Damn Dinosaurs

Praying. On a Tank.

2011-02-11T10:57:00.001-06:00

This. picture. is. perfection.

Amplify’d from www.nytimes.com

MUBARAK STEPS DOWN

Crowds in Cairo Erupt in Jubilation
After Vice President’s Announcement

Tara Todras-Whitehill/Associated Press
Read more at www.nytimes.com

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/apvc2

Oedipus...with vegetables

2011-02-09T09:05:00.001-06:00

Vegetarians and Pescetarians have Lower Risk of Certain Cancer

2010-12-07T06:28:00.004-06:00

Well, we've been saying this for a long time and here we have some pretty decent evidence. One more reason you, yes *you!* eat too much meat.

*************

Cancer incidence in British vegetarians

Key, TJ, Appleby, PN, Spencer, EA, Travis, RC, Allen, NE, Thorogood, M, Mann, JI. Cancer incidence in British vegetarians. British Journal of Cancer. 101:192-197. 2009.

Abstract

Background: Few prospective studies have examined cancer incidence among vegetarians.

Methods: We studied 61 566 British men and women, comprising 32 403 meat eaters, 8562 non-meat eaters who did eat fish (‘fish eaters’) and 20 601 vegetarians. After an average follow-up of 12.2 years, there were 3350 incident cancers of which 2204 were among meat eaters, 317 among fish eaters and 829 among vegetarians. Relative risks (RRs) were estimated by Cox regression, stratified by sex and recruitment protocol and adjusted for age, smoking, alcohol, body mass index, physical activity level and, for women only, parity and oral contraceptive use.

Results: There was significant heterogeneity in cancer risk between groups for the following four cancer sites: stomach cancer, RRs (compared with meat eaters) of 0.29 (95% CI: 0.07–1.20) in fish eaters and 0.36 (0.16–0.78) in vegetarians, P for heterogeneity=0.007; ovarian cancer, RRs of 0.37 (0.18–0.77) in fish eaters and 0.69 (0.45–1.07) in vegetarians, P for heterogeneity=0.007; bladder cancer, RRs of 0.81 (0.36–1.81) in fish eaters and 0.47 (0.25–0.89) in vegetarians, P for heterogeneity=0.05; and cancers of the lymphatic and haematopoietic tissues, RRs of 0.85 (0.56–1.29) in fish eaters and 0.55 (0.39–0.78) in vegetarians, P for heterogeneity=0.002. The RRs for all malignant neoplasms were 0.82 (0.73–0.93) in fish eaters and 0.88 (0.81–0.96) in vegetarians (P for heterogeneity=0.001).

Conclusion: The incidence of some cancers may be lower in fish eaters and vegetarians than in meat eaters.

http://www.nature.com/bjc/journal/v101/n1/abs/6605098a.html

********************

Cancer. 2010 Sep 15;116(18):4345-53.
Meat and components of meat and the risk of bladder cancer in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study.

Ferrucci LM, Sinha R, Ward MH, Graubard BI, Hollenbeck AR, Kilfoy BA, Schatzkin A, Michaud DS, Cross AJ.

Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Rockville, Maryland, USA.
Abstract

BACKGROUND: Meat could be involved in bladder carcinogenesis via multiple potentially carcinogenic meat-related compounds related to cooking and processing, including nitrate, nitrite, heterocyclic amines (HCAs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The authors comprehensively investigated the association between meat and meat components and bladder cancer.

METHODS: During 7 years of follow-up, 854 transitional cell bladder-cancer cases were identified among 300,933 men and women who had completed a validated food-frequency questionnaire in the large prospective NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study. The authors estimated intake of nitrate and nitrite from processed meat and HCAs and PAHs from cooked meat by using quantitative databases of measured values. Total dietary nitrate and nitrite were calculated based on literature values.

RESULTS: The hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for red meat (HR for fifth quintile compared with first quintile, 1.22; 95% CI, 0.96-1.54; P(trend) = .07) and the HCA 2-amino-1 methyl-6-phenylimidazo(4,5-b)pyridine (PhIP) (HR, 1.19; 95% CI, 0.95-1.48; P(trend) = .06) conferred a borderline statistically significant increased risk of bladder cancer. Positive associations were observed in the top quintile for total dietary nitrite (HR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.02-1.61; P(trend) = .06) and nitrate plus nitrite intake from processed meat (HR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.00-1.67; P(trend) = .11).

