All posts by nedhamson

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

New words and music by Palin and McCain on the Fox Network! The Charge Of The Light Brigade by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Half a league half a league,

Half a league onward,

All in the valley of Death

Rode the six hundred:

‘Forward, the Light Brigade!

Charge for the guns’ he said:

Into the valley of Death

Rode the six hundred.

‘Forward, the Light Brigade!’

Was there a man dismay’d ?

Not tho’ the soldier knew

Some one had blunder’d:

Theirs not to make reply,

Theirs not to reason why,

Theirs but to do & die,

Into the valley of Death

Rode the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,

Cannon to left of them,

Cannon in front of them

Volley’d & thunder’d;

Storm’d at with shot and shell,

Boldly they rode and well,

Into the jaws of Death,

Into the mouth of Hell

Rode the six hundred.

Flash’d all their sabres bare,

Flash’d as they turn’d in air

Sabring the gunners there,

Charging an army while

All the world wonder’d:

Plunged in the battery-smoke

Right thro’ the line they broke;

Cossack & Russian

Reel’d from the sabre-stroke,

Shatter’d & sunder’d.

Then they rode back, but not

Not the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,

Cannon to left of them,

Cannon behind them

Volley’d and thunder’d;

Storm’d at with shot and shell,

While horse & hero fell,

They that had fought so well

Came thro’ the jaws of Death,

Back from the mouth of Hell,

All that was left of them,

Left of six hundred.

When can their glory fade?

O the wild charge they made!

All the world wonder’d.

Honour the charge they made!

Honour the Light Brigade,

Noble six hundred!

via The Charge Of The Light Brigade by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

Opps! Weekend Gun Report: February 28-March 2, 2014 – NYTimes.com

A 9-year-old girl is in critical condition after she was shot by her neighbor, who had been target practicing in his yard in the north Oak Cliff area of Dallas, Tex., Saturday morning. A 13-year-old boy was accidentally shot in the neck by his 14-year-old brother after they played a video game involving firearms in Carter County, Tenn., Saturday morning. Matthew Madsen Anderson, a high school freshman, was accidentally shot and killed by a close friend at the home of an Illinois State Police trooper in Sterling, Ill., Saturday morning.

via Weekend Gun Report: February 28-March 2, 2014 – NYTimes.com.

Weekend Gun Report: February 28-March 2, 2014 – NYTimes.com

A 2-year-old was fatally shot in the head at a home in West Pensacola, Fla., Saturday morning. A 5-year-old boy accidentally shot himself after finding his father’s pistol in Medford, Ore., Saturday morning. Five-year-old Jon-Qualon Pitre, who was shot in the head at his home in Opelousas, La., Thursday, was taken off life support and died Saturday. Sammy Lorenzo, 8, was accidentally shot in the chest and killed by his older brother at a home in the East Price Hill neighborhood of Cincinnati Saturday afternoon, and it’s unclear if charges will be filed.

via Weekend Gun Report: February 28-March 2, 2014 – NYTimes.com.

Weekend Gun Report: February 28-March 2, 2014 – NYTimes.com

Shoot and consider your actions later – Not!

A man who fatally shot and killed an elderly man on his property in rural Georgia last fall will not face charges. After wandering the Chickamauga area for hours, Ronald Westbrook, 72, who had Alzheimer’s disease, walked onto the property of Joe Hendrix at around 2:30 a.m. on Nov. 27. Hendrix’s fiancée called 911, but before police arrived, Hendrix, 35, grabbed his .40-caliber handgun and fired several shots at Westbrook, one of which hit him in the chest.

via Weekend Gun Report: February 28-March 2, 2014 – NYTimes.com.

