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Environmental Issues

H5N1 or bird flu has destroyed millions of birds around the world.

Scientists are not sure why this strain can hop different bird species so easily particularly chickens.

Scientists are also not sure why this strain has not “ burnt “ itself out.

Egg prices in the grocery are still high from reduced chicken population.

Can this H5N1 jump to humans ?
 
H5N1 or bird flu has destroyed millions of birds around the world.

Scientists are not sure why this strain can hop different bird species so easily particularly chickens.

Scientists are also not sure why this strain has not “ burnt “ itself out.

Egg prices in the grocery are still high from reduced chicken population.

Can this H5N1 jump to humans ?

Charlie - You always ask the most interesting questions.

For this one, it seems that, yes, it can infect people. I am so surprised to see that it has not yet spread to the massive chicken and egg farms west of me in rural Maricopa County, Arizona.

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/avianflu/avian-in-humans.htm
 
Charlie - You always ask the most interesting questions.

For this one, it seems that, yes, it can infect people. I am so surprised to see that it has not yet spread to the massive chicken and egg farms west of me in rural Maricopa County, Arizona.

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/avianflu/avian-in-humans.htm
From reports I’ve seen, H5N1 currently doesn’t currently readily jump to humans. It has been known though, mainly to people working in the chicken farming industry. According to reports it has around a 50% fatality rate in humans.

If these massive chicken & egg farms round your way are indoor operations it’s less likely they’ll come into contact with other infected birds. If they do, they will probably have to slaughter the lot to stop the spread.
 
From reports I’ve seen, H5N1 currently doesn’t currently readily jump to humans. It has been known though, mainly to people working in the chicken farming industry. According to reports it has around a 50% fatality rate in humans.

If these massive chicken & egg farms round your way are indoor operations it’s less likely they’ll come into contact with other infected birds. If they do, they will probably have to slaughter the lot to stop the spread.

Since I was so sick with Covid, I have channeled my inner Howard Hughes.

All the poultry farms are completely isolated from the outside, in air-conditioned huge buildings. However, I often see hundreds if not thousands of pigeons and starlings standing on the huge piles of chicken feed outside. The piles are wrapped in plastic, but the wild birds are relentless in pecking at it. I wonder if they could contaminate the feed which would then get the chickens sick. According to the CDC here in the US for 2022, the mortality rate is low for humans - but I am finding it intriguingly difficult to get specific information.

Ugh. Howard Hughes. I am going to count my jars of fingernail clippings. I find it very soothing.
 
To me the answer is simple, stop selling and stop eating chicken. Why is that a problem? So KFC go bust? Big deal. All they sell is reconstituted mechanically reclaimed bits from carcasses and stick them back together with glue to resemble chicken wings etc. So some huge multi national farm produced chicken producers go bust? So what? The vast majority of chicken producers have left the industry in such a state that along with the quest for bigger and bigger profits and the big pharma led nightmare solutions to forced unnatural living conditions that almost every chicken sold is now infected with salmonella, so that chicken is nothing other than a consumer dream of sumptuous consumption while the reality is very much different. All you supermarket and take away chicken eaters are eating is chemicals and disease.

Chicken isn't the only food available on the planet. In fact, chicken is not even up there with baked beans or crisps or even fish and chips. Yet chicken and chips shops are taking over the UK and the wrappers are now blowing in the wind down a high street near you and the discarded uneaten remnants thrown away without thought are food for the ever increasing numbers of rats.

I include with that all the Mac Muck type takeaways. The stench around fast food take aways, how does anyone even go into such a place with that smell? People do though, ands it's a complete mystery to me. I've never been into any fast food sh*t hole in my life and I never intend to.

I must add that I don't care what anyone eats, and although I'm a veggie, buy a bit what ever meat or fish, cook it at home, and enjoy it. Except fast food though. It's all just consumerism wrapped up in advertising for consumption as enjoyment loaded with chemicals to fool the brain to thinking it's happiness.
 
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To me the answer is simple, stop selling and stop eating chicken. Why is that a problem? So KFC go bust? Big deal. All they sell is reconstituted mechanically reclaimed bits from carcasses and stick them back together with glue to resemble chicken wings etc. So some huge multi national farm produced chicken producers go bust? So what? The vast majority of chicken producers have left the industry in such a state that along with the quest for bigger and bigger profits and the big pharma led nightmare solutions to forced unnatural living conditions that almost every chicken sold is now infected with salmonella, so that chicken is nothing other than a consumer dream of sumptuous consumption while the reality is very much different. All you supermarket and take away chicken eaters are eating is chemicals and disease.

