Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011
Stephan: Here are some thoughtful views on the issue of state bankruptcy, in my opinion a dreadful idea. This scheme is being driven by the willfully ignorant far right made up of individuals who seem to have little or no understanding of what the Founders really thought, or how the government is structured, preferring instead the fantasies one hears on Glenn Beck. The real agenda here is a drive to break the government employee unions that have done so well to protect their members. The effects on the bond market if this scheme were to become a reality would be catastrophic, and the Constitutional implications could take a generation to resolve.
Individuals can do it. So can municipalities. But why can’t states file for bankruptcy? Want the answer? Just ask the Founding Fathers.
Kai Ryssdal: The umpteenth winter storm of the season is doing what winter storms do to a large stretch of the country today. It’s going to keep on doing it tomorrow, as well. Another big blizzard and another big cleanup bill for already tight state and city budgets. States and cities that are dealing with huge budget deficits.
There’s an idea floating around out there about one way to help states regain their financial footing: Just let those states declare bankruptcy.
Commentator and business historian John Steele Gordon says history isn’t kind to that kind of declaration.
John Steele Gordon: There is a regular, prescribed way for individuals or corporations to get out from under unsupportable debts and get a fresh start: Bankruptcy. But while the bankruptcy code contains provisions to allow municipalities to file for bankruptcy, there are currently no provisions in law for a state to do so.
The reason lies in our peculiar constitution. In most countries, there is what political scientists call a ‘unitary government,’ which controls all political power. Even in countries with a federal system, political power […]
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Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011
MIKA ONO, - Scripps Research Institute
Stephan:
Newswise - Scripps Research Institute scientists have converted adult skin cells directly into beating heart cells efficiently without having to first go through the laborious process of generating embryonic-like stem cells. The powerful general technology platform could lead to new treatments for a range of diseases and injuries involving cell loss or damage, such as heart disease, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s disease.
The work was published January 30, 2011, in an advance, online issue of Nature Cell Biology.
‘This work represents a new paradigm in stem cell reprogramming,’ said Scripps Research Associate Professor Sheng Ding, Ph.D., who led the study. ‘We hope it helps overcome major safety and other technical hurdles currently associated with some types of stem cell therapies.’
Making Stem Cells
As the human body develops, embryonic-like stem cells multiply and transform themselves into more mature cell types through a process known as differentiation, producing all of the body’s different cell types and tissues. Past the embryonic stage, however, the human body has limited capacity to generate new cells to replace ones that have been lost or damaged.
Thus, scientists have been trying to develop ways to ‘reprogram
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Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011
PETER WHORISKEY, Staff Writer - The Washington Post
Stephan: Here is a reasonable reality check.
President Obama’s goal of putting 1 million plug-in electric cars on the road within four years is unlikely to be met because automakers are not planning to make enough cars due to uncertain consumer demand, auto industry leaders concluded in a report being released Wednesday.
The finding is based on the manufacturers’ announced production numbers and an analysis of consumer demand.
The first two plug-in cars from major manufacturers, the Nissan Leaf and the Chevrolet Volt, went on sale recently, garnering widespread attention for the energy-efficient vehicles.
But the panel of industry experts who authored the report concluded that expanding sales within four years to meet the milllion-car goal is improbable.
‘There is a big challenge in going from marketing the Leaf or the Volt to early adopters to selling them to mainstream retail car-buyers,’ said John Graham, dean of the school of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University, which conducted and funded the 80-page study. ‘Until then, the automakers’ production plans will be quite cautious.’
The study panel was made up of a Ford executive, a federal energy scientist and representatives from an environmental group, academia and an industry research group. Input was also received from Nissan and General Motors.
In his State of […]
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Tuesday, February 1st, 2011
, - National Center for Science Education
Stephan: Here is the latest on the Texas schoolbook story, and it is good news.
The Foundation for Thought and Ethics is not going to submit supplementary biology materials for approval by the Texas state of board of education after all, according to a January 31, 2011, post on the blog of the Texas Freedom Network. A list of vendors released by the Texas Education Agency on January 20, 2011, included FTE, which is perhaps best known as the publisher of Of Pandas and People, the ‘intelligent design’ creationism textbook at the center of the Kitzmiller v. Dover case in 2005. But according to FTE, it told the TEA by e-mail on November 15, 2010, that it was not going to submit any materials; it reiterated its withdrawal by way of ‘a signed letter on publisher’s stationary [sic]’ dated January 25, 2011.
Describing FTE’s withdrawal as ‘very good news for supporters of sound science education and students in Texas public schools’ and ‘a huge disappointment for evolution deniers on the Texas State Board of Education,’ the Texas Freedom Network nevertheless warned, ‘other dangers remain for science education in Texas. Anti-evolution groups and state board members are likely to pressure legitimate publishers and other vendors to water down instruction on evolution in the materials they submit for […]
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Tuesday, February 1st, 2011
NATHAN DIEBENOW, - The Raw Story
Stephan: You can't make someone you love love you. And, apparently, you can't stop people from seeking stupidity. But you can certainly regret it.
Educators in Oklahoma would be forced to openly question in their classes the legitimacy of the scientific theory of evolution should a new bill become state law.
‘It’s a simple fact that the presentation of some issues in science classes can lead to controversy, which can discourage teachers from engaging students in an open discussion of the issues,
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