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Mike the Mad Biologist

Mad rantings about politics, evolution, and microbiology

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ntm4-30-7 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.

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August 31, 2007

Romney Gives a Reason to Not Vote Republican

Category:

A well-developed sense of irony can be a very useful thing to a politician.

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Some Helpful Advice for Boston Tourists

Category: Boston

Even though it's nearing the end of the tourist season, I was inspired by a letter to Boston's Weekly Dig, and thought some advice for out-of-town visitors would be helpful.

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August 30, 2007

Civil Unions: Let's Party Like It's 1399?

Category:

Tolerance of gay marriage...in 1399?

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The Levee Broke

Category: Katrina

For me, the moment I discovered that the New Orleans levees had catastrophically failed is one of those moments that I will never forget. The night before (Aug. 29th), I went to bed a little after midnight, thinking that New Orleans had survived the worst of Katrina, and that the city's luck had held.

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Four Words That Distinguish Liberals from Conservatives

Category:

No, "I think I'm pregnant" is a universal constant. The four words are "It can be better."

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August 29, 2007

The Hypocrisy of the Sen. Craig Scandal

Category:

No, not Senator Craig's hypocrisy. The conservative commentariat's.

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Message to Senator Larry Craig

Category:

I think he needs to hear this.

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eigenFACTOR: Lots of Shiny New Buttons to Push!

Category:

A while ago, I posted about eigenFACTOR, a bioinformatics tool that can be used to calculate the relative impact of scientific journals. Well, the eigenFACTORials have developed a whole buncha new stuff you can do with the program.

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August 28, 2007

Beware the Icky Algae

Category:

First, gooseshit everywhere. Now 'rock snot.'

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The Ontological Impossibility of Conservative Governance...

Category:

and one reason why most scientists oppose the Bush administration.

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August 27, 2007

Anne Kornblut, F-ck You

Category:

Glenn Greenwald catches Washington Post political 'reporter' Anne Kornblut impugning the patriotism of millions of Democrats.

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The Majority of Iowa Republicans Hate America

Category:

Yes, I'm kidding. But there's a new poll which should make every Republican political operative and politician terrified.

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August 26, 2007

Some Sunday Links

Category: Lotsa Links

Here's your links. Science firstest:

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Sunday Sermon: Anti-Imperialism Is Not Pacificism

Category:

The Very Serious Foreign Policy experts need to get that.

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August 25, 2007

Tara Speak. You Listen

Category:

ScienceBlogling Tara of Aetiology has co-authored a PLoS Biology article about HIV denialism and the internets.

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(The Iraq) War Is a Force That Gives Us Them Meaning

Category:

Yes, I've cribbed the title from Chris Hedges' superb, must-read book, War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning. But Josh Marshall stumbles across a great insight about the Iraq War and Occupation, but doesn't quite carry through all the way. So the Mad Biologist will.

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August 24, 2007

'Ordinary' Influenza: A Public Health Failure

Category:

Stop worrying about avian influenza. Get serious about 'ordinary' influenza. Because trying to mobilize public support for avian influenza is a f-cking stupid strategy.

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August 23, 2007

Life on Mars?

Category: Aliens! I Seen 'Em!

No life on Mars? Not so fast. Cool it down, baby.

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A Patch for...Diarrhea?

Category:

Forget smoking cessation. This is a patch everyone can use.

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Putting the S-CHIP Battle in Context

Category:

Maha does a great job of getting at the underlying issues in the Bush adminstration's opposition to expanding the S-CHIP children's health insurance program.

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August 22, 2007

ADL Reverses Its Position on Armenian Genocide

Category:

The Anti-Defamation League reversed its previous position that held the genocide of Armenians wasn't genocide yesterday. Sort of, anyway.

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The War Criminal Wing of the Republican Party

Category:

These guys make Hezbollah and Al-Queda look like moderates.

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August 21, 2007

Why Democrats Matter: Public Health

Category:

Mitt Romney. He did such a great job for Massachusetts, imagine what he could do to the whole country.

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I See Stupid People: The George Stephanopoulos Edition

Category:

It's one thing to tolerate faith-based woo, but does it have to be part of a presidential debate?

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August 20, 2007

I Wouldn't Want to Attend His Journalism School

Category:

It's too bad that journalism professor Skube doesn't realize that, at least based on his op-ed, that he too, is just another guy with a blog.

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The Cost of Operation Iraqi Clusterf-ck...

Category:

...to me. Or at least, to the residents of my congressional district.

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August 19, 2007

Some Sunday Links

Category: Lotsa Links

Someone has to hold down the fort while the rest of my ScienceBloglings are frolicking in New York City.

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August 18, 2007

Shame on the ADL

Category:

The regional director of the Anti-Defamation League was recently fired by the national organization because he called what the Turks did to the Armenians in 1918 genocide. Shame on the ADL.

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Did I Mention Something About Antibiotics and Viral Infections?

Category:

I've discussed before how the misdiagnosis of viral infections, typically respiratory illnesses, leads to massive improper use of antibiotics. It's a problem in the UK too.

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August 17, 2007

I'm a Nerd!

Category: Humor

A science nerd, to be precise.

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A Bit More on Pseudoconservatives

Category:

Maha responds to my previous post about pseudoconservatives.

