[August 16, 2011] EDITORIAL: Short takes Tweet Aug 16, 2011 (The Columbus Dispatch - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- CHOICES FOR Victims of Domestic Violence has long served the deaf and hard of hearing, and now it can do so more easily: The local agency has started contracting with a deaf social worker who has 15 years of psychotherapy and advocacy experience. Stephanie Smith Bowman can easily communicate with her clients, whether they prefer to talk by signing, lip-reading or speaking. For domestic-violence victims who are deaf, that removes a stumbling block. "There are some things that just need to be between you and your counselor," said Sharon McCloy-Reichard, executive director of CHOICES. "Stephanie gives us that." Abusers typically isolate their victims, cutting them off from the phone or friends as a way to dominate and control. So imagine being deaf and encountering communication barriers while seeking help. Someone who is part of their linguistic and cultural community also might catch danger signs that a hearing crisis worker might miss. For example, when a husband canceled the family's cable service, Smith Bowman realized it wasn't to cut bills; it deprived the wife of her video phone and further isolated her. CHOICES, which operates a 24-hour hot line at 614-224-4663, has made a great choice. --NEWS THAT researchers may be able to develop a super flu vaccine --capable of protecting against all strains for years, or even a lifetime --is nothing to sneeze at. The bug is one of the nation's most preventable diseases, but it hospitalizes 200,000 people and contributes to 3,000 to 49,000 deaths each year. That's why public health officials work so hard to urge people to roll up their sleeves for an annual shot: it keeps them healthy and prevents the flu from spreading like wildfire. But a universal flu vaccine would end the seasonal guessing game about which strains of the virus are coming and provide long-lasting protection, as does a measles or tetanus shot. A universal flu vaccine could be ready in five years, according to Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health. That's marvelous news that would help save health-care dollars and lives. And it's one fewer "ouch" for those nervous about the needle. --FOR PARENTS of little hackers who have feared the knock of a federal agent at their door, there is good news. It might be a job recruiter. U.S. government agents trolled a huge hacker convention in Las Vegas a few weeks ago, looking to hire unconventional employees: expert hackers. Computer criminals, however, need not apply. The National Security Agency was among the suitors at Defcon, as were the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security and NASA. "Today, it's cyberwarriors that we're looking for, not rocket scientists," NSA's Richard "Dickie" George told the Reuters news agency. His agency is hiring about 3,000 people through next year, and most of them need to be cyberexperts. The government's strategy is both offensive and defensive. The Pentagon recently fended off cyberattacks. And Western powers are suspected of sabotaging Iraq's nuclear program, attacked last year by the Stuxnet worm. Defcon founder Jeff Moss said it is possible to learn hacking skills without breaking laws. That seems hard to believe, but the government requires its hired hackers to pass a security clearance: drug testing, an extensive background check and a lie-detector test. To see more of The Columbus Dispatch, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.columbusdispatch.com. Copyright (c) 2011, The Columbus Dispatch, Ohio Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]