Globally, from September 2012 to date, WHO has been informed of a total of 77 laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with MERS-CoV, including 40 deaths.
via WHO | Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – update.
Daily Archives: July 5, 2013
What Lebanese People Think of the Syrian Refugees
We’ve discussed the matter of the Syrian refugees in Lebanon over and over and over again. And then some.
Every aspect of the issue has been exposed. Racism, realism, illusionism – all forms of arguments have been used.
And yet, in the midst of the 1,000,000 plus refugees that our country has received, very few polls have taken it to the Lebanese who are not on social media, who do not have blogs and who do not tweet the day away.
A recent study published by Fafo attempted to see what the Lebanese population thought of the increasing Syrian presence. You can check the study here. Some of the findings are as follows:
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What Lebanese People Think of the Syrian Refugees | A Separate State of Mind | A Lebanese Blog
Some of the findings are as follows:
52% believe Syrian refugees pose a threat to national security. This number rises to 80% in responders from North Lebanon.
71% of responders believe sectarian clashes will erupt soon. The number is high among Sunnis and low among Shiites, expressing the ongoing divide in the country (and strengthening the study, perhaps?)
67% of Lebanese believe the conflict in Syria will drive Lebanon to a new civil war.
82% of Lebanese find Syrian refugees are taking away their jobs. 75% believe they are the cause of decreasing wages across the country.
50% believe the Syrian refugees are receiving too much money. This number rises to 74% in the North.
61% of Lebanese are not comfortable having Syrian neighbors. This number is higher among young people and among Christians as well.
A lot of the information revealed in the study is old news to most of us who are living among the people who fall into those many percentages. But are all the woes invalid?
A recent lecture I attended at medical school with Doctors Without Borders revealed to us that the situation of the Lebanese citizens in Bab el Tebbane, Jabal Mohsen and Akkar is far, far worse than the worst conditions they’ve seen with the Syrian refugees. This prompted me to ask the head of the MSF envoy to Lebanon about what was expected of Lebanon regarding the Syrian refugees given the state of many of its citizens?
He couldn’t answer.
via What Lebanese People Think of the Syrian Refugees | A Separate State of Mind | A Lebanese Blog.
Palmetti: A natural product, a fair product | Indiegogo
We are making steady progress towards our goal and it is all because of you. Thank you for helping us show the world the way business should always be done! Today we would like to share with you one of our most succesful experiences in India: the Softening Fiber Lab.When we started this adventure, we wanted to raise awareness of the incredible potential that natural fibers have to replace environmentally harmful materials. With the help of the bright young minds of the Srishti Design School in Bangalore, we were able to set up a learning laboratory; a place to incentivise creativity and foster innovation. The results surpassed our expectations! The ideas and creations of the students offer us a glimpse into the future. A future in which eco-friendly raw materials will easily replace synthetic ones.
via Palmetti: A natural product, a fair product | Indiegogo.
Here’s why Egyptians are glad the military ousted their president
This piece originally published in The Globe and Mail, I republish it here in case you missed it.
It may seem illogical or even reckless. Why is this huge crowd in Egypt celebrating as they watch their democratically elected president being deposed by the army? There is no simple answer. Egypt’s scene is multidimensional and therefore hard for onlookers to understand immediately.
To start, let’s agree that it was a military coup, but a coup with public consent; a coup backed by a civil uprising and millions of Egyptians protesting in the streets of all regions of Egypt demanding the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi.
We should also clarify the context. The first step is to appreciate the factors involved in the uprising. First, Mr. Morsi had only managed to secure 25 per cent of votes in the first round of the presidential election, and he won the…
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Theresa May Announces Critical Thinking To Become Class C Drug
Following lead of Texas Governor Perry, of whom she is a fan…?
(satire?)
Possession and use of free will – already banned in the US and most European countries – set to become illegal in UK
The home secretary, Theresa May, has defied her own expert advisers and announced a decision to ban independent thought, a mild stimulant that is traditionally used by Britain’s Perceptive, Cognizant and Thinking communities.
May said that autonomous thinking would become a class C drug after warning that since the US and other European countries had already banned acts of volition and personal choice, there was a serious risk that Britain could become a “single, regional hub” for the illegal onward trafficking of independent thought.
She said that the penalties for personal possession of an open mind would be similar to those for cannabis – with a warning issued for a first-time offence, leading to arrest and prosecution for persistent possession and use of free will.
May…
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Ned Hamson's Second Line View of the News 