assumes that people don ’ t travel when they ’ re sick…or immigrating . It assumes a level of distance between immigrants and non-immigrants . Should we all start wearing masks ? Probably not . But that doesn ’ t mean we should be nearly as blithe about the situation as our government seems to be .\nBen Shapiro is Senior Editor-At-Large of ███ and author of the new book , The People vs. Barack Obama : The Criminal Case Against The Obama Administration ( Threshold Editions , June 10 , 2014 ) . He is also Editor-in-Chief of TruthRevolt.org . Follow Ben Shapiro on Twitter @ benshapiro .


( CNN ) -- Hundreds dead . Many more infected . Pervasive fear and denial are challenging authorities in west Africa who are trying to assess and address the Ebola crisis .\nSo far , it has killed more than 650 people , says Doctors Without Borders .\nThat 's the highest death toll the World Health Organization has recorded in an Ebola outbreak . And it 's getting worse .\nThe swelling numbers prompted heads of state to cancel travel plans on Thursday to direct their full attention toward fighting the outbreak of the virus that has crippled parts of Liberia , Sierra Leone and Guinea and stirred palpable concerns that it will spread around the region and the world .\nLiberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Sierra Leone 's President Ernest Koroma both canceled trips to the United States , and Koroma declared a state of emergency .\nHe announced a action plan that addressed many of the barriers international medical workers complain they face while fighting disease .\nSome residents in affected villages have accused them of bringing the disease into the country and have barricaded their towns or otherwise blocked access to Ebola hemorrhagic fever victims .\nA nurse with Doctors Without Borders , Monia Sayah , told CNN , `` the most challenging '' aspect of trying to help people is that `` we go into communities where we are not necessarily welcome , '' because people do n't want to believe they or their loved ones have Ebola -- in part because `` they understand now that the survival rate is not very high . ''\nKoroma said he will deploy police and military to accompany the aid workers .\nThey will search house to house for the infirm and enforce orders designed to curb the virus ' spread .\nWhat is the risk of catching Ebola on a plane ?\n`` The matter has reached a crisis point , '' Liberian Information Minister Lewis Brown told CNN 's Richard Quest . `` ... The dire prognosis is that it will get worse before it gets better . ''\nThe dangers are so real that some humanitarian organizations are pulling out to protect their own .\nSamaritan 's Purse -- an international evangelical Christian humanitarian agency -- and the missionary group Serving in Mission have recalled all nonessential personnel from Liberia .\nThe Peace Corps announced Wednesday it is doing the same , removing its 340 volunteers from that country , as well as Sierra Leone and Guinea .\nWhile there are no confirmed cases , a spokeswoman for the agency did say that two volunteers did come in contact with someone who ended up dying from the virus .\nThose Americans have n't shown signs of Ebola but are being isolated just in case , with the spokeswoman saying they ca n't return home until they get medical clearance to do so .\nOne American , 40-year-old Patrick Sawyer , died in a Nigerian hospital earlier this month -- having come from Liberia , where he was a top Ministry of Finance official , and before he could go back home to Minnesota to celebrate his daughters ' birthdays .\nBut the vast majority of those afflicted are Africans . They come from big cities and small villages , some of them falling ill without really knowing what hit them .\n`` This epidemic is without precedent , '' said Bart Janssens , director of operations for Doctors Without Borders , a group also known as Médecins Sans Frontières . `` It 's absolutely not under control , and the situation keeps worsening . ''\nAs of now , the outbreak has been confined to west Africa . But there are rising concerns that it could spread , especially since a person may not know they have Ebola or show symptoms for two to 21 days after being infected .\nSawyer , for example , collapsed getting off a plane in Lagos , Nigeria . He very well could have made it out of the region , perhaps to the United States , before showing symptoms of Ebola ; it 's only then that the virus spreads .\nTo further complicate matters , signs of Ebola include fever , headaches , weakness and vomiting -- symptoms that also define many other ailments , from malaria to the flu that Brown notes often pop up `` at this time of year . ''\nFor all these reasons and more , Janssens says , `` If the situation does not improve fairly quickly , there is a real risk for new countries to be affected . ''\nEbola spreads through the transmission of bodily fluids . Those most at risk are loved ones of those infected , as well as health care workers tending to the ill .\nSawyer is believed to have been infected by his ailing sister , who he spent time with in Liberia -- even though neither likely knew she had Ebola -- according to Brown .\nThen there are those like Dr. Sheik Humarr Khan , who fell ill early last week while overseeing Ebola treatment at a Sierra Leone hospital and died days later .\nTwo Americans affiliated with Samaritan 's Purse who also were infected `` have shown a slight improvement in the past 24 hours '' though both are in serious condition , according to the Christian humanitarian agency .\nOne of them is Dr. Kent Brantly , a 33-year-old who last lived in Fort Worth , Texas . He has been the medical director for the Ebola Consolidated Case Management Center in Monrovia , Liberia , where he has been providing care for Ebola patients since October . After testing positive for the virus , Brantly went into treatment at ELWA Hospital .\nThe other is Charlotte , North Carolina , resident Nancy Writebol , a Serving in Mission member working with Samaritan 's Purse to help fight the Ebola outbreak .\nIt is believed one of the local staff was infected with Ebola and came to work with the virus on July 21 and 22 , Samaritan 's Purse Vice President Ken Isaacs said . That staff member died Thursday .\n`` We think it was in the scrub-down area where the disease was passed to both Nancy and Kent , '' he said .\nBrown , the Liberian information minister , noted Brantly and Writebol 's fight in his CNN interview , as well as Liberia 's need for more health care workers like them .\n`` We join the families in prayers that they can come through this and become ... shining examples that , if care is taken , one can come out of this . ''\nOn Monday , the CDC issued an alert warning travelers to avoid hospitals with Ebola patients and funerals for those patients in Liberia , Sierra Leone and Guinea due to the outbreak .\nThe United States is considering raising the alert to discourage `` nonessential '' travel to those three countries , a spokesman said .\nLiberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has told the Ministry of Health to consider quarantines in some areas and cremating bodies in an attempt to prevent further infection , according to Brown .\nThe president also urged residents to avoid public amusement and entertainment areas , and set aside Friday `` for the disinfection and chlorination of all public facilities . ''\n`` My fellow Liberians , Ebola is real . Ebola is contagious . And Ebola kills , '' Sirleaf said . `` All of us must all take extra measures announced by the Ministry of Health to keep ourselves safe .\n`` The government will do its part . But you must do yours . ''


