World News Random, Random

[ponchi101]

The Etonians didn't even think about how Brexit would affect Ireland. And here we are.

Sorry, you lost me there, Ti. Who are the Etonians? I know about how Brexit was going to affect N.Ireland and Ireland, but, no clue about "The Etonians".

[ti-amie]

The Etonians didn't even think about how Brexit would affect Ireland. And here we are.

Sorry, you lost me there, Ti. Who are the Etonians? I know about how Brexit was going to affect N.Ireland and Ireland, but, no clue about "The Etonians".

Brexit was/is an idea hatched by a bunch of people who attended the posh Eton College. Boris Johnson attended the school.

Eton College is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore, intended as a sister institution to King's College, Cambridge, making it the 18th-oldest Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference school. Wikipedia
Address: Windsor SL4 6DW, United Kingdom
Phone: +44 1753 370100
School fees: £48,501 per year; US$68,244 per year

Eton has educated prime ministers, world leaders, Nobel laureates, Academy Award and BAFTA award-winning actors, and generations of the aristocracy, having been referred to as "the nurse of England's statesmen." The school is the largest boarding school in England ahead of Millfield and Oundle.

Eton College - Wikipedia

[ponchi101]

I don't know if to put this in the Ukraine War topic.
Finland has decided to join NATO ASAP. Exactly what Russia said they were fighting against: to avoid the expansion of European influence in the region.
Now, Russia has said it will retaliate severely. I already read one article saying that Russia will cut gas supplies to Finland as early as tomorrow. With that weather, that would not be without consequences. And Medvedev (Russian PM) has again talked openly about using Nukes.
This gets really scary once again. If Sweden follows Finland, and they should, it is basically a new World Cold War, with the possibility of getting hot in a flash.

[ti-amie]

[Deuce]

In a 'What in hell is happening?'moment, four female journalists have been murdered this week - 1 in Chile, 2 in Mexico, and 1 in Israel.
Not killed by bombs that exploded near them - at least 3 of the 4 were deliberate, targeted murders.

Three Female Journalists Killed...

Chilean Reporter Dies From Gunshot...

And, in yet one more example of there being huge errors made in the creation of the human animal, this is what occurred at the funeral procession of one of the murdered journalists...

[ponchi101]

For the last few days, my news feed has been showing me a few articles claiming that Putin has cancer "and some other diseases". Has anybody else seen this? He does look different, although one thing that I remember from my brother's disease is how much weight he lost and a peculiar frail look. Putin looks more like bloated, to me.

[ti-amie]

The subject has popped up on my Twitter time line but I don't know if it's disinformation or real. There's also been a bit of a focus on his private life lately too. Again, I don't know whether to trust it or not.

[dryrunguy]

I guess I'll put this here, but it could conceivably evolve into its own thread. Johns Hopkins just released this health security alert.

::

MONKEYPOX OUTBREAKS Public health experts worldwide are on alert over several outbreaks of confirmed and suspected monkeypox in the UK, Portugal, and Spain. The seemingly unconnected clusters raise concerns there is more than one chain of transmission. The WHO said extensive contact tracing and viral sequencing of the confirmed cases is underway. European health authorities are monitoring for additional suspected cases. The US CDC expressed concern over the cases and the potential that the disease has spread outside of the UK, saying the clusters are atypical for monkeypox.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has confirmed 9 monkeypox cases since May 6. The UKHSA reported its first case on May 7 in an individual in England with recent travel history to Nigeria, where monkeypox is endemic. Several people who were on the same flight as that individual on May 4 are being monitored for symptoms for 21 days, including 6 people in the US. On May 14, the UKHSA reported 2 additional monkeypox cases in London among individuals who live in the same household but who have no connection to the initial case. Another unconfirmed case is linked to that household. On May 16, the UKHSA announced 4 more confirmed cases, 3 in London and 1 linked case in the northeast of England. These 4 individuals have no known connection with the previous 3 cases announced on May 7 and 14, none had recent travel to endemic nations, and all appear to have been infected in London. These 4 individuals identify as gay, bisexual, or other men who have sex with men (MSM), and common contacts have been identified for 2 of the 4 cases.

Today, the UKHSA announced 2 additional confirmed monkeypox cases, one in London and another in the southeast of England. Neither case has known connections to previous cases. The UKHSA said evidence suggests there may be community transmission of monkeypox occurring via close contact and urged MSM to quickly report any unusual rashes or lesions to a health clinic. Community transmission of monkeypox in humans is rare, and the disease has not previously been described as sexually transmitted, so this limited initial evidence raises concerns.

Portugal’s health ministry said today it has confirmed 5 monkeypox cases and is investigating at least 15 suspected cases, all in the Lisbon and Val do Tejo region. All the confirmed cases involve men with ulcerative lesions. Additionally, health authorities in Spain also issued an alert, saying they have identified at least 8 suspected cases with symptoms consistent with monkeypox, all in the Madrid region. Information on whether the confirmed and suspected cases in Portugal and Spain are among MSM is not currently available.

