New compound defeats drug-resistant bacteria

Chemists at Brown University have synthesized a new compound that makes drug-resistant bacteria susceptible again to antibiotics. The compound — BU-005 — blocks pumps that a bacterium employs to expel an antibacterial agent called chloramphenicol. The team used a new and highly efficient method for the synthesis of BU-005 and other C-capped dipeptides. Results appear in Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry.

via New compound defeats drug-resistant bacteria | Brown University News and Events.

Yoga is the work of the devil, says Vatican’s chief exorcist (and he doesn’t like Harry Potter much either)

Father Gabriel Amorth has carried out more than 70,000 exorcisms in his capacity as Chief Exorcist at the Vatican.

The 85-year-old can boast 25 years in the post after being appointed by the late Pope John Paul II.

At a conference today, he surprised the delegates by revealing some of his greatest dislikes – yoga and Harry Potter.

Father Amorth, a colourful and often outspoken personality, said:’Practising yoga brings evil as does reading Harry Potter. They may both seem innocuous but they both deal with magic and that leads to evil.’

He added:’Yoga is the Devil’s work. You thing you are doing it for stretching your mind and body but it leads to Hinduism. All these oriental religions are based on the false belief of reincarnation.’

Father Amorth, speaking on the subject of People And Religion at a fringe event at the Umbria Film Festival in Terni, spoke of his distaste for JK Rowling’s young wizard.

He said:’People think it is an innocuous book for children but it’s about magic and that leads to evil. In Harry Potter the Devil is at work in a cunning and crafty way, he is using his extraordinary powers of magic and evil.

‘Satan is always hidden and the thing he desires more than anything is for people to believe he does not exist. He studies each and everyone of us and our tendencies towards good and evil and then he tempts us.

‘My advice to young people would be to watch out for nightclubs because the path is always the same: alcohol, sex, drugs and Satanic sects.’

via Yoga is the work of the devil, says Vatican’s chief exorcist (and he doesn’t like Harry Potter much either) | Mail Online.

How cool is it to get paid to remove something that doesn’t exist?

 

A theory of everything (else) – Jacques Vallee

Show tonight

Invitation:

If you are in Sacramento tonight (black Friday, 2011) come down to Luna’s cafe. Amy and I will be playing some songs at a benefit around 7 pm.

-Xeno

Prickly water

In the past week, in two different cities, I’ve twice encountered non-carbonated water that tastes “prickly” like it has been spiked with nano carbonation. My sixth sense told me to avoid it. Anyone else notice a change in the water?

Update: must be a cleaning product. Another glass from the same restaurant was fine.

Amish haircut attacks lead to arrest

What started as an internal dispute between different Amish religious groups in the state of Ohio has now ended up in a federal court.

http://news360.com/article/35407850

Suitcase Filled With Money: Man Leaves Large Amount of Cash In Sydney Restaurant

Police in Sydney may be close to unraveling the mystery of a man who left a lot of dough at an upscale pizzeria and cafe – nearly 1 million Australian dollars $1 million.Police say a man wearing shorts and a tank top left a suitcase at Cafe Marco on Tuesday morning. Staff at first thought it might contain a bomb but it turned out to be stuffed with 50-dollar notes.Officers arrested a man in connection with the incident Tuesday afternoon, said Senior Constable Chris Nash, a A New South Wales police spokesman. Nash said the man then suffered an unknown medical problem and was taken to a local hospital where he remained under police guard Wednesday.Nash said detectives probably will have to wait until the man recovers before asking him more questions about the cash. Police wouldn’t say whether they think the arrested man is the one who left the case in the cafe.A worker at the cafe said Wednesday that the man who left the case was “a bit nervous. He was really nervous.”"It’s crazy, it’s scary. Now we can laugh about it, but yesterday I was scared. I called the police,” she said. She ended a telephone call to serve a customer before a reporter could ask her name, and a subsequent phone message left at the cafe was not immediately returned.Nash said that if the money legitimately belongs to the man it would be returned to him. If the cash is proceeds from a crime it will likely be forfeited to the government. If the owner of the cash is not found, whoever discovered it could make a claim on it after three months.

via Suitcase Filled With Money: Man Leaves Large Amount of Cash In Sydney Restaurant.

Dubai’s island builder to build artificial reefs

Nakheel, the Dubai property developer behind the emirate’s manmade islands, laid out plans Wednesday to build a string of artificial reefs off the city-state’s coast in a bid to attract more aquatic life.

The project aims in part to revitalize fishing prospects in the azure Persian Gulf waters that lap at Nakheel-built islands shaped like palm trees and a map of the world. The company’s island-building efforts, now halted, have been criticized for upsetting the Gulf’s natural environment.

Construction of more than 500 reefs could begin in a matter of months, likely using a combination of boulders and concrete structures, said Nakheel Chairman Ali Rashid Lootah. …

http://news360.com/article/35360577

Sticky goo on Pa. turnpike disables over 100 cars

PITTSBURGH—A flood of gooey muck dropped from a tanker truck disabled more than 100 cars and damaged an unknown number of other vehicles along a nearly 40-mile stretch of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, officials said.

A leaking valve on a tanker spread driveway sealant over the eastbound lanes of a long stretch of the Turnpike between New Castle and the Oakmont Service Plaza on Tuesday night, Turnpike spokesman Bill Capone said. …

http://news360.com/article/35359145

Paracetamol warning: ‘Slightly too much can cause overdose’

Taking slightly too much paracetamol day after day can be fatal, experts have warned.

A dangerous dose might just be a few pills too many taken regularly over days, weeks or months, they said.

Researchers at Edinburgh University saw 161 cases of “staggered overdose” at its hospital over a six-year period.

People taking tablets for chronic pain might not realise they were taking too many or recognise symptoms of overdose and liver injury, they said.

The researchers told the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology that this life-threatening condition could be easily missed by doctors and patients.

Doctors may not initially spot the problem because blood tests will not show the staggeringly high levels of paracetamol seen with a conventional overdose, where someone may have swallowed several packets of the drug. …

The 161 who had taken a staggered overdose were more likely to develop liver and brain problems and need kidney dialysis or help with their breathing. They were also more likely to die of their complications.

Dr Simpson said: “They haven’t taken the sort of single-moment, one-off massive overdoses taken by people who try to commit suicide, but over time the damage builds up, and the effect can be fatal.” …

via BBC News – Paracetamol warning: ‘Slightly too much can cause overdose’.