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Wednesday, 29 June 2016
Tuesday, 28 June 2016
Are
We Headed Towards A New Ice Age?
As
the Sun enters another phase of a cycle never seen before (and
comments that it has been in this particular cycle or phase in 1645 are highly
inaccurate) is the world about to enter another ice age?
First
let me say that I am not an astrophysicist (but I did read physics)
so my views are entirely those of a layman.
Rather
than re-invent the wheel, I am republishing a blog which I wrote
several years ago to give the reader some appreciation about 'Space Weather' dominated by the Sun in our solar system.
Patrick
Emek
Now read on...............
What On Earth Is Happening On The Sun?
-The Maunder Minimum Returns-
[Or Is This Just The 'Silly' Season?]
Have
you noticed how cold it is in Wisconsin and Nebraska? Indeed have you
checked how warm it is in Great Britain for this time of year? Or
indeed the unusual climatic variations right across Europe in
January-which are significantly at variation with previous years for the
month of January? If you have, and like myself, you are interested in
the political debate about global warming and global freezing [and to be
quite honest, I am very confused and really don't know which of the
scientific groups to believe], you might however want to check out an
interesting technical and scientific article below about the sun's
activity. For those of you too busy to check it out, the essence of
the article is a quote from one of the world's most respected solar
physicists, Richard Harrison, Head of Space Physics at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire, who told the BBC
that in his 30 years as a physicist, he has seen nothing like it. I
must first say that even though this area is way way way outside my
Ballpark (!)...but..(!)....on 15th December last year, I contacted one
of the world's renowned experts in solar and space 'weather', Jan
Alvestad, [ http://www.spaceweather.com.au/ ]
to ask if, during a very specific period (in hours and minutes)
between 14th-15th December, any unusual solar occurrences had
transpired. His answer was negative and I apologized profusely for
interrupting his observations. As I am not a professional in this
matter and so as to the avoid ridicule and laughter of experts, I
quietly but put my own observations to file and closed the case in the
firm belief that I was hopelessly in error of an unusual pattern of
climatic shift associated with a very specific set of my [imagined]
solar events which may have 'peaked' on 'silence' in a given time frame I
had [imagined I had] noted. Having just read an article posted by
News Network Limited on 19th January, 2014 at 1:36AM [http://www.couriermail.com.au/technology/science/scientists-baffled-as-sun-activity-falls-to-century-low/story-fnjwlbuh-1226805090679] someone with more scientific expertize [and journalistic courage!] has
beaten me to it and boldly said that there is indeed unusual activity
taking place on the sun and that there could be profound climatic
implications resulting. The article is entitled 'Scientists baffled as
Sun activity falls to century low'. The point I want to make here is
that scientists should not be baffled. The arrogance in thinking that
we [humans] understand the cycle of an entity which had been in
existence roughly 4.6 billion years - when we just understand the
workings of the female [human] menstrual cycle, is itself beyond
belief. I don't know if there is something happening in the Sun's cycle
which is a repeat of a pattern [Maunder cycle] which we can relate to
from the first time of our own primitive empirical observations, or is
part of a cycle which repeats every 50000 or 50 or 500 million years.
What I do know is that politicians [and private institutes] had better
release more funds to further observe such events because of their
direct impact on our way of life over a relatively short timescale
between observation and effect.
© Patrick Emek, 2014
Some outdated references below have been removed since 2014 and others updated so I have deleted non-existent references. You can find them all in the original blog of 2014.
'Space weather.co.au' is now directly managed by the Australian government's 'Bureau of Meteorology.' I do not wish to be too disrespectful but the Australian government's new website is not meant to be as 'informative' to the wider populace and is more focused on the security interests of Australia as opposed to those of the wider scientific (and lay) communities worldwide.
However, the populace, as a whole, will, more likely than not, believe 'the men in white coats' from 'the Ministry or Bureau' before seeking 'alternative' opinions.
Jan Alvestad, one of the world's foremost experts on Space Weather, has also 'moved on' to a new site. These changes are all reflected in the updated references below.
Additional Reference [2014/01/28]:Sun Scientists Debate Whether Solar Lull Could Trigger Another 'Little Ice Age' -The Huffington Post- By Macrina Cooper-White
updated Huffington Post reference located at:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/24/solar-lull-little-ice-age-sun-scientists_n_4645248.html
http://spaceweather.com/
http://www.solen.info/solar/
http://www.solen.info/solar/indices.html
http://www.lwca.org/sunpage.html
http://services.swpc.noaa.gov/text/3-day-forecast.txt
http://newsfeed.time.com/2014/01/05/blaze-turns-historic-nebraska-opera-house-into-icy-winter-wonder/
http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/rare-snows-in-north-africa/61172
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2523259/Historic-snow-fall-turns-Holy-Land-scenes-Christmas-cards.html [13th December,2013]
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2013/12/snow-in-cairo-for-first-time-in-over-100-years.html
[12/13/2013]
http://www.climatedepot.com/2016/06/25/the-sun-goes-blank-again-during-the-weakest-solar-cycle-in-more-than-a-century/
http://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/the-sun-has-gone-blank-and-there-could-be-another-ice-age-on-the-way/ar-AAhL3dL?li=BBoPOOl&ocid=mailsignout
http://www.sws.bom.gov.au/Space_Weather
Thursday, 23 June 2016
BREXIT!
24th
June, 2016
[A
day which will go down in infamy in the history of European Union!]
or
to those who voted in favor:
''Independence
Day!''
With
The United Kingdom headed for the exit door of the European Union, I
cannot but help thinking that this will be looked back at in 100 years as a monumental historical blunder on the part of the British people
and their Brexit politician protagonists.
To
get some indication about the direction Europe is now headed without
Great Britain, I am re-blogging an earlier article.
(And
you don't have to be 'psychic' to see what's coming back from hell!)
'The
Good Shepherds'
Germany
and France will now assume ascendancy and responsibility for the fate
of Europe.
The
United States will pivot towards support of it's European partners in
security and trade.
Will
the EU succeed in reforming itself before it's inevitable implosion
takes place? Only time will tell.
What
I can say is that, in the eyes of Europe, 'perfidious Albion' will
not again be trusted, for a very long time, as a reliable partner –
either to reform a broken European Union nor to take any lead role in
the (assumed) process of reform.
With
the support of it's ally, The United States, Europe will survive
without Britian, and as I have said several years ago, after reform
and dealing with some monumental issues (including immigration from
outside the European Union and the status of refugees (all dumped
incidentally on the European Union's doorsteps as a direct result of
our meddling in wars in Muslim lands - and which problems these
innocent refugees had no part in creating) Europe will again thrive and
prosper.
'Whose
That Knocking At Our Door?'
