H1N1

American agriculture officials had changed ‘Swine Flu’ to ‘H1N1’. The reason why they changed was that the name ‘Swine Flu’ caused some problems with pork products. The virus infects through air and has nothing to do with consuming pork products. There is also no risk of infection from the virus from consumption of well-cooked pork. Even though this disease infects through air, people still need to wash their hands and try to keep themselves clean. It also will be a good idea to wear a gauze mask in public places. This is a good protection to them. In addition, travelers should pay attention on this and the airports security in every country should be.

The virus has been spread to some of countries and it is still spreading around the globe. Everyday we can hear the report from the news of confirming cases and number of death form many countries. As we already knew, some people around the world have died from the disease. In America, some schools and public places closed because of H1N1. In Mexico, the situation was worse. Many people have died. Now it is getting better. There had been 45 deaths in Mexico, two in the United States, one in Canada and one in Costa Rica. The scary thing is there are so many people out there in different countries have infected HIN1. There are at least 18 counties affected.

In the Untied States, there are three of H1N1 cases from California, four are from Texas, and 17 are from New York City. This number could be changed by any possibility. Moreover, the Obama administration has asked Congress for a $1.5 billion supplemental appropriation to deal with the H1N1 (Swine flu) outbreak. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepted emergency use of influenza medicines and some diagnostic test for response to the H1N1 virus outbreak.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has received the report the death or confirmed cases from Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico, Brazil, Sweden, Guatemala, Austria, China (Hong Kong Special Administrative Region), Colombia, Denmark, El Salvador, Portugal, Public of Korea, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, the United States, New Zealand, Israel, Spain, Norway, Poland, France, Panama and Guatemala. I think it could be more than this, because the disease is still spreading around the world.

Furthermore, there is another search showed that many H1N1 cases have no fever. It surprised some people, because the textbook say that in an influenza outbreak the predictive sign of fever and cough is 90 percent. Many people suffering from the influenza, even those who are seriously ill, do not have fever. This odd feature of the new virus could be very difficult to control.

In New Zealand, the number of suspected H1N1 cases has decreased obviously. The Ministry of Health reported that there were 50 suspected cases, but now the number of suspected cases is down to 18 on 12th May. The number of confirmed cases stayed at seven and the number of probable cases stayed at 12.

This disease has killed many people and people who got H1N1, are still fighting with the virus. This disease is very active in autumn and winter, so people need to be careful with the seasonal influenza as well. It would be a good idea to stay at home, because it would be easier to get the virus from public places. I also have found a website which showed you what the swine flu is; what swine flu symptoms are, what should you do if you think you have swine flu; How does it spread and treated; It talks about a vaccine as well; how can you prevent; can you still eat pork; what else should you be doing; how serious is swine flu; why has the swine flu infection been deadlier in Mexico than in other countries; are you still protected if you were vaccinated against the 1976 swine flu virus; how many people have swine flu, etc. It explains you in detail. I think it would be useful for everybody.

In conclusion, the H1N1 virus is still spreading and people are still suffering. We should be more careful with everything we do. We all wish the number of death, suspected cases, probable cases and confirmed cases would drop as soon as possible.


Reference list
Traditional news organization:

Mapping the outbreak. (2009). Retrieved May 13, 2009, from
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/world/2009/swine_flu/default.stm

USDA: Please Call It H1N1, Not Swine Flu. (2009). Retrieved April 28, 2009, from
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,518272,00.html

Lawrence, A. (2009). Many Swine Flu Cases Have No Fever. Retrieved May 12, 2009, from
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/13/health/13fever.html?_r=3&partner=TOPIXNEWS&ei=5099

Suspected swine flu cases drop in NZ. (2009). Retrieved May 12, 2009, from
http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/top-stories/5560592/suspected-swine-flu-cases-drop-nz/

Five more suspected swine flu cases. (2009). Retrieved May 11, 2009, from
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10571667

Less known alternative sources:

Miranda, H. (2009). Swine Flu FAQ. Retrieved in 2009, from
http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/flu-guide/20061101/swine-flu-faq

Timeline: Swine flu. (2009). Retrieved April 29, 2009, from
http://www.nature.com/news/2009/090429/full/news.2009.416.html

