Although relatively rare, an outbreak of Psittacosis (parrot fever) is in the news once again, this time in Sweden where a 75-year old man has died, and 8 others have been infected.
Antibiotic resistance: The last resort : Nature News & Comment
As a rule, high-ranking public-health officials try to avoid apocalyptic descriptors. So it was worrying to hear Thomas Frieden and Sally Davies warn of a coming health “nightmare” and a “catastrophic threat” within a few days of each other in March.
The agency heads were talking about the soaring increase in a little-known class of antibiotic-resistant bacteria: carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CREs). Davies, the United Kingdom’s chief medical officer, described CREs as a risk as serious as terrorism (see Nature 495, 141; 2013). “We have a very serious problem, and we need to sound an alarm,” said Frieden, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia.
via Antibiotic resistance: The last resort : Nature News & Comment.
GM crops: campaigners in Ghana accuse US of pushing modified food | Afua Hirsch | Global development | guardian.co.uk
Food Sovereignty Ghana and other domestic organisations accuse the US and other foreign donors of promoting GM foods to west African countries, and tying aid to implementation.
According to a leaked cable, the US government was heavily involved in drafting Ghana’s 2011 Biosafety Act, which provided a framework for the introduction of GM foods. The US aid department provided technical assistance and some funding.
The cable said biotech products were being sold in Ghana and GM seeds from neighbouring countries were likely to have migrated over its borders. US companies have begun requesting permission to conduct trials.
The US embassy in Accra declined to respond to a request by the Guardian to comment on its stance on GM food in Ghana, but claims about the arrival of GM are supported by public officials.
Days of impunity – Daily News Egypt
The key takeaway ought to be that in 2011 – in 2012 – in 2013 – or whenever it takes place, no-one ought to be killed for simply being in a protest. Independent accountability is not a luxury in Egypt, or a privilege – it is a right, and it ought to be a primary demand for any genuinely patriotic force struggling for progressive and just change within this country. When one condemns violence in one circumstance to serve their own partisan end, but does not in another when it doesn’t serve that end, they are not simply hypocrites – they just condemn a part of their own soul. Egypt has had more than enough of that. She deserves better.
Why Home Farming Will Be The Grocery Store Of The Future [Future Of Home Living] – PSFK
An example of a compact urban agriculture system is the Click and Grow technology. Developed in Estonia, Click and Grow is a digitally-enabled gardening system for raising flowers, vegetables and herbs in a home or apartment. The all-in-one kit contains electronics, sensors, batteries,df a pump and water reservoir, while a replaceable cartridge contains seeds, nutrients and software (in a microchip) for growing the plant. The system measures how much water and fertilizer to an exact amount in accordance with the plant’s needs. After the plant’s natural life cycle ends, users can remove the old plant cartridge and insert a new one. The system has cartridges for mini tomatoes, chillies, flowers and herbs, and is capable of tending to itself over a long weekend or during a busy work week.
via Why Home Farming Will Be The Grocery Store Of The Future [Future Of Home Living] – PSFK.
Egypt army chief calls for rallies against violence – The Times of India
Egypt’s military chief called for mass rallies on Friday to give the army a mandate to confront violence following the overthrow of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi, appearing to up the ante against the Muslim Brotherhood.
General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who deposed Morsi on July 3 and replaced his government with a new interim administration, also said there would be no retreat from the army-backed roadmap that envisions parliamentary elections within six months.
“I ask … that next Friday all honest and trustworthy Egyptians must come out,” Sisi said in remarks broadcast live by state media. “Why come out? They come out to give me the mandate and order that I confront violence and potential terrorism.”
via Egypt army chief calls for rallies against violence – The Times of India.
The Gun Report: July 23, 2013 – NYTimes.com
Paul Franklin Dart, 48, was shot in the head and killed after urinating on someone’s property during a float trip in Steelville, Mo., Saturday. James Robert Crocker, 59, confronted the victim, an Army veteran, and his family with a 9mm handgun, and an altercation over property rights rapidly escalated to gunfire. Crocker told police he shot the person closest to him after someone from the group began throwing rocks. He was charged with second-degree murder.
The Gun Report: July 23, 2013 – NYTimes.com
A 3-year-old boy is dead after being shot at a home in Cabot, Ark., Sunday afternoon. The toddler, who was a friend of the family, reportedly picked up a 9mm automatic handgun and it went off. “You never dream it’s going to happen to you, but it can,” Sheriff John Staley said, urging gun owners to secure their weapons. No word on charges.
Women at Forefront Of Egypt’s Revolutionary Wave
This piece initially published in Al-Monitor
On June 30, the thunderous chanting of Egyptian women protesting against Mohammed Morsi, demanding that he leave office, echoed through the streets. Their voices were louder than their fellow men, adopting a collective firm, assertive tone that asserted their determination. Some female protesters carried very telling signs, expressing phrases such as “We are the coup,” their way of emphasizing their frustration with what many of them perceive as Morsi’s regressive policies.
In March 2013, despite the mounting opposition, the Muslim Brotherhood decided to shun half the society by releasing a strong statement condemning a United Nations declaration draft calling for an end to all forms of violence against women, claiming that it would lead to the “complete disintegration of society.” Such overtly regressive views have reaffirmed what many Egyptian women feared: The Muslim Brotherhood’s modern, progressive image is as hollow as its…
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Bicyclist pleads guilty to manslaughter in Calif – Wire Nation/World – The Sacramento Bee
A bicyclist has pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter after running down a 71-year-old pedestrian in a San Francisco crosswalk, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Under the unusual plea deal last week, Chris Bucchere, 37, would not serve any jail time and instead be sentenced to three years of probation and sentenced to 1,000 hours of community service in the death of Sutchi Hui of San Bruno on March 29, 2012, San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon said.
via Bicyclist pleads guilty to manslaughter in Calif – Wire Nation/World – The Sacramento Bee.
This is just, fair…? Not in my book.




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