THE WILLIS UNIVERSITY

Welcome to the Willis University. This is a site dedicated mostly to the world's natural disasters. Also some random inserts of global news from credible sources and also a mixture of opinion. Some of the opinions are not suitable for all. Please remember this is my opinion only. Thanks to all for the guidance I've been given.

January 23, 2008

Mystery image of 'life on Mars'

An image of a mysterious shape on the surface of Mars, taken by Nasa spacecraft Spirit, has reignited the debate about life on the Red Planet.

A magnified version of the picture, posted on the internet, appears to some to show what resembles a human form among a crop of rocks.

While some bloggers have dismissed the image as a trick of light, others say it is evidence of an alien presence.

The image is a recent Nasa posting of the Spirit's landing in 2004.

January 22, 2008

The plague needs putting under the spotlight

The plague's ability to cause disease and capacity for rapid spread mean it should be taken far more seriously.

Writing in PLoS Medicine, Nils Chr. Stenseth and colleagues warn that the disease remains a threat, particularly in Africa. More than 90 per cent of cases and deaths in the last five years occurred in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda.

http://www.scidev.net/gateways/index.cfm?fuseaction=readitem&rgwid=4&item=Opinions&itemid=714&language=1

Don't rely on drugs to delay flu pandemic

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Vaccines and drugs will not be enough to slow or prevent a pandemic of influenza, according to a U.S. government report released on Tuesday.

The report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office confirms what most experts have been stressing for years -- that the pharmaceutical industry cannot be relied on alone to protect the world from bird flu.

The GAO, the investigational arm of Congress, reached its own conclusion independently.

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN2236848820080123

Strong quake rocks Indonesia

JAKARTA: A strong 6.2-magnitude quake rattled Indonesia's remote Nias island off the western coast of Sumatra early on Wednesday, but no tsunami warning was issued, US meteorologists said.

The epicentre of the quake was located near the coast of Nias, about 170 kilometres west-southwest of the Sumatra town of Sibolga, the US Geological Survey said.

The quake, which struck at 12:14 am (local time Wednesday), occurred at a depth of 12.8 kilometres.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Strong_quake_rocks_Indonesia/articleshow/2723002.cms

India risks bird flu 'disaster', human cases feared

India's worst ever outbreak of bird flu could turn into a disaster, an official warned Tuesday, as five people were reportedly quarantined with symptoms of the virus.

Eight districts in the eastern state of West Bengal have been hit by the virus, and dead birds are being sold and locals said to be "feasting" on cheap chicken.

The state's animal resources minister, Anisur Rahaman, said authorities were "determined to cull all poultry in the districts in three or four days, otherwise the state will face a disaster."

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=080122092518.sfod23zq&show_article=1

January 18, 2008

Over 550 cholera cases in Congo mining capital

KINSHASA (Reuters) - More than 550 people have fallen victim to a cholera epidemic so far this year in Lubumbashi, capital of Congo's mineral-rich Katanga province, medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said on Friday.

At least eight people have died from the waterborne illness in the city of around 1 million, and 104 are receiving medical care at a treatment centre set up by MSF's Belgian chapter.

http://in.reuters.com/article/health/idINL1815616820080118

Indonesia reports 97th bird flu death

JAKARTA, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- A 8-year-old Indonesian boy died of bird flu on Friday, putting the total fatalities to 97 out of 119 cases in the hardest-hit country, the health ministry said.

The boy from Tangerang, an outskirt city of Jakarta, was admitted to bird flu-designed hospital of Persahabatan in East Jakarta on Thursday after he had symptoms of fever and cough since Jan. 7, an official of bird flu center of the ministry Sunan Raja said.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-01/18/content_7449211.htm

January 16, 2008

Bird flu may be spread indirectly, WHO says

WASHINGTON, Jan 16 (Reuters) - The H5N1 bird flu virus may sometimes stick to surfaces or get kicked up in fertilizer dust to infect people, according to a World Health Organization report published on Wednesday.

