Family Survival Protocol &#8211; Microcosm News

Twenty-nine possible cases of Salmonella Paratyphi B infection have been identified in Buncombe County, North Carolina, but the source of the outbreak remains undetermined.

According to the Buncombe County Department of Health, all the cases seem to be linked to residence or travel to Buncombe County, in western North Carolina, since February 28.

Communicable disease experts from the North Carolina Division of Public Health and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are assisting food specialists from the state Department of Agriculture with the investigation.

A hotline was established Friday to offer people a way to get accurate information about the outbreak. The number – 828-250-5300 – includes an automated message and a phone number for people with symptoms to talk with a Communicable Disease Nurse.

Public health specialists are continuing to conduct interviews with people who currently have or have had the infection, reviewing laboratory reports and inspecting food sources that may be linked to the outbreak.

Salmonella Paratyphi B, found in the intestines of humans, can be spread from person to person or by eating food or water contaminated with the feces of a person ill with Salmonella Paratyphi B infection or a person who carries this infection in their body.

The Buncombe County news release notes that any food can become contaminated at any point in the food chain, including at home or in restaurants. Contamination can occur when a person infected with Salmonella Paratyphi B handles food and does not wash their hands well after using the bathroom.

33 Sickened After Attending Health Center Luncheon In Pueblo

April 28, 2012 By Carla Gillespie

At least 33 people became ill after attending the Pueblo Community Health Center’s annual luncheon on Tuesday, according to health officials in Pueblo, Colo.

“We don’t know what it is yet,” said Sarah Joseph, a spokeswoman for the Pueblo City-County Health Department. Health officials are trying determine whether the source was environmental or foodborne, she said.

Those who became ill reported gastrointestinal symptoms including diarrhea and abdominal cramping that lasted for 24 hours. So far, 77 of the 80 attendees have been interviewed and samples from those who became ill have been sent to the state lab in Denver, said Joseph. “We’re hoping to know more next week.”

Report your hepatitis A case.

Hepatitis A in Des Moines, Iowa

April 28, 2012 By Linda Larsen Leave a Comment

Food Poisoning Bulletin recently received an email from a person who was diagnosed with hepatitis A in Des Moines, Iowa. That disease is spread by contaminated food and person-to-person contact, so it’s very possible that more people are sick.

Hepatitis A is irritation and swelling of the liver, caused by the hepatitis A virus. The virus comes from the feces and blood of an infected person, and it is shed from the body two to four weeks before the symptoms manifest, and during the first week of the illness.

Human beings are the only natural host of the virus. It replicates in the liver, moves through the blood and is present in feces. Most adults display symptoms of the disease, while children are usually asymptomatic.

The virus is contagious and is spread in several ways: through food contaminated with feces, if a person who has the virus doesn’t wash their hands after using the bathroom then touches food or another object, or if you touch stools or blood of an infected person.

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Recalls

Diamond Pet Foods Expands Dry Dog Food Recall

Diamond Pet Foods has expanded a recall, announced April 6 for certain batches of its Diamond Natural Lamb Meal & Rice dry dog food, to include one production run and four production codes of Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul Adult Light formula dry dog food.

One bag of the product has tested positive for Salmonella, and the company says the recall of the four production codes is a precautionary measure.

No dog illnesses have been reported.

The latest recall is for:

Soybean Sprouts Recalled Due to Listeria

Soybean Sprouts from Henry’s Farm Inc. of Woodford, VA are being recalled because of possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination, according to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

The following products are being recalled:…..

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Articles of Interest

Scientist Defends Research on Heavy Metals in Oysters

by Dan Flynn

In the two years since the BP oil spill, most scientific research on its effects falls into one of two categories — seafood safety or environmental damage.

Now there are signs science is moving beyond those preliminary assessments to career-defining work that the some researchers don’t want to see misused by others.

That can be difficult in a region known for strong opinions and still divided over whether the Gulf’s message for the rest of the country should be the recovery of its seafood and tourism industries or the possible ecological disaster that may be in its early innings.

Dr. Peter Roopnarine, curator of the California Academy of Sciences (CAS), is one scientist who decided playing offense is the best way to navigate those choppy Gulf waters.

To mark the second anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon explosion, Roopnarine announced his team had detected evidence that pollutants from BP oil have entered the ecosystem’s food chain.

Mother Jones, the activist magazine and website, made its story on Roopnarine’s research its BP oil spill anniversary-day story.

Tags: 33 Sickened After Attending Health Center Luncheon, About Prion Diseases, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, BP Oil Spill, BSE, California, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul Adult Light formula dry dog food., Colorado, Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, deliberate attempt to mislead the public about safety concerns., Diamond Natural Lamb Meal & Rice dry dog food, Diamond Pet Foods Expands Dry Dog Food Recall, Heavy Metals in Oysters, Hepatitis A in Des Moines, Iowa, Listeria monocytogenes, North Carolina, prions can actually transfer from animal to animal via MILK consumption, Pueblo, Salmonella Outbreak, seafood safety or environmental damage., Soybean Sprouts from Henry's Farm Inc. of Woodford, Soybean Sprouts Recalled Due to Listeria, Transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, USDA, Virginia

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Health And Wellness Report – Sunday April 29th, 2012

Filed under: Alternative Health, Diseases, Health, Holistic Health, Medical Research, Natural Health, Nutrition, Pet Health, Wildlife — Leave a comment

April 29, 2012

Health

Hepatitis A in Des Moines, Iowa

April 28, 2012 By Linda Larsen

Report your hepatitis A case.

Oregano may help combat prostate cancer

Washington, DC | Agency: ANI

An ingredient of oregano, the common pizza and pasta seasoning herb, could potentially be used to treat prostate cancer, researchers including one of an Indian have found.

This super-spice, studied by researchers at Long Island University (LIU), has long been known to possess a variety of beneficial health effects.

Prostate cancer is a type of cancer that starts in the prostate gland and usually occurs in older men. Recent data shows that about 1 in 36 men will die of prostate cancer.

Current treatment options for patients include surgery, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, chemotherapy, and immune therapy. Unfortunately, these are associated with considerable complications and/or severe side effects.

Dr. Supriya Bavadekar, PhD, RPh, Assistant Professor of Pharmacology at LIU’s Arnold and Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, is currently testing carvacrol, a constituent of oregano, on prostate cancer cells.

The results of her study demonstrate that the compound induces apoptosis in these cells. Apoptosis, Dr Bavadekar explained, is programmed cell death, or simply “cell suicide.”

Dr Bavadekar and her group are presently trying to determine the signaling pathways that the compound employs to bring about cancer cell suicide.

“We know that oregano possesses anti-bacterial as well as anti-inflammatory properties, but its effects on cancer cells really elevate the spice to the level of a super-spice like turmeric,” said Dr. Bavadekar.

Though the study is at its preliminary stage, she believes that the initial data indicates a huge potential in terms of carvacrol’s use as an anti-cancer agent.

“A significant advantage is that oregano is commonly used in food and has a ‘Generally Recognized As Safe’ status in the US. We expect this to translate into a decreased risk of severe toxic effects,” she said.

“Some researchers have previously shown that eating pizza may cut down cancer risk. This effect has been mostly attributed to lycopene, a substance found in tomato sauce, but we now feel that even the oregano seasoning may play a role,” stated Dr. Bavadekar.

“If the study continues to yield positive results, this super-spice may represent a very promising therapy for patients with prostate cancer,” she added.

The results of the study were presented at the Experimental Biology 2012 poster session on Tuesday, April 24.

Women take longer to deliver babies than 50 years ago

Agency: IANS

Women take longer to deliver babies today than they did 50 years ago, according to an analysis of nearly 140,000 deliveries, conducted by researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Researchers compared data on deliveries in the early 1960s to data gathered in the early 2000s. They found that the first stage of labor had increased by 2.6 hours for first-time mothers.

For women who had previously given birth, this early stage of labor took two hours longer in recent years than for women in the 1960s. The first stage of labor is the stage during which the cervix dilates, before active pushing begins, the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology reports.

Infants born in the contemporary group also were born five days earlier, on average, than were those born in the 1960s, and tended to weigh more, according to an NIH statement.

The women in the contemporary group tended to weigh more than did those who delivered in the 1960s. For the contemporary group, the average body mass index before pregnancy was 24.9, compared with 23 for the earlier generation.

Body mass index is a measure of body fat based on height and weight. At the time they gave birth, the mothers in the contemporary group were about four years older, on average, than those in the group who gave birth in the 1960s.

“Older mothers tend to take longer to give birth than do younger mothers,” said the study’s lead author, S. Katherine Laughon, epidemiologist at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Rockville, Madison.

“But when we take maternal age into account, it doesn’t completely explain the difference in labour times,” added Laughon.

Among the change in delivery practice the researchers found was an increase in the use of epidural anesthesia, the injection of pain killers into the spinal fluid, to decrease the pain of labor.

For the contemporary group, epidural injections were used in more than half of recent deliveries, compared with four percent of deliveries in the 1960s.

