All posts by nedhamson

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

The Icarus Syndrome Strikes Again! Avian Flu Diary: Cell Host & Microbe: Wolbachia Blocks Zika Virus In Brazilian Aedes Aegypti Mosquitoes

  1. Infecting many mosquitoes with Wolbachia will result in Wolbachia resistant mosquitoes.
  2. Pretending that mosquitoes are an enemy or pest that can/should be destroyed ignores why mosquito populations explode (human interventions) and what the role of the mosquito is in nature.
  3. Someone will profit greatly and will not pay for any unintended consequences.

“The idea has been to release Aedes mosquitoes with Wolbachia in the field over a period of a few months, so they mate with Aedes mosquitoes without Wolbachia living in the place and, over time, replace the mosquito population,” says senior author Luciano Moreira of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation. He is also actively involved in the Eliminate Dengue Program, a non-profit that is testing the approach in 40 locations around the world.

Source: Avian Flu Diary: Cell Host & Microbe: Wolbachia Blocks Zika Virus In Brazilian Aedes Aegypti Mosquitoes

Listeria linked to frozen vegetables sickens 8 in 3 states | CIDRAP

Epidemiologic and lab evidence suggests the likely source of the outbreak is frozen vegetables produced by CRF Frozen Foods, based in Pasco, Wash., and sold under different brands, the CDC said. Two patients reported buying and eating the same Organic Nature brand of frozen vegetables in the month before they got sick, and routine product sampling by the Ohio Department of Agriculture found Listeria in frozen organic sweet corn and green peas under the Meijer grocery store chain’s True Goodness brand, also produced by CRF Frozen Foods. Whole-genome sequencing showed that the Listeria strain in the frozen corn was closely related to seven Listeria isolates from sick patients, and Listeria from the frozen peas was closely related to an isolate from one of the people. Recall includes 358 products, 42 brands CRF recalled 11 of its frozen vegetable products on Apr 23, then expanded it on May 2 to include all of its organic and traditional frozen vegetable and fruit products processed in its Pasco facility since May 1, 2014. The recalled products, packaged in plastic bags, are distributed nationally and in four Canadian provinces: British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan.

Source: Listeria linked to frozen vegetables sickens 8 in 3 states | CIDRAP

Why this fearless woman is the talk of Sweden – The Local

National Photo: David Lagerlöf/Expo/TT

Why this fearless woman is the talk of Sweden Published: 03 May 2016 14:12 GMT+02:00 A woman who blocked the path of a group of neo-Nazis marching through a town in central Sweden has earned huge praise on social media after a picture of the incident went viral. Sweden Democrat steps down over church-burning posts (28 Apr 16) Nazi flag sparks anger in Sweden on Hitler’s birthday (20 Apr 16) Stockholm special squad to stop far-right mobs (02 Feb 16) Tess Asplund, an anti-racism activist from Stockholm, was in Borlänge to protest against a march by hundreds of neo-Nazis through the centre of the town on May 1st.  Traditionally a left-wing stronghold, where big Labour Day rallies are the norm, Borlänge has recently seen many voters lurch to the far-right.  The uniformed neo-Nazis were however far outnumbered by counter demonstrators like Asplund, who described the moment captured on camera to local radio station P4 Dalarna.   “I don’t think I even thought about it really, I just jumped out,” she said.  “I just thought: you shouldn’t be here. Then one of them stared at me and I stared back. He didn’t say anything and neither did I. Then the police came fairly quickly and took me away.”  Asplund said she often raised her fist at anti-fascist rallies in a gesture borrowed from Nelson Mandela. The picture spread rapidly on social media on Tuesday as Swedes hailed the iconography of a lone woman bravely standing up to dark forces.

Source: Why this fearless woman is the talk of Sweden – The Local

This All-Female, All Pakistani, Superb Cover of “Love Me Again” Will Be Your New Jam – The Ladies FingerThe Ladies Finger

This All-Female, All Pakistani, Superb Cover of “Love Me Again” Will Be Your New Jam May 3, 2016 By Tanvi Kanchan   Have you heard the amazing new cover of British singer John Newman’s chart-topping “Love Me Again” by an all-woman ensemble in Pakistan? It’s presented by Nescafe Basement – not unlike the Coke Studio music series that brought musicians together for some cool music – an attempt to discover and present upcoming talent in the music industry, spearheaded by Pakistani musician and producer Xulfi. Episode 3 of Season 4 features these ten young female musicians presenting their own cover of the dance-pop hit which extends the original four minute song to a seven-minute jam. The thing about this cover that catches your ear instantly is the genre-bending that it undertakes. When pianist Maham Riaz begins with her first few sweeps over the keys, you’re convinced you’re in for a slow ballad. But when the powerful, controlled vocals of Anna Salman and Kristin Kanaria come in and build the tempo, and Maria Fatima’s rough, emotive cry brings in the chorus, the vibe changes completely. We see an effortless inclusion of folksy undertones from Jannat Sohail’s ukulele, soaring strings from violinist Amal Nadeem and classical melodies from Arfa Chaudary’s sitar and Sumaira Waris’ tabla (my personal favourite). It’s a giant glucose dose to see ten female musicians, all with breathtaking command over their instruments. Plus: not one cracks a smile for the camera.

