United Artist for Abruzzo...

Day by Day...Tomorrow...a word...a promise.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_WyCOGZjbM

Tomorrow is already now...:-)

Swine Flu? No, H1N1 Flu...useful and accurate info...

Ciao a tutti,
here some of the questions that can help you out in clarifying what in reality is the H1N1 flu.

1. Hasn't swine flu been around for a while?
Yes. Swine flu was first identified in 1930 when researchers isolated the virus in a pig. In 1976, more than 200 soldiers at Fort Dix, New Jersey, got swine flu. From 1976 until 2005, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention received approximately one report every year or two of humans with swine flu. From December 2005 until January 2009, there were 12 cases of swine flu reported.

2. The folks who have it now, did they get it from pigs or people?
It appears that no one in the United States with swine flu had any contact with pigs. Dr. Richard Besser, the acting director of the CDC, said in a news conference Friday that among the first seven cases, no one had contact with pigs. In another press conference Monday, he added that investigators have looked to see whether any of the infected people had contact with pigs, and "we're not finding that linkage here."

3. Swine flu is transmitted from animals to humans. Does that happen a lot?
Yes. More than 200 "zoonotic diseases" are transmitted from animals to humans, including illnesses caused by bacteria, viruses and parasites. Rabies and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (better known as "mad cow disease") are two well-known examples.

4. Should I cancel my trip to Mexico?
Yes, you should, unless it's essential. That's the advice from a recent CDC travel warning. Watch Elizabeth Cohen answer your questions »

5. Should I be freaking out?
A new virus spreading quickly around the world. Young, healthy people struck dead in Mexico. Should we all be panicking?
"Absolutely not," said Dr. William Schaffner, chairman of the department of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. Swine flu, he said, "is not spreading all that rapidly. Take the St. Francis School in New York. There's been very little transmission from the schoolchildren to family members, and it certainly hasn't spread throughout Queens." iReport.com: Share your thoughts, concerns about swine flu
But, Schaffner added, this doesn't mean we shouldn't pay attention to swine flu. "We should be alert, keep up with the information coming out daily, and take control by being attentive to your hygiene. Wash your hands very, very frequently and avoid people who are coughing and sneezing."

6. How close do you have to be to a sick person to get swine flu?
"You can acquire this infection if you're within the 'breathing zone' of a sick person, which is about three to six feet," Schaffner said. "And we usually mean being this close to someone in a confined space. We're not talking about fleeting contact. We're not talking about walking past someone in the street. You need sustained contact." If you think you might have sustained contact with someone who's ill, read this guidance from the CDC's Web site.

7. Yikes! Every day I'm that close to countless people -- at work, on the bus, at church, in a movie theater. Could I get swine flu from them?
Yes.
"If you're standing next to someone on a bus, or sitting next to someone or in front of someone in a theater, you could acquire the infection in that fashion," Schaffner said. That's why people with the symptoms of any kind of flu -- fever, diarrhea, body aches, vomiting, etc. -- are urged to stay home and away from groups of people.

8. Wasn't there a vaccine at one time? Is there one now?
Yes, a swine flu vaccine was given to 45 million people in 1976. There is no vaccine now, although researchers are working on one.
The 1976 vaccine wouldn't be helpful anyway, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy & Infectious Diseases.
"That was a completely different virus than the virus we are dealing with right now, completely different in the sense that the genes are different, and it doesn't have any relationship," said Fauci. "The designation of each one was called the swine flu, but from a viral standpoint and spreading it is quite, quite different."
Here are two scientific articles about the swine flu outbreak and vaccination program in 1976:
•Reflections on the 1976 Swine Flu Vaccination Program
•Swine Influenza A Outbreak, Fort Dix, New Jersey, 1976

9. Many young, healthy people have become sick in the United States. Many of the dead in Mexico have been young and healthy. What's going on? Usually we think of flu as affecting the very young and the very old.
This sometimes happens with new viruses. For example, in 1918 when a new flu virus emerged, many of those stricken were young and healthy. One theory is that young people, who have strong immune systems, mount a particularly vigorous response to new viruses. But there's a potential side effect to the response: the body releases dangerous levels of signaling proteins, called cytokines, which can damage the lungs. Scientists believe these "cytokine storms" can be fatal.
Here is a scientific article about the proposed mechanism of cytokine storms.

