The swine flu

The swine flu Currently, there has been an international concern and fear about the disease The Swine or Swine Flu. The main question that all the experts were worried about was whether the swine flu is an epidemic or a pandemic. An epidemic is defined as an outbreak of a contagious disease that can be widely spread and affects lots of people at the same time. A pandemic is a disease that spreads not only in a local region but, worldwide. On April 2009 the swine flu did not meet the definition of a pandemic, however, the WHO (World Health Organization) declared that the swine flu is a pandemic by the mid of June 2009. This is where the nightmare started. The swine flu was given that nickname due to the transfer of the virus from pigs to human. The Swine is considered as a type of an influenza disease. Influenza is a disease that people usually catch at least once in their lifetime. The influenza or the flu was a deadly disease in the past, but now there are the proper vaccinations and medications to fight it. Swine Flu is an extremely contagious disease and it easily spreads from one person to another whether it was through exhaled air, sneezes, coughs, or even shaking hands with an infected person or a person who has touched an infected object. When doctors or experts talk about influenza they argue that its not a serious disease, but on the other hand it affects the bodys immunity and makes it vulnerable to bacterial and viral attack. Its believed that the H1N1 is transferred the same way the regular influenza is. Newspapers, magazines, and TV newscasters are constantly babbling about the swine flu, and it has taken the lead on every front page. The question here is: is swine flu worth all the attention its getting on the media, on the street posts and on the TV channels? Or is it just as so called a propaganda and another way for a money grab? The answer can be explained in many ways. To start off, the swine flu is caused by an influenza of the classification A. Influenza A has the subtypes that include viruses HIN1, H1N2, H2N3, H3N1, and H3N2. The viral strain H1N1 is the virus that spread in the flu pandemic of 2009. In the United States it is declared that in ever one thousand people, forty need direct access to the hospital and one person dies. The World Health of Organization stated at July-17-2009 that there have been 89,921 cases and 382 deaths worldwide. Deaths and cases of the swine flu are mainly spotted in the US. Through these statistics it is proved that the swine flu is a dangerous case mainly in the United States and not in other countries. The incubation period (the time between the illness and appearance of symptoms) for the swine flu as claimed by the HPA (Health Protection Agency) lies between two and five days. A person suffering from The Swine will experience at least three of the following symptoms: coughing and sneezing, headache, runny nose, sore throat, shortness of breath, loss of appetite, aching muscles, and diarrhea or vomiting. When a person is suffering from those symptoms he/she is in a highly contagious state; he/she can easily pass on the virus to others. Usually, it takes around a week for the person to pull through, and once the symptoms are gone the person is no longer infectious to others around him. The swine flu is a highly contagious disease as declared by the Health Protection Agency (HPA). It can pass easily from one person to another. Scientifically speaking, The Swine is just like the other flu diseases; it is an airborne disease; the virus spreads from an infected persons nose or mouth when he coughs or sneezes, through the air droplets. Those who are having swine flu sometimes cough without covering their mouth, or washing their hands afterwards. Thus, the virus easily spreads on the objects surfaces that the infected person touches which include: door handles, keyboards, mobiles, remote controllers, etc It is believed that a virus survives on a hard surface for about 24 hours and on a soft surface for 20 minutes only. If an uninfected person touches these surfaces within these timings, he/she will catch the virus simply by touching their face. There are some certain cases that put people under a higher risk of catching the swine flu. Firstly, the swine flu seems to be of a great danger to pregnant women. Pregnant women should avoid catching the swine flu and this is by keeping away from congested areas like airports and cinemas. If they are living with someone who has the swine flu, they should be given Relenza (to a type of medication to be discussed shortly). Relenza should be taken through and inhaler rather than a tablet to accumulate in the pregnant womens lungs and throats and not in the blood, this way, their baby wont be affected. Secondly, people with