Daily Archives: October 24, 2014

Week in pictures: 18-24 October 2014


Week in pictures: 18-24 October 2014 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-29737289

Pakistan’s bewildering array of militants


Pakistan’s bewildering array of militants http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-29724771

Attorney General Eric Holder ‘Exasperated’ By Leaks In Michael Brown Case


http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/6045188

Attorney General Eric Holder ‘Exasperated’ By Leaks In Michael Brown Case


http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/6045188

Ottawa Shooter’s Mosque Ties Probed – WSJ


http://m.wsj.com/articles/ottawa-shooters-mosque-ties-probed-1414201632?mobile=y

Life terms for Argentina jail crimes


Life terms for Argentina jail crimes http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-29766199

Syrian Kurd leader sees war of ‘attrition’ in Kobani


http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/region/25-Oct-2014/syrian-kurd-leader-sees-war-of-attrition-in-kobani

Liberals Are Not Happy That They’re About To Lose The Senate


http://www.westernjournalism.com/liberals-happy-theyre-lose-senate-showing-writing/

Cancer-killing cells made in the lab


Cancer-killing cells made in the lab http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-29756238

State of emergency imposed in Sinai


State of emergency imposed in Sinai http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-29766945

‘Many exposed’ to Mali Ebola girl


‘Many exposed’ to Mali Ebola girl http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-29755443

this pressed: Woman undergoing anti-freckles treatment with carbon dioxide, 1930s — OnThisDay & Facts


this pressed: Golden Gate Bridge pedestrian poll proposal survives first test— SFGate (@SFGate)


this pressed: Could non-citizens decide the November election? – The Washington Post via The Judicial Watch


Could control of the Senate in 2014 be decided by illegal votes cast by non-citizens? Some argue that incidents of voting by non-citizens are so rare as to be inconsequential, with efforts to block fraud a screen for an agenda to prevent poor and minority voters from exercising the franchise, while others define such incidents as a threat to democracy itself. Both sides depend more heavily on anecdotes than data.

In a forthcoming article in the journal Electoral Studies, we bring real data from big social science survey datasets to bear on the question of whether, to what extent, and for whom non-citizens vote in U.S. elections. Most non-citizens do not register, let alone vote. But enough do that their participation can change the outcome of close races.

via  Could non-citizens decide the November election? – The Washington Post. (The Judicial Watch

this pressed: BREAKING: NY, New Jersey governors issue quarantine for travelers who had contact with Ebola-infected people in W. Africa. — The Associated Press October 24, 2014


Kidney Stones Up Fracture Risk


http://www.medpagetoday.com/Endocrinology/GeneralEndocrinology/48224

Republicans take aim at U.S. Ebola response as fourth case emerges


http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSKCN0ID1V320141024?irpc=932

Assailant knocks over Ten Commandments monument at Oklahoma capitol


http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSKCN0ID22K20141024?irpc=932

Feeling Ebola Anxiety, From Bellevue to Brooklyn – NYTimes.com


http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/10/25/nyregion/from-bellevue-hospital-center-to-brooklyn-feeling-ebola-anxiety.html?referrer=

Puffer fish poisons 11 in Brazil


Puffer fish poisons 11 in Brazil http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-29762738

Star MI5 wartime agent was bank clerk


Star MI5 wartime agent was bank clerk http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-29749350

UK anger at £1.7bn EU cash demand


UK anger at £1.7bn EU cash demand http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-29751124

Toilets and free speech in Texas


Toilets and free speech in Texas http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-29742238

Austria unveils WW2 deserters’ memorial


Austria unveils WW2 deserters’ memorial http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-29754386

Day in pictures: 24 October


Day in pictures: 24 October http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-29754391

The day UFOs stopped play


The day UFOs stopped play http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-29342407

The Queen sends her first tweet


The Queen sends her first tweet http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-29754628

US to check IS ‘chemical weapon’ use


US to check IS ‘chemical weapon’ use http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-29755972

Rwanda bans BBC over genocide film


Rwanda bans BBC over genocide film http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-29762713

Tunis ‘militant hideout’ stormed


Tunis ‘militant hideout’ stormed http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-29753423

Yellow powder sparks security alerts


Yellow powder sparks security alerts http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-29761808

Russia ‘helped Yanukovych to flee’


Russia ‘helped Yanukovych to flee’ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-29761799

Egypt: Sinai ‘bomb’ kills 25 troops


Egypt: Sinai ‘bomb’ kills 25 troops http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-29763144

October 24, 1861 – The First Transcontinental Telegraph line across the United States is completed. — OnThisDay and Facts


PANDEMIC UNPREPARED? Watchdog rips DHS for buying aging med supplies|24/10/2014 18:34 by: Fox News


The Associated Press contributed to this report.
24/10/2014 18:34 by: Fox News

PANDEMIC UNPREPARED? Watchdog rips DHS for buying aging med supplies

PANDEMIC UNPREPARED? Watchdog rips DHS for buying aging med supplies

Excerpts:
“The chief Homeland Security watchdog ripped the department at a hearing on Friday for not “thinking through” its purchase of millions of dollars’ worth of pandemic response supplies, saying much of the protective gear and drugs are expired or will be soon.

