Latest news with #JamesJackson
ABC News
5 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
What does lifting trade restrictions on US beef mean for Australia?
It might not be on our plates or menus just yet, but US beef has been a hot topic of conversation across the nation after this week's decision to lift import restrictions that had been in place for more than two decades. Australia banned beef imports from the US in 2003 after the fatal neurological disease bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), also known as mad cow disease, was discovered in American cattle. The blanket ban was lifted in 2019, however restrictions remained on beef that was sourced from Canada or Mexico and slaughtered in the US, amid concerns it could carry the disease. "The Americans were unwilling to … do the traceability work to make sure that beef that was coming to Australia wasn't actually rebranded from somewhere else," veterinarian and former NSW Farmers Association president, James Jackson, said. "We don't want foot and mouth disease in this country, we don't want our consumers to eat beef and get Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, which is the disease you get from eating cattle with mad cow disease." While some in the industry were optimistic that lifting the restrictions would open up trade opportunities for Australian producers, others raised concerns that Australia's biosecurity could be compromised. The federal government said the move was the result of a decade-long biosecurity review that found more robust movement controls had been introduced in the US. "The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry is satisfied the strengthened control measures put in place by the US effectively manage biosecurity risks," Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said. "The Albanese Labor government will never compromise on biosecurity." Nationals leader David Littleproud questioned the timing of the decision, saying it looked as though it was a trade to appease US President Donald Trump. The biosecurity restrictions on beef imports from the United States were one of the key grievances that led the Trump administration to impose tariffs on Australia. Red Meat Advisory Council chair John McKillop said while the decision may have been pushed through "slightly quicker" than expected, he was confident it was the result of a long-running assessment. Global AgriTrends analyst Simon Quilty said the risk of US beef imports introducing diseases to Australia was now much lower. "They have improved their traceability methods within America and I think, in all honesty, that the degree of risk is significantly low," he said. Mr McKillop said any risk would also be mitigated by the limited amount of beef Australia was likely to import from the US. "They have the lowest beef herd in 70 years in the US at the moment [due to drought]," he said. "The most [beef] that was ever brought in, and this was pre-BSE … was 210 tonnes … in contrast to the 395,000 tonnes we exported to the US last year." Mr McKillop said the US was also experiencing near-record beef and cattle prices, and it was unlikely Australians would want to pay high prices for their product. While the amount of beef coming into Australia from the US may be limited, Mr Jackson said there could be a market for it. "There may be some lines [of product] come into Australia, people who want to sell American beef on a restaurant menu or something like that," he said. Mr Jackson said Australia must be open to accepting American beef if it wanted to maintain a trade relationship with the US. "Part of a trade deal is that you're willing to take product from other countries," he said. "Are we happy with Australian consumers eating American beef? Well, probably we're not that happy, but the reality is that if you trade, you've got to be happy to take other people's product as well." The trade restriction on US beef has been a key grievance for the Trump administration, which placed a 10 per cent tariff on all Australian imports earlier this year. Professor Ben Lyons, from the University of Southern Queensland's Rural Economies Centre of Excellence, said it was difficult to know how the move would impact that tariff. "Nothing would surprise us at the moment because that's the new paradigm under the Trump administration — full of surprises," he said. Dr Lyons said he was confident the Australian beef industry would maintain a strong export market, regardless of US-imposed tariffs. "If past performance is the best indicator of the future, we always seem to find a way with our export markets," he said. "Even the announcement of this tariff on Australian beef at the beginning of the year hasn't really had any economic impact as yet on our exports. "I think we should just carry on calmly and do what we do best. I don't really see this as being a long-term issue for Australian agriculture."