The WHO team reviewed all known human cases of avian influenza, which has infected 350 people in 14 countries and killed 217 of them since 2003, and found that 25 percent of cases have no explanation.

http://www.reuters.com/article/companyNewsAndPR/idUSN1616209020080117

Infection Prompts PetSmart To Suspend Bird Sales

LOS ANGELES -- An infectious disease transmittable from birds to humans has been discovered in pet birds for sale at 29 PetSmart stores, including stores in the Los Angeles area. Psittacosis is a bacterial infection carried primarily by cockatiels.

http://www.knbc.com/news/15068182/detail.html

CDC to Investigate Morgellons Mystery

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced today that it is launching a study to learn about an unexplained condition that causes people to feel as if they have foreign substances growing from their bodies.

People with the condition, referred to as Morgellons disease, say they have fibers and other inorganic material growing out of their skin.

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Nightline/story?id=4142695&page=1

January 15, 2008

Millions seek shots in Brazil yellow fever scare

BRASILIA, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Brazilian officials on Tuesday confirmed that a third person had died of yellow fever this year as millions of people, fearing a resurgence of the deadly disease, lined up at hospitals and clinics to get vaccinated.

The latest death, in the southern state of Parana, followed the death of a man in the capital Brasilia last week that prompted concerns yellow fever could swamp urban centers, from which it has been eradicated since the 1940s.

http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSN15537481

India reports fresh bird flu outbreak

Indian authorities said they had confirmed an outbreak of bird flu among poultry following the death of thousands of chickens in the past week in the eastern state of West Bengal.

"The samples sent to the laboratory have tested positive for bird flu. It is the H5N1 strain," said agriculture ministry spokesman Manoj Pandey. It is the country's third outbreak since 2006 and the first since India, home to 1.1 billion people, declared itself free of the disease last November.

http://www.physorg.com/news119636424.html

'Flesh-eating' MRSA threatens Britain

A potentially deadly and highly drug resistant strain of MRSA has developed which can lead to a flesh-eating form of pneumonia, researchers have warned.

Spreading rapidly among gay men in several major US cities, the bug can cause boils as large as tennis balls, blood poisoning or a necrotising condition which eats away at a person's lungs.

The type of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) was identified in gay men in San Francisco, Boston, New York and Los Angeles.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/01/15/nmrsa215.xml

Choclate Bacon Bar

Breathe…engage your 5 senses, close your eyes and inhale deeply. Be in the present moment, notice the color of the chocolate, the glossy shine. Rub your thumb over the chocolate bar to release the aromas of smoked applewood bacon flirting with deep milk chocolate. Snap off just a tiny piece and place it in your mouth, let the lust of salt and sweet coat your tongue.

Shawn I'm eating one first!!!

January 12, 2008

Cyclone passes

THERE is no cyclone threat to the country as Tropical Cyclone Elisha weakened overnight and has moved away from Fiji and Tonga, Director of Metrology Rajendra Prasad said.

But he issued a strong wind warning for Kadavu, Koro and Lau waters. At 10am yesterday, Mr Prasad said the South Pacific Convergence Zone located just north of Fiji remained active with other circulations forming within it. http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=78498

Norovirus reaches epidemic levels

The winter vomiting bug norovirus has struck 2.8million people, with health professionals braced for another rise as people return to schools and offices.

The virus - which causes projectile vomiting, diarrhoea, mild fevers and headaches - is striking down more than 200,000 a week, according to official estimates.

Three hospitals have been placed on red alert, while hundreds of wards up and down the country have been closed to new patients as the number of beds being taken up by bug victims reaches critical levels.

Schools have even begun sending warning letters to parents explaining the symptoms while employers are calling on staff to stay away from work 48 hours after they have recovered to stem the spread of the virus.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/article3176710.ece http://children.webmd.com/tc/noroviruses-topic-overview

UN: Indonesia records 117th human case of bird flu

GENEVA (AP): Indonesia has recorded another human case of the H5N1 strain of bird flu, raising its world-leading total to 117 cases, according to the World Health Organization.

The agency said Friday night that the Indonesian Health Ministry had reported that a 16-year-old girl from West Java Province has been hospitalized since Jan. 4 with symptoms of the disease. It said the strain had been confirmed as H5N1.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailgeneral.asp?fileid=20080112183603&irec=0

January 09, 2008

'Skin cancer epidemic' warning

Scotland is in the grip of a skin cancer epidemic, an MSP has told Holyrood as he called for new regulations on sunbed salons to be brought in.

