Parademic Database Week Notes Ending 181223

Read This First, Heuristics (1), Glossary (A-H), Mini Lessons (3)

1. SLAI Ride, 2. Digging up Past Fires, 3. BioCalamity Threats, 3.1. Sea Change Neighborhoods, 4. Fake Meat, 5. Banksy Shreds Another, TV Mirrors, 6. Ratsearch Holes, 6.1. Prediction vs. Preparation, 6.2. Randomized Testing of Parachutes, 7. Biologic Metaphors, <ADDED >1. Wrong(ful) Death, *A. Shark Week, B. Proxies, >2. Brazilian of Public Health >3. Science Sanctions, >4. PODS Attitudes, >5. Hype Evolves to Real, >6. Papa Stumble at the Finish Line, >7. CongBola, >8. Pushing Baby Powder, >9. Not Sweet Alabama. 181223-VCP.

Other Topics: BioTrumpism, BioPolitics, Vaccine, Biosphere, Disaster, Humor, Climate Change, Anthropocene, Anthropogenic, Communication, One Health, Environmental Change, Human Factors, Social Dimensions, Narratives, Disinformation, Corruption, Hookworm, Poverty, Information Contamination, Disaster Archaeology, Mining Contaminants, Black Lung, Food, Forced Migration, Reflections of Society, Use of Force, Commensalism, Displacing Blame, Journalism, Regulation, NYC Rats (not Trump or Giuliani), Science Journalism

-1. This has been of interest to PDWN. Not so much for the political and warfare implications, but because of the overlap with parademic. This is a near duplicate of the confusion and surge of information that is characteristic of a parademic of a biocalamity, with the added characteristics it does not have to be in fact a biohazard, such as vaccines – I also argue that information is part of the biosphere and is a basic survival need). This also adds a dimension to the evolving narrative that is used seen so often in parademics. Sharpening, Leveling, Assimilation narrative process is usually the taking of facts (which due to a priori SLA are oft times out of context, misinterpreted and misremembered), and adds Invention of facts to add to what is observed and imagined. This is not new, just previously unrecognized. Agents of Doubt: How a Powerful Russian Propaganda Machine Chips Away at Western Notions of Truth. The disinformation campaigns now emanating from Russia are of a different breed [than Cold War propaganda], said intelligence officials and analysts. Engineered for the social media age, they fling up swarms of falsehoods, concocted theories and red herrings, intended not so much to persuade people but to bewilder them. New Reports Detail Expansive Russia Disinformation Scheme Targeting U.S., -2- -3-, [Cartoon, Cartoon]. This parademic contamination of information processes -3↓ can be seen with anti vaccination, biotrumpism, Extreme Anti Immigrant Views Are Now Part of the Mainstream Political Debate, climate change denial^$ -3↓, environmental protection regulation rollback -2- -170813-6.1¶↓, anti reproductive health by labeling it as abortion*. Though this has not played out fully yet, the Russian disinformation effort apparently did not consider the unintended risks of their own success, that to be effective one could not warn one’s own population of the disinformation effort so they could protect themselves, and that for disinformation to continue to be effective it needs to accelerate overtime to keep overwhelming evidence based information. At a minimum they should have done a coordinated disinformation that would have neutralized the back wash upon their own lay public information processing. They likewise are suffering from cognitive dissonance, weakened critical thinking, continuing environmental damage, and deteriorating public health. -181216-VCP-China↓. Like weaponizing a biological hazard – rumor, falsehoods, fearmongering, disinformation, don’t have an off switch, and those who release it are not protected from it as it mutates, Social Media and Misinformation: It’s a Game of Whack a Mole. Trust in the Media. Climate Change Precaution Advocacy May Be the Biggest Challenge – but Climate Change Outrage Management Is Hugely Neglected. Why Don’t We Care about Climate Change, it doesn’t dominate elections. It doesn’t dominate headlines, airtime and social media. It doesn’t dominate consumer choices. It doesn’t even dominate Google searches. For the past decade, “climate change” and “global warming” have been searched about as often as “terrorism”. People search far more often for “autism,” and more still for “flu.” Terrorism, autism and influenza are all serious hazards, but none of them has even an outside chance of ravaging the natural world and collapsing civilization. It should be noted in passing – for the edification of the alien archeologists -2↓ investigating the ruins on Earth – that every year for the past decade, “Kardashian” has been searched far more than any of the foregoing terms. Price: Average Person Is Uneducated on Climate Change.

