Tobias Tenny writes Guided by Parasites: Toxoplasma Modified Humans. He gives some background (exerted below) but points to an interview with Dr. Robert Sopalsky. The 20 minute video is below and transcript is here.
"Toxoplasma (Toxoplasma gondii) [Toxo] was first observed in 1908. You may have heard of it as the crazy parasite that makes rats attracted to cats. This, in its own right, is astonishing, interesting, & bizarre. It has also been widely known that pregnant women should stay clear of cat scat & other sources for Toxo as it can adversely affect the development of the fetus. Dr. Robert Sopalsky at Stanford has taken this link to humans further & has been studying, in detail, how it is affecting humans with some startling observation."
"The quick summary is that Toxo can only sexually reproduce in the gut of a cat. The cat then excretes Toxo in its feces which is then consumed by the intermediate hosts (e.g., a rat). Once in the rat Toxo’s goal is to then be eaten by a cat so it can be fruitful and multiply, but as I mentioned, this can only take place in the cat’s gut. Toxo’s goal is to get the rat eaten by a cat.
Toxo could get the desired effect through a whole sort of seemingly obvious ways; e.g., Make the rat hard to run so it is easier for a cat to catch it. Instead it takes a far more interesting approach:
Toxo generates cysts in the brain of the rat. These cysts take over the fear center of the brain, but specifically the fear of predators. Common fear sources for rodents (e.g., bright lights, open spaces, etc.) still operate perfectly well in an infected rat, but now they are no longer afraid of cat piss.
That alone would be cool enough, but Toxo takes it one step further. When Toxo is going about futzing with the fear center of the brain it also goes into the sexual excitement part of the brain. It hijacks the incoming Fear of Cat Piss™ and instead diverts the signal to the Barry White™ center of the brain."
Then he goes on to describe the effects in humans.
This video is from Edge Video which looks to have tons of interesting stuff.
Monday, June 07, 2010
"Twistor" Theory Reignites the Latest Superstring Revolution
Scientific American has an interesting article, "Twistor" Theory Reignites the Latest Superstring Revolution.
"Penrose’s original goal was to reconsider how quantum principles apply to space and time. Conventional wisdom held that spacetime geometry should fluctuate on quantum scales, altering how events relate to one another. But in that case, an event that was supposed to cause another may no longer do so, creating paradoxes such as those found in time-travel stories. In twistor theory, causal sequences are primary and do not fluctuate. (The theory gets its name from what causal relations look like around a spinning particle, as shown at the left.) Instead the location and timing of events fluctuate. But twistorians could not make this idea precise—until string theorists showed that an event of ambiguous location and time is nothing more or less than a string.
String theorists, for their part, had a promising idea for the creation of space that they could not get to work. In 1997 they conjectured that particles zipping around in four dimensions can behave just like strings interacting in five dimensions. The new dimension materializes like a figure in a pop-up book. Yet this conjuring trick produced only a single dimension of highly warped space. Using twistor concepts, theorists have now shown how all the dimensions of ordinary space—and even time—can pop out."
"Penrose’s original goal was to reconsider how quantum principles apply to space and time. Conventional wisdom held that spacetime geometry should fluctuate on quantum scales, altering how events relate to one another. But in that case, an event that was supposed to cause another may no longer do so, creating paradoxes such as those found in time-travel stories. In twistor theory, causal sequences are primary and do not fluctuate. (The theory gets its name from what causal relations look like around a spinning particle, as shown at the left.) Instead the location and timing of events fluctuate. But twistorians could not make this idea precise—until string theorists showed that an event of ambiguous location and time is nothing more or less than a string.
String theorists, for their part, had a promising idea for the creation of space that they could not get to work. In 1997 they conjectured that particles zipping around in four dimensions can behave just like strings interacting in five dimensions. The new dimension materializes like a figure in a pop-up book. Yet this conjuring trick produced only a single dimension of highly warped space. Using twistor concepts, theorists have now shown how all the dimensions of ordinary space—and even time—can pop out."
