10/31/2007 (When it first ran on People Port) An aspect of war rearely considered is given light in this issue, Emerging Infectious Diseases. CDC's online publication. The writers raise issues that war planners, observers, may expect to see. Michelle Gayer, Dominique Legros, Pierre Formenty, and Maire A. Connolly, authored the report. This story from excerpts of their article.
Revised International Health Regulations of 2005 provide a global legal framework to guide response to public health events of international concern. Conflict-affected countries represent one of the weakest links in global health security and should be prioritized by the international community in provision of technical and operational support to implement core capacities for detection and response to epidemics.
Military forces are increasingly implementing aid programs for conflict-affected populations. These programs have a crucial role and are a valuable resource. However, military aid can affect the neutrality of humanitarian aid. A consistent and transparent policy is needed for military humanitarian interventions, as well as extensive civil-military liaisons and close cooperation with other humanitarian agencies
1 million displaced persons crowded into camps with little access to safe water because of drought and inadequate sanitation. The outbreak subsequently spread into neighboring eastern Chad in June 2004 because of movement of Sudanese refugees fleeing Darfur.
The outbreak of Marburg hemorrhagic fever in Angola from October 2004 through July 2005 was the first outbreak in an African urban setting and the most lethal (374 cases, CFR 88%). Thirty years of civil war had destroyed infrastructure, left roads mined, and left medical services with untrained staff and a persistent lack of supplies. Healthcare centers were primarily responsible for amplification of the outbreak through reuse of needles and syringes and use of multidose vials in healthcare centers due to poor training in safe injection practice (WHO, unpub. data).
Years of war in Sierra Leone during the 1990s weakened health systems and led to a long-term deterioration in infection control practices. As a result, a nosocomial outbreak of Lassa fever occurred in Kenema District Hospital from January through April 2004. A total of 410 cases occurred with a CFR of 30% (Ministry of Health Sierra Leone and WHO, unpub. data). The outbreak started in the pediatric ward, where nosocomial transmission likely resulted from use of contaminated multiuse vials and reuse of contaminated needles and syringes.
Children discharged into the community were readmitted with suspected Lassa fever into the Lassa ward and comprised most of the pediatric cases in this outbreak. A total of 50% of the case-patients were
200,000 cases and 3,000–5,000 deaths occurred annually across this region. In disease-endemic areas of Sierra Leone and Liberia, Lassa fever causes an estimated 10%–16% of hospitalizations.
2 million displaced persons and is likely to have provided new opportunities for rodents to proliferate when persons were forced to abandon villages and relocate in overcrowded camps. However, numbers of new cases related to the conflict are unavailable. Emergence of Lassa fever in camps in non–disease-endemic areas has been documented (World Health Organization [WHO], unpub. data) and is probably related to the poor condition of dwellings and storage of grain rations..
Similarly, unsanitary environmental conditions led to the proliferation of rats in postwar Kosovo and resulted in a tularemia outbreak among the displaced population from August 1999 through April 2000, with 327 serologically confirmed cases in 21 of 29 municipalities. The population had fled their villages because of bombings, and on their return several weeks later, they found destroyed buildings, contaminated food stores and wells, and a greatly increased rodent population. Control measures included appropriate case management, improving water and waste management, health education on hygiene, and protection of food and water sources from rats.
Copyrighted, 2007, J John Swanko, All rights reserved. May be used with permission.
This contains information not often known that serves the reader wanting a more complete understanding.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
Three Platforms' Production Projected To Exceed Production For Most States
Originally ran on 12/24/2008
Mississippi Canyon (People Port)— In 2007, the four week refinery average was more than 15 million barrels of crude oil a day. All three platforms are in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Only large deposits with high flow rate wells are economic in deep water, and production rates from these platforms far exceed most other production facilities. The fewer than 30 wells planned for Thunder Horse are expected to produce more oil than the 18,000 oil wells in the State of Louisiana. By early 2010, the three platforms should reach their combined designed production capacity of 575 thousand barrels per day. The Minerals Management Service reports that the entire Federal Offshore Gulf of Mexico was producing about 1,300 thousand barrels per day before the 2008 Hurricanes Gustav and Ike.
