Politics
clock | August 13, 2008I listened with interest to the NPR story about science-related positions of Obama and McCain. Listen to the podcast at that link as the text differs.
Now, you can search scienceblogs, or just all blogs, or for instance, DailyKos diaries and learn about details of the two candidates' stands on science, and will then see how wonderfully deceptive was the McCain representative on this show. But he betrayed himself by using one particular word:
Holtz-Eakin says McCain's time in the Senate has made him comfortable with scientists who may have politically unwelcome views. "He [McCain] has always…
drorzel | August 13, 2008You may be wondering whether the recent spate of blogging about science in popular media and peer review (by the way, you should definitely read Janet's two posts on these issues) has any connection to my talk next month at the Science in the 21st Century workshop. Yes, yes it does-- I figure that I'm going to be getting so little sleep in the next few weeks that I need as much of a head start as I can manage. Of course, this also means that I will continue to go on and on about this topic for a little while yet...
The thing that I think is most critical here is to recognize that the poor…
evolvingthoughts | August 12, 2008
A retired chemist has had his home lab confiscated in Maryland because a government official was scared of it. Sayeth Robert Thompson:
Pamela Wilderman, the code enforcement officer for Marlboro, stated, "I think Mr. Deeb has crossed a line somewhere. This is not what we would consider to be a customary home occupation."
Allow me to translate Ms. Wilderman's words into plain English: "Mr. Deeb hasn't actually violated any law or regulation that I can find, but I don't like what he's doing because I'm ignorant and irrationally afraid of chemicals, so I'll abuse my power to steal his…
oracknows | August 12, 2008By this stage of the game, I'm guessing that you're probably as tired of the 2008 Presidential race as I am. Too bad there are still nearly three months of this nonsense to go, and, although John McCain has gone deep into the stupid with ads featuring comparisons of his opponent with Paris Hilton, even Barack Obama doesn't seem entirely immune from attacks of pandering himself, proposing as he has, to eliminate income taxes on seniors. Of course, this being August, and all, the slowest news month of the year, coupled with the--heh--traditional wisdom that no one really pays attention to the…
jlynch | August 11, 2008Tim @ Deltoid beat me to posting about the new (online at least) Naomi Oreskes talk in which she discusses the tactics of the Western Fuels Association (go here), so instead I'd like to take the opportunity to highlight a paper she and Zuoyue Wang contributed to the Isis Focus section on the value of history of science. The abstract reads:
Historians of science have participated actively in debates over American science policy in the post-World War II period in a variety of ways, but their impact has been more to elucidate general concepts than to effect specific policy changes. Personal…
pzminion | August 11, 2008Monday morning, PST: time for some science with a side of controversy, Danio-style
There's a Department of Health and Human Services document circulating that's got the pro-choice lobby up in arms. Afarensis and The Questionable Authority weighed in on the sociopolitical impact of such a policy last week, but in addition to the significant threat to reproductive rights that it presents, this proposal is yet another example of the complete lack of scientific expertise informing decisions about public health.
At issue is the determination of a time point that marks the beginning of pregnancy…
gregladen | August 11, 2008I find it interesting that people are suggesting that the Georgian move on South Ossetia a few days ago occurred when it did because the Olympics are on and no one would notice because they would all be watching the sports. Meanwhile, at this particular moment, the highest ranking story regarding the Olympics on the BBC news feed is 15th in line. It seems to me that this year's Olympics are not exactly the hottest thing going. There are probably a few reasons for that.
In any event, "Why boycott the Olympics?" you say?
Well, if I was a country, I would be unlikely to boycott the Olympics…
gregladen | August 11, 2008Cyberattacks on Georgian Internet and continued fighting within the country. News below the fold. Meantime, here's a map:
Hackers, perhaps affiliated with a well-known Russian criminal network, have attacked and hijacked Web sites belonging to Georgia, the former Soviet republic now in the fourth day of war with Russia, a security researcher claimed on Sunday.
Some Georgian government and commercial sites are unavailable, while others may have been hijacked, said Jart Armin, a researcher who tracks the notorious Russian Business Network (RBN), a malware and criminal hosting network.
"Many…
j7uy5 | August 11, 2008It's all over the Internet, so I won't belabor it. People are
talking about the McCain video that allegedly implies that Obama might
be the Antichrist. It's said to be a "dog-whistle," meaning
that only the intended audience gets the message. Others
might see it, but miss the hidden meaning.
From Crooked Timber:
href="http://crookedtimber.org/2008/08/05/abominations-of-the-world/">Abominations
of the World
by Henry on August 5, 2008
title="">Scott
at his other place blogs about the latest McCain video (which is so
staggeringly bad at achieving its purported aims that it…
jlynch | August 10, 2008Cokie Roberts in full concern troll mode:
I know his grandmother lives in Hawaii and I know Hawaii is a state, but it has the look of him going off to some sort of foreign, exotic place. He should be at Myrtle Beach and if he's going to take a vacation at this time. I just think this is not the time to do that.