Republicans Against Privatization
Bad Astronomy writes Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Tex) disses private space about her comments on the SpaceX Falcon 9 launch.
Boston Area Independent Theaters
The Boston Globe has a nice piece on local independent movie theaters. Independent's day "Neighborhood movie theaters specializing in lesser-known films seem to be holding their own in an era of multiscreen megaplexes."
I do particularly like the Coolidge and West Newton cinemas and often go to the Landmark cinemas in Waltham and Kendall Square.
It's mostly about the newly renovated Lexington cinema (now called the Lexington Venue). I've been there once and liked it. I was intriuged by this: "In collaboration with some of his Bentley students, Siy is drafting plans to bring a large film festival to Lexington in 2012."
I do particularly like the Coolidge and West Newton cinemas and often go to the Landmark cinemas in Waltham and Kendall Square.
It's mostly about the newly renovated Lexington cinema (now called the Lexington Venue). I've been there once and liked it. I was intriuged by this: "In collaboration with some of his Bentley students, Siy is drafting plans to bring a large film festival to Lexington in 2012."
Sunday, June 06, 2010
Possible Signs of Methane-Based Life on Titan
Popular Science writes New Cassini Findings Show Possible Signs of Methane-Based Life on Titan
"Something is consuming hydrogen and organic molecules on Saturn's moon Titan, and the recipe matches astrobiologists' theories about possible methane-based life. Granted, there may be other chemical explanations -- it's just that no one knows what they are yet.
New data from the Cassini spacecraft show hydrogen is disappearing near Titan's surface. What's more, scientists have not been able to find acetylene, an organic molecule that should be pretty abundant in the moon's thick atmosphere.
All this fits very nicely with a theory from NASA astrobiologist Chris McKay, who proposed five years ago that microbial life on Titan could breathe hydrogen and eat acetylene, producing methane as a result."
"Something is consuming hydrogen and organic molecules on Saturn's moon Titan, and the recipe matches astrobiologists' theories about possible methane-based life. Granted, there may be other chemical explanations -- it's just that no one knows what they are yet.
New data from the Cassini spacecraft show hydrogen is disappearing near Titan's surface. What's more, scientists have not been able to find acetylene, an organic molecule that should be pretty abundant in the moon's thick atmosphere.
All this fits very nicely with a theory from NASA astrobiologist Chris McKay, who proposed five years ago that microbial life on Titan could breathe hydrogen and eat acetylene, producing methane as a result."
Friday, June 04, 2010
Obama and Civil Liberties
Glenn Greenwald wrote a few weeks ago, New target of rights erosions: U.S. citizens. "The most recent liberty-abridging, Terrorism-justified controversies have focused on diluting the legal rights of American citizens (in part because the rights of non-citizens are largely gone already and there are none left to attack). A bipartisan group from Congress sponsors legislation to strip Americans of their citizenship based on Terrorism accusations. Barack Obama claims the right to assassinate Americans far from any battlefield and with no due process of any kind. The Obama administration begins covertly abandoning long-standing Miranda protections for American suspects by vastly expanding what had long been a very narrow 'public safety' exception, and now Eric Holder explicitly advocates legislation to codify that erosion. John McCain and Joe Lieberman introduce legislation to bar all Terrorism suspects, including Americans arrested on U.S. soil, from being tried in civilian courts, and former Bush officials Bill Burck and Dana Perino -- while noting (correctly) that Holder's Miranda proposal constitutes a concession to the right-wing claim that Miranda is too restrictive -- today demand that U.S. citizens accused of Terrorism and arrested on U.S. soil be treated as enemy combatants and thus denied even the most basic legal protections (including the right to be charged and have access to a lawyer)."
