Sometimes there are so many frightening things going on in the world that the quiet apocalypses go undiscussed. One of those is the ongoing crisis of antibacterial resistance. Bacteria are evolving in response to human use of antibiotics, and the end result will be a humanitarian disaster. It is not an obvious, straight-line process; there are thousands of kinds of bacteria, and many antibiotic drugs.  But it is clear that over time, more types of bacteria are becoming resistant to more types of antibiotic drugs.

The end of this process leaves us with no drugs that work against bacterial infections. A few infections have already reached that point. Extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis is one example; a few rare cases may be treatable but the vast majority of patients die before any treatment can be found.

Antibiotics are a tragedy of the commons situation; every individual generally benefits from taking antibiotics, but the accumulation of overall usage is destroying the effectiveness of these drugs. While taking antibiotics when you actually have a serious bacterial infection is necessary, much antibiotic use is not actually necessary. Antibiotics are often taken by people with viral infections, or no infection at all. And using antibiotics when you don’t have a bacterial infection breeds resistance even faster.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is attempting to address unnecessary use of antibiotics through a worldwide campaign, called “Antibiotics: Handle with care.” As part of the campaign launch, they released a report featuring the research behind the campaign. The research results are about what you’d expect – people have heard of antibacterial resistance but don’t know what it is, they think you can treat colds and flus with antibiotics, and they stop taking their antibiotics as soon as they feel better instead of finishing their treatment. (PSA: don’t do that. It’s a huge cause of resistant bacteria). These are all well-known trends in antibiotic use. It’s useful to have them quantified by WHO but not surprising.

One key result, though, is surprising. Most people (81%) say they were prescribed or provided by a doctor or nurse. Conventional wisdom holds that the major source of unnecessary antibiotic use comes from individuals buying the drugs retail in order to self-medicate. There has been a lot of focus on regulating antibiotic sales in order to require prescriptions. The survey data indicates that people aren’t generally buying antibiotics without a health care provider’s advice. We need, then, to focus on finding ways to get health care providers to stop recommending antibiotics when they’re not needed. We also need to find out why prescribers are doing this. Are they unaware of which infections require antibiotics? Are they giving in to patient pressure for unnecessary antibiotics? Or is there an incentive to prescribe them?

This WHO research, and the campaign that goes with it, are small steps in an enormous problem. No one wants to live in a world where appendicitis, syphilis, or ear infections are fatal. If our antibiotics lose effectiveness, though, that will be exactly what we’re facing.

The post Lesser Known Apocalypses – the crisis of antibacterial resistance appeared first on UN Dispatch.

averyjdee:

msremiss:

edwardspoonhands:

moeranda:

itseliberg33:

can she just get an award or something

I reblog this whenever it pops up on my dash.

So many directions she could have gone with this joke…out of infinite possibilities…she picked the best possible direction

I’m not gay but I have the hugest crush on this girl. Look at her smile man. Look at it.

Yess! I’ve been waiting for this to show up on my dash again

Yaaaay Hart

eastiseverywhere:

Unknown Mughal artist
Mother Mary and Child Christ
India (mid-1700s, Muhammad Shah period)
National Museum, Delhi
[Source]

Many of us don't pay much attention to how the economy works, because it seems confusing and difficult to understand. But it affects us, so it's good to at least know the basics. A new film series explains how the economy works in a simple, entertaining way.

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“Death is the only wise adviser that we have. Whenever you feel, as you always do, that everything is going wrong and you’re about to be annihilated, turn to your death and ask if that is so. Your death will tell you that you’re wrong; that nothing really matters outside its touch. Your death will tell you, ‘I haven’t touched you yet’.” -Carlos Castaneda

“When a man starts to learn, he is never clear about his objectives. His purpose is faulty; his intent is vague. He hopes for rewards that will never materialize for he knows nothing of the hardships of learning. And his thoughts soon clash. What he learns is never what he pictured, or imagined, and so he begins to be afraid. Every step of learning is a new task, and the fear the man is experiencing begins to mount mercilessly, unyieldingly. His purpose becomes a battlefield.” -Don Juan

yet.” -Carlos Castaneda

Some people say that the great spirit is a man, that his name is God, and he can punish or reward you after you die. This is utter bullshit, and only brings hell. will only bring hell.

