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May 28, 2007
By David Michaels
The Chinese government has apparently recognized the importance of integrity in drug regulation. According to AP:
China's top drug regulator was sentenced to death on charges of corruption and negligence, state media said Tuesday, the latest development stemming from growing…
May 28, 2007
Today's the day that Answers In Genesis' museum of ignorance, their "looks like, acts like, smells like, and pretends to be, but decidedly is not a science museum," the Creation Museum opens.
I'm horrified about this on many levels. As a scientist, I'm horrified about it just like every other…
May 27, 2007
Second Life (SL) is a 3d virtual world (some would call it an online game, but it's not really that; for one thing, it kind of sucks as a game, and for another thing, it's much more than that). You can do modeling and building entirely online. People have created buildings, vehicles, sculptures…
May 27, 2007
I'm pretty sure that nowhere in the Bible does it say that the square root of 256 is 16. I happen to know that, yes, 16 squared is 256. Therefore, if I were to tell you and attempt to convince you that the square root of 256 is 22, I would be lying, in that I would be telling you something that…
May 25, 2007
Sunday, May 20th, 2007, marked the first anniversary of the Kentucky Darby Mine Explosion, which claimed the lives of five good men: Jimmy Lee, Amon Brock, Roy Middleton, Paris Thomas, Jr., and Bill Petra.
A sixth victim of the tragedy, Paul Ledford, is forever haunted by his memories of that day…
May 25, 2007
This week, bloggers had plenty to say regarding the new study raising safety questions about the diabetes drug Avandia. The Olive Ridley Crawl and Merrill Goozner at GoozNews emphasize the importance of transparency around clinical trials, while Cervantes at Stayinâ Alive explains whatâs wrong with…
May 25, 2007
VV114 is a very interesting galaxy. It's a major merger of at least two big galaxies. If I might go out on a limb, it may even be an advanced merger (on the left) currently strongly interacting with another galaxy (on the right).
The left galaxy is extremely dusty. Sunsets are red because…
May 25, 2007
Chad just posted a bit of pre-tenure advice, including the very important advice to take all advice with a grain of salt. I would say that also applies to the rest of his advice, because I'm about to post contradictory advice. You should also take my advice with a grain of salt. Be aware that it…
May 24, 2007
There has been this Internet meme around for quite some time now: LOLcats (which has also been summarized on BoingBoing).
Freaky cat person that I am, I have been remiss in not participating. I seek to remedy that now.
May 24, 2007
Today, the Institute of Medicine released its report Ending the Tobacco Problem: A Blueprint for the Nation. In a public briefing Richard J. Bonnie, Chair of the IOM Committee on Reducing Tobacco Use, explained that âending the tobacco problemâ means reducing tobacco use âso substantially that it…
May 23, 2007
By Susan Wood
The recent study in the NEJM clearly points out that our drug safety system is in need of repair. We shouldnât need these constant reminders, from Vioxx to Ketek and now to Avandia. Indeed FDA reform legislation is moving through Congress as we speak. But does it do what we need…
May 23, 2007
Two stories in the news this week draw attention to contract workers, who are sometimes overlooked when it comes to workplace health and safety. Legislation proposed by U.S. Representative Al Green would enable federal prosecutors to pursue criminal cases against employers whose willful…
May 23, 2007
To heck with bubble sort, selection sort, insertion sort, and all the rest. Yes, all of those algorithms were intelligently design, but none of them follow the precepts of Intelligent Design.
And, now, David Morgan-Mar gives us Intelligent Design Sort.
(found via Steve Jackson Games)
May 22, 2007
Intelligent Design is cleverly designed.