ScienceDaily. (2009). Swine Flu Update: At Least 18 Countries Affected; Human-to-Pig Infection Reported In Canada. Retrieved May 3, 2009, from
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090503190223.htm

Cindy, S. (2009). Number of Swine Flu Cases Approaches 1,500 Worldwide. Retrieved May 5, 2009, from
http://www.voafanti.com/gate/big5/www.voanews.com/english/2009-05-05-voa52.cfm

SWINE FLU BREAKING NEWS. (2009). Retrieved April 28, 2009, from
http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/influenza/swineflu/news/apr2809breaknews-jw.html

Delicious Link
http://delicious.com/RunAwayGirl

4ft jellyfish found on British beach

A 4ft jellyfish - one of the biggest to be found in Britain - washed up on a popular beauty spot on the coast of north Devon.

Last Updated: 5:39PM BST 12 May 2009

Giant jellyfish: The species - also known as rootmouth jelly, common jellyfish or saucer jelly - have no bones or brain, and their colourful bodies are 95 per cent water. Photo: SWNS
Experts say the 4ft (1.21m) Rootmouth Jellyfish - nicknamed the Dustbin lid or Sea Mushroom - can cause a painful rash on human skin if in contact with tentacles.

The jellyfish was caught on camera by photographer Peter Stapleton who is keeping the exact location secret to avoid panic.

Women spend £2,700 on bras but only wash them six times a year"A woman came up to me and said there was a huge jellyfish over on the other side of the beach," he said.

"It was the biggest I've seen, about 4ft long with a large body and tentacles.

"As well as people there was other wildlife around it, including herons, but they seemed as puzzled as the rest of us and left it alone."

The species - also known as moon jelly, common jellyfish or saucer jelly - have no bones or brain, and their colourful bodies are 95 per cent water.

They usually grow to around 12 inches (30cm). Jellyfish can swim slowly but are largely at the mercy of the tides and currents.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/5308217/4ft-jellyfish-found-on-British-beach.html

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A 4ft jellyfish found on British beach. The 4ft (1.21m) Rootmouth Jellyfish - nicknamed the Dustbin lid or Sea Mushroom - can cause a painful rash on human skin if in contact with tentacles. The species - also known as moon jelly, common jellyfish or saucer jelly - have no bones or brain, and their colourful bodies are 95 per cent water. They usually grow to around 12 inches (30cm). Jellyfish can swim slowly but are largely at the mercy of the tides and currents.

Masked Mexican thieves cash in on new H1N1 flu

Three armed thieves in Mexico City hid their faces while robbing watches from a department store by wearing the blue surgical masks which are now ubiquitous in the new flu-hit city.

Employees and security guards at a branch of the Sanborns department store told the daily Excelsior newspaper that the thieves were able to slip through the shop on Sunday without attracting attention, as they blended into a sea of masked shoppers.

One of the robbers threatened store assistants with a gun while another guarded the door and the third helped himself to watches from the jewelry department.

Banks in the Mexican capital have been forced to abandon normal rules over not letting in customers wearing face coverings.

Faced with the new flu outbreak, which has triggered a major global health scare, the government took emergency measures over the weekend and advised residents in the crowded city to wear face masks at all times outside their homes.

http://www.libertytimes.com.tw/2009/new/may/12/today-int11.htm

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Three thieves in Mexico City hid their faces by wearing the blue masks which you can see it everywhere in the new fly-hit city. Three thieves stole thing from the jewelry department and bank. “Banks in the Mexican capital have been forced to abandon normal rules over not letting in customers wearing face coverings. Faced with the new flu outbreak, the government advised residents in the crowded city to wear face masks at all times outside their homes.”

Swine Flu FAQ

WebMD Provides Answers to Your Questions About Swine Flu
By Miranda Hitti
WebMD Health NewsReviewed by Louise Chang, MDThe swine flu virus in the U.S. is the same one causing a deadly epidemic in Mexico. What is swine flu? What can we do about it? WebMD answers your questions.

What is swine flu?
Like people, pigs can get influenza (flu), but swine flu viruses aren't the same as human flu viruses. Swine flu doesn't often infect people, and the rare human cases that have occurred in the past have mainly affected people who had direct contact with pigs. But the current swine flu outbreak is different. It's caused by a new swine flu virus that has changed in ways that allow it to spread from person to person -- and it's happening among people who haven't had any contact with pigs.

