Throat Singing of the Tuvan People

RESOURCES: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuvan_throat_singing
http://khoomei.com/types.htm
http://worldmusic.about.com/od/asianmiddleeastern/p/TuvanThroat.htm

I have never heard of throat singing until now. At first I thought it was quite boaring, but then I realized that it is actually quite interesting. It originated in Tibet, Mongolia from the Tuvan tribe. They are located in the Republic of central Asia. They practice mainly Buddhism and Animism which involves the belief that all parts of nature are alive. There are many uses of throat singing, but for the Tuvans’, they use it mainly for chanting. Not only is it found in Mongolia, it can be found in South Africa, Northern Japan, and even South America! The aspect of throat singing varies depending on each tribes religious beliefs.
Throat singing is actually very difficult to master and takes years of practice. Whenever someone speaks or sings, the sound is created when air flowing in or out of the lungs is interrupted by the larynx, or your voice box. The vocal folds open and close to create a steady rhythm of waves which create the sound. When people speak or sing, your vocal tract (where sound travels) gives off certain frequencies when it reaches outside. With throat singing, you have to create an overtone that generates above or below the resonating frequency called biofeedback. To do this, you have to learn to control your vocal folds. You have keep the folds open shorter and closed longer, and when you do keep them closed it gives your upper harmonics more energy which creates a clearer sound. Some techniques that help gain better control is to keep your jaws forward and to narrow or pucker your lips. In order to control your pitch, there are many techniques. One way is to put the tip of your tongue behind your teeth while the middle of your tongue rises. Another way is to simply move your tongue! When you are trying to create low harmonics, you move the base of your tongue to the rear of the throat. When trying to achieve middle to high harmonics, you move the base of your tongue forward until you have created a space from the tongue to the epiglottis. The last way is to slightly move your mouth in careful increments to make it seem like you’re shortening your vocal tract.
With throat singing, not only do you need to know how it works, but you need to know that there are different types or styles of throat singing. The first one is called Khoomei. This is the generic name for throat singing but it is also a style. It is soft, has the effects of clear harmonics, and when it is sung, you can hear two or more notes. This is great to use when you want your voice in the low to mid range. Another form of singing is called Sygyt which is based on the mid range. It is very strong with the harmonics being on the higher side. Sygyt is usually used to perform very complicated melodies which sound like a flute! Ezengileer is yet another style of throat singing that is suppose to resemble the sound metal stirrups make that are on a horse. This is the most common of all styles which involves the opening and closing of the opening of the pharynx and the nasal sinuses.
It is fascinating how much effort it takes to make the noises when throat singing. It is also very cool to learn that there are so many different styles of throat singing. I wonder if I could learn to throat sing, but I think you have to be born into it! Maybe one day this will become the main communication of the world so everyone can communicate easily and with peace.

Check out these videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNb2ZDjeiU4&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTCJ5hedcVA&feature=player_embedded#!

Influenza Meets Its Match!

The flu. Everyone hates the flu. It is also known as the Influenza, which, according to scientists throughout the years, is a virus. This makes it absolutely, positively, indefinitely incurable, right?
Wrong.
This year (2011) scientists found a human universal antibody that could lead to a break-through on a cure for the pesky sickness.
Every few years, it is recommended to receive a shot for the flu. This does not make it impossible for the flu to enter your body – that would make it a cure and we wouldn’t have a problem. According to some biologists, however, it is a hit-or-miss situation, meaning it will help you . . . . sometimes. This isn’t exactly reassuring news, so the poor biologists have been stressing over how to make it accurate more often than not for quite some time. Right now though, the shot basically helps your body develop a resistance – like a wall – so it will make it harder for the virus to enter your system.
Influenza is a respiratory problem, which means that even though the stereotypical miserable trait is vomiting and nausea, it actually affects the lungs, windpipes, and nostrils, assuming you’ve got it bad. The flu is often mistaken for the common cold, but the flu is generally more severe and is an all-together different virus than the common cold. Also, a cold stands alone where Influenza branches off into several different types, such as Pandemic Influenza, Influenza A, B and C, etc.
After watching a video at http://drsamgirgis.com/2011/07/29/discovery-of-broadly-neutralizing-influenza-antibody-may-pave-way-for-single-universal-flu-vaccine/#axzz1VdHcttXD , I listened to a bunch of mumbo-jumbo on how the flu is scientifically caused. We’ll see how well I can break it down. Firstly, when the virus enters the body, it heads toward cells that border the respiratory tract and enters one of the cell’s ‘sections’. Because of PH changes, the HA proteins – whose duty it is to make sure the Viral membrane is not disrupted – part, making the Viral RNA susceptible to escaping and causing trouble. After it enters the cell nucleus, the RNA copies itself, and the new copies are joined with new copies of the Influenza, which had busied itself by replicating as well. The RNA provides the virus with the necessary chemicals it needs to attack your body.
This is where Doctor Antibody comes in, here to save the day. What this guy does, is when you receive the vaccination, it makes a beeline for the Influenza and attaches itself to the virus. This prevents the proteins from parting despite the PH balance and letting through the Viral RNA. So, overall, it stops the virus from doing much of anything until your body can get rid of the pest who’s pestering anyone it can.
Though this antibody is deemed “universal”, there are some doubts among scientists as to whether or not it is useful. But, for the most part, we’ve stopped Mr. Virus from making a fool out of us. We shall see where it heads toward in the foreseeable future.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influenza
http://drsamgirgis.com/2011/07/29/discovery-of-broadly-neutralizing-influenza-antibody-may-pave-way-for-single-universal-flu-vaccine/#axzz1VdHcttXD

