Cannabis Kills Antibiotic-Resistant Staph

An Article in WebMD reports that researchers in Italy and the UK have tested 5 cannabinoids for use against MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), and discovered that all five kill the so-called "Superbug".

MRSA, or drug-resistant Staph, has become a major concern for hospitals and other health care institutions in recent years, theoretically because of over-use of antibiotics in clinical medicine. The interesting thing about the possible use of these cannabis ingredients is that they appear to kill bacteria in an entirely different manner than traditional antibiotics, thus offering a hope for a true end to such nightmare "super bugs".

The WebMD article goes on to note that while new antibacterials are urgently needed, only one new class thereof has been introduced in the last three decades.

We can only imagine the fun George Carlin would have had with this news story. RIP, George, RIP.

Israel says, "During War There Are No Civilians"

Yes, my friends, you read it correctly.

The civil trial regarding the death of US citizen Rachel Corrie resumed yesterday in the Jaffa District Court, in occupied Palestine. The trial is resuming for the first time since March, when the lawyers representing Craig and Cindy Corrie, Rachel's parents, called their witnesses to testify. One might wonder precisely why the Israeli court system took 6 months to re-convene on this issue, but none the less, the state side was finally ready to call their witnesses and present their defense.

Under Israeli law, witnesses are often not fully identified, and the military unit trainer called by the state was named only as "Yossi". And that trainer spoke the words quoted above, "During War there are no civilians. When you write a [protocol] manual, that manual is for war."

The article at Al Jazeera English makes the point that this is the same Israeli military that killed over 1300 Palestinian civilians in the latest War on Gaza. The same Israeli military whose actions were so starkly condemned in the Goldstone Report. The same...ah, well, you don't need to hear the whole 60-year long litany of abuse again, do you?

The infuriating part is that Israel is propped up by massive infusions of US money, (money stolen from the US taxpayer), and shielded from the consequences of its actions by American political power. Power that is wielded in our names. Our government does this, and tells the world that we support this action. That is the part that makes your favorite beady-eyed varmint angry beyond coherent description.

Ugly Secret Behind Pakistan Floods

Zeina Khodr reports from Pakistan's Sindh province, (South-East corner of Pakistan), that there are ugly secrets behind the worst of the flooding in Sindh and Baluchistan provinces.

First, that the channel of the river Indus was greatly narrowed by illegal construction along the banks, where the rich and powerful had constructed not only large farms, but villas and palaces. (Obviously, a wider river channel can accommodate a far greater volume of water than a narrow channel, all other things being equal.)

Second, that these powerful individuals then deliberately breached the embankment on the right bank of the river, in order to spare their own properties along the left bank.



A word on this Right Bank, Left Bank business; this is reckoned as though one were facing downstream. Since the Indus flows southwards, the Right Bank is to the West, toward Baluchistan and the Iranian border, while the Left Bank is to the East.

As an aside, with all due respect to the good folks at Al Jazeera, the title of this video is rather misleading. The video is about the causes of the flood, not the relief efforts. While AJE's standards of journalism are generally excellent, one encounters grammatical errors in Al Jazeera English stories in print on a distressingly frequent basis, and I suspect this is another aspect of the same problem. They definitely need to hire a good proofreader.

Spratly Islands, Part III

South Korea and the USA are scheduled to begin joint naval exercises today in the South China Sea and the Yellow Sea. To quote from a story in the BBC -

The latest drill, which will run until 9 September, "will focus on anti-submarine warfare tactics, including detecting and destroying North Korean submarines", an unidentified military official told South Korea's Yonhap news agency.

Meanwhile, the Chinese navy began its own series of live-fire "naval exercises" in the South China Sea on September 1st, exercises which official sources describe as -

"annual routine training, mainly involving the shooting of shipboard artillery"

In late August, China conducted a series of air exercises in the area, which were seen by many observers as a response to recent US interest in the region.

See also previous entries on the Spratly Islands dispute here and here

Russian Leaders Argue on Twitter, During State Council Meeting

Sweet immortal gods have mercy, what have we done to the world? Somewhere, Josef Stalin is rolling over in his grave.

This morning's edition of Foreign Policy had a vastly amusing little report on a Twitter-borne spat between Russian President Dmitry Medviedev and a regional governor named Nikita Belykh. The exchange of messages, complete with smiley faces and sad faces, had your favorite beady-eyed varmint howling with laughter.

Unfortunately the actual exchange was in Russian, so we Americans have to rely on a translation, and Russia Today posted a rather more limited version of the tweets.

Another Rig Explodes in the Gulf of Mexico

Earlier this morning, another oil rig explosion occurred in the Gulf of Mexico, about 200 miles west of the scene of BP's disaster.

Al Jazeera English is reporting that Coast Guard Spokeswoman Crystal Clear (please tell me her name is a joke?!?) claims were no fatalities, and it is not known at this time whether any oil is leaking.

Is it just me, or does this sound to you folks like another case of doling out the bad news in small bites? If there was another big oil leak, would they tell us? The fact that we find ourselves wondering this illustrates the corrosive effect of habitual lying by the US government. When they make a habit of feeding us bullshit, we start to suspect everything of being bullshit...