2010 Haitian Earthquake

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TRAGEDY STRIKES!

The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake. Its epicentre was near the town of Léogâne, approximately 25 km (16 miles) west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital. The earthquake occurred at 16:53 local time (21:53 UTC) on Tuesday, 12 January 2010. By 24 January, at least 52 aftershocks measuring 4.5 or greater had been recorded. As of Feb. 12, an estimated three million people were affected by the quake; the Haitian Government reports that between 217,000 and 230,000 people had been identified as dead, an estimated 300,000 injured, and an estimated 1,000,000 homeless. The death toll is expected to rise. They also estimated that 250,000 residences and 30,000 commercial buildings had collapsed or were severely damaged.
The earthquake caused major damage to Port-au-Prince, Jacmel and other settlements in the region. Many notable landmark buildings were significantly damaged or destroyed, including the Presidential Palace, the National Assembly building, the Port-au-Prince Cathedral, and the main jail. Among those killed were Archbishop of Port-au-Prince Monsignor Joseph Serge Miot, and opposition leader Micha Gaillard. The headquarters of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), located in the capital, collapsed, killing many, including the Mission's Chief, Hédi Annabi.
Many countries responded to appeals for humanitarian aid, pledging funds and dispatching rescue and medical teams, engineers and support personnel. Communication systems, air, land, and sea transport facilities, hospitals, and electrical networks had been damaged by the earthquake, which hampered rescue and aid efforts; confusion over who was in charge, air traffic congestion, and problems with prioritisation of flights further complicated early relief work. Port-au-Prince's morgues were quickly overwhelmed; tens of thousands of bodies were buried in mass graves. As rescues tailed off, supplies, medical care and sanitation became priorities. Delays in aid distribution led to angry appeals from aid workers and survivors, and some looting and sporadic violence were observed.
On 22 January the United Nations noted that the emergency phase of the relief operation was drawing to a close, and on the following day the Haitian government officially called off the search for survivors.

H1N1 Alert Level 6

On June 11, 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO) raised the worldwide pandemic alert level to Phase 6 in response to the ongoing global spread of the novel influenza A (H1N1) virus. A Phase 6 designation indicates that a global pandemic is underway.
Below is the map showing affected regions in red spots. For full details, visit:
http://h1n1alerts.org/articles/295255-june-12--2009--h1n1-flu--swine-flu--situation-update

Happy Duanwu Festival

The Duanwu Festival occurs on the 5th day of the 5th month of the Lunar Calendar, giving rise to the alternative name of Double Fifth. This year, the festival falls on May 28. The festival is celebrated with eating dumplings (ZongZi or Chimaki ちまき in Japanese), which are large rice wraps, drinking wine and racing dragon boats.

The traditional story behind the festival is that it is to commemorates the death of poet Qu Yuan (340 BC - 278 BC) of the ancient state of Chu, in the Warring States Period of the Zhou Dynasty. A descendant of the Chu royal house, Qu served in high offices.
However, when the king decided to ally with the increasingly powerful state of Qin, Qu was banished for opposing the alliance. Qu Yuan was accused of treason. During his exile, Qu Yuan wrote a great deal of poetry, for which he is now remembered. Twenty-eight years later, Qin conquered the Chu capital.

In despair, Qu Yuan committed suicide by drowning himself in the Miluo River on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month.

Why do Chinese celebrates it?

Traditionally people went to the beach to throw dumpling into the sea to feed the fishes so that they do not eat Qu Yuan's body! Now some still does it traditionally and treat this day as a rememberance day for Qu Yuan, but today the celebration festival is still on minus the throwing of food into the sea.

Swine Flu Info(H1N1 flu)

What is Swine Flu ?

Swine influenza, or swine flu, is a respiratory disease in pigs causes by certin strain of type A influenza virus (H1N1). Outbreaks of swine flu are not common among humans. Most people who get swine flu are infected through contact with pigs.The severity of swine flu in humans can vary from mild to severe.

