Global Threat Blog

Please keep in mind H1N1 that is currently spreading, is no worse than the seasonal flu.  Also - it has less of a mortality rate otherwise we would be up a creek!

Great Information and Resources on current ou

Pandemic Flu Preparedness Guides for Families, Businesses, Medical Providers, and Community Groups Released by Trust for America's Health

 

Frequently Asked Questions about H1N1 - United States Department of Agriculture

 

Testimony by Secretary Napolitano to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on Federal Coordination in Response to the H1N1 Flu Outbreak

 

H1N1 Webcast

HHS Secretary Sebelius and DHS Secretary Napolitano will host a Webcast to answer questions from the American people regarding the H1N1 flu (Swine Flu) on Thursday, April 30th at 1:00 PM EDT.  They will be joined by Acting Director of CDC, Dr. Besser.  The Webcast can be viewed at http://www.hhs.gov/.

 

Science & Preparedness News

 

Containing Flu Is Not Feasible, Specialists Say

New York Times - "Containment is no longer a feasible option," Dr. Keiji Fukuda, deputy director general of the World Health Organization, announced Monday night in Geneva after a meeting of the agency's emergency committee on the spreading swine flu virus.

 

Scientists see this flu strain as relatively mild

Los Angeles Times - As the World Health Organization raised its infectious disease alert level Wednesday and health officials confirmed the first death linked to swine flu inside U.S. borders, scientists studying the virus are coming to the consensus that this hybrid strain of influenza -- at least in its current form -- isn't shaping up to be as fatal as the strains that caused some previous pandemics.

 

Obama vows great 'vigilance' as swine flu spreads

Associated Press - President Barack Obama pledged "great vigilance" in confronting the swine flu outbreak Wednesday night as it spread coast to coast across the U.S. The outbreak hit 11 states and closed schools amid confirmation of the first U.S. death, a Mexican toddler who visited Texas with his family, and the confinement of dozens of Marines after one came down with the disease in California.

 

Feds Go Online to Brief Masses about Swine Flu

Washington Post - As news about the epidemic has burned up all corners of the Web, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Health and Human Services have been using Twitter and YouTube, among other sites, to disseminate information.

 

Lawmakers press for tougher border measures to curb virus spread

CIDRAP - Top US officials responsible for managing the nation's response to the swine influenza outbreak faced increasing pressure to implement more aggressive measures at the Mexico border and reveal more details about the status of a vaccine.

 

6 Probable Cases of Swine Flu Reported in Md.

WBAL - State officials have announced that there are six probable cases of swine flu -- two in school-aged children -- in two Maryland counties in the Baltimore area. While state officials said Maryland has plenty of anti-flu drugs, the federal government has sent 200,000 doses to Maryland as a precaution.

 

Swine Flu: Information for Concerned Parents and Caregivers

CDC - CDC posts information for concerned parents and caregivers.

 

Interim Guidance - Children and Pregnant Women who May be Infected with Swine-Origin Influenza Virus: Considerations for Clinicians

CDC - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new interim guidance for clinicians on how to care for children and pregnant women who may be infected with swine flu, since these two groups of people are at high risk of serious complications from seasonal flu.

 

Interim Guidance for Screening for Swine-Origin Influenza A (H1N1) by State and Local Health Departments, Hospitals, and Clinicians in Regions with Few or no Reported Cases of Swine Influenza A (H1N1)

CDC - CDC provides interim guidance for swine flu screening by health departments, hospitals and clinicians.

 

Interim Guidance on Case Definitions to be Used for Investigations of Swine Influenza A (H1N1) Cases

CDC - This document provides interim guidance for state and local health departments conducting investigations of suspected, probable, and confirmed human cases of swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus.

Interim Guidance on Antiviral Recommendations for Patients with Confirmed or Suspected Swine Influenza A (H1N1) Virus Infection and Close Contacts

CDC - CDC provides interim guidance for patients with confirmed or suspected swine flu and their close contacts.

 

Swine Flu: Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) of Medical Products and Devices
CDC - This website contains information regarding an Emergency Use Authorization, in which unapproved medical products may be used in the case of an emergency.

