Nothing like an awesome song of impending doom to get the new year started, eh?
Midday On Heath: More Ebola
Last week I was on Midday with Dan Rodricks on 88.1 WYPR Baltimore for our usual Midday on Health segment. This time around, we revisited Ebola to discuss the latest issues both in the US and abroad, and were fortunate enough to have Elizabeth Serlemitsos on from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Communication Programs who is in Liberia working to control the spread of the virus through public education efforts. It was a great conversation.
For your listening and/or podcasting pleasure, the show can be found here.
vishing you a very happy halloveen
Litany Against Fear in the face of Ebola
This week certainly proved proved the Bene Gesserit right, once again… Fear is the Mind-Killer.
I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.
In My Ears ~ Hymns Of A Forgotten Homeland, by Twilight Fauna
I follow a dude going by the handle “Evil Steve” on Bandcamp.
(The above line could be the opening to one of a thousand amazing, creepy stories.)
In any case, Mr. Steve tends to buy truly odd and extreme music in that forum, which occasionally grabs my fancy as well. I followed a link of his to Hymns Of A Forgotten Homeland over this past weekend, and that darned album grabbed my ears and hasn’t let go since. “Appalachian-folk-doom-rock-metal with some seriously moody artistry” is likely the best summary. For your possible listening pleasure:
Mythwits Episode 34: Ebolapalooza
I had the dubious honor of being a guest on the Mythwits podcast a couple of weeks back, talking about a number of horrible infections, of which Ebola was one. Very much NSFW for exceedingly crass language and crude humor, so be forewarned:
Ebola and me on WJZ
The dapper, excellent Derek Valcourt of WJZ CBS Baltimore did a very good piece yesterday on Maryland hospitals preparing for the possibility of ebola, and I’m certainly not just saying that because it featured yours truly:
PelleK Wins Yellow Flicker Beat With Metal & 4 Octaves
It’s a rare thing when someone covers a popular song and manages to elevate it with their craft, as opposed to “this is mai kazoo ska Game Of Thrones cover lol”. This is one of those instances.
Lorde is quite the talented artist, specializing in moody, evocative pop with catchy lyrics and imagery. Her Yellow Flicker Beat is damn fine song and a great example of her style:
Then PelleK decided to reinvent it through the lens of his 4 octave vocal range and power metal, and made it a very different, and arguably much better, thing. Behold:
In case you doubt the veracity of all 4 of PelleK’s octaves, and that Norway has naturally occuring sword-bushes:
Blog Interview on ABC 2 WMAR Baltimore
I was interviewed a few days back by ABC 2 (WMAR in Baltimore) for their blog on the topic of drug-resistant bacteria. The article turned out well, I think, and was accompanied by a good, if poorly-lit, talking head video, complete with INFOGRAPHICS~! Because infographics make everything in news more exicitng…
Midday On Health: Quick Segment On Ebola & Enterovirus D68
Last Thursday I did a quick segment on Midday with Dan Rodricks on 88.1 WYPR Baltimore. We discussed the latest issues involved in the spiraling Ebola epidemic, as well as the spreading Enterovirus D68 in the United States, which fortunately has claimed no lives as yet but has made many children critically ill.
For your streaming and/or podcasting pleasure, the show can be found here.
Notes:
- In our enthusiasm for making sure we hit all the high points in the short time allotted to us, we mis-stated (as was identified by a later caller to the program) that Ghana was one of the countries affected by the Ebola outbreak; Ghana is fine on this front, and we meant to say Guinea. Oops. Apologies.
- One thing we discussed was the different modes of transmission of Ebola, which Vincent Racaniello excellently tackles over at the Virology Blog.
- While we weren’t able to devote much time to Enterovirus D68, the CDC has a useful FAQ up here for those seeking more information.