When
this happens, and Europe is again flowing with prosperity and
opportunity, Britain will again come knocking at the door for a new
membership arrangement or treaty within a dynamic and reformed
European Union since it's Brexit arrangements will long-since have
run their course, become obsolete and no longer financially viable in
a world where trading blocks are the standard currency.
I
probably will not be alive when this time comes but it would be
interesting to see what the response will be – knowing how Great
Britain deserted Europe in it's darkest moment, in it's greatest hour
of need and of political and moral support.
[I
expect, as politics usually goes, it will be a case of 'forgive and
forget' - and let's get on with the business at hand (!)]
Who
Now Has The Financial Hub To Provide Europe With The Stability It
Requires?
In
the meanwhile will Europe inexorably drift towards Russia? Only time
will tell – but I certainly hope it will not.
Should
Britons care if this happens?
'The
Distant Drums'
In July 1939, Poland was so far away, it seemed insignificant. Indeed most
Britons could not have told you where it was. Today The Ukraine,
Hungary, Turkey, Syria and Iraq, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania also
seem so very very far away – and many Britons would be hard-pressed
to identify where exactly they are on a blank map.
My
concern is that in the process of destroying the European Union under
the pretext of demanding immediate reform with ultimatums, the United
Kingdom will again sow the seeds of it's own unravelling and leave it
yet again 'in splendid isolation' in a very dangerous world where
isolationism and 'going it alone' ('the lone wolf') is a path fraught
with perils and where strength in numbers, unified trade, legal,
economic, political and military structures all combined provide the
security umbrella for trade and commerce to grown to flourish and to
prosper both at home and abroad.
©Patrick
Emek, June 2016
Now
read on..........................................................
Why The United Kingdom Should Stay In Europe
On 23rd June 2016 a historic vote will take place in the United Kingdom.
On that day the British electorate, the common folk, will decide whether Britain will remain or leave the European Union.
Unlike the rest of Europe, the British electorate have been given by the government of Premier David Cameron a 'real' referendum on whether to stay 'in Europe' or 'Britian out' (Brexit) from Europe.
Unlike other countries within the 'Union' the bureaucrats in Brussels and Strasbourg will not be able to 'persuade' the British government (the second most powerful economy in the European Union) to have a second or third or fourth referendum until the British electorate 'get the vote right'. So this vote folks, will determine the destiny not just of Britain but also of Europe for (perhaps) centuries.
The Roots of All Evil
Europe (The EU Parliament) is a bully. Remote from the people it facelessly governs. It is a bureaucratic mess. It is incompetent, petty with it's over-regulation stifiling the ability of business both to succeed at home and compete abroad.
It is the Western European equivalent of COMECON – the Soviet Union's fake economic union of Soviet (WARSAW PACT) member states.
The European Union, as exists in it's current shape or form, is doomed to ultimate administrative collapse and a horrible bureaucratic death in a Hell-fire sea of paperwork - drowning all the way to the bottom and consumed to total incineration it's very own ashes.
With all of the above, you might well say to me, 'what's the point then of Britian staying in?'; 'lets get the hell outta Dodge City while we still can!'
But let us look at who will be remaining inside the Union to pick up the mess and carry out much needed (and long-overdue) reforms as the bureaucracy grinds to an inexorable deadlock, immobility and standstill on many key issues.
After the Fire
Germany – one of only a handful of other stable economies within the European Union (apart from Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark) which are not, technically, bankrupt and which can show physical exports of goods and services worldwide – will remain as the only key EU member with the financial, organizational and political clout to 'pick up' the shattered pieces (ashes) from a devastated Europe after the EU bureaucracy collapses or grinds to an inefficient standstill. But it will need support in 'reshaping' a defunct and dysfunctional European Union Parliamentary system with a new constitution and new direction so that Europe can continue to effectively compete as a major player in the global market economy where trading blocs and economic integration are the future for the planet in the short-term.
Religious Minorities, Discrimination and Pogroms In Europe Today
I remarked not too long ago that the only Black and Muslim faces you see in the Parliament of Europe are to be found in the kitchens below ground level. So it was no surprise to me (personally) that many 'volunteers' from EU member States thought that joining, fighting and dying for ISIS/ISIL/The Islamic State/Daesh, even with all it's twisted and inverted ideology and evil visions for the future of Islam, was far better and more honorable than, as they perceive it, living as Muslim 'serfs' in Western Europe with all it's 'alien' values, equal rights for men, women, gays and lesbians, nightlife, the 'immorality' of alcohol, pubs, cigarettes, bar and club life where men and women congregate together for entertainment and pleasure, and the separation of church and state in a 'godless' 'hell' ruled by Mammon.
As such would be perceived through their eyes, better to die a 'free' man in 'the 'perfect' Muslim society on earth (Daesh propaganda about it's Islamic Caliphate) than as a 'slave' in an ocean of apostasy.
The Taliban in Afghanistan share with their counterparts in the Daesh Caliphate (The Islamic State) this same Wahhabist and Salafist (Saudi Arabia originated) vision of the world and existence.
In their eyes, our way of living and lifestyle choices are 'works of the devil' whose exorcism can only be 'cleansed' by death or conversion to Islam.
[As a researcher and analyst, I closely followed 'chatter' on ICQ (long before Facebook and the like) where there were 'buzzes' of ideas about Islam, where it had 'gone astray' and where it should be going.]
Exodus
As tribal Europe intensifies it's modern-day 'pogroms' against all Muslims, expect, as with the Jews in the 1920s and 1930s, an exit of professional highly-educated and highly-skilled individuals in search of peace, freedom and religious tolerance to elsewhere in the world.
The vast majority are not 'extremists' so Saudi Arabia would never be their country of choice nor lifestyle.
(I have my own ideas of where they will be headed today – and the places would surprise you as they are not at all where you would traditionally expect migrants and refugees to end up.)
One Country's Loss.........
Without the tribal pogroms in the Ukraine, in Russia proper and in Germany in past centuries we would never today have had Levi Strauss nor Isaac Asimov nor Albert Einstein nor the hundreds of thousands of talented Jewish individuals whose exit from Europe fleeing from persecution and discrimination was a 'godsend' to other emerging and existing superpowers.
At that particular time, the United States was the greatest beneficiary from such pogroms against the Jews in Europe for nearly two centuries.
(Most did not stay beyond a few decades in England and many (or their children) made their way to 'the golden land' - where their skills and talents were properly rewarded in a peaceful and democratic environment, free from religious persecution and where they and their families were protected from blatant injustices and pogroms by laws of the land.)
In a world where regional trading blocs will be of increasing importance hitherto unrealised opportunities will arise for those fleeing persecution in Europe to new, dynamic and emerging economies and trade zones in the developing world where likewise their skills and talents will be valued and appreciated for what they are, in their own right.