International News

Swine Influenza - WHO Elevates Pandemic Level to Phase 5

WHO - Based on assessment of all available information, and following several expert consultations, WHO has decided to raise the current level of influenza pandemic alert from phase 4 to phase 5.

 

Swine Influenza - Update 5

WHO - WHO provides an update on the international swine flu situation.

 

WHO "suggested assumptions" for a flu pandemic

Reuters - Scientists say predicting the timescale and impact of any flu pandemic is extremely difficult, but the United Nations World Health Organization has several "suggested assumptions" outlined in its pandemic guidance.

 

World takes drastic steps to contain swine flu

Washington Post - From Egypt's order that all 300,000 pigs in the country be slaughtered to travel bans and putting the kibosh on kissing, the world is taking drastic, and some say debatable, measures to combat swine flu.

 

U.S. swine flu death clears border crossing near Texas

Reuters - Mexico's congested border into Brownsville, Texas, was uncannily quiet as news that a toddler who traveled through the crossing has died from swine flu in the United States kept people away.

 

Swine flu source spawns wild theories

Reuters - Dead pigs in China, evil factory farms in Mexico and an al Qaeda plot involving Mexican drug cartels are a few wild theories seeking to explain a deadly swine flu outbreak that has killed up to 176 people.

 

Egypt Considers Mass Pigs Cull Over Swine Flu Fears

Reuters - Egypt, hard hit by the highly pathogenic bird flu virus, is considering culling hundreds of thousands of pigs as a precautionary measure as swine flu nears the borders of the most populous Arab country.

 

Serbia Tests First Suspected Case of Swine Flu

Reuters - Serbia is testing a patient for its first suspected case of swine flu, the health minister said on Thursday.

 

Name of Deadly Flu Virus Causes Consternation

Reuters - The European Union's executive Commission is avoiding using "swine flu" to refer to the newly emerged virus because pork producers fear the term "swine flu" will not only cause consumption to fall but could also give countries an excuse to impose politically-motivated bans on meat imports.

 

Business & Economic News

 

Sanofi Says Swine-Flu Vaccine to Oust Seasonal Shot

Bloomberg - Sanofi-Aventis SA won't be able to make shots against seasonal influenza, which kills as many as 500,000 people a year, should it be asked to develop a swine flu vaccine, Chief Executive Officer Chris Viehbacher said.

 

Airlines slammed; Swine flu timing 'could not be worse'

USA Today - The global airline industry is sounding the alarm about how badly the swine flu outbreak could impact the already struggling industry.

  

Resources

 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)  

 

PandemicFlu.gov  

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)   
 

World Health Organization (WHO)  

 

Trust for America's Health

 

Center for Biosecurity

American Academy of Pediatrics  

APIC

CIDRAP

The long hard road

I had hoped by now I would have some news, but it seems I am still negotiating.  It amazes how much red tape is involved sometimes with volunteering.  I am currently pursuing two angles and I hope to have something to report shortly.  I miss posting here and have some great stuff on Tin mining I want to blog about.

From GTB to you...Happy 2009!!!

Between Tin mining in the Congo, the struggle of ethical gold, the slaughter of whales I believe 2009 will be a busy year for GTB.

 

Coming soon.... The Tin Red Line

A look at tin mining in the Congo.

The Ethical Jewellery Industry

Something interesting is occurring in the ethical gold market.  Companies are starting to emerge and market consumers with a social conscious.  My almost year experience working directly with Urth Solution opened a unique door to view a market that was almost untouched this time last year, in terms of consumer awareness of the plights of gold miners and the market for ethical gold.  With internal changes taking place with Urth Solution, it is crucial they continue to develop their message and get it out there (not miss the boat).  While I am very optimistic that the market will have enough demand to sustain competition between many competitors, I really want Urth to get out there, be seen, and not go quietly into the night like so many companies have done, with their messages lost.  I think they offer a very unique perspective that even current competitors now visible on the landscape don't offer.  I would hate to see that lost.  My experience with Urth only wet my appetite to go forward and work with other consultants in the industry and I am actively pursuing the opportunity to work with Estelle Levin’s company.  She is a leading consultant on Minerals and Sustainability.  Her consulting firm is called Resource Consulting Services Limited (http://www.resourceglobal.co.uk/). She is a well published author and considered an expert in the field, often quoted.

