Sunny Youth Journal

Bats, they are the only flying mammal there is in the world and are often considered as these creepy and scary animals because they are the perfect scapegoats for the deadly diseases that wipe out a large amount of the population over the years. Bats were actually one of the sources from where the virus SARS started and wiped out a large amount of people in the year 2003. Bats was known to cause this, bow how exactly do these bats pass it on and why do they pass it on so quickly.
Well, first of all, bats carry more human diseases than a lot of other animals mostly because bats live in close proximity with other bats, kind of like humans passing on diseases while being close together. So, for this reason, it is so easy for bats to pass on diseases with most of the other bats, and soon, most of the bats in that area have easily gotten the disease from just one bat. Bats have such strong immune systems that these diseases are not deadly to them, and their ability to fly makes it some much worse because flying takes so much energy that soon they were able to obtain a defense process which helps them from contracting the diseases. For humans however, this could lead to them obtaining serious and dangerous diseases. Bats have several advantages when it comes to preventing and protecting themselves from diseases, and these advantages are major disadvantages for humans.
Bats easily pass diseases to other mammals, including humans, and with them being able to transmit viruses to other mammals, it could be easier for us to obtain the virus making the situation frightening. Although creating a vaccine of some kind for each of the many viruses the bat can spread, it is likely impossible because scientists have not made or found a vaccine for the current virus spreading right now so scientists are studying hard and researching more about bats, dong several tests and investigating the relationship of how a bat could be the cause of all of this, since there is still contradiction when determining the cause of the many viruses that causes the population to be wiped out so fast.

Each character in A Good Man is Hard to Find has their own flaws and weaknesses. The two who are the easiest to condemn are the grandmother and the Misfit. The grandmother is characterized by being rather judgmental and manipulative. She lies to her grandchildren, telling them that “there was a secret panel” in a house she wanted to visit, rightly predicting that they would make a fuss, forcing Bailey to make the detour. The Misfit is also someone most people would view as evil, murdering innocents in cold blood. However, these two deeply flawed characters both receive some form of grace.

The grandmother, in the moments before her violent death, reaches out to the Misfit, and tells him that he’s one of her “babies,” that he’s one of her “children.” The text tells the reader that “her head cleared,” which shows that she isn’t insane in her dying moments, but perhaps is more lucid than before. She has been touched by a thread of compassion, which she was devoid of in the beginning of the story. The grandmother realizes that, despite the Misfit’s vile actions, he is also a human being. This, for her, is her form of salvation — she dies serenely, trying to comfort the Misfit.

The Misfit, after being wrongly imprisoned for his father’s murder, commits heinous crimes. He believes that the injustice done to him wasn’t a simple mistake, but is God’s fault. Obviously, his punishment wasn’t right, but his way of coping with what happened is also wrong. The Misfit says that he “signs” the crimes he later perpetrates himself. In trying to match the consequences to the crimes he commits, he ultimately leads himself further down the path of destruction. But after his conversation with the grandmother, and after experiencing the love she had for him despite knowing all the atrocious acts he committed, the Misfit starts to change. Earlier, he lives by the maxim “no pleasure but meanness,” but at the end of the story, he displays some type of weariness of it all, saying that there’s “no real pleasure” in killing. Perhaps the touch of grace the Misfit had experienced could cause him to leave the criminal life.

A Good Man is Hard to Find shows that everyone can receive redemption, no matter if it is a criminal with a hardened heart, or a hypocritical old lady. Although it is true that punishments given on Earth will never be fair, God can, and will, freely grant even the most imperfect people salvation.

Scientists were eager to find some new diseases from bats. As they gear up in the protective gears they take off to a cave with many bats. They then collect the urine from the bats and later do some research on them. This is one way to discover diseases.

As scientists determine whether or not there were any new diseases to be found, they managed to discover 6 new diseases related to COVID-19! Luckily, they do not show any harm to the human race, therefore we are safe.

This century, from what I’ve learned, most of the zoonotic diseases that occurred have come from bats. Since bats have strong immune systems, they won’t be able to be infected. Research shows that bats were the original host of SARS.

