The past few days I have been hearing a lot about the swine flu that has been plaguing the United States, Mexico, Canada, and other countries around the world. According to the World Health Organization, as of today, 73 cases of swine flu have been confirmed worldwide.
So what is swine flu? I had no idea so I decided to do some research. Just like it sounds, swine flu is a type of influenza adapted in pigs. The disease affects the respiratory system in animals and is transferred to humans who usually have contact with pigs. After a pig gets a human sick, humans transfer it to other humans by coughing, sneezing, and other obvious ways germs are spread.
How serious is the swine flu? The World Health Organization (The WHO) has called the outbreak a public health emergency of national concern and are advising people not to travel to Mexico or the United States unless it is necessary. This may have something to do with the numerous deaths caused by the swine flu in Mexico and the many confirmed cases in North America.
According to the World Health Organization, a public health emergency is defined as “an occurrence or imminent threat of illness or health conditions caused by bioterrorism, epidemic or pandemic disease, or highly fatal infectious agents or toxins that pose serious risk to a significant number of people.”
The WHO director-general even issued a formal statement in regards to the outbreak. To read it, click here.
Symptoms include the general symptoms of any other flu. Fever, coughing, vomiting, lack of energy, etc. the WHO is concerned because this type of virus seems to be affecting people in the prime of their life, healthy 25-45 year olds. Although the severity is worse in Mexico, there is still cause for concern in the United States.
Doctors urge people to take extreme caution to prevent the disease. Wash your hands frequently, refrain from touching your eyes, nose, or mouth until you have washed your hands, and cough or sneeze into tissues and dispose of them immediately. Be careful out there!
Monday, April 27, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
What's in a Name?
Something that has been lingering in North Dakota news for some time is the controversy over the Fighting Sioux Logo. Some say that it is racist, while others look at it as a symbol of pride and bravery. It is something that the school has been struggling with for the past few years.
Tribal leaders of North Dakota's Sioux asked the school to change the nickname to something else. “Sioux” is a nickname used to refer to the Lakota, Nakota, and Dakota Indian tribes.
Most recently, the tribe of Spirit Lake overwhelmingly supported the University of North Dakota’s Fighting Sioux nickname on Tuesday. The unofficial results are 774 “yes” and 378 “no,” giving the nickname 67 percent of the vote.
However, the Grand Forks college is not the first to have an Indian team mascot. North Dakota is amongst at least 20 other universities that have had their school’s mascot or logo challenged since the 1970’s.
This issue does not only affect college teams but professional sports teams as well. Do the Cleveland Indians, Atlanta Braves, etc. ring a bell?
The movement to keep the nickname and logo is led by UND alumni, sports fans, and athletic players and officials, as well as the present university administration. The campaign to change the nickname and logo is led by several Native American tribes and student organizations, as well as many UND faculty members. The most powerful ally of those seeking change has become the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
Students feel strongly on both sides. It is easy to see when you search for the Fighting Sioux Logo on Facebook.
My opinion is to keep the UND logo. I honestly could care less about UND, but I feel that the logo and mascot have a lot of history and mean a lot to many people who are part of the school. I feel that it is something the Indian community should be proud of, that they are a symbol of bravery and strength. Should all fraternal and identical twins be offended that there is a professional baseball named after them?
What are your thoughts? This is definitely a hot topic in North Dakota and especially amongst UND students. A few friends of mine are VERY against changing the logo, and they have only gone to school there for a few years. Should the logo be changed? Is this a big to do about nothing?
Tribal leaders of North Dakota's Sioux asked the school to change the nickname to something else. “Sioux” is a nickname used to refer to the Lakota, Nakota, and Dakota Indian tribes.
Most recently, the tribe of Spirit Lake overwhelmingly supported the University of North Dakota’s Fighting Sioux nickname on Tuesday. The unofficial results are 774 “yes” and 378 “no,” giving the nickname 67 percent of the vote.
However, the Grand Forks college is not the first to have an Indian team mascot. North Dakota is amongst at least 20 other universities that have had their school’s mascot or logo challenged since the 1970’s.
This issue does not only affect college teams but professional sports teams as well. Do the Cleveland Indians, Atlanta Braves, etc. ring a bell?
The movement to keep the nickname and logo is led by UND alumni, sports fans, and athletic players and officials, as well as the present university administration. The campaign to change the nickname and logo is led by several Native American tribes and student organizations, as well as many UND faculty members. The most powerful ally of those seeking change has become the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
Students feel strongly on both sides. It is easy to see when you search for the Fighting Sioux Logo on Facebook.
My opinion is to keep the UND logo. I honestly could care less about UND, but I feel that the logo and mascot have a lot of history and mean a lot to many people who are part of the school. I feel that it is something the Indian community should be proud of, that they are a symbol of bravery and strength. Should all fraternal and identical twins be offended that there is a professional baseball named after them?
What are your thoughts? This is definitely a hot topic in North Dakota and especially amongst UND students. A few friends of mine are VERY against changing the logo, and they have only gone to school there for a few years. Should the logo be changed? Is this a big to do about nothing?
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Survivor Dog
Many of us are familiar with the movie 8 Below starring Paul Walker. For those of us who are not, the plot of the movie revolves around a team of sled dogs who are left in the Antarctic by their owners during a storm because there was no room for them on the plane. The plan was to come back for the dogs after the storm was over, but it takes Paul Walker almost six months to find a sponsor to help him rescue his team. Many of the people in the movie assume the dogs to be dead, but Paul Walkers character has to be sure. They find five of the dogs alive. They survived six months on their own.