Inspector General John Roth testified at a House oversight hearing on Ebola, a health crisis that has sharpened focus on the government’s preparedness for an outbreak — even though officials maintain the likelihood of an Ebola outbreak remains low. Roth, ahead of the hearing, released an August audit that found the department has “no assurance” it has enough protective equipment and antiviral medication to respond to a pandemic.

The findings prompted criticism from lawmakers on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

“We spent millions of dollars for a pandemic … We don’t know the inventory, we don’t know who’s got it, and we don’t know who’s gonna get it,” Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., said.

Roth responded: “You are correct.”

Roth said the department spent $9.5 million starting in 2006 on pandemic protective equipment, as well as nearly $7 million on antiviral drugs for emergency workers. However, his opening statement and audit faulted the department for not “adequately” conducting an assessment of what they needed.

The result, he said, is the department cannot be sure it has enough, and in some cases it might have far too much. For instance, he said the department has 16 million surgical masks, but could not demonstrate the need for that many.

He specifically cited the department for having a glut of supplies that is or will soon be expired. He said much of their material has a “finite shelf life” — including thousands of bottles of hand sanitizer, some up to four years expired, and 200,000 respirators that are beyond their five-year usability guarantee.

The audit also found “most” of the antiviral medication is nearing the expiration date.

“As a result, DHS and components may not have sufficient [protective gear or medication] to provide to the workforce during a pandemic,” the audit says.

DHS, in their official response to the audit, said the department agrees with the intent of all the inspector general’s recommendations, but claimed the report “has not appropriately characterized a number of issues.”

Among them, DHS disputed the finding that they had no assurance they have enough equipment and medication. DHS suggested the shelf life of their supplies is longer than the audit made it seem, and the IG was basing its conclusions only on manufacturer information as opposed to other research.

In a written statement on Friday, DHS spokesman S.Y. Lee also said the department is committed to employee safety, and is “satisfied” with the current DHS stocks to deal with any Ebola response.

“We are constantly seeking to improve our pandemic preparedness and are committed to protecting our employees in order to ensure the effectiveness of our mission,” Lee said. Lee said the IG recommendations were not addressed specifically to the Ebola response, but said the department “had already previously identified many of the issues prior to the review, and have taken comprehensive actions to address them.”

While Friday’s hearing delved into the government’s preparedness for a full-scale outbreak, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle continued to press witnesses over the measures currently being employed to prevent the handful of U.S. Ebola cases from spreading into a larger crisis.

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., said the latest diagnosed case of Ebola, in New York City, is “particularly distressing.”

Dr. Nicole Lurie, assistant HHS secretary for preparedness and response, stressed health officials are working “24/7” to contain the outbreak in West Africa and are basing changes in U.S. policies on “lessons learned from each emergency.”

She said in prepared remarks that the likelihood of an outbreak in the U.S. is remote, and that “there is an epidemic of fear, but not of Ebola, in the United States.” The remarks were written before a fourth Ebola case was diagnosed in the U.S. — a doctor in New York City who had treated patients in Guinea. Lurie did not repeat the statements during her testimony.

Issa said it would be a “major mistake” to underestimate the virus:

“Recognize that what we don’t know could kill us,” he said.

PANDEMIC UNPREPARED? Watchdog rips DHS for buying aging med supplies

via PANDEMIC UNPREPARED? Watchdog rips DHS for buying aging med supplies.

***The Associated Press contributed to this report.

***24/10/2014 18:34     by: Fox News

this pressed: ISIS almost iced Sienna?|AP via Truth24.com


(AP)

LOS ANGELES – Actress Sienna Miller has been an ambassador for the International Medical Corps (IMC) for the past six years. Last summer she made a humanitarian trip to help Syrian refugees in Lebanon, and she says it could have cost her her life.

