Tag: Monkeypox

WORLD INTHAVAARAM, 2022-24

About: the world this week, 12 June to 18 June 2022, the put-in war, a Queen holds on to the throne, Monkeys poke respect, Whisky Wars, Army recruitment, trains go private, drinking tea in the neighbourhood, a day off on an island, and murder in the kitchen.

Everywhere

The Fighting Rages

Russia is now in command of most of the city of Severodonetsk following a month of intense fighting. Taking Severodonetsk and the nearby city of Lysychansk would give Russia control of the entire Luhansk region of Ukraine, which seems to be the only achievable goal for Russia at the moment. Of course, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin still makes the usual noises of being forced to start the ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine. And that it was aimed at protecting ‘his people’ – the people of Ukraine’s Donbas – and then repeating his unfounded accusation that ‘his people’ were being subject to genocide. Iron-cold rationalisation at its steely best?

Meanwhile, this week, the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, and Romania visited Ukraine’s capital Kyiv in a show of solidarity with President Zelensky. They also visited the devastated town of Irpin, near Kyiv, which for several weeks was occupied by Russia, to see first hand the brutal effects of the war. The visit culminated with the leaders supporting Ukraine’s bid to join the European Union (EU)- a big vote of confidence for Ukraine.

A few weeks ago, France’s President stirred the proverbial hornet’s nest, when he said it was vital that Russia is not humiliated over its invasion, suggesting that Russia should have a way out of what he called a ‘fundamental error’ (by Russia).

Later in the week, the European Commission backed Ukraine’s bid to be given candidacy status to join the EU. Candidacy is a significant step as the entire process may take years to fruity into membership.

Then at the end of the week, Britain’s Prime Minister must have felt left-out, as he made a surprise dash to Ukraine – his second visit – to show support and see the handsome, bulging muscles of Ukraine’s President.

The Queen’s Gambit

This week Britain’s 96 years old Queen Elizabeth II sprinted ahead of Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej to become the world’s second-longest reigning monarch in history. Up ahead on the curve is France’s King Louis XIV who holds the record for the longest reigning monarch with a 72 year and 110 day reign from 1643 until 1715. He had a head start, becoming King at age 4. Thailand’s King reigned for 70 years and 126 days from 1927 to 2016.

Queen Elizabeth II’s accession to the throne occurred on 6 February 1952, following the death of her father, King George VI. The coronation took place on 2 June 1953 – after the official mourning period – in a ceremony at Westminster Abbey.

The Queen became the longest serving British monarch in September 2015, surpassing her great-great grandmother Queen Victoria. Now, the Queen has been sitting tight on the throne for over 70 years and 127 days.

I wish England’s Queen makes it past France’s King. Wonder what gambit the Queen has in her royal mind?

Respecting Monkeys

Monkeys can finally breathe easy: they could have been planning to go on a stone-throwing protest strike across continents against defaming their name. Never mind the Indian bulldozer, they legally live in the forests paying their oxygen and carbon-dioxide taxes.

The World Health Organization (WHO) heard, says it is working with experts to come up with a new name for monkeypox. This comes after many scientists wrote last week about the ‘urgent need for a non-discriminatory and non-stigmatising’ name for the virus and the money pox disease it causes. Continued reference to the virus as African is both inaccurate and discriminatory, they said. Some 1,600 cases of the disease have been recorded globally in recent weeks.

One new name that’s been suggested by scientists is hMPXV, but we’ll need to wait to hear what the WHO thinks of that.

What next? The chickens may protest against chickenpox…and the mighty spade itself, against being called a dead-pan spade?

Whisky Wars

Hans Island is a desolate, kidney shaped piece of rock in the Arctic, measuring 1290 metres(m) by 1199 m. It is located in the about 35 km wide Nares Strait between the northernmost point of Canada and Greenland, part of Denmark’s kingdom. The uninhabited Island has no mineral resources nor much else of interest unless you are visiting a lucky seabird siting on the rock.

Both Canada and Greenland sit 18 km away from Hans Island, allowing them to claim the rock under international law.

But in the year 1984 Canada made a bold stake for ownership when it landed troops on the rock. It swiftly planted its maple leaf flag and buried a bottle of Canadian whisky, before returning home to a country now larger to the tune of over one square kilometre.

