Archive for category science
Dear Prudence
Posted by zoboxrox in charity, economy, health, human rights, international, science, tragedy on January 18th, 2010
Haiti, 2008
While the images coming out of Haiti since the January 12th earthquake are heartbreaking, images of Haiti before the massive devastation are nearly as appalling. For many, just one week ago, it was simply easier not to look.
Haiti has long been the pariah of the Western Hemisphere, deemed the poorest country, many Americans don’t even realize it shares an island, Hispaniola, with popular hot spot the Dominican Republic. With HIV rates unheard of on this side of the world, not to mention Malaria and a killer strain of drug resistant Tuberculosis, and levels of poverty we have only seen in Hollywood films, Americans have found it surprisingly easy to overlook Haiti’s hellish existence in the past, despite its close proximity and dire need for aide. And while there are those who have dedicated their lives to moving mountains in this forgotten place (Paul Farmer and his Partners in Health comes to mind most immediately, but there are certainly others as well, many with little to no recognition at all), there is no question that Haiti has been more or less abandoned by the rest of the world.
While the media provides us with day to day body counts and relays gruesome details of injuries and loss, forcing us to see what we’ve ignored for so long, racking up donations from the college student text messager to the saintly celebrity givers, I can only wonder, if this Disaster Relief had poured in years ago, would we be facing the situation we are facing today?
Jian Lin, a WHOI senior scientist in geology and geophysics, said that there were three factors that made the quake particularly devastating: First, it was centered just 10 miles southwest of the capital city, Port au Prince; second, the quake was shallow—only about 10-15 kilometers below the land’s surface; third, and more importantly, many homes and buildings in the economically poor country were not built to withstand such a force and collapsed or crumbled.
When there are no roads, no hospitals, no doctors, no reliable government, no one to really trust, how far can the money go? Perhaps the lesson here is of prudent giving — spending money earlier, before its too late.
Smashion Week
Posted by zoboxrox in environment, international, politics, science on September 23rd, 2009
So I guess last week was Fashion Week. People all over the city buzzed about it, including 75% of the men I know (look for future blog: what is happening to the heterosexual male?), but to be honest I could care less. All I see when I look at the pictures from a fashion show are incredibely sick-looking models who could use a hug and a hamburger. THIS WEEK, however, the President is in town for his first UN appearance, and I find that MUCH MORE EXCITING!
Here’s why: For the first time in over eight years, we have a representative in the International Community who isn’t retarded (no offense to retarded people, but yeah, Bush is one of you [by the way, the definition of retarded is slow or stupid, not handicapped.... please dont come back at me with a whole bunch of pc nonsense. If Bush were handicapped, at least he would have an excuse]). The Times:
The United States is ready to begin a new era of engagement with the world, President Obama said Wednesday in a sweeping address to the United Nations General Assembly in which he sought to clearly delineate differences between his administration and that of former President George W. Bush.
People are eager to judge Obama: he hasn’t done enough, he’s breaking his promises, he’s more moderate than he allowed, nothing has changed. Tell that to the rest of the world.
“We have re-engaged the United Nations,” Mr. Obama said, to cheers from world leaders and delegates in the cavernous hall of the General Assembly….
An array of world leaders sat in the hall for Mr. Obama’s speech, which was often interrupted by applause…
….For Mr. Obama personally [Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi] had only warm words, calling on the collected nations to welcome “our son” on his first United Nations appearance.
Even Qaddafi, who’s not really that nice a guy (apparently no one cares about Lockerbie these days), can’t get enough. And its not because Obama is a celebrity, despite what you may have heard.
For one, there’s climate change, an issue that sat on the sidelines for eight years while our former administration pretended there was nothing wrong (how can man change the climate, when god controls the universe…?). Again, from the Times:
The United States — the world’s largest emitter in historical terms — is acknowledging its responsibility to help the poorest and most vulnerable nations reduce emissions without sacrificing growth….
Mr. Obama recognizes the urgency of the problem. He will have to work hard to persuade a Democratic-controlled Senate (the House has acted) to see it as well and to pass strong legislation committing the United States to binding cuts in greenhouse gases….