What are swine flu symptoms?
Symptoms of swine flu are like regular flu symptoms and include fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, body aches, headache, chills, and fatigue. Many people with swine flu have had diarrhea and vomiting. Nearly everyone with flu has at least two of these symptoms. But these symptoms can also be caused by many other conditions. That means that you and your doctor can't know, just based on your symptoms, if you've got swine flu. It takes a lab test to tell whether it's swine flu or some other condition.

Who is at highest risk from H1N1 swine flu?
Most U.S. cases of H1N1 swine flu have been in older children and young adults. It's not clear why, and it's not clear whether this will change.

But certain groups are at particularly high risk of severe disease or bad outcomes if they get the flu:

-Pregnant women
-Young children, especially those under 12 months of age
-People with heart disease or risk factors for heart disease
-People with HIV infection
-People with chronic diseases
-People taking immune suppressing drugs, such as cancer chemotherapy or -anti-rejection drugs for transplants
People in these groups should seek medical care as soon as they get flu symptoms.

If I think I have swine flu, what should I do? When should I see my doctor?
If you have flu symptoms, stay home, and when you cough or sneeze, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue. Afterward, throw the tissue in the trash and wash your hands. That will help prevent your flu from spreading.

If you've got flu symptoms, and you live in or recently visited an area where H1N1 swine flu cases have been identified, CDC officials recommend that you see your doctor. If you have flu symptoms but you haven't been in a high-risk area, you can still see a doctor -- that's your call.

Keep in mind that your doctor will not be able to determine whether you have swine flu, but he or she may take a sample from you and send it to a state health department lab for testing to see if it's swine flu. If your doctor suspects swine flu, he or she would be able to write you a prescription for Tamiflu or Relenza. Those drugs aren't a question of life or death for the vast majority of people. Most U.S. swine flu patients have made a full recovery without antiviral drugs.

But there are emergency warning signs.

Children should be given urgent medical attention if they:

• Have fast breathing or trouble breathing

• Have bluish or gray skin color

• Are not drinking enough fluids

• Are not waking up or not interacting

• Are so irritable that the child does not want to be held

• Have flu-like symptoms that improve but then return with fever and a worse cough

• Have fever with a rash

Adults should seek urgent medical attention if they have:

• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath

• Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen

• Sudden dizziness

• Confusion

• Severe or persistent vomiting

How does swine flu spread? Is it airborne?
The new swine flu virus apparently spreads just like regular flu. You could pick up germs directly from an infected person, or by touching an object they recently touched, and then touching your eyes, mouth, or nose, delivering their germs for your own infection. That's why you should make washing your hands a habit, even when you're not ill. Infected people can start spreading flu germs up to a day before symptoms start, and for up to seven days after getting sick, according to the CDC.

The swine flu virus can become airborne if you cough or sneeze without covering your nose and mouth, sending germs into the air.

The U.S. residents infected with swine flu virus had no direct contact with pigs. The CDC says it's likely that the infections represent widely separated cycles of human-to-human infections.

How is swine flu treated?
The new swine flu virus is sensitive to the antiviral drugs Tamiflu and Relenza. The CDC recommends those drugs to prevent or treat swine flu; the drugs are most effective when taken within 48 hours of the start of flu symptoms. But not everyone needs those drugs; many of the first people in the U.S. with lab-confirmed swine flu recovered without treatment. The Department of Homeland Security has released 25% of its stockpile of Tamiflu and Relenza to states. Health officials have asked people not to hoard Tamiflu or Relenza.

Is there a vaccine against the new swine flu virus?
No. But the CDC and the World Health Organization are already taking the first steps toward making such a vaccine. That's a lengthy process -- it takes months.

I had a flu vaccine this season. Am I protected against swine flu?
No. This season's flu vaccine wasn't made with the new swine flu virus in mind; no one saw this virus coming ahead of time.

If you were vaccinated against flu last fall or winter, that vaccination will go a long way toward protecting you against certain human flu virus strains. But the new swine flu virus is a whole other problem.

How can I prevent swine flu infection?
The CDC recommends taking these steps:

• Wash your hands regularly with soap and water, especially after coughing or sneezing. Or use an alcohol-based hand cleaner.

