On the trade front, a decade or so ago, we were badgered and harassed by the US trade people to agree to importing US blood. Unfair trade they said, if it’s good enough for the US, it should be good enough for us. Along with us not accepting some US beef for human and animal health concerns, it was a major irritant in the bilateral relationship.
2 Likes
Thanks.
It’s terrible that it happened and what has followed with a bad compensation scheme has made it so much worse.
Back when HIV was rampant, I worked for Abbott Diagnostic who made pathology test kits. Big customer was Red Cross Blood Bank, Abbott in USA could not believe that high levels of Australian testing as in USA it was ignored, until 1000’s were HIV positive through blood infusions. Most of the blood in US service comes from Prisons !
2 Likes
You’d think that might be a warning to those people up top to GET OF THE ■■■■■■■ BRIDGE!
2 Likes
Off the record, US officials would let it be known the pressures they were under by the US Administration ( no matter red or blue) out of concern that the domestic population should be kept in the dark.
The agenda wasn’t driven by trade, rather that the US voter should be kept in ignorance of the health dangers they were exposed to that were unacceptably high in other developed countries.
It’s a joke that RFK jr is focussing on improving domestic health and nutrition , including taking on big Pharma and the agri food system. But he is just another stooge, let’s the rest of the Administration to run with more policies further endangering human health. Also USDA, with conflicting economic and trade agendas in domestic and international agendas on human , animal and plant health.
And that fool Lutnick running Commerce like a dodgy real estate agency while the experts in USTR have no clout and must do what he orders,
4 Likes
They seem like the traits the White House HR team are looking in candidates for the next POTUS position
2 Likes
US pays for blood I believe, which results in some dodgy people giving it.
Some light relief?
2 Likes
Maybe he’s just part of the supply chain to meet Trump’s needs.
Trump recently went public about wanting more gold on the ceiling at the White House. Netanyahu further cemented their close relationship with the gift of a gold pager.
3 Likes
1 Like
In the late 70’s / early 80’s , they certainly paid for donations. And it inevitably led to HIV ( at that stage, unrecognized) and HepC becoming extremely prevalent in the donor blood supplies as drug users, homeless people, sex workers etc viewed it as an easy source of income. . Especially for Haemophilia sufferers, because the concentrating of blood factors they need required multiple donors. I can’t remember the exact numbers, but someone calculated that in a particular year , a US haemophiliac had something like an 80 percent chance of getting infected with HIV through US blood products. Once the authorities realized what had happened, payment for blood donations was ended and screening / testing was ramped up.
You can still be paid for donating plasma, which is a much more intensive process .
2 Likes
Uh Oh. Climate Change experts said disputes over water will increase. Here is one.
-
“We’re currently at 26.52 metres below the high-water mark, less than 14% of its capacity.”
-
Under the terms of a 1944 water-sharing agreement, Mexico must send 430 million cubic metres of water per year from the Rio Grande to the US. Mexico is in arrears and has failed to keep up with its water deliveries for much of the 21st Century.
-
Instead, some Mexican farmers are using the water to flood the desert, in order to grow Walnut trees.
1 Like
Hope they left some culverts in Trump’s wall…
2 Likes
While the thought of Trump receiving a pager from Israel may seem positive at first, it is very unlikely that it’s from the same batch.
1 Like
Yeah, but what if it’s secretly set up with 5G to trigger the COVID vaccine nanites?
2 Likes
Bleach should fix that.
3 Likes
Why would they attack Syria?
2 Likes
Because they are war mongers.
8 Likes