10. Why are large numbers of people dying in Mexico, but not in other countries?
This is the big mystery doctors are trying to solve right now. Many infectious disease experts say it's most likely a matter of numbers: with more illnesses in Mexico, there are also more deaths. Other explanations: that in Mexico people have, in addition to swine flu, other viruses that make for a more deadly combination than swine flu alone. It's also possible that the virus infecting the rest of the world is a weaker version than the one in Mexico. Among the swine flu mysteries: Why only deaths in Mexico?

11. Could this new swine flu virus have been manufactured by bioterrorists?
That's the theory on some conspiracy theorists' Web sites. But experts don't believe it.
"If you were a bioterrorist you'd want to create something that's a lot more deadly than this," said Dr. Gerald Evans, an associate professor of microbiology at Queen's University in Canada. "The problem with influenza is that the second you put it into people, it replicates and mutates very quickly. Even if you created the perfect bioweapon, within a few generations of transmissions, it wouldn't do what you planned for it to do."

12. I get a flu shot every fall. Will that help protect me against swine flu?
"The short answer is that the CDC says it's very unlikely," Schaffner said. But he said it might be possible. "I think it's a bit of an open question whether repeated flu shots over years would provide a measure of protection."

13. I was in Mexico two weeks ago. Could I have contracted swine flu, and the symptoms just haven't shown up yet?
No. The incubation period of the swine flu is one to seven days.
"If you just traveled to Mexico and you're home and feeling well you should get on with your daily life and not worry about it," Evans said.

14. Can the swine flu virus live on inanimate objects? If someone with swine flu touches a doorknob, then I touch it, could I get swine flu?
Flu viruses can live on inanimate surfaces. So theoretically, you could get swine flu from touching a doorknob that was just touched by an infected person. However, that's pretty unlikely, according to Dr. Arthur Reingold, head of epidemiology in the School of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley.
"I personally would not have a major fear of environmental contamination," he said. "Virtually all influenza is transmitted from sneezing and coughing."
Schaffner agrees, adding that flu viruses don't survive in large numbers on surfaces. "A doorknob isn't a warm, nourishing
Call your doctor -- don't just drive on over, Schaffner advised. "Follow the instructions of your doctor. He might not want you inenvironment for a virus," he said

15. What should I do if I develop symptoms of swine flu?

Call your doctor -- don't just drive on over, Schaffner advised. "Follow the instructions of your doctor. He might not want you in the waiting room spreading germs to others," he said.

Walking Life: Take the road slowly traveled...

Walking can be a simple activity or....can become a snapshot of our life.
There are many meanings we can give to a walk.... maybe is simply the way we find time for ourselves, for our thoughts, our soul and mind.
For sure doesn't cost anything and it's an healthy action. Let's "walk towards our success and happy life".

Below is part of an article read on a local newspaper....enjoy your reading or better...your walking...:-)

• Explore your town! Start on one side and meander to the other! What kind of trees are there? How do the houses change?


• Take a miracle walk! Set out with a question or problme and walk out an answer


• Take an aimless walk - don't have a destination! Wander a imlessly


• Move into a new experience!


• Take a photographic walk. Bring a camera!


• Notice how your moind can unlock on a walk


• Explore your commute! Walk all or part of the way to work. Notice things you normally wouldn/t. Arrive to work grounded and refreshed


• With or without music? I-pod mania...


• Walking is perfect for soothing and making sense of anxiety, worry and uncertainty!


• Solutions come!


• Insights follow!


• Save money on gas and travel!


• Bring water!


• Don't forget confortable shoes


• Go with a friend or just yourself


• No Gym Fees Needed

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world

Some interesting reading:

http://www.davinciinstitute.com/page.php?ID=170

A new direction?

A new start. I don't know why...but I think today will represent a new touchstone for the future....

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago (CNN) -- President Obama said Friday he is seeking "a new beginning" in U.S. relations with Cuba.

Before addressing the representatives of 34 countries at the Summit of the Americas, Obama and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez saw each other and shook hands.
"Every one of our nations has a right to follow its own path," Obama told the assembly. "But we all have a responsibility to see that the people of the Americas have the ability to pursue their own dreams in democratic societies.
"Toward that end, the United States seeks a new beginning with Cuba."
Obama arrived in Trinidad and Tobago on Friday evening for the Summit of the Americas, a key meeting of hemispheric powers. Although it was not represented at the talks, the subject of Cuba dominated the president's speech.
In prepared remarks, Obama said that "decades of mistrust" must be overcome, but noted that he has already loosened restrictions that limited Americans from traveling to visit relatives in Cuba and from sending money to them.
Obama lifted all restrictions Monday on the ability of individuals to visit relatives in Cuba, as well as to send them remittances.
That may be just the beginning. "I am prepared to have my administration engage with the Cuban government on a wide range of issues -- from human rights, free speech and democratic reform to drugs, migration and economic issues," he said.

