New York Doctor with Ebola ‘Looks Better

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ebola-virus-outbreak/new-york-doctor-ebola-looks-better-official-says-n234321

            The article by Miranda Leirsinger on NBC News, “New York Doctor with Ebola ‘Looks Better’: Official Says,” is about Dr. Craig Spencer’s case of Ebola. Dr Spencer was recently treating Ebola patients in Africa, which is when he caught the virus. The article contained details of the advice given to the city by it’s mayor, Bill de Blasio. Bill states that the physicians are “concerned for others,” and “there is no reason for New Yorkers to change their habits in any way.” Governors debated on Sunday whether or not to quarantine health workers traveling from countries infected with the Ebola virus. In this article the views of multiple professionals one the case are provided. For example, NJ Governor, Chris Christie told Fox News, “if anything else, the governments job is to protect the safety and health of our citizens,” however, is this what is being done? In this article, the actions taken by the government are being questioned. Our nations health is currently at risk, therefore to second-guess our current systems is reasonable. However, this article could have included background knowledge on Dr. Spencer’s case or any other evidence of mistakes mad by our government.

Scientists consider repurposing robots for ebola - posted for Alexis Raviol

Chemistry Lexi Raviol
Current event October 26

Markoff, John. "Scientists Consider Repurposing Robots for Ebola." The New York Times. The New York Times, 22 Oct. 2014. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.

John Markoff composed an article, “Scientists Consider Repurposing Robots for Ebola”. In this article John reports robots could help perform some of the jobs of health care workers that are hazardous, such as  disposable waste and removing the bodies of patients with Ebola. This is helpful because these are two of the functions where Ebola is most contagious for health care workers. Scientists from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute, in Massachusetts; Texas A&M; the University of California, Berkeley; and in Washington and government officials from the White House are meeting on November 7, to discuss this activity. While this may be possible there could be possible problems like implementing the robots. Such as, technology is fairly new when it comes to medicine and health care and there are still problems programing the robots. Technology is also very limited and this may have an effect of having robots to help preform jobs of health care workers. In addition, robots struggle to recognize glass objects which could be a problem when handling glass tubes. Relatives of the patients also have a problem accepting robots to bury them because it wouldn't be respectful to the patients.
If they could make robots preform health care jobs, it could help stop the spread of Ebola from the patients to the health care workers. This would also help the health care workers to stay in business and feel more comfortable dealing with patients. This could also increase the number of people willing to help Ebola patients. It could also reassure the public. This is a very relevant topic right now. Ebola is consuming today’s headlines. We need to find a way to cure them, but also need to find a way to keep the sickness from spreading.
This article is very well written. It is a very relevant topic for today and people are very interested in it. He listed not only benefits if scientists implemented robots, but the problems also. In addition, he listed references from various people having their opinions and thoughts on this project. One thing John Markoff didn't do a very good job in was organization of the paper. I thought he skipped around a lot and it didn't seem to flow as well as it should have.

In a Dome in Hawaii, a Mission to Mars

In a Dome in Hawaii, a Mission to Mars

Chang, Kenneth. "In a Dome in Hawaii, a Mission to Mars." The New York Times. The New York Times, 20 Oct. 2014. Web. 22 Oct. 2014.

<http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/21/science/taking-minds-on-a-journey-to-mars.html?ref=space>.

This article is about six people who volunteered to be “guinea pigs” for NASA. Their mission: to live with each other for eight months.Their base is a huge dome, situated on top of the Hawaiian volcano, Mauna Loa. With its 36 feet in diameter and two story building size, it does not go unseen. The goal of this mission is to examine how well a small group of people, isolated from all civilization, can get along and work together. For eight months, Martha Lenio, Jocelyn Dunn, Sophie Milam, Allen Mirkadyrov, Mr. Scheibelhut, and Zak Wilson will learn how to work together with limited resources. They all have a different backgrounds, entrepreneurs, engineers, graduate student and even war veterans. All of them think of this experiment as a great opportunity and are excited to start. But the experiment will only start in a few months, when the fact that they are shut away from everything hits them. Mr. Scheibelhut said he knows that there will be unpleasant times. “Eight months — you’re going to have real conflicts you’re going to have to work out,” he said. “Scientifically speaking, it’s going to be really interesting to see what happens.” And this is what it is all about. When astronauts are shut inside spaceships, the isolation can lead to depression and the mission can go out of control. Furthermore, something called the “third-quarter syndrome” can start to happen. When people are shut out from the world, they start going into routines which become more and more tedious every day, this is a bad thing to have while on a mission, because in the end the astronaut stops performing well and becomes unhealthy. “Right now, the psychological risks are still not completely understood and not completely corrected for,” said Kimberly Binsted, a professor of information and computer sciences at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, “NASA is not going to go until we solve this.”

