It’s a rainy Saturday, and…. wait…. it’s Saturday. No need to be bored anymore! I can clean out my collection of links and let you know about some interesting things. That should kill, of, half an hour or so….
- Bess Meyerson. Earlier this week, it was reported that Bess Meyerson passed away. Bess Meyerson, for those unaware, was the first (and only) Jewish Miss America. Here’s an interesting article discussing the significance of that fact; in particular, how she refused to change to meet the demands of the Miss America organization.
- Privacy Policies. This is an interesting article written by my niece, who is a staff attorney with New Media Rights. It explores mistakes that startups — really, any company — can make with their privacy policies. I found this interesting enough that I forwarded it to the executive director of our synagogue — as I’m not sure if we have a privacy policy.
- New Antibiotics. A growing concern in the medical world is antibiotic resistance. This week brought some good news: There may be a new antibiotic on the horizon. Using soil from a grassy field in Maine and a miniaturized diffusion chamber, scientists have cultivated a microbe that could help tame the spread of antibiotic-resistant superbugs. When tricked into growing in a lab, the microbe makes a compound that kills strains of tuberculosis, MRSA and other deadly pathogens that are immune to even the most powerful drugs. Tests in mice showed that the newfound molecule is exquisitely active against some very hard-to-deal-with bugs. Specifically, a previously uncultured bacterium, Eleftheria terrae, is able to make teixobactin, a new antibiotic for which there is no detectable resistance. Experts said the discovery could lead to a new class of antibiotics for the first time in decades.
- “Into the Woods” and AIDS. Here’s a take on “Into the Woods” I’ve never seen before: “Into the Woods” as an AIDS parable. I’m not 100% sure I buy it.
- Exotic Animal Meat. Here’s an article about a Southern California man who raises and sells exotic animal meat. Nothing illegal or endangered; it’s all legal. But if you want some zebra, lion, alligator, alpaca, antelope, armadillo, bear, beaver, bison, bobcat, coyote, camel, suck, emu, elk, reindeer, rattlesnake, or raccoon meat, he’s your man.
- Blacks and Jews. Blacks and Jews have long worked together for civil rights. However, recent movies have airbrushed out the Jewish contributions. Here’s an article on how that distortion affects the new movie “Selma”.
- Depression and Inflammation. Love and Marriage. They go together, according to Sinatra. Something else that goes together is inflammation (especially in those dealing with RA). Here’s an interesting article that explores the connection between the two. What’s most interesting is the conclusion: treat the inflammation to help the depression.
- Web Site Popularity. If I mentioned Lycos or Alta-Vista, would you know what I’m talking about. Possibly not. Here’s an article that looks at the changes in the most popular websites year by year since 1996.
There. That should keep you busy.