[To give the reader some appreciation of the extent of consolidation of regions for economic, trade and investment purposes, please refer to the references at the end of this blog.]
After the Fire
Russia
After the EU collapses under the weight of its own bureaucracy Europe, without Britain present, would move politically closer towards fascism and it new leaders would be encouraged by Moscow to seek closer trade, monetary and military ties with Russia and the Russian rouble and away from the (U.S.) dollar.
Fear and tribalism (innate to Europe) would then take hold and accelerate this procesas.
The 'new' political (Fascist) 'Right' would, in the absence of British and U.S. democratic influence, see many more 'encouraging' factors in building stronger ties with Russia.
Dictatorship
Russia will not ask 'awkward' questions of Western Europe's new fascist rulers as they would move collectively, without the influence of Britian nor America present, to 're-shape' the continent in their own image.
Let us, for one moment and very briefly, look at what happened historically when Britain and the United States remained isolationist ('in splendid isolation') from Europe.
Fascists Join Forces Across Continental Europe
No I am not just talking about yesterday but how the past is repeating itself today in tribal Europe.
Remember folks it was not Great Britain nor the United States which signed a 'military' alliance with The Fuhrer as the Nazis swept both into power in Germany - 'democratically' - through the ballot box - and across Western Europe in a process called 'Blitzkrieg'.
It was fascist Russia and fascist Germany which together signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop' pact or alliance – effectively co-joining the Communists of Russia with the Nazis in Germany.
This alliance or 'pact' would, it was hoped, enable both regimes to dominate the continent of Europe: Germany in the West and Russia in the East.
Both Stalin and Hitler however had their own unique visions for such a union of convenience but as two fascist dictatorships, they were on better speaking terms with each other than with Great Britian, the United States and their respective allies. In other words Hitler and Stalin 'understood each other' (or thought they did) better than the British and the Americans since they saw the world the same way: ripe for military domination and economic re-shaping; starting with continental Europe, then moving on to take over the United States then to dominate the entire planet.)
As with all dictators, Stalin and Hitler were soon to fall out and start a war with each other rather than first with their very own common enemies, as to which 'version' of fascism (Communism or Nazism) would rule the world.
Both of course blamed each other for the collapse of the 'pact'.
If Hitler had not acted first with superior airpower and swiftly moved batallions into the East to crush the surprised and totally unprepared Soviet military forces, as soon as he was (militarily) capable for action, Stalin most certainly would have invaded Western Europe with his very own version of 'lightning strike'.
It was the equivalent of two large cannibal spiders going to war:the cage (planet) was simply too small for both to co-exist peacefully so one had to eat the other – and very quickly – then consume what remained of the other insects and smaller spiders and re-shape the (remaining) devastated ecosystem in it's own image.
It was at this point that the West (Britain and America) out of pure self-interest and self-preservation, saw Stalin as the lesser of the two fascist evils and decided to throw the weight of the Wsetern Allies behind the weaker of the two warring powers - Stalin's Communist Russia and against Hitler's Nazi Germany.
Why It's In Russia's Interest For Britain To Exit Europe
It should therefore come as no surprise that the successor to the Soviet Union's Josef Stalin – President Vladimir Putin – would wish to see Britain 'out' rather than 'in' Europe:
Continental Europe will be easier for Russia to economically, politically and militarily dominate with Britain and America both removed from the scene than if they are both to remain – and to remain committed to reforming the European Parliament to make it less bureaucratic, more streamlined and more efficient.
(But Britain can only do this if it remains as a member of the European Union.)
Hence Russia's 'anti-American' rhetoric coupled with support for the United Kingdom's 'Brexit' movements - all designed to pander to tribalism, racism, effectively using the propaganda of fear - evoking British and European 'tribal heimats' - of a dilution of the 'purity' of Europe, it's traditions and values – playing (quite effectively I might add) on ancient Europe's dark innate fears with regard to tribalism and racism by placing them into a modern day context.
[Most Europeans are, like their American and British counterparts, unaware of the real power of propaganda which was most effectively used by both Communist Russia and Nazi Germany to garner support for their respective causes.
Even today the propaganda from Russia is light years ahead of anything coming from either the United States or from Western Europe.]
Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
So for Britian to abandon Europe is effectively handing it over, lock, stock and two smoking barrels to the Russian Federation and it's allied economic and military forces, prepared and eager as they all are to re-shape and re-build Europe and it's institutions (Brussels and Strasbourg) in their very own images.
The Immediate Future For Europe
No doubt there will be a lot of challenges, turbulence, turmoil and political instability in continental Europe in the coming months, years and perhaps decades (similar to the 1930s before Hitler took power) but there is no doubt in my mind that Western Europe and the entire planet are safer (from another Hitler) and more at peace with Britain remaining inside, as a player, as a member, and as a reformer, rather than a 'Brexit' from the European Union.
It's a rocky road ahead - but less so with Britain 'in' than 'out' of Europe.
©Patrick Emek, May 2016
http://blogs.worldbank.org/opendata/what-are-trade-blocs-and-how-do-two-latin-america-s-largest-compare
http://europa.eu/index_en.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Union
http://brics2016.gov.in/
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-to-host-8th-brics-summit-in-goa/article8385272.ece
http://thebricspost.com/8th-brics-summit-to-be-held-in-goa-in-october/#.V0psLiGSAhA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BRIC
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160528/1040413046/russia-putin-asean-sochi.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasian_Economic_Union
http://www.apec.org/about-us/about-apec/fact-sheets/regional-economic-integration-agenda.aspx
https://www.pecc.org/research/ftaap
http://thediplomat.com/2015/11/as-tpp-leaders-celebrate-china-urges-creation-of-asia-pacific-free-trade-area/
http://www.oecs.org/media-center/press-releases/economic-union
http://www.cfr.org/trade/mercosur-south-americas-fractious-trade-bloc/p12762
http://dartmouthbusinessjournal.com/2015/06/south-americas-newest-trade-bloc-and-america/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organisation_of_Eastern_Caribbean_States
http://today.caricom.org/2016/02/19/communique-issued-at-conclusion-of-27th-caricom-intersessional-meeting/
http://www.caricom.org/
(note:Caricom and OECS should be seen as extensions of economic and trade influence of former Caribbean colonial powers of Europe rather than independent entities in their own right. [P.E.] )
http://www.economist.com/news/finance-and-economics/21591246-continent-mulls-merging-currencies-ever-closer
http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/africa-in-focus/posts/2016/03/15-west-africa-economic-monetary-union-sy-sow
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/AFRICAEXT/EXTREGINI/EXTAFRREGINICOO/0,,contentMDK:20626350~menuPK:1592396~pagePK:64168445
~piPK:64168309~theSitePK:1587585,00.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heimat
https://www.google.com/search?sclient=psy-ab&client=firefox-b&biw=1280&bih=871&noj=1&q=Blitzkreig&oq=Blitzkreig&gs_l=serp.3...182337.186739.1.187163.10.10.0.0.0.0.0.0..0.0....0...1c.1.64.serp..10.0.0.IMVi0Ewajlw&gfe_rd=cr&ei=XGdKV9n0MoaGtgfJ1LrICQ
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molotov%E2%80%93Ribbentrop_Pact
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Asimov
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levi_Strauss
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120735/
Why The United Kingdom Should Stay In Europe
On 23rd June 2016 a historic vote will take place in the United Kingdom.
