Protect Yourself From Disease

  Protect Yourself
From Disease

       MANY ancient cities were protected by massive walls. If an enemy breached just a small section of a wall, the safety of the entire city was at risk.
Your body is like a walled city. How you care for your defenses has much to do with how healthy you are. Consider five elements that can expose you to disease and how you can put up the best possible defenses.

   1 WATER

THE THREAT: Harmful organisms can “march” straight into your body by way of contaminated water.

YOUR DEFENSE: The best defense is to protect your water supply from contamination. If you know that your water supply is contaminated or suspect that it is, you can treat the water at home to make it safe. Store potable water in a closed vessel, and dispense it hygienically with a clean ladle or through a tap. Never put your hands into a clean water supply. If possible, you should try to live in a community that properly disposes of human waste so that it does not contaminate local water sources.
The World Health Organization recommends several methods to improve water quality at home, including chlorination, solar disinfection, filtration, and boiling.

  2 FOOD

THE THREAT:  Harmful organisms can be present in or on your food.

YOUR DEFENSE: Contaminated food may look fresh and nutritious.
So get into the habit of thoroughly washing all fruits and vegetables. Ensure that food utensils, kitchen surfaces, and your hands are clean when preparing or serving food. Some foods require cooking at a certain temperature in order to destroy dangerous microbes. Beware of food that is discolored or has an unpleasant odor or taste—signs that an army of microorganisms could be waiting for you. Refrigerate unused food as soon as possible.

     Avoid preparing food for others when you are sick. For further information on food safety, see the June 2012 issue of Awake! pages 3-9.

  3 INSECTS

THE THREAT:  Some insects can infect you with the harmful
microorganisms that live inside them. 
YOUR DEFENSE: 
Limit contact with disease-carrying insects by staying indoors when they are active or by wearing protective clothing, such as long sleeves and long trousers. Sleep under treated insect nets, and use personal insect repellent. Eliminate containers of stagnant water where mosquitoes could breed.

  For specific strategies against malaria, see the July 2015 issue of Awake! pages 14-15

 

4 ANIMALS

THE THREAT: Microbes that live harmlessly inside an animal can threaten your health. If you are bitten or scratched by a pet or another animal or exposed to its feces, you could be at risk.

YOUR DEFENSE: Some people choose to keep their animals  outside the house to minimize contact with them. Wash your hands after touching a domestic animal, and avoid all contact with wild animals. If you are bitten or scratched, wash the wound thoroughly and seek a doctor’s advice.
    Injuries from venomous creatures usually require emergency medical attention.

 5 PEOPLE

THE THREAT: Some germs can invade your body by riding on tiny droplets in someone’s cough or sneeze. They can also spread through skin contact, such as hugging or shaking hands. Microorganisms from other people may lurk on such items as doorknobs, handrails, telephones, remote controls, or computer screens and keyboards.

YOUR DEFENSE: Do not share personal items, such as razors, toothbrushes, or towels. Avoid contact with body fluids from animals or from other people, including blood and products derived from blood. And do not underestimate the benefits of washing your hands thoroughly and frequently. It is perhaps the most effective way you can stop the spread of infection. If possible, stay home when you are sick. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that you cough or sneeze into a tissue or your sleeve, but not into your hands. 

SECRETE ABOUT HELL AS BEEN REVILED

SECRETE ABOUT HELL AS BEEN REVILED 

WHAT MANY BELIEVE

“Immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell, ‘eternal fire.’” (Catechism of the Catholic Church) Some religious leaders say that hell is a state of complete isolation and separation from God.
 
THE TRUTH FROM THE BIBLE

“The soul that is sinning—it itself will die.” (Ezekiel 18:4) The dead “are conscious of nothing at all.” (Ecclesiastes 9:5) If the soul dies and is unconscious, how could it suffer “eternal fire” or even the pain of everlasting separation from God?

