Baby Hears

Jonathan hears his mom with the help of a cochlear implant. If this doesn't make you smile, then you need to check whether your heart has been replaced with a lump of coal.

Ultrasounds & Abortion

Oklahoma's recently passed restrictive anti-abortion laws may backfire, at least in part. One of the laws requires that women be forced to look at an ultrasound and hear a lengthy description of the fetus. The idea is that women will be shamed out of having the abortion. In Alabama, where women are given the option of viewing the ultrasound (admittedly, not directly comparable), there has been no decrease in abortions.

In fact, anecdotal evidence suggests that such an approach backfires, particularly for younger embryos and fetuses. Embryos do not look like humans, and that can be reassuring when deciding to terminate. Opponents of ultrasound requirements worry that it will emotionally scar women without actually changing their minds, but data from England suggests that's not the case. Seventy-three percent of women in those studies looked at the ultrasound when given the option, 84% of those said it did not make the decision more difficult, and no one changed her mind about having it done.

It is the second law that I actually find more disturbing. This law prevents a woman from suing a doctor who intentionally hid information about birth defects while the baby was in utero. There are many non-abortion related reasons to know about birth defects before a baby arrives. (As a reminder, Sarah Palin had prenatal tests to confirm a disability in her child.) Even without that fact, I am appalled by legislators making it legally acceptable for a doctor to lie and mislead a patient about anything. That's how you end up with situations like the Tuskegee Experiment.

Relativity & Climate Change

Apparently, there are some similarities between the anti-relativity camp of Einstein's age and the anti-climate change camp of our own.

ACLU real & imagined

A look at the right-wing version of the ACLU and the actual ACLU.

How to get your camera back

with help from this guy.

Caffeine & Dementia

Drinking moderate amounts of caffeine is associated with lower rates of Alzheimer's and other dementia.

What Disney Teaches

Girls
(Click picture to make words clearer.)

and Boys

Empathy & Diet

There is preliminary evidence that vegans & vegetarians experience more empathy in the face of human & animal suffering compared to omnivores. At the very least, the areas of the brain implicated in empathy "light up" more when vegan/vegetarians are exposed to suffering. This data will need to be replicated & some sort of causal timeline would have to be established for this to be particularly interesting. It could be, for example, a case of cognitive dissonance. They've chosen a restrictive lifestyle, and there has to be a good reason for that, so they actually sensitize themselves to the suffering of animals. Who knows.

Daydreaming & Moving

Apparently the direction you are moving in influences the direction your mind wanders. People for whom forward motion was simulated (through dots on a screen) were more likely to daydream about future events, whereas people for whom backward motion was simulated were more likely to daydream about past events. I generally daydream about nonsensical things like flying (like a bird, not in a plane) -- I also am a couch potato. Maybe if I start moving around, I'll suddenly start having brilliant thoughts about real things in the future.

Female Circumcision

The American Academy of Pediatrics is apparently reversing its earlier recommendation that doctors be allowed to perform "ritual nicks" to prevent families from sending their daughters overseas for full circumcisions.

Picture of the day

Right & Wrong

I guess I'm surprised at the large percentage of people (63%) who think cloning animals is morally wrong. I'd like to hear specific justifications for that view. (Gallup)

Copernicus Gets a Funeral

The remains of Copernicus have been identified and were laid to rest again on Saturday--presumably with more pomp and circumstance this time. The heliocentric theory was labeled heresy by the church, but after the death of Copernicus, who died in relative obscurity. His book was taken off the banned books list about 200 years ago.

Support for Same-Sex Marriage

Is increasing. I find it particularly heartening that 1/4 of conservatives & almost 1/3 of Republicans are in favor of legalizing. I think that although those numbers are still far from over 50%, they are higher than you'd expect from the public discourse.

400th Post! -- Women in Hollywood

The Presence of Women Test:

1. Are there 2+ women in the movie, with names?
2. Do they talk to each other?
3. Do they talk to each other about something other than men?




Here are the last 10 movies I've seen and whether they pass the above test:

1. Iron Man 2 -- Technically, I think they say one line to each other unrelated to RDJ, but I say it doesn't count.

2. Prime -- No.

3. A Prarie Home Companion -- Yes. (But not a good movie.)

4. The Manchurian Candidate -- Yes? (Again, not a good movie.)

5. Adaptation -- No.

6. Music of the Heart -- Yes. (Decent, not fantastic movie.)

7. Dancing at Lughnasa -- Yes.

8. One True Thing -- Yes.

9. First Do No Harm -- No?

10. The Bridges of Madison County -- No.

Now, as you can see, I am in the midst of a Meryl Marathon. Likely she has more women-focused, or strong-women movies than the average bear. How do my TV selections fare? (Last 10 shows I've watched, reality programming not withstanding.)

