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A Brighter Tomorrow

11/8/2016

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,I am no film critic, and I find the idea of recommending films to those I don’t know daunting. So, as a non-film critic, I simply offer this suggestion:  see ‘Tomorrow’ today—or soon. 

‘Tomorrow’ ( https://www.demain-lefilm.com/en/film ) is a charming and uplifting documentary offered by a group of French film makers. The premise is a promising one: Perhaps we can find real life stories to counterbalance or even contradict the daily deluge of doom and gloom regarding climate change, financial Armageddon and our ugly inexorable skulk toward planetary annihilation. 
Don’t get me wrong, I can absolutely understand why scientists, computer modelers and other very smart people feel daunted and dismayed when they look at the current state of the earth’s affairs. There is plenty of reason to feel deep despair and a sense of individual helplessness. Numbers and figures, news stories and personal experiences certainly suggest that there is big change afoot, and it isn’t pretty. There is sometimes temptation to abandon all hope and just accept that the world as we know it will melt, sink, or simply devolve into a science-fiction set overrun by rodents and roaches. It is difficult to find a foothold for optimism or action.

What is enchanting and engaging about this film is that it approaches the issues of climate change, political transparency, and the increasingly dichotomous and disproportionate distribution of wealth on a personal level,l and it seeks to showcase everyday people working locally to institute change and offer opportunities for others around them. There are material steps that individuals can take in their lives that have the potential for global ramifications. The film highlights people who have applied the catchy ‘think globally act locally’ slogan to their lives and communities, sometimes with exceptional effect. The sound track is whimsical and up-tempo (https://www.demain-lefilm.com/en/original-soundtrack) lending a youthful and optimistic vibe. There is also a website with practical recommendations for action at both the individual and collective levels. ( https://www.demain-lefilm.com/en/solutions ).

While the film provides no magic bullets, it does offer an injection of hope and inspiration. It highlights some concrete personal efforts and  presents examples of effective implementation on individual and community scales. There is a ‘Tomorrow’ that could be brighter than today.

​pk
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New paper out: Baylisascaris procyonis Parasites in Raccoons, Costa Rica, 2014

10/8/2016

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A paper by Mario Baldi et al. in the framework of his PhD

Baylisascaris procyonis (Ascaridoidea: Ascarididae) parasites are facultatively heteroxenous nematodes that are widely distributed in the United States and Canada, where prevalence rates reach 70%–90%. They colonize the small intestine of their final host, the northern raccoon (Procyon lotor), whose feces can contain up to 25 × 103 eggs/g. Under ideal environmental conditions (100% humidity and 24°C), eggs become infective in soil (1,2). When ingested by other mammalian hosts, third-stage larvae can produce pathologic changes called larva migrans, which can lead to chronic neurologic disorders and even death (1,3). B. procyonisparasite infection of humans occurs by the fecal–oral route (ingestion of eggs in contaminated food) (1). Small children are particularly vulnerable through accidental geophagia. Public health concerns arise where raccoon and human populations overlap. Read paper
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