From the New York Times:
From the New York Times, article by Teresa Tritch, "How the deficit got this big"
How did we get into this deficit mess?
July 26, 2011
102 Comments | 
Barack Obama, Economics, Politics, President Obama | Tagged: Budget, Deficits, Economics, Politics, President Bush, President Obama | 
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Posted by Ed Darrell
How to make a dinosaur: Start with a chicken . . .
July 25, 2011Dinosaur hunter extraordinaire Jack Horner explained to an audience at TEDS that he always wanted a pet dinosaur . . .
(From a talk recorded March 4 2011.)
Jack Horner may look familiar to you. Or you may not recognize him without the cowboy hat. Horner is famous enough in dinosaurphile circles that a character who looked like Horner, down to the red shirt and cowboy hat, was included in the Jurassic Park movies.
This is, in loose form, real science. It’s the sort of stuff that somehow gets squeezed out of science curricula in middle schools and high schools. What student will not find it interesting to talk about why we can’t clone dinosaurs from mosquitoes trapped in amber, but how we can regress a chicken to bring out atavistic traits?
Such material may cause apoplexy among some cliques at the Texas State Board of Education — because this reinforces evolution ideas. Horner says, “We can fix the chicken — because evolution works.”
Science teachers: Can you find some way to shoehorn this stuff back into your classes?
2 Comments | Biology, Dinosaurs, Paleontology, Science | Tagged: Biology, Cloning, Dinosaurs, Jack Horner, Paleontology, Science, TEDS Talks | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Slowpoke Comics on the light bulb wars
July 24, 2011Oh, while we’re looking at the genius of Jen Sorensen, let’s see what she’s got to cartoon about light bulbs:
Jen Sorensen's Slowpoke Comics, "Bulb Wars" - for a larger image at Jen's website, click the image
This strip appears Wednesdays at Daily Kos, and I understand some newspapers around the country have picked it up. Does it appear in a paper in your city?
5 Comments | Cartoons, Conservation, Energy, Humor, Political cartoons, Politics | Tagged: CFLs, Energy Conservation, Green Politics, Humor, Jen Sorensen, Light Bulbs, Political cartoons, Politics, Slowpoke Comics | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Slowpoke Comics on debt ceiling ultimata
July 24, 2011At least one other person in the universe rather agrees with me that it’s odd as hell that anyone would take the debt ceiling issue to use as a bargaining chip.
Jen Sorenson tells the truth, the whole truth and little else, at Slowpoke Comics:
Jen Sorensen's Slowpoke Comics - Debt Ceiling (click image to read it full size at Jen's website)
What are the odds we can get the Dallas Morning News to carry this strip?
1 Comment | Cartoons, Humor, Political cartoons, Politics, Public Debt, Rampant stupidity | Tagged: Cartoons, Debt Ceiling, Humor, Jen Sorensen, Political cartoons, Politics, Public Debt, Rampant stupidity, Slowpoke Comics, Uncivil Discourse, Unreasonable Demands | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Famine in Somalia: ‘This is a race against time to save lives’ | Need to Know (PBS)
July 24, 2011About genocide and other political issues that lead to the deaths of tens of thousands, or hundreds of thousands of people: We keep saying “never again!” When is never? There is famine today in Somalia.
Alison Stewart of PBS’s Need To Know:
This week, the U.N. declared a state of famine in parts of Somalia. Need to Know speaks with Adrian Edwards of the U.N.’s Refugee Agency about the unfolding humanitarian crisis in the region.
Vodpod videos no longer available.
Video: Famine in Somalia: ‘This is a race again…, posted with vodpod
[2014 Update: Video expired, no longer available for streaming. Story and some details, here.]
More, Resources:
- Can this be right? Kansas City Star commentary said 160,000 people die every day
- Voice of America: Somali central government condemns militants’ refusal to allow aid workers to help refugees (Somalia has a central government?)
Leave a Comment » | Africa, Current History, Disasters, Famine, Foreign Aid, Immigration, Politics, United Nations, War | Tagged: Current History, disaster, Famine, History, Immigration, Politics, Refugees, Somalia, United Nations, War | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Haunted by Santayana’s Ghost: FDR warns about Republican hypocrisy and sarcasm, from 1936
July 23, 2011A haunting by Santayana’s Ghost:
Was this a convention speech? I wonder when and where it was. Can anyone help?
