The FIVE Diseases You Should Worry About

Are you having fever, or flu recently? Have you observed that people around you are affected by sickness often nowadays? well, you'd better watch out! Last May, scientists met in Geneva, Switzerland, to update the WHO's plans for pandemic preparedness. It looks like crisis could arrive sooner rather than later. Thanks to climate change and drug resistance, a handful of deadly organisms are spreading across the globe; here are five diseases that deserve all our attention.





MALARIA


SPREAD BY: Mosquitoes


KILL RATE: 0.2%


DEATH TOLL: 1 million+ per year


As climate change makes parts of the glabal warmer and wetter, populations of the disease's host, the Anopheles mosquito, are likely to swell. Malaria kills by destroying blood cells and causing kidney failure. Resistance has become such a problem that the WHO now supports the use of the controversial insecticide DDT, once widely banned, to control Anopheles populations in Africa.

The life cycle of Malaria

SMALLPOX

SPREAD BY: Bioterrorism or clinical accident.


KILL RATE: 30%


DEATH TOLL: 500 million; 2 million per year in 1960s

Well, this isn't out in the wild. Anymore. Worldwide vaccination programs eradicated smallpox by1980, but 2 government-approved labs in the U.S. and Russia keeps stores of it. A 2006 investigate report by The Guardian determined that, though very unlikely, it could be made from scratch, or someone could just steal it. Since smallpox is very contagious, the CDC would consider even one confirmed case a "public-health emergency". Vaccines exist, but they can cause serious side effects. There is no cure.

Face lesions on boy with Smallpox

WEST NILE VIRUS


SPREAD BY: Mosquitoes


KILL RATE: 4%


DEATH TOLL: 1 086 (U.S. only)


No one knows how West Nile Virus first got to the U.S. in 1999, but in has since exploded across the country. Less than 1% of people end up with severe complications such as meningitis, fatal encephalitis and polio-like paralysis. There is no cure for the infection, though, so stock up on bug spray.

Map of West Nile Virus Risk

EBOLA


SPREAD BY: Body fluids


KILL RATE: 50%-90%


DEATH TOLL: 1 507


Ebola is so deadly that outbreaks have, to this point, quickly burned themselves out; direct contact with infected individuals is required for transmission, and victims generally expire before they can travel far. The virus strips in the lining in victim's blood vessels, causing massive internal bleeding. Woe betide humanity if Ebola mutates and becomes transmissible by air.

An Ebola victim

DENGUE FEVER

SPREAD BY: Mosquitoes

KILL RATE: 0.05%


DEATH TOLL: 10 000+ per year


The mosquitoes that carry dengue, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, thrive in warm, wet climates. Like malaria, dengue fever (a.k.a. "breakbone fever") is a debilitating disease. Of those who develop more aggressive dengue hemorrhagic fever, 5% die, typically from internal bleeding.

NASA Makes Space U-turn??

As startups vow to beat the once stubborn agency back to moon, officials and analysts say NASA has begun to shift its priorities—and cash—toward a dependence on the growing independent market for spacecraft.

For decades, NASA kept a tight fist around the construction and operation of the spacecraft that ferried its astronauts and hardware into orbit. Now, however, the agency seems to be shifting course, as NASA officials insist that the budding commercial spacecraft fleet represents the only way the United States can realize its dreams of solar-system conquest on schedule and at an affordable cost.

Solar System

Because of a new focus for NASA’s strategic investments, private-sector spaceships could be ready for government service soon, says Sam Scimemi, who heads NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services Program. NASA got its start in aeronautics research, kick-starting a U.S. aviation industry that came to dominate the world.

Following the Capitol Hill mantra that saving money requires spending it, NASA has been signing big-ticket contracts with private space companies to match up their research and development with agency priorities. In February, NASA committed $170 million to Orbital Sciences of Dulles, Va., to help it develop reliable, economical vehicles to send cargo—and, eventually, people—into low Earth orbit. Financial support from NASA represents an important vote of confidence that should help space entrepreneurs leverage even more money from private investors.

Future Tourist Spaceship??

Happy Lantern Festival!

Or.. do you prefer calling it the Mooncake festival??

Lantern Festival

However it was first called the Mid-Autumn festival in the Zhou Dynasty.
In Malaysia and Singapore, it is sometimes referred the Mooncake festival or Lantern Festival. This festival is a tradition of Chinese origin, dating back over 3000 years to moon worship in the Shang dynasty. (well, you know, most chinese worship many things, they practise animism)
The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the two most important holidays in the Chinese calendar,and is a legal holiday in several countries. (whereas in M'sia, it's only a priviledge to chinese schools ;P)Traditionally, on this day, Chinese family members and friends will gather to admire the bright mid-autumn harvest moon, and eat moon cakes and pomeloes together.

How kids usually celebrate this festival XD

Accompanying the celebration, there are additional cultural or regional customs, such as:

1) Eating moon cakes outside under the moon (yea, that was what my family when I was a
child XD)

Mooncake

2) Putting pomelo rinds on one's head
3) Carrying brightly lit lanterns, lighting lanterns on towers, floating sky lanterns (for
me, it's always just the carrying lantern part. I'd once burnt my waist-length long
hair, sobs~ *_*..)
4) Burning incense in reverence to deities including Chang'e (嫦娥)
5) Planting Mid-Autumn trees
6) Collecting dandelion leaves and distributing them evenly among family members
7) Fire Dragon Dances

While Westerners may talk about the "man in the moon", the Chinese talk about the "woman in the moon". The story of the fateful night when Chang'e was lifted up to the moon (this is insane, a person gaining the ability to fly by just taking a pill?? and if it did happened, why would she choose the moon??), familiar to most Chinese citizens, is a favorite subject of poets. Unlike many lunar deities in other cultures who personify the moon, Chang'e lives in the moon. Tradition places Houyi and Chang'e around 2170 BC, in the reign of the legendary Emperor Yao, shortly after that of Huang Di.

Chang'e 嫦娥

There are so many variations and adaptations of the Chang'e legend that one can become overwhelmed and utterly confused. However, most legends about Chang'e in Chinese mythology involve some variation of the following elements: Houyi, the Archer; Chang'e, the mythical Moon Goddess of Immortality; an emperor, either benevolent or malevolent; an elixir of life; and the Moon.

However, my obsession on the myth vanished when I got to know that the Americans had put a man on the moon back in 1969, and the images taken on the moon were nothing more than stones and dusts... Hence, say 'bye' to Chang'e, say 'sayonara' to Yuetu...

After long struggling, I finally get to my conclusion ( Thanks to Ah Ma, she helped a lot! :D) It's time for me to stop doubting myself, and hurrah! Ebulliently should I uphold whatever principles I have and accomplish the mission given ( whoa, 'mission'.. naa, nth big actually :P) Since I've put myself into this shoe, I'd better inure myself to the situation and get moving. Nevertheless I have my friends that care and support me (Thx pals, muah, muah, muahhhh~ have ya'll drown in my torrentious 'attack'??)

Returning from KLIMUN, I realized that 'certain things' have changed. And that makes me wonder, can't we just stay as close friends? Why wanna make things complicated?? Well, other than that, sure! I'm definitely gonna miss everyone there >.<>ll<

Oh, mentioning about that, yea, Senthil and Callum seem to be enjoying themselves in ERAU a lot, guess I'd better work harder to qualify myself for that university, I'm longing to be a part of them! But...but... why is it in Florida??! NO~~~ >0< Sigh, that's the only part I dislike (though I love beaches :P) Anyway, Gambateh onion! You can do it! (uh, i guess so.. hehe..)

ciao!