"Let me be clear: I am not interested in talking for the sake of talking. But I do believe that we can move U.S.-Cuban relations in a new direction."
Obama's comments represent a significant shift in a U.S. policy that has remained largely unchanged since 1962, when the U.S. government imposed a trade embargo with Havana.
They come a day after Cuban President Raul Castro said he was prepared to discuss "everything, everything, everything" with the United States.
Castro told a summit of leftist Latin American leaders gathered in Venezuela, "We are prepared, wherever they want, to discuss everything -- human rights, freedom of the press, political prisoners," Castro said Thursday.
Havana played a major role in Obama's remarks, where he called for rejection of "stale debates" that have undermined opportunities to forge new partnerships. Watch Obama speak about "a new day" »
"They would have us make the false choice between a rigid, state-run economy and unbridled and unregulated capitalism; between blame for right-wing paramilitaries or left-wing insurgents; between sticking to inflexible policies with regard to Cuba or denying the full human rights that are owed to the Cuban people.
"I didn't come here to debate the past -- I came here to deal with the future. As neighbors, we have a responsibility to each other and to our citizens. And by working together, we can take important steps forward to advance prosperity, security and liberty."
Chavez's press office said Obama walked up to Chavez to greet him, a meeting it called "historic."
"President Chavez expressed his hope that relations between the two countries would change," the press office said, quoting Chavez as having told his U.S. counterpart, "Eight years ago with this same hand I greeted Bush. I want to be your friend." It said Obama then thanked Chavez.
Chavez once referred to former President Bush as "the devil."
On other matters, Obama, who said he is committed to fighting inequality "and creating prosperity from the bottom up," announced a Microfinance Growth Fund for the hemisphere and proposed creating an Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas "to promote renewable energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions."
He also vowed to "take aggressive action" to slash demand for illegal drugs, and to halt the movement of arms and money to Mexico.

Charleston...some info...

Charleston is a city in Charleston county in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It is the largest city and county seat of Charleston County.[2] The city was founded as Charlestown or Charles Towne, Carolina in 1670, and moved to its present location (Oyster Point) from a location on the west bank of the Ashley River in 1680; it adopted its present name in 1783. In 1690, Charleston was the fifth largest city in North America,[3] and remained among the ten largest cities in the United States through the 1840 census.[4]

Charleston is known as The Holy City due to the prominence of churches on the low-rise cityscape, particularly the numerous steeples which dot the city's skyline, and for the fact that it was one of the few cities in the original thirteen colonies to provide religious tolerance to the French Huguenot Church.[5]

In fact, it is still the only city in the U.S. with such a church.[6] Charleston was also one of the first colonial cities to allow Jews to practice their faith without restriction. Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim, founded in 1749, is the fourth oldest Jewish congregation in the continental United States.[7] Brith Shalom Beth Israel is the oldest Orthodox shul in the South, founded by Ashkenazic (German and central European) Jews in the mid 19th century.

The population was estimated to be 118,492 in 2007, making it the second most populous city in South Carolina closely behind the state capital Columbia.[8] Current trends put Charleston as the fastest growing central city in South Carolina. The metropolitan area population of Charleston and North Charleston, which includes the entire populations of Charleston, Berkeley, and Dorchester counties, was estimated to be 603,178 in 2006.[9] This ranks Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville as the second largest metropolitan statistical area in the state behind Columbia. Nearly 80% of the Charleston metro population lives inside the city and its surrounding urbanized area (2000 pop.: 423,410).

The city of Charleston is located just south of the mid-point of South Carolina's coastline, at the junction of the Ashley and Cooper Rivers. Charleston's name is derived from Charles Towne, named after King Charles II of England.

America's most-published etiquette expert, Marjabelle Young Stewart, has recognized the city since 1995 as the "best-mannered" city in the U.S,[10] a claim lent credibility by the fact that it has the first established Livability Court in the country.

Moving to Charleston...a new Bridge to cross...