One of two American doctors infected with Ebola arrived in the United States on Saturday , the first time anyone infected with the deadly virus has been brought into the country .\nDr. Kent Brantly was being treated in a special isolation unit at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta on Saturday afternoon after landing late in the morning at Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta , Ga .\nA second American infected with the virus , Nancy Writebol , is likely to arrive in the USA within a few days . Brantly and Writebol were serving in Liberia as medical missionaries when they became infected with the virus .\nDoctors are confident the two can be treated without putting the public in danger .\n`` We have an inordinate amount of safety involved ... no one is in any way at risk , '' said Emory University 's Bruce Ribner , who will oversee the isolation unit . `` You need to appreciate Ebola is not spread by some magic mechanism . ''\nThe hospital is located just down the hill from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and is one of only four sites in the country capable of handling high-risk patients .\n`` This special isolation unit was previously developed to treat patients who are exposed to certain serious infectious diseases , '' Emory University said in a statement Saturday afternoon . `` It is physically separate from other patient areas and has unique equipment and infrastructure that provide an extraordinarily high level of clinical isolation . ''\nOn Saturday , Amber Brantly , Brantly 's wife , expressed her happiness in having her husband back in the USA .\n`` It was a relief to welcome Kent home today , '' Amber Brantly said in a statement . `` I spoke with him , and he is glad to be back in the U.S . I am thankful to God for his safe transport and for giving him the strength to walk into the hospital . ''\nEarlier this week , an Emory emergency medical team evaluated the patients in Liberia , deeming both stable enough for the trip to Atlanta , Ribner said . Officials said the Americans would travel on a Gulfstream jet fitted with a collapsible , clear tent built to transfer CDC employees exposed to contagious diseases .\nBrantly , 33 , of Fort Worth , had been working in Liberia for Samaritan 's Purse overseeing an Ebola treatment center . Writebol , of Charlotte , was working at the center on behalf of the faith group Service in Mission.Samaritan 's Purse is paying for their evacuation and medical care .\nThe hospital 's isolation unit has its own laboratory equipment so samples do n't have to be sent to the main hospital lab . The university says it uses standard , rigorous infection control procedures to protect patients , workers and the public .\n`` Emory University Hospital physicians , nurses and staff are highly trained in the specific and unique protocols and procedures necessary to treat and care for this type of patient , '' the university said in a statement .\nThere 's no specific treatment for Ebola so doctors try to ease symptoms , including fever , headache , vomiting and diarrhea . Some cases suffer severe bleeding .\n`` If there 's any modern therapy that can be done , '' such as better monitoring of fluids , electrolytes and vital signs , workers will be able to do it better in this safe environment , said Philip Brachman , an Emory University public health specialist who for many years headed the CDC 's disease detectives program .\n`` That 's all we can do for such a patient . We can make them feel comfortable '' and let the body try to beat back the virus , he said .\nEbola is considered one of the world 's deadliest diseases . The current outbreak in Liberia , Guinea and Sierra Leone has sickened more than 1,300 people and killed more than 700 this year .\nThe virus is spread through direct contact with blood , urine , saliva and other bodily fluids from an infected person . It is not spread through the air so it is not as infectious as a germ like the flu .


KADUNA , Nigeria — More than 300 boys and men , some as young as five and many in chains and bearing scars from beatings , have been rescued in a raid on a building that purported to be an Islamic school in northern Nigeria , police said on Friday .\nMost of the freed captives seen by a Reuters reporter in the city of Kaduna were children , aged up to their late teens . Some shuffled with their ankles manacled and others were chained by their legs to large metal wheels to prevent escape .\nOne boy , held by the hand by a police officer as he walked unsteadily , had sores visible on his back that appeared consistent with injuries inflicted by a whip .\nSome children had been brought from neighboring countries including Burkina Faso , Mali and Ghana , police said , while others had been left by their parents in what they believed to be an Islamic school or rehabilitation center .\n“ This place is neither a rehab or an Islamic school because you can see it for yourselves , ” Kaduna state ’ s police commissioner , Ali Janga , told reporters . “ The children gathered here are from all over the country… some of them were even chained . They were used , dehumanized , you can see it yourself . ”\nKaduna police spokesman Yakubu Sabo said seven people who said they were teachers at the school had been arrested in Thursday ’ s raid .\n“ The state government is currently providing food to the children who are between the ages of five and above , ” he said . It was not clear how long the captives had been held there .\nReports carried by local media said the captives had been tortured , starved and sexually abused . Reuters was not immediately able to confirm those details .\nOne young man , Hassan Yusuf , said he had been sent to the school because of concerns about his way of life following a few years studying abroad .\n“ They said my lifestyle has changed – I ’ ve become a Christian , I ’ ve left the Islamic way of life , ” said Yusuf , who did not specify the nature of his relationship with the people who sent him to the center .\nAs news of the raid spread , some relatives gathered near the compound , where a sign over the gate , topped with rolls of barbed wire , read : “ Imam Ahmad Bun Hambal Centre for Islamic studies . ”\nHassan Mohammed told Reuters he was the uncle of three of the freed children who had been sent to the school by their mother after their father died . He said he grew suspicious about what was going on after the family was denied access to them .\n“ I begged , they said no , we can ’ t see these children until three months . When we went back home… we said the only thing now is we should report this issue to the police station , that is exactly what we did , ” said Mohammed .\nThe rescued children have been moved to a temporary camp at a stadium in Kaduna and would later be moved to another camp in a suburb of the city while attempts were made to find their parents , police said .\nIslamic schools , known as Almajiris , are common across the mostly Muslim north of Nigeria – a country that is roughly evenly split between followers of Christianity and Islam .\nParents in northern Nigeria , the poorest part of a country in which most people live on less than $ 2 a day , often opt to leave their children to board at the schools .\nSuch schools have for years been dogged by allegations of abuse and accusations that some children have been forced to beg on the streets of cities in the north .\nEarlier this year , the government of President Muhammadu Buhari , himself a Muslim , said it planned to eventually ban the schools , but would not do so immediately .\n“ Any necessary ban on Almajiri would follow due process and consultation with relevant authorities , ” said Buhari ’ s spokesman Garba Shehu in a statement issued in June .\n“ The federal government wants a situation where every child of primary school age is in school rather than begging on the streets during school hours , ” the statement said .\nA presidency spokesman did not immediately respond to calls and text messages seeking comment on the raid in Kaduna and whether it would alter the government ’ s approach to such schools .\nProfessor Ishaq Akintola , director of the Nigerian human rights organization the Muslim Rights Concern ( MURIC ) , said around 10 million children across the north of the country are educated at Islamic schools .\n“ Those responsible for abuse , if found guilty , should be held accountable but these schools should continue because shutting them down would deprive so many students of an education , ” he said .\nAkintola said Islamic schools needed funding to train teachers and improve the buildings .


