The Writing Process, Editing eBooks, and Cars That Won’t Run, Dad?

Context, Thought, and Learning: ShiraDest Offers Project Do Better

So this is what a Karmann Ghia looks like, huh?

Editing this version of almost draft number seven reminded me of how I rescued, on a dare, an old Kindle from Oblivion as it was about to be recycled because a landlady of mine in New Mexico said it no longer worked. Not quite as good as getting a dead car to run, like my father used to do, but, it’s a start.    Apparently as they said in my father’s funeral, people used to give him old cars that wouldn’t run, and he would not only get them to run, but also supe them up and race them.    Nevertheless I was proud of myself that I got this really old Kindle to run, and have been using it for years now. I find that for some reason it makes a big difference editing in ebook format, where I…

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Alexei Navalny has gone missing from Russian prison, say allies | Alexei Navalny | The Guardian

Allies of the imprisoned Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny have said he is missing from the prison where he was serving his time.

His close associates say he is probably being transferred to another prison. In Russia, prison transfers can take days, if not weeks, and are shrouded in secrecy.

“All this time that we don’t know where Alexei is, he is left alone with the system that has already once tried to kill him,” Navalny’s spokesperson, Kira Yarmysh, said on social media.

Navalny’s closest ally, Leonid Volkov, said on Telegram that the politician’s lawyer went to visit him in prison on Tuesday and was told that “there is no such convict here”. “Where Alexei is now and which prison he is being taken to, we don’t know,” Volkov said.

 

Source: Alexei Navalny has gone missing from Russian prison, say allies | Alexei Navalny | The Guardian

Scientists Race to Create Wheat That Can Withstand Global Warming – Mother Jones

the loss of diversity in crops, ecosystems and traditional sustainable practices came at a huge environmental and human cost. And now the climate crisis is making us pay.

“After the Green Revolution the focus was on breeding high-yield disease-resistant specialists for different regions, but the mega-varieties were not bred to cope with unpredictable climate conditions. Now we need generalists, and there’s enough diversity to cope with unpredictable climate events—we just need to find and exploit it, but funding is an issue,” said Matthew Reynolds…

After six years, the program ends up with 50 or so new wheat varieties which countries can take and test before releasing to their farmers. The goal is to shorten the breeding cycle to four years to help farmers with few resources better cope with the rapidly changing climate and emerging disease threats.

“The private and public sectors are not in this together. No one is getting rich selling drought-resistant wheat seeds in Africa, so we need public programs to develop diverse seeds and reach small farmers who are not served by commercial seed companies,” said Luigi Guarino, director of science at the Crop Trust.

About 70 percent of the world’s wheat can be traced back to seeds developed here, yet just four transnational agrochemical companies control 60 percent of the global seed market. The big four focus on yield, and produce most of the world’s fungicides and pesticides, which degrade the environment and reduce biodiversity, making farms more vulnerable to climate change shocks.

 

Source: Scientists Race to Create Wheat That Can Withstand Global Warming – Mother Jones

Avian Flu Diary: EID Journal: Natural Reassortment of EA H1N1 and Avian H9N2 Influenza Viruses in Pigs, China 

Source: Avian Flu Diary: EID Journal: Natural Reassortment of EA H1N1 and Avian H9N2 Influenza Viruses in Pigs, China

(Me: “explains” why new flu develops leading up to Fall-Winter Holidays(Nov-Dec) in the west and Lunar New Year in Asia – January – when pig, duck, turkey and chicken production increases exponentially for holiday meals)

Avian Flu Diary: ECDC/WHO Interim Advice For Public Health On Summer Events During The Monkeypox Outbreak In Europe

Guidance

14 Jun 2022

The aim of this document is to provide concise advice to public health authorities and guide their prevention, awareness-raising and behaviour change interventions before, during and after upcoming summer events.

Executive summary

This document will enable public health authorities to maximise opportunities for disseminating reliable information, advice and practical guidance to participants and minimise the public health risk from monkeypox. Although the main focus is monkeypox in the context of the current multi-country outbreak, much of the advice addresses good public health practices in general which may help prevent the transmission of a number of infectious diseases (e.g. HIV, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), etc.). This guidance also includes sections which can be used to formulate advice to business/venue owners and event organisers, as well as participants themselves. All advice can be adapted to the local context and the relevant audience and translated into national languages, as required.

 

Source: Avian Flu Diary: ECDC/WHO Interim Advice For Public Health On Summer Events During The Monkeypox Outbreak In Europe

No, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Transgender People Aren’t Causing The Tampon Shortage

the real issue can be traced back to an increase in the cost of cotton and plastic used to produce tampons. These materials, also used for masks and other medical supplies, have been in particularly high demand since the pandemic. The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has added another challenging layer to the problem, as both countries are key exporters of the materials.

Source: No, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Transgender People Aren’t Causing The Tampon Shortage

 

(Someone is a bit nuts on prices – just checked Amazon – check for yourself. not nearly as high as noted in article.)