All of these information about bats would tell me to stay away from them, because I won’t know what kind of diseases they might hold that may affect me. If I were to get infected, there might not be a cure for it yet and without knowing that i have it may have me spread the dangerous disease around. This might cause many deaths since we already have the corona virus spreading.

Marco Polo will go down in history as one of the greatest explorers and a very fun game. But, what got him that reputation, and how did he become such a great explorer? What made him think that there were greater and more advanced civilizations in the unknown world?

Marco was born into a trading company, in which his father and uncle would travel the world export the resources there for profit. They would tell tales of mystical beasts and animals in foreign countries, which sparked Marco’s curiosity. He grew up with an honorable education, learning how to read, write, and speak, as well as understand many foreign languages.

Soon, the Polos were on a family journey around the explored world. They went to many countries, where they traded for different valuables, along with resources to support them between stops. Once they reached China, Marco was already very sick, and was near death. But, legends of magical healing mountains surprisingly healed him once he lived on them for a while.

His family has an exceptional friendship with the Mongols, even privately with the Khan himself. That’s how they got golden passports for international travel, and quite a reputation in that whoever attacks the Polo’s caravans will be dealt with by the Mongol Army. Marco, being a great writer, translator, and overall genius, was promoted to a royal official, who eventually helped with international trade, since he is fluent in many languages.

I think that Marco is a very good explorer because he is just really smart. He became a royal official to the Mongol Empire, eventually making it to a wealthy, powerful man. He made very detailed, as well as neutral observations of the inventions he found in his life in Mongolia.

The grandmother tries to convince her son, Bailey, and his wife to take the family to east Tennessee for vacation instead of Florida. She points out an article about the Misfit, an escaped convict heading toward Florida, and adds that the children have already been there. John Wesley, eight years old, suggests that the grandmother stay home, and his sister, June Star, says nastily that his grandmother would never do that.On the day of the trip, the grandmother hides her cat, Pitty Sing, in a basket in the car. She wears a dress and hat with flowers on it so that people will know she is “a lady” if there’s an accident. In the car, John Wesley says he doesn’t like Georgia, and the grandmother chastises him for not respecting his home state. When they pass a cotton field, she says there are graves in the middle of it that belonged to the plantation and jokes that the plantation has “Gone with the Wind.”

The family stops at a restaurant called the Tower, owned by Red Sammy Butts. Red Sammy complains that people are untrustworthy. Red Sam’s wife says she doesn’t trust anyone, including Red Sam. The grandmother asks her if she’s heard about the Misfit, and the woman worries that he’ll rob them. Red Sam says, “A good man is hard to find.” He and the grandmother lament the state of the world. Back in the car, the grandmother wakes from a nap and realizes that a plantation she once visited is nearby. She says that the house had six white columns and was at the end of an oak tree–lined driveway. She lies that the house had a secret panel to make the house seem more interesting. Excited, the children beg to go to the house until Bailey gives in. The grandmother points him to a dirt road.The family drives deep into the woods. The grandmother suddenly remembers that the house was in Tennessee, not in Georgia. Horrified at her mistake, she jerks her feet. Pitty Sing escapes from the basket and startles Bailey, who wrecks the car. The children’s mother breaks her shoulder, but no one else is hurt. The grandmother decides not to tell Bailey about her mistake.

A passing car stops, and three men get out, carrying guns. The grandmother thinks she recognizes one of them. One of the men, wearing glasses and no shirt, descends into the ditch. He tells the children’s mother to make the children sit down because they make him nervous. The grandmother suddenly screams because she realizes that he’s the Misfit. The man says it’s not good that she recognized him. Bailey curses violently, upsetting the grandmother. The grandmother asks the Misfit whether he’d shoot a lady, and the Misfit says he wouldn’t like to. The grandmother claims that she can tell he’s a good man and that he comes from “nice people.” The Misfit agrees and praises his parents.