On that day the British electorate, the common folk, will decide whether Britain will remain or leave the European Union.
Unlike the rest of Europe, the British electorate have been given by the government of Premier David Cameron a 'real' referendum on whether to stay 'in Europe' or 'Britian out' (Brexit) from Europe.
Unlike other countries within the 'Union' the bureaucrats in Brussels and Strasbourg will not be able to 'persuade' the British government (the second most powerful economy in the European Union) to have a second or third or fourth referendum until the British electorate 'get the vote right'. So this vote folks, will determine the destiny not just of Britain but also of Europe for (perhaps) centuries.
The Roots of All Evil
Europe (The EU Parliament) is a bully. Remote from the people it facelessly governs. It is a bureaucratic mess. It is incompetent, petty with it's over-regulation stifiling the ability of business both to succeed at home and compete abroad.
It is the Western European equivalent of COMECON – the Soviet Union's fake economic union of Soviet (WARSAW PACT) member states.
The European Union, as exists in it's current shape or form, is doomed to ultimate administrative collapse and a horrible bureaucratic death in a Hell-fire sea of paperwork - drowning all the way to the bottom and consumed to total incineration it's very own ashes.
With all of the above, you might well say to me, 'what's the point then of Britian staying in?'; 'lets get the hell outta Dodge City while we still can!'
But let us look at who will be remaining inside the Union to pick up the mess and carry out much needed (and long-overdue) reforms as the bureaucracy grinds to an inexorable deadlock, immobility and standstill on many key issues.
After the Fire
Germany – one of only a handful of other stable economies within the European Union (apart from Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark) which are not, technically, bankrupt and which can show physical exports of goods and services worldwide – will remain as the only key EU member with the financial, organizational and political clout to 'pick up' the shattered pieces (ashes) from a devastated Europe after the EU bureaucracy collapses or grinds to an inefficient standstill. But it will need support in 'reshaping' a defunct and dysfunctional European Union Parliamentary system with a new constitution and new direction so that Europe can continue to effectively compete as a major player in the global market economy where trading blocs and economic integration are the future for the planet in the short-term.
*In March 2016 the Swiss Parliament withdrew it's 24-year application for EU membership
Religious Minorities, Discrimination and Pogroms In Europe Today
I remarked not too long ago that the only Black and Muslim faces you see in the Parliament of Europe are to be found in the kitchens below ground level. So it was no surprise to me (personally) that many 'volunteers' from EU member States thought that joining, fighting and dying for ISIS/ISIL/The Islamic State/Daesh, even with all it's twisted and inverted ideology and evil visions for the future of Islam, was far better and more honorable than, as they perceive it, living as Muslim 'serfs' in Western Europe with all it's 'alien' values, equal rights for men, women, gays and lesbians, nightlife, the 'immorality' of alcohol, pubs, cigarettes, bar and club life where men and women congregate together for entertainment and pleasure, and the separation of church and state in a 'godless' 'hell' ruled by Mammon.
As such would be perceived through their eyes, better to die a 'free' man in 'the 'perfect' Muslim society on earth (Daesh propaganda about it's Islamic Caliphate) than as a 'slave' in an ocean of apostasy.
The Taliban in Afghanistan share with their counterparts in the Daesh Caliphate (The Islamic State) this same Wahhabist and Salafist (Saudi Arabia originated) vision of the world and existence.
In their eyes, our way of living and lifestyle choices are 'works of the devil' whose exorcism can only be 'cleansed' by death or conversion to Islam.
[As a researcher and analyst, I closely followed 'chatter' on ICQ (long before Facebook and the like) where there were 'buzzes' of ideas about Islam, where it had 'gone astray' and where it should be going.]
Exodus
As tribal Europe intensifies it's modern-day 'pogroms' against all Muslims, expect, as with the Jews in the 1920s and 1930s, an exit of professional highly-educated and highly-skilled individuals in search of peace, freedom and religious tolerance to elsewhere in the world.
The vast majority are not 'extremists' so Saudi Arabia would never be their country of choice nor lifestyle.
(I have my own ideas of where they will be headed today – and the places would surprise you as they are not at all where you would traditionally expect migrants and refugees to end up.)
One Country's Loss.........
Without the tribal pogroms in the Ukraine, in Russia proper and in Germany in past centuries we would never today have had Levi Strauss nor Isaac Asimov nor Albert Einstein nor the hundreds of thousands of talented Jewish individuals whose exit from Europe fleeing from persecution and discrimination was a 'godsend' to other emerging and existing superpowers.
At that particular time, the United States was the greatest beneficiary from such pogroms against the Jews in Europe for nearly two centuries.
(Most did not stay beyond a few decades in England and many (or their children) made their way to 'the golden land' - where their skills and talents were properly rewarded in a peaceful and democratic environment, free from religious persecution and where they and their families were protected from blatant injustices and pogroms by laws of the land.)
In a world where regional trading blocs will be of increasing importance hitherto unrealised opportunities will arise for those fleeing persecution in Europe to new, dynamic and emerging economies and trade zones in the developing world where likewise their skills and talents will be valued and appreciated for what they are, in their own right.
[To give the reader some appreciation of the extent of consolidation of regions for economic, trade and investment purposes, please refer to the references at the end of this blog.]
After the Fire
Russia
After the EU collapses under the weight of its own bureaucracy Europe, without Britain present, would move politically closer towards fascism and it new leaders would be encouraged by Moscow to seek closer trade, monetary and military ties with Russia and the Russian rouble and away from the (U.S.) dollar.
Fear and tribalism (innate to Europe) would then take hold and accelerate this procesas.
The 'new' political (Fascist) 'Right' would, in the absence of British and U.S. democratic influence, see many more 'encouraging' factors in building stronger ties with Russia.
Dictatorship
Russia will not ask 'awkward' questions of Western Europe's new fascist rulers as they would move collectively, without the influence of Britian nor America present, to 're-shape' the continent in their own image.
Let us, for one moment and very briefly, look at what happened historically when Britain and the United States remained isolationist ('in splendid isolation') from Europe.
