At the "International Solid-State Circuits Conference", in San Francisco, European researchers the worlds first microprocessor made with a organic semiconductor. Now a semiconductor is a solid material that has electrical conductivity (transmission ability either heat, electricity, or sound) between that of a conductor and an insulator (which prevents or reduces the passage of heat, electricity, or sound.)
This is a 4000-transistor (a small low-powered solid-state electronic device consisting of a semiconductor and at least three electrodes (conductor through which electricity flows), used as an amplifier and rectifier (an electronic device that converts alternating current to direct current) and frequently incorporated into integrated circuit chips).
It is a 8-bit logic circuit , and has the processing power of only a 1970-era silicon model, and can bend. This is 25-micrometer-thick chip starts with a substrate made from polyethylene naphthalate a plastic. Comparable to material that you use to wrap your sandwiches, and it is very flexible. It also has a 25-nanometer-thick layer of gold, patterned to make the circuit.
Above that sits an organic dielectric, followed by a second patterned gold layer, and finally the organic semiconductor, made of Pentacene; this is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon consisting of five straight-fused benzene rings. This highly conjugated compound is an organic semiconductor. The compound generates excitons upon absorption of ultra-violet (UV) or visible light; this makes it very sensitive to oxidation which is like when your aple turns brown or a penny turns green. Poly-AROWMWHAT?
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) is a potent
atmospheric pollutant, it consists of fused aromatic rings and do not contain heteroatoms (a heteroatom (Greek heteros, different, + atomos) is any atom that is not carbon or hydrogen.) or
carry substituents (atom, radical, or group substituted for another in a chemical compound).
As
a pollutant, they are of concern because some compounds have been identified as:
Carcinogenic: Any substance, radionuclide, or radiation directly involved in causing cancer. Several radioactive substances are considered carcinogens, but their carcinogenic activity is attributed to the radiation, for example gamma rays and alpha particles, which they emit. Common examples of non-radioactive carcinogens are inhaled asbestos, certain dioxins, and tobacco smoke.
Teratogenic:Greekτέραςteras, meaning monster or marvel.Teratology is the study of abnormalities of physiological development. Like human birth defects, also non-birth developmental stages, even puberty; other non-human life forms, like plants.
*NOTE*
These are just suspected or are known to be
teratogenic in humans and in animals.
PAHs are also found in cooked foods. Studies have shown that high levels of
PAHs are found, for example, in meat cooked at high temperatures such as
grilling or barbecuing, and in smoked fish. They
are also found in the interstellar medium, in comets, and in meteorites and
are a candidate molecule to act as a basis for the
earliest forms of life.
However, the organic microprocessor built is still not busting through the upper limits of Moore’s Law; this tiny, flexible, 25-micrometer-thick microprocessors could lead to better and cheaper flexible displays and sensors that can be embedded into just about anything, from clothing to construction materials to foods or pharmaceuticals.
What Is Moore's Law?
Moore's law, dictates the amount of computing power you can put into the same space, and will double every 18 months.
Moore’s Law is finally breaking down, the law that says the number of transistors that can be fit on a computer chip will double every two years, resulting in periodic increases in computing power.
When Thinking About Moore's Law Think About This
Buy a new computer, take it home and see an advertisement for a new computer, better than yours, that sucks huh? If you're the kind of person who needs to have the fastest, most powerful machine, you are compelled to get that new one. This is greed, and leading to Moore's law being pushed making it, obsolete.
Just To Know Simple Fact
Quantum computers can efficiently render every physically possible quantum environment, even when vast numbers of universes are interacting. Quantum computation is a qualitatively new way of harnessing nature, Quantum computers, have the potential to solve problems that would take a classical computer longer than the age of the universe.
A computer made up of all the energy in the entire known universe (that is, within the visible “horizon” of forty-two billion light-years) can store about 1092 bits of information and can perform 10105 computations/second.
Some say the universe itself is considered a quantum computer
What Is A Microprocessor?
Miniature electronic device that contains the arithmetic,
logic, and control circuitry needed to function as a digital
computer's CPU.
Microprocessors are integrated
circuits that can interpret and execute program instructions as well as
handle arithmetic operations. Their development in the late 1970s enabled
computer engineers to develop microcomputers.