CONCLUSIONS: These findings provided modest support for an increased risk of bladder cancer with total dietary nitrite and nitrate plus nitrite from processed meat. Results also suggested a positive association between red meat and PhIP and bladder carcinogenesis.
© 2010 American Cancer Society.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20681011

*****************

Cancer Res. 2010 Mar 15;70(6):2406-14. Epub 2010 Mar 9.
A large prospective study of meat consumption and colorectal cancer risk: an investigation of potential mechanisms underlying this association.

Cross AJ, Ferrucci LM, Risch A, Graubard BI, Ward MH, Park Y, Hollenbeck AR, Schatzkin A, Sinha R.

Nutritional Epidemiology Branch, Biostatistics Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, Department of Health and Human Services, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Rockville, Maryland, USA. crossa@mail.nih.gov
Abstract

Although the relation between red and processed meat intake and colorectal cancer has been reported in several epidemiologic studies, very few investigated the potential mechanisms. This study examined multiple potential mechanisms in a large U.S. prospective cohort with a detailed questionnaire on meat type and meat cooking methods linked to databases for estimating intake of mutagens formed in meats cooked at high temperatures (heterocyclic amines, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), heme iron, nitrate, and nitrite. During 7 years of follow-up, 2,719 colorectal cancer cases were ascertained from a cohort of 300,948 men and women. The hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) comparing the fifth to the first quintile for both red (HR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.09-1.42; P(trend) < 0.001) and processed meat (HR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.01-1.32; P(trend) = 0.017) intakes indicated an elevated risk for colorectal cancer. The potential mechanisms for this relation include heme iron (HR, 1.13; 95% CI, 0.99-1.29; P(trend) = 0.022), nitrate from processed meats (HR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.02-1.32; P(trend) = 0.001), and heterocyclic amine intake [HR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.05-1.34; P(trend) < 0.001 for 2-amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline (MeIQx) and HR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.05-1.29; P(trend) <0.001 for 2-amino-3,4,8-trimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline (DiMeIQx)]. In general, the elevated risks were higher for rectal cancer than for colon cancer, with the exception of MeIQx and DiMeIQx, which were only associated with colon cancer. In conclusion, we found a positive association for red and processed meat intake and colorectal cancer; heme iron, nitrate/nitrite, and heterocyclic amines from meat may explain these associations.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20215514

******************

J Natl Cancer Inst. 2009 Jul 15;101(14):1001-11. Epub 2009 Jun 26.
Dietary fatty acids and pancreatic cancer in the NIH-AARP diet and health study.

Thiébaut AC, Jiao L, Silverman DT, Cross AJ, Thompson FE, Subar AF, Hollenbeck AR, Schatzkin A, Stolzenberg-Solomon RZ.

Nutritional Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD, USA.

Comment in:

* J Natl Cancer Inst. 2009 Jul 15;101(14):972-3.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Previous research relating dietary fat, a modifiable risk factor, to pancreatic cancer has been inconclusive.

METHODS: We prospectively analyzed the association between intakes of fat, fat subtypes, and fat food sources and exocrine pancreatic cancer in the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study, a US cohort of 308 736 men and 216 737 women who completed a 124-item food frequency questionnaire in 1995-1996. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using Cox proportional hazards regression models, with adjustment for energy intake, smoking history, body mass index, and diabetes. Statistical tests were two-sided.

RESULTS: Over an average follow-up of 6.3 years, 865 men and 472 women were diagnosed with exocrine pancreatic cancer (45.0 and 34.5 cases per 100 000 person-years, respectively). After multivariable adjustment and combination of data for men and women, pancreatic cancer risk was directly related to the intakes of total fat (highest vs lowest quintile, 46.8 vs 33.2 cases per 100 000 person-years, HR = 1.23, 95% CI = 1.03 to 1.46; P(trend) = .03), saturated fat (51.5 vs 33.1 cases per 100 000 person-years, HR = 1.36, 95% CI = 1.14 to 1.62; P(trend) < .001), and monounsaturated fat (46.2 vs 32.9 cases per 100 000 person-years, HR = 1.22, 95% CI = 1.02 to 1.46; P(trend) = .05) but not polyunsaturated fat. The associations were strongest for saturated fat from animal food sources (52.0 vs 32.2 cases per 100 000 person-years, HR = 1.43, 95% CI = 1.20 to 1.70; P(trend) < .001); specifically, intakes from red meat and dairy products were both statistically significantly associated with increased pancreatic cancer risk (HR = 1.27 and 1.19, respectively).

