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Vaccines definition

[/color]The body's immune system helps protect against pathogens that cause infection. Most of the time, it's an efficient system. It either keeps microorganisms out or tracks them down and gets rid of them.

[/color]However, some pathogens can overwhelm the immune system. When this happens, it can cause serious illness.[/size]The pathogens most likely to cause problems are the ones the body doesn't recognize. Vaccination is a way to "teach" the immune system how to recognize and eliminate an organism. That way, your body is prepared if you're ever exposed.[/size][/size]However, some pathogens can overwhelm the immune system. When this happens, it can cause serious illness.[/size]The pathogens most likely to cause problems are the ones the body doesn't recognize. Vaccination is a way to "teach" the immune system how to recognize and eliminate an organism. That way, your body is prepared if you're ever exposed.Vaccinations are an important form of primary prevention. That means they can protect people from getting sick. Vaccinations have allowed us to control diseases that once threatened many lives, such as:
  [/size]It's important that as many people as possible get vaccinated. Vaccinations don't just protect individuals. When enough people are vaccinated, it helps protect society.This occurs through herd immunity. Widespread vaccinations make it less likely that a susceptible person will come into contact with someone who has a particular disease.

Wine Bottle Dip

Many people like to drink wine to unwind. If you belong to this group, you probably know about the dip at the end of the bottle. Why did they design it this way? Known as the punt or kick-up, it gives the bottle the stability it needs to prevent falling down after a gust of wind passes by. It also lends it the strength to hold sparkling wine. Lastly, it distributes steam during cleaning, right before the wine is poured in.

NEWSSTAND

The Unfortunate Ranhilio Aquino,
Marcos Apologist

John Nery
Philippine Daily Inquirer
September 15, 2020

On Sept. 11, the 103rd birth anniversary of the dictator Ferdinand Marcos, the priest and legal scholar Ranhilio Aquino marked the milestone by tying a millstone around his neck. The millstone came in the form of an intemperate tweet: “The present generation that is loud in its condemnation of Marcos never experienced Marcos. So that rant is directed at their construct of Marcos. Shouldn’t they be studying Derrida and Lyotard more?”

It is clear, from Aquino’s diction and logic and tone, that the tweet wasn’t a compliment. In fact, in its own erudite way, it was as loud in its condemnation of the “present generation” as that generation was of Marcos.

From a smiley fish to a dangling raccoon, Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards offer some light relief


Rory Sullivan, CNN • Published 12th September 2020

(CNN) â€" A colorful Mediterranean parrotfish "smiles" at the camera, a raccoon's hind legs and tail poke out of a tree and a young seal appears to be having a great time while resting on some wood.

These are three of the 44 hilarious photos from around the globe that have been announced as the finalists in the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2020.

The competition, which is now in its sixth year, is sure to offer some light relief amid the doom and gloom through its selection of unusually expressive wildlife images.

What is a Banana Republic?

In political science, the term banana republic describes a politically unstable country with an economy dependent upon the exportation of a limited-resource product, such as bananas or minerals. (wikipedia)

A man in Pimpri-Chinchwad district of Pune made headlines for wearing a mask made entirely of gold worth 2.89 Lakhs. Reportedly, Shankar Kurade said that the mask is made of gold but is pretty thin and has very minute holes in it to help him breathe. He then admitted that he isn't too sure if the mask is going to be very effective in preventing coronavirus. (Image: Special Arrangement)

Palmerston, UK's Top Diplomat And 'Chief Mouser,' Retires

08/07/2020, Huffpost

The British feline made it official in a resignation letter signed with two paw prints.




LONDON (AP) â€" Time spent in lockdown was just superb for Palmerston, the chief mouser at the U.K. Foreign Office.

It was so good, in fact, that the cat has decided to leave sorting out international affairs to the human diplomats and retire to the countryside after four long, hard years on the job.

Palmerston made it official in a letter sent in his name to Simon McDonald, the office’s permanent under-secretary, which explained that he wanted more time “away from the limelight.’’

“I have found life away from the front line relaxed, quieter, and easier,” a letter signed with two paw prints said. It was posted on Twitter.

Kris-Crossing Mindanao


Marcoleta's Cross

Antonio J. Montalvan II
August 3, 2020

The Honorable Rodante D. Marcoleta, said to be eyeing a seat as senator in the 2022 elections, once said in a July 2016 interview: “Affected na affected ako na ang rule ay puwedeng baluktutin (I am very affected that rules can be easily twisted)!” That was way back when he was with the “Legitimate 8,” the protest group that called themselves the “true fiscalizers” when a pseudo minority House leader was elected. So who is Marcoleta fiscalizing for?Let us begin with his House Bill No. 4633 that aims to remove crucifixes in hospitals. His explanatory note reasons thus: “Presence of crucifixes in many hospital suites appears normal but it raises serious interfaith issues. First of all, the crucifix is the most salient representation of the Catholic church. Its existence in these health care institutions presupposes singular church membership.”

Charter change: The multiheaded monster

Joel Ruiz Butuyan / Flea Market of Ideas
July 27, 2020

Immediately after the House of Representatives hammered down the final nail in the coffin of ABS-CBN, news came out that the government will once again pursue Charter change. There have been consistent attempts to change the Constitution in all the past administrations after Cory Aquino. All these efforts failed because of either of two reasons. One, the Supreme Court invalidated the procedures that were initiated, which was the case for the Ramos and Arroyo presidencies. Two, the ruling president (Estrada) or Congress (under the Noynoy Aquino presidency) sensed the strong public opposition, so the initiatives fizzled out.

Should the people be complacent now given the consistent failed attempts? On the contrary, and because of the prevailing circumstances, people should be paranoid and worried.

What’s next for those high-profile inmates who ‘died’ of Covid-19?

[/size]ELLEN TORDESILLASJULY 21, 2020Doubts that were raised in reaction to news reports about the death of nine high-profile inmates of the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa due to Covid-19 reflect on the zero credibility of the agency that has been embroiled in a number of scandals, the most recent of which was the “freedom for sale” scheme.News reports said among those who died and whose body was immediately cremated was Jaybee Sebastian, a government witness and also a co-respondent in the drug trafficking cases filed against Sen. Leila de Lima.Others who were reported to have died due to Covid-19 were Benjamin Marcelo, leader of Chinese inmates at NBP; Zhang Zhu Li, Jimmy Kinsing Hung, Francis Go, Jimmy Yang, Eugene Chua, Ryan Ong and Amin Imam Buratong, convicted operator of the shabu tiangge in Pasig City in 2009.

Rigged dance


Editorial, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 05:07 AM July 25, 2020


Well, that didn’t take long. Just days after top brass of the Department of the Interior and local Government tried, with the straightest of faces, to make the earnest case that the latest push for Charter amendmentsâ€"supposedly spearheaded by the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP), headed by Narvacan, Ilocos Sur Mayor Luis “Chavit” Singsonâ€"was all about the need to spread economic prosperity to the countryside by institutionalizing higher revenue allotments for local government units, Singson himself let the cat out of the bag with a none-too-surprising reveal: The mayors also want not only term extensions, but the wholesale lifting of term limits for local chief executives.

In a radio interview, Singson said elections for LGU officials should be held every five years (the 1987 Constitution sets it at three), and that the current ban on officials running after three consecutive three-year terms should be junked. “Why limit the terms of performing mayors? There’s no difference; limit their terms and their spouses or their children will succeed them,” he argued, as quoted in a Philippine Star report.Per the DILG statement trumpeting the league’s support for the Duterte administration’s Charter-change drive, the LMP resolution made mention of only two amendments it wants to pursue: “to institutionalize the so-called Mandanas ruling of the Supreme Court in the Constitution and the lifting of restrictions on foreign investment in industries currently limited to Filipinos.” (Interior Secretary Eduardo M. Año: “This is a welcome development. The municipal mayors themselves have spoken and recognized the urgency of amending the Constitution because they recognize the greater need for regional development, particularly in terms of health infrastructure, facilities and equipment, especially now that we are in the middle of a health crisis.”) But in the radio interview, Singson cannily left it to lawmakers to decide whether the issue of term limits for elected officials should be taken up along with other amendments that may be proposed.