Orchids

Orchids

Orchids, part of the Orchidaceae family, Currently boasting over 21 thousand species is defiantly something to marvel at. One of the more famous plants of the orchidaceae family is the vanilla plant. Also horticulturists have created over 100 thousand hybrids and cultivars. This truly is a very adaptable plant in all conditions. They occur in almost all habitats except the glaciers. The highest saturations of orchids is found in the Himalayan region within Nepel.

What are some charteristics of orchids? Thy are very easly distiquished from other plants, because they share some very prominent apomorphies some of these may be; Many resupinate, one petal is almost always highly modified, stamens and carbles are fused together, and the seeds are extremely small. Orchids are perennial herbs they also lack a permanent “woody” structure. They grow in two patterns.

Monopodial is the first pattern in which some orchids grow. This intails that the stem grows from a singal bud. Leaves are added from the apex, each year the stem grows longer accordingly. Stems of orchids with this growth pattern can reach several meters in height. Sympodial is the second growth patern. These plants produce multiple adjacent shoots which grow to a specific size. Then the bloom and stop growing to then be replaced. Sypodial orchids often grow more laterally than vertically, following the suface of its support.

Like most monocots orchids tend to have basic leaves with parallel veins. Vanillooidea although has reticulate venation. They may be ovate, lanceolate, or orbiculate. The leaves are also often fibrous. The structure of the leaves varies depending on the specific habitat of the plant.

Orchids have developed highly specialized pollination networks and thus the chances of being pollinated are often scarce. This is why orchid flowers usually remain receptive for very long periods and why most orchids deliver pollen in a sing group; each time pollination succeeds, thousands of ovules can be fertilized. Pollinators are often visually attracted by the shape and colors of the labellum. The flowers may produce attractive odors. Although absent in most species, nectar may be produced in a spur of the labellum, on the point of the sepals or in the septa of the ovary, the most typical position amongst the Asparaguses. One orchid genus, Vanilla, is commercially important, used as a flavoring.

The underground tubers of terrestrial orchids mainly orchis mascula (Early Purple Orchid)) are ground to a powder and used for cooking, such as in the hot beverage salep or in the Turkish frozen treat dondurma It has been claimed that the name salep comes from the Arabic expression “ḥasyu al-tha`lab”, "fox testicles", however, it appears more likely that the Turkish name salep comes from the Arabic name “saḥlab”‎. The similarity in appearance to testes naturally accounts for salep being considered an aphrodisiac.

Online juice book essay

So my essay was to find all the fruits of the amazon and put them into juice recipes. Now dont be afraid to try these wonderful recipes,and if you dont mind to travel to south america to find them. So lets get started shall we. with number 1.




1. 'Pupunha Strawberry Suplex'

Step 1. Cut the strawberry in half to get the juicy side of things.

Step 2. Take the Punpunha and that in half also.

Step 3. Remove the seed in Pupunha

Step 4. place in blender with 1 cup of any chose milk.

Step 5. Enjoy!

Ingredients: 6 Fresh cut strawberry, 1 good Pupunha, 1 Cup of milk

2. "The Tucuma Tangy Tornado"

Step 1. Grab your Tucuma and twist it intill juice falls out

Step 2. Have a bowl under it to catch liquid

Step 3. Add a teaspoon of orange juice.

Step 4. 2 Teaspoon of blueberry juice

Step 5. Mix with a a hardcore spoon

Step 6. Enjoy with a mini umbrella

Ingredients: 1 Tucuma fuit, teaspoon of orange juice , 2 Teaspoon of blue berry juice

3. "The Acai temple of Fruit"

Step 1. Take the Acai pick the berry off and into a bowl

Step 2. Mix it with a half a cup of mixed berrys.

Step 3. Get a large bowl out

Step 4. but the fruits and Acia berry together.

Step 5. Stir with grape juice added

Step 6. Enjoy again!