The grandmother asks the Misfit whether he ever prays. Just as he says no, she hears two gunshots. The Misfit says he used to be a gospel singer, and the grandmother chants, “pray, pray.” He says he wasn’t a bad child but that at one point he went to prison for a crime he can’t remember committing. He says a psychiatrist told him he’d killed his father. The grandmother tells the Misfit to pray so that Jesus will help him. The Misfit says he’s fine on his own.Bobby Lee and Hiram come back from the woods, and Bobby Lee gives the Misfit the shirt Bailey had been wearing, but the grandmother doesn’t realize it’s Bailey’s. The Misfit tells the children’s mother to take the baby and June Star and go with Bobby Lee and Hiram into the woods.

The grandmother starts chanting, “Jesus, Jesus.” The Misfit says he’s like Jesus, except Jesus hadn’t committed a crime. He says he gave himself this name because his punishment doesn’t seem to fit the crime people said he committed. A gunshot comes from the woods. The grandmother begs the Misfit not to shoot a lady. Two more gunshots come from the woods, and the grandmother cries out for Bailey.The Misfit says that Jesus confused everything by raising the dead. He says that if what Jesus did is true, then everyone must follow him. But if he didn’t actually raise the dead, then all anyone can do is enjoy their time on earth by indulging in “meanness.” The grandmother agrees that perhaps Jesus didn’t raise the dead. The Misfit says he wishes he had been there so he could know for sure. The grandmother calls the Misfit “one of my own children,” and the Misfit shoots her in the chest three times.Bobby Lee and Hiram return, and they all look at the grandmother. The Misfit observes that the grandmother could have been a good woman if someone had been around “to shoot her every minute of her life.” The Misfit says life has no true pleasure.

Diseases, hunger, death; these are all things the humans fear. The coronavirus is one of the most devastating disasters that we faced this century. This disease killed hundreds of thousands of people, and ruined many people’s lives. There are beliefs that this disease was leaked from an inventory lab, but the majority says that they came from bats.

First of all, bats are really dangerous animals to spread contagious disease. For example, bats have a really strong immune system that can help them withstand the coronaviruses or other viruses. Bats also are mammals that can fly, which make them transport very easily to spread the coronavirus. Furthermore, bats have a really high chance of containing coronavirus, scientists tested that there are about 1.6 million kinds of diseases that are still unknown to humans. 

Another problem for the scientists is should they go upstream and be an alarmist, or should they just wait and see what happens then make a move? Now, some people think that we shouldn’t be that worried of the coronavirus. But scientist Valitutto said:“You go out and you do these presentations associated with your work and in some respects it seems a little bit inflated, where you’re an alarmist and you’re trying to say, ‘The sky is falling, the sky is falling, you’ve got to protect yourself, it’s only a matter of time.’” 

Overall, the covid 19 or the coronavirus is a catastrophe to the human kind, and we should all care about what is happening to us next. A lot of scientists, researchers, and zoologists are still trying to solve the covid 19 problem, but this is a tough time and we should bear it through together.

Tourists often visit a cave in that researchers studied in Myanmar- Linno Cave- had more than half a million bats! Tourists would visit the area to watch the bats leave the cave each night. Caves in Myanmar also serve as religious sites, and local people go there to collect bat droppings for fertilizer. Personally, I think droppings are for making things dirty and disgusting, but, apparently, they are used for fertilizing. Researchers in Myanmar gathered and tested four hundred sixty-four bats from at least eleven species and collected seven hundred fifty-nine guano, the droppings. From these bats (and droppings), researchers already have confirmed that six bats have coronaviruses.

I think that people having a virus is already enough, but having animals also have a virus- and having them spread it- is a bit overwhelming. First of all, why and how did bats even get the coronavirus? Maybe people brought it to them? According to the article, humans might have transmitted COVID-19 to bats, but the National Institutes of Health claims it is likely that bats originated COVID-19. Secondly, why do people even collect bat droppings? I think that is downright disgusting. Finally, if bats originate viruses, should not we humans not collect bat droppings? The article also states that bats started and can carry SARS, MERS, and Ebola, so we should humans learn from that experience.

According to Max Kutner from Smithsonian, “Zoonotic pathogens, which spread between animals and humans, have caused almost three-quarters of infectious diseases in humans this century.” Although many people have never heard of these diseases, we should put more funding towards finding these pathogens as it can save millions of lives. 

