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Zmeselo
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The 3Bs: Brain, Bile and Blood

Post by Zmeselo » 15 Aug 2022, 11:32



The 3Bs: Brain, Bile and Blood

By: ShidaMedia

https://shidamedia.com/the-3bs/

August 14, 2022



Recently, I was fortunate enough to meet for a brief moment a leader I greatly appreciate. An icon of the Eritrean struggle for independence and a living legend. A man, well known for his modest lifestyle and simplicity.

His daily life activities are not that different, from any ordinary citizen of his country. He dresses like an ordinary citizen, he lives in a small house amongst his people, he participates in all social activities in his neighborhood, he moves and mingles freely throughout the country and it is relatively easy to meet him. His office must be the most modest office of its kind in the world.

We were lucky to meet him and after we met him, my fifteen year old daughter said,
Dad… it didn’t feel like we were talking to a president, he was like any ordinary person you would meet in the streets, though a bit different with his politeness and humbleness.
I am talking of President Isaias Afewerki (PIA) of Eritrea!

PIA’s well-rounded knowledge, and open-minded personality is beyond anyone’s imagination. His exceptional and pragmatic leadership quality goes back more than six decades, to the days of armed struggle for independence. Until these days he remains to be an exemplary genuine revolutionary and progressive leader, free from corruption.

Out of love and closeness, Eritreans throughout the nation and abroad call him “Wedi Afewerki” for ‘Son of AFEWERKI’ – a common way of addressing a loved one or close friend in Eritrea.

As his friends and those who know him well explain, Wedi Afewerki is known to never get stressed; he is very progressive, focused and a balanced, brave person who is known for his calm leadership even in times of hardship.

His exceptional abilities of ground reality reading skills, unmatched patience, his deep consciousness of geopolitical affairs, and based on experiences, his very high prediction of the geopolitical landscape for the coming years are noteworthy.

I am not in any way trying to paint a cult-like personality around him and his leadership team’s modest lifestyle, ideological and intellectual superiorities. It is, in fact, a well known fact and secret of the square to many in Eritrea and the progressives of the global south. As a result, President Isaias Afewerki is one of the only truly independent leaders who doesn’t jump to dance to the tune of the global north.

President Isaias, is a staunch believer in self-reliance and a well known advocate of a truly independent political and economic sovereignty.

With his confidence and can-do attitude, he is well equipped to steer the entire Horn of Africa at large towards a greater peace and tranquility. His humble, respectful and independent mindset abhors political flip flopping.

The respect Eritrea receives for its independent and homegrown policies at the corridors of big international diplomacy headquarters, is a reflection of the independence and self confidence leadership team.

During our conversation, I learned more about current global affairs, the role of social media, western hegemonic agendas and their distorted narratives of the global south, the disinformation and misinformation of the western propaganda machine and the need to enlighten and encourage critical thinking among the youth so that they are aware of the distorted narratives.

The late former Ethiopian PM, Meles Zenawi, before he sold his soul to be a subservient puppet of Western donations and handouts, is quoted to have said:
one-hour discussion with President Isaias Afewerki gives much more knowledge and return value than reading dozens of books.
I agree with him!

A brief time with the President can help you reshape your thoughts, broaden your prospects and most importantly, learn that wisdom is an accumulated experience with a four-dimensional perspective that can only be achieved with the right mindset and personality.

I was lucky to take photos with him with the Tekera Dam and the astonishing open landscape that surrounds the dam, as background. I would like to wrap up my reflection about my meeting with Mr. President Isaias Afewerki, with an analogy he told me.
Every human being is blessed with three very important soft powers, that he metaphorically coupled with three words that start with “B”: the Brain (ሓንጎል), the Bile (ሓሞት) and Blood (ደም). The Brain with its white color and complex shape stands for cognitive ability and intellect, the Bile with its green color and bitter taste stands for guts and bravery, while the Blood with its red color represents energy.
He concluded his metaphor by saying that only those who understand these three soft powers and utilize them in combination, are those who can make a difference in life.

Spending few minutes with the man who bravely exposed the Western Camp dogma, the man who is intellectually challenging neocolonial doctrine, the man who has played a key role in raising awareness, the man who fearlessly resisted open aggression, the man who can withstand untold pressures and fend off orchestrated disinformation, was humbling to say the least.

President Isaias Afewerki is definitely one of the greatest leaders of our time, he is cheered and praised by the greater global south, while for obvious reasons remains the most misrepresented and badmouthed leader by the US-led West.