Since we’re all breathing the same air, drinking the same water (ok, not really), and living under the same sun, people around the world are relieved that we finally have a President who is not basing his evnironmental policy on the End Times.
Now that’s what I call fashion.
Who Loves the Sun?
In honor of our new Surgeon General, and the fact that I imagine a lot of you are indoors right now, here are the Top 5 reasons you shouldn’t feel bad about missing out on the sun this summer.
1. Sun Burns:
While I’m the last person who should ever lecture about sunburns, (last weekend I literally got one on my eyeballs… if you don’t believe me, here’s a link) I thought I’d offer a little insight into what is actually happening to your skin — and mine — when we spend too much time in the sun.
A sunburn is a burn to living tissue such as skin produced by overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, commonly from the sun’s rays. Usual mild symptoms in humans and animals are red or reddish skin that is hot to the touch, general fatigue, and mild dizziness.
After the exposure, skin may turn red in as little as 30 minutes but most often takes 2 to 6 hours. Pain is usually most extreme 6 to 48 hours after exposure. The burn continues to develop for 24 to 72 hours occasionally followed by peeling skin in 3 to 8 days. Some peeling and itching may continue for several weeks.
2. Sun Poisoning:
Been there, done that. Once again, not lecturing here. Just sharing some important information with my favorite people.
Sun poisoning and sun burns are actually the same thing: your skin’s allergic reaction to the sun.
In the case of sun poisoning, however, the reaction is a bit more severe and the symptoms may become seriously uncomfortable. A typical sunburn involves itching, redness, and peeling. Severe sunburns may also be accompanied by small blisters that may lead to infection. Symptoms of sun poisoning also tend to include nausea, fever, headache, and dizziness and may also be accompanied by fluid loss and electrolyte imbalance.
3. Sun Damage:
This may be the hardest pill for some of you to swallow but I’ve got to keep you informed: A tan is actually a sign of damage and the body’s attempt to protect itself from further harm.
Wrinkles, Sun Spots, Leather, Oh my!
- Contrary to popular belief, a tan is not “healthy.” A tan is a sign that damage has been done to your skin.
- When exposed to the sun’s UV rays, your skin’s melanocytes produce melanin, the dark pigment that creates a tan. A tan is your skin’s attempt to prevent UV rays from doing any further damage to the sensitive skin cells in your epidermis.
- A tan does not help protect your skin from getting a sunburn in the future. A tan is equivalent to merely an SPF 4.
I’m not trying to kill everyone’s summer. Just be aware. Wear SPF - UVA and UVB protection! Tan gradually.
4. Cataracts:
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! (no offense)
5. Skin Cancer:
From the Skin Cancer Foundation:
- Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. More than one million skin cancers are diagnosed annually.
- Each year there are more new cases of skin cancer than the combined incidence of cancers of the breast, prostate, lung and colon.
- One in five Americans will develop skin cancer in the course of a lifetime.
- In 2004, the total direct cost associated with the treatment for non-melanoma skin cancers was more than $1 billion.
- About 90 percent of non-melanoma skin cancers are associated with exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun.
- The incidence of many common cancers is falling, but the incidence of melanoma continues to rise significantly, at a rate faster than that of any of the seven most common cancers.
- Melanoma accounts for about three percent of skin cancer cases, but it causes more than 75 percent of skin cancer deaths.
Surgeon General’s Warning
Posted by zoboxrox in health, politics, powerful women, science on July 14th, 2009
Yesterday Obama nominated Dr. Regina Benjamin of Bayou La Batre, Alabama, to be his new Surgeon General, and while the position is more or less a symbolic one, his choice highlights his thoughts on the nations health, and perhaps the direction he hopes to take the entire health care system.
Whats interesting, and at the same time predictable, about his choice, is that here is a woman of color who comes out of the same meritocratic system as the President himself (as well as his choice for the Supreme Court). In this way, unlike someone who came from privilege and never needed any help, Dr. Benjamin feels she owes the system, and has dedicated her life to helping others — NOT to cashing in on her skills and experience. In fact, the New York Times quotes her current employer as saying they are currently $300,000.00 in debt to her, because she hasn’t received payment for years.
