Scams Vs REAL Threats

Climate Change Vs REAL and growing threats

Hey folks,

This week we are going to look at the difference between that SCAM that is GWBS and the VERY real threats that REALLY affect us right now. Now I was scanning the News on Thursday, when I came to the AFP. Basically the French Version of the AP.

Every one of their headlines for their main stories was about the very real threats that are affecting us as we speak. The lead?

Half the planet could be hit by food crisis by 2100: study

WASHINGTON (AFP) – Half of the world's population could face food shortages by the end of this century due to climate change, a new study warned Thursday.

According to researchers, there is a 90 percent probability that by 2100 the minimum temperatures in the tropics and sub-tropical regions will be higher than the maximums so far recorded in those areas.

The affect on crop-growing in those regions would be dire, according to the projections based on direct observations and data culled from 23 computer models on the planet's evolving climate patterns.

"The stresses on global food production from temperature alone are going to be huge, and that doesn't take into account water supplies stressed by the higher temperatures," said David Battisti, a University of Washington atmospheric sciences professor.

"We are taking the worst of what we've seen historically and saying that in the future it is going to be a lot worse unless there is some kind of adaptation," added Rosamond Naylor, director of Stanford University's Program on Food Security and the Environment.

It goes on and on about how we are destroying the planet and we will have no food. Only problem is, GLOBAL TEMPERATURES ARE NO LONGER GOING UP! WE ARE IN A COOLING CYCLE. So I'm not even going to waste any more time talking about this BS to attempt to further a POLITICAL agenda.

Do you have any idea how much time and money is being spend on this SCAM? Seriously folks, do you? All these Government agencies being put into place to monitor and FORCE you to pay for, and to CONTROL your PRIVATE lives.

Meanwhile:

Sister of Vietnam bird flu patient dies: health official

HANOI (AFP) – The sister of a Vietnamese bird flu patient died in hospital last week, health officials said Thursday, while denying the virus was to blame, even though no tests were carried out before she was buried.

Authorities earlier this week reported Vietnam's first human case of bird flu since early last year, saying tests had shown the eight-year-old girl had contracted the H5N1 virus and adding that she was recovering well.

On Thursday, several state newspapers reported that the girl's 13-year-old sister had died last Friday, just days after both girls had eaten poultry dishes in their family home in northern Thanh Hoa province.

When contacted by AFP, a provincial health official ruled out the possibility that avian influenza had caused the 13-year-old sister's death.

The elder girl "had an infection and diarrhoea, not like bird flu," said Nguyen Ngoc Thanh, acting director of the provincial health department. "We did not take her samples for tests, and we will not."

Of course they do not want to admit it. One, they do not have an answer. Two, they do not want to create a panic. If the SISTER of the one infected by the Bird Flu died of it, then one would have to assume that it is at lease with in the realm of possibly that it mutated to spread from one person that has it, to another that didn't.

Then this.

Tanzania on Ebola alert

DAR ES SALAAM (AFP) – Tanzania dispatched health officials to regions bordering the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to contain a suspected Ebola outbreak, officials said.

"Experts have been deployed to five regions closer to the DRC, which are Mbeya, Kagera, Rukwa, Kigoma and Mwanza," health ministry spokesman Nsachris Mwamwaja told AFP.

"People will be educated on Ebola's causes, symptoms and prevention measures," he said.

Angola has shut down its border with Congo to protect its population from any spread of the virulent virus, which is suspected to have killed at least 13 people and infected 42 in central DRC since it was first detected two months ago.

And this.

Nearly 400 sickened in US salmonella outbreak

WASHINGTON (AFP) – An outbreak of salmonella has sickened at least 388 people across the United States, including 67 who required hospitalization, health officials said.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) so far has been unable to pinpoint a source for the outbreak, which was first detected in September and which now has spread to 42 states, according to agency spokesman Tom Skinner.

Two federal agencies responsible for the oversight of food products, the US Department of Agriculture and the US Food and Drug Administration, also are taking part in efforts to track the source of the scourge.

The CDC, based in Atlanta, Georgia, has said that salmonella, which can be fatal, especially in children, remains a "major public health problem in the United States." Eggs and cheese are among the foods most likely to be contaminated, the agency said.

The salmonella bacterium is spread most often by the consumption of food contaminated by animal fecal matter, according to health experts.

The microbe usually flourishes within the intestinal tracts of fowl and mammals.

An estimated 1.4 million human salmonella infections occur each year, causing about 15,000 hospitalizations and 400 deaths, according to the CDC.