Companies such as Ruff and Cut and CRED Jewellery are starting to build a niche in the market.  I wrote an article mentioning CRED before but Ruff and Cut (http://www.ruffandcut.com/) is an interesting company.  It is a company that invests 10% from each sale and a portion of the company’s overall profit into nonprofit organizations which work to improve the lives of people in mining communities.  It seems that Ruff and Cut’s focus is mainly on conflict free diamonds and I was unable to tell if this includes ethical gold or will expand to cover the use of ethical gold in their collections. Some organizations they work with are:

• Bambai Bling
• Shine on Sierra Leone
• Foundation for Environmental Security and Sustainability (FESS)
• The St. George Foundation

Ruff and Cut was founded by Wade Watson, who attributes his social conscious entrepreneur ship to the events of 9-11.  Read Wade’s blog (http://blog.ruffandcut.com/) on using business to make a positive global impact. Wader previously owned a socially responsible diamond-mining company in Sierra Leone which was later sold to Target Resources Plc.   Target Resources' social responsibility in Sierra Leone, published in the article 'Sierra Leone Travelogue' Rapaport Diamond Report, September 5, 2008 can be found in the info/research link of this blog along with some recent publications by CASM.

The situation in Zimbabwe grows dire....

The situation in Zimbabwe continues to spiral out of control with this week seeing more deaths due to starvation and a cholera outbreak.  Many are on the verge of death and many more will die if something isn't done to provide the humanitarian aid that is needed. 

Former President Jimmy Carter, returned from a 5-day humanitarian tour and declared Zimbabwe a "basket case".  Stressing the deteriorating siutation though he was denied visa access to the country. 

Carter stressed the continued need of the world to focus international concern and condemnation, of Zimbabwe's government.  While food, medicine and monetary donations should be sent immediately to humanitarian agencies such as CARE, World Vision and Save the Children, Carter said, advising that it is unwise to send cash directly to people in Zimbabwe. "It is counerproductive to contribute money that can be confiscated by the Zimbabwe government," he said.  President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)  are still at odds and talks have broken down once again between them. 

Time Magazine reports that Zimbabwe official inflation rate is 231 million percent — although quite how that is calculated when there is no food in the stores is anybody's guess. Most of the economically active population is unemployed, and the long predicted humanitarian crisis has begun to bite, with 5 million people in need of food aid. Hospitals are reporting a rising number of deaths from malnutrition. And the Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights says cholera has killed 120 people since January.

While our own country struggles with it's economic crisis - our new President Elect, Obama, has to keep a close eye on Africa and the dire human suffrage that is ongoing and corruption of governments through many countries on that Continent. 

What is Survivor Corps?

Survivor Corps works to break cycles of victimization and violence, individual by individual, country by country.  At our core is a survivor-centered approach for victims of war to recover, rebuild their communities and change the world.

(CURRENTLY WORKING ARTICLE - Check Back Soon)

My focus on the extraction industry

I have had the deep honor and luxury to work with a fantastic company that really set out to make a difference in the extraction industry and in the lives of small scale artisanal miners.  Due to some very serious and unfortunate events, that company is no longer in a position to continue on in its current state.  I got to live my dream job for about 9 months.  I gave selflessly and it was life altering for me.  I met a person with an awesome vision that I got to share and help shape.  I hope he is able to fully realize that vision down the road.  I plan on being there not if but when that day comes.  My reward were all the relationships I got to cultivate and truly believing that one person can indeed make a difference.  I got to meet some extrordinary people in the industry that care greatly about the miners and issues that impact their daily lives.  They work tirelessly on these issues and with these communities.  I learned some very interesting and at times scary facts about the mining industry.  I am not sure what role I will take next, or if I will go in another direction but for now, me and the small scale miners are on hold.  It is almost heartbreaking to have put so much thought and work into something and the next day have it is gone with no one to blame.  It's like losing an extension of yourself and you are left feeling, "okay, so now what?"  I will have to see where life leads me and hope it leads me back to where I started.  

