Friday, October 17, 2014


News Clips For The Day


http://news.discovery.com/animals/jumbo-squid-attack-greenpeace-submarine-141014.htm

Jumbo Squid Attack Greenpeace Submarine
BY FOXNEWS.COM/SCIENCE
OCT 14, 2014

A pair of Greenpeace submariners have had their own "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" experience on an expedition in the Bering Sea -- in a scaled down sort of way. Rather than the Nautilus and a giant squid, the pair were in a Dual Deep Workersubmersible when the encounter occurred.

And their attackers weren't a squid of the giant variety, but a pair of Humboldt squids, nicknamed "jumbo squid" or "red devil" for their famed aggression and the red colour the squids turn when in hunting or attack mode.

Although these squids can get pretty big -- up to 1.9 metres (6.2 ft) in mantle length and up to 50 kg (100 lb) in weight, these guys are relatively titchy -- no longer than a few feet in length, maximum. Their size, however, is no indication of courage: coloured a brilliant red, they have a brave go at the sub before swimming off in a puff of ink.

The Humboldt squid's tentacle suckers are lined with tiny, sharp teeth that can do some serious damage, so the Greenpeace divers were lucky to be protected by the submarine -- though there are some scientists who believe that the cephalopods aren't usually aggressive, and might have been set off in the first place by flashing or bright lights like the one on the Dual Deep Worker.



https://www.wordnik.com/words/titchy
Definitions
From Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
adj. tiny, very small.

Examples

I've known the word titchy since early childhood but had never thought about its origin until, on a recent trip to the Basque country, I became aware that there is a Basque word titxia pronounced "titchia", meaning small.
languagehat.com: TITCHY.

Little Tich is a familiar name to me, but I didn't realize 'titchy' came from him!

I do love new words, and this one is familiar, but not spelled “tich or titchy.” I always thought it was spelled “tyke,” because that is the way I heard it pronounced. This business of coming from the Basque language is really interesting, though, because long ago in my archeology reading phase I discovered the fact that the Basque language, along with two others in Europe, is not related linguistically with the Indo-European languages found in surrounding areas, and probably indicates a culture and lineage much earlier than the arrival of the Celts. Unfortunately there are only a few written samples of it, found mainly on old gravestones. It is probably a very, very ancient language, as a result, and the Basque family lineage as well. Some scientist should do a DNA study on the Basques and then on the other peoples with an ancient language, to look for comparisons. Proving their origins with something better than old bones, stones and pottery fragments would be great.

This attack on the submersible by a squid no larger than this one was a surprise to me. Sucker marks from giant squids have been found on sperm whale remains, though, and according to Wikipedia the Humboldt squid is very aggressive. It reminds me of the old myths about the kraken, which in the light of recently proven evidence of the giant squid (Archeteuthis can reach 43 feet in length) is no longer just a ridiculous story. Remember many ships in the old days weren't really so large. The giant squid has only been found at deep levels, though, except when dead. Dead ones have floated up in a number of places. The following article from National Geographic is even more startling.



http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/04/0423_030423_seamonsters_2.html

"Colossal Squid" Revives Legends of Sea Monsters
Thursday, October 28, 2010

Sea Monsters

Some of the earliest tales about huge, tentacled sea monsters date back to the 12th century when Norwegian seafarers described an awesome beast called a Kraken. By the 18th century the Kraken still had a fearsome reputation. In The Natural History of Norway, the Bishop of Bergen likened it to a "floating island," adding, "It seems these are the creature's arms, and, it is said, if they were to lay hold of the largest man-of-war [a ship], they would pull it down to the bottom."

Over time the reputed size of these "monsters" was scaled down considerably, but stories persisted. An alleged encounter between a giant squid and a French naval vessel was the basis for Jules Verne's "squid of colossal dimensions" which was featured in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.

There is also an account of sailors being attacked by a giant squid after their ship sunk during the Second World War. At least one sailor was supposedly eaten. And even this year, French yachtsmen taking part in the appropriately named Jules Verne Trophy reported that a 26-foot-long (8-meter) squid clamped itself to their boat.

An early description of what is thought to be Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni appeared in an article entitled Hunting Sea Monsters in 1953. It was, Gilbert Voss wrote, "a squid that could qualify in the most lurid deep-sea drama."