Monkeypox is a rare viral infection that is thought to typically spread from close person-to-person contact through large respiratory droplets, direct contact with skin lesions or bodily fluids, or indirect contact via contaminated clothing or linens. Symptoms include fever and chills, headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, and a rash similar to chickenpox that can spread throughout the body and notably on the palms of the hands.
There is no treatment or vaccine specifically for the disease, although smallpox vaccine has been shown to be effective in stopping transmission when used in a ring vaccination strategy, and some antivirals might be useful in severe cases. Symptoms of monkeypox usually spontaneously resolve within 14-21 days but can be severe and require medical care. The case-fatality rate of monkeypox in Africa ranges from 1% to 10%, with the highest risk of death among children.

Two distinct clades of monkeypox virus have been identified—Congo Basin and West African clades—with the former found to be more transmissible and virulent. While monkeypox typically is found in West and Central Africa, experts have seen epidemiological changes in recent years, including shifts in the age and geographic distribution of cases. WHO officials stressed the need to better understand how monkeypox is transmitted and invest in tools for prevention and treatment.

[ponchi101]

The 20's are being really swell...

[ti-amie]

Thanks for posting this Dry.

Deep sigh

[dryrunguy]

Johns Hopkins released this update today on monkeypox.

::

Update on Recent Outbreaks in Europe & North America as of May 20, 2022 at 1:30pm ET

Recent cases have now been identified in the United Kingdom (20 confirmed), Spain (30 confirmed), Portugal (14 confirmed)2, Australia (2 confirmed)2 Belgium (2 confirmed), Canada (2 confirmed)31, France (1 confirmed),32 Germany (1 confirmed), Italy (3 confirmed), Sweden (1 confirmed), and the United States (1 confirmed). To date, no deaths are reported.

Contact tracing is underway, but it is likely that cases may have occurred through community transmission. Additionally, it has been noted that an unusual number of the new cases have arisen among gay, bisexual, or other men who have sex with men (MSM).However, scholars have noted that MSM are not the only community at risk. Sexual transmission has been hypothesized as a potential mode of transmission but has not been reported as a driver of transmission in past monkeypox outbreaks.

[ti-amie]

I listened to a BBC podcast on Africa and I was shocked to hear what they call "wild polio" has hit Mozambique. Polio was considered eradicated on the continent but here we are.

Scary.

[Deuce]

Perhaps monkeypox will prove to be a positive element... If it can override COVID-19, and/or provide an immunity to the serious effects of COVID-19, I'd take the pockmarks on my body as a trade-off.

Hell, COVID-19 is still very much a mystery to even the best doctors and scientists. Maybe we'll get lucky, and monkeypox (which seems to be far less serious a virus than COVID-19) will render COVID-19 truly like the common cold - not just in people's wild imaginings as it is now, but for real.
Stranger things have happened....

[Owendonovan]

Johns Hopkins released this update today on monkeypox.

::

Update on Recent Outbreaks in Europe & North America as of May 20, 2022 at 1:30pm ET

Recent cases have now been identified in the United Kingdom (20 confirmed), Spain (30 confirmed), Portugal (14 confirmed)2, Australia (2 confirmed)2 Belgium (2 confirmed), Canada (2 confirmed)31, France (1 confirmed),32 Germany (1 confirmed), Italy (3 confirmed), Sweden (1 confirmed), and the United States (1 confirmed). To date, no deaths are reported.

Contact tracing is underway, but it is likely that cases may have occurred through community transmission. Additionally, it has been noted that an unusual number of the new cases have arisen among gay, bisexual, or other men who have sex with men (MSM).However, scholars have noted that MSM are not the only community at risk. Sexual transmission has been hypothesized as a potential mode of transmission but has not been reported as a driver of transmission in past monkeypox outbreaks.

This is the perfect fodder for those on the right to qualify their negative, "faith based", sometimes violent views on the LGBTQ community.

[ti-amie]

Russia bans 963 Americans, including Biden and Harris — but not Trump
By Timothy Bella
Updated May 21, 2022 at 11:29 a.m. EDT|Published May 21, 2022 at 11:25 a.m. EDT

One prominent name missing from the list: former president Donald Trump. In fact, the only prominent Trump administration official included in the ban is former secretary of state Mike Pompeo.

The Russian Foreign Ministry’s list of 963 Americans includes many members of Congress, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is not on the list. Also not listed is Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who delayed a Senate vote on aid for Ukraine last week when he was the only senator to object. The Senate passed the measure this week, and Biden signed the $40 billion package of new military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine into law on Saturday while visiting Seoul.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/20 ... ine-biden/