H1N1 SwInE FLu

Novel H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu) and You

from "http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/qa.htm"

Novel H1N1 Flu

What is novel H1N1 (swine flu)?
Novel H1N1 (referred to as “swine flu” early on) is a new influenza virus causing illness in people. This new virus was first detected in people in the United States in April 2009. This virus is spreading from person-to-person worldwide, probably in much the same way that regular seasonal influenza viruses spread. On June 11, 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO) signaled that a pandemic of novel H1N1 flu was underway.

Why is novel H1N1 virus sometimes called “swine flu”?
This virus was originally referred to as “swine flu” because laboratory testing showed that many of the genes in this new virus were very similar to influenza viruses that normally occur in pigs (swine) in North America. But further study has shown that this new virus is very different from what normally circulates in North American pigs. It has two genes from flu viruses that normally circulate in pigs in Europe and Asia and bird (avian) genes and human genes. Scientists call this a "quadruple reassortant" virus.

Is novel H1N1 virus contagious?
CDC has determined that novel H1N1 virus is contagious and is spreading from human to human.

How does novel H1N1 virus spread?
Spread of novel H1N1 virus is thought to occur in the same way that seasonal flu spreads. Flu viruses are spread mainly from person to person through coughing or sneezing by people with influenza. Sometimes people may become infected by touching something – such as a surface or object – with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose.

What are the signs and symptoms of this virus in people?
The symptoms of novel H1N1 flu virus in people include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. A significant number of people who have been infected with this virus also have reported diarrhea and vomiting. Severe illnesses and death has occurred as a result of illness associated with this virus.

TrAvELLiNG

MALDIVES

Really like to travel. abroad or local does not matter.... Hehehe. This one of my favourite spot...

Ethnicity

The origins of the Maldivian people are shrouded in mystery. The First settlers may well have been from Sri Lanka and Southern India. Some say Aryans, who sailed in their reed boats from Lothal in the Indus Valley about 4,000 years ago, probably followed them. Archeological evidence suggests the existence Hinduism and Buddhism before the country embraced Islam in 1153 A.D.Not surprisingly, the faces of today’s Maldivian display the features of various faces that inhabit the lands around the Indian Ocean shipping and maritime routes, the Maldives has long been a melting pot for African, Arab and South East Asian mariners.

Language

The language of the Maldivians is Dhivehi, a language which is placed in the Indro-Indian group of languages. Dhivehi with its roots in Sanskrit and according to some researchers Elu, an ancient form of Sinhala, (spoken in Sri Lanka), is strongly influenced by the major lanuguages of the region. The language has been influenced heavily from Arabic since the advent of the Islam in 1153 and English in more recent times, especially since the introduction of English as a medium of education in the early 1960s.

Given the wide dispersion of islands it is not surprising that the vocabulary and pronunciation vary from atoll to atoll, with the difference being more significant in the dialects spoken in the southernmost atolls.

The Maldivian script known as thaana was invented during the 16th century soon after the country was liberated from Portuguese rule. Unlike former scripts thaana is written from right to left. This was devised to accommodate Arabic words that are frequently used in Dhivehi. There are 24 letters in the thaana alphabet.

Further reading is here :) "http://www.visitmaldives.com/Maldives/culture.php"

How to Be Smart

How to Be Smart or, How to Maintain Mental Acuity 62 By beerkat88

If you are envious of some brainiac you know, or just want to stay sharp as you age, there are well-established ways to improve your mental power- a few of which you rarely read about...

First, you need to avoid toxins that can actually make you stupid. By deteriorating brain cells there is one main poison that gets into food and another that gets into drinks that both cause mental sluggishness over a long period of time. The damage is generally irreversible, so you may want to look into them now.

The toxin in foods is mercury. It usually is highly concentrated in canned tuna. Other fish contain it too, especially ocean species, but tuna is the worst. As for drinks, the culprit is fluoride, added to over 2/3 of municipal water supplies across the country. Information on the dangers of fluoride, and its dubious blessing by the government in 1950 as "safe", can be found easily on the internet. Numerous population studies disprove the one questionable study used to get the governement's approval for it as "safe". So look into it, and you will be drinking distilled water soon. Remember sodas and most beers are made from city water supplies as well, so avoid them too if you wish to avoid fluoride. There are a few brands of toothpaste that are fluoride-free as well.