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
New report warns that iconic coastal town is at risk of destruction: 'Without action ... impacts will worsen'
A new report revealed that a picturesque coastal town in California is dangerously underprepared for the potential destruction rising sea levels could cause, the Marin Independent Journal reported. Stinson Beach is a small settlement in Marin County about half an hour's drive north of the Golden Gate Bridge. Home to a little over 500 residents, it's known for its pristine white sand beach, which is among the best swimming beaches in the state. But this idyllic town faces some ominous threats in the near future. According to the Marin Independent Journal, a new report found that the town requires approximately $1.2 billion in infrastructure improvements to be ready for the projected rise in sea levels by the end of the century. James Jackson, an engineer with the firm that created the report on behalf of the county, explained to the outlet: "Without action, you know, sea-level rise projections and hazard modeling show that these impacts will worsen. … We're here to understand the full extent of those impacts and develop a plan." Rising sea levels are a direct result of the planet-heating pollution from dirty energy. As critical sea ice is lost because of rising temperatures, the ocean level rises, putting coastal communities such as Stinson Beach at grave risk. Plus, the warmer seas are a perfect breeding ground for increasingly severe extreme weather events. While extreme weather events aren't new, scientists have found that our changing climate is making them more intense and dangerous for communities and the environment. Stinson Beach is one of the most vulnerable communities to coastal erosion in the county. If a projected 3.3 feet rise is realized by 2085, most of the town's properties could be lost. Even a smaller rise of 1 to 2 feet could seriously jeopardize access to and from the community. The report outlined the available options and emphasized the need for flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances. The Stinson Beach Adaptation and Resilience Collaboration is intended to be a blueprint for public education and local action. The widespread adoption of clean energy sources such as solar will help slow the rise and buy more time for coastal towns to prepare. With power outages becoming more frequent, it pays to plan ahead, and solar panels with battery storage offer greater resiliency for the grid. With EnergySage's online service, you can compare quotes for free in one convenient place and save up to $10,000 on installation. Do you think America does a good job of protecting its natural beauty? Definitely Only in some areas No way I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Medscape
02-07-2025
- Health
- Medscape
Understanding Cardiac PTSD In Search Of Prevention
For nearly 15 years, Donald Edmondson, PhD, executive director of the Center for Behavioral Cardiovascular Health at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York City, has worked to shed light on the fact that up to one third of individuals who experience major, life-changing cardiac events go on to develop a posttraumatic stress disorder called cardiac PTSD. Donald Edmondson, PhD Edmondson has been the lead investigator on or participated on research teams behind more than 50 clinical studies showing everything from which patients are most likely to develop this unique form of medical trauma to how cardiologists can predict which of their patients may be most likely to experience its burdens. James Jackson, PsyD, who is the director of behavioral health at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, and helped start the ICU Recovery Center at Vanderbilt in 2013, was among the first clinicians to address cardiac PTSD in a focused manner. He said their team realized that there were specific efforts to help survivors of cancer, for example, but no programs to help other populations, including survivors of the cardiovascular ICU. James Jackson, PsyD 'We tailor our care and try to individualize it, but there is always a strong psychological component, with a particular focus on mental health and neuropsychological challenges,' said Jackson, who has worked with Edmondson on several studies. 'Addressing these as early as we can is crucial because in the absence of early intervention, these problems threaten to morph into challenges that are even harder to handle.' All this work has reached the point where the clinicians and researchers are ready to begin developing the interventions that may one day help patients exit the cycle of cardiac PTSD or avoid it altogether. Tens of millions of people affected by cardiac PTSD each year may be able to treat their potentially deadly cardiovascular disease without being traumatized by it at the same time. Hands-On Interventions Could Start As Simply As 1, 2, 3, 4 Research showed that it would be possible to potentially start these interventions with something as simple as a 4-point screening system for cardiologists to add to their patient follow-ups, Edmondson said. 'The first thing they should be looking for is if the cardiac event really scared the patient. Perhaps they [say they were] terrified about it,' Edmondson said, in talking about what such an assessment might look like. 'Secondly, patients who talk about their cardiac sensations, their chest sensations, are more at risk. They talk a lot about their symptoms and perhaps are asking 'Hey, I've been feeling this. What does that mean?'' A third indicator is if they talk about sleep problems. And if they say they're not being physically active, 'those are the types of things that together can give you a pretty good indication as to being at higher risk,' Edmondson said. Edmondson said that upon assessing risk in a patient, the cardiologist would probably refer that patient over to a behavioral health professional for further treatment. At that point, he said that exposure therapy was just one of several types of therapies that would be researched for efficacy, depending on the patient's most serious symptoms. 