Kevin Drum followed up, Obama and Civil Liberties. "I am, fundamentally, an admirer of Barack Obama. I like his temperament, I like his worldview, and I like his management style. As I've said before, he has a habit of disappointing me just a little bit on an almost routine basis, but most of the time that doesn't interfere with my basic admiration. The one exception has been his attitude toward civil liberties and terrorism. His early ban on torture was profoundly welcome, but aside from that he's mostly continued Bush-era policies with only minor changes and then added to them things that Bush and Cheney could only have dreamed of. In this one area, I feel betrayed."
"But as difficult as a lot of these problems are generally, once the U.S. government starts targeting U.S. citizens without warrants or due process, we've crossed a bright line that's dangerously corrosive. That includes the warrantless wiretapping and non-appealable no-fly lists of the Bush administration, and it includes assassinating Americans and removing Miranda protections under the Obama administration. They're outrageous and dangerous transgressions no matter who's doing them, and Obama needs to take a long, deep breath and reconsider how he's handling these issues. In most things, Obama is famous for taking the long view and not letting day-to-day political considerations force his hand. He needs to start doing the same thing here."
Last weekend Charlie Savage wrote in the NY Times, No Terror Evidence Against Some Detainees. "The 48 Guantánamo Bay detainees whom the Obama administration has decided to keep holding without trial include several for whom there is no evidence of involvement in any specific terrorist plot, according to a report disclosed Friday."
"The report said most such detainees fell into at least one of four categories: they had had a significant organizational role in Al Qaeda or the Taliban; “advanced training or experience” in matters like explosives; they had “expressly stated or otherwise exhibited an intent to reengage in extremist activity upon release;” or they had a “history of engaging in extremist activities or particularly strong ties (either directly or through family members) to extremist organizations.”
The report also cited two primary reasons why the 48 detainees could not be prosecuted. First, it said, the vast majority were captured in combat zones when the focus was warfare, not court cases. While the intelligence against them was deemed credible, it said, evidence was not collected or preserved about them in a form that would be deemed admissible in court or that could prove their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. “One common problem is that for many of the detainees, there are no witnesses who are available to testify in any proceeding against them,” it said."
Now that is a difficult problem to deal with, but Obama's had a year and half to do so. I don't know why they aren't POWs until the war is won (as lame as that is).
Kevin Drum followed up, Obama and Civil Liberties. "I am, fundamentally, an admirer of Barack Obama. I like his temperament, I like his worldview, and I like his management style. As I've said before, he has a habit of disappointing me just a little bit on an almost routine basis, but most of the time that doesn't interfere with my basic admiration. The one exception has been his attitude toward civil liberties and terrorism. His early ban on torture was profoundly welcome, but aside from that he's mostly continued Bush-era policies with only minor changes and then added to them things that Bush and Cheney could only have dreamed of. In this one area, I feel betrayed."
"But as difficult as a lot of these problems are generally, once the U.S. government starts targeting U.S. citizens without warrants or due process, we've crossed a bright line that's dangerously corrosive. That includes the warrantless wiretapping and non-appealable no-fly lists of the Bush administration, and it includes assassinating Americans and removing Miranda protections under the Obama administration. They're outrageous and dangerous transgressions no matter who's doing them, and Obama needs to take a long, deep breath and reconsider how he's handling these issues. In most things, Obama is famous for taking the long view and not letting day-to-day political considerations force his hand. He needs to start doing the same thing here."
Last weekend Charlie Savage wrote in the NY Times, No Terror Evidence Against Some Detainees. "The 48 Guantánamo Bay detainees whom the Obama administration has decided to keep holding without trial include several for whom there is no evidence of involvement in any specific terrorist plot, according to a report disclosed Friday."
"The report said most such detainees fell into at least one of four categories: they had had a significant organizational role in Al Qaeda or the Taliban; “advanced training or experience” in matters like explosives; they had “expressly stated or otherwise exhibited an intent to reengage in extremist activity upon release;” or they had a “history of engaging in extremist activities or particularly strong ties (either directly or through family members) to extremist organizations.”