certain health conditions and chronic diseases like hypertension and diabetes are put in jeopardy with the swine flu dangers as the H1N1 virus targets a vulnerable immune system. Those suffering from a chronic health condition are obliged to be immunized with both, the seasonal flu vaccine and the H1N1 swine flu vaccine. They should keep a record of the medications that they are receiving for their chronic disease, and once they are in doubt of having the swine flu, they should keep on using these medications unless their personal health care supervisor says otherwise. Experts and researchers tried to come up with a lot of solutions and treatments to the nightmare, the swine flu. There are two vaccines made for The Swine. The first vaccination is called Pandemrix and the second is called Celvapan. Both of these inoculations have been licensed and legally distributed. The Celvapan vaccine is taken in two doses, three weeks apart. At the time being, vaccinations are available only in the US and Europe since developing countries cannot afford to produce their own vaccines. An important thing to take into account is to whom The Swine can be deadly and very dangerous to. The Public Health Agency of Canada claimed that mainly, people who are aged fewer than 65 years are supposed to take the vaccination since the swine virus is more likely to affect nonelderly people because those who are older than 65 years seem to have natural immunity for swine flu. Moreover, pregnant women should be immunized straight away as The Swine seems to target pregnant women, it is claimed the higher risks of the swine flu occur at the late stages of pregnancy (the last three months of pregnancy), and they are advised to take the Pandemrix vaccine as it produces a sufficient amount of protection in your body after a single dose. In addition, children (aged between six months and five years) are the best objective for swine flu, but, babies under the age of six cant take the vaccine as it will show no response for adequate protection. A person who lives with someone who has a weak immune system as a result of being infected with a disease such as cancer or aids is strongly advised take the vaccination as he/she is more prone to The Swine attack. However, there are some people, but quite a few who are prohibited to take the swine flu vaccine. Firstly, the vaccine should not be given whatsoever to someone who had a brutal allergic reaction to the first dose of the vaccination. Secondly, the Pandemrix vaccine is prepared in hens eggs so those who have egg allergies or had breathing problems when taking egg products should not take the vaccine. Nevertheless, the Celvapan virus is not prepared in hens eggs therefore people who have egg allergies are obliged to take this vaccination. Conversely, there are some symptoms to the swine flue vaccinations. It is declared that there are no deaths or serious events that occurred from the vaccination. Side effects that might result after a swine flu immunization include: Tenderness, pain, redness, hardening of the skin, swelling and bruising. In addition, a vaccinated person might suffer from whole-body side effects that involve: Severe headaches, muscle pain, chills, queasiness, fever, and vomiting. However, experts came up with Adjuvant which is a substance added to a vaccine to improve its performance and make it more efficient in supporting the body in strong immune response. In addition, Tamiflu and Relenza are two major antiviral medications to suppress the effects of the swine flu, but not cure it completely. When a virus enters your body, it controls and manipulates healthy cells and orders them to make copies of themselves. Relenza acts on stopping the action of making copies of the virus from infected cells in the lungs. As a result, the process of spreading the virus in the body is slowed down and thus lessening the symptoms. The earlier you start taking Relenza (within 48 hours since the symptoms are felt in adults) the better it functions in protecting your body against The Swine. Tamiflu works the same way Relenza does in the body, although, Relenza concentrates on lessening the flu symptoms by one and a half days on average, while Tamiflu reduces the fly symptoms by up to two days on average. The Chamomile drink as believed by the Chinese has a similar composition to the Tamiflu antiviral medication but on the other hand has an even better effe ct and at a lower price. People with white masks are spotted everywhere lately, certainly in airports and other congested areas. Health officials say that facemasks can mislead people into thinking that theyre effective in protection against the swine flu. In reality, facemasks are only effective when they are worn in a correct manner and when they are changed