mikethemadbiologist

It's bad enough that a plane which previously made non-stop flights from the continental U.S. to Guantanamo Bay crashed in the Yucatan with tons of cocaine aboard. What's even more ridiculous is the 'cover' story. The plane was owned by Donna Blue Aircraft which is in the business of "Aircraft…

In one of the more controversial posts I've written (or at least one that got me a lot of hate email), I described how "hatred is the Republican base": The Washington Post recently reported about the failure of the anti-segregation amendment to pass in Alabama (it was essentially 50-50). According…

As if outing Valerie Plame, whose primary task was to monitor and contain WMD proliferation in the Middle East--including Iran, wasn't bad enough, the Bush Administration destroyed another intelligence gathering operation for political gain (italics mine): A small private intelligence company that…

In an excellent post about torture, Amanda Marcotte concludes: On another blog, I had some right winger squeeing and questioning my patriotism because I supposedly want our country to "lose" the war in Iraq that I thought the President told us wasn't happening, what with the mission being…

What's one more criminal in the mix, anyway? So what if a government contractor supplied weapons to Liberia's Charles Taylor and the Taliban (italics mine): Viktor Bout, was paid tens of millions of U.S. taxpayer dollars while illegally flying transport missions for the United States in Iraq. Bout…

At least Bush didn't tell the whole city to go screw itself, just the kids (from here) ScienceBlogling Mike Dunford describes why a family making $83,000 per year needs S-CHIP despite Little Lord Pontchartrain's claims to the contrary: After all of that [basic living expenses], the family of four…

Both Kevin Drum and digby argue that Senator Clinton's 'electability' problem is due to Republican sliming and isn't really a factor. Drum: Hillary, by contrast, is polarizing not because she wants to be, but because the right-wing attack machine made her that way. She's "polarizing" only because…

David Brooks wonders why the GOP is in shambles. Bush voter in 2000 and 2004 and conservative John Cole has a very succinct answer: For starters, people got tired of being associated with these drooling retards. Let's elaborate further: Then, when they realized that these drooling retards had…

Merry Columbus Day! Here are some links. The science-related stuff: Go buy schoolkids science stuff. It will make ya feel good... After you're done with that, go wash your hands. Senator Clinton joins the Coalition of the Sane and details her science agenda. Giardia is one more reason why…

The Washington Post has an excellent story about the WWII interrogators of high level Nazis. Unlike the minions of Little Lord Pontchartrain, they managed to gather intelligence without torture: When about two dozen veterans got together yesterday for the first time since the 1940s, many of the…

(Yomiuri Shimbun/AFP/Getty Images) First, brain sucking amobae. Now, humongous jellyfish: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14912443 Giant jellyfish are flooding into the Sea of Japan. The translucent creatures can grow as large as 6 feet in diameter and weigh 450 lbs. Over the…

In some wickedly funny satire, Amanda Marcotte shows us how to create an anti-menstruation movement: The "abortion is icky" argument is such that the anti-choice crowd could easily start agitating for a ban on menstruation without skipping a beat. The fact that menstruation is incredibly common…

I guess we should be glad that Senator Clinton has a plan to end the Republican War on Science. It needs to be done and she is right to do this, but it's sort of like getting excited that someone boldly supports the notion that 2 + 2 = 4. Clinton announced yesterday that: Hillary will restore the…

Driftglass, in a post about Janice Shaw Crouse of the Beverly LaHaye Institute (yes, of the "Left Behind" tract series): Regardless of motive (and we have long since moved past the point where I care much about why the lunatics have a knife to the throat of the Enlightenment, and on to the part…

Paul Waldman debunks the myth of the conscientious Iowa primary voter (italics mine): As you read this, some of the most important and powerful people in America are crawling through the Hawkeye State on their knees, pretending to know more than they do about corn, pretending that the deep fried…

...and you listen. maha writes why the U.S. won't do anything to aid the saffron revolution in Burma (italics mine): ...the West flaps about, issuing statements and maybe sending an envoy or two. Please note I don't believe an armed invasion is the only option or even the most desirable option.…

Salon.com has a really interesting article about the hidden and expensive costs of parking. There's lots of interesting stuff in the article, but this bit really stood out (italics mine): Americans don't object, because they aren't aware of the myriad costs of parking, which remain hidden. In…

When Senator George "Macacawitz" Allen of Virginia was still considered a viable presidential candidate, I asked this question: Can we please have presidential candidates who are not psychological basketcases? ... Is it possible for the Republicans to nominate someone who is not cracked in the head…

This year, once again, we ScienceBloggers are raising money to buy equipment for science classrooms. I decided to focus on microbiology and marine biology, because, well, microbiology is what I do now, and marine biology is what I started in. Also, if a new textbook in evolutionary biology is any…

This is how Technorati characterizes this blog: Indeed. Now go do the Hokey Pokey and shake it all about.

One of the major fallacies of intelligent design creationism is that so many structures appear to be haphazardly designed. Case in point: polyadenylation in Giardia lamblia. ScienceBlogling Carl Zimmer, in an excellent post about the recently published Giardia genome, describes the system: There…

It appears that Logan airport security overreacted a little. From skippy: star simpson, who sounds like the cartoon character host of the view, was the mit student who was arrested at logan airport last week for wearing a "hoax device," which airport police thought was a bomb, but was really just…

We're getting worse at washing our hands according to the Baltimore Sun. One thing I've said many times before, but it bears repeating: the best way to avoid getting sick is to limit contact with someone else who is sick. While that sounds obvious, one very good way to do that is handwashing.…

Happy October! Here are some links for you. Science-related stuff firstest: I talk about Kuhnian revolutions in science. SteveG responds. Then, my turn again. Revere lays out how 'biodefense' leaves less safe--again. Brain sucking amobae attack. 'Nuff said. Neanderthals cleaned their teeth.…

Glenn Greenwald asks: One of the more baffling aspects of "political journalism" in the United States is the mind-numbing obsession which most of the political press has with "horse race" analysis. ...the major newsweeklies -- or view any of the cable news shows [are] filled with the analysts who…

And some Republicans wonder why most Jews don't vote Republican. Well, conservative talk radio is one answer. Here's what conservative talk radio host Mike Rosen has to say: Sure. [Caller], you have exceptions like Milton Friedman, for example, a brilliant free-market economist who was more…

Maha on how violent resistance often fails over the long run: Every time a peaceful resistance is put down, somebody is bound to say they should have used guns. But when an armed insurgency is put down, or when it turns into a cycle of violence and vengeance dragging on for generations, for some…

There are no NASA scientists in this picture (from here) Because if NASA scientists do science, the terrorists win. Or something. Over at Culture Kitchen, there's a good series of posts about the new NASA security procedures that apply to all NASA employees. Parts one and two are worth reading…

Protester in Myanmar (from here) I don't have much to add about the situation in Myanmar; maha has some good posts about it, along with AmericaBlog. But the above picture is a study in contrasts. The foreground speaks for itself, but if you look at the upper left background, you'll see an…

And, thankfully, the NY Times' Cornelia Dean calls the intelligent design creationists out on it: There is no credible scientific challenge to the theory of evolution as an explanation for the complexity and diversity of life on earth. And while individual scientists may embrace religious faith,…