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November 12, 2008
I number of my posts have links to my old blog. I've moved my old blog to a new server, and the permalinks no longer work (and I'm probably to lazy to hunt them all down). If I send you to a blind link, sorry 'bout that. Just go to whitecoatunderground.com and search by title.
November 12, 2008
NB: Believe it or not, I actually had to close comments, the first time I've ever had to do it. They had become so offensive without any useful content that it's no longer worthwhile to keep it going. Sorry.
I have repeatedly vowed to stay away from this topic, but in defense of my colleague, I…
November 11, 2008
Members of the media are gravely enumerating all the challenging circumstances that President-Elect Obama faces (financial collapse, two wars, global climate disruption, etc), so itâs worth noting that this is also a tough time for product safety. Recent problems with lead in childrenâs toys,…
November 11, 2008
A wrongful-death lawsuit related to Massey Energy's Aracoma Alma coal mine commenced yesterday in West Virginia courthouse. Mr. Donald Bragg, 33, and Mr. Elvis Hatfield, 46, died in a mine fire on January 19, 2006. According to an Associated Press account (here) the widows' attorney Bruce…
November 10, 2008
OSHA's Asst. Secretary Edwin G. Foulke Jr sent a farewell letter to the staff, dated Election Day Nov 7, recounting his goal on taking the job in March 2006:
"I just want OSHA to be the best Agency it can be"
Reading his 4-page farewell letter, he thinks he accomplished it. He asserts:
"without…
November 10, 2008
We've talked quite a bit about ethics in this space, especially medical ethics and "blog ethics". Today, though, we will specifically examine the nature of medical ethics as they apply to so-called alternative medicine.
First, and perhaps most important, I am not an ethicist. I do not have the…
November 10, 2008
A former Department of Labor career employee who is expert in administrative law offers three simple steps for the Obama Administration to revitalize the federal rulemaking system. Pete Galvin's open letter to President-elect Obama provides thoughtful insight and recommendations that, if…
November 10, 2008
From the BBC:
US President-elect Barack Obama will seek to reverse Bush administration policies when he enters office on 20 January, his transition chief has said.
John Podesta said executive orders by President George W Bush on issues such as stem cell research and oil drilling were at odds with…
November 9, 2008
Let me start by saying that there is no "right" as such to anything on the internet. There is no blog law that allows for anonymity, etc. All we have are our evolving ethics, about which I recently wrote.
As the ongoing dispute over anonymity continues (and continues to make me uncomfortable, but…
November 7, 2008
This weekâs edition is devoted to blogging about election results: the performance of state-level ballot measures, what the new Congress looks like, speculation about cabinet picks, and priorities for President-Elect Obama and the 111th Congress.
Suggested Policies and Priorities
Students from the…
November 7, 2008
When we get to ScienceOnline09 in January, Abel and I will be leading a session on blogging and anonymity. I agreed to get involved because it sounded interesting, but I had no idea it would become such a big deal. There have been active discussions at many of the Sb blogs on this issue,…
November 7, 2008
By Myra L. Karstadt, Ph.D
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Did you enjoy your acesulfame today? How much did you eat? Do you know whether acesulfame is safe to eat?
 Those are not trick questions. Acesulfame is currently one of the best-selling artificial sweeteners in America, but itâs likely that very few people even…
November 7, 2008
by Bob Snashall, retired Labor Dept employee (Op-Ed Charleston Gazette, Nov 7, 2008)
George W. Bush & Company did one thing well - it bagged a lot of public information and taxidermied it into secrets. The shroud of secrecy even spread over mine safety. Mine safety? The law envisions…
November 7, 2008
When reporting on science, reporters and editors like sexy stories. Since most science isn't particularly sexy, there's usually a hook. If you can squeeze "risk" and "cancer" into a headline, an editor sees good headline. What I usually see is a sensationalist article that is going to get it very…
November 6, 2008
I can't cover this topic better than Orac; he's the expert. I would like to suggest that you go read his post.