Fascists Join Forces Across Continental Europe
No I am not just talking about yesterday but how the past is repeating itself today in tribal Europe.
Remember folks it was not Great Britain nor the United States which signed a 'military' alliance with The Fuhrer as the Nazis swept both into power in Germany - 'democratically' - through the ballot box - and across Western Europe in a process called 'Blitzkrieg'.
It was fascist Russia and fascist Germany which together signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop' pact or alliance – effectively co-joining the Communists of Russia with the Nazis in Germany.
This alliance or 'pact' would, it was hoped, enable both regimes to dominate the continent of Europe: Germany in the West and Russia in the East.
Both Stalin and Hitler however had their own unique visions for such a union of convenience but as two fascist dictatorships, they were on better speaking terms with each other than with Great Britian, the United States and their respective allies. In other words Hitler and Stalin 'understood each other' (or thought they did) better than the British and the Americans since they saw the world the same way: ripe for military domination and economic re-shaping; starting with continental Europe, then moving on to take over the United States then to dominate the entire planet.)
As with all dictators, Stalin and Hitler were soon to fall out and start a war with each other rather than first with their very own common enemies, as to which 'version' of fascism (Communism or Nazism) would rule the world.
Both of course blamed each other for the collapse of the 'pact'.
If Hitler had not acted first with superior airpower and swiftly moved batallions into the East to crush the surprised and totally unprepared Soviet military forces, as soon as he was (militarily) capable for action, Stalin most certainly would have invaded Western Europe with his very own version of 'lightning strike'.
It was the equivalent of two large cannibal spiders going to war:the cage (planet) was simply too small for both to co-exist peacefully so one had to eat the other – and very quickly – then consume what remained of the other insects and smaller spiders and re-shape the (remaining) devastated ecosystem in it's own image.
It was at this point that the West (Britain and America) out of pure self-interest and self-preservation, saw Stalin as the lesser of the two fascist evils and decided to throw the weight of the Wsetern Allies behind the weaker of the two warring powers - Stalin's Communist Russia and against Hitler's Nazi Germany.
Why It's In Russia's Interest For Britain To Exit Europe
It should therefore come as no surprise that the successor to the Soviet Union's Josef Stalin – President Vladimir Putin – would wish to see Britain 'out' rather than 'in' Europe:
Continental Europe will be easier for Russia to economically, politically and militarily dominate with Britain and America both removed from the scene than if they are both to remain – and to remain committed to reforming the European Parliament to make it less bureaucratic, more streamlined and more efficient.
(But Britain can only do this if it remains as a member of the European Union.)
Hence Russia's 'anti-American' rhetoric coupled with support for the United Kingdom's 'Brexit' movements - all designed to pander to tribalism, racism, effectively using the propaganda of fear - evoking British and European 'tribal heimats' - of a dilution of the 'purity' of Europe, it's traditions and values – playing (quite effectively I might add) on ancient Europe's dark innate fears with regard to tribalism and racism by placing them into a modern day context.
[Most Europeans are, like their American and British counterparts, unaware of the real power of propaganda which was most effectively used by both Communist Russia and Nazi Germany to garner support for their respective causes.
Even today the propaganda from Russia is light years ahead of anything coming from either the United States or from Western Europe.]
Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
So for Britian to abandon Europe is effectively handing it over, lock, stock and two smoking barrels to the Russian Federation and it's allied economic and military forces, prepared and eager as they all are to re-shape and re-build Europe and it's institutions (Brussels and Strasbourg) in their very own images.
The Immediate Future For Europe
No doubt there will be a lot of challenges, turbulence, turmoil and political instability in continental Europe in the coming months, years and perhaps decades (similar to the 1930s before Hitler took power) but there is no doubt in my mind that Western Europe and the entire planet are safer (from another Hitler) and more at peace with Britain remaining inside, as a player, as a member, and as a reformer, rather than a 'Brexit' from the European Union.
It's a rocky road ahead - but less so with Britain 'in' than 'out' of Europe.
©Patrick Emek, May 2016
http://blogs.worldbank.org/opendata/what-are-trade-blocs-and-how-do-two-latin-america-s-largest-compare
http://europa.eu/index_en.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Union
http://brics2016.gov.in/
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-to-host-8th-brics-summit-in-goa/article8385272.ece
http://thebricspost.com/8th-brics-summit-to-be-held-in-goa-in-october/#.V0psLiGSAhA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BRIC
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160528/1040413046/russia-putin-asean-sochi.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasian_Economic_Union
http://www.apec.org/about-us/about-apec/fact-sheets/regional-economic-integration-agenda.aspx
https://www.pecc.org/research/ftaap
http://thediplomat.com/2015/11/as-tpp-leaders-celebrate-china-urges-creation-of-asia-pacific-free-trade-area/
http://www.oecs.org/media-center/press-releases/economic-union
http://www.cfr.org/trade/mercosur-south-americas-fractious-trade-bloc/p12762
http://dartmouthbusinessjournal.com/2015/06/south-americas-newest-trade-bloc-and-america/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organisation_of_Eastern_Caribbean_States
http://today.caricom.org/2016/02/19/communique-issued-at-conclusion-of-27th-caricom-intersessional-meeting/
http://www.caricom.org/
(note:Caricom and OECS should be seen as extensions of economic and trade influence of former Caribbean colonial powers of Europe rather than independent entities in their own right. [P.E.] )
http://www.economist.com/news/finance-and-economics/21591246-continent-mulls-merging-currencies-ever-closer
http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/africa-in-focus/posts/2016/03/15-west-africa-economic-monetary-union-sy-sow
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/AFRICAEXT/EXTREGINI/EXTAFRREGINICOO/0,,contentMDK:20626350~menuPK:1592396~pagePK:64168445
~piPK:64168309~theSitePK:1587585,00.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heimat
https://www.google.com/search?sclient=psy-ab&client=firefox-b&biw=1280&bih=871&noj=1&q=Blitzkreig&oq=Blitzkreig&gs_l=serp.3...182337.186739.1.187163.10.10.0.0.0.0.0.0..0.0....0...1c.1.64.serp..10.0.0.IMVi0Ewajlw&gfe_rd=cr&ei=XGdKV9n0MoaGtgfJ1LrICQ
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molotov%E2%80%93Ribbentrop_Pact
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Asimov
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levi_Strauss
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120735/
Saturday, 18 June 2016
GuCcifer
Marcel
Lazăr Lehel, oka, Guccifer, is a Romanian hacker. That we know.
What the general public might be interested in is that he spent only
part of his time time hacking the Western Defense Alliance computer
network systems, for ideological reasons.
Guccifer
has never worked for the Kremlin however, Kremlin penetration
(ФСБ) of hacking networks in the West is
unparallelled – even by NSA standards (!)
