Corpus Callosum is written by a psychiatrist at a small community hospital somewhere in midwestern USA. Email to cc.scienceblogger at gmail dot com.
November 29, 2006
Category: Computing
I have not posted as much recently, compared to my usual. That's because I've been messing with my computers, setting them up to use Sabayon instead of Suse. Those of you who can about such things can guess why that...
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 10:59 PM • 5 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Medicine
I just love the title; it's from a recent editorial (link to abstract; subscription required for full access) in the British Medical Journal. The author, Jonathan Waxman, argues that the medical profession should protect patients from exploitation from the alternative...
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 8:20 AM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
November 25, 2006
Category: Medicine
I was a bit perplexed by a recent study on a new treatment for alcohol withdrawal. Ordinarily, I am in favor of new treatment options, based on the supposition that nothing works for everyone, and having more options is good....
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 10:24 AM • 9 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
November 23, 2006
Category: Personal
Happy Thanksgiving! About the image: it's big, I know, kind of slow for those with dial-up, and it's going to mess up the formatting of the page for those with lower-resolution monitors. I did shrink it some, but shrinking...
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 10:32 AM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Medicine
The NEJM has another open-access article about drug safety. As usual, when they publish something on an open-access basis, it is something of interest to the general public, pertaining to health care policy. This one describes specific instances of drug...
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 7:55 AM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
November 22, 2006
Category: Social Commentary
"There is nothing which I dread so much as a division of the republic into two great parties, each arranged under its leader, and concerting measures in opposition to each other. This, in my humble apprehension, it to be dreaded...
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 9:20 PM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
November 21, 2006
Category: Armchair Musings
The big news on the USA culture front: Rupert Murdoch has personally intervened, and canned the OJ Simpson deal. He actually apologized. So, maybe we have found the outer limit of decency. In other news, a court rejected the argument...
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 10:08 AM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Politics
HT to Murph at Common Monkeyflower for reminding me about this. Youtube has a video montage, set to the tune of "Let's Impeach The President" by Neil Young. There's another video that just has a static picture, and the music,...
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 7:32 AM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
November 19, 2006
Category: Computing
I've been holding back on this one, but it is time to speak out. On November 2, 2006, Microsoft and Novell announced a deal. The deal involves Microsoft paying Novell, and the two companies working together to ensure a certain...
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 9:44 AM • 5 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Social Issues
Catching up on news from earlier in the week, I came across a couple of items. One is a breathtaking development in Mexico, a country that is 88% Catholic; the other from South Africa: Mexican capital legalizes gay unions City...
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 7:51 AM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
November 18, 2006
Category: Personal
The Game just started. I am not going to live-blog it, in the traditional sense, but I am going to make a few comments. The student newspaper at UM is the Michigan Daily. Right now, their entire front page...
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 4:03 PM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Armchair Musings
Philanthropy Expert: Conservatives Are More Generous By Frank Brieaddy Religion News Service SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Syracuse University professor Arthur C. Brooks is about to become the darling of the religious right in America -- and it's making him nervous. The...
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 12:23 PM • 6 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Social Issues
Really. A doctor said that. An obstetrician, in a presentation entitled The Neuroendocrine and Biochemical Basics of Human Sexuality: The Results of Non-Marital Sexual Activity. [Note: the link goes to a 7MB PDF.] The author, Eric J. Keroack, M.D., F.A.C.O.G.,...
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 7:35 AM • 6 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Environment
Rehabilitation of disused industrial sites has been a costly and contentious issue in urban planning. Sites that are mildly or moderately contaminated are called brownfields. Research is underway to see if some brownfields can be used to grow crops, specifically...
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 6:58 AM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
November 17, 2006
Category: Computing
Another product that makes me go "hmmm." Once or twice in my life I've paid extra for high-performance random-access memory, but I've never paid extra for the paint job. This is the PC2-6400 Special Ops Urban Edition from OCZ. I...
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 9:03 AM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Computing
Casual users might not notice much difference between Firefox 2.0 and IE 7.0. But with continued use, the advantages of Firefox become increasingly evident. This is especially true for people who take the initiative to install a lot of extensions....
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 6:34 AM • 6 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
November 16, 2006
Category: Personal
Yet Another Book Meme. I found this one at Yet Another Ann Arbor Blog, named Bloug. Nov 16, 2006: Fie on Louisa May Alcott, Roald Dahl, Cormac McCarthy, and all their ilk... Now that's a weird list! These are...
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 11:36 PM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Armchair Musings
The Blogosphere has had a bit of a twitter over the issue of the impeachment of President Bush. The most assertive progressive are upset that the issue is "off the table," in the words of Nancy Pelosi and John Conyers....
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 8:30 AM • 8 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
November 15, 2006
Category: Social Issues
OK, so it is not totally a myth; there are plenty of compassionate conservatives out there. But the phrase can be used to whitewash policies that are just plain mean. Florida is illegally imprisoning mentally ill persons, repeatedly, systematically, and...
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 8:38 PM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Medicine
I've quietly worried about this for a few years, but now I have company. Increased temperatures, combined with increased climate variability, could have a significant effect on human health worldwide. Diseases Appear on Rise With Temperature Nov 14, 5:51 PM...
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 10:05 AM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Medicine
The Union of Concerned Scientists is concerned again. This time, they are concerned the possibility that a fourth-generation cephalosporin, cefquinome, could be approved for use in animal feed. It seems obvious that this could lead to more problems with antibiotic...
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 9:34 AM • 4 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Armchair Musings
First there was Alternative Medicine, then there was Complimentary and Alternative Medicine, and now there is Integrative, Complimentary and Alternative Medicine. I guess the natural cynic in me becomes suspicious when I see acronyms undergoing hypertrophy. So is...