Ingredients: 3 Acai berrys, Frozen mixed berrys, 2 cups of grape juice.

The end !

Fern Gully

Summary: The fairies of Fern Gully, the last rainforest, are living happily in their rainforest. The logging team starts a new project of cutting down the fairies trees for more land to use. Crysta met a human who was the helping logging team. She accidentally turns him into fairy size. As Crysta shows him Fern Gully he realizes how much damage he and the loggers had done to their forest. He and Crysta try to stop the rest of the logging team from cutting down more trees. Then they find out that evil oil like creature named hexxus is released into the rainforest. He tries to destroy Fern Gully. Batty, Crysta, Pips, and the beetle boys try to stop hexxus. They succeed. Meanwhile, the logging team also realizes that what they are doing to the rainforest is not good and stop cutting down trees. Then Fern Gully and the fairies live happily ever after.

Theme: Be environmental friendly and don't cut down trees, and try to help the planet as much as possible to keep all the rainforest's healthy.

Cheers:

1. G-O G-R-E-E-N! Go Green

G-O G-R-E-E-N! Go Green

G-O G-R-E-E-N! Go Green!

2. Don't Cut Down, Not One Tree, For They Help Us Breathe!

Don’t Cut Down, Not One Tree, For They Help Us Breathe!

Don’t Cut Down, Not One Tree, For They Help Us Breathe!

3. A Forest Is Green, Don't Cut It Down, 'Cause That Is Really, Really Mean!

A Forest Is Green, Don't Cut It Down, 'Cause That Is Really, Really Mean!

A Forest Is Green, Don't Cut It Down, 'Cause That Is Really, Really Mean!

4. They're cutting down trees each and every day! 
Put a stop to this, take a stand today 
and send those loggers on their way!

They're cutting down trees each and every day! 
Put a stop to this, take a stand today 
and send those loggers on their way!

They're cutting down trees each and every day! 
Put a stop to this, take a stand today 
and send those loggers on their way!

Jai Alai

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jai_alai

Summary: Jai Alai is known as the world's "fastest sport because of the balls". It is a variety of Basque Pelota. The court consists of 3 walls (front, back, left) and the floor in play. It's considered an out if the ball touches the floor outside the walls. There are usually eight teams with two players each or eight single players. The winner of each point stays on the court to meet the next team. Losers go to the end of the line to wait their next turn. the first team to score 7 points wins the game. If the scores are tied, then the winner will be determined through playoffs. The ball used in Jai Alai has metal strands tightly wrapped together and covered with goat skin. The server on one team has to bounce the ball behind the serving line and then use the cesta (basket) to hurl it to the front wall so it bounces between lines 4 and 7. The ball is then in play. Since there isn't a wall on the right side, the players have to play right-handed. Points usually double after the first round. The sport remains popular in Florida (Dania Beach, Orlando, Miami, etc.). Jai Alai was popular as a gambling alternative to horse racing, greyhound racing, and harness racing. It was a very popular sport in Latin American countries and the Philippines because of its Hispanic influence. It's been banned because of illegal gambling, but returned to the Philippines around March 2010. The sport of Jai Alai is vanishing, but it's making a comeback in Florida (particularly Orlando). The sport can be very dangerous at times because the ball is travelling at high velocities which have caused injuries and even deaths.

Critique: In my opinion, this sport seems really hard to play because of the rules and how fast you have to be. I would not want to play this sport just because I don't want to get hit many times with a ball travelling at a very high speed. But, this sport would be great for people who are looking for a challenge. The rules seem really tricky, and to me it's like rocket science. Plus, it involves a lot of hand-eye coordination. I don't really understand though why people would use this sport to gamble. I guess this sport's not as popular as before because it's so hard that people would maybe give up and quit? I guess it would take people like a long time until they actually understand the sport unless you're a really smart person and you can learn new things really quickly.

Impact: This sport has caused a lot of injuries and some deaths. A lot of people even gambled on it, which kinda made it illegal as a result. It was super popular before, and now it's not really known to that many people. The sports in decline in America and the frontons have been losing money. So, this sport didn't really make an impact except for its brief popularity and how it was banned in some countries.

Biology essay

For my biology three page essay I was assigned to make four recipes combining at least one of four tropical fruits from the tropical habitat. The four are bananas, mangos, pineapples, and papaya. With each of these I made one dish/beverage such as a papaya smoothie, banana nut pancakes, mango salsa, and pineapple chicken. Below are the ingredients and procedures needed to make these flavorful dishes.

