Read This First, Heuristics (1), Glossary (A-H), Mini Lessons (3)
1. Politics of Hearing, 1.1. Climate Solving, 1.2. Avoiding Oops, 1.3. Imminent Book, 2. BioWar, 2.1. BioWatch Reboot, 3. African Framing, <ADDED >1. One Health Future, >2. Undead Deer, >3. HIV Orbit, >4. Humanitarian Powder Keg, >5. Zhū wēn, >6. Dual Flu, >7. Bug Demise, >8. Syclopes, >9. Legbala, >10. Corona. 190224-Polemic. 190224-VCP.
Other Topics: Dominionism, BioPolitics, Vaccine, Biosphere, Disaster, Humor, Climate Change, Anthropocene, Anthropogenic, Communication, One Health, Environmental Change, Human Factors, Social Dimensions, Narratives, Chronic Wasting Disease, Atmospheric Rivers (Noah), Assumptions, Extinction, Plastic, Cold, Extreme Weather, Food Insecurity, SLAI, CARVER, Food Borne Disease
-1. Want to Get a Politician to Listen to Science. Here's Some Advice$*. Present both sides. Disclose conflicts of interest. And make sure you catch them at just the right time. Those are some of the best tips to get members of Congress to listen to scientific advice. Talking to a politician is a lot different than talking to an average member of the public, most scientists don't really know how to tailor their communication specifically to politicians. There is a lot of science communication advice out there for informing the public, but not so much for communicating with policymakers. 190210-5. Addressing political decision makers is different than with the public or in education. With a general audience one communicates to a group, while a politician should be addressed as an individual with consideration of the personality, voting record, political stance, and hopefully what are the interests of those they represent. Additionally, consider the politicians are masters of persuasion and probably encounter numerous people who are better at persuasion than you. Don’t even think you can match that skill level, especially if you have qualms about persuading people. You can improve your communication but keep with your strength of being passionate about your area of expertise.
-*. On the chance a reader does not know, $ is used in PDWN to indicate that an article may be for subscribers only, or one can only access a limited number each month. It is not part of the headline of how to talk to a politician, though it is true that having something that a politician values, like reelection, is important.
-‡. States Are Introducing Bills That Could Prevent Teachers from Advocating for Climate Change, How to Teach Children about Climate Change, Controversial Issues Resolution in South Dakota Withdrawn, How Climate Change Education Is Hurting the Environment. Study Finds High IQs Won't Be Enough to Prevent Ecological Disasters, it's going to take social intelligence, too. Climate Change Could Cause Epic ‘ARkStorm’ in Southern California, and note the neologism of Atmospheric River that indicated a biocalamity, and the use of a biblical reference [Cartoon, Cartoon]. How Do We Talk about Climate Change on Social Media, Blame Academia for Junk Science and Media Hype. Scientists’ Response to Rush Limbaugh’s Climate Denial: Utter Nonsense. Climate Change Will Make Extreme Cold More Prevalent — and That’s Bad News for Some Animals, Aussie Rodent Becomes First 'Climate Change Extinction'. White House Panel Will Study Whether Climate Change Is a National Security Threat. It Includes a Climate Denialist -2- -3- -4- -5- -6- -7-, [Video, Cartoon, Strip], 190224-Polemic-1.1. What the 17th Century’s “Little Ice Age” Teaches Us about Climate Change. Where's the Proof That Man Causes Climate Change, similar to the logic of flat Earth, young Earth, Creationism..., sharpen what does not assimilate into the narrative, level what does not assimilate into the narrative without changing it, assimilate into the narrative to filter perception and guide interpretation, invent items to fill gaps or answer questions that disturb the narrative (SLAI), 181230-1, -1.1, -181111-VCP-II-USA↓. As Snow Falls and Melts, Climate Change on Radar. Vast Spending on Climate Change Might Pay for Itself.