-CANCELLED-

HORIZONS

From Aquino to Aquino: Redemptive presidencies

By: Richard Heydarian - @inquirerdotnet
Philippine Daily Inquirer  June 30, 2020

Contrary to Lee Kuan Yew’s likely apocryphal comment on the supposed problem of “too much democracy” in the Philippines, our fundamental crisis is one of completing the spirit of the Edsa People Power Revolution. A democratic nation fails when it fails to make the most out of its hard-earned freedom â€" and not because of that freedom per se. For three decades, we have had the golden opportunity to translate our political freedoms into social justice and economic prosperity. Without a question, we have had many shortcomings, with soul-shattering iniquities still bedeviling our still feudalistic nation. A tiny elite (40 richest families, to be precise) has gobbled up much of recently-created growth, our peripheries are still sprinkled with violent insurgencies, and our state institutions are broadly hollow.

Marcos, Duterte not minor incidents in history

By: Crispin C. Maslog @inquirerdotnet
June 27, 2020

The ABS-CBN issue seems to have touched a raw nerve in many people, including Frankie Sionil Jose, Philippine Star columnist.

Much as I admire my friend, however, I have to disagree with him when he says that Marcos, Duterte---they are minor incidents in our history, but the oligarchic families will be with us much longer and will most likely be replaced by heirs who will continue to exploit our country and our people."

Marcos is not a minor incident in our history, for sure. Marcos had his chance to wipe out the oligarchy with the proclamation of martial law in 1972, but he squandered it. He did punish those who criticized him---the Lopez, Soriano, and Roces dynasties, but allowed Menzi and Elizalde to continue.

What Terror Looks Like

Patricia Evangelista
June 6 at 3:27 PM

I’ll tell you what terror looks like.

Four years ago, I stood across a house where five men had been killed. The families crowded outside. There were many people in that narrow alley, mostly women. Please, they pleaded, tell us who the dead men are. The cops refused, yelled at one mother, shoved another daughter. Then it rained, hard and heavy. People ran. The cops laughed. See, said one cop. He pointed at the sky. See, God is listening to me.

Three years ago, I went door to door to speak to families whose sons had been killed. They named a police officer. They called the deaths executions. One father refused to put his name on the record. His wife told me to use hers. She said it was the least she could do for her dead son.

Two years ago, I sat across vigilantes who told me cops gave them orders to kill. I couldn’t interview the cop they named, because the cop refused to comment. I couldn’t find the families of the dead. They had gone into hiding.

How 5 of History's Worst Pandemics Finally ended

Dave Roos
March 27, 2020

As human civilizations flourished, so did infectious disease. Large numbers of people living in close proximity to each other and to animals, often with poor sanitation and nutrition, provided fertile breeding grounds for disease. And new overseas trading routes spread the novel infections far and wide, creating the first global pandemics.

Here's how five of the world's worst pandemics finally ended.

Why a 2nd shutdown over coronavirus might be worse than the 1st -- and how to prevent it

Holly Yan, CNN
June 15, 2020


(CNN) It's an outcome no one wants, but could become a "harsh reality": a second wave of shutdowns. Weeks after, some states are seeing thousands more Americans get infected every day.

We're going to have to face the harsh reality in some states that we may need to shut down again," said Dr. Jonathan Reiner, a professor at George Washington University School of Medicine.

And the second wave of state shutdowns could be more damaging than the first.

"Because of quarantine fatigue, because of the economic effects of quarantine, another round of shutdowns might have even larger effects on businesses that may be on the edge of not being able to stay solvent," said Dr. Christopher Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington.

Which Generation are You?

The Lost Generation,
The Generation of 1914             
Births Start: 1890
Births End: 1915
Youngest/Age today*: 105
Oldest/Age today*: 130

The Interbellum Generation   
Births Start: 1901
Births End: 1913
Youngest/Age today: 107
Oldest/Age today: 119

The Greatest Generation             
Births Start: 1910
Births End: 1924
Youngest/Age today: 96
Oldest/Age today: 110

The Silent Generation             
Births Start: 1925
Births End: 1945
Youngest/Age today: 75
Oldest/Age today: 95

Baby Boomer Generation   
Births Start: 1946
Births End: 1964
Youngest/Age today: 56
Oldest/Age today: 74

Generation X (Baby Bust)     
Births Start: 1965
Births End: 1979
Youngest/Age today: 41
Oldest/Age today: 55

Xennials                             
Births Start: 1975
Births End: 1985
Youngest/Age today: 35
Oldest/Age today: 45

Millennials/Generation Y/Gen Next             
Births Start: 1980
Births End: 1994
Youngest/Age today: 26
Oldest/Age today: 40

iGen/Gen Z                         
Births Start: 1995
Births End: 2012
Youngest/Age today: 8
Oldest/Age today: 25

Gen Alpha                         
Births Start: 2013
Births End: 2025
Youngest/Age today: 1 
Oldest/Age today: 7


*age if still alive today


https://www.careerplanner.com/

Duuuuude? Scientists studied 100 billion tweets to find out why we stretch our words

By Katie Hunt, CNN
May 28, 2020



(CNN) — When we speak, we routinely stretch our words to convey an emotion or to strengthen their meaning.

Excitement: "Yessssssss!"

Fear: "Noooooo!"

Confusion: "Whaaaattt?"

We've probably been doing this since humans began to speak, but such informal language has rarely left a written record.

29 Out-Of-This-World Photos Of Mars To Blow Your Earthling Mind

By Erin Kelly
January 28, 2019

These amazing photos of Mars show just how varied — and not so alien — some of the terrain is on the fourth planet.


This image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows Aram Chaos, a 174-mile wide impact crater that lies within in the Southern Highlands of Mars.
NASA

challenge yourself by solving these mysteries first (before reading the answers at the last post of these puzzles). 

"The empty cell mystery"


How can Andy escape? REUTERS/Dario Pignatelli

Andy is put in a cell with a dirt floor and only one window. The window is too high for him to reach. The only thing in the cell is a shovel. He won't be able to get any food or water and only has two days to escape or he'll die. Andy can't dig a tunnel because it will take him much longer than two days to do it. How will Andy escape from the cell?

CORONAVIRUS

Why It Takes So Long To Make A Coronavirus Vaccine

This is what goes into creating a COVID-19 shot that can give us immunity against the virus. (Hint: It's a lot.)

By Jenna Birch
April 30, 2020

As of the end of April, the World Health Organization was tracking 71 coronavirus vaccines in preclinical trials, with five additional candidates already in clinical trials. Given how recently the COVID-19 pandemic began spreading, it might seem promising that there's already a lot of activity on the immunization front.

With so many potential vaccines in testing, you also may wonder why medical experts say it will take at least 12 to 18 months before one is ready to go. If a coronavirus vaccine did make it to market on such a timetable, it would actually be the fastest turnaround in history. Currently, that record belongs to the mumps vaccine, which was approved for use in just four years back in the 1960s. For Ebola, a vaccine took five years to develop.

These 6 Foods Are the Reason You Can't Sleep, According to a Nutritionist

Alicia Rountree
May 10, 2020



We pick the brains of models day in and day out, constantly prying into their medicine cabinets and kitchen cupboards in an attempt to uncover their elusive model secrets. In these endeavors, we hear a lot about eating clean and avoiding sugar, but rarely do we hear diet tips from a model who also happens to have her degree in nutritional science. That's exactly what we found in Alicia Rountree. The Mauritian model (she's got the island hair and bronzed glow to prove it) is also a certified nutritionist and restaurateur (she has to be able to put her knowledge into practice, right?), and today she's sharing her secrets with us.

