Genome-Mapping
I don't understand much in this NYTimes article about new efforts to trace the genetic source of many diseases now that we have the entire human genome mapped. I should have taken Biology in school, even though I still wonder if that would have helped - I'm pretty science-challenged.

Geneticists said the new research showed it was now possible to sequence the entire genome of a patient at reasonable cost and with sufficient accuracy to be of practical use to medical researchers. One subject’s genome cost just $50,000 to decode.

“We are finally about to turn the corner, and I suspect that in the next few years human genetics will finally begin to systematically deliver clinically meaningful findings,” said David B. Goldstein, a Duke University geneticist who has criticized the current approach to identifying genetic causes of common diseases.

What don't I understand? For one thing why does it take so long and cost so much? I guess I thought of genome-mapping as kinda like a super-comprehensive DNA test. Just need a bigger computer and there you go: Bob's your uncle. But clearly I'm way wrong. We've only managed to map 12 people ever? No wonder it hasn't yielded more information.

But add to that a couple of apparently flawed assumptions about how mutation works in common multi-gene diseases like cancer, and it sounds more and more like genetic scientists have been headed the wrong way - a slow, expensive way to boot. Hopefully those things are changing.

Education Standards (Cont'd)
In the post below, I pointed to news of proposed national standards in K-12 education. You can read a draft of the proposals here. They are organized in a progressive format with 10 core college-ready goals to be achieved by graduation. Each grade has a step along the way toward those goals. For example, here are the reading standards for kindergarten.

1. With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about details and events in a text.

2. Retell familiar stories.

3. Identify characters, settings, and key events in a story.

4. Ask questions about unknown words in a text.

5. Recognize common types of texts (e.g., storybooks, poems).

6. Name the author and illustrator of a text and define the role of each.

7. Relate pictures and illustrations to the overall story in which they appear.

8. (Not applicable to literature)

9. Compare and contrast the adventures of characters in familiar stories.

10. Read emergent-reader literature texts with purpose and understanding.

(Notice that #8, which corresponds to the college-ready goal of "Delineate and evaluate the reasoning and rhetoric within a text, including assessing whether the evidence provided is relevant and sufficient to support the text’s claims." does not have a kindergarten equivalent.)

National Education Standards
A proposal from a panel of educators and experts is set to become (near) national standards for K-12. Their goals were to make standards higher, clearer, more organized, and more concise.

“Many states have too many expectations in their academic standards that force teachers to cover too much in a superficial way,” said Gene Wilhoit, executive director of the Council of Chief State School Officers. “We said, ‘Let’s keep these very understandable and at a number that is manageable. Let’s not put on teachers more requirements than they can deliver.’ ”

Another improvement over current state benchmarks, people involved in the initiative said, is that the proposed standards are what educators call vertically aligned, meaning that material students are to learn in early years builds a foundation for what is to come in the next grade.

“Students are asked to do progressively more challenging things, and although that may sound obvious, it’s a real breakthrough,” said Michael Cohen, an Education Department official in the Clinton administration who is president of Achieve.

Retiring?
Nothing about this video makes me think Rep. Patrick Kennedy's retirement from the House is any kind of permanent retreat from elected office. Looks more like he's poised to move back to Massachusetts and run for his dad's old Senate seat.

But also, as to his point. Yes, the press sucks.

Baby Einstein
We've been over this before here, but worth pointing out a new study showing that young children regularly shown Baby Einstein DVDs - those designed to teach common words - did no better at recognizing those words than children who had not been watching the video. In fact, those that started watching them at an earlier age did slightly worse.

Petulance and Self-Importance
Glenn Greenwald delivers the correct response to Chief Justice Roberts' silly critique of President Obama and the State of the Union.

The petulance and sense of self-importance on display here is quite something to behold...
...
Supreme Court Justices, in particular, have awesome, unrestrained power. They are guaranteed life tenure, have no authorities who can sanction them except under the most extreme circumstances, and, with the mere sweep of a pen, can radically alter the lives of huge numbers of people or even transform our political system (as five of them, including Roberts, just did, to some degree, in Citizens United). The very idea that it's terribly wrong, uncouth, and "very troubling" for the President to criticize one of their most significant judicial decisions in a speech while in their majestic presence -- not threaten them, or have them arrested, or incite violence against them, but disagree with their conclusions and call for Congressional remedies (as Art. II, Sec. 3 of the Constitution requires) -- approaches pathological levels of vanity and entitlement.

Just About Done with Howard Dean
When it comes to health care reform strategy. Pass the bill already. Not sure what he thinks he's helping.

Obama: Get it Done
If you have a regular job, so didn't get to hear the President lay it all on the line on health reform, read his remarks here. He was as forceful and fiery and on point as he has been since the debate started a year or so ago.