Mr. Obama’s signature domestic policy goal is reforming the nation’s health care system to make doctors more accessible to the tens of millions of people without insurance. He picked someone who has spent her entire career tending to the poor and the uninsured, sometimes accepting pints of oysters as payment.
It was Dr. Benjamin’s willingness to sacrifice — something health care reform may ask of many more doctors — that Mr. Obama discussed at length Monday.
Dr. Benjamin, Mr. Obama said, “represents what’s best about health care in America — doctors and nurses who give and care and sacrifice for the sake of their patients.”
On top of her qualifications as a doctor and an advocate for the poor and uninsured, she also comes from the land of disaster AKA the Gulf Coast (perhaps most memorably Hurricane Katrina), and has a lot of experience with emergency health situations — an incredible tool for the job of Surgeon General. Her own clinic in Bayou La Batre, which she built in a shrimping town 25 miles south of Mobile, Alabama, has been destroyed and rebuilt three times, twice due to hurricanes, and once to fire. 
She has an intimate knowledge of tragedy and early loss, as she has been personally affected by what she considers, “preventable diseases”: her mother’s death from lung cancer due to smoking, her father’s death from high blood pressure and diabetes due to diet, and finally her brother’s death from HIV due to lifestyle. In other words, she understands what’s killing Americans — its happened right in front of her eyes, both in her home, and in the clinic where she serves thousands of people, sometimes at cost to herself.
Here are some awesome facts about her from her Wikipedia page:
- In 1998 she was the United States recipient of the Nelson Mandela Award for Health and Human Rights
- Dr. Benjamin was named by Time Magazine as one of the “Nation’s 50 Future Leaders Age 40 and Under.” She has been featured in a New York Times article, “Angel in a White Coat,” and was chosen “Person of the Week” by ABC’s World News Tonight with Peter Jennings, “Woman of the Year” by CBS This Morning, and “Woman of the Year” by People Magazine. She was also featured on the December 1999 cover of Clarity Magazine and received the 2000 National Caring Award, which was inspired by Mother Teresa.
- In 2006, she was awarded the papal cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice by Pope Benedict XVI.
- In 2008, Benjamin was named one of America’s Best Leaders by U.S. News & World Report.
- In September, she was one of 25 recipients of the $500,000 “genius awards,” awarded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
While You Were Mourning…
Posted by zoboxrox in environment, health, international, malfunction, miracle, not news, politics, religion, science, tragedy on July 2nd, 2009
So my favorite eatery has captioned CNN on their television at all times (hence, my favorite) and while the 24/7 media channel has a tendency to be a little hokey, perhaps overblown, and often downright dramatic (but no news is good news right?), I respect them simply for the fact that they are huge enough to sink their perfectly manicured, yet often clumsy, claws into most every major news item au current. I can’t help myself, then, from feeling majorly disappointed that this generally satisfactory and overly accessible outlet for information is, at this very moment, reporting “BREAKING NEWS: VIDEO OF MICHAEL JACKSON’S FINAL REHEARSAL RELEASED.” (Here it is if you’re curious… entertaining, but not news)
I have to ask myself, is this really breaking news? And don’t get me wrong, I love MJ. I was a die hard Jackson fan even when it was embarrassing to admit. My list of favorite songs include some of the lesser known, deeper felt (”She’s Out of My Life” now has a whole new meaning), and I’m proud to say that while its not a consistent ability, I have successfully moonwalked on occasion. BUT — before I am a Michael Jackson fan, I am a citizen of the world, and my deeper concern lies in what has happened in the week since his untimely passing. So here is the list of Top 5 News Events that occurred while you were mourning:
1. Lets start with the ridiculously important act by the House last Friday, June 26, which, after years of ignoring the inconvenient truth, passed H.R. 2454, or The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009. While the act itself is far (far far far far) from perfect, and in truth it dragged itself across the finish line at the last second, winning by only seven votes, it is hugely significant because it is the first time Congress has formally recognized what every other thinking American knows as Global Warming, Climate Change, the Greenhouse Effect (remember that one?), the End of the World, etc:
The vote was the first time either house of Congress had approved a bill meant to curb the heat-trapping gases scientists have linked to climate change. The legislation, which passed despite deep divisions among Democrats, could lead to profound changes in many sectors of the economy, including electric power generation, agriculture, manufacturing and construction.