Merck ordered to pay $321 million criminal fine for illegally marketing Vioxx painkiller

By Ethan A. Huff,
(NaturalNews) Drug giant Merck & Co., creator of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine Gardasil, has been ordered by a federal judge in Boston, Mass., to fork over $321 million in criminal fines for illegally marketing Vioxx, a dangerous painkiller drug that was pulled from the market in 2004 because taking the drug doubles a patient’s risk of having a heart attack or stroke. According to reports, Merck pleaded guilty to charges of illegally promoting Vioxx for rheumatoid arthritis before it…

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Holistic Health

Homoeopathy gets a boost

By Rito Paul | Place: Mumbai | Agency: DNA

A slew of measures announced by the state minister for medical education, Dr Vijaykumar Gavit, on Wednesday are set to change the face of homeopathy in the state.

Speaking at a Maharashtra Council of Homeopathy (MCH) function held to fete homeopaths in the state, Dr Gavit said, “The government will be sending a Rs200-crore proposal for a college of homeopathy on a 50-acre stretch soon.” The college will double up as a research center.

Gavit’s announcement came in response to fervent pleas by the gathered homeopaths who averred that “the state of the system of medicine was so bad that they would be forced to commit suicide”. Gavit vowed he will introduce the proposal for a state-funded college in the next assembly session in June.

Welcoming the move, MCH director Bahubali Shah said, “With the setting up of government colleges, we will be able to standardize homeopathy education and practices. Also, we will be more involved in the public healthcare system of the state.” Though there are 46 undergraduate and 12 post-graduate homeopathy colleges in the state, not a single one is government-funded. In contrast, numerous Ayurveda colleges get full government aid.

Other demands conceded to by Gavit included allowing homeopaths to administer modern allopathic drugs in medical emergencies, especially in remote villages, after training through a certificate course.

Further, Shah demanded the formation of a separate directorate for homeopathic medicine. “As we are part of the directorate of Ayurveda, in which we have only one representative, hardly any decisions are taken to further the field of homeopathy,” said Shah and added, “While the Ayurveda directorate last year got a state funding of Rs200 crore, we were given only Rs87 lakh.”

While seeking a time frame of six months for other demands, Gavit agreed to giving independent charge to the deputy director of homeopathy.

7 medicinal herbs and spices that help lower blood pressure

By Aurora Geib,
(NaturalNews) High blood pressure is an epidemic that is currently sweeping across America. The fast lifestyle of fast food, soda and stress is starting to catch up on the average American, so much so that an estimated one in every three Americans has high blood pressure. This puts them at risk of heart disease, stroke and even kidney disease. Moreover, this condition is costing the country 93.5 billion dollars in health care services. Putting too much faith in the medical establishment to find…

High vitamin D level essential to prevent chronic inflammatory diseases

By John Phillip,
(NaturalNews) The connection between cellular saturation of the prohormone vitamin D and development of chronic conditions ranging from cancer, dementia, stroke and heart disease have been well documented among forward-thinking scientists for at least a decade now. The specific mechanism of action has not been well documented though, as most studies have not drawn a clear line between blood levels of vitamin D and disease prevention. Researchers from National Jewish Health reporting in The Journal…

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Pet Health

Diamond Pet Foods Expands Dry Dog Food Recall

One bag of the product has tested positive for Salmonella, and the company says the recall of the four production codes is a precautionary measure.

No dog illnesses have been reported.

The latest recall is for:

A Starter’s Guide to Feeding Your Ferret

Nutrition 101

If you have just gotten a ferret, or are thinking of getting a ferret, it’s a really good idea to do a little research into the best nutritional diet for your new little pal. PetMD is here to help you on your way.

Nourishing Your Ferret

To begin, ferrets have a high metabolic rate, so they will eat around 8 to 10 small meals daily. And being strict carnivores, they need a high protein food source. Food pellets are an excellent source of protein for ferrets, which can be found at your veterinarian’s office or the local pet store.

You will need to read the ingredient list on the packet to make sure that the pellets are made of the most nutritious ingredients. As lists go, the ingredients are listed in order from highest to lowest quantity. As such, chicken or lamb should always be the first ingredient listed for a good ferret food. Additionally, avoid foods that include grain or corn.

If you are not able to find a prepackaged ferret food in your area, don’t panic. Kitten food works as well (again, check the ingredients list), as long as you give your ferret fatty acid supplements, which are available from a pet store.

Homemade food is another way to feed your ferret. You can feed your ferret cooked or raw chicken along with the pellets. Chicken baby food is acceptable as a supplement to the pellet diet, too. Remember that the dry food is an important staple, as it helps to keep their teeth clean.

Ferret Training 101

A Well-Behaved, Potty Trained Ferret in Just a Few Steps

When we talk about training your pet ferret, we’re not talking about training it to do acrobatic or magic tricks, and it is doubtful that they will ever replace dogs on sleds or surfboards. But ferrets, like dogs (and even cats), will respond to basic training techniques. Besides, a little training will make life more pleasurable for you and your ferret.

Ferret Boot Camp

Why train a ferret? Well, like any animal they sometimes need a little direction. They also need to learn boundaries, and the younger they are once training begins, the better.

One problem you may face with your ferret is nipping. Ferrets like to bite things, and sometimes that “thing” might be you. This needs to be, ahem, nipped in the bud, and there are a few ways to do this. Teething rusks and hard dog biscuits can help to distract and refocus your ferret’s biting impulse, along with some disciplinary measures.

But don’t panic at the word “disciplinary,” it does not involve hurting your pet. A few simple things, like making an alarmed, high pitched sound when bitten, holding your ferret by the scruff (the nape of the neck) and saying “no” in a very firm voice, or even hissing at the ferret when it bites will help to teach your ferret that nipping people and other things (like furniture) is wrong. These techniques can work for training your ferret not to do other things too.

One other method that some people swear by is spraying bitter apple scent on things they don’t want the ferret to bite or chew on. This can be bought in spray form at a pet store.

Just don’t forget about positive reinforcement. All animals, including ferrets, respond very well to positive training moves. Cuddles, treats, and praise given whenever your ferret does something good can work wonders on making the training stick.

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Wildlife

Dolphin trapped in US wetlands

Published on Apr 28, 2012 by itnnews

A dolphin has been found stuck in the Bolsa Chica wetlands near Huntington Beach, California. Report by Adam Sich.

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Positivity Mind and Body

Positive words Reverend Michael Beckwith

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Articles of Interest

50,000 malnourished kids died in 8 years in rural Maharashtra

By Shubhangi Khapre | Place: Mumbai | Agency: DNA

The lack of food is rapidly killing tribal children even before they reach six, leaving 51,461 malnourished children dead across rural Maharashtra between 2004 and 2012.

The startling revelation has once again raised a debate within the government about the need to make higher allocations for the health, women and child development departments, even as the center-state schemes evolved for the tribal population, which often goes without decent two-meals a day, appears to have remained on papers.

A senior officer in the tribal welfare department revealed, “The judicious utilization of funds for the specific schemes is never implemented. Almost 45% of the funds, which remain underutilized, are diverted for other projects.”

Another hurdle in preventing malnourishment is the severe lack of coordination among the various health-related departments, namely ministry of health (the nodal body), tribal ministry and women and child development and family welfare.

Citing that the budget session is on, a senior minister on conditions of anonymity said, “If we compare the child tribal deaths in 2004-05 with those in 2011-12, we can see a decline in the numbers, from 8,003 to 2,849. What has the government worried is the speedy progress of malnourishment cases from the rural areas to urban centers, which can be partly attributed to the migration for livelihood to cities, including outskirts of Thane, Nashik and Mumbai.”

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) parameters, severe underweight children among the tribal accounted for 22.3%population in the year 2011-12. This, even as minister for women and child welfare Varsha Gaikwad maintained that “Notwithstanding the reasons, the government is committed to eradicating malnutrition with help of a sustained long-term program.”

While issuing stern directives to the senior bureaucrats and ministers concerned to maximize fund utility for the stated purpose, chief minister Prithviraj Chavan argued that a progressive state cannot afford to let such a menace in its own backyard.

Don’t be misled about sharing your bed with your baby

By Randall Neustaedter OMD,
(NaturalNews) There is a concerted campaign to dissuade parents from sleeping with their babies. The latest study published in the American Journal of Public Health attempts to prove that sleeping with your baby can cause death. This was a survey of statistics concerning babies who died unexpectedly. The data reveal that significantly more babies who died unexpectedly of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) were sleeping in a parental bed than sleeping alone in a crib. These statistics were taken…

45 million people in 2011 received food stamps, a 70% increase from 2007

By J. D. Heyes,
(NaturalNews) In what can only be described as a sign of the harsh economic times, new data shows that tens of millions more Americans have been placed on public assistance since the Great Recession began in 2008. According to a report from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the number of Americans receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits – formerly known as food stamps – grew to a staggering 45 million people in fiscal year 2011 (Oct. 1, 2010 – Sept…

Tags: 45 million people in 2011 received food stamps, 50000 malnourished kids died in 8 years in rural Maharashtra, 7 medicinal herbs and spices, A Starter's Guide to Feeding Your Ferret, cancer, Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul Adult Light formula dry dog food., child birth, criminal fine for illegally marketing Vioxx painkiller, Diamond Natural Lamb Meal & Rice dry dog food, Diamond Pet Foods, Dolphin trapped in US wetlands, Ferret Training 101, food stamps, Generally recognized as safe, help lower blood pressure, Hepatitis A in Des Moines, High vitamin D level, Homoeopathy, India, Iowa, Merck ordered to pay $321 million, National Institutes of Health, Oregano may help combat prostate cancer, Positive words Reverend Michael Beckwith, prevent chronic inflammatory diseases, Salmonella, SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome), tested positive for Salmonella, United States, Women take longer to deliver babies than 50 years ago

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Comment

Crossroads News – Events in our changing world and our place in it – Sunday April 29th, 2012

April 29, 2012

Environmental

Do urban ‘heat islands’ hint at trees of future?

by Staff Writers
New York NY (SPX) Apr 27, 2012

Seedlings did eight times better in New York City’s Central Park than at comparable suburban and rural sites.

