First bird flu, now chickens source of superbug effecting humans?

Chicken farmers used to be able to buy methamfetamine (speed) in 55 gallon drums to mix with chicken feed for egg layers. I wondered how much speed and other drugs got into us. Now, we are beginning to find out.



The key in safety seems to be not industrializing poultry and egg farming, as well as other meat production. When thousands of animals are housed together drugs are needed to keep them healthy but the long term result may kill us all - chickens and people.

Amplify’d from www.wired.com

Is Drug Resistance in Humans Coming From Chickens?

There is enough similarity between drug-resistance genes in  E. coli carried by chickens and  E. coli infecting humans that the chickens may be the source of it.

We conclude that the high rate of ESBL contamination of retail chicken meat in the Netherlands, which involves many of the same ESBL genes present in colonized and infected humans, is a plausible source of the recent increase of ESBL genes in the Netherlands. The similarity of E. coli strains and predominant drug resistance genes in meat and humans provides circumstantial evidence for an animal reservoir for a substantial part of ESBL genes found in humans. Read more at www.wired.com

 

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Hello? Anyone listening? Sitting out 2010 elections?

Pointless discussions like this abound when people do not want to think about the huge mistake too many many people made by not turning up to vote in city, county, state, and congressional elections late fall.



If same number of people who supported President Obama had turned out to vote last November, we would be talking about the new national plan to address climate change!

Amplify’d from takingnote.tcf.org

Was it a Political Mistake to Pursue Health Care Reform?

There’s a meme going around that health reform was a central strategic error of the early Obama presidency. On this view, it was a mistake to spend so long waging trench warfare to pass the Affordable Care Act. Read more at takingnote.tcf.org

 

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War keeps taking and taking and taking... we need to care for those who serve.

Before there was PTSD, there was just combat fatigue; men and women were just supposed to forget about it or suck it up.



Many men and women who served in all our wars suffered during their time in combat and many silently for years after their service in WW One and WW Two, Korea, Vietnam, and then Desert Shield. Finally they put a real name and some real treatment together for what had ruined all too many lives years after the combat was forgotten.



Don't forget, don't let them down. Think even longer and harder before sending them in harm's way - please.

Amplify’d from servicewomen.org

Is PTSD contagious?

While I always felt his PTSD was “justified” in a way, his wife’s behavior after he returned home always seemed bizarre to me.

When talking with her, she’d drone on and on about having “secondary PTSD;” she developed the same symptoms as her husband.

But, I now know that I was wrong

So, maybe it doesn’t have an official name, but spouses of those suffering with PTSD have to deal with a lot. The depression and anxiety can easily be transferred to the “caregiver” and can cause them to suffer through it as well. Read more at servicewomen.org

 

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Say What? Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan Meeting to Discuss Afghan War?

Personally, I think the idea of US having bases in Afghanistan from now into eternity is a really bad idea but tell me again who are our allies supposed to be? Maybe this should be another wake up call to what countries think they have long term interest in not letting Afghanistan control its own future?

Amplify’d from tribune.com.pk

Trilateral dialogue: Tehran talks to focus on US bases in Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD:  The United States’ decision to set up six permanent military bases in Afghanistan will be the focus of talks when the presidents of Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan meet in Tehran on June 25, an official told The Express Tribune on Friday. Read more at tribune.com.pk

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Five days community service for sexually assaulting hotel maid?

The real slime-balls here are the prosecutors who "defend" their going along with 5-days community service by implying that assault not-so-bad and "victim" is tainted by wanting compensation.

Amplify’d from gothamist.com

Egyptian Banker Pleads Guilty To Sexually Assaulting Hotel Maid, Sentenced To 5 Days Community Service

The Egyptian banking executive who was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a maid at the Pierre Hotel decided to plead guilty. Mahmoud Abdel Salam Omar entered the plea yesterday and was sentenced to five days community service. His lawyer said he completed the community service already (soup kitchen work)

Prosecutors said

Service of a $5 million lawsuit speaks to her motivation from the beginning - loudly and clearly." Read more at gothamist.com

 

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German Interior Minister: Next Anti-Terrorist Meeting with Christians?

Only Muslims have terrorists in their community? Neo-Nazi, and anarchist wannabe terrorists are not the responsibility of Christian community? Could it be that government is still trying to stay in power by appealing to German racists?

Amplify’d from www.dw-world.de

German interior minister urges Muslims to combat militancy

"We want to stand up to the radicalization and misuse of religion together," he said. "All citizens of this country, no matter what our political tendency or religion, must take on the fight against radicalism and terror."

See more at www.dw-world.de

 

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Pro-Global Warming Concern or Pro-Gore Promo?

How does picking at the President advance doing something about global warming? Would any of the GOP alternatives do anything different or better? So what is this about? A promo for Al Gore? "I feel ignored and I used to be important and wanna be a big guy again?"



"I am the most progressive and my organization is better than your organization?"



So, Al, when is the last time you and the President talked or played golf?

Amplify’d from www.bizjournals.com

Gore grills Obama on global warming

Gore argues that Obama has made little progress

Gore also knocks the media, which he accuses of being too distracted by personalities like Donald Trump and Charlie Sheen. Read more at www.bizjournals.com

 

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He was ill; he is in rehab; he is famous = No responsibility?

I am sorry that this guy was addicted to drugs and drink but does that excuse whatever he does, as long as he says: I am sorry and goes into rehab. Would anyone care much, if he were a day laborer accused of the same behavior? The bankers and heads of Wall street firms who ruined much of the world's economies... how many of them are in jail?