Microprocessors led to “intelligent” terminals, such as bank ATMs and
point-of-sale devices, and to automatic control of much industrial
instrumentation and hospital equipment, programmable microwave ovens, and
electronic games. Many automobiles use microprocessor-controlled ignition and
fuel systems.
*Learn More On Computers* Reflecting on this article, I have to ask you the readers this question, not only is it nice to have a bendable phone, and it doesn't break, but now you see the development of technology and how it is always expanding, causing us the consumers to constantly buy more and more, seeking more space, faster speed, better performance, etc. In fact your allowing the non-organic machine to grow faster than your organic machine which is your brain. Think About It, It's Just To Know, Its Only Your Knowledge
Are fusion centers
considered a bad investment that may be on the chopping block of new Federal
budget cuts? Established in 2003, as a result of 9/11, fusion centers were
supposed to be an important aspect of U.S. successful counterterrorism efforts.
The fusion centers would provide Federal, state, local, and tribal officials a
location where they could gather and share information pertaining to
terrorists. This would in addition allow them to seek out and interrupt
terrorist activity. Based on recent reports these fusion centers have a long
way to go to reach their intended goal. One such report was produced by the
United States Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations Committee on
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs dated October 3, 2012. This report
took a look into Federal support for and involvement in state and local fusion
centers. This is majority and minority staff report that revealed some
disappointing results that would easy label fusion centers as a bad investment
in need of some major repairs. In contrast to fusion centers nearly violating
laws, producing junk information, and the mismanaging of personnel and Federal
government funds, fusion centers have had some positive results since they
began operating. Although positive, the results have nothing to do with fusion
centers’ initial mission once the Feds got involved.
The intended
purpose of fusion centers is to strengthen U.S. abilities to detect, disrupt,
and respond to domestic terrorism activity.The Homeland Security Act 2002 was signed into law by George W Bush on
11/25/02. This law helped establish the DHS (Department of Homeland Security). The
law doesn’t mention fusion centers per se, however the laws does give the DHS
authority to gather together and share terrorist related information with
Federal, state, and local officials. Two months after that in 03/2003,
President Bush created the Terrorist Threat Integration Center.He created this to be able to analyze
terrorist information at a central site. This was similar to a headquarters.
Two months after the TTIC was created, Bush created another organization led by
the FBI called the Terrorist Screening Center. This particular organization was
created in order to consolidate the terrorist watch list.The establishment of these two centers pretty
much wiped out the DHS’ authority in the U.S. counterterrorism efforts.
It was after the
release of the 9/11 Commission report in 2004 when the fusion centers gained
more direct federal involvement consideration.The 2004, 9/11 Commission report indicated that the U.S.’s inability to “connect dots”, and share terrorist
activity in time contributed to U.S. not being able to foresee and prevent the
9/11 attacks. The DHS figured that more federal support to fusion centers would
enhance U.S. counterterrorism efforts. Congress and the White House then started
passing bills and issuing executive orders that designated the Federal
government’s involvement in counterterrorism efforts.There were a number of organizations and
centers that were created as a result of the Federal government and its
involvement with fusion centers since 9/11. In 2003, first the DHS was created. Then the
TTIC and the TSC was created. In 2004 the National Counterterrorism Center
(NCTC) took over responsibility from the DHS.The 2004 intelligence reform law and executive order 13356 created
Program Manager for the Information Sharing Environment (PM-ISE) to assist
Federal, state, and local officials in sharing terrorist related information.In 2006 a fusion center plan was submitted
and in 06/06 the fusion center plan was approved.
In 2006 DHS
expressed how fusion centers would serve highly beneficial to taxpayers and
U.S. counterterrorism efforts.It was
said that fusion centers would allow routine access to local intelligence that
supported the fusion center’s mission.The subcommittee’s investigation of fusion centers showed how fusion
centers just didn’t stand up to their expectation.According to the 9/11 Commission Act 2007
enacted by the Bush administration, the Federal government was to get involved
with fusion centers to administer operational and intelligence advice in
efforts of counterterrorism. They also were to make sure the fusion centers
were properly and sufficiently staffed and had the proper equipment and
technology to do the job.
The mission of the fusion centers as
explained by the DHS is set to improve situational awareness at Federal level.