Kaci Hickox went for a bike ride Thursday , defying Maine 's “ voluntary ” quarantine that she ’ s fought against for the past week . The nurse 's refusal to stay in her home has ignited debate over whether she should be considered a hero for volunteering to fight Ebola in West Africa or a selfish danger to the public .\nTV personality Piers Morgan made his opinion clear in a harshly worded opinion piece in the Daily Mail in which he called Hickox “ utterly selfish. ” “ Nurse Hickox should stop her pathetic squealing , fire her lawyer , get off TV , thank her lucky stars she 's not got Ebola , and stay inside her damn home for the next couple of weeks to ensure there 's not a tiny scintilla of chance she could infect a fellow American , ” he argued .\nOthers sought to quell fears . Charles Blow , of the New York Times , said Hickox “ is a paladin being treated like a leper , ” and that mandatory quarantines would discourage health workers from volunteering in West Africa .\nHickox , a 33-year-old nurse , spent a month treating Ebola patients in West Africa with Doctors Without Borders and returned to the U.S. last week through Liberty International Airport in Newark , New Jersey . Airport screeners found she had a 101-degree Fahrenheit fever and New Jersey state authorities quarantined her shortly after .\nHickox fought fiercely against the quarantine and criticized New Jersey Gov . Chris Christie for enforcing it . At the time of her travels , a New York doctor tested positive for the virus after returning from treating Ebola in West Africa , prompting Christie and New York Gov . Andrew Cuomo to announce a new policy requiring any health care workers returning from treating Ebola patients to be quarantined for 21 days . Hickox was released on Monday , reportedly following pressure on Christie from the Obama Administration . She was allowed to go home to Maine , where she was expected to stay in isolation .\nShe tested negative for the virus while in quarantine in New Jersey , but Hickox ’ s blood wouldn ’ t test positive for the virus until she was symptomatic , so there ’ s still a possibility that she does have Ebola . The widely accepted practice is to have potential Ebola patients self-monitor and report symptoms immediately , but some don ’ t trust workers to do so . Maine Gov . Paul LePage said he will allow Hickox to stay out of quarantine if she agrees to take a blood test .\nWhile most Americans have virtually no chance of contracting Ebola , the fear that health care workers returning from fighting the disease in West Africa will spread it in the U.S. continues to concern the public . A Pew Research study found that 41 percent of respondents were “ worried that they themselves or someone in their family will be exposed to the virus , ” and 17 percent said they are “ very worried . ”\nAs the first health care worker to be quarantined under the new travel policies , Hickox has become a focal point of the national debate on how to stop Ebola . The general consensus in the medical community is that a quarantine is unnecessary . Dr. Arthur Caplan , director of the Division of Medical Ethics at NYU Langone Medical Center , said the quarantine is more about quelling public fear than it is about containing the virus .\nBut some dissenting voices have made themselves heard . Dr. Marc Siegel , an internist and media figure , said a mandatory quarantine would calm the public and keep people safer . “ We need a consistent policy to protect and reassure us at least until our confidence in the public health response to Ebola stabilizes , ” he said .\nMaine Nurse Kaci Hickox Can Swap Quarantine for Blood Test , Governor Tells ABC News via ... http : //t.co/Q5b3f7UxNz pic.twitter.com/ogrl6R1sbO â€ ” bonnie ( @ boniemylurv ) October 30 , 2014\nMany Americans have expressed anger with Hickox for leaving her home and potentially exposing others to Ebola . TV personality Geraldo Rivera said Hickox was `` squandering the goodwill that she righteously earned in Africa by being arrogant . ''\nAll Kaci Hickox is , is a spoiled brat who wants her way . And her way only . — GoSpursGo ( @ Jason_Wacker ) October 30 , 2014\nKaci Hickox making good doctors and nurses look bad with her selfish publicity stunt .... http : //t.co/0ts7G3gliW # Ebola # KaciHickox — LoneWolf ( @ SurlyBull ) October 30 , 2014 Hickox obviously getting the attention she seeks . It 's too bad we ca n't ignore her dangerous precedent . The next defier could be a spreader — greybeard ( @ greybeard411 ) October 30 , 2014 Kaci Hickox on a bike ride Quarantine ? Will I not abide Accused of being a shrew She tells the world , FU ! Now her rep smells like low tide — Seamus ( @ SeamusTx ) October 30 , 2014


DALLAS — A health care worker who cared for the Ebola patient who died last week tested positive for the deadly virus , sending health officials scrambling Sunday to find the `` breach in protocol '' that resulted in her infection .\nThe woman was among caregivers for Thomas Eric Duncan , who died Wednesday at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital . A state test finding that she had Ebola was confirmed Sunday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , making it the first known case transmitted in the U.S .\nCDC chief Thomas Frieden said his agency will investigate how a worker in full protective gear contracted the virus .\n`` At some point there was a breach in protocol , '' Frieden said . `` That breach in protocol resulted in this infection . ''\nThe White House said President Obama discussed the news with Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell , directing that the CDC `` investigation into the apparent breach in infection-control protocols at the Dallas hospital move as expeditiously as possible . ''\nDallas Police officers stood sentry outside the two-story beige-brick apartment building Sunday in the leafy East Dallas neighborhood where the patient lived . Across the street , a scrum of news media lined up along the curb . A few neighbors wandered over to survey the scene .\nLynda Edwards , who lives down the street , said she became alarmed when helicopters began hovering overhead around 7 a.m. and news crews began arriving .\n`` It 's scary , '' she said , adding that televised news conferences from the CDC have n't eased her fears .\n`` It does n't sound like we have a plan , '' Edwards said . `` The public needs to know what the plan is . ''\nThe phone call from the CDC of the Ebola confirmation reached Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings around midnight Saturday , triggering a new round of decontamination and new steps to reassure residents .\n`` I was disappointed but not surprised , '' Rawlings told ███ . `` The odds were we would have another one . ''\nFor the next seven hours , members of the Dallas Fire-Rescue Department descended on the apartment building where the infected medical worker lived and decontaminated everything outside and in the common areas of the building , including the laundry room , entrance way , elevator and hallways , he said . They did not enter the worker 's apartment .\nAs workers in hazmat suits scrubbed nearby , Rawlings personally walked through the neighborhood , talking to residents . As a precaution , the workers were ordered to do a second cleaning of all common areas .\n`` We knew the patient was being taken care of at the hospital , '' Rawlings said . `` We focused on the safety of the city . ''\nCity and county officials , who are heading the response effort , will be increasing the number of people monitored by CDC staffers in Dallas , Rawlings said . At least 19 hospital staffers who dealt with Duncan during his two hospital visits were monitoring themselves for signs of Ebola . Now that group will be closely monitored by the CDC team , which includes taking their temperature twice a day , daily visits by CDC staff and restrictions on their movement , he said .\n`` This shows the system 's working , '' Rawlings said . `` That 's what 's making me feel most comfortable . ''\nRawlings said the patient 's dog , still inside the apartment , will soon be sent to a new location to await a reunion with its owner . There were no plans to euthanize the dog as Spanish officials did in a case last week , he said .\nThe Ebola epidemic has killed more than 4,000 people in West Africa , the vast majority of them in Liberia , Guinea and Sierra Leone . In the U.S. , tougher scrutiny for Ebola began Saturday at New York 's Kennedy Airport , where federal Homeland Security officials began screening travelers from those nations , taking their temperature and observing them for other Ebola symptoms .