Tag Archives: food

Influenza

U.S. Influenza, 19 December 2012: New vaccine, just when more studies say vaccines do not work! Media spreads ignorance! Some school officials ignorant! More evidence of new bird flu! KFC involved?

“The nation is experiencing an early flu season with high levels of activity concentrated in the south central and southeastern regions at this time.”-U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

New York continues to be a hot spot for influenza.  Onondaga County reports 506 new cases last week, that’s 141 more than the week prior!  Total cases so far for the county is 1,277!

In Main, a six years old girl died from the flu, the first flu death in Main since 2010: “It is very rare for a child that’s healthy to die from the flu, but this is a reminder.”-Sheila Pinette, Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) reporting at least 63 confirmed cases of flu.  Michigan usually doesn’t see that many cases until January or February: “It is a concern to see this many cases this early in the season.”-Angela Minicuci, MDCH

Whats happening in the Great Lakes states is being mirrored across the water in Canada: “Usually we see more cases during January and February, but now we’re seeing it in November and December.”-Hamidah Meghani, Hamilton, Ontario, Associate Medical Officer of Health

Illinois reporting flu season actually started before Thanksgiving: “Loyola documented several cases of the flu before Thanksgiving. It is early to start and also a high number.”-Jorge Parada, Loyola University Health System.

Also, a local Illinois TV news program, along with doctors, are spreading ignorance;  recently a report said doctors at hospitals are taking flu precautions by using anti-bacterial soap. The problem?  Influenza is a virus, not a bacteria, so anti-bacterial soap won’t help prevent flu.  Another issue is that the reports stressed obsessive washing of the hands after touching things like door knobs to prevent flu, here’s the problem with that: “Influenza is a very contagious respiratory disease.”-Tim Uyeki, CDC

In the case of influenza, specifically, it is an airborne pathogen, not a door knob pathogen. To top that, the medical experts are not even sure how people actually catch the flu!  Some studies show that 30% of airborne pathogen infections take place in the building where you work (schools were not looked at, I assume they consider schools the same as “office environment”).  The main cause is possibly dirty filters in the air conditioning system.  However, the majority of infections (flus and colds) are considered “unknown” in origin, by 51%!  So much for all that healthy advise from your officials and the media!

In Missouri, one school district (in Marshfield) is reporting that school attendance has dropped to 85% because of the flu.  School officials did not cancel school because they think kids are safer in school: “We decided if we dismiss school, there’s more likelihood that they would be exposed to the flu away from school than in school. So we decided to stay in school for the last few days of the week before Christmas break.”-Mark Mayo, Superintendent (guess he didn’t do his homework regarding the infection studies, see above)

Montana reporting early flu cases. 31 cases with five hospitalizations so far, and parents say that school is not the safest place to be: “Elementary school is probably a petri dish for all the diseases that kids have….”-Justin Winward, parent

In Georgia, the Coweta County Board of Education sent out letters warning of a “flu like illness” after some schools reported attendance below 90%: “We have no way of knowing whether it’s illness-related or otherwise given the season of the year. But we do know we have had a lot of staff and students out. There are a lot of illnesses out there right now, and we’ve sent home some with flu-like symptoms.”-Sally Millians, school system’s head nurse

In Colorado, on 11 December a woman died from the flu. Hospitalizations have also gone up, including children.  There are more than 100 cases: “It started early this year. Often we’re seeing more flu in January and February. We actually have been seeing some since October.”-Christine Darr, Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children

In Ohio,  the flu status has been upgraded (downgraded?) to “widespread”.  State and local health officials are reporting a sudden increase in flu related hospitalizations, in just the past several days.

In Texas, children’s health officials are reporting increased cases of flu B: “Flu peaks around mid-February, and if you look at the country as a whole, we’re already seeing 25% of the kids with a febrile illness testing positive for flu.”-Pat Crocker, Dell Children’s Medical Center

In Kansas, in Sedgwick County, a stomach ‘flu’ is being reported.  Health officials don’t really know why the sudden increase in stomach flu cases, but they blame the holidays: “People are socializing a lot during the holidays, so there’s a lot of hand-shaking and sharing food. There are just a lot of friends and family gathering together.”-Claudia Blackburn, Sedgwick County Health Department.