To
put it in a nutshell and easy to understand language, the Russian
government would prefer if Donald Trump is elected as the next
President of The United States and have been working covertly to
subvert the Clinton campaign for the Office of Presidency of The
United States.
Playing
off Bernie Sanders against Hillary Clinton is simply part of the same
campaign in the Russian media – in particular 'Russia Today'
Television Network – which is the heart of FSB propaganda.
Lehel
was portrayed by the Russian media as a 'champion' of good causes –
such as anti-George Bush, anti-The Iraq War, reputedly hacking the
Pentagon's computer system and passing its details to unknown
recipients.
What
is not fully appreciated is the damage done to his victims through
the unauthorized release of medical records, bank information,
compromising data and photographs which he obtained through illegal
hacking both military and civilian computers and systems.
We
will never know the full extent of the damage to U.S. National and
Western Europe security.
Plea
Bargain
After
extensive 'discussions' and appreciating that he was facing close to
999 years behind bars with only the prospect of a reduced sentence
to, at the very least, 500 years, Lehel finally revealed the full
extent of his operations and recipients for the mass data he
accumulated, in exchange for leniency.
On
25th May, 2016, he entered a plea bargain with the DoJ.
(A
copy of this is online at the site below.)
Marcel
Lazăr Lehel is due for sentencing on September 1, 2016.
A
recent plea deal with the DoJ means that he will serve a little time
(in actual fact weeks to a few months -if even that) probably in a
'low security ' prison.
What
Is Not Known
It
was thanks to Lehel that a number of successful international
operations were carried out by the FBI, worldwide.
As
I understand it, the operations are ongoing – which is why their
details have yet to appear in the general media.
(I
await reading them with interest in the Washington Post or NYT !)
What
you read in the attached plea document [Case
1:14-cr-00213-JCC Document 28 Filed 05/25/16] is
what has been released for public consumption.
Guccifer II (The Kremlin At Work)
I
don't want to dwell too much on Guccifer only to say that a 'Guccifer
II' (most likely the Kremlin) deliberately hacked Senator Hillary
Clinton's personal server in an attempt to give Donald Trump 'the
edge' in what some believe, could be a close Presidential race.
Guccifers'
Rule OK!
What
is more interesting is how world power foreign governments now
attempt to influence the course of local elections not just in Europe
but also in the developing world through hacking into systems and
computers, obtaining confidential information, compromising
photographs and other information, then leaking this (anonymously) to
local (and international) media for political and ideological
reasons.
A
whole new secret intelligence industry ('Security Consultants') has
been built around data access through hacking systems by not just the
global superpowers but any country, any individual,indeed any
child(!) with the knowledge and capability to access the net (and
intranets.)
Computer
Engineering? What's That?
When
one of 'the kids' said that he was studying engineering and robotics
several years ago, I was terrified for his future: a life without
work, jobless forever! Little did I have to worry. He was further
ahead of 'the game' than I could ever possibly have imagined.
The
Goose Which Lays The Golden Egg
So
too is the extensive treasure trove provided to the FBI by Guccifer –
and which, as I understand, give a remarkable insight not just into
the science of hacking, but within the data itself, as I imagine, is
so much to glean about, for example, the sexual proclivities of the
rich, powerful and famous, never hitherto encountered.
The
Right To Know
Some
of you will be quite disgusted and contemptuous of what I have just
said – but don't you think we have a right to know if our 'pious'
pillars of the community (politicians, spiritual and other leaders of
societies) ain't (are not) so pious as they make themselves out to
be? (Remember Pope Innocent IV and Innocent VIII were not as
'innocent' as depicted for mass consumption by the Catholic Church –
until fairly recently.)
Don't
we also have a right to know who sleeps with who inside the Kremlin
and other regions of the Federation?; or who has 'penchants' for
this, that or the other?
(Different
'prominent' hackers have different 'genres' of data within their
'portfolios'.)
Guccifer
also had the some of the 'low down' on the 'high life' -and he just
did it 'for kicks'(!)
You
see, Guccifer was playing both ends off against the middle and
accumulating his own private database 'as keepsake' (or saving it,
'for a rainy day'.)
A
Walk On The Wild Side
Very
little has been publicly revealed about Guccifer's enormous
contribution
to the West's understanding of both the hacking underground and
extensive nature of The Russian Federation's penetration of the
hacking community worldwide.
Hopefully
he will, after release, stay on in the United States (where his
safety is guaranteed) rather than return to Romania.
Unlike
Edward Snowden it is unlikely that he will ever receive a military
rank nor medal for espionage services rendered (see my earlier blog
about Edward Snowden) - but at least his remarkable skills will be
available to work for the other side.
©Patrick
Emek, June 2016
Wednesday, 15 June 2016
Gay Pride Month
'Ex-Gay' Activist Denounces Use of LGBT Pride Flag to Mourn Orlando Victims
Jeremy Schwab Calls Rainbow Banner 'Symbol of Evil' That Destroys Life:
ww.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/johnwright/_ex_gay_activist_denounces_use_of_rainbow_flag_to_commemorate_orlando_victims
I enclose and prioritize this comment (and article by John Wright) for an important reason - and it partially relates to the recent tragic events at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida:
Even though you and I may not agree with him, in a strange way, Schwab echoes, what can be, for some, disturbing conflicts to be found within on a range of different stressful, sometimes (psychologically) painful issues, and, more importantly, how we respond to them.
I am pleased that Jeremy Schwab has, at the very least, found some solace from internal conflict and tribulations, in his faith.
Now that I have dispensed with the critics (of whom there are many worldwide) who agree with Jeremy, I would like to give friends of the
LGBT Community some background information to the history of Gay Pride Month.
Rather than re-invent the wheel with a personal blog, I enclose existing references which summarise events in detail.
Patrick Emek, 2016
The History Of Gay Pride Month:
https://www.loc.gov/law/help/commemorative-observations/pride.php
President Barack Obama
https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/05/31/presidential-proclamation-lgbt-pride-month-2016
Clinton, Sanders recognize LGBT advancements for Pride month
http://www.washingtonblade.com/2016/06/02/clinton-sanders-recognize-june-as-pride-month/
President William J, Clinton
Proclamation 7316 - Gay and Lesbian Pride Month, 2000
June 2, 2000:
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=62387
Calendar Of Events For The Rest Of The Month:
http://antisocialdesign.wix.com/gaypridecalendar
http://antisocialdesign.wix.com/gaypridecalendar#!calendar/c8f4
http://www.prideshack.com/categories/free-daily-specials.html
White House defends gay blood ban after Orlando shooting
http://www.washingtonblade.com/2016/06/14/white-house-defends-gay-blood-ban-after-orlando-shooting/Twitter Tweets
https://twitter.com/BernieSanders?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton/status/738188742247260161?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Sunday, 12 June 2016
Orlando:
Pulse
Nightclub Massacre
Lessons
To Learn?
