Latest news with #Whitmore
GMA Network
2 days ago
- Health
- GMA Network
EXPLAINER: What is melioidosis?
The Department of Health and Department of Agriculture have reported and are now addressing reports of melioidosis in Siquijor. First thought to be glanders disease, the DOH later confirmed the cases to be melioidosis — a potentially lethal bacterial disease that can affect both humans and animals. But what is melioidosis? According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), melioidosis or Whitmore's disease is a zoonotic disease caused by bacteria Burkholderia pseudomallei, or B. pseudomallei. It is most common in tropical and subtropical areas such as the Philippines, Thailand, and Australia and may be contracted through breathing in unclean air, drinking contaminated water, or being exposed to contaminated soil. After exposure, affected humans or animals may develop symptoms within one to four weeks, with symptoms varying from cases-to-cases. The CDC said melioidosis may affect the entire body or one body system and may commonly show up as a lung infection. It may also look like an ulcer or skin sore in one area of the body. However, among of the most common symptoms of melioidosis are: Fever Headache Trouble breathing Stomach or chest pain Muscle pain Confusion Seizure There is no vaccine yet against melioidosis. Livestock raisers were advised to strictly implement sanitary protocols in their farms, and follow rules and ordinances in transporting animals. The DA reminded livestock workers, particularly those exposed to muddy or flooded environments to wear boots and gloves and other protective clothing to reduce risk of exposure to contaminated sources. The DA also reiterated its prohibition on the slaughter, sale, and consumption of sick animals. It said only animals certified by accredited veterinarians and passing inspection protocols are allowed to be sold to market. —AOL, GMA Integrated News
Agriland
6 days ago
- Business
- Agriland
Government ‘delusional' on emissions targets
The government is 'delusional' if it believes Ireland won't face billions of euro in EU fines for missing its 2030 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions targets. That's according to Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore, following the latest publication today by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It has stated that total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the agriculture sector 'will range from a 1% increase to a 16% decrease over the period of 2018 to 2030″. According to the EPA, these projections are based on the level of adoption of measures contained in the Climate Action Plans, AgClimatise and the Teagasc Marginal Abatement Cost Curve (MACC). Social Democrats Deputy, Jennifer Whitmore, who is the party's spokesperson on climate, said: 'The latest analysis from the Environmental Protection Agency offers a bleak assessment of the government's efforts to meet our legally binding 51% emissions reduction target in five years' time. 'The report warns that even if every measure in the Climate Action Plan is fully implemented on time, the best we can hope for is a fall of 23% 'This is even lower than the 29% reduction projected by the EPA last year, showing that Ireland is going backwards when it comes to our climate responsibilities,' Whitmore added. 'Despite dire warnings from the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council and the Climate Change Advisory Council that Ireland could face EU fines of up to €26 billion for missing our targets, the government continues to be in denial, with the Taoiseach recently dismissing these fears as 'highly speculative'.' The Wicklow TD has claimed that the current approach by the government will cost Ireland, not just economically, but also in terms of the severe risks posed by more extreme weather events caused by global warming. 'According to the EPA report, we are making insufficient progress in areas such as onshore wind, offshore wind, electric vehicles and district heating,' Whitmore continued. 'In transport and agriculture, emissions are projected to remain well above the sectoral ceilings for 2030. And despite the growth in renewable energy, this is negated by our continued reliance on gas during times of peak demand.' Deputy Whitmore has also raised concerns abut 'logjams' in the planning system which she said could result in wind power companies pulling out of Ireland. 'Today's report represents a major setback for our climate ambitions. How many more wake-up calls does this government need before it takes this issue seriously?' Deputy Whitmore concluded.