on regular basis because facemasks can get damped from breathing, and thus more likely to catch viruses. People are depending a lot on facemasks that theyre getting less concerned with washing their hands more often. Moreover, the vaccination, antiviral medications are not the only ways to treat the swine flu or suppress its effects, there are several basic day-to-day things that people are advised to take for the sake of avoiding the swine flu as much as possible, these things involve: Washing your hands constantly, because you might have touched a contaminated surface, therefore keeping the hands clean will help you avoid the swine flu (remember to keep a hand sanitizer with you wherever you may go). Cough and sneeze in a manner to cover your mouth, this way you will not spread the virus to other uninfected people. Dispose used and dirty tissues. Clean the hard surfaces such as door handles more often and by using a suitable, and effective cleaning product. Avoid crowds and public transportations; this is the foremost important tasks to do if you want to avoid swine flu as it lessens the chance of being so close to someone and getting the swine flu as a result of that. If you cant avoid a certa in crowd try to follow the 6-foot-rule ; try to stand 6 feet away from a person who is coughing or sneezing. Visit your doctor straight away if you are experiencing any swine flu symptoms and they will give you the proper medications, antivirals and vaccinations specifically for your case. We should not waste our time in sitting back and listening to the news and media talking about how swine flu is very dangerous, risky and hopeless. Instead, we should put in more of this effort in developing natural immunity against the swine flu. We should have a healthier diet which majorly contains vitamins. Vitamins A and D like cod liver oil tends to give a great protection against such an infection. Moreover, vitamin c obtained from citrus drinks is a must for maintaining natural immunity If you catch the swine flu, do not panic! Contain the illness; take a good care of yourself, pamper yourself more often, drink plenty of water and other fluids, take a plenty of rest. Try coughing into the elbow of your hand to avoid passing your virus to others through hand shaking. Get rid off your dirty tissues yourself; dont let someone else do it for you! The media always claims that we live in an unsafe world and anything (like the swine flu) that throws us out of control invites pathogens (viruses and bacteria) to take over our body cells. But how shall we react depends on our logic and common sense not on the medias talk. The medias only main concern is to make a scary situation even worse than it really is. There are so many incidents that took place and proved the media wrong about how bad the swine flu is. Firstly, out of 2,000,000 people in the pilgrimage this year only 350 died and off course not all died out of The Swine Secondly, death cases are very rare and statistics show that worldwide every 1 in 4000 people die of swine flu. As a conclusion, I think that the swine flu is not as bad as the media says it is. Most companies are exaggerating about the fact that the swine flu is very dangerous just for the sake of money grab. People are not supposed to be tricked into believing that its dangerous because, by common sense, the symptoms are very clear and significant and once they are experiencing some of the symptoms all they are left to do is visit a health care professional, take the proper medications, antivirals, and try their best to minimize their contact with others. On the other hand, people should be aware of the fact that the swine flu is just like the regular seasonal influenza, and it can be simply avoided by maintaing good hygiene like washing their hands more often, and carrying a hand sanitizer or an alcohol based hand wash everywhere they go. People are wasting a lot of effort in thinking of the dangerous consequences of the swine flu; they should instead spend more time on trying to work on de veloping natural immunity against it. It is believed that those who catch the swine flu feel very dreadful when experiencing its symptoms, but most of them end up recovering with no problems and sometimes even without the aid of medical treatments. Bibliography: Jamieson D et al. (2009). H1N1 2009 Influenza virus infection during pregnancy in the USA. Lancet 2009; 374: 451-458. Neusdat, R. And Fineberg, H. (December 1977). The Swine Flu Affair. The United States: McGraw companies. McNeil Jr., Donald G. (2009-04-26). Flu Outbreak Raises a Set of Questions. The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/27/health/27questions.html. Parkash, S. (01 Jan 2010). Swine flu diagnosis and treatment. United Kingdom: Daya publishing house.

