XDR-TB was brought to the world's attention in 2006, after it was identified in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It is a mutation of tuberculosis (TB), a contagious bacterial disease that usually affects the lungs. TB, which spreads through the air, is a major cause of illness and death worldwide, particularly in Asia and Africa. In 2006 there were 9.2 million new cases of TB and 1.7 million deaths from the disease.

TB is treatable, but inadequate treatment can lead to the emergence of drug-resistant strains of the disease, such as XDR-TB. This type of TB is resistant to all of the most effective anti-TB drugs, severely limiting treatment options for people with XDR-TB and resulting in a much higher death rate. This video provides an overview of TB and XDR-TB. It's unknown how widespread XDR-TB is, but it's estimated that 25,000 to 30,000 new cases surface every year, and XDR-TB has been found in 49 counties around the world. Scientists are calling XDR-TB a serious emerging threat to public health.

Ridzuan, blogging on Ridz.sg, expresses dismay over the unnecessary emergence of XDR-TB:

“There is a problem when a disease that’s both preventable and curable is allowed to mutate to become a strain that’s extremely resistant to the drugs that we use today.”

Nachtwey traveled to countries such as India, Cambodia, South Africa, and Lesotho to put faces to this problem. His photos and the accompanying XDR-TB Web site were launched on October 3. This short video shows 37 of his black and white photos, revealing XDR-TB's terrible impact.

The release of this video and the unveiling of Nachtwey's photos, have created a buzz among the art and public health communities. tunneling thru’ talks about the emotional impact of his photos.

“I don’t know anyone who is suffering from it [XDR-TB], but that is no excuse for me to flip through an album or site and walk away unaffected. There is no personal angle to this. Just a need to share and see if it makes a difference. The pictures within spoke more emotions than I knew I was capable of.”

Bloggers are also discussing how Nachtwey's images are motivation to take action, and the power of his photos to create change. Luke Freeman, blogging on A Shoe Box Full of Pictures, says:

“The photography is powerful, yet the purpose behind the images gives this project even more meaning. These are not just images. Work like this will change the world. Photography, coupled with a selfless, heart-felt response has the power to affect change.”

Since TB is a major cause of death among people with HIV/AIDS, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, concerns also exist about XDR-TB's potential impact on those who are HIV positive. There were an estimated 710,000 HIV positive TB patients globally in 2006. Journal of the Plague Years points out that despite this, only one percent of those diagnosed with HIV are tested for TB worldwide, and that TB testing must become routine for HIV positive people.

“Doctors, scientists and public health experts are warning that a worldwide pandemic of extremely drug resistant tuberculosis will be the next big 'surprise' to emanate from the AIDS epidemic, if, as we move forward we are not informed by our look at the past.”

In My Heart's in Accra…, Ethan Zuckerman, a co-founder of Global Voices Online, discusses other steps needed to stop XDR-TB.

“Nachtwey’s intervention is a timely one - the ways to prevent XDR-TB from becoming a pervasive global threat have to do with strengthening healthcare systems in vulnerable nations. If hospitals and community health organizations can diagnose TB early and ensure compliance with treatment, the disease shouldn’t progress to multiple drug resistance. But improving developing world hospitals is a difficult and expensive task. Eliminating pharmaceutical fakes may be even more difficult. Fake prescription drugs are extremely common in developing nations.”

Sproutingforth, blogging on Urban Sprout, adds that the lack of funding is a major issue.

“Reversing the TB epidemic is a political issue as much as it is a health issue. The World Health Organization estimates that it will cost approximately $6.7 billion annually to reverse the TB epidemic. Currently, only slightly more than half of that is projected to be available at current funding levels. This gap is costing millions of lives.”

Nachtwey’s photographs will be on display throughout October in public spaces spanning all seven continents, including cities such as New York, Paris, Melbourne, Seoul, Hong Kong, and London.

Stop XDR-TB logo posted by ElseKramer on Flickr.

