Bank robbery (click here)
Airport stabbing suspect now considered a terrorist (click here)
Good news at the university; rally for better pay and job security. (click here)
Flint Water Crisis
March 22, 2018
By Zahra Ahmad
Flint -- State officials (click here) say the third round of water sampling at Flint schools has been completed.
Test results from sampling conducted during the weekend of March 17 have not yet been analyzed, according to Department of Environmental Quality spokeswoman Tiffany Brown.
However, the DEQ said in a March 22 release that 96 percent of water samples collected from Flint Community Schools that have been analyzed are within the federal lead action level of 15 ppb.
When the results are analyzed, the DEQ has said it will consider those and other water testing results before making recommendations for the state's role in Flint water going forward, including state-funded bottled water.
Testing began in Flint Community Schools in January....
This is getting a little silly. If these two deaths were isolated and there were no others, I'd entertain the idea CO-MORBITIES would have weighed heavier in the deaths, but, these are two of many.
This is the Mayo Clinic:
Legionnaires' disease (click here) is a severe form of pneumonia — lung inflammation usually caused by infection. Legionnaires' disease is caused by a bacterium known as legionella.
You can't catch legionnaires' disease from person-to-person contact. Instead, most people get legionnaires' disease from inhaling the bacteria. Older adults, smokers and people with weakened immune systems are particularly susceptible to legionnaires' disease.
The legionella bacterium also causes Pontiac fever, a milder illness resembling the flu. Separately or together, the two illnesses are sometimes called legionellosis. Pontiac fever usually clears on its own, but untreated legionnaires' disease can be fatal. Although prompt treatment with antibiotics usually cures legionnaires' disease, some people continue to experience problems after treatment....
I also believe there is just one person responsible for this tragedy and that is the Republican Governor Rick Snyder. He ordered the assignment of an emergency manager to Flint after his legislature changed the meaning of emergency manager.
More than likely Mr. Skidmore and Mr. Snyder had ailments before they contracted Legionella. But, the symptoms were made worse and life threatening when they were infected with the bacteria. This happens when older people are exposed to disease. It happens every year with the flu. It is always advised older Americans receive the flu vaccine every year to protect from serious illness and potential death.
The primary reason for death is not their ailments, but, Legionella bacteria causing an infection that killed them. The reason this is being discussed at all is because the wrong people are on trial.
March 23, 2018
By Ron Fonger
Flint -- A doctor (click here) says he believes two men who Flint water prosecutors say died from Legionnaires' disease actually died of other ailments and says the public shouldn't necessarily have been warned of outbreaks of the disease.
Dr. Jeffrey Band, former chief of infectious disease at Beaumont and a tenured faculty member at Oakland University, said he thinks Robert Skidmore died of progressive heart disease and John Snyder died from acute respiratory distress syndrome during the Flint water crisis.
Band's comments came during the 18th day of the preliminary examination of Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Director Nick Lyon, who faces charges of involuntary manslaughter and misconduct in office in Genesee District Court.
Witnesses have said previously that Skidmore and Snyder's deaths were at least partly related to Legionnaires' disease, and prosecutors claim Lyon bears responsibility for both deaths for failing to warn the public of outbreaks of the disease....
Why would anyone ever believe there was no ground for lawsuits about poisoned water?
March 19, 2018
By Lawrence Hurley
Washington - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday (click here) gave the green light to two class-action lawsuits filed by residents of Flint, Michigan who are pursing civil rights claims against local and state officials over lead contamination in the city’s water supply.....
Friday, March 23, 2018
By Barbara Bibbo
...United Nations officials (click here) condemned the continued arbitrary detention of Palestinian children by Israel saying the practice has become "systematic and widely spread".
A series of UN reports presented at the Human Rights Council shows how the living conditions of Palestinians across the West Bank and Gaza have dramatically worsened over the past year, and how children are bearing the brunt of the Israeli occupation, said Kate Gilmore, the UN deputy high commissioner for human rights.
"The past year saw hundreds of Palestinian children detained by Israel, some without charge under administrative detention," Gilmore said, addressing the council in Geneva on Tuesday.
"The impact of the conflict on the lives of children is entirely unacceptable. In this year alone, six children have been shot and killed in the context of protests."...
President Abbas needs to take some solace in knowing reporting agencies do care and try to bring about change for the Palestinian people and their children.
