H1N1 Swine Flu

INITIATING QUESTIONS
1. What is an epidemic?
2. What is a pandemic? An epidemic of infectious disease that spreads through populations across a large region.
3. What is an infectious disease?
4. What is a virus?
5. What makes the H1N1 virus a "novel" or "new" virus? Originally is called influenza virus and it affects humans. In Mexico there is a vaccine but only for type “A”. This virus has mutated and caused the growth of H1N1, which presents in pigs. It is called a “new” virus because it not only affects pigs but now affects humans too.
6. How do viruses mutate?
7. What does it mean that this virus has "parts" from other known swine flus, human flus and American bird flus?
8. How does that process happen?
9. How is the flu vaccine created?
10. Why are some viruses transmittable from human to human while others are not (avian flu)?
11. How does Tamiflu work? Tamiflu is an antiviral that has shown that it has some efficacy against this strain of swine flu.
12. Scientists worry that H1N1 might become resistant to Tamiflu. How might that happen?
READING COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
1. What is the most predictable thing about influenza?
2. How many people have died in Mexico? (based on the article as well as on latest news)
In the first article they include that 150 people have died of this virus.
3. Name 3 countries where swine flu has been confirmed in the last three days.
Mexico, United States, Canada and Costa Rica.
4. What are the symptoms of the swine flu? Commonly, this virus causes fever, cough, sore throat and nausea and can be deadly in some cases.
5. When was the outbreak of the Spanish flu? The outbreak of the Spanish Flu was after the World War 1, and it was the most deadly flu outbreak in history. It killed 50 million people and spread to all continents. There was another outbreak in 1976 that lead one to death, but there was emergency prevention programs that vaccinated more that 40 million people.

6. What percentage of the world population died of influenza then?
1% of the global population died of influenza.
7. Why was there an emergency vaccination program in 1976? They have seen the outbreak in 1918, and decided to prevent the same number of people infected before they could have complications.
8. Name a few actions the Mexican government has done to curb the spread of swine flu.
• Closed schools until May 6
• Cancel ceremonies in churches
• Closed many public spaces like movie theaters, bars, and clubs

9. What were the consequences for Mexico and Mexicans due to the actions taken by the government?
10. What industries were particularly hard hit?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Mexico has shut down schools and other public spaces; do you think that was the correct thing to do? Why or why not?
2. More people die from the regular flu then from swine flu, why do you think this became a big news story?
3. Why did people stop visiting Mexico? Why have Mexicans been discriminated? Do you think the fear of the disease is justified?
4. What questions about individual and human rights does preventing the spread of flu raise?

Bag of Tricks

I. Why are plastic bags so common?
People use them for the transportation of goods. It is considered to be one of the most consumer item in Earth, and an "icon of convenience culture". We use them as an alternative for paper bags, because with paper bags we kill trees.

II. In what other ways is plastic used?
In bottles, toys, plastic wraps, bags, etc.

III. What are the benefits of plastic bags?
They help us for the transportation of grocery, and other materials. They cost under 2 cents, while paper bags cost 4-6 cents. They are easy to carry and to store.

IV. What are the dangers of plastic bags? Hundreds of animals (including birds, sea turtles and marine mammals) die because of eating or getting entangled with plastic bags. They are made of petroleum and natural gas and also contain lead, a toxin. (in the inks and colorants of the bags). The air blows plastic bags away, and they can take them to trees or fences, and worst of all, to the oceans. One of the main and most important dangers of plastic bags are the ones that stay on the floors of the sea, killing animals such as shrimp and sponges. Plastic doesn't biodegrade. V. What has been done so far?
Only 1% of the bags are recycled world wide. In some places of the United States outlawed the use of paper bags, and with 40% of the materials are recycled in some grocery stores and pharmacies. In other places of the United States are considering taking drastic legislative action against the bags. In Blangladesh, because of the choking of the drainage systems, plastic bags have been banned since 2002. There is also the idea of taking your own bag to the grocery store.

VI. Has it been successful? Why or why not?
Yes, it has been successful but it is only 1% of all the plastic bags that end up in the natural habitats and affect all the animals in different ways; even though, they ay that every effort has been a big mass of confusion. The reason why the "blue bins" don´t work, is that all the job that the citizens do by putting their platic bags and materials in these bins, becomes nothing because they mix it with the regular trash. The best thing to do to recycle bags, is to take them back to the place were they were given to you.

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a. What are some of the potential benefits of charging fees for and/or banning plastic bags?

- Reduse pollution by encouraging reusable bags.

- They can reduce street litter, ocean pollution and carbon emissions.

- The proposal of Connecticut can bring a saving of 10 million for the Environmental Protection Department.

- The money that can be raised, can help to cleen up landscapes such as Anacostia River and the Chesapeake Bay.

b. What are some of the potential drawbacks of such programs?

- There is not enough support to put fees or to ban plastic bags.

- People have different goals based on the current economic situation.

- No state has imposed a fee or a ban.

- Some say that fees will increase costs and hurt businesses.

c. Which benefits and drawbacks seem the most compelling? Why?

- The saving one city can have in a year for important benefit.

- Some percent of the pollution can be diminished.

- There is no support from many cities.

- Some of these changes can affect bag businesses and current economic situation.

d. Would you support a local law charging fees for (or banning) plastic bags? Why or why not?
Yes, because from one little thing you can save the environment. People wont start to recycle or to use this laws, beacuse they think that they are small things that also can affect more the economy. Lots of small things can also make a difference and its not that hard to take a reusable or cloth bag to carry the groceries.

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1. Do you agree with this new law? Why or why not?
Yes, because it could be a good start of recycling and taking care of Mexico´s pollution. Its a good idea to give plastic bag industry one year to come up with new technology. 20 million of plastic bags are used in one day in Mexico City and the Metropolitan Area that affect world wide.

2. What has been done so far?
Nothing. As always, people have different opinions so they are planning it, seeing all the benefits that could bring. Also BIMBO is making an effort to use biodegrable bags in their packaging. This could reduce part of the damage if all of the plastic bags are like this.

3. What needs to be done to enforce such a law?
Talk with people, hear opinions and take care of every single detail; percent of people loosing jobs, for example. Also take about the fees and jail time.

4. What campaigns would you suggest? As Alfredo Lopez Machorro says "Instead of a ban, "We need to educate consumers to recycle." We could use biodegrable or cloth bags and would be much better.

Teenage School Killing News

German school massacre: Teenage gunman 'hated world'
Who? 17 year old Tim Kretschmer.
Where? Albertville secondary school, north of Stuttgart.
When? March 11 2009.
What? Teenager kills 15 people.
Why? He said he hated the world.
http://news.scotsman.com/world/German-school-massacre-Teenage-gunman.5063526.jp

Town reels from teenage killing
Who? Jeffrey Wise, 16 year old kid.
Where? in Minnesota Red Lake Highschool
When? Tuesday, 22 March, 2005.
What?first killed his grandfather and his grandfather's partner before heading to the school. There he killed a teacher, a security guard and five students and then killed himself.
Why? The FBI said Weise appeared to be acting alone and that his motive was unknown. Weise is reported to have expressed admiration for Adolf Hitler on a Nazi website.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4373661.stm

Teen Shoots Eight People Dead At School
Who? Pekka-Eric Auvinen, 18.
Where? Jokela High school in Tuusula municipality, north of Helsinki.
When? Thursday November 8, 2007.
What? A teenager has died after killing eight people in a school shooting rampage.
Why? Because of the posting of a video predicting a massacre on YouTube.
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Teen-Shoots-Eight-People-Dead-At-School/Article/20071121291987?lpos=Home_Article_Related_Content_Region_5&lid=ARTICLE_1291987_Teen_Shoots_Eight_People_Dead_At_School

Police chief: Teen shoots four, kills self at Cleveland high school
Who? Teenage kid, Coon.
Where? Cleveland, Ohio, high school
When? Wednesday October 11, 2007.
What? Teen shoots four, kills self at Cleveland high school
Why? Got in a fight before and got suspended.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/10/10/cleveland.shooting/index.html#cnnSTCText

Columbine Massacre
Who? Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris.
Where? Columbine High School Colorado.
When? On April 20, 1999.
What? twelve students, one teacher, and the two murderers were dead.
Why? Reasons unknown. Teens related with violence, and spent a lot of time together.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/famouscrimesscandals/a/columbine.htm

Student shoots classmate in Memphis school cafeteria: official
Who? Name wasn't published.
Where? Memphis, Tennessee high school
When? 10 Feburary 2006.
What? A student was shot by a classmate in the cafeteria.
Why? The teenager was bullied by another student and looked for revenge.
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5i76bLKJpzVhDIvxl6arqUuGLjD-w

HSBC Seeks $18 Billion in Capital and Cuts 6,100 Jobs

By JULIA WERDIGIER
Published: March 2, 2009
LONDON — HSBC Holdings, the biggest bank in Europe, decided on Monday to finally draw a line under its troubled subprime mortgage lender as it asked investors for £12.5 billion, or about $18 billion, of new capital to prepare for further deterioration of the global economy.
HSBC, which has not sought capital from the British government, said it would stop writing consumer loans in the United States and wind down the unit, formerly called Household International, which it renamed HSBC Finance, in the next five years.
The bank will retain its credit card business and commercial retail bank in the United States, but the closure of most of its HSBC Finance branches and the reduction of 6,100 jobs will signify the end of HSBC’s push, started six years ago, to grab a share of the subprime market.
In announcing the share sale for about $18 billion, the bank conceded that the acquisition of the business, whose increasing losses ate into group earnings last year, had been a mistake. But it also said it would have to continue to inject capital into the business until its closing as impairment charges were likely to increase.
“With the benefit of hindsight, this is an acquisition we wish we had not undertaken,” the HSBC chairman, Stephen Green, said at a news conference in London.
HSBC’s bad loan charges amounted to about $53 billion over the last three years, most of that from the United States unit. The bank wrote off $10 billion for the entire value of the American business, but the unit still has a mortgage portfolio of $62 billion.
Mr. Green added that HSBC remained committed to the United States, but now must rethink its strategy there.
Any new strategy would be closely linked to HSBC’s goal of further shifting earnings toward Asia, Latin America and other emerging markets. Mr. Green said any new lending business in the United States would be linked to operations elsewhere, like offering products to Hispanics in the United States by using existing networks in Latin America.
“The sensible thing for HSBC would have been not to buy Household in the first place,” said Colin Morton, an investment director at Rensburg Fund Management in Leeds, England. “But they are right to get rid of it, and now they should be in a pretty good position to get some high-quality business.”
HSBC said it planned to use part of the capital increase for acquisitions, but ruled out any large takeovers. The bank plans to raise the money it needs in a rights issue by offering new shares to existing investors. It has been fully underwritten by a group of banks led by Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Cazenove.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/03/business/worldbusiness/03hsbc.html?ref=economy

When? On Monday March, 2 2009
Where? In London
Who? HSBC Holdings
What? Asked investors for £12.5 billion, or about $18 billion, of new capital to prepare for further deterioration.
Why? To prepare for the economic crisis

News Analysis

1.Who is Robert Mugabe? How long has he been in power? How popular is he?
Robert Mugabe is the President of Zimbabwe. He has been in power since 1980 as the head of government. In 1980 to1987 as Prime Minister and first executive head of sate since 1987. He is known for spending money in his parties that should be given to the country.

2.Who is Morgan Tsvangirai? Whicgh is/ has been his political role?
Morgan Tsvangirai is the Prime Minister of Zimbabwe and President of the Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai. His political role has been opposite from Mugabe. He is preoccupied because of the hospitals and the citizens of Zimbabwe.

3.What happened during last year's elections? Which was the outcome?
Tsvangirai last year said Mugabe's birthday party was "a gathering of the satisfied few." But at that point, he and the president were preparing to face off in a hotly contested presidential election.
The out come was that Mugabe won the elections.

4.What is the economic situation in Zimbabwe? How do the people feel about this?
The economic situation in Zimbabwe is catastrophic. The cholera outbreak has worsened Zimbabwe's economic crisis.
People are desperate. They are suffering from a cholera outbreak, food shortages, and spiraling hyperinflation. The Prime Minister visited a hospital that needed $30, 000 to resume operating in the intensive care unit.

5.What do you think about the celebrations and the lavish party?
I think these celebrations are very unfair. While people are suffering from cholera and closed hospitals the President is enjoying of parties and celebrations. If people can raise money for a party, they can also raise it for desperate citizens who are suffering for water, food and medicine.

