Go look at your antibacterial soap. No, really: Get up and look. What does it say? It kills 99.99 percent of germs? Well, guess what: That .01 percent that doesn't get killed off enjoys its competition-free environment and grows up to become a super bug like Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) which is becoming more and more resistant to antibiotics -- and more and more deadly. But, it's not just MRSA, it's tuberculosis, it's Swine Flu (aka H1N1), it's pneumonia.

And, those civilization-altering antibiotics? They're in more than your local pharmacy -- they're in our food. Farmers include antibiotics in feed so they can produce healthy, fatted animals for the market. What they're also doing is making us all antibiotic-resistant, something super bugs love. But, don't take my word for it -- the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention can fill you in on the finer details.

So, what can you do to protect yourself and your family? First off, throw your antibacterial everything away. (And, I mean throw it away now.) Regular, old fashioned soap -- like Ivory -- works fine. It knocks all of the bacteria back relatively evenly, keeping their competitive playing field relatively even too. Second, don't take antibiotics unless you have to -- and if you have to, take them all. Third, buy antibiotic-free foods.

The mystery started the day farmer Russ Kremer got between a jealous boar and a sow in heat.

The boar gored Kremer in the knee with a razor-sharp tusk. The burly pig farmer shrugged it off, figuring: "You pour the blood out of your boot and go on."

But Kremer's red-hot leg ballooned to double its size. A strep infection spread, threatening his life and baffling doctors. Two months of multiple antibiotics did virtually nothing.

The answer was flowing in the veins of the boar. The animal had been fed low doses of penicillin, spawning a strain of strep that was resistant to other antibiotics. That drug-resistant germ passed to Kremer.

Like Kremer, more and more Americans — many of them living far from barns and pastures — are at risk from the widespread practice of feeding livestock antibiotics. These animals grow faster, but they can also develop drug-resistant infections that are passed on to people. The issue is now gaining attention because of interest from a new White House administration and a flurry of new research tying antibiotic use in animals to drug resistance in people.

Researchers say the overuse of antibiotics in humans and animals has led to a plague of drug-resistant infections that killed more than 65,000 people in the U.S. last year — more than prostate and breast cancer combined. And in a nation that used about 35 million pounds of antibiotics last year, 70 percent of the drugs — 28 million pounds — went to pigs, chickens and cows. Worldwide, it's 50 percent.

"This is a living breathing problem, it's the big bad wolf and it's knocking at our door," said Dr. Vance Fowler, an infectious disease specialist at Duke University. "It's here. It's arrived."

Read the rest of this ABCNews.com article, by Margie Mason and Martha Mendoza, here.

In related news: Cleaning agents may help super bugs grow

While not being dead last is a good thing ... we can do better than this, can't we? 27? Really? That's kinda sad.

And, before you hike your britches because our city actually beat Greensboro on a list, consider this: Fourteen other countries are more literate than the United States. (But, hey, we're the best! Go USA)

Charlotte ranks No. 27 among the nation’s 75 most-literate major cities, according to a national survey by Central Connecticut State University.

Among the N.C. cities included in the study, Raleigh ranked highest at No. 19. Greensboro was No. 36.

The report scored cities with 250,000 or more residents on several indicators, including education level, Internet use, newspaper circulation, number of booksellers, library services and local publications.

The study, titled “America’s Most Literate Cities 2009,” measures cultural offerings and reading resources among major national cities. The study compares literacy with other “quality of life” factors, finding that “cities that rank high for literacy also tend to feature great singles’ scenes.”

Read the rest of this Charlotte Business Journal article here.

You can help by volunteering your time with organizations like Reach Out and Read. They have 17 locations in the Q.C. alone. No time? Donate books.

All the cool kids are doing it, going green I mean. Here's more proof:

The 2010 Pride Awards are going green.

The annual black-tie dinner, scheduled for Jan. 16, will honor individual who make our communities socially and environmentally sustainable.

The traditional red carpet will be replaced by a green runway.

Pride CEO Dee Dixon said the goal is to make the African American community more aware of green jobs, green wealth and fiscal responsibility.

“If this green economy is going to work, then everyone needs to get on board,” she said. "We want our guests to leave this event educated, enlightened and entertained about the new green economy."

The 2010 winners are ...

Find out at Qcitymetro.com.

In case you haven't heard of Uncle Jay, he's the guy who explains the news. Here's his summary of the most newsworthy events of 2009:

What the hell kinda nonsense is this? Superintendent Gorman is already one of the top-paid county officials, what does he need this grant for and how, exactly, did he earn it? Or, better question: How will he continue to earn it?

What does $250,000 worth of "personal growth and development" for Superintendent Peter Gorman look like?

That's the question left hanging after the C.D. Spangler Foundation awarded Gorman the personal grant shortly before the superintendent and his 19,000 employees dispersed for the holiday.

While grants for public education are common, private donations to individual public officials are rarer - and troubling, says Tom Alsbury, an associate professor of educational leadership and policy studies at N.C. State University.

"I believe funds from any private group for personal use by a superintendent represents a potential for a conflict of interest," Alsbury said in an e-mail. "No public official should be beholden to a private group."

Gorman did not respond directly to an e-mail last week asking about his plans for the grant, but said through spokeswoman LaTarzja Henry he has not figured out how to use it.

The Spangler foundation, which set no restrictions on Gorman's spending, intended it as an incentive for a successful leader who takes a lot of flak and doesn't have the kind of discretionary spending that corporate executives do, said Anna Nelson, a foundation member and daughter of C.D. Spangler.

Nelson said the foundation trusts Gorman to spend the money in ways that help him lead the district: "He could paint his office yellow if that would make him have a better day. It's for the benefit of the school system, but through his work."

She added that the foundation does not expect Gorman to share the money with other staffers: "It's really supposed to be for him. If he starts spreading it out, he has thousands of employees."

Read the rest of this Charlotte Observer article, by Ann Doss Helms, here.

Further reading: Schools have trouble tapping Stimulus funds (ProPublica.org)

From August '09: