There Goes the Neighborhood

Perhaps you are aware of the growing concern over antibiotic resistance. It is rapidly becoming a concerning issue. Many of our antibiotics no longer work effectively. Long gone are the days of penicillin and amoxicillin. Several of the antibiotics developed only a few years ago are no longer working.

You may ask how this affects you? We live in a first world country. We have health care, sanitation, and public services that ensure a certain level of hygiene. This is only an issue in less developed areas of the world, right? Nope. This is going to directly impact all of us and sooner than we thought.

The World Heath Organization (WHO) published a list of bacteria that they have prioritized as the biggest threats on February 25, 2017. This is the breakdown of the bacteria and the strongest antibiotic that organism is resistant to:

Priority 1: CRITICAL

1. Acinetobacter baumannii, carbapenem-resistant

2. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, carbapenem-resistant

3. Enterobacteriaceae, carbapenem-resistant, ESBL-producing

Priority 2: HIGH

1. Enterococcus faecium, vancomycin-resistant


3. Helicobacter pylori, clarithromycin-resistant

4. Campylobacter spp., fluoroquinolone-resistant

5. Salmonellae, fluoroquinolone-resistant

6. Neisseria gonorrhoeae, cephalosporin-resistant, fluoroquinolone-resistant

Priority 3: MEDIUM

1. Streptococcus pneumoniae, penicillin-non-susceptible

2. Haemophilus influenzae, ampicillin-resistant

3. Shigella spp., fluoroquinolone-resistant

Five of those bacteria; enterobacter, staphylococcus, campylobacter, salmonellae, and shigella, are often contracted by consuming adulterated food. The CDC has a very simple chart that details the estimated numbers. The numbers are estimated because most individuals suffering from a food born illness don’t report it. Usually we attribute it to a stomach flu. Those 24 hour bugs you hear people complaining about in the office are most likely food poisoning. And if you think you know what caused it you are most likely wrong. It takes days and sometimes weeks to develop symptoms. I don’t remember what I ate over the weekend, let alone last week.

You are probably thinking that this is not something of major concern. After all, we have regulations, rules, and laws to keep our food safe. That is what the USDA and FDA are in place to do, ensure safe food. Without going into the current shortcomings of both these agencies (because nothing is perfect) or delving into the debate about country of origin lets take a look at the proposed future for all the agencies that keep food born illness at bay.

The current administration wants to reduce regulation. It was a major part of their campaign. They say it will be good for business and that will be good for employment. But consider that part of that includes reducing the number of inspection on food and drugs. The executive order to reform regulations was signed on February 24, 2017. Now, by executive order, these agencies will need to remove two regulations in order to institute one new one. Now would be the time to call your congressmen and tell them what parts of the food code you want to keep. While you are at it, ask them to pressure the new administration to put all the USDA information back on the public website. It appears to have been a miscommunication, but the data is still not available. This doesn’t just impact the public, industry professional use that as well. Last week a colleague needed data and had to call congress and file a request. We all know how quickly they move. Want more opinions? This article from late January had the opinion of several top people in the food industry.

So to summarize this for you there is a rapidly growing concern that our science is not keeping pace with the bacteria, it puts the general public at risk, half of the concerning bacteria can be contracted through food, the white house wants to reduce regulatory oversight of many organizations including the USDA and FDA, information is being removed or withheld, and there really is not a plan once the antibiotics stop working. Stop and think about what that would be like, or check out the BBC if you can’t imagine. Now go get a stiff drink, because you are going to need one.


It’s Thanksgiving. And on this day let us not forget the true meaning of this beloved holiday. The brutalization of indigenous people.


Yup, it’s still happening as we speak in North Dakota. Sure, the authorities are denying that they were intentionally targeting individuals with water hoses in below freezing temperatures, but what did you expect them to say? Do you really think they would stand in front of the press and admit to valuing human life so little? Do you think that humans have evolved to prioritize equality over ego? If you do I want to know what rock you have been hiding under because that fucker is impenetrable!


So eat your turkey, drink your booze, and make sure you take some time to shop, shop, shop for those good deals. Don’t give a moments thought to people standing in the cold trying to peacefully protect not only the water that affects them, but the water supply for all of us. Don’t ponder for a second that these are the people who have been lied to, stolen from, demonized, and systematically abused by both the government and the rest of the population. Forget about the violence, the forced sterilization, and the diseased blankets. Turn a blind eye, again, to what our tax dollars are supporting.

Because it’s Thanksgiving, the day we feed into the fallacy of an inclusive America.


VWW- Interpellate











Changes in media control in the past 30 years