'The existing model for depression care in cardiology is a good place to start in terms of researching collaborative treatment for cardiac PTSD,' Edmondson said. 'We were getting some good preliminary data on this that we could significantly reduce secondary cardiac risk and mortality risk and improve health behaviors by bringing behavioral medicine [and] behavioral health into the cardiology clinic for recent cardiac event survivors.' Another thing Edmondson pointed out is that many of the patients who later go on to develop cardiac PTSD are extremely frightened from the moment they interact with the medical process, either with emergency medical technicians or in the emergency department. A 2019 study published by Jeena Moss, MD, an emergency medicine physician at Mount Sinai Hospital in Queens, New York, established that clinician compassion and generally making the medical experience less stressful helped to interrupt the cycle of the disease — but that's extremely difficult to standardize. A 2018 study Edmondson published with an extensive team showed preliminary evidence of a placebo-like effect of percutaneous intervention (PCI) and stent placement. 'We think this is because many patients who receive PCI incorrectly believe they are 'cured,'' Edmondson said. 'This is the 'plumbing' model of ACS, where they believe a blockage is opened up and all is good now.' Is there a way to use that information to help those who suffer from cardiac PTSD — not by erroneously installing a stent, but by redirecting the power of the human mind? How Tech Can Help Significant technology-based interventions are also in the early stages of development. Jeffrey L. Birk, PhD, MS, an assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at Columbia University in New York City, developed a study that would investigate modifying patients' fear of their cardiac event recurring, fear that in the case of cardiac PTSD came in the form of intrusive thoughts. Birk said he focused on the internal nature of the triggers that caused these threatening reminders, such as increases in heart rate and perceived arrhythmias, which he noted could also be triggered by engaging in healthy physical activity. 'We want to be able to assess for whom and how often this maladaptive avoidance of physical activity is actually occurring during recovery after patients go home from the hospital,' Birk said. Jeffrey L. Birk, PhD, MS While he noted that systems already exist to prompt patients to self-report on the frequency of intrusive thoughts, these devices can't assess for context, and that's where he wants to go next. 'One important future direction of this research is to develop ways of investigating these processes dynamically over time as they unfold in real time during patients' lives,' he said. 'We need to understand how and when interoceptive attention is problematic for patients' mental and physical well-being.' Sachin Agarwal, MD, MPH, an assistant professor of neurology at Columbia University and a critical care neurologist at NewYork-Presbyterian, believes technology can help continue the path forward. 'We're beginning to explore how AI-powered survivorship models can deliver personalized support, improve follow-up engagement, and extend the reach of family-centered interventions beyond the hospital walls,' Agarwal said. 'Whether through intelligent triage, conversational agents, or digital peer support networks, these tools have the potential to translate our original vision into something both sustainable and system-wide.'
Cision Canada
19-05-2025
- Business
- Cision Canada
Wander West, Edmontonians: WestJet adds two domestic routes from Edmonton International Airport Français
Airline also increases capacity to Vancouver Island and Northwest Territories EDMONTON, AB, May 19, 2025 /CNW/ - WestJet today announced the return of non-stop service between Edmonton International Airport (YEG) and Kamloops, B.C. as well as the introduction of all-new service to Prince George, B.C. Beginning the first week of July, WestJet Encore will operate the routes twice per week throughout the peak summer travel season onboard the De Havilland Dash 8-400 (Q400) aircraft. "Restoring service to Kamloops and introducing service to Prince George is a direct reflection of Canadians' interest in exploring their own backyard this summer," said John Weatherill, WestJet Executive Vice-President and Chief Commercial Officer. "With more flights and more seats in key Western Canadian markets, we're giving Canadians better access to the destinations they rely on for business, leisure and visiting loved ones." In addition to the new seasonal routes, WestJet has increased capacity on two key domestic routes from Edmonton. This summer, WestJet will offer service to Nanaimo, B.C. on the Boeing 737, more than doubling seat capacity. The airline is also offering service between Yellowknife and Edmonton on the Boeing 737 twice per week. Historically, both routes only operated on the Q400. Additional quotes "YEG welcomes more flights to more places, celebrating WestJet's dedication to regional connectivity and additional options for Canadians to explore our beautiful country," said James Jackson, Vice President, Air Service & Business Development, Edmonton International Airport (YEG). "Non-stop flights between Edmonton and Kamloops and Prince George offers travellers from British Columbia convenient access to world-class experiences and attractions in the Edmonton region, and connectivity to YEG's vast network of global destinations. Likewise, people from Edmonton and surrounding communities can seamlessly reach more of British Columbia's breathtaking landscapes and vibrant culture without the lengthy road trip." "We're thrilled to welcome this new route connecting