Perhaps, the people of Palestine will be recognized as people and not simply people carrying knives. There are arrangements that can be made to bring humanitarian supplies to Gaza and the West Bank, the question is when will the Palestinians see relief? Never? Starvation is a human rights abuse in case some in the Middle East forgot that fact.
19 March 2018
...Introducing his second report, (click here) Mr. Lynk said it focused on the right to health. He regretted that the Government of Israel continued to refuse cooperation with the Special Rapporteur. His report addressed two themes, of which the first was the deteriorating human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territories. He was deeply disturbed by the plight of the Palestinian children. Under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the deprivation of the liberty of a child had to be used as the last resort. Yet the deprivation of liberty of Palestinian children by Israel was institutionalized, systematic and widely spread. His second concern was Gaza, which was moving to a situation of calamity as a result of the comprehensive blockade imposed by Israel since 2007 on land, sea and air, which amounted to collective punishment. Turning to the right to health, Mr. Lynk said Israel made many of the critical decisions affecting the disfiguring state of health in Gaza, which was on the verge of collapse. An occupying power had the duty under international law to ensure that the right to health was fulfilled during the period of occupation, making Israel in profound breach of the right to health....
President Abbas needs to take some solace in knowing reporting agencies do care and try to bring about change for the Palestinian people and their children.
Perhaps, the people of Palestine will be recognized as people and not simply people carrying knives. There are arrangements that can be made to bring humanitarian supplies to Gaza and the West Bank, the question is when will the Palestinians see relief? Never? Starvation is a human rights abuse in case some in the Middle East forgot that fact.
19 March 2018
...Introducing his second report, (click here) Mr. Lynk said it focused on the right to health. He regretted that the Government of Israel continued to refuse cooperation with the Special Rapporteur. His report addressed two themes, of which the first was the deteriorating human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territories. He was deeply disturbed by the plight of the Palestinian children. Under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the deprivation of the liberty of a child had to be used as the last resort. Yet the deprivation of liberty of Palestinian children by Israel was institutionalized, systematic and widely spread. His second concern was Gaza, which was moving to a situation of calamity as a result of the comprehensive blockade imposed by Israel since 2007 on land, sea and air, which amounted to collective punishment. Turning to the right to health, Mr. Lynk said Israel made many of the critical decisions affecting the disfiguring state of health in Gaza, which was on the verge of collapse. An occupying power had the duty under international law to ensure that the right to health was fulfilled during the period of occupation, making Israel in profound breach of the right to health....
Libya hasn't made the news since Obama and Clinton left in 2017. Expect more of that.
By Guma el-Gamaty
In a press conference held in Tunis on Monday 19 March, (click here) an official from the Libyan Popular Front party, Ayman Abu Ras, who claimed to be speaking on behalf of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, said that the 47-year-old son of the country's late dictator will run for president in the next Libyan election.
The following day, however, the Zintan militia that has been holding Saif al-Islam captive since 2011, the Abubakr al-Siddiq brigade, said on its official Facebook page that Saif al-Islam denied he had ever authorised anyone to make such a statement on his behalf....
Syria will be back as a "big deal." The fact of the matter is the Syrian Civil War is almost over. Nearly half a million people later, Assad has nearly reclaimed the country. I would not expect more fighting from any rebels. The fate of the refugees lies in the hands of the UN and hosting countries. The Sunnis now in refugee camps will not be allowed back into the country. If I am reading the tea leaves correctly.
Assad pulled off one of the greatest redistribution of a population in history. I don't believe even pre-history has seen such slaughter and displacement.
I expect the Shia Crescent to have been resolved to the singular countries of Syria, southern Iraq and Iran. If this is the reality, the Sunni countries may want to consider asking Shia if they want to immigrate to these lands. That leave the Houthis and Yemen. With Eric Prince in Yemen compliments of the UAE, the Houthis may also be called up as a displaced population and reapportioned back to Iran, southern Iraq and Syria.
Ah, yes, Israel and Palestine.
That is Bolton's favorite subject because it gets the public's attention. The facts are there are extremists in the Executive Branch and they are going to drown out any and all attempts at a Palestinian state.
