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September 24, 2008
In this post: the large versions of the Education and Career and Politics channel photos, comments from readers, and the best posts of the week. Education and Career. From Flickr, by foundphotoslj Politics. British anit-war protest. From Flickr, by dAVIDb1 Reader comments of the week: The…
September 24, 2008
Itâs become increasingly evident over the past few years that many veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have sustained mild traumatic brain injuries, often from being in the vicinity of a powerful blast. (See last monthâs New York Times article for details.) Symptoms can range from…
September 23, 2008
J. Davitt McAteer, who served as acting Solicitor of Labor for nearly two years,* submitted formal objections today on DOL's proposed risk assessment rule, and indicated that if the Administration "refuses to withdraw the proposal," he asks for public hearings [plural] and an extension of the…
September 23, 2008
By Olga Naidenko Maybe our government should listen to what the people have to say? I mean, not all the time, not every day â surely, that would be too much to ask for â but at least every once in a while? Occasionally? And even consider those public opinions with a modicum of respect? Ah, what a…
September 23, 2008
In this post: the large versions of the Environment and Humanities and Social Science channel photos, comments from readers, and the best posts of the week. Environment. The ocean off Jamaica. From Flickr, by rappensuncle Humanities and Social Science. A crowd in Venice Beach, California.…
September 22, 2008
Once again, I find myself straying into a political issue (although I'd argue that it's more a human rights issue). I understand that I'm probably in the minority in this country in my opposition to the death penalty. My fellow Americans generally vote to allow it, and my vote only counts once.…
September 22, 2008
Environmental Health News is a key resource for people who want to stay up-to-date on environmental issues, and itâs now gotten even better. John Peterson Myers, whoâs made the site (especially its Above the Fold daily news update) an invaluable resource that so many of us rely on, has now…
September 22, 2008
This story is disturbing for a host of reasons, but there's a medical ethics issue hiding in here. Apparently, if you work for the Long Island Railroad, you can retire at 50, then claim disability for a job you no longer have, and collect both a disability check and a pension. I shit you not. But…
September 22, 2008
In this post: the large versions of the Life Sciences and Physical Sciences channel photos, comments from readers, and the best posts of the week. Life Sciences. Solenostemon, a genus of perennial plants native to tropical Africa, Asia, and Australia. From Flickr, by (Bill and Mavis) - B&M…
September 22, 2008
During a recent one-on-one interview with the Charleston Gazette, MSHA chief Richard Stickler said his agency will not be issuing more protective health standards to protect miners from coal workers' pnuemoconiosis during his tenure.  In Ken Ward's article (Sept 14), Stickler says: "There's no way…
September 22, 2008
This isn't just about politics---really. This has something to do with science. You see, one of the memes of this campaign is "elitism" (whatever that means). The appeal of Sarah Palin, we are told, is her "everyday-ness"---she's just a regular gal, not like those elitist politicians in…
September 19, 2008
Bloggers are thinking about food: Elizabeth Cooney at White Coat Notes reports on a study in Boston and Philadelphia that finds food prices outstripping food stamps. Robert McClure at Dateline Earth points us to a new report that suggests giving fishermen property rights may help imperiled fish…
September 19, 2008
The front page of today's Washington Post announces "Public Health Is a Hot Field," reporting that an understanding of epidemiology, community-based interventions, disease surveillance and study design are high-demand topics on college campuses for undergraduate students.  I learned this…
September 19, 2008
Occupational Hazards has assembled a list of the 50 most influential leaders in Environmental Health and Safety, and our own David Michaels is on the list. âLove them or despise them, these are the 50 people the editors of Occupational Hazards feel have had the most impact on EHS in the past decade…
September 19, 2008
Me: Hi, I'm Dr. Pal and I'll be taking care of you here in the hospital. Patient: Where the hell is my real doctor? Me: He's at the office seeing patients. He doesn't come to the hospital anymore. Patient: Why the hell not? Me: Well, it's complicated, but it's getting harder and harder for…
