Flu Season!

“Flu shot ‘back-boost’ discovery may change the way vaccines are made”

By: Karen Kaplan

Source: Karen Kaplan

http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-flu-shot-back-boost-20141120-story.html

  It is that time of year again! It is flu season! Many are preparing to have their flu shots expecting for it to protect them from exposure to the three strains of influenza virus. A new study has shown that the shots prime a person’s immune system to defeat a much broader range of flu viruses, and it has been tweaked to make it work even better. Every year five to ten percent of adults and twenty to thirty percent of kids around the world become sick with the flu. For the majority this means that the person has a fever, cough, runny nose, headache, and pain in the muscles and joints. In 3 million to 5 million cases, the flu can cause more severe illnesses that include death. This is why virologists put so much time and effort in developing new vaccines. It contains samples of weakened or deactivated viruses, enough to make the immune system start working and to create antibodies. That way if someone encounters a real flu virus, the body will be prepared to fight it. The influenza is a risky virus. There are three main types A, B, and C, and a lot of subtypes. These strains momentarily change. WHO and U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention are public health agencies that track the ones circulating in people and make their best guess about the three or four versions that are most likely to cause infection. Once they are detected they put those strains in the flu shot. A research team found that the flu shot prompts the body to make antibodies against all of the flu viruses a person has encountered. If someone only has been shot with one vaccine that is not enough. In order for the flu shot to work, the immune system needs to respond. Researchers came up with the phenomenon “back-boost”. Their first sign of existence came from studying blood samples of sixty nine people. All had given blood samples. None of these testers had gotten flu shots, but were exposed to the flu. Researchers made “antibody landscape” that depict the relationships among various flu strains. These landscapes showed that the strongest immune system response were the flu viruses that that circulated people about six years. The older the virus, the bigger the response.

  This article is important to read because it informs the audience how there are many viruses and how it can be affected. Flu shots are important to get because it can protect someone from getting infected. When flu season starts make sure to have your flu shots done!

Nature

  It took up a lot of courage for me to shut off my phone and all the other electronics I use on a daily basis. I am currently sitting under the willow tree that is located in front of my house.  I am looking towards the beautiful green garden that my grandma planted and takes care of on a daily basis. On top of the willow tree I see a birds nest and birds flying around and chirping. My guess is that they live there; I never knew our willow tree had a bird’s nest until now. I can smell the aroma of the lovely roses that are next to me. The roses colors’ vary from white, pink, and red. My grandma has planted various types of herbs like: parsley, basil, terragon, and more. We have an apple tree that occasionally sprouts some apples each year. The tree that has some fruits ready to be peeled off is the pomegranate tree. The pomegranates on our tree do not grow as big as the ones that are sold at the market but taste better than anything. I can hear the busy city because the garden overlooks the city of Los Angeles. I can hear the busy traffic, and cars honking at bad drivers. Everything looks so colorful by sitting in the garden and seeing how different it is to be in nature compared to sitting in front of a computer screen or my phone. I can hear the hose running and my grandma watering her precious garden. It is a gorgeous day out on Sunday morning and I have decided that every Sunday I will come and sit in the garden to just explore my surrounding and it will be my new thinking spot.

  This idea made my eyes open in a different way. It makes me start my day with a peaceful mind and not so moody. It made my eyes open to try new experiences, and to use my phone less. In this world technology has overtaken us and it needs to stop. I will start using my phone less because it made me realize that my surrounding are more beautiful then my phone screen. From now on I will pay attention of natures beauty.

