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I'm sure they'd let her use their bathroom, though

Ah, the subtle ways we can discriminate. An Arkansas school decided a black woman just wasn't the right kind of person to stand up at their graduation ceremony. A high school southeast of Little Rock would not let a black student be valedictorian though she had the highest grade-point average, and wouldn't let her mom speak to the school board about it until graduation had passed, the graduate claims in Federal Court. Kymberly Wimberly, 18, got only a single B in her 4 years at McGehee Secondary School, and loaded up on Honors and Advanced Placement classes. She had the highest G.P.A.…

Jennifer Fulwiler: vacant-eyed, mindless cluelessness personified

I'm getting a clearer picture of Jennifer Fulwiler. She's very much a Catholic, she thinks she's an expert on atheists, and she likes things in fives. First it was five misconceptions atheists have about Catholics, and now she's written five Catholic teachings that make sense to atheists. As if she'd know. She claims to have been an atheist once, but her list of stuff that makes sense indicates that she was an awfully Catholic atheist. Purgatory. Why? "it made sense to me because it explained how heaven can be a place of perfect love, and God can still be merciful to people who had some…

Are you sure the earth is round?

If you had to persuade a medieval peasant that the world was round, how would you do it? Why do you believe the world is round? And what does the American public in general think? One of the hardest tasks I encountered as a professor was getting my students to recognize that all of their convictions - even assumptions as basic as "the world is round" or "the sun will come up tomorrow" - are built on a lifetime of accumulated experience. Sometimes the experience is direct: we've all seen the sun come up. But sometimes it's not. We often underestimate how little direct evidence we have for our…

Cathy Young speaks true on the global warming debate

The global warming debate has been going for a long time, and both sides have become deeply entrenched. Unfortunately, this polarization is beginning to impede the achievement of any reasonable solution. Further, the proponents of steps to fight global warming deride the other side's motives while denying that theirs are in any way tainted. This is not a fair or acceptable behavior, particularly when it is behavior by scientists. Cathy Young -- a contributing editor at Reason -- had this to say about it: There is a growing number of voices in the scientific community that reject both…

How do we define the severity of racism?

In light of the incidents with Michael Richards and Mel Gibson, Malcolm Gladwell posits some criterion by which we could judge the severity of racism: 1. Content. What is said clearly makes a difference. I think, for example, that hate speech is more hateful the more specific it is. To call someone a nigger is not as a bad as arguing that black people have lower intelligence than whites. To make a targetted claim is worse than calling a name. Similarly, I think it matters how much a stereotype deviates from a legitimate generalization. For instance, (and this is, admittedly, not a great…

Miniature Fantasies: Paolo Ventura

L'Automaton #06, 2010 Paolo Ventura (zoom view available here) Artist-photographer Paolo Ventura constructs and photographs miniature, dreamlike scenes. His Winter Stories represent the reminisces of an old circus performer. Above, a scene from the Automaton series captures a mysterious, half-built android. Who is the android's creator? When and where is this happening? Ventura's work is evocative precisely because it is so mysterious. (It turns out that Ventura's backstory for the Automaton series involves a lonely watchmaker in the Jewish ghetto of 1942 Venice - but still, that hardly…

Artists who invent (and patent)

I've been remiss in not recommending my temporary Scienceblogs scibling "Art and Science Learning" to those of you who are, like me, interested in the sciart intersection. However, I have to say I am not 100% behind its latest (and quite popular post), by Robert Root-Bernstein. It starts, Most people are at a loss to be able to identify any useful connections between arts and sciences. This ignorance is appalling. Hmmm. Do you think that's really true, much less "appalling"? I'm not so sure. I do think it's true that people tend to view arts and sciences as distinct disciplines, which is…

Spidergoats! A Synthetic Bio Horror Movie?

So I'm all in favor of promoting struggling artists, and that includes documentary filmmakers. But I have to say I'm a little taken aback by the aesthetic of the "Synthetic Bio" documentary project by Field Test Films (and endorsed by Carl Zimmer). They've posted a short over at Kickstarter, where they're trying to raise $30K to finish the film in time for Sundance. But as one of my biologist friends pointed out, the soundtrack they use for the sample short (on producing spider silk in goat's milk) is eerie, mad-scientist stuff, complete with a Exorcist-like choir at the end. I'm posting the…

