Price of Coffee to Rise; Leaf Rust in Colombia

LEAF RUST, COFFEE - COLOMBIA: SPREAD
************************************
A ProMED-mail post

ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases


Date: Wed 19 May 2010
Source: Dow Jones Newswires [edited]



'Rust disease' is latest threat to Colombian coffee crop
--------------------------------------------------------
The trees here [in Narino department], normally a lush green, are
yellow and spotty, as a virulent fungus compounds the woes of
Colombia's southern coffee-growing belt. Colombia is the world's
largest grower of high-quality arabica coffee beans. The provinces
accounting for about a third of that output are being hit by one of
the worst attacks of a fungal disease the region has ever seen.

This latest outbreak in southern Narino province is tied to a string
of weather problems caused by El Nino, which has warmed the Pacific
Ocean and led to unseasonal and excess rains followed by drought.
This appearance of rust disease follows a severe drought and an
outbreak of the broca pest [coffee berry borer] in another of the
country's main coffee-growing regions. Colombia's National Federation
of Coffee Growers, or Fedecafe, recently cut its forecast for output
in the first half of 2010.

[Byline: Maja Wallengren]

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail


[Coffee leaf rust (CLR; also called orange rust) is caused by the
fungus _Hemileia vastatrix_, one of the most feared pathogens of the
crop. Of the 2 coffee species grown commercially, _Coffea arabica_
(arabica or highland coffee) and _Coffea canephora_ (robusta or
lowland coffee), it affects only arabica varieties and has completely
destroyed coffee industries in several countries. The disease is
characterised by yellow-orange powdery lesions on the underside of
leaves, where it attacks through stomata, but rarely occurs on stems
or fruit. CLR can lead to complete defoliation with death of the host
plant. Spores are spread by wind and rain.

Disease management relies mainly on multiple fungicide applications
during the rainy season. Rust-resistant cultivars exist, but the crop
is generally of poorer quality. More than 30 races of the fungus have
been detected, making it particularly difficult to establish durable
host resistance.

In Colombia, CLR outbreaks were reported in 2009 from several
departments including Caldas, Tolima, and Antioquia, but appears to
have spread further south. It has been said that severe CLR outbreaks
were last seen in the country over 25 years ago, and the possibility
of an emerging new, more aggressive fungal strain is being
considered. Cercospora leaf spot caused by the fungus _Mycosphaerella
coffeicola_ (ProMED-mail post 20100222.0595) and coffee berry borer
(_Hypothenemus hampei_; ProMED-mail post 20091008.3490) currently
exacerbate the situation in some parts of the country.

Maps
Colombia:
and

Colombia departments:

Early worldwide spread of coffee rust (pre-1990):


Pictures
CLR symptoms:
,
, and

Cercospora leaf spot and berry blotch:
,
, and

Coffee berry borer:

Berry borer damage on coffee beans:


Links
Coffee rust information and background:
,
, and

CLR resources:

_H. vastatrix_ taxonomy:

Information on cercospora leaf spot of coffee:
and via
,
, and

Coffee berry borer:
and

Arabica coffee varieties:
. - Mod.DHA]

[see also:
Coffee & cocoa diseases - Central Africa: update 20100421.1289
Cercospora leaf spot, coffee - Colombia: (QD) alert 20100222.0595
2009
----
Leaf rust, coffee - Colombia (02) 20091008.3490
Leaf rust, coffee - Colombia: (TO, CL) 20090225.0773
2008
----
Fungal diseases, coffee - East Africa 20081226.4072
2007
----
Leaf rust & berry disease, coffee - Kenya 20071108.3631]
...................................dha/mj/lm

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or archived material.
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FBI Announces I Have Won a BIG Prize Frum The Bank of Englad!!!!

Found in my "spam" inbox today;





Anti-Terrorist and Monetary Crimes Division
FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Federal Bureau of Investigation
J. Edgar Hoover Building
Washington, D.C. 20535-0001
Telephone Number: (206) 973-2572

Attn: Beneficiary.

This is to Officially inform you that it has come to our notice and we have thoroughly completed an Investigation with the help of our Intelligence Monitoring Network System that you legally won the sum of Ј900,000.00 GBP from the Bank of Englad Online Balloting System, which was held at the Bank of Englad Corporate Center in Threadneedle Street,London EC2R 8AH. During our investigation we discovered that your e-mail was one of the 8 Lucky Addresses in this Year Balloting Program that won the money. Your Winnings have been approved at the Bank of Englad (Bank Address: Threadneedle Street,London EC2R 8AH) and the Bank have been authorized to pay you via a Certified Cashier's Check drawn from the Bank of Englad.I wish to congratulate you on your winnings; your email address was among those chosen during the Bank of Englad Online balloting from the new Java-based software that randomly selects email addresses from the web from which winners were selected.