Facts About Swine Flu(CNN)

The United States government declared a public health emergency Sunday as the number of identified cases of swine flu in the nation rose to 20.The declaration is part of a "standard operating procedure" that will make available additional government resources to combat the virus, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said at the White House.Additional cases of swine flu are expected to be reported in the coming days, added Dr. Richard Besser, acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.No one has died in the U.S. from swine flu, officials said Sunday.The World Health Organization advised all countries to be on the lookout for "unusual" outbreaks of flu, after an emergency meeting Saturday as the seriousness of the outbreak became clear.By Sunday, 81 deaths in Mexico had been deemed "likely linked" to swine flu. Viral testing has confirmed 20 cases, said Dr. Jose A. Cordova Villalobos, Mexico's health secretary.

The current WHO phase of pandemic alert is 3 https://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/statements/2009/h1n1_20090425/en/
How it spreads?

Although people typically get swine flu from contact with pigs, there have been cases of person-to-person transmission. Expert think coughing, sneezing and contaminated surfaces can spread the infection among people, but it's unknown how easily that happens.The virus cannot be obtained through eating properly cooked pork or any pork product.

What are the symptoms ?

The symptoms are similar to those of the common flu: fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Also , like the common flu, swine flu may cause a worsening of underlying chronic medical conditions.Symptoms of diarrhea vomitting have also been reported. Infection from virus can lead to sevre illness, including pneumonia and respiratory failure, and can be fatal.

How should I protect myself ?

Do what you'd do in other flu outbreaks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is advising people to "take the ordinary steps they would take to protect themselves:

(1) Frequent hand washing !

(2) Making sure you cover your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing.

(3) Because so much is still unknown at this point, the main risk factor is people traveling to areas where cases have already been identified. "However this virus may already be in other places in the United States," CDCspokesman Tom Skinner told CNN. "With enhanced surveillance, we will see more cases and that is why it makes good sense to be proactive, by doing things we know are effective in reducing exposure."

(4) Sick people should not go into work, nor should sick children be sent to school.

(5) If you're sick, stay home, get treatment, go see a doctor ! Details pls refer to below links: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/04/26/swine.flu/index.html?iref=nextin

http://www.medicinenet.com/swine_flu/page3.htm

Funny Ah Beng Jokes

From our alumni's funny collection. Hope you have a good laugh!

#1. Ah Beng bought a new mobile. He sent a SMS to everyone in his Phone Book, ‘My Mobile no. has changed. Earlier it was Nokia 3310. Now it is 6610′

#2. Ah Beng: 'I am proud, coz my son is in Medical College' .
Friend: 'Really, what is he studying?'
Ah Beng: 'No, he is not studying, they are studying him'.

#3. Ah Beng: 'Doctor, in my dreams, I play football every night'.
DR: 'Take this tablet, you will be ok'.
Ah Beng: 'Can I take tomorrow, tonight is final game'.

#4. Ah Beng: 'If I die, will u remarry?'
Wife: 'No! I’ll stay with my sister. But if I die will u remarry?'
Ah Beng: 'No, I’ll also stay with your sister'.

#5. Ah Beng: 'People consider me as a ‘GOD’.
Wife: 'How do you know?'
Ah Beng: 'When I went to the Park today, everybody said, ‘Oh GOD! You have come again.’

#6. Ah Beng complained to the police: ‘Sir, all items are missing, except the TV in my house.’ Police: ‘How the thief did not take TV?’
Ah Beng: ‘I was watching TV news…’

#7. Ah Beng goes to his car & finds a note saying ‘Parking Fine’. He writes a note and sticks it to a pole ‘Thanks for complement.’

#8. How do you recognize Ah Beng in School? He is the one who erases the notes from the book when the teacher erases the board.

#9. Once, Ah Beng went for a walk he had a glove on one hand and not on other. So, a man asked him why he did so. He replied that the weather forecast announced that on one hand it would be cold and on the other hand it could be hot.

#10. Ah Beng : 'Why are all these people running?'
Man: 'This is a race, the winner will get the cup'.
Ah Beng: 'If only the winner will get the cup, why others running?'

#11. Teacher: ‘I've killed a person’. 'Convert this sentence into future tense'.
Ah Beng: 'The future tense is ‘you will go to jail’.

#12. Ah Beng told his servant: ‘Go and water the plants!’
Servant: ‘It’s already raining.’
Ah Beng: ‘So what? Take an umbrella and go’.