The University of Cape Town in South Africa thinks they might have managed to solve one of the more intractable problems in the developing world: malaria. Malaria treatment right now is a very difficult, labor-intensive thing with a long recovery time, if you fully recover at all. What the Cape Town researchers have come up with is a single-dose pill. Which is kind of an improvement.
It's also an improvement that Africa was able to develop it internally, without needing to bring in the more traditional nations in the scientific world. As professor Kelly Chibale explained on Tuesday, “This is the first ever clinical molecule that’s been discovered out of
Africa, by Africans, from a modern pharmaceutical industry drug
discovery programme. The potent drug has been tested on animals and has
shown that a single oral dose has completely cured those infected with
malaria parasites.”
The animal testing reports a 100% success rate; clinical trials are scheduled for late next year. If that pans out, as Chibale claimed, it could mean 24% of child deaths in sub-Saharan Africa would have a cure waiting for them. And further than that, it's possible, given how effective the pill has been in animal testing, that it could not only treat malaria but prevent its spread as well, which would be a path to killing the disease altogether. Best-case scenario, it could be on the market around 2020.
Sri Lanka is way ahead of Cape Town. They're closing in on eradicating malaria by 2014. Despite a civil war spanning decades, Sri Lanka has gone from over a quarter-million cases of malaria as late as 1999 to 175 cases in 2011, 124 of which originated in Sri Lanka. The big drop finished in 2005- when they'd gotten it down to 591- and since then it's been a matter of mopping up those last several hundred.
Cambodia, whose local strain of malaria has a reputation for being the first to resist any new drug, is going to be the acid test if the Cape Town drug gets to market. If it can eventually make headway there, the odds of eradication increase dramatically.
But eradication's still a long way off. Don't start popping champagne yet. The drug has to get approved, get to market, get distributed to all manner of remote regions and wipe the disease out without trace. Disease eradication is exceedingly rare. Only two have actually been knocked out: smallpox and rinderpest. (Polio and guinea worm are not, though they're on their last legs.)
The conversation can start to happen. But don't end it.
Friday, August 31, 2012
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Rule 34 (a) Of The Internet
Rule 34: No matter what you can think of, there is porn for it on the Internet.
Rule 34 (a): If you put something on the Internet and allow comments, sooner or later someone will take you up on the offer.
Rule 34 (a) (1): The more views something on the Internet gets, the more comments it is likely to get.
Rule 34 (a): If you put something on the Internet and allow comments, sooner or later someone will take you up on the offer.
Rule 34 (a) (1): The more views something on the Internet gets, the more comments it is likely to get.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Probably The Single Most Important Sentence To Be Spoken From Here To November
"Fact checkers come to this with their own sets of thoughts and beliefs,
and we’re not going to let our campaign be dictated by fact checkers."
-Neil Newhouse, pollster for the Mitt Romney campaign
The only possible thing you could translate this to is 'Facts are irrelevant to the Romney campaign. We are going to lie so brazenly, so often, about so many things, that we're betting you simply won't be able to keep up with it all and at least some of those lies will end up going unchallenged.'
This is one of those occasions when saying anything else will dilute the point.
Stay on your toes, folks.
-Neil Newhouse, pollster for the Mitt Romney campaign
The only possible thing you could translate this to is 'Facts are irrelevant to the Romney campaign. We are going to lie so brazenly, so often, about so many things, that we're betting you simply won't be able to keep up with it all and at least some of those lies will end up going unchallenged.'
This is one of those occasions when saying anything else will dilute the point.
Stay on your toes, folks.
Monday, August 27, 2012
The Next SOPA Clone
It's called the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) now. You know what to do by now. Kill it with fire.
Yes, they're probably going to keep trying this until they slip one through the cracks.
Yes, they're probably going to keep trying this until they slip one through the cracks.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Rapid-Fire Book Club, So How Much Do You Think It's Worth Edition
Yesterday I went into Madison for the farmer's market. During the day, I found one book that I figured worth a pickup: The Eastern Stars: How Baseball Changed the Dominican Town of San Pedro de Macoris, by Mark Kurlansky.
San Pedro de Macoris is an MLB factory. Dozens upon dozens of players have come out of the city, which is listed at about 264,000 people in population, a bit larger than Lincoln, Nebraska and a bit smaller than Plano, Texas. Among the locals: Alfonso Soriano, Fernando Tatis, Mariano Duncan, Guillermo Mota, Rico Carty, Luis Castillo, Sammy Sosa, Robinson Cano, Pedro Guerrero, Juan Samuel, Tony Fernandez, George Bell, Jose Offerman, Johnny Cueto, Joaquin Andujar, and Jose Valverde. (Lincoln, for comparison, has only sent ten players total to the majors, chief among them Alex Gordon and Joba Chamberlain. Plano has sent only a single player, pitcher Jordan Tata, whose career consisted of 11 games for the Tigers in 2006 and 2007.)
