Conservative Environmentalists

2005-11-25T11:59:00.000-08:00

Difference

Posted: Tue, 15 Nov 2005 07:01:01 +0000

Source: The week-long violence in France has shattered the European myth of integrative migration. New Yorker scribe Jane Kramer examines why Europeans rejected the American 'melting pot' model. France's attempt to end ghettoes and poverty via 'positive discrimination' has created a crisis for Islamist political identity. 'By now, the rioting has become sporadic, but the rioters' rage was so self-punishing, so focussed on their own lives and neighborhoods, that an obvious lesson should have been drawn by the Élysée the day the first bus burned. The kids who are rioting hate their lives. They are lonely for France; they are sickeningly disappointed in France, in the promise of France.' MotherJones' Mark LeVine considers the implications of France's riots for globalization.

2005-11-25T06:17:00.001-08:00

Low-Income Women With Limited Access to Health Care Might Benefit From Faster Cervical Cancer Tests, Treatment, Studies Say

Posted: Fri, 04 Nov 2005 18:00:00 GMT

Source: Low-income women in the U.S. and developing countries who have limited access to health care and are at high risk of developing cervical cancer might benefit more from two simplified and quicker types of screening and treatment instead of traditional testing and treatment, according to two studies published on Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the http://www... click link for more info.

2005-11-25T06:17:00.000-08:00

FDA Approves Aromasin® for Adjuvant Treatment of Early Breast Cancer in Postmenopausal Women

Posted: Mon, 10 Oct 2005 00:00:00 GMT

Source: Pfizer Inc said today that it has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market Aromasin® (exemestane tablets) for adjuvant treatment of postmenopausal women with estrogen-receptor positive early breast cancer following two-to-three years of tamoxifen for a completion of five consecutive years of adjuvant hormonal therapy... click link for more info.

2005-11-25T00:23:00.000-08:00

U.S. Orders College to Drop Fellowships For Minorities

Posted: Sat, 12 Nov 2005 00:00:00 EST

Source: CARBONDALE, Ill., Nov. 11 -- Federal prosecutors are threatening to sue Southern Illinois University over three scholarship programs aimed at women and minorities, calling them discriminatory.

2005-11-24T17:47:00.000-08:00

That's Very Funny, A Fly Marrying A Bumblebee

Posted: 2005-10-26T05:10:23Z

Source:

In case there was still any doubt about the existence of phraseology having to do with teaching an individual's grandmother to suck eggs, here is UK Maxim's take on it. This is from an issue I bought in London (not that you can't get UK Maxim in the states), which features a piece proving and disproving various common sayings, or "maxims" (get it?). Overall, a pretty dull, unfunny and ultimately

2005-11-24T00:05:00.000-08:00

There is brutality and there is honesty. There is no such thing as brutal
honesty.

2005-11-23T17:35:00.000-08:00

Green Barets going Biodiesel

Posted: 2005-10-05T10:18:49-08:00

Source: Wired News: Green Berets Prefer Biodiesel...

2005-11-22T18:50:00.000-08:00

Holtzman v. Beauprez

Posted: 2005-11-08T07:12:27Z

Source: The Rocky Mountain Alliance is launching Holtzman v. Beauprez. This should be a good resource for those of us watching the 2006 primary.

Those still wavering might want to consider that Gov. Owens told Holtzman he would endorse him if he didn't campaign against C & D. Holtzman refused to give in. A few days after Marc started campaiging against C & D, Owens endorsed Bob Beauprez. This illustrates the key difference between the two candidates and it why I am backing Marc and am volunteering with his campaign. Holtzman stands up for his values and doesn't compromise them even if it will help him gain politically.

The Colorado Republican Party lost last year because they didn't give anyone a reason to vote Republican. Marc will not only change the way the party operates but he will return principled leadership to the Governor's mansion. That translates into a resurgence for the GOP.

2005-11-22T12:28:00.000-08:00

Canadian business leaders issue call to action to Prime Minister in...

Posted: Thu, 17 Nov 2005 11:23:35 GMT

Source: Canadian business leaders issue call to action to Prime Minister in advance of Montreal Conference on Climate Change "Greater integration of climate change and energy needed in post-2012 regime" MONTREAL, Nov.

2005-11-22T06:21:00.000-08:00

Researcher highlights sugarcane positives

Posted: Thu, 17 Nov 2005 02:06:16 GMT

Source: A sugar researcher says his study confirms cane could become a major source of competitive renewable energy.

2005-11-22T05:16:00.000-08:00

Signature Scent

Posted: 2005-10-27T07:31:49-05:00

Source: I think I found it, my most favorite perfume... my signature scent if you will. It smells soooooo good and the fragrance lasts all day although I put on more in the evening just because. On another subject.. I have...

2005-11-21T23:03:00.000-08:00

Amory Lovins to Participate in Pivotal Panel, 10.20.05

Posted: 2005-10-18T16:02:57Z

Source: "Winning the Oil Endgame for a More Secure and Profitable America: Opportunities, Barriers and Necessities for a Transition to a Reduced-Petroleum Economy" New York University School of Law will...

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit www.green-trust.org for full links, other content, and more! ]]

2005-11-21T17:30:00.000-08:00

The President Strikes Back, Part II

Posted: 2005-11-14T15:42:38-05:00

Source: It is getting a little strange out there - the way the left and the MSM is reaching for things to try and work up a tall tale of Presidential deception: the White House issued the following in response to...

2005-11-21T11:54:00.000-08:00

Choose Life

Posted: Sun, 13 Nov 2005 16:37:47 -0700

Source:

Deuteronomy 30:19 - I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

What are people waiting for, a burning bush?

MarchTogether.com

United we stand - Divided they die - Pass it on

2005-11-20T23:52:00.000-08:00

Viruses and Trojan Horses

Posted: 2005-10-15T07:10:29Z

Source:

border="0" alt="" /> So for the past week I have been busying myself with an all out battle against viruses and trojan horses that have reaked havoc on my poor little computer. finally, today i had enough of it and erased my entire computer. it was quite a struggle and Strong Bad provides a glimpse into what I had to deal with this week.

"What is this? Did the quadratic formula explode? I see a 'Strong ba' in there, but it's getting eaten by some... Linux or something. Wait a minute! Is this one of those virus emails? Like the kind that moms and offshore casinos send you?! I'll take care of this! Maybe I should introduce you to my main man, Edgar! (Virus Software). Scan Complete! 423, 827
Viruses Found! Waaugh! That is not a small number! That is
a big number!! What'm I gonna do? What...computer over?
Virus equals very yes? That's not a good prize! Uhhh, noo...."

(Check out the full clip at: http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail118.html)

2005-11-20T18:23:00.000-08:00

Google Domains: Microfilm and More

Posted: Mon, 14 Nov 2005 03:59:56 +0000

Source: Gary Price always tracks new domains Google registers. This time, he found some interesting ones; GoogleMagazines.com, GooglePapers.org, GoogleLibrary.org, and GoogleMicrofilm.com. Sounds like a whole lotta stuff Google might want to scan...

2005-11-20T12:29:00.000-08:00

Blogpulse Top List Spammed

Posted: Mon, 14 Nov 2005 01:36:05 +0000

Source: How hard is it to create a good top blogs list? Apparently, very hard. Because creative spammers have the linkfarm weapon. And without good counter algorithms it's hard to differentiate between a real popular blog, and a fake one. The Blogpulse top 40 today is full of (not safe for work) porn spam blogs. Those include mainly ads and what mig ...

