Crooked Timber has some interesting comments on Barak Obama and John Edwards.
The Obama quote that caught my attention was his making the 'social darwinism' to 'ownership society' connection. I'd wondered when this would come up, I'm glad to see it emerge now. Just as Creationism 'evolved' into 'intelligent design', so too has 'social darwinism' evolved into 'the ownership society'. Kudos for Barak Obama for launching this meme.
CT also links to John Edwards. What did you think Edwards was doing? I'll bet you didn't know he's launched a guerilla war on poverty? Hmm. Dean and Edwards in 2008? They might get Jimmy Carter's vote. Four more years of Bush might make economic populism a winning solution.
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Kaplan trashes Bush's new mantra: "I was wrong, but so were you."
I Was Wrong, but So Were You - Parsing Bush's new mantra. By Fred Kaplan is well worth the read. Point by point Kaplan walks through a recent Bush speech and exposes the fundamental lies in point by point detail.
Why such a pathetic attempt at deception? My guess is Bush long ago gave up on talking to anyone who might doubt him, now he's just fighting to keep his base intact. Their credulity is well understood.
Why such a pathetic attempt at deception? My guess is Bush long ago gave up on talking to anyone who might doubt him, now he's just fighting to keep his base intact. Their credulity is well understood.
Monday, November 14, 2005
Where we learned to torture -- from Maoist China
The NYT details how the US developed its torture methodologies. We took a program called "SERE" that was used to instruct military personnel on how to resist Korean and Vietnamese torture. We then inverted the methods to create our own torture program:
PS. Where's Margaret Atwood these days?
Doing Unto Others as They Did Unto Us - New York TimesIt's very American to learn from the best, and Maoist China drew on thousands of years of experience with torture. Our refined techniques are a credit to a long line of historic torturers. The next step will be to define a career path for the most capable torturers, perhaps one that leads to a cabinet level position and a presidential "Medal of Honor". Perhaps someone who will head the "Ministry of Comfort"?
...SERE methods are classified, but the program's principles are known. It sought to recreate the brutal conditions American prisoners of war experienced in Korea and Vietnam, where Communist interrogators forced false confessions from some detainees, and broke the spirits of many more, through Pavlovian and other conditioning. Prolonged isolation, sleep deprivation, painful body positions and punitive control over life's most intimate functions produced overwhelming stress in these prisoners. Stress led in turn to despair, uncontrollable anxiety and a collapse of self-esteem. Sometimes hallucinations and delusions ensued. Prisoners who had been through this treatment became pliable and craved companionship, easing the way for captors to obtain the 'confessions' they sought.
PS. Where's Margaret Atwood these days?
The story of a man who couldn't read
Jacques Demers, a famed figure in hockey and in Quebec, recently revealed he cannot read. Actually, he co-authored a book about it. Reading of his achievements, and his ability to apparently conceal his disability, I wonder if he has some specific neurologic cause of his reading inability - beyond his limited educaton and traumatic childhood. It would be interesting to know of his children have had problems. The NYT article is well written and tells a remarkable tale.
What if the EU and UN declare Bush and Cheney to be international criminals?
Bush, Cheney and their administration probably violated a number of international laws in their outsourced torture operation. Now the investigations are underway.
Unlikely of course. They're merely doing what most tyrants do, and the UN is full of tyrants. Most European nations have similar episodes of shame in their recent history. Still, it's good to know at least one investigation is proceeding.
Spain Looks Into C.I.A.'s Handling of Detainees - New York Times:Wouldn't it be "funny" if Bush and Cheney were found to be war criminals, and could not travel to Europe for fear of arrest?
...Last week, related investigations were started by the European Union and the Council of Europe to look into reports of secret C.I.A. jails for terrorism suspects in Eastern Europe.
An inquiry seems likely by the United Nations' special rapporteur on torture, Manfred Nowak. Last week he said that if reports of the C.I.A.'s activities proved correct, then the agency was engaged in a 'systematic practice of enforced disappearance.'...
Unlikely of course. They're merely doing what most tyrants do, and the UN is full of tyrants. Most European nations have similar episodes of shame in their recent history. Still, it's good to know at least one investigation is proceeding.
Sunday, November 13, 2005
The neoprene back wrap and other parts of John's acute back pain recipe
Most mortals have more than a few flaws in their design. By middle-age you know most of them. Among mine is a bad back, a familial disorder that first manifested 25 years ago when I body surfed into the shore of Huntington beach.