\nThe program will be added at four more U.S. airports in coming days . Rep. Michael McCaul , R-Texas , said more action might be needed .\n`` There 's a lot of talk about banning flights , '' McCaul said on CBS ' Face the Nation . `` I think we need to ... look at the idea of potentially temporarily suspending the 13,000 visas that would be coming out of this region . ''\nSen. John McCain , R-Ariz. , speaking on CNN 's State of the Union , said the U.S. needs `` some kind of czar '' to take charge of the Ebola response . `` Americans have to be reassured , '' he said .\nThe Dallas caregiver reported having a fever Friday night and was hospitalized , isolated and referred for testing within 90 minutes , Clay Jenkins , Dallas County 's chief executive and its Homeland Security director , said at a news conference .\n`` While this is obviously bad news , it is not news that should bring about panic , '' Jenkins said . `` We knew it was a possibility that a second person would contract the virus . We had a contingency plan in place . ''\nThe woman , who requested anonymity , was listed in stable condition , Jenkins said .\nFrieden cited four steps being taken by the CDC : ensuring the woman is cared for safely , identifying her contacts , treating all health care workers who cared for Duncan as having potentially been exposed , and reviewing procedures used to protect health care workers who treat Ebola patients .\nFrieden called the positive test `` very concerning '' but stressed that the protocols for the care of Ebola patients are safe if done properly . He said that removing the protective gear incorrectly , for example , raises risk .\nThe news hit the region 's health care community hard , said Steve Love , president and chief executive of the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council . The area 's 85 hospitals have been training constantly for an Ebola case and holding conference calls to discuss such things as what to do if a child with Ebola shows up at an emergency room , he said .\n`` We were hoping and praying there would not be any additional Ebola cases , '' Love said . `` But it is not surprising that this happened . ''\nDan Varga , chief clinical officer for the hospital group that includes Texas Health Presbyterian , confirmed that the woman had worn full protective gear when working with Duncan . He said the woman was not one of the 48 health care workers who were being most closely watched and that the number of workers being monitored could be expanded .\nDuncan initially sought treatment Sept. 25 and was sent home with antibiotics , despite informing health workers he had recently been to West Africa . He returned three days later in an ambulance and was diagnosed with the deadly infection .\nDuncan was the first person diagnosed with Ebola in the U.S .\nEbola is spread through direct contact with bodily fluids of a sick person or exposure to contaminated objects such as needles . People are not contagious before symptoms such as fever develop . The health care worker who tested positive , along with the others who dealt with Duncan , was self-monitoring — watching for symptoms consistent with early signs of Ebola , Varga said . The monitoring guidelines include taking a temperature twice a day .\n`` That health care worker is a heroic person , '' Jenkins said . `` Let 's remember as we do our work that this is a real person who is going through a great ordeal , and so is that person 's family . ''\nLast week , the hospital defended the quality of care it provided Duncan , saying treatment was not affected by the man 's nationality or lack of health insurance .\n`` Our care team provided Mr. Duncan with the same high level of attention and care that would be given any patient , regardless of nationality or ability to pay for care , '' said Wendell Watson , the hospital 's director of public relations , in a statement .\nBacon reported from McLean , Va . Contributing : William M. Welch in Los Angeles


Story highlights The outbreak of the Ebola disease has become a wild card issue in the midterm elections\nTwo candidates in high-profile Senate races sat on panel holding Ebola hearing Thursday\nSeveral House Democrats in competitive races have come out supporting travel restrictions\nCandidates who did n't attend the hearing used the timing to make campaign statements\nThe campaign trail for two candidates in top-tier Senate races took a detour Thursday to a Capitol Hill committee room for a high-profile hearing on Ebola\nThe outbreak has become a wild card issue in the midterm elections , and both Iowa Democratic Rep. Bruce Braley and Colorado Republican Rep. Cory Gardner were eager to question top Obama administration officials about the federal response at a hearing that was carried live on most television networks .\nBraley is running neck-and-neck for the open Senate seat against GOP state Sen. Joni Ernst , who repeatedly tries to tie him to President Barack Obama and his policies .\nBut Braley used his opening statement to criticize the federal efforts to date , saying , `` the administration did not act fast enough in responding in Texas . ''\nBraley also name-dropped an Iowa company that is working on an Ebola vaccine and pressed Dr. Anthony Fauci , director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , for information on how quickly the government could help advance the company 's research .\nJUST WATCHED Congressman : CDC has to do a better job Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Congressman : CDC has to do a better job 03:43\nJUST WATCHED Frieden : No single answer for Ebola gear Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Frieden : No single answer for Ebola gear 02:06\nJUST WATCHED Rep. Upton : We should not allow people in Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Rep. Upton : We should not allow people in 02:48\nLike many other GOP Senate candidates , Gardner , who is competing against Democratic Sen. Mark Udall , came out in favor of a travel ban for those flying to and from countries in Africa fighting the Ebola epidemic . He used his time at Thursday 's hearing to question Tom Frieden , the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , about his reluctance to put more limits on travel . Federal officials worry that a travel ban would make it harder to track people because they could take circuitous routes to get into the country .\n`` Their reasons today are basically the same thing as saying that all children with chicken pox stay in school so we know who they are . It simply makes no sense . We must make sure we are protecting the American people by making sure that travel from the affected area is restricted , '' Gardner said .\nIt was clear that members of both parties who traveled back to Washington during a week when Congress was n't in session wanted to show voters back home they are responding to the crisis and holding federal officials accountable .\n`` It 's become the top issue , '' the No . 3 House Republican leader , Rep. Steve Scalise , R-Louisiana , said about Ebola and the midterm elections , which are just 19 days away .\nRob Collins , the executive director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee , told reporters Thursday that concern about Ebola is showing up in his party 's internal polling and that GOP candidates are responding to the public 's worries about the spread of the disease .\n`` It think the Republicans have been offering pretty concrete leadership on this issue , including calls for travel bans and such that you 're starting to see the Democrats mirror , '' he said .\nOn Thursday , a pair of House Democrats -- Reps. John Barrow of Georgia and Nick Rahall of West Virginia , who are in competitive races -- also publicly called for the administration to enact travel restrictions . Barrow also recommended a 21-day voluntary quarantine for those traveling to the United States from countries affected by Ebola .\nLouisiana GOP Rep. Bill Cassidy , a physician who is running against Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu , did n't return to Washington for the hearing , but he scheduled a conference call with reporters Thursday afternoon . He said that voters are approaching him as he travels around the state , and he slammed Obama 's handling of the issue .\n`` It seems to be part of a broader narrative that that administration lacks leadership , and that the senator whom I 'm running against frankly enables the administration and is part of their lack of leadership , '' Cassidy said .\nLandrieu focused her response to the Ebola outbreak by calling on the federal government to increase airport screenings .\n`` I urge the administration to expand the current screenings from five to all 20 airports in the United States where tourists , international workers and business leaders from West Africa arrive , '' Landrieu said . `` In addition , it is important to remember , in the face of constant calls for budget cuts , that the investments we make today in our health care system , NIH research and emergency response training at our hospitals can help prevent and quickly contain diseases like Ebola . ''