Are you having difficulty sleeping and don't know why? Sure, we all have times when stress is the culprit, and we find ourselves tossing and turning all night. But stress may not be the only reason you're still tossing and turning. It may sound surprising, but the foods you eat can have a huge impact on your ability to get a restful night's sleep and lead to a groggy morning. Take a look at the foods that cause insomnia below, and try avoiding them if you find yourself munching on them in the evening.

What if I get a weird spot or bump during quarantine?

Grace Gold
May 4, 2020


The key to combating any type of skin cancer, including melanoma, is educating yourself on the signs, performing self-exams and seeing a board-certified dermatologist for guidance when that weird spot just does not look right. (Photo: Getty Creative)

May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month and May 4 is Melanoma Monday. Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States, and approximately 9,500 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with skin cancer every day. Yahoo Life is driving awareness with this expert-driven article to help people spot early signs of skin cancer at home.

If you've ever had a skin lesion zapped off to prevent or treat skin cancer, you're not alone; more people are diagnosed with skin cancer each year in the U.S. than all other cancers combined, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation. But just because we're homebound with dermatology offices closed to routine procedures like skin checkups, doesn't mean problematic bumps are also taking a quarantine from popping up. What should you do if you see something suspicious? We asked top experts to advise.

What Is 'Covid Toe'? Maybe a Strange Sign of Coronavirus Infection

Dermatologists say the lesions should prompt testing for the virus, even though many patients have no other symptoms.


Chilblains, the painful red inflammations that are normally associated with exposure to cold air. A similar condition has been showing up in Covid-19 patients. (Science Source)

By Roni Caryn Rabin
May 1, 2020

Before the coronavirus outbreak, Dr. Lindy Fox, a dermatologist in San Francisco, used to see four or five patients a year with chilblains — painful red or purple lesions that typically emerge on fingers or toes in the winter.

Over the past few weeks, she has seen dozens.

"All of a sudden, we are inundated with toes," said Dr. Fox, who practices at the University of California, San Francisco. "I've got clinics filled with people coming in with new toe lesions. And it's not people who had chilblains before — they've never had anything like this."

Duterte cannot build his way out of Philippines' economic troubles

Infrastructure will help fight coronavirus slump, but he needs structural reforms too

William Pesek
APRIL 27, 2020


Duterte's economy entered the battle against the COVID-19 storm on a weak footing.   © Malacanang Presidential Photographers Division/AP

As the coronavirus fallout hits global demand, the Philippines is turning to President Rodrigo Duterte's favorite growth stabilizer: infrastructure.

In recent days, acting Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Chua made clear that the rest of 2020 is all about BBB, referring to Duterte's signature $180 billion "Build, Build, Build" program. "We will be entering a new normal, and we will have to determine which of the BBB projects have the maximum impact," Chua told reporters last week.

Yet it is worth asking whether Manila should be more concerned about a different BBB: the nation's credit rating.

Practical advice for self-isolation from a former victim of kidnapping


Bosco Gutiérrez Cortina | Facebook | Fair Use

Dolors Massot | Apr 22, 2020

He was held for ransom for 9 months and not only survived but used the time for good, Now he's got tips for the rest of us.

Mexican architect Bosco Gutiérrez was held for ransom for nine months, after which he managed to escape alive. His case is interesting because of the strength he showed upon his return to ordinary life. Thirty years later, he's applying his experience to the isolation that most of the world is living in because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Gutiérrez began self-isolation with his family 15 days before his country's government required it, "in view of what was happening in China, Italy and Spain, and what started to happen to some friends who got infected."

To deal with a prolonged stay at home, during which we cannot go out except for basic needs, here is what Gutiérrez recommends:

1920

April 15

The Sacco-Vanzetti case draws national attention

A paymaster and a security guard are killed during a mid-afternoon armed robbery of a shoe company in South Braintree, Massachusetts. Out of this rather unremarkable crime grew one of the most famous trials in American history and a landmark case in forensic crime detection.

Both Fred Parmenter and Alessandro Berardelli were shot several times as they attempted to move the payroll boxes of their New England shoe company. The two armed thieves, identified by witnesses as "Italian-looking," fled in a Buick. The car was found abandoned in the woods several days later. Through evidence found in the car, police suspected that a man named Mike Boda was involved. However, Boda was one step ahead of the authorities, and he fled to Italy.

Police did manage to catch Boda's colleagues, Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, who were each carrying loaded weapons at the time of their arrest. Sacco had a .32 caliber handgun—the same type as was used to kill the security guards—and bullets from the same manufacturer as those recovered from the shooting. Vanzetti was identified as a participant in a previous robbery attempt of a different shoe company.

MAR 25, 2020

Social Distancing and Quarantine Were Used in Medieval Times to Fight the Black Death

DAVE ROOS

Almost 700 years ago, the overwhelmed physicians and health officials fighting a devastating outbreak of bubonic plague in medieval Italy had no notion of viruses or bacteria, but they understood enough about the Black Death to implement some of the world's first anti-contagion measures.

Starting in 1348, soon after the plague arrived in cities like Venice and Milan, city officials put emergency public health measures in place that foreshadowed today's best practices of social distancing and disinfecting surfaces.

"They knew that you had to be very careful with goods that are being traded, because the disease could be spread on objects and surfaces, and that you tried your best to limit person-to-person contact," says Jane Stevens Crawshaw, a senior lecturer in early modern European history at Oxford Brookes University.


A 14th-century Italian fresco of the plague, from the Stories of St Nicholas of Tolentino. DeAgostini/Getty Images

10 Online Scams You Need to Be Aware of—And How to Avoid Them

Meghan Jones

Swindlers may be following your every tweet and post, looking for a chance to fleece you. Here's how to confound 10 major online cons.
virus


MACROVECTOR/SHUTTERSTOCK

Free trial offer! (Just pay forever)

How it works: You see an Internet offer for a free one-month trial of some amazing product—often a teeth whitener or a weight-loss program. All you pay is $5.95 for shipping and handling.

What's really going on: Buried in fine print, often in a color that washes into the background, are terms that obligate you to pay $79 to $99 a month in fees, forever.

The big picture: "These guys are really shrewd," says Christine Durst, an Internet fraud expert who has consulted for the FBI and the FTC. "They know that most people don't read all the fine print before clicking on 'I agree,' and even people who glance at it just look for numbers. So the companies spell out the numbers, with no dollar signs; anything that has to do with money or a time frame gets washed into the text." That's exactly what you'll see in the terms for Xtreme Cleanse, a weight-loss pill that ends up costing "seventy-nine dollars ninety-five cents plus five dollars and ninety-five cents shipping and handling" every month once the 14-day free trial period ends or until you cancel.

Avoidance maneuver: Read the fine print on offers, and don't believe every testimonial. Check TinEye.com, a search engine that scours the Web for identical photos. If that woman with perfect teeth shows up everywhere promoting different products, you can be fairly certain her "testimonial" is bogus. Reputable companies will allow you to cancel, but if you can't get out of a "contract," cancel your card immediately, then negotiate a refund; if that doesn't work, appeal to your credit card company. Not all websites will lose you money–Youtube can make you a fortune.

Pandemics That Changed History

HISTORY.COM EDITORS
Updated Mar 23, 2020
Original: Jan 30, 2020


Universal History Archive/UIG/Getty Images

In the realm of infectious diseases, a pandemic is the worst case scenario. When an epidemic spreads beyond a country's borders, that's when the disease officially becomes a pandemic.

Communicable diseases existed during humankind's hunter-gatherer days, but the shift to agrarian life 10,000 years ago created communities that made epidemics more possible. Malaria, tuberculosis, leprosy, influenza, smallpox, and others first appeared during this period.

