TANF needs to be replaced with a program that benefits struggling families to end the loss of their children to hideous "Adoption Subsidies."

TANF is a completely incompetent program that produces the working poor and not a stronger and better middle class.

There is nothing left to be said. The program has to build better families WHEN there is opportunity for them, otherwise, it needs to supplement the impoverished so they have a higher standard of living to support their children rather than destroy their families.

TANF is a work of POLITICAL RHETORIC AND PROPAGANDA. It is a direct result of hatred and ridicule of minorities. It is a fantasy and not a reality. The reality is that children are removed from impoverished homes to feelings of complete demoralized belonging. That TRAUMA caused by breaking up families lives with those children FOREVER.

TANF and Adoption Subsidies is a "Cradle to Grave Criminal Training Ground."

June 19, 2017
By Celisa Calacal

...Conducted by the Urban Institute, (click here) a think tank focusing on economic and social policy, the study looks at Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, a welfare program that provides cash assistance to poor families with children. Despite TANF’s goal to combat poverty since its creation in 1996, the number of families benefiting from the program has been declining. For instance, in 2014 only 23 families received TANF assistance for every 100 families living in poverty in the U.S. And in 2016, only 1 percent of the total population received assistance from TANF within an average month.

One of the most striking findings of the Urban Institute study showed that the impacts of a state’s TANF program are connected to its race demographics. In looking at the ratio of families living in poverty to those receiving TANF benefits, researchers found that the majority of African-American families live in states that provide TANF cash assistance only to 19 out of 100 families living in poverty. This means that a majority of African Americans, 56 percent, live in states ranking in the bottom half of the TANF-to-poverty ratio....               

There is so much that could have happened to prevent the bullet from reaching the target. Congratulations. That is amazing shooting.

June 22, 2017

A sniper in the Canadian special forces shot (click here) and killed an Islamic State (IS) fighter from a distance of 2.1 miles (3,540m) in Iraq last month.

Military sources told Toronto's Globe and Mail newspaper that the gunman is a member of Joint Task Force 2, and made the shot from a high-rise building.

It took the bullet almost 10 seconds to hit its target, it reports.

The Canadian Special Operations Command confirmed to the BBC the sniper "hit a target" from that distance.

The shot, which sources tell the paper was filmed, is thought to be a record for the longest confirmed kill....

May 15, 2015 Interview below. They pay a price for our freedom. They need to know their work is necessary and not based in hideously stupid leaders with alternative agendas. They need to know the citizens of their country are intact and treated fairly by their government for the price their sons pay.

They are not the property of Plutocarts.
              

This is a no brainer. Subpoena all the Trump tapes and ask Russia for any they are in possession of.

Trump is pleading with Congress to relieve sanctions against Russia, so make it a condition upon release of all surveilance tapes of the White House AND all the materials Russia has collected since the beginning of the election season of the 2016 elections.

June 23, 2017
By Mark Landler

..."With all of the recently reported electronic surveillance, (click here) intercepts, unmasking, and illegal leaking of information," Mr. Trump said in a pair of tweets shortly before 1pm, "I have no idea …. whether there are 'tapes' of my conversations with James Comey, but I did not make, and do not have, such recordings."...

We know from reports Trump is recording conversations in the White House. Turn over the tapes and the committees can decide if there was any Comey tapes of interest. There are many Comey visits, request them all.

We know Russia has taken data from the USA, especially voter rolls and Democratic headquarters. Russia has to turn over all the information they took and then the USA can think about releasing sanctions that will not cause injury to Ukraine. Just that simple. Ukraine is safe, Russia reveals it's records and sanctions relieved that are beneficial to Russia and the USA. Tillerson will be a happy man since he is now desperately trying to decide what course of action is needed to save ExxonMobile after they sold off the Iraqi oil fields.

There is plenty of precedent regarding the "The Trump Tapes" and parallel precedents with Iran's agreement regarding a nuclear program. 