The report also cited two primary reasons why the 48 detainees could not be prosecuted. First, it said, the vast majority were captured in combat zones when the focus was warfare, not court cases. While the intelligence against them was deemed credible, it said, evidence was not collected or preserved about them in a form that would be deemed admissible in court or that could prove their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. “One common problem is that for many of the detainees, there are no witnesses who are available to testify in any proceeding against them,” it said."
Now that is a difficult problem to deal with, but Obama's had a year and half to do so. I don't know why they aren't POWs until the war is won (as lame as that is).
SpaceX Falcon 9 Successfully Launches, Reaches Orbit
Universe Today reports SpaceX Falcon 9 Successfully Launches, Reaches Orbit "he commercial space company SpaceX successfully launched their Falcon 9 rocket on Friday, with what seemed to be a picture-perfect lift-off and flight. The Falcon 9 rocket performed magnificently (at least from initial reports), hitting all the flight parameters precisely on time."
Coolest iPad Use
Using iPads to bridge communication gap with dolphins "Research scientist Jack Kassewitz has found that the iPad's touch-based interface is so intuitive that even some nonhuman species can use it. In this case, that species happens to be dolphins. Kassewitz is using iPads with custom-developed software to help facilitate two-way communication between humans and dolphins."
May Employment Report
Calculated Risk writes about the May Employment Report: 20K Jobs ex-Census, 9.7% Unemployment Rate. "The second graph shows the job losses from the start of the employment recession, in percentage terms (as opposed to the number of jobs lost). The dotted line is ex-Census hiring."
Fixing the Great Recession
Robert Reich writes Why We're Falling Into a Double-Dip Recession. "The Labor Department reports this morning that the private sector added a measly 41,000 net new jobs in May. (The vast bulk of new jobs in May were temporary government Census workers.) But at least 100,000 new jobs are needed every month just to keep up with population growth. "
"So what’s the answer? In the short term, more stimulus – especially extended unemployment benefits and aid to state and local governments that are whacking schools and social services because they can’t run deficits. But the deficit crazies in the Senate, who can’t seem to differentiate between short-term stimulus (necessary) and long-term debt (bad) last week shot it down."
He's been saying the same thing for a while. Last Friday he wrote Why Deficit Hawks Are Killing the Recovery. "Consumer spending is 70 percent of the American economy, so if consumers can’t or won’t spend we’re back in the soup. Yet the government just reported that consumer spending stalled in April – the first month consumers didn’t up their spending since last September. Instead, consumers boosted their savings, probably because they’re worried about the slow pace of job growth (next Friday’s report will likely show gains, but the number will continue to be tiny compared to the overall ranks of the jobless), as well as a lackluster “recovery.” They’re also still carrying enormous debt burdens. One in four home owners is still underwater. And median wages are going nowhere."
Krugman of course agrees. This week he's been writing about the OECD report and why some set of economists (the ones the GOP listen to) just don't get it. Yesterday he wrote Rashomon In The OECD to explain why we're not Greece or Spain. "So what does one make of this? One possible answer is, just you wait — any day now there will be a Wile E. Coyote moment, the markets will realize that America is Greece, and all hell will break loose. The other answer is to note that all the crisis countries are in the eurozone, while the US, UK, and Japan aren’t — and to argue that having your own currency makes all the difference." He also tackled the myth that a liberal congress (which was when?) caused the housing bubble with Fannie and Freddie, Things Everyone In Chicago Knows (referring to University of Chicago economic theory).
Dean Baker in the Guardian wrote last month, Politicians ignore Keynes at their peril. "John Maynard Keynes explained the dynamics of an economy in a prolonged period of high unemployment more than 70 years ago in The General Theory. Unfortunately, it seems very few people in policymaking positions in the United States or Europe have heard of the book. Otherwise, they would be pushing economic policy in the exact opposite direction than it is currently heading."