Many of us would find this hard to believe, but this movie was based on actual events. It makes it easier to believe when you hear stories like the one that happened in Australia last week. A family and their pet dog were sailing off of the coast of Queensland, when because of the rough waters, their family pet, a dog named Sophie Tucker, fell overboard.
After frantically looking for the dog,he family assumed she had drowned and they reluctantly returned home. However, Sophie began swimming what would be five miles to St. Bees Island, an island mostly uninhabited.
Sophies owner, Jan Griffiths, contacted island rangers after she heard that they had captured a dog and brought it to the mainland, hoping that by some chance it could be her family’s lost dog; it was.
Sophie Tucker had survived four months on her own on St. Bees Island. How? She had been killing and feeding off of baby goats. Witnesses who had seen her described her as thin, and unhealthy looking. After seeing her again a few weeks later, she was looking much more like a normal dog---well fed.
Sophie is an Australian Cattle Dog, a breed that is usually an outside dog that likes to have a job. However, Sophie Tucker was an inside pet. The owners were very proud of their pampered inside pet, "She surprised us all. She was a house dog and look what she's done, she's swum over five nautical miles, she's managed to live off the land all on her own," said Griffiths.
Many of us would find this hard to believe, but this movie was based on actual events. It makes it easier to believe when you hear stories like the one that happened in Australia last week. A family and their pet dog were sailing off of the coast of Queensland, when because of the rough waters, their family pet, a dog named Sophie Tucker, fell overboard.
After frantically looking for the dog,he family assumed she had drowned and they reluctantly returned home. However, Sophie began swimming what would be five miles to St. Bees Island, an island mostly uninhabited.
Sophies owner, Jan Griffiths, contacted island rangers after she heard that they had captured a dog and brought it to the mainland, hoping that by some chance it could be her family’s lost dog; it was.
Sophie Tucker had survived four months on her own on St. Bees Island. How? She had been killing and feeding off of baby goats. Witnesses who had seen her described her as thin, and unhealthy looking. After seeing her again a few weeks later, she was looking much more like a normal dog---well fed.
Sophie is an Australian Cattle Dog, a breed that is usually an outside dog that likes to have a job. However, Sophie Tucker was an inside pet. The owners were very proud of their pampered inside pet, "She surprised us all. She was a house dog and look what she's done, she's swum over five nautical miles, she's managed to live off the land all on her own," said Griffiths.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Humans Aren't the Only Ones Affected by the ND Flood
While trying to find a news topic to discuss in my blog this week that did not pertain to the flood, I struggled. The flood seems to be the only thing on every television station and on the front page of every newspaper. Last week, Fargo/Moorhead even made the cover of the Wall street Journal. The flood has affected everyone in North Dakota. It has been a crazy few weeks with people getting evicted from their houses. However, people have not been the only ones affected by the flood in North Dakota.
The Equine Center in Fargo, located West of I29 has recently made room for an additional 120 horses for people in the area affected by the flood. The barn usually has in between 70 and 100 horses, and before the flood they had 85. Making room for an additional 120 has been hectic, and it is crowded but something the owners were happy to do. There is no charge to keep your horses at the Equine Center. Volunteers have helped with care and exercising the horses during the day. Some local businesses also have donated supplies.
Emergency shelters and many hotels don't accept pets, and neighbors and friends taking in evacuees often don't have room for their pets, too. The Fargo Fairgrounds have opened up a shelter for the 200 plus pets that were sadly left behind by their owners while evacuating Fargo the past few weeks. The Humane Society, along with Adopt-A-Pet and emergency managers in Fargo and Moorhead, Minn., turned a pavilion normally used for horse and cattle shows into a flood shelter and started accepting pets late last week.
Volunteers are caring for the pets after their owners made the difficult decision to go on without them. I can’t imagine leaving my dogs behind anywhere. I haven’t been home to my parents’ house for about three weeks and my heart breaks because I haven’t seen my dogs.
So remember, we (people) aren’t the only ones being affected by the flood. Go home and hug your pet today!
The Equine Center in Fargo, located West of I29 has recently made room for an additional 120 horses for people in the area affected by the flood. The barn usually has in between 70 and 100 horses, and before the flood they had 85. Making room for an additional 120 has been hectic, and it is crowded but something the owners were happy to do. There is no charge to keep your horses at the Equine Center. Volunteers have helped with care and exercising the horses during the day. Some local businesses also have donated supplies.
Emergency shelters and many hotels don't accept pets, and neighbors and friends taking in evacuees often don't have room for their pets, too. The Fargo Fairgrounds have opened up a shelter for the 200 plus pets that were sadly left behind by their owners while evacuating Fargo the past few weeks. The Humane Society, along with Adopt-A-Pet and emergency managers in Fargo and Moorhead, Minn., turned a pavilion normally used for horse and cattle shows into a flood shelter and started accepting pets late last week.
Volunteers are caring for the pets after their owners made the difficult decision to go on without them. I can’t imagine leaving my dogs behind anywhere. I haven’t been home to my parents’ house for about three weeks and my heart breaks because I haven’t seen my dogs.
So remember, we (people) aren’t the only ones being affected by the flood. Go home and hug your pet today!
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