This mission is important and relevant to society because if we learn how to take care of the astronauts while they are on a spaceship then there will be less risks of them been unhealthy when they come back. However, this mission does not only apply to Mars missions, since the objective is to learn how humans support and live each other, this experiment can be applied to wars for example. During those times, soldiers are shut out from the world and have to live in small places with each others. If we know ways to make their time in those cramped spaces less a burden, then they will be be happier and able to perform better.  

Overall, the article was well written because the writer used a clear and logical way of writing. The fact that he used many inputs from the people actually going through the experiment, helped explain the experiment and what was the feeling towards it. While reading we didn’t get the feeling of being overwhelmed because of the simplicity and organized way of the writing. In addition, there was a flow to the writing, the ideas did not come out suddenly, without any explanations. However, the way the paragraphs were formed was a little bit weird. Since each paragraphs were about two sentences long, it was a bit tough to understand. To make this better the writer could have put some paragraphs together.

Dr. Craig Spencer Tests Positive for Ebola

Review- Grace Randall

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/24/nyregion/craig-spencer-is-tested-for-ebola-virus-at-bellevue-hospital-in-new-york-city.html

The article, Doctor in New York City Is Sick With Ebola, discusses the recently reported case of Ebola in New York City. On Thursday, October 23, Dr. Craig Spencer was admitted to isolation at Bellevue Hospital after reporting symptoms of Ebola, including a fever of 103˚. Only just a week ago, the doctor returned from treating Ebola patients in Guinea. From interviews with Spencer, we know he visited a bowling alley, rode the subway, and took a cab the day before noticing symptoms, but fortunately it is believed that he was not contagious during this time. As precaution however Health officials are still making sure to track down anyone he made direct contact with, as well as checking locations he traveled to. It has been confirmed though, that his fiancee and two of his friends are being confined to quarantine as precaution, as they are not yet showing signs of infection. It is also noted in the article that authorities are working hard to seal of areas such as his apartment and inform neighbors of the condition. Finally, its being assured that New Yorkers have no need to worry now because the space and people infected or at potential risk are in isolation.

This article is greatly significant to humanity, and especially to our personal location. For humanity as a whole, the spread of ebola is of widespread concern, and familiar to nearly everyone. The recent outbreaks in Africa , and reported cases in other areas of the world, are a great scare to people of all ages and cultures. Even authorities fear this virus has potentially devastating effects, and health organizations across the globe are taking an abundance of precaution. It’s important for people to be aware of the spread of this disease, as well as learn from cases how to better prevent this. Specifically to our location in Bronxville, this article has a great effect on us. The disease is closer to us than it ever has been, as the proximity of NYC and our small town is only about 30  minutes. Being informed about cases as relevant as this is important in raising precautious awareness and a better widespread knowledge for people. Until recently, Ebola has been centralized in Africa, however now that more and more cases are being reported, the idea of a fatal contagion is becoming more real.

Overall, I feel this article went into great depth with detail, while still providing information in varying aspects of the story. I think the author did a good job at informing the reader with enough detail to understand the situation, however I think they could have done a better job giving background information.  For those people who are unfamiliar with the basic information on Ebola, or also the what work with the victims is like, this article could somewhat hard to understand or fully grasp. I think it’s important that the author at least provide a bit of background on the topic so readers more unaware of the topics than others can still understand it. I also noticed that some the sentence structure was poor, espceially run-on. For example the opening line says, “A doctor in New York City who recently returned from treating Ebola patients in Guinea became the first person in the city to test positive for the virus Thursday, setting off a search for anyone who might have come into contact with him.” Coming from a prestigious newspaper, I definitely think they could have done a more diligent job in editing this text. As a whole, however, I think this article exhibits a thorough and good documentation of this case.

Fatal Superbugs: Atibiotics Losing Effectiveness, Who says

Mark Sears

Current Events

I read, “Fatal Superbugs: Atibiotics Losing Effectiveness, Who says” as my article on national geographic by Susan Brink. In this article they talk about “superbugs” which are basically bacteria that has grown immune to one or more antibiotics. They develop a gene for certain antibiotics and that gene protects them. Scientists believe that bacteria got this immunity from overuse of antibiotics against viruses. People are using antibiotics to help with viruses when your not supposed to, and whenever you use a antibiotic that’s not needed you push antibiotic resistance ahead. In order to fight the spread of super bugs we have to only use antibiotics when needed.