CONCLUSION: In this large prospective cohort with a wide range of intakes, dietary fat of animal origin was associated with increased pancreatic cancer risk.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19561318

A classic example of science-y spam

2010-11-02T17:01:00.005-05:00

...why? Because I have a science-y email address. On another note, who pays $76 for a book about catching beetles?!

Anyway, see email below.

"To: Science-y email address person
From: Publisher of Obscure Science-y Books
Date: Today

METHODS FOR CATCHING BEETLES
By Carlos Aguilar Julio
English version
See on www.naturalia-editions.com
BOOK REVIEW
Many methods have been written about the collection of beetles in the world. However, only very specific papers were developed until now, for example: the traps, or about specific sampling methods of some families or genera of Coleoptera in the planet.
This book aims provide to the scientific world and for students a collection of knowledge and experience of the author and others professionals of entomology, related to methods and capture techniques, transfer and preservation of Coleoptera, encompassed in a single work.
This study tool has long been expected. There are many forums (especially in the internet) which perceived the need for instruction about this subject. Our colleagues were the first to applaud this initiative, describing it as very valuable in relation to its content.
Now the students can count throughout this material, which is complement of development in the field activities, through practice.
The methods of capture are varied and numerous, such as or more than the number of families of beetles.
Early detection of environmental damage, which can be detected through the study of beetles populations and / or endangered species (it require also knowledge for the capture of different species in selected environments) will provide help for the implementation of measures to assist the conservation and protection of the environment.
On the other hand, there is a tacit agreement among entomologists, in which the number of known species of Coleoptera is very small compared with the suspected number of existing species. This reminds us that phrase regarding the tip of the iceberg, and arouse our interest about how much we are lacking to know.
This book offers:
1) A brief summary of the physical and structural characteristics of major biomes in the world.
2) Instructions to collect beetles in every kind of environment such as savannas, forests, deserts, streams, rivers, mountains, caves, beaches, mangroves, dunes, etc.

3) Specific details about all beetles families known until now, in the long chapter "Where do they live? What do they eat? How to collect them?"
4) A variety of traps chosen according to their effectiveness, and how to make them by yourself.
Finally, we hope that this tool now available to all supporters of life on this planet, serve to understand it, preserve and improve it.
Jorge Barrett Viedma
Editor
Naturalia - Scientific Collection
www.naturalia-editions.com
info@naturalia-editions.com
METHODS FOR CATCHING BEETLES
By Carlos Aguilar Julio
English version
Limited Edition
14.8 x 21 cm
320 pages
16 color plates
160 images
Full color cover
Price: $ 76 plus shipping
Buy on line

Lookout for Penis Bandits, Ladies!

2010-10-21T13:30:00.002-05:00

This drives me crazy. So does "Mrs." I HATE "Mrs."

oooooooooooooohboy

2010-10-15T15:18:00.001-05:00

this is going to be a long day

how many ways can i re-write 4 paragraphs and still not be satisfied with them?

People, You Need to Get Out

2010-09-30T15:09:00.004-05:00

Get out of the house. And yes, it's ok to go outside after dark. Get out of your neighborhood. Get out of your state or your country. Get out of Applebee's and never go back. No, "methadone" is not for "methamphetamine." You don't know what a chickpea is? You never met a gay person? You never smoked a joint? Seriously? No, tacos shouldn't come in a hard shell. No, you can't catch it by talking to someone. Get out of Branson. You've never hitchhiked or cut class or eaten a gyro? (Ok, well, I've never eaten a gyro but that's different.)

I grow weary of the Midwest.

Dear foodies, chefs, etc.

