February 2011 archive

Neglected Tropical Diseases: Human African Trypanosomiasis

This is a series of diaries focused on the World Health Organization Neglected Tropical Diseases Program. I initially wrote a diary about Dengue Fever that had hospitalized Salon columnist and constitutional lawyer, Glenn Greenwald. The second diary briefly introduced the other diseases on the WHO list.

This diary will focus in Human African trypanosomiasis HAT, or sleeping sickness, parasitic disease transmitted by the bite of the ‘Glossina’ insect, commonly known as the tsetse fly infected with a protozoa of the species Trypanosoma brucei. The flagellate protozoan Trypanosoma brucei exists in 2 morphologically identical subspecies: Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense (East African or Rhodesian African trypanosomiasis) and Trypanosoma brucei gambiense (West African or Gambian African trypanosomiasis).

Tsetse flies are found in 36 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, putting 60 million people at risk. The disease affects mostly poor populations living in remote rural areas of Africa. Untreated, it is usually fatal. Travelers also risk becoming infected if they venture through regions where the insect is common. Generally, the disease is not found in urban areas.

Sleeping Sickness is the deadliest disease in the world. Without treatment, the parasites kill.

100th Wild Wild Left Radio – Koch Fiend World & More!

Holy fuck. Whoddathunk it? I must have endurance, tenacity, or a wide masochistic streak to have done this to myself 100 times! I’m mostly kidding. Its a labor of love, but a ton of work!!!


Friday, February 25th at 6pm EST!

Listen live by clicking the link icon below:

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PhotobucketWeeks like these are why I started the WWL project in the first place. A place to have discussions from far-left perspectives that were not afraid to address things like Class War, Israel, and the Shadows running the Uniparty Politics in this Country.

Freedom is breaking out all over, even as the Elitist Fiends like the Koch brothers try and suck whats left on the world up through their long reaching straws.

Viva la revolucion!

There is much to discuss, join me tonight – Call in!

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Which Side Are You On?

Billy Bragg

Rebel Diaz

Punting the Pundits

“Punting the Pundits” is an Open Thread. It is a selection of editorials and opinions from around the news medium and the internet blogs. The intent is to provide a forum for your reactions and opinions, not just to the opinions presented, but to what ever you find important.

Thanks to ek hornbeck, click on the link and you can access all the past “Punting the Pundits”

Paul Krugman: Shock Doctrine, U.S.A.

Here’s a thought: maybe Madison, Wis., isn’t Cairo after all. Maybe it’s Baghdad – specifically, Baghdad in 2003, when the Bush administration put Iraq under the rule of officials chosen for loyalty and political reliability rather than experience and competence.

As many readers may recall, the results were spectacular – in a bad way. Instead of focusing on the urgent problems of a shattered economy and society, which would soon descend into a murderous civil war, those Bush appointees were obsessed with imposing a conservative ideological vision. Indeed, with looters still prowling the streets of Baghdad, L. Paul Bremer, the American viceroy, told a Washington Post reporter that one of his top priorities was to “corporatize and privatize state-owned enterprises” – Mr. Bremer’s words, not the reporter’s – and to “wean people from the idea the state supports everything.”

New York Times Editorial: Stopping Qaddafi

Unless some way is found to stop him, Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi of Libya will slaughter hundreds or even thousands of his own people in his desperation to hang on to power.

Libyans have shown extraordinary courage, and some members of the military may also be turning against the regime. We don’t know if they will be able to bring the dictator down by themselves. We are sure they need more support than they have been getting from the United States and other Western democracies.

It took President Obama four days to condemn the violence. Even then, he spoke only vaguely about holding Libyan officials accountable for their crimes. Colonel Qaddafi was never mentioned by name.

Eugene Robinson: It’s time to get tough with Libya

The U.S. and other nations have more options than Obama seems to think.

President Obama pledged that “the entire world is watching” the horror in Libya, but watching isn’t nearly enough. There is much more that world leaders – beginning with Obama – urgently must say and do.

The world’s censure means nothing to Col. Moammar Gaddafi, the dictator who vows to die rather than surrender the power he has held for four decades. At this point, the long-running debate about whether Gaddafi is mostly diabolical or mostly deranged is irrelevant. Despite his incoherent ramblings, he clearly is fighting not just for power but for his life.

Anika Rahman: Poor Women Pay the Price in the Right’s War on Women’s Health

On Friday, February 18, the U.S. House of Representatives dealt a crushing blow to the health and well-being of millions of women across America: in a 240-185 vote, the the House approved H.R. 1 — also known the Pence Amendment — which would prohibit Planned Parenthood from receiving federal funding for any purpose, including providing basic preventive health care to women and families. Consider it a slap in the face to women in general, especially to low-income women who have nowhere else to turn for their primary health care.

At present, Planned Parenthood provides nearly four million tests and treatments for sexually transmitted infections, 830,000 breast exams, more than a million Pap tests, and helps prevent more than 612,000 unintended pregnancies each year. Annually, three million women and men in the United States visit Planned Parenthood affiliate health centers for trusted health care services and information; for some of those clients, largely those that are low-income, the nurses and doctors at Planned Parenthood are the only health care providers they ever see.

Solidarity Saturday

Tomorrow, Saturday, starting at noon there will be solidarity rallies for Wisconson workers at every Statehouse in America as well as some other locations.  Moveon.org has this handy tool that will help you find one close to you.

If you happen to have a cheesehead it would certainly be appropriate and how many times can you say that?  Moveon suggests Badger colors (red and white) perhaps because red is a labor color, I don’t think Packer green and gold would be out of place either (they are unionized and currently in negotiations with management).