City streets can be mean, but somewhere near Brooklyn, a tree grows far better than its country cousins, due to chronically elevated city heat levels, says a new study. The study, just published in the journal Tree Physiology, shows that common native red oak seedlings grow as much as eight times faster in New York’s Central Park than in more rural, cooler settings in the Hudson Valley and Catskill Mountains.

Red oaks and their close relatives dominate areas ranging from northern Virginia to southern New England, so the study may have implications for changing climate and forest composition over a wide region.

The “urban heat island” is a well-known phenomenon that makes large cities hotter than surrounding countryside; it is the result of solar energy being absorbed by pavement, buildings and other infrastructure, then radiated back into the air. With a warming climate, it is generally viewed as a threat to public health that needs mitigating.

On the flip side, “Some organisms may thrive on urban conditions,” said tree physiologist Kevin Griffin of Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, who oversaw the study. Griffin said that the city’s hot summer nights, while a misery for humans, are a boon to trees, allowing them to perform more of the chemical reactions needed for photosynthesis when the sun comes back up.

With half the human population now living in cities, understanding how nature will interact with urban trees is important, the authors say. “Some things about the city are bad for trees. This shows there are at least certain attributes that are beneficial,” said lead author Stephanie Y. Searle, a Washington, D.C., environmental researcher who was a Columbia undergraduate when she started the research.

In spring 2007 and 2008, Searle and colleagues planted seedlings in northeastern Central Park, near 105th Street; in two forest plots in the suburban Hudson Valley; and near the city’s Ashokan Reservoir, in the Catskill foothills some 100 miles north of Manhattan.

They cared for all the trees with fertilizer and weekly watering. Maximum daily temperatures around the city seedlings averaged more than 4 degrees F higher; minimum averages were more than 8 degrees higher. By August, the city seedlings had developed eight times more biomass than the country ones, mainly by putting out more leaves.

The researchers largely ruled out other factors that might drive tree growth, in part by growing similar seedlings in the lab under identically varying temperatures, and showing much the same result. Due to air pollution, the city also has higher fallout of airborne nitrogen-a fertilizer-which could have helped the trees as well, said Searle, but temperature seemed to be the main factor.

Other experiments done in Japan and Arizona have shown that higher temperatures, especially at night, may promote growth of rice plants and hybrid poplar trees. A 2011 study by a Lamont-based group showed that conifers in far northern Alaska have grown faster in recent years in step with rising temperatures.

Some Eastern Seaboard trees also seem to be seeing growth spurts in response to higher carbon-dioxide levels alone, according to a 2010 study by scientists at the Smithsonian Institution. However, heat can cut both ways; in lower latitudes, rising temperatures and shifting weather patterns appear to be pushing some species over the edge by causing ecological changes that stress them; massive die-offs are underway in the U.S. West and interior Alaska.

There is already some evidence that with warming climate, New York area forest compositions are already changing, with northerly species dwindling and southerly ones that tolerate more heat coming in, said Griffin. Red oaks are probably not immune to increasing heat, so there is no guarantee that they would do well in the New York City of the future.

New York City has some 5.2 million trees and is in the midst of a campaign to plant more. “Cities are special places-they might be laboratories for what the world will look like in coming years,” said Gary Lovett, a forest ecologist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, N.Y., some 90 miles north of Manhattan. With temperatures projected to rise, he said, “what kinds of trees are doing well there now might be related to what kinds might do well up here in a number of years.”

The study’s other authors are affiliated with the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand; Black Rock Forest Consortium in Cornwall, N.Y.; and Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovoth, Israel. The paper, “Urban environment of New York City promotes growth in northern red oak seedlings,” is available here.

Scientists find higher concentrations of heavy metals in post-oil spill oysters from Gulf of Mexico

by Staff Writers
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Apr 27, 2012

Oyster shells like this one, collected from the Gulf of Mexico after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, have been shown to contain higher concentrations of three heavy metals common in crude oil – vanadium, cobalt, and chromium – than specimens collected before the spill. Credit: California Academy of Sciences.

As the two-year anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico approaches, a team of scientists led by Dr. Peter Roopnarine of the California Academy of Sciences has detected evidence that pollutants from the oil have entered the ecosystem’s food chain.

For the past two years, the team has been studying oysters (Crassostrea virginica) collected both before and after the Deepwater Horizon oil reached the coasts of Louisiana, Alabama, and Florida.

These animals can incorporate heavy metals and other contaminants from crude oil into their shells and tissue, allowing Roopnarine and his colleagues to measure the impact of the spill on an important food source for both humans and a wide variety of marine predators. The team’s preliminary results demonstrate that oysters collected post-spill contain higher concentrations of heavy metals in their shells, gills, and muscle tissue than those collected before the spill.

In much the same way that mercury becomes concentrated in large, predatory fish, these harmful compounds may get passed on to the many organisms that feed on the Gulf’s oysters.

“While there is still much to be done as we work to evaluate the impact of the Deepwater Horizon spill on the Gulf’s marine food web, our preliminary results suggest that heavy metals from the spill have impacted one of the region’s most iconic primary consumers and may affect the food chain as a whole,” says Roopnarine, Curator of Geology at the California Academy of Sciences.

The research team collected oysters from the coasts of Louisiana, Alabama, and Florida on three separate occasions after the Deepwater Horizon oil had reached land: August 2010, December 2010, and May 2011. For controls, they also examined specimens collected from the same localities in May 2010, prior to the landfall of oil; historic specimens collected from the Gulf in 1947 and 1970; and a geographically distant specimen collected from North Carolina in August 2010.

Oysters continually build their shells, and if contaminants are present in their environment, they can incorporate those compounds into their shells. Roopnarine first discovered that he could study the growth rings in mollusk shells to evaluate the damage caused by oil spills and other pollutants five years ago, when he started surveying the shellfish of San Francisco Bay.

His work in California revealed that mollusks from more polluted areas, like the waters around Candlestick Park, had incorporated several heavy metals that are common in crude oil into their shells.

To determine whether or not the Gulf Coast oysters were incorporating heavy metals from the Deepwater Horizon spill into their shells in the same manner, Roopnarine and his colleagues used a method called “laser ablation ICP-MS,” or inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.

First, a laser vaporizes a small bit of shell at different intervals along the shell’s growth rings. Then the vaporized sample is superheated in plasma, which causes the various elements in the sample to radiate light at specific, known frequencies. This light allows scientists to identify and quantify which chemical elements are present in a particular growth ring.

Roopnarine and his colleagues measured higher concentrations of three heavy metals common in crude oil-vanadium, cobalt, and chromium-in the post-spill specimens they examined compared to the controls, and this difference was found to be statistically significant.

In a second analysis, the scientists used ICP-MS to analyze gill and muscle tissue in both pre-spill and post-spill specimens. They found higher concentrations of vanadium, cobalt, and lead in the post-spill specimens, again with statistical significance.

In a final analysis, the team examined oyster gill tissue under the microscope and found evidence of “metaplasia,” or transformation of tissues in response to a disturbance, in 89 percent of the post-spill specimens. Cells that were normally columnar (standing up straight) had become stratified (flattened)-a known sign of physical or chemical stress in oysters.

Stratified cells have much less surface area available for filter feeding and gas exchange, which are the primary functions of oyster gills. Oysters suffering from this type of metaplasia will likely have trouble reproducing, which will lead to lower population sizes and less available food for oyster predators.

The team presented their data at a poster session at the American Geophysical Union meeting in December 2011, and is preparing their preliminary findings for publication.

However, their work is just beginning. In addition to increasing the number of pre- and post-spill oyster specimens in their analysis, the team also plans to repeat their analyses using another bivalve species, the marsh mussel (Geukensia demissa).

Roopnarine is also planning to create a mathematical model linking the oyster and mussel to other commercially important species, such as mackerel and crabs, to demonstrate the potential impact of the oil spill on the Gulf food web.

Scientists don’t currently know how these types of trace metals move through the food web, how long they persist, or how they impact the health of higher-level consumers, including humans-but the construction of a data-driven computer model will provide the framework for tackling these important questions.

Roopnarine and his colleagues have faced a number of challenges during the course of their study. Unfortunately, pure crude oil samples from Deepwater Horizon have remained inaccessible, making it impossible for the team to compare the heavy metal ratios they have documented in the oysters to the ratios found in the Deepwater Horizon oil.