As if Flint needed anymore trauma.

June 21, 2017
By Tim Wiley

This morning, (click here) law enforcement officers from a number of organizations, including the FBI’s office in Flint, Michigan, responded to Flint’s Bishop International Airport after receiving the report of a stabbing of an airport police officer who is presently considered to be in stable condition.

The suspect was taken into custody at the airport and is currently being questioned by law enforcement officers.

The FBI, with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners, is jointly investigating this incident to determine the nature and motive for the attack. We are aware of reports that the attacker made statements immediately prior to or while attacking the officer, but it is too early to determine the nature of these alleged statements or whether or not this was an act of terrorism.

Based on the information that we have at this time, we believe this to be an isolated incident. We currently have no specific, credible information that there is a threat to the Flint community.

If you have any information about this incident, please call the FBI’s Detroit Field Office at (313) 965-2323 or submit information at tips.fbi.gov.

22 June 2017

Lieutenant Jeff Neville has worked for more than 20 years as a law enforcement office

The suspect is Amor Ftouhi, 50,...(click here)

Lieutenant Jeff Neville is in a stable condition in hospital after Wednesday morning's attack at Bishop International Airport in Flint.

Lt Neville helped take the suspect,... into custody at the scene....

Tunisia? Wasn't Tunisia the first to carry out a revolution leading into the Arab Spring?

It seems to me increasingly second generation immigrant Americans and now a Canadian are identifying with the suffering of the impoverished in the USA. I hope this is more about an air flight as Flint, Michigan itself.

The Orlando killer was sympathetic with minorities in the club. They were allowed to leave the building while he assassinated others. It is a 'thing.' People are feeling it and acting on it.

June 22, 2017

Flint, Mich. -- A Canadian man from Tunisia (click here) accused of shouting "Allahu akbar" before stabbing a Michigan airport police officer remains in custody after appearing in federal court.

The attack Wednesday at Bishop International Airport in Flint, Michigan, is being investigated as an act of terrorism, but authorities have no indication at this time that the suspect was involved in a "wider plot," said FBI Special Agent in Charge David Gelios.

"At this time we view him as a lone-wolf attacker," Gelios said. "We have no information to suggest any training."...

Ftouhi is charged with committing violence at an airport....

The Golden Showers Republicans strike again. McConnell, the Sheriff of Nottingham.

McConnell loves his cronies more than the people that elected him. It was under a Democratic governor the people of Kentucky FINALLY was able to afford health care and received vital diagnosis.

June 22, 2017
By Robert Pear and Thomas Kaplan

...unveiling (click here) a bill to cut Medicaid deeply and end the health law’s mandate that most Americans have health insurance.

The 142-page bill would create a new system of federal tax credits to help people buy health insurance, while offering states the ability to drop many of the benefits required by the Affordable Care Act, like maternity care, emergency services and mental health treatment.

The Senate bill — once promised as a top-to-bottom revamp of the health bill passed by the House last month — instead maintains its structure, with modest adjustments. The Senate version is, in some respects, more moderate than the House bill, offering more financial assistance to some lower-income people to help them defray the rapidly rising cost of private health insurance....

The people of Kentucky need to rethink their US Senator in McConnell. He deliberately has dismantled the people's ability to be diagnosed of disease such as Black Lung and cancer. The two diseases resulting from working in the mines. There needs to be an investigation into the oppression of health care in relation to hindered diagnosis due to poor to no health care. The investigation can begin in Kentucky. When it is determined the number of people that have received no to few diagnosis of deadly disease then investigate the lack of treatment they have received. The day of dying Americans has to be over and not simply bartered with for campaign funding.

If an American cannot be diagnosed with disease they cannot receive treatment. Maintaining people in poverty without sufficient healthcare and FREE PREVENTIVE EXAMS annually will remove many treatable diseases from the bookkeeping of health care insurance companies. It has been a strategy of the past the requires investigation and subpoenas if not indictments.