It was to improve access to local officials. It was supposed to provide
consultation on state and local issues.Fusion centers would have access to nontraditional information sources
and would clearly define information gathering requirements. Fusion centers
were also supposed to improve intelligence and information sharing, and
dissemination capabilities. Lastly, fusion centers were supposed to help to
improve prevention, protection, response, and recovery capabilities.
In 2008 the
Department of Justice along with Homeland Security published “Baseline Capabilities for State and Major
UrbanArea Fusion Centers” set forth
by the Bush Administration. It was
an outline of how the fusion centers would operate and what was needed to
operate them. It was reported that in
2008 few fusion centers possessed the minimum capabilities to effectively
participate in counterterrorism information sharing with the Feds. This report
also indicated that it would take an estimated 1 to 5 years to reach all
baseline capabilities. Maybe it’s
because many of the fusion centers weren’t properly equipped, they produced
poor results.
The subcommittee conducted
a 13 month investigation (04/11/2009-04/30/2010) on fusion centers. After investigating
2 years of Federal involvement with fusion centers and examining 80 thousand
pages of documents, they concluded that the DHS’s involvement with fusion
centers produced no results that were expected by statute, White House
strategies, and the DHS’s own report. The subcommittee also found that DHS did
not monitor the money granted to fusion centers properly. Also, the
subcommittee learned that many of the fusion centers had personal agendas other
than counterterrorism.
Most of the
information reported was late, unreliable, and sometimes violated civil rights
and Privacy Act protection of Americans. In addition to that, much of the
information reported was unrelated to terrorism, and obtained from previously
published records. It was also learned that DHS officials’ public claims about
the fusion centers weren’t always accurate. DHS didn’t report all problems to
Congress, nor did they mention if the problems that were reported were fixed in
a timely manner.
In 2010 the DHS
requested an assessment of state and local fusion centers and found numerous
deficiencies in the centers, but neglected to report the deficiencies to
Congress. When the subcommittee asked for a copy of the assessment, DHS lied at
first and said the assessment didn’t exist. They then later furnished a copy
for the subcommittee. The DHS did an assessment of their own in 2011. It wasn’t
as in-depth as the one conducted by the subcommittee. The results were more
positive.DHS’s assessment did however;
find ongoing weaknesses at the fusion centers.The 2010 and 2011 assessments didn’t support the statements the DHS made
publically about fusion centers. The DHS said that the fusion centers are one
of the centerpieces of the American counterterrorism strategy and “a major
force multiplier in the counterterrorism enterprise”. The assessments indicated that that statement
was just not true.Fusion centers in
fact produced irrelevant, useless, or inappropriate information; if any
information at all.
After examining the
reports, the subcommittee found that there was no information found that would reveal
or interrupt a planned terrorist attack. The information that was found was
that almost 1/3 of reports weren’t published for the DHS or the intelligence
committee’s use because they were of no use or they were on the borderline of
violating guidelines set to protect civil liberties and/or Privacy Act
protections.During the 2009 DHS review,
reporting was slowed for months because DHS would try to cover for individuals
who may be in violation of the Privacy Act.This in turned created a huge backlog, to which by the time the
intelligence committee received the information, the information was considered
no good. Most of the reports were about criminal activity, not terrorists or
potential terrorist activity. Some of the terrorist activity that was reported
came from the media, and some of the information reported about terrorists
seemed to be a copy of the information shared with the NCTC. The subcommittee also examined the management
of the reporting process. They learned that the DHS requires only 1 week of
training for personnel to be qualified to report sensitive information. They
also discovered that there were no consequences for individuals who authorized
useless, and possible illegal reports.
The fusions centers
are funded by the DHS through the Homeland Security Grant Program, and funds
are administered by FEMA. From 2003 to 2011, FEMA has given an estimated range
of 289 million to 1.4 billion of taxpayer dollars to fusion centers. Nobody
monitored the funds and how they were spent.An investigation was done on 5 fusion centers and none of them had the
basic essentials to operate effectively. They did however; find that they all
had flat screen televisions, SUVs’, undetectable button cameras, tracking
devices, and other surveillance items that had nothing to do with fusion
centers’ ability to function.The DHS told
the subcommittee that FEMA allowed the purchases because they were consistent
with the rules and guidelines for purchase. The DHS gave no explanation for why
no basic essential equipment was purchased. This part of the investigation was
done to see if fusion centers were worthy of Federal support. Even though the
Bush Administration provided grants to fusion centers before the 2008 report,
he did say that the Federal government won’t fund fusion centers on a permanent
basis.These grants were to be used to
get them up and started.