There is some truth to this observation. Whalers who once worked the southern oceans were well aware of "deep-sea dramas" played out between colossal squid and sperm whales which fed in Antarctic waters. The whalers often discovered giant squid beaks inside the stomachs of these whales.

Professor Paul Rodhouse, head of biological sciences at the British Antarctic Survey, says whalers also noted deep scars and circular marks around the heads of their quarry.

"It's certain these were caused by the suckers and hooks of big squid," he said. "The whales would suffer quite a lot of damage in subduing Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni."

Whale Stories

However, Rodhouse is quick to scotch stories about such squid killing and even eating sperm whales.

"Whalers could see the damage these squid caused so it was well known what was going on, but the stories got elaborated and expanded on," he said. "The only sperm whales that go into Antarctic waters to feed on these creatures are the large bulls. These are very powerful predators and my guess is they would be able to capture even the biggest squid."

Richard Ellis also believes such stories have been blown out of proportion.

"This creature, like Architeuthis, is probably a deep-water dweller," he said. "What earthly—or oceanic—reason would a squid have for attacking a ship? I think both these squid are fish-eaters. The long tentacles of Architeuthis and the hooks of Mesonychoteuthis support this contention, and do not indicate any predilection to attack whales, people or ships."

Rodhouse is more concerned about the colossal squid than the fate of humans who may encounter one. In particular, he is worried about the recent influx of fishing vessels into Antarctic waters that target Patagonian toothfish. He says the fish is a major prey species for colossal squid.

"The fish can grow to over 2 meters (6 feet) but it's being overfished in many parts of the southern ocean," he said. "Toothfish and these squid form part of a deep water ecosystem that we know virtually nothing about—yet were are already exploiting it with commercial fisheries."

At least the colossal squid isn't likely to join toothfish on the seafood menu. Calamari as big as car tires might sound an appetizing idea, but jumbo-sized squid usually contain high levels of ammonia and their meat is said to taste like floor cleaner.




EBOLA – THREE ARTICLES

U.N. admits bungling response to Ebola outbreak
CBS/AP October 17, 2014, 10:24 AM

LONDON -- The World Health Organization has admitted that it botched attempts to stop the now-spiraling Ebola outbreak in West Africa, blaming factors including incompetent staff and a lack of information.

"Nearly everyone involved in the outbreak response failed to see some fairly plain writing on the wall," WHO said in a draft internal document obtained by The Associated Press, noting that experts should have realized that traditional containment methods wouldn't work in a region with porous borders and broken health systems.

The U.N. health agency acknowledged that, at times, even its own bureaucracy was a problem. It noted that the heads of WHO country offices in Africa are "politically motivated appointments" made by the WHO regional director for Africa, Dr. Luis Sambo, who does not answer to the agency's chief in Geneva, Dr. Margaret Chan.

In late April, during a teleconference on Ebola among infectious disease experts that included WHO, Doctors Without Borders and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, questions were apparently raised about the performance of WHO experts, as not all of them bothered to send Ebola reports to WHO headquarters.

WHO said it was "particularly alarming" that the head of its Guinea office refused to help get visas for an expert Ebola team to come in and $500,000 in aid was blocked by administrative hurdles. Guinea, along with Sierra Leone and Liberia, is one of the hardest-hit nations in the current outbreak, with 843 deaths so far blamed on Ebola.

The Ebola outbreak already has killed 4,484 people in West Africa and WHO has said within two months, there could be new 10,000 cases of Ebola every week.

When Doctors Without Borders began warning in April that the Ebola outbreak was out of control, a dispute on social media broke out between the charity and a WHO spokesman, who insisted the outbreak was under control.

At a meeting of WHO's network of outbreak experts in June, Dr. Bruce Aylward, normally in charge of polio eradication, alerted Chan about the serious concerns being raised about WHO's leadership in West Africa. He wrote an email that some of the agency's partners - including national health agencies and charities - believed the agency was "compromising rather than aiding" the response to Ebola and that "none of the news about WHO's performance is good."

Five days later, Chan received a six-page letter from the agency's network of experts, spelling out what they saw as severe shortcomings in WHO's response to the deadly virus.

"This (was) the first news of this sort to reach her," WHO said in the draft document. "She is shocked."

Meanwhile, Americans' faith in the agency charged with protecting the homeland from the rapidly escalating Ebola outbreak in West Africa -- which has already crept onto U.S. soil -- has dropped sharply since the crisis emerged.

