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sb admin | July 6, 2010Liz Borkowski writes: I wrote last week about how federal agencies can solve the problems that create conditions for disease outbreaks - or fail to solve them, as is too often the case. This week, I wanted to focus on the role Congress plays in public health agencies' effectiveness, because that's another angle that crops up repeatedly in Inside the Outbreaks.
Congress's creation of federal agencies is clearly a huge achievement, and they've also periodically given new powers to already existing agencies. For instance, Mark Pendergrast tells the story of the Dalkon Shield, an IUD that turned…
dblum | July 5, 2010A couple days ago I received this note:
"There was an article in the Huffington Post not long ago about an extreme worst case scenario with the oil spill - that a giant methane bubble bursts through the sea floor, ignites, causes a huge supersonic tsunami that would wipe out all of Florida, followed by a vaporization tsunami.
I've heard this described as "disaster porn", and certainly, the scenario smacks of it. But, there have been extreme natural disasters in the past, and not being a geologist, I can't help but feel some alarm at this, as I'm currently a resident of Tampa. I have…
cwilcox | July 5, 2010The other day, Jason, Sci, Travis and I got together to chit chat about various aspects of grad student life. You know - likes, dislikes, how we ended up in grad school, etc. Anyhow, here's our little chat for your enjoyment:
You can also download the MP3 directly for your iPod, etc from this link HERE.
Is there anything we left out? Any questions you have about being a grad student, or anything really? We intend to make this podcast (tentatively named "Scibling Showdown") a regular habit, so if you've got something you want to know, don't be shy.
PS: Y'all missed the five minutes prior…
gregladen | July 5, 2010The remains of US-born chess champion Bobby Fischer have been exhumed in Iceland to establish a paternity claim.
Lawyers for nine-year old Jinky Young and her mother, Marilyn, who had a relationship with Fischer, claim she is entitled to Fischer's fortune.
The Supreme Court in Reykjavik ruled last month a tissue sample was needed to prove she was Fischer's daughter.
He died in 2008 having become an Icelander in 2005. Apparently, there are a lot of people after his two million dollar estate.
sastyk | July 5, 2010Not only does my terrific colleague at Myrmecos have some of the prettiest beehives I ever did see, but he's got the best collection of hive art out there. Check it out! I forsee an art project over the winter at Gleanings Farm!
Sharon
sastyk | July 4, 2010Just to let you know, I'm going to be starting another class this coming week, beginning on Tuesday - this one helping people get started with fall gardening and season extension.
If you are like most folks, you probably start out enthusiastic about your garden, but around the middle of the summer, you get focused on harvesting, or overwhelmed and let the cool season garden peter out. And that's a mistake, because with very simple and cheap methods of season extension and a little attention right about now (for those as northerly as me, a bit later for folks south of me in this hemisphere…
gregladen | July 4, 2010
Gemsbok probably have more adaptations to dry conditions than any other antelope. They even recover the moisture from the breath they exhale in their sinuses. They will also fight for shade.
gregladen | July 4, 2010Today is the last day of SkepchiCON, a skeptic and science track at the Convergence Convention, which in turn is one of those science fiction and fantasy conventions. I've attended a number of panels most of which I participated in, and they have all done well. For the most part, I'm told, the Skepchicon tracks get a larger audience than many other events, suggesting that we-all are doing something right. Skepchick Car2D2 deserves a huge round of applause for her awesome efforts in organizing this event.
I've had a great time visiting with friends and colleagues from in town and out of…
gregladen | July 3, 2010Scene: Berkeley, California, April 1986. A bar. Five conference attendees, myself included, grabbing a hamburger and a beer in a fern-bar on or near Telegraph.
All eyes are on the TV’s mounted over the bar, where we watch footage of an air strike against Libya. This is the retribution by Ronald Reagan against Insane African Leader Muammar al-Kadafi. The White House was issuing statements about al-Kadafi’s involvement in bombings in Europe, the OPEC oil ministry kidnapping, linkage to the infamous Jackal, and so on. Nikki, a friend and colleague, said something, and I remember asking…
gregladen | July 3, 2010
This is a canal paralleling the Gariep (aka Orange) River in the Northern Cape of South Africa. Around the turn of the 19th century missionaries moved into this area and developed water irrigation systems that supported the development of an orchard industry which is still going strong, with an increasing focus on table grapes. The dry conditions facilitated drying fruit, so this is essentially the tried apricot and raisin capital of the world. Or at least, southern Africa.