The National Institutes of Health has put on hold their attempts to modify a deadly form of bird flu (H5N1).   This was to create new guidelines for such experiments.

But, no need for the experiments, Mother Nature taking care of that. Indonesia has seen its 160th death this season, when a four years old boy died.  He showed symptoms of H5N1 on 30 November and died on 06 December.  Health officials are blaming the birds around his family’s house, yet no one else in the family is sick.

Indonesia is dealing with what their health officials suspect is a new form of H5N1.  Last week, on the main island of Java, hundreds of thousands of ducks died from the new H5N1.  They think the virus came from imported ducks from other parts of Asia.

But wait, there’s more!  In the regency of Bantul, province of Yogyakarta, Indonesia, over the past two months thousands of chickens died, really fast like without showing any symptoms: “They still looked healthy in the evening. Then the next morning, they would suddenly die with their heads turning red.”-Sumarwanto, resident

In the landlocked nation of Nepal, people destroyed shipments of chicken from India. The chicken was for KFC restaurants in Nepal.  The people were afraid the chicken was infected with H5N1.  The Nepalese government banned chicken from India because of bird flu.  KFC swears the chicken comes from Brazil, but police say the truck manifest indicated the chicken was coming from India.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration just approved a new flu vaccine. It’s a new “four strain” vaccine as opposed to the older three strain shots.   This comes at a time when there are more studies that show vaccines do not work!

Check this report for more details about how vaccines do not work, and how some countries are accusing the whole vaccine industry of being in it just for the money.

There are reports of Tamiflu shortages in some parts of the United States, but so what, it’s possible it doesn’t work anyway, and scientists have known since 2009: “….some researchers claim there is little evidence it works and have lobbied since 2009 for Roche to hand over all its data from clinical trials.”–Reuters

How about some history to show that all the efforts of modern medicine have been for naught?  Since the 1918 flu pandemic there has been massive efforts by governments to prevent the spread of flu, that’s 94 years of vaccines and washing your hands!  Yet, according to the American Lung Association: “Each year in the U.S., influenza and its related complications result in an estimated 226,000 hospitalizations and anywhere from around 3,000 to 49,000 deaths.”

Obviously it hasn’t worked! We’ve just been lucky enough not to get hit with something like the 1918 flu pandemic!

U.S.

U.S. West Nile virus update, 15 December 2012: CDC ends reports, Oklahoma declares it’s over, yet new cases (and deaths) still popping up! Woman glad she has West Nile, blame incompetent doctors! No more bees?

“This will be the last update for 2012 until final data are available in the spring of 2013.    As of December 11, 2012, 48 states have reported West Nile virus infections in people, birds, or mosquitoes. A total of 5,387 cases of West Nile virus disease in people, including 243 deaths…..”-U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

14 December,  California Department of Public health reporting eight new human cases in the past week, for a total of 453.  Two new sentinel chicken cases, for a total of 540.  One new positive mosquito sample, for a total of 2,489.

In Texas, a 12 years old boy has been in a coma since 13 November. His family was recently told he could be paralyzed, caused by swelling on his spine.  The Department of State Health Services reports 1,807 human case, up 44 from the end of November.  Dallas area beekeepers are complaining that the anti-mosquito spraying is killing off what little is left of their honey bees.  A Doctor in pest control explained that the spraying took place at the wrong time in the mosquitoes’ life cycle, and had little effect, but did much damage to honey bees.  He says local government officials were tricked by the pesticide industry: “They got sold a bunch of snake oil.”-Gene Helmick-Richardson

As of 11 December, Oklahoma State Department of Health reported 164 non-fatal human cases, and 13 deaths.  It’s a record number of West Nile virus cases for the Panhandle State. Interestingly, state officials declared the West Nile epidemic over on 30 November.

Well it’s not over for Louisiana! On 30 November, 11 new human cases, with one death, were reported.  So far this year the Pelican state has 382 cases, with 17 deaths.

In Florida, the number of human cases continues to increase. Between 27 November and 03 December, local media reported at least two new cases in the Sunshine state.