In the Bible, the Hebrew and Greek words often translated “hell” actually refer to the common grave of mankind. For example, when Job suffered a painful illness, he prayed: “I wish you would hide me in my grave [“in hell,” Douay-Rheims Version].” (Job 14:13, Holy Bible—Easy-to-Read Version) Job wanted to rest, not in a place of torment or alienation from God, but in the grave.

WHY IT MATTERS

Cruelty does not endear us to God; it repels us. “From infancy I was taught the doctrine of hellfire,” says Rocío, who lives in Mexico. “I was so terrified that I could not imagine that God had any good qualities. I thought that he was angry and intolerant.”

The Bible’s clear statements about God’s judgments and the condition of the dead changed the way Rocío viewed God. “I felt free—that a big emotional burden had been lifted off me,” she says. “I began to trust that God wants the best for us, that he loves us, and that I can love him. He is like a father who takes his children by the hand and wants the best for them.”—Isaiah 41:13.

Many have striven to be pious out of fear of hell fire, but God does not want you to serve him because you are terrified of him. Rather, Jesus said: “You must love Jehovah your God.” (Mark 12:29, 30) Moreover, when we realize that God does not act unjustly today, we can trust his future judgments too. Like Job’s friend Elihu, we can confidently say: “Far be it from the true God to act wickedly, and the Almighty to act unjustly.”—Job 34:10.

Ismarv Organisation And Technology: The Byssus Of The Marine Mussel

The Periodical Cicada’s Timing

     CICADAS, insects resembling locusts, live on all continents except Antarctica.
Unique to the northeast of America, however, are the periodical cicadas, which have long  fascinated biologists. Consider: Millions of periodical cicadas appear suddenly in the spring for just a few weeks. During their short time in the sun, they shed their juvenile skin, sing
deafeningly, fly, reproduce, and then die.
      Strangely, the next generation appears either 13 or 17 years later, depending on the species.What happens to these insects in the meantime? To answer, we need to understand the
periodical cicada’s unique life cycle. About a week after appearing, adult insects mate
and the females lay from 400 to 600 eggs inside tree twigs. Soon thereafter, the adults die.Within the next few weeks, the eggs hatch and the young nymphs drop to the earth, burrow into the soil, and begin a life underground, where they suck fluids from the roots of shrubs or trees for
several years. Either 13 or 17 years later, the new adult generation emerges to repeat
the cycle.
          According to an article in Nature magazine, the complex life cycle of these cicadas
“has confounded scientists for centuries. . . . Even now, entomologists are trying to understand how the insects’ peculiar life cycles evolved.” It is an unprecedented mystery in the animal kingdom.
What do you think? Could the periodical cicada’s timing be the product of evolution?
Or was it designed?

for more information on this topic you can contact us on ismarvpin@gmail.com

The Byssus Of The Marine Mussel

 

The Byssus Of The Marine Mussel   

     LIKE barnacles, marine mussels attach themselves to rocks, wood, or ship hulls. However, unlike barnacles,
which fasten themselves tightly to a surface, marine mussels dangle by a network of thin filaments called byssus threads.While this method increases the mussel’s flexibility for feeding and migration, the threads seem too flimsy to withstand the impact of ocean waves. How does the byssus allow the mussel to hang on and not be swept out to sea?
Consider: Byssus threads are stiff on one end, yet soft and stretchy on the other. Researchers have found that the precise ratio used by the mussel—80 percent stiff material to 20 percent soft—is critical for providing the strongest attachment.Hence, the byssus can handle the force of dramatic pulling and pushing by marine waters.

Professor Guy Genin calls the results of this research “stunning,” adding: “The magic of this organism lies in the structurally clever integration of this compliant region with the stiff region.” Scientists believe that the design of the byssus threads could have uses as diverse as attaching
equipment to buildings and underwater vessels, connecting tendons to bones, and sealing surgical incisions. “Nature is a bottomless treasure trove, as far as adhesion strategies go,” says J. Herbert Waite, a professor at the University of California in Santa Barbara, U.S.A.
What do you think? Did the byssus of the marine mussel come about by evolution?
Or was it designed? ˛
WAS IT DESIGNED? 
The Byssus of the Marine Mussel Anne