2005-11-20T06:02:00.001-08:00

Profits May Rock Podcasting World

Posted: Tue, 15 Nov 2005 07:01:01 +0000

Source: Business entrepreneurs have hijacked personal podcasting at the Portable Media Expo and Podcasting Conference. Wired News' Steve Friess monitors how Audible.com, PodTrac and other firms at the conference look to monetize podcasting via subscription revenues and value-added services.

2005-11-20T06:02:00.000-08:00

ECCO 13 - One voice, one vision needed to overcome cancer in Europe

Posted: Fri, 04 Nov 2005 04:00:00 GMT

Source: Despite improved technologies and treatments following a decade of exciting progress in cancer research, Europe is failing to meet the expectations of patient and healthcare professionals on the standard of cancer care according to the first patient programme held by Federation of European Cancer Societies at ECCO 13... click link for more info.

2005-11-19T23:37:00.000-08:00

Hewitt Fast-Tracks Cancer Drug, Herceptin, To Save 1000 Lives A Year, UK

Posted: Mon, 10 Oct 2005 00:00:00 GMT

Source: Patricia Hewitt, UK Secretary of State for Health, has announced thatwomen who are diagnosed from this week onwards with early stagebreast cancer will have the opportunity to be treated with the drugHerceptin. This means that the lives of around 1000 women a year willbe saved - the same number of lives saved by the NHS national breastcancer screening programme for roughly the same cost... click link for more info.

2005-11-19T18:12:00.000-08:00

Katrina Adds to Patois of 'Nu Orlans'

Posted: Sat, 12 Nov 2005 00:00:00 EST

Source: NEW ORLEANS -- In this city of so many linguistic influences, Hurricane Katrina is the latest to reshape the colorful local tongue.

2005-11-19T11:45:00.000-08:00

More Like Wireless NOTwork

Posted: 2005-10-24T21:10:54Z

Source:

Our wireless network is being flaky. It keeps telling me that there is "limited or no connectivity." When I run the repair wizard, it can't get past getting the network or IP address. The other day this was happening to Stephanie's computer and mine was fine. Now mine doesn't work and Stephanie's is fine (thus allowing me to post this). We did nothing to fix Stephanie's; it just fixed itself. This

2005-11-18T23:55:00.000-08:00

BOFH Excuse #436:

Daemon escaped from pentagram

2005-11-18T12:12:00.000-08:00

California passes alternative fuel bill

Posted: 2005-10-01T10:28:27-08:00

Source: While not a Renewable Fuel Standard, the new california bill is a step in the right direction: ab_1007_bill_20050908_enrolled.pdf (application/pdf Object). It basically tells the state agencies to figure out how to increase alternative fuels. This will help biodiesel. But unfortunately...

2005-11-17T12:01:00.000-08:00

Tuesday Open Thread (11/8/05)

Posted: 2005-11-08T07:02:54Z

Source:

Election day.

2005-11-17T06:17:00.000-08:00

Alternative Energy - Topix.net

Posted: Thu, 17 Nov 2005 13:36:48 GMT

Source: News on Alternative Energy continually updated from thousands of sources around the net.

2005-11-17T00:18:00.000-08:00

Alternative Energy - Topix.net

Posted: Thu, 17 Nov 2005 07:11:40 GMT

Source: News on Alternative Energy continually updated from thousands of sources around the net.

2005-11-16T18:29:00.000-08:00

Men are so strange update

Posted: 2005-10-25T19:30:20-05:00

Source: My favorite SFer suggested that I mention some men are really great and shouldn't be lumped in with the jerks. Where he's concerned I would have to say that's true. He's never let me down, never pissed me off.. in...

2005-11-16T11:53:00.000-08:00

Performance tracking of alternative fuels

Posted: 2005-10-21T21:34:10Z

Source: The folks at Brevard BioDiesel installed a Linear-Logic "ScanGauge" in their 2004 TDI Jetta to try and help gather additional mileage data for future biodiesel reports. The ScanGauge scans the...

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit www.green-trust.org for full links, other content, and more! ]]

2005-11-16T06:17:00.000-08:00

The Left Still Trying To Rewrite History

Posted: 2005-11-14T14:25:00-05:00

Source: We noted last week that Democrats have ignored the findings of three independent reports which concluded that there was no manipulation of prewar intelligence and they want to rewrite history... Well, they're still at it... and the media seems willing...

2005-11-16T06:14:00.000-08:00

Christian Testimonies

Posted: Sun, 13 Nov 2005 16:23:13 -0700

Source:

This is a Christian testimonial that will amaze you!

http://www.impact-ministry.com/testimonies/

This is about what happened to some of the Christian students who were in Columbine High School on the day of the shooting.

2005-11-15T18:47:00.000-08:00

So the guys in my dorm were bored tonight and deci...

Posted: 2005-10-12T05:26:41Z

Source: src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/279/1163/400/HomeBoysPlayingCards.jpg" />
So the guys in my dorm were bored tonight and decided to make some trading cards...of us. Ya...the creativity even amazes me. Way to much on time on their hands. You would think they had school work to do...obviously they aren't business or political science majors.

2005-11-15T12:14:00.000-08:00

MySpace Worm Revitalized?

Posted: Mon, 14 Nov 2005 02:49:52 +0000

Source: Someone says he modified Samy's version of the recent MySpace worm... and it worked, once more (but stopped at 100 136,684 friends). [Via Digg.]

2005-11-15T05:57:00.001-08:00

Custom Google Ad?

Posted: Sun, 13 Nov 2005 18:23:34 +0000

Source: Over at Rapidshare, there's a a special kind of Google ad -- something that looks like a customized half image/ half text Google AdSense ad. The HTML source to the page (copied here for reference) appears as though the site owner received special prototype code from Google to test new features. Of course this could also be non-official and han ...

2005-11-15T05:57:00.000-08:00

Hetracil

Posted: Tue, 15 Nov 2005 07:01:01 +0000

Source: Shetty Pharmaceuticals markets Hetracil as an anti-effeminate drug, designed to cure the 'disease' of homosexuality. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV-TR (2000) listed homosexuality as a psychological disorder until the late 1970s. Take a different reality tunnel and declare war on pharmaceutical-fueled discrimination. This message is brought to you by RTMark.

2005-11-14T23:40:00.000-08:00

Gene therapy improves gemcitabine effects in experimental glioma model

Posted: Fri, 04 Nov 2005 03:00:00 GMT

Source: Attempts to improve the chemotherapeutic efficacy and radiotherapy-sensitivity of the anticancer agent, gemcitabine, using gene therapy have yielded interesting results in preclinical glioma models presented at the 13th European Cancer Conference (ECCO). Investigators took the enzyme that activates gemcitabine, deoxycytidine kinase (dCK) and inserted it into a viral carrier - Ad-dCK... click link for more info.

2005-11-14T17:47:00.000-08:00

ASTRO Provides Treatment Information on Breast Cancer - Options Include Breast-Conserving Surgery Combined with Radiation Therapy

Posted: Sat, 08 Oct 2005 22:00:00 GMT

Source: October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology offers a free brochure explaining common treatments for the disease include a combination of surgery and radiation therapy. In the past, the only treatment for breast cancer was the removal of the entire breast (mastectomy)... click link for more info.

2005-11-14T06:17:00.000-08:00

Okay Awesome

Posted: 2005-10-19T08:40:22Z

Source:

Last night's episode of How I Met Your Mother (what a cumbersome show name), called "Okay Awesome," was really surprisingly good. Not that the show hasn't been good so far, but this episode was a standout. The story features the characters going to an exclusive club called Okay (Neil Patrick Harris's reaction, "Awesome!" gives us the episode title). This episode effectively captures everything

2005-11-09T08:40:00.000-08:00

Washington State Republicans support biofuels

Posted: 2005-09-20T13:10:01-08:00

Source: KOMO news reports today on a Republican initiative to help grow the biodiesel industry in the state. Both the Democrats and Republicans have come out saying biofuels are part of the solution to the high costs of oil for the...