Chicken isn't the only food available on the planet. In fact, chicken is not even up there with baked beans or crisps or even fish and chips. Yet chicken and chips shops are taking over the UK and the wrappers are now blowing in the wind down a high street near you and the discarded uneaten remnants thrown away without thought are food for the ever increasing numbers of rats.

I include with that all the Mac Muck type takeaways. The stench around fast food take aways, how does anyone even go into such a place with that smell? People do though, ands it's a complete mystery to me. I've never been into any fast food sh*t hole in my life and I never intend to.

I must add that I don't care what anyone eats, and although I'm a veggie, buy a bit what ever meat or fish, cook it at home, and enjoy it. Except fast food though. It's all just consumerism wrapped up in advertising for consumption as enjoyment loaded with chemicals to fool the brain to thinking it's happiness.

Not a fan, then?

maximus otter
 
I only now wondered if the bird flu in North America is related to the unavailability of ducks for the holidays; and amazingly expensive geese and turkeys. I had to go on a quest to procure a single small duck.

Edited: if the price keeps going up, I may auction off the poor frozen carcass.
 
Yet chicken and chips shops are taking over the UK and the wrappers are now blowing in the wind down a high street near you and the discarded uneaten remnants thrown away without thought are food for the ever increasing numbers of rats.

I include with that all the Mac Muck type takeaways. The stench around fast food take aways, how does anyone even go into such a place with that smell? People do though, ands it's a complete mystery to me. I've never been into any fast food sh*t hole in my life and I never intend to.

I must add that I don't care what anyone eats, and although I'm a veggie, buy a bit what ever meat or fish, cook it at home, and enjoy it. Except fast food though. It's all just consumerism wrapped up in advertising for consumption as enjoyment loaded with chemicals to fool the brain to thinking it's happiness.
Agreed.
 
Chicken is very good for you.

I eat one a week. (Minus the large amount puss consumes).

(What happened to both drumsticks yesterday?? This bird is legless).

What depresses me is the chicken carcasses folk discard; chicken broth is my favourite.
 
Chicken is very good for you.

I eat one a week. (Minus the large amount puss consumes).

(What happened to both drumsticks yesterday?? This bird is legless).

What depresses me is the chicken carcasses folk discard; chicken broth is my favourite.
Yes, but not that over-salted, deep fried and bread crumbed take-away rubbish.
 
Chicken is very good for you.

I eat one a week. (Minus the large amount puss consumes).

(What happened to both drumsticks yesterday?? This bird is legless).

What depresses me is the chicken carcasses folk discard; chicken broth is my favourite.
Every bone in the house goes into the freezer until we have enough to load up the slow cooker for a batch of bone broth, either beef, lamb or chicken.
 
To me the answer is simple, stop selling and stop eating chicken. Why is that a problem? So KFC go bust? Big deal. All they sell is reconstituted mechanically reclaimed bits from carcasses and stick them back together with glue to resemble chicken wings etc. So some huge multi national farm produced chicken producers go bust? So what? The vast majority of chicken producers have left the industry in such a state that along with the quest for bigger and bigger profits and the big pharma led nightmare solutions to forced unnatural living conditions that almost every chicken sold is now infected with salmonella, so that chicken is nothing other than a consumer dream of sumptuous consumption while the reality is very much different. All you supermarket and take away chicken eaters are eating is chemicals and disease.

Chicken isn't the only food available on the planet. In fact, chicken is not even up there with baked beans or crisps or even fish and chips. Yet chicken and chips shops are taking over the UK and the wrappers are now blowing in the wind down a high street near you and the discarded uneaten remnants thrown away without thought are food for the ever increasing numbers of rats.

I include with that all the Mac Muck type takeaways. The stench around fast food take aways, how does anyone even go into such a place with that smell? People do though, ands it's a complete mystery to me. I've never been into any fast food sh*t hole in my life and I never intend to.

I must add that I don't care what anyone eats, and although I'm a veggie, buy a bit what ever meat or fish, cook it at home, and enjoy it. Except fast food though. It's all just consumerism wrapped up in advertising for consumption as enjoyment loaded with chemicals to fool the brain to thinking it's happiness.
Most peoples across the world raise and eat chicken. It is a good source of protein, relatively inexpensive, and doesn't require extensive pasture like cattle. It is in ethnic recipes in Asia, Europe, Africa, South America, etc. - and has been for centuries before fast foods.