...The Palestinians' absence (click here) from the White House meeting was a continuation of their boycott of the Trump administration, due to his recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
A lot of people wonder about the American president. Tweets and comments about a range of issues suggests a lack of connection with what is politically conventional. The resignations and his firing of key aides indicates to some commentators that the man with minimum experience and knowledge about public policy is intent on surrounding himself with yes-people.
Saying yes to someone who does not know, and seems unstable in his expressions of the moment, isn't the way to run a world power....
The Trump administration can't seem to get the idea, unilateral talks aren't going to achieve any feasible to peace, but, what do I know, if Donald Trump says it happened, then it must be so.
The focus is always Gaza, because of Hamas, but interestingly enough is the fact the Palestinians of Gaza when survive rocket attacks and bulldozers, they do well.
...Two important measures of health indicate that Gaza is in better shape than many countries.
Life expectancy for women at 75.9 years and for men at 72.5 put Gaza above 87 countries in the case of women and 95 countries in the case of men.
Infant mortality in Gaza is 16.6 per 1,000 live births, which makes it better than 97 countries....
Other than Bolton's rhetoric, I wouldn't expect too much from the National Security Office. There is one thing I do expect though, silence on Russia and the 2018 elections, unless of course Putin decides to change American party affiliations more than he has before. Then the National Security Office will be all over Russia for interfering in the election and costing the Republican cronies, primarily the Kochs, more money than expected.
Bolton is laughable and a political appointee.
He is a FOX News adviser. Yes, still yet another one. But, beyond that he and Trump are perfect for each other, they are both big mouths.
Murdoch must be happy, his salaried employee list is getting shorter. Why not put them on the White House payroll and save some money.
Bolton is not a hawk, he is an extremist. His only tactic is to scream and yell, "The sky is falling."
He was never respected at the United Nations and he won't be anywhere else there is international involvement. All these folks will be ignored because they aren't in their positions to WORK, they are there to carry Republicans in 2018 elections.
With that said, I remember when Bolton was at the UN as ambassador. They would give him a room all by himself to make a speech. No one came and no one listened. He won't derail the peace process on the Korean Peninsula because he doesn't matter. And where the General needed a Senate confirmation hearing because he was military, Bolton won't have that hurdle.
I would expect more scare tactics of the National Security Office. Do we still use the color spectrum for terrorist threat? Well, expect that to be a real 'thing' again. What else? Think of all the radically stupid things that occurred with "W" and wait for it...it will be back.
Here is a good excuse for Bolton as to why all the old terror alerts aren't used anymore, "Well, it is because there were generals in this job and they simply don't have the sensitivity for the public."
March 23, 2018
By Jennifer Rubin
Following (click here) the “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything” adage, Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) put out an effusive statement thanking outgoing national security adviser H.R. McMaster for his service: “General McMaster has served our nation incredibly well for 34 years, and I thank him for the work he has done in leading the National Security Council,” Corker wrote on Twitter. “It has been a privilege to work with him on some of the most pressing issues facing our country.”...
Murdoch must be happy, his salaried employee list is getting shorter. Why not put them on the White House payroll and save some money.
Bolton is not a hawk, he is an extremist. His only tactic is to scream and yell, "The sky is falling."
He was never respected at the United Nations and he won't be anywhere else there is international involvement. All these folks will be ignored because they aren't in their positions to WORK, they are there to carry Republicans in 2018 elections.
With that said, I remember when Bolton was at the UN as ambassador. They would give him a room all by himself to make a speech. No one came and no one listened. He won't derail the peace process on the Korean Peninsula because he doesn't matter. And where the General needed a Senate confirmation hearing because he was military, Bolton won't have that hurdle.
I would expect more scare tactics of the National Security Office. Do we still use the color spectrum for terrorist threat? Well, expect that to be a real 'thing' again. What else? Think of all the radically stupid things that occurred with "W" and wait for it...it will be back.
Here is a good excuse for Bolton as to why all the old terror alerts aren't used anymore, "Well, it is because there were generals in this job and they simply don't have the sensitivity for the public."
March 23, 2018By Jennifer Rubin
Following (click here) the “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything” adage, Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) put out an effusive statement thanking outgoing national security adviser H.R. McMaster for his service: “General McMaster has served our nation incredibly well for 34 years, and I thank him for the work he has done in leading the National Security Council,” Corker wrote on Twitter. “It has been a privilege to work with him on some of the most pressing issues facing our country.”...
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