However, the book itself has an interesting little quirk to it: it's an advance copy. As you may have heard on any of the 62 billion 'here's a bunch of weird crap and how much money it's worth' shows (Antiques Roadshow, Pawn Stars, American Pickers, Auction Kings, etc.), book collectors look for 'first editions'. What is generally meant by that is the first published edition of a book. When people line up to buy the latest Harry Potter/Twilight/Hunger Games/whatever the hell book during a midnight release event, they're buying first editions. An advance copy comes before even that. They are the very first books off the press, sent out to reviewers, people who you're trying to get blurbs and endorsements from, the people in bookstores who make decisions on whether to stock it, people who need to see the book before release in an effort to have the word out when the book does get released. If a collector can get an advance copy, they will do so every time- there will be more errors and typos than in a release copy, but to a collector, that's actually kind of a good thing, like printing a stamp upside down.
Advance copies generally aren't supposed to be for sale. The one I've got says right there on the back cover, 'NOT FOR SALE'. But, well, you can see how well that works out sometimes, seeing as I've got one right here bought out of a bookstore. I wasn't even looking for one; that quirk just came with the book that I was going to buy anyway.
So how much do I think it's worth? About $7. That's what they charged me for it.
San Pedro de Macoris is an MLB factory. Dozens upon dozens of players have come out of the city, which is listed at about 264,000 people in population, a bit larger than Lincoln, Nebraska and a bit smaller than Plano, Texas. Among the locals: Alfonso Soriano, Fernando Tatis, Mariano Duncan, Guillermo Mota, Rico Carty, Luis Castillo, Sammy Sosa, Robinson Cano, Pedro Guerrero, Juan Samuel, Tony Fernandez, George Bell, Jose Offerman, Johnny Cueto, Joaquin Andujar, and Jose Valverde. (Lincoln, for comparison, has only sent ten players total to the majors, chief among them Alex Gordon and Joba Chamberlain. Plano has sent only a single player, pitcher Jordan Tata, whose career consisted of 11 games for the Tigers in 2006 and 2007.)
However, the book itself has an interesting little quirk to it: it's an advance copy. As you may have heard on any of the 62 billion 'here's a bunch of weird crap and how much money it's worth' shows (Antiques Roadshow, Pawn Stars, American Pickers, Auction Kings, etc.), book collectors look for 'first editions'. What is generally meant by that is the first published edition of a book. When people line up to buy the latest Harry Potter/Twilight/Hunger Games/whatever the hell book during a midnight release event, they're buying first editions. An advance copy comes before even that. They are the very first books off the press, sent out to reviewers, people who you're trying to get blurbs and endorsements from, the people in bookstores who make decisions on whether to stock it, people who need to see the book before release in an effort to have the word out when the book does get released. If a collector can get an advance copy, they will do so every time- there will be more errors and typos than in a release copy, but to a collector, that's actually kind of a good thing, like printing a stamp upside down.
Advance copies generally aren't supposed to be for sale. The one I've got says right there on the back cover, 'NOT FOR SALE'. But, well, you can see how well that works out sometimes, seeing as I've got one right here bought out of a bookstore. I wasn't even looking for one; that quirk just came with the book that I was going to buy anyway.
So how much do I think it's worth? About $7. That's what they charged me for it.
Saturday, August 25, 2012
The Republican National Convention, Or At Least It Should Be
So there's a chance that the Republican National Convention in Tampa, beginning on Monday, will be at the very least inconvenienced by the approaching Hurricane Issac. It's not expected to do anything like curtail or cancel the convention, although you never know. In the event that something crazy does happen, though (UPDATE: It appears it actually has), I have taken the liberty of supplying the GOP with a replacement convention.
Oh, look, it's starting now.
----------------------------------------------
"Welcome back to Campaigns. The Red Jaguars have made it through the Temple Games and have proven themselves worthy, and now have earned the right to enter Olmec's Temple. But first, Olmec will give them some information to help them retrieve the 270th Vote of the Electoral College."
(NOTE TO CHILDREN OF THE 90'S: You are now reading the following in Olmec's voice.)