Banana nut pancakes:

• 1 whole banana
• 2 cups of Krusteaz Heart Healthy pancake mix
• 1 ½ cups of water
• 4 oz of Diamond of California chopped walnuts
• 2 dashes of nutmeg
• 6 dashes of cinnamon
• 3-4 drops of vanilla sweetener

1. Above a blender, gently cut the banana into fourths and toss into blender. 2. Toss in chopped walnuts and pancake mix. 3. Pour in all water and place the top on the blender and blend until the all the above ingredients are mixed well. 4. Add in six dashes of cinnamon two dashes of nutmeg and 3-4 drops of vanilla sweetener. Blend until smooth. 5. On a skillet pour in however much mix you would like according to how big you like your pancakes. When the pancakes start bubbling a lot that is when you know to flip the pancake, and for the other side just estimate the time length on how long before the skillet burns the pancake. When you think the pancake is done put it on a plate and place it in the oven to keep warm.

Mango Salsa (serving size for 4):

• 1 1/3 mangos peeled and cubed
• 2/3 medium green bell pepper diced
• 2/3 red onion
• 2/3 of a medium jalapeño diced, or small can of Old El Paso jalapeños
• ¼ cup of cilantro leaves or chopped cilantro
• 2/3 teaspoon of ground cumin
• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• 4-5 tbsp of lime juice
• 2/3 teaspoon of salt

Toss all ingredients together in a medium bowl and stir or hand toss the salsa until most liquid is soaked in by the other ingredients. Since there is no tomato sauce this is a good way to avoid tomatoes if you’re allergic to them.

Papaya smoothie

• 1 medium papaya cubed
• 1-2 cups of low fat milk
• 1 Yoplait cup of pomegranate cranberry yogurt
• 2 cups of frozen pineapple
• 1 medium mango cubed

Place all items in a blender and blend until smooth.

Pineapple Chicken

• 5 sliced boneless skinless chicken breasts
• Lemon & Pepper
• 1 whole cubed pineapple
• ½ red onion
• Paprika
• Olive oil
• Minced garlic

1. Spray a wok with olive oil, and get any excess oil off with a paper towel. 2. Season the chicken with minced garlic, lemon & pepper and paprika. 3. Place chicken and the onion in the wok and wait until the chicken turns white. 4. Once the chicken is white place in pineapples and wait 5 – 10 minutes. Once the dish is done serve it!

A good idea for this dish is not to throw in everything at once, it was practically mush. I would like to credit these two websites for helping me out: http://www.mango.org/en/mango-recipes/mango-recipes.aspx?recipeid=223 ; http://www.juicingforweightloss.com/smoothie-recipes/papaya-smoothie-recipes the second website is a great website for information on the papaya smoothie because it has many different benefits such as it prevents colon cancer and it speeds up weight loss with a few other benefits. Please check it out.

The ignored virus that causes Liver Cancer

Reference:

            http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2011/08/22/the_ignored_virus_that_causes_liver_cancer.html

Summary:

            Hepatitis G was discovered in 1995. With little research on the virus, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) passed it as a non-harmful virus in 1997. Saudi Arabia Researchers suggested that the Food and Drug Administration may have made the wrong decision about this virus.

            After going over the donated blood that was not screened for the virus as well as infection, has led to an increase in cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer. Hepatitis G was renamed as GB virus C (GB-C).  This virus has now been put in the flaviviridae family but hasn’t been assigned to a genus.

Critique:

            I feel that the Food and Drug Administration should have taken more time to research this virus in the first place. Having people think that this virus was non-harmful would have led people to think they don’t need to wash their hands another time or clean their pens after someone had barrowed them.

Impact:

            The impact of Hepatitis G or as now called GB-C would be people getting sick with this liver cancer and not knowing what is it neither the doctors trying to cure it. I can’t even imagine how a person who could have had this cancer not knowing what it is neither the doctors would feel. This would also cause a fear in patients in trusting their doctor to tell you what you have or how to cure it. Whenever researchers find another virus of any type that has not been discovered should take a second look at it just in case.

Organic diet vs. Non organic diet

Organic or Non organic foods is a big controversy around the world. People have argued that fast food is better because its fast and its cheap, while others have argued that some of the foods being served does more damage than good and you can just has easily get cheap organic food.

Fast food is an ever growing industry in our society. It is an easy way to get food and its cheap. However is it really edible? The ingredients used to make the fast food is a long long list. Many farmers put hormones and toxic pesticides in their crops to kill the pests and ensure that their product stays “fresh” longer. These crops are the crops that fast food industries end up using and we has consumers end up eating. If not washed properly these chemicals can be harmful if eaten.

Organic foods is a healthier option and is just has easy to come by has fast food as long has you know where to go. Organic food is made at all organic farms with no pesticides and has a shorter shelf live. Some organic foods have been proven to fight dieses such has soy which helps prevent certain cancers like Ovarian cancer for starters. Organic is the better way to go if you want to live a long full healthy life.