Thanks to his wise leadership, all attempts by his fierce opponents in the west to instigate mayhem in Eritrea have not worked. To the contrary, his popularity has surged throughout the region and beyond in recent years. Most importantly, his ideology for social justice, self-reliance, non-corruptible and truly independent and sovereign political line is getting noticed and I hope it will influence the region and the African continent. As an apt Eritrea saying goes:
the camel marches on as the dogs bark.
Last edited by Zmeselo on 16 Aug 2022, 13:55, edited 3 times in total.

Zmeselo
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Joined: 30 Jul 2010, 20:43

Re: The 3Bs: Brain, Bile and Blood

Post by Zmeselo » 16 Aug 2022, 08:44

ክሳብ ሸውዓተ ሽሕ ቆፎታት ዝውንኑ ኣርባሕቲ ንህቢ ኣብ ዞባ ጊንዳዕ - መደብ እዚኦም'ውን ዜጋታት እዮም | Beekeepers in sub-zone Ghinda


Jaegol
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Joined: 31 Oct 2019, 20:06

Re: The 3Bs: Brain, Bile and Blood

Post by Jaegol » 16 Aug 2022, 10:48

The farmers of Gindae should be treated like heroes who are trying to fulfill the call of the government for food self reliance—- a compromise is needed but the farmers should be priority — more like these farmers who are hustling is needed to achieve the goal of food security
Thanks for sharing!

Zmeselo
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Posts: 33606
Joined: 30 Jul 2010, 20:43

Re: The 3Bs: Brain, Bile and Blood

Post by Zmeselo » 16 Aug 2022, 11:03
















Monumental moment for @NipseyHussle, on his birthday!🎈

The first Eritrean 🇪🇷 with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame ⭐️, and a proclamation was announced making August 15th Nipsey Hussle Day in LA. ##TheMarathonContinues

Marathon Life: @yadadaimean23
Last edited by Zmeselo on 16 Aug 2022, 15:41, edited 2 times in total.

Zmeselo
Senior Member+
Posts: 33606
Joined: 30 Jul 2010, 20:43

Re: The 3Bs: Brain, Bile and Blood

Post by Zmeselo » 16 Aug 2022, 11:07



















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Zmeselo
Senior Member+
Posts: 33606
Joined: 30 Jul 2010, 20:43

Re: The 3Bs: Brain, Bile and Blood

Post by Zmeselo » 16 Aug 2022, 13:45



A Bright Future: Preventing Mother to Child Transmission of HIV

By: Dr. Fikrejesus Amahazion

https://shabait.com/2022/08/15/a-bright ... on-of-hiv/

GENERAL

Aug 15, 2022



Late last month, an interesting article was featured in The Guardian, a British newspaper, exploring important progress made in HIV/AIDS prevention and control in Botswana, a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The article, “‘A bright life ahead’: Botswana on path to seeing no babies born with HIV,” (Wednesday 20 July 2022), provided a brief overview of how the African country, which has long had one of the most severe HIV epidemics in the world and even once had the highest HIV prevalence rate anywhere on the planet, was
on its way to becoming the first African country to eliminate mother-to-child transmissions.
On a basic human level, there is little doubt that this development is extremely noteworthy and merits praise. Encouragingly, in addition to Botswana, a growing number of countries around the world have made advancements in this area and in recent years have been certified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as having eliminated mother-to-child HIV transmission. These include: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Belarus, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, Thailand, and the Republic of Moldova.

Eritrea, too, has made improvements in this area. However, while the progress of many other countries has received attention and general coverage, Eritrea’s improvements have largely been overlooked and gone unrecognized. The following several paragraphs, hope to shed a bit more light.

By way of general background, the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) weakens the body’s defense systems to a point where they can no longer fight off infections and diseases. The most advanced and severe stage of HIV infection is referred to as Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), which can take anywhere from 2 to 15 years to develop, depending on the particular individual.

HIV/AIDS has become one of the world’s most serious health and development challenges since the first cases were reported, in the early 1980s. Approximately 84 million people have become infected with HIV, during the subsequent 4 decades. At present, it is estimated that there are approximately 38 million people living with HIV around the world, while tens of millions of people have died of AIDS-related causes over the years.

Globally, children under the age of 15 account for about 5 percent of all people living with HIV, approximately 10 percent of new HIV infections, and around 15 percent of all AIDS-related deaths. Perinatal transmission of HIV, also called mother-to-child transmission, is when HIV is passed from a woman with HIV to her child during pregnancy (the foetus is infected with HIV through the mother’s blood crossing the placenta), childbirth, or breastfeeding (through breast milk). Mother-to-child HIV transmission accounts for more than 90 percent of all new childhood infections and children under 1 year of age are among those most vulnerable to HIV.

