Pragmatism and Principle
I agree with Digby that the progressive have to stand for something more than winning.
Posted by Mike at 2:21 PM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Mike the Mad Biologist
Mad rantings about politics, evolution, and microbiology
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Profile
Mad rantings about politics, evolution, and microbiology. Comment policy: say what you want, but back it up with an email address. I don't like anonymous trolls.
Recent Posts
- Creationism and Molecular Evolution
- The Silly Distinction Between CA-MRSA and HA-MRSA
- Clinton Is in Real Trouble with the Democratic Base
- Caitlin Flanagan Is "Thoughtful"?
- Poll About GINA
- GINA and the Human Microbiome Project
- New Media and New Narratives for Science Reporting
- Darksyde on Ben Stein and Reducto ad Hitlerum
- Their Past or Our Future: Anti-Vax and Creationism
- "Grope Patrol Effective"
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Thanks!
Recent Comments
- clear as mud on Creationism and Molecular Evolution
- Interrobang on Creationism and Molecular Evolution
- Michael Schmidt on Creationism and Molecular Evolution
- TomS on Creationism and Molecular Evolution
- Karrie-Ann Toews on The Silly Distinction Between CA-MRSA and HA-MRSA
- microbiologychick on The Silly Distinction Between CA-MRSA and HA-MRSA
- thebaltrus on The Silly Distinction Between CA-MRSA and HA-MRSA
- Joel on Clinton Is in Real Trouble with the Democratic Base
- PalMD on The Silly Distinction Between CA-MRSA and HA-MRSA
- MRW on Clinton Is in Real Trouble with the Democratic Base
Archives
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Blogroll
- All The World's A Stage, Act For Change
- MyDD
- Chris Mooney
- Thoughts from Kansas
- Pharyngula
- The Public Trust
- Keats' telescope
- Laughing Wild
- groupThink
- Dancing in the Divine
- Craig's Thoughts, Theories, and Tantrums
- media in trouble
- Neo Commons
- MajikThise
- Living the Scientific Life
- YoungFemaleScientist
- Respectful Insolence
- Everyone Loves Hedgical Trevor
- Salon.com
- The Gazetteer
- Nameless Rantings
- dadahead
- She Flies with Her Own Wings
- A Pondering of Fools
- Henry's Webiocosm Blog
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- Divine Afflatus
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- The Thermal Vent
- The Burned Over District
- Mixter's Mix
- Lab Cat
- If I Ran the Zoo
- Rev. BigDumbChimp
- ... ponderings of a fool
- Drinking Liberally in New Milford
- Scientia Natura: Evolution and Rationality
- Middle Raged Punk
- Primordial Blog
- ... ponderings of a fool
- SuportVaccination.Org
- Aetiology
- Big Brass Blog
- driftglass
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- The Scientific Activist
- Deep Weeds
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- Left in the Heartland
- A Mind Occasionally Voyaging
- Nice Shoes, Wanna Fock?
- Societas
- Skeptico
- Tied To the Tenure Tracks
- The Raven's Gazette
- Studying Biology and Environmental Science
- postgenomic
- Welcome to Shakesville
- Military Religious Freedom Foundation Blog
- Mad Melancholic Feminista
- ¡Viva La Evolución!
- comment is free...
- Melissa McEwan
- Marisacat
- The Panda's Thumb
- King of Zembla
- are you effin' kidding me?
- Eccentricity
- A Concerned Scientist
- Utenzi Blog
- Graphic Truth
- Universal Acid
- Scriptoids
- phronesisaical
- Muton
- A Beginner's Mind
- Altair4 Redux
- PSoTD
- Liberal Street Fighter
- Jon Swift
- Tangled Up in Blue Guy
- Sorting Out Science
- The force that through...
- jobsanger
- no fish, no nuts
- The Barefoot Bum
- ywut
- miriam's ideas
- decrepitoldfool
- Philosophers' Playground
- Yhetti
- Endosymbiosis
- The Crone Speaks
- blue collar scientist
- Crinch Pin
- Moue Magazine
- Balls and Walnuts
- over the cliff, onto the rocks
- Argue With Everyone
- Passing Afternoon
- Centerface! Adventures in Post-Democracy
- La Casa de Los Gatos
- CultureVultures
- Lance Mannion
Science Links
These links do not indicate support of this blog's statements by these groups
September 30, 2006
Phage Therapy
Since I'm going away for a long weekend, I'll leave you with this post about phage therapy from the archives.