I probably eat 20 chickens a year, and none are from fast food places.
 
There's always Gary Larson's take on chicken soup.

Far side chicken soup.jpg
 
Most peoples across the world raise and eat chicken. It is a good source of protein, relatively inexpensive, and doesn't require extensive pasture like cattle. It is in ethnic recipes in Asia, Europe, Africa, South America, etc. - and has been for centuries before fast foods.

I probably eat 20 chickens a year, and none are from fast food places.
We used to eat at least one a week.
 
Another threat to the Greater Amazon Ecosphere.

Scientists say a unique reef habitat near the mouth of the Amazon river is under threat from plans to drill for oil. The reef was discovered in 2016, and researchers say it could contain many unknown species of medicinal or scientific value.

The Amazon reef is unusual because it lies in deep water, and is sometimes hidden by the muddy waters flowing into the sea from the world's largest river. Its depth - up to 220m (725ft) and the strong currents in the area mean that it has been little studied since it was discovered.

"It's a very wide area, there are things that we don't know yet," says César Cordeiro, a professor at the Center for Biosciences and Biotechnology at the University of Northern Rio de Janeiro. "There are species that may be appearing only in that area and nowhere else in the world."

One is a sponge currently being studied at the University of São Paulo, which has shown signs of possessing anti-cancer properties.

"There is great potential for economic gain with the study and protection of these systems," says Rodrigo Leão de Moura, professor at the Institute of Biology at the University of Rio de Janeiro and the leading scientist involved in the reef's discovery. Of course, we have this immediate need for cheap energy, but how much does this sacrifice a future based on biotechnology?"

The scientists worry that plans by the Brazilian oil company Petrobras to drill for oil close to the reef could cause an oil leak that would devastate the ecosystem. ...

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-63987165
 
Most peoples across the world raise and eat chicken. It is a good source of protein, relatively inexpensive, and doesn't require extensive pasture like cattle. It is in ethnic recipes in Asia, Europe, Africa, South America, etc. - and has been for centuries before fast foods.

I probably eat 20 chickens a year, and none are from fast food places.
It's fast food places that my gripe is about. People who eat proper free range chicken, that I have no problem with what so ever even though I'm a veggie.
 
It's fast food places that my gripe is about. People who eat proper free range chicken, that I have no problem with what so ever even though I'm a veggie.
Thanks for the clarification. From your post, it appeared to me that you were suggesting all or most chicken (in the world) weas raised for fast food. Like you, I don't east fast food, and think the frying oil smells really bad.
 
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Victims of illegal logging and mining.

Brazil has airlifted 16 starving Yanomami tribal people to receive urgent treatment, after the government declared a medical emergency.

The indigenous people live in a reserve in Brazil's northern state of Roraima.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has accused his predecessor, far-right Jair Bolsonaro, of committing genocide against the rainforest tribe.
The government declared a medical emergency after hundreds of Yanomami children died from malnutrition. The deaths are linked to water pollution caused by mining and logging in the densely forested area, where food insecurity is rife.

On Saturday President Lula visited Roraima, which borders Venezuela and Guyana, following reports of severe malnutrition among Yanomami children and said he was "shocked" by what he found.

"More than a humanitarian crisis, what I saw in Roraima was genocide: a premeditated crime against the Yanomami, committed by a government insensitive to suffering," he said later. "I came here to say we are going to treat our indigenous people as human beings."

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-64381922
 
Victims of illegal logging and mining.

Brazil has airlifted 16 starving Yanomami tribal people to receive urgent treatment, after the government declared a medical emergency.

The indigenous people live in a reserve in Brazil's northern state of Roraima.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has accused his predecessor, far-right Jair Bolsonaro, of committing genocide against the rainforest tribe.
The government declared a medical emergency after hundreds of Yanomami children died from malnutrition. The deaths are linked to water pollution caused by mining and logging in the densely forested area, where food insecurity is rife.

On Saturday President Lula visited Roraima, which borders Venezuela and Guyana, following reports of severe malnutrition among Yanomami children and said he was "shocked" by what he found.

"More than a humanitarian crisis, what I saw in Roraima was genocide: a premeditated crime against the Yanomami, committed by a government insensitive to suffering," he said later. "I came here to say we are going to treat our indigenous people as human beings."

