Category Archives: human rights

Avian Flu Diary: WHO: Zika Risk Assessment In The African Region – What goes around may be worse the second time around!

Although the Zika virus was first detected in Uganda nearly 70 years ago (see WHO Timeline) it was never considered a serious problem in Africa because human infection was rare and the illness it produced was extremely mild.  The virus maintained these attributes as it slowly spread from Africa into equatorial Asia (India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan) during the 1970s and 1980s. Sporadic human infections – but no outbreaks – were reported. It wasn’t until the virus arrived in 2007 to the South Pacific island of Yap that a large human outbreak of Zika was recorded. Over the next three years, more than 70% of the island’s population was estimated to have been infected, although no serious illness or deaths were reported.

It wasn’t until the virus arrived in 2007 to the South Pacific island of Yap that a large human outbreak of Zika was recorded. Over the next three years, more than 70% of the island’s population was estimated to have been infected, although no serious illness or deaths were reported.

In 2012 researchers determined that a new `Asian strain’ of Zika had emerged, similar to – but genetically distinct from – the African strain.  It was this new Asian strain that sparked the first large outbreak on Yap Island, and a variant of that strain that would arrive in the Americas 7 years later in 2014.

In 2013-2014 Zika began to show some teeth in the South Pacific, where for the first time we saw in Zika, Dengue & Unusual Rates Of Guillain-Barre Syndrome  In French Polynesia, outcomes that challenged the notion that Zika only produces mild illness.

In 2014 Zika landed in Brazil, likely brought in by a viremic international traveler, and found nearly perfect conditions to proliferate and thrive; a competent vector (Aedes mosquitoes), a year-round climate suitable for mosquito transmission, and an immunologically naive population.  Within a year, well over a million infections had occurred, and while most were mild, we began to see reports suggesting that maternal infection with Zika could cause serious congenital birth defects, and some small percentage of those infected might be affected by Guillain-Barré Syndrome.  In its multi-decade trek across Asia and the Pacific, the Zika virus

Within a year, well over a million infections had occurred, and while most were mild, we began to see reports suggesting that maternal infection with Zika could cause serious congenital birth defects, and some small percentage of those infected might be affected by Guillain-Barré Syndrome.  In its multi-decade trek across Asia and the Pacific, the Zika virus

In its multi-decade trek across Asia and the Pacific, the Zika virus changed, and was no longer the same innocuous strain that has caused so little trouble over the years in Africa.   Which means that Africa – which shares the same sort of mosquito vectors and climate as much of South and Central America – could conceivably see a more robust, more `worldly’  Zika virus find its way back to where it began.

Source: Avian Flu Diary: WHO: Zika Risk Assessment In The African Region

Why is US storing new tanks in hidden Norwegian caves? – The Local

Russian aggression in the Nordics has been an ongoing concern for Norway and its neighbours in recent years.

In 2015, it was revealed that Russia rehearsed military takeovers of northern Norway, the Swedish island of Gotland and the Danish island of Bornholm.

Norwegian, Swedish and Danish intelligence services have all reported that Russia is one of the biggest threats in the region.

Just last week, the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) singled Russian spying out as having major “damage potential” for Norwegian interests.

The Marines statement said that more than 16,000 troops will use equipment stored in the Norwegian caves later this month for cold weather training exercises.

Source: Why is US storing new tanks in hidden Norwegian caves? – The Local

 

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′Islamic rape of Europe′: Polish magazine sparks outrage | News | DW.COM | 18.02.2016

Under a headline reading “Islamic rape of Europe,” the latest wSieci (translation: “The Network”) magazine cover portrays a distressed white, blonde-haired woman draped in the flag of the European Union as she’s assaulted by several disembodied dark-skinned men. Beyond its radical cover image, this week’s issue is devoted to articles outlining the rape and sexual assault of European women said to have been carried out by migrant men. It contains articles such as “The hell of Europe,” which addresses the attacks that occurred in the German city of Cologne on New Year’s Eve, as well as another article entitled “Does Europe want to commit suicide?” The magazine’s website also promotes the glossy as containing “a report about what the media and Brussels elite are hiding from citizens of the European Union.”

Source: ′Islamic rape of Europe′: Polish magazine sparks outrage | News | DW.COM | 18.02.2016

Customer Letter – Apple — back door

A Dangerous Precedent Rather than asking for legislative action through Congress, the FBI is proposing an unprecedented use of the All Writs Act of 1789 to justify an expansion of its authority. The government would have us remove security features and add new capabilities to the operating system, allowing a passcode to be input electronically. This would make it easier to unlock an iPhone by “brute force,” trying thousands or millions of combinations with the speed of a modern computer. The implications of the government’s demands are chilling. If the government can use the All Writs Act to make it easier to unlock your iPhone, it would have the power to reach into anyone’s device to capture their data. The government could extend this breach of privacy and demand that Apple build surveillance software to intercept your messages, access your health records or financial data, track your location, or even access your phone’s microphone or camera without your knowledge. Opposing this order is not something we take lightly. We feel we must speak up in the face of what we see as an overreach by the U.S. government. We are challenging the FBI’s demands with the deepest respect for American democracy and a love of our country. We believe it would be in the best interest of everyone to step back and consider the implications. While we believe the FBI’s intentions are good, it would be wrong for the government to force us to build a backdoor into our products. And ultimately, we fear that this demand would undermine the very freedoms and liberty our government is meant to protect.