Here we go....after almost 3 years of "Big Apple" life, my luggages moved again....new destination South Carolina, Charleston. And...a new bridge to cross....looking forward to do that....

I'm here since 2 weeks and I'm still astonished between feelings regarding NY friendships and "life-key"...and the news to be in a more quite, clean and definetely warmer city.

Temperature are like during the Spring Time and every place is extremely clean. People are friendly and I love my job. This is a place mainly founded on the shipping industry and tourism and he is one of the most historical place of the country.

Probably this will be the time to know the real America. I'm sure it will be an interesting experience...and this means that this blog will become the place where to post all the pictures and news I will find on this place....So, keep in touch.

Enjoy your week end...and let me leave you with a quote I was reading this morning.

Take care

Gianpy

"There are no classes in life for beginners: right away youare always asked to deal with what is most difficult."-- Rainer Maria Rilke

One month later....YES WE CAN

Exactly one month later from my last post... and finally we can say: YES WE CAN.

We can try to make this world better.
We can try to live every day of our life as the best way possible.
We can say I love you to all the people we care about.
We can look at ourselves in the mirror and trust our soul.
We can look outside the box and find the best solution possible.
We can say thank you before it's too late.
We can think about the future without any predjudice.
We can say: YES WE CAN

YES WE CAN is not a simple slogan. It's behind any political parties, any race or colour, any age, any place in the world. Personally I'm happy on the America's choice. Now there are no more excuses for any immgrant, any people of colour, any citizens, any americans to say: "I can't get this because of my colour of the skin, I can't get this because of my status, I can't ...." This is an example on how this democracy can inspire every country, every people in the world.

WE ARE LIVING in a difficult time, economical crises, environmental issues, wars.... all matters that are influincing our daily life. The only way to get out of this, to stand up from this situation... is to react all together as individual, united as nation, as world. It will be tough...but I believe we can do it. I'm sure every single contribute will help to this common cause. It's time to create a different mentality in the world, it's time to think with a long term perspective. We cannot watch the TV and say that we have an energy issue and at the same time, we leave the lights on in rooms in which we are not. We cannot look the environmental problems and at the same time, we do not consider the way we can be more efficient in our house. We cannot keep watching the war on the TV and at the same time, have the same feeling in our families or working environment.

WE ALL HAVE A ROLE.

And I'm glad that the future President of the United States of America, can use his example to say: YES WE CAN. If you are a dreamer...you will easily understand that this is a common ground in which develop the CHANGE for the future. It's time to stand up and create little by little the change we need. No matter if your name is Obama or John... no matter if you are black or white, no matter if you are american or italian, atheist or religious... what matter is the way we change from NO to YES, from I to WE, from CAN'T to CAN. It's up to us.

Now, below video has more sense.

Yes we Can....

Simply enjoy....for everyone who loves dreams, who believe in change.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fZHou18Cdk

Gianpy

Rent...No day but today

Waking up in the morning, having some fun with friends who slept over my house the past night and watching a movie found the day before by "suerte".

You will discover that....it's the beginning of the month and maybe...like in my case, you still have to pay the rent to the landlord. Let's do it before is too late ...:-)

Not sure if you had the chance to watch the movie Rent either the Broadway show. It's a mix of "normal life" in New York, well...probably normal for "artists" who live on their own world. But it has something in common with every single person who lives in this world. We often forget that we live only one life...so often our regrets take control of ourself and ...in the midtime, time is flying away. Then, when the day in which we lose the most important things in our life it comes, .... we do discover that we always had the chance to have them...but something was wrong inside us.

It's a written story, a brodway shows, a daily life. It's up to us to decide when stand up and live every day without regrets....not as a "normal day"...but as a "TODAY".

A mix of personal thoughts, a movie story, and a weblog ...a place to share whatever I think. It's time to measure our lives in love....and not on a calendar basis.

Enjoy your Sunday....

Gianpy

The concept of "mental inflaction"

Reading the daily newspapers give you the chance to catch every day a new concept.

Well, maybe is not completely new...but sometimes the way writers call an idea, it is simply phenomenal.

Yesterday I was browsing something in the "Daily New York Metro". Every time I see there is an article written by Elliot Kallan, I stop myself and enjoy his writing and way to exploit the reality around us.