EIA expects that the combined production for the Thunder Horse, Atlantis, and Tahiti platforms in 2010 will exceed production in 2007 for all but the top three producing States in the United States. Repeat this combined horsepower 20 more times and we would not need any imported oil.
Major Contributing Platforms
The Thunder Horse platform is in the Mississippi Canyon area about 150 miles southeast of New Orleans, Louisiana. It is a semi-submersible platform located in 6,050 feet of water with wells drilled to a depth of about 29,000 feet. (A semi-submersible platform is a floating platform moored on location using ballast tanks in the hull for vertical positioning.) The Thunder Horse platform began commissioning in late 2008 and produced 40 thousand barrels per day during August testing. Operators have scheduled the platform to start commercial production in December 2008 or January 2009, and the platform may reach its designed production capacity of 250 thousand barrels per day as early as the first part of 2010.
The Atlantis platform is in the Green Canyon area about 190 miles south of New Orleans. It is a semi-submersible located in 7,070 feet of water with wells drilled to a depth of about 18,700 feet. Operators expect to connect 18 wells to the platform, which began commercial production in October 2007. It was producing about 100 thousand barrels per day as of August 2008, prior to Hurricane Gustav. Operators may increase production to about 200 thousand barrels per day by the end of 2009.
The Tahiti platform is in the Green Canyon area about 190 miles south of New Orleans. It is a spar platform located in 4,250 feet of water with wells drilled to a depth of about 25,800 feet. (A spar platform is also a floating platform, in this case, supported by a single buoyant cylindrical hull composed of a buoyant upper hull and a bottom ballast tank.) Operators have planned 6 initial wells for this platform, with more to be drilled later. Operators have scheduled the Tahiti platform to begin commercial production in the first quarter of 2009 and the platform may reach its designed capacity of 125 thousand barrels per day in January 2010.
Copyrighted, 2008, J John Swanko, All rights reserved. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License
Mississippi Canyon (People Port)— In 2007, the four week refinery average was more than 15 million barrels of crude oil a day. All three platforms are in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Only large deposits with high flow rate wells are economic in deep water, and production rates from these platforms far exceed most other production facilities. The fewer than 30 wells planned for Thunder Horse are expected to produce more oil than the 18,000 oil wells in the State of Louisiana. By early 2010, the three platforms should reach their combined designed production capacity of 575 thousand barrels per day. The Minerals Management Service reports that the entire Federal Offshore Gulf of Mexico was producing about 1,300 thousand barrels per day before the 2008 Hurricanes Gustav and Ike.
EIA expects that the combined production for the Thunder Horse, Atlantis, and Tahiti platforms in 2010 will exceed production in 2007 for all but the top three producing States in the United States. Repeat this combined horsepower 20 more times and we would not need any imported oil.
Major Contributing Platforms
The Thunder Horse platform is in the Mississippi Canyon area about 150 miles southeast of New Orleans, Louisiana. It is a semi-submersible platform located in 6,050 feet of water with wells drilled to a depth of about 29,000 feet. (A semi-submersible platform is a floating platform moored on location using ballast tanks in the hull for vertical positioning.) The Thunder Horse platform began commissioning in late 2008 and produced 40 thousand barrels per day during August testing. Operators have scheduled the platform to start commercial production in December 2008 or January 2009, and the platform may reach its designed production capacity of 250 thousand barrels per day as early as the first part of 2010.
The Atlantis platform is in the Green Canyon area about 190 miles south of New Orleans. It is a semi-submersible located in 7,070 feet of water with wells drilled to a depth of about 18,700 feet. Operators expect to connect 18 wells to the platform, which began commercial production in October 2007. It was producing about 100 thousand barrels per day as of August 2008, prior to Hurricane Gustav. Operators may increase production to about 200 thousand barrels per day by the end of 2009.
The Tahiti platform is in the Green Canyon area about 190 miles south of New Orleans. It is a spar platform located in 4,250 feet of water with wells drilled to a depth of about 25,800 feet. (A spar platform is also a floating platform, in this case, supported by a single buoyant cylindrical hull composed of a buoyant upper hull and a bottom ballast tank.) Operators have planned 6 initial wells for this platform, with more to be drilled later. Operators have scheduled the Tahiti platform to begin commercial production in the first quarter of 2009 and the platform may reach its designed capacity of 125 thousand barrels per day in January 2010.