Brad DeLong takes it further, A Missing Macroeconomic Playbook? "For "macroeconomics" did and does have a playbook that offered a systematic plan of attack to deal with fast-evolving circumstances. The playbook was first drafted back in 1825, during the bursting of Britain's canal bubble."
"So what’s the answer? In the short term, more stimulus – especially extended unemployment benefits and aid to state and local governments that are whacking schools and social services because they can’t run deficits. But the deficit crazies in the Senate, who can’t seem to differentiate between short-term stimulus (necessary) and long-term debt (bad) last week shot it down."
He's been saying the same thing for a while. Last Friday he wrote Why Deficit Hawks Are Killing the Recovery. "Consumer spending is 70 percent of the American economy, so if consumers can’t or won’t spend we’re back in the soup. Yet the government just reported that consumer spending stalled in April – the first month consumers didn’t up their spending since last September. Instead, consumers boosted their savings, probably because they’re worried about the slow pace of job growth (next Friday’s report will likely show gains, but the number will continue to be tiny compared to the overall ranks of the jobless), as well as a lackluster “recovery.” They’re also still carrying enormous debt burdens. One in four home owners is still underwater. And median wages are going nowhere."
Krugman of course agrees. This week he's been writing about the OECD report and why some set of economists (the ones the GOP listen to) just don't get it. Yesterday he wrote Rashomon In The OECD to explain why we're not Greece or Spain. "So what does one make of this? One possible answer is, just you wait — any day now there will be a Wile E. Coyote moment, the markets will realize that America is Greece, and all hell will break loose. The other answer is to note that all the crisis countries are in the eurozone, while the US, UK, and Japan aren’t — and to argue that having your own currency makes all the difference." He also tackled the myth that a liberal congress (which was when?) caused the housing bubble with Fannie and Freddie, Things Everyone In Chicago Knows (referring to University of Chicago economic theory).
Dean Baker in the Guardian wrote last month, Politicians ignore Keynes at their peril. "John Maynard Keynes explained the dynamics of an economy in a prolonged period of high unemployment more than 70 years ago in The General Theory. Unfortunately, it seems very few people in policymaking positions in the United States or Europe have heard of the book. Otherwise, they would be pushing economic policy in the exact opposite direction than it is currently heading."
Brad DeLong takes it further, A Missing Macroeconomic Playbook? "For "macroeconomics" did and does have a playbook that offered a systematic plan of attack to deal with fast-evolving circumstances. The playbook was first drafted back in 1825, during the bursting of Britain's canal bubble."
Thursday, June 03, 2010
NY Times Attack on Healthcare Study Flawed
If you haven't read this article in the New York Times Data Used to Justify Health Savings Effort Is Sometimes Shaky (by Reed Abelson and Gardiner Harris) don't.
If you have read it, download and read this 3 page pdf rebuttal by the studies authors at Dartmouth.
If you have read it, download and read this 3 page pdf rebuttal by the studies authors at Dartmouth.
California to Ban (Single Use) Plastic Bags
The LA Times reports California lawmakers act on flurry of new bills
"The hottest debate Wednesday was in the state Assembly, which voted 41 to 27 to pass a bill that would ban single-use plastic grocery bags — the first of its kind in the nation, according to lawmakers and environmentalists. Shoppers would have to bring reusable bags to the store or pay at least 5 cents each for recycled paper bags at the checkout counter.
Schwarzenegger has indicated that he would sign the bill, AB 1998 by Assemblywoman Julia Brownley (D-Santa Monica), if it passes the Senate as expected.
Environmentalists say the single-use bags endanger marine life and are more likely to foul beaches than any other form of pollution. Californians use 19 billion such bags a year, or 552 per person, according to an Assembly analysis. The measure was sponsored by Santa Monica group Heal the Bay. Opposition comes largely from the plastics industry."
"The hottest debate Wednesday was in the state Assembly, which voted 41 to 27 to pass a bill that would ban single-use plastic grocery bags — the first of its kind in the nation, according to lawmakers and environmentalists. Shoppers would have to bring reusable bags to the store or pay at least 5 cents each for recycled paper bags at the checkout counter.