_____________
Ha! In comments, SBH points us to the text of the speech. FDR addressed the New York State Democratic Convention, in Syracuse, on September 29, 1936 (Can you imagine — does any state have such thing still — state party conventions so late in the year, today?). He found it at UC-Santa Barbara’s American Presidency Project website. Here’s the text of the excerpt above, plus a little:
In New York and in Washington, Government which has rendered more than lip service to our Constitutional Democracy has done a work for the protection and preservation of our institutions that could not have been accomplished by repression and force.
Let me warn you and let me warn the Nation against the smooth evasion which says, “Of course we believe all these things; we believe in social security; we believe in work for the unemployed; we believe in saving homes. Cross our hearts and hope to die, we believe in all these things; but we do not like the way the present Administration is doing them. Just turn them over to us. We will do all of them- we will do more of them we will do them better; and, most important of all, the doing of them will not cost anybody anything.”
But, my friends, these evaders are banking too heavily on the shortness of our memories. No one will forget that they had their golden opportunity—twelve long years of it.
Remember, too, that the first essential of doing a job well is to want to see the job done. Make no mistake about this: the Republican leadership today is not against the way we have done the job. The Republican leadership is against the job’s being done.
Read more at the American Presidency Project: Franklin D. Roosevelt: Address at the Democratic State Convention, Syracuse, N.Y. http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=15142&st=Roosevelt&st1#ixzz1T2VHx1tx
6 Comments | Democratic Party, FDR, Franklin Roosevelt, History, Politics, Republican Party, Santayana's ghost, Social Security | Tagged: American Presidency Project, Democratic Party, Franklin Roosevelt, History, Politics, Republicans, Santayana's ghost, Social Security, UCSB | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Typewriter of the moment: July 23, 1829 William A. Burt’s typographer patented
July 23, 2011William Austin Burt received a patent on a typographer on July 23, 1829 — signed personally by President Andrew Jackson.
Image of the first patent issued for a typewriter, July 23, 1829, to William Austin Burt, a Michigan surveyor and inventor. It was signed personally by President Andrew Jackson.
The typographer is considered the forerunner to the typewriter.
Burt’s chief reputation came from his work as a surveyor in Michigan. He discovered the massive iron ore deposits for which Michigan became famous, the iron that fueled much of American industrialization in the 19th and 20th centuries. He discovered one of the world’s largest deposits of copper, the Calumet and Hecla Mine. He invented the solar compass, to survey areas where iron deposits made magnetic compasses inaccurate.
Patent drawing of W. A. Burt’s typographer, the first patented typewriter – Wikimedia image
Some of Burt’s biographies do not mention his invention of the typewriter.
Burt was born in an era of great technological development and invention. People in all walks of life invented devices to aid their work, or just for the joy of invention. Even future president Abraham Lincoln invented a device to float cargo boats in shallow water, hoping to increase river commerce to his home county, Sangamon County, Illinois.
Burt invented devices to aid his work in surveying, a very important service industry in frontier America. Because surveyors often worked on the frontier, they were famous for discovering natural resources in the course of their work. So it was that Burt, working in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, found his magnetic compasses spinning wildly. Suspecting a natural phenomenon, Burt ordered his crew to look for ferrous rocks, and they quickly determined they were in an area rife with iron deposits.
It was to further surverying in such areas that Burt invented the solar compass.
Even uninteresting frontiersmen could lead lives that fascinate us today. Was it Burt’s inventiveness that led him to such a life as a surveyor, or was it his work that pushed him to invent?
