All posts by nedhamson

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

SkyTruth: Disappearing Mississippi Delta, 1972 – 2014

Like many folks, we were astonished by the recent ProPublica / The Lens mapping work showing the tremendous loss of marshland in the Mississippi Delta and adjacent parts of the Gulf coast.  There is an unholy alliance of factors responsible:  the rise in sea level due to melting onshore glaciers and icepack, and thermal expansion of the ocean, two consequences of global warming; the natural, inexorable subsidence of the Delta as that huge pile of sediment compresses and sinks under it’s own awesome weight, actually depressing the Earth’s crust; the diversion of Mississippi River sediments away from the marshes and out into the Gulf, thanks to an impressive system of dams, levees, and pumps designed to control flooding and aid navigation; and the accelerated erosion of marshlands thanks to the criss-crossing network of ditches and canals dug willy-nilly by the oil and gas industry over many decades — the death by 1,000 cuts.

via SkyTruth: Disappearing Mississippi Delta, 1972 – 2014.

PAHO warns of heightened chikungunya, dengue threats | CIDRAP

Since the start of the year countries in the PAHO region have reported almost 850,000 dengue infections, including 470 deaths, PAHO said in a press release. As of Sep 5, the area has reported more than 650,000 chikungunya cases, 37 of them fatal.

Both diseases are spread by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, present in most countries in the Americas.

The group said dengue prevention strategies can be applied to chikungunya, and it recommends beefing up efforts in six ways: patient care, social communication, surveillance, lab capacity, mosquito control, and environmental control.

via PAHO warns of heightened chikungunya, dengue threats | CIDRAP.

 “LaDonna Harris: Indian 101” to Air on PBS November 1

Harris is best known for her work in U.S. civil rights when she set the tone with a landmark legislation initiative that returned land to the Taos Pueblo Tribe and Native tribes of Alaska. She also served a pivotal role in helping the Menominee Tribe regain their federal recognition.

Her trailblazing efforts began when President Lyndon B. Johnson selected her to educate both the executive and legislative branches of U.S. government on the unique relationship that American Indian tribes hold within our nation. This education course was affectionately called “Indian 101″ and was taught to members of Congress and other federal agencies for over 35 years.

via Executive Producer Johnny Depp’s  “LaDonna Harris: Indian 101” to Air on PBS November 1.

Japanese regulator caves to the nuclear industry and government pressure – but still no restart for Sendai | Greenpeace International

The Abe government is desperate to prevent people from grasping that the world’s third largest nuclear reactor program has failed to generate any electricity for 12 months. In that year, there have been no blackouts or brownouts, the trains still run, the lights still turn on, and smart phones are still charged.

Most people in Japan understand that the declared government policy, that nuclear power is an essential and a stable source of energy, is a myth. They will not be fooled.

via Japanese regulator caves to the nuclear industry and government pressure – but still no restart for Sendai | Greenpeace International.

Finn aims to be first female president of Somalia | WNN – Women News Network

A Finn of Somali origin wants to run as a candidate in the Somali presidential election in 2016. Fadumo Dayib is currently studying public administration at Harvard, but she thinks that Somalia is now ready for a female president.

Fadumo Dayib moved to Finland in the 1990s to escape the civil war in Somalia. She’s now studying at Harvard but planning to return to Somalia—and she thinks she can make quite an impact on the country.

”I want to be Somalia’s president because I believe women have a chance to lead Somalia,” said Dayib. ”Women lead the country economically, manage family budgets and are very visible in society, but they have been kept out of politics. Somalia is now ready for a female president” . . .

via Finn aims to be first female president of Somalia | WNN – Women News Network.

General Mills to Acquire Annie’s – bye bye Annie

{Goodbye Annie’s – was so good to know you}

General Mills Inc. on Sept. 8 announced an agreement to acquire Annie’s Inc., a well-known producer of organic and natural food products, for $820 million. Annie’s had sales of $204 million in its most recent fiscal year, which ended this March.

Annie’s will join several natural or organic brands General Mills has assembled, mostly through acquisition, over the years: Cascadian Farm, Muir Glen, Larabar and Food Should Taste Good.

via General Mills to Acquire Annie’s.

Girl, 4, dies of E. coli infection after Labor Day weekend near Oregon Coast | OregonLive.com

Loved ones clung to her, tucked stuffed toys into her bed and burst into her favorite song at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital during an hours-long goodbye to an outdoors-loving 4-year-old girl who died from complications associated with a virulent strain of E. coli.

via Girl, 4, dies of E. coli infection after Labor Day weekend near Oregon Coast | OregonLive.com.

Humans of New York

“When I was fifteen, I was raped by three boys while competing at a gymnastics tournament. I was so ashamed, that I stood on a train track, and waited for the train to come. At the last moment, I tried to jump away. I woke up after a month. It was the middle of the night, and I could immediately tell that something was missing. I started feeling all over my body, and that’s when I realized that I’d lost my arm. Now I counsel teenagers who have been diagnosed with HIV. I’m normally the first to meet with them after they get their results. I try to explain to them that there’s a way out of even the most impossible situations.”

(Odessa, Ukraine)

via Humans of New York.

Why America Is Failing – ‘Chuck Todd accuses President Obama of not mentioning Syria right after he does.

He wasn’t listening – just waiting to snipe!

The Last Of The Millenniums

chuck todd

When saying ‘Syria’ 4 times isn’t saying the word ‘Syria’ to Chuck ‘It’s Not My Job’ Todd.
PRES. OBAMA:

I’m preparing the country to make sure that we deal with a threat from ISIL.

………………”ISIL poses a broader threat because of its territorial ambitions in Iraq and Syria“.

………………”Americans that had been taken hostage but the killing of thousands of innocents in– in Iraq thousands of innocents in Syria, the kidnapping of women the complete disruption of entire villages”.

………………:But what is absolutely clear in ISIL, which started as Al Qaeda in Iraq and arose out of the U.S. invasion there and was contained because of the enormous efforts of our troops there then shifted to Syria, has metastasized, has grown”.

……………….”We’ve got to do more effective diplomatic work to eliminate the the schism between Sunni and Shia that has been fueling so much of the violence…

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