Medicaid (click here) provides health coverage to millions of Americans, including eligible low-income adults, children, pregnant women, elderly adults and people with disabilities. Medicaid is administered by states, according to federal requirements.  The program is funded jointly by states and the federal government.

September 29, 2014
By Christopher Ingraham

The United States has a higher infant mortality rate than any of the other 27 wealthy countries, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control. A baby born in the U.S. is nearly three times as likely to die during her first year of life as one born in Finland or Japan. That same American baby is about twice as likely to die in her first year as a Spanish or Korean one.

Despite healthcare spending levels that are significantly higher than any other country in the world, a baby born in the U.S. is less likely to see his first birthday than one born in Hungary, Poland or Slovakia. Or in Belarus. Or in Cuba, for that matter.

The U.S. rate of 6.1 infant deaths per 1,000 live births masks considerable state-level variation. If Alabama were a country, its rate of 8.7 infant deaths per 1,000 would place it slightly behind Lebanon in the world rankings. Mississippi, with its 9.6 deaths, would be somewhere between Botswana and Bahrain....

After THREE years of the Affordable Care Act those numbers were reduced.

180       United States of America (click here)    5.59       2017 (est.)

That was just three years of maternal - child care. ONLY THREE YEARS. Where are we headed now?

In 2015, the USA had a maternal death rate of 25.1 per 100,000 live births. That maternal death rate is THE HIGHEST among developed countries. (click here)

May 12, 2017
By Nina Martin

...American women (click here) are more than three times as likely as Canadian women to die in the maternal period (defined by the Centers for Disease Control as the start of pregnancy to one year after delivery or termination), six times as likely to die as Scandinavians. In every other wealthy country, and many less affluent ones, maternal mortality rates have been falling; in Great Britain, the journal Lancet recently noted, the rate has declined so dramatically that "a man is more likely to die while his partner is pregnant than she is." But in the U.S., maternal deaths increased from 2000 to 2014. In a recent analysis by the CDC Foundation, nearly 60 percent of such deaths are preventable....

We already know the lack of sufficient health care is directly related to socio-economic conditions. If the Republicans are practicing their own variety of ethnic cleansing, it is working.

October 25, 2016
By Karen Blum

Maternal mortality rates in the United States (click here) have increased significantly in nearly every state except California since 2000, and women of color have a significantly higher risk than white women, experts said during an American College of Obstetrician and Gynecologists (ACOG) news briefing. Black women fared the worst, with maternal mortality rates more than two-fold higher than those for white women....

...recently in The Lancet to highlight maternal health in the United States, said Barbara Levy, MD, vice president of health policy for ACOG and coauthor of one of the Lancet articles.... 

...The rates in 48 states and Washington, DC, increased 27% from 2000 to 2014, from 18.8 to 23.8 per 100,000 live births, said Marian MacDorman, PhD, research professor at the Maryland Population Research Center in College Park, Maryland, citing work recently published in Obstetrics & Gynecology.

The researchers analyzed maternal mortality rates for Texas and California separately. Texas rates increased slowly from 17.4 to 18.6 per 100,000 live births from 2000 to 2010, then rapidly doubled to 38.6 per 100,000 live births in 2012. Although the rate has since declined a bit to 33.8 per 100,000 live births in 2014, it is still "much higher" than in any other state, Dr MacDorman said. From 2010 to 2012, the state experienced large cuts in women's health programs and clinic closings throughout the state, she said, although her research did not study potential associations.

California was the exception, with maternal mortality rates that decreased from 21.5 per 100,000 live births in 2003 to 15.1 per 100,000 in 2014....

Those in poverty are dependent on emergency rooms. It is a fact and considering the Medicaid Extension is removed from the support of the impoverished, their health will be in more danger of morbidity and mortality.