Normally, it will take up to 4 business days for a Bank of Englad Check to be cleared, cashed and remitted into your account by another local bank. We have successfully notified the banks on your behalf that funds are to be drawn from our registered bank (Bank of Englad) so as to enable you cash the check instantly without any delay, henceforth the stated amount of Ј900,000.00 GBP has been deposited with our bank, Bank Of Englad in Threadneedle Street,London EC2R 8AH.

We have completed this investigation and you are hereby approved to receive the certified cashier's check into your personal account as we have verified the entire transaction to be Safe and 100% risk free, due to the fact that the funds is with Bank Of Englad you will be required to settle the following bills directly to the Bank of England Agent in-charge of this transaction whom is located in LONDON,UNITED KINGDOM. According to the directives, you are required to pay for the following -


(1) Deposit Fee's (Fee's paid to setup a new account for the beneficiary by the Bank of America)
(2) Courier Delivery Fee (Fee paid to deliver the check through UPS delivery to your designated address)
(3) Insurance Fee (This is the fee paid by bank to insure the check before been deposited at the bank to avoid any deduction)

The total amount for everything is Ј785.00GBP (Seven Hundred and Eighty-five GBP). We have tried our possible best to indicate that this 785.00GBP should be deducted from your winning prize but we found out that the funds have already been insured and deposited at Bank Of Englad, Centralia,London and cannot be accessed by anyone apart from you the beneficiary, therefore you will be required to pay the required fee's to the Agent in-charge of this transaction via Western Union Money Transfer Or Money Gram depending on him.

In order to proceed with this transaction, you will be required to contact the agent in-charge (Mr.Nicholas Edward) via e-mail.

Kindly look below to find appropriate contact information:


Contact Agent Name: MR. NICHOLAS EDWARD (Senior Personal Banker)
Telephone Number: +4470240345542
Bank of Englad.

You will also be required to e-mail him with the following information:

FULL NAME:
ADDRESS:
CITY:
STATE:
ZIP CODE:
DIRECT CONTACT NUMBER:
OCCUPATION:
ANY FORM OF IDENTITY:

You will also be required to request Western Union details on how to send the required Ј785.00GBP in order to immediately deliver your Funds of Ј900,000.00 GBP via Certified Cashier's Check drawn from Bank Of England, also include the following transaction code in order for him to immediately identify this transaction : EA2948-910.

This letter will serve as proof that the Federal Bureau Of Investigation is authorizing you to pay the required Ј785.00 ONLY to Mr.Nicholas Edward via information in which he shall send to you, if you do not receive your winning prize of Ј900,000.00GBP we shall be held responsible for the loss and this shall invite a penalty of Ј8,000 which will be made PAYABLE ONLY to you (The Winner).

Due to the confidentiality of this matter, I decided to contact you privately to avoid imposters.

Please find below an authorized signature which has been signed by the FBI Director- Robert Mueller, also below is the FBI NSB (National Security).

ONCE AGAIN CONGRATULATIONS.

Bank of Englad
Costumer Care.

CC:FBI Director
Robert Mueller.

NOROVIRUS, FATAL, NEONATAL UNIT - SOUTH AFRICA: (JOHANNESBURG)

*********************************************************
A ProMED-mail post

ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases


Date: Fri 21 May 2010
Source: IOL (Independent Online, South Africa), The Star report [edited]



The diarrhoea that killed 6 babies at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg
Academic Hospital was caused by a norovirus, a type of
community-acquired virus [infection] that causes stomach [illness],
CEO Barney Selebano confirmed yesterday [20 May 2010]. He explained
that the babies were susceptible to the virus because of their weak
[undeveloped] immune systems. "Those babies have never been out of
the hospital," he said.

All the babies in the neonatal ward were born prematurely and weigh
less than 1 kg [2.2 lb]. At the time of the infection, there were
about 50 babies in the ward -- 15 more than the stipulated maximum of 35.

Selebano said the virus was spread to the babies by human movement in
the hospital. "People walk all around the hospital and encounter
other diseases, and then come back into the neonatal ward," he said.
He added, however, that the hospital had saved all the other babies
in the ward and no new infections had been detected. "There are
always infections in a hospital, but this one has been contained."