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August 16, 2007

Our Kids Are Booze Hounds

Category: Public Health

The CDC's journal Mortality and Morbidity Weekly Report (MMWR)--there's something to leave on your coffee table--says that roughly 43% of 9th - 12th graders have had a drink of alcohol in the last 30 days, according to a 2005 study. And Nebraskans are weird.

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Conservatives, Pseudoconservatives, and Governing

Category: Conservatives

I would argue that Nixon and Eisenhower both were essentially the right wing of the liberal consensus, and not conservatives as conservatives themselves understand conservatism.

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August 15, 2007

Inflation and Food

Category: Inflation

Double-digit inflation for basic food staples. But all is well according to Little Lord Pontchartrain.

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Why You Should Always Run Controls

Category:

Because you'll look really stupid if you don't.

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August 14, 2007

The Secret Behind Huckabee's Strong Showing

Category:

For a long time, I've been privately telling people that Huckabee is a serious candidate that could pose real problems for Democrats. I wasn't surprised by his strong showing in the Ames straw poll in Iowa. What did surprise me was the issue that generated his support.

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Zinc: Good for Colds?

Category:

Erm, maybe not so much.

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August 13, 2007

So Font Does Matter...

Category: Publishing

at least when it comes to road signs.

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Confusing Brains with Sociopathy

Category:

Sometimes in blogging timing is everything. I had this post about Karl Rove all ready to go, and then he goes and resigns on me. Oh well.

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August 12, 2007

Some Sunday Links

Category: Lotsa Links

Merry Sunday! Here are some links for you.

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Sometimes a Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words

Category:

From the back cover of The Wimp Factor is this illustration that explains so much about the rise of the modern conservative movement.

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August 11, 2007

Superb Poster Exhibit at the Boston Public Library

Category: Propaganda

The Boston Public Library at Copley Square has a great exhibit of World War II propaganda posters on display.

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August 10, 2007

Ellen Goodman and I Dwell in Different Blogospheres

Category: Bloggity Blog

Actually, she lives in the blogosphere, and I live in blogtopia.

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One Reason Why Democrats Are Outmanuvered

Category:

Because they don't know the rules.

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August 9, 2007

I'm So Feminist

Category:

And Irish too?

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The Fitness Cost of Resistance Could Be...

Category:

the signal peptide? Interesting.

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Self-Projection and Foreign Policy "Scholars"

Category:

Glenn Greenwald had a great post Wednesday about establishment foreign policy scholars, and how they delimit the 'acceptable' foreign policy debate:...

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August 8, 2007

Even More on Ignatieff

Category:

I don't mean to make this into an anti-Ignatieff blog, but there are two more great posts about his idiocy: one by ScienceBlogling and "embarrased" Canadian James Hrynyshyn, the other by David Rees.

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This Little Piggy Went to Market...

Category:

....this little piggy had MRSA up its nose.

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August 7, 2007

The Joys of Non-Profit Organizations: Crazy People

Category:

Maybe the crazy people are out to get me after I exposed Giuliani's Mistress of Woo. One of the interesting things about working at a health-oriented non-profit is that you occasionally receive letters and emails from people who feel the overwhelming need to convince you of their Overarching Pangalactic Theory of Everything.

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More on Ignatieff's Idiocy

Category:

Apparently, I'm not the only one who thought that Ignatieff's self-analysis was idiotic. He reinvents history and is confused about what academics actually do.

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Sociopathy As a Political Movement

Category:

Democratic Congresswoman Nancy Boyda of Kansas recounts a conversation she had with a rightwing talk show host.

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August 6, 2007

From Now on, I Read Only Esquire

Category:

For the political articles only, I swear. What I can't figure out is how

a writer for Esquire can see through all the bullshit that the supposedly Very Serious People can't.

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Michael Ignatieff Is a Moron

Category:

Michael Ignatieff, in explaining his decision to support the invasion of Iraq, reveals that he harbors two misconceptions: that war is just another policy, and that the political is not personal.

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August 5, 2007

Some Sunday Links

Category: Lotsa Links

Here are your links, you damn kids. First, science:

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This Person Needs to Pay More Taxes

Category:

Nobody needs a nap house.

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Sunday Sermon: R.J. Eskow on Bridges and Conservativism

Category:

Much has been said about the bridge collapse, but R.J. Eskow says it best.

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August 4, 2007

Democrats Disappoint with FISA

Category:

The Democrats rolled over on FISA legislation, giving Bush even more latitude in spying on his own citizens. Still the most hapless political party in recorded history.

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What's with Font Narratives?

Category: Publishing

All your Electra typeface are belonging to us?

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August 3, 2007

Dingell Hurts the Democratic Party

Category:

Once again, Michigan congressman John Dingell has decided to side with Detroit automakers who continue to resist entering the 21st century. The House has scrapped legislation that would raise fuel efficiency standards...to those less than Europe and Japan. Someone explain to me why we can't compete on a playing field that is still tilted towards the U.S. auto corporations.

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When Privatization Fails: College Loans

Category:

Last week, Joe Nocera had an excellent piece in the NY Times about how college loans became so exorbitant. He asks, "Why did student loans become more about shareholders than about students?"

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August 2, 2007

Nothing in Politics Makes Sense Except in the Light of the Evolution Controversy

Category:

Dobzhansky actually said, "Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution", but, as I've mentioned before, there's a lot to be learned from the sociopolitcal controversy surrounding evolutionary biology.

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