The more civilized humans became, building cities and forging trade routes to connect with other cities, and waging wars with them, the more likely pandemics became. See a timeline below of pandemics that, in ravaging human populations, changed history.

CORONAVIRUS AND THE WORLD
   
Region: Asia     

China, Confirmed cases 80879, Deaths 3139

South Korea, Confirmed cases 7513, Deaths 54

Iran, Confirmed cases 7161, Deaths 237

Japan, Confirmed cases 514, Deaths 9

Singapore, Confirmed cases 160, Deaths 0

Malaysia, Confirmed cases 117, Deaths 0

Bahrain, Confirmed cases 109, Deaths 0

Kuwait, Confirmed cases 65, Deaths 0

Iraq, Confirmed cases 61, Deaths 6

United Arab Emirates, Confirmed cases 59, Deaths 0

Thailand, Confirmed cases 50, Deaths 1

Taiwan, Confirmed cases 45, Deaths 1

India, Confirmed cases 44, Deaths 0

Lebanon, Confirmed cases 41, Deaths 0

Israel, Confirmed cases 39, Deaths 0

Philippines, Confirmed cases 35, Deaths   1

Vietnam, Confirmed cases 31, Deaths 0

Palestine, Confirmed cases 20, Deaths 0

Qatar, Confirmed cases 18, Deaths 0

Oman, Confirmed cases 18, Deaths 0

Pakistan, Confirmed cases 16, Deaths 0

Saudi Arabia Confirmed cases 15, Deaths   0

Indonesia, Confirmed cases 6, Deaths 0

Maldives, Confirmed cases 4, Deaths 0

Afghanistan, Confirmed cases 4, Deaths 0

Bangladesh, Confirmed cases 3, Deaths 0

Cambodia, Confirmed cases 2, Deaths 0

Brunei Darussalam, Confirmed cases 1, Deaths 0

Jordan, Confirmed cases 1, Deaths 0

Mongolia, Confirmed cases 1, Deaths 0

Bhutan, Confirmed cases 1, Deaths 0

Nepal, Confirmed cases 1, Deaths 0

Sri Lanka, Confirmed cases 1, Deaths 0

Coronavirus outbreak

Analysis: How close are we to a pandemic?

By James Gallagher
Health and science correspondent

25 February 2020


REUTERS
San Fiorano is one of the Italian towns on lockdown

Major outbreaks of the new coronavirus have suddenly been detected in both Italy and Iran in the past few days.

Meanwhile, cases in South Korea have surged making it one of the worst-affected countries.

The new coronavirus is no longer a problem just in China, with a small number of exported cases.

It has many people asking if the virus is about to become a pandemic and whether containing it is still possible?

A pandemic is a disease that is spreading in multiple countries around the world at the same time.

This virus "absolutely" has pandemic potential, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

But he added: "We are not witnessing uncontained global spread of the virus, using the word pandemic does not fit the facts."

Not everyone agrees.

OPINION
06 February 2020

Judge Andrew Napolitano: Despite his impeachment trial acquittal, Trump clearly guilty of a high crime

By Judge Andrew P. Napolitano | Creators Syndicate

"The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command." – George Orwell, "1984"

The Senate impeachment trial of President Trump ended not with a bang but a whimper. What different outcome could one expect from a trial without so much as a single witness, a single document, any cross-examination or a defendant respectful enough to show up?

Law students are taught early on that a trial is not a grudge match or an ordeal; it is a search for the truth. Trial lawyers know that cross-examination is the most effective truth-testing tool available to them.

But the search for the truth requires witnesses, and when the command from Senate Republican leaders came down that there shall be no witnesses, the truth-telling mission of Trump's trial was radically transformed into a steamroller of political power.

POOCH PROTECTION A dog wears a paper cup on its nose on a street in Beijing. In virus-hit Wuhan, pet owners unable to return to their homes are appealing to strangers via social media to ensure left-behind animals are looked after. —AFP

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/

OUTBREAK: 10 OF THE WORST PANDEMICS IN HISTORY

BY STAFF

Scientists and medical researchers have for years have differed over the exact definition of a pandemic (is it a pandemic, or an epidemic), but one thing everyone agrees on is that the word describes the widespread occurrence of disease, in excess of what might normally be expected in a geographical region.



Cholera, bubonic plague, smallpox, and influenza are some of the most brutal killers in human history. And outbreaks of these diseases across international borders, are properly defined as pandemic, especially smallpox, which throughout history, has killed between 300-500 million people in its 12,000-year existence.

A final note: The most recent outbreak of the Ebola virus, which has killed thousands of people, is still confined to West Africa. It may someday be pandemic, but for now, it is considered an epidemic — and is therefore not included on this list.

How to Prepare for a Coronavirus Pandemic

The Worst-Case Scenario Isn't Inevitable, But It Can't Be Ignored

By Tom Inglesby
January 31, 2020


A police officer at a roadblock in Jiujiang, China, January 2020
Thomas Peter / Reuters

When the first reports of a coronavirus outbreak hit the airwaves in early January, several dozen people had already caught the disease in or around the Chinese city of Wuhan. In the weeks since, the virus, nCoV, has spread quickly and the number of infections has grown by the day, even as Wuhan and other Chinese cities isolated large numbers of patients and quarantined some 50 million residents. At the latest count (as of Friday morning), there have been 213 deaths in China out of a total of 9,776 confirmed cases, and the virus has spread to more than 20 countries. On Thursday, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the disease a "Public Health Emergency of International Concern."

The epidemic is still in its early days, and its defining characteristics will take time to understand. The scale of nCoV's ultimate impact will depend on just how contagious it reveals itself to be and how lethal it is in those who fall ill—properties that cannot be precisely determined at this stage. The efforts underway to contain the disease in China and elsewhere could prove effective in the weeks ahead, and they should be fully supported. Yet there is a clear possibility that nCoV may not be contained in time to prevent a large global outbreak. Countries should start preparing for that prospect now.

What is a coronavirus?

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that are known to cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

10 Healthy Foods To Avoid Eating When You're Sick

Whether you have a cold, a headache or a stomachache, these are the ingredients to avoid (and what to eat instead).

By Krissy Brady
01/28/2020

When your sniffles and scratchy throat turn into a full-blown bodily fluid extravaganza, one thing's for sure: Feeling sick sucks.

But you know the drill. Drink plenty of fluids. Add ginger to the menu when nausea strikes. Get as many nutrients into your body as you can, even if they're only in liquid form at first. And once you finally work your way back to solid foods again, make sure they're not processed or sugary. Easy peasy, right?

Well, not so much. There are some otherwise healthy foods that have a reputation for making an already sick person feel worse because they exacerbate or prolong symptoms in some way.

Which healthy foods are the biggest offenders, and what should you eat instead? Read on to find out, but keep one caveat in mind: Everyone reacts to foods differently, even when sick.

If there's a food (or several) that made this list, yet don't bother you when you're sick, then listen to your body and keep enjoying them.

The heroines STEM: Ten women in science you should know


By Lauren Kent, CNN
January 27, 2020

(CNN)Science is often considered a male-dominated field.

In fact, according to United Nations data, less than 30% of scientific researchers worldwide are women.

Studies have shown that women are discouraged from, or become less interested in, entering the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) beginning at a young age. And according to the Pew Research Center, women remain underrepresented in engineering, computer science, and physical science.

But despite challenges of gender discrimination and lack of recognition in the scientific community, countless inspiring women in these fields have made historic contributions to science and helped advance understanding of the world around us. Many were not recognized in their own lifetimes, but their achievements have helped generations of female scientists to come.

We all learned about Marie Curie and Jane Goodall, but here are 10 more women in science you should know.

Your waist size may be more important than weight for multiple heart attack risk

By Katie Hunt, CNN

January 21, 2020



(CNN)Heart attack survivors who carry extra weight around their belly are at greater risk of another heart attack, new research has found, another reason why measuring your waist may be more important than stepping on the scale.