Additionally, the chemical compositions of artificial dispersants and freshwater that were intentionally spread in the Gulf to alleviate the spill are also unknown-additional variables that could affect the team’s research. The team is hopeful that they will eventually be able to analyze these samples, thus shedding more light on their results.

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Cyber Space

Richard Stallman: CISPA really abolishes people’s right not to be unreasonably searched

Published on Apr 27, 2012 by RussiaToday

Soon, Americans may find every private email they write could be opened, copied and inspected by government snoopers. The latest cyber security bill – called CISPA – has passed the House of Representatives, coming a step closer to becoming law. President Barack Obama has threatened to veto the act, if it goes through in the Senate. He cited civil liberty concerns as the reason for his threat. CISPA has raised a massive outcry with internet users and freedom activists, who say it’s a hard hit on people’s privacy. Reaction now from Dr Richard Stallman, who’s President of the Free Software Foundation. He’s in Tunis.

New ISP will defend users from SOPA -CISPA -government spying

Published on Apr 27, 2012 by ravenise00

As the battle rages on over regulations for the Internet, one man is proposing a solution that could curb the concerns over online privacy. Legislation is being pushed in America right now that could stop online piracy, but would at the same time also infringe on the rights of many. Could all that change, though? One new Internet Service Provider will challenge the government if a user’s information is requested. Nicholas Merrill, executive director for The Calyx Institute, joins us to explain how he plans on changing the ISP landscape.

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Survival / Sustainability

Food Storage Wheat How-to Video: Cracking Wheat in Your Blender

Uploaded by everydayfoodstorage on Oct 20, 2008

Learn how to easily crack wheat in your blender. For more tip, tricks, and recipes for using food storage everyday in your own recipes, visit http://everydayfoodstorage.net

Week 5 of 52: Pet Care

Tess Pennington
Ready Nutrition

Our furry friends are more to us than just pets, and for many of you, they are a precious family member. Caring for them during a disaster is extremely important. You need to know that when an unexpected storm occurs, many of our animals face anxiety just as we do. Knowing how your pet will react before, during and after a storm is the first step in ensuring their safety. Making sure that you anticipate your pet’s needs during an emergency because it will help them cope with this disruption into their daily routines. Also, have a pet survival kit and a pet first aid kit set aside for your pet, as this too ensures their safety.

Preps to buy:

Extra harness, leash, and/or carrier
ID tags with your contact information
1-2 week supply of food for all pets (if not already bought in week 1)
2-5 gallons of water for each pet
Pet first aid kit
Current vaccination and medical records for each animal (contact your veterinarian).
2 weeks worth of medication for each animal (if applicable). Note: Pay attention to the expiration date and routinely rotate medicines to ensure they are not wasted.

Tags: Canada, Canada protests against tuition-fee increase, CISPA abolishes people's right against unreasonably search, Cracking Wheat in Your Blender, Cyber Space, Food Storage Wheat How-to, higher concentrations of heavy metals, Japan, Loneliness becoming 'the norm' in Japan, Malaysia, Malaysian police fire tear gas at electoral reform rally, New ISP will defend users from SOPA -CISPA -government spying, post-oil spill oysters from Gulf of Mexico, Surival Pet Care during a disaster, Systems of Control and Social Subtext, trees of future?, United States, urban 'heat islands'

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Activism

Canada protests against tuition-fee increase continue

Published on Apr 27, 2012 by AlJazeeraEnglish

Students in the Canadian province of Quebec have been protesting against a government move to raise higher education costs by 50 per cent for three months.

The Quebec government has now offered a compromise but the dispute remains unsettled as students are not accepting compromise with any tuition increase.

Al Jazeera’s Daniel Lak reports.

Malaysian police fire tear gas at electoral reform rally

Published on Apr 28, 2012 by AlJazeeraEnglish

Malaysian police have clashed with tens of thousands of protesters calling for an overhaul of the country’s electoral system.

Security forces in the capital fired tear gas and water cannon at the demonstrators, after they broke through a barricade near Independence square.

Malik Imtiaz Sarwar, a Malaysian lawyer and president of the National Human Rights Society, tells Al Jazeera the demonstrators should have been allowed to protest peacefully.

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Psy – Ops

Systems of Control and Social Subtext – 1/4

Published on Apr 27, 2012 by aodscarecrow

Max Igan – Surviving The Matrix – April, 27th, 2012

Systems of Control and Social Subtext – 2/4

Systems of Control and Social Subtext – 3/4

Systems of Control and Social Subtext – 4/4

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Community

Loneliness becoming ‘the norm’ in Japan

Published on Apr 27, 2012 by AlJazeeraEnglish

Japanese society has long had a reputation for close-knit families and companies and for group culture. This year, however, the average number of people in a Tokyo home dropped below two for the first time.

NLI Research Institute says that, by 2020, living alone will be the norm in Japan. The think-tank’s Akio Doteuchi says: “People are becoming more isolated. They used to live in friendly communities where neighbours would help them.

“Now people want to protect their privacy, so people in these communities have never even met their neighbours. They don’t know if they live alone or it’s a couple or a family.

“So sometimes people die alone without anyone noticing.”

Mike Firn reports from Tokyo.

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Comment

Earth Watch Report – Sunday April 29th, 2012

Filed under: Biological Hazard, Climate Change, Diseases, Earthquakes, Extreme Weather, Flooding, Global Disaster Watch, Solar Activity, Volcanic Events — 1 Comment

April 29, 2012

Earthquakes

EMSC    Eastern Turkey
Apr 28 23:56 PM
2.7    5.0    MAP

EMSC    Near The Coast Of Western Turkey
Apr 28 23:55 PM
3.2    13.0    MAP

EMSC    Near The Coast Of Western Turkey
Apr 28 23:43 PM
3.2    12.0    MAP

EMSC    Near The Coast Of Western Turkey
Apr 28 23:38 PM
2.8    12.0    MAP

EMSC    Crete, Greece
Apr 28 23:24 PM
2.9    5.0    MAP

USGS    Baja California, Mexico
Apr 28 23:24 PM
3.1    4.0    MAP

USGS    Gulf Of Alaska
Apr 28 22:53 PM
3.7    60.6    MAP

EMSC    Dodecanese Islands, Greece
Apr 28 22:18 PM
3.2    10.0    MAP

EMSC    Albania
Apr 28 22:13 PM
2.7    10.0    MAP

USGS    Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Apr 28 21:41 PM
2.6    31.4    MAP