Much of what I say here will apply to almost any other religious tradition in the modern world. I refer specifically to Christianity for three reasons. First, it's the most dominant religion in the USA, which is where I am. Second, I'm a Christian myself…
May 22, 2007
The public (that's you) have until May 24 to comments on EPA's list of nominees for its Science Advisory Board panel on asbestos. David Michaels has weighed in on this issue  and is submitting his comments today to EPA. Another organization providing input is the Natural Resources Defense…
May 21, 2007
The sub-headline in Andrew Wolfson's story tells it all about the perils of workers' compensation for injured and ill workers:
"It's either meager benefits or nearly impossible suit."Â
The Louisville-Courier Journal reporter's May 19 article describes both the physical and economic challenges…
May 20, 2007
"That mine scared me to death," is the headline for the Charleston Gazette's story by stellar reporter Ken Ward. He relays the experience of MSHA inspector, Minness Justice, who was responsible for inspecting A.T. Massey's Aracoma Alma No. 1 mine in the three month's preceding the coal mine…
May 19, 2007
Excerpts from the individual and panel reviews on my latest proposal:
The proposed work is very well motivated, well organized, with clear plans and goals.
There is also:
Guaranteed access to the CTIO 1.5 m, and an established track record with WIYN 3.5 m observations, add to the strength of…
May 18, 2007
With all the interesting new research coming out, itâs good that we have bloggers to help us stay on top of it all. The Olive Ridley Crawl explains the basics behind the reports on chemicals linked to breast cancer; Corpus Callosum looks at a Health Affairs article that helps put drug risks in…
May 18, 2007
When MSHA issued its 190-page report last week on the January 2006 Sago Mine disaster, most of the press focused on the agency's conclusion that a lightning strike was the "most likely ignition source" for the explosion. Readers should not forget however, that 29 coal miners were underground at…
May 17, 2007
It's all the rage to post pictures of your mug. (A mug mug, as it were.) I have lots of mugs, but I figured that this is the one that best fits the theme. This is one painted by... me. My wife and I, several months ago, went to one of those "paint your own" pottery places, and this was what I…
May 17, 2007
By David Michaels
Many people first heard about hexavalent chromium, or chromium 6, from the movie Erin Brockovich, which is based on the true story of a lawsuit over chromium-contaminated groundwater in the town of Hinkley, California.
Less well-known is the campaign waged by companies that…
May 17, 2007
By David Michaels
Product Defense is a lucrative business. The scientists who own and operate these firms make sizable profits helping polluters and manufacturers of dangerous products stymie public health and environmental regulators. The companies, and the scientists, sell not just their…
May 17, 2007
Watch a 2-minute video (here) showing one variety of portable chamber designed to provide a safe refuge for underground miners during an emergency. The equipment was displayed on Capitol Hill on May 16, 2007 as part of the House Committee on Education and Labor's oversight of the Mine Safety and…
May 17, 2007
Hey, Bora got a job interview by suggesting that he was the right person for the job on his blog. I don't have the specific job in hand, but it's a public forum. Perhaps there's somebody out there looking for me, only they don't know it, and I don't know it. And, let me quote Bora again, because…
May 16, 2007
Remember the Capitol tunnel workers whoâve been fighting for safer working conditions after years of being exposed to asbestos on the job? (Theyâve been featured in previous roundups here, here, and here.) They stirred up Congressional interest in the safety hazards in the Capitol tunnels, and…
May 16, 2007
By Adam M. Finkel
Two weeks ago, Congress officially asked a question that would have been unutterable during the first six years of the Bush Administration: "Have OSHA Standards Kept up with Workplace Hazards?" I was not surprised to read Assistant Secretary Ed Foulke's testimony, in which he…
May 16, 2007
I'm in an interesting position. Having so recently posted my own bitch and whine about how my tenure case is in trouble, suddenly we learn that Intelligent Design advocate Guillermo Gonzalez-- somebody who, frankly, has been viewed as a thorn in the side of astronomy by a large fraction of…
May 15, 2007
On the Arizona Star's Clocking-In Blog, reporter Becky Pallack published a letter addressed to her on The Weekly Toll. The letter, written by Javier Morales (whose nephew and Godson, Ian Michael Beal, was killed in a construction accident in late 2003), discussed the unwillingness of the press to…
May 15, 2007
By David Michaels
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was created more than thirty years ago to make the American workplace more safe. And officials there say that deaths and injuries on the job have declined on their watch. But critics say OSHA has dropped the ball when it…