In the same year, Denmark’s minister of Greenland affairs couldn’t let such a provocation stand. Weeks later he set off for Hans Island, where he replaced the offending Canadian flag with a Danish flag and a bottle of Copenhagen’s finest schnapps. But he went one step further than the Canadians had, proudly leaving a note that read: ‘Welcome to Danish Island’.

And so the ‘Whisky Wars’ commenced.

Over the following 49 years, dozens of Canadians and Danes took part in the ritual and successive expeditions from Ottawa and Copenhagen have braved icy conditions to plant bottles of alcohol on the tiny 1.2 square kilometre (sq.km) rock.

Finally, in 2018, the countries decided to establish a joint working group to resolve the dispute, ending their decades-long ‘agree to disagree’ policy. And decided to settle the dispute at a later date.

This week, Denmark and Canada finally struck a deal to settle almost 50 years of good-natured squabbling over the ownership of the island: officials have agreed to divide the outpost roughly in half.

The deal will be signed once both countries grant parliamentary approval and will see the island split along a naturally occurring cleft on the rocky outcrop, according to a deal published by the Danish foreign ministry.

Once signed off, Canada and Denmark would have established the world’s longest maritime border at 3,882 km.

I hope it becomes a rock solid agreement: cheers to that!

Agnipath: The Tour of Duty

This week India announced a revolutionary, transformational, and far-reaching ‘Agnipath Scheme’ of recruiting ‘boys and girls’ between the ages of 17.5 and 23 years for a four-year stint in the Armed Forces. They will be given military training, based on the Force’s requirements.

About 46,000 soldiers, sailors, and airmen will be enrolled between September and October this year on an all-India, all-class basis. After four years, 25% of the ‘Agniveers’- as they will be called – will be absorbed in the regular cadre and the rest released to pursue a non-military civilian life. During the four years in the Armed Forces, Agniveers will be paid a respectable stipend and associated perks. And those leaving will be provided with skill certificates and an accrued Corpus Fund to pursue other careers. India’s youth are given a chance for both long and short duration military service and to serve the nation at the highest level. The regular military recruitment scheme will drill on undisturbed.

The objective is to lower the age of the Armed Forces- with induction of youth, lower the pension budget, and provide a means of selecting and retaining the very best in the Defence Forces.

My thoughts: The Armed Forces training will bring in much-needed discipline, which is seriously lacking in India- and make men and women out of our boys and girls. It is the nearest to compulsory military service and being a four-year stint it would provide youngsters an opportunity to decide what they want to do with their lives besides an honour to serve the nation. And, once released into society they will be a silent force of protection for themselves and the communities they live in. The best part would be, say in an Ukraine-Russia situation we would have enough Agniveers around who could take up the charge if needed. The scheme has been introduced by the three Service Chiefs – Army, Navy, and Airforce after solid deliberation: I’m sure they always have the nation’s best interests in the cross-hairs. I trust them. Lets embrace the path of Agnipath.

India’s First Private Train

In November 2021, India came up with an idea called ‘Bharat Gaurav’ (India’s Pride) of allowing private players to operate trains belonging to the Government’s Indian Railways in a theme-based tourism circuit: with places, routes, stops, and tariffs, among other things, being entirely at the discretion of the Private Operator. The intent is to provide people in India and visiting foreign tourists a means of exploring the country’s rich cultural heritage and historical places in a comfortable well-managed set-up.

The trains can be leased for a period of two years with interiors refurbishment, housekeeping, catering, security, ticket booking services, etc., being the responsibility of the Private Operator. And policing work will be done by private security personnel in coordination with the existing Railway Protection Force. A Train Captain and a Train Doctor will also be on board along with a radio jockey manning a sound system, to keep the tourists in ‘loud spirits’.

This week the first ever private train under the Bharat Gaurav Scheme, operating between Coimbatore North Station in Tamilnadu and the Holy Town of Shirdi in Maharashtra was flagged off with stops at Tiruppur, Erode, Salem, Yelahanka, Dharmavaram, Mantralayam Road, and Wadi. During the onward journey from Coimbatore, the Train stops at Mantralayam Road station for 5 hours to facilitate worship at the Mantralayam Temple.

