Monthly Archives: December 2012

The NRA Is Merely the Stalking Horse, ALEC Is the Real Problem

Posted on December 15, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

After yesterday’s mass murder of young children in Connecticut, there has been a lot of justifiable anger at the National Rifle Association (‘NRA’). But the NRA is simply the public face of the gun traffickers. The organization that, in state … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, Conservatives | 7 Comments

Links 12/14/12

Posted on December 14, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

Links for you. Science: Of Cancer and Crony Capitalism in Texas Can we trust scientists who give TED talks? Thousands Call on FDA to Stop Turning a Blind Eye to Antibiotics Squandered in Animal Feed NIH funding: The dreaded issue … Continue reading →

Posted in Lotsa Links | Comments Off on Links 12/14/12

Romans, Lend Me Your Ears

Posted on December 14, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

Actually, if you could spare an entire head, that would really help: (Restoration of Juno, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston)

Posted in Boston, Museums etc. | Comments Off on Romans, Lend Me Your Ears

Capital and Labor, Same As It Ever Was (Still the Punditiest Pundit EVAH!)

Posted on December 14, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

I’m glad to see center-left pundits finally begin to comprehend that the fundamental problem causing wages and income to stall is the excessive concentration of profits in the hands of corporations and shareholders, not technological change (though that does play … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics | 3 Comments

Links 12/13/12

Posted on December 13, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

Links for you. Science: Congress Betrays The U.S. STEM Worker Once Again Cavemen Were Better at Depicting Quadruped Walking than Modern Artists: Erroneous Walking Illustrations in the Fine Arts from Prehistory to Today How to Create an American Technical Talent … Continue reading →

Posted in Lotsa Links | 1 Comment

“Solidarity Isn’t a Purely Altruistic Concept”: On the ‘Right-to-Work’ Canard

Posted on December 13, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

So if you haven’t heard, Michigan’s Republican-controlled House and Senate, along with its Republican governor have turned Michigan into a ‘right-to-work’ state, which means that employees who benefit from union-based collective bargaining are not required to pay union dues. That’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Liberties, Unions | 2 Comments

TIMMS, Alabama, and Massachusetts: States Matter

Posted on December 13, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

Yesterday I argued that, if we want a good national educational policy, rather than ‘reform’, we should just have other states copy what Massachusetts does. When it comes to education, the completely unacknowledged issue is the state-to-state gap. Until we … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Massachusetts | Comments Off on TIMMS, Alabama, and Massachusetts: States Matter

Links 12/12/12

Posted on December 12, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

This will be the last of those dates numerologists love for a while, so let’s celebrate with some links. Science: Budget Woes May Restrict Scientific Discovery Bed Bug Trend Stories: Stop the Madness Appeals court puts 1st Amendment over public … Continue reading →

Posted in Lotsa Links | 2 Comments

A Hanukah Bush?

Posted on December 12, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

No, this is not a post about Jewish identity in the 21st century. I’m just trying to figure out what the hell this thing on Marlborough Street is: The picture doesn’t really do it justice. It is neat looking (although … Continue reading →

Posted in Boston | 2 Comments

Instead of Racing to Tops or Not Leaving Children Behind, Why Don’t We Just Clone What Massachusetts Has Done?

Posted on December 12, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

The 2011 TIMMS international scholastic test results are out (I’ve written about TIMMS results before). I’ll have more to say about the results later–the Alabama–Massachusetts comparisons, my favorite*, are devastating. But, as a first pass, it’s worth noting that, once … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Massachusetts, Mathematics | 6 Comments