Many
decades ago I said to some friends that it's impossible to protect
everywhere. You can't protect every nursery, every exclusive school,
every university, every shop, restaurant, hospital, clinic, church,
synagogue, mosque, candy shop, ice cream parlors, every retirement
village, supermarket, mall, school party out on a study or field
trip, from someone demented and determined enough to do harm.
You
can put 'Gorillas' who look like 'King Kong' patrolling malls,
nightclubs, schools and colleges, but where an individual or group is
or are determined to create carnage, the 'visual' (psychological)
effect of seeing 'King Kong' is immaterial.
You
can create sophisticated layers of security and passive encirclement
but again, where someone is determined enough, they will (eventually)
find a way (flaw) to breach even the best of what is on offer through
the private sector.
There
is, for most of us, always a sadness where 'totally innocent' victims
are the subject of carnage. The 'crime' of being Gay, or Black, or
an Israeli, WASP,
or an Arab, is enough to convince the perpetrator(s) that such
indiviuals are not 'totally innocent victims' - but part of 'the
problem.'
Part
of the problem, as I see it, is that we have not paid any 'real'
attention to racism, tribalism, slavery, cannibalism (Africa and
Albinos) and homophobia in Africa nor in Muslim lands.
The
only time we ever do is when the West is eager to achieve a political
or economic objective which the target entity is opposing.
Besides,
they are not very 'sexy' subjects to disinter where so much money
can be made in oil and mineral rich regions of the Middle East,
Africa and the Caucasuses.
Similar
thinking meant that the entire Christian and Jewish communities in
Iraq and Iran, have now disappeared (murdered or fled) because money
and wars were 'sexier' than any thought to the consequences of
Western military and economic interests. (Besides, who ever let a
few Jews or Christians or 'cannibalised' African Albinos stand in the
way of making 'lovely' money?)
You
see over millennia, we ignored all such fundamental principles in
favor of Mammon – so Muslims, Africans, and Asiatics, as
individuals and as nations, naturally assume that all our Western
'Christian' politicians are bought and sold in the market – all
that requires negotiating is their price – through their respective
lobby interest groups.
As
far as many Muslims perceive it, our Christian bible is a worthless
piece of trash which has been 'updated' so much (and so many times)
that its messages are meaningless – and their 'proof' is given in
the fact that even (most) Christians do not live by the tenets of
their own 'holy' book.
Having
an appreciation for the 'books' of several faiths, it is absolutely
no surprise to me that some individuals simply 'flip' (or develop
mental illness related to the contrast between what their own holy
book is telling them and what they are seeing around them in their
Western 'liberal' communities) and they never 'return' to
'normality'.
As
a devoted Muslim, Christian, or Orthodox Jew, to have to accommodate
the tenets of your faith with the 'immorality' and 'excesses' of
everyday life, is a great challenge.
Where
there are almost no 'role' models to espouse your 'cause' and
'represent' your 'platform' leaves little to do but to recourse to
'opting out' or creating your own microcosmic world populated with
like-minded believers.
Where
a book written for devotees some thousand(s) of years ago is held up
as the only way of life in the 21st century, and it can
never be 'revised' because the person who wrote it is dead – and he
(or she) was 'infallible' – such is, in itself, a recipe for
ultimate disaster. Another topic conveniently ignored by the
'pundits'.
Psychologists,
psychiatrists and the like will, like pulling rabbits out of a
conjurors hat, bring out terminologies to pigeon-hole this deranged
individual. Politicians will grasp at whatever 'capital' can be
garnished from the event. After reflection will come anger - and
the desire for revenge or lynch-mob 'justice'. Anti-gun lobby groups
will see this as yet another vindication for their cause – failing
to appreciate that even in the absence of ease of availability, a way
would have been found by some determined deranged individual, sooner
or later, to exact carnage, regardless.
What
happened at the Pulse Nightclub is a cornucopia of opportunism for
every spectrum of hate.
All
of the above brings us full circle back to the entry door of the
Pulse Nightclub, Orlando, in the early hours of a Sunday morning,
where someone, who had clearly 'snapped', decided he was going to
bring God's 'wrath' on 'sinners', regardless of consequences. (What
is the experience of a brief moment of death in exchange for
everlasting eternity – in the process of doing the Lord's or
Allah's or Adonai's work?)
And
if you cannot see all this, then you too, also, need to step back
from the canvas to get a better perspective.
©Patrick
Emek, June 2016
*Addendum
As further information becomes available about this individual who carried out the horrific crime in the early hours of Sunday morning at Pulse in Orlando, Florida, it vindicates my initial belief that this had nothing to do with ISIS/ISIL/Daesh - who would like to take credit for every massacre and all acts of extreme barbarity, inhumanity and violence within our Western societies.
I was particularly interested in the pychosexual analysis of this demented and confused individual and how his behavior was inconsistent at many different times.
If there is a silver lining it is that this tragedy has brought the 'Gay' and supportive 'Straight' communities worldwide more together than ever in recent times and has highlighted the need by all minority communities to be more alert - appreciating that 100% security 100% of the time is an impossibility - but being vigilant has never cost lives.
References
Mammon:
'Mammon is one of the seven princes of Hell. He is the Demon of wealth, greed and avarice.' ''Mammon is one of The Fallen, an angel who refused to fight during the battle with Hell. As a punishment for this God cast him and others like him from Heaven and exiled them to the pits of Hell. There he assumed great power and soon became one of the most powerful demons within the pits.''
the above quote has been taken from
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Mammon&biw=1280&bih=895&tbm=isch&imgil=iK7duWISma-vqM%253A%253BZjKHYW1G6iVnMM%253Bhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fen.wikipedia.org%25252Fwiki%25252FMammon&source=iu&pf=m&fir=iK7duWISma-vqM%253A%252CZjKHYW1G6iVnMM%252C_&usg=__RBKrqDt7t-Q1_P4jwQe6rinW6cM%3D&ved=0ahUKEwjQ9fGsxqTNAhUjB8AKHcaSAWoQyjcIRA&ei=C2peV5DEGKOOgAbGpYbQBg#imgrc=tspWx5bRwNS3CM%3A
and a further interesting alternative article on the subject can be found at:
http://www.cfcindia.com/article/god-and-mammon
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/gay-south-florida/article83301677.html
http://www.daily-chronicle.com/2016/06/13/orlando-club-scene-another-night-of-drinking-dancing-until-shots-began/a92ous6/
http://www.vox.com/2016/6/12/11911616/pulse-gay-nightclub-shooting-in-orlando-what-we-know
http://www.papermag.com/pulse-vigils-planned-at-stonewall-inn-union-square-christopher-park-1855216965.html
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2016/06/12/orlando-nightclub-shooting-nyc/
Saturday, 11 June 2016
PUBLIC NOTICE
MMWR- Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
MMWR News Synopsis for June 9, 2016
Electronic Cigarette Use among Working Adults — United States, 2014
Overall,
3.8 percent of US working adults use e-cigarettes. Prevalence of use
varies by sociodemographic characteristics, by industry, and by
occupation.
