Tayla Harris stood up to vile trolls and became a symbol of defiance.
Tayla Harris: ‘I would be happy to go through it all again but I’d rather not’ – CNN
hmmmm
Category: Pacific Basin,
Experts: Samoa’s measles outbreak is caused by underimmunisation — not the vaccine itself
Multiple Facebook and Twitter posts claim that the measles vaccine is causing a deadly outbreak of the highly infectious disease in Samoa. People are being “killed off by the vaccine,” claims one post, which were shared by a US-based anti-vaccination activist. The claims are false; it is not biologically possible for the measles vaccine to cause an outbreak of the disease; experts say the Samoa measles outbreak, which has killed more than 70 people according to official statistics, was caused by underimmunisation.
Stop listening to the trolls sheeple!
Samoa Measles Outbreak: Government Closes Schools, Requires Vaccinations
A state of emergency was declared Friday by acting Prime Minister and Minister of Health Faimalotoa Kika Stowers-Ah Kau. The proclamation legally mandates that all Samoan citizens receive an MMR vaccination and bans minors from public gatherings.
Of the 716 cases reported, over 100 affected individuals have been hospitalized.
….Parents were “neglecting their responsibilities”[emphasis peanut gallery] by not vaccinating their children, Naseri said. According to officials, most of the deaths in the recent epidemic are unvaccinated children under two years old.
Samoa Measles Outbreak: Government Closes Schools, Requires Vaccinations : NPR
hmmm
A floating device created to clean up plastic from the ocean is finally doing its job, organizers say
The Netherlands-based nonprofit the Ocean Cleanup says its latest prototype was able to capture and hold debris ranging in size from huge, abandoned fishing gear, known as “ghost nets,” to tiny microplastics as small as 1 millimeter.
…The Ocean Cleanup system is a U-shaped barrier with a net-like skirt that hangs below the surface of the water. It moves with the current and collects faster moving plastics as they float by. Fish and other animals will be able to swim beneath it.
The new prototype added a parachute anchor to slow the system and increased the size of a cork line on top of the skirt to keep the plastic from washing over it.
It’s been deployed in “The Great Pacific Garbage Patch” — a concentration of trash located between Hawaii and California that’s about double the size of Texas, or three times the size of France.
Ocean Cleanup plans to build a fleet of these devices, and predicts it will be able to reduce the size of the patch by half every five years.
Nice!!!
New Zealand firefighters perform haka to honour 9/11 first responders – CNN
New Zealand firefighters perform haka to honour 9/11 first responders – CNN
There is something so incredibly moving about a haka.
Microplastics Have Invaded The Deep Ocean — And The Food Chain
“We found that most of the plastic is below the surface.” More, he says, than in the giant floating patches.
And also to their surprise, they found that submerged microplastics are widely distributed, from the surface to thousands of feet deep.
Moreover, the farther from shore they sampled, the more microplastics they found. That suggests it’s not just washing off the California coast. It’s coming from all over.
…The deep ocean is filled with sea creatures like larvaceans that filter tiny organisms out of the water. …”We found small plastic pieces in every single larvacean that we examined from different depths across the water column,” Choy says. Another filter feeder, the red crab, also contained plastic pieces — every one they caught.
…”Anything that humans introduce to that habitat is passing through these animals and being incorporated into the food web” — a web that leads up to marine animals people eat.
Microplastics Have Invaded The Deep Ocean — And The Food Chain : The Salt : NPR
yup
‘Major distraction’: school dumps iPads, returns to paper textbooks
[A] Sydney school has declared the e-book era over and returned to the old-fashioned hard copy version because it improves comprehension and reduces distraction.
…”[Students] have messages popping up and all sorts of other alerts,” said Mr Pitcairn. “Also, kids being kids, they could jump between screens quite easily, so would look awfully busy and not be busy at all.”
…Teachers also found the iPads …did not contribute to students’ technology skills.
…”The ease of navigation through the textbook was easier with the hard copy. …They learn better the more faculties they use, the more senses they use in research and reading and making notes.”
…Research into [the preference for] hard-copy textbooks “points to greater perceived comfort, comprehension, and also retention of what’s been read,” she said. “Some have found that there’s less immersive involvement [in digital text].”
…When students were asked about the general themes of a text, …the printed version made them better able to answer specific questions.
The study’s authors suggested print be preferred when an assignment demands more engagement or deeper comprehension.
‘Major distraction’: school dumps iPads, returns to paper textbooks
hmmm
New Zealand Introduces Legislation That Would Ban Most Semi-Automatic Firearms
The Arms (Prohibited Firearms, Magazines, and Parts) Amendment Bill, introduced by Nash, would make it illegal to own certain parts that can be used to assemble prohibited weapons. Nash said Monday that the gunman in the Christchurch attacks created military-style weapons from legally purchased semi-automatic guns and high-capacity magazines.
…In addition to banning most semi-automatic firearms, the bill also prohibits the sale, import, supply or possession of pump-action shotguns that can be used with detachable magazines or that hold more than five cartridges. It excludes pistols, as well as some guns — “small-calibre rimfire semi-automatic firearms and lesser-capacity shotguns” — often used by farmers and hunters. The measure also provides exemptions for groups such as “bona fide collectors of firearms” and pest controllers.
The bill provides amnesty covering the surrender of firearms, magazines and parts through Sept. 30. Ardern has said the government will create a buyback scheme to compensate owners of banned firearms, a program that could cost up to 200 million New Zealand dollars (around $137 million).
New Zealand Introduces Legislation That Would Ban Most Semi-Automatic Firearms : NPR
hmmm
Students perform haka to pay tribute to classmates killed in Christchurch – YouTube
Students from various schools paid tribute to two of their peers who died in the Christchurch shooting by performing a haka, a ceremonial Maori dance to mourn the victims and honour the dead. They were joined by scores of fellow students to form a deafening chorus.
Students perform haka to pay tribute to classmates killed in Christchurch – YouTube
n/t
“Egg Boy”: Teen eggs Australian Senator Fraser Anning who blamed Muslims for Christchurch massacre
A teenage boy cracked an egg on the head of a far-right Australian politician as he spoke to reporters in Melbourne on Saturday. In the footage, Queensland Sen. Fraser Anning is shown immediately turning and striking the boy in the face before taking another swing.
…Victoria Police said they arrested the boy but later released him without charge.
…Anning was also criticized for tweets he posted following the shooting. “Does anyone still dispute the link between Muslim immigration and violence?” he wrote.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison quickly condemned Anning’s comments on Friday.
hmmm
Comments From The Peanut Gallery 