android photography

Some of my Daily Kos compatriots show their PhotoShop chops and have a little fun with Sponge Bob . . .

Here. (Sample proverb: "Whoever desires is better than money in the chest.")

(via Mâvarin and Other Inspirations)

"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has rebuffed pleas to join a European diplomatic drive to persuade Iran to give up any ambitions to add nuclear bombs to its arsenal, U.S. officials and foreign diplomats say."



Yeah, real men countries shoot first and send in inspectors later.



(Yahoo! News, via James Wolcott)

"You know, if you have not sold your stocks and bought property in Italy, you better do it quick."



--Seymour Hersh, discussing the future prospects of the United States. More here.

"Ironically, the US, having won the cold war, is adopting the strategy that led the Soviet Union to lose it: hoping that raw military power will be sufficient to intimidate other great powers alienated by its belligerence."



ex-neocon Michael Lind, in the Financial Times



(via Daily Kos)

Ripped directly from Melanie at Just a Bump in the Beltway, this is the latest information from CIDRAP, the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota:



# If an influenza pandemic were to occur in the near future, vaccine for the pandemic strain would not be readily available for a number of months, as noted in the previous section. Even though some developed countries have stockpiles of antiviral agents effective against influenza, supplies of these agents would be extremely limited (see References: Hayden 2004). It is unlikely that they would have a significant effect on curtailing spread of the pandemic unless a mobile stockpile with adequate supplies was created for use in the area where the virus emerges (see References: Monto 2005; WHO: Influenza pandemic preparedness and response 2005). Therefore, prevention and treatment options would essentially not be available during the initial wave of the pandemic.



# Once a vaccine is available, the current plans do not adequately address how the vaccine will be distributed globally. This is of great concern, since vaccine is only produced by a few countries and those countries are likely to not release vaccine until the needs of their populations are met.



# If the next pandemic strain is highly virulent (such as the 1918 strain) the global death toll could be dramatic. The current plans generally do not address the social, political, or economic issues that would likely be associated with an ongoing influenza pandemic. It is very possible that substantial disruption of basic services (such as health care, food, clothing, provision of utilities [eg, water, electricity], and transportation will occur. Furthermore, international trade will likely be impacted, which could have serious global economical and societal consequences. (emphasis mine)



The people who know the most about this situation are also the ones who are the most concerned. That should tell you something.



Update: The first documented case of human-to-human transmission has been reported.