Mike the Mad Biologist
Archives for November, 2006
Homosexuality = Insect Venom Allergies?
Posted by Mike on November 27, 2006 It’s nice to see that even in the midst of two overseas conflicts, the U.S. military can find time to obsess about homosexuality. The military has downgraded homosexuality from a “disorder” to a “circumstance.” This means homosexuality is considered equivalent to stammering or stuttering, dyslexia, sleepwalking, motion sickness, obesity, and insect venom allergies. Our government…
Tariq Aziz? This Is a Joke, Right?
Posted by Mike on November 26, 2006 There are reports that the U.S. has cut a deal with Tariq Aziz, Saddam Hussein’s foreign minister, so he can negotiate with the Sunni insurgents:
News Reporting and a Technically Complex Society
Posted by Mike on November 26, 2006 As a part of the Carnival of the Liberals, I wrote a post about our failing political discourse. Here’s something related from the archives.
Salmonella and Illegal Antibiotic Use in Agriculture
Posted by Mike on November 25, 2006 One topic that I don’t discuss enough is the role that the agricultural use of antibiotics plays in the evolution (and ecology) of antibiotic resistance. A recent review in Clinical Microbiology and Infection describes how the illegal use of nitrofuran antibiotics in Portugese agriculture led to an increase in highly virulent Salmonella.
More on That NY Times Aquarium Article
Posted by Mike on November 24, 2006 Here’s some follow-up thoughts on my Salmonella-related moment of fame that I reposted yesterday
Why Does the FDA Care More About Corporate Profits Than Antibiotic Safety?
Posted by Mike on November 23, 2006 Ok, so after complaining about how no one reads my posts on antibiotic resistance, one reader read this post about the FDA overriding an expert panel that advised against using cefquinome in agriculture, and then went and read the recently released minutes of the hearing (all eight gajillion pages). Here’s what the director of the…
My Fifteen Nanoseconds of Fame
Posted by Mike on November 23, 2006 While I’m away, I’m using the ScienceBlogs Blogerator 9000 to repost something from the old site. The NY Timesinterviewed me about an Australian Salmonella outbreak. From the archives:
A Reader Request and a Programming Note
Posted by Mike on November 22, 2006 While I’m hardly the first blogger to ever wonder about what the bloggysphere likes and dislikes, I’m curious to find out if anyone actually reads the posts about antibiotic resistance.
Illegal Immigration: It’s the Wages, Stupid
Posted by Mike on November 21, 2006 Some brilliant Republican solons from the great state of Missouri have released an official state report that argues that abortion has led to illegal immigration. The ‘argument?’
Intelligent Design and the Ford Pinto
Posted by Mike on November 20, 2006 Casey Luskin is a moron. Carl Zimmer tells us why.