still unbeatable

Rafflesia

Rafflesia
Rafflesia arnoldii flower and bud
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Malpighiales Family: Rafflesiaceae Genus: Rafflesia R.Br.

Rafflesia is a genus of parasitic flowering plants. It was discovered in the Indonesian rain forest by an Indonesian guide working for Dr. Joseph Arnold in 1818, and named after Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, the leader of the expedition. It contains approximately 27 species (including four incompletely characterized species as recognized by Meijer 1997), all found in southeastern Asia, on the Malay Peninsula, Borneo, Sumatra, and the Philippines. The plant has no stems, leaves or true roots. It is an endoparasite of vines in the genus TetrastigmaVitaceae), spreading its root-like haustoria inside the tissue of the vine. The only part of the plant that can be seen outside the host vine is the five-petaled flower. In some species, such as Rafflesia arnoldii, the flower may be over 100 centimetres (39 in) in diameter, and weigh up to 10 kilograms (22 lb). Even the smallest species, R. manillana, has 20 cm diameter flowers. The flowers look and smell like rotting flesh, hence its local names which translate to "corpse flower" or "meat flower" (but see below). The vile smell that the flower gives off attracts insects such as flies and carrion beetles, which transport pollen from male to female flowers. Little is known about seed dispersal. However, tree shrews and other forest mammals apparently eat the fruits and disperse the seeds. Rafflesia is an official state flower of Indonesia, also Sabah state in Malaysia, as well as for the Surat Thani Province, Thailand. (

The name "corpse flower" applied to Rafflesia is confusing because this common name also refers to the Titan Arum (Amorphophallus titanum) of the family Araceae. Moreover, because Amorphophallus has the world's largest unbranched inflorescence, it is sometimes mistakenly credited as having the world's largest flower. Both Rafflesia and Amorphophallus are flowering plants, but they are still distantly related. Rafflesia arnoldii has the largest single flower of any flowering plant, at least when one judges this by weight. Amorphophallus titanum has the largest unbranched inflorescence, while the Talipot palm (Corypha umbraculifera) forms the largest branched inflorescence, containing thousands of flowers; this plant is monocarpic, meaning that individuals die after flowering.

influenza A(H1N1)

Influenza A virus subtype H1N1, also known as A(H1N1), is a subtype of influenzavirus A and the most common cause of influenza (flu) in humans. Some strains of H1N1 are endemic in humans and cause a small fraction of all influenza-like illness and a large fraction of all seasonal influenza. H1N1 strains caused roughly half of all human flu infections in 2006. Other strains of H1N1 are endemic in pigs (swine influenza) and in birds (avian influenza).

In June 2009, WHO declared that flu due to a new strain of swine-origin H1N1 was responsible for the 2009 flu pandemic. This strain is commonly called "swine flu".

strains are categorized according to two proteins found on the surface of the virus: hemagglutinin (H) and neuraminidase (N). All influenza A viruses contain hemagglutinin and neuraminidase, but the structure of these proteins differ from strain to strain due to rapid genetic mutation in the viral genome.

Influenza A virus strains are assigned an H number and an N number based on which forms of these two proteins the strain contains. There are 16 H and 9 N subtypes known in birds, but only H 1, 2 and 3, and N 1 and 2 are commonly found in humans.

In the 2009 flu pandemic, the virus isolated from patients in the United States was found to be made up of genetic elements from four different flu viruses – North American Mexican influenza, North American avian influenza, human influenza, and swine influenza virus typically found in Asia and Europe – "an unusually mongrelised mix of genetic sequences." This new strain appears to be a result of reassortment of human influenza and swine influenza viruses, in all four different strains of subtype H1N1.

Preliminary genetic characterization found that the hemagglutinin (HA) gene was similar to that of swine flu viruses present in U.S. pigs since 1999, but the neuraminidase (NA) and matrix protein (M) genes resembled versions present in European swine flu isolates. The six genes from American swine flu are themselves mixtures of swine flu, bird flu, and human flu viruses. While viruses with this genetic makeup had not previously been found to be circulating in humans or pigs, there is no formal national surveillance system to determine what viruses are circulating in pigs in the U.S.

On June 11, 2009, the WHO declared an H1N1 pandemic, moving the alert level to phase 6, marking the first global pandemic since 1968.

School...

...do you feel pressure that you just can't take it? do you feel the not-so-my-thing-to-do in yourself?

... if you think of these questions, you think most likely of school. the pressure and many more. but, let me ask you...do you love school? it's already a very big opportunity if you get in a school, whether public or private. do you know why? because not all children around the world gets a chance to got to school. and some of the children's parents make them stop because of two reason: 1. it's enough for them to learn to read, write and count, 2. they just don't have the money to support their child...

...so i tell you...do your best in everything you do...'coz this opportunity only comes once in a lifetime...

...touchy poem...

teary eyed

every time i talk to you
you always give me a clue:
a clue that you don't notice me,
a clue that you'd never love me.

every tear that i have shed
and every word i have said;
i'd like to take the risk
if you'd see that i exist.

but if i could,
i'd run as fast as i can
so that you could
never hurt me again.

i love my mom

not all moms are created equal - and that's a good thing because yo are not "just like everyone else" either. but the tricky thing about most mother-daughter relationships is that even though you love each other, you just can't seem to understand one another.


take note: some moms will prfectly fit just one personality; other moms might be a combination of up to three personality types.

keeping it positive

sometimes, looking at the world with rose-colored sunglasses can make you look more radiant. having a mindset that you are stressed, however, can make your skin look swallow and lackluster. it's all in the matter of finding the right disposition. detoxify yourself from negativity. maintaining a positive outlook will make you exude confidence - one of the most necessary components of being beautiful.

let go of things dragging you down! be your fairest!

male failure

men truly don't understand why they are so competitive...but not all men...because they want to prove they're better...

but...

guys... don't be so proud if you have a talent or special skill...'coz you may just boomerang it back to you...really..

"Run Like The Wind"

i was running on the the gym treadmill next to a muscular guy who kept checking my speedometer. every time i increased my speed, he'd increased his too. it was a silent competition...until he lost his footing! i laughed out loud at the sight of him clinging onto the machine, struggling to get back up.
-katlog, 19

"Early Bird Exorcism"

we were required to exercise every morning after the flag ceremony. one day, my overly confident crush was asked to lead the exercises. he looked possessed
as he showed off weird karate moves and yoga poses. for the grand finale, his pants split in two! the whole assembly cracked up and he anded up borrowing a pair of used jogging pants from a girl.
- kristin, 19


...see what i mean...be careful