A CBS News Poll has found that positive assessment of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has declined dramatically, with only 37 percent of respondents saying the CDC is doing an excellent or good job -- down from 60 percent in a May 2013 Gallup poll.

The poll results come as Texas officials asked the remaining 75 health care workers who had contact with Thomas Eric Duncan, the first the first patient diagnosed with Ebola in the U.S., to sign a legal documents agreeing not to go to any public places or use mass transit.

They also released a statement challenging claims made by those involved in the crisis, reports CBS News correspondent Anna Werner.

Regarding the transfer of Nina Pham, the first Dallas nurse infected with the disease, hospital officials said with so many ICU healthcare workers sidelined because of possible exposure, it was in the best interest of the hospital and Pham to move her.

President Obama authorized a call-up of reserve and National Guard troops in case they are needed. His executive order would allow more forces than the up-to-4,000 already planned to be sent to West Africa, and allow for longer periods of time. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Obama said several people leading the government's Ebola response also have other priorities.

"It may make sense for us to have one person ... so that after this initial surge of activity we can have a more regular process just to make sure we are crossing all the T's and dotting all the I's," he said.
He said he had no "philosophical objection" to imposing a travel ban on West Africa if it would keep Americans safe but had been told by health and security experts that it would be less effective than measures already in place.

Earlier in the day, during a contentious congressional hearing, Republican after Republican demanded that Obama impose a travel ban.

When federal health officials stressed the importance of stopping the outbreak at its source, Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., responded, "You're right, it needs to be solved in Africa. But until it is, we should not be allowing these folks in, period."

"People's lives are at stake, and the response so far has been unacceptable," declared Upton, chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee. A handful of congressional Democrats also have endorsed the travel ban that's mainly been pushed by Republicans.

About 100 to 150 people fly into the U.S. each day from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, the three nations hit hardest by Ebola.




"Nearly everyone involved in the outbreak response failed to see some fairly plain writing on the wall," WHO said in a draft internal document obtained by The Associated Press, noting that experts should have realized that traditional containment methods wouldn't work in a region with porous borders and broken health systems.... WHO said it was "particularly alarming" that the head of its Guinea office refused to help get visas for an expert Ebola team to come in and $500,000 in aid was blocked by administrative hurdles.... When Doctors Without Borders began warning in April that the Ebola outbreak was out of control, a dispute on social media broke out between the charity and a WHO spokesman, who insisted the outbreak was under control. At a meeting of WHO's network of outbreak experts in June, Dr. Bruce Aylward, normally in charge of polio eradication, alerted Chan about the serious concerns being raised about WHO's leadership in West Africa.... A CBS News Poll has found that positive assessment of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has declined dramatically, with only 37 percent of respondents saying the CDC is doing an excellent or good job -- down from 60 percent in a May 2013 Gallup poll.... President Obama authorized a call-up of reserve and National Guard troops in case they are needed. His executive order would allow more forces than the up-to-4,000 already planned to be sent to West Africa, and allow for longer periods of time. … 'It may make sense for us to have one person ... so that after this initial surge of activity we can have a more regular process just to make sure we are crossing all the T's and dotting all the I's,' he said.... 'People's lives are at stake, and the response so far has been unacceptable,' declared Upton, chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee. A handful of congressional Democrats also have endorsed the travel ban that's mainly been pushed by Republicans. About 100 to 150 people fly into the U.S. each day from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, the three nations hit hardest by Ebola.”

I think a travel ban may be needed, even if it is the Republicans who are pushing for it. Some “100 to 150 people” entering the US by air daily from the hot zone is definitely not a good idea. It's very possible to have no noticeable temperature in Africa, but a several degree rise by the time the flight gets to Europe or the US.

I also think the naming of Ron Klain as head of the US effort against Ebola is good. One person to look at the overall problem rather than two or more groups handling part of it and, unfortunately, not communicating with each other about the ongoing developments, has been part of the problem. That's like the case when the FBI and the CIA both had information on the activities of al-Qaeda, but had an environment of competition between them so they didn't share their data. The result was the bombing of the World Trade Center towers.

