Mad rantings about politics, evolution, and microbiology. Comment policy: say what you want, but back it up with an email address. I don't like anonymous trolls.
mikethemadbiologist
Posts by this author
December 20, 2009
...but who is a rabbi? A recent British High Court decision making it illegal for a Jewish school that favors Jewish applicants to base its admissions policy on whether one's mother is Jewish, while correct in outcome, completely misunderstands the entire controversy:
"One thing is clear about the…
December 19, 2009
With some sadness, we read that GM is killing off Saab, although spare parts will still be made. The BBC's Jorn Madslien explains how a well-engineered car line died (italics mine):
When its owner GM bought Saab, it was seen as a brand that could become the US automotive group's European luxury…
December 18, 2009
Happy Friday. I didn't get too sozzled at this years's Christmas Party. How about you? Science:
What Was Popular Mechanics Thinking?
Trash or treasure? The price of junk mail
Mild pandemic? Bite your tongue.
Other:
Why won't the Washington Post run a response to Sarah Palin?
Why James Chartrand…
December 18, 2009
Over the last few elections cycles, we've heard about the importance of various demographic groups: Bubbas, soccer moms, NASCAR dads, hockey moms, and so on. But Nan Mooney's (Not) Keeping Up With Our Parents: The Decline of the Professional Middle Class describes one demographic sector that has…
December 17, 2009
I've stayed away from the CRU Swifthack brouhaha, largely because the experts are far better at debunking this denialist crap than I am. But, if there were such a thing as 'genomic denialists', they would probably have a field day if they were to get their hands on what we say.
For example, I'm…
December 16, 2009
Recently, I argued that the Democrats need to start really going after the Blue Dogs by cutting funding to their states, including Nebraska's USSTRATCOM. According to the Weekly Standard (take it for what it's worth), this is finally happening:
According to a Senate aide, the White House is now…
December 16, 2009
Matthew Yglesias fires off a screed against Democrats who have told pollsters that they are unlikely to vote for Democratic congressional candidates in 2010 (I think Amanda's response sums up my thoughts rather well: people have to like this stuff, or surprisingly, they might not take the time to…
December 15, 2009
By the time you read this, I hopefully have been dismissed from jury duty. Science:
A Case Of Classic SwiftBoating: How The Right-Wing Noise Machine Manufactured 'Climategate'
Public health: flunking the test
The End of Chiropractic
Yogurt Enemas, Rolfing and Astral Healing for All!
Limits
The…
December 15, 2009
In short: seven long years. A few months, when everyone was getting all het up about the observation that the rate of increase in the unemployment rate (the second derivative) was decreasing--that is, more and more people were losing jobs, but more and more wasn't growing as fast as it once was,…
December 14, 2009
Many people have been discussing the structural impediments to passing legislation, or what is often called legislative gridlock. As Matthew Yglesias put it:
The smarter elements in Washington DC are starting to pick up on the fact that it's not tactical errors on the part of the president that…
December 13, 2009
It's freezing here in Boston, and that means... links! Science:
New Species of Orchid is World's Smallest
CDC sharply raises H1N1 case estimates; kids hit hard
56% - Do Americans Know Where Scientists Stand on Global Warming?
Always Bet On Stupid
Other:
Wheaton residents attracted to Paris-esque…
December 13, 2009
I've described the Mad Biologist's Rule of Base Ten Numbers before:
My colleagues have all heard of the Mad Biologist's Rule of Base Ten Numbers: when you see too many numbers that end with zero, become skeptical. That's because only one in ten numbers should do should end in zero.