As Maine officials said they were preparing to get a court order to enforce a mandatory quarantine , Ebola nurse Kaci Hickox said tonight she is not willing to `` stand here and have my civil rights violated . ''\n`` You could hug me , you could shake my hand [ and ] I would not give you Ebola , '' she said outside her Fort Kent home , standing alongside boyfriend Ted Wilbur .\nAsked whether she would try to fight the court order , she said , `` My lawyers and I will discuss that and then decide . ''\n`` I did n't sign up for this , '' Hickox added . `` I flew into Newark [ Airport ] on the wrong day . ''\nThe comments came a few hours after Maine officials said they would seek to force Hickox , 33 , to obey a 21-day quarantine , although the order would first need to be approved by a judge before it could be enforced .\n`` When it is made clear by an individual in this risk category that they do not intend to voluntarily stay at home for the remaining 21 days , we will immediately seek a court order to ensure that they do not make contact with the public , '' Maine Health Commissioner Mary Mayhew said during a news conference this evening .\nBut legal experts say it 's not clear whether such an order would be approved by a judge .\n“ The state has the burden of proving that she is infected , or at least was credibly exposed to infection , and also that by her own behavior she is likely to infect others if not confined , ” said public health lawyer Wendy Mariner , who teaches at Boston University School of Law .\n“ The state is not likely to have any evidence of that , ” Mariner said , adding that Hickox should be able to prove that she is n't infected and plans to take precautions to not expose anyone to her bodily fluids .\nEarlier today , Maine 's governor and other officials said they were are seeking legal authority to enforce what started out as a voluntary quarantine . They also said state police were monitoring Hickox 's home `` for both her protection and the health of the community , '' according to a statement today from the Maine governor 's office .\n`` We are very concerned about her safety and health and that of the community , '' Maine Gov . Paul LePage said . `` We are exploring all of our options for protecting the health and well-being of the healthcare worker , anyone who comes in contact with her , the Fort Kent community and all of Maine . While we certainly respect the rights of one individual , we must be vigilant in protecting 1.3 million Mainers , as well as anyone who visits our great state . ''\nHickox was treating Ebola patients in Sierra Leone for Doctors Without Borders . She returned to the United States on Friday , landing in Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey , where she was questioned and quarantined in an outdoor tent through the weekend despite having no symptoms .\nHickox registered a fever on an infrared thermometer at the airport but an oral thermometer at University Hospital in Newark showed that she actually had no fever , she said .\nAfter twice testing negative for the deadly virus , Hickox was released and returned home to Maine on Monday . The following day , the state 's health commissioner announced that Maine would join the handful of states going beyond federal guidelines and asking that returning Ebola health workers self-quarantine .\n`` Our true desire is for a voluntary separation from the public . We do not want to have to legally enforce an in-home quarantine , '' Main Health Commissioner Mary Mayhew said in a statement . `` We are confident that the selfless health workers , who were brave enough to care for Ebola patients in a foreign country , will be willing to take reasonable steps to protect the residents of their own country . However , we are willing to pursue legal authority if necessary to ensure risk is minimized for Mainers . ''\n`` I will go to court to attain my freedom , '' Hickox told `` Good Morning America '' today via Skype from her hometown of Fort Kent . `` I have been completely asymptomatic since I 've been here . I feel absolutely great . ''\nThe U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does n't consider health workers who treated Ebola patients in West Africa to be at `` high risk '' for catching Ebola if they were wearing protective gear , according to new guidelines announced this week . Since they have `` some risk , '' the CDC recommends that they undergo monitoring -- tracking symptoms and body temperature twice a day -- avoid public transportation and take other precautions . But the CDC does n't require home quarantines for these workers .\nSomeone is n't contagious until Ebola symptoms appear , according to the CDC . And even then , transmission requires contact with bodily fluids such as blood and vomit .\nGet real-time updates as this story unfolds . To start , just `` star '' this story in ███ ' phone app . Download ███ for iPhone here or ███ for Android here . To be notified about our live weekend digital reports , tap here .


Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has ordered all military personnel returning from Ebola response missions in West Africa to be held in a 21-day quarantine .\nHagel signed the order Wednesday morning , accepting a recommendation from the Joint Chiefs of Staff . The Army days earlier had imposed such a policy on its own servicemembers , but the new order applies to all branches .\n`` The fact is the military will have more Americans in Liberia than any other department , '' Hagel said , explaining his decision at Wednesday 's `` Washington Ideas Forum . '' He also said military families had discussed the idea , and `` very much wanted a safety valve on this . ''\nThe decision by Hagel further drives the divisions among the White House -- which has downplayed the need for mandatory quarantines -- and a range of other policymakers , particularly at the state level .\nCalifornia , the latest state to enact a tighter policy than the federal government , on Wednesday announced a 21-day quarantine for travelers from the hot-zone in West Africa who came in contact with infected individuals .\nIn Maine , the returning nurse who battled New Jersey Gov . Chris Christie over her mandatory quarantine also is now battling her home state after returning to Maine .\nMaine health officials are in the process of filing a court order to force Kaci Hickox to comply with the state 's `` voluntary '' 21-day quarantine period for health care workers who treated Ebola patients . Hickox , on Wednesday , told NBC 's `` Today '' that she does n't `` plan on sticking to the guidelines '' and is `` appalled '' by the home quarantine policies `` forced '' on her .\n`` I truly believe this policy is not scientifically nor constitutionally just , and so I 'm not going to sit around and be bullied around by politicians and be forced to stay in my home when I am not a risk to the American public , '' she said , saying she 's in `` perfectly good health . ''\nPresident Obama and his top health advisers also have played down the need for blanket quarantine policies for health care workers . The White House , though , has left open the door for the Pentagon to impose its own policies , arguing that the military and health workers are two entirely separate issues .\nHagel noted , for instance , that many of those in the military are not `` volunteers '' for the Ebola mission .\nPentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren said the number of troops quarantined at a base in Italy is now at 42 , up from 11 a day earlier .\nA statement issued from the Pentagon said all returning servicemembers would be subjected to a 21-day `` controlled monitoring , '' which is effectively a quarantine .\nHagel ordered the Joint Chiefs to develop a detailed implementation plan for review within 15 days .\nHe also wants the Joint Chiefs to conduct a review of the new policies within 45 days -- from there , they 'll determine whether to continue the quarantines .