This is important. I voted for Obama. I believe that he is one of the brightest people we've every had the chance to vote for, and I think that after 8 years of open hostility to…
November 6, 2008
In "DuPont finds high levels of C8 in Chinese workers," Ken Ward of the Charleston Gazette writes that workers at the Changshu, China plant had average blood concentration of about 2,250 ppb of perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), an agent used to make the non-stick compound Teflon. Ward writes:
"DuPont…
November 6, 2008
In Milwaukee, 69% of voters cast their ballots in favor of a requirement for employers to provide their workers with paid sick leave. Milwaukee becomes the third city â after San Francisco and Washington, DC â to adopt a requirement for paid sick days. Georgia Pabst of the Journal Sentinel…
November 6, 2008
SEA has put together a list of state ballot measures that involved science including info on what the end result was. The list can be found here and below. It was particularly interesting that Colorado rejected an amendment to the state constitution that defined "the moment in which an egg becomes…
November 6, 2008
In 1966 when the original Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) became law, President Lyndon B. Johnson said he "signed this measure with a deep sense of pride that the U.S. is an open society in which the peopleâs right to know is cherished and guarded.â The law's purpose is âto establish a general…
November 5, 2008
The best ethical questions are real ones. Sure, it's fun to play the lifeboat game, but when you're dealing with flesh and blood human beings on a daily basis, games aren't all that helpful. So here's a non-life-and-death question: if a patient comes to see you and smells of alcohol, can you…
November 5, 2008
In honor of yesterday's historic election, I'm delighted to share this poem by James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938).
Lift every voice and sing
Till earth and heaven ring,
Ring with the harmonies of Liberty;
Let our rejoicing rise
High as the listening skies,
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.
Sing…
November 4, 2008
Watch it happen live! And if I can, I'll though in some useless editorializing.
Now fivethirtyeight and CNN have excellent widgets to watch as well. Fivethirtyeight.com is especially cool, as it has developed a nice reputation for actually being right. Currently, they are projecting a rather…
November 4, 2008
The day is finally here. You've heard it from everyone, but I'll pile on...VOTE! Our final tally on the YouTube AVoteForScience challenge is 30 something videos from scientists endorsing Obama....and not one video from a scientist endorsing McCain. That seems to reflect a general consensus on the…
November 3, 2008
Only 14 days after Gloria McInnis died in an explosion at a Goodyear plan in Houston, her husband Raymond McInnis testified before a subcommittee of the House Committee on Homeland Security. At the June 25, 2008 hearing, Mr. McInnis explained why he was present and sharing his grief and pain in…
November 3, 2008
But a fascinating lesson in scientific discourse is currently underway in the blogosphere. It all started with a harmless little analysis of a letter published in NEJM. The strange part (to those of us who live here) was that the authors responded. On the blog. For real. And they were kinda…
November 3, 2008
On the eve of the election, The Nation reminds us that the next president will play a crucial role in determining the makeup of the Supreme Court. Herman Schwartz describes the Court's current makeup and rattles off current rulings that would be threatened by the appointment of another…
November 2, 2008
If you have kids you have probably been exposed to the idea that more kids have food allergies these days. Well, the data seem to bear this out. There are several hypotheses about why this is so, but not a lot of data. Rather than engage in speculation, I'd like to wade back into the dangerous…
November 1, 2008
...you must at least read this one.
As first person histories go, this one is tops.
October 31, 2008
Celeste and other bloggers have noted that the Bush administration seems to be ignoring the Bolten memo, which told agency heads not to engage in the traditional end-of-administration rush to regulate. Now, a front-page story in todayâs Washington Post confirms that this administration is racing to…
October 31, 2008
On Monday, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Wyeth v. Levine, the case that will decide whether FDA approval shields drug manufacturers from liability claims under state laws. (Read more about this idea of preemption here.) Bloggers have a lot to say about the case and this concept of…