South Star Rail is the Private Operator, which got its hands on the wheels to run the train. It paid INR 10 million as security deposit to Southern Railways for a 20 coach rake, consisting of First, Second, and Third Class air-conditioned coaches, normal Sleeper coaches, two luggage-cum-brake cars and one pantry car.

Over to a scheme-filled India. Take the ride and pray!

Skipping Sipping Tea in Pakistan

Pakistan’s foreign currency reserves are falling rapidly – currently enough for fewer than two months of all imports – and one of its senior Ministers Ahsan Iqbal came up with a drinking idea.

People in Pakistan have been asked to reduce the amount of tea they drink to keep the country’s economy afloat. Sipping fewer cups a day would cut Pakistan’s high import bills feels the Minister. He said, “I appeal to the nation to cut down the consumption of tea by one to two cups because we import tea on loan”. He also suggested that Business traders should close their market stalls at 10.30 pm to save electricity.

Pakistan is the world’s largest importer of tea, buying more than USD 600 million worth last year. Now its lips are trying to skip many a sip!

An Extra Day Off in Sri Lanka

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka is giving government officials an extra day off a week, to encourage them to grow food, amid fears of a food shortage, as it navigates its worst economic crisis in more than 70 years. The Island Nation has about one million public sector employees.

The decision is to help workers, who are facing difficulties getting to work due to fuel shortages. Also to encourage them to grow fruit and vegetables, to help feed themselves and their families by engaging in agricultural activities in the backyards of their houses, or elsewhere. This is seen as a possible solution to the food shortage that is expected to occur in the future. Ultimately, I reckon, it’s best we fend for ourselves: generate our own solar power, grown our own food, or make our own things, and return to the days of bartering – in kind.

How to Murder Your Husband

Many years ago, Nancy Crampton Brophy, 71, a self-publishing author whose works of steamy romance and suspense novels such as ‘The Wrong Husband’ and ‘The Wrong Lover’ wrote an essay titled ‘How to murder your husband’. Well, she took herself seriously, did just that and was convicted of murdering her husband last month.

This week a jury found her guilty of second degree murder when that she shot her husband of 26 years, in 2018 for a USD 1.5 million Life insurance pay-out. She was sentenced to life in prison.

Her late husband, Daniel Brophy, was a chef and respected teacher at the Oregon Culinary Institute, Oregon State, United States. He was found dead – shot twice- in the kitchen of the Institute, in 2018.

The Wrong Wife; How to Break Out of Prison?

More tizzy stories about world schemes coming up in the weeks ahead. Don’t shoot, live in peace with World Inthavaaram.

WORLD INTHAVAARAM, 2022-21

About: the world this week, 22 May to 28 May 2022, shootings, fragmentation, stuck farm grain, yet another virus trying to fox us, and a literary prize is awarded.

Everywhere

One barely noticed: the Russia-Ukraine War has slid down from the headlines into a regular ‘work in progress’ story. And perhaps joins the list of many other low-key never-ending wars happening in different parts of the world. Feeding the weapon manufacturers? But what’s happening in America refuses to get the solution it deserves – and America does not seem too eager to bite the bullet.

America

It was his 18th birthday in Uvalde County, 135 kilometres west of San Antonio, in Texas, United States (US). He celebrated by purchasing two military-style rifles at a Gun-Store, went home, put on body armour, shot his grandmother, and drove down to the nearby Robb Elementary School wrecking his car – crashing into a ditch near the school. And he gathered himself, entered the School and went on a shooting spree killing at least 19 children and two adults-including a teacher- as he went from classroom to classroom before Law Enforcement entered the scene and shot him down. The killer was later identified as Salvador Ramos. The grandmother is in critical condition.

The shooting was the deadliest at an elementary school since the Sandy Hook massacre in Connecticut, about a decade ago, in 2012, that left 26 people dead, including 20 children. So far in 2022 there have been at least 39 shootings in schools, colleges and universities, resulting in at least 10 deaths and 51 injuries. Overall, the US has seen about 200 mass shootings since January this year, more than any developed country in the world! That should rattle every American on Earth.