Giant Sequoia

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequoiadendron

Summary: The Giant Sequoia is one of the living species in the genus Sequoiadendron. Giant Sequoias are known as the world's largest trees. The oldest one is 3,500 years old based on ring count. It usually grows in the pacific northwest and southern US. The leaves are evergreen, and it regenerates by seed. Most giant sequoias are having difficulty growing and reproducing in their habitat because of the amount of sunlight and the weather.

Critique: It's a tree so it will help give us oxygen for us to be able to breathe. And some people would grow giant sequoias for Christmas trees.

Impact: The impact that giant sequoias have on the environment is that it's provided oxygen for living creatures. It's also been able to reproduce and attract tourists.

Volleyball netting made out of vines of The Amazon Rain Forest

Reference:

http://www.junglephotos.com/amazon/amplants/lianas/lianas.shtml

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liana

Summary: 

 

The Amazon Rain Forest is made up of so many vines and trees so I chose to make a volleyball net out of the strongest vine due to its strength and stability which is the liana vine. This vine is a thick woody type that is strong enough to hold animals and humans and is used to make bridges across the forest which also helps to protect trees from falling during strong wind storms.  Unfortunately, If the tree vines are connected to other trees and one falls, it may cause others to fall also.

 This picture illustrates the strength of the vine from a human swinging from it. The vine coming from a rain forest keeps the vine moist so it never becomes brittle from drying out or falling apart from the weight of an animal or a human. The strength of the vine would be great for a volleyball net. This netting would be strong enough to handle volleyballs hitting it, people falling on it from spiking it etc. This strength would also come from the weaving of the vine to make the netting.

  This is the type of knotting/weaving that would be used to make the netting. Weaving the vine would make the net even stronger, because there is more material and the material is different sizes from small to large that could get as big as your arm. This weaving takes place naturally with spaghetti like mass.

             Critique:
                         
             I feel making the volleyball nets out of the liana vine would benefit all volleyball teams. Making the nets out of the vine would make the net last much longer than regular nets. In the case of them lasting longer would make it so they would not have to buy a new net every so often due to it breaking from the regular netting.



          
        Impact:

                 The impact on making volleyball nets out of the liana vine would be the strength of the net. The net being so strong would impact how much volleyball teams would have to pay each year to buy a new net if one rips. Using the liana vine as a substitute for the regular rope netting would benefit many teams all over the world.

                         

Geology of the soils of the rain forest

Sunday, August 21, 2011

 

 

Rainforests

Less than six percent of the earth’s surface is covered in rain forests.  There is about fifty to two hundred and sixty inches of rain that falls on our planets rain forest every year. Tropical rain forests have tall trees that can reach up to sixty feet off the ground. This causes little rain to reach the forest floors. Tropical rain forest have very unique traits like, geology of the rain forest, temperatures, sunlight, humidity and rain fall, and even soil composition. These are the many things that make tropical rain forests as unique as they are.

Rain forests are decreasing more and more every year.  Forty percent of earth’s oxygen comes from tropical rain forests.  Majority of plants in the rain forests are trees.  There are many plants among the rain forest that are used as key ingredients to medicines we use today. Malaria can be treated from quinine from the cinchona tree.  There are fourteen hundred varieties of plants that have the potential to cure cancer. The American, African, and Asian are three of the largest rainforests in the world.  Amazon River Basin rainforest contains more varieties of plants than any other rain forest in the world.  Southeast Asia has the second largest population plant and animal life.

Rain forests have an average temperature of seventy-seven degrees Fahrenheit.  Also, it never drops below sixty degrees.  Rain forests near the equator get really hot.  You get more solar radiation when you are closer to the equator.  It gets really hot when there is more solar radiation.  When the rain forests get cooler all plants die out.  Because there is little air movement on the rain forest floor it results in high humidity.  Decomposers like termites, earth worms, fungi, heat, and humidity help break down the litter, such as fallen leaves, that falls to the surface of the rain forests floors.  The rainfall usually never gets the smaller plants in the ground below the plants.  Most of the trees have thin, smooth, bark because water loss and freezing temperatures are not an issue and there is no need for them to be protected from that.

The average amount of sunlight rain forest receives is twelve hours.  Through the process of photosynthesis, the plants convert the sunlight into energy.  A lot of energy is locked up in the rain forest because there is so much sunlight.  This energy is stored in the plants.

Early settlers thought that because of the lushness of the rain forest that the soil must be good for crops.  The settlers tore down trees and began to farm on the land.  They soon found out once the trees and plants were removed the soil was no longer good.  The reason is soils in some tropical rain forests are shallow, have soluble minerals, and pour nutrients.  Plants take the nutrients immediately from the soil, so the nutrients do not get a chance to not make the soil rich.  More than two-thirds of the world’s rain forest and three-fourths of the Amazonian rain forest grow on a red and yellow clay-like soil.  These soils are acidic and low in nutrients.   Rain forest soil loses all of its nutrients in a very short time.  Lots of tropical rain forest soils are underfed.  Amazonian soils have lots of minerals like, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and magnesium.  Rain forest soil uses organic matter that makes rich nutrients in the ground.  Some soils are poor, but some are made up of flood plain and volcanic soils.  The best soils come down on steep slopes because exhausted top soils release minerals. 