I say all this because my blog will take a more health related focus which was its initial intent.  I got caught up in something that spun into something a whole lot more than it was ever intended to be.  It ultimately made me a much better person.  I can't promise I won't sneak in an occasional small scale mining rant, but for the most part, if you were interested in that, I hope you continue to be interested in my health blogs as well.  You can't control your life - you can only control your actions, so godspeed and never give up.  Never.

Walmart Strikes again

First let me start off by saying, I don't want to bash Walmart.  In fact, it would be absolutely fine with me if big companies (like the big "W") would just "get it".  Some are taking steps in the right direction, others are taking baby steps (at least it's forward progress) and others take a step forward and a giant sized leap back.  And I think this is what Walmart is dangerously close to doing.  According to an article by the World Gold Council (yes, the same group I railed about for getting some very important and positive facts wrong about Urth Solution - right here in this very blog) Walmart is being praised for it's new "ethical" gold service.  Just because consumers can trace their purchase, does not make it ethical. or sustainable but don't you love how Walmart (and other corporations) love to use those buzz words.

• Ethical
• Green
• Environmentally friendly
• Capacity building
• Sustainable
• Supply chain
• Fair trade

I would like to know those, who are these green campaigners that are praising Walmart?  I found the original cited article on Ethical Corporations homepage. 

Okay, there are positives to having a tracable supply chain - yes this is a good thing.  But (please read my blog on Walmart a Wolf in Sheeps Clothing) why use two mines with such bad track records?  Where is the third party verification that ethical standards are being upheld?  What ethical standards is Walmart using, and are they even remotely related to the Sub-Zero ASM standards?  No Dirty Gold (Oxfam) is also not quick to jump on Walmart's band wagon, notes the good intentions by Walmart, but also wants verification as well.  Brilliant Earth also wants verification of the mining standards (Newport and Rio Tinto) being used in these mines. 

Brilliant Earth, a conflict-free diamond jewellery retailer, agrees that questions remain about the practices of the mines Wal-Mart sources from and the “actual extent of their responsibility and alleged ‘sustainability’”.

I do not understand why Walmart came up with it's own set of "ethical" standards when there has been a push in the gold industry to build a universal set of ethical standards (building towards Fair Trade) - why didn't Walmart work with these known organizations in developing their own and why mention in the article, that they will work with these organizations through Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) - which according to IRMA's own website, has a working group that apparently has not done anything since 03/21/07.  Might want to update that website.

Maybe I am a real Debbie Downer here and I really should be thinking that this is the first step in the right direction.  After all the toxic totals alone are staggering for gold:

· Mining enough gold to make a typical 18-carat wedding ring leaves behind 20 tonnes of waste.
· In the US, metal mining creates nearly 30% of all the toxic releases measured annually by the Environmental Protection Agency, more than any other single industry.
· Gold is mined in more than 60 countries and is an $80bn global market.

I don't think we should be praising Walmart too loudly.  At the same time, they deserve some credit, but it's too early to tell where this is headed.  I remain cautiously optimistic by their efforts. 

Ghana's Human Plight

(Photo by Andres McKinley courtesy Oxfam America)

The Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has just released a report on human rights violations in Ghana of people living in mining communities.  According to National Coalition on Mining (NCOM) and other sources, the amount of violence and human rights violations has grown out of control.  Urgent implementation is needed to stop the escalating violence and violations of human rights.   

CHRAJ's findings revealed "...cases of inadequate compensation for destroyed properties , unacceptable alternative livelihood projects ,absence of compensation for destroyed properties , unacceptable alternative livelihood projects , absence of effective channels of communication , excesses against galamsey operators , health problems attributed to mining , reckless spillage of cyanide and unfulfilled promises of employment."

MORE TO COME

Source: http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=8804