President Obama hailed the House passage of the bill as “a bold and necessary step.” He said in a statement that he looked forward to Senate action that would send a bill to his desk “so that we can say, at long last, that this was the moment when we decided to confront America’s energy challenge and reclaim America’s future.”
But I bet a lot of people didn’t hear about this. After all, we’d only had a day since Michael’s passing. Who cares about… you know, the world…?
2. Two days later, on Sunday June 28th, a little place called Honduras, you may have heard of it, its part of our continent, went ahead and had themselves a coup. 
Back story is as follows: Left-leaning President Manuel Zelaya (think Chavez, with a mustache) was pushing for legislative reform which would allow him to lift the term restrictions for presidents, enabling him to run again (think Mayor Bloomberg, without the cash). Apparently the military found this completely unacceptable, and in the middle of the night, took over the government and exiled Zelaya to Costa Rica (actually, that sounds pretty nice).
In the first military coup in Central America since the end of the cold war, soldiers stormed the presidential palace in the capital, Tegucigalpa, early in the morning, disarming the presidential guard, waking Mr. Zelaya and putting him on a plane to Costa Rica.
Mr. Zelaya, a leftist aligned with President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela, angrily denounced the coup as illegal. “I am the president of Honduras,” he insisted at the airport in San José, Costa Rica, still wearing his pajamas….
Church services were canceled and most people stayed home. Several thousand protesters supporting the president faced off against soldiers outside the presidential palace, burning tires.
The government television station and a television station that supports the president were taken off the air. Television and radio stations broadcast no news. Only wealthy Hondurans with access to the Internet and cable television were able to follow the day’s events.
Normally a coup would be pretty big news — HUGE. Remember in Pretty Woman when she goes back into the store to tell them what a mistake they’ve made by not letting her shop — HUGE MISTAKE — well this is huge the way that was.
3. Another two days later, in the early morning of Tuesday June 30, a passenger plane, an Airbus 310 to be exact, carrying 153 people, crashed on its way from Yemen to the Comoros Islands. 
While normally this would be an instant global tragedy for the world to rubberneck, the story becomes even more unbelievable, as a sole survivor, a 14 year old girl who can barely swim, is rescued, found floating in the Indian Ocean. The young woman, Bahia Bakari, was traveling with her mother and three siblings, all of whom are believed to be dead, and cannot explain how it is she managed to stay alive.
A severely bruised young girl believed to be the only survivor of an Indian Ocean p
lane crash flew back Thursday to Paris, where she was embraced gently by her father, who tried to lift her spirits with a joke.
Bahia Bakari, 12, returned to France from the Comoros Islands on a French government plane. The Falcon-900 jet with medical facilities left the archipelago nation, a former French colony, and arrived at Le Bourget airport just north of Paris…
Bahia, described by her father as a fragile girl who could barely swim, spent over 13 hours in the water clinging to wreckage before she was rescued. She was found suffering from hypothermia, a fractured collarbone and widespread bruises to her face, elbow and foot….
“In the midst of the mourning, there is Bahia. It is a miracle, it is an absolutely extraordinary battle for survival,” France’s cooperation minister, Alain Joyandet, who flew back with her, said at the airport. “It’s an enormous message that she sends to the world … almost nothing is impossible.”
And yet, there are people who don’t even know this story, haven’t even heard of Bahia, because Michael Jackson died last week, and there’s only so much room for misery in one’s life.
4. Later that very same day, Al Franken defeated Norm Coleman in the final battle of the war for the Minnesota Senate Seat.
Apparently Coleman had to dip into his dental fund to continue the lawsuit, and when pressed with the idea that he may be required to shell out even more cash, decided to call it quits, like a true conservative. Obama now has 60 friends in the Senate. He can basically do anything he wants. Even Bush never had it this good. And while I’m sure people know this happened, no one really seems to care. All of the passion Americans have put into politics over the past year, seems to have died with MJ.