• Avoid close contact with sick people.

• Avoid touching your mouth, nose, or eyes. That's not easy to do, so keep those hands clean.

• If you feel ill, stay home.

How long does the flu virus survive on surfaces?
Flu bugs can survive for hours on surfaces. One study showed that flu viruses can live for up to 48 hours on hard, nonporous surfaces such as stainless steel and for up to 12 hours on cloth and tissues. The virus seems to survive only for minutes on your hands -- but that's plenty of time for you to transfer it to your mouth, nose, or eyes.

Can I still eat pork?
Yes. You can't get swine flu by eating pork, bacon, or other foods that come from pigs.

What else should I be doing?
Keep informed of what's going on in your community. Your state and local health departments may have important information if swine flu develops in your area. For instance, parents might want to consider what they would do if their child's school temporarily closed because of flu. Don't panic, but a little planning wouldn't hurt.

How severe is swine flu?
The severity of cases in the current swine flu outbreak has varied widely, from mild cases to fatalities. Early cases in the U.S. were mild, but there has been at least one U.S. death from swine flu. And it's impossible to know whether the virus will change, either becoming more or less dangerous. Scientists are watching closely to see which way the new swine flu virus is heading -- but health experts warn that flu viruses are notoriously hard to predict, as far as how and when they'll change.

But there's a lot of planning you can do. CDC officials predict that just about every U.S. community will have H1N1 swine flu cases. It's possible some schools in your community may temporarily close. So make contingency plans just in case you are affected.

Why has the swine flu infection been more severe in Mexico than in other countries?
That's not clear yet. Researchers around the world are investigating the differences between the cases in Mexico and those elsewhere.

Have there been previous swine flu oubtreaks?
Yes. There was a swine flu outbreak at Fort Dix, N.J., in 1976 among military recruits. It lasted about a month and then went away as mysteriously as it appeared. As many as 240 people were infected; one died.

The swine flu that spread at Fort Dix was the H1N1 strain. That's the same flu strain that caused the disastrous flu pandemic of 1918-1919, resulting in tens of millions of deaths.

Concern that a new H1N1 pandemic might return in winter 1976 led to a crash program to create a vaccine and vaccinate all Americans against swine flu. That vaccine program ran into all kinds of problems -- not the least of which was public perception that the vaccine caused excessive rates of dangerous reactions. After more than 40 million people were vaccinated, the effort was abandoned.

As it turned out, there was no swine flu epidemic.

Even though it's an H1N1 type A flu bug, the new swine flu is a different virus than the ones that emerged in 1918 and in 1976.

I was vaccinated against the 1976 swine flu virus. Am I still protected?
Probably not. The new swine flu virus is different from the 1976 virus. And it's not clear whether a vaccine given more than 30 years ago would still be effective.

How many people have swine flu?
That's a hard question to answer because the figure is changing so quickly. If you want to keep track of U.S. cases that have been confirmed by lab tests and reported to the CDC, check the CDC's web site. If you're looking for cases in other countries, visit the World Health Organization's web site. And when you hear about large numbers of people who are ill, remember that lab tests may not yet have been done to confirm that they have swine flu. And there may be a little lag time before confirmed cases make it into the official tally.

How serious is the public health threat of a swine flu epidemic?
The U.S. government has declared swine flu to be a public health emergency.

It remains to be seen how severe swine flu will be in the U.S. and elsewhere, but countries worldwide are monitoring the situation closely and preparing for the possibility of a pandemic.

The World Health Organization has not declared swine flu to be a pandemic. The WHO wants to learn more about the virus first and see how severe it is and how deeply it takes root.

But it takes more than a new virus spreading among humans to make a pandemic. The virus has to be able to spread efficiently from one person to another, and transmission has to be sustained over time. In addition, the virus has to spread geographically.

How serious is the public health threat of a swine flu epidemic? continued...
The H1N1 swine flu outbreak comes at the end of the U.S. flu season. The virus has spread across the nation. Nobody knows whether it will stick around all summer or whether it will get worse when flu season begins again this fall.

Scientists are closely watching the Southern Hemisphere to see whether the H1N1 swine flu begins to circulate there. If it does, it will be important to see whether the virus changes over time, and whether it spreads more efficiently in the winter months.