Lakoff in the NYT

There's a review of George Lakoff's new book, The Political Mind, in today's New York Times. You can read the review here. Some key excerpts: Neuroscience shows that pure facts are a myth and that self-interest is a conservative idea. In a "New Enlightenment," progressives will exploit these discoveries. They'll present frames instead of raw facts. They'll train the public to think less about self-interest and more about serving others. It's not the platform that needs to be changed. It's the voters. I have to say, I've always thought there was a not-so-vague Orwellian quality to Lakoff's…

Feminism and Collapse

The impetus for this post came from a confluence of stimuli, as is usually the case.   Recently I received a book, a biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer (American Prometheus, by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin).  The book describes the persecution of Oppenheimer during the Red Scare in postwar USA.  The current global and perpetual war on terrorism shows us that such persecution still simmers. I also read a post about matronizing, on the blog Mad Melancholic Feminista.  The post reminded me that the war between the sexes also simmers. At this point in time, were are a few years into an…

A Thought About the Palin Airplane Sale

One of the controversies about VP candidate Sarah Palin has to do with the sale of the gubernatorial jet.  She attempts to bolster her claim, that she is a fiscal conservative, by saying that she sold the State's jet, claiming it was an unnecessary expense.  She sold the 2.7 million dollar jet for 2.1 million.  She sold it to one of her campaign contributors.  Pretty good deal for the contributor. Angry Bear href="http://angrybear.blogspot.com/2008/09/palins-plane-and-mccains-fuzzy-math.html">describes the controversy.  This reminds me of two things, one trivial, the other potentially…

Poisoning Ourselves, Part II

I'm harping on the same string.  A month ago, I href="http://scienceblogs.com/corpuscallosum/2008/05/poisoning_ourselves.php">noted how it was not necessary for terrorists to figure out how to poison us.  Our own companies are doing it for them.  Now, our government is doing a heck of a job to make it easier for companies to poison us, and to get away with it.   As noted by the former WaPo reporter, Ed Bruske, the USDA is no longer keeping track of pesticide use.  Formerly, the USDA published an annual report a chemical usage in agriculture.  It was the only comprehensive, reliable…

New Drug Out, So What Do You Do?

Several bloggers have already commented on Johnson & Johnson's new schizophrenia drug, rel="tag">Invega®.  The official FDA announcement is href="http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2006/NEW01534.html">here.  The first blog post I saw was at href="http://garrettsparks.blogspot.com/2006/12/medicine-jj-wins-fda-approval-for.html">Sparkgrass:   I'd hate for somebody to have to come up with, ya know, a new drug. Not to say that a longer acting atypical isn't a nice addition to the palette, but the fact that J&J's stock is suddenly worth more because their chemists did some…

Flying Carp and Homeland Security

Flying carp, also called Asian Silver Carp (among others), present a significant risk to homeland security.  The fish can grow to 50, even 100 pounds.  Propellers on boats prompt the fish to jump out of the water, sometimes into boats, sometimes striking boaters. A video of this is available at the NPR site, href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5542199">here.  The video shows the carp jumping into the boat, although it does not show anyone getting hit. Hypophthalmichthys molitrix The NPR story, link above, mentions that these carp are an invasive species,…

Science - Building Models, Not Facts

I'm going to harp on a subject that really annoys me. The use of the word "fact" - this is a totally useless concept and is the source of a lot of confusion out in the general public and amongst science journalists. Science does not build facts. It builds models, ideas concepts and theories - tools for our mind. Not facts. The idea of a "fact" leads to confusion and misunderstanding. This notion subconsciously promotes the comparison of the products of scientific endeavor to religious dogma. Facts = immutable truths. Is gravity a "fact"? Does evolution "exist"? Is calculus "real"? To me…

Getting back into the swing of things

This is an attempt to get back into blog-writing mode. My time has become split in a thousand different ways. There are a multitude of items that need to be accomplished before I leave for Toronto. Here's a few of them: I would like to wrap up three ongoing projects, or at least get most of the lab work done. I need to find a place to live in my hometown-to-be. I need to set up the lab-to-be. I need to set up my new lab website, to attract students and postdocs. I need to plan ahead for the next few years, or get into that mind set. (Excuse me, I'm at home today with the kid and he just peed…

Proposition 1

If you live in Massachusetts, one of the most important votes you'll be casting is for or against proposition 1. What is proposition 1? It's the right-wing libertarian delusion that the best government is no government. Written by that societal piranha, Grover Norquist, proposition 1 would cut the state income tax by half next year and eliminate it by the following year. Now let's get this straight, no one likes paying taxes, but running a state costs money. And in this financial climate where the state can expect less revenue from property taxes, sales taxes and income taxes, and when…

