Science Friday: Humpback Hunters
Science Friday: A whale of a hunt. Here or below.
MyBlog
Dr. David Ansell on Health Care Woes
To those who think the Affordable Care Act of 2010 will at least do a little to solve the America’s health care woes, think again. In an interview with Terry Gross on “Fresh Air,” Chicago Dr. David Ansell explains why the law could make our already troubled system even worse.
Coming Out, Undocumented
Prominent journalist Jose Antonio Vargas has come out, as an illegal immigrant. His poignant tale, published in The New York Times online, underscores the absurdities and cruelties inherent in our dysfunctional immigration system. It’s a brave piece, and hopefully a change-inducing one.
And here is the back story about how it came to be published in The New York Times after, bizarrely, The Washington Post passed on it.
Jon Stewart on Fox News Sunday
Wherein Jon Stewart tries to explain to Chris Wallace that “The Daily Show”/Comedy Central and “Fox News Sunday”/Fox News Channel are not the same. And, wherein, Chris Wallace does not get it and perhaps never will.
Science Friday: Lab Test of the Heart
Science Friday: Bioengineering a heart, of course. Here or below.
Science Friday: Solar Sights
Science Friday: It’s always sunny (and) hot on summer Fridays. Here or below.
Don’t Miss: Institutional Corruption Stories
This past weekend, I was in the backyard painting doors (don’t ask) and listening to “This American Life.” It shortly became clear that Act One of the Old Boys Network program was something special. Beyond being a great distraction from the chore of painting, this expertly reported piece told a tale filled with sordid details, everyday heroics, and even humor. For the entire 28.5 minutes, it had me on the edge of my paintbrush. Listen to the whole thing — you won’t be sorry.
The other story, from the New York Times, is a far sadder account of institutional corruption involving the care of children with disabilities throughout the state. It’s raw, but it’s also the very story that needs to be told to force changes in this highly dysfunctional system.
We Already Know Dept.: Global Drug War is a Failure
“The global war on drugs has failed, with devastating consequences for individuals and societies around the world.”
Thus begins the June 2011 report by the Global Commission on Drugs — an international body whose charge is to reduce societal and individual harm caused by drugs using science-based methods. The commission, whose members include the former president of Mexico and the previous UN secretary general, recommends in this internationally focused report that societies such as the United States “[b]egin the transformation of the global drug prohibition regime.”
It notes that “vast expenditures on criminalization and repressive measures directed at producers, traffickers and consumers of illegal drugs have clearly failed to effectively curtail supply or consumption,” and it suggests that in established drug markets, law enforcement attempts to reduce the supply of drugs are largely futile.
The full report contains 11 recommendations, which will hopefully be considered by policy makers around the globe.
Read more about the commission online.