            -*. Trump Administration Has Quietly Barred NIH Scientists from Acquiring Fetal Tissue, NIH to Fund Research into Fetal Tissue Alternatives, Trump Administration Halts Study That Would Use Fetal Tissue ‘To Discover a Cure for HIV’^$.

-2. Using Archaeology to Understand the Past, Present, Future of Climate Change, helping with recovery and exploring how communities can change after disasters. For instance the recovery of of post Katrina New Orleans considered the material, political and emotional processes that continue to impact places after the disaster. Archaeology -2- -3- -4-, -1↑ of the majority African-American Lower 9^th Ward is distinct reveals power structures in New Orleans, where destroyed homes were left exposed for many months, allowing artifacts to sink into the layers of Earth. We might similarly consider vulnerable populations in California before and after the fires. Although California is one of the most expensive real estate markets in the country, the destroyed community of Paradise was considered an oasis in the state's punishing housing market. Reports suggest the fires in California have produced a new housing crisis. Commentary: What If Climate Change Deniers and Skeptics Are Wrong. ¶ Chumash Firefighters Search for Signs of Native American past in Woolsey Fire Burn Scar, Chumash Firefighters Battle Wildfires and Protect Sacred Sites in California. Archaeologist often times will go into or fly over areas where there are suspected sites after a fire as it is easier to find sites when the biogrowth is gone.

-3. Long Range Emerging Threats Facing the United States As Identified by Federal Agencies. The ones of PDWN interest are: • Adversaries’ Political and Military Advancements. Information Operations -1↑. • Dual Use Technologies. Internet of Things (IoT), Medical Devices and Records; Biotechnology, Weaponized Genetic Modification. • Weapons, Weapons of Mass

Destruction; Cyber Weapons directed at the Infrastructures of Medical, Public Health, Food, Water, Power, Information. • Events and Demographic Changes. Infectious Diseases -2-, -181118-4, -180513-1.1↓, to include plant and non human animals, insects, microbes; Climate Change -1↑; Internal and International Migration -181216-4↓. This is only of external human threats. There are also natural ones against basic life needs such as food, water, air, shelter, information. This also does not consider internal threats or neglect such as: industrial accidents that involve bioagents; infrastructure failures of medical, health, communications, information, transportation, economic, manufacture and supply system; and the gubergenic ones 181028-2, 181104-6, such as destructive policies regarding the environment, defunding Austerity Results in Social Murder According to New Research and moral panic related to healthcare, misdirection of effort for the public good, and information suppression Why Was Climate Change Content Removed from the Department of Transportation Website. Correcting Misinformation by Health Organizations During Measles Outbreaks: A Controlled Experiment.

