Monthly Archives: April 2012

Zoning Out the Poor: The Marin County Edition

Posted on April 20, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

One of the largely unnoticed but critical causes of poverty in urban areas is the use of zoning codes in surrounding towns and suburbs to essentially make it impossible for low-income people to live outside of urban areas (e.g., preventing … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Housing | 2 Comments

Links 4/19/12

Posted on April 19, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

Links for you. Science: A rash of scientific retraction Convicted fraudster of alcohol research, Michael W. Miller, tries re-web-ilitation How Huffington Post aided a demolition job on climate science Studying Bioethics at Scandal-Plagued Universities Who Knows What Bugs Lurk in … Continue reading →

Posted in Lotsa Links | Comments Off on Links 4/19/12

Here’s a Real Case of Voter Fraud

Posted on April 19, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

One of the causes célèbres of the right is the ersatz issue of voter fraud. Supposedly, hundreds of thousands of illegally cast votes–on behalf of the Democrats, by those people–are fixing elections for Democrats. Nationally, there are a handful of … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservatives, The Rule of Law, Voting | 1 Comment

Why Is There Less Hassle to Opt Out of Vaccination Than to Get a Safe and Legal Abortion?

Posted on April 19, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

There has been a spate of bills, introduced by conservatives, designed to make getting abortions more difficult. One feature of these bill is that healthcare providers are forced to tell women about the consequences of the abortion (and, in some … Continue reading →

Posted in Blastocyst Liberation, Conservatives, Vaccination | Comments Off on Why Is There Less Hassle to Opt Out of Vaccination Than to Get a Safe and Legal Abortion?

Links 4/18/12

Posted on April 18, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

Links for you. Science: Is whole genome sequencing fading? Will it rebound (or relapse)? (for humans, maybe. For bacteria, it’s about to explode) A Sharp Rise in Retractions Prompts Calls for Reform Math paper retracted because it “contains no scientific … Continue reading →

Posted in Lotsa Links | Comments Off on Links 4/18/12

Heuristics Are Not a Cognitive Flaw, But a Necessity in an Uncertain World

Posted on April 18, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

So says economist Gerd Gigerenzer. As far as I’m concerned, this video is essential viewing for not only economists, but also biologists, especially those interested in behavior. As one behavioral ecologist I know once quipped, “I don’t believe in optimal … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecology, Economics, Evolution | 3 Comments

ZOMG!! TEH E KOLI R IN UR CHICKENZ!! BARGLE BARGLE!!

Posted on April 18, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

The NY Times recently had a story about a study by a pro-vegan medical group which claimed that 48 percent of chickens bought at supermarkets are contaminated with E. coli. Of course, the vegan group referred to the E. coli … Continue reading →

Posted in E. coli, Food, Propaganda, Public Health | 9 Comments

Links 4/17/12

Posted on April 17, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

Links for you. Science: Cheerleading for Monsanto? The Shocking Lack of Difference Between Oxford University Press and Fox News Non-O157 E. coli in Beef – How does FSIS justify it? A Necessary Weevil – Collecting in Southern China, April 2012 … Continue reading →

Posted in Lotsa Links | Comments Off on Links 4/17/12

If Other Countries Can Make Paying Taxes Easy, Why Can’t We?

Posted on April 17, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

Well, the answer might have something to do with money and the corruption of politics. Back, during the healthcare kerfuffle, I argued repeatedly that we should simply take a good European healthcare system (e.g., the French system), translate it, slap … Continue reading →

Posted in Democrats, Taxes | 6 Comments

The False Distinction Between Innovation and Production: More Technobrat Follies

Posted on April 17, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

Many, many, many moons ago, there was a saying, “Never trust anyone over thirty.” Well, Matt Yglesias, along with older older economists who should know better, are turning that statement on its head. It doesn’t surprise me that Yglesias would … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Genomics, Jobs | 4 Comments