One anti-flu drug in NOT enough

Tests have been conducted on the H5N1 strain of bird flu, which is spreading in South East Asia, have shown that it is starting to develop resistance to the leading anti-viral drug Tamiflu. The Medical Research Council is stressing the need to stockpile more that just one type of drug. The UK government has stockpiled millions of doses of Tamiflu, they are reviewing there position and have already received advice that a one-drug approach may be unsound.
New statistics for human cases of the H5N1 bird flu virus have shown 382 people have been infected and 241 killed, mostly all in South East Asia. Nevertheless the virus still cannot easily pass from human to human, though this may change in the future since experts have warned that the virus acquires the capability to pass from human to human, if this happens it will create an impending threat to millions of people around the world. In this situation the health authorities hope that stockpiles of anti-viral drugs will help treat those affected. So far most of the people that have been infected are poultry workers who have come into close contact with infected birds.
"Single anti-flu drug 'not enough'" BBC NEWS. 15 May.2008.<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7398369.stm>.

H5N1 bird flu virus
H5N1 bird flu virus. October 12 2007. Google. 14 May 2008 <http://www.tfot.info/news/1022/bird-flu-vaccination-ready.html>.

Podcast citations:
Hi Sci. Soundzabound. 15 May 2008<http://soundzabound.com/faceted_search/results/-/teaser/relevance/-/taxonomy%3A92%2C35>.
ForWhatever.Soundzabound.15May2008<http://soundzabound.com/faceted_search/results/-/teaser/relevance/-/taxonomy%3A92%2C35>.

November light-rail vote, will it happen or not?

The dreams of having a light-rail sit on one thing at the moment, a November poll or not. Many Kansas City officials think that a November poll is too early to educate people about the plan and grow support. It is also thought that with the presidential elections and other big topics on the ballot the light-rail will be overshadowed. Funkhouser has a few ideas on how to get the light rail started, A half-cent sales tax increase in Jackson, Clay and Platte counties, which would raise about $70 million a year, A transportation governing body of about 10 to 12 elected officials, including mayors from throughout the three counties, to decide specifics, like the route, and Priority destinations — such as Lee’s Summit, Independence, downtown and Kansas City International Airport, the specific destinations would be picked in time for the November ballot but the exact route would not. Platte and Clay country officials say it would be hard to get these community members to vote because they are not benefiting from the light-rail, since there would be no line coming into any of there main towns. Most Kansas City officials think that a special April ballot would be a better idea, since there would be more time to raise awareness and gain some much needed support.
So the idea of mass transit for Kansas City is hinged on one thing, a spot on the November ballot or not. In the coming months with will know if it will be on the ballot or not.
Horsley,Lynn,and Kevin,Murphy."Mayor under pressure in push for November light-rail vote."KansasCityStar4May.2008www.kansascity.com. 5 May. 2008 <http://www.kansascity.com/743/story/605563.html>.

A New Jersey Transit train, a very successful light-rail system.
New Jersey Transit. Hoboken411.com. 07 May 008<hoboken411.com/./04/light%20rail%209th%202.JPG>.

China restricts Mount Everest ascents

The Chinese government is denying mountaineers to climb there side of Mount Everest this spring, this move shows the governments concern that Tibet activist may try to disrupt the plans the carry the Olympic torch to world’s tallest peak. No applications for climbing are being accepted, not for groups and not for individuals. It is said that it will be impossible to get permission between the months of March and June.

Bringing the Olympic flame to the summit of the mountain is shaping up to be one of the grandest and most politicized torch relay in history. The relay has touched on one of China’s most sensitive issues: its 57- year, frequently callous rule over Tibet. Many Tibetan activist groups have criticized the Everest run as an effort by Beijing to add legitimacy to Chinese control. The plans to bring the torch to the summit have been cloaked in secrecy, but measures taken by the Beijing Olympic organizers point to an early May ascent. The Chinese government has said that taking the torch up the peak would be a demonstrate of international sportsmanship and a point of national pride.
Beijing’s Vice Mayor Liu Jingming has said “The torch relay to Mount Everest is a highlight of the whole relay, and it also represents the idea of Green Olympics, High-Tech Olympics and People's Olympics." Jingming is supervising Olympic preparations. He says that the ascent will happen even if there is bad weather.
As a sign of anger and passion surrounding Tibet, over 300 Buddhist monks staged a demonstration in Lhasa, this is one of the largest demonstrations in nearly 2 decades. John Ackerly, president of the Washington-based International Campaign for Tibet says "Beijing is using the Olympics torch ceremony, which should stand for human freedoms and dignity, to bolster its territorial claim over Tibet."