First letter ever written on a typewriter, in 1829 — to Martin Van Buren, then Vice President Secretary of State of the U.S., and future Vice President and President. Notice the letter was written nearly two months prior to the patent being issued on the device upon which it was written. Wikimedia image
6 Comments | History, Invention, Technology, Typewriters | Tagged: History, Inventions, Michigan, Technology, typewriter, typographer, Wiliam Austin Burt | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
DDT “costly for Uganda”
July 22, 2011To aid researchers looking for news from Africa on malaria and DDT, I’ll reproduce the entire news story from Uganda’s New Vision here. Stories from this outlet frequently trouble me, in the unquestioning way writers take quotes from people where a more probing reporter might be more skeptical. I am not sure of the status of New Vision among Uganda’s media, but it’s one of the few available to us here on a regular basis.
So, here’s the story, on DDT usage to fight malaria. A couple of points we need to remember: First, it’s clear that DDT is not banned in Uganda, and that DDT usage goes on, despite the crocodile tears of Richard Tren, Roger Bate, and the Africa Fighting Malaria, Astroturf™ group; second, this story relates difficulties in using DDT, including cost. It’s not that the stuff itself is expensive. DDT doesn’t work on all mosquitoes anymore, and it’s dangerous to much other wildlife. Malaria fighters must do serious work in advance to be sure the populations of mosquitoes targeted will be reduced by DDT — that is, that the bugs are not immune to DDT — and care must be taken to control the applications, to be sure it’s applied in great enough concentrations, and only indoors, where it won’t contaminate the wild.
Here’s the story from New Visions:
DDT spraying costly for Uganda
Tuesday, 5th July, 2011
By Raymond Baguma and Gerald Kawemba
INDOOR residual spraying as a strategy to control malaria in Uganda is too costly and has affected the programme countrywide.
According to Dr. Seraphine Adibaku, the head of the Malaria Control Programme, this is why other malaria control strategies such as use of insecticide-treated nets and Artemisinin-based combination therapy are considered to be ahead of indoor residual spraying.
The Government is implementing the indoor residual spraying using pyrethrum-based and carbon-based insecticides in 10 malaria-endemic districts in the northern and eastern regions.
They include Amolatar, Apac, Kitgum, Kumi and Bukedea.
“About three million people in the 10 districts have been covered. We have reached over 90% of the population,” Adibaku said.
She added that under the Presidential Malaria Initiative, the budget for indoor residual spraying is sh4.5b per district each year.
Adibaku said it would be much cheaper if the ministry distributed insecticide-treated mosquito nets.
She, however, said indoor spraying has an advantage of delivering immediate impact compared to treated nets.
Adibaku disclosed that the health ministry is re-evaluating the effectiveness of using DDT for malaria control.
Dr. Joaquim Saweka, the World Health Organisation (WHO) resident representative in Uganda, said indoor residual spraying is highly effective and has been successful in Zanzibar and Rwanda.
He, however, added that it is capital intensive and needs a lot of money for each application done twice a year.
Saweka cited his previous posting in Ghana during which a town of 300,000 inhabitants required $3m for spraying each year.
He said with the high cost of spraying and low financial resources available, Uganda needs to prioritise usage of insecticide-treated mosquito nets.
Saweka added that Uganda is on the right path to eradicating malaria with efforts in prevention, diagnosis and treatment as well as universal coverage of insecticide-treated nets.
Health minister Dr. Richard Nduhura yesterday kicked off a nationwide programme to distribute 11,000 bicycles to health volunteers who will diagnose and treat malaria in homes. The programme is supported by the Global Fund.
It is part of the Government’s home-based management of malaria, which is part of a larger national strategy to deliver treatment to children within 24 hours after diagnosis.
6 Comments | Africa, DDT, Entomology, Environment, medicine, Politics | Tagged: Africa, DDT, Entomology, environment, Malaria, medicine, Politics, Uganda | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Long time coming: Current insanity
July 22, 2011I get e-mail from a friend on the high desert plains of the Mountain West:
On the other hand, maybe if we hadn’t been so polite for so long, they wouldn’t have had reason to think they could get away with this sort of thing: holding the country hostage to their latest demands.
Fruitcake isn't all that's illogical, Robot Spock!
It’s been a long time coming, no doubt about it. You could say it started decades ago, with that famously loopy math: “Let’s balance the budget by cutting everyone’s taxes and spending more on the military! That’ll work!”