Schwarzenegger has indicated that he would sign the bill, AB 1998 by Assemblywoman Julia Brownley (D-Santa Monica), if it passes the Senate as expected.
Environmentalists say the single-use bags endanger marine life and are more likely to foul beaches than any other form of pollution. Californians use 19 billion such bags a year, or 552 per person, according to an Assembly analysis. The measure was sponsored by Santa Monica group Heal the Bay. Opposition comes largely from the plastics industry."
In Supreme Court Work, Early Views of Kagan
The New York Times writes In Supreme Court Work, Early Views of Kagan. Kagan clerked for Justice Thurgood Marshall in the 1987-88 term. At least then, she was a liberal.
Gruber on AT&T’s New Smart phone Data Plans
Gruber breaks down The Good and the Bad Regarding AT&T’s New Data Plans for the iPhone and iPad (and other smart phones).
The bottom line is that the current $30/month for unlimited data in the iPhone and no tethering (using the phone to get your computer online) is going away. Instead there are two plans: $15/month for 200MB of data and $25 for 2GB of data. This sounds pretty good to me; I've used just 1GB of 3G data in a year and half with the iPhone, so I'll save $15/month.
The problem is in two details. With the 2GB plan, if you go over you're charged $10 for another 1GB of data, that's pretty reasonable; but with the 200MB plan if you go over you're charged $15 for another 200MB. That might be called gouging. But what definitely can be called gouging is the $20 fee for tethering, particularly because you don't get any more data.
While I don't use a lot of 3G data, others probably use more. I (obviously) don't use it while commuting and I don't use Pandora to stream music and I rarely stream videos. With the rumored additions to OS4, including running Pandora in the background or doing video chats, I could see myself using more bandwidth.
The bottom line is that the current $30/month for unlimited data in the iPhone and no tethering (using the phone to get your computer online) is going away. Instead there are two plans: $15/month for 200MB of data and $25 for 2GB of data. This sounds pretty good to me; I've used just 1GB of 3G data in a year and half with the iPhone, so I'll save $15/month.
The problem is in two details. With the 2GB plan, if you go over you're charged $10 for another 1GB of data, that's pretty reasonable; but with the 200MB plan if you go over you're charged $15 for another 200MB. That might be called gouging. But what definitely can be called gouging is the $20 fee for tethering, particularly because you don't get any more data.
While I don't use a lot of 3G data, others probably use more. I (obviously) don't use it while commuting and I don't use Pandora to stream music and I rarely stream videos. With the rumored additions to OS4, including running Pandora in the background or doing video chats, I could see myself using more bandwidth.
Watch "I Knew It Was You" on HBO
HBO is showing the documentary short I Knew It Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale. I saw this at last year's Independent Film Festival of Boston and really loved it.
It's a profile of actor John Cazale. You probably don't know the name, but you know the actor. He was in five films, three were Best Picture winners and the other two were nominated. He played Fredo in the first two Godfather films, Stan in The Conversation, Sal in Dog Day Afternoon and Stan in The Deer Hunter. He died of cancer at 42 before The Deer Hunter was released.
The film shows clips of his work and gives some biographical details, but it's mostly interviews with filmmakers who talk about their reverence for his craft. Al Pacino, Gene Hackman, Robert De Niro, Richard Dreyfuss, Meryl Streep and Sidney Lumet all talk about how his dedication on set made them all give better performances. I also didn't know that Streep and he were in love.
I think my favorite parts were when younger actors Philip Seymour Hoffman, Sam Rockwell and Steve Buscemi each describe subtle gestures he did in his scenes that they're amazed by. The film then shows those clips and they're just small things like his little dance entering a room, adjusting his fly, slouching in a chair that you probably didn't consciously notice. You realize these things are not in the script and yet they're responsible for your emotional response to the character.
This film explains great acting as well as anything I've seen. At just 45 minutes long, if you love movies, you need to see this.
It's a profile of actor John Cazale. You probably don't know the name, but you know the actor. He was in five films, three were Best Picture winners and the other two were nominated. He played Fredo in the first two Godfather films, Stan in The Conversation, Sal in Dog Day Afternoon and Stan in The Deer Hunter. He died of cancer at 42 before The Deer Hunter was released.
The film shows clips of his work and gives some biographical details, but it's mostly interviews with filmmakers who talk about their reverence for his craft. Al Pacino, Gene Hackman, Robert De Niro, Richard Dreyfuss, Meryl Streep and Sidney Lumet all talk about how his dedication on set made them all give better performances. I also didn't know that Streep and he were in love.
I think my favorite parts were when younger actors Philip Seymour Hoffman, Sam Rockwell and Steve Buscemi each describe subtle gestures he did in his scenes that they're amazed by. The film then shows those clips and they're just small things like his little dance entering a room, adjusting his fly, slouching in a chair that you probably didn't consciously notice. You realize these things are not in the script and yet they're responsible for your emotional response to the character.
This film explains great acting as well as anything I've seen. At just 45 minutes long, if you love movies, you need to see this.
Fly by Aardman Animation
slashfilm pointed me at this: Aardman Shot Film - “Fly” By Alan Short "Aardman Animation is a UK-based animation studio responsible stop-motion, clay animation productions, particularly those featuring Wallace & Gromit. In April 2007, Aardman signed a three-year deal with Sony Pictures Entertainment to produce feature films, but the company still regularly produces shorts. The latest is titled ‘Fly’ and comes from supervising animator Alan Short"
I laughed out loud five times in this two and a half minute short.
I laughed out loud five times in this two and a half minute short.
All Five Seasons of the Wire on DVD $90
Amazon is having a deal today only The Wire: The Complete Series for just $90. Best series that's ever been on TV.
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
Obama Rips GOP on Economy, Looks Ahead To Midterm Elections
CNN writes Obama rips GOP on economy, looks ahead to midterm elections "(CNN) -- President Barack Obama laid out a sweeping defense of his domestic record Wednesday while blasting his Republican opponents as political opportunists and defenders of a bankrupt economic philosophy."
A conservative friend of mine was at the speech (at CMU). I think I would have enjoyed it more.
A conservative friend of mine was at the speech (at CMU). I think I would have enjoyed it more.
Acupuncture Works by Inducing Body's Own Painkiller
ars reports Acupuncture works by inducing body's own painkiller "An article in a recent issue of Nature Neuroscience indicates that at least one of acupuncture’s reported benefits may finally have concrete support and a proposed mechanism of action thanks to laboratory experiments. Researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center, Boston University School of Medicine, and the National Institute of Health report that a neuromodulator (a chemical agent secreted by neurons) called adenosine is the key to why acupuncture lessens pain associated with inflammation and chronic neuropathic problems."
Justice Stevens
SCOTUSBlog has been running a series of articles on retiring Justice Stevens. Here are my favorites:
Justice Stevens as Legal Innovator, "As he prepares to retire from the Supreme Court, Justice Stevens is justly being hailed for his intellect, independence, leadership, and grace. I would add another encomium: innovative legal problem solver. I don’t mean someone who looks to the law to solve social problems. I mean a judge who looks to the law to solve its own problems – someone who believes deeply in the law’s integrity but instead of assuming the law is perfect, assumes it has a capacity for self-correction. The meaning of the Eighth Amendment as applied to the death penalty is an example of a legal problem Justice Stevens has led the Court in trying to solve."
The Least Popular Dissent. "Justice Stevens’ dissent in Texas v. Johnson is one of his most well-known opinions. It is usually hailed as the emotional decision of a loyal former soldier whose military experience changed him forever. Without any empirical data to back me up, I also believe it is likely true what Justice Stevens seemed to suspect in chambers that day—that his famous dissent enjoys surprisingly little support among his law clerks."