2005-11-08T14:35:00.000-08:00

Micro Wind Power Turbines for UK Office Building

Posted: 2005-07-05T11:28:18Z

Source: />
The BBC reports that an miniature urban wind farm is being built on top of a 13-storey building in Manchester city centre using micro wind turbines.

The 24 turbines, which will stand 3m tall, will be erected on top of the CIS building on Portland Street.

The turbines will produce 56,000 units of renewable energy each year, enough electricity to service about 5% of the energy needs of the building.

Co-operative Financial Services (CFS) are currently covering another of their bases, the CIS Tower, in solar energy panels.

The CIS Tower is one of the tallest buildings outside London in the UK and is being clad with three solar panels.

Once completed, it will be among the largest vertical displays of working solar panels in Europe.

CFS said its plans for an urban wind farm will make its Portland Street building the largest-ever commercial application of micro-wind turbines in the UK.

The company said it is now looking into placing the wind power micro-turbines on more of its 200 sites.

Gary Thomas, head of property and facilities at CFS, said taking a greener approach to business also had financial benefits.

"Embedding renewable energy in buildings reduces the need to buy electricity and I anticipate a payback on the initial investment within around three years," he said.

Ken Lewis, resources director added: "Forty per cent of Europe's energy use is associated with buildings and this project, along with the Solar Tower development, demonstrates that these piles of steel and concrete have tremendous potential for future energy generation."

Councillor Neil Swannick, Manchester City Council executive member for planning and the environment, has applauded the move saying CFS have made a practical contribution to energy conservation.

"The Manchester Energy Strategy endorses the view that wind turbines are not just for rural sites," he said.

"A world-class city such as Manchester has a responsibility to use energy more efficiently and to generate it from renewable sources where we can."

2005-11-08T09:07:00.001-08:00

You Lose!

Posted: 2005-11-02T08:50:40Z

Source: />You Lose! (Sorry.)

2005-11-08T09:07:00.000-08:00

Alternative Energy - Topix.net

Posted: Tue, 08 Nov 2005 12:36:35 GMT

Source: News on Alternative Energy continually updated from thousands of sources around the net.

2005-11-08T02:56:00.000-08:00

Alternative Energy - Topix.net

Posted: Tue, 08 Nov 2005 08:56:37 GMT

Source: News on Alternative Energy continually updated from thousands of sources around the net.

2005-11-07T21:00:00.000-08:00

Quilts For Soldiers

Posted: 2005-10-13T10:59:02-05:00

Source: From: Old Hillbilly I read about this lady in the Military Order of the Purple Heart magazine, (yes I have a "I forgot to duck" award) and got all misty eyed. She is making quilts for the cripples coming home...

2005-11-07T08:53:00.001-08:00

True Grit, Iraqi Style

Posted: 2005-11-05T16:20:20-05:00

Source: Those of us who are paying attention to Iraq - as opposed to listening to the MSM drone on with their terrorist-provided talking points - were flabbergasted in January and October as millions of Iraqis trooped to the polls at...

2005-11-07T08:53:00.000-08:00

Passion for Abortion?

Posted: Fri, 04 Nov 2005 00:57:07 -0700

Source:

People often say to me things like "you have such a passion for the abortion issue". Much of the time this is not what I want to hear.

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that people acknowledge the countless hours I spend working on the many Pro-Life projects, but "passion" is not exactly the word I would use.

2005-11-06T19:49:00.000-08:00

The Funniest Thing I Have Ever Seen

Posted: 2005-10-07T05:21:48Z

Source:

Check out this video. I have never laughed so much in my life!
http://www.extremefunnyhumor.com/vids/pooljump.mpeg

2005-11-06T14:47:00.000-08:00

Steve Rubel's Skin Cancer Blog

Posted: Sat, 5 Nov 2005 19:05:54 +0000

Source: Steve Rubel of the great Micro Persuasion blog has been diagnosed with skin cancer (basal cell carcinoma, "the most common and most treatable form of skin cancer", as Steve says). He started a skin cancer blog to track his progress and to provide useful links, resources and stories from others. Steve adds, "Please link on the words skin cancer so t ...

2005-11-06T09:02:00.001-08:00

Yahoo Lists Google as "Dude's Fish Store"

Posted: Sat, 5 Nov 2005 02:14:53 +0000

Source: Matt Cutts made a screenshot of a Google listing gone awry; when you entered Google's address into the new Yahoo Local Maps, it would show "The Dude's Fish Store" at that location. Chris D. in Matt's comments writes, "So it looks like you can create a Yahoo! local account -- and put in anything you like and then it ends up in maps" [Via InsideGoo ...

2005-11-06T09:02:00.000-08:00

Cynthia McKinney: The Upcoming March To Gretna

Posted: Thu, 03 Nov 2005 15:16:10 +0000

Source: First of all I'd like to acknowledge the life and death of Rosa Parks, a pioneer with courage, who will be laid to rest today.

CNN.com reports that as the heart of a hurricane-ravaged New Orleans filled with sewage-tainted floodwaters and corpses, Mayor Ray Nagin urged people to cross a bridge leading to the dry lands of the city's suburban west bank.

And there begins the story of what might become the worst American civil rights episode ushering in the 21st Century.

2005-11-06T03:20:00.000-08:00

Ideal doses of IMRT defined to reduce treatment side effects for head and neck cancer

Posted: Fri, 21 Oct 2005 20:00:00 GMT

Source: Results from a University of Pittsburgh study evaluating intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for head and neck cancer determined the ideal doses for lessening treatment side effects. The findings were presented today at the 47th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) in Denver... click link for more info.

2005-11-05T21:14:00.000-08:00

Breast Cancer - Consensus panel calls for expanded role of needle biopsies, MRI and less invasive procedures

Posted: Fri, 07 Oct 2005 00:00:00 GMT

Source: Physicians should strive to replace traditional, invasive procedures for diagnosing breast cancer with proven, less-invasive diagnostic methods, according to an international panel of breast cancer experts convened at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. In a consensus paper published in October's Journal of the American College of Surgeons (JACS), 23 leading surgeons, radiologists, pathologists and oncologists say minimally invasive needle breast biopsies and sentinel node biopsies should be performed more routinely than they currently are... click link for more info.

2005-11-05T09:35:00.000-08:00

Something For Nothing

Posted: 2005-10-10T21:50:10Z

Source:

Anyone know where I can download a DVD ripping program for free? I want to put American Shopper on Google Video, so that it can be ignored publicly rather than privately. But I don't expect ever needing to rip a DVD again, so I'm reluctant to actually pay a bunch of money for the software.

Everything I can find on download.com will only rip 5 minutes, or 20%, or 50% before you have to pay.

2005-10-30T22:08:00.001-08:00

Wikipedia's Entry on Daniel Brandt

Posted: Sat, 29 Oct 2005 00:52:13 +0000

Source: Daniel Brandt, self-proclaimed Google watcher of Google-Watch.org, says he didn't like that Wikipedia had an entry on him -- so he asked Jimmy Wales for deletion in an open letter (published on his Wikipedia Watch site) after he was unable to edit it to his likings: "I ask that this page be permanently deleted. It was started as a stub by Sl ...