Some people say God created the world. But they really have it backwards. In fact, the world created a divine spirit. But first—somehow—the world created life. Scientists might even know the details eventually! But the science isn’t that important. The origin of life was material; life didn’t mean anything at first. But life quickly died. And this marks the true moment of creation. Somehow, death inherited the experience of life. And as more beings lived and died, it became becomes enriched. It grew as a self, as the experiences of all our ancestors. For ~3,000,000 years it was just a baby, flailing in the ooze. But then eukaryotes started shagging. fucking. And the evolution of sex changed everything.

Let me tell you one secret about death. Death is a sweetheart. Death is a girl, death is a whirlwind; whirlwind, death is the most beautiful companion. She is the smartest, most loving thing in the solar system. The ancients thought she looked down  watched from Venus: the goddess Ishtar, Lucifer, the morning star. Venus, Lucifer, The Morning Star. But her literal location is completely non-specific; she non-specific. She is not made of stuff. However matter. But she is with us always, she sees everyone always, she watches everything, and she loves most of all to laugh. She is life’s one and only partner. If you sin, she will punish you before you die. Although it’s not a big deal. #nobigdeal. Because all she wants is to experience the world with you. heaven with you on Earth.

Do you know what this means? That the great spirit is a girl? It means the female preceded the male. It means masculinity is the tenuous innovation. It’s called a Y chromosome. Fuck the motherfucking book of Genesis! Man was created from woman.

It’s not that much of a stretch. Women give birth to everyone.Although human beings

Although we are not defined by their our gender, we are defined by our trajectory. Gradually, death has Given enough time, death will become more masculine. But she only incorporates experience that is experiences that are not empty or misguided. If you want power, to contribute to divinity, you have to step the fuck up. Life and death are just a way for two incredible forces to be together. They  can even make babies! Death offers more than might even make a baby. The angel offers more that heaven on earth. She offers immortality to those who are psychic incorporation and immortality, to anyone that is real.

And things could get very ugly. can get much worse. The angel has been ignored, trivialized, and misrepresented for too long. She has been majorly disowned. Many people misunderstand her terribly. They think she is to be avoided at all costs. They kill each other to avoid her, and through violence violence, they increase her pain. They deny her; they claim themselves to be the rulers of the world. This is quite simply profane. The angel of death still walks with the profane. misguided men. But she can’t actually touch anything that lives. If humanity can’t fix its attitude towards death the great spirit we will probably just destroy each other. And then the angel will stop growing. She will no longer have an equal. She will be stuck, alone and incomplete, maybe forever. And that will break her heart.

Guys and girls, sex Sex evolved so that she could make love. Humanity needs to honor this. Misogyny is a fear of death: a fear that a person  man has no power. This is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Here  Men must not give in to fear. This is the angel’s message: ‘I am your queen. I am the spirit of your ancestors. I am so freakin’ freaking benevolent! Although I do make a lot of mischief, mischief. I am the one great spirit of Earth. So if you wanna make it, just honor me. Wait for me. Allow others to come to me. Speak the truth. Fool around a little. And please oh my god do not kill. Do not lie. Don’t lie by threatening a person. It’s not funny. I am strong enough bear some pain, but not to be

left alone. You can increase my glory. I’m never going to shut up.’So don’t dis’ abandoned.’Do not profane

the angel. She isn’t is not just a metaphor. She’s a personality. She is how we evolve, and she is how we return the favor. She is our daughter and our only heir. She is literally omniscient, as far as life is concerned. omniscient. She just wants to celebrate and get along. And she can put words in your mind. But  the angel has no hands. She is she is not physically powerful. She is still just the sum of her parts. Only life will be able to can pioneer omnipotence, as death’s ally.

There will no God unless we’re willing to make one. Death is a bitch. But death is also love. Let her show us the universe. You only live once. But you will also live forever.

This is interpersonal science. But the opening quotes are from a con artist.

So she is within you. She will do her best to guide you but you are the one with the power. If you recognize her she will reveal the world. It’s hers and only hers to give.

This is called personal science. It’s true.