In South Dakota, a woman recently expressed happiness that she has West Nile, because months ago incompetent doctors had misdiagnosed her symptoms as leukemia:  “What first ran through my mind was: ‘Are you kidding me? I come in here with a sore back and swollen glands and now you’re telling me I got leukemia?’ “-Toni Reber

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Global Food Crisis: Hundreds of squid, and thousands of herring commit mass suicide!

“I’ve never seen anything like it!”-Hlynur Pétursson, Marine Research Institute of Iceland

15 December 2012, officials in Iceland reporting that tons of valuable herring committed mass suicide.

An estimated hundreds of tons of herring beached themselves over a one square kilometer area (0.62 square miles).  Preliminary investigation found no signs of disease.  A smaller mass suicide of herring, in Iceland, took place last December.

In Santa Cruz County, California, on 11 December 2012, hundreds of squid committed mass suicide.  Even attempts to put them back in the ocean failed, they just beached themselves again. The dead squid were spread out over 19 kilometers (12 miles) of beach, from Aptos to Watsonville.

Scientists said the squid were not full grown, and had just finished feeding (they had full stomachs).  Speculation is that anything from climate change to the accidental eating of poisonous algae is the cause.  Perhaps it was some kind of early warning of the 6.4 and 6.1 magnitude offshore earthquakes that occurred just a few days later?

For many people around the world, squid and herring are important food sources.

International, U.S.

2012: Return of mysterious dead birds. Oil company admits fault! New Bird Flu?

15 December 2012, an oil company operating in Montana, Wyoming and Nebraska has admitted fault in the death of hundreds of migratory birds.

The Colorado based company, SM Energy, pled guilty to charges from the U.S. Attorney General: “These charges arose after a multi-year pattern of bird deaths at company sites, notification by the Fish and Wildlife Service, and failure of the defendant company’s subsidiary to take reasonable measures to make the hazardous sites bird-safe.”-Michael Cotter, U.S. attorney for Montana

The investigation revealed that birds were being killed by the oil company’s fluid pits, as far back as 2005.  SM Energy is to pay a paltry $22,500 fine.  Some of its subsidiaries have paid smaller fines. The money will go to the North American Wetlands Conservation Fund.

This perhaps explains years of mysterious bird deaths across the United States.  The birds come into contact with deadly oil production wastes in the fluid pits, then fly off to die.

However, cases of new bird deaths are popping up, around the world.

02 December, local Texas media reporting dozens of dead birds in McKinney. They reported that the birds were bleeding from their mouths: “By our count there are close to 50 dead birds, mostly Grackles, Starlings and Pigeons.”-NBC 5

02 December, India media reporting the “sudden death” of 38 cranes from a possible new strain of avian flu. It happened in salt pans close to Victor village in Rajula range of Amreli district.

At the end of November, officials in Missouri are baffled by the death of 100 birds in a road of a Springfield neighborhood.  Residents say some of the birds were still standing, yet none of the birds were found on grass or sidewalks.  They noted they seemed to be avoiding the powerlines.  One man claims he witnessed the deaths.  He says for some reason the entire flock of birds flew in front of a red pick up truck.  The pick up, and the vehicle behind, hit at least half the flock.

In October, 20 dead starlings were found outside a Saint Lawrence County, New York, home.  Officials determined they were poisoned, but have yet to identify the poison.

 

International, U.S.

World War 3: U.S. occupation of Afghanistan; 01 – 04 December 2012. More illegal U.S. led night raids! Pakistan threatens military action in Afghanistan! Soldiers running over cops! Longest war in U.S. history!

04 December 2012

In Balkh Province, the people of Chahar Bolak district said U.S. led forces conducted an illegal night raid, which led to the men and women of 15 families being separated from each other, and then the women were raped!