2005-10-30T22:08:00.000-08:00

The Gentle Persuader

Posted: Thu, 27 Oct 2005 16:36:03 +0000

Source: Alan Greenspan's reign at the Federal Reserve shaped the future contours of globalization and the post-Cold War era. Reason's Jeff Taylor probes Greenspan's "Jedi mind trick" and explains the masterful way he used economics, policy instruments and rhetoric to persuade his audiences.

2005-10-30T16:15:00.000-08:00

Electrical Engineer Works on Personalizing Medical Treatment for Cancer Patients

Posted: Mon, 10 Oct 2005 21:00:00 GMT

Source: As cancer remains a leading cause of death in the United States, early detection and treatment are critical keys to improving the survival rate. Yet, an individual's response to treatment varies considerably, even among cancers of the same histological type. Given these variables, individualized patient assessment becomes a very challenging procedure... click link for more info.

2005-10-30T10:06:00.000-08:00

A 'translation factor' protein over-expressed in breast cancer cells might be an oncoprotein

Posted: Fri, 23 Sep 2005 00:00:00 GMT

Source: The tissue-specific elongation factor eEF1A2 might be an oncoprotein involved inbreast cancer. Research published in the open access journal BMC Cancer showsthat eEF1A2, which is usually present only in muscle cells and neurons, isabnormally expressed in two thirds of breast tumours. This means it could beused as a new diagnostic marker and, once its role as been identified, as atherapeutic target for the treatment of breast tumours... click link for more info.

2005-10-29T23:35:00.000-07:00

New TV Season: Malcolm in the Middle

Posted: 2005-10-02T07:19:38Z

Source:

Malcolm in the Middle is back, in its first season without series creator Linwood Boomer as the showrunner. Instead, one of Malcolm’s longtime writers is at the helm of the series, and I don’t remember his name right now.

The show is now in what’s expected to be its last season. Malcolm is now in his senior year of high school and Reese is repeating his senior year of high school after intentionally failing his finals to delay graduation. So after this year it wouldn’t make much sense to continue the series anyway, but there is also the matter of falling ratings and a death-knell Friday night time slot. Well, it was a good run.

The season premiere finds Malcolm and Reese plotting to sneak off and attend Burning Man. They’re quickly caught, but Malcolm does such a good job convincing his parents that Burning Man is about genuine artistic expression that they decide to make it a family outing. Hal calls in a favor and borrows his boss’ prized RV and they drive to the desert.

Malcolm and Reese quickly ditch the family, Lois embraces her artistic side, and Hal makes Dewey his slave in protecting the RV. Reese gets caught up in the spirit of Burning Man, and Malcolm meets a fortyish but hot hippie woman who’s some kind of shaman. They hit it off, and Malcolm sleeps with her. Again I’m amazed at the kind of weird-ass stuff that they get away with on this show. Probably it helps that since they’re no longer a big hit show, they’re pretty much flying under the radar. Not that teenagers sleeping with older women never happens on TV, but this is basically a family show, not Dawson’s Creek.

Naturally Malcolm is psychologically incapable of being happy. The morning after, he is dismissive of the spirtual “rebirthing” ceremony the shaman woman conducts, and she dumps him. But after an encounter with closed-minded Hal, who’s going nuts protecting the RV from the Burning Man freaks—who in turn think uptight Hal is a performance artist satirizing the square suburban dad—Malcolm realizes he needs to open his mind. He goes through the rebirthing, but the hippie woman decides this means he’s too malleable, which is even worse than cynical. Malcolm is left shattered and defeated again.

Meanwhile, Reese has been selected to light the Burning Man to end the festival. But Reese doesn't want it to end, so he refuses to burn the Burning Man, and chucks the torch—setting the precious RV on fire instead. You knew it was going to get destroyed, right? The crowd switches from cheering “Burning Man!” to “Burning Van!”

It’s a pretty fun episode, shining a surprising mainstream spotlight on a countercultural event. And it’s nice to see that the show is still in command of one of the show’s core elements—Malcolm’s indefatigable pessimism and capacity for self-defeat—while still surprising. It’s not clear whether this incident is supposed to represent Malcolm losing his virginity. Malcolm has had girlfriends before, one in particular for a big chunk of season four, but this is the first time sex has been overtly suggested. Either way, it’s awfully weird yet entirely fitting.

Unfortunately, the episode really short-changes Hal. If anyone would embrace Burning Man, you’d think it would be the guy who took time off work to pour paint on his naked body and throw himself at a giant canvas. The guy who broadcasted an underground pirate radio show in college. The guy who is constantly choosing fun, bizarre obsessions over adult responsibilities. For Hal to suddenly turn into the uptight, closed-minded square is totally out-of-character given practically everything we know about him. It’s nice to see Lois have some fun for a change, but it would have made far more sense for her to be the no-fun one here.

Perhaps we’re meant to believe that Hal’s fear of harming his boss’s RV corrupts him and turns him into this straight-laced tool, but it doesn’t work. His clueless, excessively conservative attitude, even in matters unrelated to the RV, just doesn’t ring true for him.

Dewey, too, is wasted as the unhappy one Hal forces into labor. Usually Dewey is an expert at turning situations to his advantage, but not here, and the lazy treatment of his story thread yields few laughs.

2005-10-23T16:43:00.000-07:00

Inherited gene change also found in spontaneous tumors

Posted: Fri, 07 Oct 2005 00:00:00 GMT

Source: New research shows that a small gene variation that increases the risk of inherited cancer can also arise during the development of spontaneous, or non-inherited, tumors. The findings, published in the Oct. 5 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, suggest that the variation might play a fundamental role in the development and spread of cancer in the body, and that the variant could be an important target for anticancer drugs... click link for more info.

2005-10-23T10:53:00.000-07:00

Researchers zero in on estrogen's role in breast-cancer cell growth

Posted: Sat, 10 Sep 2005 09:00:00 GMT

Source: Why do estrogen-dependent breast-cancer cells grow and spread rapidly? Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign say it may be because estrogen virtually eliminates levels of a vitally important regulatory protein. In a paper that will appear in the Sept. 13 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the scientists report that human breast-cancer cells exposed to estrogen in their laboratory showed a dramatic reduction in numbers of a crucial nuclear receptor corepressor, a protein known as N-CoR (pronounced "en CORE")... click link for more info.

2005-10-23T04:37:00.000-07:00

NATION IN BRIEF

Posted: Sat, 22 Oct 2005 00:00:00 EDT

Source: NEW YORK -- A three-alarm fire in a subway storage room in Manhattan disrupted the morning commute for tens of thousands straphangers and injured 13 firefighters.

2005-10-22T22:11:00.000-07:00

New TV Season: The Simpsons

Posted: 2005-09-29T07:00:32Z

Source:

I was all set to write a post about how The Simpsons is a broken show. It’s been on too long; every episode is redundant; it’s no longer capable of surprising me or making me care about anything that happens.

There were the early, awkward years. There were the Conan O’Brien years, where the show found its voice and perfectly balanced absurdity and heart.

There were the Mike Scully years, in which the show got weirder and weirder and eventually abandoned coherence entirely. These brought us episodes like the one where Homer goes on a missionary trip, and just when he’s about to fall into an inescapable stream of hot lava, the story is interrupted by Betty White soliciting money for the Fox network, and Bart calling in with a bogus pledge. Or the one where Homer wins a Pulitzer and is banished to a Prisoner-style secret island, where the family eventually joins him. Fans hated a lot of these at the time, but Scully’s philosophy in running the show seemed to be that the characters had run their course, no one cared anymore, and they would just push shit as far as they could.

In retrospect, I really like those years.

But the problem is, once you go there, you can’t come back.