"You could start by heading up the stairs to the Room of the Vanishing Snowe. Reaffirm your faith in debate before entering the Primary Room. Rearrange the temple so the Primary Room comes first and head west to the Doctor's Office. After single-paying, you might choose to go down to the Yahd. If you remember to hit the campaign actuator at Fenway Park, you could go to the Isle of Rhode, or perhaps the Room of the Sore Loser. Drop Joe Lieberman down the Mine Shaft, and you could open the way to the Vault. After raising all the money, you might proceed to the Tomb of the Headless Kings. Attach the traumatized child to his proper football king, and you could move on to the Room of the Greasy Mandarin Hand. After placing all four fingers around the money, you can climb down to the Foundation Room, and then to the Lair of the Crabs, where you must gorge yourself for the camera in an effort to enter the Throne Room. Register as a Democrat and it might open up the Tomb of the Ancient Warriors. If you can severely overestimate the area's national political clout, you could proceed to the Rock Quarry. Frack everything that hasn't been buried under the shorn mountaintops and you may gain access to the Factory Ruins... where you can find the 270th Vote of the Electoral College. After grabbing it, you may decide to go north towards the Pit of Despair. After making all the trees the right height, if the ferry is in, you could then swing across the lake to the Jester's Court. Arrange your body to match the markings the Koch Brothers have drawn and travel down to the King's Storeroom. If you can avoid angering the mayor of Chicago, you may be headed to the Ancient Circus. Take the pace chariot for a lap around the room, and it could reveal the way to the Royal Stable. Then, pretend you know something about horseracing, or failing that, pick a horse's name out of a hat, and you could open up the Grand Concert Room. Hit the actuator and proceed swiftly east to the Smoke-Filled Backroom. From here, you could proceed to the Barracks, and then down to the Dining Room. Down the 14-pound, 96-patty bacon cheeseburger, and if you can still move, waddle your way south towards the Hurricane Room. If you survive, you might choose to head back up to the Room of the Secret Password. Find the tablet with the correct inscription- 'SEC', 'Roll Tide' or 'War Eagle'- and shout it out to open the door to the Room of Heavenly Purity. Banish the threatening scourge of Sharia Law and pass through to the treacherous Swamp. If you escape, you may be on your way to the Marketplace, but watch out! You cannot be carrying more than ten items if you wish to proceed! From here, you could move below to the southwest, or northwest to the Cave of Winds. If you can avoid being blown away by the tornadoes, you could try to climb north to the Room of the False Prophet. Picket the military funeral and you might have a chance to enter the Parchment Room. There, Kick Todd Akin square in the balls and it might lead you to the Royal Pantry. Assure the farmers that ethanol is still the way forward and head north to the Garden of the Many Ponds. Next, cross the ponds without collapsing the bridge and, if the door to the west opens, you could find yourself in the Void. Find the lone inhabitant and climb down to the Gallery of Heroes. Pose for a photo-op before heading to the Heartland Room. There, find the hidden electoral vote and you could opt to go west to the Winter Greenhouse. Grow the kindest bud before proceeding to the Devil's Observatory. It is important that you sculpt the mashed potatoes here, because it could open the way to the Cloister, where you must defend against all who come near your property before you reach the Confederate's Secret Passage. After placing the manifesto in the hands of the authorities, you could smash your way through to the Imperial Harem. Kneel in front of the underwear and you may be headed west to the SHRINE of the SILVER STATE Monkey! Assemble the economy and pass through to the Dark Forest. But beware of the Sierra Club Guards whose spirits may inhabit the trees! Grab the key from a tree, and continue up to the Aquaduct, where only cool people may make the long trek north to the Frozen Throne of the Pretender. Diagram the sentence and sail down the shaft to the Bamboo Courtyard. Pick your way through, and swing past the moat to the Room of the Golden Idols and reconstruct the budget there. Then, pass through Maricopa Dungeon, climb through Carlsbad Ledges, race through the Armory and back through the Temple Gate. The choices are yours and yours alone!
You won 1,438 delegates at the Temple Games. Who's going first?"
"I am!"
"Very well, Mitt. When Kirk gives the signal, you'll race through the gates and into the temple, and make your way towards the 270th Vote. Hidden inside the temple are Temple Guards, assigned to protect three specific rooms. You can trade your delegates for an extra life and go on, but, if you're caught without a delegate, you'll be taken out of the temple, and it will be Paul's turn to enter and try his luck. Hidden somewhere inside the temple are the other 493 delegates. If you find them, and you're carrying the other delegates, you will get an extra life. If you can reach the vote, all of the doors in the temple will instantly unlock, and the Temple Guards will vanish. Return through the gates with the 270th Vote of the Electoral College in three minutes, and you'll both be handsomely rewarded! And here's how!"