Was it ridiculous on its face? Of course it was ridiculous on its face. And here’s the scariest part: Things have gotten much worse since then! The fringe thinking that gave us the Age of Reagan couldn’t even get a hearing now from those who claim to worship him! Too “moderate.” Not “pure” enough.
They’ve got their own loopy math. Twenty-first-century loopy math. And their own economic theories, too — except that they’re not theories, they’re certainties. Matters of unshakeable faith. And since they’re certainties, why waste time listening to anyone else’s views on the subject? Expertise is overrated.
So they’ve got their own economics. They’ve got their own climate science, of course. They’ve got their own history. (Paul Revere, anyone? Slavery and the Civil War?) They’ve even got their own electoral history. (2008 was a glitch. Barack Obama isn’t really president.) What’s next? Their own geography? Their own gravity?
And we’ve let them get away with it.
20 Comments | Economics, Politics, Reason | Tagged: Current Angst, Economics, Politics, Reason, Zeitgeist | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Still no fireworks at Texas SBOE . . . yet
July 21, 2011July 21, Austin — The board reconvened at 5:35. An amendment to the approval of Tech System’s chemistry supplement was quickly passed. Without any discussion, physics and IPC (“integrated physics and chemistry” — science for kids who will not be interested in science, and for teachers who can’t make them interested — but I digress), approved on raise-of-hand, quick votes — both in under three minutes total.
Biology! Staff notes there are some noted errors contested by publishers; the board again discusses what constitutes an error. Craig begs for delay to tomorrow, since no one on TEA staff appears to have any biology expertise to rule on whether an error is an error.
Publisher in question is Holt McDougall — the #1 biology textbook publisher, for textbooks in high schools and junior colleges. Holt asked for a hearing on the errors. If I understand the discussion, the board is saying they’ll stick with the panel recommendations, since they are doing that for all other publishers. In short, the process is unclear to those who invented the process and those who are ruling on the product. This would be a good essay from Richard Feynman, wouldn’t it?
Dollars to doughnuts, those members who now claim not to be able to figure out whether errors of biology are errors of biology, will be saying soon that they are competent to rule on key theories of science (evolution).
[Remember to see the immediately previous post, for links to Texas Freedom Network and Texas Observer blogs also covering this process live.]
Oy. Twenty minutes of discussion on whether to ask a representative from Holt to explain why Holt thinks designated errors are not errors. Board doesn’t know their own process — are errors noted by a vote of the review panel, or by a simple designation from any panelist without discussion.
Motion to hear from the publisher. Mavis Knight wants to know why a motion is required, if the SBOE rules say the board can call a publisher any time. (“And, Texas doesn’t execute innocent people, either.”) Garza discusses issue before the vote. Debatable motion? Yes. “I don’t think we’re going to learn anything new from the publisher.” (Who said that?)
Knight speaks in favor of hearing, to learn how the publisher got to their conclusion that the designated error is not an error. Soto agrees. Ratliff favors the motion, too — “to make sure that what we’re about to approve for the next decade is the best possible material” — and because the board doesn’t know whether the question from the panel represents a consensus or a wild hare. Clayton — “is [the publisher] also a biologist, and can he address the issue?” “I wonder if we’re wasting our time listening to a publisher instead of a biologist.”
[Lost some text — sorry]
6:06, motion to listen to publisher fails, 7-7.
Update, after adjournment: Board voted to approve Holt-McDougall’s supplement on the condition that the publisher change things identified as errors by the review panel. Board, by voting not to hear the publisher, failed to note that the “errors” are contested. View of biologists present is that the board is ordering Holt-McDougall to introduce errors. Before final approval, can we get the board to come down on accurate science’s side? This is the quiet erosion of good science I feared.
Board then pulled out three products for discussion, approving the others (biology, remember) on a hand vote. Products pulled out are Adaptive Curriculum, Learning.com’s Adaptive Curriculum on their platform, and Technical Laboratory Systems’ SciTEX Biology.
Gail Lowe says the objection is the addition of Haeckel’s embryo drawings. This is an old issue with Texas creationists. They jumped on the Discovery Institute’s claim that Haeckel’s drawings show evolution, but where evolution doesn’t occur. (Haeckel fudged drawings, biologists have known for years — but his fudged drawings haven’t been used to make his erroneous point in 50 years . . .).