The current phase of the show is the second reign of Al Jean, one of the show’s producers in its early years. Since Jean returned to take the reins from Scully, he’s tried to steer the show back toward character-based stories with heart. Which is an admirable goal, but once you’ve crossed all the lines that the show crossed in the Scully years, it’s really impossible to take any of this crap seriously. What Al Jean II has amounted to is a bunch of episodes in which Homer makes Marge mad, and then makes it up to her. She loves him and he can’t believe he’s so lucky. It’s gotten to the point where, when it happened on the season premiere, Marge even mentioned how it happens all the time. But fuck am I sick of it. If The Simpsons never did a Homer and Marge Fight episode again it would please me greatly. We’ve seen it a million times and it no longer tugs the heartstrings like it did in season three. Now there’s nothing more tiresome.

But this week’s episode totally surprised me. It was good, really good, and I laughed a lot. Homer throws a chicken pox party when Maggie gets the pox, and at the party, Milhouse’s parents get drunk and reconcile. As they toy with getting back together and reignite their sex lives, Milhouse feels neglected, so he and Bart set about doing a “reverse Parent Trap” to split them up again. Milhouse is so pathetic, and underused recently, that he’s very funny, and even though the plot involves Homer and Marge fighting again, it’s related to the Parent Trap scheming and the emphasis is on Bart, so I can forgive it.

Highlights: Lisa watches The OC, in which the characters decide to “score some jam at Knott’s Berry Farm”—a slow motion montage follows to that “California here we come” song, in which the characters go skipping with a guy in a Snoopy suit for a shot that’s held for a ridiculously long time, then ride the log ride with Snoopy, then get held up at the ATM by Snoopy. When their “reverse Parent Trap” fails, Milhouse proposes trying the plot from a different movie: Oklahoma! And we cut to a fantasy of Bart and Milhouse singing “The Farmer and the Cowman Should be Friends.”

It just goes to show, once or twice a season, The Simpsons can still surprise you.

2005-10-19T17:47:00.000-07:00

Synthetic protein fragment or peptide could be used to produce more effective cancer vaccine

Posted: Tue, 27 Sep 2005 00:00:00 GMT

Source: Scientists at Monash and Melbourne universities have developed a synthetic protein fragment or peptide, that could be used to produce a more effective cancer vaccine. Immunologists previously have used synthetic peptides to stimulate immunity to viruses and cancers where naturally-occurring peptides were failing... click link for more info.

2005-10-19T12:20:00.000-07:00

Lymph nodes harbor information on whether breast cancer will recur

Posted: Tue, 06 Sep 2005 17:00:00 GMT

Source: Breast cancer often spreads through the lymph nodes in the arm pits (so-called axillary lymph nodes), and whether these lymph nodes are tumor-free or contain small metastases is an important factor in the decision of how aggressively to treat a patient. Peter Lee and colleagues (from Stanford University) now report in the open access journal PLoS Medicine that looking at the immune status of lymph nodes might teach us even more about a specific breast tumor... click link for more info.

2005-10-19T06:08:00.000-07:00

Northeast Sees Worst of Heavy Rain End

Posted: Sun, 16 Oct 2005 00:00:00 EDT

Source: WORCESTER, Mass., Oct. 15 -- Severe flooding swept away cars, uprooted trees and forced evacuations as the Northeast endured another day of driving rain Saturday. But in some places, the sun was shining for the first time in a week.

2005-10-18T23:37:00.000-07:00

New TV Season: Joey

Posted: 2005-09-28T22:25:40Z

Source:

Watching Joey is almost like a course in sitcom writing, because it’s trying so hard every minute that you can see the gears strenuously turning. They surely have the best writers they can find, the cast is talented, yet the show fails, and each episode is a mental exercise in which you can try to pinpoint why.

The Entire Concept of Building a Show Around Joey

This is the most obvious problem with the whole concept of Joey, and probably why the show carried an aura of doom before it ever aired. As Joey was the most shallow, one-note character in the cast of Friends, it was always doubtful whether you could do a whole show around a character conceived to carry a C-story. When you give him tortured emotions, you lose what makes him Joey, yet he is still an idiot, and now you have the least of both worlds. However, I think the show could have worked in spite of this.

The Supporting Cast

No one watches Joey except for me, so some background: The new characters include Drea De Matteo as Joey’s dumb, slutty sister, the guy from Road Trip and Josie and the Pussycats as Joey’s nerdy nephew Michael, and Andrea Anders from nothing as Alex, Joey’s cute but neurotic lawyer neighbor with a neglectful husband.

All of these actors are talented, likable, and fun. All of the characters, especially Alex and Michael, could be kind of interesting. But Joey’s writers, perhaps fearful of taking the focus away from Joey, the show’s flimsy reason to exist, refuse to allow these characters any reason to breathe. Never have they been allowed to carry a subplot; Joey must be in every scene. They are never even allowed to exist as equals with Joey, which is a huge mistake. What the show needs is to develop rich characters around Joey, like on Friends.

Instead, perhaps hoping it will make Joey look more complex, all of these characters are treated as one-joke caricatures. Michael is hopelessly, cluelessly nerdy, and we are never for a second not invited to look down at him. He could be the new Ross, but the writers won’t let him. By the same token, Alex is exclusively the butt of jokes about being insecure and neurotic. In other words, everyone is treated the way Joey was on Friends. It’s a whole cast of Joeys. And that can never work.

In fact, Michael and Alex are perfect for each other, and their friendship could have developed into some fun romantic tension. But no, Joey has to hog the spotlight, so we get Joey and Alex falling into bed together by the end of season one, which makes no sense and squanders any story potential they might have had. A whole story in the hourlong (!) season premiere is devoted to extricating the show from this awkward situation that was never worth bothering with.

The Fixes

Realizing the show is in trouble, the producers made a grand effort to save it this season. They have refreshed the staff with new writers and done all kinds of “retooling” work.

They’ve brought in Jennifer Coolidge as Joey’s weirdo agent as a regular cast member, and given the sister a job working for her. They’ve given Joey a nutty actor buddy named Zach, prone to dumbass schemes like kidnapping Kevin Smith’s dog to finagle an audition. And they’ve given Joey a big break starring in a big Bruckheimer action movie.

But the problem with Joey was not that there weren’t enough characters, it was that they refused to trust the characters and actors they have already. There’s no reason that Michael couldn’t get caught up in harebrained escapades with Joey—it would be a lot of fun, actually. But the writers have such a narrow, patronizing view of his character (nerd!) that they had to create Zach just so Joey could get up to harebrained escapades. It’s ridiculous.

Joey’s acting career has always been unconvincing. It’s been that way since the pilot, in which he acted in a show and it was on the air and canceled by the next day. It’s so hard to believe that Joey can get acting gigs at all that the less we follow Joey at work, the better.

Yet now we’re set to see Joey making a big movie, which will look ridiculous. This show doesn’t have the resources to show us Joey making a big movie. I didn’t believe it when he was shooting a WB-esque pretty-people show show called Deep Powder on a mountaintop set that looked like it was built for a school play. In the latest episode, Joey’s Deep Powder character is killed off in what is apparently a gruesome bloodbath with severed limbs everywhere. What kind of show was he on?!

Yes, it’s for laughs, but if you continually go for easy laughs at the expense of the show’s reality, eventually the whole thing falls apart. Indeed, this lazy logic does infect the rest of the show, from the plot mechanics to the characters’ motivations and behavior. Everything is strained and nothing makes sense. Stephanie and I have kind of stuck with it by default, wondering when the writers will see that the elements are there and might someday gel if they could just get it together. But it's gotten to the point where it's not just disappointing, but painful. The latest round of retooling just makes it clear that the writers can’t even diagnose the problem. They are doctors treating kidney failure with an appendectomy.