Maine Gov . Paul LePage said Thursday he is ready to flex his legal powers to rein in a 33-year-old nurse who worked with Ebola patients , after she practically dared the state to seek a court order to quarantine her by enjoying a morning bike ride and refusing a deal that would bar her from public spaces .\nThe standoff between the Republican governor and Kaci Hickox is shaping up as a test case in the national struggle to balance public health and fear of the deadly Ebola virus against the personal liberties of volunteers returning from the outbreak ’ s epicenter in West Africa .\nMr. LePage , who is up for re-election on Tuesday , said state attorneys tried to work with the nurse , but negotiations failed .\n“ As a result of the failed effort to reach an agreement , the governor will exercise the full extent of his authority allowable by law , ” Mr. LePage ’ s office said in a midafternoon statement . “ Maine statutes provide robust authority to the state to use legal measures to address threats to public health . ”\nThe Republican governor remains “ ready and willing ” to “ reasonably address the needs of health care workers meeting guidelines to assure the public health is protected , ” officials added , but they did not specify what Mr. LePage plans to do .\nMs. Hickox insists she doesn ’ t pose a threat , as she has no symptoms of Ebola since returning from Sierra Leone and is not considered contagious . She refuses to be cooped up in her house , and has left her home twice in the past 24 hours while police could only watch .\nThe drama is playing out in a remote corner of the state near the Canadian border , roughly 600 miles from the buzz of New York City , where the positive Ebola test of Dr. Craig Spencer , also recently returned from West Africa , sparked a wave of public concern about the unchecked movement of Ebola workers .\nFears in the Big Apple set off a domino effect of state-mandated quarantine rules , starting with New York and New Jersey before extending to several other states . The virus has killed nearly 5,000 people in countries such as Liberia , Sierra Leone and Guinea , and governors said they would not take any chances with public health .\nIn West Africa , Liberia is making some progress in containing the Ebola outbreak while the crisis in Sierra Leone is going to get worse , the top anti-Ebola officials in the two countries said , according to The Associated Press .\nU.S. U.N . Ambassador Samantha Power , just returned from a visit to the region , told reporters in Belgium that the efforts by the United States and other countries to combat the spread of the deadly virus have begun to bear fruit but that “ we each have to dig deeper . ”\nMs. Hickox fell under New Jersey ’ s new quarantine mandate when she returned to the U.S. through Newark Liberty International Airport and registered a fever .\nShe insisted the reading was faulty and that she should not have spent the weekend in a Newark hospital tent . From her confinement she traded public barbs with Republican Gov . Chris Christie , who let her return to Maine on Monday after she had been symptom-free for 24 hours .\nMr. LePage ’ s office said it outlined new terms in line with the “ some risk ” category outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention earlier this week .\nThe guidelines would let a returning health care worker leave home to ride a bike or go for a walk , “ but would prevent such a person from going into public places or coming within three feet of other people in non-congregate gatherings , ” according to the governor ’ s office .\n“ Unfortunately , an agreement was not reached , ” Mr. LePage ’ s office said . “ The governor remains willing to enter into such an agreement , on a case-by-case basis , with traveling health care workers who meet this definition . ”\nPresident Obama traveled to Maine Thursday to campaign for Democrats but had no plans to meet with Ms. Hickox or wade into the fight .\n“ Ultimately , it ’ s states and local officials who have the authority for implementing these policies , ” White House press secretary Josh Earnest said .\nMr. Obama has indirectly rebuked state leaders for pushing quarantine rules that go beyond the science of Ebola contagion .\nBut governors are not backing down — particularly Mr. Christie , who said this week the nation does not need “ seven-minute lectures ” from the White House and that returning workers who were exposed to the virus must quarantine for 21 days .\n“ That ’ s what we ’ re doing and we ’ re not changing , ” he told reporters . “ I don ’ t care what happens . ”


In 1959 the prolific author and professor of biochemistry Isaac Asimov wrote an essay about the formation of ideas and how to spur creativity . Fifty-five years later , the essay was found by Asimov 's friend , the scientist Arthur Obermayer , and published by MIT Technology Review .\nThe essay was the author 's sole formal contribution to a research group funded by the Advanced Research Projects Agency `` to elicit the most creative approaches possible for a ballistic missile defense system . ''\nAsimov eventually left the group as he did not want to be privy to classified or secret information , according to Obermayer . This essay on creativity , however , remains , and in the face of surmounting obstacles it remains as relevant as ever .\n`` How do people get new ideas ? '' Asimov muses . Asimov himself wrote and edited more than 500 works and was famed for his science fiction novels . One can surmise that he was not short on ideas -- or a method of cultivating creativity .\nAsimov instead looks at how Darwin and Alfred Wallace came up with the theory of evolution via natural selection , and breaks down the essentials of creativity . Just as important as Darwin and Wallace 's background and travels was their ability to make connections between granules otherwise detached :\n`` Obviously , then , what is needed is not only people with a good background in a particular field , but also people capable of making a connection between item 1 and item 2 which might not ordinarily seem connected . ''\nThe `` cross-connection '' Asimov explains is specially cultivated from certain personality and societal factors .\n`` Making the cross-connection requires a certain daring . It must , for any cross-connection that does not require daring is performed at once by many and develops not as a 'new idea , ' but as a mere 'corollary of an old idea . ' '' `` It is only afterward that a new idea seems reasonable . To begin with , it usually seems unreasonable . It seems the height of unreason to suppose the earth was round instead of flat , or that it moved instead of the sun , or that objects required a force to stop them when in motion , instead of a force to keep them moving , and so on . '' `` A person willing to fly in the face of reason , authority , and common sense must be a person of considerable self-assurance . Since he occurs only rarely , he must seem eccentric ( in at least that respect ) to the rest of us . A person eccentric in one respect is often eccentric in others . ''\nDespite writing `` that as far as creativity is concerned , isolation is required , '' Asimov does write at length for the rest of the essay on how best to foster creativity in groups -- five is a good number , he suggests . To cultivate group creativity he believes the perfect human petri dish is one of ease and relaxation :\n`` But how to persuade creative people to do so ? First and foremost , there must be ease , relaxation , and a general sense of permissiveness . The world in general disapproves of creativity , and to be creative in public is particularly bad . Even to speculate in public is rather worrisome . The individuals must , therefore , have the feeling that the others won ’ t object . ''\nAsimov wrote this before radical changes were made to office structures , before Steve Jobs and Pixar , before Silicon Valley and the culture of start-ups were perverted and mass marketed . His ideas seem far before his time .\nYet his essay was published at the exact right moment -- a moment when our society may need to be reminded of this simple prescription . We need to shed some of the manic hype for the `` next thing '' and take a moment to make true , daring new connections . To be informed and eccentric .\nThis line stands out : `` It must , for any cross-connection that does not require daring is performed at once by many and develops not as a 'new idea , ' but as a mere 'corollary of an old idea . ' ''


