MUENCHHAUSEN, DEC. 30, 2014, JULY 31, 2014 RE-POST

MUENCHHAUSEN 

AN ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER ABOUT  

ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY, RENEWABLE
RESOURCE TECHNOLOGY,
AND RELATED TOPICS
By BOOTSTRAP PRESS, INC.
BETHESDA, MD 20817
JJGREENBARON(at)VERIZON.NET
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July 31, 2014
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WELCOME!

The Green Baron (TGB) welcomes one and all who take the time to read Muenchhausen. He aims to "tell it like it is" as much as possible, and avoid advocacy and ideological positions. There are enough of those to go around in other publications. The Green Baron also welcomes comments from anyone who may read Muenchhausen. Please send comments to the e-mail address above.

A major reason why issues of Muenchhausen are and shall be few and far between for the near future is that there of medical issues in TGB's family. Mrs. TGB has undergone—seemingly successfully--knee replacement surgery. Since then, however, TGB himself appears have been stricken by an insect-borne disease, likely a virus, and zoonotic. He expects that his total recovery could take many weeks, and may not ever be 100% complete. Thus, please bear with TGB; his postings to http://bootstrappress.blogspot.com most probably will have to be sporadic and with no definable time schedule. Various topics would be considered in brief paragraphs.

SUMMER BEGINS TO FADE

As this is being written, today is the eve of Lammas, a day taken to be the beginning of the fading of summer. In times past, Lammas was observed with bonfires, dancing and, in more primitive times, sacrifices. TGB just thought he would mention some rather obscure history.

"PUBLIC ENEMY NO. 1"

TGB, along with Mrs. TGB had the privilege of meeting with Dr. Thomas Frieden, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (Atlanta, GA), at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. At a luncheon on July 24, he defined many pathogen enemies of humanity, but Public Enemy No. 1 emerges as microbial resistance to antibiotic (and perhaps other) drugs. In the future, TGB hopes to deal with this subject in greater depth, but indeed, he has already (1) done so in past years. On this subject, Frieden asked his luncheon audience if any member could name the origin of much of this threat. TGB answered that the origin was zoonotic. He was wrong. The correct answer turned out to be nosocomial diseases; that is, diseases one contracts during hospital stays or health-care visits. Two examples of such afflictions Frieden named: A teacher who died of sepsis after a root canal procedure. A 15-year-old girl who died of pneumonia caused by drug-resistant bacteria. As an infectious-disease physician himself, Frieden certainly is supremely qualified to address the issue of resistance, which can be abbreviated as "R".

Frieden also warned cogently that "R" can affect "any of us," and indeed, warned of a possible "post-antibiotic" era. As the physicist and sometime futurist Gregory put it near the end of the 20^th century, with the advent of antibiotics "we thought we flung the enemy back for all time." Apparently, humanity did not accomplish this feat for long. As Benford expressed it, "The enemy could fling our medicine back to the 19^th century. TGB remember that he came across Benford's article in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, this article being in the magazine's "Science" department. If and when TGB can find the exact source, he will cite it.

TGB to Frieden: Can "R" be combatted or reversed and, if so, how? For openers, "better stewardship of antibiotics is needed." Antibiotics should not be prescribed against viruses, against which they have no effect. Where they are useful, their use must be carefully monitored. In any event, if reversal of "R" is to be effected at all, but work must begin now, as perhaps it has. Frieden told the Press Club that starting Fiscal Year 2015, $30 million/year will be applied to such work. TGB plans, his health status permitting, to discuss "R" and countermeasures at greater length.

WHITHER KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE?

TGB hesitates to make any prediction as to whether its final links will be built and installed. He will make so bold as to express his belief that building the pipeline will be studied to death. Nevertheless, the oil will go somewhere, either to British Columbia (Canada) New Brunswick Province, or both.

REFERENCES

1. Josephson, J. The Microbial 'Resistome'". Environ. Sci. Technol.
2006, 40(21): 6531-4.

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Originally posted By Blogger to Muenchhausen at 7/31/2014 04:29:00 PM