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 8:01 AM • 5 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Environment
They are monitoring the content of children's books, that's what. From the Senate web site of the Environment and Public Works committee: New UN Children’s Book Promotes Global Warming Fears to Kids MONDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2006 Nairobi, Kenya – A...
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 12:49 AM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
November 14, 2006
Category: Social Commentary
News reports suggest that the new Democratic majority is planning to try to change the course of US environmental policy: Democrats to Stress Environmental Issues By JOHN HEILPRIN Nov 14, 2:42 PM EST WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Democrats who will...
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 9:14 PM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
November 13, 2006
Category: Medicine
I noticed this a few days ago and meant to comment on it. Then, I noticed Dr. Charles beat me to it. He even gave some examples in actual use. If you've already read his, skip the excerpt and go...
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 9:35 AM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
November 11, 2006
Category: Personal
I am not having such a good day, but it is a good day for Michigan. The Wolverines won in Bloomington, paving the way for for a big showdown with Ohio State. More importantly, the jack-o-lantern is off the deer....
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 9:05 PM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Environment
Often political discourse breaks sown, when both sides resort to platitudes. This is true especially when the debate is carried out on the basis of deeply-held generalizations. This is especially true when empirical evidence is not taken into account. It...
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 4:41 PM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
November 10, 2006
Category: Armchair Musings
A good site to sample world media outlets, and to see what they have to say about the USA, is Watching America. Die Welt, Germany Right-Wing Extremist Viciousness Punished I actually don't agree with the anaylsis published in Die Welt...
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 7:59 AM • 4 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
November 9, 2006
Category: Social Commentary
Often I see people who have been admitted to a psychiatric hospital after hitting bottom. They have nothing. At first, it seems difficult to know what to do. The guiding idea, though, is always the same: you have to...
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 3:02 PM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
November 7, 2006
Category: Photos of Interest
For some reason, I really like this picture. The version here is reduced in size and quality. NASA Earth Observatory has an explanation of the photo, along with a better version, and a link to the original, which is a...
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 8:31 PM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
November 6, 2006
Category: Social Commentary
The annual Corruption Perceptions Index is out, and the USA placed 20th. Not too bad, except last year, we were 17th. At least we did not fall as far as Malaysia, which slipped by 5 spots, to 44th. (I'm not...
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 8:39 PM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Politics
Elevating trivia over substance published: Saturday | November 4, 2006 There is a deepening triviality in the conduct of American politics, which should be a matter of great concern to the citizens of the United States. In this process, form...
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 10:19 AM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Social Commentary
The people who support this policy are not only heartless, they are idiots....
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 7:53 AM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
November 5, 2006
Category: Computing
Finally, a product to bring much-deserved recognition to an out-of-the-way place: Intel has announced their "enthusiast" motherboard for high-performance computing: the D975XBX, nicknamed the "Bad Axe." Just get a load a'the heat sinks on that baby! Granted, it's not the...
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 11:29 AM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Science News
I've long been a fan of LED lighting, thinking that it holds a lot of promise for reducing electricity demands. Early on in the development of light emitting diodes, it became apparent that they produced a lot of light and...
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 9:24 AM • 11 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Politics
It turns out the military ran war games in 1999, trying to anticipate what might happen if we invaded Iraq. First of all, they anticipated that 400,000 troops would be needed. Then, they concluded that even with that many troops,...
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 7:38 AM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
November 4, 2006
Category: Environment
Perhaps this gets tiresome for ScienceBlogs readers, but here is yet another example of the Republican War on Science, this time in regard to Climate Change. IGs Probe Allegations On Global Warming Data Scientists Say Findings Were Suppressed By Juliet...
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 11:09 AM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Politics
In 2004, the Bush Administration blew a Pakistani intelligence operation by revealing sensitive intelligence information. In 2005, there was the Libby-Plame Leak. Earlier in 2006, the Bush Administration blew Operation Tiramisu, putting Israeli intelligence operatives at risk. By then, the...
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 10:16 AM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Medicine
The BBC reports on a study that shows that computers with flat keyboards could reduce the transfer of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. A hospital has developed a computer keyboard which it says could cut cases of the MRSA superbug by...
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 7:19 AM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
November 3, 2006
Category: Medicine
This is another one of those studies that shows pretty much what you would expect. There are some surprises, though: Night-Shift Nap Awakens ER Residents and Nurses By Judith Groch, Senior Writer, MedPage Today November 03, 2006 STANFORD, Calif., Nov....
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 9:05 PM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
November 2, 2006
Category: Medicine
Two former US Surgeons General have announced that the United States has unacceptable levels of STDs and that abstinence-only education has not helped. Note that the Presidents "Record of Achievement" boasts: A new abstinence initiative will double the funding for...
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 10:29 PM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Armchair Musings
It's discouraging seeing so many people go so wrong all at once. It makes you question the idea that each of us has unlimited potential for good.Who said that? And what was the subject? ...
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 6:52 AM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
November 1, 2006
Category: Politics
Last week, President Bush stated "absolutely, we're winning," referring to the situation in Iraq. Now, he assures us that Rumsfeld is doing a "fantastic" job, and is to stay in his post. But the same day, the US Central Command...
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 8:24 PM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Medicine
Jonah Lehrer, at The Frontal Cortex, points out a recent PNAS article (published online ahead of print) that indicates an unexpected finding. Using a mouse model or depression, they find that the risk of osteoporosis is increased. Furthermore, they find...
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 8:06 AM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