September 19, 2008
In Cancer 101, I gave some basics to understanding cancer. A commenter asked a good question, and our next lesson will attempt a simple answer. The question regarded how a pathologist can tell if a cancer is "invasive" by looking at a specimen. Well, depending on the specimen, the answer changes…
September 18, 2008
These quacks are in a bit of trouble. The FTC and FDA have decided that they are sick of bogus cancer cures, and have sued a handful of companies. WHAT THE HELL TOOK THEM SO LONG? And more important, are they going to go after more snake oil salesmen? There is nothing special about the companies…
September 18, 2008
In 1971 under the National Cancer Act, Congresss authorized the 3-person President's Cancer Panel which is charged with monitoring the "development and execution of the National Cancer Program" and preparing periodic progress reports for the President.  Over the years, the Panel has examined…
September 18, 2008
We've got some new ScienceBloggers spreading the science and dishing the knowledge. Learn more about A Vote for Science, Genetic Future, Science After Sunclipse and Built on Facts after the jump. In a recent post, Genetic Future asks: is personal genomics dead? Welcome to the new blog roundup,…
September 17, 2008
I love language, which I suppose is as good a reason as any for being a writer. I'm also terribly critical---I hate misuse of language, especially my own. I'm not talking about silly grammatical rules that real speech renders moot. I'm talking about the misuse of words that actually changes…
September 17, 2008
Earlier this year, the Charlotte Observer published an excellent and disturbing series on the dangerous working conditions at poultry plants, and employersâ efforts to keep worker injuries from being reported. Now, the Observerâs Ames Alexander reports that poultry worker Thomas Jurrissen told…
September 17, 2008
by revere, cross-posted at Effect Measure We've discussed the component of plastics bisphenol A (BPA) here before (here, here) but yesterday the Journal of the American Medical Association published a significant paper with an accompanying editorial that deserves mention. A panel of the FDA was…
September 16, 2008
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the U.S., and at any moment directly affects almost 4% of the population, or about 10.8 million Americans. A diagnosis of cancer can be one of the most frightening moments in someone's life, and yet most people understand little about the disease. I…
September 16, 2008
Celeste Monforton will be testifying tomorrow at a hearing of the House of Representatives Committee on Education and Laborâs Subcommittee on Workforce Protections (10am, 2175 Rayburn). Sheâll be speaking about the Department of Laborâs proposed worker health risk-assessment rule, which might have…
September 16, 2008
Iâm repeating myself here, but itâs for a good cause. At the Project on Scientific Knowledge and Public Policy at George Washington University School of Public Health, weâve launched a multi-part study to understand the current policies surrounding scientistsâ work at government agencies and to…
September 15, 2008
by Sarah Vogel On Friday, August 15, the FDA released its draft assessment of the safety of bisphenol A (BPA).  To the frustration and deep consternation of many, the regulatory agency upheld the current safety standard for human exposure to BPA in food.  The agency based their decision on two…
September 15, 2008
I've written often about the ethics of doctors and pharmacists imposing their own morals on their patients and customers. Our Sb pharmacologist has as well. And even though all of our legitimate professional organizations recognize this line, Bush's Department of Health and Human Services has…
September 15, 2008
The ScienceBlogs Command Center has decided to fire up a group blog for election season. It's called A Vote for Science, and several Sb'ers and others will be writing about the candidates and science policy (including yours truly). If your a political junkie and a science geek, cruise on over and…
September 15, 2008
In this post: the large versions of the Life Science and Physical Science channel photos, comments from readers, and the best posts of the week. Physical Science. A lever of the first class. From Flickr, by zaxl4 Life Science. Rhopalaea Crassa, a fluorescent colored sea squirt. From Flickr,…
September 15, 2008
by revere, cross-posted at Effect Measure Two of my grandsons were here today. They are just babies (16 months and month and half) but one of them is a little colicky. He looks like he is having cramps after downing his formula. But compared to some babies in China, it's nothing. The formula they'…