People, let's get this straight, Hawaii is one of the 50 states and Obama has family there. It's a farking vacation ... one that remains within the United States. Not to mention that McCain took nearly every weekend off at residences in Arlington and Phoenix or vacation homes near…
stoat | August 10, 2008Not that Georgia of course, I mean the country.
In one of the stupidest political miscalculations since Bush thought it was a good idea to invade Iraq, the Georgian Prez seems to have decided that since everyone was watching the olympics on telly now would be a good time to "invade" South Ossetia (and amusingly enough, it seems some Georgian troops currently in Iraq are heading home). The Beeb seems to have a reasonable summary.
Notice that I had to put "invade" in quotes above: SO technically is a part of Georgia. But as far as I can tell, it does so in roughly the same sense that Kosovo…
gregladen | August 10, 2008I am hearing things from within Georgia that are best not repeated until a day or so has passed, but genrally my understanding is that the situation is primarily one of confusion. The Georgians have declared a cease fire (some 24 hours or so ago) and claim to have stopped fighting. The Russians claim that this is not the case, and they continue to move troops and carry out bombing runs. The international airport near Tblisi has been bombed, and a Geogian naval ship has been sunk. People are fleeing not only South Ossetia but other regions including around Tblisis as well. This sitution…
pzminion | August 10, 2008Here's a little funny for your Sunday morning, just to change things up a bit.
Are you feeling forced to vote for the lesser of two evils in the upcoming (American) presidential election? That trusted source The Onion shows you how you can pretend you care, while not having to vote at all.
Today Now!: How To Pretend You Give A Shit About The Election
Note: because I've caused some confusion before, I will note that my text above was largely sarcastic, and I really do believe that it is important to vote.
Posted by LisaJ
gregladen | August 9, 2008It is not so funny that the Georgian Army is accused of attempting ethnic genocide in southern Ossetia, that the Russians have been bombing cities in Georgia, that the Georgians or somebody have shot down two Russian fighter planes, and that things seem to be escalating. Dozens, maybe hundreds, by some reports thousands dead. This was especially unfunny a couple of hours ago when my daughter came to be in tears having heard the latest news ... her mother is currently in Georgia trapped in a region that is not seeing any fighting, but it is a small country. (Julia is very rarely this upset…
pzminion | August 8, 2008LisaJ here: A new survey shows that 48% of the American public is suffering from a frightening new illness, termed 'Obama fatigue'. Apparently a lot of people's Obama receptors have reached saturation, and we're all hoping that a week long Hawaiian vacation will relieve this little issue. Now even I have noticed that Barack gets a lot more airtime than his opponent Johnnie, but how could you wish him away? He's just so damn charismatic, with his little rock star style. So the question here is, even if you support Obama (or at least prefer him to your other choice), are you suffering from…
sb admin | August 8, 2008OK, this post gets a big IANAL stamped across it. I don't know the legal ins and outs here (and I'm not sure if anyone does), but the new announcement by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regarding laptop computers puts physicians and other health care providers in a bit of a spot.
HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) is the law that governs the privacy of your medical information. It is very, very detailed, and requires quite a bit from your doctor. You've signed a form at the office of every provider you've visited that notifies you of your privacy…
tqa | August 8, 2008
The camera at the opening ceremonies just captured our President, sprawled in his chair, binoculars dangling limply from one hand, looking blankly out in space, and generally appearing to be thoroughly bored. That appearance was not dispelled when he looked at his watch. Way to represent us to the world, Bushie.
Update: Daily Kos has the video up for those of you who missed it.
oracknows | August 8, 2008"If you're not a liberal at 20, you have no heart. And if you're not a conservative at 40, you have no head." - Winston Churchill
Like one of my blog buds, PalMD, I usually don't discuss purely political issues on this blog. After all, I have my niche, and I've become quite good at blogging within that niche, if I do say so myself. Also, let's face it: Political bloggers are a dime a dozen, by and large, while few do what I do, and I like it that way. Still, sometimes something happens that makes it impossible for me to help myself and I can't resist. After all, anyone who blogs fancies…
gregladen | August 8, 2008On this day in 1974. It was Richard Nixon. I remember it like it was yesterday.
Richard Nixon has announced he is stepping down as president of the United States - the first man ever to do so.
He has announced his departure in the face of an imminent impeachment trial - and possible removal from office - over the Watergate affair.
The president broke the news of his resignation in a television broadcast from the White House on Thursday at 2100 local time. It will take effect from noon tomorrow.
Mr Nixon, 61, said initially he had believed it was his duty to complete his term of office…