Flying Pig Flu

A quick sidenote while I'm compiling the 20th century timeline:

A summary of the excerpt if you don't have time to read the full post:

• The H1N1 flu virus is actually a mix of 4 different flu strains: North American swine influenza, North American avian influenza, human influenza, and a swine influenza virus typically found in Asia and Europe --> that is, 1/2 swine, 1/4 bird, and 1/4 human
• The only way get H1N1 by eating pork is by eating infected pork
• The H1N1 vaccine does not give you the virus - it gives you a dead virus that your body learns to fight.
• H1N1 is more deadly to people younger than 30 - especially those with current health problems already --> thus it is very important for students to get the vaccine (schools are a veritable playground for germs; think of all the ways students interact with one another, get the germs, and bring them home for their siblings to distribute in other schools)
  
• The 1918 Spanish Influenza was also an H1N1 strain - though the current one is turning out to be less deadly (we also have better health procedures now)
• An epidemic is an infectious disease that spreads rapidly to a limited population, a pandemic is an infectious disease that spreads rapidly across countries/continents (an epidemic that is not limited in area)
  
• June 11, 2009: The World Health Organization labeled the current H1N1 flu a pandemic - the first to be labeled such since the 1968 Hong Kong Flu

Remember, the first steps to avoiding the flu are pretty common sense:

1. STAY HOME IF YOU ARE SICK - THIS IS THE EASIEST WAY TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OF THE GERMS!!! You can afford to take a day off to get better - focus on your health first rather than suffering for weeks and weeks battling the flu and infecting others
   
2. Take precautions: wash hands frequently and well (especially before eating)
3. Don't touch your mouth, eyes, nose, or any open wounds without first washing your hands - germs can travel into your bloodstream from any opening in your body
4. Cover your mouth if you cough or sneeze -- DO NOT USE YOUR HANDS! Instead, cough/sneeze into an article of clothing (NOT A HANDKERCHIEF TO BE REUSED AGAIN) - this way, the germs do not get onto your hands to be spread somewhere else
5. See asklittlestar for YouTube videos for demonstrations of the proper way to cough/sneeze
   
6. Germs can survive in the air after someone coughs/sneezes, make sure to keep your food/drink away unless you too want to become sick
   

This is an excerpt from the guy who writes the This is True Blog: Randy Cassingham.

The presumption in North America right now is that if you have flu this early in the season, you most likely have Swine Flu. (And I did get the regular "seasonal" flu shot last month....). And yes, I *am* going to call it "Swine Flu" rather than the "H1N1 flu virus" -- mostly BECAUSE I refuse to bow to the panicking pork industry's pandering to public ignorance. Yeah, some people actually think they might get "swine flu" by eating pork. It doesn't happen like that, of course, but pork producers are having their own fever, body aches, and shortness of breath over it, and demand everyone say "H1N1" instead. Pfui, as Nero Wolfe liked to say. The only way you could get influenza from pork is to eat *infected* pig meat raw, and that's already considered a completely unhealthy thing to do. And really: do ANY of you (outside the doctors!) have any idea what "H1N1" even means? Some of you may -- I do, in part because I was on our county's pandemic disease disaster planning committee two years ago, and I took the trouble of looking it up so I'd understand it. Type A influenza virus strains are categorized according to two proteins found on the surface of the virus: hemagglutinin and neuraminidase -- the H and the N. Each Type A strain is assigned an H number and an N number based on which forms of these two proteins the strain has; there are 16 H and 9 N subtypes known in birds, for instance, but only H 1, 2 and 3 -- and N 1 and 2 -- are commonly found in humans. "Birds?" you might ask. You likely remember that "bird" (or "avian") flu was supposed to be the big scare a couple of years ago. But this one is *swine* flu, right? Well, sorta: genetic sequencing has shown that the current H1N1 pandemic virus is an amalgam of four different strains: North American swine influenza, North American avian influenza, human influenza, and a swine influenza virus typically found in Asia and Europe. In other words, half swine, a quarter bird, and a quarter plain ol' human influenza, strains found around the world all mixed together. It's that mix that helps make it so easily passed around. (And when I sent out a note to some friends saying that I was recovering from Swine Flu, one of the wags, knowing the above, replied that it wasn't pure swine flu, but one mixed with bird flu, and thus it was more properly termed "Flying Pig Flu". Yeah: I like hanging around smart funny people. :-)