Newsweek
27-05-2025
- Newsweek
What Causes Passenger '95% Discomfort' When Flying Economy Sparks Debate
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A woman has sparked a debate online after revealing the annoying habit that's become her "biggest pet peeve" when flying economy. In a now viral TikTok video, user @morganonthemap_ shared a clip of the passenger in front of her reclining their chair for "an extra 5 percent comfort." While that may have made the flight easier for them, it was problematic for Morgan, as the chair cramped her space and left her in "95 percent discomfort." The caption layered over the TikTok video added that passengers who feel its okay to recline their chair "should not be flying long haul in economy." Morgan's "hot take" has certainly captured attention online in the days since it was posted. The video has already gone viral with more than 1.5 million views and over 68,500 likes on TikTok at the time of writing. Stock image of a woman on a flight with her head in her hands. Stock image of a woman on a flight with her head in her hands. AndreyPopov/Getty Images Newsweek has contacted Morgan via TikTok for comment. We could not verify the details of the video. The dos and don'ts of flying can certainly be contentious, and while there are some things that many people can agree on, this issue just isn't one of them. A poll by YouGov revealed that 55 percent of Americans think it's acceptable to recline, but 26 percent deem it unacceptable. There was a stronger dislike of issues such as getting drunk on a flight or letting children play in the aisle, with 82 and 86 percent disapproval ratings respectively. As a former flight attendant and now an international etiquette expert, Jacqueline Whitmore is familiar with this heated debate. She told Newsweek that it's "every passenger's right to recline" if they wish to do so, but it's important to be mindful of others. So, before pulling the seat back and getting comfortable (or trying to, at least), Whitmore encourages people to do the following. "Always glance behind you when you are ready to recline, this will allow you to see if the person behind you has long legs or not. Always bring your seat back upright during mealtime, take-off, and landing. And when reclining, do it slowly," Whitmore said. For those who find themselves seated behind someone who reclines, it's also acceptable to speak up—in a polite manner, of course. Whitmore suggests politely asking the person in front if they would mind pulling their seat forward "just a bit." "If that doesn't work, find a flight attendant to help," she told Newsweek. Social media users are split on the right etiquette for flying economy. With over 5,100 comments on the viral TikTok post so far, many people agree with Morgan and think it's important to think of your fellow passengers before reclining. However, others argue that it's perfectly fine to pull the chair back—it is a function of the chair after all. Among the responses, one TikTok user wrote: "It's a function of the seat, it's meant to be used." Another person replied: "expecting someone not to eventually put their seat back on a long-haul flight is crazy." Other internet users agreed with Morgan's take, as one commenter said: "reclining the seat does *nothing* for the person reclining and makes everything worse for the person behind them." While another comment reads: "Seats in economy should not recline. They need to remove the function." Do you have any viral videos or pictures that you want to share? We want to see the best ones! Send them in to life@ and they could appear on our site.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Midwest Honor Flight vets on Vietnam, 50 years later
WASHINGTON (KELO) — The waiting list to go on a Midwest Honor Flight trip is sizable, and when it's finally time to fly out to Washington, the journey's different stops are substantial. 'When the day come, it's kind of overwhelming,' Army veteran Lorin Kuehler of the Yankton, S.D. area said. Rep. Johnson under pressure for reconciliation bill 85 area veterans visited the memorials of northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. on May 6 with the nonprofit organization based out of Iowa. 'Arlington [National Cemetery] was wonderful,' Army veteran Darrell Williamson of Sioux Falls, S.D. said. 'It's almost like a religious experience.' The trip in 2025 took place just six days after April 30: the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. Nearly all veterans on the trip served during that conflict's era, and the trip can offer a welcomed contrast for them. 'Seeing all the tribute and the people that say 'thank you' to you, 'thank you for your service,' 'cause we didn't get that when we came home,' Army veteran Joe Chachula of Dundee, Minn. said. 'I was also, got called up for Desert Storm, and when we came back as a unit, that was a lot nicer 'cause we were well-greeted at the Sioux Falls airport, which we never got from Vietnam,' said David Lampe of Madison, S.D., who served with the Navy during the Vietnam War and was called up as a member of the Army Reserves for Desert Storm. For Sam Marty of northwestern South Dakota, service with the Army in Vietnam meant stepping on a landmine and surviving. 'They figured that it, why it didn't kill me is because it was planted upside down,' Marty said. The blast left shrapnel in his head that's still there. 'I'm no hero,' Marty said. 