grrlscientist | September 21, 2007So of course, I had to share it with you.
Courtroom drama custody ruling
A seven year old boy was at the centre of a courtroom drama today when he challenged a court ruling over who should have custody of him.
The boy has a history of being beaten by his parents and the judge awarded custody to his aunt.
The boy however confirmed that his aunt beat him more than his parents, and refused to live there. When the judge suggested that he live with his grandparents the boy cried out that they beat him more than anyone.
Then in an unprecedented move, the judge dramatically allowed the boy to choose…
grrlscientist | September 21, 2007tags: latte, online quiz
What Your Latte Says About You
When it comes to what you like, you have your own unique tastes. And people don't really understand them.
You are a very serious person. You don't have time for silly antics.
Intense and energetic, you aren't completely happy unless you are bouncing off the walls.
You're addicted to caffeine. There's no denying it.
You are responsible, mature, and truly an adult. You're occasionally playful, but you find it hard to be carefree.
You are complex and philosophical, but you are never arrogant.
What Does Your Latte Say About You?
Okay…
grrlscientist | September 21, 2007tags: blog carnivals, encephalon, cognition, learning
Okay, this is the last time I will ask you to send me submissions for the upcoming issue of the blog carnival, Encephalon, which I am hosting on Monday, 24 September. A few submissions have trickled in so far, but I want my efforts to be recognized as the best ever on behalf of this carnival so I am going to ask you all again to send me your submissions! Encephalon is THE carnival that focuses on blog writing about all aspects of neuroscience, from the molecular to the cognitive. So if you want your brainy words to be read by a larger and…
grrlscientist | September 20, 2007A couple days ago, I mentioned that I, along with several other blog writers, had been invited to participate in a conference call-interview with several experts who were going to discuss the topic of bipolar disorder with us so we could write about it on our blogs. Well, thanks to a friend here in NYC, who lent me his cell phone so I could make that call without using more of my severely limited daytime minutes, I did get to participate in this discussion. Even though I was not sure what to expect, I found it to be fascinating. I have not yet received the recording of the phone call, but I…
grrlscientist | September 20, 2007tags: gender issues, gender disparity, blogosphere, science blogs, life science blogs
Image: Anemi
I have been thinking more about TheScientist's recent online article, "Vote for your favorite life science blogs", where they asked this same question of seven of the "top" life science bloggers -- all of whom just so happened to be men. It reminded me of Declan Butler's Nature article that was published approximately two years ago, where he listed the "top" science blogs using some rather ambiguous standards that were inconsistently applied for defining precisely what is a science blog ..…
grrlscientist | September 20, 2007tags: raccoon, Procyon lotor, Image of the Day
"Ah, that's better. Zzzzzzzzzzzz."
A raccoon, Procyon lotor, sleeps in the hollow of a tree in Central Park.
Image: Bob Levy, author of Club George. [wallpaper size].
More about this image below the fold.
The photographer writes:
Hint: Enlarging the second image will enhance its effect and in truth may be necessary for the viewer "to get it," so to speak. So enlarge away.
Confession: The images were not created on the same day but are from the same location. A single mom and her lone cub, the latter born rather late in the season, are the…
grrlscientist | September 20, 2007After spending last night in frustrated despair over my many seemingly insurmountable woes, all of which were exemplified by my truncated blog entry, the IT man at ScienceBlogs, Tim, rescued me by sending a copy of the text this morning so I could republish it for you to read. After several attempts to republish, it has finally reappeared. I hope it stays accessible to all of you after the intense angst it caused me and Tim and anyone else who heard me crying most of the night.
Tim = my hero!
muchas smoochas!
So now I am eating another Cadbury Royal Dark Chocolate bar today, while nursing a…
grrlscientist | September 20, 2007tags: carnival of the vanities, blog carnival
I just learned that the 20 September edition of the Carnival of the Vanities is now available for you to read. This blog carnival is the original one, and it is still going strong. The theme for this blog carnival is to collect the best writing in the blogosphere together into one place, regardless of topic.
grrlscientist | September 19, 2007At least one of my articles (the running article that I published earlier, that took me four hours to write) was destroyed tonight by the ScienceBlogs server when the IT people replaced a burned out memory module. Unfortunately, I do not have a copy of the finished piece since I had published it earlier in the day and I stupidly thought it was going to be fine. But NO! It isn't fine, it was destroyed. To say that I am outraged is a complete understatement. Instead of wasting my time sitting in the library and writing all afternoon, I could have gone out drinking and I would have accomplished…
grrlscientist | September 19, 2007tags: researchblogging.org, mental health, depression, major depressive disorder, MDD, exercise, James A. Blumenthal
Image: Lucozade Sport.