It's been known for a while that having a pot belly, even if you are slim elsewhere, increases the odds of having a first heart attack, but the latest study, which published Monday in the European Journal of Preventative Cardiology, is the first time researchers have found a link between belly fat and the risk of a subsequent heart attack or stroke.

The link was particularly strong in men, researchers said.

"Abdominal obesity not only increases your risk for a first heart attack or stroke, but also the risk for recurrent events after the first misfortune," said Dr. Hanieh Mohammadi of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, in a news release.

The most commonly used word in English might only have three letters – but it packs a punch.

By Hélène Schumacher
10 January 2020

'The'. It's omnipresent; we can't imagine English without it. But it's not much to look at. It isn't descriptive, evocative or inspiring. Technically, it's meaningless. And yet this bland and innocuous-seeming word could be one of the most potent in the English language.

'The' tops the league tables of most frequently used words in English, accounting for 5% of every 100 words used. "'The' really is miles above everything else," says Jonathan Culpeper, professor of linguistics at Lancaster University. But why is this? The answer is two-fold, according to the BBC Radio 4 programme Word of Mouth. George Zipf, a 20th-Century US linguist and philologist, expounded the principle of least effort. He predicted that short and simple words would be the most frequent – and he was right.

The second reason is that 'the' lies at the heart of English grammar, having a function rather than a meaning. Words are split into two categories: expressions with a semantic meaning and functional words like 'the', 'to', 'for', with a job to do. 'The' can function in multiple ways. This is typical, explains Gary Thoms, assistant professor in linguistics at New York University: "a super high-usage word will often develop a real flexibility", with different subtle uses that make it hard to define. Helping us understand what is being referred to, 'the' makes sense of nouns as a subject or an object. So even someone with a rudimentary grasp of English can tell the difference between 'I ate an apple' and 'I ate the apple'.

The killing of Iran's top general won't stop a war. The US and Iran have already been fighting for more than 40 years

Opinion by Michael Ware

Michael Ware is a former Time magazine and CNN correspondent who was based in Baghdad from 2003 to 2009.

(CNN)US President Donald Trump says he ordered the assassination on Friday of Iran's top general, Qasem Soleimani, "to stop a war." But that's simply not true.

Rather than stop a war, Trump just called Tehran's bluff and wagered all in with the single most daring American act in a conflict that's been raging for years.

No American president has ever taken the fight to Tehran like this. It's bold. It's provocative.

And it could set the Middle East aflame -- but it is most definitely not stopping a war.


The coffins containing Qasem Soleimani and others killed in the US drone strike are carried in the city of Mashhad, Iran on Sunday.

Don't abbreviate 2020. It's for your own good

By Harmeet Kaur, CNN
January 4, 2020

(CNN)2020 is finally here, and it's coming with its own set of challenges.

Not only do we have to break the habit of writing 2019, when we really mean 2020, but the dawn of a new decade also creates a unique opportunity for scammers, says Ira Rheingold, executive director for the National Association of Consumer Advocates.

How exactly, you ask?

The best space images of 2019

By Paul Rincon
Science editor, BBC News website
30 December 2019

With some blockbuster space missions underway, 2019 saw some amazing images beamed back to Earth from around the Solar System. Meanwhile, some of our most powerful telescopes were trained on the Universe's most fascinating targets. Here are a few of the best.

Up in the clouds


Image copyright NASA/JPL-CALTECH/SWRI/MSSS/KEVIN M. GILL

Nasa's Juno spacecraft has been sending back stunning images of Jupiter's clouds since it arrived in orbit around the giant planet in 2016. This amazing, color-enhanced view shows patterns that look like they were created by paper marbling. The picture was compiled from four separate images taken by the spacecraft on 29 May.

At the time, Juno was making a close pass of the fifth world from the Sun, approaching to between 18,600km (11,600 miles) and 8,600km (5,400 miles) of the swirling cloud tops.


KEVIN MCGILL/NASA/JPL-CALTECH/SWRI/MSSS

The image above shows swirling clouds that surround a circular feature within a jet stream region on Jupiter.

Eating in a 6-hour window and fasting for 18 hours might help you live longer

By Scottie Andrew, CNN
December 25, 2019



(CNN) Abstaining from food for 16 to 18 hours a day could be key to treating a variety of health conditions -- even if you've got to train yourself to push past the hunger.

A review of past animal and human studies in The New England Journal of Medicine suggests that intermittent fasting can reduce blood pressure, aid in weight loss and improve longevity.

The report functions as a road map of sorts for physicians to prescribe fasting as a method of prevention or treatment for obesity, cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

A rare photo of World War I soldiers paying tribute to 8 million horses, mules, and donkeys lost in World War I.

Rosmah Mansor vs Imelda Marcos: Who spent more?


Ms Rosmah Mansor (left), the wife of former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak, and former Philippine First Lady Imelda Marcos.

28 JUNE, 2018

PETALING JAYA — After the reveal of the value of luxury items seized in police raids on properties linked to former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak, as part of the probe into state investment firm 1Malaysia Development Berhad, comparisons to former Philippines president Ferdinand Marcos and his wife Imelda Marcos were inevitable.

In the 1980s, during the Marcoses two-decade rule, they made headlines for corruption and kleptocracy scandals, similar to the current controversies surrounding former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor.

Former Philippine First Lady Imelda Marcos was known for her colossal shoe collection and opulent spending, which eventually led to her and her husband's exile.

The Malaysian authorities said the total market value of luxury watches, jewellery, high-end handbags, and cash recently seized at properties linked to Datuk Seri Najib amounted to a jaw-dropping RM1.1 billion (S$372 million).

The jewellery alone was worth between RM660 million to RM880 million.

Which "First Lady" and her husband spent more? Find out in the face-off below.

Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV)

Epstein-Barr is the virus that causes mononucleosis. You might know this disease better by its nickname, "mono." It's also called the "kissing disease" because of one way you can spread it to someone else.

Even though Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) isn't a household name, you've probably been infected without knowing it. Lots of people carry the virus but don't get sick.

Multi-billion SEA Games 2019 fund follows Cayetano where he goes

The money trail shows SEA Games organizing committee chair Alan Peter Cayetano wanted control over the budget regardless of which agency the money is lodged under.

By MARA CEPEDA
November 29, 2019

AT A GLANCE

-Aside from his role as Speaker of the House, Alan Peter Cayetano is also appointed chair of the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (Phisgoc).

-The money trail for P6 billion worth of SEA Games funds leads to Cayetano.

-Phisgoc is a private entity that performs a function of a government office.

-Constitutional and ethical questions hound Cayetano's appointment.

COMMENTARY

Valuable takeaways from Justice Carpio's lectures

by Ellen T. Tordesillas
October 31, 2019

(The following piece was my remarks during the testimonial dinner given last Oct. 29 by some members of media for Senior Associate Justice Antonio T. Carpio, who retired Oct. 30, 2019.)

Sometime ago, Justice Carpio had a lecture on West Philippine Sea at the UST. Charmaine Deogracias of NHKTV, Dana Batnag of Jiji Press and I called up his office to ask if we could attend and we were told our names will be submitted to the organizer as his guests. So, off we went.

Charmaine arrived first and as instructed, she said, "Guest of Justice Carpio." The guard asked for her ID and she showed her Press ID. She was told that Media is not allowed and was told to go to the University's Public Affairs Office.

A staff in UST's Public Affairs Office said a media request to attend a forum at UST will have to be approved by the higher-ups and that will take time. Taking pity on Charmaine, she smuggled her to the auditorium through a side door. Charmaine then texted us not to tell the guard we are "Media." Just "guest of justice Carpio."

What Was Truly Unprecedented in This Week's Impeachment Hearings?

We've seen impeachment proceedings before—but not like this. We rounded up 5 experts on the process to tell us what we should have been paying attention to.


AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

By POLITICO MAGAZINE
11/16/2019 06:32 AM EST

t's easy to call an impeachment "historic," but what kind of history did we really see this week? Most of us couldn't answer that in real time, but POLITICO Magazine tracked down the tiny handful of Americans who can: The historians and legal analysts who specialize in the rare, high-stakes process of impeachment itself.

This week we invited a group of them to watch the Congressional hearings with an eye to what actually made history. They saw quite a bit of it unfold in the hearings on President Donald Trump's conduct around Ukraine, and the conduct of the Congress looking into it.

First, one historian noted that the way we consumed the news this week was completely unprecedented: Unlike any previous impeachment, we were all able to follow along with the inquiry as it unfolded and witnesses revealed new information. Second, never before, two of the experts pointed out, has an impeachment turned directly on matters of national security. By any normal standard that should strip the domestic politics out of the proceedings—except, as another historian pointed out, the Republicans in Congress have chosen to act as his legal defense rather than as serious fact-finders about his conduct, which is another historical outlier.

Spooky 'face' spotted in space by Hubble

By Ashley Strickland, CNN
October 28, 2019


This new image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope captures two galaxies of equal size in a collision that appears to resemble a ghostly face. This observation was made on 19 June 2019 in a visible light by the telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys.

(CNN)Although it looks a bit like an eerie, floating face suspended in space, the optical illusion spotted by the Hubble Space Telescope is really the result of two galaxies colliding.

Hubble took the image in June as part of its snapshot program, using gaps in its observation schedule to take photos of other intriguing targets.
The two glowing eyes of the face each represent the center of a galaxy. Young blue stars help make up the outline of the face, while other groupings of new stars seem to sketch out a mouth and nose.

Galaxies aren't the kindest of neighbors. They can crash into each other -- or one can cannibalize parts of another that comes too close.

Revisit Cory Aquino's Historic 1986 Speech Before The US Congress

11 times interrupted by applause, ending with a standing ovation.

By MIGUEL ESCOBAR   
Jan 25, 2018



When former President Corazon Aquino spoke before a joint session of the United States Congress in September of 1986, the dust was only beginning to settle. It was her first visit to America since the dictator Ferdinand Marcos had been deposed in February of the same year, and the Philippines was reckoning with everything his administration had inflicted. That included $26 billion in total foreign debt, and a communist insurgency that grew, throughout the Marcos era, from 500 armed guerillas to 16,000. We were just at the start of a long road to recovery.

So Aquino lodged an appeal for help. Addressing the House, she delivered a historic speech that managed to sway in our favor the vote for an emergency $200-million aid appropriation. In the moving speech penned by her speechwriter (and our current ambassador to the United Nations) Teddy Locsin, Jr., Aquino defended her reconciliatory stand on the communist insurgency—a sensitive issue in the U.S., given that this was 1986—and asked for financial aid towards rebuilding the Philippine economy.

In 1974, the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis published a paper titled "The Unsuccessful Self-Treatment of a Case of 'Writer's Block.'" It contained a total of zero words.

The deer placenta pyramid scheme and promoters who claim pills can help stage 4 cancer

Recruiters for Singapore firm Riway International have made some astonishing claims about their products

By Andrew Penman
29 NOV 2018


Amardeep Singh Sekhon

This seemed like too good a chance to pass up.

All I had to do was attend a free seminar and I'd get the chance to join a scheme making loads of money while having the satisfaction of helping others.

"When I say this will not only provide you with purpose and fulfilment but also true wealth and very quickly, I mean it," gushed organiser Amardeep Sekhon on Facebook.

Floccinaucinihilipilification—one of the longest words in the English language—is the act of estimating that something is worthless



https://www.quora.com/

Pentheraphobia is the intense irrational fear of your mother-in-law.



http://mentalfloss.com/

Sleep literally cleans your brain. During slumber, more cerebrospinal fluid flushes through the brain to wash away harmful proteins and toxins that build up during the day.



http://mentalfloss.com/

10 of History's Craziest Cat People

BY LIVIUS DRUSUS

Many illustrious historical personages had a beloved cat or two, but some of them were full-on crazy cat people, filling their homes with felines and far preferring their companionship to that of humans. Here are 10 famous historical figures who were unabashed crazy about cats.

New images show Mars as you've never seen it before

By Ashley Strickland, CNN
September 20, 2019

(CNN)One of the latest images of Mars looks more like cookies and cream than it does the so-called Red Planet.

A photo taken this week by the European Space Agency and Roscosmos ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter's camera actually shows north polar dunes on Mars.



Winter at the poles causes carbon dioxide ice to cover the dunes in a thin layer. In spring, this layer immediately transforms from ice to vapor and the defrosting happens from the bottom of the dune and works its way up.

This works to trap gas in areas between the ice layer and the sand. When the ice defrosts, gas erupts from the cracks and inevitably, sand follows. That creates the dark "cookies" part of the cookies and cream-style image.

A numbing medicine turned a woman's blood blue

By Ryan Prior and Scottie Andrew, CNN

September 20, 2019



(CNN)A 25-year-old woman walked into an emergency department in Providence, Rhode Island, complaining of generalized weakness, fatigue, shortness of breath... and an unusual symptom you don't see every day.

She was turning blue. Literally.

Drs. Otis Warren and Benjamin Blackwood wrote about the case in a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Thursday. Their patient, they wrote, looked "cyanotic," the clinical term for appearing blue.

Just how bad was corruption during the Marcos years?

The Marcoses not only ransacked the economy, they also flaunted their loot to the world

JC Punongbayan
September 19, 2019


 
We're 3 years shy of the 50th anniversary of Marcos' Martial Law declaration. Yet so many myths about the Marcoses still abound.

One is that Marcos supposedly holds the Guinness World Record for "World's Most Brilliant President in History."

Although that one's false, Marcos does have a legitimate Guinness World Record to his name: "Greatest Robbery of a Government" to the tune of $5 billion to $10 billion. This record has yet to be beaten.

You might wonder: why such a wide estimate of the Marcos plunder?

Waking at the same time each night reveals details about your health

It's happened to all of us. We get into a pattern of waking and sleeping that sees us opening our eyes in the middle of the night.

The room is dark, but sure enough, the clock reads the same time as it did the night before... And the night before that, and the night before that, and... Well, you get the picture.

So, what's happening? Why has your body decided to suddenly nudge you awake in the wee hours? It certainly can't be good for you.

29% of local posts now occupied by 'fat' political dynasties

Ateneo School of Government Dean Ronald Mendoza says political dynasties with members simultaneously occupying more than one elective post have grown by about 1% per election period since 1988

Sofia Tomacruz
September 14, 2019

MANILA, Philippines – Political dynasties now possess 29% of all local elected posts, growing by about 1% or 170 positions per election period since 1988, a study by the Ateneo School of Government (ASoG) showed.

ASoG Dean Ronald Mendoza presented findings from a study looking into political dynasties, term limits, and development which showed an increasing trend in the number of local positions occupied by members of "fat" political dynasties or powerful clans. The study was done along with ASoG research associates Leonardo Jaminola and Jurel Yap.

"Fat dynasties" – families whose members simultaneously hold elective posts – occupied 19% of all local elected positions in 1988. Since then, the number has grown across gubernatorial, vice gubernatorial, congressional, mayoral, vice mayoral, provincial board member, and councilor posts.

Facebook was the preferred social media platform of candidates in the last elections, perhaps owing to its massive use by the public, many of whom use "free basics." AFP File photo

Senate bill goes after online 'fake news,' but Tsek.ph data point to wider problem

Jake Soriano, Yvonne Chua (Tsek.ph)
September 14, 2019

More than three months since the May 2019 midterm elections, the matter of who won and lost on the back of mis- and disinformation still looms large.

