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CDC to Cut Back Disease Work in Foreign Countries: Report

           

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thehill.com - by Peter Sullivan - January 19, 2018

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is planning to significantly reduce its overseas work to fight disease due to coming funding cutbacks, according to an internal email reported by The Wall Street Journal.

Unless it gets new funding, the CDC will be cutting down its work against diseases from 49 countries to 10 countries starting in October 2019, the Journal reported . . . 

 . . . The 10 countries where the CDC will continue its work are India, Thailand, Vietnam, Kenya, Uganda, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Jordan and Guatemala, the Journal reported.

The CDC said it is starting to plan now to make transitions in the countries it cannot continue the work in.

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Busting 10 Common Myths about the "Greatest Pandemic in History"

              

Spanish influenza ward at Camp Funston, Kansas. Credit: U.S. Army photographer Wikimedia

The 1918 flu did not come from Spain

scientificamerican.com - by Richard Gunderman - January 11, 2018

 . . . The 1918 flu pandemic has been a regular subject of speculation over the last century. Historians and scientists have advanced numerous hypotheses regarding its origin, spread and consequences. As a result, many of us harbor misconceptions about it.

By correcting these 10 myths, we can better understand what actually happened and learn how to prevent and mitigate such disasters in the future.

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Global Carmakers to Invest at Least $90 Billion in Electric Vehicles

           

Visitors look at cars in the Ford booth at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, U.S. January 15, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

reuters.com - by Paul Lienert - January 15, 2018

Ford Motor Co’s plan to double its electrified vehicle spending is part of an investment tsunami in batteries and electric cars by global automakers that now totals $90 billion and is still growing, a Reuters analysis shows.

That money is pouring in to a tiny sector that amounts to less than 1 percent of the 90 million vehicles sold each year and where Elon Musk’s Tesla Inc, with sales of only three models totaling just over 100,000 vehicles in 2017, was a dominant player.

With the world’s top automakers poised to introduce dozens of new battery electric and hybrid gasoline-electric models over the next five years - many of them in China - executives continue to ask: Who will buy all those vehicles?

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Climate Change 'Will Create World's Biggest Refugee Crisis'

CLICK HERE - Beyond Borders: Our changing climate – its role in conflict and displacement

Experts warn refugees could number tens of millions in the next decade, and call for a new legal framework to protect the most vulnerable

theguardian.com - by Matthew Taylor - November 2, 2017

Tens of millions of people will be forced from their homes by climate change in the next decade, creating the biggest refugee crisis the world has ever seen, according to a new report.

Senior US military and security experts have told the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) study that the number of climate refugees will dwarf those that have fled the Syrian conflict, bringing huge challenges to Europe.

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Beartooth - An off the grid network for your smartphone

Beartooth is a handheld device that works with your smartphone to keep you connected when there is no cell service.

Beartooth works as a long range link between you and other Beartooth users. Your phone connects to your Beartooth using Bluetooth, and your Beartooth connects to other Beartooth devices up to 10 miles away over the 900 MHz ISM band.

Download app and pair your Beartooth to your iPhone or Android device. Once connected you can reach other Beartooth users within 10 miles.

https://www.beartooth.com

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Hurricanes blew away Puerto Rico's power grid. Now solar power is rising to fill the void.

submitted by Bill Sullivan

           

usatoday.com - by Daniella Cheslow - January 5, 2018

More than three months after Hurricanes Maria and Irma slammed their island, over a million Puerto Ricans are still without reliable power. But one recent day, Rosa López and José Quiñones finally left those ranks.

It happened when four technicians installed a Tesla Powerwall solar battery pack onto a wall in their suburban San Juan home — a 275-pound white metal beast that can store enough electricity to keep a house running from sunset to sunrise.

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CDC to Hold Briefing on How Public Can Prepare for Nuclear War

CLICK HERE - CDC - Public Health Response to a Nuclear Detonation - January 16, 2018 at 1:00 p.m. (ET)

cbsnews.com - by Rebecca Shabad - January 5, 2018

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has scheduled a briefing for later this month to outline how the public can prepare for nuclear war.

"While a nuclear detonation is unlikely, it would have devastating results and there would be limited time to take critical protection steps. Despite the fear surrounding such an event, planning and preparation can lessen deaths and illness," the notice about the Jan. 16 briefing says on the CDC's website, which features a photo of a mushroom cloud.

The notice went on to say that most people don't know that sheltering in place for at least 24 hours is "crucial to saving lives and reducing exposure to radiation."

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Video - Amid Promises of Aid, a Puerto Rico Still in Ruins

The New York Times - By DEBORAH ACOSTA and NATALIE RENEAU - October 3, 2017

President Trump said Puerto Ricans should be proud of the low death toll after Hurricane Maria. But a tour of the island by Times reporters showed that vast humanitarian and logistical challenges remain.

https://nyti.ms/2yHr8K3

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After Hurricane Maria, Dominica Seeks to Rebuild Itself Better

           

A woman walks through the streets of Roseau, the capital of Dominica, shattered by the passage of two category five hurricanes  - UNICEF / Moreno Gonzalez

via Google Translate:
un.org - reliefweb.int - 28 December 2017

Three months after Hurricane Maria ravaged Dominica, the population remains very affected. However, the post-emergency phase represents a series of opportunities to rebuild better and increase the resilience of the Caribbean island.

Hurricane Maria, of category 5, hit Dominica on September 18, leaving 15 people dead and about 57,000 people affected.

"Three months after the disaster, the situation is much better, but it is still difficult for many," said Luca Renda, the leader of the United Nations response team to the crisis in Dominica, in an interview with UN News.

"The basic needs are covered. The vast majority of children go to school and shops and markets have reopened. However, a third of the population remains displaced, staying at home with family or friends. Only 10% have electricity, and a third do not have direct access to water (potable), "said Renda, who is also coordinator of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) on the island.

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CARICOM Moving to Create the World’s First Climate Resilient Region in the Year Ahead – Incoming Chairman

INCOMING CHAIRMAN OF THE CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY HIS EXCELLENCY JOVENEL MOÏSE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF HAITI

caricom.org - December 31, 2017

NEW YEAR’S MESSAGE FROM INCOMING CHAIRMAN OF THE CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY HIS EXCELLENCY JOVENEL MOÏSE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF HAITI

2018 dawns for the Caribbean Community, with the prospect of seizing an opportunity out of a crisis.  As we begin the rebuilding process after the devastating hurricanes of last September, as well Hurricane Matthew, which pounded the region on October 3-4 , 2016, we do so with the aim of creating the first climate resilient Region in the world.

The absolute necessity to create a climate smart Region is clear given the effects of climate change which have brought us droughts, mega hurricanes, heavy floods and unusual weather patterns, all of which adversely affect our development.  The social and economic gains that we have made individually and collectively must be protected against the onslaught of nature.

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