'The heroes are the ones that didn't get to come back and have families, didn't get to become grandparents. They're the heroes.' The Purple Heart recipient was thinking about some of them on May 6. 'Especially those two guys that, the first day I was over there, that got blew up,' Marty said. 'I think about them probably every day 'cause they, their families couldn't even have an open casket.' The wall at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial features more than 58,000 names of lives lost or missing in action. 80-year-old Army veteran Darrell Whitmore of the Custer, S.D. area, who served in Vietnam, had rubbings made of names etched into the wall's granite: William Zemanick, a good friend, as well as Curtis Andersen, a friend whose funeral he attended, and James Wright, whose sister he knows. 'They were part of communities and families, and when they got lost in Vietnam, it affected their families for the rest of their lives,' Whitmore said while seated near the memorial's wall. The end of the Vietnam War profoundly impacted him. 'In 1975, I sat in front of a television and watched the fall of Saigon, and I think it was the saddest day of my life,' Whitmore said. The experience on the trip, almost exactly 50 years later, is different. 'I've had two or three people from my community that have done it, and they said it's going to be the most special day,' Whitmore said. 'And it has been.' KELOLAND's Dan Santella, who accompanied the veterans and their guardians on the May 6 trip, published five additional reports from the journey: about a Dell Rapids couple, a Sioux Falls couple, a veteran living with Parkinson's after Agent Orange exposure, a veteran serving as a guardian for his guardian, and a Korean War-era veteran visiting Washington for the first time. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Irish Independent
14-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Delivery of Dart to Wicklow town meets with delay as new deadline set
Plenty of what proved to be broken promises have been made down the years regarding the introduction of the service. In 2019, it was announced that the Dart for Wicklow town would be operational by 2023-2024. Timeframes for 2025 and 2026 were also announced, but were subsequently rowed back on. NTA CEO Anne Graham and NTA Deputy CEO Hugh Creegan both gave a presentation at Wicklow County Council's monthly meeting in October of last year, confirming that the NTA are looking at a four to five year timeframe to introduce the service. However, during a meeting hosted by the Transport, Infrastructure Delivery and Emergency Services and the Strategic Policy Committee of Wicklow County Council in March of this year, those in attendance were informed that the target for the arrival of the Dart to Wicklow town had been reduced to an expected arrival at the end of 2028. But now Deputy Whitmore has been informed that the service won't be introduced to Wicklow town until 2029. She stated: 'Last month in the Dáil, we were given firm timelines for the Drogheda Dart, so why not for Wicklow? Drogheda is set to expect its battery-electric Dart service from 2026, and yet Wicklow keeps being delayed and delayed without any firm commitment. 'Iarnród Éireann recently informed me that a capacity study is being carried out for Wicklow, wherein the battery-electric Dart fleet will be considered for use on this line. I welcome this study and look forward to its publication, but it is long overdue, and the fact that the electric Dart is now a mere consideration for Wicklow is deeply concerning.' Despite multiple promises and shifting deadlines, the project has most recently been pushed back to 2029. 'The new battery-electric Dart was first promised in 2019 when then Minister Shane Ross stated his expectation that we would see them by 2023-2024. Since then, we have seen delay after delay - in 2021, a local government backbencher ambitiously stated that the carriages would be operational in Wicklow by 2025,' explained Deputy Whitmore. 'A year later, Iarnród Éireann reiterated that statement, heralding that 95 electric and battery-electric rail cars would enter into service in 2025. In 2022, former Minister Stephen Donnelly announced that the electric Dart would be operational by 2026, then in February of this year the date was pushed back to 2028. We are now being told that it won't be until 2029 that Wicklow sees a battery-electric Dart. "This continuous shifting of deadlines is completely unacceptable. Every time we ask, it gets moved out another year. This is more than a political issue – people are making huge life decisions based on these promises, promises that directly impact where they can live and work. Insufficient and inefficient public transport options are not just an inconvenience; they are a barrier to economic growth and quality of life.' ADVERTISEMENT Deputy Whitmore feels even once the Iarnród Éireann study has been carried out, it will still take some time to implement any of the changes. She said that she would push for a bus service from Wicklow town to Greystones. She added: 'It is incredible that, in 2025, there is no connecting service between these two commuter towns and Wicklow town is only serviced by two peak morning trains. The government talks about providing infrastructure and public services, yet two large towns, in a county only an hour and a half away from Dublin, still have no connecting service.'
