Category: Academia

Academia, Bizarre, Science, Society

Four-Year-Old Boy Diagnosed With Gender Identity Disorder And Raised A Girl

We have previously discussed the growing number of stories of young children raised in the opposite gender (here) or without a gender (here and here). The children raised in the opposite gender are often found to have Gender Identity Disorder (GID). Now, a four-year old boy named Zach has been diagnosed with GID and he is being raised as a girl. He began to evidence GID, according to his doctors and parents, when he was three.

Continue reading “Four-Year-Old Boy Diagnosed With Gender Identity Disorder And Raised A Girl” →

Academia, International, Religion, Science

Atheist Squirrel Science: Russians Grow Fruit From 30,000 Year Old Seeds

Scientists in Russia have announced that they have grown plants from seeds stored away by squirrels over 30,000 years ago in the banks of the Kolmya River in Siberia. The Institute of Cell Biophysics team claims to have raised plants of Silene stenophylla from the squirrel leavings. Of course, what they really found was a den of atheist squirrels since various presidential candidates and religious figures have agreed that the Earth is only 5000 to 6000 years old.

Continue reading “Atheist Squirrel Science: Russians Grow Fruit From 30,000 Year Old Seeds” →

Academia, Environment, International, Media, Politics, Science

Cyberbullying Scientists: Using Threats in an Effort to Silence the Discussion on Climate Change

 Submitted by Elaine Magliaro, Guest Blogger

Recently, the Wall Street Journal refused to publish a letter on the subject of climate change that was signed by 255 scientists—all of whom are members of the United States National Academy of Sciences. The WSJ chose instead to publish an opinion piece titled No Need to Panic about Global Warming that was written by 16 “other scientists.” It has been reported that the 16 “other scientists” include engineers, a physician, a retired airplane designer, a retired electrical engineer, and astrophysicists. Also included among the “No Need to Panic” authors are two men—one who questions whether smoking causes cancer (Richard Lindzen) and another who does not believe that asbestos is a health hazard (Claude Allegre).

According to Media Matters, most of the scientists who signed the WSJ op-ed do not publish peer-reviewed papers on climate research. In addition, more than a third of them have links to fossil fuel interests.

Peter Gleick, a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a MacArthur Fellow, wrote an article for Forbes descrying the WSJ’s actions.

Gleick wrote:

The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board has long been understood to be not only antagonistic to the facts of climate science, but hostile. But in a remarkable example of their unabashed bias, on Friday they published an opinion piece that not only repeats many of the flawed and misleading arguments about climate science, but purports to be of special significance because it was signed by 16 “scientists.”

Continue reading “Cyberbullying Scientists: Using Threats in an Effort to Silence the Discussion on Climate Change” →

Academia, Bizarre, Constitutional Law, Politics, Society

New York Teacher Left Unemployed After Writing Column About Prior Work As Sex Worker

We have followed a disturbing trend of teachers, and other public employees, who have been fired for activities in their private lives, including jobs previously held in the entertainment or sex industries. Now, an elementary teacher in the Bronx, Melissa Petro, has lost her job because she wrote a column in the Huffington Post on her brief stint as a sex worker. Dubbed the “Hooker Teacher,” Petro was shown the door at the demand of Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Continue reading “New York Teacher Left Unemployed After Writing Column About Prior Work As Sex Worker” →

Academia, Torts

A Contracts Reform Movement? Lawyer and Professor Take On The Cheesecake Factory and Other Restaurants Over Drink Prices

Some drinks just make you want to scream “UCC.” The Uniform Commercial Code that is. The Cheesecake Factory has announced it will yield to demands from Massachusetts lawyer Ross Mitchell who objected under the Massachusetts Consumer Protection Act to the failure to post the prices of its drinks. He is supported by Texas Wesleyan law professor Franklin Snyder who has invoked the UCC as required reading for anyone bar hopping.

Continue reading “A Contracts Reform Movement? Lawyer and Professor Take On The Cheesecake Factory and Other Restaurants Over Drink Prices” →

Academia, Bizarre, Torts

Clinical Credit? Texas Southern University Law Students Sue Over Poor Grades

Texas Southern University Jonathan Chan and Karla Ford have created their own form of clinical education. They are suing the law school in the Southern District of Texas for the D grades given to them by adjunct professor Shelley Smith teaching a first-year contracts class. They allege that the grades were “arbitrary and capricious” and meant to “curve them out” of the class.

Continue reading “Clinical Credit? Texas Southern University Law Students Sue Over Poor Grades” →

Academia, Politics, Society

University of North Dakota Defies NCAA and Resumes Use of “Fighting Sioux” As Mascot

The University of North Dakota has decided to challenge the NCAA and its threat of sanctions for using Native American names and symbols for its sports team. The UND is bringing back its traditional nickname of the “Fighting Sioux” and said that it will take whatever punishment is meted out by the NCAA. Various universities have withdrawn such names except schools like the the Florida State Seminoles and the Central Michigan Chippewas who received tribal permission to keep their nicknames.