1. Lost -- Yes.

2. United States of Tara -- Yes.

3. Bones -- Yes.

4. Sopranos -- No? (It has some strong, well-developed female characters, though.)

5. Oz -- No.

6. The Tudors -- No.

7. Freaks & Geeks -- Yes?

8. Angels in America -- Yes (TV miniseries)

9. House -- Yes.

10. Law & Order: SVU -- No.

Looks like TV has a better track record.

Scientology

Orrin Hatch is Funny

When asked if he was "part of Washington," the man who started serving as a senator when my mother was still in high school said, "hell no." Good try, Senator.

Because Every Country is Good at Something

A map of number ones. The U.S. is number one in serial killers. That's nice.

Presidential Money

The peak net worth of all the presidents, in 2010 dollars. Washington was filthy rich -- almost half a billion in today's dollar.

Roots of Terrorism

The Pakistan Chief of Army Staff Ashfaq Kayani claims that they have removed the roots of terrorism from several tribal areas. Think they used RoundUp? Admittedly, I know nothing about this region or military things in Pakistan (or anywhere else, for that matter). That will not stop me from calling bullshit.

Chocolate Wine

I do not know how to feel about this. On the one hand, ew. On the other hand, chocolate cheese is really good, and maybe chocolate wine is too? Has anyone out there had this before??

Rand Paul

The Maddow interview, in which she supposedly "eviscerated" Dr. Paul.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Andrew Sullivan's reaction is pretty similar to mine. Also, I don't think Rand Paul is a racist.

Things that make you go grrrr

For giving a single lecture about "pregnancy prevention, abstinence, faith, and life," expert Bristol Palin will make almost as much as I make in a year. Man, my career choices look worse by the second. Also, twenty bucks Ms. Palin is not practicing what she preaches.

Pot & Bears

Via Andrew Sullivan:

In Hopkins v. Uninsured Employers' Fund, 2010 MTWCC 9, WCC No. 2008-2152 (May 4, 2010), Worker' Compensation Court Judge James Jeremiah Shea found that Hopkins was, indeed, an employee of Kilpatrick, that Hopkins sustained compensable injuries arising out of and in the course of his employment, and that Hopkins' use of marijuana was not a major contributing cause of his injuries. Hopkins use of marijuana did not, therefore, disqualify him from receiving an award of benefits. Judge Shea concluded that "[w]hen it comes to attacking humans, grizzlies are equal opportunity maulers; attacking without regard to race, creed, ethnicity, or marijuana usage." The judge characterized Hopkins use of marijuana to "kick off" a day of working with grizzly bears as "ill-advised" and "mind-bogglingly stupid." There was no evidence, however, that the pot smoking contributed significantly to Hopkins' injuries.

I want a job where I get to call people & their actions "ill-advised" and "mind-boggling stupid" to their faces.

Art

I thought this was fun. More Patti Warashina here.

Gay marriage in Portugal

is legal.

Muslim Soldiers

I have mixed reactions to this piece about Spec. Zachari Klawonn, a Muslim soldier at Ft. Hood who has filed numerous complaints about harassment from his fellow soldiers. On the one hand, he seems to have some legitimate gripes and concerns about his safety. His Koran has been ripped up and threatening messages have been scrawled on his door. His commanders recommended that he be moved off base. According to Klawonn, though, he hasn't been paid his stipend. He's taking out loans to cover his expenses.

As I was reading, though, my reaction kept coming back to, "What is it with this guy? Maybe he's really annoying, and his religion is just a convenient way to attack him." Two other Muslim soldiers at Ft. Hood report that they have not had problems, even though they expected them after the Ft. Hood shootings. Klawonn broke down crying to his superiors and his mother and sister called and yelled at various people at Ft. Hood.

His mom called the base and, in broken English, berated anyone she could reach by phone. His older sister was more methodical, yelling her way up the chain of command. She could see what all the stress had done to him.

That sounds like an unpleasant person and not much of a tough-man soldier. The army seems to be trying to address the issues.