In Eritrea, considerable efforts and investments have been made over the years to combat the scourge of HIV/AIDS. Through strong political commitment and leadership, the hard work of a highly dedicated healthcare workforce, sustained implementation of high-impact interventions, and a well-coordinated multi-sectoral approach, notable success has been achieved in halting the spread of HIV and sustaining a decline in prevalence and incidence in the country.

From 2005 to 2020, HIV prevalence declined from 1.1 percent to 0.6 percent, while the incidence rate declined from 0.43 per 1,000 population to 0.1. Across the same period, AIDS-related deaths fell from approximately 1,400 to 270.



A fundamental component of the multifaceted national strategy to combat HIV/AIDS, is the prevention of mother-to-child transmission. There has been a considerable expansion in access to prevention-related services and HIV testing during antenatal care visits for pregnant women is now almost universal, standing at about 99 percent. This is a substantial increase, from approximately 83 percent in 2017. (Antenatal care visits among all pregnant women is also nearly universal.) The Ministry of Health encourages testing, along with counseling, as early as possible during each pregnancy, as the earlier that HIV is detected, the sooner that medicines can be initiated and transmission from mother to newborn more effectively prevented.

In addition, through various public awareness campaigns and educational programs maternal knowledge about mother-to-child transmission continues to steadily rise nationwide, while there has been an increase in the number of pregnant women living with HIV being provided with safe, effective medicines (referred to as antiretrovirals). HIV medicines, both reduce the risk of perinatal transmission of HIV and protect the mother’s health. They are provided completely free of charge (including refills) and the number of sites in the country offering them has increased from 21 in 2013 to 53 in 2020 (located in all 6 regions of the country), ultimately leading to improved access and reduced dropouts. Furthermore, comprehensive services for routine viral load monitoring and early infant diagnosis are conducted in a growing number of health facilities and are also provided free of charge.

Of note, the HIV positivity rate among pregnant women in testing has been significantly reduced in recent years, dropping from about 0.18 percent in 2017 to about 0.05 percent in 2021. Similarly, the mother-to-child transmission rate in Eritrea continues to steadily drop, and it is estimated to be less than 1.8 percent. Simply, in Eritrea fewer and fewer children – at present only a small handful – are being born with HIV. Remarkably, during the past year, there has not been one child born with HIV in the country. For context, globally it is estimated that in the absence of interventions, the rate of transmission of HIV from a mother living with HIV to her child during pregnancy, labor, delivery, or breastfeeding ranges from 15 to 45 percent.

Collectively, these developments are not only signposts of major progress and extremely positive, but they also position Eritrea to apply to the WHO for validation and ultimately certification of elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

Eritrea’s various efforts to combat HIV/AIDS, and to prevent mother-to-child transmission in particular, have resulted in remarkable success across the years. They are helping to tangibly improve the health and life expectancy of pregnant women living with HIV, as well as to reduce the risk of transmission of the virus to their offspring. Quietly, the country is working to ensure a bright life ahead for all Eritrean newborns and demonstrating that an HIV/AIDS-free generation may be possible.




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Excellent progress indeed! All countries need to do is submit a request to initiate the process. Great that this has now happened. All relevant UN agencies are on hand to support under government's leadership as required. (Ama Sande: @AmaSande)👇🏽
https://www.who.int/publications-detail ... 9240039360




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Zmeselo
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Posts: 33606
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Re: The 3Bs: Brain, Bile and Blood

Post by Zmeselo » 16 Aug 2022, 15:25



Eritrea: Bio-pesticides Trials Produce Encouraging Results

Q & A

https://shabait.com/2022/08/16/eritrea- ... g-results/

Aug 16, 2022

In early 2021, the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) and the Ministry of Marine Resources (MoMR) began pilot production of biofertilizers (BF) and biopesticides (BP) to transform the country’s Agriculture into eco-friendly farming. A technical committee was, then, established to guide these processes. To shed light on this issue, the Public Relations Division has conducted a short interview with Ms. Leula Mekonen, chair of the BP sub-committee.

Let’s start with the objective of the BP sub-committee.

Ms. Leula: The BP sub-committee is part of the national technical committee, which was established to promote organic fertilizers and pesticides. Its ultimate goal is to produce healthy agricultural products and ensure public and environmental safety.
Generally, the MoA is promoting Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for sustainable crop-pest management and increased crop production. Promoting integrated pest management strategies is very crucial to addressing the problems caused by chemical pesticides. One of the IPM strategies to address the negative impact of chemical pesticides is, therefore, introducing and encouraging the use of BP in the country.

Q: How are these bio-pesticides prepared?

A: Broadly speaking, bio-pesticides are of two types; namely botanical and microbial. Botanical pesticides are naturally obtained from plant-based chemicals and are found to be effective alternatives to conventional pesticides. For instance, neem-based pesticides are one of the most important botanical pesticides widely used for agricultural pest management. Various botanical pesticides are also common in sustainable pest management practices, as they are generally safe for humans and the environment.