Folks, you can change your light bulbs with the hope of saving the planet. You can allow the Government to come into your private lives and dictate to you how you live them. As for me, I will continue to monitor the VERY REAL threats out there.
Peter

Preview for Sunday 041308

Coming Right Up Today

Hey folks,

Happy Sunday morning to you. Hope you are all having a great Weekend.

First, coming up this week, a very special Friday edition of the Sunday Edition of the OPNTalk Blog. I will not be here at ALL this coming Weekend. I will be leaving right after posting here to go to Travares Fl. Small town right outside of Leesburgh Fl. We will be spending all day Saturday there. The rest of the time, we will be checking out the town and surrounding towns. I love small towns. You never know what you may find in them.

The main reason for the trip. Thomas the Tank Engine. Yup. Thomas. If you have kids, there is more than a possibility that you know exactly who Thomas is. He seems to be the new "Barney." He has been around forever. Since like the 30 or 40s, but he is more popular now than ever. We will be taking Josh to meet and greet, along with a ride on Thomas himself.

But that is next week. Coming right up today? Hillary tells Bill to shut it. His mouth, not his zipper. A possible person to person transfer case of H5N1, Bird Flu, in China. Deformed Girl born and family will do nothing to help her, Village to build a temple. Commonsense tips on Sun Protection, and of course, the IWA.

All coming right up, so sit back, get relaxed, and let's get right to it.
Peter

Yet Another Update on Bird Flu

Hey folks,

Happy Friday night to you. Yes, you read the title correctly. Remember way back on April 1, 2007, I said this.

“In the "Health and Science" segment this week, I have a question. How Ready are WE? In the news on a daily bases is the war. Is the war here at home between Congress and the White House over the war. Nothing getting done at all.

While this is going on, some news outlets offer puff stories about celebs, as to take a break from politics. Who is sleeping with who. Who is dying. Where’s the money / kids going. Who got arrested, and why. Blah, blah, blah. Then right back to Politics.

It wasn’t always this way. THIS was big news for about a minute. Even made a movie about it. But now? I haven’t seen ANYTHING on this as of late. Are we ready? Are we working on a worst case scenario? Are we trying to prevent it? Yes, we are worried about pet food. Perhaps the poisoned pet food really was just a test by terrorist. Maybe they wanted to see if it would work? If it did, and it did, maybe they will try people food. So this is important to deal with also.

But what I’m talking about is nature. Well, so to speak. It is out there. It IS coming. So? Are we ready? According to the AFP -Four-year-old girl 32nd case of bird flu in Egypt”

I then did a whole series of articles about the Bird Flu. Now tonight, as I checked in for a second, remember, I will not be here tomorrow. I saw two articles. First up, Reuters -Bird flu virus mutating into human-unfriendly form By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor Thu Oct 4, 8:10 PM ET

The H5N1 bird flu virus has mutated to infect people more easily, although it still has not transformed into a pandemic strain, researchers said on Thursday.

The changes are worrying, said Dr. Yoshihiro Kawaoka of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

"We have identified a specific change that could make bird flu grow in the upper respiratory tract of humans," said Kawaoka, who led the study.

"The viruses that are circulating in Africa and Europe are the ones closest to becoming a human virus," Kawaoka said.

This was my whole point. Back then, Sam Spade said.

“You reminding me of the outcry from some on the left that President Bush was doing nothing about the bird flu epidemic and that this was just another reason to hate him because everything was his fault and because the President did not jump into a lab and immediately find a cure the U.S. was going to be devastated by this.

Yada Yada

Your article pointed out the reality”

My response to him then, is the same today.

“I see this as a very REAL problem, that seems to be being ignored. I blame everyone for it. From the President, Congress, press, all the way down to me and you. This is not something that is anyone’s personal fault that it is happening. It is something in nature. But the fact that it seems to be back {increasing in activity} we have to get involved. It is coming.

My point in posting the article is awareness. It is out there. It is increasing. People are dying. My point is simple. Our government needs to investigate protective measures, and possible cures. Our Congress should be legislating if needed and investigating this real threat. The President should be warning, teaching, and just keeping the American people informed of this on going threat.

Me and you? We have a self responsible obligation to keep ourselves informed on what goes on outside our little comfort zones. We need to be aware of our surroundings. If we hear something that effects all, regardless or politics, religion, race, sex, sexual orientation, rich, poor, smart, dumb, fat, skinny, WHATEVER, we have an obligation to share that information. Chances are GREAT that you will never get this. But if you do, chances are you MAY die. It doesn’t care who you are or what you believe.” Back to Reuters.