Once your brain is toxin-free, start eating foods that are proven to increase memory. The main one is blueberries. Delicious in pies, smoothies, and fruit salads, it has been shown to relieve alzheimers even. Other fruits and vegetables high in anti-oxidants will help as well. These include strawberries, oranges, spinach, and several others. Also take a B-complex vitamin every day. Your brain needs several of its ingredients for optimal functioning. Make sure you feed your brain cells some omega-3 as well. Almost always recommended to be taken as fish oils, this is not necessary. Flaxseed oil has a lot of it too. You can get raw flaxseeds or buy it in pill form.

Next you need to exercise your brain. The best ways are to learn things, preferably subjects with varying and extensive concepts, instead of rote memorization of lists of trivial facts. The best way to accomplish this is to start studying a foreign language. Europeans learn three to five foreign languages by the time they get out of school, so you can too. The best one for you is whatever one interests you the most. If you are of Irish descent, you may find Gaelic interesting and thereby easier to learn. Or if you just want to start with something easy, learn one that is similar to your native language. The one most similar to English is Frisian, spoken by people in Europe near Germany. German is the major language most similar to English. Once you look into languages, you will see patterns and similarities. It is not as hard as many expect it to be. If that's just not your thing, math is also good exercise. Get some old textbooks from a used bookstore and see how far you can go.

There are more ways to do a lot of thinking, without it becoming a major undertaking or ongoing project. Go to the magazine rack at a store and find logic puzzles. They are great. Word seeks, fill- ins, and even crosswords really take little thinking. Logic puzzles and advanced sudoku or kakuro are the way to go. Another great tool is the good old Rubik's cube. They seem impossible at first, but a lot of people can do them, and fast. They come with how-to booklets to get you started.

More than anything the best thing you can do is to read. Read anything, whenever you have the time. Especially real, printed books.

The more you do any of these things, the smarter you will get. Keep at it, and you will be glad you did.

Taken from this website "http://hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Be-Smart"

Stephen Covey Principle

Most people have heard about this Leadership Mahaguru.

Stephen R. Covey (born October 24, 1932 in Salt Lake City, Utah) wrote the best-selling book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.

Other books he has written include:

• First Things First, Principle-Centered Leadership and
• The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Families.
• In 2004, Covey released, The 8th Habit.
  
• In 2008, Covey released The Leader In Me -- How Schools and Parents Around the World Are Inspiring Greatness, One Child at a Time

However,it is the 90/10 Principle that gets my attention, thanks to a friend of my who forwarded this to me. Ok this is the details of the principle:

The 90/10 Principle

Author : Stephen Covey ( Management Guru)

Have you read this before? Discover the 90/10 Principle. It will change your life (at least the way you react to situations). What is this principle?

10% of life is made up of what happens to you. 90% of life is decided by how you react. What does this mean?

We really have no control over 10% of what happens to us. We cannot stop the car from breaking down. The plane will be late arriving, which throws our whole schedule off. A driver may cut us off in traffic. We have no control over this 10%. The other 90% is different. You determine the other 90%. How? By your reaction. You cannot control a red light., but you can control your reaction. Don't let people fool you; YOU can control how you react.

Let's use an example.

You are eating breakfast with your family. Your daughter knocks over a cup of coffee onto your business shirt. You have no control over what just what happened. What happens when the next will be determined by how you react.You curse. You harshly scold your daughter for knocking the cup over.

She breaks down in tears. After scolding her, you turn to your spouse and criticize her for placing the cup too close to the edge of the table. A short verbal battle follows. You storm upstairs and change your shirt. Back downstairs, you find your daughter has been too busy crying to finish breakfast and get ready for school. She misses the bus. Your spouse must leave immediately for work.

You rush to the car and drive your daughter to school. Because you are late, you drive 40 miles an hour in a 30 mph speed limit.

After a 15-minute delay and throwing $60 traffic fine away, you arrive at school. Your daughter runs into the building without saying goodbye. After arriving at the office 20 minutes late, you find you forgot your briefcase. Your day has started terrible. As it continues, it seems to get worse and worse. You look forward to coming home, When you arrive home, you find small wedge in your relationship with your spouse and daughter.