On the other hand, his roommates have been baffled by the negative treatment, and he is a model soldier--no reprimands in his file, tops in weapons qualifications, an invitation to try out for Special Forces.

As I've sat here writing this and reading the two articles, I think I've convinced myself that my initial response--looking for a non-religious explanation for his treatment--was not only incorrect, but also is a common and unpleasant reaction to civil rights issues.

Underlying my reaction was the thought, "If he'd stop being such a rabble-rouser, if he'd just put his head down and do his thing, if he'd stop complaining, then maybe people would leave him alone." That's a horrible and unfair reaction (and probably one shared by some of his commanders), particularly since I'm certain that the evangelical-type soldiers are loud and proud about their religion. Why should Klawonn be any different?

Now, having said that, there are always two sides to every story, and there may be non-religious aspects to this conflict. However, demanding equal rights and protection from fellow soldiers shouldn't be classified as out of bounds.

Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

Focus on the Family's response to Laura Bush's stances on abortion rights & gay marriage:

"It's disappointing to hear Laura Bush, who is a well respected and admired former first lady, espouse positions on marriage and the value of human life that are contrary not only to her husband's but arguably, according to polls, in conflict with the majority of Americans," said Carrie Gordon Earll, spokeswoman for the conservative group Focus on the Family.

I guess that means her views are not disappointing, per se. Rather, expressing views that are not her husband's and that are not informed by polls seems to be the problem.


Except that most Americans do support abortion rights, to some extent.

ROUS!

A new species of giant rat was found in an extinct volcano in Papua New Guinea a few years ago. They found lots of other animals as well, including a frog with fangs. The finds have recently been confirmed as new species.

(If you don't know what an ROUS is, click here and here.)

Sloth

Meet the sloths from Amphibian Avenger on Vimeo.

I always thought I wanted to come back as a well-loved dog, but perhaps a well-loved sloth would fit my personality better.

Beetle Sex

No Kissing!

Clips from some anti-kissing film called Pamela's Prayers.

The Volcano

Iceland, Eyjafjallajökull - May 1st and 2nd, 2010 from Sean Stiegemeier on Vimeo.

Timelapse of Eyjafjallajökull on May 1st & 2nd.

Kagan

Glenn Greenwald does not care for Elena Kagan's intellectual dishonesty. In 1995, Kagan got grouchy about the confirmation process, basically saying the process was a charade and that nominees should have to reveal their views on important legal issues. Now that she's walked a mile in a nominee's shoes, she's not so sure about that anymore and will be keeping her comments as vague as possible. Basically.

Having no clue about jurisprudence or government, I turned to a knowledgeable person. Said person had some smart-sounding ideas, but damn near had a panic attack when I asked for a guest contribution to my blog. To keep this person's identity secret from the two people who read this blog, I will refer to them as The Contributor. Further--and this is painful for me--I'll use the grammatically incorrect "they/their/them" to avoid gender pronouns. Contributor -- do you see what you've done?

The Contributor's first response to the Greenwald article was disappointment. "I would expect [more] coming out of the Obama team braintrust." The Contributor felt first of all, that the backtrack itself could have been finessed and presented more elegantly. Second, The Contributor bemoaned the trampling of a nuanced idea.

A critique of the nomination process is more complex that a simple, "Nominees should talk straight." Rather, the entire process is a "vapid and hollow exercise" due not only to the nominee's refusal to say anything of substance, but also to the necessity for such sidestepping and vagueness. The use of buzzwords and litmus tests has created an environment in which a nominee can't answer questions directly and have a hope of being confirmed.

Given this reality, The Contributor isn't upset that Kagan is going to follow her predecessors' path. Rather, The Contributor wishes that Kagan could have held on to the core of her idea, rather than retracting it completely and "pretending that she's thought about it more." My next question was, "Well, what should the process look like, if not this?"

The Contributor is not sure what the best, theoretical solution is--we didn't even get into the practical aspects--but here were some thoughts that came up. First, being a justice is not about one's personal beliefs, so there is merit in avoiding questions that probe into these areas. Second, The Contributor maintains that it is a dangerous game to give hypothetical case details and demand an answer. Court cases are more complex than can be summarized in a few sentences.

At this point, I suggested a comps-like exercise whereby the nominee is given a full case record, complete with transcripts, and whatever else constitutes a complete record. (Like I said -- I don't anything about this stuff.) The nominee would then be given an opportunity to note what questions he or she would have asked in the course of the case and would be asked to write an opinion.