-1.1. Let's Take a Public Health Approach to Climate Change. 1) Define and monitor the problem. 2) Identify risk and protective factors (to include unintended consequences). 3) Develop and test prevention strategies. 4) Assure widespread adoption – This is the hard one that requires communication with the general public and decision makers, both of whom may be ideologically motivated to ignore evidence. This provides limited information of how to accomplish the last, in fact it adopts the usual information will persuade people approach. How to Persuade People Without Trying: 8 Ways to Be Naturally Influential. Why Do We Fail When We Try to Tell the Story of Climate Change, perhaps we don’t want to see climate horrors clearly. Five Tactics to Use Behavioral Science to Combat Climate Change 1) 1. Adjust the default settings, deselect the choice, rather than select it. 2) Present the choices differently, favoring sustainable behavior. 3) Scrape “unsustainable” from the list of options. 4) Make “sustainable” easy and “unsustainable” difficult. 5) Touch the personal side, target specific groups of individuals, in a specific way, which relates to their lifestyle and belief, our success would be much greater. In other words shape the narrative -1‡↑.
-1.2. The Confounding Climate Science of Lab Grown Meat$. The assumption is that lab grown meat will drastically reduce emissions of beef production. But you know what they say about assumptions. Cultured Lab Meat May Make Climate Change Worse. Cultured Meat and Climate Change. | It is not uncommon for people to tend to focus on credible sounding solutions and small problems that are very visual, immediate and they can do something about. Climate Change: Obsession with Plastic Pollution Distracts Attention from Bigger Environmental Challenges, Oregon Considering Statewide Ban of Single Use Plastic Bags, hlight3 190127-4. The Dawn of the Age of Plastics, the 1939 World’s Fair was a testament to cork’s primacy in consumer packaging, but a little known substance called plastic was waiting in the wings.
-1.3. #Book Review: ‘The Uninhabitable Earth’ Explores Climate Doomsday [Cover], does preaching global doom inspire change, or just resignation, this book’s worth hinges on that question. The original article is at <ADDED 180909-180902-2.1>1, The 3 Big Things That People Misunderstand About Climate Change, Destruction from Climate Change Will Be Worse, Much Worse, than You Think -4-. Look Who’s Betting on Climate Change. The Hellfire Preachers of the Climate Change Church, Hal Lindsey. It Is Absolutely Time to Panic about Climate Change.
-2. Chemical Biological Center Aligns Under New Command. The US Army has been focused on the near term for the last 18 years and rightfully so. But as we wind down and come out of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan the message is very, very clear, we need to re focus on large scale, ground combat and we need to refocus on the future. Not sure about the ground combat. Why would a potential enemy use military force that the US has demonstrated repeatedly that is not a good idea, especially when other tactics have proven to be successful against the US military. In addition, bio and chem weapons imply use of other than conventional large army operations. Chem, bio, information, etc are not as effective against traditional and legitimate military targets that would be hardened. This would especially be the case if the global environment is changed with famines, droughts, flooding, infectious disease, pest population explosions, forced migrations. All of these would weaken non military, soft target, infrastructure, thus making them even more attractive targets* 190224-Polemic-1|. This may not be the mistake of planning to fight the last war, but planning to fight the war one would like to fight. Ready or Not: Protecting the Public’s Health from Diseases, Disasters and Bioterrorism, 2019 touches on a possible disconnect, in general the federal government is responsible for acts of war, but with bio or chem events. It is not always clear if it is an act of war, criminal, industrial/ lab accident, natural outbreak, and the responsibilities are fragmented between DHS, DOD, DOJ, HHS, NHSS, NDMS, EPA. The DOD Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms of 2019, which used to have Civil Support & Defense Support for Civil Authorities as being similes, while in fact they are different De Jure and De Facto, no longer has either term. This ambivalence about terminology indicates the meaning has become so vague and fluctuating, as to be meaningless in terms of evolving doctrine. One acronym that can be helpful in identifying vulnerable civil infrastructure is CARVER, 180923-8, with some modifications to consider. A bio/ chem weapon is idea if one want to save a structure and its technology, but hamper use of it, erode its staff to add stress and vulnerability to physical attacks. It is also useful way to obscure what is the actual target by covering a large area that has other potential targets, or take several targets at the same time. Bio/ Chem can also be programmed to have its impacts at a particular time, making it possible to do a coordinated attack, but part of the attack happens well before the other.