Criminal
Intelligence Systems Operating Policies (28 CFR Part 23)
Training and Technical Assistance Program
28 Code
of Federal Regulations Part 23 (28 CFR Part 23): Is a federal guideline for law enforcement
agencies that operate federally funded, multijurisdictional criminal
intelligence systems. 28 CFR Part 23 provides guidance for law
enforcement agencies on how to operate criminal intelligence information
systems effectively while protecting individuals’ privacy and constitutional
rights during the collection, storage, and dissemination of criminal
intelligence information.
The fusion centers
are state and local entities that receive federal funding, but the Federal
government does not have the authority to influence the mission of individual
fusion centers. So, fusion centers are given money for a specified job; but
don’t necessarily have to perform that job as detailed. The DHS currently
provides millions of Federal grant money to support fusion centers. The DHS gives
general guidelines, training, and technology, but doesn’t detail how to use it
to operate fusion centers effectively for the purpose of antiterrorism.Because of the inefficiency to gather and
share early intelligence of terrorists, U.S. wasn’t able to neither anticipate
nor prepare for the 9/11 attacks. In other words; U.S. got caught slipping and
the efforts at that time to detect and prevent terrorism failed. Thus Congress
initiated reform, where fusion centers were championed to be the key in being
able to gather and share terrorists and possible terrorist activity.The DHS was made the Federal partner for
fusion centers. With that being said, some fusion centers have other missions
besides a counterterrorism mission. The Obama Administration supports fusion
centers for the purpose of counterterrorism.It seems that some members of the administration has deterred from the
mission of fusion centers.They have
shifted their mission to other issues such as local and state criminal activity,
disaster recovery, and to no counterterrorism whatsoever. In September of 2009,
DHS secretary Napolitano told the Senate that fusion centers, “work beyond
counterterrorism”; and are used in a variety of ways.
The fusion centers
have had success stories as well. Here are some positive aspects fusion centers
have on the U.S. since they have been established. In 08/07 the DHS assisted a Florida fusion
center in the indictment of two Egyptian nationals in Florida. They were found
with explosives during a traffic stop. They were charged with transporting
explosive without a permit. One of them was also charged with building and
using an explosive device.In 01/08,
multiple fusion centers prevented an attack similar to the Virginia Tech
attack. A man pled guilty to 5 counts of transmitting in interstate commerce
and communications threatening to injure the person of another. In 09/09 a
fusion center in Colorado gave analytical support to the Denver FBI in the
Najibullah Zazi case. In 03/10, the same fusion center in Colorado was able to
assist in the detainment of a woman connected to known terrorists.In 06/2011 again, the fusion center in
Colorado aided in the arrest of an attempted bombing suspect.The local police department along with the
FBI and other state officials were able to identify a person, arrested on non-terrorist
charges, as also being a suspect in a couple of public locations where devices
were found. In 03/12 multiple fusion centers worked together to provide
information that led to an opening of a homicide case. The DHS along with fusion
centers in Nevada and Texas shared information obtained from a prison inmate to
open a new case on an unsolved murder. The information obtained from the
prisoner was also used in counternarcotics efforts.It is clear that fusion centers do produce
some positive results; but are the results conducive to the counterterrorism
efforts they were design to do?
The report revealed
how the officials of the DHS always spoke positively about fusion centers when
in public in spite of all the mismanagement inside of fusion centers and their
lack of counterterrorism efforts.The
DHS never made it known that the information being reported was mostly useless,
and only state and local criminal activity; basically unrelated to terrorism of
any kind. Nevertheless, the DHS isn’t to
share the blame for fusion center failure alone.Congress plays an intricate role as well.
Since the time fusion centers were created by Congress in 2003, certain
bipartisan committees and subcommittees have assumed jurisdiction over aspects
of fusion centers. Therefore, when they overlook obvious problems within fusion
centers, makes them just as responsible for the failure of fusion centers. When
the members of Congress visit, participate in hearings, and interact with members
of fusion centers and their staff, they oftentimes learn of the problems; but
nothing is done to fix them.