Systems Biology - I'm coming around to it

Friday I was supposed to meet up with Mike Springer from the Kirchner lab. At some point Mike and I had set up a collaboration in order to figure out what was so special about little regions of the genome that encode signal sequences. (To read more on my paper and what we did click here). In any case Mike had emailed me that Alex van Oudenaarden was giving a Systems Biology "Theory Lunch" and that he had to postpone our lunch. Having heard Alex once before and being impressed, I decided to check it out. It was one of the best seminars I've attended in quite a while. Now I'm not going to give…

What I taught today: induction in worms, early development in flies

My students are also blogging here: My undergrad encounters Developmental Biology Miles' Devo Blog Tavis Grorud’s Blog for Developmental Biology Thang’s Blog Heidi’s blog for Developmental Biology Chelsae blog Stacy’s Strange World of Developmental Biology Thoughts of Developmental Biology Biology~ Today was the due date for the take-home exam, which meant everything started a bit late — apparently there was a flurry of last-minute printing and so students straggled in. But we at last had a quorum and I threw worms and maggots at them. The lab today involves starting…

Friday Sprog Blogging: extra-terrestrial life.

Elder offspring: Since soccer season is over, you should take us someplace fun on Saturday. Dr. Free-Ride: Well, Saturday morning I'll be at commencement, and I think I'll need to spend at least part of Saturday afternoon grading. Younger offspring: Aww, do you have to go to commencement? Dr. Free-Ride: Yes, I have to. This year I'm a commencement marshal. Younger offspring: A commencement Martian?! Oh no! Elder offspring: Do you get to carry a ray-gun? Younger offspring: Why does that Martian in the Looney Tunes cartoons wear a skirt? Elder offspring: And why is his helmet so big? Dr.…

Cult Book Meme.

I'm still grading, but Bikemonkey tagged me on a book meme and I really want to cross something off my to-do list tonight, so here it is. The rules: books you've read in bold and books you started but never quite finished in italics. (In that latter category, I'll include books from which I've read substantial excerpts without prodding myself to double back to read the whole thing.) And now for the books: Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut (1969) The Alexandria Quartet by Lawrence Durrell (1957-60) A Rebours by JK Huysmans (1884) Baby and Child Care by Dr Benjamin Spock (1946) The Beauty…

Friday Sprog Blogging: why school?

We've already noted the prevalence of Canada geese in our area. The other day, as we were walking home, we found ourselves directly under a low-flying gaggle. Younger offspring: Those geese are flying really close. Elder offspring: And they're flying in a giant check-mark. Dr. Free-Ride: Traditionally, that formation is described as a "V". But I guess you're right, one side of it seems to have a few more geese than the other. Younger offspring: Why do they fly in a "V"? Dr. Free-Ride: That's a good question. Any thoughts on that? Elder offspring: In a "V", none of the geese is completely…

What exactly are grades supposed to mean?

I'm just back from a committee meeting at which the subject of grades and grade distributions came up, and it became clear to me that academics (even at the same institution, even in the same field) have wildly different philosophies about just what grades ought to mean. There are the normal-distribution folks, who think grades ought to convey how you are doing relative to the other people taking the class. The average grade is a C, no matter whether that average corresponds to demonstrating coompetence on 40% of the content or 90% of the content. The grade you get is dependent on how many…

Friday Sprog Blogging: Groundhog's Day 2007

Last night, while tucking the Free-Ride offspring into bed: Dr. Free-Ride: Tomorrow is Groundhog's Day. Elder offspring: I really hope the groundhog doesn't see his shadow this year so we can have an early spring. Younger offspring: Yay! Spring could start tomorrow! Dr. Free-Ride: Hold on now, "early spring" doesn't mean spring will start immediately, it means -- Younger offspring: I really want spring to start early because then my birthday will come sooner! Dr. Free-Ride: OK, you guys realize that what the groundhog sees has no impact whatsoever on how many calendar days are left until…

Fair exam administration to multiple sections.

If my congested head is upright today, I must be administering final exams. This puts me in mind of a question that has not come up this semester (and, with luck, will not), but that has come up on occasion in the past. I frequently teach multiple sections of the same course in a given semester. On the one hand, this simplifies things, because it means that I have fewer exams to write. (A single final exam works for both section of Philosophy of Science.) But, since our final exams are scheduled based on the regular meeting days and times for the courses, there are then necessarily…

DonorsChoose 2009 Social Media Challenge: checking in on day 13.