The Eighteenth Emergency - Look closely at the words used by Byars by analysing the words used in the quotes. :: English Literature

The Eighteenth Emergency - Look closely at the words used by Byars by analysing the words used in the quotes. ‘The Eighteenth Emergency’ Target: Look closely at the words used by Byars by analysing the words used in the quotes. At the beginning of the novel ‘The Eighteenth Emergency’ Byars presents Mouse as being scared because Marv is after him. In the middle Byars describes encounters between Marv and Mouse in a way that creates tension. Later on in the novel Byars presents Mouse as beginning to change because he was only thumped in the mouth by Marv. At the end of the novel Mouse is shown to be bold and strong, and therefore Mouse is shown to change from being weak and minute in the world to being courageous and confident in himself. At the beginning of the novel Mouse is presented as being really scared and weak because Marv is after him. The text ‘Some boys are going to kill me’ shows that he is scared and exaggerating. Also ‘He started thinking again about Marv Hammerman’ is showing he is always thinking about him, which shows he is worried. ‘He came up in his mind the way monsters do in horror movies, big and powerful with the same cold, unreal eyes.’ This shows you what Mouse thinks Marv looks like, big and a person who doesn’t care how scruffy he is, despite his power to frighten people. Monsters in horror movies tend to be strong, scary characters. ‘Cold, unreal eyes’ suggests that Marv Hammerman has no feelings which is not normal and suggests he is animal-like. In the middle of the exciting story, Byars describes encounters between Marv Hammerman and Mouse in a way that we are made to feel sorry for Mouse even though it is his fault, also it creates tension. The sentence ‘Mouse thought his own face might have been made of thin rubber, it was changing expression so rapidly’ shows he doesn’t know what to do, and is just standing, waiting for Hammerman to hit him. Also, Byars is holding back information in the sentence as she is not telling us whether his expressions are of hatred or worrying. ‘Hammermans nostrils widened a little, and Mouse wondered if Hammerman could smell fear the way animals could.’ The words ‘nostrils widened’ and ‘smell fear’ suggests Mouse is relating Marv Hammerman to a savage beast, ready to pounce. Later in the novel Mouse is presented as a changed boy because he retaliated a little which stops Marv Hammerman from hitting him again. This suggests that Mouse had found courage. The phrase, ‘Mouse seemed bigger’ shows us that he is more noticeable by people

Cell Phone Problem Solution

A serious problem has arisen that desperately needs to be solved. Students have been constantly using their cell phones during class and causing distractions to the learning environment. As a result, the principal is ready to ban all cell phones from school. Although this might solve the problem, it would alienate and irritate the student body. As it is, students are already distracted by cell phone misuse in the classroom.Teachers have found that their classrooms are becoming unruly and are having to take time out of instruction to write disciplinary forms. This results in added paperwork for administrators. Additionally, teachers are complaining to administrators about class disruptions. All the interruptions are detracting from students’ educational time; thus EOG scores my plummet along with school funding. With the lower test scores and tighter budget, the schools’ reputation may also suffer. If we want to keep our schools’ pride intact, we must solve this d ilemma.After pondering this complex problem I have devised an exemplary solution. I propose that the school’s leadership team organize a monthly incentive time in which students are able to talk and text on their cell phones. This incentive is designed to reward students for obeying the cell phone regulations. Students should be focused on their education and should not be using their cell phones during school hours (8:30am-4:00pm).To begin implementing this solution, the staff members should be notified first by sending an email or holding a staff meeting. Next, posters should be hung on each hallway to inform students about the upcoming cell phone incentive. Announcements can also be made to build excitement about the upcoming change in policy. Waivers would be sent home to notify parents that the cell phone rule has not changed; however to reward students for abiding by the rules, a cell phone incentive time is being integrated into the schedule on a monthly basis.These in centive times would be held on the first Wednesday of every month. Core classes would be shortened by 15 minutes each, allowing there to be a free hour at the end of the day. At the beginning of this time students should have five minutes to pack up and get their cell phones and report  back to their last class. Students who do not have cell phones are able to use this time to have study hall, play games, or socialize upon teacher’s discretion. These incentive times are the only allotted times to text, play games, listen to music, use the internet, or call others during school hours. Headphones must be used for all music and other audible activities. Phones must be set on vibrate to eliminate unneeded noise.Although the original cell phone rule has not changed, new consequences have been put in place. First time rule breakers will have their phone confiscated and sent to the office. Silent lunch will be given and they will lose the next incentive time and would be sent to I SS for the hour.For students who break the cell phone rule a second time, their phone will be confiscated and sent to the office. They will be put on cleaning duty with the custodians or cafeteria staff during the incentive time. These students would lose the next two incentive hours and receive a behavior slip. If these students still did not learn that their actions have consequences and break the rule for a third time their phone will be taken and sent to the office. That student would also receive a behavior slip. The students would miss the next three incentive times and clean during the hours. For fourth and habitual offenders, their phone will be taken and sent to the office. They would lose all future incentive hours and clean.This solution has a multitude of benefits; one such benefit is that it is cost and time efficient. Implementing the incentive time is inexpensive. The only cost incurred is the expense of the paper and ink used to print the waivers. It is important to be money-conscious because many school are facing budget cuts. Funds should be reserved for other important supplies and activities. Cost efficiency is not the only benefit; time efficiency is equally important.The incentive time only takes one hour away from class time each month. This allows ample time for less interrupted instruction. This solution also appeals to all parties. To administrators, education is paramount, and this solution applies to that. The more learning without distractions gets high scores for students and for the school. Those high scores may equate to county or state bonuses. Such money could be used for classroom upgrades. Teachers would appreciate the upgrades, but they will  also benefit from other aspects of this solution.The teachers would have more teaching time because they will be spending less time filling out disciplinary paperwork. So having more teaching time can lead to higher grades for students. This can allow teachers to move through subject s quicker. Also, with this solution, students will be less likely to sneak around with their phones because they will have a designated time to use them.This solution is much less severe than the principal’s initial solution, which was to ban all cell phones. In conclusion, the previously stated solution, which is to integrate a monthly incentive time into the school day, is an excellent solution to the cell phone predicament. This solution will solve the problem because it allows time for students to use their cell phones. Such will increase the amount of time on-task; more instructional time benefits all ages. Not only does it benefit all, it holds students accountable for their positive and negative decisions. Show your approval of this plan by passing this proposal onto the principal. This is your chance to put this problem to rest and better our entire school.

Charles Darwin and His Voyage Aboard H.M.S. Beagle

Charles Darwin’s five-year voyage in the early 1830s  on H.M.S. Beagle has become legendary, as insights gained by the bright young scientist on his trip to exotic places greatly influenced his masterwork, the book On the Origin of Species. Darwin didn’t actually formulate his theory of evolution while sailing around the world aboard the Royal Navy ship. But the exotic plants and animals he encountered challenged his thinking and led him to consider scientific evidence in new ways. After returning to England from his five years at sea, Darwin began writing a multi-volume book on what he had seen. His writings on the Beagle voyage concluded in 1843, a full decade and a half before the publication of On the Origin of Species. The History of H.M.S. Beagle H.M.S. Beagle is remembered today because of its association with Charles Darwin, but it had sailed on a lengthy scientific mission several years before Darwin came into the picture. The Beagle, a warship carrying ten cannons, sailed in 1826 to explore the coastline of South America. The ship had an unfortunate episode when its captain sank into a depression, perhaps caused by the isolation of the voyage, and committed suicide. Gentleman Passenger Lieutenant Robert FitzRoy assumed command of the Beagle, continued the voyage and returned the ship safely to England in 1830. FitzRoy was promoted to Captain and named to command the ship on a second voyage, which was to circumnavigate the globe while