EMSC    Eastern Mediterranean Sea
Apr 28 21:36 PM
2.5    5.0    MAP

EMSC    Baja California, Mexico
Apr 28 21:25 PM
4.1    0.0    MAP

USGS    Baja California, Mexico
Apr 28 21:25 PM
4.1    0.2    MAP

USGS    Southern Alaska
Apr 28 20:39 PM
2.6    91.9    MAP

EMSC    New Britain Region, P.n.g.
Apr 28 19:45 PM
4.9    51.0    MAP

USGS    New Britain Region, Papua New Guinea
Apr 28 19:45 PM
4.9    55.7    MAP

EMSC    Albania
Apr 28 19:33 PM
2.8    12.0    MAP

USGS    New Britain Region, Papua New Guinea
Apr 28 19:21 PM
5.7    48.3    MAP

EMSC    New Britain Region, P.n.g.
Apr 28 19:21 PM
5.3    40.0    MAP

GEOFON    New Britain Region, P.n.g.
Apr 28 19:21 PM
5.3    10.0    MAP

EMSC    Greece
Apr 28 19:14 PM
2.5    5.0    MAP

EMSC    Western Turkey
Apr 28 19:07 PM
3.0    7.0    MAP

USGS    Prince Edward Islands Region
Apr 28 19:06 PM
5.0    14.8    MAP

EMSC    Prince Edward Islands Region
Apr 28 19:06 PM
5.1    33.0    MAP

USGS    Northern California
Apr 28 19:06 PM
2.8    3.6    MAP

USGS    Kepulauan Mentawai Region, Indonesia
Apr 28 18:00 PM
5.3    31.0    MAP

EMSC    Kep. Mentawai Region, Indonesia
Apr 28 18:00 PM
5.4    30.0    MAP

GEOFON    Southern Sumatra, Indonesia
Apr 28 18:00 PM
5.1    10.0    MAP

EMSC    Albania
Apr 28 17:39 PM
2.9    8.0    MAP

EMSC    Romania
Apr 28 17:24 PM
2.6    89.0    MAP

USGS    Central California
Apr 28 17:14 PM
2.5    11.1    MAP

EMSC    Greenland Sea
Apr 28 17:11 PM
4.3    2.0    MAP

USGS    Greenland Sea
Apr 28 17:11 PM
4.3    9.9    MAP

GEOFON    Salta Province, Argentina
Apr 28 16:24 PM
4.8    189.0    MAP

USGS    Jujuy, Argentina
Apr 28 16:24 PM
4.4    187.6    MAP

EMSC    Salta, Argentina
Apr 28 16:24 PM
4.3    176.0    MAP

EMSC    Eastern Turkey
Apr 28 16:20 PM
2.9    4.0    MAP

EMSC    Spain
Apr 28 15:24 PM
3.1    2.0    MAP

USGS    Central California
Apr 28 15:11 PM
2.5    5.5    MAP

EMSC    Southern California
Apr 28 15:07 PM
4.1    10.0    MAP

USGS    Southern California
Apr 28 15:07 PM
3.8    13.5    MAP

EMSC    Albania
Apr 28 14:54 PM
2.8    26.0    MAP

USGS    Puerto Rico Region
Apr 28 14:33 PM
3.0    21.0    MAP

EMSC    Western Turkey
Apr 28 14:32 PM
2.5    5.0    MAP

EMSC    Southern Greece
Apr 28 14:27 PM
2.5    5.0    MAP

EMSC    Southern Greece
Apr 28 13:41 PM
2.8    5.0    MAP

EMSC    Near The Coast Of Western Turkey
Apr 28 13:26 PM
2.4    8.0    MAP

EMSC    Western Turkey
Apr 28 13:10 PM
2.5    5.0    MAP

EMSC    Western Turkey
Apr 28 11:53 AM
2.9    5.0    MAP

EMSC    Western Turkey
Apr 28 11:39 AM
3.3    5.0    MAP

EMSC    Greece
Apr 28 10:36 AM
2.5    12.0    MAP

USGS    Utah
Apr 28 10:19 AM
3.5    18.2    MAP

GEONET    Ne Of New Zealand
Apr 28 10:11 AM
5.3    310.0    MAP

USGS    Tonga
Apr 28 10:08 AM
6.7    129.4    MAP

EMSC    Tonga
Apr 28 10:08 AM
6.6    100.0    MAP

GEOFON    Tonga Islands
Apr 28 10:08 AM
6.6    153.0    MAP

USGS    Tonga
Apr 28 10:08 AM
6.7    117.8    MAP

USGS    Andreanof Islands, Aleutian Islands, Alaska
Apr 28 09:45 AM
3.0    30.4    MAP

EMSC    Southern Greece
Apr 28 09:13 AM
2.9    18.0    MAP

GEOFON    Timor Region
Apr 28 08:55 AM
4.9    10.0    MAP

EMSC    Timor Region, Indonesia
Apr 28 08:55 AM
4.9    10.0    MAP

EMSC    Eastern Turkey
Apr 28 07:06 AM
3.1    10.0    MAP

EMSC    Greece
Apr 28 06:28 AM
2.7    33.0    MAP

EMSC    Western Turkey
Apr 28 05:56 AM
3.1    7.0    MAP

GEOFON    Off West Coast Of Northern Sumatra
Apr 28 05:53 AM
4.4    10.0    MAP

USGS    Dominican Republic Region
Apr 28 05:48 AM
2.8    19.0    MAP

USGS    Southern California
Apr 28 05:36 AM
2.5    17.9    MAP

USGS    Fox Islands, Aleutian Islands, Alaska
Apr 28 05:08 AM
3.3    40.0    MAP

EMSC    Western Turkey
Apr 28 04:35 AM
3.2    7.0    MAP

EMSC    Dodecanese Islands, Greece
Apr 28 04:14 AM
2.7    60.0    MAP

EMSC    Western Turkey
Apr 28 03:49 AM
2.5    5.0    MAP

USGS    Vancouver Island, Canada Region
Apr 28 03:42 AM
4.5    15.5    MAP

EMSC    Vancouver Island, Canada Region
Apr 28 03:42 AM
4.5    16.0    MAP

EMSC    Eastern Turkey
Apr 28 03:17 AM
4.7    22.0    MAP

GEOFON    Turkey
Apr 28 03:17 AM
4.6    10.0    MAP

USGS    Eastern Turkey
Apr 28 03:17 AM
4.7    5.1    MAP

EMSC    Western Turkey
Apr 28 03:11 AM
2.4    5.0    MAP

EMSC    Eastern Turkey
Apr 28 03:09 AM
2.5    8.0    MAP

USGS    Oklahoma
Apr 28 02:14 AM
2.8    4.8    MAP

EMSC    Western Turkey
Apr 28 01:45 AM
2.7    6.0    MAP

EMSC    Western Turkey
Apr 28 01:26 AM
2.4    5.0    MAP

EMSC    Southern Italy
Apr 28 00:41 AM
2.4    15.0    MAP

EMSC    Iran-iraq Border Region
Apr 28 00:34 AM
3.9    5.0    MAP

EMSC    Greece
Apr 28 00:06 AM
2.4    1.0    MAP

Sources: USGS – EMSC – GFZ – GEONET

Deep 6.7 magnitude earthquake hits Tonga trench in the Pacific

Posted on April 28, 2012

April 28, 2012 – TONGA, S. PACIFIC – A 6.7 magnitude earthquake struck the Tonga Trench at a depth of 129.4 km (80.4 miles). The earthquake was too deep to generate a tsunami. The epicenter of the undersea quake was 2266 km (1408 miles) NNE of Auckland, New Zealand. The Tonga Trench is a convergent plate boundary in the South Pacific. The trench lies at the northern end of the Kermadec-Tonga Subduction Zone, an active subduction zone where the Pacific Plate is being subducted below the Tonga Plate and the Indo-Australian Plate. The Tonga Trench extends north-northeast from the Kermadec Islands north of the North Island of New Zealand. The trench turns west north of the Tonga Plate and becomes a transform fault zone. The Tonga Trench is one of the most seismically and volcanically-active regions of the sea-floor on Earth. The planet’s crust is being violently devoured at a rate of more than 24 centimeters per year- the fastest of any region on the planet. –The Extinction Protocol

4.7-magnitude quake strikes off Vancouver Island

CBC News

Read 66 comments66

Three small earthquake have struck off Vancouver Island over the past week according to the U.S. Geological Service. (USGS)

Earthquakes Canada report
U.S. Geological Service earthquake reports

(Note:CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external links.)

A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck about 200 kilometres west of Vancouver Island on Friday morning but there were no reports of it being felt by island residents.

The quake struck around 1:36 a.m. PT, according to the Natural Resources Canada.

Earthquakes of that size are common in the area and experts say they do not indicate a large earthquake is more likely.

The U.S. Geological Service reported three quakes of similar magnitude in the area over the past five days, and there have been several more reported in recent months.

4.1 earthquake jolts Southern California

April 28, 2012 | 9:02 am

Instrumental Intensity Image

A magnitude 4.1 earthquake rattled Southern California on Saturday morning, but there were no reports of damage or injuries.

The temblor struck at 8:07 a.m. near Devore, about 60 miles east of downtown Los Angeles.

The quake was felt across the region, in San Bernardino County, the San Gabriel Valley and the city of Los Angeles.

Residents around Devore reported a sharp jolt, though there were no reports of problems.

– Shelby Grad

Map: Shows location of 4.1 earthquake recorded Saturday morning east of Los Angeles. Source: U.S. Geological Survey

Email: newstips@latimes.com

Twitter: @lanow

Facebook: Los Angeles Times Local News

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Volcanic Activity

Current Emergencies

28.04.2012

Volcano Activity

Mexico

State of Puebla, [Popocatepetl Volcano]

Popocatépetl, the nearly 18,000 foot volcano that hovers like a sentinel on the southeastern fringe of Mexico’s capital, awakened again Sunday, punctuating an especially shaky seismic season. Popo, as the mountain is widely called, spewed at least seven exhalations overnight Saturday and through the day Sunday, sending vapor, smoke and gas billowing into the clear sky. The most serious occurred just after 9 a.m. Sunday, sending a vapor cloud a mile into the air. Mexico’s National Disaster Prevention Center issued a precautionary warning to residents, advising them to stay alert for a worsening situation and to keep at least seven miles away from the volcano’s crater. The service predicted continuing “moderate exhalations, some with ash, sporadic low to moderate explosions with likely burning fragments emitted close to the crater, and flaming magma within the crater visible at night.” Popo’s latest fuming comes amid a series of earthquakes striking southern and central Mexico in the past three weeks. Several 6 magnitude quakes struck Wednesday, but no damage. A midday 7.4 quake on March 20 damaged hundreds of buildings in Oaxaca and Guerrero states and sent hundreds of thousands of residents scrambling into Mexico City’s streets.

The volcano, whose full name means Smoking Mountain in the Nahuatl tongue of the Aztecs, is a fairly active volcano, with such exhalations occurring regularly. Events like Sunday’s serve to prevent more dangerous pressure from building inside the volcano, scientists say. Popo experienced similar moderate activity several times in 2011 and again at the beginning of this year. Though more than 40 miles from downtown Mexico City , Popo and its adjoining snow-capped sister mountain, Iztaccihuatl dominate the Valley of Mexico and the surrounding highlands, home to some 25 million people. Mexico City’s teeming working class suburbs now lick at the mountains’ base. The city of Puebla, home to 1 million people, stands a few dozen miles from the volcano eastern slopes. Aztec legend held that Popocatepetl was a warrior deeply in love with Izta, whose silhouette can resemble a sleeping woman from the right angles. Sent by her father to battle to prove his worth, Popo was falsely reported killed. Iztaccihuatl died grief-stricken. When he returned from battle, Popo hunched next to her body, bowed his head and died of heartbreak.