Our month-long drive with DonorsChoose to raise funds for public school classroom projects has been under way for almost two weeks now. At the moment, the ScienceBlogs leaderboard show a total of $15,890 from 121 generous donors, benefiting 6,971 public school students. That's pretty good work so far! Of course, there's also the matter of how the ScienceBlogs bloggers who have mounted challenges are doing in their competition to demonstrate that their readers are the most generous. So let's check in on the horse race. Most money donated: DrPal's First Aid for Michigan Classrooms ($2,054)…

Lunch plate audit.

PalMD is trying to eat better (and drop a little weight). Dr. Isis has been offering some advice on what sorts of meals might help Pal cut the calories while still being healthy and satisfying. Pal has been taking the advice to heart, but finds time constraints an impediment to the kind of food he want to be eating. As you might guess, my work and family situation give me some experience in throwing together meals under time pressure. So I wanted to offer a couple of quick recipes to Pal. But I also thought I'd page Dr. Isis to see if she'd weigh in on the nutritional punch these dishes…

Jenny McCarthy, antivaccine lunacy, and "The View"

Like Steve, I'm off to The Amazing Meeting today. I don't know how much I'll be posting, but, as Han Solo so famously said, "Hey, it's me." I'm sure I won't be able to resist. In any case, I'll be taking part in the Science-Based Medicine workshop tomorrow, and, for the first time ever, I'll be giving a talk on the main stage on Saturday, as half of a tag team with Bob Blaskiewicz slicing and dicing our favorite cancer doctor Stanislaw Burzynski. That will be followed by a panel on—what else?—science-based medicine and how to take on the cranks, quacks, and dubious in medicine. In any case,…

Your Inner Fish

Your Inner Fish: A Journey into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body is a book you should read. With one small caveat I'll give you below, it can be used as a behind-the-desk supplement for teachers of anatomy or any kind of organismic biology in High School or Intro College. It can be assigned in some classes. Or, it is just plain excellent bedtime reading. It is interesting to look at how and why the book came about to begin with. In the author's words: This book grew out of an extraordinary circumstance in my life. On account of faculty departures, I ended up directing the…

How To Do Good Climate Science Instead Of Bad Climate Science

In order to do good climate science, you have to understand and control for the sources of variation in the system. In any system that involvs metric change over time, there are four sources of variation: 1) Measurement or observational error (goofs, inaccuracies, bad calibration). The speed was 23 feet per second but the instrument read 22.5 or the observer wrote down 32 by accident, etc. 2) Internal (secular, natural) variation. If A causes changes in B over time, variation in B that would have happened anyway don't count in understanding the A-B link. 3) Causal relationship (causal…

Kangaroo DNA has been sequenced for the first time

Until I was sent this paper, I had no idea that Kangaroo DNA had not been sequenced before. How did we even know they had DNA?!?! This is the fourth Marsupial genome, after the Tasmanian Devil and and some other non-Australian marsupial, to be sequenced. According to Professor Marilyn Renfree of the University of Melborune, "The tammar wallaby sequencing project has provided us with many possibilities for understanding how marsupials are so different to us." Macropus eugenii is the tammar wallaby. This aninal has the longest period of embryonic diapause of any known mammal, highly…

Summer Reading Suggestions: Science

Here is a short list of what you should read this summer in science and science related topics. Some are old, some are new. There is a lot missing from this list, I'm sure, but the summer is short here in Minnesota and we'll be busy with the corn, so there is not much time. The Paleolithic Prescription: A Program of Diet & Exercise and a Design for Living by Eaton, Konner and Shostack. An oldie but a goodie. Read it as a pragmatic science book rather than a self help guide. The Kaufman Field Guide to Advanced Birding (Kaufman Field Guides) ... a bird book but not an ID guide. More…

On the creeping of the years and vision

Last week, I was forced to face the fact that I'm definitely, solidly, undeniably now middle-aged. Oh, I could delude myself before and say that I'm "mature" and even pretend to some extent that the slow deterioration that time causes biological organisms doesn't apply to me. I could even dismiss the increasing creakiness in my knees and the ache in my lower back that I seem to notice more and more upon rising in the morning as "nothing," because they only cause me minor annoyance. Indeed, I could pretend that the little niggling bits of evidence that my body is aging, just like that of…

I have this syndrome!