So beyond my mere medical experience, I have twenty years of personal experience with (mostly) non-neurological bad backs (the kind where something tears, there's bleeding, scarring and lots of muscle pain). As in drop to the floor and lie there trying to figure out how to reach the phone. Which is why I'll pass on some hard won knowledge today, with the canes at my side. Don't follow this advice without the approval of your physician; your back may differ. You might even have a serious medical problem, though most bad backs are like mine.
Here is what works for me, It's also pretty much what's in the current guidelines:
1. Cold packs. The miracle innovation here is the TRU-FIT Ice/Heat Back Wrap w/ Gel Pack. Stick a cold pack in it (you're supposed to use the cold packs designed for humans, not the frost-bite inducing packs for picnic units). Wear it. Rotate pack every 1-2 hours, so you need 3 packs. For me 2-3 days of continuous use is important. Diabetics and elderly need to be careful of cold damage. There is a weight related problem with cold packs. Fat is a great insulator (that's one of the reasons we deposit fat under our skin). The more fat you have, the less effective the cold pack is; it becomes harder to cool the deep tissues and restrict incoming blood flow. One might be tempted to use the picnic coolers (colder stuff), but you run the risk of necrosing superficial tissue, visit to the ICU, death, etc. America seriously does need a pill for obesity; I wouldn't mind one myself.
2. Canes. $22 at Walgreens. Swear by them. Good for getting off the floor and making it possible to ambulate fast. When you need to cough, you need the cane. I use two for 2 days typically, then 1 for a week or so.
3. Meds: tylenol and ibuprofen alternating for 2-3 days then as needed. Vicodin (tylenol + hydrocodone) if you have it is very valuable for the awful first night, but no more than 1-2 days of use. You need the Vicodin on hand; when this kind of back attack hits a trip to the doctor is inconceivable (way too much pain). By the time one can travel the Vicodin is no longer needed. I used to prescribe Flexeryl to patients and I suspect it works, but I don't use it myself.
4. Sleep: on a carpeted floor, maybe with one of those very thin inflatable outdoor camping mats. Not the inflatable beds, the mats used by serious hard core hikers. Keep extra cold packs in a nearby insulated container. Also meds, water bottle and, for men, a .. ummm ..."receptacle". You don't want to have to get up if you can help it!
5. Ambulation and exercise. There are religious wars around this; extension exercises are most popular now. I do whatever doesn't hurt too much and I walk as much as I can. I skate to relieve back pain, which is insane. However, if one can avoid falling, this works very well after day 3-4. A gym elliptical exercise machine is far safer and works in a similar fashion.
I start the gym, cane at my side, on day 3. Climbing stairs often works well for me, if the decent hurts a down elevator is handy. Basically if it hurts, I do something else.
Usually by day 5-7 I can do a fair bit of exercise. I don't run ever, but biking and skating can work. It if hurts I don't do it.
6. Course? Awful for about 12-24 hours. Bad for another day. By day 5-7, if no re-injury, feeling almost well. It takes 6 weeks to have a reasonably solid back. I try to avoid heavy lifting for 2-3 months but often do it earlier (heavy for me is 80lbs, I'm a wimp). If I'm exercising properly I've never hurt my back when lifting fairly heavy items properly (straight back lift). Sitting, on the other hand, is really tough on a back. I have an Aeron chair at work (legacy of startup days) and in the acute phase I lie on the ground part of the day, ambulate often, and do phone conferences while walking.
7. Prevention? It's all weight control and exercise, and a some basic back hygeine. Sitting is bad but unavoidable. Don't push things, even light things, bent over. I knew I was due for this episode because family obligations have messed up my exercise regimen. Weight training and stretching and aerobic non-impact. Running is a very bad idea for most bad backs.
The only new prevention thing I'm going to add is using the gel pack early when I've done something dumb -- before my back "goes out" in a big way. I'm hoping early action with ice, healing activity, and careful exercise will avert major ruptures.
So beyond my mere medical experience, I have twenty years of personal experience with (mostly) non-neurological bad backs (the kind where something tears, there's bleeding, scarring and lots of muscle pain). As in drop to the floor and lie there trying to figure out how to reach the phone. Which is why I'll pass on some hard won knowledge today, with the canes at my side. Don't follow this advice without the approval of your physician; your back may differ. You might even have a serious medical problem, though most bad backs are like mine.
Here is what works for me, It's also pretty much what's in the current guidelines:
1. Cold packs. The miracle innovation here is the TRU-FIT Ice/Heat Back Wrap w/ Gel Pack. Stick a cold pack in it (you're supposed to use the cold packs designed for humans, not the frost-bite inducing packs for picnic units). Wear it. Rotate pack every 1-2 hours, so you need 3 packs. For me 2-3 days of continuous use is important. Diabetics and elderly need to be careful of cold damage. There is a weight related problem with cold packs. Fat is a great insulator (that's one of the reasons we deposit fat under our skin). The more fat you have, the less effective the cold pack is; it becomes harder to cool the deep tissues and restrict incoming blood flow. One might be tempted to use the picnic coolers (colder stuff), but you run the risk of necrosing superficial tissue, visit to the ICU, death, etc. America seriously does need a pill for obesity; I wouldn't mind one myself.