Annoyed by how often your cellphone needs recharging ? Stanford researchers say they 've made a major step toward the `` holy grail '' of energy storage — a pure lithium battery .\nA team that includes former Energy secretary Steven Chu says it 's building a lithium anode battery that might give electric vehicles a 300-mile driving range and triple a cellphone 's juice.Stanford professor Yi Cui says it will likely take three to five years , though , to bring the product to market .\nTheir work is partly of an intensifying push to build a better battery — not only for portable electronics but also for storing solar and wind power for times when the sun does n't shine and the wind does n't blow.Universities , start-ups and major companies are working with new materials , such as vanadium , or tweaking the lithium-ion battery that Sony introduced more than 20 years ago .\nIn a new breakthrough , the Stanford team says it 's using nanotechnology to create a pure lithium battery — an advance sought for decades because of its light weight and superior efficiency .\n`` If we can triple the energy density and simultaneously decrease the cost four-fold , that would be very exciting , '' Chu said in a university announcement . `` We would have a cellphone with triple the battery life and an electric vehicle with a 300-mile range that cost $ 25,000 — and with better performance than an internal combustion engine car getting 40 mpg . ''\nToday 's lithium batteries only have lithium in the electrolyte , which is one of three basic parts of a battery . The electrolyte provides electrons , while the anode discharges them and the cathode receives them .\nThe Stanford team is also putting lithium in the anode . This is tricky , because while silicon and graphite — two commonly used materials in anodes — expand during charging , lithium expands even more and can also eat up the electrolyte .\nThe solution ? Cui 's lab has built a honeycomb-like microscopic layer — called `` nanospheres '' — that creates a flexible non-reactive film to protect the unstable lithium . It describes the work in a study published this week in the journal Nature Nanotechnology .\nThe layer improves battery efficiency . To become commercially viable , batteries generally need to put back 99.9 % of the lithium lost in use during recharging . Previous anodes of unprotected lithium got about 96 % efficiency , but Cui says his version is approaching 99.6 % , and he expects it can reach 99.9 % in two years .\nSome experts are skeptical . John Goodenough , who helped invent the original lithium-ion battery of the late 1970s and is still working to improve the technology , said Cui 's protective layer is not an `` ideal '' solution .\n`` It 's not clear he has achieved that goal with a sufficiently cheap process , '' says Goodenough , now a 92-year-old professor of materials science at the University of Texas-Austin .\nThe battery world , like other cutting-edge technology , has seen its share of failures . In October 2012 , lithium-ion battery manufacturer A123 filed for bankruptcy after spending $ 132 million in federal stimulus funds . Two months later , Wanxiang America , the U.S. arm of a Chinese automotive parts giant , bought A123 's technology .\nYet Cui , whose lithium anode work has not yet received any federal funds , knows how to commercialize his research . He 's the founder of Silicon Valley start-up Amprius , which received $ 30 million in venture capital in January — in addition to prior funding — to sell a new type of long-lasting lithium-ion battery . Amprius ' board includes Chu , who won the 1997 Nobel Prize in physics and returned to Stanford after leaving the Obama administration .


Use of fossil fuels is down 45 percent ( and net greenhouse gas production , by weight , is down 60 percent ) , he said , while sales are up 49 percent . Globally , the company ’ s carpet-making uses one-third the water it used to . The company ’ s worldwide contribution to landfills has been cut by 80 percent .\n“ He bet his entire company , ” said Bob Fox , an architect who specializes in “ green ” buildings and who , like Mr. Anderson , is a member of the advisory board of the Harvard Center for Health and the Global Environment . “ It worked out probably better even than he hoped . He has set the mark for every other corporation in this country . ”\nAnd in the process , Mr. Anderson has turned into perhaps the leading corporate evangelist for sustainability . He had a head start , he acknowledges , because he ran his company and controlled its voting stock . But he can make the case effectively , he said , because his Interface experience teaches that sustainability “ doesn ’ t cost , it pays ” — in customer loyalty , employee spirit and hard cash . He says Interface sustainability efforts have saved the company more than $ 336 million since 1995 .\nIn fact , sustainability has been such a successful strategy that Interface established a consulting arm last year , to market its methods to other companies .\nAs befits an evangelist , Mr. Anderson , a trim 72-year-old , has taken his message on the road , preaching the sermon of sustainability in at least 115 speeches around the world last year alone .\nSince last year , when he turned operating responsibilities over to Dan Hendrix , his successor as chief executive , selling sustainability has been “ pretty much my full-time job , ” Mr. Anderson said , and several people on the company payroll work more or less full time on it too , handling his schedule and fielding inquiries . “ I think he was a typical corporate executive : the bottom line was everything , ” said Eric Chivian , director of the Harvard Center . “ He really did not think about the impact of his work . ”\nBut today , Dr. Chivian said , Mr. Anderson is “ a model of creative thinking about sustainable business practices . ”\nWhen Mr. Anderson began his crusade , there were those who thought it was quixotic , and some in the company worried that he was a bit too intense about it . Others thought carpet tiles — squares of nylon pile glued ubiquitously underfoot in offices , classrooms , hospitals , airports and elsewhere — were an unlikely focus for an effort to change the way business does business .\n“ Well , he won us all over , ” said Jo Ann Bachman , one of Mr. Anderson ’ s assistants .\nFor one thing , he is a carpet tile enthusiast . After a short stint at Procter & Gamble , Mr. Anderson , a Georgia native and 1956 graduate of Georgia Tech , was working in the carpet division of Callaway Mills when he discovered carpet tiles on a trip to England that he also describes in his book “ Mid-Course Correction ” ( Chelsea Green , 1998 ) .\nIt was the early 1970s , he said , and “ the office of the future was just then emerging , ” with more and more electronic equipment fed by more and more wires running under the floors , as walls gave way to cubicles . Carpet tile allowed businesses to move equipment at will , and the tiles could be replaced individually as they wore out . “ It just made so much sense , ” he said .\nSo he put together the necessary financing and started Interface in 1973 . Today , the company says it has about $ 1.1 billion in annual sales and 38 percent of the global market for carpet tiles .\nBut when it comes to the environment , he eventually realized , carpet “ is a pretty abusive industry . ”\nCarpet makers use lots of petroleum and petroleum derivatives , both as components of synthetic carpet and to power its production . Dyeing carpet is water- and energy-intensive . And when people are finished with the carpet , “ it goes into landfills where it lasts probably 20,000 years , ” Mr. Anderson said . “ Abusive . ”\nSo he challenged his employees to find ways to turn all of that around . And he forestalled objections from his own stockholders , he said , by making the elimination of waste the first target . “ We saved money from Day 1 , ” he said .\nHe acknowledges that some of the advances the company has made so far are relatively obvious and easy , and that some of its claimed progress relies on steps , like carbon credits , that are far from ideal . For example , the company pays to plant trees that , in theory , take up enough carbon to compensate for the greenhouse gas generated by airplane flights on company business .