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A category five hurricane is headed for your country. You, as a world leader, are responsible for 2.5 million lives. Are your palms sweating? Can you keep composed thoughts? Even if you're sitting in front of a computer, how do you respond?
"It's a test of your will, your control, your strength," Patrick Herron, Duke University's Research Analyst and Technologist for the Jenkins Chair, said.
That chaotic scenario is recreated in "Virtual Peace." It's a game the University created to put students in real-life scenarios to see how they will respond.
"In the 21st century, I think the U.S. is being challenged by other nations such as China and it's losing its leadership in innovation," Herron said. "Right now, it's very clear we need new ideas in order to maintain a world leadership."
"Technology properly used can help feed and cloth people. Clearly, we have an economic crisis that begs for us to be innovators."
The Jenkins Chair is a University professorship charged with leading studies on innovation at Duke. Herron and his team wanted to build a game where people could immerse themselves in a world and learn how to collaborate with one another.
"We don't want them to go out to a crisis and all of a sudden have to feel out everything for the first time," he said. "This creates an environment where they can interact with people and actually negotiate as if it were happening instead of just working with a piece of paper."
The group received a MacArthur Grant for $250,000. They headed to Virtual Heroes, a company in Research Triangle Park known worldwide for its simulated games that put people into a virtual reality.
"They're playing, they're having fun and the knowledge and the learning is kind of seeping in," Bradley Willson, a game designer for Virtual Heroes, said. "They can see how the changes they've done by interacting with the other characters make them better people and open their eyes up to other things they might not be exposed to."
Willson hopes that holds true for Pamoja Mtaani, a game released in Kenya on World AIDS Day that's meant to teach teens about the dangers of HIV. Players can be any of five "culturally relevant" characters like a famous soccer player, musician or a medical student.
"They learn how their character develops," Willson said. "They all start at the beginning with certain behaviors that they do that makes them more susceptible to catching HIV."
It took a year to develop. And that's after Willson went to Kenya three times to study the culture, the surroundings and the behaviors.
The company will research data comparing attitudes of the children before and after playing that game. Those stats should be out in a couple of months.
"Only time will tell how effective it is," Willson said. "This is the first time any game studio has developed a product specifically for Kenya."
Virtual Heroes is working on other games. NASA and companies in the private sector could eventually use a space game to get kids interested in space, science and math.
"This is set in the year 2032," Steven Cattrell, associate producer for Virtual Heroes, said. "NASA's goal is: Our next flight to the moon in 2020."
"A lot of our clients are doing, bring interest to their field."
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By apostle shada mishe on 06/04 11:51 PM
THE CURE for HIV/AIDS.......AMBUSH THE IDEA that AMBUSH cures AIDS is being proven by the more than 400 individuals who have taken a dose of 60 ml three times daily for 21 days. The result is that AMBUSH 'KILLS' the virus by causing the protein envelope to rupture and the viral particles are discarded by the white blood cells. AMBUSH is able to 'KILL' the virus that are 'hiding' in the lymph system by its 'natural radioactive' properties. This process allows the body to 'return to normal health' with a corresponding immunity to that or those strains of the virus. What is AMBUSH ? AMBUSH is a radioactive isotope of uranium that is found in the 'palm' plant of which there are more than 3000 species. When ingested, AMBUSH causes the body temperature in the trunk area to rise to about 102 degrees when the individual is sleeping. The preparation takes four hours per batch, which is then given to the individuals for consumption 60 ml three times daily for 21 days. AMBUSH is a herbal preparation in this form but it contains an active ingredient which is a 'NEW' crystalline substance, a drug from the 'palm plant' similarly to ASPIRIN originating from the willow tree bark RESULTS: After 21 days on AMBUSH, ALL the individuals experienced a decrease in viral load to undetectable, an increase in cd4, increase in RBC, an improvement in general health such as more color to the face, decrease in Buffalo hump, an increase in gluteal muscles, a decrease to having no joint pains whereby individuals can bend to touch their