Justice Stevens’ path from centrist to liberal. "From one standpoint, the more conservative rulings should not be surprising. Stevens was appointed as a moderate, nominated by a Republican president and championed by a Republican attorney general, and for many years he worked at business-oriented law firms. Of course, Republicans were different in those days (e.g., more Republican than Democratic senators voted for the Civil Rights Act of 1964). Nevertheless, the question remains, what explains the path of John Paul Stevens’ jurisprudence from essentially centrist to leader of the liberal faction of the Supreme Court? The inquiry invites inspection of his personal history."
And if you're going to read just one, read The Greatest Justice "Justice John Paul Stevens is the greatest Justice in Supreme Court history. I say this, not as hyperbole, but as a reflection of the record he has compiled in his thirty-four and one-half years on the Court. It is a description warranted by his vast influence over wide swathes of the law, especially those that go to the heart of our constitutional democracy. His contributions to our jurisprudence are profound, and will endure. And I say ‘greatest,’ not just ‘great,’ because even our most storied Justices have not compiled a record that rivals or surpasses Justice Stevens’ record."
Justice Stevens as Legal Innovator, "As he prepares to retire from the Supreme Court, Justice Stevens is justly being hailed for his intellect, independence, leadership, and grace. I would add another encomium: innovative legal problem solver. I don’t mean someone who looks to the law to solve social problems. I mean a judge who looks to the law to solve its own problems – someone who believes deeply in the law’s integrity but instead of assuming the law is perfect, assumes it has a capacity for self-correction. The meaning of the Eighth Amendment as applied to the death penalty is an example of a legal problem Justice Stevens has led the Court in trying to solve."
The Least Popular Dissent. "Justice Stevens’ dissent in Texas v. Johnson is one of his most well-known opinions. It is usually hailed as the emotional decision of a loyal former soldier whose military experience changed him forever. Without any empirical data to back me up, I also believe it is likely true what Justice Stevens seemed to suspect in chambers that day—that his famous dissent enjoys surprisingly little support among his law clerks."
Justice Stevens’ path from centrist to liberal. "From one standpoint, the more conservative rulings should not be surprising. Stevens was appointed as a moderate, nominated by a Republican president and championed by a Republican attorney general, and for many years he worked at business-oriented law firms. Of course, Republicans were different in those days (e.g., more Republican than Democratic senators voted for the Civil Rights Act of 1964). Nevertheless, the question remains, what explains the path of John Paul Stevens’ jurisprudence from essentially centrist to leader of the liberal faction of the Supreme Court? The inquiry invites inspection of his personal history."
And if you're going to read just one, read The Greatest Justice "Justice John Paul Stevens is the greatest Justice in Supreme Court history. I say this, not as hyperbole, but as a reflection of the record he has compiled in his thirty-four and one-half years on the Court. It is a description warranted by his vast influence over wide swathes of the law, especially those that go to the heart of our constitutional democracy. His contributions to our jurisprudence are profound, and will endure. And I say ‘greatest,’ not just ‘great,’ because even our most storied Justices have not compiled a record that rivals or surpasses Justice Stevens’ record."
Oil Spill Photos
The Big Picture in Boston.com has been running photos of the oil spill.
April 30: Oil spill approaches Louisiana coast
May 12: Disaster unfolds slowly in the Gulf of Mexico
May 24: Oil reaches Louisiana shores
April 30: Oil spill approaches Louisiana coast
May 12: Disaster unfolds slowly in the Gulf of Mexico
May 24: Oil reaches Louisiana shores
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
Closing the Hole in the Gulf: A Petroleum Engineer Responds
Economist Robert Reich Closing the Hole in the Gulf: A Petroleum Engineer Responds "A petroleum engineer who’s worked in the oil industry tells me BP is doing the minimum to clean up the oil and everything it can to protect its bottom line. According to the engineer, here’s what BP should be doing right now to mitigate the damage"
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