At this time, he wrote sometime about the "mental inflaction". I want just to report what was in the newspaper. It definetely give you an idea of "big numbers", USA economy crisis...and..."the human mindset". Hope you will enjoy as much as I did. Take care Gianpy

"With the introduction of the $700 billion credit bailout plan, America now faces a major crisis. No, not the economy. That thing's dead, and we need to move on and leave it behind us. I'm speaking of the uncontrolled growth of numbers. Almost daily, America is being confronted with bigger and bigger numbers, 700 billion being only the most recent example. Numbers that size used to appear only in academic texts and horror movies. The average Joe rested easy knowing he'd never have to think in more than four digits. But those innocent days are over.

America has losts its ability to tell when a number is too big. The problem started when "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" moved from a prime time to a day time. Suddenly a million dollars was no longer an amazing, unattainable figure but just something handed out between Judge Judy verdicts. From there it's been a slippery slope. $10 billion once shocked us, but now it's merely the monthly rate for a midsized war. And until recently, nobody had every even counted as high as $700 billion, but after a few weeks of hearing it bandled about on TV we got used it. Now $700 billion even feel kind of quaint, like buying a hot dog for a nickel.

It's a process called "Mental inflaction" in which the brain becomes desenitized to large numbers and readjusts its awareness of scale. As a result, America is losing its understanding of proper amounts of things. A trillion dollar deficit? Hey, that' just one bad day on Wall Street, we will make it back tomorrow. I fear if this numerical inflaction continues, we'll soon see 74 hours movies, 30,000-page books and eggs sold in packages of 1.5 million. Because frankly, in the face of 700 billion, only numbers that big make sense.

There is only one solution. The government must put a cap on counting and cease our production of new numbers until a normale sense of magnitude returns. This won't be popular. Still, in this new era of increased regulation, I think people will accept such a drastic measure. Otherwise, our nation runs the risk of collapsing under the weight of these numbers, leaving us with nothing we can truly count on, except our fingers."

Inspirational quote of the day...

"Some of the secret joys of living are not found by rushing from point A to point B, but by inventing some imaginary letters along the way."

-- Douglas Pagels, Author

Life is a not a goal...is a journey

Have you ever heard sentences like: "I'm tired" or "I'm giving 100% of myself but I'm not getting the same back" or "there is no time to do everything"?
Well, probably this is what 90% of people says everyday. Find excuses is one of the most visible aspect of the modern society. This is the reason why people feel unhappyness and unsatisfaction.

Most of the time we miss an important detail:

LIFE IS NOT A GOAL, IS A JOURNEY.

Often, we badly want to achieve something, and by the day we do it (or not), we don't feel the desidered satisfaction. The main reason is because we are so focused on the results, that we miss the daily contact, emotions given by people around us, sounds and colors coming out from the environment in which we live.

Think about an artist who play music. A song is a final result of a creative and inspirational moment. Behind a song, there is always a story, a though, an emotion, a mind, a path. The way songs are created make them uniques.

This is the same logic valid for anything else in life.

"Wedding is a result of love, not a goal to achieve. Being manager is a result of doing a good work and having a nice attitude, is not a chair to sit on top. Dream is live our life with open eyes, is not something to balance with the unhappiness of every day".

So, does it means that we can simply dream and live without goals and plans? Definetely no. Dreams without actions are like to have a roof of the house without foundations. We need both, for the right purposes.
Final goal is needed in order to visualize the path. Our mission is to live this journey smiling to everything around us. This is what I believe is bringing happiness to people. At least, it ensure that we are not spending our life time without living it.

Enjoy your day, life...and always smile.

Power of inspiration...

Simply read them!! Enjoy

Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little. - Edmund Burke

If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put foundations under them.Henry David Thoreau

Attitude determines altitude. - Anonymous

It's not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are. - Roy Disney

And in the end it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years. - Abraham Lincoln

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world. The unreasonable man adapts the world to himself. All progress depends upon the unreasonable man. - George Bernard Shaw

A ship is safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are for. –William Shedd

Your thoughts are the architects of your destiny. - David O. McKay


Some men see things the way they are and ask, "Why?" I dream things that never were, and ask "Why not?" - George Bernard Shaw

J F Kennedy....Arts and Quote

Do you know that today is the birthday of John F. Kennedy Center forPerforming Arts?

In 1971, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts opened in Washington, D.C., with a performance of Leonard Bernstein's "Mass."

Today we can start with an Inspirational Quote of John F. Kennedy:

"When written in Chinese, the word 'crisis' is composed of two characters. One represents danger and the other represents opportunity"

Have a nice Monday