Category Archives: Technology

Business/Economics, International, Technology, U.S.

Pale Green Horse & Rat Fever: Cases are on the rise around the World. Doctors die and government efforts to kill rats has failed. Return of the Black Death?

“May I formally as Commissioner for Health in Rivers State declare that there is Lassa fever epidemic in the State and we must do all we can to tackle the challenge.”-Sampson Parker, Port Harcourt State Commissioner for Health

At the end of 2011, two people died of Lassa (aka Laffa) viral hemorrhagic fever in the African country of Ghana.  It was a first for that country.

Now more than a dozen people have died in the civil war torn African country of Nigeria.  At the end of January 2012, African media reports said there might be an outbreak in the northern areas of Nigeria, one doctor had died.  Reports published on February 15, said another doctor and a nurse died, along with 13 people.

The medical center in Nigeria’s Taraba state has been overwhelmed with cases, and shut down.

In the Nigerian port city of Port Harcourt, the State Commissioner for Health declared Nigeria to be suffering an epidemic of Lassa fever.  Efforts by the Nigerian government to contain the Lassa epidemic will be difficult, since the country is being torn by a violent civil war.  War actually helps spread the disease.

I’d just like to point out that the Untied States has been slowly increasing troop deployments to Africa, and there is no vaccine for Lassa!

Travel across the Indian Ocean to India, and you’ll discover outbreaks of rat fever there as well.  In the Ernakulam district, on the extreme southwestern tip of India, the government is losing a race to distribute rat poison to fight the infected rats.

Ernakulam district has 85 panchayats, or village level governing bodies.  They were supposed to get the rat poison at the end of last year.  According to Indian media reports, as of January 2012, 47 of the 85 panchayats got the poison, but even worse, only four of those actually distributed it to residents.

That’s because in India the panchayats have to pay up front for the so called government help: “We have been promptly delivering the pesticides wherever possible. We have distributed over three lakh packets to the 47 panchayats.
But in the absence of distribution, funds were not released and only four panchayats have been able to pay for the pesticide. It was owing to this that we temporarily stopped distribution.”-P Gopalakrishnan, Inspection and Quality Control

On top of that, the rat poison being offered has a three month shelf life, which means they are racing against time to find the funds to pay for the so called government program.  The Ernakulam district has already had several hundred cases, and several deaths due to the rat fever.

To make matters worse, Southeast Asia, where India is located, does not have laboratories that can handle such deadly diseases.  In a few months time, India will be the first country in Southeast Asia to have such a lab. It’s called the National Institute of Virology’s bio-safety level 4 (BSL-4) laboratory, and the study of Lassa is one of it’s top priorities.

But don’t think we in the West are better off (well we are, but not by much). According to the San Antonio Express, the U.S. state of Texas has one of the very few labs that study diseases like Lassa.

It’s the Texas Biomedical Research Institute’s bio-safety level 4 (BSL-4) laboratory.  They are currently working to develop vaccines for Ebola, Marburg and Lassa.

That’s the rub, there is no treatment for these diseases.

The Black Death was spread by fleas infected with bacteria. Those fleas lived on rats. Those rats spread around the world by hitching rides on camel caravans along the Silk Road, and on merchant ships.  Wars and famines also helped to spread the rats.

There were many times in history when a Black Death plague hit the World.  Hypothesis say it was probably different bacteria each time, science has not been able to positively pin the blame on any one bacteria (Yersinia Pestis is the current favorite).  But this latest Black Death Rat Fever, called Lassa fever, is not a bacteria, it is a virus, and therefore can not be treated with antibiotics.

“You have to be vigilant. You have to educate first responders on the strange diseases that start appearing in the emergency room. And you have to keep developing countermeasures. That’s all you can do at this point.”-Jean Patterson, Texas BioMed

I looked and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him.  They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.

 

Business/Economics, International, Technology, U.S.

Corporate Crime: 40 years later, two former executives found guilty of the deaths of 2,000 of their Italian employees! Social health care found them out!

“This is the biggest trial in the world, and in history, as far as safety at work is concerned.”-Raffaele Guariniello, prosecutor

In a precedent setting trial in Italy, two former executives of a company that made fiber cement (cement made with asbestos), were found guilty in the deaths of more than 2,000 of their employees!

Another 1,000 employees, and people who lived near the factories, are now ill.  The Italian Health Ministry investigated due to the high rate of health cases hitting their social health care system, that were directly linked to the fiber cement factories.  The investigation revealed that employees were not given even basic safety gear for use around asbestos.  Things like masks and goggles.

One of the former executives is Belgian baron Jean Louis Marie Ghislain De Cartier De Marchienne, the other is Swiss billionaire tycoon Stephan Schmidheiny.

In his defense, Jean Louis Marie Ghislain De Cartier De Marchienne sent a written statement saying that at the time it was not known how deadly asbestos could be.

The factories were closed in 1986, six years before asbestos was banned in Italy.

The two wealthy one percenters face 16 years in prison, if they’re ever caught.  They were convicted in absentia.

Business/Economics, International, Technology, U.S.

Corporate Crime: Former officials of scandal ridden Olympus have been arrested

February 16, 2012, seven people connected to the scandal ridden Olympus have been arrested in Japan!

Those arrested include an adviser who instructed Olympus executives how to hide $1.2 billion in losses from investors and regulators, and it includes a former Olympus president, Tsuyoshi Kikukawa.