Mental health care has never been more critical in the USA considering the free and easy access to guns and weapons. The veterans in need of treatment, the elderly with onsets of Alzheimer's Dementia, drug and alcohol rehab and the prison population are all recipients of needed mental health dollars and not that is going to disappear AGAIN. 

The Republicans alleviated their own CRONY ACHES AND PAINS by removing the tax structure of the Affordable Care Act and cutting deeply into support programs for the people most in need of quality health care. The bankruptcies will be back, the housing foreclosures will be back and once again any gains the working poor made will be reduced to rubble AGAIN.

The Republicans have not changed, they are exercising the return to hideous policies that don't cover squat and only nearly on a good day get an American into the emergency room.

The Republicans and their president lied AGAIN. They have victimized the people less able to carry the burden and rewarded Wall Street with tax relief and give aways. Same 'ole, same 'ole; but; today with White Supremacists in the White House pandered to by a Republican majority in the US House and Senate it is more clear than ever the true agenda of this party.

Quality anything is not in a Republican dictionary; only quantity of dollars in basic mathematics is their only learning.

Donald Trump promised to end all "Free Trade Agreements" which we know was designed to sequester wealth.

There are currently at least three Goldman Sachs brokers within the structure of the Trump White House. Does anyone believe their plans for changes to laws within the Executive Branch are benign and beneficial to Americans?

Congress has to authorize trade after the President has negotiated trade with other countries. The thing is this: How much of the free trade agreements can be written into the infrastructure of the Executive Branch without the approval of Congress and unknown to the American people?

No former Goldman Sachs broker took the job with the White House to benefit the American people. That is a fact. So, why did they?

When left in the hands of morons a democracy can slowly die. The USA is definitely on that path.

It is time to call for formal recognition of the dangers of the Plutocracy that is plaguing the planet, quite frankly. The isolated wealth sequestered to a few is endangering most of the people of Earth. It is time for the United Nations to address the threat of sequestered wealth and it's perils to so many.

The Plutocrats can hide in rat holes and wait for the air to clear while a global war for power will destroy the biotic troposphere. Enough is enough.

The threat has to be identified, located and dialogues must take place. It is time to call the most dangerous threats to Earth's people what they are. The people of this planet cannot go on like this forever.

Future generations will fear, rather than fend for, the global environment.

20 June 2017

...“I can assure you, (click here) you’re going to be the first EPA administrator that’s come before this committee in eight years that actually gets more money than they asked for,” said Oklahoma congressman Tom Cole, a member of the US House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations who, as a Republican, is nominally on the same side as Pruitt. In a gruelling session, Pruitt was left in no doubt of what the committee members thought of proposals from Donald Trump’s administration to slash both the spending and the remit of the EPA.

“I’ll get straight to it. The fiscal year 2018 budget request for EPA is a disaster,” said Nita Lowey, a Democratic representative for New York who sits on the committee. The intended cuts of US$2.4 billion to the agency budget, she said, would “surely impact EPA’s ability to fulfil its critical mission of protecting the air we breathe and the water we drink”....

...A death zone is creeping over the surface of Earth, gaining a little more ground each year. As an analysis published this week in Nature Climate Change shows, since 1980, these temporary hells on Earth have opened up hundreds of times to take life 

(C. Mora et al.Nature Clim. Change http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nclimate3322; 2017). (click here)

At present, roughly one-third of the world’s population lives for about three weeks a year under such conditions. If greenhouse-gas emissions continue to rise unchecked, that figure could climb, exposing almost three-quarters of the population by the end of the century....

...Cities including London, New York, Tokyo and Sydney have all seen citizens die from the effects of excessive heat. By 2100, people in the tropics could be living in these death zones for entire summers....       

The longest day of the year greets North America with it's first named storm in the Gulf of Mexico; Tropical Storm Cindy.