2. Canes. $22 at Walgreens. Swear by them. Good for getting off the floor and making it possible to ambulate fast. When you need to cough, you need the cane. I use two for 2 days typically, then 1 for a week or so.
3. Meds: tylenol and ibuprofen alternating for 2-3 days then as needed. Vicodin (tylenol + hydrocodone) if you have it is very valuable for the awful first night, but no more than 1-2 days of use. You need the Vicodin on hand; when this kind of back attack hits a trip to the doctor is inconceivable (way too much pain). By the time one can travel the Vicodin is no longer needed. I used to prescribe Flexeryl to patients and I suspect it works, but I don't use it myself.
4. Sleep: on a carpeted floor, maybe with one of those very thin inflatable outdoor camping mats. Not the inflatable beds, the mats used by serious hard core hikers. Keep extra cold packs in a nearby insulated container. Also meds, water bottle and, for men, a .. ummm ..."receptacle". You don't want to have to get up if you can help it!
5. Ambulation and exercise. There are religious wars around this; extension exercises are most popular now. I do whatever doesn't hurt too much and I walk as much as I can. I skate to relieve back pain, which is insane. However, if one can avoid falling, this works very well after day 3-4. A gym elliptical exercise machine is far safer and works in a similar fashion.
I start the gym, cane at my side, on day 3. Climbing stairs often works well for me, if the decent hurts a down elevator is handy. Basically if it hurts, I do something else.
Usually by day 5-7 I can do a fair bit of exercise. I don't run ever, but biking and skating can work. It if hurts I don't do it.
6. Course? Awful for about 12-24 hours. Bad for another day. By day 5-7, if no re-injury, feeling almost well. It takes 6 weeks to have a reasonably solid back. I try to avoid heavy lifting for 2-3 months but often do it earlier (heavy for me is 80lbs, I'm a wimp). If I'm exercising properly I've never hurt my back when lifting fairly heavy items properly (straight back lift). Sitting, on the other hand, is really tough on a back. I have an Aeron chair at work (legacy of startup days) and in the acute phase I lie on the ground part of the day, ambulate often, and do phone conferences while walking.
7. Prevention? It's all weight control and exercise, and a some basic back hygeine. Sitting is bad but unavoidable. Don't push things, even light things, bent over. I knew I was due for this episode because family obligations have messed up my exercise regimen. Weight training and stretching and aerobic non-impact. Running is a very bad idea for most bad backs.
The only new prevention thing I'm going to add is using the gel pack early when I've done something dumb -- before my back "goes out" in a big way. I'm hoping early action with ice, healing activity, and careful exercise will avert major ruptures.
Update 8/1/2010: Things got much tricker later. I changed my mind on what works.
Saturday, November 12, 2005
Smiting Dover - a test?
CNN.com - Robertson warns Pennsylvania voters of God's wrath - Nov 10, 2005Mao retires. Idi Amin retires. Dover gets smited.
'I'd like to say to the good citizens of Dover: if there is a disaster in your area, don't turn to God, you just rejected Him from your city,' Robertson said on his daily television show broadcast from Virginia, 'The 700 Club.''And don't wonder why He hasn't helped you when problems begin, if they begin. I'm not saying they will, but if they do, just remember, you just voted God out of your city. And if that's the case, don't ask for His help because he might not be there,' he said.
Robertson's theology is crude and annoying, but suppose God did smite Dover. Maybe God is looking for the few who would point out that this would be Evil. God would elevate us while Robertson fumed. You never know ...
More seriously, the fundamentalists seem nervous, almost panicky. Why? Except for Dover everything seems to be progressing smoothly. Perhaps they sense a building backlash that I don't see?
For the record, I'm ok with teaching Intelligent Design in the schools. Barring some new Nobel-prize winning discoveries it wouldn't be part of the science curriculum, but we could call it 'Intelligent Design'. We'd need a curriculum of course, and an evaluation program. I'd recommend gathering one representative of every ID group on each, from Scientologists to Satanists, Animists (10,000 representatives) to Catholics (only one representative of course), Buddhists to Baptists, Muslims to Mormons, Wiccans to Hindus (4,000 representatives) in a great assembly. All would gather in massive venue, probably the Roman Colliseum. When they agreed upon a curriculum the Intelligent Design course would begin.