-2.1. Homeland Security Replacing Troubled Biodefense System with Another Flawed Approach$ -2- -3-. BioWatch -2-, the problem plagued system for detecting an airborne attack of anthrax spores or other infectious agents, is being replaced with technology that also has severe shortcomings. The Government’s Bioterror Response Website May Be Leaking Sensitive Data. 190217-2. Using data against us, hacking to prevent warning, or give false warnings* on wrong agent of a non existent attack, or attack in one location when it was actually at another. *Indeed for the excessively paranoid they may wonder if the system was actually effective, but was hacked to make it look ineffective. In actual fact there are multiple difficulties related to fluid dynamics, biosampling, finding secure locations that are also in optimal locations for monitoring, endemic pathogens that have to still be overcome. Unfortunately, the best sensor remains human and animal populations, but watching for them to get sick is a little too late.
-3. Vampires, Cannibals, and Sorcerers on the Loose. In the 1990s, as a neophyte historian of medicine and anthropologically inclined critic of science, I read Luise White’s studies of colonial vampires and cannibals, blood sucking firemen, and traffickers in heads, with a growing sense of wonder and amusement and discomfort. In retelling the stories confided to her, she repopulated eastern and central Africa with an incredible collection – a corps, perhaps – of specters, ghouls, apparitions, fantasies, and shadows, black and white and shades between. She deployed these ambiguous figures to create a strange tableau of colonial assertion and anxiety, where African patients, healers, and sorcerers mingled uneasily with missionaries, bureaucrats and medical officers. “This article is about medical history and historical methodology”, White wrote in They Could Make their Victims Dull: Genders and Genres, Fantasies and Cures in Colonial Southern Uganda. It was unlike any medical history, or indeed any method, that I had imagined. During Ebola there were many examples of supernatural explanations for the event, magical thinking, and the conflict of former colonists and Africans. Though I have some disagreements the insights are informative, 190224-Polemic-3.1A. -180513-1.1↓. A Fatal Public Health Problem in Africa That Flies under the Radar, suffer from the world's highest per capita rate of foodborne illnesses.
<ADDED 190224>
-190217-4 et al>1. Does One Health Have a Future. The Human Condition of Competition, Compromise, and Partnerships. Wish this had been around in 2010 when I was a pandemic planner. It touches on many topics that I encountered, but was unaware of before hand. This would have saved me several months of misdirected effort.
-190217-8‡>2. All of these zoonotic diseases were listed either as ones to watch if they spill over to humans, or because of use of words the provoke emotional responses. Hunters Say It's Not a 'Zombie Disease,' but They Are Worried about Deer Illness. Thankfully no one has ever contracted the disease from eating CWD positive venison, but I‘d love to have a crystal ball to see if that’s still the case or not in 25 years, [Cartoon]. Zombie Deer Disease: How to Prevent it and Avoid Eating Infected Meat. The term zombie was probably intended to get attention, but the word zombie is also an indication that this is a serious disease that can infect others easily. It also caught my eye that according to the source of the article that it is likely people will risk eating the meat, though food is the reason for hunting, though there are those who appreciate the skills and experience of hunting. CDC Fears 'Zombie Deer Disease' Spreading in US Could Infect Humans, In 2005, about 200 People Ate ‘Zombie’ Deer Meat. Here’s What Happened. The concern is however that there will be future diseases that infect animals used for food that can pass to humans. If that became widespread it would add to food insecurity. Zombie Deer Disease, a Mad Cow like Infection Spreading in the US. | Extinction Crisis Threatening Global Food Supply, UN Report Warns, World's Food Supply under Severe Threat from Loss of Biodiversity, Climate Change Impacting Global Health, Food Production, Insect Activity, Studies Show.
