All posts by nedhamson

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

Trump′s abortion ban puts African women at risk | Africa | DW.COM | 25.01.2017

International NGOs offering abortion services will no longer receive US funding, sparking fears for women in developing countries. Now the Dutch government has called for a global fund to try to cover the shortfall.

Source: Trump′s abortion ban puts African women at risk | Africa | DW.COM | 25.01.2017

Why women need to keep marching in Italy – The Local

“During the Women’s March I not only saw a strong, courageous, and emotional demonstration, but I felt a new energy which I’ve rarely felt during other public demonstrations: togetherness between protesters of different ages, genders, sexual orientations and religions.”

Source: Why women need to keep marching in Italy – The Local

Government pushes back against US halt to abortion aid – Radio Sweden | Sveriges Radio

Sweden’s government has called for action to defend work on abortion and contraceptive rights, as the new US President orders a halt to international aid and development in those areas.” The world is looking to Sweden as a leader in these issues,” says Development Minister Isabella Lövin. She wants to meet the Swedish opposition parties and establish a broad political consensus for action to limit the effect of the new US government’s withdrawal from reproductive rights work internationally.

Source: Government pushes back against US halt to abortion aid – Radio Sweden | Sveriges Radio

Study finds reduced antibiotic use could cut C diff | CIDRAP – Nuther fact for Trump to pretend does not exist because it might hurt his investments.

Crook also acknowledged that reducing fluoroquinolone use by 50%—as has been done in England—will be very difficult to do in the United States, since fluoroquinolones are used widely in the US healthcare system.Brad Spellberg, MD, an infectious disease specialist at University of Southern California, agrees.”We massively overuse quinolones in the US, and, unfortunately, national guidelines have helped propagate the overuse by promoting these drugs as first line for diseases where other drugs can also be used,” Spellberg said.Spellberg said fluoroquinolones should be reserved for broad-spectrum gram-negative infections, which tend to be more resistant and harmful to humans, and should be used for less harmful gram-positive infections only when other options can’t be used.”This should become a focus of change in national guidelines, in [Food and Drug Administration] approving and labeling, and in payer, regulator, and professional expected practice,” Spellberg added.

Source: Study finds reduced antibiotic use could cut C diff | CIDRAP

The Humiliation of Entering The United States As Arab | A Separate State of Mind | A Blog by Elie Fares

Ten years later, after months of back and forth with the Embassy and papers flowing in and out, I was finally given a visitor’s visa for 5 years on my third try, routine for Lebanese citizens who were granted the document as far as I know. A few months later, I visited the United States of America for the first time ever.On my second visit, the border control officer said his system “couldn’t process” me, so I was taken into another room where, an hour and another interrogation later, I was permitted entry to come into the US to do my medical residency interviews. This happened again on my third entry, with longer waiting times. Entering the US has been the most invasive thing to my being, and I’ve survived medical school.It’s also what has been happening to many of my colleagues and friends: doctors, scientists, researchers, humans. Just because they were unfortunate enough to be born in countries that are not worthy of enough of having their citizens treated with the minimum of human decency. I can tell you stories about physicians who were kept in those rooms for four hours, waiting for who knows what. It’s never easy to sit there and not know what’s going to happen to you, just because you dared seek entry of a foreign country that you’ve already been thoroughly vetted to be given a visa to.

Source: The Humiliation of Entering The United States As Arab | A Separate State of Mind | A Blog by Elie Fares

100+ Asian American & Pacific Islander Organizations Pledge to Resist Repression Under Trump Administration | Race Files

Mr. Trump’s campaign used explicit racial appeals to win the support of disaffected white voters, promising to restore their economic and social standing by deporting millions of immigrants, building a wall, creating a Muslim registry, banning Muslim immigration, and punishing Black dissent. He also engaged in deeply misogynistic language and behavior throughout his campaign. He insulted all people of color; people with disabilities; and women – all of whom amount to the majority of America. In the global arena, he has signaled at a new nuclear arms race, promised to expand the use of torture, and disparaged the United Nations.Since his election, Mr. Trump has chosen known white nationalists, corporate moguls, religious zealots, climate deniers, hawkish ex-generals, anti-Islam spokespersons, and anti-government crusaders to serve in his Administration. Right-wing extremists now dominate his party, which will control all three branches of the federal government and the majority of state legislatures, and are positioned to jeopardize the future of the Supreme Court for the next generation and beyond. Together this new realignment of forces seeks to turn back the clock on civil rights and environmental protections, to maximize corporate profits by privatizing the public sector, and to create a racially and culturally exclusive America.This is not business as usual, and we will not engage in business-as-usual tactics and strategies.

Source: 100+ Asian American & Pacific Islander Organizations Pledge to Resist Repression Under Trump Administration | Race Files

Russia to target Merkel with ‘more disinformation’ ahead of vote – The Local

Chancellor Angel Merkel will face an even broader Russian disinformation campaign ahead of elections this year, according to EU findings, a source close to the matter said on Monday.The source, who asked not to be identified, told reporters that France and the Netherlands were also likely targets as they too go to the polls with populist, anti-EU figures strongly in the running after Donald Trump’s upset US election victory.The source said the East StratCom Task Force set up in 2015 to combat a Russian disinformation campaign found Merkel had come under increasing attack last year, especially over her decision to let nearly a million immigrants into Germany.EU foreign affairs head Federica Mogherini formed the group in the fallout from the Ukraine crisis when Moscow manipulated information in the press and over social networks to wrong-foot Kiev and the 28-nation bloc about its intentions.The team of about ten experts and Russian-speakers monitors news stories, be it about Ukraine, the migrant crisis or terror attacks in Europe which show Western leaders in a poor light.It aims to demonstrate that apparently authoritative stories are  fake and so counter their impact.According to a statement on the group’s website, over the past 15 months it found “more than 2,500 examples in 18 languages of stories contradicting publicly available facts.”

Source: Russia to target Merkel with ‘more disinformation’ ahead of vote – The Local