Friday, November 11, 2005
Face your future grandchildren: support the Bingaman amendment
When your grandchildren asked you what you did when the US entered its dark era, don't you want to be able to look them in the eyes and say you did all you could?
Read this and follow the link to contact your Senator:
Body and Soul: Round Two
Read this and follow the link to contact your Senator:
Body and Soul: Round Two
The contract you sign when you insert a SONY CD in your PC and click on 'agree'
The "EULA" is a legally binding contract. You sign it when you click on "agree" when installing software, or after you inser a SONY CD into your PC or Mac. SONY's EULA is 3000 words of unreadable legalese. The EFF has helfpully translated it:
I'm ready to start funding Russian hackers who's job it is to crack SONY's DRM and pillage their music. I wouldn't actually use the music (that's illegal), I'd just send them charitable donations. After all, they are doing yeoman's work.
EFF: DeepLinksSONY is now best known as the company that installs software on PCs and Macs that covertly breaks the operating system. It is now the funnel for some nasty viruses and worms.
...# You must install any and all updates, or else lose the music on your computer. The EULA immediately terminates if you fail to install any update. No more holding out on those hobble-ware downgrades masquerading as updates.
# Sony-BMG can install and use backdoors in the copy protection software or media player to 'enforce their rights' against you, at any time, without notice. And Sony-BMG disclaims any liability if this 'self help' crashes your computer, exposes you to security risks, or any other harm.
# The EULA says Sony-BMG will never be liable to you for more than $5.00. That's right, no matter what happens, you can't even get back what you paid for the CD.
# If you file for bankruptcy, you have to delete all the music on your computer. Seriously.
I'm ready to start funding Russian hackers who's job it is to crack SONY's DRM and pillage their music. I wouldn't actually use the music (that's illegal), I'd just send them charitable donations. After all, they are doing yeoman's work.
Comment spam: moderated comments and identity management
I get more comments on my 'tech blog' than on this rants and thoughts blog, but in both cases I'm getting comment spam that bypasses Blogger/Google's filters. I suspect the spammers are using humans to defeat the image recognition test, and automation to do everything else. Fast typists with practice can probably generate a transaction every 1-2 seconds that way.
I've activated moderation, so comments will be delayed. Currently only persons registered on blogger can comment, and even those will be moderated. Annoying. It would be helpful if Blogger would recognize other identity management systems, but these are murky and difficult waters.
Identity management will be a big deal in the next 15 years, from medical records to software services to media access to biometric payment. The fight to own a person's identity will be huge. Happily our wise and benevolent leaders will thoughtfully consider all options, listen to the advice of the the loyal and disloyal alike, and make reasoned and just decisions.
I've activated moderation, so comments will be delayed. Currently only persons registered on blogger can comment, and even those will be moderated. Annoying. It would be helpful if Blogger would recognize other identity management systems, but these are murky and difficult waters.
Identity management will be a big deal in the next 15 years, from medical records to software services to media access to biometric payment. The fight to own a person's identity will be huge. Happily our wise and benevolent leaders will thoughtfully consider all options, listen to the advice of the the loyal and disloyal alike, and make reasoned and just decisions.
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Aetiology: Discussing causes, origins, evolution, and implications of disease and other phenomena.
Aetiology: An interesting blog for health professionals.
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Pre-morning in America? The Dover creationists are dismissed
Randy Kelly (aka Norm Coleman II) is a landslide loser in the St. Paul mayoral race solely because of his decision to ally with Bush against his electorate. Across the nation the forces of reason win a striking victory (even as Kansas slides backwards - again):
Evolution Slate Outpolls Rivals - New York TimesYeah, it's too early to look for daylight, but we have to celebrate what little we get. The Dover federal case will still be decided, but if the judge decides against "Creationism as science" then the case will not be appealed.
All eight members up for re-election to the Pennsylvania school board that had been sued for introducing the teaching of intelligent design as an alternative to evolution in biology class were swept out of office yesterday by a slate of challengers who campaigned against the intelligent design policy.
France is weird -- the lawless areas
America is scary and weird. France, however, is also very peculiar:
French LessonsDon't go as a "matter of policy"? Good lord. Is this true?
... The French equivalents of New Orleans's Lower Ninth Ward lie in 300 or more "zones de non-droit" (lawless areas), which sparked the national rioting. These are areas in the immigrant suburbs of Paris and other large cities where the police do not go as a matter of policy. They have instead for years established checkpoints on the perimeter of these islands of soulless high-rises and then let the inhabitants fend for themselves.
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