5. Finally, the people of Iran continued to struggle for basic human rights, like freedom, and fairness, and safety. They continued to protest, continued to recieve beatings, continued to be kidnapped, murdered, or worst of all, disappeared. They continued to document their troubles as well, but couldn’t post the images online, their main resource at this time, because the inernet had basically crashed with Michael Jackson frenzy.
So here’s a little video someone put up on YouTube to remind us all, its not over, its only just begun.
(Amanda — don’t watch this)
Happy Earth Day
Posted by zoboxrox in environment, health, politics, science on April 22nd, 2009
Even though we should be aware of the environment everyday, considering, you know, its all around us, we still choose but one day a the year to come together and celebrate it. So every Earth Day thousands of first graders go out and plant a tree or set a butterfly loose. This year Barack Obama did a little bit more.
President Obama marked Earth Day Wednesday by announcing a new initiative to lease federal waters for the purpose of generating electricity from wind and ocean currents.
The president announced the initiative, to be administered by the Interior Department, while reiterating his pledge to push for a comprehensive energy plan that encourages the development of alternative fuel sources, cuts dependence on foreign oil, addresses climate change, and creates new jobs.
Wind power can generate 20 percent of the country’s electricity by 2030 and support 250,000 jobs…
Now, while it annoys me that we judge whether or not to pursue a more environmental road by how costly or job creative it is (in the end, none of that will matter), I suppose it needs to be stressed considering this rather shocking study by Rasmussen.
Just one-out-of-three voters (34%) now believe global warming is caused by human activity, the lowest finding yet in Rasmussen Reports national surveying.
Sixty-two percent (62%) of all Americans believe global warming is at least a somewhat serious problem, with 33% who say it’s Very Serious. Thirty-five percent (35%) say it’s a not a serious problem.
Half (49%) of Americans think the president believes climate change is caused primarily by human activity. This is the first time that belief has fallen below 50% since the president took office. 19% say Obama attributes global warming to long-term planetary trends.
Glacier in Patagonia, Argentina 1928 & 2004. Photo: Greenpeace
That shirt that reads “mankind” should probably just read “Americans.” Our inability to take blame, or even responsibility, for anything is remarkable. As is our tendency to ignore and forget. So as a result, our president must take the steps for us, even if the majority of us don’t believe there’s a problem. And he must lead by example. And he, unlike so many of us, must be willing admit that he is wrong. 
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Control
Once again, reading the news this morning and I found myself in a state of complete shock. Either the New York Times has been hijacked by Charlie Kaufman or the end is nearing.
Brain Researchers Open Door to Editing Memory
Suppose scientists could erase certain memories by tinkering with a single substance in the brain. Could make you forget a chronic fear, a traumatic loss, even a bad habit.
Researchers in Brooklyn have recently accomplished comparable feats, with a single dose of an experimental drug delivered to areas of the brain critical for holding specific types of memory, like emotional associations, spatial knowledge or motor skills.
Even though that rat is tres cool (hip little black and white rat), it doesn’t make me feel any better about the fact that the scientist behind it has been injecting experimental “memory molecules” into its brain. Haven’t these people seen the goddamn movie? And never mind the ethical implications of erasing someone’s memory, who is funding this big brother project?
Now neuroscience, a field that barely existed a generation ago, is racing ahead, attracting billions of dollars in new financing and throngs of researchers. The National Institutes of Health last year spent $5.2 billion, nearly 20 percent of its total budget, on brain-related projects, according to the Society for Neuroscience.
As an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services, the NIH is funded, in fact, by you, and me, and the rest of the taxpayers. And while I’m all for the alleviation of pain, whether physical or emotional, heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States right now, and I would bet that there are some nutritionists/vegetable farmers/school cafeterias/victory gardeners out there who would happily take some of that $5.2 billion. Only problem is, you can’t control someone with their heart (not their actual literal heart that is).
Things may get confusing.
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