The news articles on Ebola have mainly referenced the CDC, which failed to tell the second nurse not to fly to see her family because she only had a temperature of 99.5 degrees, though they knew she had recently been caring for Thomas Duncan. That was at the very least lacking in imagination. In one who had recently been exposed to Duncan, a temperature rise of one degree was significant. NIH is the center of medical research in general, and should at the very least be in consultation, alongside the CDC, as twin sources of procedure and knowledge about Ebola.




Obama to name Ron Klain to serve as Ebola czar
By STEPHANIE CONDON CBS NEWS
October 17, 2014, 10:39 AM

President Obama will name former White House official Ron Klain to serve as a so-called "Ebola czar" to oversee the government's handling of the virus, CBS News confirms.

Klain, who previously served as chief of staff for Vice President Joe Biden and for Vice President Al Gore, will report directly to the president's homeland security adviser Lisa Monaco and national security adviser Susan Rice, the White House said. He'll be responsible for ensuring that the American people are protected as Ebola patients are treated in this country, and for ensuring that those efforts "don't distract from the aggressive commitment to stopping Ebola at the source in West Africa," according to a White House official.

On Thursday, after canceling his second day of travel to focus on the epidemic, Mr. Obama addressed the issue from the Oval Office. He said his team of Ebola advisers is doing "an outstanding job." However, he added that several of them, including Monaco and Centers for Disease Control director Thomas Frieden are also dealing with other priorities. Frieden, for instance, is monitoring the flu season, while Monaco is handling the fight Islamic State extremists in the Middle East.

Political blame game over Ebola funding
As calls for Ebola "czar" grow, where's the surgeon general?

"It may make sense for us to have one person" to oversee the Ebola response, "just so that after this initial surge of activity we can have a more regular process," Mr. Obama said.

Klain currently serves as president of Case Holdings and general counsel at Revolution LLC, a technology-oriented venture capital firm based in Washington, D.C. The White House touted Klain's management credentials, his extensive experience in the federal government and his relationships with members of Congress and the administration. While serving as Biden's chief of staff, Klain helped oversee the implementation of the Recovery Act.

A number of Washington lawmakers in recent days, following the confirmation of the second case of Ebola contracted within the U.S., have suggested the White House appoint an Ebola "czar."

"I would say that we don't know exactly who's in charge. There has to be some kind of czar," said Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, on CNN Sunday. McCain joined Reps. Jack Kingston of Georgia, Frank Wolf of Virginia and Sens. Jerry Moran of Kansas and Rob Portman of Ohio, all Republicans who have said there needs to be a single point person within the administration responsible for ensuring the deadly virus does not spread in the U.S.

At least one lawmaker, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-New York, responded positively to Klain's appointment Friday: "I've known Ron Klain for over twenty years. He is smart, aggressive, and levelheaded; exactly the qualities we need in a czar to steer our response to Ebola. He is an excellent choice," Schumer said.

At a press conference Friday at the National Institutes of Health, Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases at the NIH, was asked about Klain's new role. "I don't know exactly what is meant by a czar, but we will certainly follow the lead of the president and the lead of [Health and Human Services] Secretary Burwell," he said.



Political blame game over Ebola funding – CBS
AP October 17, 2014, 10:48 AM

Less than three weeks before the midterm elections, Washington's Ebola blame game has spread to the arcane world of the federal budget.

Republicans claim credit for boosting the budget of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last year while charging President Barack Obama with trying to cut it now. Democrats counter that the GOP-controlled House is behind cuts to the National Institutes of Health, which researches drugs to fight Ebola and vaccines to prevent it.

First, some basics.

The budgets for the CDC and health research have indeed been flat or have shrunk slightly in recent years as House Republicans forced cuts to domestic Cabinet budgets upon Obama. This was especially pronounced in a 2011 budget pact that created automatic spending cuts known as sequestration, as well as stringent limits on the overall pot of money that can be appropriated for programs like disease control and research into a cure for Ebola.

The CDC's budget was a robust $6.8 billion in 2010, the last year Democrats controlled Congress. Last year's budget for the CDC: $6.9 billion. And Obama's request for the current year? It's $6.6 billion, a cut of almost $300 million.

That's right: Obama asked for less money than the CDC got last year.

CBS News Poll: Public confidence in CDC nosedives

But there's more.

The budget for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, where research on fighting Ebola is centered, has also been stagnant in recent years. It dropped from $4.5 billion in 2010 to $4.4 billion last year. The broader NIH budget has fallen from $31 billion in 2010 to $29.9 billion last year.

