Now, this is thinking outside the box. Dr. Adam Driks (Loyola, Illinois) is a microbiologist who has been studying spores for a while. A spore is a protective shell (actually, concentric shells) that some microbes form to keep themselves preserved during periods of environmental stress. It was originally thought to be like a walnut shell protecting the valuable components within. But, Driks has been studying Bacillus spores and found that when the relative humidity changes, so does the spore itself.
Monthly Archives: February 2014
Pain Threshold?
I’ve written about my pain threshold before. Where I’ve obtained (now, there’s a verb choice) 3rd degree burns all over my arm and kept on working. Or, broken my leg and kept on going. Well, it turns out that we can train our genes to provide this benefit.
Trains, planes…. Oh, forget the planes!
I have always loved trains. I can recall my grandparent’s home, contiguous to the old Pennsylvania Railroad yards. Which would keep me mesmerized for hours on end. (My examination was accompanied by a slew of rainbow colored 45s I played on my RCA Victrola. I was all of 2 or 3 when this fascination began.) I toured the PATH (Port Authority Trans Hudson) lines, the LIRR (Long Island Railroad- which Governor Nelson Rockefeller had the audacity to declare the finest commuter railroad in the nation, which would mean train travel in the US really had to be the pits).
Crocodile Tear Time?
I’ve written before about wages (here’s one example– or you could buy my book [paperback or Kindle] 🙂 ) and the purported claims that employers can’t find qualified employees. I’m not going to say that all the jobs offered are scooped up on the spot. After all, should an entrepreneur decide to build a new pharmaceutical plant in the middle of Kansas, I would not be surprised that s/he could not find a qualified Regulatory specialist within 25 miles. But, one could be found- and I’m sure someone could be willing to move to their location.
Grow, Grow, Grow
Growing a business takes cash. That cash either comes from operations, loans, or investors. I’ve used all three vehicles to grow companies and I can tell you that the path is always clear- but never clear-cut. There are all sorts of obstacles- ones you may recognize and negotiate, one you may miss completely, and some that just seem insurmountable. The trick is always to find the best way to reach the goal.
Texting
I don’t text. Oh, I eMail, I post, I converse (pontificate?). But, I don’t text- either receiving or sending. The few times I have are the reasons why I don’t.
Will this Pop pop?
I admit it. I used to be a Coke junkie. Oh, that’s not true. I was a Diet Coke junkie. 24 bottles minimum- until they came out with 2 liter bottles , and then it was 3, 4, or 5 of them each and every day of the year. (Th is routine was supplemented by 6 cans of Diet Cherry Chocolate pop- for my dinner dessert.)
Medical Practice…
Reasonable Compensation
One of the services we provide our small business clients is to insure that the payment of reasonable compensation. No, I don’t mean what they pay their employees (although we do that, as well, when requested). No, I am talking about the pay they take for themselves- the owners of the S Corporation or an LLC operating as an S corporation.
A way to honor one of our Presidents
So, it’s President’s Day. One of those newfangled holidays I detest. I would prefer following the protocol of old, honoring Lincoln on the 12th and Washington on the 22nd. (NOTE: I currently reside in Alexandria, which considers the 22nd of February a local and personal holiday for its native son.) But, given that America has decided that we must venerate our presidents today, let’s pick on Thomas Jefferson, instead- and do Washington later this week on the 22nd.