Promising New treatment For Flesh-Eating Disease?

Flesh-eating disease (necrotizing fasciitis) is caused by a bacterial infection and rapidly destroys the body’s soft tissue. (Believe me, you don’t want to see any images for this post.)

It is typically treated with antibiotics and surgical removal of the infected areas of the body. Though rare, it can be fatal in up to 70 percent of patients, and the survivors are often left with devastating handicaps due to amputations.

A new treatment containing a common chemical disinfectant, hypochlorous acid, is showing promising early results.
Read more here:
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/11/21/necrotizing-fasciitis-new-treatment-discovered-for-deadly-flesh-eating-disease/?intcmp=latestnews

 

ORIGAMI INSANITY

Exploring the relationship between art and science though origami, a wonderful documentary: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJRBiIeFe7Q
Between The Folds dragon
“BETWEEN THE FOLDS chronicles 10 stories of several fine artists and theoretical scientists that are abandoning more conventional career paths to forge lives as modern-day paper folders. Featuring interviews with and insights into the practice of these intrepid paper folders.
Through origami, these offbeat and provocative minds are reshaping ideas of creativity and revealing the relationship between art and science.

A few highlights:
18:00 on – mega folds
18:30 dragon
24:00 minimalist
29:15 – 35:00 action origami by Chris Palmer of Chicago
30:44  spinning top – incredible
35:00 – 36:00  Anarchist Folding by Le Crimp

"THE CONCERT" – great piece of music

Final piece of music in the French movie The Concert (Le Concert) – Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto In D, performed by Sarah Nemtanu with the Budapest Symphony Orchestra. Now there’s another time it would have been great to be in the audience.

(Some consider Jascha Heifetz to have been the master at this piece. You can see his version here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFaq9kTlcaY)

THOSE BANKSTERS AGAIN – $415 billion and counting

Bloomberg Businessweek has some nifty graphics on the litigation against those pesky banks. Turns out that settlements so far (to Nov 7) are $415 BILLION, with lots more on the way.

Bank_settlements

“Banks have been accused of improper foreclosure practices, selling bonds backed by shoddy mortgages, and misleading investors about the quality of the loans.” More here:
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-11-14/2014-outlook-banks-face-investigations-and-litigation

BANKSTERS PAY UP … A LITTLE

JPMorgan, the largest bank in the U.S., has agreed to pay $4.5 billion to resolve claims it sold faulty mortgage securities.

Fat Cat

Last month, it agreed to pay $5.1 billion in another claim that it misrepresented mortgage bonds, and it expects that more legal disputes lay ahead.

Another US bank, Bank of America, has a tentative settlement of $8.5 billion it will be paying to bond investors, and it’s believed many other banks will soon be facing lawsuits over illegal investment practices.

Yet, these settlements are a small fraction of what investors actually lost, and the banks continue to grow and pay great bonuses.

Nice work, boys!

More here: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-15/jpmorgan-reaches-4-5-billion-mortgage-bond-deal-with-investors.html

FOOTBALL (Soccer) – 2013 Best Goals?

Living in a country mad about hockey means that soccer news gets bumped down the list quite a ways. A shame really, as it’s an incredible game when played at the top level. (Try watching a European Champions Cup game sometime.) Here’s a video of 10 nominations for FIFA’s goal of the year in 2013. (How about that one from half way down the pitch? Or the bicycle kick from the next county??)