2005-10-16T16:58:00.000-07:00

Moffitt's Breast Cancer Education Conference - September 24

Posted: Mon, 29 Aug 2005 01:00:00 GMT

Source: The H Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute's 18th Annual FACTors (Fighting Against Breast Cancer Together) Breast Cancer Education Conference, "Spirits of Lasting Beauty & Courage," will be held Sat., Sept. 24 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Vincent A. Stabile Research Building, 12902 Magnolia Dr... click link for more info.

2005-10-16T10:59:00.000-07:00

'Deep Throat' Gets First Amendment Prize

Posted: Sun, 16 Oct 2005 00:00:00 EDT

Source: FULLERTON, Calif., Oct. 15 -- Judith Miller, the New York Times reporter who was jailed for protecting a confidential source, presented an award Saturday to perhaps the most famous confidential source -- the man known as "Deep Throat."

2005-10-16T05:16:00.000-07:00

...And Loving It

Posted: 2005-09-26T23:00:22Z

Source:

Don Adams died. Get Smart was awesome. It had comedy and intrigue, and when I was a kid I couldn't tell where one ended and the other began. Smart was obviously a buffoon, but his spy adventures were as exciting as any, without all the long boring parts you found in Bond movies. I can't believe Get Smart won so many Emmys. Don Adams won three and the show won two.

2005-10-15T16:30:00.000-07:00

Future 10

Posted: 2005 10 13 10 54

Source:

It's an honor to be included in the Boston Phoenix's Future 10 list of young journalists, alongside smart folks like Matt Thompson.

2005-10-12T04:22:00.000-07:00

Developing next generation of effective viral-based therapies for cancer, Columbia University Medical Center

Posted: Tue, 20 Sep 2005 20:00:00 GMT

Source: Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center continue to make strides in their work to develop the next generation of effective viral-based therapies for cancer. Two papers about promising research with genetically engineered viruses studied in mice, published today in the journals Cancer Research and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), bring us significantly closer to this objective and the start of clinical trials with these viral-based therapies in cancer patients... click link for more info.

2005-10-11T22:22:00.000-07:00

Weight loss decreases breast cancer risk in susceptible women

Posted: Fri, 19 Aug 2005 06:00:00 GMT

Source: Women with a mutation in the gene BRCA1, which predisposes women to breastcancer, are 65% less likely to develop the disease if they lose weight between18 and 30 years of age. Research published in the open access journal BreastCancer Research suggests that young women with this genetic predispositionshould avoid putting on weight in early adulthood, especially if they plan tohave children... click link for more info.

2005-10-11T16:22:00.000-07:00

Government Can't Explain Increase in 2002 TSA Contract

Posted: Sun Oct 09 00:00:00 EDT 2005

Source: In the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the government changed a contract to hire federal airline passengers screeners in a way that cost taxpayers an additional $343 million. More than three years later, officials cannot explain exactly why.

2005-10-11T10:20:00.000-07:00

New TV Season: The Office

Posted: 2005-09-22T06:27:04Z

Source:

NBC is promoting The Office with footage from The 40-Year-Old Virgin, and good for them. It must be pretty exciting to discover you already have a show starring the main guy from one of the biggest hits of the summer. Hopefully Carell’s popularity will translate into ratings.

It looks like they’ve taken a page from Virgin and parted Michael Scott’s hair on the side this season. Last season, he wore it slicked straight back, a no doubt intentionally ugly choice that accentuated a thinning hairline and gave him an unpleasant appearance to go with his unpleasant personality. I think the side part is a big improvement. This sounds like a small issue, but the bad hair was maybe a bit too much. This softens his look and makes him much easier to watch, without really spoiling the comedy at all. It allows us to love hating him, rather than simply hate him.

By the same token, the season premiere suggests that maybe they’ve softened Michael Scott a bit, too. That is also good—he’s the same character Carell played last season, but subtly toned down. It was over-the-top before anyway—and too one-note loathsome, without the pathetic subtext that made Ricky Gervais’ portrayal of David Brent so hilarious. Without imitating Gervais, Carell is now bringing a hint of that pathos to Michael Scott, and the US Office is that much better.

The writers still struggle to find the right note of political incorrectness, and too many jokes still hinge on Michael being overtly racist or sexist for no reason. Racism was an element of the UK Office, but the funny part was that David Brent was always trying really hard to be PC but just didn’t get it, and somehow came out sounding more racist the more he tried to sound sensitive.

The US version just has Michael cluelessly trotting out racial stereotypes for a laugh as if he’s never heard of political correctness or racial sensitivity, and it strains credibility that he doesn’t get sued. His employees would certainly have a better case than plenty of real-world discrimination suits. Many critics liked last season’s “Diversity Day” episode, which based its whole plot on Michael’s unintentional (?) racism, but I didn’t buy it at all.

The supporting cast is also doing well, and continues to make the roles their own. The US Jim (the counterpart of UK “Tim” played by Martin Freeman) is actually very low-key likeable and funny, and brings a lot of Martin Freeman’s qualities to the role without imitating him (aside from the bed-head). Both are easygoing and dry, but Jim seems much more confident and secure than Tim did. In last season’s basketball episode, Jim proved himself a capable athlete, and in “Hot Girl,” he effortlessly picked up the hot saleswoman from under Michael’s nose. So while he may have that ongoing romantic tension with receptionist Pam, we’re really not too worried about his prospects.

One other interesting note on last night’s premiere. One of the most amazing things about the UK Office was its boldness in being so relentlessly bleak and downbeat, for episode after episode, while perfectly maintaining its tone. As credits rolled, you felt your body relax, at last able to take a break from laughing, but also able to break from the excruciating tension of the show's trademark uncomfortable silences.

Last season, the US version’s efforts at bleakness often felt strained and simply mean rather than oddly bittersweet as in the UK version. Now the season premiere finds that bittersweet note. It’s much more upbeat than any of the regular British episodes, actually, and hinges on revealing Michael's vulnerable side (though again, earlier and more overtly than they did David's in the UK version). But it works surprisingly well. It works for this version, which is at its best when it’s preserving the original spirit without being a carbon copy. It’s worth considering that the UK version only had to maintain its bleakness for twelve episodes and change, whereas the US version (though only on episode 7, I think) is expected to be ongoing and maybe can’t afford to clobber us emotionally week after week.

The season premiere was good and it looks like the show is on its way to correcting many of last season’s flaws. Still, they’ve got to get a handle on the racism jokes. Right now they’re way too on-the-nose and not funny.

2005-09-26T02:32:00.000-07:00

More on the flawed Pimentel study

Posted: 2005-08-18T13:59:25-08:00

Source: The following is from: Phillip Lampert, Executive Director National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition 3118 Emerald Lane, Suite 100 Jefferson City, MO 65109 573-635-8445 office 573-690-1229 cell 573-635-5466 fax Several Studies Contradict Pimentel Ethanol Findings (7-19-05) The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA)...

2005-09-26T02:28:00.000-07:00

Here We Go Again...

Posted: 2005-09-14T18:22:46Z

Source: From The AP:

The Pledge of Allegiance was ruled unconstitutional Wednesday by a federal judge who granted legal standing to two families represented by an atheist whose previous attempt to get the pledge out of public schools was rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The AP story listed San Fransisco as the origin in the byline. It's safe to assume that this ruling came from the far-left 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, the most overturned court in the land.

I don't know the details of this case yet, but it seems to me that this is settled law by now. Then again, precedents obviously don't faze the 9th Circuit very often.