Finally, there's a word for a feeling that many people have no doubt experienced many times: Some call it "phantom vibration syndrome." Others prefer "vibranxiety" -- the feeling when you answer your vibrating cellphone, only to find it never vibrated at all. "It started happening about three years ago, when I first got a cellphone," says Canadian Steven Garrity, 28, of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. "I'd be sitting on the couch and feel my phone start to vibrate, so I'd reach down and pull it out of my pocket. But the only thing ringing was my thigh." Though no known studies have…

The Cheerful Oncologist discusses the Abraham Cherrix case

The Cheerful Oncologist, noting my recent post about the relapse of Abraham Cherrix's lymphoma in the lung, has done an analysis from--of course!--an oncologist's viewpoint. Given that I don't treat lymphoma, other than doing the occasional lymph node biopsy to diagnose it, his viewpoint is well worth reading. He quite correctly points out that Abraham's reasoning, where he observes that his tumor has "only" recurred in one place and concludes that what he's doing is working is the fallacy of moderation. He points out that for Hodgkin's lymphoma (and, I personally would add, for all cancer…

Now this ought to be unintentionally hilarious

On May 5 New York City will witness what will perhaps be the most unintentionally hilarious spectacle of two fundamentalists making utter fools of themselves: MEDIA ADVISORY, April 26 /Christian Newswire/ -- After ABC ran a story in January about hundreds of atheists videotaping themselves blaspheming the Holy Spirit, best-selling author Ray Comfort contacted the network and offered to prove God's existence, absolutely, scientifically, without mentioning the Bible or faith. He and Kirk Cameron (co-hosts of an award-winning Christian TV program) challenged the two originators of the "…

Doctor Who returns!

I have to wonder what we Anglophiles did before the invention of BitTorrent. I guess we probably waited months or years for the best British TV to make its way across the pond, usually to be shown on PBS, if at all. Now, I can look forward to the return of one of my favorite shows, Doctor Who, whose modern reincarnation with David Tennant is starting its third series tonight at 7 PM (London time, of course). I like the show so much that, even after BitTorrent-ing the episodes, I still ended up buying the DVDs when they made their way to the U.S., as a means of showing my support for the show…

Another bad teacher

Here's a newspaper article about a classroom debate on global warming. Class debates are good, I think — they get the students thinking about the evidence and working over how to present it persuasively, although I also think it's up to the instructor to provide some guidance. Realistically, sixth graders aren't going to have a good handle on either the facts or the theory, and it's up to the teacher to give them the battery of data they're going to use to make their arguments. And sometimes it can go wrong. In this case, the students who do not believe humans contribute to global warming…

How to respond in the classroom to questions about religion

... In public schools. According to one Federal Judge in the US, not much. A Mission Viejo high school history teacher violated the First Amendment by disparaging Christians during a classroom lecture, a federal judge ruled. a repost James Corbett, a 20-year teacher at Capistrano Valley High School, referred to Creationism as "religious, superstitious nonsense" during a 2007 classroom lecture, denigrating his former Advanced Placement European history student, Chad Farnan. The decision is the culmination of a 16-month legal battle between Corbett and Farnan - a conflict the judge said…

I want to fight the greatest threat to freedom of our times

My grandfather fought against the assault on our freedoms in the form of the Kaiser's army in WW I. At one point he became gravely ill (the "Spanish flu" perhaps) and was not allowed to march forward with his unit. They were all killed. My father fought in WW II against the Nazi's, who were one of the greatest threats against our freedoms to ever exist. He won a couple of medals, finished off his work in the European Theater, and the war ended as he was on his way to Japan, having volunteered for the invasion against the Japanese Imperialists, who were the other great threat against our…

85% of Americans Want a Presidential Debate on Science

Despite the fact that the presidential candidates will not accept the invitation extended by Science Debate 2008 for a nationally broadcast science forum in May there is ample evidence to suggest that they should: A new poll ... a real poll .. indicates that 85% of US Adults agree that there should be a debate. The poll results can be found here. Here is a summary of the poll: WASHINGTON--May 12, 2008-- A new poll shows that 85% of U.S. adults agree that the presidential candidates should participate in a debate on how science can be used to tackle America's major challenges. The poll…

Fishing Opener

Opener This is one of the few Fishing Openers for which I've stayed in the Twin Cities since moving to Minnesota. Before moving to Minnesota, I had never heard of a thing called an "opener" before. Well, I had heard of openers, but they were tools used to open beers in the days before they figured out that if you left the bottle cap just a little loose, beer drinkers could twist the cap off without the tool ... the opener. But that's another story entirely. But, even though I usually have been outstate (up north) for the Opener in previous years, it was never really because it was…

Its Seal Hunting Season Again!

