http://blogcritics.org/ A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, politics, and technology - updated continuously. en Copyright 2005-2007 by the authors Thu, 5 May 2005 09:18:12 EDT http://backend.userland.com/rss Blogcritics.org custom software http://blogcritics.org/ Phillip WinnSunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding. Administration0@blogcritics.org Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/05/05/091812.php Mark EdenPolitics and Polio North and South America were declared polio-free in 1994. In 2002, it was Europe's turn.Monday, Reuters Alertnet reported: "Eighteen cases of the polio virus have been confirmed in Yemen, marking the first known outbreak of the disease in six years." Tuesday, Alertnet and the New York Times reported on an 18-month-old infant in Indonesia who has contracted polio, "the first case in the country in a decade". "Several other cases of paralysis in the same village in the province of West Java are under investigation."With Wednesday came numerous reports about multiple cases in Indonesia.In Qatar, the Gulf Times reports that children under five flying in from countries where polio is active are being administered oral polio vaccine (OPV) at the airport, "irrespective of their previous immunization status...India and Nigeria are two of the nations where large-scale outbreaks of polio have not been stopped. The other countries include Pakistan, Afghanistan, Niger and Egypt."Polio continues its march out of Nigeria where political will overcame technology and snatched defeat in the eradication of the virus from the jaws of victory.In late December, the UN reported that "officials held an emergency meeting in Khartoum to discuss to how to contain a polio epidemic in Sudan, where reports of 79 new cases have led to fears that the sometimes fatal disease could soon spread to other countries in the region...Sudan had been polio-free for several years but the disease has spread across at least 10 nations in Africa this year after vaccinations in some states of northern Nigeria were suspended in mid-2003 amid concerns from local religious leaders about the safety of the oral vaccine."In February, reports surfaced of cases in Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia. AJC / NYT February 11 / SMH Australia Feb 14From the April 9, 2005 Houston Chronicle: "Amid the 11-month vaccine boycott, the Nigerian-rooted virus spread to neighbor countries including Benin, Chad and Cameroon. It also was exported farther afield, to Botswana, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Togo and even Saudi Arabia."While the persistent rumors that led to the Nigerian vaccine boycott of a link between polio vaccine and AIDS might be rational, the boycott itself was an irrational response that has had dire and costly consequences. Re-containment will require resources that could better be invested in, say, controlling malaria. It is an example showing why technology is not a 'stand alone' answer to problems. Where technical solutions require compliance, they also require trust and a shared vision of self-interest - or the jackboot. How long will it be before the virus shows up in South America?There is some good news. From Reuters April 19 05: The rate of new polio infections in Nigeria more than halved to 41 cases between February and April from 86 in the same 2004.Mark Politics29061@blogcritics.org Thu, 5 May 2005 09:18:12 EDT