            -3.1. Not in my backyard. Climate Change Project Divides a Miami Beach Neighborhood. Lakeview, a sleepy neighborhood best known for its extravagant Halloween trick or treating, is next up on the list of neighborhoods the city plans to revamp to be sea rise ready. Miami Beach is regularly cited as "ground zero" for climate change and has hundreds of millions of dollars of real estate at risk as early as 2060, with 14 and 34 inches of sea rise. The city's strategy is raising roads to keep public property safe from floodwaters. Topographic maps show that Lakeview has miles of road with less than two feet of elevation above sea level, particularly on the bay side, and the city's current plan includes raising all public roads to 3.7 feet. But residents insist Lakeview has no flooding problems and worry that the project will ruin the peaceful neighborhood they call their "Garden of Eden". But even with higher roads, rising floodwaters would eventually spill onto property and people would need to elevate houses to protect against sea level rise. The backlash built over the summer, when the president of the long dormant original homeowner association and nearly two dozen other homeowners asked the commission to hold Lakeview's place at the front of the line for resilience projects, which include fixing old pipes and raising roads. The discussion on Nextdoor, a neighborhood social media platform, grew contentious. Several people posted photos of homes next to newly raised roads from previous projects with red text reading "which way will the water run from the street" sloping down driveways. There were allegations that the city purposely had not cleaned street drains to increase flooding in the area and pressure residents into agreeing to the project. City records show the drains have been cleaned six times in the past six years: once in 2012, twice in 2013, once in 2014, again in 2016 and as recently as April 2018. The choice comes down to trying to preserve a neighborhood in the face of changing environment, or losing it completely.

-4. Gene Edited Farm Animals Are Coming. Will the Public Eat Them. Gene Edited Food Will Arrive Soon, but Will People Eat It. Gene Edited Farm Animals Are on Their Way. Gene Edited Food Is Coming, but Will Shoppers Buy. Will the Food Industry Botch the Introduction of Gene Edited Foods, A Fast Moving Future for Gene Edited Foods. The short answer is yes, there is really no option if current trends don’t change. Eventually these will taste the same or better, will be safer, more plentiful and cheaper. However for those looking for investment opportunities invest in “Live, Real, Natural*, Dirty Foods”. Not only will there be resistance to this, but people will be willing to pay premiums for the new gourmet. Imagine (Mc)Donalds and Taco Bell in the future as the epitome of fine dining, and they won’t even have to upgrade service and restaurants to preserved the authentic experience. Big Beef Prepares for Battle, as Interest Grows in Plant Based and Lab Grown Meats. *Photography Changed Americans’ Ideas about Nature. Yum and Yuck: The Psychology of What We Eat... and What We Spit Out.

-5. Banksy’s New Artwork in Wales: A Comment on Air Pollution, [Art]. TV Fiction Reflects and Reproduces National Identities in Times of Crisis, becoming concerned with changes in the social world, but also with how responses to these changes are visible in a national identity.

-6. Down the Research Rat Hole. A rat hole, according to Urban Dictionary, is a digression, often an unprofitable or distracting one. “Ratholes”, we are told, “usually open up when related but tangential topics are discussed which are explored in much more detail than is required”. Of course, as every researcher knows, it is difficult to determine at the outset which will be the tangential topics and which the essential. Which of many fascinating digressions will prove ultimately to have been a distraction and which will turn out to be the key to some fundamental understanding, the perfect illustration of an essential idea, a critical bridge from one part of the story to another 181223-VCP-India, -170813-6.1↓. There is no way to know which unlikely byway will lead to some valuable tidbit and which will dump you out unceremoniously in a dark and profitless dead end. ¶ We Are at War: New York's Rat Crisis Made Worse by Climate Change, There’s No Threat Too Big for New York Rats, Even Climate Change.