If these cuts are bad, assigning blame is far more complicated than both sides make it seem, when they blame each other.
Obama's signature is on each spending bill that has set the budgets for both agencies; in other words, he went along. And Democrats mostly voted for them. Moreover, sequestration - with its blunt budget ax - was an idea that originated in the Obama White House.

In divided government, all sides - the Obama administration, Democratic-held Senate, and GOP-controlled House - share responsibility for the recent budgets of the key agencies responsible for battling Ebola. All three sides have collaborated to produce those final budgets since 2011.

Sen. Rand Paul says dangers of Ebola are downplayed

In reality, any cuts to the NIH and CDC are deeper than they appear because inflation eats into the purchasing power of both agencies.

So, a program at the Department of Health and Human Services that helps hospitals prepare for Ebola and similar diseases like the Enterovirus has absorbed a 44 percent cut in its budget since 2010 once inflation is taken into account. Both parties in Congress and the White House obviously know inflation eats away at a budget increase or makes an actual budget cut deeper, even if they can't foresee what inflation will turn out to be.

That doesn't change the fact that budgets are a creation of all of the players hurling blame at each other now.




“The budgets for the CDC and health research have indeed been flat or have shrunk slightly in recent years as House Republicans forced cuts to domestic Cabinet budgets upon Obama. This was especially pronounced in a 2011 budget pact that created automatic spending cuts known as sequestration, as well as stringent limits on the overall pot of money that can be appropriated for programs like disease control and research into a cure for Ebola. The CDC's budget was a robust $6.8 billion in 2010, the last year Democrats controlled Congress. ... The budget for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, where research on fighting Ebola is centered, has also been stagnant in recent years. It dropped from $4.5 billion in 2010 to $4.4 billion last year. The broader NIH budget has fallen from $31 billion in 2010 to $29.9 billion last year.... Obama's signature is on each spending bill that has set the budgets for both agencies; in other words, he went along. And Democrats mostly voted for them. Moreover, sequestration - with its blunt budget ax - was an idea that originated in the Obama White House. In divided government, all sides - the Obama administration, Democratic-held Senate, and GOP-controlled House - share responsibility for the recent budgets of the key agencies responsible for battling Ebola. All three sides have collaborated to produce those final budgets since 2011.”

Inflation has made the budget cuts noticeably more severe – “a 44 percent cut in its budget since 2010 once inflation is taken into account.” The sequester was an Obama proposal, according to this article, so I can't just blame the Republicans. This epidemic is one proof of the need for “big government,” at least in many cases. I sincerely hope that no more infected people fly here from Africa, and that the aftermath of this Duncan case will be foreshortened by extremely good attention to those who have been exposed here in the US. No more careless mistakes should happen.




Group claims ISIS has taken to the air
CBS NEWS October 17, 2014, 7:08 AM

A new report says the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants are taking to the sky.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a U.K.-based organization which relies on an extensive network of sources and activists inside Syria, claims defected Iraqi military officers are teaching members of the terror group how to fly three commandeered fighter jets.

SOHR's sources say jets have been seen flying low over Syria's province, reports CBS News correspondent Holly Williams. ISIS did overrun and seize control of the al-Jarah air base in rural Aleppo, but it isn't clear how long ago.

"The people who live in the nearby areas of the airbase of al Jarrah informed SOHR activists that they saw a warplane taking off from al Jarrah airbase and flying at a low altitude over the area. It is worth mentioning that it is not the first time that the people witness an aircraft flying at a low altitude after taking off from al Jarrah airbase," said SOHR in its online report.

However, the U.S. military said on Friday it was unaware of ISIS flying fighter jets "in Syria or elsewhere," Reuters reported.

"We continue to keep a close eye on ISIL activity in Syria and Iraq and will continue to conduct strikes against their equipment, facilities, fighters and centers of gravity, wherever they may be," said Central Command spokesman Colonel Patrick Ryder, using another acronym for ISIS.

The Syrian army has reportedly conducted airstrikes on the facility in recent days, which could explain some of the reports of low-flying aircraft.

The claim from the SOHR comes a day after a series of terror attacks in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, where ISIS militants are still inflicting deadly damage.

At least 50 people were killed in the Iraqi capital Thursday in a series of car bombs carried out by ISIS, as well as a mortar attack on a residential area.