Prince George to Edmonton, expanding travel options for our community and strengthening our region's accessibility," said Sabrina Angus, Interim President and CEO of the Prince George Airport Authority. "This service not only opens the door for more business and leisure travel but also reinforces our commitment to connecting Northern BC to key hubs across Canada." "As a gateway to the City of Kamloops and the Thompson Nicola region, Kamloops Airport is very pleased to welcome back WestJet's service to Edmonton," said Jim Moroz, Managing Director, Kamloops Airport. "Edmonton has long been a popular destination for our community, and the service comes just in time for travelers on both ends of the route to reconnect with family and friends during the summer months. We look forward to working with WestJet and our tourism partners to make this service a success." "We're pleased to see this increased investment in connectivity between Yellowknife and Edmonton. The move to add additional capacity reflects growing demand in our region and strengthens an essential link for business, tourism, and northern communities. We look forward to continuing our strong partnership and welcoming more travellers to and from YZF," said Randy Straker, Regional Airport Manager, Yellowknife Airport. "We are very excited that WestJet is increasing the capacity for its route between YCD - Nanaimo and YEG - Edmonton this summer providing our customers with enhanced services on a 737 aircraft to Vancouver Island and Edmonton during the popular tourism season," said Dave Devana, President & CEO Nanaimo Airport Commission. About WestJet WestJet took to the skies in 1996 with just over 200 employees and three aircraft operating service to five destinations. Since then, WestJet has pioneered low-cost travel in Canada, cutting airfares in half, and increasing the flying population in Canada by more than 50 per cent. Following integration with Sunwing in 2025, more than 14,000 WestJetters support nearly 200 aircraft and connect guests to more than 100 destinations across North America, Central America, the Caribbean, Europe and Asia. As a major Canadian employer that includes WestJet Airlines, Sunwing Vacations Group and WestJet Cargo, the WestJet Group is Canada's leading low-cost airline and largest vacation provider, with a united purpose of providing affordable and accessible air and vacation travel to Canadians.
Miami Herald
07-05-2025
- Health
- Miami Herald
What's the story behind that little old white house in the middle of Brickell?
Miami-Dade County What's the story behind that little old white house in the middle of Brickell? A small wooden house stands under the shade of the skyscrapers of Brickell. The first thing one wonders when upon seeing it —pristine white with a garden surrounding it and an inviting front porch — is how has it resisted the advance of developers amid the quest for more land to develop in Miami? The latest episode of Miami Oculto (Hidden Miami) focuses on this house and its original owner. The Herald podcast takes you on a journey through the story of Miami's first doctor, who arrived in the city in 1896, when mosquitoes and epidemics were the great scourge, Dr. James Jackson. Jackson Memorial Hospital is named after him. Who was Miami's first doctor? That house was Dr. James Jackson's office. To learn the history of the home and its distinguished owner, we spoke with Lucía Meneses, head of educational programs for Dade Heritage Trust, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving Miami's historic buildings and natural spaces through education. Its headquarters are located in this timeless Brickell house. But where did Dr. Jackson, who was not born in Miami, come from? Where did he study and learn to treat patients? What was the doctor's strange habit, which always left a mark on his patients' homes, and which would ultimately lead to his death? Where was the house before, and why did they move it? What is so mysterious about the medical instruments you can see today during a visit to the doctor's office? We discuss all this in the podcast. Dr. James Jackson (1866-1924) was a man ahead of his time and a warrior against germs. Looking around his office, you can learn not only what patient care looked like back then, but also how the city was changing. Not far from there, on what was called Millionaire Row in Brickell, stood the house Jackson had built for his family. One of the most important things about Jackson, who was the founder and president of most of the medical-related organizations in Florida, is that he treated all his patients with kindness and dignity. Meneses explains why the layout of his office indicates that the doctor treated everyone. And if his life was interesting, his grave in the city's oldest cemetery, Miami City Cemetery, is also fascinating. Hidden Miami dedicated a podcast to this cemetery. You can watch all episodes of the Hidden Miami podcast on YouTube or on el Nuevo Herald website. Find all episodes of the Hidden Miami podcast on your favorite audio platform: Spotify Podcast, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio, and Amazon Music. The wooden cottage in the Brickell neighborhood was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. Pedro Portal pportal@ An old picture on display at the office and surgical center of Dr. James M. Jackson, the first resident physician of Miami. Now the headquarters of the Dade Heritage Trust is Miami-Dade County's largest historic preservation organization, located at 190 SE 12th Terrace, in Miami, on Wednesday, April 16, 2025. Pedro Portal pportal@ A cigarette case owned by Dr. James M. Jackson on display at his office and surgical center. He was the first resident physician of Miami. Now the headquarters of the Dade Heritage Trust is Miami-Dade County's largest historic preservation organization, located at 190 SE 12th Terrace, in Miami, on Wednesday, April 16, 2025. Pedro Portal pportal@