Gauteng Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu said the investigation into the
babies' deaths would be concluded by the end of the month [May 2010].
Meanwhile, Mahlangu said the deaths of 11 babies at Natalspruit
Hospital on 11 May 2010 were ascribed to neonatal sepsis, low birth
weight, prematurity, or stillbirth, and were unrelated to the
diarrhoea that killed the 6 babies at Charlotte Maxeke.

The Star [newspaper] has established that 30 babies died at
Natalspruit between 9 and 18 May 2010. At least 3 of the 30 deaths
are understood to be under investigation.

[Byline: Solly Maphumulo, Kristen van Schie]

--
Communicated by:
HealthMap Alerts via ProMED-mail


[Premature infants in neonatal care units are vulnerable to many
infections, but norovirus infection has rarely, if ever, been
reported as a specific cause of death. A lapse in infection control
procedures, as a result of overcrowding, seems likely to be
responsible for this tragic outbreak.

Noroviruses are a group of related, single-stranded RNA,
non-enveloped viruses that cause acute gastroenteritis in humans. The
incubation period for norovirus-associated gastroenteritis in adults
is usually between 24 and 48 hours (median in outbreaks, 33 to 36
hours), but cases can occur within 12 hours of exposure. Norovirus
infection in adults usually presents as acute-onset vomiting, watery
non-bloody diarrhea with abdominal cramps, and nausea. Low-grade
fever also occasionally occurs. Diarrhea is more common than vomiting
in children. Dehydration is the most common complication, especially
among the young and elderly.

Noroviruses are transmitted primarily through the fecal-oral route,
either by consumption of fecally contaminated food or water or by
direct person-to-person spread. Environmental and fomite
contamination may also act as a source of infection. Good evidence
exists for transmission due to aerosolization of vomitus that
presumably results in droplets contaminating surfaces or entering the
oral mucosa and being swallowed. No evidence suggests that infection
occurs through the respiratory system. For further information see
.

The HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map of South Africa at
can be used to locate Johannesburg. - Mod.CP]
...................................mpp/cp/mj/mpp

Then see about biological weapons; http://exposingfdanusda.blogspot.com/2010/02/biological-weapons-in-usa.html
Then see about: Population Control; http://publikeye.blogspot.com/2010/05/is-your-government-trying-to-kill-you.html

Vote YES to NO More Gov't Waste;

http://earth-folk.blogspot.com/2010/05/vote-yes-for-no-more-govt-waste.html

"Wang-Dong" Restaurants Coming to USA? Hell No We Say!

If there’s anything stranger than eateries serving mosquitoes, centipedes or scorpions, it must be a restaurant serving animal genitalia.



The Guolizhuang Restaurant, based in Beijing does so.

Apparently there are 4 franchises in that city itself, and it’s expanding even to the USA, to the city of Atlanta, Georgia.




The menu explains why it’s good to eat the private parts of donkeys, dogs and other four-legged mammals, totalling more than 30. (This article does not say that some of the more priceier meats on the menu are those of ENDANGERED Exotic Animal (wangs) like tigers, rare monkeys, snakes, etc.) BIG $$$ in exotics for food here, but PLEASE not in the USA!


To the left, the ox wee-wee is cut into star shapes. How cute. Apparently good for male virility.

Below, the following tube used to be attached to a yak, served with a dragon, no less.




















Sheep schlangs on a stick.













Donkey wang ready to be devoured.









Apparently the schlongs are usually dipped in soy or hot sauce before being consumed.




For women especially, eating these things is supposed to be good for the skin, the best acne treatment I heard!
Bon apetit!

More on Chinas Exotic Animal Restaurants;
http://www.viceland.com/int/v10n4/htdocs/what.php

What you can do right now to help to insure that these kind of restaurants DO NOT start popping up all over the United States.