            These superbugs largely affect humanity because 2 million people are infected annually with antibiotic resistant bacteria each year, and 23,000 of them die each year. That’s a very large number. Also we are the direct reason for these superbugs because we keep using antibiotics for viruses when your not supposed to. If we stop using antibiotics for viruses then we can limit these “superbugs”.

            This was a very well written article. It was broken up into eight paragraphs each with their own question as a title, so you know exactly what this paragraph will be answering. This is helpful because you know what the paragraph is about before you read it, and they are good questions because I was asking the same ones to my self throughout the reading. I also liked how they got professional views from Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics and The Food and Drug Administration. Finally, they included many interesting facts to keep you engaged.

New York Doctor With Ebola

I read the article NY doctor recently back from West Africa tests positive for Ebola, officials confirm, by Ray Sanchez and Shimon Prokupecz. In this article, a doctor who recently returned from Africa was diagnosed with Ebola. Craig Spencer was the doctor. He had come home to NYC after a visit in Africa to help treat people with Ebola, and reported a fever a day or so ago. He had not felt ant symptoms on the journey back from Africa, but started feeling bad soon after arriving in New York City. His health was being monitored so he contacted the doctors immediately after he started feeling bad. He was taken to the hospital where he has been quarantined. He is thought to only have come in contact with 4 people since feeling the symptoms, so those 4 people have been contacted as well.

           

            This article is very significant to the people who live in Bronxville. New York City is less than a half hour from here, so it is very dangerous and scary indeed that Ebola is so close. People need to be aware of what is happening so they can prepare and be ready for the worst. It is not likely for Ebola to spread, but it is not out of the question. They aren’t 100% sure about all the people he came in contact with, so there is still danger out there. While it isn’t likely that Ebola will spread to Bronxville, it is very close and could harm many more people if not contained in one place. Once it gets out there in the public, there is no stopping it.

            This article was very informative, but it kind of just let people know what was happening. It didn’t really provide a ton of insight or detail ad to what was actually happening. I thought the authors could have told us a little bit more about the doctor who came down with Ebola and what he was doing in Africa, because that is where he got the sickness from. I thought they should have described his work there and who else was with him. This would have told us a little bit more as to how he got the sickness. Also, there could have been more on how he was being treated and what precautions were being taken. Like I said before, the article just sort of said what was happening, and there was not a ton of detail. What is being done to the people he came in contact with? What are we doing for him to treat him? These are some big questions that I think needed answering in this article. I think more detail could have been added in many places, but these are some of the ones that stuck out to me.

Patient in New York City Tests Postive for Ebola

 Chemistry                                                                         Olivia scotti

Current event #4                                                            10/23/14

   "Patient in New York City tests positive for Ebola" by Marc Santora

 http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/24/nyregion/craig-spencer-is-tested-for-ebola-virus-at-bellevue-hospital-in-new-york-city.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=Banner&module=span-ab-top-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0

The article I read for my current event was about how doctor Craig Spencer was diagnosed with Ebola. This was the first case reported in New York. Dr Spencer was in guinea helping patients with Ebola October 14. He began to show cases of Ebola and was rushed to Bellevue hospital and into isolation. Symptoms begin to show 8-10 days after the infection is in your body. That’s how long its been from his return from Africa. They have disease detectives looking for the people who came in contact with him in the last few days and could be diagnosed with Ebola. Ebola does not spread till the person begins to have symptoms, which is why it is crucial to put a person in isolation.

This article is important to be shared because now people know how Ebola has spread even more and are lives are at a higher risk now. This affects my life because now a person with Ebola is only about 20 minutes away. Without this article we would not have know how Ebola is spreading so quickly.

This article had a lot of good detail on who the man with Ebola was and how he might have got the disease. The article did not have very good detail though on what the main symptoms are of this disease. Also some of sentences were difficult to understand so some parts of the article were hard to comprehend. Another thing that could be improved is explaining more on what else they have done to keep doctor Spencer better and isolated.            

