Gonorrhea superbug resistant to all antibiotics

A superbug strain of gonorrhea that’s resistant to all available antibiotics has been discovered in Japan, posing a potential threat to public health worldwide, infectious disease experts say.

An international team of researchers identified the highly drug-resistant strain of Neisseria gonorrhoeae — the bacterium that causes the sexually transmitted infection — through genetic analysis.

Dubbed H041, the strain has extreme resistance to all cephalosporin-class antibiotics, the last remaining drugs still effective in treating gonorrhea.

“This is both an alarming and a predictable discovery,” researcher Dr. Magnus Unemo of the Swedish Reference Laboratory for Pathogenic Neisseria, said in a statement. “Since antibiotics became the standard treatment for gonorrhea in the 1940s, this bacterium has shown a remarkable capacity to develop resistance mechanisms to all drugs introduced to control it.

A spokesman for the Public Health Agency of Canada said the federal agency is not aware of any cases of H041 strain in this country.

Gonorrhea is one of the most common STIs in the world and can cause infertility, increase HIV transmission, and have profound effects on infants born to infected mothers, including blindness. Left untreated, the disease can be fatal.

On turning 89, Christmas and Human Perseverance

As I mentioned earlier, part of the experience of going to the Canal for me was the celebration of my mother's 89th birthday.

For as long as I can remember, it was of vital importance to distinguish my Mom's birthday on the 23rd of December from the adjacent Christmas celebrations.

As a family, Christmas and the holidays have always included thoughts about my Mom and how special she is to us and the history we have created together. Despite everything, we have never forgotten to make her feel special on her day as the common thread between my siblings and me.

This Christmas tree was in the lobby of the Miraflores Restaurant.

I feel extremely proud to have helped make it possible for my Mom to have an unforgettable experience in the company of her whole family (either in person or by telephone and blog).

Her resilience to be able to get back up after a frightening fall in a strange land, tells me that I too have the capacity to overcome anything I might encounter in this world.

Mom I love you, and I am thrilled to have been able to share your 89th birthday in such a memorable location!

This pic shows my sister and my Mom watching the ships in the Canal.

Spider-man now has a gay ally

Stan Lee, the creator of Spider-man, is planning to unleash the world's "first homosexual superhero in a new television programme".

Here are some other gay superheroes:

Northstar
Although originally a member of Alpha Flight, a fictional team of Canadian superhumans, Northstar is later portrayed as a member of the X-Men. He is one of the first openly gay superheroes in American comic books.

Extraño
Outwardly resembling nearly every stereotype of a gay man, Extraño initially wore loose colorful garments and has a lively, jovial attitude. He refers to himself as "Auntie" and usually imparts parent-like advice to his teammates. In reality, he may be the very first openly gay superhero

... and last, but certainly NOT least (their sexualities yet to be confirmed though):

The Ambiguously Gay Duo
Created and produced by Robert Smigel and J.J. Sedelmaier as part of the Saturday TV Funhouse series of sketches on Saturday Night Live.^[2] It follows the adventures of Ace and Gary, voiced by Stephen Colbert and Steve Carell, two superheroes whose sexual orientation is a matter of dispute, and a cavalcade of characters preoccupied with the question.

A-ha! A new take on Take On Me

Many of you, my contemporaries in the '80s, will remember this song from the Norwegian group A-ha [Wikipedia link] and likely the video too. Here it is again only with the lyrics changed to a literal description of what's going on in the video ... it even makes a bit more sense than the original!

Superheroes United

I have been a HUGE fan of Jon Stewart & The Daily Show, and the subsequent spin-off The Colbert Report from their inception. These two show have shaped the discussions about American politics throughout the Bush era, and may well have managed to keep us all sane while the sky was falling around us.

How for another feather in Stephen Colbert's cap:

Marvel is proud to reveal that Spider-Man and acclaimed television personality Stephen Colbert will join forces in an all new eight-page story featured in the extra-sized AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #573!

Acclaimed writer Mark Waid and fan favorite artist Patrick Olliffe present Stephen Colbert, a candidate for the U.S. Presidency in the Marvel Universe, teaming up with Marvel's most iconic crime fighter. What could bring these two together? And what will it mean for both their futures?