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Extreme Temperatures/ Weather

Today

Forest / Wild Fire

Canada

Province of Manitoba, [Anola Region]

A grassfire raged out of control and burnt down a home in Anola Saturday. All three Springfield fire halls were on scene as the fire swept through a farm site, said Deputy Fire Commissioner Robert Pike. A home, barn and sheds all caught fire. Pike said the fire is now under control. Witnesses in the area said tankers were on scene at Highway 15 outside of Anola. The fire had been burning since about noon, according to a witness at the scene.

Today

Extreme Weather

USA

State of Missouri, St. Louis

High winds swept through a beer tent where 200 people gathered after a Cardinals game Saturday, killing one and seriously injuring at least five others, authorities said.The owner of the bar where the tent was set up said firefighters told him that the patron who died was struck by lightning, but Deputy Fire Chief John Altmann and Public Safety Director Eddie Roth said they didn’t know what killed the man.At least 17 people were hospitalized, including five who were initially in critical condition but are now said to be in serious condition. Up to 100 people were treated at the scene, mostly for minor injuries such as cuts and bruises.Officials said straight-line winds whipped through the large tent outside Kilroy’s Sports Bar, near Busch Stadium. The crowd was celebrating after the Cardinals beat Milwaukee 7-3 earlier in the afternoon.Roth said winds of about 50 mph shattered aluminum poles that held up the tent, which was located south of the stadium. The force of the wind blew the tent onto an adjacent railroad bridge.”It was crazy, scary,” said Annie Randall, whose family owns Kilroy’s. “We’re just so sorry this happened.”Kilroy’s owner Art Randall described a short burst of a storm — perhaps five seconds, he said — with a massive wind that lifted the huge tent, threw it perhaps 100 feet into the air and sent the aluminum poles and most everything in the tent airborne.When he heard the boom, he initially thought a train had derailed into the tent.As the wind blew, a bolt of lightning crashed into the bar, Randall said. He said firefighters told him it was a lightning strike — not flying debris — that killed the man.”At some point in that five seconds, we were getting lightning strikes, and apparently one of our customers got hit by lightning right in the middle of the dance floor,” Randall said.The bar owner said he screamed for help and three customers ran over to administer CPR, but they couldn’t save the man.Randall said he looked around “and saw 50 bodies scattered everywhere.”The man who died appeared to be in his 50s, Roth said. His name has not been released.Roth said the tent had passed inspection and it didn’t appear there would be any violation, although the investigation is ongoing.Randall described a scene in which barstools, pedestals and a 100-pound bass amplifier were flying through the air. The disc jockey working the party was struck by the amp and knocked unconscious, the bar owner said, and people were scurrying to help one another.”My wife had people in the beer cooler — we had the beer cooler loaded with injuries,” Randall said. “It was a triage deal.”Kilroy’s is among several bars near Busch Stadium, and many bars set up tents for the excess business after Cardinals games. Crowds were also large because the St. Louis Blues were playing against the Los Angeles Kings Saturday night in the first game of the NHL’s Western Conference semifinals.The St. Louis area was under thunderstorm and tornado warnings several times Saturday. About two hours after the incident at Kilroy’s, tornado sirens blared throughout the city after a funnel cloud sighting. There were several reports of tree damage, power lines down and damage from hail that in some parts of the region reportedly was as big as tennis balls.

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Storms, Flooding

Severe Thunderstorm Warning

NORMAN OK
WICHITA KS

Winter Storm Warning

GREAT FALLS MT
BILLINGS MT
RIVERTON WY
GLASGOW MT

Tornado Watch

 NORMAN OK

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Radiation/Biological Hazard

Today

Biological Hazard

Hungary

County of Fejer, Nagylók

Twenty-eight people were attacked by the bees yesterday (28.04.2012) in Nagylók, Hungary. The injured were among children and adults, they participated in an event. 19 people were transported to hospital, nine people were in serious condition. The bees attack, experts say it was natural.
Biohazard name:	Bees attack
Biohazard level:	0/4 —
Biohazard desc.:	This does not included biological hazard category.

28.04.2012

Biological Hazard

Ghana

West District, Bawku

The chief of Googo in the Bawku West District of the Upper East Region, Naaba Akpaam Abugri, is alarmed that some farmers in the community whose animals died of anthrax sold such infected dead animals to a chop bar operator in the area.Veterinary officers in the region, on Wednesday [25 Apr 2012], started the vaccination of cattle and other domestic animals except birdsb against anthrax, following the outbreak of the disease in that community which has claimed 2 human lives.Although veterinary officers say 9 cows have died of the disease, Naaba Akpaam, who briefed this reporter at Googo on Wednesday on thehavoc caused by the disease, said about 30 cows and several donkeys,goats, sheep, and dogs had also died. According to him, one of thefarmers, who lost 8 cows, revealed that he had sold 6 of them to achop bar operator.Naaba Akpaam, who could not readily name the chop bar operator, and neither the specific location of the chop bar, said he had started making inquiries to know the owner and location of the bar, so that the remaining meat could be retrieved and destroyed to prevent the further spread of the disease. He said some of the people who were infected with the disease had refused to be taken to the hospital,because they claimed if they went to the hospital and giveninjections, they would lose their lives. The Upper East regional veterinary officer, Dr Thomas Anyorikeya, who is leading a team of veterinary personnel to carry out the vaccination exercise, disclosed that on Tuesday — day one of the exercise — 497 animals were vaccinated. They included 384 cattle, 86 sheep, 17 donkeys, 8 goats, and 5 dogs. On Thursday [26 Apr 2012], the 2nd day of the vaccination, 104 cattle were vaccinated by about 10:30 am. The number of the personnel on Thursday increased from 5 to 10, and they intended to vaccinate all the animals in the Googo community and adjoining ones such as Bazua and Sapelga. Dr Anyorikeya was worried that for about 10 years now, no animals’census had been conducted. The annual animal census, which was being conducted by the Veterinary Service, provided a database of animals in the regions, districts, and communities, and helped in the operations of the service, including vaccinations. Some of the personnel lamented that they did not have protective wear,such as gloves, wellington boots and overalls. This, they said,exposed them to risk in their line of operation.The vaccination is expected to avert the further spread of the disease. Meanwhile, a ban on the movement of cattle has been imposed on the area.
Biohazard name:
Biohazard level:	4/4 Hazardous
Biohazard desc.:	Viruses and bacteria that cause severe to fatal disease in humans, and for which vaccines or other treatments are not available, such as Bolivian and Argentine hemorrhagic fevers, H5N1(bird flu), Dengue hemorrhagic fever, Marburg virus, Ebola virus, hantaviruses, Lassa fever, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, and other hemorrhagic or unidentified diseases. When dealing with biological hazards at this level the use of a Hazmat suit and a self-contained oxygen supply is mandatory. The entrance and exit of a Level Four biolab will contain multiple showers, a vacuum room, an ultraviolet light room, autonomous detection system, and other safety precautions designed to destroy all traces of the biohazard. Multiple airlocks are employed and are electronically secured to prevent both doors opening at the same time. All air and water service going to and coming from a Biosafety Level 4 (P4) lab will undergo similar decontamination procedures to eliminate the possibility of an accidental release.

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Epidemics/Strange Illnesses

http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2012/apr/HQ_12-140_Exp30_Crew_Return.html
http://www.space.com/15433-alien-life-red-dwarfs-habitable-planets.html
http://www.space.com/15457-president-obama-venus-moon-skywatching.html
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/warm-spring-drought-wildfires-water-s…
http://spaceweather.com/
http://rsd.gsfc.nasa.gov/goes/
http://www.haarp.alaska.edu/haarp/data.html
http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/data/
http://umtof.umd.edu/pm/
http://sohodata.nascom.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/soho_movie_theater
http://www.ips.gov.au/HF_Systems/6/5
http://solarimg.org/artis/
http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/wsa-enlil/cme-based/
http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/index2.php
http://ccmc.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/SWMF_RealTime_browse.cgi
http://grb.sonoma.edu/

Today

Epidemic

India

Rayagada, Salapash, Katraguda, Railighati [Kasipur]

The BMC denied the woman was suffering from cholera. BMC executive health officer, Anil Bandivdekar said, Doctors from the private hospital may have felt she suffered from cholera, but her reports were negative. She was even taken away by her family within a few hours of admission to Kasturba. The test at Saifee was positive but the second (at Kasturba ) was negative. Now the sample has been sent for the ELISA test. But that is likely to come negative, because by the time her second sample was taken, she was already on treatment, said a doctor from Kasturba. Cholera has been never mentioned in BMC health files as officials say its mere occurrence could attract international travel sanctions. Cholera is highly infectious and can spread within the community in a few hours. In recent years it is more manageable, but the BMC refrained from naming it. New Delhi and Chennai record hundreds of cholera cases every year, but BMC records always show zero cases. Experts say water contaminated because of the old pipelines in Mumbaiespecially in the island citycan be blamed for cholera. The water pipes are structured in such a way that clean and waste water pipes run sideby-side. They are so old that if rusted, there may be mixing of water. Water is thus not contaminated from the source, said an official from the hydraulic department. The BMC is sending a team to Girgaum. We will check the water for contamination. If found unfit for consumption, then the source of contamination will be found and treated, said the official.
Biohazard name:	Cholera
Biohazard level:	3/4 Hight
Biohazard desc.:	Bacteria and viruses that can cause severe to fatal disease in humans, but for which vaccines or other treatments exist, such as anthrax, West Nile virus, Venezuelan equine encephalitis, SARS virus, variola virus (smallpox), tuberculosis, typhus, Rift Valley fever, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, yellow fever, and malaria. Among parasites Plasmodium falciparum, which causes Malaria, and Trypanosoma cruzi, which causes trypanosomiasis, also come under this level.
Symptoms:
Status:	suspected

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Climate Change

Study finds warming speeding up rainfall cycle

by Staff Writers
Sydney (AFP) April 27, 2012

An Australian study of ocean salinity over the past 50 years has revealed a “fingerprint” showing that climate change has accelerated the rainfall cycle, a researcher said Friday.