2010-09-30T09:28:00.008-05:00

Stop making up asinine names for fish that already have perfectly good names. If you call it "blue snapper" or even "Sea Kitten" and I can't find it on Seafood Watch or EDF's Seafood Selector I won't know if it's a Bluefish, Blueline snapper, Bluestripe snapper, Bluestriped snapper, Blue and Gold snapper, or some other fish by some other name, I won't want to eat at your stupid restaurant because I won't trust you.

BTW, this blog is close to dead. I just haven't yet found another outlet for my random complaints and comments.

I am in a bad mood today. Here's why:

2010-08-17T08:12:00.005-05:00

Was up every 2 hours last night due to a screaming, teething kid. Husband is coming down with something. House is a wreck. I am just a blob of bad manuscript/grant ideas that never go anywhere. Jackasses in this state drive too slow. Someone wearing flip-flops in the office makes too much flip-flop sound. Stupid Americans are intolerant and embarrassing and venerate one religion too much and degrade/fear another too much. 1 in 5 Pakistanis is flooded, tens of millions are displaced and Americans don't seem to notice or care. I fear major polio outbreaks (and other outbreaks) as a result. There is no fresh fruit or vegetables at home since no one has gone to the grocery store. I am generally a selfish person and I find that both irritating and sad. I hate the shoes I am wearing today, they are uncomfortable. People with less intelligence and/or education than I make more money. I still basically have no friends in No-longer New City. Most people I meet are boring and inspiriting. This town has pretty lame food, especially for a vegetarian. I decided to wear purple eye shadow today to help improve my mood; now it just irritates me. I am tired of this blog. I really really want to write a novel. I watch too much t.v. lately. It's been so hot I can hardly go outside. I have a lot of busywork to do. There is oil and dispersants all over the ocean floor. I really need more sleep. I really need to publish more.

Hm. What else ticks me off? No doubt I will think of something.

What’s Irritating Me Today (or, another example of how this blog has no focus)

2010-05-17T11:32:00.004-05:00

So many things irritate me. Today it's:

Ethnic bread products (e.g. bagels, pita bread, naan, French bread) that are essentially squishy, SAD (standard American diet) bread, just shaped differently.

I just love how I refer to French bread as an ethnic bread here.

I'm BAAAAAAACK!

2010-04-14T13:58:00.005-05:00

After a long, unplanned, and rather eventful absence, I'm back. I got scared off of blogging by a sudden exponential increase in hits (I never really expected or wanted anyone to actually read this thing) following a link from Inside Higher Ed and temporarily abandoned cyberspace.

During my time away I was productive. Not academically of course. Instead, I spawned. (Holy SH*T, I'm a MOM!) The spawn is now 3 months old. What have I learned as a new parent? That I am way less paranoid than I thought I'd be. Also I don't have much patience. Also, I'm in love. But more about the spawn later.

Now that I'm a postdoc and a few months away from my first faculty placement, I think it's time to rethink how to approach my anonymity and the purpose of this blog. In the world of academic blogs I follow, many are pseudo-anonymous, some are totally unidentifiable, and a few are totally transparent. I've always operated this blog as a pseudo-anonymous forum, primarily because I started this as a graduate student and my main goal was kvetching about Dissertation Hell. And who wants that kind of stuff attached to their permanent record? Also because it is mostly a collection of random posts, many of which are personal. But I have a lot to say about my academic field and some of these thoughts are actually pretty good; maybe I should lay claim to them. OTOH, I also have a lot to say about my waistline, the Spawn, politics, general annoyances, and my cats. And I don't need that kind of stuff cropping up when I am on the job market again.

I'll be sorting this out in the next few weeks. I may opt to start anew and abandon this forum entirely. Why? Well, because I can think of way better blog names. If any of you are still reading and have thoughts about anonymity and blogging, especially academic blogging, please share.