It also includes a former vice president, and a former auditor.  One of the charges is that Olympus filed false securities reports.  At least two of the arrested have already plead guilty!

The scandal at Olympus was revealed by a former executive of Olympus, who was fired for questioning suspicious bookkeeping.

Business/Economics, International, Technology, U.S.

Medical Incompetence: New study says AntiBiotics are useless for treating Sinusitis!

“It provides further evidence for what we’ve really suspected for a long time, that in the management of patients with acute sinusitis, antibiotics do not convey any additional benefit.“-Jay Piccirilloof, senior author

A new study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), says most antibiotics are useless in treating sinusitis.

Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, studied 166 people.  They spilt up the group by giving some patients amoxicillin for ten days, and others a placebo.  The results were that amoxicillin had absolutely no affect on sinusitis.

The study also stated that the majority of sinus infections are caused by viruses, not bacteria, which explains why antibiotics don’t work.

Business/Economics, International, Technology, U.S.

Iran unveils homemade Nuclear Fuel Rods, Nuclear Drugs, Nuclear Cake and 3,000 new Centrifuges

A few days ago Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, said he would reveal Iran’s latest nuclear achievements.

Today, it was revealed that Iran makes its own nuclear fuel rods, radio-pharmaceuticals, and has added 3,000 centrifuges to its program to produce enriched uranium.

Iranian made nuclear fuel rods were placed in the Tehran Research Reactor.  The fuel rods were made under the supervision of the International Atomic energy Agency.  This is the last step in Iran’s nuclear fuel cycle.

Iran has also increased the number of centrifuges from 6,000 to 9,000.  This increases Iran’s ability to make uranium “yellow cake” by 50%.  Iranian officials say that their Isfahan Uranium Conversion Facility is under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Iran has also begun production of several pharmaceutical drugs using radio isotopes (like cancer treatment drugs).

Iran says they don’t trust the latest negative reports from the IAEA, preciously because the IAEA has been openly watching their nuclear program, and has never lodged a formal complaint directly with the Iranian government.

 

Business/Economics, International, Technology, U.S.

White Horse & World War 3: Pentagon wants “urgent” upgrade for MAP Bombs, for use against Iran

“…are trying to ensure that 20 of the bombs are battle ready, possibly for use against Iran, though officials have been tight lipped on potential targets.”-Fox News

The Wall Street Journal reported that the 30,000 pound bunker buster bombs, known as Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MAP), were designed especially for use against Iran.  The 20 MAP bombs have already cost U.S. taxpayers $330 million!

Now Boeing, the contractor who makes the bombs, says they aren’t good enough and need to be upgraded!  Pentagon officials say it’s “urgent”, which implies they need the MAP bombs upgraded right now, for war with Iran.

Congress agreed to spend another $82 million to upgrade the MAPs.

I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.

International, Technology

Government Incompetence: Chile to charge former officials with manslaughter, for failing to warn people of incoming Tsunami in 2010

In 2010 an 8.8 earthquake hit a coastal town in Chile.  More than 500 people died mainly because of a tsunami.

After prosecutes investigated, it was decided that not only was no tsunami warning given, but officials said there was no tsunami.  After people returned home, they were hit with a tsunami.

Among the former officials being charged with manslaughter are a former navy official who was in charge of issuing tsunami warnings.  The former head of the National Emergency Office, and a former Interior Ministry official.

Gee, if only that kind of legal action would happen here in the U.S.!

 

Business/Economics, International, Technology

Pale Green Horse & Global Food Crisis: Nepal, India & Vietnam getting hit hard by H5N1. Vietnam says What Global Warming?

The H5N1 virus isn’t just killing people, it’s killing off the food people eat.

A week ago Nepal said it would have to kill off 4,000 poultry because of H5N1.  Well, already 8,000 poultry have died, because the virus is spreading so fast!

India says yet another poultry farm there has been hit with H5N1.  The virus itself killed off more than 5,000 birds at one farm!  Local officials have ordered the killing of all poultry within a three kilometer (1.8 miles) radius of the farm, that means tens of thousands of birds meant to feed humans will be gotten rid of.

In Vietnam, officials there are blaming the unusually cold weather on the spread of H5N1, as well as the undocumented importation of poultry.

So far nearly 300 birds died from the virus, while nearly 4,000 where put down.  At least two people in Vietnam have died from H5N1.

Vietnamese officials say they can not trace where most of the imported poultry are coming from.  They say many of the birds were brought into Vietnam, illegally, during the Lunar New Year celebrations.

I looked and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him.  They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.

Business/Economics, International, Technology, U.S.

Pale Green Horse & H1N1: Mexico hit hard, thousands infected, 58 die

After what looked like a 2011 victory for Mexican health officials, the H1N1 virus is hitting back hard in 2012.

Already there are 2,815 reported cases of flu, 90% are confirmed to have H1N1.  At least 58 people have died.  93% of those who died were confirmed to have H1N1 (aka swine flu).

I looked and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him.  They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.

Business/Economics, International, Technology, U.S.

Pale Green Horse & H3N2, H1N1: Costa Rica reports first 2012 deaths

The Central American country of Costa Rica is reporting the first death connected to the H3N2 virus.

On January 25, 2012, a 30 year old man died from H3N2.  The man had other health issues before getting sick with H3N2.  They believe it is the new H3N2v virus.

Two other Costa Ricans died the week before, from H1N1 (aka swine flu).

I looked and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him.  They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.