"First, you get skateboards! Variflex's Airwalker! A versatile skateboard with microwheels and concave design plus pads, and a helmet which meets industry safety standards. All from Variflex!
Grab the 270th Vote within three minutes and you'll also get the Presidency! You and a guest will fly to Washington DC and spend four years as chief executives of the United States of America, where you'll get to sign legislation into law, give annual addresses on the state of the Union, meet fellow heads of state, and stay in a mansion convenient to many local attractions!
If you can bring the 270th Vote out of the temple before the three minutes is up, you'll both be going to SPACE CAMP! You'll float like an astronaut and perform a shuttle mission during your action-packed week at Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama or Florida's Space Coast. From U.S. Space Camp!"
"Space Camp! Let's see if we can get them to Space Camp. Let's get set, Mitt's gonna get his mouthpiece in. Olmec, lower your gate."
"mmmmmmmmmmmm"
"Let's put three minutes on the clock.
(whoobsh)
On your mark, get set, GO!"
Oh, look, it's starting now.
----------------------------------------------
"Welcome back to Campaigns. The Red Jaguars have made it through the Temple Games and have proven themselves worthy, and now have earned the right to enter Olmec's Temple. But first, Olmec will give them some information to help them retrieve the 270th Vote of the Electoral College."
(NOTE TO CHILDREN OF THE 90'S: You are now reading the following in Olmec's voice.)
"You could start by heading up the stairs to the Room of the Vanishing Snowe. Reaffirm your faith in debate before entering the Primary Room. Rearrange the temple so the Primary Room comes first and head west to the Doctor's Office. After single-paying, you might choose to go down to the Yahd. If you remember to hit the campaign actuator at Fenway Park, you could go to the Isle of Rhode, or perhaps the Room of the Sore Loser. Drop Joe Lieberman down the Mine Shaft, and you could open the way to the Vault. After raising all the money, you might proceed to the Tomb of the Headless Kings. Attach the traumatized child to his proper football king, and you could move on to the Room of the Greasy Mandarin Hand. After placing all four fingers around the money, you can climb down to the Foundation Room, and then to the Lair of the Crabs, where you must gorge yourself for the camera in an effort to enter the Throne Room. Register as a Democrat and it might open up the Tomb of the Ancient Warriors. If you can severely overestimate the area's national political clout, you could proceed to the Rock Quarry. Frack everything that hasn't been buried under the shorn mountaintops and you may gain access to the Factory Ruins... where you can find the 270th Vote of the Electoral College. After grabbing it, you may decide to go north towards the Pit of Despair. After making all the trees the right height, if the ferry is in, you could then swing across the lake to the Jester's Court. Arrange your body to match the markings the Koch Brothers have drawn and travel down to the King's Storeroom. If you can avoid angering the mayor of Chicago, you may be headed to the Ancient Circus. Take the pace chariot for a lap around the room, and it could reveal the way to the Royal Stable. Then, pretend you know something about horseracing, or failing that, pick a horse's name out of a hat, and you could open up the Grand Concert Room. Hit the actuator and proceed swiftly east to the Smoke-Filled Backroom. From here, you could proceed to the Barracks, and then down to the Dining Room. Down the 14-pound, 96-patty bacon cheeseburger, and if you can still move, waddle your way south towards the Hurricane Room. If you survive, you might choose to head back up to the Room of the Secret Password. Find the tablet with the correct inscription- 'SEC', 'Roll Tide' or 'War Eagle'- and shout it out to open the door to the Room of Heavenly Purity. Banish the threatening scourge of Sharia Law and pass through to the treacherous Swamp. If you escape, you may be on your way to the Marketplace, but watch out! You cannot be carrying more than ten items if you wish to proceed! From here, you could move below to the southwest, or northwest to the Cave of Winds. If you can avoid being blown away by the tornadoes, you could try to climb north to the Room of the False Prophet. Picket the military funeral and you might have a chance to enter the Parchment Room. There, Kick Todd Akin square in the balls and it might lead you to the Royal Pantry. Assure the farmers that ethanol is still the way forward and head north to the Garden of the Many Ponds. Next, cross the ponds without collapsing the bridge and, if the door to the west opens, you could find yourself in the Void. Find the lone inhabitant and climb down to the Gallery of Heroes. Pose for a photo-op before heading to the Heartland Room. There, find the hidden electoral vote and you could opt to go west to the Winter Greenhouse. Grow the kindest bud before proceeding to the Devil's Observatory. It is important that you sculpt the mashed potatoes here, because it could open the way to the Cloister, where you must defend against all who come near your property before you reach the Confederate's Secret Passage. After placing the manifesto in the hands of the authorities, you could smash your way through to the Imperial Harem. Kneel in front of the underwear and you may be headed west to the SHRINE of the SILVER STATE Monkey! Assemble the economy and pass through to the Dark Forest. But beware of the Sierra Club Guards whose spirits may inhabit the trees! Grab the key from a tree, and continue up to the Aquaduct, where only cool people may make the long trek north to the Frozen Throne of the Pretender. Diagram the sentence and sail down the shaft to the Bamboo Courtyard. Pick your way through, and swing past the moat to the Room of the Golden Idols and reconstruct the budget there. Then, pass through Maricopa Dungeon, climb through Carlsbad Ledges, race through the Armory and back through the Temple Gate. The choices are yours and yours alone!