There are many things that make tropical rain forests as unique as they are.  There is the geology of the rain forest, the temperature, rainfall, and humidity.  There is also the soil composition of the rainforest that makes it unique.  If you ever go to a tropical rain forest, try thinking of the aspects of the rain forest life.

http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/rainforest.htm
http://rainforests.mongabay.com/

Strep Throat - The Basics

Sunday, August 21, 2011

 

Reference: http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/understanding-strep-throat-basics

Summary: This article is about strep throat, what it is, and how to take care of it.  Strep throat is caused by a bacteria that gets into your throat and nostrils and makes you feel very sick.  The symptoms of strep throat are very sore, swollen throat, fever, and an aching body.  If you do not treat strep throat rightly you can also get rhuematic fever, a serious heart condition, and acute nephritis, which can damage your kidneys.  Strep throat, if untreated, can lead to death.  There is medicine that you can take to cure from strep throat such as amoxicillian.

Critique: I have had strep throat before and can tell you that it really hurts.  I never thought that it could be fatal if not treated right.  This article has shown me what happens if you do not treat strep throat and why it is very important to do so. 

Impact: Sometimes strep throat can feel like the flu which most people think they will get over in a few days.  It is important to see a doctor to get a proper diagnosis of what you have.

Can Dogs Sniff Out Lung Cancer?

Reference- http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpps/health/dogs-can-sniff-out-lung-cancer-study-claims-dpgonc-20110818-fc_14616311

Summary- The theory behind this is that dogs can be trained to sniff out early signs of lung cancer on a patient's breath. German scientist claimed on Thrusday, 18 August, 2011. The Scientists that are researching this sound that dogs that were trained to pick up on volatile organic compounds linked to the presence of cancer correctly identified 71% of the people with the disease and detected 93% of patients who didn't have lung cancer. The dogs were also able to distinguish between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which is linked to smoking, and the patients with tumors, according to scientists at Schillerhohe Hospital in Stuttgart, southern Germany.

Critique- I think that its great that scientist are able to teach dogs to sniff out lung cancer, with distiction to which kind. But how is going to help in the medical world? If a patient has symptoms of lung cancer are you goin to bring in a dog and have it smell the patients breath??? I don't think so. Even if they do, what if the canine gets it wrong? I guess it depend on what perspective you look at it from.

Impact- It definately will impact the medical world and it may even help cancer researchers in a way. Maybe now they can teach canines to sniff out other diseases. This will definately change the way the some people think about dogs and there intelligence.

Could Natural Treatments Have Helped Amy Winehouse?

Reference:
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/07/25/psychedelics-for-drug-addiction/

Summary: This article states that there could have been a natural cure to Amy winehouses drug use. Using ayahuasca a brew made from the Banisteriopsis caapi a vine and the Psychotria viridis a leaf found in the Amazon rainforest. This brew has been known for its unusual healing abilities including stopping drug addictions. Dr Dennis McKenna and other researchers have been studying ayahuasca. They have found that this brew normalizes brain levels that are critically important such as dopamine. Ayahuasca has been used to treat addictions of the body, mind, and spirit. Santo daime a large Brazilian Christian church has used ayahuasca as a way for the direct experience of the spirit in ceremonies all over the world. Many have be able to get rid of addictions such as heroin, cocaine and, alcohol using ayahuasca.

Critique: As far as the cure for Amy Winehouse goes she should have never got into drugs in the first place. Honestly I think the best way to get rid of a drug addiction is to not start one in the first place. However if someone has already started an addiction and truly wants to get out of it I think this is something to be looked into be the health agencies. Although I do not believe this should be just like another pill you take to kick the habit. If there is a time where this brew is medically cleared it should go along with rehabilitation because getting off the drugs is one thing staying of them is another.

Impact: If this brew is safe to take and there are no harmful side effects I think this could be a wonderful thing. It could get people away from harmful addictions but like I said before I think rehabilitation should go along side of it. This could really help people that are struggling for a way out of their addiction. I don’t know about all that direct experience of the spirit stuff but I can see the good in further examination of this brew.

The Aquatic Life of the Amazon River

The Amazon River in South America, by volume, is the largest river. It also Happens to be the

second longest river in the world. More than 3,oo0 species of marine life, especially fish, live in the Amazon River.