The report done by
the subcommittee clearly indicates that the DHS need to step their game up when
it comes to fusion centers.Taxpayers won’t
be pleased to know that millions to billions of their tax dollars are being
invested into something that isn’t producing any worthwhile results.It looks like the cat isn’t away anymore, so
the mice can’t play anymore. The subcommittee suggested some recommendations
for improvement.They advised the DHS to
basically reevaluate the reason why fusion centers were created. They advised
them to familiarize themselves and the staff better with the rules and
regulations. They were also told to close in and stop the misuse of taxpayer
dollars, and improve ways to not violate people’s civil liberties.In addition, the DHS was instructed to
perform and report regular assessments on fusion centers.
Based on the subcommittee’s report, the
fusion centers were pretty much a very bad investment.It’s not at all unreasonable to attempt to
correct the operations of the fusion centers since so much time and money was
invested on the project. However, with all the debt the U.S. is in, 800million
dollars a year is too much money to be wasting on projects that may or, may not work.
What is an outbreak party you ask? And why are
you invited? Well honestly it doesn’t matter whether or not you’re invited,
either way you’re going to attend. To help you get ready for an outbreak party
you will have to know what it is.
An
outbreak is a sudden occurrence, something unpleasant or dangerous, like an
illness or fighting.
Sounds Like Fun
Right?
What exactly is this party your invited to?
When talking
about a party you can break it down to many things.
A party could be a gathering of people that is
usually celebrating something; another is a political organization like your
democratic or republican who share similar political views and goals. In a
non-political aspect, it is a group of people who are doing something together.
Either way my
fellow people, all of these definitions lead to the same meaning, its one or
more participating or being involved in an activity/event.
When saying an outbreak party; invited or
uninvited, your age, race or even your lifestyle doesn’t matter. An outbreak
party comes to you at no expense, whether it may seem good or bad to you. It’s an
open house for all.
Since the past and present there have been
multiple outbreaks of not only viruses or bacteria, but your weather as well.
Looking into the year of 2012, it holds some past events and the near future
events to be spectacular and even a bit distasteful (literally!). We have had
over 13 outbreak parties in the year 2012.
The most recent
outbreak party is the Meningitis outbreak.
First let’s
observe what Meningitis is: A serious and sometimes fatal illness in which a
viral or bacterial infection aggravates the meninges, your protective spine and
brain membrane. Meningitis could develop in a number of
causes, usually bacteria or viruses, and can develop from a physical injury,
cancer and certain drugs.
There are 5 types: Bacterial (this is life-threatening), Viral (this is serious,
but rarely fatal), Parasitic (this is caused by parasites less common in
developed countries), Fungal (this is rare and not contagious), and
Non-infectious.
This illness
causes symptoms like severe headaches, vomiting, stiff neck, and high fever.
This outbreak is still under investigation of
a multiple state fungal meningitis outbreak, among the patients who received
contaminated steroid injections. Other infections linked
to the use of injectable steroids from three recalled lots of preservative-free Methylprednisolone
(meth·yl·pred·nis·o·lone) Acetate (MPA) this was distributed by the New England
Compounding Center (NECC). Patients got fungal meningitis after taking
medications that weaken the immune system, for example steroids (prednisone),
usually given to you after an organ transplantation. Several patients suffered
strokes that are assumed to have resulted from their infections. The investigations
also consist of fungal infections related with shots in a peripheral joint, the
knees, shoulders or ankles. As of October 22, 2012, a total of 54 patients have
CDC laboratory-confirmed fungal meningitis. November 7, 2012; 414 are infected people, of which 31 have died and 10 have developed joint
infections, this
form of fungal meningitis is not contagious.
The medication
was packaged and marketed by the New England Compounding Center (NECC); the
NECC is a compounding pharmacy. A compounding pharmacy is authorized to
combine, mix or alter ingredients to generate specific drugs to meet the
definite needs of patients. Some doctors and clinics use compounding pharmacies
because they charge lower prices than the major manufacturers.Ameridose is a
sister company of the U.S. pharmacy, state licensed, FDA (Food and Drug Administration) &
DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) registered nationwide supplier of sterile
admixing and oral syringe repackaging services to hospital pharmacies.