An estimated 5.5 million working Americans currently use electronic
cigarettes (e-cigs). Data from the 2014 National Health Interview Survey
show the highest use of e-cigs by workers was among males, non-Hispanic
whites, adults ages 18–24 years, people with an annual household income
below $35,000, and people without health insurance. The study also
found e-cigarette use was highest among workers in the accommodation and
food services industry and in food preparation and serving-related
occupations. Many workers who use e-cigarettes every day or some days
reported they also used conventional tobacco products: 16.2 percent were
current cigarette smokers, 15 percent other combustible tobacco users,
and 9.7 percent smokeless tobacco users.
Elimination of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV — Thailand, 2015
Thailand
has achieved World Health Organization elimination of HIV
mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) targets and can serve as a model for
other countries. Thailand
experienced a generalized HIV epidemic in the 1990s. HIV prevalence
among pregnant women was 2.0 percent and the MTCT rate was more than 20
percent. In June 2016, Thailand became the first country in Asia to
validate the elimination of MTCT by meeting World Health Organization
(WHO) targets. These results have been achieved through a sustained
nationwide effort involving the government, the medical community,
non-governmental organizations, and civil society. Thailand's experience
implementing a successful MTCT-prevention program might be instructive
for other countries.
Influenza Activity — United States, 2015–16 Season and Composition of the 2016–17 Influenza Vaccine
Influenza
vaccination remains the most effective way to prevent influenza illness
and its associated complications. Although influenza viruses typically
circulate at low levels during the summer months, timely empiric
antiviral treatment is recommended for patients with severe,
complicated, or progressive influenza illness and those at higher risk
for influenza complications. Treatment can be considered for others if
it can be started within 48 hours of illness onset. During
the 2015–16 U.S. influenza season influenza A (H1N1) pdm09 viruses
predominated overall, with influenza B viruses, and, to a lesser extent,
influenza A (H3N2) viruses co-circulating. It was a less severe season
overall compared with the previous three seasons, with influenza
activity starting later and continuing longer. Overall influenza
activity was moderate with a lower percentage of outpatient visits for
influenza-like illness, lower hospitalization rates, and a lower
percentage of deaths attributed to pneumonia and influenza compared with
the previous three seasons. Antigenic and genetic characterization
showed that most of the circulating viruses were well-matched to the
2015–16 Northern Hemisphere vaccine, resulting in good vaccine
effectiveness.
Notes from the Field:
- Intoxication and Deaths Associated with Ingestion of a Racing Fuel and Carbonated Soft Drink Mixture — Tennessee, January 2016
QuickStats:
- Smoking Cessation During Pregnancy — United States, 2014
###
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
CDC works 24/7
protecting America's health, safety and security. Whether diseases
start at home or abroad, are curable or preventable, chronic or acute,
stem from human error or deliberate attack, CDC is committed to respond
to America's most pressing health challenges.
The CDC has reached over 1 million email subscribers. Thank you for your support.
Questions or problems? Please contact support@govdelivery.com.
|
Sunday, 5 June 2016
Wednesday, 1 June 2016
Public Notice
Wednesday, June 1, 2016
Wednesday, June 1, 2016
Program will train first responders and hazardous waste workers on infectious disease safety
“A few years ago, very few of us had heard of diseases like Ebola or Zika,” said Linda Birnbaum, Ph.D., NIEHS director. “We need to ensure that we have a workforce ready to contain these and the next infectious disease threats. This new training program will help workers, who do so much to protect others, stay safe when working with patients or people in high risk situations.”
“We need to ensure that we have a workforce ready to contain these and the next infectious disease threats.”
The NIEHS Worker Training Program (WTP) will oversee the Ebola
Biosafety and Infectious Disease Response Training, which will educate
health care workers, as well as personnel in waste management,
transportation, mortuaries, and other occupations with the potential for
infectious disease exposure. The environmental infection control
practices and hazard recognition skills taught will be applicable to any
high risk infectious disease that can be easily transmitted person to
person and may result in high mortality rates.“When we think of occupations that may be exposed to infectious disease, airport workers or custodial employees may not initially come to mind,” said Joseph “Chip” Hughes, Ph.D., WTP director. “Yet all of these occupations have an important role in minimizing disease transmission, and they need to know how to protect themselves so they don’t get infected or spread diseases to their families or communities.”
The need for curriculum development and training was identified during a 2014 Institute of Medicine workshop about Ebola virus. In addition to NIH and CDC, other federal partners include the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
“Ensuring training and competency of workers in a variety of settings is a critical safety net in preparing for emerging infectious disease threats,” said Beth Bell, M.D., director of the CDC National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases. “We are pleased to be partnering with NIH and their grantees to fill this training need.”
For more than 25 years, WTP has offered health and safety training to workers exposed to hazardous materials, including dangerous biohazards. WTP also provides important worker safety guidance during national and regional disasters. Training over 160,000 workers annually, WTP-funded organizations use small-group, hands-on instruction and train-the-trainer models to build local programs that can provide training to hazardous material workers, first responders, and disaster recovery volunteers, as needed. The new infectious disease program will use this same model.
Grants will go to eight organizations that have the capacity to provide geographically distributed training for a range of occupations.
- Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, led by Richard Frothingham, M.D.
- Emory University, Atlanta, led by Alexander Isakov, M.D.
- Indiana University Bloomington, led by Shawn Gibbs, Ph.D.
- International Chemical Workers Union Council, Cincinnati, led by Frank Cyphers
- Laborers’ International Union of North America Education and Training Fund, Pomfret Center, Connecticut, led by John LeConche
- Rutgers School of Public Health, Piscataway, New Jersey, led by Mitchel Rosen, Ph.D.
- Steelworkers Charitable and Educational Organization, Pittsburgh, led by James Frederick
- University of Alabama at Birmingham, led by Lisa McCormick, Dr.P.H.
NIEHS supports research to understand the effects of the environment on human health and is part of NIH. For more information on environmental health topics, visit www.niehs.nih.gov. Subscribe to one or more of the NIEHS news lists to stay current on NIEHS news, press releases, grant opportunities, training, events, and publications. For more information on the Worker Training Program, visit www.niehs.nih.gov/careers/hazmat.
About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
NIH…Turning Discovery Into Health®
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