Amnesty International says the U.S. occupation of Afghanistan has resulted in at least half a million people living in refugee camps.  The camps are not equipped to deal with cold winter weather:  “We are in dire need of help, the weather is getting cold but we don’t have blankets, fuel, and warm clothes. I don’t know how to keep my children warm.”-Shahzada Khan, refugee who fled Laghman Province because of the violence caused by the presence of U.S. led forces

Afghan government leaders are angry over statements made by Pakistan’s Interior Minister.  Pakistan is now accusing Afghanistan of being the home base for terrorist operations in Pakistan: “…if they do not halt their terrorist activities in Pakistan…..We will reply if there is any activity from Afghanistan…”-Rahman Malik

Afghan Interior Minister, Mojtaba Patang, criticized Afghan National Police (ANP) saying the ‘national’ police units are totally influenced by local politics: “Our police forces have been linked with the political and other groups, they are not national police forces. Issues are created by regional police forces. They are supporting the crime intentionally or unintentionally in their areas where they belong to and are performing duties in the same areas.”  

03 December 2012

In Nuristan Province, the deputy district governor and chief of intelligence were killed and six cops wounded, after Mujahideen attacked the building they were in.

In Paktia Province, in Masto village, an Afghan National Army troop ran over and killed a policeman.

ISAF said: “Two International Security Assistance Force service members died following an improvised explosive device attack in southern Afghanistan.”

In Uruzgan Province, five people killed, nine wounded, by an explosion near the local Afghan Intelligence Department in Tarinkowt city.  The explosion was the result of a remote detonated motorcycle bomb.

The UN World Health Organization (WHO) and the Afghan Ministry of Public Health, say 10,500 people die from tuberculosis every year in Afghanistan.  In a round-a-bout way they blamed the U.S. occupation.

02 December 2012

In Farah Province, locals in the Gulistan district say U.S. led forces raided homes and kidnapped several people.

In Nimruz Province, local government officials say the U.S. struck a suspected Mujahideen home, killing three people.

In Nangarhar Province, Mujahideen attacked the Jalalabad airbase.  According to local government officials, five suicide bombers attacked at once, then firefights broke out.  Some reports say as many as 18 people killed, 40 wounded. Other reports say the Mujahideen made it onto the airbase complex.  ISAF would only say that there were “…multiple explosions in the vicinity of Jalalabad airport.”

Former Afghan Central Bank Chief, Abdul Qadir Fitrat, said government officials were involved with the collapse of Kabul Bank.   Billions of USD were withdrawn or issued as fraudulent loans.  Several reports say the money went to people in other countries and at least 19 individuals and companies in Afghanistan.  Fitrat says no one has yet to be arrested, and even accused the President of being involved: “In Afghanistan we have president who is acting over the law who is not prepared to be inquired regarding the monetary crime which has been committed by himself and family members.”

01 December 2012

In Paktia Province, in Kahiar Kot district, locals say a U.S./NATO transport plane crashed killing everyone on board.  Locals say it looked like the plane was having technical problems. No word from ISAF.

In Uruzgan Province, a suicide bomber blew up his vehicle killing three people and wounding four others. Also, locals from Char Chino district say U.S. led forces attacked them, killing four people and kidnapping two others.

Deputy Afghan House Speaker, Haji Zahir Qadir, apologized for the beating his body guards gave to a Afghan cop.  The incident took place near a U.S. military base in Wazir Akbar Khan area, right after a suicide bombing.  Apparently the cop thought the body guards were Mujahideen and tried to attack them.

The Afghan government is now investigating the creation of an official provincial Mujahideen Council, in Herat Province. It was formed a few months ago, and involved redistributing captured Mujahideen weapons back to the Mujahideen.  The stated goal of Herat’s Mujahideen Council is to unite all local Mujahideen groups into one powerful organization, that works similar to the U.S. state run National Guard.  One national government official says Herat officials have misused funding for water and energy projects to create the Mujahideen Council.

German defense officials announced they will close down two of their Afghan bases in Baghlan and Kunduz provinces, sometime in 2013.

The United States Senate has voted, 62 to 33, to accelerate the pullout of U.S. troops: “It is time to end this war, end the longest war in United States history!”-Jeff Merkley, Senator from Oregon

Fukushima

Government Incompetence: Radiation decontamination of cities a big fail in Japan!

04 December 2012, more than a year after the GE designed Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactor disaster began, decontamination of residential areas isn’t anywhere near completion.