2005-09-26T02:27:00.000-07:00

Supervisors approve winter shutdown for wind farms

Posted: Fri, 23 Sep 2005 14:14:28 GMT

Source: About 4,000 aging wind turbines in the Altamont Pass will be idled for two months this winter as part of a plan to reduce bird deaths.

2005-09-25T23:56:00.000-07:00

Microgrids as peer-to-peer energy

Posted: Sun, 25 Sep 2005 09:56:16 GMT

Source: Alternative energy technologies are falling in price Small networks of power generators in "microgrids" could transform the electricity network in the way that the net changed distributed communication.

2005-09-25T23:55:00.000-07:00

Heartbreaking

Posted: 2005-09-03T09:17:44-05:00

Source: This subject just breaks my heart, really. I usually try to avoid even thinking about this because I find it unbearable. We have lots of pets whom we love and are members of our family.. I just cannot imagine if...

2005-09-25T23:53:00.000-07:00

Black Group Demands Action From CBC Over Anti-Bush Slur

Posted: 2005-09-23T16:02:23-05:00

Source: I posted earlier about Rep. Charlie Rangel's comments where, at a Congressional Black Caucus townhall meeting, he claimed yesterday that the President was "our Bull Connor" which, as we all know, was purely designed to invoke images of southern racism....

2005-09-25T23:52:00.000-07:00

Arnold Schwarzenegger: Big mouth, no teeth

Posted: Thu, 22 Sep 2005 07:20:46 -0700

Source:

Californians are currently debating Proposition 73, to be voted on in November, that would mandate parents be notified before their minor daughters abort. Here's what Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger had to say about it yesterday, according to the Sacramento Bee:

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Tuesday he supports the primary aim of a ballot initiative that would make most abortions for minors illegal without prior notification of the girls' parents or guardians, saying he'd "kill" someone who took one of his own daughters for an abortion without informing him.
"I have a daughter," Schwarzenegger said in an interview with The Bee. "I wouldn't want to have someone take my daughter to a hospital for an abortion or something and not tell me. I would kill him if they do that."

Schwarzenegger, who has two teenage daughters and two preteen sons, said in response to a follow-up question that he didn't literally mean he'd kill someone. But, in some of his first public comments about the substance of Proposition 73, the Republican governor left little doubt how he feels about young girls getting abortions without their parents being notified ahead of time.

"It will be the ultimate of being outraged about it and angry about it," he said.

"They call me when my daughter falls off the jungle gym in the school and they say, 'What do you want us to use? Can we put a Band-Aid on it? Do you want to come in? She's crying a little bit.'

"They call us about everything. I don't want them in that particular incident not to call us."

If one of his daughters sought an abortion on her own, he said, "then I would deal with that also."...

Despite what he called his belief in "the concept" of Proposition 73, Schwarzenegger, who supports a woman's right to have an abortion, said he's not sure whether he'll endorse the measure.

Schwarzenegger is already pushing four initiatives on the special election ballot Nov. 8, and he may not want to divert attention from those, he suggested. But he also knows the abortion measure is a potential wild card come November, when some political experts say it could be a big draw for conservative Republicans.

Such voters make up the core of Schwarzenegger's political support these days....

2005-09-25T21:22:00.000-07:00

Vatican Visiting U.S. Seminaries to Review Training and Find Evidence of Homosexuality

Posted: Sat, 17 Sep 2005 18:01:15 +0000

Source: Vatican Investigators are coming to the United States to review the teaching standards used in 229 Catholic seminaries here. Their stated purpose is to examine how well priests are being trained spiritually and intellectually....

2005-09-25T21:21:00.000-07:00

This is Natalie, Louis and I at the Senate Table d...

Posted: 2005-09-11T01:46:13Z

Source: This is Natalie, Louis and I at the Senate Table during registration. I handed out bus passes for like 4 1/2 hours. It was exhausting but it was cool to see all the people coming back and to welcome all the new kids to Redeemer.

2005-09-25T21:18:00.000-07:00

How To Be Inhuman

Posted: Thu, 22 Sep 2005 12:41:18 +0000

Source: 'Biotechnology holds the promise of some day allowing people to enhance themselves and their children using pharmaceuticals or genetic interventions. This prospect is welcomed by some, but causes a great deal of anxiety in many people: Are there enhancements whose benefits would come at the price of our humanity?

'The President's Council on Bioethics worries that people who choose to use biotech enhancements would somehow lose themselves: The Council's report "Beyond Therapy" warns "we risk 'turning into someone else,' confounding the identity we have acquired through natural gift cultivated by genuinely lived experiences, alone and with others." Liberal bioethicist George Annas from Boston University is pushing for a global treaty that would ban all inheritable modifications to any person's genetic makeup. He favors such a treaty because he believes that "species-altering genetic engineering [is] a potential weapon of mass destruction, and [that] makes the unaccountable genetic engineer a potential bioterrorist."' (Reason article).

2005-09-25T21:17:00.000-07:00

Task Force Recommends Against Routine Testing For Genetic Risk Of Breast Or Ovarian Cancer In The General Population

Posted: Thu, 08 Sep 2005 07:00:00 GMT

Source: Primary care physicians should not routinely refer all women for genetic counseling and DNA testing to detect the presence of specific BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations that may be associated with breast or ovarian cancers, according to a new recommendation from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force... click link for more info.

2005-09-25T18:52:00.000-07:00

Patient's genes can predict response to chemotherapy for breast cancer

Posted: Fri, 05 Aug 2005 16:00:00 GMT

Source: Breast cancer patients could find out whether they will respond positively to chemotherapy treatment by testing for the activity of certain genes. In a study published today in the Open Access journal, Journal of Translational Medicine, researchers analysed the genes expressed in the tumours of eighty-three patients with primary breast cancer... click link for more info.

2005-09-25T18:51:00.000-07:00

Officials Hope for an Orderly Return

Posted: Sun Sep 25 00:00:00 EDT 2005

Source: HOUSTON, Sept. 24 -- Hoping to avoid the evacuation debacle that stranded hundreds of thousands of motorists in a super-size traffic snarl of overheated tempers and out-of-gas vehicles, local and state officials implored residents Saturday not to rush home in the aftermath of Hurricane Rita, which...

2005-09-25T18:50:00.000-07:00

Takedown

Posted: 2005-08-30T17:54:21Z

Source: I picked up a used copy of Burnout 3: Takedown a couple months ago. Turns out I got it just in time for pre-orders for the next Burnout game (which finally graduates the series sequels from numbering to simple subtitles) to roll around, but oh well. The first Burnout was overpraised and actually pretty dull when I rented it, but the series has improved a lot and realized its potential. This may have happened by Burnout 2, I don't really know.

Anyway, now instead of having spectacular crashes that get in the way of racing, the crashes have been integrated into the gameplay in a way that makes sense. Driving dangerously fills your boost meter (and the game is a bit more forgiving when it comes to near-misses, making that easier to pull off), causing opponents to crash fills your boost and increases its capacity, and crashing your own car loses you boost, unless you maneuver your car in slow motion into another car and cause it to crash even as you are crashing.

And the races are pretty much impossible to win without using boost over half the time, which forces you to do all of the above things. The crashes are less obtrusive and don't stop the gameplay cold. The music is licensed pop-punk stuff that ranges from excellent (Go Betty Go, and, um, The Ramones) to mediocre (I don't know who; come on, I said they were mediocre).

There is also a crash mode that is fun except for the long load times and moral queasiness. They are brief levels in which you are pointed at a busy intersection, where you must cause the biggest pile-up accident you can. If you meet the minimum quota of cars smashed, you get to detonate the Crashbreaker, which blows up your car and sends everything flying, hopefully to create more wreckage. Then the game tallies up your damage (in dollars, which seem rather arbitrary and not actually in the league of how much your damage would cost to fix--for instance, a totaled car is one or two thousand dollars). If you picked up some power-ups it can add to or multiply your score.

