All posts by nedhamson

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

Slain Bushwick Bodega Clerk Was A ‘Hard Worker’ Who Supported 13 Children: Gothamist

The NYPD has released surveillance video that shows the alleged killer in yesterday’s slaying of a bodega clerk in Bushwick. They have identified the victim as 52-year-old Swadh Maged, who reports have described as a native of Yemen who worked hard to support his 13 children. No arrests have been made.

via Slain Bushwick Bodega Clerk Was A ‘Hard Worker’ Who Supported 13 Children: Gothamist.

8 Confirmed Mumps Cases At Hoboken College Campus: Gothamist

Mumps in adult males can – oops – settle in testicles and cause sterility! All the more reason for 100% vaccination… guys!

As if it weren’t enough that Manhattan’s been plagued by a recent measles resurgence, eight students at the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ have reportedly contracted mumps. Up next: smallpox, rinderpest, bubonic plague, dodo bird stampede.

According to the New Jersey Department of Health, the eight students were diagnosed with the highly-contagious disease last week. Officials say the virus is not spreading, and the students, aged 18-21, have been isolated in their off-campus homes.

There’s no cure or specific treatment for mumps—which is characterized by fever, headache, muscle aches, tiredness, loss of appetite, and the swelling of salivary glands, according to the CDC—though usually the illness passes on its own. The MMR (mumps, measles and rubella) vaccination helps prevent individuals from contracting the disease, and two doses of mumps vaccine are 88 percent effective in protecting you. But since vaccines rely on herd immunity to keep you from getting sick, it’s still possible to contract the illness. All of the Stevens Institute students who have fallen ill had received the recommended two vaccine doses.

Mumps spreads easily through coughing and sneezing, and it can cause serious complications in adults, according to the NJ Health Department [pdf]. Plus, swollen glands like these don’t seem so pleasant.

via 8 Confirmed Mumps Cases At Hoboken College Campus: Gothamist.

Gene variant increases risk of colorectal cancer from eating processed meat — ScienceDaily

Colorectal cancer is a multi-factorial disease attributed to both genetic causes and lifestyle factors; including diet. About 30 known genetic susceptibility alleles for colorectal cancer have been pinpointed throughout the genome. How specific foods affect the activities of genes has not been established but represents an important area of research for prevention. “The possibility that genetic variants may modify an individual’s risk for disease based on diet has not been thoroughly investigated but represents an important new insight into disease development,” said Dr Li Hsu, the lead statistician on the study.

via Gene variant increases risk of colorectal cancer from eating processed meat — ScienceDaily.

No, not never – Yes, you will! Japan will never stop whaling: fisheries chief | The Japan Times

Hayashi, who took the ministerial post overseeing the country’s whaling program in December, said criticism of the practice is “a cultural attack, a kind of prejudice against Japanese culture.”

via Japan will never stop whaling: fisheries chief | The Japan Times.

UKIP parliamentary candidate publicly humiliates 6-year-old little boy

UKIP and Tea Party – Mad Hatters of politics

Pride's Purge

(not satire – it’s the UKIP!)

UKIP councillor and parliamentary candidate David Meacock has publicly humiliated a 6-year-old child by sending a group email accusing the little boy of stealing a toy.

Here’s the full story from local paper getbucks:

UKIP candidate ‘names and shames’ six-year-old in missing toy row

Thank God for the UKIP I say.

It’s about time someone sorted out all of those rampaging 6-year-olds bringing the country to its knees!

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Related articles by Tom Pride:

Irrefutable statistical proof that bovine TB is caused by UKIP support and not badgers

Nigel Farage expels entire UKIP membership for bringing party into disrepute

The UKIP suspend member until his 163rd birthday (not satire!)

Best of Twitter reaction to UKIP councillor’s rant about gay marriage causing floods

UKIP Cllr who called care children ‘takers’ got state grants for his own children

Nigel Farage, the Tea Party Godfather and the man who tried to trash the…

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WHO | Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – update

The following details were provided to WHO by the Ministry of Health, Malaysia on 17 April 2014:

The patient is a 54 year-old man with underlying health conditions. He travelled to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia with a pilgrimage group of 18 people from 15 to 28 March 2014 and became ill on 4 April. He sought treatment in a private clinic in Johor, Malaysia on 7 April and went to a hospital on 9 April. The patient died on 13 April. The patient visited a camel farm on 26 March, during which he consumed camel milk.

via WHO | Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – update.

Someone’s Handing Out Leaflets in Eastern Ukraine Telling Jews to ‘Register’ – The Wire

According to the Times of Israel, Pushilin has gone on record to a Russian paper denying any involvement in the flyers, instead calling them a “provocation.” Olga Resnikova, a Jewish resident of the region who saw the leaflet told Ynet that “we do not know if the leaflet was spread by pro-Russian forces or someone else, but it did manage to create quite a fear.”

No matter where the flyer comes from, the very real issue of anti-Semitism in Ukraine following the change of power there has been a fraught one. Pro-Russian groups have taken pains to paint the new interim government in Kiev as in collusion with anti-Semitic nationalists. But a New York Times look into Jewish life in Ukraine following the change of power found that many in the country were more concerned about anti-Semitism coming from Russia than they were about nationalist backlash from the new Ukrainian government. It seems no matter the crisis, the worst bigots will always find a way to exploit it.

via Someone’s Handing Out Leaflets in Eastern Ukraine Telling Jews to ‘Register’ – The Wire.

Invasive foreign species pose a threat to the global ecosystem. So when will we learn not to meddle with nature? – Telegraph

Twelve thousand alien species of animals and plants from other lands have taken up residence in Europe, according to the European Union – and as human traffic and trade grow, that influx will surely increase. So, according to the House of Commons environmental audit committee in its latest report on invasive non-native species, it is time to do something about it.

via Invasive foreign species pose a threat to the global ecosystem. So when will we learn not to meddle with nature? – Telegraph.

Just as big a problem in US – Florida having huge problem – pun intended – with Burmese Pythons being let loose in wild and now with no natural predators chomping up Everglades species.

Nigeria local authorities say most of abducted schoolgirls still missing – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

It is unclear exactly how many of the girls were snatched from their school at Chibok in Borno state by the anti-education Islamist movement Boko Haram.

An earlier statement from the military had put the total number of students kidnapped at 129.

A spokesman for Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan, Reuben Aabati, said he had been informed some of the kidnapped girls had been freed but could not specify how many.

There was no immediate explanation for the contradictory versions regarding the kidnapped female students.

The mass abduction of the schoolgirls aged between 15 and 18 has shocked Nigeria and showed how the Boko Haram insurgency has brought lawlessness to swathes of the arid, poor north-east, killing hundreds of people in recent months.

via Nigeria local authorities say most of abducted schoolgirls still missing – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation).