Insect Invasion Bat News For All of Us!

This summer be on the look out for an extra 2.4 million pounds of insects out to get you! So far an estimated 500,000 bats have died from "white-nose syndrome," from a fungus that started in NY is making it's way to a cave near you!

Bats may be creepy, but they are an important part of our ecosystem. Without them the insect population will grow out of control, and fast. A bat eats it's own weight in bugs every day.

So to all you hikers and cave dwellers be advised all the caves and mines are currently closed for the year.

Adapted from
Foxnews.comForest Service Closing Caves to Stop Bat Fungus Saturday, May 02, 2009
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,518702,00.html

Animal News

This world is full of animals. Ever since dogs and cats started living together, mass hysteria has begun. The animal kingdom will no longer be the same.

The Homo Sapiens has decided to attack themselves in a vein attempt to become pack leader and unless action is taken to save them they will be threatened with extinction. Attempts from Mother Nature, through volcanoes, earthquakes, hurricanes and various other natural methods have not yet proven to the Homo Sapiens that they the only thing that separates them from the other species is the ability to think, instead of following natural instinct.

The Killer Bees met today with the Honey Bees at the Nevada Summit to start negotiations. The Honey Bee has been mistaken for the Killer Bees and have been under threat and their hives are being destroyed. The Honey bees are wanting the Killer Bees to not extend over the southern border.

The Nazi "super cow" the extinct European wild ox, which was brought back into existence in Nazi Germany by brothers Heinz and Lutz Heck, safely arrived in Devon. For more on this story Click Here.

In Reuters News:

Gay Elephant

Penny Tweedie reported Apr. 13 - Polish zoo is criticised for spending money on a suspected gay elephant which may not breed to help conservation efforts.

Cow Pee Soda

Stefanie McIntyre reports Mar 6 - A hard line Hindu organisation is testing a soft drink with cow urine, which many Hindus believe is sacred and has medicinal properties.

Killer Cat Roams Poland, lock up your pigs!

Sonia Legg reports. Mar 25 - Residents in south western Poland are living in fear of a mysterious predator blamed for attacking and killing livestock over the past few days.

The animal is thought to be a rare snow leopard. It's has been sighted numerous times around Opole and has even been recorded on a mobile phone camera by a resident of Biala village. At another location, a driver informed the police that a big cat had jumped over his moving car while chasing a deer.

Experts Agree Giant, Razor-Clawed Bioengineered Crabs Pose No Threat

Egads! Could there be an H5N1 Pandemic?

As each day, months, then years pass, we get further and further away from any memory of Pandemic episodes. We take for granted our vaccines and health care of today.

The Antonine Plague (165-180BC), small pox, killed up to 5 Million people and about 100 years later in it's second go around an Estimated 5,000 people were dying each day. As for the Black Death in the early 1300's it claimed the lives of 20 to 30 million Europeans in 6 years. The first Cholera Pandemic in 1816-1917 claimed about 40 million lives and there have been 6 more outbreaks since then. The Spanish Flu from 1918-1919 was unusually deadly and with in 6 months some 50 Million people were dead with world wide totals almost double that amount. Our Current Pandemic is HIV/AIDS which is estimated by 2025 will claim the lives of 90-100 million in Africa alone and it is said to be on a rise in Asia and America.

There is concern for pandemics in the future some due to antibiotic resistance, which is causing super bugs. But we must also remain attentive to SARS a highly contagious pneumonia and Influenza A, a.k.a. "bird flu" or H5N1. In May of 2005 scientists called for us to prepare for an epidemic arising from H5N1 which they say could reduce the world population by 20%. So far this has not yet happened. The Mortality Rate so far for H5N1 the Avian flu has been 61%: 418 cases, 257 deaths as of April 17, 2009.

Yesterday a six year old boy was the 24th death in Egypt and the first one this year. Egypt has seen 16 cases of bird flu this year. Currently a 4 year old boy is being treated with Tamiflu in the hospital. Let's hope and pray that this Influenza A doesn't decide to mutate and become easily passed between humans.

Adapted From
Wikipedia H5N1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H5N1
Wikipedia Pandemic
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandemic
Egyptian boy dies of bird flu from Rueters UK
http://uk.reuters.com/article/scienceNewsMolt/idUKTRE53K5TG20090421

Special Earth Day Edition

Earth Day Poop Out

The A.A.W., the Animal Association of the World, headquartered in Zurich Switzerland, issued a press release today laying out their plans for their Earth Day celebrations. They have called for the livestock to help reduce green house gases by not leaving a bowel movement all day on April 22, 2009. They had followed a strict diet for the past week, leading up to today, so that ensure the health and safety of their kind. The Poop Out begins 12:01am and will last until 11:59pm.

Facts and Trivia

The Earth:
- is the third planet from the sun.
- is the only place in the Universe known LIFE exists.
- was formed 4.54 Billion years ago.
- 70.8% of the surface is covered in Salt water oceans.
- orbits the Sun once for every roughly 366.26 times it rotates about its axis.
- shape is close to that of an oblate spheroid.
- has 1 moon.
- is home to 6,774,998,698 humans.

The Earth's increasing surface temperature will accelerate the inorganic CO₂ cycle, reducing its concentration to the lethal levels for plants (10 ppm for C4 photosynthesis) in 900 million years. The lack of vegetation will result in the loss of oxygen in the atmosphere, so animal life will become extinct within several million more years.

Adapted From
World Population Clock http://www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html
Earth from Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth

New Disney Movie In Theaters Today

What better way to celebrate Earth Day, then going and seeing a movie about the Earth. Today, Earth, a Disney Production is Now playing in Theaters. To make this even more enticing to go and see Disney is planting a tree for every ticket bought! How utterly cool is that?

To see the Trailer or to learn more click EARTH

Celebrations

Nickelodeon Earth Day Schedule

The EPA list of Earth Day Events

Health Around the World

Grisi Siknis = Crazy Sickness

Grisi Siknis mainly affects the Misikito people of Eastern Central America. Tradition holds that Grisi Siknis is an imbalance of the spirits caused by a dilman(evil sorcerer).

16 year old Anadina Smith was affected and explained to Nicola Fell,BBC News Corespondent, "One day at school, I felt giddy, and found it difficult to breathe, Then, I saw something coming towards me - a kind of black man or a dragon that entered me and possessed me."

Grisi Siknis is a "running" syndrome and is characterized by anxiety, dizziness, irrational anger and fear, frenzy, a trance-like state, exhaustion, and sleep and/or amnesia. Modern medicine has not been a proven cure. If affected by the Grisi Siknis a witch doctor is your best hope for a cure. The Grisi Siknis still occurs today on Nicaragua's Northern Caribbean coast. Read the recent article on BBC News.

Adapted from
Wikipedia Grisi Siknis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grisi_siknis#cite_note-1
BBC News 'she ran around like a maniac' By: Nicola Fell http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8007895.stm

Hang up your capes, Super Heroes No Longer Needed.

All the flying Super Heroes can hang up their capes. They will no longer be called on in the case of an asteroid on a collision course with earth. Amidst the other scenarios on how to save this earth from another cataclysmic disaster that killed off the dinosaurs, there is one that is quite plausible.

This September at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics SPACE 2009 Conference and Exposition in Pasadena, CA, the "Trajectory Diversion of an Earth-Threatening Asteroid via Elastic, Massive Tether-Ballast System," will be presented by David French and Andre Mazzoleni.


David French explains, "You change the object's center of mass, effectively changing the object's orbit and allowing it to pass by the Earth, rather than impacting it."

How? You may ask.

"Using a tether somewhere between 1,000 kilometers to 100,000 kilometers to divert an asteroid sounds extreme. But compare it to other schemes. They are all pretty far out," French says.

This is just another great idea that came from North Carolina.

Adapted from materials from:
North Carolina State University (2009, April 20). How To Deflect Asteroids And Save Earth. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 21, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2009/04/090416125212.htm

Fine Food And Dining

Ginger Ale is an Oxymoron

Ginger Ale may just be up there as one of the yummiest sodas. Ginger Ale and Root Beer are in the same family. Both are absolutely yummy, caffeine free, they taste the same whether it is name brand or generic and they are perfect for parties and picnics. They both also sound like adult beverages, yet are kid friendly.
Ginger Ale is an oxymoron. It is a liquid and liquids are wet, yet somehow Ginger Ale is dry. It actually feels like dry soda if there could ever be such a thing. Ginger Ale also should not be mistaken for Ginger Soda. Ginger Soda tastes just like a ginger snap cookie in liquid form and is not that pleasant when anticipating a sip of Ginger Ale. The fun thing about Ginger Ale is that it is easy to make fancy. I love to mix cherry or cranberry juice in to make it a fruity delight. I also think that it is a common soda to mix the alcohol with, yet I don't know much about that. This summer break out a can of warm Ginger Ale and enjoy! (oh wait, I may be the only one who likes warm soda).