The study published in the journal Science and conducted by Australian and US scientists looked at ocean data from 1950 to 2000 and found that salinity levels had changed in oceans around the world over that time.

Co-author Susan Wijffels said the figures were revealing because ocean salinity was indicative of changes in the water cycle of rainfall and evaporation.

“What the results are saying is we have an ocean fingerprint, a very clear fingerprint, that the earth’s water cycle has already spun up,” she told AFP.

“What we see in the observations of how the salinity field has changed already over the last 50 years, (is) our hydrological cycle has already intensified significantly.”

Wijffels said the pattern was amplifying over time and it could be inferred that the same dynamics were also happening over land.

“What it really means is that the atmosphere can actually shuttle more water from the areas that are drying out to the areas that have lots of rain faster,” she said.

“And essentially it means that the wet areas are going to get wetter and the dry areas are going to get drier.”

Wijffels said getting a clear picture of what had happened historically with rainfall was frustrating because there was little quality data, and most of this was collected on land, in particular in the northern hemisphere.

“Yet most of the earth’s surface is the ocean and actually most of the evaporation that drives our water cycle is happening over the ocean,” Wijffels said, making the oceans a worthy object of climate change study.

The researchers from Australian government science and research body CSIRO and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California used data taken from vessels in oceans around the world and climate models to produce their report.

They revealed a repeating pattern of change believed to be the result of climate change, Wijffels said.

“And we see it in the north Atlantic, the south Atlantic, the north Pacific, the south Pacific, the Indian; it’s repeated in every ocean basin independently,” she said.

“And the sense of the pattern is that areas that were already fresh have become fresher with lower salinity and areas that were already salty are becoming saltier.”

Related Links
The Air We Breathe at TerraDaily.com

‘Himalayan glaciers not shrinking alarmingly’

Staff reporter
GUWAHATI, April 28 – The Himalayan glaciers are not shrinking at an alarming rate under the influence of the global warming syndrome. This was the assertion made by Dr Akhilesh Gupta, Advisor and Head of the Climate Change Programme of the Government of India (GoI). He was delivering the keynote address at a consultation workshop organized by the Assam Science Technology and Environment Council (ASTEC) in collaboration with the Assam Energy Development Agency (AEDA) here on Friday.

He maintained that there is a variation marked in the behavior of the region’s glaciers. Moreover, he said, though the rainfall regime in the North West Himalayan region has remained more or less the same, temperature is rising in this region under the influence of the global warming syndrome.

Preparations are on to set up a National Center for Himalayan Glaciology at Mussoorie. Even as a joint working group has been set up with Switzerland, efforts are also on for establishing bilateral cooperation with a few countries like Norway, United Kingdom etc, on capacity building in glaciology, Dr Gupta informed.

State level consultations have also been launched to develop human resources and also for capacity building program for the Himalayan region, he said.

Inaugurating the function, State’s Chief Conservator of Forests, Biodiversity and Climate Change, A K Johari asserted that there is no need to panic so far as the affects of climate change are concerned. However, there is the need to act to fight the phenomenon.

He maintained that the NE region as a whole has so far lost an area of 549 square kilometers of forest cover. At its individual level, the State has lost forest cover over 16 square kilometers of its area. Though it is still very green, it has faced the developments like loss of wetlands and ground water crisis, among others. The State is yet to adopt its draft action plan on climate change, as, the financial aspects concerning the twelfth, Five Year Plan are yet to be incorporated into it, he said.

The function was also addressed by ASTEC Director HC Dutta, Scientist F of the Union Department of Science and Technology Nisha Mendiratta and Head of the ASTEC Environment Division Jaideep Baruah, among others.

Scholars from the educational institutions and environmental and social activists took part in the interaction that followed the presentations. Dr Gupta, Mendiratta, Rajesh Kumar and Dr Anand Kamavisdar of the Union Department of Science and Technology and State Government officials took part in the interaction.

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Solar Activity

2MIN News Apr28: Earth News, Space weather

Published on Apr 28, 2012 by Suspicious0bservers

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Comment

Politics, Legislation and Economy News – Sunday April 29th, 2012

April 29, 2012

Politics and Legislation

Richard Stallman: CISPA really abolishes people’s right not to be unreasonably searched

Published on Apr 27, 2012 by RussiaToday

Gerald Celente – The Corbett Report

Listening Post – When the cameras turned on the Murdochs

Published on Apr 28, 2012 by AlJazeeraEnglish

Listening Post examines the mega-media story ripping through Britain’s media and political elite.

Obama touts Osama kill on first anniversary

By Amie Parnes

White House aides have repeatedly dismissed so-called “Hallmark holidays” in the past. But with the anniversary of the death of Osama bin Laden on Tuesday, President Obama is attempting to underline the achievement—and with something of an exclamation point.

In recent days, in the lead-up to the one-year anniversary, Team Obama is turning up the volume on one of the crowning moments of the president’s first term, mentioning bin Laden more by name in policy speeches and fundraising pitches.

The Obama campaign released a video—blatantly asking, “Which path would Mitt Romney have taken?”—where former president Bill Clinton touted the mission that took the life of the al Qaeda leader. Deputy National Security Adviser John Brennan will make the rounds on the Sunday shows to mark the moment.

And Obama sat down with NBC’s Brian Williams in the White House Situation Room–a place journalists rarely, if ever, conduct interviews—to discuss the successful mission.

The push presents a bit of a contrast from the handling of the historic mission last year when Obama said, “we don’t trot out this stuff as trophies…we don’t need to spike the football.”

McCain: Shame on Obama for hyping the death of bin Laden

By Josh Lederman

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) rebuked President Obama on Friday for using the anniversary of Obama bin Laden’s death to score political points, calling it a “shameless end-zone dance.”

“Shame on Barack Obama for diminishing the memory of September 11th and the killing of Osama bin Laden by turning it into a cheap political attack ad,” McCain said in a statement circulated by the Republican National Committee.

With the one-year anniversary of bin Laden’s killing approaching next week, Obama’s campaign released a video Friday suggesting that Mitt Romney, the putative GOP nominee, would not have ordered the risky incursion into Pakistan to nab the 9/11 mastermind.

The video doubled down on remarks that Vice President Biden made Thursday questioning whether Romney had the fortitude to pull off such an operation.

“This is the same President who said, after bin Laden was dead, that we shouldn’t ‘spike the ball’ after the touchdown,” McCain said. “And now Barack Obama is not only trying to score political points by invoking Osama bin Laden, he is doing a shameless end-zone dance to help himself get reelected.”

Egypt’s hardline Salafi group backs Abol Fotouh for president

Saturday, 28 April 2012

The Nour Party, the political wing of the Salafi Call, has also voted to back Abdel Moneim Abol Fotouh for Egyptian president. (Reuters)

By Al Arabiya With Agencies

An influential Egyptian hardline Islamist movement, the Salafi Call, will back moderate Islamist Abdel Moneim Abol Fotouh for president, a founding member of the movement told Reuters on Saturday, dealing a blow to the Muslim Brotherhood’s chances.

“The Salafi Call has decided by majority vote to back Abdel Moneim Abol Fotouh in the presidential elections,” Yasser Borhamy, the senior founding member of the movement, said.

“The al-Nour Party, the political wing of the Salafi Call, has also voted to back Abol Fotouh,” he added.

The leader of the al-Nour party, Emad Abdel-Ghafour, said that the decision to back Abol Fotoh was designed to allay fears among Egyptians over the growing prowess of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Abolfotoh is a moderate Islamist who is also popular among some liberals.

Islamist groups emerged as powerful players following the ouster of longtime Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak last year.

The Muslim Brotherhood and the al-Nour party garnered 70 percent of the seats in the parliamentary elections. But many Egyptians worry that the Brotherhood is overreaching.

Qaddafi’s regime ‘agreed’ to fund Sarkozy’s 2007 election campaign

Saturday, 28 April 2012

Muammar Qaddafi’s son Seif al-Islam last year claimed that Libya financed Nicolas Sarkozy’s campaign, after Paris abandoned its improving ties with Libya. (Reuters)

By AFP
PARIS

Muammar Qaddafi’s regime agreed to fund French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s 2007 election campaign to the tune of 50 million euros, a news website reported Saturday, publishing what it said was documentary evidence.