Labour's Ken Macintosh has been campaigning for under 18s to be banned from using the machines and for unstaffed sunbed salons to be outlawed. In a bid to achieve that, he will put forward amendments to the new Public Health Bill.

He told MSPs on the Scottish Parliament's Health and Sport Committee that it was estimated 100 deaths a year in the UK were as a result of people using sunbeds.

http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5grf11rV3-VQhcBbBAW47QGyhIkWw

Key bird flu infection factor found

WASHINGTON, Jan. 9 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists have identified a key factor that determines the ability of influenza viruses to infect cells of the human upper respiratory tract.

The finding, published online in the journal Nature Biotechnology, explains how the H5N1 avian flu virus would have to change in order to spread through human populations, the National Institute of General Medical Sciences said in a release .

Although the H5N1 virus has infected several hundred people, person-to-person transmission has been limited. To trigger a widespread outbreak, the bird flu virus must infect the cells lining human noses and throats, the report said.

Ram Sasisekharan of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology said the virus can gain access only through a subset of the sugar molecules coating upper airway cells.

While the protein from human-adapted flu viruses favors the sugars dotting the cells of the nose and throat, the one from bird flu viruses opts for glycans on cells deeper in the respiratory tract. The findings suggest that for H5N1 bird flu virus to spread widely in humans, it must adapt so that it can latch onto the umbrella-shaped glycans of the upper respiratory tract, the report said.

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Science/2008/01/09/key_bird_flu_infection_factor_found/9456/

January 08, 2008

12 Diseases That Altered History

It's often taught that the course of history hinges upon great battles, both in war and among competing ideas. The stars are a few powerful individuals—presidents, monarchs, dictators—whose actions can shift a society's development one way or another. But some influential actors are nasty and ruthless—and microscopic. In his book Twelve Diseases That Changed Our World, Irwin Sherman, a professor emeritus of biology at the University of CaliforniaRiverside, describes how bacteria, parasites, and viruses have swept through cities and devastated populations, felled great leaders and thinkers, and in their wake transformed politics, public health, and economies. U.S.News & World Report spoke with Sherman about how 12 key diseases—smallpox, tuberculosis, syphilis, AIDS, influenza, bubonic plague, cholera, malaria, yellow fever, two noninfectious diseases (hemophilia and porphyria), and the plant disease behind the Irish Potato Famine—have altered history.

http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/2008/01/03/12-diseases-that-altered-history.html

Storms bring tornadoes to Arkansas

LITTLE ROCK (AP) — A tornado reportedly touched down in central Arkansas on Tuesday as severe thunderstorms swept across the state.

The tornado hit the eastern part of Pope County near Appleton, causing damage to buildings and trees, Assistant Director Jim Campbell for Pope County 911 said. Campbell said some people were injured, but he did not know the number or the extent of their injuries.

"We did have a tornado in the eastern part of Pope County. We're going by what the National Weather Service told us so far," Campbell said. "We've got some homes damaged, trees and roads and stuff like that."

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/storms/tornadoes/2008-01-08-ark-tornadoes_N.htm

Rare Winter Tornadoes Rip Through Midwest

WHEATLAND, Wis. — A freak cluster of tornadoes raked across an unseasonably warm Midwest, demolishing houses, knocking railroad cars off their tracks and even temporarily halting justice in one courthouse.

Record temperatures were reported across much of the country Monday, and storms continued to pummel the nation's midsection as darkness fell. More storms were in store for Tuesday.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,320909,00.html

January 07, 2008

Willis "a beast"

NEW YORK -- One NFL scout called linebacker Patrick Willis "a beast." An NFL coach said Willis is "a rolling ball of butcher knives."

And that was before Willis won The Associated Press 2007 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award.

Willis' dominant performance could have been overlooked because his San Francisco 49ers went 5-11 in a mediocre division. Instead, his league-leading 174 tackles and presence all over the field made him a runaway winner and the `fifth straight linebacker to take the honor.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=nfl&id=3181085

January 05, 2008

Earthquakes rumble through West Coast waters Saturday

A series of strong earthquakes rumbled off the B.C. coast near the Queen Charlotte Islands early Saturday morning.

The two strongest quakes, both measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale, hit 140 miles east of Port Hardy within 45 minutes of each other at 3:01 a.m. and 3:44 a.m., according to Natural Resources Canada.