Recent samples of virus taken from birds in Africa and Europe all carry the mutation, Kawaoka and colleagues report in the Public Library of Science journal PLoS Pathogens.

"I don't like to scare the public, because they cannot do very much. But at the same time it is important to the scientific community to understand what is happening," Kawaoka said in a telephone interview.

You THINK?

The H5N1 avian flu virus, which mostly infects birds, has since 2003 infected 329 people in 12 countries, killing 201 of them. It very rarely passes from one person to another, but if it acquires the ability to do so easily, it likely will cause a global epidemic.

All flu viruses evolve constantly and scientists have some ideas about what mutations are needed to change a virus from one that infects birds easily to one more comfortable in humans.

Birds usually have a body temperature of 106 degrees F, and humans are 98.6 degrees F usually. The human nose and throat, where flu viruses usually enter, is usually around 91.4 degrees F.

"So usually the bird flu doesn't grow well in the nose or throat of humans," Kawaoka said. This particular mutation allows H5N1 to live well in the cooler temperatures of the human upper respiratory tract.

H5N1 caused its first mass die-off among wild waterfowl in 2005 at Qinghai Lake in central China, where hundreds of thousands of migratory birds congregate.

That strain of the virus was carried across Asia to Africa and Europe by migrating birds. Its descendants carry the mutation, Kawaoka said.

"So the viruses circulating in Europe and Africa, they all have this mutation. So they are the ones that are closer to human-like flu," Kawaoka said.

Luckily, they do not carry other mutations, he said.

"Clearly there are more mutations that are needed. We don't know how many mutations are needed for them to become pandemic strains."

AGAIN? ARE WE READY?

Then this story by the AFP -Mutated bird flu eases human-to-human spread by Mira Oberman Fri Oct 5, 3:52 PM ET

Bird flu has mutated so that it can more easily spread to humans and a change in a single amino acid could radically increase its virulence, according to two new studies.

While there has been some transmission of bird flu among the family members of those first infected through close interaction with ill birds, the virus has not yet evolved to the point where it can spread easily among humans.

But researchers warn that it is moving in that direction and with the wrong combination of mutations it could become a pandemic flu.

Neither study will lead to a magic bullet to cure or prevent the virus, but researchers hope they will help health officials better track and understand it.

The first study found that bird flu strains in Europe and Africa have mutated to the point where they can infect the nose and throat of humans, which can increase the spread of the disease through coughing and sneezing.

"The change we're seeing is necessary but not sufficient for bird flu to become pandemic," said lead researcher Yoshihiro Kawaoka of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

"We don't know yet what (else) is needed. We are working on it."

Work harder and faster. It’s working hard at mutating. How did the “war games” turn out? We never heard. Will Tamiflu help? Dr. Kawaoka is not the only one warning of this possible mutation. According to the AFP,

In the second study, researchers compared viruses from the 1997 Hong Kong bird flu outbreak to that of the 1918 pandemic which killed 50 million people.

They identified a single protein present in both viruses which, when mutated by the change of a single amino acid, can dramatically increasing the virulence of the virus.

Mice infected with the mutated strain had more virus present in their lungs, lost more weight, took longer to recover and were more likely to die.

"We really are trying to dissect theses viruses and really be able to say what it is that makes it so dangerous to humans," said lead author Peter Palese of Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York.

"In this case we were able to break it down to one amino acid in the context of the whole protein and the virus itself," Palese told AFP.

And while the mutation is no longer present in current strains of the H5N1 virus, it could resurface, he said.

Coming up with a "bullet drug" which could attack that specific amino acid and reduce the virulence of the virus is still in the realm of science fiction, Palese cautioned.

That amino acid would also not necessarily lead to the same changes in other viruses. But recognizing the specific protein - and then the specific amino acid - which leads to high mortality rates in these types two viruses could help scientists eventually develop better treatments and cures.

"These are incremental but important steps," he said.

Let’s hope so.

Both studies were published in the October edition of PLoS Pathogens.

Folks, again, I’m not trying to scare you. I’m just informing you of what IS out there. What COULD become reality. We REALLY need to watch this.
Peter

Sources:
OPNTalk - H.S. April 1, 2007, How ready Are We
OPNTalk -Bird Flu Articles
Reuters -Bird flu virus mutating into human-unfriendly form
AFP -Mutated bird flu eases human-to-human spread

H.S. How Ready Are We?

Hey folks,

In the "Health and Science" segment this week, I have a question. How Ready are WE? In the news on a daily bases is the war. Is the war here at home between Congress and the White House over the war. Nothing getting done at all.

