Month: April 2009

It’s interesting to watch someone get to Condi. George Stephanopoulos said this is, “the first time anyone has gotten Rice on the record about the interrogation tactics since the Obama administration released the memos.”

Condi comes very close to losing it with this earnest, sincere student who should be outgunned by the former secretary of state. But as the room grows quiet, Condi sticks to her “if the president authorized it, it’s not torture” line and it becomes obvious that being right is more powerful for the student than knowing you’re wrong and defending yourself anyway is for Rice.

One thing seems clear from watching this clip. Condoleezza Rice and the rest of the Bush administration will never outlive what they did. Their actions and motivations will be forever questioned by anyone with a memory.

From Eurosurveillance (which explains the Eurocentricity):

Fifteen new cases of infection with the novel influenza virus A(H1N1)/Mexico have been confirmed in the European Union (EU) since 28 April, bringing the total number to 19: one case in Austria, three in Germany, 10 in Spain and five in the United Kingdom. In addition, two probable cases are investigated in France. All cases had returned from a stay in Mexico and had mild symptoms.

There is now evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission of the virus not only in Mexico, but also in the United States (US). First evidence of a case of human-to-human transmission is also reported within the EU (Spain). The World Health Organization (WHO) therefore raised the level of pandemic alert from phase 4 to phase 5 on 29 April 2009, thereby shifting the focus from preparedness to response. This entails increased activity, particularly in the affected countries, to reduce the impact of the pandemic on society, such as pandemic disease surveillance using the agreed case definitions, assessment of the impact of the pandemic, issuing of advice to the public, measures regarding antiviral drugs, etc.

A number of websites are keeping track of the continuously mounting numbers of suspected and confirmed cases across the world.

Regular updates on the outbreak of novel influenza virus A(H1N1) with a view to the implications for the European Union are published on the ECDC website. Official information is also available from WHO and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In response to inquiries from public health officials, Google.org launched on 29 April 2009 the site Experimental Flu Trends for Mexico, which provides up-to-date estimates of possible influenza activity in Mexico based on aggregated search queries. In November 2008 a close relationship was found between the number of people searching for influenza-related topics and the number of people who actually have influenza symptoms. Unlike Google Flu Trends for the United States, these estimates are not verified against historical Mexican influenza data.

Another non-official table keeping track of the case numbers world-wide has been created on Wikipedia.

Do you really believe that we lost 18- to 34-year-olds by 19 percent or we lost Hispanic voters because we are not conservative enough? No. This is a ridiculous line of thought. The truth is we lost young people because our Republican brand is tainted.

— Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), quoted in the New York Times.

From ProMed:

Egypt began slaughtering the roughly 300,000 pigs in the country Wednesday [29 Apr 2009] as a precautionary measure against the spread of swine flu, even though no cases have been reported here yet, the Health Ministry said.

The move immediately provoked resistance from pig farmers. At one large pig farming center just north of Cairo, farmers refused to cooperate with Health Ministry workers who came to slaughter the animals, and the workers left without carrying out the government order.

“It has been decided to immediately start slaughtering all the pigs in Egypt using the full capacity of the country’s slaughterhouses,” Health Minister Hatem el-Gabaly told reporters after a Cabinet meeting with President Hosni Mubarak.

Egypt’s overwhelmingly Muslim population does not eat pork due to religious restrictions. But the animals are raised and consumed by the Christian minority, which some estimates put at 10 percent of the population.

Health Ministry spokesman Abdel Rahman estimated there were between 300,000-350,000 pigs in Egypt.

Agriculture Minister Amin Abaza told reporters that farmers would be allowed to sell the pork meat, so there would be no need for compensation.

[…]

If you’re in South Florida this weekend, plan to attend the screening of the new documentary Out Rage at the Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival.

From Academy Award-nominated documentary filmmaker Kirby Dick (This Film Is Not Yet Rated) comes OUTRAGE, a searing indictment of the hypocrisy of closeted politicians with appalling gay rights voting records who actively campaign against the LGBT community they covertly belong to. Boldly revealing the hidden lives of some of the United States’ most powerful policymakers, OUTRAGE takes a comprehensive look at the harm they’ve inflicted on millions of Americans, and examines the media’s complicity in keeping their secrets.

With analysis from prominent members of the gay community such as Congressman Barney Frank, former NJ Governor Jim McGreevey, activist Larry Kramer, radio personality Michelangelo Signorile, and openly gay congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (Representative, Wisconsin 2nd district), OUTRAGE probes deeply into the psychology of this double lifestyle, the ethics of outing closeted politicians, the double standards that the media upholds in its coverage of the sex lives of gay public figures.