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/story.html?id=218502

Lebanon on alert after Israel reports bird flu

BEIRUT (AFP) — Lebanon on Saturday said it was increasing its vigilance after a case of H5N1 strain of bird flu that is dangerous to humans was detected in neighbouring Israel.

In a statement published on Saturday, the ministry of agriculture called on farmers to remain vigilant and mobilised teams close to the country's southern border.

"The agriculture ministry's teams will continue to work on the ground to monitor any such cases that could come up and put an end to it in order to keep Lebanon free from this disease," it said.

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hcHHBvehVJrZVQb5g5HfiMILlwDA

RANDOM TESTING DONE LAST YEAR ON THE STATE'S WILD BIRD POPULATIONS FOUND NO EVIDENCE OF THE H5N1 STRAIN OF AVIAN INFLUENZA THAT HAS JUMPED FROM BIRDS TO HUMANS.

THE NEBRASKA GAME AND PARKS COMMISSION SAYS TESTS WERE CONDUCTED ON 1,500 WILD BIRDS AND 704 FECAL SAMPLES IN 2007. THE STATE BEGAN TESTING WILD BIRDS IN 2006.

AVIAN INFLUENZA HAS KILLED AT LEAST 216 PEOPLE WORLDWIDE SINCE IT BEGAN RAVAGING ASIAN POULTRY STOCKS IN LATE 2003. THE H5N1 STRAIN HAS NOT BEEN FOUND ANYWHERE IN NORTH AMERICA.

EXPERTS FEAR THE H5N1 VIRUS COULD EVENTUALLY MUTATE INTO A HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS FORM THAT SPREADS EASILY AMONG PEOPLE. THE CURRENT VIRUS REMAINS HARD FOR PEOPLE TO CATCH, AND MOST HUMAN CASES HAVE BEEN TRACED TO CONTACT WITH SICK BIRDS. http://www.kduhtv.com/viewStory.php?id=6279

January 02, 2008

Dozens of Chileans flee due to volcano eruption

SANTIAGO, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- Dozens of Chilean residents abandoned their houses Wednesday in towns close to Llaima volcano in southern Chile as it continued to emit lava and ash.

The volcano at least erupted 60 times from Tuesday to Wednesday, while there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage, officials said.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-01/03/content_7358539.htm

Egypt: 4 Women Die of Bird Flu

Bird flu has killed four Egyptian women in the past week, according to Egyptian health officials and the World Health Organization. The women, ages 25 to 50, were from different provinces, and the cases were not related, officials said. At least one was a chicken seller, and the others were said to have kept poultry at home. The H5N1 strain of avian flu appears endemic in Egyptian poultry; previously the last human case was in June. A total of 43 Egyptians have been infected with H5N1 since it arrived in early 2006; 19 died.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/03/world/middleeast/03briefs-birdflu.html?ref=world

January 01, 2008

Quake in Southern Kyrgyzstan

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (AP) — An earthquake struck southern Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday, cracking walls in older buildings and prompting frightened residents to leave their homes, witnesses said. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

The magnitude-5.7 quake occurred just after noon, and its epicenter was 15 miles southeast of Osh, the Central Asian nation's second-largest city, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hxqSgWAY7xWHgYjk96GIHumVw3jwD8TT19I80

Fourth bird flu death in a week in Egypt: reports

Hanem Atwa Ibrahim, 50, from Damietta north of Cairo, died late on Monday in a hospital in the capital and was the 19th death from the disease in Egypt, the state-owned daily Al-Ahram reported.

Atwa was admitted to hospital on December 24 and had been in critical condition ever since.

Another woman, 36-year-old Fardos Mohammed Haddad from the Nile Delta province of Menufia, also died on Monday from the disease.

http://www.physorg.com/news118403961.html

Birds in Quarantine at PetSmart Stores

The Georgia Department of Agriculture issued a 45-day quarantine order for birds at all PetSmart stores in Georgia, as well as a Superpetz store in Martinez, due to psittacosis, a bird disease that can be transmitted to humans.

Humans can get psittacosis, a bacterial disease, by inhaling dried bird droppings. The disease primarily affects parrots, parakeets and other members of the parrot family. In rare cases it can infect poultry.