Japan’s Environment Ministry released the results of their study of the progress of radiation cleanup.  More than 80% of homes have not been decontaminated!

Of nearly 100,000 homes picked for decontamination only 18% have been cleaned up.

69% of educational facilities were cleaned up, as well as 51% of roads.   Only 38% of parks and sports facilities have been decontaminated.

International, U.S.

World War 3: U.S. occupation of Afghanistan; 27 – 30 November 2012. Britain refuses to hand over prisoners! New U.S. general in Afghanistan? Unknown disease kills fast, chemical warfare? Georgia sending more troops! More evidence of international tax money laundering!

30 November 2012

In Ghazni Province, at least four people killed, one wounded, after they drove over a landmine.

United Kingdom is refusing to hand over prisoners to Afghan control.  British say it’s because they suspect the Afghan security officials will torture the prisoners (kettle calling the pot black).  This comes after President Hamid Karzai ordered the execution of dozens of suspected Mujahideen held in Afghan controlled prisons.

The U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee is backing the appointment of USMC General Joseph Dunford Junior, to take over command of ISAF in Afghanistan.

U.S. Defense Secretary, Leon Panetta, confirmed that U.S. personnel will stay in Afghanistan past the official 2014 pull out, but refused to say how many: “The fundamental mission in Afghanistan is to establish an Afghanistan that can secure and govern itself and ensure that al Qaeda never again finds a safe haven within Afghanistan from which to conduct attacks on the United States or any other country.”

In Faryab Province, fighting going on in Almar district.  At least two Mujahideen killed by airstrikes, and one U.S./NATO armored vehicle destroyed by landmine.

29 November 2012

In Baghlan Province, two people have died and at least five people are sick with an unknown disease in Uruzngan village in Deh-Salah district.  Locals say those who died did so within ten minutes of showing symptoms: “One of my relative died after receiving a short shiver and another neighbor died within 10 minutes from the same disease.” (nerve agent?)

In Uruzgan Province, ten people killed and eight wounded after a bus ran over a landmine.

In Helmand Province, U.S./NATO launched heliborne operations in Kajaki district’s Loe Manda area.  The battles lasted from the morning until midnight.  U.S./NATO forces retreated. Mujahideen at first said one of their own was killed, but later said they suffered no casualties. Also, in Nawzad district Mujahideen claim they destroyed a Georgian tank with multiple rocket propelled grenades (RPG).

28 November 2012

More scandal for the Kabul Bank.  After it was revealed that international customers have withdrawn billions in cash from the Afghan bank, a new report shows that bank employees helped 19 individuals and companies take as much as $861 million USD in fraudulent loans (92% of all loans issued), in what the International Monetary Fund called a Ponzi scheme.

In Kandahar Province, at least seven people wounded after a suicide bomber exploded his motorcycle.  The bomber was killed.

In Helmand Province, four people killed after they drove over a landmine.

In Badghis Province, three Afghan National Army personnel killed, four wounded, after they drove over a landmine.

U.S. Special Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Marc Grossman, has resigned.  The reason given was that he wanted to “…return to private life”.

The country of Georgia revealed they have increased the number of troops in Afghanistan. They currently have 1,570 personnel in country, which is about double what they originally offered to send. According to Georgian Minister of Defense, Irakli Alasania, they are willing to send more if the U.S. requires, and they will remain past the official 2014 pull out.

27 November 2012

In Herat Province, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) reports one of their drones crashed while on recon mission in Mujahideen territory.   Mujahideen say they did not shoot it down, that it crashed because of technical problems.

ISAF reports that 250 U.S./NATO bases have been turned over to Afghan government forces.

In Baghlan Province, local elections resulted in cop on cop firefights.  Police loyal to outgoing district security chief attacked police loyal to the newly elected district police boss. Local officials say at least two people killed, several wounded.

In Uruzgan Province, officials from Char Chino district report that U.S./NATO forces raided local homes in the Kakarki, Gohergeen and Nojoi areas. One man was killed, another wounded.