            -6.1. Though written in terms of investments this is very applicable to biocalamity and parademic. Prediction vs. Preparation. I have nothing against forecasts. It can be a fun exercise and if we want to get into semantics, we’re all forecasting in one way or another. But I’ve always found it’s more useful to prepare than to predict. Prediction is about trying to be right while preparation is about setting the right expectations. Setting reasonable expectations is more important than being right all the time because it’s hard to be right with living systems. This is complimented by Expectation vs. Reality. You might think that I am implying that there is nothing we can do to plan for the unexpected, but this is far from the truth. Yes, we will all face events (both positive and negative) that we did not expect, but this doesn’t mean we are doomed. If you follow some basic rules to survive when plans go awry: If things go bad, you need to make sure you have ample rations to last you through the tough times. Re evaluate your plan and make needed changes. Don’t give up. As humans we seek the ordered, the linear, and the smooth, but the world gives us the chaotic, the curved, and the jagged. This dichotomy is as old as history itself – order (the expected ideal) versus chaos (reality). While we all hope that the world will conform to our expectations, as I have said before, “the truth is usually far messier”. So don’t be drowned by negativity when things don’t go as planned. Don’t be upset if you didn’t achieve your childhood dreams or if some piece of your life isn’t what you hoped. This is the natural state of the universe (entropy is always increasing). Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose. The important thing is to not get consumed by the chaos when it inevitably comes. Both of these are based on unexamined assumptions which are Often Wrong, Never In Doubt - Six Ways Assumptions Mislead Us: 1) Conventional certainties, those we trust, without knowing or understanding them. 2) Dueling certainties when if then so, A = B and B = C, then A = C, does not work to the expected conclusion or result is because of the assumptions of equivalency, i.e. 1 inch = 25.4 mm, 25.4 mm = Metric System, but 1 inch ≠ Metric System. 3) Illogical certainties are unfounded conclusions based on errors of thought, such as correlation = cause. 4) Conflating science and advocacy 181223-VCP-USA. 5) Wishful extrapolation when there is no data estimating the missing components by drawing a trend line. Media overreach which is due from its search for attention repackage science and policy to create a response at little cognitive costs. Our transient emotional response is just as real whether we fully understand or are even told the underlying assumptions.

 

            -6.2. Researchers Show Parachutes Don't Work, But There's A Catch. Research published in a major medical journal concludes that a parachute is no more effective than an empty backpack at protecting you from harm if you have to jump from an aircraft. But before you leap to any rash conclusions, you had better hear the whole story. The gold standard for medical research is a study that randomly assigns volunteers to try an intervention or to go without one and be part of a control group. For some reason, nobody has ever done a randomized controlled trial of parachutes. In fact, medical researchers often use the parachute example when they argue they don't need to do a study because they're so sure they already know something works. Harvard Medical School actually attempted the parachute study to make a few choice points about the potential pitfalls of research shortcuts. 'Would you be willing to be randomized in a study where you had a 50 percent chance of jumping out of this airplane with — versus without — a parachute'. Only a few people said yes to this outrageous invitation, and they were excluded for reasons of questionable mental health. | Photos taken during the experiment show the volunteers were only too happy to take part. Oh, there's one important detail here. The drop in the study was about 2 feet total, because the biplane and helicopter were parked.

-7. #Linguistic Synthetic Biology: How the Use of Metaphors Impacts on Science, Policy and Responsible Research. Metaphors are not just decorative rhetorical devices that make speech pretty. They are fundamental linguistic and cognitive tools for thinking about the world and acting on the world. Researchers interested in Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) are interested in creating a world in which research and innovation happen responsibly, taking the needs of people from all walks of life into account. The language we use to make a better world matters; words matter; metaphors matter. Words have consequences, even ethical, social and legal, as well as political and economic consequences. They need to be used with care and be studied with care. They need to be used ‘responsibly’. Featured Collection: Synthetic Biology: How the Use of Metaphors Impacts on Science, Policy and Responsible Research. Why Aren’t Vaccines Regulated like Drugs, the argument that vaccines aren’t held to the same standards as drugs, food, or other products.