Source: This All-Female, All Pakistani, Superb Cover of “Love Me Again” Will Be Your New Jam – The Ladies FingerThe Ladies Finger

OrganizeFor

BE PART OF THE ONLINE MOVEMENT!OrganizeFor is a petition platform and training resource that helps people like you challenge the injustices affecting Black lives in your community.OrganizeFor someone you love who is a victim of police brutality.OrganizeFor the conservation of your community and end illegal dumping.OrganizeFor equitable employment practices by a local corporation!OrganizeFor a cause that matters to YOU!

Source: OrganizeFor

Doctor, Warned to Be Silent on Abortions, Files Civil Rights Complaint – The New York Times

In ordering Dr. Horvath-Cosper to end her advocacy, the medical director of the hospital, Dr. Gregory J. Argyros, said he did “not want to put a Kmart blue-light special on the fact that we provide abortions at MedStar,” according to the complaint. Since then, hospital officials have ordered Dr. Horvath-Cosper to turn down several requests for interviews or articles or risk losing her job , she said in the complaint, which was filed with the Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Health and Human Services. If the civil rights office finds that Dr. Horvath-Cosper’s rights were violated, it can order the hospital to take corrective action or risk losing its federal funding. The hospital on Monday afternoon did not directly respond to the allegations, saying in a brief, emailed statement, “MedStar Washington Hospital Center is committed to providing family planning services for our community, and we do so in a respectful, private and safe environment.” “We look forward to cooperating fully with the Office for Civil Rights,” said the statement, which was issued by Donna L. Arbogast, the hospital’s vice president for public affairs and marketing. Dr. Horvath-Cosper’s legal case rests on a little-known aspect of the Church Amendment, which was adopted in 1973 after Roe v. Wade established abortion rights nationwide earlier that year. The bill is best known for offering protections to medical staff members who object to participating in abortions on religious or moral grounds. But the legislative history and final wording of the amendment show it was intended to be two-sided, said Gretchen Borchelt, the vice president for reproductive rights and health at the National Women’s Law Center and a co-counsel in Dr. Horvath-Cosper’s complaint. The law states that no entity receiving federal money may discriminate against any doctor “because of his religious beliefs or moral convictions respecting sterilization procedures or abortions.” That means that doctors are protected from punishment for supporting abortion, just as they are protected if they oppose it and refuse to participate, according to the complaint. “If she can’t speak out about abortion the way other doctors at the hospital do about what they work on, she is being treated differently and that is discrimination,” Ms. Borchelt said.

Source: Doctor, Warned to Be Silent on Abortions, Files Civil Rights Complaint – The New York Times

Swedish police Roma register ‘not illegal’ – The Local {“Why not make them wear an ‘R’ badge or tattoo them with a bar code?” – FAIL!}

Police in December stressed that police needed more visibility of the Roma living in Sweden in order to protect them from abuse.    “If we in the police see that there is a vulnerable person that we suspect may fare badly, we need to ask questions of care,” Linda Staaf, Director of National Intelligence, told Sveriges Radio.   Hans Caldaras, a Swedish singer and Roma activist, said that the study was simply an excuse to compile statistics based on ethnicity (which is not usually done in Sweden) and to get Roma “out of the country”.

Source: Swedish police Roma register ‘not illegal’ – The Local

First Impressions… a proud moment | nadiaharhash

After living for nine months in Jerusalem, myself, I believe that my meetings with Nadia have definitely made the most impact on me. Touring and learning matured my knowledge but speaking freely with Nadia, an Arab woman, has broadened my horizons. As she constantly repeats, “We don’t know what will happen…what will be the end.”We can only start here.

Source: First Impressions… a proud moment | nadiaharhash

What it’s Like to Own Guns in a Country with Strict Gun Control | Time — Views àla JoAnn

It’s actually not that hard to own a gun. But you do have to have a genuine reason. You have to be a member of a target shooting club or a hunter and you have to prove it. For hunting, you can get written permission from a landowner who says you are hunting on his land. Or you can join a hunting club. Pistols [handguns], on the other hand, are heavily restricted. All applicants undergo a background check by the police and there is a mandatory 30 day cooling off period for all license applications… Firearms safety training courses are mandatory as well. […] What it’s Like to Own Guns in a Country with Strict Gun Control | Time was first shared on Aware & Fair

via What it’s Like to Own Guns in a Country with Strict Gun Control | Time — Views àla JoAnn