Baby, It's Cold Outside

2009-12-21T14:56:00.003-06:00

After having lived over an entire year here in Freezerville, I can now say I have experienced more cold than I ever cared to know. I have made use of all the freezing, dark hours by developing my own Taxonomy of Cold. I will share (all temps in Fahrenheit):

Taxonomy of Cold after 15 Months in Freezerville

Cool: Year-round except for that one week in July
Cold: 30-45 degrees
Very Cold: 25-29 degrees
Super Cold: 20-24 degrees
Extremely Cold: 15-19 degrees
Freeze your Face Off Cold: <15 degrees

There may be some of you out there that think this is pretty conservative. It is not! Trust me, if you had asked me last year, my taxonomy would have looked more like this:

Taxonomy of Cold after 3 Months in Freezerville
Very Cold: Year-round
Freeze your Face Off Cold: 31-45 degrees
Why Do I Bother To Go On Living Cold: <30 degrees

Is this progress? Discuss amongst yourselves.

Postdocly Progression

2009-12-18T15:22:00.001-06:00

This is how I recently summed up my postdoc experience to a fellow postdoc who is a few months behind me on this journey. I thought I’d share with y’all:

0-6 months: Everything going swimmingly. Everyone loves you. You love you! You are a rock star. And so is your mentor. Opportunities and data abound!!

6-9 months: Big. Depressing. Slump. You are a failure. This place and everyone here is soooo full of sh*t!

9-12 months: Insane productivity. Big ideas. Accessible data. Successful models. Promising results. Accepted grant applications. You are COCKY AS HELL.

*12-16 months: Pregnancy brain. Cannot complete a single task in an entire day. But you don’t really care. You just want to sleep. And pick out baby clothes. (“Those little sleepers are SOOOO cute! Why are my cankles so huge? Is it time for lunch?”)

Future predictions as to how the rest of my postdoc will go:

16+ months: You are now officially a breeder. All bets on scientific success and productivity are off. But who cares, because someone will be there to always love you even if you are a giant failure (at least until s/he turns about 13).

*I’m at 14 months into this postdoc. It’s definitely too long of a gestation. G-d help me.

Pregnancy, the Good and the Bad

2009-11-23T13:36:00.005-06:00

Here is my top 11 list of the good and the bad things I have experienced thus far in my pregnancy (I'm 28 weeks today!):

Super Obnoxious Things, in no particular order
1. All the pseudoscience (e.g. "You are aware of the really scary link between immunizations and autism, aren't you?")
2. Unsolicited opinions and judgmental attitudes. (e.g. "You aren't one of those people who is going to try a natural birth are you?"/"You know that epidurals cause serious side effects for the baby."/"Oh, ew, I don't like that name! Sounds like a dirty old hippie name/other insult.")
3. Unsolicited sharing of terrifying birth stories by virtual strangers.
4. Pregnant women moaning about becoming "SO HUGE" in a room full of other huge pregnant women.
5. Becoming huge.
6. Random touching of belly by strangers.
7. The Baby-Consumer-Complex.
8. It's hard to get out of bed.
9. Being sick and tired for the first few months.
10. Weird body stuff. Nuff said. (This covers A LOT of ground.)
11. No alcohol.

Super Great Things
1. That very immediate unreal sensation/denial/excitement/surrealness of peeing on the stick and seeing the word "Pregnant".
2. The first feeling of kicks.
3. Having an ultrasound. Like, holy cow, that's awesome!
4. Polite strangers who let me on and off the elevator first, who wait for me to cross the street, who tell me to get more food when in a buffet line, etc. etc.
5. How excited everybody gets about babies!
6. Imagining what the baby looks like, hir personality, etc. etc.
7. Eating. A lot.
8. Sleeping. A lot. (Even more than usual.)
9. Everyone wants to know & even seems to care how I feel. (This could arguably go on the first list.)
10. The Bump. (Again, on some days, I could put this on the first list.)
11. And finally, best of all, the realization that there is, like, a Miracle happening in my belly.

Got It!

2009-11-18T15:43:00.003-06:00

Well, just found out that I got the career development award I applied for several months ago. This means that starting next summer I get: a faculty title (NTT), 3 years of 100% salary support + research funds (not a lot but enough) + travel funds. And more importantly, a freaking office!

Looks like the odds of staying here in Freezerville are looking greater...

As for grant/funding applications, including my repayment grant, I am now 2 for 2 on the first try. I think I will stop while I'm ahead!

Staying in Academia? Why am I always job searching??

