Great for surfers, bad for the rest of us

by mikebaird

West Coast waves getting bigger
[Via All Today's News - Sightline Daily]

West Coast waves are getting bigger, meaning greater threats of flooding or coastal erosion during storms, according to a new study.

[More]

So maximum storm waves have increased from 10 meters to 15 meters. Fifty foot waves are pretty awe-inspiring.

But the effects on the coast will not be nice to see. And the waves get higher as you go further north. Amazing.

[Listening to: Wash Away from the album "Songs We Sing" by Matt Costa]

Oregano, perhaps but liquid glass for sure

Oregano could help eradicate MRSA superbug – Telegraph
[Via Telegraph]

Scientists have discovered that the herb, commonly used in cooking, could eradicate the deadly infection from hospital wards.

A team at the University of the West of England in Bristol, working with partners in India, found that tiny quantities of carvacrol, a naturally occurring compound in oregano, is a more effective antimicrobial agent than 18 pharmaceutical drugs it was compared against.

[More]

I wondered why this was under alternative medicine. They found that the active ingredient had antibacterial properties. Isn’t that what evidence-based medicine is? This is like calling aspirin an alternative medicine.

What is even more interesting is that researchers have known for some time that the same ingredient from Mediterranean oregano had antibacterial properties. These guys just showed that was the case for Himalayan oregano. Was this to get around patent issues, I wonder?

I imagine it will be a useful source of income for a crop that has had no monetary value before. Himalayan oregano has been viewed as a weed before. This is an important aspect of the story, at least for me.

So, these researchers have shown us something we already knew, as far as the antibacterial properties of oregano. Yet the hype from the paper is that it is some sort of revolutionary finding and will be able to stop the MRSA superbug.

Actually, I think liquid glass may be a better approach. It kept surfaces sterile for over a year. It can be used on clothing and even protect plants. Of course, to the Independent, this miracle will revolutionize manufacturing. (Although to be fair, the Independent does recognize the hype comparing it to that wonderful Alec Guinness satire The Man inthe White Suit. Not so the Telegraph, which called it a Revelation.) The Independent does provide some of the best reporting on the material.

I love the major media. Take something that adds incrementally to what we know and make it into a medical revolution. Life is not so simple (What made the Man in the White suit such great satire is that after inventing material that never gets dirty nor needs washing, the companies and trade unions realize that the need for new clothes every year disappears. SO they try to control or destroy the fabric because, while it would be a boon for the customer, it is a plague to both labor and management.)

Not so simple. So, when I hear all the hype about liquid glass or oregano, I just think of the SNL routine.

[Listening to: I Write Sins Not Tragedies from the album "A Fever You Can't Sweat Out" by Panic! At The Disco]

[Listening to: Thursday from the album "Cure for Pain" by Morphine]