The 2006 document in Arabic, which website Mediapart said was signed by Qaddafi’s foreign intelligence chief Mussa Kussa, referred to an “agreement in principle to support the campaign for the candidate for the presidential elections, Nicolas Sarkozy, for a sum equivalent to 50 million euros.”

The left-wing investigative website made similar assertions on March 12, based on testimony by a former doctor of a French arms dealer alleged to have arranged the campaign donation, which Sarkozy slammed as “grotesque.”

It was not stated that any Libyan money was actually handed over.

The latest report comes as Sarkozy trails Socialist rival Francois Hollande in opinion polls ahead of the run-off second round of presidential elections on May 6.

His campaign spokeswoman Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet Saturday dismissed the latest report as “ridiculous” and a “clumsy diversion” orchestrated by Hollande’s camp.

In an email to AFP she said Sarkozy’s 2007 campaign funds had been cleared by the Constitutional Council after the elections with no queries.

But Hollande spokesman Bernard Cazeneuve called on Sarkozy to “explain himself to the French in the face of such serious elements backed up by new documents emanating from the entourage of the Libyan dictator himself.”

Mediapart said it had obtained the note from “former senior officials now in hiding.”

Feds criminalizing small family farms under ridiculous ‘labor laws’ that target children

By Ethan A. Huff,
(NaturalNews) For civilization to persist, each subsequent generation must be equipped by the previous one with the knowledge and skills to grow food, which traditionally occurs on family-scale farms from parent to child, or from seasoned expert to young amateur. But new labor laws being proposed by the U.S. Department of Labor (DoL) would prohibit children from performing many of the routine farm chores they have been involved with for centuries, which some see as a direct attack on small-scale…
Read Full Article Here

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Economy

Europe’s struggling workers turn to Argentina

Published on Apr 27, 2012 by AlJazeeraEnglish

Europe’s economic downturn has forced many workers to search for a new life in South America.

Crushing Cuts: Cops lash out as Spanish rally

Published on Apr 28, 2012 by RussiaToday

Spain has plunged into what the government calls a ‘crisis of huge proportions’, with its jobless rate rising towards a record one in four. Boasting the highest unemployment in Europe, the country’s deficit and the deteriorating economic situation are only likely to be met with a backlash from angry Spaniards. But as Jacob Greaves reports, the more public frustration grows, the harsher the authorities’ response becomes.

45 million people in 2011 received food stamps, a 70% increase from 2007

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Wars and Rumors of War

Israel’s former Shin Bet chief warns against ‘messianic’ war on Iran

Saturday, 28 April 2012

The former head of Israel’s powerful internal security agency, Yuval Diskin, says the country’s political leaders are misleading the public on a possible military strike on Iran’s nuclear program. (File photo)

By Dan Williams
REUTERS / OCCUPIED JERUSALEM

A former Israeli spymaster has branded the country’s leaders unfit to tackle the Iranian nuclear program and “messianic” in the strongest criticism from a security veteran of threats to launch a pre-emptive war.

Other veterans have come out against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak.

But the censure from Yuval Diskin, who retired as head of the Shin Bet domestic intelligence service last year, was especially strong and unusual in using the language of religious fervor that Israelis associate with Islamist foes.

“I have no faith in the prime minister, nor in the defense minister,” Diskin said in remarks broadcast by Israeli media on Saturday. “I really don’t have faith in a leadership that makes decisions out of messianic feelings.”

The Prime Minister’s Office and Defense Ministry had no immediate response to Diskin’s remarks. But Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman rebuked Diskin and questioned his motives.

The catastrophic terms with which Netanyahu and Barak describe the prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran have stirred concern in Israel and abroad of a possible strike against its uranium enrichment program. Iran says the project is entirely peaceful and has promised wide-ranging reprisals for any attack.

World powers, sharing Israeli suspicions Iran has a covert bomb-making plan, are trying to curb it through sanctions and negotiations. Those talks resume in Baghdad next month, but Barak on Thursday rated their chance of succeeding as low.

Although Israel has long threatened a pre-emptive strike if diplomacy fails, some experts believe that could be a bluff to keep up pressure on the Iranians, making it harder to interpret the swirl of comments from the security establishment.

In a commentary on Diskin’s remarks, Amos Harel of the liberal newspaper Haaretz wrote that the temperature was rising ahead of the nuclear talks.

“Nothing has been determined in the Iranian story, and the spring is about to boil over into another summer of tension,” he wrote.

Hundreds of Syrian troops defect near Damascus, Latakia, as clashes flare

Saturday, 28 April 2012

During the 13-month uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, Syrian forces have killed more than 9,000 people in shootings and bombardment of rebel areas, the United Nations said. (Reuters)

By Al Arabiya And Agencies

Hundreds of soldiers defected from the Syrian armed forces on Sunday in the outskirts of Damascus and in the port city of Latakia, where large explosions were heard near the presidential palace, the Syrian Media Center reported.

Sima Malaki, spokesperson of the center, which represents the Syrian opposition, said dozens of soldiers defected from an army unit that was positioned near the presidential palace in Latakia.

The official news agency SANA reported that “one of the military units stationed off the coast of Latakia thwarted an attempt by an “armed terrorist group” trying to infiltrate from the sea,” quoting an unnamed military source.

Saudi Arabia recalls ambassador to Egypt, closes embassy in Cairo

Saturday, 28 April 2012

Army soldiers and riot police block off a road leading to the Saudi Arabia Embassy during protests in Cairo April 28, 2012. Protestors in Cairo have been calling for the release of Egyptians detained in Saudi Arabia, including lawyer Ahmad al-Gazawi who was arrested on April 17. (AFP)

By AL ARABIYA
DUBAI

Saudi Arabia recalled its ambassador to Egypt for “consultation” and temporarily closed its embassy and consulate in Cairo following protests in Egypt against the detention of an Egyptian activist by the Saudi authorities.

The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported that the reason behind the diplomatic move was “unjustified protests” in Egypt and attempts to storm the Saudi embassy and consulates which “threatened the safety of its employees.”

Egyptians have been protesting outside the embassy against the arrest of an Egyptian lawyer and human rights activist, Ahmad al-Gazawi, in the kingdom.

Saudi Arabia said he was arrested for smuggling drugs.

Egyptian activists, however, said Gazawi was detained for filing a complaint against Saudi Arabia for its treatment of Egyptian citizens in Saudi prisons.

The Egyptian state news agency reported that Egypt’s military ruler Mohamed Hussein Tantawi contacted the Saudi government over its “surprise decision” to withdraw its envoy to Cairo.

The agency added that Tantawi was working to “heal the rift” that had resulted from the decision. “The Field Marshal conducted contacts with the Saudi authorities to work to contain the situation,” the state agency MENA said

A Saudi embassy statement said Gazawi has not been convicted or sentenced in any case. Instead they said he was being questioned by authorities after airport officials in Jeddah found more than 20,000 anti-anxiety pills hidden inside his luggage.

Syrian President Assad could be tried for war crimes, says ex-peace envoy

George Mitchell tells peace conference in Dublin that brutal crackdown on Syrian opposition may warrant Assad’s indictment

Henry McDonald in Dublin
guardian.co.uk, Saturday 28 April 2012 07.26 EDT
Article history

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad could be tried for war crimes, says former Middle East peace envoy George Mitchell. Photograph: Sana/EPA

The former US Middle East peace envoy, George Mitchell, has said that the Syrian president, Bashir al-Assad, could be tried as an alleged war criminal over the brutal crackdown on opponents of his rule.

Mitchell, who was the US special envoy for Middle East peace until last May, said Assad could be tried for war crimes in the same way as Charles Taylor, the former president of Liberia who was this week found to have “aided and abetted” war crimes by a UN-backed tribunal in The Hague.

Speaking at an international security conference in Dublin, Mitchell was asked if he could envisage Assad facing a special war crimes court as Taylor did.

“Certainly, I don’t think that anyone could rule that out at this time,” he said.

The retired US senator, who also oversaw the peace talks that led to the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland, called on Assad to step down and “permit a free, open choice of leadership”.

He added that the international community should consider further sanctions against the Assad family and leading figures in his regime.

“I think there are more actions that could be directed at the regime and all those that are supporting what is occuring there particularly the grievous number of deaths and injuries at present.”

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Articles of Interest

New ISP will defend users from SOPA- CISPA- government spying

Published on Apr 27, 2012 by ravenise00

Feds criminalizing small family farms under ridiculous ‘labor laws’ that target children

By Ethan A. Huff, April 27 2012
(NaturalNews) For civilization to persist, each subsequent generation must be equipped by the previous one with the knowledge and skills to grow food, which traditionally occurs on family-scale farms from parent to child, or from seasoned expert to young amateur. But new labor laws being proposed by the U.S. Department of Labor (DoL) would prohibit children from performing many of the routine farm chores they have been involved with for centuries, which some see as a direct attack on small-scale…