All posts by nedhamson

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

The Gun Report: September 6, 2013 – NYTimes.com

A 6-month-old girl was seriously wounded when her 3-year-old brother accidentally shot her in North Charleston, S.C., Thursday evening. The children’s mother, Kalea Pryor, told police she was on her front porch when she heard a gunshot from inside her home. Pryor was charged with unlawful conduct towards a child and possession with intent to distribute marijuana and cocaine base.

via The Gun Report: September 6, 2013 – NYTimes.com.

The Gun Report: September 6, 2013 – NYTimes.com

A 2-month-old child was shot in the neck and critically injured on the north side of Minneapolis, Minn., Thursday night. Investigators say the child’s father was standing outside with the baby in his arms when he ducked to dodge a bullet and realized the infant was struck. No arrests have been made.

via The Gun Report: September 6, 2013 – NYTimes.com.

Mumps Outbreak Linked To Jersey Shore Nightclub: Gothamist

The viral disease is pretty rare these days, but there have been a few outbreaks in the United States in recent years, including a major outbreak in Brooklyn’s Orthodox community in 2009 and 2010. According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms (if there are any) include swollen, painful salivary glands that cause your cheeks to puff out, along with fever, headaches, trouble chewing and swallowing and loss of appetite. The disease is easily spread via saliva (shared drinks and utensils, sneezing, hot-‘n-heavy dance floor makeouts), and while cases usually resolve themselves, people with mumps have to be quarantined until they’re no longer contagious.

via Mumps Outbreak Linked To Jersey Shore Nightclub: Gothamist.

Japan to boost military spending | Asia | DW.DE | 06.09.2013 – Japan remilitarizing and ?

The scenario: The 250 Japanese ground troops were tasked with recapturing a remote island which had been occupied by an “enemy” force. The Ground Self-Defense units were supported by four helicopters and three aircrafts from the Maritime Self-Defense Force. Naval assets that were used in the exercise included the new helicopter-destroyer Hyuga and the guided missile destroyer Atago, as well as a transport ship.

The scenario was unmistakably a demonstration of Japan’s desire and ability to recapture the disputed Senkaku Islands, part of the Okinawa archipelago, which China claims sovereignty over and refers to as the Diaoyu chain. And Beijing clearly picked up on the theme of the exercise as it fired off a diplomatic complaint to Japan over the exercise.

via Japan to boost military spending | Asia | DW.DE | 06.09.2013.

Nigeria military claims to have killed 50 Boko Haram fighters | News | DW.DE | 07.09.2013 – counting instead of changing cycle of violence

Always get suspicious when governments report body counts – since they never have much of anything to do with ending the terrorism.

The Nigerian military has said it has killed around 50 Boko Haram Islamists during a raid in the northeast of the country. The operation was carried out in response to an attack earlier this week.

The military sent troops backed by air support to an insurgent camp to carry out the raid, military spokesman Sagir Musa told reporters in the city of Maiduguri on Friday.

“Troops pursued the terrorists to their camps with air support and about 50 insurgents were killed in a shootout,” Musa said. “Troops are pursuing the remnants of the fleeing terrorists by blocking all possible escape routes.”

via Nigeria military claims to have killed 50 Boko Haram fighters | News | DW.DE | 07.09.2013.

WHO announces four new cases of MERS-CoV | Vaccine News Daily

The World Health Organization announced on Saturday that it was informed of an additional four laboratory-confirmed bases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus infection in Saudi Arabia.

Since September of last year, WHO has announced a total of 108 laboratory-confirmed cases of MERS-CoV, resulting in 50 deaths.

via WHO announces four new cases of MERS-CoV | Vaccine News Daily.

7-Year-Old Girl Who Was Shot In Head Dies: LAist

A sad ending to the shooting of a 7-year-old in Palmdale; Desiree Macias, who had been declared brain dead after being shot in the head, has died, ABC 7 reports.

The shooting occurred on Wednesday after the girl’s father got into an altercation at a Mobil gas station with the suspects, who pursued the family and fired shots. One hit Desiree, who was seated in the backseat.

via 7-Year-Old Girl Who Was Shot In Head Dies: LAist.

Where there’s a will… #writing #art #poetry

penned in moon dust

child's play

So familiar

like riding a bike

I can hear ungreased gears grind

my swollen feet have forgotten the motion

in frustration I fling the bike

willing it to take life

and show me how to ride in figure 8s

So familiar

like painting my first picture

I can see the blues, reds, yellows flow and swirl

but my trembling hands have forgotten

I impulsively pour water on my canvas

willing it to take life

and show me how to paint a blooming flower

So familiar

like writing my first story

I can feel the words mesh and explode

but my mind is lost in dog earred pages

I feverishly clutch at the manuscript

willing it to take life

and show me once again how to write a fantasy for children

***

This week’s Verse First Prompt is “Right Under Your Nose.” My objective was to be honest in descriptions even…

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Egypt Debates US Strike on Syria

Nervana

I wrote this piece for Al-Monitor

As the debate rages in the United States and other Western nations about a possible strike against the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a parallel debate is taking place in Egypt. Officially, the interim government has rejected any international intervention in Syria. The government’s stance is supported by many political parties, including the liberal Free Egyptian Party and moderate Islamists such as the Strong Egypt Party. The official stance has also gained strong backing from a wide portion of the Egyptian public. The mood now among Egyptians is hostile to any US intervention in Syria. Despite the ongoing civil war, the use of chemical weapons and the thousands of Syrians who were killed, injured or displaced, any US strike against Syria will be viewed in Egypt like the 1956 Suez crisis — that is, an unlawful attack by Western forces against a sovereign…

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