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-64381922

A good news follow up to this story.

A major operation to drive out illegal miners from indigenous land is under way in Brazil.

Government officials burned a plane and seized boats, weapons and petrol used by the miners in a remote region of the Amazon rainforest, which belongs to the Yanomami indigenous group.

Thousands of illegal gold miners have invaded the indigenous reserve on Brazil's border with Venezuela.

The raid is part of a larger policy to halt the advance of illegal mining.

It is a joint operation by Brazil's environmental protection agency, Ibama, the indigenous affairs department, Funai, and special forces tasked with protecting the environment.

With an estimated 20,000 illegal miners dispersed throughout the dense jungle region, officials said the aim of the raids was to interrupt the flow of supplies rather than to target individual settlements.

The miners and their illegal activities are a grave threat to the Yanomami indigenous group, which is estimated to have 28,000 members. Diseases, violence and environmental damages caused by the influx have triggered a humanitarian crisis among the Yanomami, resulting in the deaths from preventable diseases and hunger of scores of Yanomami children.

Two weeks ago. the government airlifted 16 members of the group out of the jungle to treat them for malnutrition. ...

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-64582235
 
Corrupt coalmining land grab opposed by local tribes.

Deep in the jungles of central India, forest-dwelling tribes are marking the one-year anniversary of a continuous agitation against a new coal mine to be developed by the Adani Group. In recent months, they've received a show of support from high-profile politicians and celebrity activists. But in this David vs Goliath battle, a victory for the tribes will be hard won.

The village of Hariharpur in the state of Chhattisgarh stands on the precipice of two discordant worlds. To its east, the myriad greys of the decade-old Parsa East Kete Basan (PEKB) open cast coal mine, operated by the Adani Group, stretch as far as the eye can see. To the other side of this hamlet of a few scattered homes, lies the sprawling expanse of the Hasdeo forest, under which billions of tons of power grade coal still rests unexplored.

These woods are said to be the largest contiguous stretch of dense forestland in central India, spanning 170,000 hectares or 1700 sq km (65.6 sq miles) and often called the "lungs of Chhattisgarh". They are also home to the proposed Lemru Elephant Reserve.

Tribal villagers here have strenuously opposed the proposed opening of the new coal mine for over a decade. But despite staunch resistance and warnings from the government's own forest research agency of a negative impact on the local habitat and forest ecology, final clearances for the mine were granted last year, triggering an indefinite agitation that's gone on every day since 2 March 2022. ...

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-64949877
 
Worrisome wig waste causes sewage flood.

Several gardens were flooded with sewage after two wigs blocked a sewer in West Yorkshire.

Yorkshire Water said the "hair-raising" find blocked the network in Allerton, Bradford, with the fake follicles causing waste to overflow into nearby properties. Maintenance workers removed the "difficult blockage", enabling sewer flows to return to normal levels.

The water firm reminded people not to dispose of unwanted items in drains.

It said teams were finding new blockages each day caused by unsuitable items, but having to root out troublesome toupees from drains was a "new one for us".

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leeds-65412064
 
Beware of the melting permafrost.

As the Arctic’s icebound ground warms, it may unleash toxic substances across the region.

By the end of the century, the thaw threatens to destabilize facilities at more than 2,000 industrial sites, such as mines and pipelines, and further compromise more than 5,000 already contaminated areas, researchers report March 28 in Nature Communications.

Those numbers come from the first comprehensive study to pinpoint where Arctic permafrost thaw could release industrial pollutants. But there are probably even more contaminated areas that we don’t know about, says permafrost researcher Moritz Langer of the Alfred Wegener Institute in Potsdam, Germany. “We only see the tip of the iceberg.” ...

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/permafrost-thawing-pollution-arctic-climate-change
 
Good news for the indigenous people of Brazil.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has decreed six new indigenous reserves, banning mining and restricting commercial farming there.

The lands - including a vast area of Amazon rainforest - cover about 620,000 hectares (1.5m acres).

Indigenous leaders welcomed the move, but said more areas needed protection.

Lula, who took office in January, has pledged to reverse policies of his far-right predecessor Jair Bolsonaro, who promoted mining in indigenous lands. Lula, who previously served as president in 2003-2010, signed the demarcation decree on Friday - the final day of a gathering of indigenous people from around the country in the capital Brasília.