The 1918 "Spanish Flu" pandemic, which killed 50-100 million people in an age before jet travel, was also an H1N1 flu, but obviously it's not exactly the same strain; thankfully the current one is much less of a killer. The Spanish Flu also started with a mild version, but then came back much worse the next year. How did we know this year's H1N1 wouldn't do the same thing? WE DIDN'T. That's why it was so important to prepare, just in case it did. We dodged a bullet; we may not be as lucky next time. The media has done a poor job helping people understand all of this, and both apathy and panic has ensued. But frankly, it's VERY difficult to get people to stop and pay attention to the important stuff without freaking them out, so I have a lot of sympathy for the task. I've found most people don't even have a clue as to what the difference is between an epidemic and a pandemic. An "epidemic" -- from the Greek epi ("upon") + demos ("people") -- is an infection that spreads rapidly and extensively and affecting many individuals in an area or a population at the same time. (The key is that limited area.)

A "pandemic" -- from the Greek pan ("all") + demos ("people") -- is an epidemic of infectious disease spreads through human populations cross a large region: like a continent, or worldwide. Medically it doesn't really mean "all" people, as the Greek root implies, but enough so to be a real health problem. The World Health Organization declared the current Swine Flu a pandemic on June 11, 2009 -- the first global pandemic since the 1968 Hong Kong Flu, which killed about 2 million. (Even seasonal flu is a killer, though: it takes out up to a half- million people per year worldwide, about 36,000 in the U.S. alone -- yeah: every year.) My case was pretty mild, despite the shortness of breath. (I have a blood oxygen monitor that I use on EMS calls, and I could see that I was getting enough air; that was reassuring.) It may just be that I'm older. Seasonal flu usually kills older people, but the current Swine Flu is killing kids more -- aged into their 20s and 30s. The younger you are (and the more health problems you have, especially respiratory problems, like asthma), the more you need to get the vaccine. I've seen quacks on TV say that the shot will give you the flu (it doesn't: the virus in it is dead), or that it will give kids autism (long ago disproved: the UK "study" that "proved" that was completely discredited). Those quacks are betting with YOUR (and your kids'!) lives; don't let them panic you.

20th Century Timeline

Hey all, Little Star here!
I'm going to start a 20th Century History Timeline!
The articles will be contributed by myself, Lumina (her blog is luminousmushroom.blogspot.com), and Cayleigh Marie (and any other people who contribute will be mentioned in that post).

There are three topics covered - political/economic events, social/cultural events, and science/technology events.

To find all the timeline events, just look for the label "20th Century Timeline" or search for one of the three topics by looking for "Political/Econ", "Social/Cultural", or "Science/Tech

Thanks!
Little Star

First Walk on the Moon

Today marks the realization of humankind's desire to explore space: the landing of astronauts Neil Armstrong (first) and Buzz Aldrin (second). They flew to the moon in Apollo 11 with Michael Collins.

Here's an article from July 20, 1969, from BBC:
"1969: Man takes first steps on the Moon

American Neil Armstrong has become the first man to walk on the Moon.
The astronaut stepped onto the Moon's surface, in the Sea of Tranquility, at 0256 GMT, nearly 20 minutes after first opening the hatch on the Eagle landing craft.

Armstrong had earlier reported the lunar module's safe landing at 2017 GMT with the words: "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed."

As he put his left foot down first Armstrong declared: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

He described the surface as being like powdered charcoal and the landing craft left a crater about a foot deep.

'We came in peace'
The historic moments were captured on television cameras installed on the Eagle and turned on by Armstrong.

Armstrong spent his first few minutes on the Moon taking photographs and soil samples in case the mission had to be aborted suddenly.

He was joined by colleague Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin at 0315 GMT and the two collected data and performed various exercises - including jumping across the landscape - before planting the Stars and Stripes flag at 0341 GMT.

They also unveiled a plaque bearing President Nixon's signature and an inscription reading: "Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the Moon July 1969 AD. We came in peace for all mankind."

After filming their experience with a portable television camera the astronauts received a message from the US President.

President Nixon, in the White House, spoke of the pride of the American people and said: "This certainly has to be the most historic telephone call ever made."

Many other nations - including the UK - sent messages of congratulation.

Moscow Radio announced the news solemnly in its 1030 GMT broadcast.

As Aldrin and Armstrong collected samples, Michael Collins told mission control in Houston he had successfully orbited the Moon in the mother ship Columbia, and take-off was on schedule for 750 GMT this evening. "

Italy: Motivations for Entering WWI

The Great War for Italy began, technically speaking, in August, 1914. Italy had belonged to the Triple Alliance formed in 1882, which was composed of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. However, when Germany (and thus also, Austria-Hungary) entered war with the Triple Entente, Italy merely waited.

Italy’s government at the time was run by a cautious prime minister, Antonio Salandra. The Italian socialists, including Mussolini, pacifists and republicans demanded that the country remain neutral. Thus, on August 2, Salandra announced that Italy would remain neutral in response to the pressure of the citizens. He cited a clause that stated Italy was committed to defend Austria-Hungary and Germany only in a “defensive war” and because Austria-Hungary and Germany had begun the war, it was an “offensive war”. However, Salandra worried that Italy’s former allies would soon turn their eye on Italy. He ordered his chief of staff to begin building up their military forces and stationed them on the border shared with Austria-Hungary.

By October of 1914, Mussolini and several of his fellow Socialists had changed their minds about the war, and were kicked out of the Socialist party. The general mood of the public shifted to follow. In a secret meeting with Britain in April, 1915, Italy signed the Treaty of London and agreed to join the war on the side of the Triple Entente. In return for her declaration of war against Germany and Austria-Hungary, the British government immediately pledged £50 million and a pledge to support Italy’s territorial demands following the war..


Bibliography
"Feature Articles: The Causes of World War One." First World War. 27 Mar. 2004. 7 July http://www.firstworldwar.com/origins/causes.htm

"Italy and the First World War." Spartacus Educational. 7 July 2009 http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FWWitalyW.htm

"Italy and World War One." History Learning Site. 7 July 2009 http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/italy_and_world_war_one.htm

Chinese Lunar New Year

Here's a quick little post for you all.

January 26th was the Lunar New Year. In China, January 26th began the Year of the Ox on the Chinese Lunar Calendar.

Here are some pictures that I have collected from sina.com, a website focusing on Chinese news and news around the world from a Chinese perspective. By clicking on the link, you will be directed to the English version rather than the Chinese.
:)

The link to the Lunar New Year information on sina.com is here: Spring Festival

On both sites, you can find pictures and articles about the Chinese New Year as well as many other news stories. Enjoy!


**NOTE:
I realize this is not what I usually post, however, this is a topic that I will go into more detail later. I apologize for its brevity now, but I promise that I'll expand it as soon as I can.
Little Star

Inauguration

All right, I admit, it's a little harder than expected to blog about ALL the current events as soon as they are current, but...I managed to scrape together some facts about the Inauguration!


First, in case I don't explain well enough, or if you want to check my sources, here are the websites that I used: inaugural.senate.gov/history and merriam-webster.com. In addition, throughout the post, there are links that will take you to a page with more information when clicked, these are the underlined words/phrases.