Bringing the issue to the fore is a recent bill filed by Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III, which aims to combat "false content" online by penalizing its creators. The text of the measure mentions an instance where a hoax video showing a pre-shaded ballot "raised doubts as to the integrity of the automated election system."

An analysis of election-related mis- or disinformation flagged by Tsek.ph, a pioneering collaborative fact-checking initiative between 11 newsrooms and three universities, shows, however, Senate Bill No. 9 rests on certain assumptions, such as framing "fake news" as if it were only a social media problem where the problem persists both online and off.

By seeking to penalize only "false and deceiving content online," the bill neglects disinformation that spread through other vectors, which Tsek.ph data show were as prominent during the midterms as those on social media.

Daytime naps once or twice a week may be linked to a healthy heart, researchers say

By Amy Woodyatt, CNN
September 10, 2019


Researchers looked at the association between napping frequency and average nap duration and the risk of fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular disease 'events,' such as heart attack, stroke, or heart failure.

(CNN)Some good news for nap fanatics -- a new study has found that a daytime nap taken once or twice a week could lower the risk of heart attacks or strokes.

Researchers from the University Hospital of Lausanne, Switzerland studied the association between napping frequency and duration and the risk of fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular disease complications.

Tracking 3,462 people between the ages of 35 and 75 for just over five years, the report authors found that those who indulged in occasional napping -- once or twice a week, for between five minutes to an hour -- were 48% less likely to suffer a heart attack, stroke or heart failure than those who did not nap at all.

What's the connection between Buddhism and ethnic cleansing in Myanmar?

BY RANDY ROSENTHAL| NOVEMBER 13, 2018

How have Buddhists become implicated in one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world? Randy Rosenthal looks through history to understand how a religion of peace has become a justification for violence.


Muslim protesters burn an effigy of radical Buddhist monk Ashin Wirathu in Hyderabad, India, September 10, 2017. AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.


"It is not power that corrupts but fear. Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it."

– Aung San Suu Kyi

Understanding the Crisis in Myanmar

The scriptures of Judaism, Hinduism, and Islam condone, justify, and even sometimes encourage the use of violence. In Buddhist texts, it's just the opposite. Chapter ten of the Dhammapada, an anthology of verses attributed to the Buddha, reads: "All tremble before violence. All fear death. Having done the same yourself, you should neither harm nor kill." Another verse reads: "In this world hostilities are never appeased by hostility. But by the absence of hostility are they appeased. This is an interminable truth." A line from the Metta Sutta reads: "Toward the whole world one should develop loving-kindness, a state of mind without boundaries—above, below, and across—unconfined, without enmity, without adversaries." This principle of non-violence, consistent throughout the Pali Canon — the collection of early Buddhist teachings — is partly why many Buddhists are deeply troubled by the current situation in Myanmar — a majority-Buddhist country — where, particularly in Rakhine State, massive human rights violations are systematically being committed against the Muslim Rohingya people.

French rooster triumphs in battle over right to crow

05 September 2019


AFP/File / XAVIER LEOTY
Corinne Fesseau with her rooster Maurice in the garden of her home in Saint-Pierre-d'Oleron, western France

The owner of famed French rooster Maurice emerged victorious on Thursday from a legal battle with her neighbours over his early-morning crowing, with a court upholding the bird's right to sing in the day.

The case brought by the neighbours of Maurice's owner Corinne Fesseau has made headlines around the world, seen as symptomatic of the tensions in the countryside between rural folk and holiday home owners.

"Maurice won and the plaintiffs must pay his owner 1,000 euros in damages," Fesseau's lawyer Julien Papineau told AFP.

What Is Dehydration in Adults?



Dehydration Facts

1. Dehydration is a condition that occurs when an individual has lost so much fluid that the body can no longer function normally and develops signs and symptoms due to the loss of fluid.

2. Adults should seek medical care for suspected dehydration if experiencing decreased production of urine, fever over 101 F, seizures, difficulty breathing, or chest or abdominal pain.

3. Medical treatment of dehydration in adults may involve drinking fluids that contain electrolytes and carbohydrates, in addition to water. In cases of severe dehydration, it may be necessary to administer IV fluids.

UK, France, Germany 'concerned' over South China Sea tensions

The E3 countries seek to 'underline their interest in the universal application' of the UNCLOS

Mara Cepeda
September 01, 2019


MARITIME DISPUTE. A Chinese militia vessel identified by the Philippine Coast Guard during a patrol in Scarborough Shoal. File photo courtesy of the Philippine Coast Guard

MANILA, Philippines – Three European countries that are state parties of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) expressed their collective concern over the territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

On Thursday, August 29, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany – collectively known as E3 – released a joint statement on the "tensions" among coastal states along the South China Sea that could lead to "instability" in the region.

"We are concerned about the situation in the South China Sea which could lead to insecurity and instability in the region," said the 3 countries' statement.

The pros and cons of homework

The Philippine Star
August 30, 2019

There has been much debate over the last few years regarding homework. As an educator and a parent, I feel l have struggled in this area over and over, trying to figure out exactly how beneficial homework could be for learners.

As a student many moons ago, I recall thoroughly enjoying homework for subjects I excelled at and dreaded the ones I was weak in. All in all, the stress behind the whole idea of homework should be assessed fully by the teacher in charge.

At most, this is my opinion. As a young teacher, I taught a foreign language – Spanish. Because I grew up hearing the language at home, as a young student, one can say it should have been familiar territory for me at school. However, my parents and I never went through conjugations of verbs at home. Conjugations of verbs were always a big part of learning a foreign language and it was a side of the subject I honestly didn't enjoy at school even if my parents spoke Spanish at home.

Why You May Want to Avoid These 2 Types of Blood Pressure Meds

Experts urge a change in medication to decrease risk of death.

For people with high blood pressure, fluctuating readings are a warning sign that you might need to change medication.

New research presented today at the American College of Cardiology Scientific Session pointed out that two types of high blood pressure medications — alpha-blockers and alpha-2 agonists — are associated with blood pressure variability.

And these fluctuations are linked to an increased risk of death.

The researchers from the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Utah are encouraging physicians to prescribe other blood pressure medications to decrease mortality risk for their patients.

'Mysterious power over humanity': How cats affect health

By Alice Robb
Science of US


Story highlights

The cat is one of the most powerful animals on the planet, author says

Even if your cat doesn't give you toxoplasmosis, it may not be wonderful for your mental health

When a stray cat wandered onto the tracks of a midtown 7 train in New York City last month, the MTA halted the entire subway line until the animal was out of harm's way. At the same time, the U.S. government euthanizes millions of stray cats each year.

They're a disaster for the environment: One conservancy organization has called cats the "ecological axis of evil." American cats kill between 1.4 and 3.7 billion birds each year, and they've been implicated in dozens of mammalian extinctions. (The Australian government has funded research into the most efficient methods of cat control -- yielding products like a poison-laced kangaroo sausage called "Eradicat.")

Nearly half of house cats have physically attacked their owners.

August 22, 2019

Backgrounder: Eileen Sarmenta Was 'Gift' To Mayor Sanchez

As convicted rapist and ex-Calauan, Laguna mayor Antonio Sanchez is set to be released due to a new Supreme Court ruling on good conduct allowances, The Philippine STAR looks back at the controversial case that put him behind bars.

Epi Fabonan III 
Thursday, August 22, 2019


The March 15, 1995 issue of The Philippine STAR that shows the banner headline "Sanchez Guilty" following the conviction and sentencing of Antonio Sanchez for the killing of Mary Eileen Sarmenta and Allan Gomez. Photo by Epi Fabonan III, The Philippine STAR

As Mary Eileen Sarmenta and fellow student Allan Gomez sat and chatted in the front passenger seat of a Toyota Tamaraw van inside the Agrix Complex of the University of the Philippines - Los Baños campus on June 28, 1993, little did the two know the tragic fate that awaited them.