Egyptians begin ‘Internet Revolution’ – Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

The Internet Revolution Egypt has become very popular on Facebook. Barely one month after the campaign began, the page has over 400,000 likes. The first statement issued by the campaign read: “Internet service providers underestimate the minds of the users. … Internet in Egypt is slow, customer service is bad, the infrastructure of internet exchange points is bad and companies are giving fake offers.” Most of the Internet users in Egypt reacted to the statement and let out a cry of anger labeled the “Internet Revolution.” The main demands of this campaign are “to lower the cost of access to Internet in a way that goes in line with the income of the [average] Egyptian citizen, to improve technical support, and to abolish the service providers’ monopoly and control over the Internet.” The campaign’s influence has widened to the point that even comedian Bassem Youssef took part in it, by mocking the slow Internet connection in last week’s episode

via Egyptians begin ‘Internet Revolution’ – Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East.

FDA makes generic versions of emergency contraception available over the counter

Good news: The slow–and often infuriating–expansion of access to emergency contraception took another step forward last week when the FDA announced that generic versions of EC can now be sold over the counter to folks of all ages.

Until now, a sweetheart deal had given the pharmaceutical company that makes the brand name version, Plan B, exclusive rights to sell their product without age restrictions, while generic versions were available only to those over 17 and remained behind the pharmacy counter. Now that all products can be side-by-side on the shelf, the generic versions, which typically cost less, will hopefully drive down the price overall.

Of course, this is EC we’re talking about, so obviously some confusion must remain. For now, while young women should be able to purchase them no problem, generic versions must include a label saying they are intended for “women 17 years of age or older.” Given that the complicated battle to get EC over the counter has left the public–including, most unfortunately, many pharmacists themselves–confused about the rules, this labeling probably won’t help.

via FDA makes generic versions of emergency contraception available over the counter.

H5N1: Maryn McKenna on the Post-Antibiotic Age

Maryn McKenna on the Post-Antibiotic Age

I just heard the CBC interview with Maryn McKenna on the Post-Antibiotic Age. From the Sunday Edition’s web page:

Antibiotic-resistant superbugs like MRSA, C. difficile and CRE lurk in hospital rooms and kill patients who have undergone medical procedures that would have otherwise saved or improved their lives.

In fact, a lot of medical and public health experts now fear that we’re on the cusp of an unsettling new age…the Post-Antibiotic Age.

Maryn McKenna is an award-winning science journalist who specializes in public health issues.  She’s a columnist for The Scientific American, and her books include Superbug: The Fatal Menace of MRSA, as well as an upcoming book about the connection between antibiotics and agriculture. She’s also the author of a new article called “Imagining the Post-Antibiotics Future” for the online magazine, Medium.com.

Click through to listen to the interview. McKenna should have her own radio program; she has a wonderful radio voice, and has a lot to say in it.

via H5N1: Maryn McKenna on the Post-Antibiotic Age.

Cow Porno in Idaho, now protected? And Abuse of Cows a Sacred Right? Idaho Governor Signs Bill Banning Dairy Spying

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter signed a bill Friday that imposes jail time and fines against people who secretly film animal abuse at Idaho’s agricultural facilities.

Otter inked the new law swiftly, just two days after it cleared its final legislative hurdle in the House.

The bill came in response to videos released by Los Angeles-based vegetarian and animal rights group Mercy for Animals showing workers at Bettencourt Dairy beating, stomping, dragging and sexually abusing cows in 2012.

Idaho’s $2.5 billion dairy industry complained the group used its videos not to curb abuse, but to unfairly hurt Bettencourt’s business. Bettencourt operates dairies at numerous locations that include more than 60,000 cows and is one of the largest dairy companies in the U.S.

via Idaho Governor Signs Bill Banning Dairy Spying.

Jewish groups tour Al-Aqsa Mosque compound | Maan News Agency

Worshipers shouted “God is Great” in Arabic while the groups toured the compound and heated arguments were reported.

Yehuda Glick is an American-born Israeli who has been banned in the past by Israeli authorities from entering the compound due to provocations while on the site. He is the chairman of the controversial Temple Mount Heritage Fund.

Critics charge that the Temple Mount Heritage Fund leads Jewish tours to the site with the intention of leading Jewish prayer there — currently banned under Israeli agreements — and encouraging Jews to destroy the Al-Aqsa mosque and build a Jewish temple there.

via Jewish groups tour Al-Aqsa Mosque compound | Maan News Agency.