-190210-1.1>3. <ADDED 190217>1. White House Plan to Stop HIV Faces a Tough Road in Oklahoma, Trump Plan to Beat HIV Hits Rough Road in Rural America, The Problem with Trump’s Pledge to End HIV, HIV Risk Could Be Cut by 67 Percent by 2030. |
-181209-4>4. <ADDED 190217>3. Where Climate Change Fits into Venezuela’s Ongoing Crisis. Venezuela: Malaria Cases Top 1.3 Million in 2018, According to Global Health Organizations, Venezuela Crisis Threatens Disease Epidemic Across Continent, Venezuela's Humanitarian Crisis, Resurgence of Vector Borne Diseases, and Implications for Spillover in the Region, Venezuela Crisis Could Spark Surge in Infectious Diseases, -181111-VCP-II-USA↓. Severely Ill Children Left in Limbo by Venezuela-US Crisis. Venezuela: Region’s InfectiousCrisis Is a Disaster of Hemispheric Proportions. Resurgence of Vaccine Preventable Diseases in Venezuela as a Regional Public Health Threat in the Americas. | These syndemics are the background for what could be considered provocation in the guise of humanitarian aid, -3- -4- -5- -6-. When Humanitarian Aid Is Used as a Weapon to Bring Down Regimes. Venezuela's Guaido Calls for Million Volunteers in Aid Standoff. Venezuelans Brace for Tense Aid Delivery Bid. Pinera's Colombia Border Trip Carries Risks for Chilean Leader. Aid Is Piling up on Venezuela's Border. Here's Why It's Not Getting In. Maduro Shuts Venezuela's Border with Brazil amid Aid Standoff, Venezuela's Maduro Orders Closure of Brazilian Border. | Aid Wars: US-Russia Vie to Ease Venezuelan Crisis, China Praises Venezuela, Joins Russia Against U.S. Brigade of Volunteers Vow to Bring Aid to Venezuela’s Needy. Venezuelan Army Stops Guaidoas He Heads to Site of Aid Effort. Deadly Violence Erupts on Brazil Border in Venezuela Aid Showdown$, -2- -3- -4- -5- -6- -7- -8- -9- -10-, <ADDED 181125-180513-1.1>10B. 190224-Polemic-3.2, Venezuela Navy Threatened to "Open Fire" on U.S. Financed Aid Ship, Puerto Rico's Governor Says. Trump Confirms All Violent Options on the Table in Venezuela, [Cartoon, -2- -3- -4- -5- -6-, -7- -8- -9-, -10- -11- -12-, clash with military and militias will probably be posted on net next week]. Clean up Begins on Venezuela-Colombia Border after Unrest. | Climate Change Cause of Most under Reported Humanitarian Crises.
-181118-VCP-China>5, <ADDED 190217>4. Vietnam Confirms First African Swine Fever Cases on Three Farms, the first confirmed cases of the highly contagious disease in the Southeast Asia country. African Swine Fever Could Cause EU Rift, widespread in wild boars in central Europe, it is almost always fatal and could devastate the EU's swine industry. China Reports First African Swine Fever Outbreak in Guangxi Region. U.S., Canada, Mexico Work to Prevent Swine Fever Reaching Region. | A New Layer of Medical Preparedness to Combat Emerging Infectious Disease. Researchers supporting PREEMPT (PREventing EMerging Pathogenic Threats) program will model viral evolution in animal populations, quantify the probability of human pathogen emergence, and pursue proof of concept interventions to prevent viral spread to humans. And that is why this will fail. It takes out the human dimension, as if that is not part of the biosphere. Humans are a vector and reservoir. Why It's So Difficult for Scientists to Predict the Next Outbreak of a Dangerous Disease.
-181111-VCP-II-USA>6, <ADDED 190210>7. Biologists Are Trying to Make Bird Flu Easier to Spread. Can We Not. The bird flu is a deadly virus with the potential to spark a global pandemic, 190217-5. Now, two lab are trying to find ways to make it more dangerous, resuming their work after years on hold. This is the debate that always accompanies dual use technology, that is those that can both help or can harm, Australia Dials Back Effort to Control 'Dual Use' Research. In this case understanding flu could be great for treatment and maybe eventual prevention, but in today’s world -2↑ there is the concern about bioweapons to include CRISPR ones. 190224-VCP-Research. Anti GMO also uses a variation of this narrative Scientists Release Controversial Genetically Modified Mosquitoes in High Security Lab, 181202-2, -181209-4↑. Narrative does not imply if it is true or false, it is just the SLAI 181230-1, -1↑its elements. Terms like “myth, cover up, truth, controversy”, all imply validity of the narrative. Faster, Better, Cheaper: The Rise of CRISPR in Disease Detection. From Gene Editing Cures to Bioweapon Nightmare. <ADDED 190224-181111-VCP-II-USA>6.
