MST COFFEE

Posted on May 19, 2014 by David Peck

Click on the links below to find out more or make your purchase. Scroll down to the bottom right corner to visit your “cart” and checkout. Want to order more than one of something? You”ll have the option at checkout.

Each 1 pound bag of premium fair-trade organic coffee tastes great AND makes a difference. A portion ($4.00/bag) from the online sale goes to purchase bednets that protect people in Africa from malaria. Available ground or as whole bean in 3 Variations: Dark Roast, Medium Roast and Decaf.

Price: $15/lb.

href=”http://dontbiteme.ca/products-page/coffee/mst-coffee-2″>Buy now

The MST-Shirt

Sport your enthusiasm for taking a swat at malaria at your school’s fundraising event OR wear this shirt while you educate your parents, friends and classmates about malaria OR …well, we just think it’s a pretty cool shirt, so wear it whenever you want. Adult Sizes: S,M,L,XL

Price: $20

Buy Now

USB Lanyard

Save and transport your data quickly and easily with this cool usb stick. Or, go ninja-style and use the lanyard strap as a mosquito swatter. But be smart and don”t go ninja-style where you or others could get hurt. Lanyards to the eye are superbad… Provides 1 gigabyte of storage.

Price: $10

Buy Now

WHAT ARE THE ODDS?

Posted on May 6, 2013 by David Peck

Chiang Mai has an almost peaceful bustle to it. No frenetic hurry here. A South East Asian pace and in many ways quieter and more relaxed than many cities I’ve visited over the years. Not so much noise and not so much pollution. Thai culture, great food and nice people. Think I could live here, although the mosquitoes are a bit much. They’re everywhere. Hard to escape them. They have no respect for the star rating of preferred restaurants or hotels. They don’t even know of the damage they do and havoc they reek around the world. The WHO has said that Dengue is growing. 75,000 cases last year in Thailand alone. Too many it seems to me. The street rats are less of a threat.

So I’m playing poker with a group of people from the conference I’m attending. I don’t play the game – Texas Hold’em. I think if Texas had of held him we wouldn’t be in the trouble we’re in. I’m playing with a group of expats living and working in Chaing Mai, all in development of one kind or another.

Playing cards are controlled just like cigarettes and booze in Thailand? Who knew? Hard to find them. Usually back behind the counter. Easier to access the nightlife in Bangkok. Fabulous. Irony is, like the disease carrying mosquito, everywhere.

I start talking to our host. He’s recovering from Dengue Fever. Second time. This infection though was bad. He spent a few days in the hospital. His blood platelets were way low. It wasn’t looking good. Rob is a big, healthy guy. Built like a small, hardwood garden shed. Solid with plenty of support. And he was down for the count. No meds. No vaccine. No cure other than bed rest and hydration. Miserable little buggers. Rob is now immune from two different varieties of Dengue. 2 more to go.

I was always under the impression that people who were healthy and had a decent physiological infrastructure in place would be okay. I figured if the body was in shape it could filter out the worst of Dengue or even Malaria. I was wrong. Fevers can rise. The organs shut down. Internal bleeding can start. The body’s defense mechanisms start to feed on itself. Ugly. Mosquito borne diseases are preventable and they are treatable. Rob was fortunate. Unlike so many others around the world. 500 million cases of Malaria every year. 50-100 million infections of Dengue and these numbers don’t include other killers like Japanese Encephalitis or Yellow Fever. Over 2,500 different varieties of the bug – tiny and resourceful winged vectors of misery and death.

So as I sat there learning how to play Texas Hold‘em and swatting mosquitoes here and there I couldn’t help but think that poker is boring unless the stakes are high. And that I would like Chaing Mai a whole lot more without the mosquitoes.

MME: Mosquitoes, Malaria & Education

Posted on November 28, 2011 by David Peck

In a TEDtalks video posted in 2009 (and included below) Bill Gates speaks to the importance of education and battle against malaria. In his talk, Gates generates laughter as he points out the startling divide between the have and have not countries in terms of medical investment by drawing a parallel between male pattern baldness, and yes, malaria. In this obnoxious comparison, Gates quickly and non-threateningly points out our need to stop the spread of malaria by seeing it for what it is: A dangerous disease that still affects a large number of people around the world.

To reiterate this point, Gates states: “Over 200 million people at any one time are suffering from [malaria]. It means that you can”t get the economies in these areas going because [the disease] just holds things back so much.” And, if history shows us anything – you need to have a wealthy economy to invest in medical treatments and the eradication of diseases. So, it seems we”re at a stalemate.

But, we don’t have to be. That”s where MST picks up: We know and see the value of education in the battle against malaria. A powerful tool that even Gates highlights in his talk. To be part of the solution, we need to understand the problem and grapple with ways to deal with it. Watch Gates’ video, and contact us today to become part of the team dedicated to stamping out malaria – one mosquito at a time.

Bill Gates on Mosquitos, Malaria & Education

Introducing Our Partner: Spread the Net

Posted on November 3, 2011 by David Peck

We knew MST would have a huge impact in raising both awareness of and funds for the fight against malaria. Finding effective partnerships, such as the one we’ve formed with Spread the Net, will ensure that we can work together to do the most good.

Interested in STN, check out what Rick Mercer has to say:

Rick Mercer: Spread the Net

Big Problem, Tiny Cause

Posted on October 30, 2011 by David Peck

“Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference has never tried to fall asleep with a mosquito in the room.” It’s true, isn’t it? Have you ever been camping or at the cottage and woken up to bumps and itches galore, all thanks to the presence of one or two tiny pests in your room?

Here in Canada, we”re lucky though, because mosquitoes are just a nuisance. They buzz around our heads and suck our blood, but that’s about it. Unfortunately, that”s not the case for many people, especially our brothers and sisters in sub-Saharan Africa. There, mosquitoes are more than a nuisance. One bite could carry with it a death sentence in the form of a malaria infection.

That’s because countries with the highest incidence of malaria infections, are also countries whose population cannot afford anti-malarial treatments, which means that the malaria goes untreated and often leads to death.

Here’s the really cool thing! There”s something each of us can do to help swat malaria – one mosquito at a time! By hosting a MST event at your school, you will be helping to raise the funds needed to buy bed nets for people in countries like Liberia, Rwanda and Uganda through Spread the Net. That”s right – even from here in Canada you can make a life-saving difference for a family in Africa.

Are you ready to take a swat at malaria?

Posted on October 24, 2011 by David Peck

It’s easy to be discouraged by the problem of malaria. One of the most destructive diseases on Earth, malaria infects between 300 and 550 million people around the world every year. While it”s true it just takes one little mosquito to catch the disease, it is also remarkably simple to prevent. Explore this site to learn how you can suck the life out of the global scourge of malaria.