The number of marine life species keeps growing and can sometimes go above 5,ooo. A diverse wildlife is also

supported by the Amazon River and it starts with the Orinoco, one of the longest rivers in South America. The Boto,

which is also referred to as the Amazon River Dolphin, uses the river as its main habitat. The Amazon marine life

also includes the famous fish, the Piranha. This carnivorous mammal is found in the basin of the river. The Bull

Shark has been reported to be 2,200 miles up the Amazon River at Iquitos, Peru. Another marine life attraction of

the Amazon River is the Arapaima or pirarucu South American tropical freshwater fish. In the shallow water of the

Amazon River the largest species of the Anaconda snake is found. Some other reptiles and mammals such as a

thousand species of crab, fish, turtles and algae. The basin of the Amazon River is known for marine species that are

unique and that are available in different forms.

Because the west coast of South America is one of the ocean's richest nutrient

sources combines with the cold currents from the Antarctic, it makes an ideal area for the

development of plankton (a weakly swimming animal and plant life, such as various larvae and

blue-green algae, in a body of water). One very interesting specie of plant life that lives in the

Amazon river is the Amazon water lily. the Amazon water lily grows in the sticky mud that covers

the bottom of the river. The most interesting part about this plant is that not only does in need

sunlight while underwater but it also requires oxygen to live. Obviously oxygen doesn't exist

underwater but the Amazon water lily stretches out stems. Which are developed from their roots,

up toward the surface of the water where their leaves float. The leaves that float act as an oxygen

carrying system that sends oxygen from the surface down to the roots below. These stems can

grow as tall as 11 meters (about 36 feet).

According to many accounts the Amazon River was named by the Spanish

explorer Francisco do Orellana in 1541. the name was honor of the female warriors called

"Icamiabas" which means "women without husbands". These female warriors attacked Francisco

de Orellana while on his voyage through the territory previously referred to as Maranon.

therefore he named the river "Rio Amazonas" after those women. The Amazon River and basin

geologically, are contained by two large masses of Pre-Cambrian rock, to the north the Highlands

or Guiana Shield, to the south the Plateau or the Central Brazilian Shield; to the west the Andes

Mountains; and it flows to the Atlantic Ocean to empty which is eastward. The rate at which the

Amazon River flows has an average velocity of 1.5 miles per hour, the flow rate increases

exponentially during floods. The discharge at the mouth of the Amazon River is measured to be

about eight trillion gallons a day, which is eleven time that of the Mississippi and sixty times that

of that Nile. 6,350,000 cubic feet per second is the annual average discharge into the Atlantic,

during a flood it can rise over 7,000,000 cubic feet per second. The Amazon River's mouth is

more than 250 miles wide. Although some areas near the mouth of the river have been recorded

to have depths up to 300 feet, most of the Brazilian part of the Amazon River exceeds 150 feet in

depth. Flooding often occurs between the months of June and October.

The environmental struggles in the movie ferngully

What is beauty? Is it a word softly spoken to the one you love? Perhaps a word spoken by my brother, to describe Taylor swift. I agree with Lee Wallace when he said “beauty is altogether in the eye of the beholder”. To me and Cyrtsa a fairy from the movie ferngully the rainforest is truly beautiful. Rainforests are facing a challenge in our world today: being destroyed by many different harmful elements.

The movie ferngully is based on a fairy named Cyrsta being trained in the web of life. The web of life is the forces of destruction verse the forces of creation. She and the other fairies are able to hear the forest and feel its pain. Pain brought upon by hexxus the evil in this story representing pollution. In this story pollution and destruction are coming over the rainforest and the fairy community of ferngully using a tree cutting machine. The machine cuts down the trees and turns them into lumber while puffing out many harmful gases and polluting the waters with toxic waste. Crysta and the others must stop this machine and hexxus before ferngully is destroyed. This may just seem like a story to you, but it’s very real to me.

One of the major problems facing the rainforests today is logging. The rainforest disappears at a rate of 6,000 acres an hour. The trees logged are used for paper, pencils and many other items. One of the most typical rainforest trees is the Corozo palm. This tree takes 15 years to grow and yet we are using the nuts from this tree to make buttons. Buttons, I mean of all things we are destroying these trees to make buttons! Although this is not the only danger facing our rainforests it is a problem among many others.

Oiling, in the rainforests is also another problem. In 2003, there was a lawsuit brought upon Texaco, by 30,000 Ecuadorians, for dumping millions of gallons of toxic waste in the Ecuadorian Rainforests. It is estimated that 18 billion gallons of toxic waste water and 17 million gallons of crude oil were dumped along 1,700 acres of this amazing Ecuadorian rainforest. Not only did they kill the forest, but an estimated 1,400 people that lived in that jungle region died of cancer because of the oil contamination. When these oiling companies go into our rainforests they present a threat not only to the environment, but to the people.