"We are going to legalise indigenous lands. It is a process that takes a little while, because it has to go through many hands," the 77-year-old leader told the crowds. "I don't want any indigenous territory to be left without demarcation during my government. That is the commitment I made to you."

And in a tweet, Lula described the decision as "an important step".

Recent years have seen an alarming rise in deforestation of the Amazon rainforest, a crucial buffer in the global fight against climate change. The new reserves are in central Brazil, as well as the country's north-east and south.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-65433284
 
Experiment with ozone pollution shows decreased pheromone releasing by flies, leading to increased courtship between males

/ Someone warn Alex Jones!

https://www.thecooldown.com/outdoors/flies-pollution-ozone-pheromone-communication-air/
----------------------------
Insects typically find their mates by heavily relying on pheromones –– chemicals that allow males and females to locate each other and mate.

These pheromones are distinctive to males and females of a species, and in the case of flies, they are being disrupted and degraded by the pervasive increase of ozone in the air, which is a result of air pollution.

Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Germany discovered these effects by developing an experiment that mimicked ozone levels similar to what is measured during the summertime in cities.

Typically, male flies’ pheromones attract females while simultaneously repelling other males. But increased ozone levels caused a decrease in pheromones, which caused females to be less attracted to males and led to courtship between male flies.
 
Some justice at last for these indigenous people.

Eleven Indonesian villagers from Aceh province have reached a confidential financial settlement with oil giant ExxonMobil.

The villagers have been at the centre of a two-decade long legal battle over alleged human rights abuses. They say they endured torture, sexual assault, and beatings by Indonesian soldiers contracted by ExxonMobil.

ExxonMobil said it condemns such abuses "including those asserted in this case against the Indonesian military".

The villagers allege a number of crimes were committed - these included witnessing their loved ones being shot. They also said pregnant women were forced to jump repeatedly before being sexually assaulted, and men were subjected to electric shocks, burns, and knife-inflicted graffiti on their backs.

In a statement, the oil giant said: "It should be noted while there were no allegations that any employee directly harmed any of the plaintiffs, the settlement brings closure for all parties. We express our deepest sympathy to the families and the people who were involved."

The alleged atrocities were said to have taken place in and around ExxonMobil's operations in the Arun field, North Aceh. This gas field, referred to as "the jewel in the company's crown", was among the world's largest natural gas fields.

During much of the litigation period, ExxonMobil reported significant profits.

A trial was scheduled to begin at the end of this month in Washington but has now been averted due to the settlement.

The plaintiffs, identified only as Jane and John Doe for their safety, said they were satisfied with the outcome.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-65601644
 
The slaughter of indigenous and environmental activists continues.

An environmental activist has been killed every two days on average over the past decade, a new study shows.

The report from Global Witness says that more than 1,700 people have died while trying to prevent mining, oil drilling or logging on their lands.

Over the 10 years, Brazil and Colombia have recorded the highest numbers of deaths.

Researchers say the figures underestimate the true scale of violence.

Earlier this year, the murders of British journalist Dom Phillips and a local indigenous expert, Bruno Pereira, brought global attention to the lawless conditions prevailing in some parts of the Amazon.

In this latest report from Global Witness, Latin America is very much the frontline when it comes to deadly attacks on environmental campaigners and activists. The study finds that 68% of the murders took place across this continent, with Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Honduras recording the highest totals.

Many of those who died were indigenous people, often involved in struggles to prevent the exploitation of their lands by mining, oil, logging or hydropower developers.

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-63064471

The plot thickens.

Police have indicted the former head of Brazil's Indigenous protection agency for his alleged role in the murder of British journalist Dom Phillips.

Police didn't identify the official, named as Marcelo Xavier by state media. He was accused of "possible malice" for failing to act on information which police believe could have prevented Phillips' death. Phillips and Brazilian indigenist Bruno Pereira were killed on a reporting trip in the Amazon rainforest last year. Three men have separately been charged with carrying out the double homicide.

Pereira was accompanying Phillips, a veteran journalist who wrote for newspapers including The Guardian and Washington Post, by boat through the Javari Valley near Brazil's border with Peru as part of Phillips' research for a book on conservation efforts in the Amazon. The huge region is home to around 6,300 Indigenous people from more than 20 groups and is under threat from illegal loggers, miners and hunters.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-65654878
 
Intelligence reports claim that Putin is very close to blowing up the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power planet which would poison the surrounding country side.

Ukraine claims this planet has already been mined several months ago.
 
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