This water wheel turns with the force of the water in the canal, and with the wheel rotates a cup which picks up a…
gregladen | July 3, 2010The coffee shop was already loud. The walls, floor, and ceiling of the Caribou are all made of sound-bouncy materials. The equipment behind the counter is loud to begin with and is not muffled by any structure. The barista has developed the typical barista habit of banging shit on other shit as loud as he can and as often as he can.
Saturday is Reposted Essay Day!
Then in walked the big loud highly annoying Christians from the local seminary....
...I am sitting at the far south end of the coffee shop where it is dark, and they are sitting at the absolute other end of the coffee ship, by…
gregladen | July 2, 2010There are two lies you will hear from anyone who is into the sport of angling. 1) "It was THIS BIG!" and 2) "Catching fish isn't the point. It's the experience of fishing that matters."
Saturday is Reposted Essay Day!
The Mocking Bass. For four years this fish watched me cast lures and live bait from the end of the small dilapidated dock in the lagoon behind the cabin, without ever showing interest in what I had to offer. Two weeks ago I dropped a plastic worm on his head. The worm slid off and rested on the bottom. The mocking bass reoriented towards the worm and took a sniff. I…
gregladen | July 2, 2010Our guest is Ben Radford, columnist and managing editor for Skeptical Inquirer Magazine. Ben is a veteran investigator of paranormal incidents, and the author of "Scientific Paranormal Investigation: How to Solve Unexplained Mysteries." He'll share stories about his favourite investigations, and the techniques he uses to bring real science to bear on paranormal claims.
Speaking up" Markus Volter with OmegaTauPodcast.net
Details here
sb admin | July 2, 2010I tend to want to make posts on Creative Commons related topics at the CC blog, but this is essentially a personal post, and I also want to have it as widely read in our community as possible.
Today is Kaitlin Thaney's last day at CC. She's been working for us on the Science Commons project for a long time - starting part time in mid 2006, full time in early 2007 - and she's been an absolutely essential part of our success over the years.
I first met Kaitlin because she was interning, while finishing at Northeastern, for a joint MIT-Microsoft project called iCampus. She started showing up at…
jwilbanks | July 2, 2010I tend to want to make posts on Creative Commons related topics at the CC blog, but this is essentially a personal post, and I also want to have it as widely read in our community as possible.
Today is Kaitlin Thaney's last day at CC. She's been working for us on the Science Commons project for a long time - starting part time in mid 2006, full time in early 2007 - and she's been an absolutely essential part of our success over the years.
I first met Kaitlin because she was interning, while finishing at Northeastern, for a joint MIT-Microsoft project called iCampus. She started showing up at…
gregladen | July 2, 2010When the dotcom bubble burst, hotelier Chip Conley went in search of a business model based on happiness. In an old friendship with an employee and in the wisdom of a Buddhist king, he learned that success comes from what you count.
kcollins | July 2, 2010Participating significantly at virtually every level of the USA Science & Engineering Festival - from start to finish - the University of Maryland, College Park is recognized as a "Dream Festival Partner."
In addition to serving as a valued Festival Sponsor, the university will host the Festival's opening and closing ceremonies, and will also participate in Nifty Fifty speaking sessions at schools, Lunch with a Laureate brown bag meetings, and in the Festival's exciting Expo exhibits and stage performances at the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
UM President C.D. Mote, Jr.
University of…
sb admin | July 2, 2010Steve Schoenbaum writes: In his blog this week, Mark Pendergrast challenges someone/anyone to take on explaining the differences between case-control studies vs. cohort studies. As an EIS officer, back in late May/early June 1968, I did a case-control study as part of the investigation of a common source outbreak of hepatitis in Ogemaw County, Michigan, so I will try to pick up the challenge. I believe it was only the second time case-control methods were used in a CDC epidemic investigation. In using this method I learned about the power of comparison, not just that numerators need…