Robb Elementary School teaches second through fourth grades and holds over 500 students in its classrooms. About 90% of students are Hispanic and about 81% are economically disadvantaged. The day of the shooting was to be the last day of school before the summer break. The school canceled all school activities following the shooting.

US President Joe Biden was quick to shoot, “Why are we willing to live with this carnage? Why do we keep letting this happen? Where in God’s name is our backbone to have the courage to deal with it? It’s time to turn this pain into action”

These kinds of mass shootings rarely happen elsewhere in the world – a unique American phenomenon. Gun Control? America should seriously talk about gun violence prevention.

For e.g., in the United Kingdom (UK) about 26 years ago, a gunman entered Dunblane Primary School in Scotland, killing 16 children and a teacher. The UK Govt responded by enacting tight gun control legislation. Ever since, and there has been not one instance of a school shooting in the UK.

In Australia in 1996, a gunman went on a shooting spree in Tasmania – killing 35 people and injuring 23 others. This prompted then Australian Prime Minister John Howard to tighten laws, confiscating more than 650,000 weapons in the world’s largest mandatory gun buy-back scheme. A school shooting never happened again.

Reminds me of Bob Dylan’s unforgettable song, Blowing in the Wind.

Yes, ’n how many ears must one man have

Before he can hear people cry?

Yes, ’n how many deaths will it take ’til he knows

That too many people have died?

The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind

The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind.

Davos

The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an independent, impartial, International Organization for public-private cooperation not tied to any special interests. It engages the foremost political, business-CEO’s, and billionaires, cultural, and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. The WEF was established in 1971 as a not-for-profit foundation with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

This year, its manifesto runs like this: Companies should pay their fair share of taxes, show zero tolerance for corruption, uphold human rights throughout their global supply chains, and advocate for a competitive level playing field.

The WEF’s Annual Meeting usually happens at the start of the year. Covid19 prevented an in-person event for the last two years, and, for the first time, the Davos 2022 meeting was held this May.

The last time the WEF gathered in the Swiss mountain village of Davos to discuss society’s biggest problems and pitch their solutions, the coronavirus outbreak was little more than a remote threat. The economy was humming, and nobody considered a major armed conflict in Europe as a possible risk. This time, the stage is different: the world has been upended by the Covid19 pandemic and Russia’s ruthless invasion of Ukraine.

The conference famously combines high-minded panels with flashy parties, bringing important people together to tackle pressing issues like inequality, climate change, the future of technology, and geopolitical conflict. But the logic behind inviting some of the wealthiest people on Earth to solve these problems, from a resort town, looks even shakier these days.

One of the many buzzwords percolating around Davos this week is fragmentation, the force, Economists warn could have ‘devastating human consequences.’ By fragmentation, they are referring to a breakdown of the kind of free-wheeling, border-crossing trade and investment that’s defined the global economic order over the past three decades. It is a form of deglobalization: rebuilding fences around national or regional fiefdoms.

Said one of the Attendees: “fragmentation is the sense that we may be having economies protect themselves a little more domestically, and that could slow things down. And then it may make things more expensive in return.”

We are already kind of fragmented. Look at Ukraine, left to fend for itself against the might of a ‘self-sufficient’ Nation called Russia. Of course, the World is helping with arms and ammunition, but there are so many boundaries to crash! And mind-boggling risks associated!

Ukraine

These are absolutely tough times for Ukraine in almost every field. Ukrainian farmers have 20 million tonnes of grain they cannot get to international markets because of the crazy war started by Russia. And a new harvest is about to begin. Before the war, 90% of Ukraine’s exports left via the deep ports in the Black Sea, which can load tankers large enough to travel long distances. But Russia has closed all of these ports. Now, it has offered to lift its blockade of Ukrainian Black Sea ports in exchange for lifting sanctions. This was promptly shot down by Ukraine as ‘blackmail’.

Ukraine is a major supplier of key crops with about 42% share of global exports of sunflower oil, 16% of maize, 10% of barley and 9% of wheat. Some countries heavily depend on Ukraine, such as Moldova which gets 92% of its wheat requirement from Ukraine, Lebanon 81% and Qatar 64%.

There must be a way: food going waste is criminal. And Russia is becoming a pariah nation is so many dimensions. Hard to believe that it is a responsible country!