"A lot of people know from their own experience that when they exercise, they feel better," observed James A. Blumenthal, a professor of psychology at Duke University and lead author of a newly published study that examined the relationship between exercise and depression. But does this anecdote hold up when examined in a scientific study? And how much better does exercise make one feel? According to this study, exercise is as effective at reducing…
grrlscientist | September 19, 2007tags: raccoon, Procyon lotor, Image of the Day
... A real life animal pirate! Arrrr!
"Hey, how can a raccoon get any sleep with all that noise goin' on down there?"
A raccoon, Procyon lotor, peeks down at his fan club from the hollow of a tree in Central Park.
Image: Bob Levy, author of Club George. [wallpaper size].
More about this image tomorrow, when the second image in this series appears.
grrlscientist | September 19, 2007tags: pirate, talk like a pirate day
As you all know, today is talk like a pirate day, a day that is so important to all of us pirates because of the tight correlation between the increase in global temperatures and the decrease in pirates worldwide! So join with me and my parrots by declaring your pirate-ness, and help save the world from global warming! You can do it!
I also have a cute cartoon below the fold to share with you that two people sent to me within the past couple hours, and a pirate quiz that you will enjoy.
Image source: Partially Clips [Shiver me timbers size]
And of…
grrlscientist | September 19, 2007tags: laughing cat blog carnival, blog carnival
Those of you who cannot get enough of cats will be pleased to learn that there is another cat carnival out there for you to enjoy. This one is new; The Laughing Cat blog carnival just published its second edition. It includes some really amusing links.
grrlscientist | September 19, 2007tags: blog carnivals, encephalon, cognition, learning
Yep, here I am again, asking you to send me submissions for the upcoming issue of the blog carnival, Encephalon, which I am hosting on Monday, 24 September. Of course, I want my efforts to be recognized as the best ever on behalf of this carnival so I am going to ask you all again to send me your submissions! Encephalon is THE carnival that focuses on blog writing about all aspects of neuroscience, from the molecular to the cognitive. So if you want your brainy words to be read by a larger and more diverse audience than you usually enjoy…
grrlscientist | September 18, 2007tags: book review, history, biography, James Smithson, Jacques Louis Macie, Smithsonian Institution, Heather Ewing
As a nearly life-long resident of the West Coast, I have visited the Smithsonian Institution exactly once in my entire life, and to be honest, I didn't notice the bust of its founder, James Smithson. I suppose I should feel guilty about that but, according to what I have read, his bust is located across the street from the Smithsonian Castle on the National Mall. At that time, this area was not included in my Smithsonian-seeking trajectory. However, after visiting the Smithsonian…
grrlscientist | September 18, 2007tags: blog carnivals, Carnival of Family Life
Hey you guys, here's another issue of a blog carnival that is new to me! This is the 17 September issue of The Carnival of Family Life that was just published for you to enjoy. This is a huge blog carnival, so get ready to be there for awhile, poking through the links.
grrlscientist | September 18, 2007tags: birds, Moluccan Red Lories, Eos bornea rothschildi, Green-naped Rainbow Lorikeets, Trichoglossus haematodus haematodus, Seram, Indonesia, Image of the Day
A pair of Moluccan Red Lories, Eos bornea rothschildi (upper, center and right), and a pair of Rainbow Lorikeet, Trichoglossus haematodus haematodus (lower, center (that bird is hanging upside down) and left), near the north coast of Seram, Indonesia.
Image: Kevin Sharp [wallpaper size].
More about this image below the fold.
As you know, dear readers, I am passionately in love with the birds of the South Pacific Ocean, especially…
grrlscientist | September 18, 2007The Scientist has just published an online version of an upcoming print story on their site. This story asks the question, What are your three favorite life science blogs? I noticed that they asked seven men this question (not one woman, hello??!) and predictably, nearly all of the top blogs that they listed were written by .. men!
Quite frankly, I am offended. Are women life science blog writers really second-class citizens, undeserving of recognition and top honors? If you think that women have something of value to say about the life sciences, get on over there and be sure to let the…
grrlscientist | September 18, 2007For approximately one year now, every Monday morning, ScienceBlogs has been sending out a weekly digest of what is happening with the various blogs on the site. I have found it to be useful since I no longer have time to read everyone's blog, but I can at least catch the weekly highlights on the site. This digest includes special recognition of awards that any of us have received during the past week, the daily buzz topics, the daily quote, the three highest-traffic blog entries for the previous week and the top referral sites where our traffic is coming from. If you'd like to read the same…
grrlscientist | September 18, 2007tags: online mental health fair, bipolar disorder, manic-depressive illness, manic depression, Revolution Health
It has come to my attention that Revolution Health is currently running an Online Mental Health Fair, with a special focus on reaching college students and their parents. College is a particularly challenging time for students struggling with depression or bipolar disorder because students' mood disorders are complicated by being away from home and family for the first time. Thus, Revolution Health's goal is both to raise awareness on college campuses and to help raise money for…