“On our second morning we drove the so-called road to Damascus, heading just a few miles from the Syrian border to visit a settlement with a few thousand refugees,” she told FOX411 at the ICM Annual Awards Ceremony in Beverly Hills on Thursday. “About two hours into the drive, the vehicle ahead of us in a convoy suddenly stopped and pulled over. Colin, our country director, got out and informed us precisely and without emotion that a bomb had just exploded at a checkpoint we had just passed minutes earlier.”

via ISIS almost iced Sienna?. | AP/Truth24.com

this pressed for your right to know: Follow our LIVE coverage on the Ebola crisis here: — Reuters Live (@ReutersLive)


Farage: Thank you for confirming Cameron is the real fantasist, Mr Barroso|europarl


Farage: Thank you for confirming Cameron is the real fantasist, Mr Barroso

Farage: The Last European Commission that Governs Britain |europarl


Farage: The Last European Commission that Governs Britain

this pressed for your right to know: The Big Bank Backlash Begins – ProPublica


From left: Robert Khuzami, Obama’s first enforcement director; Linda Chatman Thomsen, who served at the George W. Bush-era S.E.C.; and George Canellos, who just left the Obama S.E.C. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images, Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images, Brendan McDermid/Reuters /Landov)

From left: Robert Khuzami, Obama’s first enforcement director; Linda Chatman Thomsen, who served at the George W. Bush-era S.E.C.; and George Canellos, who just left the Obama S.E.C. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images, Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images, Brendan McDermid/Reuters /Landov)

Excerpts:  “Last week, I visited an alternate universe. The real world sees a pandemic of bank misconduct, but to the white-collar defense lawyers of Washington, the banks are the victims as they bow beneath the weight of regulators’ remarkably harsh punishments.

I was attending the Securities Enforcement Forum, a gathering of top regulators and white-collar defense worthies. The marquee section was a panel that included Andrew Ceresney, the current S.E.C. enforcement director, and five of his predecessors. Four of those former S.E.C. officials represent corporations at prominent white-collar law firms: Robert S. Khuzami, President Obama’s first enforcement director who now plies his trade at Kirkland & Ellis; Linda Chatman Thomsen, who served at the George W. Bush-era S.E.C. and now works for Davis Polk & Wardwell; William R. McLucas, the longest-serving agency enforcement director who is now at WilmerHale; and George S. Canellos, who just left the Obama S.E.C. to work for Milbank Tweed. (The well-known Stanley Sporkin, who served in the agency in the 1970s, rounded the panel out.)”

via The Big Bank Backlash Begins – ProPublica.

EBOLA – The Plague Fighters – NOVA Documentary (invite your friends to learn about Ebola!)


EBOLA – The Plague Fighters – NOVA Documentary – FULL

The Ebola virus The Search for a Cure |BBC Full Documentary 2014 (ignorance, fear, unfounded hope: fight back with knowledge!)


The Ebola virus The Search for a Cure BBC Full Documentary 2014

from NOVA | SURVIVING EBOLA |PBS (“because knowledge keeps one rational, unlike ignorance”)


NOVA | SURVIVING EBOLA

from National Geographic – Inside an Ebola Clinic in West Africa


Inside an Ebola Clinic in West Africa

this pressed for your right to know: Podcast: When U.S. Companies Help the NSA – ProPublica


A year and a half into the release of classified documents by Edward Snowden, the existence of far-reaching National Security Agency surveillance is common if controversial knowledge.But until The Intercept published new documents this month, the role of American companies in that surveillance was less than clear, ProPublica’s Julia Angwin and Jeff Larson tell Editor-in-Chief Steve Engelberg in this week’s podcast.The new documents describe “contractual relationships” between the NSA and unnamed U.S. companies and reveal that the NSA has “under cover” spies working at or with some of them. And indeed, it would be difficult for the NSA to do its work without their help, Larson says.

via Podcast: When U.S. Companies Help the NSA – ProPublica.

Business Standard


http://wap.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/ebola-epidemic-likely-to-explode-by-mid-december-study-114102400249_1.html

Packaging Error Of Assured Brand (Naproxen Sodium) Recalled From The Market : HEADLINES : Youth Health Magazine


http://www.youthhealthmag.com/articles/1503/20141024/assured-brand-recalled.htm

Fumes from traffic and factories causes autism in children, study finds | UK | News | Daily Express


http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/526933/Pollution-doubles-risk-autism-children?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+daily-express-uk-news+(Daily+Express+%3A%3A+UK+Feed)

Scientists convert human skin cells directly into brain cells – Medical News Today


http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/284377.php

NBC medical chief Nancy Snyderman to return to work next month after quarantine  – NY Daily News


http://m.nydailynews.com/news/national/nbc-medical-chief-nancy-snyderman-return-work-month-quarantine-article-1.1984471