Blog article (4)

Traffic delays expected during AYG Torch Relay

SINGAPORE: The torch relay to mark the opening of the inaugural Asian Youth Games (AYG) 2009 will be held on Sunday and Monday, showcasing more than 180 torch-bearers and over 70,000 participants from 45 countries. Highlighting the theme of the games, "Igniting Sporting Passion in Asia's Youth", the AYG torch will travel to the five Community Development Councils here.

The torch will also make its way to shopping malls including Tanglin Mall, Ngee Ann City, Centrepoint, Raffles City, Suntec City and Marina Centre.

The following roads will be affected by the AYG Torch Relay between 2pm and 5pm on Sunday: Tanglin Road, Orchard Road, Bras Basah Road, Raffles Boulevard, Temasek Boulevard and Raffles Avenue. Motorists and members of the public are advised to use alternative routes.

From channelmewsasia.com

I hope that the AYG torch will not have any requirements for stoping the AYG.

Blog article (3)

Valuable lessons from AYG for Youth Olympic Games

SINGAPORE : Singapore's hosting of the Asian Youth Games (AYG) has provided invaluable lessons for next year's Youth Olympic Games (YOG). One lesson is planning for contingencies. Apart from preparing for the AYG in just one year, the games' organisers also had to worry about the H1N1 outbreak and putting in place safety precaution measures. Five youth footballers had come down with H1N1 and their team mates had to be quarantined.

Another challenge was the poor ticket sales as the athletes are relatively unknown to Singaporeans. But organisers are confident that once the competition begins, sales would pick up, especially for events that local athletes are likely to perform well in. Another important learning point for the Youth Olympic Games is to be prepared for the worse. Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Community Development, Youth and Sports, Teo Ser Luck, said: "For YOG crisis management, (it) could mean a very big scale one because there are 200 over countries and anything can (happen). "It's not just about disease, H1N1 or virus. It could be anything else, in terms of social issues, (either local or imported). There are other issues, such as diplomatic issues and all that." From channelmewsasia.com

I hope that the AYG and the YOG will carry out successfully despite the Flu Outbreak.I will also give support to Singapore,and hope that Singapore will win!

Blog article (2)

Australia set to raise H1N1 flu alert level

SYDNEY: Australia said Sunday it was set to raise its H1N1 flu alert level as the number of victims hit by the pandemic continued to mount while Thailand urged calm after a sharp increase in cases. Australian Health Minister Nicola Roxon said that, with the national tally nearing 1,500 cases, the whole country would soon move to the "sustain" phase in line with hotspot state Victoria. The "sustain" phase, Australia's second-highest, gives authorities the power to cancel sports events, close schools and restrict travel, although officials say extreme measures such as closing national borders are unlikely.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) raised its global alert to a maximum six on Thursday, saying H1N1 flu had reached pandemic status because of its geographical spread. H1N1 flu has so far infected almost 30,000 people in 74 countries and claimed 145 lives since it was first detected in Mexico in April, according to the latest WHO figures released Friday. A total of 1,458 cases of the A(H1N1) virus have been counted in Australia, the worst-hit Asia-Pacific country, with the fifth highest number of cases worldwide. "As the numbers gradually increase in jurisdictions there will be steps over the coming days to move to a consistent alert level," Roxon said. "It's inevitable that the disease will spread. That's the nature of this type of flu," she added.

Meanwhile, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva urged the country not to panic after H1N1 flu cases suddenly soared and a cluster emerged in a key tourist hub. Health authorities reported 106 confirmed cases of the virus late Saturday -- nearly seven times the tally just three days earlier. Officials last week said 21 of the new infections were found among nightclub workers in the coastal city of Pattaya, who were tested after two Taiwanese tourists said on returning home they had contracted the disease there. "People should not panic. The death ratio for the new flu is probably lower than normal flu," Abhisit said in his weekly television programme. He said the government was taking extra measures whenever cases were reported to stop the spread of the disease. Health authorities in Canada announced Saturday that a fifth person had died of H1N1 flu and reported 540 additional cases, bringing the country's total since the start of the outbreak to more than 3,500. But while millions could catch the flu, governments and health experts around the world have sought to play down fears that the A(H1N1) virus could become a major killer.

Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis on Friday stole a march on competitors by announcing it had completed a first batch of its vaccine for pre-clinical trials. A spokesman told AFP it hoped to have a vaccine in production by September or October. Novartis said it hopes to start trials on patients in July and to gain a licence soon after. It said more than 30 governments had already asked for A(H1N1) virus "vaccine ingredients".

The US government gave Novartis 289 million dollars (205 million euros) to help develop a vaccine. It also placed an order with Sanofi-Pasteur of France which said it hopes to have doses ready for clinical trials in coming weeks. British-controlled GlaxoSmithKline said it could produce a vaccine in four to six months and that it was ready to convert a donation of 50 million doses of vaccine against H5N1 bird flu for the WHO to H1N1 flu doses.

The southern hemisphere is currently heading into winter and the height of its flu season. Northern hemisphere countries expect to see a H1N1 flu surge when their winter starts later.