Posted by Mike at 1:35 PM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Republican Corruption Involving a Minor
Category: Ick
Rep. Mark Foley resigned yesterday because he sexually propositioned a sixteen year-old congressional page. That's awful enough--well, that and Foley was the Chairman of the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children, but what's even worse is that the House Republican leadership knew about this for months and did nothing.
Posted by Mike at 10:27 AM • 4 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
September 29, 2006
Torture and Willy Pete
Over at Hullabaloo, tristero argues that the moral argument against torture, rather than the utilitarian one, is the argument to use. It reminds me of something Hunter wrote about the use of white phosphorous in civilian areas:
Posted by Mike at 12:46 PM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
I've Been Waiting For Coturnix To Say This
Category: We're Really Fucked
I had always hoped that my take on the Reign of Little Lord Pontchartrain was overblown. But even I have never thought it could lead to civil war. coturnix writes:
Posted by Mike at 12:38 PM • 5 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
September 28, 2006
Maybe Iraq Is Like Vietnam...
if for no other reason than Henry Fucking Kissinger is once again disastrously advising another president. From 60 Minutes (italics mine):
Posted by Mike at 10:54 PM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
I See Stupid People: The John Boehner Edition
This transcends absurd: Republican Rep. John Boehner, the House Majority Leader, stated on national television that Al-Queda and Saddam Hussein were linked, even though President Bush himself has admitted no connection.
Posted by Mike at 12:13 PM • 7 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
You Never Get the Last Word in Against...
a Jewish grandmother.
Posted by Mike at 8:05 AM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
September 27, 2006
Senator George "Macaca" Allen: Deer Mutilator?
Sen. George "Macaca" Allen (R-VA) is one sick puppy:
Posted by Mike at 6:29 PM • 5 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Paul Waldman Kicks John Stossel's Ass
And one of my favorite liberal wonks was wearing glasses while doing so.
Posted by Mike at 11:07 AM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
The Tripoli Six and the Republican Torture Bill
Why did some of the six foreign healthcare workers in Libya admit to giving children AIDS when there is no evidence that they did so? Because they were tortured.
Posted by Mike at 6:57 AM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
September 26, 2006
More on the Republican War on Science
Fellow ScienceBlogling Chris Mooney comped me a copy of the second edition of his book, The Republican War on Science, and I have finally managed to get around to writing a review of it. Here's the short version: buy this book.
Posted by Mike at 6:34 PM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Newsweek: Run By Gutless Cowards
What should be the cover story of a major news magazine: the resurgence of the Taliban, or a biography of photographer Annie Leibowitz?
Posted by Mike at 5:54 PM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
September 25, 2006
What Would a Mad Biologist Look Like?
Category: Bloggity Blog
Our Benevolent Seed Overlords want a picture of the Mad Biologist for their own nefarious purposes. So I ask you: what do you think a Mad Biologist would look like?
Posted by Mike at 5:22 PM • 15 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
E. coli O157:H7 and the Importance of Surveillance
Do you want to know how to stop, or at least, lessen the next E. coli 0157:H7 outbreak? Improve our surveillance and public health infrastructure.
Posted by Mike at 2:57 PM • 6 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Microbiologists Overwhelmingly Oppose Bioterrorism Funding
Most microbiologists, you know, the experts , are not very thrilled with the emphasis being placed on bioterrorism. Inspired by Tara's post on the Bioshield initiative, I'm reposting this from the old site.
Posted by Mike at 8:08 AM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
September 24, 2006
Nice Resource for Defending Science Education
I stumbled across this site by People for the American Way designed to help citizens keep creationism out of the science classroom.
Posted by Mike at 10:17 AM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
September 23, 2006
Fear My "Random Violence"!
Category: Bloggity Blog
Another silly internet quiz.
Posted by Mike at 2:43 PM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
A Moment of Art Deco Romanticism
Category: Art Deco
Yes, the title is oxymoronic. But if Bevis Hillier and Stephen Escritt are right, much of the Art Deco movement was fundamentally oxymoronic.
Posted by Mike at 10:17 AM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
September 22, 2006
Bakelite For Breakfast, 1926
Category: Art Deco
Bakelite for Breakfast, 1926
Posted by Mike at 9:47 AM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
September 21, 2006
The Republican War on Science Continues
Category: Conservatives
Ed Brayton describes the support of intelligent design creationism by the Republican candidate for governor of Michigan. Says the hopeful candidate:
Posted by Mike at 5:19 PM • 4 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Why Does the South Dakota Legislature Hate Jews?
