Politics
palmd | June 12, 2009We already know the hate-filled bag of right-wing goatfuckery, Rush Limbaugh, wants the head of state of the USA to "fail". There was a lot of argument from idiots about what that meant. The excuses were flying: "fail" meant his "socialist agenda", not his goal of saving the US from this recession, and other such nonsense. But the meaning was clear. If we are to climb out of this recession, Rush very much cares how we do it, and would rather we fail as a nation rather than have his putative anti-Christ carry the mantle of success. But he never said he wanted Obama to drop dead.
That honor…
catdynamics | June 12, 2009Japan to secretly join CERN?
Two travelers with $134 billion in US Treasury and Federal Reserve bonds hidden in a suitcase, seized at the Italian-Swiss border.
Seriously
This is just fascinating:
who tipped the Italians off, and why?
will the Italians really take their 40% fine for failing to declare if the bonds turn out to be real?
How to tell if US Treasuries are real
NB: UST bearer securities were discontinued in 1982.
sample fake UST $100 million bond.
Here is the NY Federal Reserve page on scams, with images of past sample scams
They note in particular claims of $500 million…
sciencepunk | June 12, 2009As expected, the special report issued by the IUSS Committee recommends the creation of a dedicated committee overseeing science policy in the UK Government. See my report at the Guardian Science Blog:
The Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Committee issued a special report today calling on the government to safeguard scrutiny of science policy following the merger of the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) with the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. The report recommends that proposals for the creation of a separate science and…
grrlscientist | June 12, 2009tags: David Letterman, Sarah Palin, NYC, New York City, humor, politics, social commentary, streaming video
Normally, I can't stand David Letterman because he has such a cruel sense of humor. But in this case, I'll make an exception since his sense of humor is perfectly suited to bring Sarah Palin down a notch or two -- as she so richly deserves [1:50]
hrynyshyn | June 12, 2009Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced Thursday that Canada is getting out of the medical isotope business. The implications of the decision, which appears to be motivated primarily by a desire to avoid further political embarrassment, go beyond the confines of the country's health-care system. It also hints at some tough times ahead for those responsible for overseeing the world's nuclear industries.
First, Canada until recently produced close to 40% of the world's supply molybdenum-99, a radioactive isotope that decays quickly to technetium-99, which is widely used to help diagnose cancers…
gregladen | June 11, 2009The new Right Wing values: Kill your enemy and then eat them.
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
palmd | June 11, 2009I know, I know, I don't usually do politics, but Rush is really chapping my ass right about now. His comments are always outrageously hate-filled diatribes, and he's getting harder to ignore every day. What's worse, his followers eagerly suckle at the teat intolerance, finding solace in his affirmation of their own bigotry. And finally, he is cynical beyond any hope of redemption.
First, he is virtually a Holocaust denier, and as we know, Holocaust denial is always a manifestation of hatred of Jews.
"He [Obama] is beating Germany up. He is ripping them to shreds over something they did…
gregladen | June 11, 2009Or so says Ken Avidor, who responds here to my comments on Minneapolis former council member Dean Zimmerman.
gregladen | June 11, 2009You will find the report below the fold. Please note that according to this document, you are not supposed to be reading it on the internet. I assume that is old and out of date information. But just in case, don't mention to anyone that you have seen this or where you saw it. K?
You asked, I answer. (Don't grow accustom to that, by the way.)
- - - - - the fold - - - - -
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment
IA-0257-09
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Rightwing Extremism:…
choofnagle | June 11, 2009Obama's honeymoon is over, and so is my intermittent blogging, because business groups have finally started their machines! Christopher Conkey reports in the Journal:
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce said it will spend $100 million in an effort to stem the "rapidly growing influence of government over private-sector activity," in a major new move by the powerful business group to counter the Obama administration's regulatory agenda.
[...]
Chamber president Thomas Donohue said his organization is launching its "Campaign for Free Enterprise" because an "avalanche of new rules, restrictions,…
palmd | June 11, 2009
"Whosoever saves a single life, saves an entire universe"
In Memoriam Stephen T. Johns, Righteous Among Nations
sciencepunk | June 10, 2009Lord Mandelson is insisting science and education won't suffer under the Department for Business, rubbishing the idea that business-led investment and curiosity-led research are exclusive options.