Now, both during and after last week's summit, Republicans in Congress insisted that the only acceptable course on health care reform is to start over. But given these honest and substantial differences between the parties about the need to regulate the insurance industry and the need to help millions of middle-class families get insurance, I don't see how another year of negotiations would help.

Moreover, the insurance companies aren't starting over. They're continuing to raise premiums and deny coverage as we speak. For us to start over now could simply lead to delay that could last for another decade, or even more. The American people, and the U.S. economy, just can't wait that long. So, no matter which approach you favor, I believe the United States Congress owes the American people a final vote on health care reform. (Applause.)

We have debated this issue thoroughly, not just for the past year but for decades. Reform has already passed the House with a majority. It has already passed the Senate with a supermajority of 60 votes. And now it deserves the same kind of up or down vote that was cast on welfare reform, that was cast on the Children's Health Insurance Program, that was used for COBRA health coverage for the unemployed, and, by the way, for both Bush tax cuts --- all of which had to pass Congress with nothing more than a simple majority.

I, therefore, ask leaders in both houses of Congress to finish their work and schedule a vote in the next few weeks. From now until then, I will do everything in my power to make the case for reform.

Republican 2010 Strategy: Cartoon of the Day

Blame it on the Brain
A great NPR story today tries to explain why teenagers can be so messed up. They aren't just selfish and completely lacking in judgment for no reason. Their brains is muddy.

[Neuroscientist Francis] Jensen says scientists used to think human brain development was pretty complete by age 10. Or as she puts it, that "a teenage brain is just an adult brain with fewer miles on it."

But it's not. To begin with, she says, a crucial part of the brain — the frontal lobes — are not fully connected. Really.

"It's the part of the brain that says: 'Is this a good idea? What is the consequence of this action?' " Jensen says. "It's not that they don't have a frontal lobe. And they can use it. But they're going to access it more slowly."

That's because the nerve cells that connect teenagers' frontal lobes with the rest of their brains are sluggish. Teenagers don't have as much of the fatty coating called myelin, or "white matter," that adults have in this area.

I've heard versions of this info before, but this piece really puts it all together and is fairly entertaining. Give it a listen/read.

Ho Hum
Just another normal day on planet Earth

An iceberg about the size of Luxembourg that struck a glacier off Antarctica and dislodged another massive block of ice could lower the levels of oxygen in the world's oceans, Australian and French scientists said Friday.
...
The new iceberg is 48 miles long and about 24 miles wide and holds roughly the equivalent of a fifth of the world's annual total water usage, Young told The Associated Press.

Experts are concerned about the effect of the massive displacement of ice on the ice-free water next to the glacier, which is important for ocean currents.
...
"There may be regions of the world's oceans that lose oxygen, and then of course most of the life there will die," said Mario Hoppema, chemical oceanographer at the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in Germany.

Just to repeat, and then of course most of the life there will die... So, anything important happening today? Tiger Woods screw anyone new?

Health Care Summit
Did you watch any? What did you think? From the little bit I saw, one overriding thought: too many politicians lined up with time to talk. Could have done with panels about half the size.

Here's Pearlstein's take on the meeting. "It takes a Republican", he says, to think of some of their crap as a solution.

Shameless Self-Promotion
The church-state blog got named in this study's list of the 100 most influential blogs dealing with religion and public policy. Now, I know what you're thinking: how many of those could there really be out there comprising the competition? Is getting in the top 100 much of an accomplishment? Well, if you must know there are I think 105. But still! I really kicked the butts of those 5.

Underused Word of the Day
Cuckolded. Of course, you can find it in articles about philandering Republican lawmakers.

Scary Freaks
Some Americans just live on another planet.

Great Moments in Twitter
Common Squirrel

Hot Dogs
...might be dangerous to small children, but not (just) for the reasons you think.

Comments
The comment system has changed - not through anything I did on purpose. It looks like new comments appear at the top instead of the bottom now, which is a little annoying. Not sure what the deal is - will keep an eye out for spam, which the old system was good at avoiding.

Would I Have Liked Shutter Island as Much if Scorsese's Name Wasn't On It?
I don't know. Hard not to be appreciative of all the careful details though - from camera angles, frames and colors to the striking soundtrack. Also though, hard not to have questions about whether or not, story-wise, it really works as a film experience.

If you've seen it and want to discuss, let's take it to the comments. Warning: My comments will have spoilers! Don't read if you haven't seen.

Multiple Choice
David Cay Johnston reports on newly released 2007 tax data. Do you think he found that the wealthiest Americans:
a) saw a decrease in income and paid a slightly higher tax rate in 2007 than in 2006.
b) saw single digit percent increase in income but also paid slightly higher tax rate.
c) saw dramatic increase in income but paid a slightly higher tax rate as well.
d) experienced a dramatic increase in income and paid the lowest tax rate ever for the top bracket.

Any guesses?