Monthly Archives: October 2012

There Is One Branch of Government That Treats Rich and Poor Alike, From the Mightiest to the Meekest

Posted on October 25, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

That would be, of course, the Boston Transportation Department: Observed on Marlborough Street, Back Bay, Boston While digging around a bit, I discovered that around sixty percent of all tickets are waived if you appeal. The owner of the above … Continue reading →

Posted in Boston, Transportation | Comments Off on There Is One Branch of Government That Treats Rich and Poor Alike, From the Mightiest to the Meekest

Sick Days, Serving Food, and Public Health

Posted on October 25, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

In New York City, there has been an attempt to mandate five sick days per year for workers–this has been repeatedly blocked by the head of the City Council (who has dreams of becoming mayor and needs those campaign fund … Continue reading →

Posted in Basic Human Decency, Food, Public Health, Vomit | 1 Comment

Links 10/24/12

Posted on October 24, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

Links for you. Science: Letter to Dr. Oz Show Producers by Bruce Chassy, PhD A Rant on Refereeing The Bug Chicks: Two hip Portland entomologists’ love affair with insects is contagious Why the sedentary life is killing us Tony Ryan: … Continue reading →

Posted in Lotsa Links | 1 Comment

A Good Argument For Releasing Manuscript Reviews

Posted on October 24, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

Over at the NY Times, Mark Bittman has an interesting column about some research that demonstrates that conventional agriculture could massively reduce the use of pesticides and actually as profitable. What I found interesting was this bit (boldface mine): No … Continue reading →

Posted in Publishing | 3 Comments

Healthcare and the Lesser of Two Evils

Posted on October 24, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

With Election Day drawing nigh, there is the predictable patter of blogposts from some on the Left arguing that the only ethical choice is to not vote for Obama (it goes without saying that they’re not considering voting for Romney). … Continue reading →

Posted in Democrats, Ethics, Healthcare | 4 Comments

Links 10/23/12

Posted on October 23, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

Links for you. Science: Tough Old Lizard To Face Grave Romantic Troubles, Say Scientists Anole Versus Moth Behind the Meningitis Outbreak: Pharmacies Fought FDA Regulation Six French Science Academies Dismiss Study Finding GM Corn Harmed Rats A rant Other: George … Continue reading →

Posted in Lotsa Links | 3 Comments

One Reason Why George Takei Is Awesome

Posted on October 23, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

Aggregating funny things like this:

Posted in Humor | Comments Off on One Reason Why George Takei Is Awesome

Two Disturbing Carbapenem-Resistance Observations

Posted on October 23, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

I’ve discussed before the serious problem of carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae (‘CRE’): these are common disease-causing bacteria that have evolved resistance to all penicillin derivatives, and usually are resistant to all other commonly used antibiotics* (and in some cases, every antibiotic). So … Continue reading →

Posted in Antibiotics, Evolution, KPC, NDM-1, Public Health | 1 Comment

Links 10/22/12

Posted on October 22, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

Links for you. Science: Obama Crushing it Among Nobel Science Winners Why I love the H-index (not sure I’m afraid or in agreement) A Simple Way to Reduce the Excess of Antibiotics Prescribed to Kids A Rhytidoponera victoriae scout discovers … Continue reading →

Posted in Lotsa Links | Comments Off on Links 10/22/12

Vaccinating Children Against Tetanus Is Leading to an Epidemic of Impalements With Rusty Objects

Posted on October 22, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

So snarks Jill Filipovic (boldface mine): According to a recent study, giving children tetanus shots will not, in fact, encourage them to stab themselves with rusty nails or be less cautious when playing outdoors. Various political organizations have advocated against … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservatives, Let's Talk About Sex, Baby, Public Health, Vaccination | Comments Off on Vaccinating Children Against Tetanus Is Leading to an Epidemic of Impalements With Rusty Objects