Publisher steps up and shows photographs that they have agreed to substitute.
Somehow, the creationists fail to notice that what has happened is they are insisting on photographs that show evolution in stead of a drawing. (Turns out the drawings are not Haeckel’s after all — just line drawings of embryoes). Creationist Gail Lowe excitedly makes the motion to accept the product with photos instead of line drawings. (Somewhere a Discovery Institute wizard is having a heart attack.)
Board proceeds to make similar motion for Learning.com’s version of Adaptive Curriculum’s stuff.
6:25 p.m.
Lowe complains of spelling, punctuation and subject-verb agreement issues on the slides for SciTEX Biology. Motion to insist they be corrected before they make it to classroom. Discussion . . . (discussion? discussion?)
The science is right, but the spelling is wrong. [To this old copy editor, this strikes me as bizarre.] “In the future we need to appoint at least one member to each panel who is an expert in the English language.” (missed which guy said that)
Motion to approve, with errors to be fixed, passes.
Item 8, biology supplements, as amended, is approved.
No fight.
Counsel says there must be a formal motion to reject the materials from the ID/Creationist guys. Motion passes.
I’m a fireworks fan, but missing fireworks in this room is a good deal.
Board adjourned for the evening. Votes on other issues, and final approval, tomorrow.
4 Comments | History | Tagged: Biology, Education, Electronic Publishing, Electronic Textbooks, Physics, Science, Textbooks | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
No fireworks at Texas SBOE – quiet erosion of science? (Live blogging)
July 21, 2011July 21, 2011, Austin — Far fewer people than usual signed up to testify on the electronic science book supplements the Texas State Board of Education is considering in lieu of new textbooks (no money for texts from the legislature, you recall).
So, in keeping with Chairman Barbara Cargill’s wishes, testimony concluded at 4:06 p.m. CDT, just six minutes later than scheduled.
Good deal. The air conditioning in the first floor hearing room still doesn’t work well.
Since 2003, the most visible difference in these hearings is the back wall. That’s where the electrical outlets are, and so those seats get taken up by publishers, lawyers, lobbyists, and a few bloggers.
These events are being live-blogged by Steven Schafersman from Texas Citizens for Science (at the Texas Observer site), and by the Texas Freedom Network’s blog, Insider. I’ll add notes below as we progress.
When the board reconvenes at 4:30, the board will take up consideration of the supplemental materials. If they follow the testimony, there will be a quick vote to approve all of the supplements still standing.
But this may be where the fireworks get lighted.
Most witnesses asked the board to simply approve the supplemental material favored by staff at the Texas Education Agency and by the panels of teachers and experts the board appointed earlier. Those recommendations excluded the only pro-creationism materials by a small, first-time publishing company.
Andrew Ellington, the biology whiz from the University of Texas, gave another great presentation — limited to two minutes under the new rules. Most pro-evolution witnesses got no questions.
Josh Rosenau, the out-of-state champion for evolution (from the National Center for Science Education – NCSE, and Sciblogs blogger at Thoughts from Kansas) made the case for hard science. Walter Bradley, the champion for creationism, didn’t show up. He sent a substitute to read his testimony, in which he urged rejection of all the proposed materials because they don’t savage Darwin. He also gave thanks to God for the Texas SBOE.
Schafersman wrote, and you may wish to note:
My friends at Texas Freedom Network (TFN), Ryan Valentine and Dan Quinn, are also live blogging this meeting at TFN Insider. Josh Rosenau of the National Center for Science Education is also here live tweeting at at @JoshRosenau and @NCSE (using hashtag #txtxt). TFN informs me they are also live tweeting at #SBOE. Abby Rapoport of the Texas Observer will also be tweeting about this meeting using #SBOE.
______________
The Board reconvened promptly at 4:30. After a typical, SBOE-style confused discussion of the process, submissions for science supplements for grades 4, 5, 6 and 7 were quickly approved on a show-of-hands vote. The room has an electronic voting system which could offer quicker results. A show-of-hands is folksy and friendly, but leaves a poor record for tracking. Is this an intentional stab against transparency?