Continue reading “University of North Dakota Defies NCAA and Resumes Use of “Fighting Sioux” As Mascot” →

Academia, Criminal law

Curve Breaker: Temple University Student Convicted of Hacking Into School System To Improve Grades

Temple University Edwin T. Kim, 31, has received a criminal conviction and two-years probation after pleading guilty to hacking into the school’s system to improve his grades. The tampering with records violation was discovered by one of his professors who found herself locked out of the system in trying to enter grades. What is remarkable however is the temerity of Kim who changed his F grade in a couple of classes to an A-.

Continue reading “Curve Breaker: Temple University Student Convicted of Hacking Into School System To Improve Grades” →

Academia, Bizarre, Free Speech, Politics, Religion

Catholic Bishop: Hitler and Mussolini Would Love American Public Schools

The Catholic bishop of Harrisburg, Pa., Bishop Joseph McFadden is being criticized for comments where he compares American public schools to the system that Hitler and Mussolini sought to create. I actually think that part of the criticism of McFadden is misplaced, though he is certainly worthy of criticism. McFadden’s controversial statements follow a call for Catholics to organize against President Obama and his health care program by leading Catholic leaders.

Continue reading “Catholic Bishop: Hitler and Mussolini Would Love American Public Schools” →

Academia, Courts, Media, Science, Society, Torts

Defining Grief

Submitted by: Mike Spindell, Guest Blogger

 The bible of psychiatric/psychological diagnosis is the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)” published by the American Psychiatric Association. What it does is provide a standardization of diagnostic criteria, which allows Mental Health professionals to communicate with one another in a clearly defined set of common understandings.

 “It is used in the United States of America and in varying degrees around the world, by clinicians, researchers, psychiatric drug regulation agencies, health insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, and policy makers. The DSM is a legitimating document and provides legal, medical, and ethical justification for physicians to diagnose and treat, judges to incarcerate and excuse, insurance companies to pay.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diagnostic_and_Statistical_Manual_of_Mental_Disorders

First published in 1952 the DSM has undergone five revisions since then. The latest revision will be the DSM V, scheduled for a May 2013 publication. The last major revision in 1994 was called naturally the DSM IV. There are many problems with the DSM.  Since this Manual is so important to the treatment for those suffering and recompense for those who profit from psychiatric/psychological needs, this is an issue that needs greater public awareness. I think is most pertinent to look at the underlying issues entailed in the DSM’s new iteration and how it affects us, or those we know. To do so, however, we must look at the problems with the DSM, from a psychological, systemic and economic perspective.

The first critical issue is that no health insurance company, Medicare and/or Medicaid will pay for psychological and/or psychiatric treatment and medication, without a professionally certified diagnostician categorizing the patient with a valid DSM diagnostic code. Thus the DSM’s definitions have critical importance to practitioners, provider agencies, drug companies and health insurance providers. I retired from the Mental Health profession seven years ago and other things have held my interest. However, l I caught a NY Times article, posted at the MSNBC website last week and it brought to mind issues that had bothered me during my career, specifically with the DSM. Continue reading “Defining Grief” →

Academia, Science, Society

Study: Toxicity and Abuse Of Sugar Warrant Regulations Akin To Alcohol and Tobacco

Researchers at the University of California (San Francisco) are calling for government regulation of sugar that compares to alcohol and tobacco regulations. While that may seem odd from the home of Ghirardelli Chocolate and the original Ho-Hos, the researchers cite elevated risks for heart disease, liver failure and obesity in showing that the risks compare to harm from controlled substances. By the way, can you tell the difference between these pictures of sugar and crystal meth? The answer is below, but it appears there is less of a difference on some levels in terms of societal danger.

Continue reading “Study: Toxicity and Abuse Of Sugar Warrant Regulations Akin To Alcohol and Tobacco” →

Academia, Criminal law, Religion, Society

Study: Drug Addicts May Have Abnormal Brains Prone To Addiction

Researchers at the University of Cambridge have published a startling article in Science Magazine stating that drug addicts may have brain abnormalities that give them a predisposition toward addiction. It could radically change how we view addiction and its causes.

Continue reading “Study: Drug Addicts May Have Abnormal Brains Prone To Addiction” →

Academia, International, Society

Arggg! U.S. Court Orders The Return Of 500 Million Dollars Of Gold Coins To Spain

An appellate court has upheld a lower court decision that ordered American treasure-hunter Odyssey Marine Exploration to return to Spain some 594,000 gold and silver coin valued at roughly $500 million recovered on the ocean floor from a sunken Spanish Galleon. The United States government supported the Spanish in the claim and the coins are supposed to be returned to Spain within ten days.

Continue reading “Arggg! U.S. Court Orders The Return Of 500 Million Dollars Of Gold Coins To Spain” →

Academia, Bizarre, Torts

Study: Over 23% of All Goods Created Since 1AD Were Made Between 2001 and 2010

The Economist just published an amazing chart of “Two Thousand Years In One Chart.” However, the most interesting claim is this: “[o]ver 23% of all the goods and services made since 1AD were produced from 2001 to 2010.” That is from the first product (the fig leaf outfits of Adam and Eve to last year’s Britney Spears CD).

Continue reading “Study: Over 23% of All Goods Created Since 1AD Were Made Between 2001 and 2010” →