These pathogens are unknown to so many people, including me, but at a time of crisis, such as right now, everyone should try to learn about it since the coronavirus is also a zoonotic pathogen. This virus first came from bats and transferred to humans. For a pathogen that is unknown to the majority of the people, it causes many diseases each year. Marc Valitutto, former veterinarian, searching for new viruses is “a grueling job, but this is what’s required if you want to prevent 90,000 deaths, which is what we’re seeing today. So, it’s a small investment monetarily compared to what we’re spending now.” Being able to detect these small pathogens can block many deaths. If one is given the choice to put some money towards a research center or risking their lives, the choice should be simple. 

In addition, Suzan Murray, a zoo veterinarian says, “We need to be building the wildlife resources and the capacity to do wildlife testing and wildlife surveillance.” If these vets were given the chance to do tests on zoonotic pathogens, they could’ve stopped the pandemic before it hit or at least reduced much of the damage. However, that is already in the past, so from now on, after everyone has experienced this global pandemic, hopefully, we will be able to make these changes. Maybe we can even stop another terrible virus that might be a zoonotic pathogen. Even though zoonotic pathogens may only seem important to doctors and veterinarians, everyone who cares about their own and others well-beings should try to learn more about it and possibly help research centers find out more about them. 

Marco Polo dreamed to travel.

So he let his passions unravel.

He, His Father, and Uncle as a group.

Went to Asia without a troop.

After three years was their arrival day.

Greeted by Kublai with a hey.

The Chinese had much to give.

Including riches far greater than what any European could live.

Much more advanced as they were.

Took the Polos in as amauters.

Marco was given an important role.

While also enjoying the riches as a whole.

The Polos returned home on a ship

100 people died on the trip.

A war caused Marco to be arrested.

Yet he wrote a travel book that many quite detested.

As I watched Biographics’s video on Marco Polo, I started to dislike the way the man in the video talked, and here’s why:

First of all, he has an accent that sometimes is hard to understand. For example, when he says “years”, it sounds like he’s actually saying “yes”. When he’s says “empire”, it sounds like “em-π”. When he says “war” it sounds like “woe”. And this was all during the first thirty-two seconds of the video! “If he continues on like this,” I thought, “then I might not learn the correct information that was meant for me to learn.” Some people might disagree with me and say that his accent is pleasurable and elegant to listen to. But in my mind, I am constantly having to put together words and piece together phrases that the man in the video might have said. This is annoying and if there was another video on Marco Polo, I would certainly watch the other one given a choice.

Second of all, the guy pauses every four or five seconds to take a short breath. I don’t know if this is supposed to be for more dramatic videos or if this is supposed to make the whole thing more interesting to listen to, but to me, it is worse than the accent. This breathing pattern is so irregular that instead of following along with what information he’s trying to get through to his viewers, I am stuck on each and every pause in his speech. And what’s more, it gets worse and worse as you go through more and more of the video. In the beginning, it was about every seven or eight seconds, but towards the end, it accelerated to about four to five seconds. And who doesn’t like attempting to stroll along down the 372-speed-bump road of Marco Polo’s life story with Vincero Watches?

Third of all, man, do those eyebrows wiggle. About every time he pauses for a quick mental tea party with himself, his eyebrows seem to come to life and start going up and down. First, they’re the shape of the Chinese word for “eight”, then when his eyebrows are done posing, they switch to Super-High-Eyebrow-Raising mode and–self explanatory. Then they go back to normal before morphing into an eight once more. Does this Eyebrow Technique get more subscribers or what? A quick example I found by watching the video for about three seconds is at 1:32. This is really, really annoying and bothersome, because when you’re trying to focus on Marco Polo, the man’s eyebrows are always there, dancing around on his head and generally having a good time.

And as if the wiggling eyebrows aren’t distracting enough, there are also the earlier two, and combined with each other, they are a power so disturbing and annoying that I have watched the video until the end and I have still not learned any facts about Marco Polo’s life (except the part where he was put into jail because that part’s just too cool)… but nobody has to agree with me because that’s just my opinion on the way Biographics talks.