\n“ All you are really doing is inventorying the carbon for 200 years , ” Mr. Anderson said of the company ’ s tree-planting efforts , which it subcontracts to a company in the carbon credit business . “ It ’ s better than nothing , but it ’ s temporary . ”\nNewsletter Sign Up Continue reading the main story Please verify you 're not a robot by clicking the box . Invalid email address . Please re-enter . You must select a newsletter to subscribe to . Sign Up You will receive emails containing news content , updates and promotions from The New York Times . You may opt-out at any time . You agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times 's products and services . Thank you for subscribing . An error has occurred . Please try again later . View all New York Times newsletters .\nIn the future , he said , progress will come “ in a lot of little steps and a few very big ones . ”\nDeveloping recyclable nylon — “ that ’ s a big step , ” he said . ( Whoever does it will get all his company ’ s business , he has said . ) Substituting “ carbohydrates ” — using corn dextrose instead of petroleum — would be even bigger . Renewable energy at a reasonable price would be another big step . Transportation remains “ a huge issue , ” in spite of the carbon credits .\nEven so , customers responded to the campaign , he said , noting that it was questions from customers that prompted the sales force to ask for his environmental views in the first place . “ In the aggregate , our products are not costing any more , ” he said , and customers do not seem to resist those that are more expensive . “ Our profit margins are up , not down , ” he said .\nOne key to the effort ’ s success , he said , was its comprehensive , across-the-board approach to the entire company . “ If you begin with a company and say , ‘ We are going to green this company by bolting on these green programs , ’ you are going to end up with costs up , not down , ” Mr. Anderson said . “ We stepped back and said , Let ’ s look at the whole system . ’ ”\nThe audiences for his speeches are changing , too , he said . In the beginning , he often found himself preaching to the choir , he said , but in the last five years , his audiences have more often been business groups .\n“ I always make the business case for sustainability , ” he said . “ It ’ s so compelling . Our costs are down , not up . Our products are the best they have ever been . Our people are motivated by a shared higher purpose — esprit de corps to die for . And the goodwill in the marketplace — it ’ s just been astonishing . ”\nMr. Anderson , who has two grown daughters from a first marriage , commutes to his office in a Toyota Prius . He and his second wife , Pat , also have a home on 86 acres in the mountains near Highlands , N.C . It is off the grid , its landscaping designed to minimize environmental disruption .\nAnd after an argument with the landlord , Interface ’ s office space here is now illuminated with low-energy , long-life light bulbs .\nMr. Anderson is also proud to say that as a member of an advisory council at Georgia Tech , he persuaded the institution to modify its mission statement to proclaim the goal of “ working for a sustainable society . ”\nBut there is a lot that even business can not accomplish on its own , he said .\nFor example , he said , the tax code is “ perverse , ” in that it puts heavy taxes on good things , like income and capital , and leaves a lot of bad things , like energy use , relatively unscathed . And economists typically underestimate the true cost of doing business because they exclude “ externalities , ” like environmental damage from pollution .\nIf it were up to him , he said , he would reduce income taxes and raise the gasoline tax ( with subsidies for the poor ) . But he conceded that the Clinton administration , which he served as co-chairman of the Council on Sustainable Development , could not get an energy tax through Congress .\n“ The country wasn ’ t ready for it , ” Mr. Anderson said , adding that when the sustainability council had a cocktail party for members of Congress , only a handful of members showed up , some of them possibly drawn more by drinks than doctrine .\nBut since then , he said , environmental groups have been spreading the message . He gives them credit for the success of Al Gore ’ s global warming documentary , “ An Inconvenient Truth . ”\n“ Their work created a supersaturated solution , ” he said in the language of chemistry . “ Gore drops his crystal in it , and the whole thing precipitates . ”\nThe movie was “ fabulous , ” he added . And would he support Mr. Gore for president ? “ Oh , in a heartbeat ! ”\nMr. Anderson ’ s schedule is only getting more hectic . He is on track to easily surpass last year ’ s speech-giving pace , he said , “ and I don ’ t have to send an invitation , they just keep finding me . ”\nBut the effort is worth it , he said , not just for the opportunities he has to spread his message , but for its business-building effect . His favorite audiences are “ rich in potential customers , ” he said , and among them the sustainability effort “ has done more to lift the company ’ s image than all the advertising we have ever done . ”\nAll of which makes him smile when he looks back on that sales meeting of 1994 .\nAfter the speech , he said , “ I heard the whispers , ‘ Has he gone round the bend ? ’ ” Mr. Anderson recalls proudly how he confessed at once that he had . “ That ’ s my job , ” he said . “ To see what ’ s around the bend . ”


The future of medicine got a giant step closer Wednesday with the publication of new research showing what may be a much easier way to turn regular cells into flexible stem cells , without destroying embryos .\nStem cells have long been looked at as the future of medical care , offering the possibility of mending a damaged heart , replacing brain cells lost to Alzheimer 's or repairing the spinal cord of someone who 's been paralyzed . But that potential has been limited — first by the controversial need to destroy embryos for the research , and more recently by the expensive and cumbersome techniques used to make stem cells without embryos .\nIn two papers published Wednesday in the journal Nature , researchers from Japan and Harvard showed they could make stem cells cheaply and easily , simply by damaging mature cells with acid .\n`` If this pans out , that means ( for ) almost any person who has a medical problem , researchers could easily make stem cells from that person 's skin or blood , and those cells could be a really powerful therapy , '' said Paul Knoepfler , a stem cell biologist and associate professor at the University of California-Davis , who was not involved in the work .\nIn theory , a doctor could , say , scrape some cells off the arm of a heart attack patient and turn the cells into stem cells , which could then become healthy heart cells . Eventually the healthy heart cells could be implanted into the heart where they could take over for the damaged ones .\nTo date , the benefits of stem cells are mostly theoretical . Bone marrow transplants are the primary use of stem cells in therapy today , although clinical trials are underway for other uses .\nThe new research also suggests that the body has a previously unrecognized ability to heal itself , and upends our understanding of biology by suggesting that adult cells may be able to revert to stem cells after they 've been damaged , said Charles Vacanti , the Harvard Medical School stem cell and tissue engineering biologist who led the new research .\nResearchers might someday be able to capitalize on this healing ability to create effective treatments and even battle cancer , said Vacanti , also of Brigham and Women 's Hospital in Boston .\nIn the new research , Vacanti and colleagues produced cells they call STAP cells ( for stimulus-triggered acquisition of pluripotency ) by putting mouse white blood cells under various stressors , such as a low-pH , acidic solution . Vacanti said he has since made STAP cells from human skin cells .\nRudolf Jaenisch , a stem cell biologist at the Whitehead Institute at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology , said he found the team 's results quite surprising and cautions that more research is needed before the potential of this new approach can be understood . `` I think it 's a first step , '' he said . `` Quite a lot of questions were unresolved . ''\nOther researchers not involved in the work said they have no reason to question the results , but science requires replication .\n`` This is Day One . We 'll have to see how this goes , '' Knoepfler said .