WebMD senior writer Daniel J. DeNoon contributed to this report.

http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/flu-guide/20061101/swine-flu-faq?page=5

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This article is about the swine flu. It explains to you what the swine flu is; what swine flu symptoms are, what should you do if you think you have swine flu; How does it spread and treated; It talks about a vaccine as well; how can you prevent; can you still eat pork; what else should you be doing; how serious is swine flu; why has the swine flu infection been deadlier in Mexico than in other countries; are you still protected if you were vaccinated against the 1976 swine flu virus; how many people have swine flu, etc. It tells you in detail.

Suspected swine flu cases drop in NZ

Suspected swine flu cases drop in NZ
May 12, 2009, 12:22 pm

The number confirmed and probable cases of swine flu in New Zealand has not changed since Saturday, while suspected cases have dropped, the Ministry of Health says.

There remain seven confirmed and 12 probable cases while suspected cases dropped by 11 overnight to 68.

The World Health Organisation said 30 countries had reported a total 4694 infections -- up 315 since yesterday.

Mexico confirmed 1626 cases with 48 deaths while the United States reported 2532 cases including three deaths.

http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/top-stories/5560592/suspected-swine-flu-cases-drop-nz/
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The number confirmed and probable cases of swine flu in New Zealand has not changed since Saturday. There remain 7 confirmed and 12 probable cases while suspected cases dropped by 11 overnight to 68.

30 contries had reported a total 4694 infections – up 315 since yesterday.

Mexico confirmed 1626 cases and 48 deaths while the U.S. reported 2532 cases including 3 deaths.

New flu appears in Japan and Australia

New flu appears in Japan and Australia
May 11, 2009, 5:26 pm

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Washington state man with H1N1 influenza died last week, health officials said, the third U.S. sufferer to die as the new flu strain confirmed in more than 2,200 Americans appeared in Japan and Australia.

Health officials have warned that the true number of cases may be underestimated. Although most cases appear to be mild, the new swine flu strain has killed just as seasonal flu does.

Another 48 people have died in Mexico and one each in Canada and Costa Rica.

Washington state officials said on Saturday a man in his 30s with underlying heart conditions died last week, state governor Chris Gregoire describing his death as "a sobering reminder that influenza is serious."

The virus has moved into the southern hemisphere, where influenza season is just beginning, and could mix with circulating seasonal flu viruses or the H5N1 avian influenza virus to create new strains, health officials said.

"One of the big challenges with influenza viruses is the way that they change, the way they combine and their prevalence in a number of species," Dr. Anne Schuchat of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told a news briefing on Saturday.

"This is why it is so important for countries to have a strong capacity to deal with influenza and also why it is very important to understand what happens at the interface between people and animals."

Before the Washington man's death was announced, the CDC reported 2,254 confirmed U.S. cases of the virus with 104 people in hospital, up from 1,639 cases previously.

"Today there are almost 3,000 probable and confirmed cases here in the United States,"
Schuchat said. "The good news is we are not seeing a rise above the epidemic threshold."

Japan reported four cases, and globally officials reported more than 4,200 people in 30 countries had been ill. Australia reported its first case, a woman who been travelling in the United States but officials said she had made full recovery.

VERY GREAT UNDERESTIMATE

"We think this virus is in most of the United States," Schuchat said. "The individual numbers are likely to be a very great underestimate."

More Americans are seeing doctors for influenza-like illnesses at a time of year when such visits usually decline.

Schuchat said tests showed they do not all have the new H1N1 virus. Many have seasonal flu -- the H1N1 seasonal strain, the H3N2 seasonal strain and influenza B -- and other infections.
Seasonal flu kills 250,000 to 500,000 people globally and infects up to a third of the population each year.

Health experts have not openly criticized efforts by other countries to stop the virus from getting in -- most notably China and its territory of Hong Kong , which have quarantined travellers in contact with patients.

A spokeswoman in Hong Kong said on Saturday that a Mexican traveller confirmed as Hong Kong's first and only case of the new flu strain had been discharged from hospital.

The unidentified man, who unwittingly caused the confinement of almost 300 guests and staff at a Hong Kong hotel where he had stayed, had been in hospital for a week.

