All posts by nedhamson

Activist, writer, researcher, addicted to sharing information and facts.

In the 19th century, yellow fever survivors already used immunity passports – Mágica Mistura 車

In the 19th century, yellow fever survivors already used immunity passports

In 1804, the territory of Gibraltar, located south of the Iberian Peninsula, experienced an epidemic of yellow fever. Over four months, more than 2,200 people died from the disease, which is transmitted by the mosquito Aedes aegypti. Health officials tried to stop the problem, but that was not an easy task – since at that time nobody knew how transmission occurred.

Gibraltar was a strategic territory, as it was next to the only route that allowed entry into the Mediterranean through the Atlantic Ocean. It was a British Overseas Territory, and served as a fortress for many military personnel. People lived huddled within the colony walls, sharing a room for ten people, for example.

In addition, no river or spring crossed the territory – the population needed to collect rainwater in buckets for their own consumption. It was the recipe for disaster: standing water combined with the hot summer environment forms a full plate for the Aedes aegypti. Infections would only cease with the arrival of winter.

The 1804 epidemic was not the only one: outbreaks also occurred in 1810, 1813, 1814 and 1828. Research published in the scientific journal BMJ Global Health shows that the authorities were already better prepared for the second outbreak. A quarantine camp was created, where the infected were forcibly taken until the situation in the territory improved. About 4,000 people passed through there.

Source: In the 19th century, yellow fever survivors already used immunity passports – Mágica Mistura 車

Y un día, a cierta hora, al voltear atrás

Santiago Galicia Rojon Serrallonga

SANTIAGO GALICIA ROJON SERRALLONGA

Derechos reservados conforme a la ley/ Copyright

Y un día, a cierta hora de la tarde, al voltear atrás y a los lados, me di cuenta de que los de antes ya no estaban conmigo. Apenas era el verano de mi existencia y ya sentía el dolor de las ausencias. Terribles han de ser, en todo caso, las noches otoñales y las madrugadas de invierno, en las soledades y en las miserias, ya sin el ambiente canoro que seguramente, en tales circunstancias, se han de añorar y requerir con urgencia, entre dolores y suspiros. Estos días tan extraños, en los que la gente muere cualquier fecha, en un conflicto global, los faltantes resultan más constantes y los dolores se vuelven cotidianos. Faltan unos y muchos, en mayúsculas y en minúsculas, en femenino y en masculino, porque alguien, y otros más, planea apoderarse del mundo, de sus…

View original post 433 more words

$200 million in gold extracted in Amazon mine through illegal licenses

  • Gana Gold generated R$ 1.1 billion (US$ 200 million) in revenue using illegally-obtained environmental licenses in Brazil, equivalent to 3 tons of gold extracted.
  • By the company’s own reckoning, its operations should be producing annual revenues of around R$ 30 million ($6 million) if operating within licensing limits.
  • Located inside a conservation area, the company has extracted 32 times more gold than the projected estimate it made to the regulating agency.
  • An embargo has been placed on Gana Gold along with R$ 10 million (US$ 2 million) in fines following reports of illegal activity. 

Source: $200 million in gold extracted in Amazon mine through illegal licenses

October 25th – Breaking News in 1955

Seclusion 101 with AnneMarie

Being at a loss for anything newsworthy today, I flashed back to the news headlines of 1955. See here.

1955 was a very prolific year, news wise. According to The People’s History website, these were some of the top headlines.

  • The St. Laurence Seaway opens
  • Rosa Parks is arrested for refusing to give up her bus seat for a white passenger
  • The first McDonald’s was erected
  • TV dinners, featuring fish sticks, went to market
  • James Dean killed in auto accident in California
  • Coca Cola, previously available in bottles only, was now sold in cans
  • The average minimum wage in the USA reached $1.00 per hour
  • 7 out of 10 US families owned a car
  • USS Nautilus, the first nuclear powered submarine, was launched
  • The original Salk polio vaccine was introduced
  • The Mickey Mouse Club debuted
  • California Disneyland opened
  • The Baghdad Pact was formed to unite the Middle East
  • The…

View original post 204 more words

Upside Down Tomato Tart

snapshotsincursive

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Equal Measures: Upside Down Tomato Tart! If I were a fairy princess, in the Land of Make Believe, I would wrap myself in puff pastry and nibble my way out. Just so you know…puff pastry is paper-thin layers of buttery dough. It’s like a chef’s all-time secret never-fail pastry dough that practically makes everything look and taste gourmet. When baked, the layers of butter release steam that turns the dough light and flaky. Thank goodness it is sold prepackaged in the freezer section of most grocery stores. All you need to do is let it thaw for about 45 minutes and it’s ready to be transformed into your latest craving. I’ve heard it makes an incredible pizza dough, so I see that on my list of recipes soon. In the meantime, take advantage of tomato season. This recipe can slay dragons.

UPSIDE DOWN TOMATO TART

View original post 201 more words

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Gives Remarks at the Civil Rights Division’s Virtual Conference: Confronting Hate: Strategies for Prevention, Accountability and Justice | OPA | Department of Justice

Pursuant to my directive and the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, the Civil Rights Division is also expediting its review of federal hate crimes. Over the past six months, the department has charged more than 17 defendants with federal hate crimes, including in the case of the death of Ahmaud Arbery. We have also secured convictions in a number of notable hate crime cases.

For example, in 2019, a shooter killed one and wounded three others at a synagogue in Southern California. The defendant then set fire to a nearby mosque. Last month, that defendant pleaded guilty to all 113 counts and agreed to spend life in prison without parole.

The Justice Department will continue to use its criminal enforcement tools effectively, but we understand that our work must go beyond criminal prosecutions. So we are also hard at work maximizing the use of our non-criminal resources. For example, I have directed the establishment of a full-time Language Access Coordinator within the department.

In doing so, we hope that improved language access will improve people’s willingness and ability to report their experiences with hate. In another example of non-criminal action, the Civil Rights Division recently worked with the Department of Education to identify resources for students and families facing pandemic-related harassment. In keeping with our commitment to language access, that product was translated into several languages.

Source: Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Gives Remarks at the Civil Rights Division’s Virtual Conference: Confronting Hate: Strategies for Prevention, Accountability and Justice | OPA | Department of Justice