"China restricts Mount Everest ascents to clear the way for the Olympic torch." International Herald Tribune. 14 Mar. 2008 <http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/03/12/asia/AS-OLY-China-Everest.php>.
NorthFaceofMountEverest.2007.Google.26March2008<http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://photos.igougo.com/images/p3
31435-Tibet-North_Face_of_Mount_Everest.jpg&imgrefurl=http://photos.igougo.com/pictures-photos-m572536-p331435-North_Face_of_Mount_Everest.
html&h=311&w=415&sz=16&hl=en&start=19&um=1&tbnid=wAE58zqTcQ-zbM:&tbnh=94&tbnw=125&prev=/images%3Fq%3D%2BMount%2BEverest%2
B%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26sa%3DG>.

Start Small, Think Bigger

Everyday the news speaks of ways to reduce your energy costs but many of the ideas they have are expensive and not that practical for the normal person. But after reading an article in the Kansas City Star I’ve realized there are many ways to reduce your energy consumption and your ever growing energy bill. Personally I think that sounds like a nice trade for the little amount of time it can take to fix up your home.
Now there are a few ways you can start to make your house more energy efficient the first is a professional house audit, and no, they won’t to send you to jail or fine you if your house isn’t very efficient. A house audit takes a few hours and can cost a couple hundred dollars, but their advice is worth the money. A professional can find the highest priority improvements that will save you the most in energy costs. They will be able to tell you if you have leaks in your home’s duct work, or that your basement has enough insulation but your attic doesn’t have enough. It is important that your house is not leaky, but also that it is well ventilated. A professional can help come up with ideas to do just that. Now if your thinking that sounds a little expensive, there are also many little fixes you can do by yourself. One idea is a fireplace stopper; this blocks air from leaving or entering your house through the fireplace and is much more efficient than your damper. A fireplace stopper can be purchased at the Energy Savings Store for about $60. Another quick fix to look at the parts of your house where pipes and wires come in, these sections are usually not very insulated. You buy insulation foam and spray it around these openings; the foam will expand to fill any crevices.
I’m sure you have heard hundreds of ads on the radio and television about buying new more efficient windows. Yes, this will make an impact on your energy bills. But they often cost a lot of money; this cost pretty much cancels out any savings you will be getting. If you thinking my windows are leaky and I can’t afford to buy new ones, you can easily and inexpensively fix them with some calk and weather- stripping.
Now those are all ways to make your house more efficient against the elements but you can also reduce your energy costs by just turning things off. No, this does not mean just turning things off because even though they are off they are still pulling in energy. The way to fix this is to actually unplug the device when you’re not using it. Since it is not practical to unplug all your electronics when you’re not using them, you can invest in the inexpensive power strip. The power strips allows you to plug-in multiple devices and easily flip an off switch when you are not using them. This is much more efficient because energy is not being pulled to the device, but it also makes it so you don’t have to unplug everything. These are simple and easy ways to reduce your energy bills and energy consumption. If a lot of people make small changes like these then there can be a significant reduction in the United States giant energy bill.

http://www.kansascity.com/238/story/515019.html

The The Swivel Socket powerstrip.Engadget.com.04March2008<http://www.engadget.com/2006/01/12/the-swivel-socket-power-strip/>.

My today - and the oceans of today

Today when I stepped outside it was cold, yet again. For the last 3 months everyday I get up to leave my car has been covered in a nice sheet of ice. This ice has made me late countless times over the weeks. I have tried everything to beat it in the morning commute battle; I bought a new scrapper, some deicer spray, and even a scrapper that sprays deicer. But still every morning it still seems to win. So my question is, when will Jack Frost leave so I can finally be on time?

On another note I recently read an article in The New York Times about coral reefs and what ruins them. The article compared the studying of the rain forest to the studying of coral reefs; this comparison gave light to how hard it is to actually pinpoint what is killing the reefs. The comparison showed that people have been studying the rain forest for years, so scientists can look at research done in years before and compare it to what they are finding now; this tremendously helps them see the changes and pinpoint the causes. But on the other hand underwater observation is relatively new so scientists don’t have past data that they can look to at; this is making it very hard to decide what is killing the reefs. Many different scenarios have been brought up such as: local factors (overfishing and pollution) and global factors (climate change and the acidification of the ocean). The article goes on the talk about specific places and how the reefs look there.
I personally think that there needs to be more research done on the reefs so that we can get down to the bottom of it and figure out what is the real thing hurting them. If we want the reefs to be around for future generations then action needs to be taken to protect them now, because time is running out and we may not have years to find the problem.

Coral Reefs and What Ruins Them. The New York Times, February 26 2008. New York Times Online. 27 February 2008<http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/26/science/earth/26reef.html?ref=science>.