China put seven people who had been exposed to three Japanese passengers diagnosed with the H1N1 flu in quarantine, the official Xinhua news agency quoted the government as saying.

MORE TESTING

Mexican health ministry spokesman Carlos Olmos said the government was testing thousands of samples to confirm which patients with severe respiratory symptoms were actually infected with the flu.

He said more than 5,000 tests had been done on suspected cases and that 1,578 people were ill but were being treated.

After the virus was identified on April 23, Mexico banned public events and shut schools, bars, restaurants and many businesses to prevent people from gathering. Officials say disinfection of public spaces has helped control its spread.

Schools in the capital will reopen on Monday.

But the state government of Jalisco, home to Mexico's second-largest city Guadalajara, said schools, nightclubs and theatres there will remain shut for another week after three suspected flu deaths.

Schuchat said it is not yet clear whether some measures taken have slowed the outbreak, but she said it was clear that early detection methods had alerted the world quickly.

She noted that the AIDS virus, which has now killed 25 million people globally and infects 33 million, spread for years before it was even identified.

"If we end up having a bad pandemic of influenza from this strain we would have had a real jump-start on things like vaccines," she said.

(Additional reporting by Daniel Trotta in Mexico City , Leah Eichler in Japan , James Pomfret, Nerilyn Tenorio and Jacqueline Wong in Hong Kong ; Editing by Paul Tait)

http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/world/5556383/new-flu-kills-man-continues-spread/

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A health official said that there was a Washington state man died by H1N1 last week, state governor Chris Gregoire desribing his death as “a sobering reminder that influenza is serious.”
The third sufferer from America died as the new flu strain confirmed in more than 2,200 Americans appeared in Japan and Australia.

Before the Washington man’s death was announced, the CDC reported 2,254 confirmed U.S. cases of the virus with 104 people in hospital, up from 1,639 cases previously.

‘Another 48 people have died in Mexico and one each inCanada and Costa Rica.’

‘The virus has moved into the southern hemisphere, where influenza season is just beginning, and could mix with circulating seasonal flu viruses or the H5N1 avian influenza virus to create new strains, health officials said.’

Dr. Anne Schuchat said that one of the big challenges with influenza viruses is the way that they change, the way they combine and their prevalence in a number of species,"

There are almost 3,000 probable and confirmed cases in America. However, the good news is we are not seeing a rise above the epidemic threshold.

It is important for countries to have a strong capacity to deal with influenza and understand what happens at the interface between people and animals.

Japan reported four cases, and globally officials reported more than 4,200 people in 30 countires had been ill; Australia reported its first case.

More Americans were seeing doctors for influenza-like illnesses, but the test showed they don’t all have the new H1N1 virus. Many have seasonal flu – the H1N1 seasonal strain, the H3N2 seasonal strain and influenza B and other inflections.

Seasonal flu kills 250,000 to 500,000 people globally and infects up to a third of the population each year.

China and Hong Kong have some patients as well.

Mexican health ministry spokesman Carlos Olmos said the government was testing thousands of samples to confirm which patients with severe respiratory symptoms were actually infected with the flu. More than 5,000 tests had been done on suspected cases and that 1,578 people were ill but were being treated.

After the virus was identifiled on April 23, Mexico banned many places to help control its spread.

NZers feeling more secure in their jobs

NZers feeling more secure in their jobs
May 11, 2009, 4:39 pm

New Zealanders are growing more confident they will keep their jobs despite unemployment reaching a six year high.

Research New Zealand staff telephoned 501 people aged 15 years and older between April 24-30. Of employed people, 79 percent felt their jobs were secure, up from 76 percent in February and 73 percent in November last year.

Nineteen percent were not confident they would keep their jobs down from 21 percent in February and 24 percent in November.

Eighteen percent of respondents said the state of the economy was having a big impact on their financial situation and standard of living, while 50 percent said it was having somewhat of an impact and 32 percent said it was having no impact at all.

In September last year, 33 percent said it was having a big impact, 57 percent said it was having somewhat of an impact and 10 percent said it was having no impact at all.

Sixty-three percent of people thought the Government was taking the right steps to manage the recession.

Research New Zealand director Emanuel Kalafatelis said despite all the recession talk, 44 percent of New Zealanders were cautiously optimistic their financial situation would improve in the next 12 months.