In Syria, however, the battle for the key border town of Kobani has taken a new turn.

Just a few days ago ISIS was in control of a third of the town, but after intense U.S.-led airstrikes, including 53 over the last three days, there are reports that the militants are retreating.

Local Syrian fighters tell us they've begun coordinating the airstrikes with the U.S.

Kobani is strategically important -- it lies on the Turkish-Syrian border which is a conduit for smuggled weapons and fighters. But it's also become a very public test of whether U.S.-led airstrikes can be effective in halting the advance of ISIS militants.




“The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a U.K.-based organization which relies on an extensive network of sources and activists inside Syria, claims defected Iraqi military officers are teaching members of the terror group how to fly three commandeered fighter jets.... 'The people who live in the nearby areas of the airbase of al Jarrah informed SOHR activists that they saw a warplane taking off from al Jarrah airbase and flying at a low altitude over the area. It is worth mentioning that it is not the first time that the people witness an aircraft flying at a low altitude after taking off from al Jarrah airbase,' said SOHR in its online report. However, the U.S. military said on Friday it was unaware of ISIS flying fighter jets 'in Syria or elsewhere,' Reuters reported.... At least 50 people were killed in the Iraqi capital Thursday in a series of car bombs carried out by ISIS, as well as a mortar attack on a residential area. In Syria, however, the battle for the key border town of Kobani has taken a new turn. Just a few days ago ISIS was in control of a third of the town, but after intense U.S.-led airstrikes, including 53 over the last three days, there are reports that the militants are retreating.”

It's interesting that the US government is not acknowledging the truth of this story – probably because it represents a success for ISIS. According to this report, however, ISIS is retreating from its holdings in Kobani. Hopefully Baghdad will not fall into the hands of ISIS as so many other cities have. The statement that defected officers from Baghdad are training ISIS fighters to fly is really discouraging. They don't make good allies in the fight against ISIS – they just aren't intrepid soldiers like the Kurds. It is as though they just don't care what master they serve, or worse, are ideologically in league with ISIS. This is very bad news.





Are Detroit's water shutoffs a violation of international law? – CBS
By KIM PETERSON MONEYWATCH October 17, 2014, 5:45 AM

Is the city of Detroit violating international human rights law?

That's what some U.N. experts are asking after the city disconnected water service at thousands of homes where residents haven't paid their bills. The shutoffs have sparked outrage among some residents and is one of the most contentious issues facing the city since it filed for bankruptcy last year.

Two U.N. human rights experts are planning to visit Detroit this weekend to investigate the problem. The disconnections in Detroit appear to conflict with a U.N. resolution that declares clean drinking water and sanitation as "essential for the full enjoyment of life and all human rights."

Businesses and residents are trying to adapt to the city's crumbling water system. The water department is even improvising, and earlier this year jerry-rigged a system of plastic pipe, garden hoses, duct tape and towels to bring water from a downtown fire hydrant to two nearby businesses. The makeshift system provided water for a coffee shop and jewelry store.

The temporary fix, which has ended up lasting for months, was devised because city crews can't fix a leak in a water main. Two nearby buildings, falling apart from decades of neglect, threaten to injure workers with falling debris if they try excavating to fix the main.

In an effort to shore up revenue, the city this spring began cutting off water for thousands of customers who weren't paying their bills. The decision led to numerous protests, with people complaining that children and seniors were unnecessarily suffering.

Advocates appealed to Detroit's bankruptcy judge for help, but he said last month he didn't have the authority to stop the city with a temporary restraining order. People do not have a constitutional right to water, he added.

The city, which continues to close as many as 400 accounts a day, has been widely criticized for its actions. "Bankruptcy means you can't pay your debts," wrote Rob Burgess, an editor at The Kokomo Tribune. "Detroit declared as much -- the largest such civic action in the country's history, in fact. How does it expect its own citizens to pay their bills if they can't even make good on their own?"

City officials counter that they've developed a plan to  assist low-income residents with paying their bills. They also have established a new fund to help customers who can't pay.

Activists have turned to the U.N. for help, submitting a report to the group's Special Rapporteur on the Human Right to Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation. That led three U.N. experts to issue a press release condemning the city.

"When there is genuine inability to pay, human rights simply forbids disconnections," said Catarina de Albuquerque, one of the experts. She is one of the two experts planning to visit Detroit Saturday. They're expected to hold a press conference Monday to announce their findings.




