Plague

A $100 million pledge aimed to cool classrooms statewide. That was just a few years ago, and some of those classrooms are heating up again as the costly systems are breaking down. The $100 million ended up covering only about one-tenth of public school classrooms in Hawaii, and schools that received the costly systems report broken ones already or that when they do work it’s for a short time. Now, there’s a new plan for cheaper and more reliable a/c, for schools that qualify. When students at Waialua High and Intermediate School found out they were on the state’s “Heat Abatement Priority List” a few years back they thought that was pretty cool. “A lot of people talk and say ‘oh my goodness it’s just so hot you know,’” recalls Ailani Grach, now a sophomore. “It’s generally hot and a lot of students would show obvious discomfort.” In came solar-powered air conditioning contraptions and when the new school year started in the heat of August 2017, the students had high hopes for low ...

This is an excerpt from Second Opinion, a weekly roundup of eclectic and under-the-radar health and medical science news emailed to subscribers every Saturday morning. If you haven't subscribed yet, you can do that by  clicking here . It's not a headline that you expect to see in 2019. But plague is back in the news after China reported three cases of the infectious disease earlier this month. The first cases were recorded in a middle-aged couple from the remote region of Inner Mongolia, who were sent to Beijing for observation after struggling to breathe. The third case emerged last weekend : A hunter from the same region was diagnosed with bubonic plague after catching and eating a wild rabbit. About 28 people who were in close contact with the hunter were also put in quarantine. It's actually the second time this year plague has been found in the region; in May, a Mongolian couple died reportedly after eating raw marmot kidney , leading to a six-day quarantine in...

An infestation of mice has taken over a South Island alpine town in what has been described by the Department of Conservation as a "plague of biblical proportions." Millions of mice have been running amok in Arthur's Pass, and there are now fears for what it will mean for wildlife. Local man John Charles, who has lived in Arthur's Pass for 60 years, said even he can't believe the plague of mice infesting the town. There's dozens of them. They just keep coming," he said.  He's caught 500 of the rodents since August, describing them as "cannibals." "The thing at the moment, the numbers are so great, the mice are starting to eat each other." The masses of mice are speed-breeding due to the beech tree mega mast. It has caused phenomenal seed production, resulting in a forest floor full of food. "The volume of mice they're catching in their homes and around their homes is just unprecedented," DOC's...

The disease disappeared, but Anne Boleyn's ghost still walks the bloody tower. (Inside Science) -- In the late 15th century, a mystery disease broke out in England. Thousands died and terror stalked the land. The disease, called the sweating disease, now is only a figment of history and literature. It may have altered history by killing Prince Arthur, the heir to the throne whose death ushered in the tumultuous reign of Henry VIII. The disease remains one of medicine’s great mysteries. It came in five waves, and haunted Tudor England for 70 years before disappearing. The Black Death of the late 14th century killed more people, as did the great influenza pandemic in the early 20th century, but the disease that struck Tudor England was just as terrifying. While science now understands the plague, science has only speculation to explain the sweating disease. It was noted for its mortality rate, estimated at 30%-50%, and for its ferocity. You could start feeling ill before dinner...

ALLENTOWN, Pa. , Nov. 21, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, How to Sell the Plague announces the release of Richard Plinke's new book, Dancing in the Cave of the Dragon: Adventures in the Wonderland of Sales . The third installment in Plinke's critically acclaimed dragon series continues the journey of our intrepid slayer of sales dysphoria and dauntless confronter of life's peculiarities. Continue Reading Dancing in the Cave of the Dragon Richard Plinke Plinke has written that his books are "ostensibly about the field of sales, but since [he sees] selling as a great metaphor for life, they tend to drift and weave a bit," and that adroitness at drifting and weaving a bit results in a joyful journey brimming with delightful tales stuffed with unique insights and filled with the author's humorously satirical point of view. Readers from all walks of life can benefit from Plinke's idiosyncratic wisdom, or as a top 50 Amazon reviewer put it, ...

If you want to get a true sense of Rome’s history and its many transformations since its birth, Castel S. Angelo is a fascinating place to start. This circular construction surrounded by a rectangular structure has followed the story of Rome and experienced its own metamorphosis over the centuries. The story of Rome seems to echo through its cavernous hallways, telling tales of the city’s victories and sackings, as well as its popes, painters and prisoners. Originally built as a tomb for Emperor Hadrian and his family in 123 AD, Castel S. Angelo later became a stronghold within the Aurelian walls, a bastion to protect the glorious city of Rome.  The secret passageway In 1277, a secret passageway known as the Passetto di Borgo connected the castle to the Vatican. This enabled popes to escape when the city was under siege. For example, when Rome was being sacked in 1527, nearly the entire battalion of Swiss Guards was massacred, but Pope Clement VII made his escape through...

[unable to retrieve full-text content] Hunter in China catches bubonic plague after eating a wild rabbit    CNN https://ift.tt/2QtJj1Z

LINCOLN — Nebraska is on a four-game losing skid. Defensive coordinator Erik Chinander said most of it has come via self-inflicted wounds. Missed tackles. A few blown key assignments. Not shedding blocks or getting off the field on third downs. If the Huskers clean that up, the coordinator said, their opponents are scoring at least 10 fewer points per game, "probably more." "The thing that you have to keep emphasizing to these guys is we are beating ourselves right now," Chinander said. "It's not them, it's not me. It's we. We are beating ourselves." Nebraska defenders have been "great" in response about fixing their mistakes, Chinander said. They have two regular-season games left to do so, beginning with Saturday's road game at Maryland. Chinander said mistakes are "magnified" on defense, citing Indiana converting 7 of 14 third downs and both fourth-down tries in a tight loss last month. And when the defen...