<ADDED 181223>

-181216-4>1. Dehydration as the only cause was starting to sound incorrect by the end of last week as more information became available about the outrage line 7 Year Old. I decided to let the story play out and not mention some information that would disrupt 7 Year Old Migrant Girl Dies of Dehydration and Shock in U.S. Border Patrol Custody because both sides still seemed to believe that starvation was involved. This is however not the end. There is still plenty of room for more insensitive statements to be made, such as trying to make this fake news that can be dismissed because she died of something else. Hopefully there will be an article will dig into why the narrative developed this way. Guatemalan Girl Likely Died of Sepsis Shock after Crossing Border, Hospital Officials Said, Guatemalan 7 Year Old Likely Died of Septic Shock After Crossing Border: Hospital  - The Epoch Times, Sepsis and Kidney Failure. Suspect that those opposed to the current migration grabbed onto this without checking beyond the initial statements and it took off from there, while those who are implementing the policy went into its habitual defend and blame mode, also not checking further beyond the initial statements. This has legal implications. By taking people into custody the US assumes responsibility for the individual’s safety and health. The medical screening will be investigated but likely to find no curability. More poignantly it is likely that someone was being nice and gave her something to eat as she probably had not been eating nutritious food and clean water for weeks. With lower blood flow due to dehydration (only source was perhaps soft drinks perhaps, or contaminated tap water) the food drew more blood volume, impacted the kidneys and cascaded into septic shock (PDWN’s curator is not a medical professional, so this should not be taken as a valid medical opinion). As pointed out last week blaming the victim, even if they were doing something considered illegal, isn’t a good idea (PDWN’s curator is an anthropologist, making this opinion a valid speculation until there is contrary evidence). Last week -*A↓ was a feeding frenzy with blood in the water [Cartoons24 , Cartoon, Cartoon], which in part explains the overreaction by both sides, especially given the previous 100 weeks – BTW happy anniversary Mr Trump, wishing you 108 more, or less, that are the same. What is scary is compared to the processing of survivors and victims of a biocalamity where questions of probate, citizenship, guardianship, basic life needs, transportation, medical clearing, and the questions on how to implement, document and sustain, are magnitudes larger and more complicated. The problems may be so overwhelming that government may abdicate action and it will devolve into self organized, emergent solutions. That could also be defined as collapse of society.

            -‡. Anger Grows after Death of Guatemalan Migrant Girl Held in US, Why Did a Little Guatemalan Girl Die after Crossing the US Border, Medical Help Was Hours Away for Migrant Girl Who Died in U.S. Custody, Horrifying Indifference to Children’s Lives -2-. 7 Year Old Migrant Girl's Death to Be Investigated by Internal Homeland Security Watchdog [Meme]. -3↑. Fox News Host Tucker Carlson Reiterates Claim Immigrants Make America 'Poorer and Dirtier' Even as Advertisers Flee. AP Investigation: Migrant Kids Held in Mass Shelters. Border Patrol Says Young Girl in Custody Nearly Died after Going into Cardiac Arrest. A Moral Disaster: AP Reveals Scope of Migrant Kids Program. Attorneys for Guatemalan Girl Who Died in Custody Call for Investigation. WHO Launches Technical Guidance Series on the Health of Refugees and Migrants. Graphic Truth: China's Growing Clout In Latin America <ADDED 181216-180603-1.2>8, China Exerting “Sharp Power” Influence on American Institutions. DHS Secretary Nielsen Struggles to Answer Basic Questions During Hearing. The Dangers of Disease in Migrant Children Detention Centers. No Evidence for Claim about a 6 Year Old Girl Found at U.S.-Mexico Border Raped by 30 Men, it is not unusual for false outrage stories to follow a real report. Climate Change and the Rise of Poverty. [Cartoon, Cartoon]. Migrant Caravan Baby Hospitalized with Pneumonia as Mother Blames Border Patrol. | Given the narrative of the contaminated immigrant 181118-3.1, and in light of disingenuous statements made by biotrumpism, I anticipated that it was likely that this would be used to shift blame to the victim, claiming that this was evidence of commensals (the fauna, flora and microbes that travel with people). In other words she had a prior condition that made her sick that US authorities could not detect of do anything about. Teens in Immigration Centers Are Coming Forward to Report Sexual Assault, but Their Cases Aren’t Being Investigated. 181223-VCP-Israel. In a sense mass incarceration is like a mass casualty, mass fatality incident, VitalTag to Give Vital Information in Mass Casualty Incidents, but like any mass gathering presents many of the same public health challengers. Deported Mexicans Reported Being Refused Medical Care in U.S. For Asylum Seekers Waiting in Mexico, Volunteers Offer Medical Help. U.S. Officials Baffled by Large Migrant Groups Flocking to Remote New Mexico Border Crossing. U.S. Plan to Keep Asylum Seekers in Mexico Sows Confusion, not to mention the problem of non refoulment which the current US administration either is unaware of, or chooses to ignore, In Desperate Quest to Reach U.S., Central American Migrants Fear Gangs, Police. | Is Denaturalization the Next Front in the Trump Administration’s War on Immigration. They Thought Living in Churches Would Protect Them. Now They Fear Nowhere Is Safe. ¶ Aid Ship with 311 Migrants Ignored by Italy,Heads to Spain, <ADDED 181209-181125-VCP-Italy>4.

