Category Archives: Fail!

Ben Carson Says He Was Never Accepted to West Point – First Draft. Political News, Now. – The New York Times

“It was, you know, an informal ‘with a record like yours we could easily get you a scholarship to West Point.’”(Technically, West Point does not offer scholarships; it is free to attend.)

Source: Ben Carson Says He Was Never Accepted to West Point – First Draft. Political News, Now. – The New York Times

Avian Flu Diary: WHO WER: Zika Virus Outbreaks In the Americas – {the Real World War Z}

In May 2015, the Ministry of Health of Brazil confirmed autochthonous transmission of ZIKV in the north-east­ern part of the country. This was the first documented outbreak in Brazil and in the Americas. As of October 2015, 14 states have confirmed autochthonous virus transmission: Alagoas, Bahia, Ceará, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Pará, Paraíba, Paraná, Pernambuco, Piauí, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Norte, Roraima, and São Paulo.In October 2015, the Ministry of Health of Colombia reported the first autochthonous case of ZIKV infection in the Department of Bolivar. As of 16 October 2015, ZIKV was laboratory confirmed in 9 of 98 samples from Bolivar. Recent outbreaks of ZIKV infection in different regions of the world underscore the potential for the virus to spread further in the Americas and beyond, wherever the vector is present. Given the worldwide spread of chikungunya and dengue, associated with urbanization and globalization, there is a potential risk of outbreaks of urban ZIKV infection in urban settings in any part of the world where the mosquito vector is present or may become established in future.

Source: Avian Flu Diary: WHO WER: Zika Virus Outbreaks In the Americas

US slams ′offensive′ comments by Netanyahu′s new spokesman | News | DW.COM | 05.11.2015

Netanyahu’s newly appointed spokesman Ran Baratz has apologized for private comments about top US officials. Baratz had accused Obama of anti-Semitism and suggested that John Kerry has a mind of a 12-year-old.

Source: US slams ′offensive′ comments by Netanyahu′s new spokesman | News | DW.COM | 05.11.2015

​Hawaii dengue fever case count reaches 15 – Pacific Business News

Hawaii officials are urging the community to work collectively to prevent the spread of dengue fever, as the case count rose to 15 on the Big Island as of Wednesday afternoon.State vector control experts are on ground on the Big Island to conduct mosquito abatement, but stopping the virus will take community involvement, Hawaii State Epidemiologist and Chief of the Disease Outbreak Control Division Sarah Park told PBN.

Source: Hawaii dengue fever case count reaches 15 – Pacific Business News

France now more repressive of boycott calls than Israel | The Electronic Intifada

On 20 October, France’s highest court of criminal appeals upheld the conviction of a dozen Palestine solidarity activists for publicly calling for the boycott of Israeli goods.The ruling by the Court of Cassation adds to growing concerns about the harsh crackdown on free speech, backed by French President François Hollande, since the murders of journalists at the offices of the magazine Charlie Hebdo in January.It also makes France, along with Israel, the only country to penalize appeals not to buy Israeli goods.But the French law, which includes criminal penalties, is arguably harsher than Israel’s which allows boycott supporters to be pursued for financial damages, but not jailed.

Source: France now more repressive of boycott calls than Israel | The Electronic Intifada

Poems by Ismat, Safdar to vanish from Rajasthan textbooks – The Times of India

JAIPUR: In its ongoing mission to revolutionize school education, the Vasundhara Raje government plans to omit from Hindi text books stories and poems written by noted Urdu writers Ismat Chugtai and Safdar Hashmi and short narratives that revolve around Muslim characters. The move has drawn flak from educationists.

Source: Poems by Ismat, Safdar to vanish from Rajasthan textbooks – The Times of India

October: 74 Palestinians killed, 2355 injured | PNN

The Palestinian Ministry of Health Ministry on Monday said that during the month of October, 74 Palestinians, including 17 children and two women, have been killed by Israeli army fire, and more than 2355 have been injured.The Ministry also said that 2355 Palestinians were shot with live rounds and rubber-coated steel bullets, including many who suffered fractures and bruises after being repeatedly beaten by soldiers and paramilitary settlers in the West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem. The percentage of wounded children is 21.The names of those killed by IOF in October:

Source: October: 74 Palestinians killed, 2355 injured | PNN

No way out for deported Balkan Roma | Europe | DW.COM | 04.11.2015

“The German authorities put an end to the family’s hopes, ordering them to leave by March. But the family stayed longer, for a reason made clear on Sasa’s chest: a scar received from a heart operation that he had to undergo in Germany.Time was up though in the middle of October. Police hammered on the door at five in the morning. “We showed them two different doctor’s notes saying that I have chronic heart troubles, that I am not allowed to travel in this condition and that I could die in Serbia because I won’t receive the proper care here.But they just said “pack your necessities.”

Source: No way out for deported Balkan Roma | Europe | DW.COM | 04.11.2015

Illinois police officer whose death prompted a manhunt was killed in ‘carefully staged suicide,’ officials say

Police now say that a police officer known as “G.I. Joe” took his own life after stealing money from his department.

Source: Illinois police officer whose death prompted a manhunt was killed in ‘carefully staged suicide,’ officials say