I do seriously encourage any who can to take the time and attend.  It is my hope that this will be as large as the demonstrations in favor of immigration and against the war in Iraq.

Thank you in advance.

ek hornbeck

Below the fold a message from Bob Fertik of Democracy.com.

On This Day in History February 25

This is your morning Open Thread. Pour your favorite beverage and review the past and comment on the future.

Find the past “On This Day in History” here.

February 25 is the 56th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 309 days remaining until the end of the year (310 in leap years).

On this day in Japan, the Plum Blossom Festival is held. The Festival at the Kitano Tenmangu Shrine in Kyoto is one one of the most beautiful. The shrine was built in 947, to appease the angry spirit of bureaucrat, scholar and poet Sugawara no Michizane, who had been exiled as a result of political maneuvers of his enemies in the Fujiwara clan.

The shrine was dedicated to Michizane; and in 986, the scholar-bureaucrat was deified and the title of Tenjin (Heavenly Deity) was conferred.

The grounds are filled with Michizane’s favorite tree, the red and white ume or plum blossom, and when they blossom the shrine is often very crowded. Open-air tea ceremonies are hosted by geiko and apprentice maiko from the nearby Kamishichiken district. The plum festival has been held on the same day every year for about 900 years to mark the death of Michizane.

Sugawara no Michizane, August 1, 845 – March 26, 903, was a scholar, poet, and politician of the Heian Period of Japan. He is regarded as an excellent poet, particularly in Chinese poetry.

He was educated in a private school run by his father where he studies to become an official in the Court of the Japanese Emperor. His training and skill with Classical Chinese language and literature afforded him many opportunities to draft edicts and correspondences for officials in the Court in addition to his menial duties. Records show at this time he composed three petitions for Fujiwara no Yoshifusa as well as the Emperor. Michizane also took part in receiving delegations from the Kingdom of Parhae, where Michizane’s skill with Chinese again proved useful in diplomatic exchanges and poetry exchange. In 877, he was assigned to the Ministry of the Ceremonial, which allowed him to manage educational and intellectual matters more than before. While serving as governor of Sanuki Province, he intervened in a Court matter on the side Emperor Uda over Fujiwara no Mototsune and at the end of his term returned to the Court in Kyoto where he served in many positions.

He was appointed ambassador to China in the 890s, but instead came out in support of abolition of the imperial embassies to China in 894, theoretically in consideration for the decline of the Tang Dynasty. A potential ulterior motive may have lain in Michizane’s almost complete ignorance of spoken Chinese; most Japanese at the time only read Chinese, and knew little to nothing about the spoken language. Michizane, as the nominated ambassador to China, would have been presented with a potential loss of face had he been forced to depend on an interpreter. Emperor Uda stopped the practice of sending ambassadors to China by what he understood as persuasive counsel from  Michizane.

Within the end of Emperor Uda reign in 897, Michizane’s position became increasingly vulnerable. In 901, through the political maneuverings of his rival, Fujiwara no Tokihira, Michizane was demoted from his aristocratic rank of junior second to a minor official post at Dazaifu, in Kyushu‘s Chikuzen Province. After his lonely death, plague and drought spread and sons of Emperor Daigo died in succession. The Imperial Palace’s Great Audience Hall (shishinden) was struck repeatedly by lightning, and the city experienced weeks of rainstorms and floods. Attributing this to the angry spirit of the exiled Sugawara, the imperial court built a Shinto shrine called Kitano Tenman-gu in Kyoto, and dedicated it to him. They posthumously restored his title and office, and struck from the record any mention of his exile. Sugawara was deified as Tenjin-sama, or kami of scholarship. Today many Shinto shrines in Japan are dedicated to him.

Six In The Morning

New Zealand earthquake: ‘slim chance’ of further survivors



Emergency services continue earthquake rescue efforts but no survivors found in last 24 hours

Toby Manhire in Christchurch

• The Guardian, Friday 25 February 2011



As the death toll from Tuesday’s earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand, continues to rise, the authorities have admitted that the chances of finding further survivors are increasingly slim.

With 113 people confirmed dead, including two babies, and more than 200 people still missing, civil defence minister John Carter said: “We’re still hopeful, but it’s getting less and less likely.”

The bleak warning came as one of two Britons confirmed dead in the quake was named as Gregory Tobin, 25, a chef, from Tadcaster, North Yorkshire. Tobin had been on a round-the-world trip and was believed to have been working temporarily at a garage in Christchurch. One tribute on his Facebook page read: “Such a nice guy and at such a young age.”

DocuDharma Digest

Regular Features-

Featured Essays for February 24, 2011-

DocuDharma

from firefly-dreaming 24.2.11

Regular Daily Features:

  • The Who kick off the day in Late Night Karaoke, mishima DJs
  • Six Brilliant Articles!    from Six Different Places!!     on Six Different Topics!!!

                    Six Days a Week!!!     at Six in the Morning!!!!

Essays Featured Thursday, February 24th:

join the conversation! come firefly-dreaming with me….

Prime Time

Mostly premiers including a new episode of the La Femme Nikita remake.

Just when I thought I was out… they pull me back in.

Later-

Dave hosts Rand Paul (ugh) and Bright Eyes.  Greenwald says he’ll be on Stephen, Zap2it says Mike Huckabee.  Conan hosts Cory Monteith, Stephen Merchant, and Kumail Nanjiani.

Maybe you should come with me for a few weeks. See what happens. See how much you learn. Then, we’ll talk about your future.

  • Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgment.
  • Never let anyone know what you are thinking.
  • Your enemies always get strong on what you leave behind.
  • Friends and money – oil and water.

Zap2it TV Listings, Yahoo TV Listings

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