A legendary performer, Rikimaru Tōhō's popularity is due not to TV or radio shows (although he has participated in several minor programs recently) but to his ability to modify his voice and play the parts of the characters (men, women and children) in the stories he reads, to the emotion he puts in this storytelling, and to the warm and polite way in which he interacts with his listeners. What makes him particularly unique is that he has been able to modernize one figure that is present in many cultures: the figure of the cantastoria who passes on the traditional narrative folktales. The tales that he narrates, however, are the stories from manga — products of modern Japanese popular culture.

At Josei Jōi Jidai (女性上位時代), a blogger writes about when she and her sister attended a manga reading by Rikimaru Tōhō.

梅雨の中休みで好天に恵まれた日曜日。買い物ついでにふらふらと立ち寄った井の頭公園は、ギターを奏でて歌う人あり、刀剣でジャグリングする人ありと休日っぽい雰囲気。その一角でビニールシートにマンガを並べ、傍らに佇むアヤシイ人発見。

ｲﾀ━━━━(ﾟ∀ﾟ)━━━━ｯ!!

長髪にハチマキ（タオル？）、ヒゲ面・メガネのこの方こそ東方力丸さん。好きな漫画をリクエストすると、セリフから効果音まで力を込めて読み聞かせてくれる「漫読家」です。深夜番組「あらびき団」で見て以来、非常に気になってました！ちょうどカップルが「NANA」を読んでもらっているところで、その後私が目を離した隙に、妹が力丸さんと交渉を成立させ、私も一緒に風呂用のイスに着席。漫画は彼の十八番であろう「北斗の拳」。

「最近浮かれているわたくしですが、力を入れてやらせて頂きます」と丁重な挨拶を述べ、きっちり正座をして漫読スタート。ケンシロウとラオウの死闘、それを見守るリンやバットにユリア。キャラを見事に演じわけ、技が繰り出されると私たちに誌面を近づけたり離したりという演出も。腹の底から出す声が周囲に響き渡り、その迫力にどんどん人が集まってきます。す、すごい！！「北斗の拳」はちゃんと読んだことがないけれど、全巻読破したような満足感があるとかないとか。(´∀｀)

おひねりで妹と一緒に千円を出したら（計二千円）、「いやいや、こんなにもらえません。この千円でお二人でマックでも…」と返されました。なんて律儀なお方でしょう。ますます高感度アップです。最後にはチョコ菓子までくれました。

Rikimaru Tōhō reads a manga in Shimokitazawa (Tokyo).

Here is how the blogger at Jōnetsu no Omosa wa Yoru no Unagi (情熱の重さは夜のウナギ) described their first encounter with Toho Rikimaru-san, in a post from three years ago:

もう何度も見かけていましたが、ちゃんとお金を払って読んでもらった事がなかったので友人Iさんと勇気を出してお願いしました。
「特攻の拓　第一巻」です。[…]
効果音はもちろん凄かったのですが、女の人の声もちゃんとしてくれるのが超面白かったです。
はじめは誰も居なかったのですが。私たちが聞いていると20人くらい集まってきてました。

A blogger at Shūmatsu Kichijōji Tanken (週末吉祥寺探索) is enthusiastic about Rikimaru's performance:

頂いた名刺には「漫読家」と書いてありました。
その名の通り、ずらりと並んで置いてある漫画の
中からリクエストで力丸さんが読んでくれます。
少年、少女漫画など幅広いジャンルがあります。
私がその中でも特に好きなのは北斗の拳です。
「あたたたたたたたたったたたたたあああああああ！！！！！」
と血管が切れそうな勢いで漫画を読んでくれます。
３人ともそれぞれ表現方法に違いはありますが、
人を立ち止まらせ、引き付ける魅力があります。

Another sample of Rikimaru's performances in Shimokitazawa (Tokyo).

Last year, Rikimaru Tōhō launched his own blog, and despite his supposed inability to keep any form of diary updated, since he started, he's been constantly updating it with pics and entries about his life and activities.

