jtoney

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September 26, 2011
Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu and Palestine's President Abbas gave back to back speeches last Friday at the United Nations General Assembly, a highly controversial event with Palestine's bid for formal recognition. As a scientist, such matters are far too complex for me, as they are embedded…
August 27, 2011
On a hot August Saturday afternoon, bright sun beating down on a crowd of over 20,000, my young daughter and I had our attention focused intensely on an enormous iron gate. It was supposed to open at 6 pm, and it was now 6:10 with no sign of movement. The crowd was there for one purpose - to see…
August 26, 2011
As I sit here in New Jersey, of which thousands of acres are under sea level, let us hope that Hurricane Irene does not unleash her wrath upon us hapless citizens... If Hurricane Irene does hit us full force, would it look like this? A recent article in Science, "Computational Physics in Film"…
August 22, 2011
On Friday, Aug. 19, National Public Radio's Melissa Block interviewed Syrian activist Alexander Page (a pseudonym used for protection). I conducted an interview with Alexander Page on July 31, via email. In this brief discussion, I learned quite a bit about his background and his motivation for…
August 14, 2011
Dear readers, Some of you may be wondering what's going on at Dean's Corner. I begin a new position at my University tomorrow, August 15, serving as the Acting Vice President of Academic Affairs. {You can read the announcement here.} I am planning to retool…
August 2, 2011
This piece was co-authored with Sir Harold Kroto. New legislation suggests a more appropriate name for the U.S.A.: The Unenlightened States of America. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder recently announced the "Defending Childhood" campaign, focused on violence prevention, offering an opportunity…
July 31, 2011
The interactive Google map tells a tale of horror: The Syrian army began an assault on Hama in the early morning. This video shows heavy fire. At least 116 people have been killed and dozens more injured. There are reports of some soldiers defecting. Will more lives be lost as this unfolds? The…
July 30, 2011
Why is a local employee at Doctors Without Borders in Bahrain being targeted? Doctors without Borders is highly respected as an organization that protects human rights throughout the world. I learned of this incident from the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights: I am not familiar with this…
July 30, 2011
"Daddy, do you know where this cheese came from?" I absolutely love this video demonstrating that learning science can be - and should be - fun. Enjoy! This series is a result of a collaboration between broadcast media (NBC) and scientists (National Science Foundation.) From Eureka Alert:…
July 29, 2011
Source: UNICEF. The conditions in Somalia are a hell on earth, with some four million people starving, including 800,000 children. I want to help, in any way I can. I want to understand how this happened and why. From The Pump Handle: These horrific conditions exist in Somalia's Bakool and…
July 28, 2011
Why is the sun so hot? Well, the sun is "like a big nuclear submarine - in the sky." Henry Reich, who studied Physics at Grinnell College & Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics and is now working on an MFA in Film Production at the University of Southern California, explores this…
July 27, 2011
The three bands I will never take off. "Input band" to Utøya, the joy I had when I got this Thread WWAUFD - What Would AUF do, a band we had at the National Convention. A proverb I think about all the time Hospitals band - j I studied the tape yesterday, and noticed that I have the number 3 on…
July 26, 2011
In the United States, if you have been convicted of a crime and are later exonerated, you may be faced with fewer benefits than those guilty of a crime after serving a full prison sentence. According to the Innocence Project: ...the exoneree may lack a source of income, a means of transportation…
July 26, 2011
Smiley 16-year-old Marianne Sandvik is still missing on the island. Source. As for a climactic conflict between a once-Christian West and an Islamic world that is growing in numbers and advancing inexorably into Europe for the third time in 14 centuries, on this one, Breivik may be right. Patrick…
July 25, 2011
SAVED LIFE: Emma Martinovic swam for their lives from the killer's bullets. Foto: Marius Arnesen / Scanpix / Ap / TV 2-montasje Behind her she saw friends get slaughtered. Photo: Marius Arnesen / Scanpix / AP / TV 2-mounting I wanted to share a compelling personal account of the tragedy at Utøya…
