Liberal Guilt

Ezra Klein gets jiggy with his sad self:
Ross has an interesting rejoinder to Ron Rosenbaum’s defense of liberal guilt, and he asks, “Its political consequences aside, is guilt an appropriate response to the sins of your ancestors (whether biological or ideological)? Or is it a character flaw – a form of self-congratulatory scrupulosity…what’s at issue [...]

Ghosts, WMD’s, and Heliocentrism: Americans Will Believe Anything

poll data from ben smith
22% believe President Bush knew about the 9/11 attacks in advance.
30% believe Saddam had weapons of mass destruction.
23% believe they’ve been in the presence of a ghost.
18% believe the sun revolves around the Earth.

Wisdom Teeth, Intelligent Design, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Last week I got my wisdom teeth torn out of my head. I had gotten my bottom right tooth taken out 5 years ago when it got a monster cavity in it (costing me $450), so this time I only had 3 to lose.
The top two came out surprisingly easily. Within about [...]

Tasmanian Tiger Lives! Move Over Jurassic Park

Scientists have injected Tasmanian Tiger (extinct) DNA into a mouse embryo to see what happens.   It’s alive!

Stanford gets Steven J. Gould Library

My Grandmother (who owns thousands of books herself) would love this about Steven J. Gould (one of the great evolution scientists of the 20th century):
Gould owned approximately 1,500 rare, antiquarian books, some dating back to the late 1400s. His library of more contemporary books numbers roughly 8,000 volumes. Although the total number of papers has [...]

Inca Brain Surgery

No Anesthetics!

More at Neurophilosophy:
Andrushko and Verano argue that the Incas performed trepanation primarily to treat head injuries incurred during battle, because the holes are most often found at the front of the skull to the left, consistent with injuries caused by a right-handed opponent during face-to-face combat, and because adult males are overrepresented in the [...]

Obama, Virginia, and Racism in America

I think that sometimes I live a sheltered life up here in Portland. Portland is like a little alternative paradise. One of my closest friends (who happens to be a black lesbian) has said, “you can’t throw a rock in this town without hitting a lesbian.” And the same could be true [...]

“Stop! Obama Time!” Says Portland

Obama was in town (Portland) yesterday speaking to a huge crowd of 75,000 people.  From what I hear, turned out to be more like a victory party than a campaign stop.

Here’s what one supporter had to say:
“The one thing I like about him is he’s talking about bringing everyone together as one nation, as one [...]

California Tackles Gay Marriage: Read it and Weep, Homophobes

In a landmark decision, the California Supreme court said that the ban on gay marriage violates the right to form a family relationship.
Chief Justice Ronald George:
We therefore conclude that in view of the substance and significance of the fundamental constitutional right to form a family relationship, the California Constitution properly must be interpreted to guarantee [...]

Is Sam Adams the Dwight Shrewt of Portland Politics?

They’re both shrewd, rude, dudes who know how to sport a good pair of glasses.

Sam is the leading candidate in this years run for Portland Mayor, and he is famous in this town for being a guy who knows how to throw his weight around.
He’s so intense, it’s almost as if he were a ‘volunteer [...]