Both agricultural students at the university, Sarmenta and Gomez just wanted to go home after a busy Monday of classes. But as they waited for the van to fill with passengers, six heavily armed men commandeered the vehicle and took the two students. They were brought to the Los Baños rest house of then Calauan, Laguna mayor Antonio Sanchez.

Experts share tips on how to protect your credit card account and personal information safe from scammers who would use it to steal from you.

Ways to protect yourself from credit card fraud and identity theft

Maan D' Asis Pamaran
(Philstar.com)
August 8, 2019

MANILA, Philippines — A new breed of high-tech thieves can take your money with only a few clicks, using information you may have unwittingly given them.

Chino Rodriguez, a data privacy officer of a BPO company, explains how easily credit card fraud can happen.

"The easiest one is called social engineering, where they basically fool people into entering their sensitive information through ways like phishing," Rodriguez told Philstar.com in an interview.

7 Benefits of Baking Soda for Hair, Skin, and Body



Baking soda is a critical element in a lot of baked goods because it causes food to rise. Without it, all cakes and cookies would be flat bricks. You don't need very much baking soda in any given recipe, but the box it comes in is relatively large. Wouldn't it be nice to have another use for the product?

Well, there are actually a ton of things you can do with baking soda that don't involve baking. It's a pretty handy natural cleanser, for one thing. But even more exciting are 7 great things baking soda can do for your hair, skin, and body. Dollar for dollar and use for use, it is probably the most affordable and versatile health & beauty product around.

We feel confident in saying that these 7 uses qualify as actual life hacks. If you've ever been in desperate need of #4, you'll know what we're talking about.

A gay penguin couple adopted an egg in a Berlin zoo

By Scottie Andrew, CNN
August 13, 2019


Gay penguin couple adopts egg together

(CNN)After fruitless attempts to hatch stones and fish, a gay penguin couple at a German zoo may finally be able to parent a chick of their own.

Zoo Berlin officials announced that two of its male king penguins, Skipper and Ping, have eagerly adopted an egg. It'll be the pair's first chick, if all goes well.

The couple arrived together from a zoo in Hamburg in April, and their bond was evident as soon as they arrived, zoo spokesman Maximilian Jäger said.

In July, keepers decided to give Skipper and Ping a real crack at parenthood. One of the zoo's female king penguins laid an egg, but because she had never hatched her previous eggs, staff members decided to donate it to the pair, he said.

UP students discover cancer treatment in horn snail

Janvic Mateo
(The Philippine Star)
August 14, 2019


Telescopium telescopium, locally known as bagongon, is gathered from mangroves in Southeast Asia for food.
Images courtesy of the University of the Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — Compounds extracted from a species of horn snails, locally known as bagongon, were discovered to have properties that may be used for the development of a cancer treatment.

Students from the University of the Philippines-Manila, in a study published in the journal Acta Medica Philippina last month, found that certain extracts from locally abundant horn snails (Telescopium telescopium) may prevent angiogenesis or the formation of blood vessels from existing ones.

The blood vessels, according to the authors, supply oxygen and nutrients for the growth of cancer cells, making angiogenesis a significant mechanism of growth and spread of cancer cells in the body.

HORIZONS

Grace Poe's tragedy and triumphs

By: Richard Heydarian
Philippine Daily Inquirer
August 13, 2019

"Standing in the middle of the road is very dangerous; you get knocked down by the traffic from both sides," the late former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher warned.

For "The Iron Lady," leadership was a matter of conviction politics — pushing your policy priorities to their preferred destination at all costs, regardless of the magnitude of obstacles and depth of objections. Despite vehement opposition, Thatcher oversaw the vitiation of the social welfare system, the aggressive deregulation of the economy and financial liberalization at the expense of the manufacturing sector.

She was a woman of unparalleled conviction and steely will, confidently disparaging middle-of-the-road political posturing, especially in times of tortuous upheaval and excruciating transition. Yet her single-minded style of leadership also brought about tremendous suffering, especially among the working class, while weakening the foundations of the British economy in the long run.

Bitter melon — also known as bitter gourd or Momordica charantia— is a tropical vine that belongs to the gourd family and is closely related to zucchini, squash, pumpkin, and cucumber.

It's cultivated around the world for its edible fruit, which is considered a staple in many types of Asian cuisine.

The Chinese variety is typically long, pale green, and covered with wart-like bumps.

On the other hand, the Indian variety is more narrow and has pointed ends with rough, jagged spikes on the rind.

In addition to its sharp flavor and distinct appearance, bitter melon has been associated with several impressive health benefits.

Here are 6 benefits of bitter melon and its extract.

Duterte Faces GDP Headache As Trump Vs. China Hits Philippines

William Pesek
Contributor


Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, left, shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, before their meeting at the Great Hall of People in Beijing, China, on April 25, 2019. KENZABURO FUKUHARA/KYODO NEWS - POOL/GETTY IMAGES

Rodrigo Duterte's efforts to cozy up to China these last few years isn't paying the economic dividends the Philippines hoped.

It all seemed so simple in June 2016, when Duterte grabbed the keys to the presidential palace from Benigno Aquino. His predecessor drew Manila close to Barack Obama's America. In his six years in office, Aquino pushed back at China's territorial expansionism in the South China Sea. He even took China to international court (and won).

Duterte went the other way, engaging with Xi Jinping's China. In September 2016, he insulted Obama with a slur in Tagalog after the U.S. leader had criticized the extrajudicial killings that characterized Duterte's war on drugs. China, Duterte figured, was a better fit: deep pockets to help build Filipino infrastructure and a policy of non-interference with Duterte's domestic activities.

Mediterranean plastic pollution hotspots highlighted in report

07 May 2019


GETTY IMAGES
Plastic bottles are a huge source of marine pollution

Nine coastlines have been identified as the places in the Mediterranean most polluted with plastic, a report says.

They include top tourist spots such as Barcelona, Marseilles, Tel-Aviv and the Venice coast near the Po river.

The report by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) said all Mediterranean countries had underperformed in managing plastic contamination.

It said 570,000 tonnes of plastic went into the sea each year - the equivalent of 33,800 plastic bottles every minute.

The cat who saved a Japanese rail line


Children pet Tama, the original feline stationmaster of Japan's Kishi train station

Not only did Tama's sweet nature and photogenic features make her popular with commuters on the Kishigawa railway, but the 'cat master' became so famous she was knighted.

By Rob Goss
22 May 2019

On a bright May morning at Japan's Idakiso train station, a small cat basked in the sun as her photo was taken by a group of tourists before getting a tummy tickle from a toddler. While the white, tan and black kitten purred and meowed in the arms of a visitor, one of the station workers looked on with a grin, interjecting only to gently reposition the cat's brimmed conductor hat whenever it threatened to slip over her eyes.

"I sometimes forget
that she is my boss."

"Having her around the station makes everyone happy," he said, as the cat playfully swiped at a tourist's iPhone. "I sometimes forget that she is my boss."

Meet Yontama, the latest in a line of feline stationmasters that has helped save the Kishigawa railway line in Japan's Wakayama prefecture, a largely mountainous and rural part of the country famous for temple-studded hillsides and sacred pilgrimage trails.

Hurricane, cyclone, typhoon, tornado – what's the difference?

We take a look at  hurricanes, cyclones, typhoons and tornadoes.

March 13, 2019


Hurricane Irma from space.

What is the difference between a hurricane, a cyclone, and a typhoon?

The only difference between a hurricane, a cyclone, and a typhoon is the location where the storm occurs.

Hurricanes, cyclones, and typhoons are all the same weather phenomenon; we just use different names for these storms in different places. In the Atlantic and Northeast Pacific, the term "hurricane" is used. The same type of disturbance in the Northwest Pacific is called a "typhoon" and "cyclones" occur in the South Pacific and Indian Ocean.