Pesticides contribute to the pollution of the rainforest as well. Pesticides from farming crops such as soybean or sugar cultivation are harmful to the rainforests. The pesticides pollute the soil and the rivers. Endangering both the trees from the soil, and the animals that drink from those rivers. Every time pesticides are being sprayed the rivers and soil are be contaminated. Rainforests are a beautiful and resourceful environment that we should be thankful to have.

We realized the danger we are putting on the rainforests so where do we go from here? We can recycle paper to reduce the number of trees we cut down in logging. We could walk or bike instead of drive to save gas therefore limiting the amount of oiling done in the rainforest. Also we can switch our pesticides with nitrogen fertilizers which can actually boost the growth of plants in our tropical rainforests. Texaco, won the lawsuit (mentioned above) the 30,000 Ecuadorians lost, we will all lose if we lose our rainforests. The rainforest is an amazing gift we should be thankful to have. This includes treating it with the upmost respect.

I almost forgot to mention the end of the movie. At the end of the movie, all the fairies work together to defeat hexxus (pollution) and save ferngully. We can all pull together to fight pollution and make our world better for the generations yet to come.

Resources
Site: http://www.tropical-rainforest-animals.com/Environmental-Pollution-Tropical-Rainforests.html
Last updated: June 2008
Written by: Irina Ignatova

Site: http://corozo.net/en/coro_2_nut.htm
Written by: Manexpo company

The Coral Sea last biodiversity hotspot

The Summery- Coral Sea is full of life. now included that all the wild life there have doubled! It also has migration for humpback whales and loger head turtles and lets not forget the eel. It also has alot of middle classed fish for the predatory animals can eat. That means the shark population is going to go up by the tons. I think its good time to go fishing because of the large population.

Critque-It is is possible that this is happening as we speak. The large number of fish are repopulating which means sales are going to go up in fish products

Impact- This is going to impact the sales and the population. Every day fish are going to grow get bigger and the circle of life will continue but even faster than before. The sales are going to sky rocket and fisher men are going to head out there for fishing. Were going to need a bigger sea!

Plants Found in the Rainforest used in Cosmetology

Around the world plants have many uses: medicine, paint, food, and in cosmetology.
Many of the plants found in the rainforest that can be used in modern day cosmetology.
Plants such has henna,

Since the beginning of time people have been looking for ways to improve their looks. Whether its to change their hair color or enhance their facial features plants have been a main source to make this possible. Many of these plants can be found in the rainforest, and are still used in modern day cosmetology. The three most used plants are Henna, Chamomile, and Cocoa beans.

Henna( Lawsonia inemiss) is a plant found in the Amazon Rainforest. Henna is used to has a hair dye to darken hair. Henna has a reddish tint to it and along with being used to dye the hair it was also used to “tattoo” the skin which in many societies is a symbol of beauty.

Henna hair dye is made from dried up leaves and stems which are grinded up and hot water is added to the mixture. After it is all mixed up it can either be used for hair which is painted on top of the hair, or tattoo’s which is also painted on to the skin. The henna lasts about six weeks, which is why its is still commonly used all around the world.

Chamomile can be found in the rainforest and is used in a number of “beauty enhancers” Chamomile can be used to lighten hair, and can be used in face masks to help relax and can be used in skin treatments. Chamomile is a universal treatment for many things.

People in the ancient time used Chamomile to lighten their hair by mixing the leaves with hot water. They would sit in the sun with the tea in their hair and it would slowly bleach the hair.

Chamomile was first used by the ancient Egyptians to help fight various skin diseases like acne. They also used it in baths to hydrate and relax the skin. Amongst other herbs chamomile was the most widely used not only for its beauty purposes but also for its healing properties.

Cocoa beans can be used for almost anything and are also found in the rainforest. The fats found in the bean is good to help strengthen hair, while the oils are good for your skin. The oils can also be used in perfumes.

Cocoa is used in lotions and body butter to make the skin smooth and healthy and can be found almost anywhere. Cocoa is used in make up, such has lip-stick and lip gloss. The cocoa can make the lipstick color darker and in lip gloss it makes the lips look fuller.

Around the world plants have many uses: medicine, paint, food, and in cosmetology.
Many of the plants found in the rainforest that can be used in modern day make up and was first used in ancient times.

Critters moving away from global warming faster

Reference - http://news.yahoo.com/critters-moving-away-global-warming-faster-180108117.html .

Summary - Animals threw out the world are all fleeing from global warming. The animals are heading north much faster than they were before. About 2,000 different species are moving away for about a average rate of 15 feet per day. Some of the species are moving faster than others

Critique – It sounds like this is very true. That most animals are heading away from the equator. Heading north where global warming isn’t as great as down towards the equator.

Impact – There will be less Critters from the equator by a couple years. Most of the species will head closer to cooler places.