Category Archives: Viva!

U.S. Pilots Want More Training on New Boeing Jet After Crash

News
Southwest Airlines says its pilots will get more instruction on an automated anti-stall system on certain new Boeing jets, and American Airlines pilots are also seeking more training.
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Contributed Author: 
David Koenig, Associated Press
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Pardoning Manafort would be unambiguous grounds for impeachment. Take it off the table, Mr. President

President Trump has attacked special counsel Robert S. Mueller III and the investigation into Russian election meddling so often and so disgracefully that it can be difficult to sustain a sense of outrage. But Trump’s statement on Wednesday that a presidential pardon for his former campaign chairman…

China MOA: ASF Returns To Tianjin

“Because of the concern over ASF, USDA recently reviewed and further strengthened its longstanding stringent protections against the spread of the disease.These include:

Collaborating with states, industry and producers to ensure everyone follows on-farm biosecurity and best practices (including for garbage feeding in states where that is allowed);
Restricting imports of pork and pork products from affected countries; and
Working with CBP staff at ports of entry to increase passenger and baggage screening for prohibited products from affected countries.”

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A little over 6 weeks ago China’s MOA announced the first African Swine Fever outbreak in Tianjin (one of the 9 National Central Cities of China), located about 100km from Beijing.

While most of China’s ASF action during the month of November has been relegated to the Southern provinces, today their MOA announces a second outbreak in Tianjin.

Today’s report comes just one week after the announcement that ASF had finally reached Beijing, and brings China’s total to at least 80 outbreaks since August 1st (cite).

The Ninghe District of Tianjin Province has detected the epidemic situation of African swine fever

Date: 2018-11-30 10:17 Author: Source: Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Press Office 


The Information Office of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs was released on November 29, and the Ninghe District of Tianjin Province detected the African swine fever epidemic.

At 21:00 on November 29, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs received a report from the China Animal Disease Prevention and Control Center and was diagnosed by the China Center for Animal Health and Epidemiology (National Center for Animal Disease Research). 

A farm in Ninghe District of Tianjin was found in Africa. Pig plague. Up to now, the farm has 361 pigs and 67 deaths.

Immediately after the outbreak, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs sent a steering group to the local area. The local government has started the emergency response mechanism as required, and adopted measures such as blockade, culling, harmless treatment, disinfection, etc., to treat all the sick and culled pigs harmlessly. At the same time, all pigs and their products are prohibited from being transferred out of the blockade, and pigs are prohibited from being transported into the blockade. At present, the above measures have been implemented.

ASF has never been reported in North America, but the potential exists for its importation. The USDA has released a new African Swine Fever Factsheet that discusses their preparations for a possible introduction of the virus into this country.

(Excerpt)

Keeping ASF Out

Because of the concern over ASF, USDA recently reviewed and further strengthened its longstanding stringent protections against the spread of the disease.These include:

  • Collaborating with states, industry and producers to ensure everyone follows on-farm biosecurity and best practices (including for garbage feeding in states where that is allowed);
  • Restricting imports of pork and pork products from affected countries; and
  • Working with CBP staff at ports of entry to increase passenger and baggage screening for prohibited products from affected countries.

While ASF doesn’t pose a direct health risk to humans, it is a serious threat to the pig industry – and with no vaccine available – the only way to control it is to cull all of the pigs that may have been exposed.

Meanwhile, ASF continues to make inroads in Europe, and further spread there and in Asia seems inevitable (see FAO: African swine fever (ASF) threatens to spread from China to other Asian countries).

Centrist politicians – cowardly mules of the far-right

right on the mark!

Media Diversified

Marcus Daniel asks – who needs Steve Bannon when you have Hillary Clinton and John Kerry?


Steve Bannon’s vision of a white nationalist wave sweeping Europe is showing signs of trouble, with the realisation that his campaign techniques may not only be toxic  but also actually illegal in many of his targeted states.

But who needs Steve Bannon when you have Hillary Clinton and John Kerry echoing the talking points of the far-right in the Guardian, the supposed last bastion of liberal media? Here’s Clinton, discussing so-called “populism” in Europe:

“I think Europe needs to get a handle on migration because that is what lit the flame…I admire the very generous and compassionate approaches that were taken particularly by leaders like Angela Merkel, but I think it is fair to say Europe has done its part, and must send a very clear message – ‘we are not going to be…

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‘Comfort women’: Japanese newspaper sparks anger as it ditches WWII term

Many nations have trouble admitting they have committed crimes against humanity – Japan is one of them.

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Change prompts concern that country’s media is trying to rewrite wartime history

Japan’s oldest English-language newspaper has sparked anger among staff and readers after revising its description of wartime sex slaves and forced labourers from the Korean peninsula.

In a decision that critics said aligned it with the conservative agenda of the prime minister, Shinzō Abe, the Japan Times said it had used terms “that could have been potentially misleading” when reporting on the contentious subjects.

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