In the meantime, view the trailer.

“He ought to do what he feels is right. I’m sure it was a difficult decision for him to make.”

— Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R), commenting on Sen. Arlen Specter’s party change, and possibly contemplating one of his own. Crist, who recently married New York socialite and Halloween costume designer Carole Rome, has long been rumored to be gay. He also lobbied for Obama stimulus funds, in contrast to many other Republican governors who made shows of considering not taking the money.

Get this: Something called the National Republican Senatorial Committee is running robo calls in Pennsylvania to “introduce” the newest Democrat in the Senate, Arlen Specter. Goofiest bit? They actually invoke the ghost of George W. Bush to smear the former Repug.

Here’s the script and audio: “>

ANNOUNCER: (Disclaimer) Hello, this is Jack. I’ve recorded this message on behalf of the National Republican Senatorial Committee located at 425 2nd St, Washington, D.C., or 202-675-4260 to help you welcome your newest Democrat senator, Arlen Specter.

We wanted to make sure that we properly introduced him to you. Former President George W. Bush said this about Arlen Specter.

PRESIDENT BUSH: I’m here to say it as plainly as I can, Arlen Specter is the right man for the United States Senate. I can count on this man — see that’s important. He’s a firm ally when it matters most. I’m proud to tell you I think he’s earned another term as the United States Senator.

ANNOUNCER: Now here is Senator Specter on important issues to labor and Democrat interest groups.

SEN. SPECTER: I will not be an automatic 60th vote. And I would illustrate that by my position on employee’s choice also known as card check. Uh, I think it is a bad deal and I’m opposed to it and would not vote to invoke cloture.

ANNOUNCER: (Disclaimer) For more information, please visit nrsc.org/meetarlen. This call is paid for by the National Republican Senatorial Committee at www.nrsc.org and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.

You know, politics in America changes very quick. And I’m a big believer that things are never as good as they seem and never as bad as they seem. You’re talking to a guy who was 30 points down in the polls during a primary in Iowa. So I never, I don’t believe in crystal balls.

— President Barack Obama, during his press conference last night marking his first 100 days in office.

As noted previously, for the clearest, best-informed information on the Mexico influenza outbreak, we don’t listen to or read the mainstream media, we get it from a worldwide network of doctors and researchers. Here’s the latest from ProMed:

******
[1] Some questions
Date: Tue 28 Apr 2009
From: Roger Morris

Some questions
– ————–
For those of us who are involved in international work on influenza epidemiology and control and responding to the many media enquiries, there is a very large information gap in relation to diagnosis and epidemiology of the Mexican influenza. What is known of the genetic structure of this virus? It has been called a swine flu, but no evidence has been put forward to allow this statement to be evaluated. I have received information that it is a reassortant, which has genetic components from 4 different sources, but nothing official has been released on this. Where does it fit phylogenetically? Is there any genetic variation of significance among the isolates investigated? Would this help to explain the difference in severity of disease between Mexico and other countries?

It is also stated that it should be diagnosed by RT-PCR, without clarifying which PCR. I have received information that the standard PCR for H1 does not reliably detect this virus. Is this true? What is an appropriate series of diagnostic steps for samples from suspect cases? Could we have an authoritative statement on these issues from one of the laboratories, which has been working with the virus?
– —
Professor Roger Morris
Emeritus Professor of Animal Health
Massey University EpiCentre, PN623
New Zealand

[The genome sequences of several US isolates are now available at GenBank: see . – Moderator CP]

******
[2] New Zealand
Date: Tue 28 Apr 2009
Source: Ministry of Health, New Zealand, Media Release [edited]

Results of H1N1 (swine flu) testing
– ———————————–
Director of Public Health, Dr Mark Jacobs announced tonight [28 Apr 2009] that results from some of the Rangitoto College party who tested positive to influenza A on Sunday [25 Apr 2009], have also tested positive for swine flu H1N1.

Results from 3 of the samples were received earlier this evening [28 Apr 2009] from the World Health Organization regional laboratory in Melbourne and all tested positive for the same strain of swine flu. Testing continues on a 4th sample.

[…]

“Currently, women’s annual earnings are 78 percent of men’s earnings – or for every dollar a man earns, you earn 78 cents. Last year the figure was 77 cents – women gained one cent. Women face a wage gap at every educational level. Women of color are impacted even more. African-American women earned 30 percent less and Latinas earned 42 percent less than did men as a whole.”

— Marjorie Broward, American Association of University Women, commenting on Equal Pay Day, April 28, 2009 *

* I would have posted this yesterday but I was busy trying to earn my 78 percent.