1. Call the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and let them know how you feel
Ask for George Israel, President and CEO and Board Advisor to the Georgia Dept. of Economic Development at (404) 223-2264 and/or email at: Communications@GaChamber.Com

1(a) Call the Georgia Chamber of Commerce again only this time ask for John Krueger, VP of Public Policy at (404) 223-2490 and/or email him at jkrueger@gachamber.com

2. Call the Metro-Alanta Chamber of Commerce and ask for:
Renay Blumenthal, Sr. VP of Public Policy at (404) 586-8466 or mail him at eblumenthal@macoc.com

2(a) Call the Metro-Atlanta Chamber of Commerce again but this time, ask for:
Hans Grant, Sr. VP of Economic Development at (404) 586-8456 and/or email at: Hgrant@macoc.com

3. Call the Georgia Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, Tiffany Fulmer Ott, Administrator & Main Contact
1608 Tarklin Valley Road
Knoxville, TN 37920
(404) 531-6988
E-Mail Address
tfulmer@gacce.org

also contact
The Georgia Department of Economic Development
(404) 962-4000

and also be sure to contact their "International Departments"

Bi-National Chambers of Commerce

There are currently 42 bi-national chambers of commerce actively involved in Georgia’s international business community. These organizations work to assist their members develop business contacts, and they foster, promote and develop commercial relations and exchanges between Georgia and other countries.

Georgia China Alliance
1242 South Lumpkin Street
Athens, GA 30603
Phone: (678) 334-6136
Fax: (706) 542-6594
Email: rong@georgiachina.com

Ms. Rongrong Liu, Executive Director
U.S.-China Peoples Friendship Association
18 Fairfield Drive
Avondale Estates, GA 30002
Phone: (404) 292-0714
Laniwong@Comcast.net

TELL THEM THAT YOU

SAY NO!

TO "EXOTIC ANIMAL AND/OR "WANG-DONG" (PENIS) RESTAURANTS IN THE USA!

Sign petition; http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/no-2-chinas-exotic-meat-trade-in-usa

This is how they treat the tigers;

Child Killings Across Our Land: What is Wrong with U.S>?

Parents Who Kill Their Children; http://cnn.com/video/?/video/us/2010/08/17/ricks.parental.testing.needed.cnn

Ethan Stacey


Utah Couple Torture 4 Yr. old to Death;

http://crime.about.com/b/2010/05/17/4-year-old-beaten-disfigured-buried-by-stepfather.htm











The Justice for Ethan Campaign;
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/05/24/national/main6513067.shtml


More Utah Parent/Child Killings;
http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/05/07/ctv.death.by.water/

Nevada Dad Kills Child while Mom is Away;

Baby Angel Mendoza

http://www.8newsnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=12485515

PIG VIRUS FOUND IN CHILDRENS VACCINES

FDA FINDS "NO SAFETY ISSUES"

Important article, please read first;
http://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/Vaccines/ApprovedProducts/ucm211101.htm


ROTAVIRUS VACCINE - USA (02): EXTRANEOUS VIRUS
**********************************************
A ProMED-mail post

ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases

******
[1]
Date: Fri 7 May 2010
Source: CIDRAP News [edited]


Another rotavirus vaccine found to contain porcine circovirus
-------------------------------------------------------------
Merck, the company that makes the most commonly given rotavirus vaccine in
the United States, yesterday said it has detected very low levels of DNA
from porcine circovirus (PCV) in its Rotateq vaccine, making it the 2nd
rotavirus vaccine found to contain PCV. The company said in a press release
that it used highly sensitive assays to test its vaccine after an
independent testing laboratory found evidence of the virus in the other
US-licensed rotavirus vaccine, Rotarix, made by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).
On 22 Mar 2010 the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended that,
although it doesn't appear that the Rotarix poses any safety risks,
physicians should suspend administering it until government and industry
scientists could review the findings.
The FDA's vaccine advisory panel was scheduled to discuss the Rotarix
findings today [Fri 7 May 2010], and yesterday in advance of the meeting it
posted a notice on Merck's PCV findings for its vaccine. It said
preliminary studies from Merck had identified DNA fragments from PCV
subtype 1 (PCV1), the same subtype found in GSK's vaccine, as well as from
PCV subtype 2 (PCV2).
The FDA said neither has been known to cause illness in humans, though PCV2
can cause illness in pigs. It also said it has no evidence that either of
the vaccines poses a safety risk and that both have strong safety records.
At today's meeting of the FDA Vaccine and Related Biological Products
Advisory Committee (VRBPAC), members were briefed on the latest study
findings from FDA and industry scientists. Most members said the benefits
of the rotavirus vaccines clearly outweigh the risks, though several
expressed concerns about the PCV2 findings in Merck's vaccine, due to the
fact that it can cause disease in pigs.
Yesterday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported
that the last 2 rotavirus seasons were shorter than past seasons and that
vaccine coverage has risen to 72 per cent. However, usage is about 13 per
cent lower than 2 other childhood vaccines commonly given to infants. The
CDC findings appear in the latest issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly
Report (MMWR) .
Some VRBPAC members today voiced a need for transparency when talking to
parents about the rotavirus vaccine PCV findings, but they also worried
that news about contamination with extraneous virus fragments could erode
some of the gains in vaccine coverage.
[byline: Lisa Schnirring]
--
communicated by:
ProMED-mail