The members
of the staff pharmacy were interconnected to the deadly outbreak, and
documented dozens of cases of mold and bacteria growing in rooms that were
thought to be sterile, according to federal health inspectors. In a primary
report on conditions at the pharmacy, FDA stated that even when the
contamination at New England Compounding Center surpassed the company's own
safety levels. No evidence found whether the members of staff inspected or
corrected the problem, the FDA uncovered four dozen reports of possible
contamination in company records, going back all the way to January of 2012! In early October 2012 after steroid injections
were made by the company, were found to be tied to an outbreak of fungal
meningitis. FDA officials recognized that the black fungus found in the
company's vials was the same fungus that has sickened 338 people in the U.S,
and lead to 25 deaths. The company recalled three loads of steroids made since
May 2012; these are 17,676 single-dose vials of medicine, which is 20 gallons of
medicine for patients. Trusting a company whose main job is supposed to
sterilize, and yet a simple clean-up did not take. The shipping of the vials to
customers started on Aug. 17, just two weeks before the pharmacy received test
results from an outside laboratory confirming the sterility of the drug. But
when FDA scientists went back and tested the same load, low and behold they found
contamination in 50 vials. Patients recovering from
the meningitis then fall ill again. Sufferers of the new infection were coping
with epidural sores, these infections are near the site where the drug was
initially injected. CDC and FDA have identified bacterial and/or fungal
contamination in unopened vials of:
Betamethasone (be·ta·me·tha·sone) (steroids,
used to prevent the release of substances in the body that cause inflammation),
Cardioplegia (car·dio·ple·gia) (drug for cardiac surgery)
Triamcinolone (tri·am·cin·o·lone)(a
synthetic corticosteroid(cor·ti·co·ste·roid)
or synthetic version of your body’s hormone cortisol (cor·ti·sol) or stress hormone it is used for allergies, itching,
redness, scaling, inflammation, and
discomfort of various skin conditions, etc.) these were solutions
distributed and recalled from NECC.
Some of the fungal organisms identified,
are also known to cause disease in humans.
On October 23, 2012, the CDC issued an “Official Health Advisory
Issuance of Guidance on Management of Asymptomatic Patients Who Received
Epidural or Paraspinal Injections with Contaminated Steroid Products”. They
indicate that the greatest risk of developing an infection is within the first
six weeks after being injected. People with meningitis will have to take
antifungal drugs for least three months and for some as long as a year. Treatment
time is determined by the status of your immune system and the type of fungus
that caused the infection. For people with immune systems that are weak due to
AIDS, diabetes, or cancer, treatment takes longer.
Outbreak Party?
Are there different Games aka Types?
Yes! There are 2 Types aka Games of outbreak
parties, whether separate, or just a ball of fun of being together they are:
Epidemic and Pandemic
-
Is an outbreak
affecting a large number people, occurring naturally with no human introduction
of disease causing agents.
Looking at it separately:
Epidemic
–
A widespread
outbreak of an infectious disease where many people are infected at the same time.
They usually spread very easily and quickly, and cause severe and often
life-threatening symptoms.
Pandemic –
An
epidemic that affects multiple geographic areas at the same time.
These
are very important to over stand, especially in this day and time. When dealing
with a virus, whether contagious or non-contagious it’s important to track and
over stand its origins. To dig deeper than just this current situation of an
outbreak think back to what happened early 2012, and ask yourself this: Why is there
comic published by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) in 2011
about a “zombie pandemic” that took place specifically in the South-East of the
United States?
It’s not only a
comic strip, but also information that provides elaborate details on how to
evade a zombie pandemic. CDC: Zombie Comic Strip
The CDC, giving
thorough details on how to evade a “zombie pandemic” goes to say and I quote in
part:
“As it turns out
what first began as a tongue in cheek campaign to engage new audiences with
preparedness messages has proven to be a very effective platform.”
What is Tongue in
cheek? Basically it means that it should not be taken seriously. If it was not
to be taken seriously, then why make elaborate plans on how to prevent it?