            -*A. PDWN stopped noting the parademic of biotrumpism months ago, unless it was connected to the topic of a stub, which still seems to be a large number of items. Come to think of it biotrumpism was so often related to current biocalamities, real and imagined, that the sentence would seem to be untrue. As a separate topic biotrumpism is so repetitive information that did not offer unexpected or new insights into behavior. A separate file is maintained as it was frequently useful when biotrumpism was appropriate for a stub to have a ready source to go back for the antecedents. It’s appropriate to include all that was incidentally collected last week last week to give the larger context and parademic specifics of biotrumpism that resulted in Outrage news^$, -2- -3-, Lego Bricks, Program Coding and Text Editing: How Metaphors in the Press Shape the Perception of Science. Last week’s collection of incidental items can be linked to at BioTrumpism 181216-4A, that has been unedited so that PDWN’s negative bias is clear – there is an off chance someone is unaware that this data collection is likely skewed. -171217-3↓. ¶ Why Americans Are So Tired of Trump News. It has been speculated that copy cat crimes, suicides, terrorism would decrease if there were no media reporting, though in the case of crimes and terrorism that are intended to get media attention there would be a severe acceleration before crashing. That would be unfortunate for PDWN as much of current parademic news is biotrumpism. Its likely that if news about these is less news about Trumpism due to Trumptigue (similar to disaster fatigue) he would quadruple down to regain attention. Suspect that being ignored would be worse for him than any penalty for criminal activity. My Biggest Duds^$, a roundup of the columns that no one, except maybe my mom, read. [Tweet].

            -B. I don’t believe that there was any intent behind this, just neglect on the part of those who ordered this program without providing resources. Despite an over the top RUF recommendation 181104-1.4B -**, ∩ Trump's Interference in the Murder Trial of Green Beret Mathew Golsteyn Sends the Wrong Message to U.S. Troops, if we fight wars without adhering to rules we establish, we are subjecting ourselves to the grossest inhumanity of our adversaries.. The migrant child’s death is probably not RUF by proxy, or covert redirected aggression by anti immigration supporters within the HLS, Is the Psychology of Deadly Force Ready for the Courts. However; circumstances were created that increased the probability of an agenda of harm happening, New Proof Surfaces That Family Separation Was about Deterrence and Punishment. Fleeing Climate Change, melting glaciers and spreading wildfires may be some of the most recognizable signs of climate change, but there is another critical, yet often overlooked effect: Forced migration. | Follow the (Climate Change) Money, yes people exploit events, yes money will be wasted, but is blaming capitalistic impulses and saving money at the risk of extinction the position a political party that is pro business, preserving profit and capitalism the one it should take. CBO Dismisses Costs of Global Warming, Posing Hurdle for Climate Legislation. Many estimates suggest that the effect of climate change on the nation’s economic output, and hence on federal tax revenues, will probably be small over the next 30 years and larger, but still modest, in the following few decades. There are no references to these many estimates, and the following part of the paragraph cherry picks; likely this will later prove to be a misinterpretation (possibly intentional) of information as with “Pause” in Global Warming Was Never Real. Tracking the Local Climate Countermoves to Trump. Carrying Tasers Increases Police Use of Force. Did David ‘Avocado’ Wolfe Post a Meme About Solar Panels Draining Light from the Sun. The Day I Tasted Climate Change. Market Oriented Economic Belief System Incompatible with Climate Change Mitigation. The Quintuple Helix Innovation Model: Global Warming as a Challenge and Driver for Innovation The core is academic-science/ industry/ government relations. The quadruple adds media and culture based public/ civil society (i.e. Culture). The Quintuple Helix contextualizing the whole by adding‘natural environments of society’ (the Biosphere).