Let's start with the derivation of the word "Inauguration"
The word "inauguration" is derived from the Latin word inauguratus (the perfect passive participle of inaugurare). Inaugurare, in turn, is literally "to practice augury" - the combination of in and augurare (to augur - an official diviner of ancient, one held to foretell events by omens) from merriam-webster.com.


Next, we'll take a look at the Inauguration Day activities.
Inauguration Day has many sides to it. Not only the publicized events, but also the private ones that go on behind the scenes at the White House.
We'll start with publicized events.
Morning Worship Service
Started by FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt, the day begins with morning worship service. St. John's Church in DC is a favorite due to its proximity to the White House and Capitol.

Procession to the Capitol
Next, the outgoing President accompanies the president elect to the Capitol for the inauguration. Following the presidents are the Vice President and the vice-president elect. All are accompanied by their wives.

Vice President's Swearing In
Once they reach the Capitol, the vice-president elect will take his oath of office. The current oath of office that is used by the Vice President of the US (in use since 1884) is as follows:

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.

President's Swearing In
Following the Vice President's swearing in, the president-elect takes his oath of office. The oath of office that is used by the President of the US was set out in the Constitution (Article II, Section I) as follows:

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

President's Inaugural Address
Following the President's swearing in, he gives an inaugural address. Most inaugural addresses present the President's vision of America by setting forth their goals for the nation.

Departure of the outgoing President and Vice President
The new President and the new Vice President (and their wives) escort the outgoing president and vice president (and their wives). However, this is a relatively recent formality. Earlier outgoing presidents and vice presidents have left quietly without formalities before the luncheons.

Inaugural Luncheon
The President and the Vice President (and wives) attend the Inaugural Luncheon hosted by the JCCIC (Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies) since 1953. The luncheons actually started in 1897 (President McKinley), but was not as big of a deal as since 1953.

Inaugural Parade
The parade has became more and more elaborate over the years featuring high school bands, military bands, foreign dignitaries, and many more. The President and his family are accompanied by the Vice President and his family and special guests review the parade from a special viewing stand. This tradition dates back to the very first inauguration.

Inaugural Ball
The President and his wife are accompanied by the Vice President and his wife to the Inaugural Ball, which began in 1809 following James Madison's inauguration. This year, President Obama visited 10 Inaugural Balls held in his honor, each with a different theme. Clinton's 2nd inauguration (1997) had 14 Inaugural Balls, an all time high. The Inaugural Balls are planned by the Presidential Inaugural Committee.


Finally, we'll take a look at the inaugurations themselves.
Chronology
The inaugurations (until Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1937 when a Constitutional amendment changed the date) took place on March 4th - unless circumstances, such as March 4th falling on a Sunday, prevented it. Following 1937, the inaugurations took place on January 20th - once again, unless circumstances prevented it. It was changed due to the fact that there was a 4 month wait before the president-elect became the president: December, January, February, and then finally March. During these months, the sitting president could sign as many bills into laws as he wanted, granted that they were passed through Congress.

Facts and Firsts
The very first inauguration was on April 30th, 1789 - the inauguration of George Washington. This inauguration was the precedents for the phrase, "So help me God," and kissing the Bible after taking the oath (just to name a few precedents). On March 4th, 1793, at his inauguration in Philadelphia, George Washington's inaugural speech was the shortest yet at only 135 words!

On March 4th, 1797, John Adams became the first to be sworn into office by the Chief Justice of the USA. John Adams was also the first president to have lived in the White House (built during George Washington's presidency). The first inauguration in Washington, D.C. was Thomas Jefferson's on March 4th, 1801.

James Madison's inauguration was the first to be followed by an inaugural ball (singular for this inauguration) on March 4th, 1809. Previously, the inaugurations took place inside, however on March 4th, 1817, James Monroe was the first to take the oath of office and deliver his inaugural address outside.

To speed things up a bit, I will stop detailing each president's inaugurations and skip to those that were firsts. Martin Van Buren (1837) was the first to have both the president and president-elect ride together to the inauguration. William Harrison (1841) was the first to ride a train to Washington for the inauguration and also had the longest inaugural address yet (8,455 words). On April 6, about 1 month after Harrison became president, John Tyler became the first president to assume Presidency upon the death of the current President.

