Bond with James: March 2014

Saturday, March 29, 2014

The Post-Antibiotic Era?


reblogged from jtotheizzoe:

The CDC has released a first-of-its-kind report detailing the threat of antibiotic-resistant bacteria to our health and food supply. It is not pretty.
Within the report (you can read it here, it’s very layman-accessible) lies threat assessments for a whole range of disease-causing microbes, from famous foes like methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) to lesser-known dangers like Clostridium dificile and drug-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae(yes, that last one does exactly what you think it does).
Thousands of people are killed by such infections every year. They inflict billions of dollars of medical costs and lost wages. The drug-development pipeline for new antibiotics is almost empty. New tools like fecal transplantsand phage therapy are hopeful but still experimental, and at least a decade away. So what do we do?
The CDC calls for safer use of antibiotics, both in hospitals and on farms, and increased screening and vaccination efforts. But CDC director Tom Frieden put it plainly:
"If we are not careful, we will soon be in a post-antibiotic era."
Unless we do something to reverse this trend, and fast, it’s high time to tuck your head between your knees. We’re either on a plane that’s going down, or we’re about to get paddled. The choice of metaphors is yours.
For now, educate yourself, make sure your doctors are educated, call for action if you can vote … and if there’s any budding biologists out there, we’ve got plenty of new problems for you to solve. We’re gonna need your help. 

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Principal Certification Exam

I took the Principal Certification exam last week and passed on my first attempt. I completely understand how students may feel while taking a standardized exam. I found myself daydreaming, having flashbacks, feeling my back / neck muscles tighten, and getting annoyed about the length of the exam. At one point, I honestly had a moment where I wanted to quit due to the length of the exam; however, the thought of having to go through such a tortuous process again snapped me back to reality. If this is how an adult with years of test-taking skills and strategies under his belt reacted to such an exam, then I can only imagine how our students must feel when they are taking multiple exams.  






Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Photo-of-the-Day: Turn Back Tuesday

I saw this meme and it made me smile for two reasons. It made me remember being a student and feeling exactly as described in the meme. The other feeling was based on my prospective as a teacher and using this set up at least during the first two years of my career; although we had DVD players by then. However, at some point I switched to a laptop, projector, and a large blank wall with sound coming from the speakers in the ceiling - that was awesome. 



Monday, March 17, 2014

GIFs-of-the-Day...

I used to be into constellations, planets, and the idea of aliens as a child. However, the passion dwindled as I got older (or perhaps I didn't take the right courses). I still find myself wondering about what's out there in the universe. Anyway, enjoy the GIFs - I really am only posting them for the graphics, lol. :)










Sunday, March 16, 2014

Photo-of-the-Day: Next Top (Atomic) Model

I don't watch TV any more, however, I do remember watching a marathon of America's Next Top Model sick in bed. I saw the illustration headline and I laughed as it reminded me of the show.  I tried looking for the author in order to obtain a cleaner image but I ended up with pages and pages of models; as well as stumbling across a funny picture of Tyra Banks as a Klingon and Worf from Star Trek TNG (see below). 





Friday, March 14, 2014

Photo-of-the-Day: Morning Dew

I'm not one for insects; however, I thought I would share this beautiful picture of a dragonfly covered in morning dew [by photographer Miroslaw Swietek]. 



Thursday, March 13, 2014

Photo-of-the-Day: Heart in a Box

A photo by Robert Clark  shows a human heart ready for transplant. The machine can keep the heart warm and viable for up to twelve hours by delivering oxygenated and nutrient enhanced blood throughout. Check out the video below for an explanation as well. 





Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Photo-of-the-Day: Anatomical Cross-Sections in Paper

Today I happened to come across this fantastic artist named Lisa Nilsson. She constructed various cross sections of the human body using pieces of rolled paper - yes, rolled paper. Check out her work below as well as her site: Lisa Nilsson





Monday, March 10, 2014

Photo-of-the-Day: Periodic Table of Gummy Bears

I stumbled across this image yesterday; however, my Internet did not work (all day) and so I had to wait to share this with you - The Periodic Table of Gummy Bears. Do you like it?
By: Kevin Val Aelst
(hopefully I spelled that correctly - it was hard to see with the black background and faded font)

Saturday, March 8, 2014

Photo-of-the-Day: Melting Ice

Here is a time-lapse animation of ice cubes melting in a glass (50 minutes). [Source: Mysid]