Q: Could you tell us about the progress of producing and piloting the BP?

A: So far, about 840 liters of neem, aloe, and chili pepper extract (botanical pesticides) have been produced; and distributed to four regions of the country for demonstration purposes in farmers’ fields. The plant materials, used as raw materials, are collected from different agro-ecological zones of the country. The collected neem leaves and seeds (from the lowland area) of Azadiracta indica, are commonly practiced in many countries as effective bio-pesticides. It is important to note, that a manual that includes preparation and application methods was also produced by the sub-committee. Furthermore, their shelf life and rate of application were studied at the National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI).




Fig.1. Sample production of neem seed oil extract

Q: Could you brief us on the outcome of the study?

A: The study, mainly focused on doses and shelf life of organic pesticides. The result is a bit technical and detailed but generally, the freshly extracted solution showed the highest score of efficacy compared to the one-month and two-month extracts. In the case of lettuce aphid, the one-month and two-month extracts showed similar results.

Moreover, based on the study conducted, the concentration of the neem leaf extract requires more quantity to cover a large area. Hence, the committee recommended neem, aloe & chili extract be used for pests in gardens and small farms size. Accordingly, the committee agreed to focus on neem seed oil extract for mass production. Currently, neem seed is being collected in four regions. So far, 3 quintals of neem seed have been collected and a sample of 29 kilos of neem seed was extracted to produce 3.5 liters of neem oil and 25 kg of neem cake. The extract will be used as a fungicide, insecticide, and acaricide. In addition, neem oil trial on potato disease and wheat rust is underway in Zoba Maekel. Neem cake is a by-product of neem oil extract, which is used as insect repellant and fertilizer. Neem cake trial for tuber moth on potato stores, will be carried out soon.

Q: How do you standardize the quality of organic products?

A: Technical experts from the Regulatory Services Department (RSD) are actively engaged in the technical committees, to ensure the safety and quality of BP products. They have also produced a guideline, for botanical biopesticide production for commercial purposes.

Q: How do you communicate this BP, with farmers?

A: We distributed neem BP in four regions namely; Maekel, Debub, Anseba, and Gash-Barka. They were applied to different vegetables and were found to be effective, in insect/pest control. The overall objective of the demonstration trial in the regions was to demonstrate the use of botanical pesticides for pest control with the principle of learning by doing in their field; and assist for easy adoption in their pest management practices. Moreover, continuous farmers’ training on the production and use of biopesticides is underway. All these are done by members of the committee, coming from the different zobas.

Q: Do we use only neem, as BP?

A: No. For that matter, we are trying a number of plant materials. For instance, prosopis (locally known as temri-musa) is widely found in the country; and can be used as an effective pesticide against fungi, bacteria, nematode, and insects; using the leaf extract. The team collected prosopis juliflora leaves from Gahtelay, and 210 litres of prosopis extract were prepared. After some trials, promising results have been observed on insect pest control. Likewise, the Prosopis BP was applied to termites at Gejeret (the MoA compound); and it showed satisfactory results. Furthermore, oriental herbal nutrient (OHN) was produced from different spices like garlic, onion, and ginger extract. OHN is used to control powdery mildew (fungal disease), and acts as an insect repellant. Around 300 liters of extract of OHN was produced and applied on a potato field in Gashnashim to control cutworm infestation and was found to be effective. During the trial, the OHN was also found promising in controlling blight disease on potatoes; and trials are still underway to see the efficacy. Other plant materials are also under research if they can be used as organic pesticides.




Fig.2. Garlic (spice-based) BP production method

Q: We have discussed botanical pesticides. What about, microbial pesticides?

A: Desert locust is one of the biggest threats to the country, when it comes to pests. For that reason, a trial on indigenous entomopathogenic fungi Metarhizium acridinium which was identified and kept as Eritrean strain (ER1) in 1995 by NARI is being tested currently.
The subcommittee of bio-pesticide initiated to reactivate the reserved strain, and the strain has grown on wheat substrate successfully. An efficacy trial will be carried out, against desert locusts and grasshoppers.


Fig. 3. Metarhizium culturing process – NAPHL laboratory

Q: What is the way forward, with regards to scaling up these products?

A: The sub-committee is composed of relevant experts from various sectors, including the private sector. However, it is not the business of the experts to produce at a commercial scale. They are just producing effective bio-pesticides, and introducing them to farmers after proper trials. Hence, after properly introducing this organic product, the small and medium private enterprises are expected to take over producing and distributing the products to farmers.

Thanks, Ms. Leula!

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