I then added…
December 12, 2009
No, seriously. They do:
THWAK! I swing with my right fist, trying to connect with my opponent's face. In a smooth motion, he deflects my punch with his forearm, which is protected with a black and metallic-plastic arm gauntlet. I swing with my left fist, and am again knocked away effortlessly. I…
December 11, 2009
One of the major factors leading to political corruption is the revolving door between the private sector and political staffers. It's no accident that many political scandals, not to mention bad policy, can be traced back to former Congressional aides. There's a lot of money to be made lobbying…
December 10, 2009
Cold, gray, cruddy season. Time for some links! Science:
He Must Be Joking
A Visit to the Pratt University Steam Plant
Ashkenazi Jews are Middle Eastern & European hybrids
To really save the planet, stop going green
Other:
Volcker: Little Evidence Financial Innovation Has Helped Economy…
December 10, 2009
In an otherwise excellent article about the failures of the U.S. collegiate educational system, Kevin Carey makes a common mistake: he assumes that the pressure to publish is primarily about prestige for the university. It's not. It's about revenue.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. Carey (…
December 9, 2009
Both Digby and Amanda Marcotte have been asking why global warming seems to be driving much of the right wing berserk. While I agree that part of the reason is the ever-present desire to punch a hippie in the face, I think Fred Clark at the Slacktivist hits on a key point in these two posts: "It…
December 8, 2009
Merry Tuesday. Links for you. Science:
Intensive care unit (ICU) infections can lengthen hospital stays
Hospital workers fired for refusing vaccinations
The science boys' club strikes again
Yet another nail in the coffin of the myth that the MMR vaccine causes autism
Solar Cell 40% Efficiency…
December 8, 2009
Dr. Becca asks some career-related questions and the Mad Biologist has answers (given that it's free to read this blog, take them for they're worth....). Dr. Becca:
It recently occurred to me that I need to wrap my head around the possibility likelihood (???????) that I won't get an offer this…
December 8, 2009
...Martha Coakley. Although it's close. If I had my druthers (and druthers are hard to come by, what with the economy and all), I would rank the Dems as follows:
1) Khazei
2) Coakley
3) Capuano
While I like Khazei the best, despite some high profile endorsements, he's not going to win (note: I…
December 7, 2009
Figuring how Stonehenge was built--in your backyard:
Truly awesome.
December 7, 2009
This is not a needle exchange program center
(from here)
I've written before about the needle exchange legislation which is very good...in an imaginary world lacking parks, schools, and other places where children congregate. From Maine, we find out what this legislation really means:
Such a…
December 6, 2009
Winter has finally arrived. Time to read links! Science:
Statistics, damn statistics and well kept secrets
How to report in vitro cancer studies: maitake mushroom extract doesn't "fight cancer"
Because As We All Know, The Green Party Runs the World.
Repeated break-ins point to 'orchestrated…
December 6, 2009
David Sirota was debating (although given that said 'debate' occurred on cable TV, that's probably far too genteel a word) David Frum about healthcare, when Sirota brought up the finding that 45,000 people in the U.S. die every year from a lack of health insurance. Frum's response is incredibly…
December 5, 2009
Wherein the Mad Biologist indulges in Compulsive Contrarian Disorder. There's been a lot of talk about the National Football League's new rules about concussions, which force a player to stay out of a game during which he received a concussion. On the one hand, this absolutely is the right thing…
December 4, 2009
Yesterday, four people emailed me, asking about Brian Palmer's Slate article about antibiotic resistance. Since I'll probably get more such emails (and thank you for sending them), I'll offer my thoughts below:
1) Palmer's basic point about antibiotic development not being the answer is right.…
December 3, 2009
Merry Thursday. Here are some links. Science:
Artificial Meat
OSU President Blocks NIH Funded Science to Appease Philanthropist
How critical is the "Environment" in the NIH grant application?
"ID theory" hasn't been "reduced to" a tool in the Culture Wars - that's what it was designed as.…
December 3, 2009
It's between fifteen to twenty one cents of every dollar spent by hospitals. A recent study examined the costs of antibiotic resistant infections in hospitals. The main finding (italics mine):
The total attributable hospital and societal cost ranges for ARI in the expanded sample were as follows:…
December 2, 2009
...might just be too stupid to realize it. A reader sent me a story guaranteed to piss me off. And it worked! Senator Ben Nelson, in all his intellectual glory:
In lieu of a "war tax" to pay for a troop increase in Afghanistan, Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson (NE) is proposing war bonds.
"We didn't…
December 2, 2009
...at least by the Blue Dog Democrats. Digby, in discussing the history of the demobilization of the Democratic rank-and-file, observes (boldface mine; italics original):
Clinton was pretty good at speaking in several layers of code, but he had terrible problems in 1994, even though he delivered…