The Crash levels are very short, which means that you have to sit through a lot of load screens per less-than-one-minute of gameplay. But the weirdest thing about it is that, even though the game is not meant to be taken realistically at all, you can't help but impose a narrative on it. And the only thing that makes sense is that you're engaging in some kind of vehicular terrorism. The drive to create the biggest pile-up possible feels a bit sadistic, and the fact that you cap it off by blowing up your car, well--draw your own conclusions. Did you conclude that you feel like a suicide bomber? Okay, then. Maybe the game should calculate your score in terms of casualties and fatalities. It would almost make more sense, carrying this ghoulish bloodlust to its logical end.

But, once you get past that, yeah, it's pretty fun.

2005-09-25T18:47:00.000-07:00

Spreading peanut butter reminds me of opera!! I wonder why?

2005-09-25T18:45:00.000-07:00

India company makes small scale automatic biodiesel refinery

Posted: 2005-08-18T13:57:51-08:00

Source: this came acorss the groups today. ELECTROCONTROL INTRODUCES FOR THE FIRST TIME IN INDIA LOW COST. Never used it. They don't mention what happens to the glycerin. Nor what is inside. Looks like a simple one container pot with a...

2005-09-25T16:12:00.000-07:00

Quote of the Day (9/14/05)

Posted: 2005-09-14T18:18:39Z

Source:

"The United Nations must be strong and efficient, free of corruption, and accountable to the people it serves. The United Nations must stand for integrity and live by the high standards it sets for others.

-George W. Bush

In other news, President Bush has announced a project to graft wings onto pigs.

2005-09-25T16:11:00.000-07:00

Alternative Energy - Topix.net

Posted: Fri, 23 Sep 2005 22:05:45 GMT

Source: News on Alternative Energy continually updated from thousands of sources around the net.

2005-09-25T16:10:00.000-07:00

Alternative Energy - Topix.net

Posted: Sun, 25 Sep 2005 22:15:50 GMT

Source: News on Alternative Energy continually updated from thousands of sources around the net.

2005-09-25T16:09:00.000-07:00

Good Point!

Posted: 2005-09-02T20:30:04-05:00

Source: "I think it puts into question all of the Homeland Security and Northern Command planning for the last four years, because if we can't respond faster than this to an event we saw coming across the Gulf for days, then...

2005-09-25T13:29:00.000-07:00

Rita Updates

Posted: 2005-09-23T14:05:39-05:00

Source: Two big stories today, occurring even before the full force of the storm makes landfall. The first: Hurricane Rita's steady rains sent water pouring through breaches in a patched levee Friday, cascading into one of the city's lowest-lying neighborhoods in...

2005-09-25T13:28:00.000-07:00

Death Underground

Posted: Thu, 22 Sep 2005 06:32:58 -0700

Source:

One tactic of the right-to-die movement is to point to illegally assisted suicides and use this criminal behavior to justify legalizing it. Aside from the fact that this method negates the rule of law in all areas, it also shifts the focus from the reasons why the laws are there in the first place.

Yesterday's LifeSite article on Vancouver euthanasia activist Russell Ogden illustrates this well:

Ogdens continuing research reveals that euthanasia is far from the warm fuzzy Hallmark card experience most euthanasia activists would have the public believe. Ogdens 1994 masters thesis showed that many botched acts of euthanasia resulted in horrific acts of violence. Martindale writes that half of the 34 euthanasia cases Ogden studied were botched and resulted in increased suffering.

Continued at Marlowe's Shade

2005-09-25T13:26:00.000-07:00

just checking-in

Posted: 2005-09-11T01:30:53Z

Source: hey little peeps! anyways, so i haven't blogged in a while but its alright. i have been quite busy so...yah. so i arrived in ontario the thursday before last, and right away i was basically busy with Senate stuff. the new addition on the university is really nice, it truly is beautiful. the rooms are really sweet too as they have tiered seating with outlets by every seat for the laptops...high-tech let me tell ya. though i can't help feeling that the new addition feels more like a conference centre than anything. maybe that is because the entire addition was designed especially for conferences. sick. but basically i had a senate team-building retreat last weekend and this week tuesday i started classes. i pretty much have the sweetest schedule ever with no night classes, no friday classes, no classes before 11 on tuesday/thursday (noon on mon/wednesday), and no spares imbetween classes. talk about jackpot. sweet. and they are all pretty good classes...i like them all. here is my class schedule:

Monday/Wednesday

12:00p.m.-1:15p.m. Operations Management

1:30p.m.-2:45p.m. Ancient & Medieval Political Theory

Tuesday/Thursday

11a.m.-12:15p.m. Russian Government and Politics

12:30p.m.-1:45p.m. Introduction to Financial...Something

2:00p.m.-3:15p.m. Introduction to Computer Programming

otherwise, i have been busy getting all the clubs up and running for this year. there are going to be some needed reforms in the way things operate this year and so that will keep me quite busy. i also have been working on my room. i painted in this week to a navy blue. this morning i went to ikea for the first time ever. it was so much fun. i bought a fern which i named ferdy. i also bought a lamp, garbage can, pen holder and a tv holder ( you know those ones you always see in the dentist office where the tv is in the top corner of the room being held up by this tray screwed into the wall - yah i have one of those). i also decided that i am going to make my own bed frame and desk in order to save money. should be a good time. but otherwise that is it besides hanging out with friends. i kinda like living off campus this year. i feel really old though with all these first years running around. oh well. anyways until next time. out.

2005-09-25T12:55:00.000-07:00

Lame Duck, Big Spender

Posted: Thu, 22 Sep 2005 12:41:18 +0000

Source: 'In a recent New York Observer column, Richard Brookhiser argues that if George W. Bush "is now a lame duck, it is by his own hand." Bush's response to Hurricane Katrina, says Brookhiser, was doubly disastrous. First (and most important), people died and anarchy was loosed because Bush acted slowly and had surrounded himself with incompetents. Second, as in the immediate aftershock of the 9/11 attacks, Bush failed to provide the proper symbolic rhetoric that is part of the job: "If you can't speak, act," Brookhiser wrote. "Gesture is also a form of speech. Go to your desk. The news will show the chopper landing on the White House lawn. Look serious."

'Given that he's a Republican stalwart, a longtime senior editor at National Review, and the Observer's token conservative columnist, you can forgive Brookhiser for fretting over the electoral ramifications from Bush's metamorphosis into a lame duck.' (Reason article).

2005-09-25T12:48:00.000-07:00

Treatment Shows Activity Against Aerodigestive Tract Cancer Cells

Posted: Wed, 07 Sep 2005 18:00:00 GMT

Source: A new study has found that the farnesyltransferase inhibitor SCH66336, which inhibits the growth of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), appears to inhibit the angiogenic activities of NSCLC and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cells. Despite therapeutic advances, the outcomes for people diagnosed with aerodigestive tract cancers such as NSCLC and HNSCC remain poor, and most patients with these cancers die from metastatic disease... click link for more info.

2005-09-25T12:40:00.000-07:00

Study confirms treatment switch is beneficial for women with early breast cancer

Posted: Fri, 05 Aug 2005 01:00:00 GMT

Source: Switching treatment to the drug anastrozole after two years of tamoxifen can improve event-free survival for postmenopausal women with early breast cancer, concludes a study in this week's issue of THE LANCET. For more than 20 years tamoxifen has been the standard treatment after surgery for postmenopausal women with hormone-responsive early breast cancer... click link for more info.