Rather than asking for legislative action through Congress, the FBI is proposing an unprecedented use of the All Writs Act of 1789 to justify an expansion of its authority. The government would have us remove security features and add new capabilities to the operating system, allowing a passcode to be input electronically. This would make it easier to unlock an iPhone by “brute force,” trying thousands or millions of combinations with the speed of a modern computer. The implications of the government’s demands are chilling. If the government can use the All Writs Act to make it easier to unlock your iPhone, it would have the power to reach into anyone’s device to capture their data. The government could extend this breach of privacy and demand that Apple build surveillance software to intercept your messages, access your health records or financial data, track your location, or even access your phone’s microphone or camera without your knowledge. Opposing this order is not something we take lightly. We feel we must speak up in the face of what we see as an overreach by the U.S. government. We are challenging the FBI’s demands with the deepest respect for American democracy and a love of our country. We believe it would be in the best interest of everyone to step back and consider the implications. While we believe the FBI’s intentions are good, it would be wrong for the government to force us to build a backdoor into our products. And ultimately, we fear that this demand would undermine the very freedoms and liberty our government is meant to protect.

Source: Customer Letter – Apple

The Supreme Court Nominations | The White House

Article II, Section 2, Clause 2 of the Constitution — known as the Appointments Clause — is unambiguous about these roles and responsibilities: “ [The President] shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the Supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law: but the Congress may by Law vest the Appointment of such inferior Officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments. ” The passing of Justice Antonin Scalia has left a vacancy that must be filled and President Obama has a Constitutional responsibility to nominate someone to take his place. As the President said, any politician who claims to be a strict reader of the Constitution and then claims that there are restrictions on when the President should fulfill this duty is misleading the American people.

Source: The Supreme Court Nominations | The White House

The Siege of Aleppo Is an Emblem of Western Failure in Syria – SPIEGEL ONLINE

A Nightmare Worse than Sarajevo “But here in the center of Aleppo,” the doctor says, “there aren’t any Free Syrian Army positions. Only civilians. They are bombing us to soften us up for the regime.” Assad’s troops, he explains, have already taken many surrounding towns and villages and he is afraid that Aleppo will soon be completely surrounded. One thing he is no longer hoping for is external assistance, saying the international community abandoned Syria long ago. “After all, the US supports the attacks,” he says. Hamza is unsure how he will survive. He does not know. But leaving the city would mean one fewer doctor, which in turn would translate into more deaths. He says that more and more people are leaving Aleppo and that entire city quarters are emptying out. Those who are able are fleeing while they still can. Once upon a time Aleppo was the largest city in Syria, an economic powerhouse with a city center listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. But over the last three years, it has been divided between the regime and the rebels — the same rebels who joined together to drive Islamic State (IS) out of the city two years ago. Aleppo is the most important symbol of the resistance in the country, but now it is all but surrounded and cut off from the most important supply routes. There is no more diesel, hardly anything to eat and there are severe shortages of electricity and water. According to the United Nations, there are still some 300,000 people living in Aleppo — a population that may now have been abandoned to a rapid death from the sky or the slow death of starvation. It is a nightmare that could ultimately become worse even than Sarajevo was.

Source: The Siege of Aleppo Is an Emblem of Western Failure in Syria – SPIEGEL ONLINE

Aboriginal minister Bess Price denied request to speak Indigenous language in NT Parliament – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

The failed request from Local Government Minister Bess Nungarrayi Price came after the central Australian MP was warned over disorderly conduct after she interjected in a parliamentary debate in Warlpiri, prompting NT Speaker Kezia Purick to declare that “the language of the assembly is English”. “Should a member use a language other than English without the leave of the assembly it will be ruled disorderly and the member will be required to withdraw the words,” Ms Purick said in Parliament last December after receiving complaints from Labor MPs about Minister Price’s Warlpiri interjection. Late last week — in part prompted by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull speaking an Aboriginal language in Parliament during his Closing the Gap address — Minister Price wrote to the Speaker challenging the Parliament’s interpretation of its standing orders. “I seek clarification as to where in the standing orders it states the official language of the chamber can be English only,” Minister Price said in a letter obtained by the ABC. “I am very concerned that our Parliament may be seen as not providing mutual respect and parity to our Aboriginal members and our constituents. I feel that I cannot effectively represent my electorate without using my first language, Warlpiri.”

Source: Aboriginal minister Bess Price denied request to speak Indigenous language in NT Parliament – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

“I knew a girl in high school that always complained about…

“I knew a girl in high school that always complained about having anxiety. I used to make fun of her a little bit. It looked like nothing to me. So I assumed it was nothing. And I dealt with it by trying to convince her that it was nothing. I called her recently to apologize. I’ve had really bad anxiety ever since my father died. And it’s definitely not nothing. It’s the indescribable fear of nothing.”

Source: “I knew a girl in high school that always complained about…