21 June 2017
1830.18z
GOES East Water Vapor Satellite (click here for 12 hour loop - thank you)

June 21, 2017
By Sean Breslin

Authorities (click here) told local media that a 10-year-old boy was killed by flying debris Wednesday morning in Fort Morgan, Alabama, the first death attributed to Tropical Storm Cindy.

The child died of injuries suffered when an object was blown onto him by the tropical storm's strong winds, according to WKRG.com. The Coast Guard responded to the scene, but few other details were immediately available....

NATO should have offered an escort to wherever the Minister was going. Buzzing is so gauche.

21 June 2017

A NATO military plane (click here) on Wednesday approached the plane of Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu above the Baltic Sea, Russian news agencies reported, the third such encounter in three days....

The royals offer such valuable support to the UK. It isn't simply symbolic, their words carry brevity inside and outside the country. 

21 June 2017

The Prince of Wales (click here) has delivered a personal message of solidarity from the Queen as he visited faith leaders and community members including a victim of the suspected terror attack in Finsbury Park.

One man died and nine people were taken to hospital when a van driver targeted an area busy with worshippers attending Ramadan night prayers at a nearby mosque in the early hours of Monday....

The longest day of the year in Great Britain brings sweltering temperatures.

A child plays in a fountain at Bradford.

News today (19 June 2017) (click here) from the Met Office that the hot weather will now continue until Thursday, has prompted PHE to repeat its advice on how to beat the heat.

For the majority of people it is about common sense - staying cool, drinking plenty of water to maintain hydration, and avoiding sunburn. However, some groups can be particularly vulnerable and at much greater risk of harm, especially those with underlying heart and lung conditions, older people, babies and young children.

Looking out for people in these groups is important while most of England swelters under high temperatures.

Temperatures today were expected to top 30^oC in many places – which is above the point at which hot weather can impact the public’s health....

Russia believes the USA is as dangerous as Pakistan.

Listening to former DHS Secretary Johnson, it reminds me of a country concerned about the nuclear power of the USA and it's handlers.

I am not defending Russia, but, I believe Putin is worried about the stability and leadership of the USA since "W."

The question the USA should be asking is, "What does the USA look like to the rest of the world?"

I recognize Russia has breached the USA sovereignty as it relates to cyber space and it's relationship with politics and voters. That is a real threat. But, one has to wonder why Vladimir Putin would be involved directly.

Russia invaded the cyber space of the USA to expose the Democratic Party politics to control the outcome of the 2016 elections. Putin is very used to leading other leaders. He was building or perhaps has built that relationship with Trump. It could be fiscal, but, it's more than that. 

Clinton would not be easy to lead. A novice at the top of a government requires leadership and in this case Russia. One has to ask what possessed Putin to STUDY the voter base of the USA. 

Trump fits the need for Putin without a doubt in my mind. But, copying the voter bases is data mining. Why? Russia wants to influence all the USA elections from here forward? If so, why? It obviously has occurred since the fall of Iraq and the subsequent instability in the Middle East.

The global community is always concerned about whom has control of the nukes in Pakistan because of the gross instability in government (assassinations and treason trials) and the unpredictable ISI. Has the USA since "W" become another Pakistan? If we are calling the USA a Banana Republic, what consequence does the world face due to that fact?

I have to return to the White Supremacist movement in the USA. It has been successful. It has been very successful in elections. What happens to other peoples and other countries when a real madman takes the controls in the White House? 

The Russian prowess of cyber space is one of the reasons the F-35 is so very impractical. It is one of the reasons computers in government in sensitive areas is so completely ridiculous.

The issues are greater than Russia. We have witnessed the release of information from Republican organizations of member lists. It is to provide the country with information that will build and favor the GOP. In other words, if a job has candidates of equal stature, a GOP member should be chosen over anyone else. Why risk having anyone but a religious conservative in the company? It is a problem and now the morons of the GOP have an ally from outside the USA, namely Putin.

