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© Associated Press
It's easy to notice these sorts of conditions being inflicted on America today, but I think the best example in the Western Hemisphere is probably Brazil. Right now they're going through one of the worst droughts in history, and if current rates of consumption continue, cities like Sao Paulo may be out of water in 4-6 months. After three straight years of drought, there's even talk of rationing the water to such an extreme degree, that they'll have to shut off the municipal supply to the public for 5 days a week.
© EPA/STR
These cases were reported from Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. In line with statistics, the maximum number of Ebola-related deaths and cases has been registered in Liberia — 3,947 cumulative deaths and 9,096 cumulative cases. Liberia is followed by Sierra Leone (3,423 deaths and 11,155 cases) and Guinea (2,072 deaths and 3,120 cases).
The number of Ebola deaths in these three countries rose by 189 and the number of cases rose by 372 since February 13.
Separate cases have also been registered in Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Spain, Great Britain and the United States. In most of these countries the number of Ebola-related cases does not exceed ten, with the only exception of Nigeria, where 20 people are infected by Ebola virus and eight have died.
The World Health Organization describes Ebola virus disease (formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever) as "a severe, often fatal illness, with a case fatality rate of up to 90%." Symptoms include sudden onset of fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. This is followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function, and in some cases, both internal and external bleeding. The infection is transmitted by direct contact with the blood, body fluids and tissues of infected animals or people. People are infectious as long as their blood and secretions contain the virus. The incubation period is 2 to 21 days. There is no known cure or vaccine for the disease. The only treatment offered is "supportive intensive care."
© ViceJosephat Torner is an albino rights activist in Tanzania and has been attacked for speaking out against the brutal murder of other albinos in his country.
In Tanzania the body parts of albinos are prized by witch doctors and their superstitious followers as they are said to bring wealth and luck when used in charms. A complete set of body parts can be sold for as much as $75,000, according to the Red Cross.
Comment: The question here is who is paying that kind of money for albino body parts.
This victim, Yohana Bahati, was kidnapped from his family home in the Geita region by an armed gang. Police said his mother, Esther, was struck with a machete as she tried to protect him.
"Unfortunately this family resides in a protected forest area," Joseph Konyo, the regional police commander, told Reuters. "It was extremely difficult for the police to immediately arrest the suspected robbers." Two other albino children who were in the house were not taken.
Comment: And it seems that the practice is protected by local law enforcement.
Yohana's mutilated body was discovered a few miles from his home, according to the BBC.
Fueled by superstition, people are violently attacking albinos in Tanzania.
Albinism, a hereditary condition that prevents people from producing pigment in their skin, hair, and eyes, is much more common in parts of Africa than the rest of the world. While an estimated one in 20,000 people are affected globally, this figure rises to one in every 1,400 Tanzanians.
Abductions and killings have become common in Tanzania — over 72 albinos have been murdered in the country since 2000. And the practice is showing no signs of stopping.
VICE News recently traveled to Tanzania to meet with Josephat Torner, an activist fighting for the rights and safety of albinos in his country.
Comment: Unfortunately, if there's a lot of money involved, you can be assured that the government won't move mountains to stop the practice. There may even be some high strangeness involved.
© Sun Sentinel
An excerpt from the article by Kerry Richards and Anna Joseph:
Dershowitz denies abusing the child trafficking victim; yet instead of acknowledging the gravity of the crime and showing compassion - even while denying involvement - Dershowitz's response has been shockingly vicious and sexist. In a recent interview, Dershowitz said his accuser was "a prostitute," and questioned her fitness as a mother. He went on to admit he had no qualms about calling a 15-year-old girl a prostitute, claiming "[s]he was not victimized ... she made her own decisions in life." Those are decisions that the law says no 15-year-old is old enough to make. One day after that interview, 38 Harvard Law School professors joined the many well-connected people who have tried to protect Dershowitz and [convicted sex offender Jeffrey] Epstein, releasing an open letter lauding Dershowitz's "courage."
Where is the focus on the plaintiff's courage? On her horrifying experience, and on the experiences of the millions of other minors bought and sold for sex each year? When rape victims do come forward, where is the focus on ensuring we don't re-victimize them in the media?