Genetic Variant May Shield Latinas From Breast Cancer

“Genetic Variant May Shield Latinas From Breast Cancer” By Anahad O’Connor

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/10/20/genetic-variant-may-shield-latinas-from-breast-cancer/?_php=true&_type=blogs&ref=science&_r=0

I read “Genetic Variant May Shield Latinas From Breast Cancer” by Anahad O’Connor. This article talked about how Latina women are less likely to get breast cancer than white, black, or asian women are. This is believed to be because of a genetic mutation that is more common in Hispanics than whites, blacks, and asians. One in five Hispanic American women carry the mutation, but only about 1% of white or black American women carry it. Women who have this mutation have breast tissue that is less dense on mammograms. Mammograms are known to play a major role in the risk of breast cancer. This mutation helps to explain why Latinas have had lower rates of breast cancer than other Americans. White Americans have about 3% more chance of getting breast cancer than Hispanic Americans. This mutation might also affect the number of estrogen receptors produced, which shows why the risk of estrogen-receptor negative breast cancer is much lower for women with the mutation. The protected variant is known as single nucleotide polymorphism. Women with this protective variant are 40% less likely to develop breast cancer, and women with two of these protect variants are 80% less likely to develop breast cancer.

This discovery is extremely important for humankind. This could lead to a huge break in the search for a cure for breast cancer. Marc Hurlbert, the executive director of the Avon Foundation Breast Cancer Crusade stated, “If we understand how this is protective, it might help us to develop better treatments for those who do get breast cancer.” If we can learn more about what this mutation is and what it does, then we can learn how to create something to do the same thing as the mutation. This would increase the chance of women surviving breast cancer. Scientists might also learn how to use this mutation to treat women before they get breast cancer. This would decrease the chance of women ever getting breast cancer.

Overall, I believed that this article was written extremely written. One thing I really liked about this article was how it talks about the good and bad sides of discovering the mutation. For example, Dr. Otis W. Brawley, the chief medical officer at the American Cancer Center said, “But keep in mind that some women with this variant still get breast cancer. It might be because they have this variant and something else that cancels it out.” This quote shows that the article is not bias, it shows how this discovery can be good and bad. I also liked how the article talked about many studies conducted and facts to help back up the information given. This shows that the information has a real affect on the human population and can make a difference. One thing I didn’t like about the article is how it talks about many factors involved in breast cancer, but it doesn’t describe exactly what they are. For example, the article talks about estrogen receptors but never says what they do. The article also talks about mammograms, it says that they play a factor in the breast cancer risk, but it doesn’t say what they actually are. In conclusion, I believe that overall this article was really well written by could have included more details about a few things.

What It's Like To Spend A Month Under the Sea- Fina Maldonado

“What It’s Like To Spend A Month Under The Sea”

by Megan Gannon

http://www.livescience.com/48334-fabien-cousteau-aquarius-undersea-mission.html

            In this article, by Megan Gannon, the amazing 31-day underwater mission taken by the 47 year old Fabien Cousteau and his team came to an end. The scientist traveled about 63 feet below the surface in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. The team lived in the habitat, Aquarius, approximately the size of a bus or a New York City apartment. Cousteau said that he sometimes spent 10 to 12 hours a day outside the Aquarius, exploring the reef. The team was able to uncover three years of data in just one month on the effects of climate change and how the loss of marine predators can affect the coral reefs. Not only was the adventure educational, it was also an amazing experience. Cousteau says, “Every day was a new experience. It's very addicting to be integrated in an alien environment and surrounded by the fireworks display of life.”

            The new discovers that were uncovered could help explain the climate changes and provide more information on marine life. In addition, this mission could set a precedent for human civilization underwater. This could help bring back data and help get a better understanding on what the aquatic world means to humans. Although, the human body can suffer more issues undersea. The body is more prone to diseases and the air pressure can cause changes in voice patterns. Also, the sense of smell and taste can begin to fade away.

             I thought that the author did a good job presenting background information and made me want to read on. The article had many quotes that gave me first hand opinions of what the experience was really like. Although, the author barely provided the reader with any details. There was no data that was given to show what the science team did when they were in the Aquarius. Many times I had to assume some things, not knowing if they are correct. Overall, the article did not give me much information on the event and the author could have done more research on the topic before publishing it.

