Cell phone radiation

Drudge links to an interesting news report on a recent study which demonstrates slowed reaction times from cell phone radiation. The report is a little bit misleading, in that the actual paper does not say people were having a conversation while tested for reaction times and memory recall; they were only being exposed to the cellphone (a Nokia 6110) radiation. The dosage was eqivalent to a 30 minute phone call.

This part was cool (from the paper -- not the news report.):

Interestingly, Huber et al., 2002 and Huber et al., 2005 observed an increase in relative regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex ipsilateral to 30 min pulse modulated RFR from a 900 MHz DMP. Such a finding implicates that blood flow changes caused by RFR may underlie some of the cognitive changes that have been observed with DMP RFR, given that the prefrontal cortex plays a major role in working memory.

The paper passes muster to my scientific reading of it; it's not guilty of a selection bias like some of those crappy Swedish papers that purport to show cell phone use causes Acoustic Neuroma tumors.

Alas, Katherine Harris

I want to like you, Katherine, but you are just not very likeable. This Quinnipiac poll reinforces my point, as do the recent departures of your campaign manager and Ed Rollins. It's not your fault. You did a fine job as Florida Sec of State, but you had staff problems as U.S. Rep and now I believe you're finished. Please step aside and let someone else take on Sen. Nelson.

The Disneyfication of the Middle East, phase II

Yes, the effort to Disneyfy the Middle East is the last, best hope of the world to prevail against Islamic Fundamentalist Imperialism. I've long advocated this, and it is gratifying to see some preliminary plans.
"But Iraqi leaders and United Nations officials are not giving up on it. They are working assiduously to restore Babylon, home to one of the Seven Wonders of the World, and turn it into a cultural center and possibly even an Iraqi theme park."

mid term elections 2006

This post does a great job identifying vulnerable GOP House districts for the upcoming election:

Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-CA) (out b/c corruption)

Heather A. Wilson (R-NM)

E. Clay Shaw, Jr. (R-FL)

John N. Hostettler (R-IN)

Jim Gerlach (R-PA)

Christopher Shays (R-CT)

J.D. Hayworth (R-AZ)

Deborah Pryce (R-OH)

Anne M. Northup (R-KY)

Charles H. Taylor (R-NC)

Steve Chabot (R-OH)

John E. Sweeney (R-NY)

Michael G. Fitzpatrick (R-PA)

Charles W. Dent (R-PA)

A Workers' Paradise

...except they're not working. Only part of the problem can be ascribed to the obnoxious French national character. The major reason is ingrained welfare-state socialist indolence.