In the November general election, South Dakota will have a referendum that could overturn its law that bans abortions, even where the woman has been raped, is the victim of incest, would suffer long-term medical problems, or would be unable to have future children. The first of the political ads are running, so I thought this post would be appropriate (and certainly in the style my readers have come to expect....). From the archives:
Posted by Mike at 4:54 PM • 6 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Extraordinary Rendition and the Silence of a Few Good Men
No, this post isn't about William Shatner albums. Over at Orcinus, there's a great post about the rendition (rendering? My torture lexicon is rusty...) of terrorist suspects to other countries. Here's the description of the U.S. citizens who live near the airbases and facilities used to conduct these operations:
Posted by Mike at 12:23 PM • 4 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
The ABCs of Electronically Stealing an Election
Category: Voting
You might have heard of the group at Princeton which demonstrated how easy it is to crack the Diebold electronic voting machines. They have released a video that should just how easy it is to conduct electoral fraud.
Posted by Mike at 9:05 AM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
September 20, 2006
He's Stupid, and Nobody Likes Him
Eric Boehlert compares Bush's approval ratings with those of other presidents:
Posted by Mike at 7:09 PM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
How We Actually Monitor an Outbreak
A CDC website lays out how we actually identify an outbreak of O157:H7. Guess what? It doesn't happen like it does in the movies or on TV.
Posted by Mike at 7:08 PM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
The Pork! It Burns! It Burns!
We Jews have a secret: if you wave pork in front of us, we running away screeching. Contact with our skin causes anaphylactic shock. In fact, pork works better on us than silver does on vampires. Of course, I'm kidding when I say this. But I'm not kidding when I say that Sen. George "Macaca" Allen (R-VA) is still an asshole.
Posted by Mike at 5:56 PM • 5 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Staphylococcus aureus: The Wild Type Is Resistant
Geneticists often use the phrase wild type to describe the dominant allele--genetic variant--of a gene. In microbiology, we typically assume that the wild type of a bacterium is sensitive to antibiotics, and that the rare mutants (and recombinants) are antibiotic resistant.
Posted by Mike at 10:48 AM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
September 19, 2006
Islamopinkocommiefascistterrorism and the Nattering Nabobs of Ninniness
Category: Things That Make Ya Go Boom
Let me state something very clearly: I do not want a U.S. city (or any other city for that matter) wiped out by a nuclear bomb. Having said that, the hawks among us have lost all sense of historical perspective when it comes to Iran.
Posted by Mike at 6:46 PM • 4 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Are U.S. Troops Already in Iran?
Retired Air Force Col. Sam Gardiner seems to think so:
Posted by Mike at 12:34 PM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
The Internet Is Not Only Made of Tubes...
but it also has blogs, posts, and threads.
Posted by Mike at 12:19 PM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Obama: Stop Yappin' and Start Doin'
Democratic Senator Barack Obama has released a new book. In it, he attempts to be the Democratic Party's next Joe Lieberman. This is a bad thing.
Posted by Mike at 8:28 AM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
September 18, 2006
New Edition of Animalcules
Over at Viva la Evolucion!, there's a new edition of Animalcules, the Carnival o'the Wee Beasties.
Posted by Mike at 8:35 PM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Massachusetts Primary Tomorrow
Category: Democrats
Here are my endorsements for various Democratic candidates in the MA primary (held tomorrow; go to the MA state website for more information). I figure my endorsement is worth...
Posted by Mike at 5:03 PM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
September 17, 2006
A Propaganda Moment of Zen: The "United We Are Strong" Edition
Category: Propaganda
I'm fortunate enough to own one of the Koerner originals from 1942, so I thought I would post this.
Posted by Mike at 9:36 AM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
September 16, 2006
Some Sunday Links
Category: Lotsa Links
Here's some sciency and non-sciency links for you.
Posted by Mike at 8:14 PM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Dog Bites Man: Bush Used Political Ideologues and Cronies to 'Rebuild' Iraq
After reading this Washington Post article about the Iraq War reconstruction effort, I've stumbled across the epitaph of the Bush Administration...