James K. Polk (1845) had the first inauguration covered by telegraph. Franklin Pierce (1853) affirmed the oath of office rather than swearing it and canceled the inaugural ball. James Buchanan (1857) had the first inauguration to be photographed (at least, the first known photographed inauguration). Abraham Lincoln's inaugurations (1861 and 1865) were the first to have a heavily guarded president elect and the first to have African-Americans participate in the inaugural parade, respectively.

Ulysses S. Grant (1873) had the coldest March 4th inauguration with a temperature of 16 degrees Fahrenheit. William McKinley (1897) was the first to have his inauguration recorded by a motion picture camera and the first to have a glass-enclosed viewing stand. It was also the first inauguration that Congress hosted a luncheon for the new President (and his wife) and the new Vice President (and his wife). Woodrow Wilson's 1917 inauguration was the first where women participated in the inaugural parade and the first time the First Lady accompanied the President to and from the Capitol.

In 1921, Warren G. Harding was the first president to ride to and from his inauguration in an automobile. Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933) and his wife, Eleanor Roosevelt, began the tradition of morning worship by attending St. John's Church. The following term for FDR was the first time a president was inaugurated on the 20th of January and the first time a vice president was inaugurated on the outdoors platform with the president. For FDR's 4th term (the only president to have 4 terms) in 1945, he had a simple inauguration ceremony at the White House.

Harry S. Truman (1949) had the first televised Inauguration. In 1913, Woodrow Wilson's 1st term, he suspended the Inaugural ball. Harry Truman (1949 still) reinstated the ball. Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953) recited his own prayer after taking the oath rather than kissing the bible. Lyndon B. Johnson (1963) was sworn in on Air Force One by a woman (US District Judge, Sarah T. Hughes) while flying back from Kennedy's assassination. Richard Nixon (1969) took the oath of office on two bibles (both of which were heirlooms). I guess he just wasn't religious enough to follow the oath - I'm definitely referring to the Watergate Scandal.

Gerald Ford (1974) was the first (and only - so far) unelected vice president to become president. Ronald Reagen (1981 - first term) was the first to have his inauguration take place on the west front of the US Capitol. Ronald Reagen's 2nd term (1985) was privately sworn in on Sunday Jan. 20th in the White House. On Jan. 21st, he had his public inauguration in the Capital Rotunda due to the temperature which was not only the coldest Jan. 20th (or around the 20th) inauguration, but also the coldest inauguration ever with a temperature of 7 degrees...at noon. In 1997, William Clinton's inauguration was the first to be broadcasted live on the Internet.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Well, it's a momentous day for America. This is day that Americans celebrate a man who was a visionary, a man so moving he inspired an entire movement (or at least magnified it and brought tons of attention).


But really, what does this day mean? What are it's origins? Why this Monday in January? Who was Martin Luther King Jr.?
To keep things relatively short, I'll be abbreviating Martin Luther King, Jr. to just MLK as much as I can.



Let's start with who Martin Luther King Jr. was.
He was born on January 15, 1929 as Michael Luther King, Jr. (though - as we can all tell - he later changed his name to Martin Luther King, Jr.). He attended a segregated public school in Georgia, graduated from high school at age 15, received a Bachelor of the Arts degree in 1948 (age 19) from Morehouse College (a distinguished African-American institution of Atlanta - both his father and grandfather had graduated from there). Following his B.A., MLK studied theology for 3 years at Crozer Theological Seminary (Pennsylvania) and was elected president of a mostly white senior class. Even then, he was showing signs of leadership and garnering respect. After graduating in 1951, he enrolled in graduate studies at Boston University and received his doctorate degree in 1955.

If you recall from elementary school lessons on Martin Luther King, Jr., he then met Coretta Scott whom he married. She is quoted as being "a young woman of uncommon intellectual and artistic attainments". They had 2 sons and 2 daughters.

Following his doctorate, he returned to Atlanta where his family had 3 generations as pastors of Ebenezer Baptist Church (Atlanta) beginning with MLK's grandfather (pastor from 1914 - 1931). Following MLK's grandfather was MLK's father, and in 1960, MLK joined the scene as co-pastor.

He was a member of the executive committee of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). In December, 1955, he accepted the leadership of the first great African-American demonstration - the bus boycott (lasting 382 days). On December 21, 1956 the Supreme Court of the US had declared the laws requiring segregation on buses as unconstitutional. MLK wasn't untouched by this boycott - in its duration, he endured arrests, his house being bombed, being subjected to personal abuse, and finally - emerging as one of the greatest African-American leaders (a leader of the first rank, so to speak).

In 1957, he was elected president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (organization to provide new leadership for the now burgeoning civil rights movement) with its ideals taken from Christianity and its operational techniques from Gandhi.
During 1957 - 1968, MLK traveled over 6 million miles, spoke over 25,000 times (appeared wherever there was injustice, protest, and action), wrote 5 books and numerous articles, led a massive protest in Birmingham (Alabama - caught attention of whole world), directed the peaceful march on Washington, D.C. with 250,000 people (some historians actually believe the number was much greater) and delivered his most famous address: "I Have a Dream" (August 28, 1963), was arrested more than 20 times, was assaulted at least 4 times, was awarded 5 honorary degrees, was named Man of the Year by Time magazine (1963), and became the symbolic leader of American blacks and a world figure.

He received the Nobel Peace Prize at the age of 35 (making him the youngest man to have received it) and when notified of his selection, "he announced that he would turn over the prize money of $54,123 to the furtherance of the civil rights movement".

On April 4, 1968, where he was to lead a protest march in Memphis, Tennessee (in sympathy with striking garbage workers of the city), MLK was assassinated while standing on the balcony of his motel room.



Moving on the the day commemorating MLK.
Why is it on a Monday in January and not in April, when he died, or in August, when he delivered the "I Have a Dream" speech?

If you remember from above, his birthday was January 15. To keep the day from being in the middle of the week, the US celebrates MLK Day on the 3rd Monday of January - close to his birthday.

Soon after his assassination, the campaign for the federal holiday in his honor began. In 1983, Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law, but it wasn't until 1986 that it was first observed. Until 2000, some states resisted observing the holiday as Marting Luther King, Jr. Day and gave it alternative names or combining it with other holidays. In 2000, it was officially observed in all 50 states - 71 years after his birth.

For more detailed information about the date, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King,_Jr._Day.


Let's finish up with what this day means.
If you couldn't guess by now, this day is commorating the life of a respected man, who gave his life to help others gain their free lives. He was a contemporary Civil War soldier who fought for his Union, who fought for the freedom of the African American, and (either knowingly or unknowingly) also fought for the freedom of all other minorities.

A lesser known event is the national Martin Luther King Day of Service (started by former Pennsylvania US Senator Harris Wofford and Atlanta Congressman John Lewis - co-authors of the King Holiday and Service Act). This federal legislation challenges Americans to transform MLK Day into a day of citizen action volunteer service in honor of Dr. King. On August 23, 1994, President Bill Clinton signed the legislation into law.

As important as MLK Day is to Americans, it's also important in Hiroshima (Japan) under current mayor - Tadatoshi Akiba. He holds a special banquet at the mayor's office as an act of unifying his city's call for peace with MLK's message of human rights. In Canada, MLK Day is a de facto holiday - meaning that many take the day off, although it is not a federally recognized day off.


Sources:
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1964/king-bio.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King,_Jr._Day

Welcome!

Hey all!
Little Star's growing up. Here's where you'll be able to find out my views on current news.

If you're looking for the old content or new rants et al., you can find them at Ask Little Star.

Thanks for your cooperation!
Little Star