You won 1,438 delegates at the Temple Games. Who's going first?"
"I am!"
"Very well, Mitt. When Kirk gives the signal, you'll race through the gates and into the temple, and make your way towards the 270th Vote. Hidden inside the temple are Temple Guards, assigned to protect three specific rooms. You can trade your delegates for an extra life and go on, but, if you're caught without a delegate, you'll be taken out of the temple, and it will be Paul's turn to enter and try his luck. Hidden somewhere inside the temple are the other 493 delegates. If you find them, and you're carrying the other delegates, you will get an extra life. If you can reach the vote, all of the doors in the temple will instantly unlock, and the Temple Guards will vanish. Return through the gates with the 270th Vote of the Electoral College in three minutes, and you'll both be handsomely rewarded! And here's how!"
"First, you get skateboards! Variflex's Airwalker! A versatile skateboard with microwheels and concave design plus pads, and a helmet which meets industry safety standards. All from Variflex!
Grab the 270th Vote within three minutes and you'll also get the Presidency! You and a guest will fly to Washington DC and spend four years as chief executives of the United States of America, where you'll get to sign legislation into law, give annual addresses on the state of the Union, meet fellow heads of state, and stay in a mansion convenient to many local attractions!
If you can bring the 270th Vote out of the temple before the three minutes is up, you'll both be going to SPACE CAMP! You'll float like an astronaut and perform a shuttle mission during your action-packed week at Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama or Florida's Space Coast. From U.S. Space Camp!"
"Space Camp! Let's see if we can get them to Space Camp. Let's get set, Mitt's gonna get his mouthpiece in. Olmec, lower your gate."
"mmmmmmmmmmmm"
"Let's put three minutes on the clock.
(whoobsh)
On your mark, get set, GO!"
Friday, August 24, 2012
Perhaps The Two Are Related
Two items that have recently come out of the Maldives.
Item #1: Back in February, the president of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed, was forced out of office in what he maintains is a coup, at gunpoint. Nasheed had made bringing attention to the Maldives' impending doom from rising sea levels a cornerstone of his administration.
Today, his successor, Mohamed Waheed Hassan, who has denied anything about a coup, has gone on record as saying the Maldives will not in fact sink beneath the waves. Presumably, he has gotten the Indian Ocean to pinky-swear to this arrangement.
Item #2: The country is trying to get $250 million to build a floating golf course. (A course which merely through someone mentioning the idea seems to have gotten most of the media to completely forget about the sea level and start fantasizing about 5-irons.) Surely the presence of Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy will solve everything. And after all, nobody would build such a thing in a country they thought would soon cease to exist. That would just be crazy. Any sort of actual usefulness of such a project appears to stem from the fact that, by creating manmade islands, you can pile them as high above sea level as you need them to be. A usefulness that should be tempered by the fact that you'd be basically trading an entire sovereign nation for a nation that is literally nothing more than a golf course.
Item #1: Back in February, the president of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed, was forced out of office in what he maintains is a coup, at gunpoint. Nasheed had made bringing attention to the Maldives' impending doom from rising sea levels a cornerstone of his administration.
Today, his successor, Mohamed Waheed Hassan, who has denied anything about a coup, has gone on record as saying the Maldives will not in fact sink beneath the waves. Presumably, he has gotten the Indian Ocean to pinky-swear to this arrangement.
Item #2: The country is trying to get $250 million to build a floating golf course. (A course which merely through someone mentioning the idea seems to have gotten most of the media to completely forget about the sea level and start fantasizing about 5-irons.) Surely the presence of Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy will solve everything. And after all, nobody would build such a thing in a country they thought would soon cease to exist. That would just be crazy. Any sort of actual usefulness of such a project appears to stem from the fact that, by creating manmade islands, you can pile them as high above sea level as you need them to be. A usefulness that should be tempered by the fact that you'd be basically trading an entire sovereign nation for a nation that is literally nothing more than a golf course.
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