Know this, the CDC
website have PDFs worksheets for our youth to prepare for a zombie pandemic, but
to not focus so much on the zombie pandemic; it says this information can be
used not just in a zombie pandemic but can be used for other outbreaks as well. *History Lesson, Past, Present, Future* *Prepardeness 101: Zombie Pandemic*
Looking at the word zombie it is originally the name of a snake god in West
Africa, By the time Voodoo is being recognized in New Orleans, this great spirit, the snake, is called either, “Li Grand Zombi” or “Ouncongo.” The origin of Li Grande Zombi can be traced to the serpent deity Nzambi from Whydah in Africa. Later as the African languages began to merge with Louisiana French, the spirit is remembered as Papa Labas or St. Peter. In New Orleans. Zombi is the name of a snake-deity in some cults of West African Vodun and Haitian Vodou. Zombi is a Creole word, thought to be derived from Nzambi,supreme god of the Bacongo people of Angola. The deity is connected with water and appears in different impersonations, one being Zombi-Damballah, the rainbow serpent.
A "reanimated corpse" in
voodoo culture, and is said to be a dead body that has been brought back to life
by a supernatural force.
A zombie doesn’t necessarily mean, to brought back to life from the dead.
In a literal meaning: a person who is or appears to be lifeless,
indifferent, or entirely missing in independent judgment; robot-like. If you
associate it with the movies of zombies, it is usually an infectious viral/bacterial
outbreak or pandemic that gets out of hand leading to apocalyptic events and
the government tries to cover it up. The zombies are cannibals on a free for
all, out of their natural mind, infecting others with bites, scratches, open
wounds being exposed to their blood and saliva.
But in terms of whatif it happens,
could you level with the presumption that it could be a parasite altering your
mind?
We have to look at all the facts, is it contagious or non-contagious? That
is the question.
Open your mind
and eyes fellow people look at diseases such as:
Mad Cow -disease from 1985-present [There is a link between this and a rare brain
condition that affects people, called variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD).
People who cows that have mad cow disease are at risk of developing a form of
vCJD. vCJD is caused by an abnormal type of protein in the brain called a prion. When people have vCJD, cells in
the brain die until the brain eventually has a "sponge-like"
appearance, at this state the disease you slowly lose control of your mental and physical abilities.]
Measles -from
1275-present [a contagious severe viral disease with the symptoms of small bright red
rash that spread and cover body; Koplik's spots, are small white spots that
appear in the mouth on the inside of the cheeks a few days before measles appear.]
Rabies - from
1655-present [Rabies is a disease caused by a virus that
affects the nervous system, it results in death if not treated. Rabies symptoms
and signs occur after exposure and may consist of some or many of the
following: odd behaviors, hallucination, combativeness, loss of muscle
function, muscle spasms, drooling, fits, pain, etc.]
Prion (from
1980-present) [An infectious particle of protein
that, unlike a virus, contains no nucleic acid the support of
all living organisms on Earth, does not
trigger an immune response, and is not destroyed by extreme heat or cold.All known prion
diseases affect the structure of the brain or other nerves or nervous system and
all are currently untreatable and universally fatal. Prion causes a loss of
structure or function in nerve cells, their connection and supportive tissue.
The symptoms include seizures or fits, dementia, and ataxia (a·tax·i·a) loss balance
and coordination or lack of muscle control, behavioral and personality changes.
Prion is responsible for causing other disease
likes:
1.Scrapie - a fatal disease for sheep and goats affecting their nervous
system by intense itching and loss of muscular control
2.Kuru-a fatal degenerative disease of the central nervous system itaffects some people in New Guinea. It is believed to
derive from the practice of eating the brains of an ancestor.
3.vCJD
And So Many More....
There are ladies
and gentlemen parasites known to present zombie-like symptoms. Another example
is a parasite that can live in the brain cells in a number of other
warm-blooded animals, and yes, this does include human beings causing major
changes in the behavior: increasing in aggression, schizophrenia, depression,
anxiety, and imagined illness.
The CDC was aware
of this parasite, and in the past had denied the existence. This is mainly
found in rats and in the guts of cats, a single-cell parasite called Toxoplasma
Gondii. Toxoplasma alters the brain of rats to force the rats to search for areas with not only cats, but mainly
their urine. Toxoplasma thus makes a rat suicidal; The cat is the perfect host
used to complete breeding for the parasite, so this parasite will breed inside
the cat, and then gets inside the feces, then rats eats the parasite when they
eat food or water tainted with cat feces, then again gets back to the rat’s
brain and the rat gets eaten by a cat.