toes, and walk up steps are but a few examples. There is also a dramatic increase in their sexual appetite beginning after the first week of therapy DISCUSSION: In any plant concoction such as percolated 'tea', there are 30-40,000 compounds, whi ch would take the scientific community twenty years to isolate one particular ingredient if they knew what they were looking for. The LORD GOD has given me seven steps to isolate the active ingredient, which is soft and metallic in nature and has a carbon- uranium-sulfur-(classified)-phentolamine configuration or structure. This is similar to Federick Kekule and the discovery of the benzene ring where he dreamt the structure. As an antiviral and 'natural radioactivity' producing agent, AMBUSH is also effective against leukemia, lupus and HPV. Here I am saying that I have 'GIVEN' AMBUSH in the same 'strength' and dosage to patients with leukemia, lupus and HPV. A 35 year old male with HIV found it difficult to impossible to urinate was put on 'green tea' and water while the doctors contemplated prostrate surgery. One of the doctors gave him my number , I sent him a supply of AMBUSH an d he has not been given any more ARV's, since taking AMBUSH 18 months ago, is in 'good' health and has expressed a willingness to be examined by HIV investigators like many others who have taken AMBUSH. I have sent this 'IDEA' to most HIV research agencies, scientist of the field, universities, hospitals, clinics, politicians and news agencies to which it is REJECTED because the name of THE LORD GOD is mentioned. He has steered me scientifically through the processes such as which plant and how to produce the active ingredient. What are the odds of a Florida Pharmacist picking a plant would contain the CURE for HIV/AIDS ? I have never charged any of the people for their supply of AMBUSH but a life saving has been spent on the project with NO renumeration from any sources because AMBUSH falls outside the walls of modern medicine and research. PROPOSAL: My proposal is that I PROVE that AMBUSH CURES HIV/AIDS by giving it to a number of END-STAGE or DRUG-RESISTANT people and the scientific community watches their recovery. This proposal addresses the problem in that I have already outlaid the results to be obtained. This IDEA is unconventional in that the scientific community has rejected AMBUSH because I say it is GOD given. Secondly if I wrote it according to certain standards, then it might be peer reviewed. However, THE LORD GOD has also shown me that there are five enzyme systems associated with the virus, reverse transcriptase, protease, fusion and two more of which causes the virus to be AIRBOURNE. This means that without DIVINE intervention mankind and ALL warm- blooded mammals will be extinct in a number of years. The PROOF of what I am saying is found in scientific papers wherein it is found that when the protease cuts the viral strands, it cuts it at DIFFERENT lengths EVERY time, to which it should always be a valine at the end but is a different amino acid every time. This is why it is IMPOSSIBLE to produce a VACCINE. Since this is NOT a hypothesis but there are about 400 individuals who have taken AMBUSH, here lies a vast area in which to check, recheck and confirm that AMBUSH CURES AIDS. Let it be mentioned that during the HIV reproductive cycle, reverse transcriptase converts viral RNA into DNA compatible to human genetic materials. Thus the human DNA has been 'hijacked' and since each person has a DIFFERENT DNA, then the new viral copy is unique to that person which shows that each individual has a DIFFERENT STRAIN of the virus. Consider two HIV positive people swapping viral strains and increasing its complexity with multiple partners. It can also be proposed that they be revisited as proof that the strain or strains that they had were 'killed' at the time of taking AMBUSH considering that a person can catch as many different strains as there are people who are infected by HIV. I am also willing to work with the scientific community in identifying those individuals who took AMBUSH and wish to be identified with this process notwithstanding that some are stigmatized while others are jubilant, Once AMBUSH is verified as being able to accomplish that which is aforementioned then the next stage might be the natural and artificial synthesis of the substance. Finally, if this is accepted or not, believed or not, THE LORD GOD always wins and this is the heavenly truth to which AMBUSH was divinely given to mankind for the CURE of HIV/AIDS and it will be here forever. Apostle Shada Mishe. apostleshadamishe@gmail.com Here is a video taped presentation that I gave at t he Martin Luther King library in Washington http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8V53D1w__Po http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPwuwlVBOV0
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