"This is a significant improvement on the result earlier this year, when we found 32 percent saying this."

He thought fewer people might have said the state of the economy was having an impact on their financial status and standard of living because they had adjusted their spending.

The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.6 percent.

http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/top-stories/5558510/nzers-feeling-secure-jobs/
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People are still living harder in this economy down term.
However, there was a reaserch showed that New Zealander have grown more confident they will keep their jobs, even though the unemployment might reach a six year high.

Researched by telephone, 501 people aged 15 years to older of employed people,
79% felt their jobs were secure (April 24-30);
76% in February;
73% in November last year.

19% were not confident they would keep their jobs;
21% in February;
24% in November.

“18% of respondents said the state of the economy was having a big impact on their financial situation and standard of living, while 50% said it was having somewhat of an impact and 32% said it was having no impact at all.”

In September last year,
33% said it was having a big impact;
57% said it was having somewhat of an impact;
10% said it was having no impact at all.

63% of people thought that the Government was taking the right steps to manage the recession.

44% of people thought their financial situation would improve in the next 12 months.

The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.6 percent.

Bad weather causes havoc in North Island

Bad weather causes havoc in North Island
May 11, 2009, 5:07 pm

Wild weather wreaked havoc in the western Bay of Plenty and north of Auckland this afternoon with a mini tornado, giant hailstones, waterspouts and heavy rain causing floods and property damage.

Two thousand shoppers were evacuated from the Bayfair Shopping Centre in Mt Maunganui after a manhole collapsed sending floodwater into the building.

Roads were also flooded, causing severe traffic disruption in the Mt Maunganui town centre.
Several residents reported seeing waterspouts, funnel-shaped columns of water, which form when a whirlwind draws up a mass of water.

Mt Maunganui resident Wattie Newtown said he watched five waterspouts, one which lasted five to 10 minutes.

He said the winds that accompanied the spouts were horrendous, and the hailstorm that followed left the beach looking like it was coated in snow. The hailstones were 10 centimetres deep in places.

Mt Maunganui photographer Katherine Payne told NZPA she saw a waterspout coming in past Motiti Island towards the shore at Papamoa East.

"It was really mesmerising watching the wind spinning it round and round. It was heading inland so I didn't stand around too long to watch it.

"Most residents here are well aware of the tsunami risk. I work from home so I'd packed up my laptop to be on the safe side," Ms Payne said.

Firefighters in Mt Maunganui responded to a dozen calls over the over flooding, fallen trees and a damaged roof at Bayfair Shopping Centre.

Further north a mini tornado swept through Warkworth daganging half a dozen homes.
Former All Whites soccer player Sam Malcolmson said he saw trees and bushes bending over when the wind struck around 1.20pm.

The mini-tornado blew tiles off his roof, creating two holes, one which was a metre and a half wide.

Alistair Tolmie, manager at the Warkworth information centre, told NZPA there was a huge torrential downpour, and the sky was black and heavy.

Fire communications shift manager Steve Smith said fire crews were called out to one property in Warkworth to stabilise a roof.

Fire crews also attended wind and weather-related incidents in Whakatane and Ohope.

Weatherwatch.co.nz analyst Phillip Duncan said a band of active thunderstorms was moving towards the Whakatane and eastern Bay of Plenty region and another band of thunderstorms was moving from King Country to the Central Plateau.

Heavy thunderstorms were still possible over the next 24 hours.

He said the weather should ease as the system moves to the east.

http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/top-stories/5558626/bad-weather-causes-havoc-north-island/

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As everyone knew, the weather was very bad and changeable these days. A mini tornado, giant hailstones, waterspouts, floods have appeared.

The Bayfair Shopping Centre has to close, because of the floodwater, fallen trees and a damaged roof.

The heavy rain was also causing some trafffic disruption.

It was a disaster.

A resident who live in Mt Maunganui, watched five waterspouts, one which lasted five to ten minutes. “He said the winds that accompanied the spouts were horrendous, and the hailstorm that followed left the beach looking like it was coated in snow. The hailstones were 10 centimetres deep in places.”

The bad weather also caused some property damages.
It will still happening. Therefore, everyone should be carful these days.
Don’t forget to bring your umbrella!