The GOP is corrupt. It is corrupt to the core. What political organization turns it's back on it's own children and plows full speed ahead with oil gluts in the face of a climate crisis? And they are very worried their "Old World" is coming to a close and they can't stop it. The ambitions of the GOP are toxic and any thinking, feeling American knows it.

I have an image in my mind I can't shake lately so let me share it with you. This is serious and not a joke, "Golden Showers, Trump." Translated into the president's place in the GOP it is "The Golden Showers GOP." Excuse the vulgarity, but, basically doesn't the GOP say "piss on it." "Piss on everything, EXCEPT, our cronies." 

It doesn't take a genius to throw the baby out with the bath water and isn't that what Wall Street wants?

Trump has captured the imagination of Americans to believe their country can be formed and shaped into their expectations without consequence. Americans are dummied down enough to believe they don't need government, except, for a mighty military. Well, their mighty military is being disarmed in the Pacific Ocean by freighter ships. There is a reason an aircraft carrier has an escort of very powerful ships, because, without them it is vulnerable should it's jets not be able to intercept and destroy incoming enemy jets.

The USA's reputation is extremely tarnished since the invasion into Iraq. Democracy in Egypt turned into a nightmare that brought about vulnerabilities to leadership that wished to do harm to citizens to achieve it's ideological goals. What if that happened in the USA? What if a leader thought it is time to do away with all the people his ideologies opposed and finally find Valhalla on Earth. A world shaped by ideology does manifest into the monster it is suppose to be.

I believe we are at that juncture. There is authority in the USA giving themselves permission to ravage our land, turn their backs on American health, reduce Medicare to a voucher and USE the USA government infrastructure for THEIR ideological purpose and let's not even start on my view of our imperiled education system.

I am dead serious. We are at a very dangerous place in history of the USA and Putin is pulling the puppet strings in the White House. The question we should be asking is, why and what purpose does it ultimately serve? No NATO? A return of the USSR?

Basically, we can't trust the people in power in the government in Washington, DC and it's isn't because of corruption feeding Wall Street; it is because of stupidity in leadership that creates vulnerability that is dismantling our democracy. 

I want every American to realize, the GOP has an ally outside the USA and it is Russia. That is a fact. Now, what are we all going to do about it?

Reality check!

June 5, 2017

By Buster Coen

After a weak Memorial Day frame, (click here) the box office was invigorated this past weekend by a big debut from Warner Bros.' "Wonder Woman."

Opening to $100.5 million, the DC film had one of the top openings of all time for a superhero origin movie, and the biggest opening ever for a film directed by a woman....

Not a member of the Screen Actor's Guild?

June 20, 2017

By Boede Carmody

Wonder Woman (click here) may have been pivotal in ending World War I, but there's still one fight she's yet to win: the gender pay gap. 

Everyone's favourite sword-wielding Amazonian, Gal Gadot, earned just $400,000 for her role in DC's latest superhero blockbuster....

This was a delightful film for even me. Wonder Woman is viewed growing into her role, not just as a child to adult, but, as a superhero.

Her inner self grows to realize the power within her over the entire film. It is delightful and harnesses the idea strength grows in self-awareness. She achieves her final strength as her favorite human dies (a hero himself) and she is confronted by a half-sibling, Ares, Ares is the God of War in Greek mythology.

Wonder Woman is younger, protected and less aware of the world. Ares uses that to his advantage. In the final scenes of her struggle, she digs deep and finds even greater power given her by her heritage. 

I won't give the ending away, but, it is a fun ride. 

This is a female directed film and I have to wonder what her salary was. I am rather disappointed Gal Gadot can buy a house, but, not a Delorian to take her Back to the Future. Because that is what is needed for Ms. Gadot and her director. They need a trip back to the future with a modern day respect for the talent in this fim. Ms. Gadot needs a guaranteed portion of the movie's revenue as does the director. 

Warner Brothers should be the proud father of the largest grossing film by a female director. It is a historical event to be proud of. The salaries of the women in the film should reflect that event.

