mikethemadbiologist

You might think that a bill winding its way through Congress which would lift the ban on organizations using federal funding for needle exchange programs would be a good thing. And it would be a good thing, except for this little provision: A bill working its way through Congress would lift a ban…

No, not that stuff (well, actually, yes, that stuff too, but I definitely don't want to know about it). One of the important tools in fighting infectious disease is disinfecting surfaces. Which brings me to a recent paper about cruise ships and cleanliness. In June 2006, 43 norovirus outbreaks…

(from here) Needless to say, I'm disgusted by the amendment introduced by Democratic Congressvermin Bart Stupak which would effectively make most abortions not covered by health insurance, even though many are now. Given the tremendous numbers of women who have had an abortion, it's not like he's…

One of the things I can't stand about non-open access publishers is that federally-funded scientific results (federally subsidized in multiple ways) are locked behind a publisher's for-profit firewall. Given the high prices of journals and universities' need to cut expenditures, library budgets…

One of the problem with influenza vaccine production (as well as some other vaccines) is that the vaccine is made by injecting into chicken eggs--infecting chicken embryos--and then harvesting and killing the virus for use in the vaccine. This is a very time-consuming process that takes months. A…

Thank the Intelligent Designer it's Friday; I've had a long week. Anyway, here are some weekend links for you. Science: Special panel says state in midst of "epidemic'' of OxyContin and heroin use Clostridium difficile infection is spreading from the hospital to the community Deep in the Forest…

A couple of days ago I was talking with a long-time reader who couldn't understand why those Democrats who favor healthcare reform weren't beating the drug companies over the head with the failure to produce enough swine flu vaccine. After all, if you're a drug manufacturer, you should be able to…

Over at BoingBoing, we read about the leaked version of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, a copyright treaty (so much for the Obama Administration's commitment to transparency. Maybe it's something in the White House water?). Two items caught my eye: â¢That ISPs have to cut off the…

Republican Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah doesn't want Democrats to pass a successful healthcare bill because then people might think Democrats do helpful stuff. Then people would vote for Democrats. Then...TEH SOCIALISMZ!!: The healthcare reform proposals before Congress threaten the existence of…

It's not a failure of monetary policy, but fiscal policy. Over at The Quantum Pontiff, ScienceBlogling Dave Bacon asks if college tuition is a bubble: But what I find interesting, and what I've never been able to figure out, is the larger trend (ignore the last two years, please). Why are…

Sunset in Boston is at 4:36pm today, which means, if you're in Boston and reading this, it's dark out. Anyway, to chase away the darkness, here are some links. Science: Probably guilty: Bad mathematics means rough justice An open letter to Steve Levitt Equating The Scientific Method With A Herd…

There's an election Tuesday in Massachusetts, and here's who the Mad Biologist endorses. U.S Senate: This is tough. Both Rep. Mike Capuano and Attorney General Martha Coakley have strengths and weaknesses. Both are reliable liberals, but they have different emphases. Capuano has very good…

Some thoughts on the Theology of Jerks. Earlier this week, there was some minor amusement over Christian scholar Richard Beck's claim, at his blog Experimental Theology, that Christians (presumably he means fundamentalists) are lousy tippers: Take, for example, how Christians tip and behave in…

"If the president's [budget] proposal is enacted similar to what he recommended, it will have a chilling effect on abstinence education across the country...We're in a race against time to keep these people in business" So says Leslie Unruh, rightwing nutjob extraordinaire (and a driving force…

Merry Friday. Here are some links for you. Science: Mantis shrimp eyes outclass DVD players, inspire new technology Inferring deep history in genes Statisticians reject global cooling Why is the swine flu vaccine so late? Who are you to ask such a question? The Insanity of the FDA Approved…

Congressman Bart Stupak has helped tank the Medicare +5% reimbursement plan and single payer (italics mine): The problem with an amendment strategy [for Medicare +5% and single-payer] is that the House leadership will likely not allow many, if any, amendments to be offered on the House floor. The…

One of the enduring mysteries of Boston's transit system is why is the Red Line always fouled up. I can understand why the Green Line is squirrelly: parts of the Green Line run above ground and intersect with traffic, the above ground stops take much longer at the stations (to prevent people…

...put down bad owners instead? From Boston's Universal Hub: Boston Police report seizing a pit bull on Talbot Avenue in Dorchester Tuesday morning after its owner allegedly tried to sic the animal on the young daughter of a neighbor with whom she's been feuding. Police say the dog may be the same…

Actually, this snake is nicer and cuter than Joe Lieberman (from here) What's remarkable in the coverage of healthcare reform is how certain bits of information simply go missing. For example, how often did you read that other developed countries with comparable standards of living can offer…

Merry Wednesday. Links for ya: Male Chauvinist Chimps or the Meat Market of Public Opinion? Rep. Weiner calls on GOP opponents of public option to give up their Medicare. Cutting Pay, Wall St. vs Main St. How the other 75 percent lives Shorter Douthat: It's embarassing to be such a bigot Mobility…

Before I get to the horrendous Atlantic article about vaccination, it's worth reviewing the Mad Biologist's Pentultimate Postulate of Vaccination (What? You don't know it?): Effective vaccination is not about protecting you, it's about protecting other people from you. To put it another way,…

Not exactly. Remember back when some idiot posted a video in an open contest comparing Bush to Hitler that was held by MoveOn.org? Never mind that the video was removed within thirty minutes, rightwing political operatives and their lapdogs in the traditional media haven't stopped talking about…

I like this ad, because it makes a point I've made before: rank-and-file Democrats did what we had to do in 2008, now it's the elected Democrats turn to do so. And yes, rank and file Democrats: the public option is so popular among Democrats, corporate propaganda notwithstanding, this is not…

That's a great phrase that the NY Times headlined Gretchen Morgensen's article about judges who are backing borrowers when the mortgage documentation is non-existent (and you heard it first from the Mad Biologist). I know I'm beating this to death (a bit, anyway), but the potential for billions,…

Because people who pay what they owe on time hate America. Or something. Several banks--notably the ones whose asses we bailed out--plan on charging fees to cardholders who either pay off their balances on time or who don't use them very often: You may believe that your exemplary behavior shields…

While I'm glad we will spend more money on medical research in 2010 (although what about basic research? It needs help too.), until he confronts the massive amount of defense spending in the U.S.--$872 billion proposed for 2010 ($133 billion of which is for the Afghanistan and Iraqi wars)--it will…

For anything? Excluding very rare norovirus outbreaks, I can't remember ever reading about school absentee rates like these from Grafton, MA: Grafton High School closed early today after more than a third of its students and more than a quarter of its staff stayed home sick. It is the only school…

Links for a rainy weekend. Science: The arc of evolutionary genetics is long An Epidemic of Fear: How Panicked Parents Skipping Shots Endangers Us All McCain's Male Voters Suffered Testosterone Drop Breaking the Link - Darwinius revealed as ancestor of nothing The arcs of evolutionary genetics…

...Big Shitpile is looking more and more shitty. Last week, I wrote about how the dissolution of the bond between lenders and borrowers could lead to a home owner debtors' revolt. One of the key issues is that, when mortgages are bundled and sold to other parties, such as investment banks, the…

Merry Friday. Some links for you. TEH SCIENCISMZ!!: Anti-Vaccine Idiocy The albatross around all our necks Skeptic Arguments and What the Science Says Yet More Superfreakonomics Blogging. Yes. I Know. I Know... Other: Corporate Supremacy and the Rape of a Human Girl The Basil Fawlty effect -…