Morning Twitter Messages -- May 18

I wish I didn't have to leave for an assignment. Some of these would make excellent blog posts. Maybe some reader will take them and run with them. 

Petroleum Coke: The Coal Hiding in the Tar Sands priceofoil.org/2013/01/17/pet… via @priceofoil
— Naomi Klein (@NaomiAKlein) May 18, 2013

 Petcoke in the tar sands is turning American refineries into coal factories.

• There is 24 percent more CO2 embedded in a barrel of tar sands bitumen than in a barrel of light oil.
• 15 to 30 percent of a barrel of tar sands bitumen can end up as petcoke, depending on the upgrading and refining process used.
• Of 134 operating U.S. refineries in 2012, 59 are equipped to produce petcoke.
• U.S. refineries produced over 61.5 million tons of petcoke in 2011 – enough to fuel 50 average U.S. coal plants each year.
• In 2011, over 60 percent of U.S petcoke production was exported.

Incompetent review of antidepressants for depressive symptoms in cancer patients likely to encourage overtreatment. biomedcentral.com/1471-244X/13/1….
— James C.Coyne (@CoyneoftheRealm) May 18, 2013

Here is a whole string of interesting medically related content. The oral hygiene part is notable. 

Where men, women typically sit in cars linked to gender differences in malignant skin cancer: on.wsj.com/12AZ5qH @wsj
— Raju Narisetti (@rajunarisetti) May 18, 2013

This has to be one of the most horrendous, orientalist, comically ignorant pieces I have ever read - ever huff.to/18RYQuU #Palestine
— Roqayah (@irevolt) May 18, 2013

Classic French moment - we call the press officer at Nice police station this morning and guess what - he is off. Why? A: C'est le weekend!
— Lama Hasan (@LamaHasan) May 18, 2013

These next two underscore the post I put up Monday. This is dense but critically important stuff.  

Do the Massacres in Bayda and Banyas Portend Ethnic Cleansing to Create an Alawite State? - Syria Comment: bit.ly/12BX3Xq
— arabist (@arabist) May 18, 2013

U.N. Calls for Political Transition in Syria - NYTimes.com: nyti.ms/18MmatY
— arabist (@arabist) May 18, 2013

And finally, this last one is one satisfying piece of work. Go read the letter at the link  

Letters of Note: People simply empty out lettersofnote.com/2012/10/people…
— Lisa Maldonado (@LaMujerObrera) May 18, 2013