-181216-VCP-Brazil>2. Brazil Fails to Replace Thousands of Doctors Who Left after Cuba Spat. Government said it filled vacancies after Jair Bolsonaro’s comments sparked exodus – but 2,439 replacements failed to show up for work. Cuba Says Nearly All its Doctors Have Returned from Brazil.

-181216-VCP-China>3. China Introduces Social Punishments for Scientific Misconduct. Researchers who commit scientific misconduct could be prevented from getting a bank loan, running a company or applying for a public service job. The government has announced an extensive punishment system that could have significant consequences for offenders - far beyond their academic careers. Besides quashing innovate research if science doesn’t fit official policy it could have dire consequences The Soviet Era's Deadliest Scientist Is Regaining Popularity in Russia, -1↑, 180304-4, 171203-4‡ -Quote, 170205-T4, -2- -3- -4- -5- -6-. [Warning, graphic images of scientists being tortured Cartoon, Cartoon, Cartoon, Strip, Cartoon]. The CRISPR Shocker: How Genome Editing Scientist He Jiankui Rose from Obscurity to Stun the World, Work on Gene Edited Babies Blatant Violation of the Law, Says China. The biggest threat against science however remains economic, i.e. the field is increasingly unlikely to lead to stable incomes and places to live, though much of that can be alleviated by contract work via the internet, Specialized Skills Are Crucial in Science. But They May Not Lead to a Tenure Track Job^$.

-181209-9.1>4. Public Views on Alternative Methods for Antiviral Distribution and Dispensing During an Influenza Pandemic^$. Antiviral drugs could play a crucial role in minimizing the impact of a severe influenza pandemic. The CDC, in coordination with state health departments, has plans to distribute antiviral drugs from federal stockpiles in the case of a pandemic. These plans are currently under review and include evaluation of the benefits of pharmaceutical supply chain distribution and dispensing of antivirals through community pharmacies. While research has shown wide acceptance among pharmacists, public acceptability of going to community pharmacies for stockpiled antivirals in an influenza pandemic is unknown. [Photo].

-181118-4>5, <ADDED 181216>7. A New Disease Is Testing Us for the Next Global Epidemic$, -3↑. At the time that there was the first reporting of in 2015 it was probably largely because it was a “new” disease in the wake of Ebolaphobia. Though hype, it turned out to be prescient. 11^th Washington Child Suspected of Having Paralyzing Illness, South Dakota Reports Case of Rare Nervous System Disorder, indicating it probably has not finished peaking this year. 181223-VCP-UK.

-180603-1.2>6, <ADDED 181216>8. In Last Ditch Move, Lawmakers Push to Renew Pandemic Preparedness Bill Before End of Year^$. On the Hill: Congress Faces Deadlines on PAHPA, Funding Bill. Even if passed by congress unlikely to be signed into law before the end of the year, in fact may be held hostage to pass other legislation.