Canada, land of the holier than thou. Hey, some of my best friends are Canadians, but really, most Canadians look down on Americans for being all the bad things that we truly are. So fine, we deserve it. But if you are a non-Canadian of any nationality, the next time a Canadian condescends to you, mention the one-million-seal a year quote that the Canadian government allows in their annual seal hunt. Top Three Seal Hunt Myths Here are the top three myths told by Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) about the commercial seal hunt: Myth #1: The seal hunt is humane. All…

The World's Smartest Conservative Was a Dope

Right, I know, he just died so we have to pretend we did not loath him for a least two weeks. But I have the sense that William Buckley would not give me that courtesy, so forget that. I am reminded that Buckley is often quoted as having said words to these effect: I would rather be governed by the first 2000 people in the Boston telephone directory than by the 2000 people on the faculty at Harvard University. What a dummy. The most recent instance in which I've seen the man with my own eyes, and heard him with my own ears, saying this (on TV, not in real life ... because he's dead and all…

Andrew Wakefield to speak at Brandeis University

Calling all Boston area skeptics! Calling all Boston area skeptics! The Bat Signal is up! Your fair city is being invaded by the man who, arguably more than anyone else, sparked the latest incarnation of the anti-vaccine movement, is about to metastasize to your fair city (well, to its suburb of Waltham) and speak at one of your universities, specifically Brandeis University. That's right, Andrew Wakefield is invading your town, apparently invited by that one trick pony of a blogger for the anti-vaccine crank blog Age of Autism, namely Jake Crosby: Struck off the UK's medical register after…

The animal rights radicals may have overreached this time

Yesterday, I learned of how animal rights terrorists are targeting college students as the "soft underbelly of the vivisection movement." As an example of their new strategy, these thugs gloated over the "recantation" by a Florida Atlantic University student named Alena Rodriguez, who, because of her e-mail to a Negotiation Is Over editor named Ghazal Tajalli rejecting her request to become involved in an animal rights event, was targeted for a campaign of intimidation, smears, and harassment. As a result, Rodriguez was sufficiently terrified that she basically gave the thugs what they wanted…

Reasons to run, not walk, from a Reiki practitioner

Grant time again! Since today--yes, today!--is the deadline for a rather big grant I'm writing (not quite R01 level, but a respectable three year project if I can get it), I was up until the wee hours of the morning trying to put this sucker to bed. Being the ever-benevolent blogger, though, far be it from me to deny you some Insolence. It'll just have to be recycled Insolence. Not just recycled Insolence, either. Old recycled Insolence, four years old, to be precise! Unbelievable! In fact, it's so old that the links don't even work anymore; so you'll have to take my word for it that I quoted…

Farrah Fawcett: Dead of cancer at age 62

Unfortunately, I saw this coming, although I had thought that it might be a few more months. Farrah Fawcett has lost her three year battle with anal cancer: Farrah Fawcett, an actress and television star whose good looks and signature flowing hairstyle influenced a generation of women and bewitched a generation of men, beginning with a celebrated pinup poster, died Thursday morning in Santa Monica, Calif. She was 62 and lived in West Los Angeles. Her death, at St. John's Health Center, was caused by anal cancer, which she had been battling since 2006, said her spokesman, Paul Bloch. To an…

"Have the conservatives in just two and a half months out of power become everything they hate about the loony left?"

One more reason why John Stewart and his writers are geniuses is here, where he examines the "Tea Parties" we in the U.S. were subjected to three days ago, including one in my own town: The Daily Show With Jon Stewart M - Th 11p / 10c Nationwide Tax Protests thedailyshow.com Daily Show Full Episodes Economic Crisis Political Humor How is it that to the right comparing Bush to Hitler was overblown and unfair over a great many issues, including the war in Iraq (a criticism that I actually agreed with, even though I was thoroughly opposed to the war--think Hitler Zombie),…

The AMA investigates Catherine DeAngelis and JAMA

Last week, there was a bit of a scandal of sorts over an editorial published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), which I blogged about in a rather long post. The short version is that a flawed study that tested using Lexapro that neglected to report a rather important comparison that would have changed the conclusion to finding no difference between cognitive therapy and Lexapro in relieving the symptoms of depression after a stroke resulted in a complaint by Dr. Jonathan Leo of Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, TN. Dr. Leo wrote a letter pointing inquiring…