While this is going on, some news outlets offer puff stories about celebs, as to take a break from politics. Who is sleeping with who. Who is dying. Where’s the money / kids going. Who got arrested, and why. Blah, blah, blah. Then right back to Politics.

It wasn’t always this way. THIS was big news for about a minute. Even made a movie about it. But now? I haven’t seen ANYTHING on this as of late. Are we ready? Are we working on a worst case scenario? Are we trying to prevent it? Yes, we are worried about pet food. Perhaps the poisoned pet food really was just a test by terrorist. Maybe they wanted to see if it would work? If it did, and it did, maybe they will try people food. So this is important to deal with also.

But what I’m talking about is nature. Well, so to speak. It is out there. It IS coming. So? Are we ready? According to the AFP -Four-year-old girl 32nd case of bird flu in Egypt

A four-old-girl girl has become the 32nd case of bird flu reported in Egypt, the fifth child afflicted in the North African country during the past week.

The "fifth child afflicted in the North African country during the past week?"

The health ministry said late on Saturday that Mariam Abdel Fatah from the town of Qanater, just north of Cairo, had been diagnosed with the H5N1 virus and taken to a hospital specialising in treating the condition.

Two other cases, both children from the impoverished south of Egypt, were announced the same day: Ibrahim Mahmud Helmi, four, from Qena province and Mahmud Mohammed Shalabi, seven, from Sohag.

Following the announcement Tuesday of two other children infected, there were at least half a dozen other cases of minors stricken by the deadly avian flu virus in March alone.

Women and children have borne the brunt of the virus due to their role in taking care of domestic fowl. Egypt is the hardest hit by the virus outside Asia.

The government says it is conducting a vigorous campaign to combat the spread of the virus through vaccinations and raising awareness, but cases continue to appear. So far 13 people have succumbed to the virus.

Now I tried to go to the CDC website to get a better definition of the "Bird Flu" virus. Basically, it seems they have not updated in a while. It says "Bird Flu" that doesn’t usually effect people, and that when it does, it is usually the sick and elderly. I repeat above, "A four-old-girl girl has become the 32nd case of bird flu reported in Egypt, the fifth child afflicted in the North African country during the past week."

Then this story, also by the AFP -Bird flu hits Vietnam duck farms

Bird flu has struck two poultry farms in Vietnam's far south, killing 65 ducks and forcing the slaughter of 20 more, state media and veterinary officials said Sunday.
The latest cases were reported by the animal health department just days after Vietnam said there had been no new outbreaks in 21 days, the time period after which an epidemic is technically considered contained.

I guess they were wrong about that also.

The 65 ducks, which were 20 days old and unvaccinated, began dying on March 22 on two small farms in Khanh Binh Dong commune of Ca Mau province and later tested positive for the H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus, said the department.

Avian flu hit Vietnam from late 2003, killing 42 people over the next two years and devastating the poultry industry, but authorities contained the epidemic and no new human cases have been reported since November 2005.

Until now. I understand that accord to The World Health Organization, "it has only killed 170 people World wide," I believe the number is most likely much higher, {unreported cases, ETC.} but as this article ends, "Experts fear it could trigger a pandemic if it mutates to pass easily among humans."

The BBC asks Would free-ranging stop bird flu?

The outbreak of bird flu on a turkey farm in Suffolk has sparked a debate over whether intensive farming or free-range is better for the animals.

It goes on to say there is a debate between the two methods.

Intensive? "Those who run intensive poultry farms are keen to point out that they protect their livestock from disease coming in from outside, by keeping them in sealed sheds, with carefully monitored ventilation.

They are also in a better position, they say, than farmers with free-range birds, to monitor their health and administer medicine if necessary."

Free-range? "However, some farmers with free-range flocks are adamant that their poultry are healthier than intensively reared birds, and feel their exposure to the outdoors makes them stronger and less likely to succumb to disease."

Now I do not know if any of these methods work to prevent any diseases. But at least they are trying. What are we doing in this country? I would like to think that we are working on different ways to prevent diseases. Do we have scientists across the country working on preventive, if not a possible cure. Is our government doing ANYTHING about this apparent return and increase of this very real threat?

Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying we need to worry to much about this, yet, however, it would be wise not to ignore it either. There seems to be an increase in the re-occurrence of "Bird Flu" around the world. Now is the time to work on a solution. Before it becomes OUR problem.
Peter

Sources:
AFP -Four-year-old girl 32nd case of bird flu in Egypt
AFP -Bird flu hits Vietnam duck farms
BBC -Would free-ranging stop bird flu?
Timeline: Bird flu in Britain