“That's what some U.N. experts are asking after the city disconnected water service at thousands of homes where residents haven't paid their bills. The shutoffs have sparked outrage among some residents and is one of the most contentious issues facing the city since it filed for bankruptcy last year. Two U.N. human rights experts are planning to visit Detroit this weekend to investigate the problem.... In an effort to shore up revenue, the city this spring began cutting off water for thousands of customers who weren't paying their bills. The decision led to numerous protests, with people complaining that children and seniors were unnecessarily suffering. Advocates appealed to Detroit's bankruptcy judge for help, but he said last month he didn't have the authority to stop the city with a temporary restraining order. People do not have a constitutional right to water, he added.... City officials counter that they've developed a plan to  assist low-income residents with paying their bills. They also have established a new fund to help customers who can't pay. Activists have turned to the U.N. for help, submitting a report to the group's Special Rapporteur on the Human Right to Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation. That led three U.N. experts to issue a press release condemning the city. 'When there is genuine inability to pay, human rights simply forbids disconnections,' said Catarina de Albuquerque, one of the experts.”

I will be interested to see what the US governmental bodies that are involved in this conflict over water in Detroit will say about the UN involving itself in the issue. It will at the least be embarrassing. The city's bankruptcy problems are some excuse for their cutting off the water of those who haven't paid their bill. The people affected are poor and in many cases elderly. It is no small-scale problem, either. See the following article on the subject: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/true-north/2014/jun/25/detroits-water-war-a-tap-shut-off-that-could-impact-300000-people




Citing Previous Rulings, Federal Judge Throws Out Arizona Gay-Marriage Ban – NPR
by EYDER PERALTA
October 17, 2014

In a process that will surely be repeated across the United States, a federal judge in Arizona ruled that the state's ban on gay marriage was unconstitutional.

U.S. District Judge John W. Sedwick said that the legal opinion in his circuit is clear: The Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit decided state bans on gay marriage are unconstitutional and the Supreme Court has refused to hear appeals for those cases.

For that reason, Sedwick ordered that the state "permanently cease enforcement of those provisions of Arizona law declared unconstitutional by this order."

In simple terms, this means that gay marriages will begin immediately in the state.

The Arizona Republic reports that the state's attorney general, Tom Horne, said he would not appeal the ruling. The paper reports:

"Gov. Jan Brewer, whose staff had talked in recent days with Horne, issued a statement minutes before Horne's press conference. Brewer, a vocal advocate for traditional marriages, said, with its decision, the court was eroding the peoples' power and overstepping its boundaries.

"In 2008, Brewer pointed out, Arizona voters approved a state constitutional amendment

to define marriage as a union of one man and one woman.

" 'Now, with their rulings, the federal courts have again thwarted the will of the people and further eroded the authority of states to regulate and uphold our laws,' Brewer's statement said. 'It is not only disappointing, but also deeply troubling, that unelected federal judges can dictate the laws of individual states, create rights based on their personal policy preferences and supplant the will of the people in an area traditionally left to the states for more than two hundred years.' "




“U.S. District Judge John W. Sedwick said that the legal opinion in his circuit is clear: The Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit decided state bans on gay marriage are unconstitutional and the Supreme Court has refused to hear appeals for those cases. For that reason, Sedwick ordered that the state 'permanently cease enforcement of those provisions of Arizona law declared unconstitutional by this order.' In simple terms, this means that gay marriages will begin immediately in the state.... Brewer, a vocal advocate for traditional marriages, said, with its decision, the court was eroding the peoples' power and overstepping its boundaries.... Brewer's statement said. 'It is not only disappointing, but also deeply troubling, that unelected federal judges can dictate the laws of individual states, create rights based on their personal policy preferences and supplant the will of the people in an area traditionally left to the states for more than two hundred years.'”

Several states have tumbled away from their anti-LGBT stances against gay marriage in the last week due to the Supreme Court's decisions. This will not, I expect, be the end of the matter, as the culture wars wage on, but for the time being gays can marry in those states. Without being gay myself I do sympathize with their desire to marry the person of their choice as straight people do. Laws against marriages by black and white couples aren't too far back in US history, and men in at least one religious cult linked originally with the Mormon Church are allowed to have multiple wives. To me that is really radical. However it's the law in a number of Middle Eastern countries. I don't have to live there, luckily.