Here are the two of the first posts in which he introduces himself. In the first post he writes:

ちなみにオイラの活動です。

仕事は事務所からのお仕事や、御依頼頂いた番組、イベントなどにも出演させて頂く他、
普段は下北沢や井の頭公園で漫画を読ませて頂いております。

毎週土曜日・・・下北沢駅南口ガード下　２０時頃～２５時くらいまで
毎週日曜日・・・井の頭公園 野外ステージ前付近　１２時頃～夕方暗くなる前まで

そのほか平日の夜も下北沢では出没するときもございます。
天気によっては井の頭公園の方は遠慮させて頂いている場合もありますが、
下北沢に関しては雨が降ろうと、
雷が脳天に落ちようと（それはそれで面白い光景かもしれないなぁ）やらせて頂いております。

And in another post:

オイラの普通の日常。

朝起きて９９ショップで自炊の食材を買い、
コンビニエンスストアーで立ち読みをし、
古本屋で漫画を買う。

古本屋で漫画を買うと作者さんに印税が入らないだろうから悪い気がするが、
１００円で買えるのは安くて得をした気分になる。

四畳半に帰って、サイモン＆ガーファンクルと、
タイマーズを聞きながら買って来た漫画を読む。

良い作品だ。
是非普段のレパートリーに加えさせていただきたい作品だ。

四畳半で稽古をする。
飯を食う。
丼に白米をよそい
萌やしをさっと煮て
白米の上にたっぷり盛ってやってポン酢を掛けて食う。

原価はバカみたいに安い即席料理だが実にうまい。

ＴＶの国会中継を見ながら稽古をする。
喉の炎症を抑えるステロイドを飲む。
声の出はだいぶ良い。
おじゃる丸を見る。
忍たま乱太郎を見る。
体を洗って歯を磨いて下北沢で漫画を読ませてもらう。

こういった日が一番幸せだ。

Even when he is too busy to write a long and detailed post, Rikimaru Tōhō never forgets to thank the people who stopped by to listen to his manga readings:

どようび、にちようびにマンガよみをみていただいた
“おきゃくさま”“まちのみなさま”
　ありがとうございます。
　たいへんこうひょうでした。
　ありがとうございます。

The widely-influential milk scandal was resulted from the industrial chemical melamine added to not only milk but yogurt and infant formula. It has led to kidney stones crystallized in body that inflicted hundreds of babies, and killed 3.

At the Forum, Wen kept on saying, as China daily described,

Wen said he was very moved when he saw in television European Union Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson drinking a cup of Chinese milk on Friday to show his trust in China-made products. “It's because he not only sees the present, but the future as well,” Wen said.

This Mandelson, 9 days later, was rushed to hospital in England due to unbearable pain, and after inspection, the trouble-maker is revealed—–kidney stone.

Mandelson might have gone through his most dramatic days in the period of time. In the reshuffle on Friday, Mandelson made a surprise return to the Britain cabinet under Brown's appointment. And on his first day in the office, kidney stones sent him to doctors. Would he relate his misfortune with the milk drunk a few days ago?

Whatever, Chinese blogger have already picked up their pens for responses.

Blogger “prostate inflamed” published on bullg.cn an entry, named “the Chinese milk stunned the world again“. Nothing more did he do than juxtaposing the two news stories, “Wen was impressed by Mandelson's drinking of China milk”, and “on his office move-in day, Mandelson was sent to hospital due to kidney stones “.

Fishabc0 could only sigh in his comment,

立竿见影

And Nasheishei summarized in one word:

黑色幽默

Netizen 无上荣光 (Ultimate glory) exclaimed:

我喜欢英国幽默。这绝对是一场精彩的行为艺术表演！这是对中国政府官商勾结坑害百姓的机智嘲讽。非常精彩！

Another well-known blogger 宋石男, in a further step, wrote to analyze Mandelson's kidney stones,

在我看来，事件真相有两个可能：

1、曼德尔森早就知道自己有肾结石，故意当众喝中国牛奶，是在落井下石。

2、曼德尔森不知道自己有肾结石，勇敢地当众喝中国牛奶，是好心办了坏事。

Whichever is the truth (I personally incline to the latter), it would be as 老碗 says,

中国奶的确没让世界人民失望

But overall, it's never good to be a group of people, who can only make fun of ourselves, while find no way out, no way to change, even no no way to keep ourselves and baies from poison.