Zoe Corbyn speaks to Mandelson for Times Higher Education:
Told by Times Higher Education that universities had reacted with "horror" to news that the business department would take over responsibility for higher education policy, Lord Mandelson claimed that this was "absolutely untrue"."I spoke yesterday to [Universities UK president] Rick Trainor who expressed no horror whatsoever," he said. "And…
oracknows | June 10, 2009I never thought I'd see it, but I have. After an a decent article on the infiltration of quackademic medicine into American medical centers and a very good article on cancer quackery, Marilyn Marchione of the AP has done it again:
AP IMPACT: $2.5B spent, no alternative med cures
It almost seems as though Ms. Marchione is channeling Orac:
BETHESDA, Md. -- Ten years ago the government set out to test herbal and other alternative health remedies to find the ones that work. After spending $2.5 billion, the disappointing answer seems to be that almost none of them do.
Echinacea for colds. Ginkgo…
oracknows | June 10, 2009One of the common topics I discuss on this blog is Holocaust denial. Indeed, I've been opposing Holocaust denial on various online forums for ten years now. I've castigated David Irving, mocked Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for his worldwide Holocaust denial conference, and made frequent comments about how Holocaust denial is inextricably linked with anti-Semitism and racism, often directly due to the white nationalist movement (or, as I like to refer to white supremacists, mighty white power rangers).
That's why I was very saddened to learn about what happened at the Holocaust Museum earlier today:…
ejohnson | June 10, 2009
In January, Barack Obama promised in his inaugural address to "restore science to its rightful place." The pledge was a win for scientists everywhere, and particularly for those working in the US. But now, with the European Parliamentary (EP) elections at hand, whether Obama's sentiments are shared by politicians worldwide remains to be seen. Last Thursday through Sunday, members of the 27 member states of the European Union voted for representatives from seven parties to fill 736 seats in the EP. ScienceBlogger Frank Swain of SciencePunk, together with The Lay Scientist, sent a nine-…
jstemwedel | June 10, 2009Almost a month ago, I told you about a pair of new case studies released by The Global Campaign for Microbicides which examine why a pair of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) clinical trials looking at the effectiveness of antiretrovirals in preventing HIV infection were halted. In that post, I also proposed that we read and discuss these case studies as a sort of ethics book club.
Next Monday, June 15, we'll be kicking off our discussion of the first case study, "Research Rashomon: Lessons from the Cameroon Pre-exposure Prophylaxis Trial Site" (PDF).
The case study is on the long side (54…
grrlscientist | June 10, 2009tags: agribusiness, agriculture, dairy farm, cows, industrial dairy farm, milk, dairy products, streaming video
This is interesting video sums up my view of America perfectly .. After visiting a Denny's Restaurant, President Obama was visibly shaken and disillusioned; and plans to abandon complex policies on emissions, clean coal and refocus on achievable goals like applying deodorant daily, and learning what to say when you burp [2:46]
Of course, I want to point out that Denny's looks upper middle class when compared to the McDonald's in my 'hood. Just sayin'.
The Onion News Network is an…
clock | June 9, 2009Since my post about it is not on the front page any more, I just want to remind you of the groundswell of support for the Silence Is The Enemy initiative.
Join the Facebook group, donate to Doctors Without Borders and write a letter to your representatives. Join the blogger coalition by blogging about this and spreading the word.
Small help is better than no help. And in many cases, growing coverage of an issue in the blogosphere forces the corporate media to break the silence as well, start paying attention and start covering it. Then, once it is in MSM, the elected officials start noticing…
sciencepunk | June 9, 2009Lord Mandelson, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, will tomorrow announce his intention to place science "at centre of vision of Britain's future prosperity" in a speech at the Science Museum in London.
Marking the launch of the museum's centenary celebrations, Mandelson will outline the role of science in the newly-created Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. In a press release he stated:
A new world is emerging. One on the edge of a new industrial revolution that's driven by new technologies and the world's shift to low-carbon. And where global…
sciencepunk | June 9, 2009I'm in the Guardian again, talking about the Government's decision to scrap the two-year old Department for Innovation, Universities, and Skills in favour of incorporating these duties into the Department for Business. Science is in a vulnerable position at the moment:
As the dust settles following Gordon Brown's cabinet shuffle on Friday, it's clear that the landscape of British science has been transformed. Where the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills once stood, now only a vacant lot and several skips filled with DIUS-branded stationery remain. If the forwarding address is…