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a) Give the conflict a name and explain why you think it is a conflict.
Majorities suffering; minorities celebrating
While the President is celebrating and raising money for his own good, people from Zimbabwe are dying. Hospitals are closing and people from intensive care are staying with out medical help and are dying.

b) Who is involved and why?
Citizens and the President are involved because while he spends money citizens are paying for the consequences.

c) Explain in detail why the conflict has happened.
People don’t know who they are voting for. Crisis was already happening in Zimbabwe and the President instead of helping, is worsening everything. People obviously are in disagreement, and they are devastated because of the health and economic crisis.

d) Give a timeline of events (at least 5) related to the conflict.

1)Mugabe's ZANU-PF party said it raised at least $250,000 to hold the party in Mugabe's hometown of Chinhoyi.
2)Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai visited a hospital's closed intensive care unit that he said needed $30,000 to resume operating.
3)Mugabe announced that his controversial land reform would not be reversed.
4)February 21: Mugabe's birthday
5)Once a darling of Zimbabwe, Mugabe is blamed for driving the country into a meltdown.
6)A cholera epidemic that broke out in August has since hit every corner of the country, killing 3,731 people and infecting nearly 80,000,
7)On Sunday, Tsvangirai appealed to the international community to help Zimbabwe's crippled economy, saying it would take $5 billion to stabilize the country
8)The cholera outbreak has worsened Zimbabwe's economic crisis

e) How do you think this conflict can be solved and why?
The problem can be solved getting this President out of the power and taking extreme decisions to save this country. I think people should be happy to have someone were they can feel security and not like Mugabe and his party.

Conflict: Health problems and shelled hospitals in North Sri Lanka

1. Sri Lanka
2. Conflict: Health problems and shelled hospitals in North Sri Lanka
3. Aid groups: Sri Lanka situation 'nightmarish'

(CNN) -- International humanitarian aid agencies called Monday for increased access to the "nightmarish situation" in northern Sri Lanka, where government forces and Tamil rebels are locked in battle. Hundreds of thousands of civilians are thought to be trapped by the fighting.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/02/02/sri.lanka.fighting/index.html?iref=newssearch#cnnSTCText.

4. Sri Lana is living a "nightmarish" situation, begging for hospitals and medical help after being shelled. Sarah Crowe of UNICEF said that they will be arriving shortly with help. IN the past 3 days, more than 200 civilians (including 30 children) were wounded by the attacks. On Thursday, the U.N workers recued 155 critically injured people. Also, they are suffering for clean water, sanitation and food, what is creating a crisis. The Tamil Tigers, have been fighting since 1983 for independent homeland and have left more than 70,000 people dead.

5. The president of Sri Lanka Mahinda Rajapaksa, is trying to eliminate the Tamil Tigers, a known terrorist/rebel group. This is taking lives of civilians, and as a consecuence Sri Lanka has lots of war wounded people, (mostly civilians) inculing a large amount of children under age and adults. Different hospitals were shelled, leaving people that need medical treatment dying. The UN said that they will shortly arrive with help within a couple days.

6. The roots of the conflict are that they have been having problems with the Tamil Tigers (Part of the island's minority Tamils, an ethnic group that has lived on the island for centuries since their ancestors came over from southern India and known as a rebel group). The government began trying to suppress the Tamil Tigers in the north and east while the Tigers launched terrorist attacks in the capital of Colombo and elsewhere.

7.

a) Who is involved in the conflict?

Civilian people incuding children and adults.

b) Where is it happening?

In the hospitals of the North part of Sri Lanka.

c) When did it happen and how long has it been going on?

Hospitals began to be shelled since Febuary 3rd of this year and until today.

Pakistan: A Nation Divided

Pakistan's political situation is an ever-changing landscape. Despite sharing the same religion, the population is divided into many different ethnicities, sects of Islam, and languages. Its long, complex history includes invasions since 5000 BC and a variety of governments in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Which is its location? What countries does it border with?
Pakistan is located in South Asia and its borders are Central Asia and the Middle East.

What does the geography say about the country? There are different types of natural features range from the sandy beaches, lagoons, and mangrove swamps of the southern coast to preserved beautiful moist temperate forests and the icy peaks of the Himalaya, Karakoram and Hindu Kush mountains in the north. Most areas of Punjab and parts of Sindh are fertile plains where agriculture is of great importance. Climate cold winters and hot summers in the north and a mild climate in the south, moderated by the influence of the ocean.

What is the dominant religion? Which other exist?
Muslims (97%), Sunni Muslims constitute 77 percent of the population and that devotees of Shia Islam make up an additional 20 percent. Christians, Hindus, and members of other religions each account for about 1 percent of the population.

What are the different ethnic groups?
Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashtun, Baloch, and Muhajir.

Which ones are the main customs and traditions? Pakistan has a rich and unique culture that has preserved established traditions throughout history. Many cultural practices, foods, monuments, and shrines were inherited from the rule of Muslim Mughal and Afghan emperors. The national dress of shalwar qamiz is originally of Central Asian origin derived from Turko-Iranian nomadic invaders and is today worn in all parts of Pakistan. Women wear brightly coloured shalwar qamiz, while men often wear solid-coloured ones. In cities western dress is also popular among the youth and the business sector.

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How is this his life different from yours?
It is different because I have friends of the opposite sex and there is no problem. I go to parties and I don’t know much about politics as Minhaj does, because when he doesn’t go out with friends he stays in his dorm reading.

Which custom caught your attention?
The custom that caught my attention was that he couldn’t be with girls, even with friends. He also couldn’t be near a friend that had a girlfriend.

How does his religion affect his way of acting?
People know that he is very intelligent, he reads a lot and he is part of the football team, but he goes to parties just to say hello and he leaves. He can’t get along with girls and obviously he can’t have girlfriend. He even describes himself as a geek when he doesn’t go out with friends, and on weekends he goes home.

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Aabharana Dalaja

Religion: Hindu
Ethnicity: Sindhi

How often do you go to a religious service? Where? What happens there?
The vast majority of Hindus engage in religious rituals on a daily basis, most Hindus observe religious rituals at home, but rituals greatly vary among regions, villages, and individuals.
We meditate, but also one of the most important and typical religious action is purification, which is done usually with water.

Do you know anyone of a different religion? How do you get along? I know people from other religions, but I mostly spend time in rituals with hindus.

Do boys and girls hang out socially? Do you go to parties? No. We are not permitted to go out with boys. We have to cover ourselves up. The only parties that we go to are religious and ritual ones.

How many people live in your house? How do you interact?
My dad, my brother and my mother live in my house. My dad and my brother are together most of the time, well when my brother is home from school. My mom and I stay at home doing daily chores.

Who goes to school in your family?
Only my dad went to school. My brother does too, and when I ask my dad why, he tells me that Pakistan has never had a systematic, nationally coordinated effort to improve female primary education, although its poor standing.

How do you dress?
I dress mainly with a sari. Saris come in a whole range of regional styles, and are made from cotton, silk or nylon. There are different regional ways of wearing a sari, although the "nivi" style has become very popular recently. Most women still dress like this. I also wear Shalwar Qameez (dress with trousers) and a Chador on their heads.

Which ones are your daily chores?
Devout Hindus perform daily chores such as worshiping at the dawn after bathing (usually at a family temple, and typically includes lighting a lamp and offering foodstuffs before the images of divinity), recitation from religious scripts, singing devotional hymns, meditation, chanting mantras, reciting scriptures etc.

What does it mean to be belong to your ethnic group? Sindhis are a Sindhi speaking socio-ethnic group of people originating from Sindh, now a province of Pakistan. Sindhis living in Pakistan are predominantly Muslim but there is a significant number of Hindus Sindhis, and a small minority of Christians. Most Hindu Sindhis migrated to India in 1948, following creation of the Islamic state of Pakistan in 1947. These Hindu Sindhis are presently a small but visible minority in India.

Where are your relatives from? From Pakistan, but most of them migrated to India.

Do you hang out with people of other ethnicities? How do you get along? I know a few people. I dont get along with them because I spend more time with Sindhis.

Do you have to marry someone of your same ethnicity? Yes, its a tradition to marry someone from our same ethnicity.

Describe a typical tradition.
An important part of ritual purification in Hinduism is the bathing of the entire body, particularly in rivers considered holy such as the Ganges; it is is considered auspicious to perform this form of purification before any festival, and it is also practised after the death of someone, in order to maintain purity. Although water pollution means that in modern times there is a need for care during bathing in such rivers, the physical impurities within the river do not diminish the attributed power they have to bring ritual purity. Lesser aspects of Hindu purification ritual includeachama achamana - the touching and sipping of pure water while reciting specific mantras - and the application of a tilaka on the forehead.