Brutalized by Epstein, betrayed by federal prosecutors who refused to pursue justice, Jane Doe #3 was then publicly shamed by Dershowitz. Shaming rape and human trafficking victims compounds injustice, violating those who report and discouraging others from doing so.
© AFP
Yazuv Balkan put forward the plans to pay single men a 'sexual necessity credit' of 75 Turkish lira (£19) per week as part of an attempt to curb the levels of rape and violence against women in Turkey.
Comment: Some twisted psychopathic thinking here!
During a tour of London's Science Museum, the 73-year-old said that landing on the moon gave us new perspectives of life on Earth, and this outlook must develop if we are to survive.
He also said aggression should be weeded out of the human race and replaced by empathy to avoid a major nuclear war ending civilisation as we know it.
Professor Hawking made the comments while escorting an American visitor around the museum as part of a 'Guest of Honour' prize.
Comment: Moving to another planet will not help us learn to overcome the psychopathic nature of society but only bring it along with us.
Just before the vote was to take place by the student senate, the university's Student Judicial Council, part of the student government, announced that it had ruled a resolution calling for divestment "unconstitutional" on the grounds that it was "discriminatory" and "one-sided." The ruling allowed no recourse or debate and the entire vote was then scrapped.
Comment: That's democracy for you!
As The Electronic Intifada reported, the university administration had insisted that discussions relating to the resolution be conducted in a secretive manner.
Comment: Any criticism or opposition "of that shitty little country", as French diplomat Daniel Bernard called it, will be met with dirty tricks.
Dustin Theoharis shot 16 times by police.
It is estimated that the two officers fired over 20 rounds of which 16 landed in Mr. Theoharis. According to Theoharis's attorney, Erik Heipt, "Theoharis suffered "a broken shoulder, 2 broken arms, broken legs, he had a compression fracture to his spine, damage to his liver and spleen."
To add insult to attempted murder, Theoharis was not the guy the police were after. According to King 5 News Seattle, the King County Sheriff's deputy and Washington Department of Corrections officer who shot him were at the house to arrest a man who'd violated his parole.
Last year's huge coal ash spill in North Carolina may cost Duke Energy $100M or the cost of a permit
© thinkprogress.orgCoal ash spill sends toxic waste downstream for 70 miles.
The electric utility made the announcement in its earnings report on Wednesday, according to the Los Angeles Times. A federal grand jury has been looking into the way Duke Energy manages the disposal and storage of the waste created at its coal-fired power plants ever since the coal ash spill occurred in February 2014.
The spill, which unloaded up to 39,000 tons of coal ash and some 27 million gallons of coal ash slurry into the Dan River, was the third-largest coal ash spill in US history.
Comment: In a SOTT article from last year, estimates of 50,000 to 82,000 tons of coal ash and up to 27M gallons of water were released from the 27-acre storage pond. Danville, Virginia, takes its water from the Dan River only 6 miles downstream of the pond. With 14 coal-fired plants in N. Carolina, Duke dumps its toxic metals into landfills, storage ponds or old mines - all subject to bursting dams and other environmental hazards.
"The company expects a proposed agreement could be reached and filed in the next several days for consideration by the court," Duke Energy said in its earnings report. "If approved, the proposed agreement would resolve the ongoing grand jury investigation of the company's coal ash basin management."
Coal ash is waste left after burning coal that contains arsenic, mercury, lead, and over a dozen other heavy metals, many of which are toxic.
© www.myfoxcarolinas.comProtesting Duke's illegal chemical dumping.
Comment: How nice. Retroactive pollution amnesty. Well, there is some mighty fine leaky thinking going on here! It would be a travesty to allow the company to "Duke it out" with a slap on the wrist and the cost of a permit. Obviously this does NOTHING to solve the problem, stop the leaks or rectify the ongoing damage to humanity and the environment. It is looking like Duke is part of the good-ol'-boys club after all. Justice? My Ash!
Comment: See also:
Brazil drought crisis deepens in Sao Paulo and other areas
Sao Paulo, Brazil's biggest city, faces water rationing amid drought