Posted for Fina Maldonado 

New Solar Battery Could Generate Cheaper Clean Energy

by Elizabeth Palermo, Staff Writer   |   October 17, 2014 01:50pm ET

-This article is about a new kind of solar cell that could store electrical energy without any help from traditional batteries. Researchers at Ohio State University, in Columbus, have developed what they're calling the world's first solar battery a hybrid device that combines the energy-capturing abilities of a solar cell with the energy-storing capabilities of a battery. The new cell could lower the cost of harvesting renewable energy from the sun by as much as 25 percent, according to the researchers. 
This new solar battery can help us save money and not have to worry about lights running out. It also answers this question that helps to solve a problem; how to store energy from the sun without losing a lot of that energy in the process. 
Overall this article I chose to critique surely caught my attention, and I was able to learn a thing or two. However I noticed that a lot of this article was pure facts. I did not notice a lot of opinion from scientists or researchers that could have been helpful. Nevertheless, I completely understood this article and was able to grasp a valid reasoning of why this is necessary and how it can benefit society. 

"Impact of offshore wind farms on marine species" By fabian

Fabian Kerj

10/19/14

Current event

By Fabian

University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. "Impact of offshore wind farms on marine species." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 16 October 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/10/141016123608.htm>.

Review

            This article is about the impact of ocean wind turbines on marine animals. It talks about how the construction of these turbines can cause confusion and even danger for the marine life around its construction. In the article the author also tells us how the wind turbine can provide benefits for the marine life around its location such as a safe water with increased food supply. The turbine is told as a both beneficial device and a technology that can be bad for nature. It gives ecological energy to the growing concern about pollution that many energy sources makes in this present day. The turbines are placed in the ocean and uses wind to spin a turbine and therefore create electricity. The article ends with a conclusion about the up and down sides of the wind turbine

            Many people today only see the way of harvesting natural energy in good ways though almost everyone is not aware of the side effects it can do such as the effect on marine life when wind turbines are installed. This problem has to be overviewed by the people and not just think of natural energy sources as a good thing but also the bad things that it can do.  Maybe soon this problem will not only be a threat to the animal kingdom, but the humans as well.

            I thought the author did a great job when it came to discussing and explaining the problem and less about things such as background info and history about windmills effect on marine life. What I would change or do if I was to make an article like this would be to include important information such as statistics, numbers and other numerical or mathematical information. The statistics that were missing from this article would have made it more interesting to read and also a better understanding of the problem.

In Alaska, Thousands of Walruses Take to Land

Delviscio, Jeffery. "In Alaska, Thousands of Walruses Take to Land." The New York Times. The New York Times, 01 Oct. 2014. Web. 16 Oct. 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/02/science/earth/in-alaska-thousands-of-walruses-take-to-land.html?ref=earth>.

In this article by Jeffery DelViscio, the trouble that Walruses are in comes to light as an estimated 35,000 of them are photographed in huge semicircles on shores that are not usually their home. In the Bering and Chukchi Sea, where Walruses usually lay on ice masses in order to hunt for food and raise their pups from the safety of the ice, the ice is gone in the warmer months. In the Chukchi Sea in particular, there is no ice at all to be seen. This situation has consequences for Walruses, because they then have to travel much farther distances in order to get the food they need. The rich food beds that contain clams, worms, and snails are much deeper into the ocean. Also, Walruses do like the company of others, but they are easily scared, and they stampede into the ocean. In sad scenarios, the young ones are stampeded and die because they are small. Although these pictures raise concern for the Walruses, this is not the first time that Walruses have been photographed. In the past 8 summers, 6 out of the 8 have caused Walruses to do the same thing. As Dr. Jay said, “In the summer we have seen the ice recede far into the north. That change is making it very difficult for Walruses to make a living.”

Although some people may read this article and think that it is just another article on global warming and that it will never have an impact on them, it will. Global warming is still alive and well on the radar for world problems. The fact that everything, the air and the ocean, is heating up at such a rate will soon be a problem for humans too, not just Walruses. The ice is not just melting a little bit, the ice is just not there anymore. Imagine if instead of the Walruses’ ice not being there, your house was not there. It is the same issue, and at some point in the near future, it will be our problem too.

I thought the author did a great job at giving just the right amount of detail, but not too much. I felt intrigued and wanted to read more while reading the article, however I had enough information to write a review about it. One of the things I think that author could have changed was that there was only one credible source of quotes in the article by Dr. Jay. I think the article could have been more impactful if there were more quotes from credible people. Also, I think that the article could have included another paragraph with statistics of this problem, because that would have been interesting to see. He gave information, but he never gave any specific numbers from these issues. Overall, I thought that the author did a great job at explaining every subtopic of this issue, from the Walruses eating patterns to the patterns we see every year at around the same time. Also, the author was not biased in any way toward any side of this issue, and he did not focus his entire article on his opinion, or any of his article really.

