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Tomorrow is Another Day

submitted by Kathy (katmax)

In March of 1973, E. B. White* received a letter from a Mr. Nadeau,
who sought his opinion on what he saw as a bleak future for the human
race. White responded with the following, beautifully written letter.

   North Brooklin, Maine
   30 March 1973

   Dear Mr. Nadeau:

Taxonomy upgrade extras: 

Al Jeezera television: Rebuilding Haiti

An excellent video about the rebuidling of Haiti.

Haiti: The politics of rebuilding

A product of Al Jazeera's "Fault Lines" television series, here is the synopsis from their website:

Just weeks after the earthquake that took more than 200,000 lives and devastated Haiti's capital city, a new normalcy is taking shape in Port-au-Prince.

UN director: $1 billion needed to help poor nations fight flu

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon today estimated that $1 billion is needed by the end of the year to help developing countries respond to pandemic influenza, the Associated Press (AP) reported. Speaking at a press conference in Geneva after a donor's conference, Moon said funding isn't coming in as expected. Margaret Chan, the WHO's director-general, said donor assistance is needed to help 49 developing countries stockpile antivirals and other drugs. [Jul 6 AP story]

UN director: $1 billion needed to help poor nations fight flu

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon today estimated that $1 billion is needed by the end of the year to help developing countries respond to pandemic influenza, the Associated Press (AP) reported. Speaking at a press conference in Geneva after a donor's conference, Moon said funding isn't coming in as expected. Margaret Chan, the WHO's director-general, said donor assistance is needed to help 49 developing countries stockpile antivirals and other drugs. [Jul 6 AP story]

Are the currently identified Tamiflu resistance cases significant?

Date: Sat 4 Jul 2009
Source: 660News, All News Radio, The Canadian Press [edited]

All cases of Tamiflu resistance are not created equal. So while the
1st 3 instances of swine flu infection with Tamiflu-resistant viruses
were reported in the past week, it was Number 3, not Number 1 that put
influenza experts on edge. Public health authorities in Hong Kong
announced Friday [3 Jul 2009] they have found a case of Tamiflu
resistance in a woman who hadn't taken the drug. That means she was
infected with swine flu viruses that were already resistant to

Flu researchers call for enhanced swine surveillance

Lisa Schnirring Staff Writer
Jun 8, 2009 (CIDRAP News) – Government officials and researchers may have underestimated the potential role of pigs as "mixing vessels" for influenza viruses and the importance of swine surveillance for identifying new pandemic threats, veterinary experts from Mexico asserted recently.

The group based their conclusions on two genetic analyses tracing the evolution of the novel H1N1 virus that lend support to the mixing vessel theory. Their findings appeared in the Jun 4 issue of Eurosurveillance.

Following virus protein clues

Today's View of the "Swine Flu" 2009 H1N1

Right now, at the beginning of the outbreak, I am more worried about those that think this is hype than the ones that think selective schools should be shut down.

We should be worried about stopping community spread. Even though this is relatively mild, everyone should do their best to avoid what appears to be a fairly infectious agent, that is killing people that don't get good medical care early.

WHO Pandemic Alert Levels

Will the Swine Flu of 2009 become a pandemic, and if so when?

Review the WHO Pandemic Alert Levels below, consider the cases in Mexico, the U.S., and Canada alone, not withstanding the rapid and uncontrolled spread to other countries throughout the world, and come to your own conclusion.

WHO ALERT LEVELS
In Phase 1 no viruses among animals reported to have caused infections in humans.

In Phase 2 animal flu virus is known to have caused infection in humans and is potential pandemic threat.

Documentaries on Health and Development

Rockhopper is one of the world's leading TV documentary makers specialising in development, health and the environment.

On this web site you can watch what you want, when you want - and free of charge.

http://www.rockhopper.tv/#

Choose from 200 of our films, many award-winning, and all made for global broadcasters like BBC World News.

What is Multi-Track Diplomacy

In interacting with the Center for American Progress in regards to their work on Sustainable Security, we were also referred to Louise Diamond's and John McDonald's work on Multi-Track Diplomacy.

http://imtd.org/cgi-bin/imtd.cgi

Multi-Track Diplomacy is a conceptual way to view the process of international peacemaking as a living system. It looks at the web of interconnected activities, individuals, institutions, and communities that operate together for a common goal: a world at peace.

State and Foreign Operations Appropriations

COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Press Contact: Kirstin Brost, Full Committee, 202-225-2771
Matthew Dennis, Chairman Lowey, 202-225-6506

SUMMARY: 2009 STATE AND FOREIGN OPERATIONS
APPROPRIATIONS
CONSOLIDATED APPROPRIATIONS BILL

Bill Total
2008 Enacted: $32.8 billion
President’s Request: $38.2 billion
Final Bill: $36.6 billion

KEY INVESTMENTS

State Department and USAID Operations, Staff and Security:
• Diplomatic and Consular Programs: $4.2 billion, $464 million above 2008 for diplomatic operations and

Sustainable Security from the Perspective of the Obama Transition Team

by Faiz Shakir, Amanda Terkel, Satyam Khanna, Matt Corley, Benjamin Armbruster, Ali Frick, and Ryan Powers
NATIONAL SECURITY
On The Path To Sustainable Security

"Abandon hope": Thinking Through Appropriate Motivators Toward Sustainable Living

Published: Friday, February 20, 2009 - 10:49 in Psychology & Sociology
Learn more about: conservation ethics ethics group global climate change michigan technological university sowing the seeds

'Mobile health' campaign launched

By Jason Palmer
Science and technology reporter, BBC News, Barcelona

Health teams synchronize mobile devices and gather data from clinics
Three foundations have announced their intention to join in a "mobile health" effort to use mobile technology to provide better healthcare worldwide.
The UN, Vodafone, and the Rockefeller Foundation's mHealth Alliance aims to unite existing projects to improve healthcare using mobile technology.
The alliance will guide governments, NGOs, and mobile firms on how they can save lives in the developing world.

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