Monkeypox

It can begin with a fever, a headache, or muscle aches, and swollen lymph nodes. You might notice a rash develop, usually starting on the face before spreading to other parts of the body. And may lead to a range of medical complications depending on the person infected. These are typical symptoms that may point towards monkeypox, a disease now slowly spreading across the World.

When monkeypox does spread between humans, it is through physical contact with someone who has symptoms. The virus is transmitted from one person to another by close contact with lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets and contaminated materials such as bedding. In the current outbreak, clusters have occurred among men who have sex with men, which has not been the case previously. But experts have warned against declaring it a sexually transmitted disease, or attributing the spread to certain communities.

Monkeypox is caused by the monkeypox virus – enveloped in a double-stranded DNA – a member of the Orthopoxvirus Genus in the Family Poxviridae. It is a viral zoonotic-virus transmitted to humans from animals-disease that occurs primarily in tropical rainforest areas of central and west Africa and is occasionally exported to other regions.

Human monkeypox was first identified in humans in the year 1970 in the Democratic Republic of The Congo in a 9 years old boy, in a region where smallpox had been eliminated in 1968. Since then, most cases have been reported from rural, rainforest regions of the Congo Basin, particularly in Congo and human cases have increasingly been reported from across central and west Africa.

Monkeypox is usually a self-limited disease with the symptoms lasting from 2 to 4 weeks. Severe cases occur more commonly among children and are related to the extent of virus exposure, patient health status, and nature of complications. The incubation period -interval from infection to onset of symptoms- of monkeypox is usually from 6 to 13 days but can range from 5 to 21 days. Severe cases can occur. In recent times, the case fatality ratio has been around 3–6%.

An antiviral agent developed for the treatment of smallpox has also been licensed for the treatment of monkeypox. The clinical presentation of monkeypox resembles that of smallpox, a related orthopoxvirus infection which was declared eradicated worldwide in 1980. Monkeypox is less contagious than smallpox and causes less severe illness.

Vaccines used during the smallpox eradication programme also provide protection against monkeypox. Newer vaccines have been developed of which one has been approved for prevention of monkeypox.

Underlying immune deficiencies may lead to worse outcomes. Although vaccination against smallpox was protective in the past, today persons younger than 40 to 50 years of age (depending on the country) may be more susceptible to monkeypox due to cessation of smallpox vaccination campaigns globally after eradication of the disease. Complications of monkeypox can include secondary infections, bronchopneumonia, sepsis, encephalitis, and infection of the cornea with ensuing loss of vision. The extent to which asymptomatic infection may occur is unknown.

An antiviral agent known as Tecovirimat that was developed for smallpox was licensed by the European Medical Association (EMA) for monkeypox in 2022 based on data in animal and human studies. It is not yet widely available.

Booker Prize

The Booker Prize, formerly known as the ‘Booker Prize for Fiction’ and the ‘Man Booker Prize’ is a literary prize awarded each year for the best novel written in English and published in the UK or Ireland. A sister prize, the International Booker Prize, is awarded for a book translated into English and published in the UK or Ireland.

Indian Author Geetanjali Shree’s translated Hindi novel, ‘Tomb of Sand’, has become the first book written in an Indian language to be awarded the 2022 International Booker Prize. Originally published in Hindi as ‘Ret Samadhi’, the book was translated into English by Daisy Rockwell.

The Chair of the Judges had this to say, “This is a luminous novel of India and partition, but one whose spellbinding brio and fierce compassion weaves youth and age, male and female, family and nation into a kaleidoscopic whole”.

‘Tomb of Sand’ is the story of a 80 years old woman who goes into deep depression after the death of her husband. Eventually, she overcomes her depression and decides to visit Pakistan to confront the past that she left behind during the Partition.

Geetanjali Shree born in Manipur, India, is the author of three novels and several story collections, and her work has been translated into English, French, German, Serbian, and Korean.

Indians who have won the other Booker Prize are, Arundhati Roy for ‘God of Small Things’ in 1997, Kiran Desai for ‘The Inheritance of Loss’ in 2006, and Aravind Adiga for ‘The White Tiger’ in 2008.

More stories will be booked and fired in the weeks to come. Live healthy with World Inthavaaram.