The Contributor thought a comps exercise could be a fun idea. (The Contributor is a big ole nerd.) But a problem with this approach was noted. Namely, the grading is left up to the (mostly partisan) senators, to whom The Contributor may or may not have referred as "yahoos." (My main contribution to the debate was to point out that at least the House isn't involved in confirmations. We could have Michele Bachmann asking questions.)

This discussion led to The Contributor's final point. The process as it stands is, at its heart, a power grab by the Senate. The Senate is meant to be a check on the President's power, but has become about the Senate making the decision itself. It has gone from, "This is a perfectly reasonable candidate," to "This person is not perfect, because she disagrees with me on [insert hot button issue here.]"

Oil Rig Diagram

Oil Pictures

It would be beautiful if it weren't so devastating.


Mississippi river water meets oil slick. More pictures here.

Basketball Passes

Even if you've seen this before, just follow the instructions.

Careful, he might sit on you.

The New York Times reports on a recent article in Pediatrics, which suggests that obese and overweight children are more likely to be bullied compared to other children. This finding is consistent with what most people would expect. It is not, however, consistent with existing research. Although some studies have shown that fat kids are at increased risk for bullying, a lot of studies have failed to show any difference. What researchers typically find is that when heavy kids are teased, they are teased about their weight. The much more consistent finding regarding weight is that undersized children--particularly boys--are more likely to be the targets of bullying. If you look at the Pediatrics article in the context of the broader research literature, it starts to look like a Type 1 error--a fluke.

Lost Whale

This story is kind of cool, but also very sad at the same time. A gray whale was spotted in the waters off Israel. The cool part of this is that there are no gray whales in the Atlantic. They were hunted to extinction in the 1700s. There are two groups of grey whales in the Pacific. The researchers think that the Northwest Passage was ice free for a time in the summer and the whale swam through and got hopelessly lost. The possibility of the whale making a safe return trip to the Pacific was considered "rather slim." Thus, the sad part of this is that there are no gray whales in the Atlantic. A lonely whale, all alone, half a world away from his kin, with no hope of returning. It reminds of me of this penguin and makes me want to cry.

Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire

You don't have a food allergy.

Repurposing Cancer Stick Dispensers

This old cigarette dispenser is now selling books by local authors in Hamburg.

More Visual Fun

Watch the balls float upward.

Ann Coulter & Rational Thought

"You keep complicating things by trying to look at this rationally."

Lordy Lordy

This ad is apparently largely funded by the Alabama Education Association through the True Republican PAC. That is just...wow.

6th Grade Gaga

Fun with Vision

The Troxler effect. Stare at the dot for 10-30 seconds from a distance of about a foot. Watch the green circle melt away.

Female Circumcision

The American Academy of Pediatrics is suggesting that the current U.S. laws regarding female circumcision/genital mutilation be revised so that doctors can perform a ceremonial "nick" on the clitoris. This nick will not have long-term consequences for the child and will hopefully prevent families for sending their daughters overseas to get a much more dangerous and severe circumcision. Some groups are decrying this move, saying that it legitimizes the practice. If it really is a teeny tiny nick that has no long-term issues, then it seems like a good compromise. It's still a weird procedure/ritual, but there are lots of weird things that people do. If they don't harm the child, then I don't generally have a problem with it. For example, I think it's weird to get an infant's ears pierced, but I don't think it should be outlawed.

Tiny Space, Lots of Uses

Superweed

Not that kind of weed, you stoner. Like antibacterial-resistant superbugs, there are now superweeds that are resistant to Roundup. Farmers are turning to harsher herbicides & do hand-weeding now.

Lutheran

The largest Lutheran group (Chicago-based Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) has reinstated two gay ministers.

The Meaning of Color

A pretty cool color wheel demonstrating the meaning of specific colors by culture. For example, in cultures that have a color for "evil," it is black (Western, Japanese, Hindu, & Eastern European). The color of love is more varied. It is red in Western, Eastern European, & Japanese cultures, green in Hindu cultures, yellow in Native American cultures, and blue in some African cultures.

Charter Schools

There are mixed results from the nation's charter schools. Fewer than 1/5 outperform comparable public schools, almost half offer comparable education, and over a 1/3 are significantly worse than comparable public schools. The article juxtaposes two different charter schools--one that is excelling and another that has an F rating. The question is how to package the success stories and launch them in other areas.