Copyrighted, 2008, J John Swanko, All rights reserved. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Joint Statement of Secretary Geithner and Secretary Clinton
Joint Statement of Secretary Geithner and Secretary Clinton on European and Canadian Iran Sanctions, Issued July 26,2010
08/03/10 (People Port) The U.S. Departments of Treasury and State today released the following statement from Secretary Tim Geithner and Secretary Hillary Clinton on the European Union and Canada's adoption of new sanctions against Iran:
"The United States welcomes the strong steps taken by our European and Canadian partners to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1929. Consistent with the Security Council's mandate, these measures impose additional sanctions against Iran's financial, insurance, transportation, trade and energy sectors, as well as the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, significantly increasing Iran's isolation. These steps underscore the steadfast European and Canadian leadership to hold Iran accountable for its failure to meet its international obligations and set a high standard for global implementation of sanctions.
"The new measures contain important restrictions on Iran's ability to use its transportation infrastructure and energy proceeds to support its nuclear and missile programs. The strong restrictions and prohibitions on Iran's ability to access the Canadian and European commercial and banking systems will further protect the international financial system from abuse by Iran.
"These measures, combined with the new and existing U.S. sanctions, underscore the international community's deepening concerns about Iran's nuclear program and refusal to live up to its international responsibilities. We have already begun to see the impact of these sanctions, as companies around the world refuse to do business with Iran rather than risk becoming involved in Iran's nuclear program and other illicit activities.
"Moving forward, the United States will continue to work with the European Union, Canada, and our allies and partners around the world to put additional pressure on Iran and ensure that existing sanctions are vigorously enforced. The message to Iran's leaders is clear: Meet your responsibilities or face increasing isolation and consequences.
"We applaud the EU and Canada for these decisive actions, but regret their necessity. The United States remains committed to a diplomatic solution that resolves the international community's concerns regarding Iran's nuclear program. We will continue to work with the European Union, Canada, the P5+1 and all of our partners to pursue our dual track approach of engagement and pressure to achieve this objective and await Iran's official reply to the P5+1's outstanding offer of talks. We once again urge Iran's leaders to pursue a path of cooperation and responsibility rather than confrontation and further isolation."
08/03/10 (People Port) The U.S. Departments of Treasury and State today released the following statement from Secretary Tim Geithner and Secretary Hillary Clinton on the European Union and Canada's adoption of new sanctions against Iran:
"The United States welcomes the strong steps taken by our European and Canadian partners to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1929. Consistent with the Security Council's mandate, these measures impose additional sanctions against Iran's financial, insurance, transportation, trade and energy sectors, as well as the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, significantly increasing Iran's isolation. These steps underscore the steadfast European and Canadian leadership to hold Iran accountable for its failure to meet its international obligations and set a high standard for global implementation of sanctions.
"The new measures contain important restrictions on Iran's ability to use its transportation infrastructure and energy proceeds to support its nuclear and missile programs. The strong restrictions and prohibitions on Iran's ability to access the Canadian and European commercial and banking systems will further protect the international financial system from abuse by Iran.
"These measures, combined with the new and existing U.S. sanctions, underscore the international community's deepening concerns about Iran's nuclear program and refusal to live up to its international responsibilities. We have already begun to see the impact of these sanctions, as companies around the world refuse to do business with Iran rather than risk becoming involved in Iran's nuclear program and other illicit activities.
"Moving forward, the United States will continue to work with the European Union, Canada, and our allies and partners around the world to put additional pressure on Iran and ensure that existing sanctions are vigorously enforced. The message to Iran's leaders is clear: Meet your responsibilities or face increasing isolation and consequences.
"We applaud the EU and Canada for these decisive actions, but regret their necessity. The United States remains committed to a diplomatic solution that resolves the international community's concerns regarding Iran's nuclear program. We will continue to work with the European Union, Canada, the P5+1 and all of our partners to pursue our dual track approach of engagement and pressure to achieve this objective and await Iran's official reply to the P5+1's outstanding offer of talks. We once again urge Iran's leaders to pursue a path of cooperation and responsibility rather than confrontation and further isolation."