Chinese government rolls out coronavirus ‘close contact detector’ app

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China has rolled out an app that lets people check whether they have been in close contact with someone infected by the coronavirus.

The “close contact detector,” as BBC puts it, notifies users if they have had exchanges with any individuals who have been confirmed or suspected of carrying the virus. All users need to do is scan a QR code with an app like Alipay or WeChat. People at risk are then advised to stay at home or inform local health authorities.

Once their phone number is linked, users are asked to fill in their name and ID number. The app can then be used to check the status of up to three ID numbers. The app, which was developed in cooperation by the government and the China Electronics Technology Group Corporation, relies on data from from the health and transport authorities.

Although the invasiveness of the software certainly raises questions about the obtrusive surveillance practices within the country, experts believe citizens won’t see the new app as controversial, considering the extent of the epidemic.

Continue reading… “Chinese government rolls out coronavirus ‘close contact detector’ app”

The aftermath of BP oil spill: mutant seafood

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Signs of the impact on the regional ecosystem are ominous: mutated shrimp, fish with oozing sores, underdeveloped blue crabs lacking claws, eyeless crabs and shrimp – and scientists and fishermen point fingers towards BP’s oil as being the cause.

Two years after BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, fishermen are finding deformed fish and mutant shrimp in their seafood catch…

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How your pillow is an ideal breeding ground for undesirable pests and diseases

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Pillows are ideal breeding grounds for undesirables ranging from the superbugs MRSA and C.diff to flu, chicken pox and even leprosy.

a study has found that up to a third of the weight of your pillow could be made up of bugs, dead skin, dust mites and their feces.

 

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Living Within 100 Yards of Gas Stations Can be Bad for Your Health

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Experts say that a ‘minimum’ distance of 50 yards should be maintained between petrol stations and housing.

Living within 100 yards of petrol stations can damage your health, according to a new study. Researchers found that air in the immediate vicinity of garages is often polluted and can harm local residents.

Monsanto Wins Big and Consumers Again Get Screwed

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What a great time to become a vegan!

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has officially approved the unregulated planting of Monsanto’s genetically engineered alfalfa. In a move that will undoubtedly set a precedent for what comes next (namely, the question of whether or not to deregulate GE sugarbeets) Vilsack did nothing more, and nothing less than obliterate our choice as organic consumers to be assured that we are avoiding genetically modified organisms in our food…

Continue reading… “Monsanto Wins Big and Consumers Again Get Screwed”

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