And lose this poster. It reminds me of a pregnant image. Yes, I think that is victimizing, especially to the younger girls that will view this film and see this poster. I find it offensive.

Congratulations to Wonder Woman and all it's women that made it a great film.

And then there is this, too.

June 21, 2017
By David Wroe

The RAAF (click here) has halted air operations over Syria amid rising tensions with Russia, after the United States shot down a Syrian regime fighter jet.

Defence said in a statement that operations had ceased temporarily as a "precautionary measure" and a decision on resuming air strikes would be made "in due course". Operations in Iraq will continue.

The move follows Russia's declaration that it may view US planes flying in its own area of operations as targets. Tensions have risen rapidly since the US shot down a Syrian regime jet on Sunday near al-Raqqa, the heartland of the so-called Islamic State. The Syrian fighter had been bombing too close to US-backed fighters.

That triggered the bellicose response from Russia, which supports the regime of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad....

When were last assessed for life insurance. A selfie may be telling.

For the USA, the plutocratic playground, the only health insurance that will actually be affordable is "Medicare for All."

June 20, 2017
By John Collett

..."Smoking (click here) is going to be written on your face," Ricanek says. "Even if you stopped smoking, once it's written, it's there."

The software also estimates their body mass index and how quickly a person is ageing biologically, which can be quite different to their chronological age. 

Ricanek reckons Chronos would enable a customer to buy life insurance online in as little as 10 minutes without the need for a medical examination. 

Advances in life and computing sciences and harnessing the power of cloud computing have facial technology developers, such as Lapetus, claiming face-reading software provides much more accurate lifespan estimates than traditional methods....

In New Zealand it is the shortest day of the year.

Antarctica
Water Vapor Composite (click here for 24 hour loop - thank you)
20 June 2017
1900 UTC (about 3 hours behind NZ)

This is New Zealand's neighborhood. Winds can be strong at times. I think the satellite needs adjustment.

21 June 2017

The shortest day of the year (click here) has arrived, bringing winter's latest assault on the country.

Winds picked up overnight and vast swathes of New Zealand are set to be drenched as a complex low conjures up days of rain, thunderstorms, gales and even snow for the South Island.

This morning MetService put out severe wind and rain alerts covering the upper North Island and southern Westland....             

There is no reason for young Americans to put their lives in danger. They confuse purpose with the freedoms they have at home.

The newer generations of Americans value service as a method to learn and ultimately earn a living. That's fine, but, serving in country's where dictators slay relatives is not the place for any American.

Conclusions (click here): PCV are exposed to unique risks, but these risks have become significantly less fatal over the past 20 years when compared to prior Peace Corps data and matched US population data.

There is no perfect world and while serving the USA through initiatives like the Peace Corps, there will always be an element of danger.  In countries like North Korea the USA does not maintain an embassy. Normally, in those countries the Embassy of Sweden comes forward to assist.

Young Americans should never take it upon themselves to bring about a sign of liberation. It is not their place and inevitably they pay for it. Another example is the Rachel Corrie act of bravery. There is almost never any good that comes of it.

Otto Warmbier went to North Korea and was exuberant about the freedom he had back in the states. That enthusiasm is backed in the USA by innumerable freedoms guaranteed by law. A simple act of defiance is never welcome in places that reject freedom. Look at the way journalists are treated, as if spies by countries engaged in free trade with First World countries such as the USA. Even Egypt, prosecuted journalists because of their dedication to freedom.

Otto Warmbier knew when he made that confession it was the worst thing he could do, but, he was desperate to have a small chance the North Koreans would send him home. He gambled with his life and he lost. Never admit to any form of treason of another government. Otto Warmbier was innocent in his enthusiasm and his expression as an American. He meant no malice so much as HOPE for the future of North Korea. That is all it was. It was an expression of hope. He was not a member of a revolution or even close to being a leader of a militia. Otto Warmbier was innocent of the charges placed on him and he should have stood his ground.