Posted by Mike at 4:40 PM • 7 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Apparently, Feminists Aren't Allowed to Have Breasts
Category: Feminism
Ann Althouse, law professor and asshole extraordinaire, has decreed that Standing Straight Up with Breasts is whorish. Jessica from Feministing had a meeting with Bill Clinton and with other bloggers...
Posted by Mike at 2:22 PM • 6 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
September 15, 2006
Don't Eat Yer Spinach, Popeye!
There's been an outbreak of E. coli food poisoning due to contaminated lettuce. This gives me an opportunity to briefly talk about one of my favorite organisms, Escherichia coli.
Posted by Mike at 9:27 AM • 6 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Quote of the Day: The HPV Vaccine Edition
From Kristine at Amused Muse: People are always pointing at scientists and screaming, "Why don't you find a cure for cancer?"
Posted by Mike at 7:53 AM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
September 14, 2006
Appeasing Bush
With all the Neville Chamberlain talk flying around, the neocons are right about one thing: there has been too much appeasement. Appeasement of Bush, that is.
Posted by Mike at 6:40 PM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Governor Ann Richards, RIP
Category: Democrats
I always liked Ann Richards, the former Democratic governor of Texas.
Posted by Mike at 8:45 AM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
September 13, 2006
Were We Always This Stupid?
Granted, I've argued that Paul Waldman's thesis that politics revolves around a personal narrative and not logical discussions of policy analysis is the right way to view things--depressing as that is. But after reading this post by Kos, I'm thoroughly discouraged.
Posted by Mike at 6:23 PM • 5 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
A Moment of Art Deco Zen: The Zephyr Clock Edition
Category: Art Deco
Check out this Zephyr Digital Clock from 1933....
Posted by Mike at 8:25 AM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
September 12, 2006
NIH Funding. Sigh.
If you haven't read the Science letter by George Mandel and Elliot Vesell, and which was nicely summarized by fellow ScienceBlogling Nick Anthis, you should. It chronicles the coming dissolution of American science.
Posted by Mike at 10:24 PM • 6 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Early Admissions to End at Harvard
Category: Education
Harvard University has announced that it will end its early admissions policy. Finally, the middle class and lower-middle class catch a break.
Posted by Mike at 10:56 AM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
September 11, 2006
Antibiotic Resistance: At Least ScienceBlogs Cares
It's good to see antibiotic resistance as today's "Buzz in the Blogosphere." Ironically, this weekend I had started putting together a post about how this issue isn't given the attention it deserves.
Posted by Mike at 10:26 PM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
For Heaven's Sake Eat Something!
Category: Please. Just Have One Chicken Finger
More than a few blogs have discussed the kerfuffle over the Australian fashion designer who had a runway show with women who were not emaciated. Not much to add, but I came across this survey of 100 models at Fashion Week.
Posted by Mike at 9:43 PM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
An Email That Makes Me Proud...
I think? I received this email from a friend:
Posted by Mike at 1:36 PM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Nice Photo Op
Doesn't this define the phrase "photo-op"? (This is almost as ridiculous as the "China Box" photo op). Update: Michael Tomasky has more....
Posted by Mike at 12:53 PM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
An Awful Day
Category: Sept. 11
Many others will speak far more eloquently about today than I could, so I'll just mention several brief thoughts.
Posted by Mike at 12:03 PM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Evolution, Atheism, and Miller
After reading PZ's post and the follow-up about Ken Miller's statements regarding atheism, I was just going to leave the subject alone. I usually find the arguments predictable, boring; there's always a lot of talking past each other. But for some reason, this particular argument over Ken Miller's remarks intrigues me.
Posted by Mike at 10:50 AM • 6 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
September 10, 2006
Some Weekend Links
Category: Lotsa Links
Here's some interesting links I've stumbled across this weekend
Posted by Mike at 9:47 PM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Don't Mind Us...
distort the history of 9/11. It will help us get in good with the Bush Administration!
Posted by Mike at 12:43 PM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
September 9, 2006
Silly Viagra-Related Humor
Category: Humor
I've decided to inflict these bad Viagra-related jokes that came to me through one of those internet tubes you might have heard about.
Posted by Mike at 5:11 PM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Lionfish in Long Island?
Category: Fish
This is really odd: there just might be a stable population of lionfish off the cost of Long Island.
Posted by Mike at 10:18 AM • 4 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
September 8, 2006
Donald Rumsfeld...
...let us remember what freedom and liberty really are....
Posted by Mike at 11:40 PM • 2 Comments • 0 Track