Why? Because of how you reacted in the morning. Why did you have a bad day?

A) Did the coffee cause it?
B) Did your daughter cause it?
C) Did the policeman cause it?
D) Did you cause it?
The answer is " D".

You had no control over what happened with the coffee. How you reacted in those 5 seconds is what caused your bad day. Here is what could have and should have happened.

Coffee splashes over you. Your daughter is about to cry. You gently say, "It's ok honey, you just need, to be more careful next time". Grabbing a towel you rush

upstairs. After grabbing a new shirt and your briefcase, you come back down in time to look through the window and see your child getting on the bus. She turns and waves. You arrive 5 minutes early and cheerfully greet the staff. Your boss comments on how good the day you are having.

Notice the difference? Two different scenarios. Both started the same. Both ended different.

Why? Because of how you REACTED. You really do not have any control over 10% of what happens. The other 90% was determined by your reaction.

Here are some ways to apply the 90/10 principle. If someone says something negative about you, don't be a sponge. Let the attack roll off like water on glass. You don't have to let the negative comment affect you! React properly and it will not ruin your day. A wrong reaction could result in losing a friend, being fired, getting stressed out etc.

How do you react if someone cuts you off in traffic? Do you lose your temper? Pound on the steering wheel? A friend of mine had the steering wheel fall off)

Do you curse? Does your blood pressure skyrocket? Do you try and bump them? WHO CARES if you arrive ten seconds later at work? Why let the cars ruin your drive? Remember the 90/10 principle, and do not worry about it.

You are told you lost your job. Why lose sleep and get irritated? It will work out. Use your worrying energy and time into finding another job. The plane is late; it is going to mangle your schedule for the day. Why take out your frustration on the flight attendant? She has no control over what is going on. Use your time to study, get to know the other passenger. Why get stressed out? It will just make things worse. Now you know the 90-10 principle. Apply it and you will be amazed at the results. You will lose nothing if you try it.

The 90-10 principle is incredible. Very few know and apply this principle.

The result? Millions of people are suffering from undeserved stress, trials, problems and heartache. We all must understand and apply the 90/10 principle.

It CAN change your life!!!

Seems easy to read, but to apply need a lot of courage and patient.... Hu hu hu...Well need to apply this... :)

Why Do Shells Sound Like the Ocean?

Why Do Shells Sound Like the Ocean?
by Matt Soniak

Kevin in Bentonville, Arkansas, wrote in to ask this question: “Why do you hear the ocean when you put a seashell up to your ear?”

All right, first things first: no matter what your mom or dad or grandparents told you, and no matter how much it may sound like the rolling waves, it’s not actually the ocean you’re hearing in a shell.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, what exactly is it that you’re hearing? In a word, noise; the ambient noise that’s being produced all around and inside you, which you normally don’t hear or pay attention to because it’s too quiet.

To amplify this noise so you can hear it clearly, you need a resonator. Want to make one on the cheap? Form an O shape with your mouth and flick your finger against your throat or cheek. You should hear a note. Make a smaller or larger O, or change the shape of your mouth, and you’ll get different notes. Sort of like this. What you’re doing here is letting your mouth fulfill its potential as a Helmholtz resonator, where sound is produced by air vibrating in a cavity with one opening. Different pitches can be coaxed out by changing the shape of the resonating cavity.

The seashell you’re listening to—the inside of which has many hard, curved surfaces great for reflecting sound—is essentially doing the same thing you just did with your mouth. The ambient noise mentioned before—the air moving past and within the shell, the blood flowing through your head, the conversation going on in the next room—is resonating inside the cavity of the shell, being amplified and becoming clear enough for us to notice. Just like the various shapes we make with our mouths will produce different pitches, different sizes and shapes of shell sound different because different resonant chambers will amplify different frequencies.

The fact that all shells sound just a little bit like the ocean is purely coincidental. Holding any sort of Helmholtz resonator to your ear will produce a similar effect, whether that object is associated with the ocean or not. Put an empty glass over your ear or even cup your hand over it, and the sound you hear will be just about the same.

This article is taken from "http://blogs.static.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/31873.html"... Interesting to read... :)