News on H1N1 Flu

BLOG on News on H1N1 flu

SINGAPORE: Singapore on Sunday confirmed its Fifth case of the H1N1 virus.
The patient is a 22- year-old Singaporean who had travelled to the United States from May 13 to 28. The Health Ministry (MOH) said she is currently being treated at the Communicable Disease Centre at Tan Tock Seng Hospital and is in a stable condition.
She returned from New York via Tokyo at about 11.30pm on Friday, on All Nippon Airways NH901 flight, seated at Row 36. She had no fever and passed the thermal scanners at the airport. She was met by her family who took her home in the family car. She subsequently developed a fever at around 8am on Saturday. Her mother drove her to the hospital's emergency department and she was admitted to the Communicable Disease Centre for further testing. Laboratory results confirmed her infection at 8.05pm on the same day. The Ministry said her symptoms are mild.
It has initiated tracing of her close contacts, who will be quarantined and provided with antiviral prophylaxis. Passengers within rows 34 to 38 on All Nippon Airways NH901 on May 29, who have not been contacted by the Ministry, should call the MOH hotline at 1800-333 9999.

From channelmewsasia.com



I think that we can do our part by taking temperature regularly and not going to school or crowded places if we are not feeling well,as an example.

MPH Prac 3 (Reading Passage)

The Phone Call

THE PHONE CALL

It was a bright evening when I had dinner with my family members. “What’s for dinner, Mum? ”I enquired hungrily. “Emm…Steamed fish with onion, Mushroom soup and your favourite… ” “Ring! Ring…!”The phone rang before my mother could finish talking.
I picked up and answered the phone, “Hello! Who’s speaking?” Suddenly, I gave a loud scream; my family members got my attention and cast a quizzical look at me. I held on to the phone and speak with bated breath, “Cousins will be back tonight for holidays!” My sister jumped up for joy and my family talked among themselves. I began continued talking on the phone, “When? Eight o’clock sharp at the evening. At Terminal 3,ok…”
I hang up the phone; I quickly wrote when my cousins would be coming and where…on a paper, I was so excited that I wolfed down my dinner hungrily after answering the phone. After dinner, I fished for my diary and wrote ‘Dear Dairy, I am so excited! My cousins called me when I was …’When it was about 7.40p.m. I hastened my parents to fetch my cousins home from the airport as they would be staying with us.
We went to the airport, Terminal 3. I looked at my watch, it’s already 8 o’clock but my cousins had not come, I was so afraid that they would not come. Then, I saw some people waving at me, they were my cousins. “Oh boy! How nice to meet you! How are you?” I hugged them with joyful glee. My mother asked, “Where are your parents?” They explained in a careful tone. Just then, my mother’s hand phone rang. “Are my children there already?” My mother replied and heard that my aunt wanted Mum’s help with her children. When we went home ,it was already 11p.m.We went straight to bed. When the lights went off, my eyes creased in happiness slowly dreamed and I flew into dreamland, thinking of the wonderful week ahead with my cousins…

Written by:Lin JingYi

Canivorous plant-Pitcher plant

Pitcher Plant

Tropical pitcher plants belong to a very unique group of flowering plants that have special adaptations found in few other plants: pitcher-shaped leaves which trap and digest small organisms. There are approximately 76 species of tropical pitcher plants, all of which are classified in the genus Nepenthes.

The genus Nepenthes comprises its own family, the Nepenthaceae, based on floral and other physical characteristics of these plants.
Tropical pitcher plants of the genus Nepenthes are distributed in tropical areas of northern Australia, southeast Asia, southern China, India and Madagascar.

Habitat:These plants grow as vines, in the undergrowth, or up in the canopy of tropical forests.

Physical Characteristics:Tropical pitcher plants generally grow as vines, climbing over other plants, and may grow as epiphytes, growing on other plants in the forest canopy, or as low shrubs. The pitchers of tropical pitcher plants may resemble flowers, but are actually modified leaf blades that hang from coiled tendrils. The pitchers are usually shaped like tubes or, as the name implies, like small pitchers. All species in the genus Nepenthes use their pitchers to trap and digest small invertebrate animals. The pitchers can vary in shape even within the same species of plant depending on the age of the plant, the amount of light, and whether the pitcher is growing near the ground or high up. The pitchers are filled with acidic digestive liquids. The pitchers are able to break down and absorb nutrients from animals, usually invertebrates such as insects, that fall into the pitchers. The pitchers are covered by small lids as they grow, in order to prevent the digestive liquid from being diluted by rainwater. The lids shrivel or open up when the pitchers are fully developed.

Fascinating Facts
Thirty out of the 76 known species of tropical pitcher plants occur on the island of Borneo
The brims of tropical pitcher plants secrete insect-attracting nectar. Insects are also attracted to pitcher plants by aromas and visual signals. When insects land on the brim of a pitcher and walk around in the process of foraging, they often walk over the waxy, slippery surface of the inside of the pitcher and lose their footing. The insects then fall into the pitcher and become food for the plant
Species of Nepenthes grow on soils that are poor in nutrients or on other plants where nutrients are not readily available. Plants, such as some Nepenthes, that grow on other plants, but do not take nutrients from the supporting plants, are referred to as epiphytes. In order to grow in places that are poor in nutrients, Nepenthes have adapted a carnivorous lifestyle, which supplements their intake of nitrogen and other nutrients
Most species of Nepenthes have symbiotic relationships with arthropods such as ants or spiders. One example is Nepenthes bicalcarata and ants of the genus Colobopsis in forests of Borneo. The pitcher plant provides the ants with shelter inside the tendril connecting the pitcher to the leaf. The ants collect insects that have fallen into the pitcher and feed on them. The pitcher plant gets sufficient nutrients from the insects in the pitcher, yet the ants prevent insects from piling up in the pitcher and decomposing, which can be detrimental to the plant.
Nepenthes rajah produces the largest pitchers of any plants in this genus. Pitchers of this plant are shaped somewhat like kettledrums, the largest pitchers being up to 14 inches (35 cm) long by 7 inches (18 cm) wide.