OOOOOOOOOO

So here's a photo of the pumpkin I carved 21 Oct. I don't think I need to say anything...but Change is hopefully coming!

McShame pisses off the rowdy science crowd!

Well I didn't think much about the comment McCain made about the 'overhead projector for the Chicago Planetarium' in the debate the other night - other than it was just one example of 'pork' he probably could have used that was connected to O. I was more struck by his proposal to put ALL govt programs on freeze or cut except defense (I could just hear the NSF dollars evaporating). Yet apparently he really did use a BAD example and a number of people in science are pissed about his choice - see article about Sky Theatre funding.

Add to this his comments on govt programs the far right's lack of support for stem cell research and I think McShame should pull out of the science field as well as MI!

A Bitch Slap to Robert Gallo!

For those geeks out there that know of the long running feud between American retrovirus pioneer Robert Gallo and French HIV researchers Luc Montagnier and (to a lesser extent by association) Francoise Barre-Sinoussi - the genesis of this feud is highlighted very effectively in the movie "And The Band Played On" - it seems with the award of the 2008 Nobel Prize in Medicine/Physiology those in Stocholm have spoken! Condolences to Gallo (although I tend to side with the French on this one)!

Condolences

My condolences to Mannie for the loss of Paul Newman. I'm pretty confident you've already dug out Slapshots to rewatch for the week.

On another note, it's almost Halloween. The chill is in the air. Is 'ole Luke getting an honorary tombstone in the Liscum graveyard? Was he ever in any horror flicks?

Are you serious? What happened to intelligence in this country?

For any of you who (like I) find it hard to fathom that female supporters (or male for that matter) of Hillary could now turn and run for a diametrically-opposed plank of the GOP because McCain picked a veep with an XX sex chromosome composition, or that they might be so pissed about Hillary not getting the nomination as to vote GOP independent of McCain's VP pick, you need to check out this completely shocking site:

Just Say No Deal

I know these people (former Dems) viscerally hate Obama but are they serious, now suddenly they are willing to cast their vote, and encourage others to do likewise, for a ticket that is SO fundamentally different from all that Hillary stands for (with the exception, as Gloria Steinem has stated "the sharing of a single chromosome")? The divisive ignorant nature of Americans befalls me!

The PIs feeling on Gov. Palin's belief on Creation in public schools

What is scary about Palin is not her faith (I have absolutely no issue with faith per se) but her desire to 'force' it upon others. I have no problem with teaching Creation, but it simply does NOT belong in the public school science class. Creation (or Intelligent Design) is NOT science and thus does not belong in a science classroom. Sunday school, theology, and maybe philosophy YES, public school science class NO. And to use the argument that 'let the kids see both sides and debate the issue' is really quite silly. Should we also allow revisionist history to be taught in public schools? To borrow from the Republican play book, this is a 'slippery slope'. If Creation is taught alongside evolution in public school science classes we best start teaching David Irving-style Holocaust revisionist history in world history classes - so we can allow the students to debate the issue (how ignorant does this sound?). Healthy debate is good, but there is a place for it and Creation does NOT belong in a science class. It is faith, and faith belongs in the heart and the congregation. As a scientist I cannot apply scientific method to test faith or the potential validity of Creation. This fact alone means that Creation can not be science, and thus simply does not belong in public school science classes. Faith does not need to be proven, but that is what we attempt to do on a daily basis in science with theory. My students cannot publish results that are based on 'faith' of theory, but rather need to provide evidence for or against. Creation cannot be tested or proven by scientific method, it only requires faith. The founding fathers felt that the Church and State belonged separate and if the Second Amendment is to be held with such high regard maybe we should hold this ideal in high regard as well?

So Sarah Palin scares me because of how she blurs the line between her faith and her job as a public servant. I have to believe that she can have strong faith without trying to legislate it. Aren't we frequently hearing the argument forwarded by President Bush about liberal judges legislating their views. How is Palin's (or the Republican plank) any different? Do they just feel that THEIR beliefs, being grounded in faith, are simply better, nigh correct?

Time will tell whether American's buy the snake oil of the Democrats or the Republicans, but one has to applaud the process this time around for making two of the top four spots something different!

If you missed it...the NEXT first lady!!

Michelle Obama ROCKS!