The US Secretary of State is the primary contact to engage foreign relations. It is under the protections afforded through the USA government that young Americans should be seeking purposeful adventure to other countries. 

If they can't be safe, please stay home.

Mr. Warmbier's confession opened the door to torture.

June 20, 2017

Cincinnati - A coroner's office in Ohio (click here) is investigating the death of a 22-year-old college student who died shortly after his return to the U.S. after nearly a year and a half in North Korean detention, a spokesman said Tuesday.

The spokesman for Hamilton County Coroner Dr. Lakshmi Sammaraco said the office "accepted the case" of Otto Warmbier, who died Monday in a Cincinnati hospital. Justin Weber told The Associated Press that a news conference is expected later to provide more information.

Wambier's parents did not cite a specific cause of death, but cited "awful, torturous mistreatment" by North Korea. Doctors had described Warmbier's condition as a state of "unresponsive wakefulness" and said he suffered a "severe neurological injury" of unknown cause....

The CDC.

These symptoms (click here) all result from muscle paralysis caused by the toxin. If untreated, the disease may progress and symptoms may worsen to cause paralysis of certain muscles, including those used in breathing and those in the arms, legs, and trunk (part of the body from the neck to the pelvis area, also called the torso). People with botulism may not show all of these symptoms at once.

Botulism is not associated with brain destruction. The symptoms are due to the muscles and nerve impulses, not the brain.

The WHO:

...Botulinum toxins (click here) block nerve functions and can lead to respiratory and muscular paralysis....

...Inhalation botulism

Inhalation botulism is rare and does not occur naturally, for example it is associated with accidental or intentional events (such as bioterrorism) which result in release of the toxins in aerosols. Inhalation botulism exhibits a similar clinical footprint to foodborne botulism. The median lethal dose for humans has been estimated at 2 nanograms of botulinum toxin per kilogram of bodyweight, which is approximately 3 times greater than in foodborne cases.

Following inhalation of the toxin, symptoms become visible between 1–3 days, with longer onset times for lower levels of intoxication. Symptoms proceed in a similar manner to ingestion of botulinum toxin and culminate in muscular paralysis and respiratory failure.

If exposure to the toxin via aerosol inhalation is suspected, additional exposure to the patient and others must be prevented. The patient's clothing must be removed and stored in plastic bags until it can be washed thoroughly with soap and water. The patient should shower and be decontaminated immediately....

Mr. Warmbier may have been exposed to botulism. It would be helpful if the WHO had statistics on botulism in North Korea. I doubt there are many modern day health statistics, but, there are probably some from the time of Kim Jong-Il. He was a better leader than his son has been. He had some affection for the people of North Korea. He allowed aid to the people so there maybe some understanding as to the health and illness (Morbidity and Mortality - click here) there.

August 1, 1986  / 35(30);490-1 Botulism antitoxin for patients (click here) with signs and symptoms of human foodborne or wound botulism is released to physicians by CDC from its quarantine stations located throughout the United States. Any health-care provider requesting botulism antitoxin should first contact his/her state health department. A list of daytime and 24-hour telephone numbers (if available) is published to assist those seeking botulism antitoxin (Table 2). If the state health department is unreachable during nights or on weekends, CDC may be called at (404) 329-2888 (24-hour number)

When botulism is suspected, a careful food history, especially for home-canned vegetables or fruits, should be sought, and the suspected food items, saved. Stool and serum should be obtained from patients with possible botulism and refrigerated. Electromyography should be done using repetitive stimulation at 40 Hz or greater. When indicated, cerebrospinal fluid should be examined for white blood cells and protein, and a Tensilon challenge test should be done. The patient's vital capacity should be monitored. The results of these tests are helpful in evaluating the need for botulism antitoxin. Reported by Enteric Diseases Br, Div of Bacterial Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, CDC.

I am looking forward to the coroner's findings.