Discussion stalled at 8th grade materials. Question raised about whether striking a publisher’s materials requires just one objection or a majority vote (should be majority vote — the chair’s description sorta said that).
One publisher disputed two of 132 found errors — staff agreed with the publisher that there was no error. Chemistry. Chair Cargill announces that chemistry, physics and IPC curricula for high schools will be considered first — biology last. (Fireworks then?).
[Much of this discussion carries little significance. Among the errors officially tallied: “Judgment” is misspelled. Gail Lowe makes it clear that she has what she thinks are significant errors identified for one publisher, in the biology materials- Pearson,Technical Laboratory Systems, Chemistry I think. Fines can be levied for publishers who fail to correct errors.]
This discussion is so much inside baseball that the board takes a recess to figure it out.
It looks like — correct me if I’m wrong — the board is working to take potshots at some publisher’s biology stuff, and kill it.
Leave a Comment » | Education, Evolution, Science | Tagged: Education, Evolution, Science, Texas, Texas State Board of Education | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
War on science, war on education: Evolution under fire at Texas education board
July 21, 2011Ryan at the Texas Freedom Network laid out the stakes:
Just a reminder about what new chairwoman Barbara Cargill — and her five “conservative Christian” allies on the State Board of Education — have in mind for the meeting this week:
I am a little bit concerned in looking at some of these science online supplementary materials. I looked at one of the links and there was a picture of a — a graphic of a human fetus next to a gorilla fetus talking about how they only differ by one amino acid. Therefore, universal common decent. So that is of some concern. And I am not quite sure if we are going to have the votes to overturn that. We will work diligently to rectify and correct some of that. But remember we lost a conservative seat, so we’re down to six.
In this unguarded moment, Cargill drops the double-speak and is honest about her plan for the first meeting over which she will preside as chair — pressure publishers to censor scientific information from their materials and to insert bogus information questioning evolution. And she knows exactly what her task is: to get the extra votes necessary to accomplish this.
Stay tuned to TFN Insider on Thursday and Friday as we give you a front-row seat at the contentious hearing and board vote.
Live blogging the meeting starting at about 10:00 a.m today at TFN Insider at at Steve Schafersman’s blog, from the Texas Citizens for Science.
More, resources:
1 Comment | Education, Evolution, Politics, Science, Texas, Texas Citizens for Science, Texas Freedom Network, War on Education, War on Science | Tagged: Education, Evolution, Politics, Science, Texas, Texas Citizens for Science, Texas Freedom Network, Texas State Board of Education, Textbooks, War on Education, War on Science | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Easy energy
July 21, 2011You can’t buy the poster from Max Temkin anymore — it’s sold out — but the idea remains:
Just wash your spoon, eh?
Tip of the old scrub brush to Grist. For the search engines, full text of the poster below the fold.
5 Comments | Art, Conservation, Energy, Environmental protection, Life, Oil, Philosophy | Tagged: Art, Conservation, Energy, Environmental protection, Life, Oil, Philosophy | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Debt ceiling: Pure politics?
July 20, 2011Courtesy of some guy who goes by the handle Americus Paulytics:
Here’s the count of how many Republican U.S. Senators voted to increase the debt ceiling the last eleven times it’s been done
1997: 55
2002: 31
2003: 50
2004: 50
2006: 51
2007: 26
2008: 34
2008: 33Then Obama was elected.
2009: 2
2009: 1
2010: 0
Bill Clinton occupied the White House in 1997; George W. Bush lived there the next seven times the Senate voted. Is there a trend here?
Is that account of events correct?
Tip of the old scrub brush to Marion Young.
Leave a Comment » | History, Politics | Tagged: Debt Ceiling, History, Politics | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
August 3, 2011 – potential quote of the moment, Social Security
July 20, 2011
“If Social Security checks don’t go out on August 3, it’s just old people. You know how they are. They’re just gonna blow that money on medicine and hips.” – Jon Stewart
6 Comments | Humor, Politics, Social Security | Tagged: Humor, Politics, Social Security | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Millard Fillmore's Bathtub 