Laura Holland

Chemistry 9H

Rapid and durable protection against Ebola virus with new vaccine regimens

The article describes a new experimental vaccine that was injected into macaque monkeys. The article stated that the vaccine inoculation protected the monkeys initially but lost some of its protection after a time. The vaccine seemed to work better when it was given to the monkeys as a booster ten months after the initial inoculation. This  booster inoculation also appears to work better when an additional vaccine was given.
 

This article is very significance given the dangers that the ebola virus can create to mankind. The research being done by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and The US Army Medical Research Institute and Okairos a biotechnical company is focusing on a very serious health issue in the world. This collaboration of many experts is doing the research that may lead to a cure or protection against the ebola virus.
 

It seems that the research discussed in this article is based on good scientific practice but there wasn’t enough reproduction of the test.The article states that the vaccine was only given to four monkeys and although the results are promising there needs to be more research. The other thing is that the vaccine appears to be successful on monkeys but this may not be reproduced in human.

Blizzard and Avalanche Kill at Least 20 Trekkers in Himalayas

Sharma, Bhadra. "Blizzard and Avalanche Kill at Least 20 Trekkers in Himalayas." NY Times 15 Oct.     2014: n. pag. Print.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/16/world/asia/himalayas-blizzard-and-avalanche-kill-at-least-20-and-leave-dozens-missing.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=HpSumSmallMedia&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0

The article that I decided to read for my current events response was “Blizzard and Avalanche Kill At Least 20 Trekkers in Himalayas”, by Bhadra Sharma. This article told of the horrible events that took place on the mountain of Annapurna in Nepal, which is the world’s tenth highest peak. Starting on Tuesday, a huge storm system began to ravage this area of the world, and the eventual effect of this was a huge avalanche that is already known to have taken 20 lives. Many more fatalities may be discovered later on, as many who were trekking the great mountain are still missing. This horrific disaster is putting the lives of many in ruin, some due to the loss of family members, and some due to the fact that they don’t know if they have lost a family member. As people, both alive and dead, are found scattered across the mountain which has become a bloody site of devastation, these stricken people are put to rest with either feelings of euphoria or intense sadness. The timing of this incident was extremely bad as October is considered to be one of the most popular times of the year for trekking Mount Annapurna and other mountains near it. This is reflected in the number of deaths which is even higher than the last big trekking incident that occurred when 16 guides died in the Himalayas. In addition to this, the disaster went beyond physical devastation for the country of Nepal. The economy of Nepal, which is mostly based on mountaineering tourism, took a big hit from the avalanche. The reason for this is that the Sherpa, who guide people throughout the mountain, are threatening to quit their jobs because of the disaster. If this happens, tourism may plummet in Nepal, and with it, the economy of the country will plummet too.                                                                                   The avalanche that occurred on Mount Annapurna will have lasting effects on the world, and especially on the people of Nepal. As was stated in the article, the economy of Nepal looks likely to plummet due to the avalanche. This could lead to many people in this country, which is already pretty impoverished, losing their jobs and having no way to provide food and shelter for their families and for themselves. This would make the already huge problem of world hunger and poverty even bigger, not to mention that it would likely lead to many malnutrition related deaths in Nepal, which is something that would devastate the society. Outside of Nepal, the avalanche will affect people’s choices in travel and entertainment. After hearing about this, many people are probably less likely to embark on a mountaineering trip. People might even have second thought about skiing or snowboarding for fear of dying in an avalanche similar to the one in Nepal. If this were to happen, it could hurt the economies of places throughout the world that thrive on the money brought in from snow related sports. As in Nepal, this would cause people to lose their jobs, or at least to take pay cuts, which would hurt families all over the world.                                                                                                The article written by Bhadra Sharma on the terrible event that happened in Nepal, despite its grisly topic, was a great article. It was well-written, with no grammatical mistakes that I could see. To me, that piece of writing had a very good flow between ideas that made it enjoyable to read. It was not boring list of facts, but instead it kept me engaged from beginning to end. In addition, I like how Sharma related the avalanche to the economy of Nepal. By showing how the disaster might affect people (other than by the loss of loved ones) in their everyday lives, the author made the article much more interesting and relatable. Despite liking this about the article written by Sharma, I did not like the fact that it devoted an entire paragraph to the fact that a group on a social media website was created for fellow mourners to communicate. While this may sound heartless, I do not believe that this information was very important to the article as a whole. Had it been left out, my understanding of the article would not have changed, and this shows that it is not a necessary piece of information. I feel that omitting this section of the writing entirely would improve the article, as it would make it more succinct overall.