Mostly, I am just tired of rich and/or famous racists and sex criminals getting by with fewer penalties that poor and unknown racists and sex criminals. End of rant.

Amplify’d from www.guardian.co.uk

Did you launch a racist, antisemitic rant? I can't remember, Galliano tells French court

The British designer John Galliano told a Paris court he remembered nothing of an alleged antisemitic, racist rant in a bar because of his triple addiction to alcohol, valium and sleeping pills.

He went into rehab at the end of February after he was arrested by police following the alleged bar altercation. He said his reasons for rehab were various: "I started having panic attacks, I couldn't go to work unless I had taken some valium." Read more at www.guardian.co.uk

 

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Feeding the Fear - Keeps You and "them" Down!

Why do wannabe and hanging-on politicians feed fear and hate of people defined as "different?" To keep people from figuring out they are getting taken for a ride by the fear-frenzy profiteers. You don't notice that hundreds and hundreds of thousands of jobs have been moved to China to boost the income of a few thousand of America's richest, if you are convinced that it's Mexicans, or Hispanics, or illegals taking your jobs?



Before we bailed out GM last year, they built 19 plants in China over the previous 5-10 years. Never noticed that Mexicans were not the ones who took your factory jobs away? That is exactly what the fear mongering is designed to do - keep you from paying attention to what is really hurting your present and future.

Amplify’d from bsnorrell.blogspot.com

Roberto Rodriguez: John McCain's wildfire accusations

The Arizona senator accuses Mexican immigrants of starting wildfires, but he is fanning the flames himself – of prejudice

Last year, McCain claimed that "illegal aliens" were intentionally causing accidents on freeways.

Per the FBI, we know that the border region is safer than it was a decade ago, and that many of the safest US cities are along the US-Mexico border. But when it comes to fueling xenophobia in this country, facts never get in the way. Read more at bsnorrell.blogspot.com

 

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Ned's Shared Items - FYI

http://www.google.com/reader/shared/15351457303448151229

Just in case anyone is curious. I share tons of stuff everyday but do not post most of it here at Amplify because it just takes too long. I use the sharing option of Google's Reader. So, if you want to see all the wonderful things I read with a few comments here and there - take a look and bookmark if you wish

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When Targeted Assassinations Go Bad - way too often - why?

Bad intelligence, killing the wrong person - oops! Why to snipers, drones and bombs often hit the wrong target?



Because someone is just getting even, trying to make money, or settling some sort of "score" that has nothing to do with wining any war.



You'd think in a day of 24/7 news coverage and cell phone news stations that folks would figure out that to "win" the long war - oops killings can hurt you as much or more than ones that might be justified in some way.



Learn it now - will ya!?

Amplify’d from circlingthelionsden.blogspot.com

Critique of targeted killings in Afghanistan

Zabet Amanullah, killed in error by US forces

Kate Clark of the Afghanistan Analysts Network has written an excellent analysis of the alleged killing by Coalition forces of the Taliban deputy shadow governor of Takhar in September 2010. She claims, with plenty of evidence, that the person killed - along with nine other people - was in fact Zabet Amanullah, a former Taliban fighter who had laid down his weapons in 2001. Read more at circlingthelionsden.blogspot.com

 

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Good work for earth - 600 Dutch give fine start!

Good friend helped pull off a grand planning and doing project to get many on board to saving the planet! Take a look and pass along, if you agree.

Amplify’d from www.economytransformers.com

Tick tick tick... time is ticking!

The Economy Transformers unite a diverse group of people who are anxious to contribute to the economic and societal transition needed for a future that serves and dignifies all life on our planet.

Community for (re)building an economy and society that serves people and nature

See more at www.economytransformers.com

 

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Can we end the war and the pain - PLEASE!

She says all that needs to be said in her poem.

Amplify’d from www.awwproject.org

Sack of Winds

When God created me he put a world in my heart +++a world of grief +++a country of blank deserts +++a sky full of clouds with a dead Sun and crazy winds He put all my desires in a sack of winds +++told me go +++and find it It is years and years I run after the wind +++to find my desires +++my smiled lips +++my sentenced hopes I run after the winds in the blank deserts find nothing but dead wishes and dead wishes By Norwan Read more at www.awwproject.org

 

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Maybe this sounds dumb but... The Taliban are Afghans - right? So where do they go, if they lose or they decide for peace? Do they just go home and don't fight anymore? If you were a Taliban fighter or supporter, what would you do? http://amplify.com/u/a14k3b

Superbug in your dairy? Thank Industrialized farming...

The wise opossum philosopher, Pogo, says - "We have me the enemy and he is us!" Keep cattle, poultry "healthy" under overpopulated and crowded conditions - easy hit them with anti-bacterial drugs in excessive amounts - yeah. Huh, you mean that we got drug resistant bacteria that eats people up as a result? Oops!

Amplify’d from www.wired.com

More MRSA, in milk: A new strain in cows and humans

Researchers in England and Denmark have announced they have found a never-before recorded variant of MRSA in cow’s milk in England that has already caused human infections in England, Scotland and Denmark, and researchers in Ireland have simultaneously announced that they have found the same strain in hospitalized patients there as well. Read more at www.wired.com

 

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Florida Drug Testing

Drug tests in Florida proposed by Governor Scott for all state legislators, state employees, public and charter school students and employees, businesses doing business with the State of Florida, businesses getting tax breaks fro Florida, any senior citizens receiving any sort of aid, discounts or assistance. The Governor has exempted himself. Actually he has already ordered random testing of all state employees. Rumor has it that he owns shares in drug testing firms. $42 a test.

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