-180513-1.1>7, <ADDED 181216>9. 181223-VCP-DRC. Presidential Responses to Ebola in Sierra Leone, unknown if this is happening in the DRC, likely but not certain. Electoral Process: an Election in the midst of the Ebola Epidemic, US Orders non Emergency Staff out of DR Congo Before Vote, Rallies Banned in Congo’s Capital Before Presidential Vote, Elections in the Time of Ebola: Congo Votes amid Disease, Ebola Fears Raise Concerns in Already Fraught Congo Election, Derailed by Fire and Disarray, Congo Delays Presidential Election – Again, Congo Delays Presidential Vote until Dec. 30, Citing Fire, Beni: Measures Taken Against the Spread of Ebola on Polling Day, No More Election Delays, Congo Opposition Candidate Warns, Beni: Measures Taken Against the Spread of Ebola on Polling Day. ‘Outbreak Culture’ Can Derail Effective Responses to Deadly Epidemics, an outbreak of an infectious disease creates a crucible in which forces are melded in an intense, high stakes, pressure filled environment. The situation is volatile, oftentimes unclear and rapidly evolving, and the pathogen may be life threatening. The scenario is a test of humanity and our response to unpredictability. We often fail. Ebola Hits 539 Cases as Outreach Efforts Extend in Beni. -3↑. Is Genocide Predictable. Researchers Say Absolutely, genocides are not spontaneous. In the lead up to these types of crimes we do see a consistent set of things happening. At 31% the Democratic Republic of the Congo is currently the most at risk followed by Afghanistan; Ravaged by Ebola and War, Congo Named Most Neglected Crisis of 2018, 181223-VCP-Israel. Congo: Ebola Outbreak Certainly to Last 3-4 Months More. Ebola’s Other Unsung Heroes: The Planners Who Keep the Response Running. Why Ebola Is Proving Hard to Beat in the DRC. Ebola Alert on the Border Between Uganda and the DRC.

-170813-6.1>8, <ADDED 181216-4>11. Johnson & Johnson Pushes Back on Asbestos Report: Our Talc Is Safe, launching a national ad campaign defending itself following a news report that the company knew for decades its talc baby powder contained traces of asbestos. Three strikes already against them even though in my opinion the evidence is not clear, they are a big corporation, they have already been tried and convicted in the court of public opinion, and they waited too long to start communicating. Johnson & Johnson Responds to Recent News Coverage on Talc. Johnson & Johnson Launches Defensive Measures Against Accusations That it Knew about Asbestos for Decades. [Cartoon]. | Indian Regulator Says Reuters Report on J&j Baby Powder Under Consideration, Indian Regulator to Test Samples of Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder, Indian Regulator Orders J&J to Stop Using Raw Material to Make Baby Powder in India. Baby powder may be of special interest rathole -6↑ in India because of Holi 2017 Make Coloured Powder with Talc Powder to Celebrate the Indian Festival of Colours. ¶ Investigation Blames Regulatory Failure for Black Lung Epidemic -1↑, regulators have been aware of the dangers of silica dust but have not introduced measures to control the substance. Fatal Disease Outbreak among Miners Spurs House Hearings on Coal Mine Dust.

-171217-3>9. Scientists Think Alabama’s Sewage Problem Has Caused a Tropical Parasite. The State Has Done Little about it. Some states have programs to help residents pay to repair or replace failing private septic systems, not Alabama. The Alabama Department of Public Health does have a history of fining people for open sewage violations. In the past 15 years, the department fined about one person a year, on average. That’s where Catherine Flowers, a 60 year old rural development manager for a nonprofit called the Equal Justice Initiative comes in. Flowers spent most of her childhood in Lowndes County; when she vouches for someone – even scientists determined to scoop up water and soil near open sewage – locals listen. 170917-5 | From BioTrumpism 180429 Notes, -181216-4A↑, #Book. Blue Marble Health. An Innovative Plan to Fight Diseases of the Poor amid Wealth. In 2011, Dr. Peter J. Hotez relocated to Houston to launch Baylor’s National School of Tropical Medicine. He was shocked to discover that a number of neglected diseases often associated with developing countries were widespread in impoverished Texas communities. Despite the United States’ economic prowess and first world status, an estimated 12 million Americans living at the poverty level currently suffer from at least one neglected tropical disease, or NTD. Hotez concluded that the world’s neglected diseases—which include tuberculosis, hookworm infection, lymphatic filariasis, Chagas disease, and leishmaniasis—are born first and foremost of extreme poverty, [Cover]. ¶ As US Life Expectancy Falls, West Virginia Offers Lessons, the state is a bellwether of bad health, portending major problems years before they became severe nationally. It seems that the worst outcomes happen here first.