-181021-3>7, <ADDED 190217>5. Impact of Global Insect Decline, Video.
-180819-7.1>8. <ADDED 190106>3. How Sci Fi Could Help Solve Climate Change. The Dangers of Climate Change Pseudo Activity. Having a vision of what to do, a policy, a plan is not the same as actually doing. The Story of Storytelling$, what the hidden relationships of ancient folktales reveal about their evolution – and our own. Polyphemus comes from the Greek poly, meaning many, repetition; and pheme, meaning speech, reputation, or fame. Polyphemus, then, means much spoken of. That is an apt term for a person, event or idea that is in the media a great deal because it is contrary or anomalous.
-180513-1.1>. -3↑. Ebola Responders Establish Emergency Operations Centre, this was done months ago, not recently as its publication date would indicate; #Document Framework for a Public Health Emergency Operations Centre. Zambia Steps up Ebola Screening at Border with DRC. Butembo-Beni: More than 500 Contacts and Some 30 Ebola Victims Receive Food in Maboya, if you want people not to break quarantine at a minimum they need food and water. Tanganyika Province Reports Measles and Cholera. Ebola: No New Case Confirmed in Beni in Three Weeks. 'It Is Absolutely Necessary to Bring Peace to Win the Commitment of the People' –Professor Muyembe. When an individual is mentioned, it is worthwhile to research them to get an idea if they are a leader of opinions and organizations, and what style they bring to wicked problems. Unfortunately, there have been way too many people given positions of public health trust and responsibility that are unqualified, corrupt and/or believe misinformation. UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore's Remarks at Munich Security Conference: Town Hall Event: Update on Ebola in the DRC & Beyond. Aid Agency MSF Suspends Work in Eastern DR Congo, outside of Ebola zone, but inside the conflict one. Beni/ Vuhovi: All Patients Expelled from Health Facilities on Strike, The Ebola Outbreak under Control in Beni. First Person: to Stop Ebola, Ask the Rebels to Help. More Ebola in DRC as Nurse's Murder Halts Efforts in Vuhovi. 190224-VCP-DRC. AFRICOM Adds Logistics Hub in West Africa, Hinting at an Enduring US Presence clearly intended for military purposes, but if there is a future pandemic infectious diseases outbreak, this may also be the logistics hub for that. Ebola Returns to Beni – Survivor Transmission Suspected. Butembo-Beni Church Announces New Way to Burn Ash to Fight Ebola, is an adaptation of ritual to the circumstances of an infectious disease.
-A. Based on the Parademic Database it is possible to make some informed speculations about control and containment of infectious disease that are in conflict zones, or potential ones. Cordon Sanitaire is effective, but because it does not address the problem is at best a temporary measure until an outbreak burns itself out at one location, but it will eventually flare up again. This method also requires commitment of significant force and resources, not to mention that a significant population and its resources are not available, both of which are costly and diverts from other national security needs. It was however noted that what seems to be effective in the long term is changing narratives that an infectious disease is some sort of conspiracy, which in turn decreases physical and information attacks against control and containment measures, while at the same time avoiding official raids, quarantines/ culls that don’t supply food, water and other income, while concurrently quelling exploitation by medical scams and other corruption. Interestingly one does not need to buy into germ theory and western medicine. All that is needed is either a modification of narrative that allows medical beliefs to be an explanation for practices based on germ theory, and that in this particular case western medicine is the best means available to contain and control, perhaps made more effective by other systems. This does take longer with more potential spread, but has the benefits that future spread are reported and dealt with, and the community learns behaviors that limit the possibility and spread of another outbreak. Essentially cooperation works better than competition, and critical to success to cover a whole society, otherwise one ends up chasing the disease outbreak with too little, too late. 190217-Polemic-3.1.
-180812-1.1>. 775 Deaths ... Saudi Newspapers Scream: Why Spread 'Corona' (MERS) in Our Country. Ministry of Environment Closes Wadi Aldwasir Camel Market over MERS. <ADDED 190120-180603-1.2>7A, <ADDED 181125-181118-4>5, 180916-2, 180812-1.2, <ADDED 180909-180701-1.1>6, 180819-2, <ADDED 180819-180812-1.1 -A>1, ##↓↓.
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