驴夫 says,

最近心情很忧伤 看到这个故事于是忧伤有了愉悦 成了愉悦的忧伤

This is our bitter joy melted in milk

(Pictures from Wikipedia, use under permission license)

Full Moon by Irargerich

Legends and myths are part of our culture. Nina Maguid  mentions in her post “Of Fear and Frights”, that these stories were told in first person and usually around some source of fire, and I couldn't agree more. I used to hear local versions of some of these stories during my holidays, sitting around dining room tables at rural farmhouses, our faces lit up by a flickering kerosene lamp. All it took for a story to be recalled was the unexplained baying of dogs or a horse galloping by in the dead of the night.  Nina mentions three specific frights famous in her mother's Argentinean hometown: The bad light, the widow and the pig.

Scary creatures that jump at you by kevindoolay

According to Comodín at El Blog de Oro, this light would be used to hunt for treasure: if it was a white light, it would signal gold and silver treasure, if it was red, they had to run away, since it was the devil at work. This myths is by no means unique to Argentina: all over the world people have tried to explain the meaning of these mysterious lights which appear at twilight, like in Spain and Chile.

The Widow was a woman slighted in love, who died when she discovered her husband was unfaithful. She signed a deal with the devil to remain forever in this world and get her revenge. She would jump on single men's horses and ride pillion with them, and if they got frightened, she would kill them. The only way to remain unscathed was by carrying a rosary or crucifix and not getting scared. This myth is so fixed in Argentinean folklore that the expression “getting visited by the Widow” is a synonym for an unexpected or disagreeable event.

El Loco Bender (Crazy Bender) also writes about the Black Widow, and adds a bit more flair to the hair-raising story by promising a lonely, slow and painful death to those fickle or unfaithful men she meets.

Costa Rica has a similar myth, known as la Cegua. La Cegua will hitch a ride from lonely and unfaithful men, luring them with her attractive appearance, but once she is atop the horse, when the men look back they will see that her face is a horse's skull covered in putrid meat, and she will bite their cheek to mark them as unfaithful. However, blogger Elemental writes that the outcome may be far more dire: all unfaithful men die with their eyes wide open in fear, and those who weren't unfaithful keep their lives, but remain impotent for the rest of their lives.

Elemental also writes about the Cadejos, a demon dog that would appear at night with the sound of dragging chains, although none would be visible. The size of a small calf, this dog had matted hair, giant fangs and sizzling eyes, nose and ears, and would scare anything in its way, from naughty children and wayward men to farm animals. Nevertheless, this “fright” is considered benevolent, since it will walk along drunken men and make sure they get home safely, even protecting them from other beings of the night such as La Llorona or common thieves. In Guatemala, however, they consider that there are two versions of this dog: the black one and the white one. The white dog will protect anyone it walks with, and in Deguate.com, Mrs. Argentina Barcia tells of how the Cadejos led them to find her father's dead body.  At El Blog Chapin another goose-bump inducing story tells of how El Cadejos appeared to a city slicker staying at a homestead, and how people should take heed when warnings of the supernatural kind are delivered by country folk.

La Llorona by rareworlds

Our last legend for today is that of La Llorona, [en]  one that caused me to fear cats in heat for years and years of my childhood . La Llorona is “the crying woman, and this is one of the multinational frights. From Mexico to Chile, the Llorona stays near bodies of water (which might include a water tank in your garden) and wails for her missing children. She might just be there to scare you, or if you are in Colombia [es],  she might want you to hold her baby for just one second, since she's very tired, and then you'll be condemned to being La Llorona until someone takes the burden off your hands. The story of how her children went missing varies from one country to the other, but most have some of the same elements. Women who married men who were much richer than they were, got slighted or abandoned, and decided to take their anger out on their children by drowning them, to later regret their choice. Others versions have a young and flighty woman who leaves her baby out by a river rock where she things he'll be safe while she goes out dancing, and then the river rises and takes the baby away, and so the woman remains near rivers, asking everyone if they have seen her children.

The following Costa Rican animated short film, Asusto, by Pablo and Francisco Céspedes Jr showcases most, if not all the Costa Rican legends, including the ox-less cart and the headless priest. No translation necessary: there seems to be no need for words when you are busy running away from fright after fright.