******
[2]
Date: Thu 6 May 2010
Source: FDA (Food and Drug Administration), Vaccine, Blood and Biologics
[edited]


Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee meeting
Background material -- porcine circovirus and rotavirus vaccines
----------------------------------------------------------------
The Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee meeting on
7 May 2010 will discuss the findings shared with the public on 22 Mar 2010,
that porcine circovirus type 1 (PCV1) DNA was found in GlaxoSmithKline
Biologicals' Rotarix Vaccine. Additional data pertaining to the Rotarix
vaccine will also be presented to the committee.
The FDA recently received information from Merck and Co, Inc that its
preliminary studies have identified fragments of DNA from PCV1 and from a
related porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) in its RotaTeq vaccine. Merck's
findings suggest that the number of PCV DNA fragments in its vaccine may be
smaller than what has been found in Rotarix. These preliminary findings
will be included in discussions with the committee.
The FDA has been working closely with manufacturers of the 2 licensed
rotavirus vaccines, has consulted with experts inside and outside of the
federal government, and has considered issues related to the novel testing
that led to the identification of PCV.
The FDA has no evidence to date that these findings pertaining to Rotarix
and RotaTeq pose a safety risk. Both vaccines have strong safety records,
including clinical trials involving tens of thousands of patients and
clinical experience with millions of patients.
PCV1 and PCV2 are both small, circular viruses composed of a single strand
of DNA. PCV1 and PCV2 are common in pigs. Neither PCV1 nor PCV2 are known
to cause illness in humans, however PCV2 may cause illness in pigs.
Rotarix and RotaTeq are the 2 US licensed vaccines indicated for the
prevention of rotavirus disease in infants. Rotavirus disease causes the
deaths of more than 500 000 infants around the world each year, primarily
in low and middle-income countries. Before the introduction of vaccination,
the disease caused more than 50 000 hospitalizations and several dozen
deaths in the US each year. Rotavirus vaccines are given by mouth to
infants to prevent rotavirus disease, which can cause severe diarrhea and
dehydration.
The FDA will continue to work with both GSK and Merck as additional testing
is conducted by both the manufacturers and FDA to further assess the
findings of PCV DNA in rotavirus vaccines.
After considering the input of the committee's experts and the available
scientific information, the FDA will make further recommendations on the
use of the licensed rotavirus vaccines in the US. The FDA will provide
updates to the public and clinical community through
and other communications.
--
communicated by:
ProMED-mail

[Rotavirus is the leading cause of severe acute gastroenteritis (vomiting
and diarrhea) among children worldwide. Two different rotavirus vaccines
are currently licensed for use in infants in the United States. The
vaccines are RotaTeq (RV5) and Rotarix (RV1). Before being licensed, both
vaccines were tested in clinical trials and shown to be safe and effective.
In these studies, during approximately the 1st year of an infant's life,
rotavirus vaccine was found to prevent almost all (85-98 per cent)
rotavirus illness episodes that were severe and to prevent 74-87 per cent
of all rotavirus illness episodes.
The presence of fragments of the genomic DNA of the 2 circoviruses in both
vaccines suggests that the contamination was present in the original
rotavirus isolate from which the vaccine viruses were derived, and that the
contamination was not introduced during subsequent development and
production of the vaccines, but that remains to be established
conclusively. So far there appear to have been no deleterious consequences
resulting from the presence of these contaminants in the vaccine. - Mod.CP]
[see also:
Rotavirus - Americas: PAHO alert 20100330.1009
Rotavirus vaccine - USA: extraneous virus 20100322.0914]
...................cp/ejp/sh

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ProMED-mail makes every effort to verify the reports that
are posted, but the accuracy and completeness of the
information, and of any statements or opinions based
thereon, are not guaranteed. The reader assumes all risks in
using information posted or archived by ProMED-mail. ISID
and its associated service providers shall not be held
responsible for errors or omissions or held liable for any
damages incurred as a result of use or reliance upon posted
or archived material.
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Lord Jesus Christ Hit by Car

No kidding!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37015837/ns/us_news-weird_news/?gt1=43001