YOUNG pupils at a Darlington school impressed their parents and guardians in a day of plays, presentations and model-making. The next generation of the region’s workforce showed off their talents at Marchbank Free School in the town. During the ‘Stay and Learn’ event, which this year was its first, pupils got the chance to get their own parents involved in the day of activities. Jensen Colclough of Marchbank Free School in Darlington Tess Wright, head of school at Marchbank, said: “We wanted a wow event to encourage parental engagement and provide an informal setting for teachers, pupils and parents to come together.” For the past term, the pupils had been studying ‘flow’, including rivers and bridges, dinosaurs and even The Plague. During the Stay and Learn event, the pupils recreated the horrors of the Great Plague in a creative play after taking part in an egg-citing hunt for dinosaur eggs in the grounds. After the inaugural event, Ms Wright said: “Marchbank Free School pr...

A year after turf issues forced the NFL to cancel a planned appearance by the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Rams at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca, field problems haven’t been resolved. The Chiefs faced off against the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday night, and turf issues were prominent from the beginning of the game. Large chunks of loose turf were visible across the field on the television broadcast, and loose sod appeared to cause issues with player footing. Turf problems show up in gameplay Chargers kicker Michael Badgley missed a 40-yard field goal in the first quarter and immediately looked to the turf before walking back to replace his divot. The “Monday Night Football” broadcast noted the miss was the shortest of his career. [Watch live NFL games on the Yahoo Sports app, here's how] In the second quarter, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes looked to wide receiver Byron Pringle on a third-down pass play. Pringle made the catch and immediately planted to change direc...

Thick smoke from bushfires is likely to blanket Sydney for at least another day as almost 50 blazes continue to burn across NSW with half of them uncontained. NSW Health on Tuesday said parts of the state were experiencing hazardous air quality comparable to cities in developing countries, while much of the coast was rated very high or severe in terms of fire danger. Smoke from fires including a 144,000-hectare "watch and act" bushfire at Gospers Mountain, northwest of Sydney, has drifted over the city and the Bureau of Meteorology says the haze is likely to be repeated on Wednesday. The smoke could clear overnight but "the conditions are really there for that sort of thing to return," the bureau's NSW regional manager Ann Farrell told reporters. "We really aren't going to be out of the woods for the coming days with that air quality issue from smoke over the eastern part of the state." Air quality was hazardous on Tuesday afternoon in Sydney'...

“The total capital cost is $400,000 with an addition $80,000 per year in operational costs. The loss of ABC and SBS since 2017 and the unreliability of the service has prompted many residents to switch to other service providers. It is estimated less than 27 households across all three locations, still rely upon these two towers,” according to Council minutes. The recommendations, which were not resolved, were: • Not renew transmission equipment at the Alexandra Bay and Daintree Village Television Black Spot Towers; • Continue maintenance of the existing equipment at the Alexandra Bay and Daintree Village Black Spot towers until equipment becomes irreparable, at which time the service will be discontinued; • Advise Cow Bay, Diwan and Daintree Village residents that transmissions from the black spot television tower sites can no longer be guaranteed. Meanwhile, a survey was sent to 169 Diwan and Cow Bay households in August 2019, asking people whether they relied on the free-to-ai...

  We journalists seldom underestimate the importance of our profession to American democracy. And we’re not excessively critical of ourselves when it comes to diagnosing the causes of our institution’s problems. That said, the damage done to American journalism and its standing with the public in the era of Trump and Twitter — however much of that harm has been self-inflicted — really could prove perilous for the nation. Such fears are fueled, at any rate, by a pair of striking surveys from Gallup in recent months. In September, Gallup released results of a nationwide poll asking Americans “how much trust and confidence [they] have in the mass media — such as newspapers, TV and radio — when it comes to reporting the news fully, accurately, and fairly.” They’ve been asking this question for almost 50 years, annually for more than 20. The trends are not encouraging. In the mid-1970s, overall confidence in journalism peaked, Gallup says, with 72% reporting “a great deal” or “a ...

BROOKINGS, S.D. — Northern Iowa's script for winning four-straight football games was creating turnovers and being opportunistic. The script was reversed on the Panthers Saturday. Four turnovers and an array of poor special teams plays sunk fourth-ranked UNI in a 38-7 loss to eighth-ranked South Dakota State in Missouri Valley Football Conference action. Panther head coach Mark Farley did not need a lot of words to describe the loss. "We didn't play good enough ... it was terrible," Farley stated on his team's play across the board. In wins over South Dakota, Missouri State, Illinois State and Indiana State, UNI forced 16 turnovers. On Saturday, SDSU (8-3 overall, 5-2 MVFC) forced four turnovers while the Panthers came up with none. The Jacks scored 14 points off those turnovers with the game still in doubt late in the third quarter and the Jacks leading 17-7 as SDSU finished the game on a 21-0 run. Playing in its first game without star receive...