Berlin Wall

“On a Memory-Filled Date, the Fall of the Berlin Wall Stands Front and Center”

By: Alison Smale

Source: NY Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/10/world/europe/on-a-memory-filled-date-the-fall-of-the-berlin-wall-stands-front-and-center.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=second-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news

  This weekend was the weekend to commemorate the horror scene of the Berlin wall. Angela Merkel with her customary decorum let her co  These ceremonies were held to honor the Berlin wall there were many guests remembering the horror scene.

untry in celebrations mix of triumph and tragedy. Ms.Merkel in her speech noted the special meaning on November 9 in German history. Thousands of words were spoken and hundreds and thousands of visitors joined on Berlin and captured millions of moments by visiting the ceremony. Dorethea Elbert a violinist performed beautifully in the ceremony. She was the one who spent time in the East German jail after an unsuccessful attempt to flee to the West in 1983. Earlier in the day, the Hungarian conductor Ivan Fischer presided over an event at the magnificent Konzerthaus at which musicians from any Berlin orchestras or choirs were invited to the concert hall to join in unrehearsed and do the scene of Beethoven’s opera “Fidelio”. The Konzerthaus event made a citywide celebration and drew a number of foreign dignitaries, including Lech Welesa, the founder of Poland’s Solidarity trade union. Miklos Nemeth, prime minister of Hungary when it opened the first hole in the Iron Curtain. Also joining in was the Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev. 1,000 or so guests welcomed them all warmly and Mr.Gorbachev received a standing ovation also.

  People should read this article because it was event that no one should not know about. The Berlin wall was important in our history and the fall of it was tragic. This article explains what happened in the ceremony and different events that happened prior to honoring and remembering the wall.   

Schools in 2035

  Schools in 2035 would not be the way schools are right now, it would be way different. 2035 student body would not be using books. Everything would be done on computer, for example iPads. Each student will purchase a special I Pad only for school and that will be their textbook throughout the year. Instead of having teachers in classrooms there will be ready made lectures. These lectures will be timed lectures according to class times. If class starts at 12:00 p.m. then the lecture will start exactly at 12:00. If a student is late to class then they will miss a part of the lecture. Students will have beautiful confortable seats with glass tables. Some classrooms will also have in built computers that will have the students account to log in and start taking their notes. Students will still have the cumulative reading books as we have now. The books that students read now are the best because it fits into the curriculum. Students will be reading and taking notes, they will be tested on the material that they were lectured on. If students have any questions about the lesson or homework there will be a special site and certain time that a GENIUS will sit and answer to students. The schools building would be modernized. Doors would open automatically and the class board will be built in the wall. The student’s way of teaching would completely be changing because of how fast the curriculum is changing.  Every month something new comes up because they want to make teaching styles different.                

Trick-or-Treat

“What’s that teal pumpkin? Trick-or treating can be free of allergens, calories”

By: Amina Khan

Source: La Times

http://touch.latimes.com/#section/621/article/p2p-81842288/ 

 

  Parents of children who have food allergies may have a problem if their kids go trick-or-treating. Teal Pumpkin Project is and efforts to ensure that stress-free, non-food treats are available for children who cannot participate in Halloween tradition. Teal Pumpkin Project is a nonprofit organization led by Food Allergy Research and Education. This organization asks households that there treats to include non-edible options so that children with food restrictions can also have fun and participate. By taking part in this action homes can signal their allergy-friendly status by displaying a teal-colored pumpkin at their home. Food allergies occur when the body’s immune system repeatedly overreacts to certain or specific foods. Food allergies trigger varied from person to person. Symptoms range from hives on the skin or a serious case where it can potentially fatal restriction of the airways caused by anaphylaxis. 90% of serious allergic reactions in the U.S are due to just eight foods. The eight foods are milk, eggs, wheat, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, and crustacean shellfish. Most of these ingredients can be found in packaged sweets. Candy ingredients seem allergen-free but cross-contamination can happen. For example a chocolate bar does not contain peanuts but it could still have been manufactured on the same equipment as a peanut filled candy. Instead of passing out candy some houses pass out stickers, pencils, or Halloween related crayons. Young children may like these things because they will enjoy them, like coloring with those crayons. Parents will also feel safe too. Some treats can also be a fitting alternative not for allergy- concerned parents, but for parents who are concerned with the healthy aspect.

  This is an article that should be read because it concerns children’s health and how to turn trick-or-treating safe and allergy free. There are alternative treats that can be passed out which will benefit children and can be healthy. Some house owners should read this article and make a change for next year’s trick-or-treaters.