All posts by nedhamson

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

Bird Flu Confirmed at Iowa Farm With 5.3 Million Chickens – NYTimes.com

Bolding mine – how can you call this a farm? It is clearly a factory for producing chickens. And when you have that many birds in one place – how long would it take for disease to spread

Up to 5.3 million hens at an Iowa farm must be destroyed after the highly infectious and deadly bird flu virus was confirmed, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Monday.

via Bird Flu Confirmed at Iowa Farm With 5.3 Million Chickens – NYTimes.com.

H5N2 strikes again in Iowa, Minnesota | CIDRAP

Who ships both turkey and chicken brooding eggs and chicks to Canada and US?

The H5N2 avian influenza virus has again widened its footprint, invading a large chicken farm in Iowa—the second outbreak in that state—and affecting two more turkey farms in Minnesota, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported today.

In addition, a highly pathogenic H5 virus has hit a chicken farm in Ontario near where H5N2 struck a turkey farm earlier this month, Canadian authorities reported over the weekend. They have not yet specified the virus subtype, but H5N2 seems likely.

via H5N2 strikes again in Iowa, Minnesota | CIDRAP.

Katie Hopkins calling migrants vermin recalls the darkest events of history | Zoe Williams | Comment is free | The Guardian

It is no joke when people start talking like this. We are not “giving her what she wants” when we make manifest our disgust. It is not a free speech issue. I’m not saying gag her: I’m saying fight her. Articulate the fellowship, the human empathy, that makes these deaths important. Stop talking about how many children were among the dead, as though only children matter. Start talking about everybody’s life as cherishable, irrespective of anything they might produce.

via Katie Hopkins calling migrants vermin recalls the darkest events of history | Zoe Williams | Comment is free | The Guardian.

Middle East – Saudis fund French weapons for use in Lebanon – France 24

It is still all about profit and subsidizing the production of arms that will fuel corruption in Lebanon, not liberty…

France, Lebanon’s former colonial ruler, is actually a late-comer to the conflict.

To date, almost all Lebanon’s international support has come from the United States and Britain.

France only won the contract to supply the Lebanese army, analyst Aram Nerguizian told AFP, because Saudi Arabia had been frustrated by US and British refusals to attack the Syrian regime in 2013.

“It was good fortune for the French, but they have a lot to prove. The momentum of the US and UK defence programmes in Lebanon is far more consolidated,” said Nerguizian, who is a senior fellow at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

via Middle East – Saudis fund French weapons for use in Lebanon – France 24.

▶ Buffy Sainte Marie – “I’m Going Home” – YouTube

Heaven isn’t so far away as people say

I got a home high in my heart

Heaven is right where I come from; I never throw it away

I know the place and I’m going home

I’m going home

I’m going home

See up there, it’s not the same

They know your name

And I’m not ashamed to need it I’m going home

I’m going home

I’m going home

You keep on knocking but

I’m not coming out of this state I’m in

I’m travellin’ right, I’m gonna get there soon

I’m standing up praying, I’m singing

Saying Heyo ha ha heyo ha hey ya

I know the way and I’m going home.

I’m going home

I’m going home

That’s where the heart can rest

The best is there

And only a fool would leave it. I’m going home

I’m going home

I’m going home

I’m going home

I been around, I been to town

Hey, where you think I learned right from wrong

And I’m going home

I’m going home

via ▶ Buffy Sainte Marie – “I’m Going Home” – YouTube.

10th Annual Ghost Bike Ride To Honor Pedestrians And Cyclists Killed Last Year: Gothamist

Vision Zero is gradually bringing better cycling infrastructure to the city, but deadly crashes remain altogether too common. Tomorrow, friends and loved ones of cyclists and pedestrians killed by automobiles will gather for the 10th Annual Ghost Bike Memorial Ride, in which they will take a solemn tour of the many white-painted ghost bikes scattered around the city.

Over the past year, 144 pedestrians and 20 cyclists have been killed. Tomorrow, cyclists will visit each of the 21 ghost bikes erected around the city since 2014, starting at separate locations in Queens, the Bronx and Brooklyn. All four rides will intersect at the memorial for Shan Zheng, a 61-year-old cyclist who died last November after he was struck by a livery cab driver on East Houston Street.

via 10th Annual Ghost Bike Ride To Honor Pedestrians And Cyclists Killed Last Year: Gothamist.

Gunfights in Reynosa Mexico border town after drug gang leader ′El Gafe′ arrested | News | DW.DE | 18.04.2015

Reynosa has been the site of turf wars between two rival drug gangs – the Gulf Cartel and the Zetas – over the last year. They have been fighting for control of the border smuggling routes into the United States, and crime rackets.

The Gulf Cartel had been dominant in Reynosa, a city of 610,000 people, just across the border from the US town of McAllen, Texas. But the arrest of several leaders in 2013 had weakened its control in the city, and in the state of Tamaulipas. It also led to infighting within and between cartels.

The US consulate in the city of Matamoros issued a message saying it “has learned of several firefights and roadblocks throughout the city” of Reynosa. It urged Americans to “use extreme caution and to remain in-doors.”

via Gunfights in Reynosa Mexico border town after drug gang leader ′El Gafe′ arrested | News | DW.DE | 18.04.2015.

Karma and fear – not a good mix – Chinese-owned businesses in South Africa close amid xenophobic violence: Shanghaiist

President Zuma condemned the violence, in which six people have already died, calling it “shocking and unacceptable,” however he also recognized that South Africans had concerns over illegal and undocumented immigrants in the country.

While the violence has mainly targeted Africans from neighboring countries, the Chinese Embassy and Consulates in South Africa are calling for immediate and effective measures to protect the personal safety and property of Chinese nationals.

The timing could not be worse from a diplomatic standpoint, with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visiting the country as the violence flared up.

South Africa has a large Chinese immigrant population, with estimates ranging from 200,000 to over 300,000.

via Chinese-owned businesses in South Africa close amid xenophobic violence: Shanghaiist.