The government of Germany says Afghanistan is not ready for U.S./NATO pull out in 2014.  In the Afghanistan Report, Germany says too many Mujahideen remain operational, and there has been no efforts at reconciliation (blame the U.S. and even U.S. based NGOs for that).    Germany is planning on giving the Afghan government the equivalent of $558 million taxpayer dollars every year until the year 2016  (not counting the taxpayer funds going directly to Afghan security forces).

 

 

Fukushima, International

26 years later: Chernobyl expected to remain a threat for the next 100 years, at least! Warning for worse things to come from Fukushima Daiichi!

29 November 2012, two days ago workers in Ukraine raised steel arches over the entombed Chernobyl reactor: “This is a very significant milestone, which is a tribute to the ongoing commitment of the international donor community, and an important step towards overcoming the legacy of the accident.”-Suma Chakrabarti, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

Those new steel arches weigh 5000 metric tons (5,511.5 tons), and are 22 meters (72 feet) tall!  The steel container won’t be finished until 2015.  It’ll weigh 20000 metric tons (22,046 tons) and is designed to allow ongoing decontamination work for the next 100 years!

26 years ago the Soviet designed reactor melted down, and it’s still spewing radiation.

The Soviets slammed Chernobyl with tons of concrete, sand and boric acid.  The impromptu concrete tomb was breaking down and a new one was built.  But even that one is breaking down, so a new massive steel tomb is being built, hopefully to contain the radiation for the next century.

Now realize that Chernobyl is only one reactor, with no spent fuel storage, and Japan’s General Electric designed Fukushima Daiichi melt down disaster involves at least four damaged reactors with four spent fuel pools that contained hundreds of fuel rods, each.

Initially Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCo) said they could have Fukushima Daiichi cleaned up by July 2011!!!  In December 2011 the Japanese government published their own report, saying cleanup will take at least 40 years, TEPCo downplayed the government report.  Then in March 2012, TEPCo admitted that reactors actually melted down.  Now, at the beginning of November 2012, TEPCo is admitting that clean up will take much longer, and they’ve even doubled their estimated cleanup and compensation costs from $62.5 billion USD to $125 billion!

Business/Economics, Opinion, U.S.

Corporate Evil: After blaming Unions for their shut down, Hostess now wants to pay out big bonuses to their execs! Shut down really part of Romney style crony vulture capitalist plan!

29 November 2012, gee after saying they didn’t have the money, and blaming unionized labor for the shut down of Hostess, suddenly they’ve got the bucks to pay bonuses to their incompetent executives!

Hostess officials are asking a bankruptcy judge to approve the paying out of $1.8 million USD in bonuses to their 19 executives.  Company officials say it’s necessary to keep the execs on board until they finish selling off their brands.

It’s starting to look like the running into the ground and eventual shut down of Hostess is really a Romneyesque vulture capitalist plan to chop up and sell the company off.  Hostess officials say there are more than 100 potential buyers chomping at the bit.

Hostess product sales were down, but last week a company official told the bankruptcy judge they still had $2.3 billion in sales last year!

So 18,500 people lost their jobs, and Hostess wants to pay $1.8 million in bonuses to 19 executives, that’s about $94,736 each (if my math is correct).  And those execs are still being paid big salaries as well; for example, CEO Gregory Rayburn has a monthly salary of $125,000!

I don’t think the Hostess shut down is about not having enough money.

 

 

International

Breaking news: Israel breaks ceasefire, wounds five Gazans, kidnap fishermen, sinks their boats!

“In a new violation of the ceasefire, the Zionist enemy arrested nine citizens and sunk several boats in the sea off the northern Gaza Strip!”-Islam Shahwan, Hamas

28 November 2012, typical of Israel, they are always the ones who break agreements, despite what the Israeli controlled U.S. media says!

According to Palestinian/Gazan medical reports Israeli troops open fired on people near the al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza.  Four Palestinians wounded.

In an area north of the refuge camp, another person was shot and wounded by an Israeli soldier.

Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) say they shot at people who were approaching a border fence “acting violently”, even though those people were not armed.

IDF navy also kidnapped nine Palestinian fishermen from Gaza, and then sunk their fishing boats.

Palestinians in Gaza consider this a violation of the ceasefire agreement, but are giving Israel a chance if they release the kidnapped fishermen.