July 24, 2011
Summer Camp at Utøya What did the young victims murdered at Utøya believe in? For many families, this was a dream camp for their children, turned into a hell by admitted terrorist Anders Behring Breivik. My thoughts are with them as they rebuild towards a brighter future. According to the camp'…
July 24, 2011
Photo: Courtesy of the National Library of Medicine. When the leech begins its work - using its 360 minuscule teeth to scissor in - he laughs, "Now we are into business!" (Andrew Plucinski, hirudotherapist.) Could leeches help Rep. Michele Bachmann's affliction? This is not a joke, and is not…
July 23, 2011
Anders Behring Breivik is an admitted mass murderer of the victtims at Oslo, providing some answers. He referred to his own crimes as "atrocious" but "necessary." More than 92 people are dead because of his actions. Most media coverage has focused on the terrorist, the mass murderer, the anti-…
July 22, 2011
A horrific update of the impact from this terrible event, from Reuters, far more than the earlier estimate of 17 victims. @Reuters Reuters Top News FLASH: Norwegian police say at least 80 killed in shootings at Utoeya From Former United States Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs, PJ…
July 22, 2011
Hours after the terrible deaths in Oslo, police arrested a 32 year old man, Anders Behring Breivik, suspected for the crimes, described as "Nationalist, Anti-Islamic, Anti-Multiculturalism, liked and plays World of Warcraft." Below is a news release, translated from Norwegian using Google…
July 22, 2011
Source. A newsworthy study about a genetic signature of centenarians published in Science has not stood up to scrutiny by the blogosphere and peer scientists and has now been formally retracted by the authors. Until recently, such retractions - whether by Editors or by the authors themselves - have…
July 21, 2011
Google has announced that it will "wind down" Google Labs. This is disappointing given the power of these tools for teaching and research, not to mention that using these applications is just plain fun. I hope that Mr. Coughran at Google honors his statement that "we'll incorporate Labs products…
July 21, 2011
Source, Vanessa Pike-Russell's Flickr photostream. No, this is not a bizarre recipe. First, the good news. Extensive testing of seafood from the Gulf shows that "99%" are safe to eat, despite the fact that the fate of some one million barrels of oil from the BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig is…
July 20, 2011
Fourteen year old internet sensation Rebecca Black just released a follow up video "My Moment" after her debut of "Friday" that went viral with more than 167 million views. Attention at this scale landed her a spot on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno and a music video with Katy Perry, "Last Friday…
July 20, 2011
Michael Bay's "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" is a visually ugly film with an incoherent plot, wooden characters and inane dialog. It provided me with one of the more unpleasant experiences I've had at the movies. Roger Ebert Having witnessed the destruction of the twin towers on 9/11 from…
July 19, 2011
Source. What ever happened to Prof. Al-Singace, a Bahraini enginner who "was taken forcibly from his home on March 17th and imprisoned without charge"? I have an update received today from Scholars at Risk as a follow up to my earlier post. The military Judge's choice of rescheduling his appeal…
July 19, 2011
The Universal Periodic Review "has great potential to promote and protect human rights in the darkest corners of the world." - Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General Should nations open themselves up to scrutiny by the United Nations? The Universal Periodic Review, adopted in 2006, takes a very close…
July 18, 2011
FILE - In this July 7, 2011 photo, Casey Anthony sits in the courtroom before a sentencing hearing in Orlando, Fla. Anthony was acquitted on charges of killing her 2-year-old daughter Caylee in 2008, and was found guilty on four charges of lying to law enforcement officers. She is to be released…
July 17, 2011
silverlinedwinnebago's Flickr photostream Some of the happiest people in the world come home smelling to high heaven at the end of the day. "Bruce Almighty" (2003) Job growth reigns supreme amongst political discussion. Where will we find these future jobs and how do we prepare for them?…
July 16, 2011
With heated discussion about raising the debt ceiling for the U.S., this is a good time for some perspective about America's top earners and for some ideas of how their enormous earnings could lead to public good. No, they can't solve our spending problem, tax system or get us out of debt, but…