Racism In Europe

There have been scattered reports in the media for a while about an increase of anti-Semitism in Europe. While I’m sure they have some skinhead hooligans over there who get sick jollies by spraypainting symbols and insults on synagogues and Jewish tombstones, I’ve suspected that the real rise in European anti-Semitism isn’t due to the influx of vast numbers of illegal (and legal) Muslim immigrants from North Africa and parts east.

Now I’m starting to wonder.

HERE’S A DISTURBING POST FROM POWERLINE ABOUT ANTI-BLACK RACISM IN EUROPE.

Quorum Sensing & Quenching

Streptococcus_smallYou know how they talk about needing to be exposed to a certain amount of a disease before you’re likely to catch it?

There are several reasons why this can be the case. One of them has to do with a kind of bacteriological language called "quorum sensing." What happens is this: You get a bunch of the bacteria in your body and they send out molecules that announce their presence to each other. They’re like dogs howling, trying to hear other dogs out in the night.

If the bacteria hear enough howls coming back to them, they decide that a "quorum" is present. A quorum is like a hunting pack, and the bacteria turn aggressive. They start thrashing your body with a disease.

Streptococcus pneumoniae (the ugly critter up top) works like this.

What’s the logical response for humans to attempt?

Stop them from doing it!

This process is known as "quorum quenching." It is an attempt to distrupt the bacteria from sensing the tiny, molecular howls they send out to each other.

That’s one kind of "language" I hope our doctors get a real good handle on.

McCoy? Crusher? Pulaski? Brashir? Doctor? Phlox? Franklin? Frasier? — Y’all listening?

LEARN MORE.

41st Anniversary

Dallasphoto1_1Today is the 41st anniversary of the JFK assassination, and I thought I’d post some photos from a trip I took last summer. I had an extended layover in Ft. Worth, and so I took a cab to Dealey Plaza, where the following photos were taken. (Sorry for the low quality; I only had my camera phone).

The one shown here is a picture of me standing next to the spot where the fatal headshot struck. Later, when leaving the plaza, the cab took me over this exact spot, which totally creeped me out.

One of the things that strikes one upon visiting Dealey Plaza is how small it is. Everything–the school book despository, the concrete pergola, the grassy knoll–is jammed right together in a very small space. When you see images of these on TV, it isn’t clear how close they are to each other, but I tried to show it in the pictures I took.

VIEW THE PICTURES.

(Click on them to enlarge and read captions.)