News of the day
Two US studies found that the youngest children in kindergarten were 60% more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than the oldest ones, suggesting that those doing the diagnosing are mistaking relative immaturity for ADHD symptoms (which won't come as a shock to many of you). The (possible mis-)diagnosis can have lasting effects: "Those younger kids with diagnoses of ADHD [in kindergarten] were twice as likely as their older counterparts to be using prescribed stimulants in the 5th and 8th grades."
A new US federal agency is financing the hunt for renewable replacements to gas and diesel for vehicles (mostly an interesting run-down of current research projects).
The world's oldest seed bank, the Pavlovsk Research Station, may have been saved from developers at the last minute, as the Russian president has ordered an investigation into the decision to destroy it.
A growing number of Americans believe that Obama is either Muslim or was born outside of the US (or both, presumably), as the White House struggles to dispel his image of "otherness". BBC version.
The NYT Magazine takes a look at Joe Sestak, the man who beat Arlen Specter for the Democratic Senate nomination in Pennsylvania, and his campaign.
A profile of Ted Olson's wife, Lady Olson (that's her name, not a title), that sadly focuses more on her ability to get lunch in than it does on her being, you know, an accomplished lawyer in her own right; it sounds like the writer has watched Legally Blonde a few too many times. "She can rattle off the legal logistics of the appeals process." Really! How astounding! I would never have expected that from someone with a masters in law! But enough about that -- tell us more about her skills at ordering sushi and answering her husband's mail!
The NYT, in seeking to illuminate the world of anti-aging skin creams and their scientific claims, makes it seem murkier than ever. I would have been more impressed with this article if they'd managed to find an expert dermatologist who *wasn't* in the pay of one cosmetics company or another.
The Canadian Conservative government says that it had no direct influence in the firing of the much-praised RCMP officer in charge of the long-gun registry, who had been publicly vocal about his opposition to its abolishment. That's the nice thing about a well-run culture of fear -- you don't have to intervene directly, because people will start doing what they think you want all on their own to protect themselves.
A new US federal agency is financing the hunt for renewable replacements to gas and diesel for vehicles (mostly an interesting run-down of current research projects).
The world's oldest seed bank, the Pavlovsk Research Station, may have been saved from developers at the last minute, as the Russian president has ordered an investigation into the decision to destroy it.
A growing number of Americans believe that Obama is either Muslim or was born outside of the US (or both, presumably), as the White House struggles to dispel his image of "otherness". BBC version.
The NYT Magazine takes a look at Joe Sestak, the man who beat Arlen Specter for the Democratic Senate nomination in Pennsylvania, and his campaign.
A profile of Ted Olson's wife, Lady Olson (that's her name, not a title), that sadly focuses more on her ability to get lunch in than it does on her being, you know, an accomplished lawyer in her own right; it sounds like the writer has watched Legally Blonde a few too many times. "She can rattle off the legal logistics of the appeals process." Really! How astounding! I would never have expected that from someone with a masters in law! But enough about that -- tell us more about her skills at ordering sushi and answering her husband's mail!
The NYT, in seeking to illuminate the world of anti-aging skin creams and their scientific claims, makes it seem murkier than ever. I would have been more impressed with this article if they'd managed to find an expert dermatologist who *wasn't* in the pay of one cosmetics company or another.
The Canadian Conservative government says that it had no direct influence in the firing of the much-praised RCMP officer in charge of the long-gun registry, who had been publicly vocal about his opposition to its abolishment. That's the nice thing about a well-run culture of fear -- you don't have to intervene directly, because people will start doing what they think you want all on their own to protect themselves.