And that my
fellow people there you have it, the ever-going life of a parasite: finding a
host, manipulating it, breeding, and do it all over again, and again and
again…..forever
Their story sure
does repeat itself, don’t it?
Insanity Or
Genius?
Humans are unfortunate
hosts to Toxoplasma, this parasite could end up anywhere in the brain,
Human symptoms depends
on where parasite ends up.
The parasite
produces and releases a normal amount of dopamine in infected brain cells.
Dopamine or DA is
a natural chemical which sends messages to your brain controlling movement,
your process of acquiring knowledge by the use of reasoning, intuition, or
perception and behavior. It helps control the brain’s reward and pleasure
center and controls emotional responses like happy, sad fear etc.
Dopamine is known
to be both irregular in schizophrenia and in depression. It's not that Toxoplasma
itself causes schizophrenia or bi-polar disorder, but it being there
affects behavior through a disruption of the dopamine.
Toxoplasma is a
leading cause of death due to foodborne illness in the United States. Americans
can be infected with the parasite when you eat undercooked meats (like lamb and pork); it’s in water, garden soil, children's sandboxes, etc.,
infected by cat feces; or through pregnant mothers who become infected (e.g.,
by changing the cat litter) and passing to the baby.Pigs are also carriers
of the parasite, and oh F.Y.I, pigs are known to eat anything and are in fact
cannibalistic.
Reflecting on the
CDC and a zombie outbreak;
I quote in part
from the official CDC website:
“If zombies did start roaming the streets, CDC would conduct an
investigation much like any other disease outbreak. CDC would provide technical
assistance to cities, states, or international partners dealing with a zombie
infestation. This assistance might include consultation, lab testing and
analysis, patient management and care, tracking of contacts, and infection
control (including isolation and quarantine). It’s likely that an investigation
of this scenario would seek to accomplish several goals: determine the cause of
the illness, the source of the infection/virus/toxin, learn how it is
transmitted and how readily it is spread, how to break the cycle of
transmission and thus prevent further cases, and how patients can best be
treated. Not only would scientists be working to identify the cause and cure of
the zombie outbreak, but CDC and other federal agencies would send medical
teams and first responders to help those in affected areas….”
These scientists are called epidemiologists (ep·i·de·mi·ol·o·gist), they trace an outbreak
to its source and identify the microscopic organism that causes it, and then
they interview the people afflicted with the disease. Acting as outbreak
detectives they try to find common links between these people and the ways the
disease has spread. Taking samples from anything that might contain that or
more microscopic organisms relating to the outbreak, this would be from blood
by local insects, and animals, from people to food and water, and even drugs.
The steps to investigate
and control an outbreak may effect new public health measures or focus
attention on a previously unknown microscopic organism.
Basically in a
nutshell, Epidemiologists count cases of disease or injury, outline the
affected population, and then analyze amounts of disease or injury in that
population. Then they compare these amounts with those found in other
populations and make suggestions about the patterns of disease to determine
whether an issue exists.
In the movie “The
Bay”, you see videos and images of fish washed up dead (which
has in fact has happened on many occasions) on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay,
due to severely cold water and algae bloom. A good amount of the story is based
on facts and presumptions; the parasite portrayed in the movie does in fact
exist, but not like you see on the movie.
This a parasite they are mimicking in the movie is called a tongue-eating
louse, it is known to enter through the fish’s gills, the female attaches to
the tongue and the male to the gills, this parasite basically replaces the fish’s
tongue, the fish is not whatsoever affected by it. The parasite is now the take
the place of its hosts tongue, feeding off of its blood and mucus, and it will
remain as the fish’s tongue permanently.
Don’t fear, your tongues will not be
replaced, it is not harmful to humans, but it will bite if you decide to take a
closer look; note to you DON’T PICK IT UP. It is a regular diet to some
fearless humans who dare to eat it. This film leaves you to question whether it
did happen or not, although it is a considered a fake documentary with a couple
of facts, WHO KNOWS. A mutant parasite could happen, due to adaptation and
evolution. advancing in its species and even others.
It also helps to
know that when a situation does occur to make sure you get your “Hush, Hush”
check, they sure do help out a lot.