conducting explorations along the South American coastline and across the South Pacific. FitzRoy came up with the idea of bringing along someone with a scientific background who could explore and record observations. Part of FitzRoy’s plan was that an educated civilian, referred to as a â€Å"gentleman passenger,† would be good company aboard ship and would help him avoid the loneliness that seemed to have doomed his predecessor. Darwin Invited to Join the Voyage in 1831 Inquiries were made among professors at British universities, and a former professor of Darwin’s proposed him for the position aboard the Beagle. After taking his final exams at Cambridge in 1831, Darwin spent a few weeks on a geological expedition to Wales. He had intended to return to Cambridge that fall for theological training, but a letter from a professor, John Steven Henslow, inviting him to join the Beagle, changed everything. Darwin was excited to join the ship, but his father was against the idea, thinking it foolhardy. Other relatives convinced Darwin’s father otherwise, and during the fall of 1831, the 22-year-old Darwin made preparations to depart England for five years. Departs England on December 27, 1831 With its eager passenger aboard, the Beagle left England on December 27, 1831. The ship reached the Canary Islands in early January and continued onward to South America, which was reached by the end of February 1832. South America From February 1832 During the explorations of South America, Darwin was able to spend considerable time on land, sometimes arranging for the ship to drop him off and pick him up at the end of an overland trip. He kept notebooks to record his observations, and during quiet times on board the Beagle, he would transcribe his notes into a journal. In the summer of 1833, Darwin went inland with gauchos in Argentina. During his treks in South America, Darwin dug for bones and fossils and was also exposed to the horrors of slavery and other human rights abuses. The Galapagos Islands, September 1835 After considerable explorations in South America, the Beagle reached the Galapagos Islands in September 1835. Darwin was fascinated by such oddities as volcanic rocks and giant tortoises. He later wrote about approaching tortoises, which would retreat into their shells. The young scientist would then climb on top, and attempt to ride the large reptile when it began moving again. He recalled that it was difficult to keep his balance. While in the Galapagos Darwin collected samples of mockingbirds, and later observed that the birds were somewhat different on each island. This made him think that the birds had a common ancestor, but had followed varying evolutionary paths once they had become separated. Circumnavigating the Globe The Beagle left the Galapagos and arrived at Tahiti in November 1835, and then sailed onward to reach New Zealand in late December. In January 1836 the Beagle arrived in Australia, where Darwin was favorably impressed by the young city of Sydney. After exploring coral reefs, the Beagle continued on its way, reaching the Cape of Good Hope at  the southern tip of Africa at the end of May 1836. Sailing back into the Atlantic Ocean, the Beagle, in July, reached St. Helena, the remote island where Napoleon Bonaparte had died in exile following his defeat at Waterloo. The Beagle also reached a British outpost on Ascension Island in the South Atlantic, where Darwin received some very welcome letters from his sister in England. Back Home October 2, 1836 The Beagle then sailed back to the coast of South America before returning to England, arriving at Falmouth on October 2, 1836. The entire voyage had taken nearly five years. Organizing Specimens and Writing After landing in England, Darwin took a coach to meet his family, staying at his father’s house for a few weeks. But he was soon active, seeking advice from scientists on how to organize specimens, which included fossils and stuffed birds, he had brought home with him. In the following few years, he wrote extensively about his experiences. A lavish five-volume set, The Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle, was published from 1839 to 1843. And in 1839 Darwin published a classic book under its original title, Journal of Researches. The book was later republished as The Voyage of the Beagle, and remains in print to this day. The book is a lively and charming account of Darwin’s travels, written with intelligence and occasional flashes of humor. The Theory of Evolution Darwin had been exposed to some thinking about evolution before embarking aboard H.M.S. Beagle. So a popular conception that Darwin’s voyage gave him the idea of evolution is not accurate. Yet is it true that the years of travel and research focused Darwins mind and sharpened his powers of observation. It can be argued that his trip on the Beagle gave him invaluable training, and the experience prepared him for the scientific inquiry that led to the publication of On the Origin of Species in 1859.