2009-11-12T12:29:00.003-06:00

I am in the middle of a major slump. I have had these fits regularly throughout the last half of graduate school and throughout my postdoc.

The last few months of my postdoc have been going so well that I thought this phase of my life was over. I always attributed them to general grad student malaise and my love/hate relationship with academia. But now...? I'm not so sure.

I have been spending my time at work writing easy emails, reading random articles unrelated to any specific project, attending lectures, looking online for jobs for Spousal Unit, looking online for dream jobs for me-academic and non-academic, putting together a baby registry, thinking about relocating to a different state, freaking out about money, checking on the status of my manuscripts under review, engaging in email discussions about unsolvable controversial issues, worrying what I will do if I receive the recent career development award I applied for, worrying what I will do if I do not receive the recent career development award I applied for, and generally avoiding real work.

Why do I do this? Why can't I just get started on a new project and make some headway on something new and/or some long-lost project at the bottom of my pile of things I really don't want to do?

Is this ever going to stop? Am I ever going to stop fantasizing about the "perfect" job where I wouldn't face these temptations and these periods of uselessness?

Is this just because my work is so deadline oriented that when I don't have a deadline I can't get anything done? This is definitely part of the reasons my dissertation phase was so looooonng and so horrible.

It's times like this where I convince myself I need to do some real work and start looking at the government and non-profit sector listings.

21st Century Etiquette

2009-11-09T09:54:00.002-06:00

I don't think this is one Miss Manners has covered yet. What would be a good hostess gift for a gay man hosting a baby shower?

News from the Frontlines

2009-11-06T15:44:00.005-06:00

So I have an inside scoop on a big application for a career development award I put in a few months ago from a participant from the review committee. And it looks good! Apparently MDs and PhDs were ranked separately and among the PhDs I was ranked either 1st or 2nd based on 3-4 committee members' rankings. Though time will tell; the applicants are re-ranked after the full groups' discussion and my inside scoop wasn't allowed to participate in that discussion. Only 5 people will be selected for this career development award and the odds are that only 1 or 2 PhDs will be selected, so I hope, hope, hope that I was ranked PhD-Numero-Uno. Although that means staying here in Freezerville where I have no friends, am always cold, find the food bland, and where Spousal Unit (SU) still has no job. But whatever.

I had convinced myself that it was going nowhere. Silly Julep.

On a totally unrelated note, there is no reason I should have even come into work this week. I have done zilch, zilch. Instead, I cruised the internet, wrote a few emails, stared blankly at some articles I need to read, and put together a baby registry. Seriously.

Probably the most useful thing I got out of this week was a meeting with Visiting Professor (VP) from Scandinavian Country who may prove to be a useful future collaborator. VP does research on toadstools* in my favorite continent, Africa.** VP has never before examined the effect of lullabies*** on toadstools, however, and I happen to specialize in the effects of lullabies.*** This does not bode well for Spousal Unit (SU), who for some reason, does not fully support my desire to someday relocate to Africa.** But I jump the gun.

Tootles all and happy weekending.

*Research area changed to protect the identity of Visiting Professor.
**Actual favorite continent.
***Research area changed to protect my semi-pseudonymous identity.

Caught in the headlights

2009-10-29T15:51:00.002-05:00

This is ridiculous.

An abstract I submitted to a conference has been accepted. Great.

I recently submitted revisions to a manuscript on the same research to a journal. The decision is pending. Great. Odds are good, but maybe they'll ask for more revisions?

The association sponsoring the conference wants to publicize my research: press conference, press release, stock footage for media, etc. Great.(!)

BUT, the journal has a press embargo. If it's accepted it's embargoed until it appears in print. If accepted today it could be till next spring. In which case, at the meeting, which is this winter, I will not be able to discuss my results. Only my methods and background and who really cares about that?!

I have an interview tomorrow with a journalist who is putting the press release together.

I have taken the initiative of trying to figure this out, to show that I am trying to be responsible. Dealing with university press people, journal press people, association press people. But holycrap, it's a mess.

After a lot of back and forth here's what it looks like I'll do. Do interviews. Suddenly get article accepted. (Normally this is a good thing!) No longer present at conference. Piss off conference association. Try to retract what I have said from the press release, if possible and not yet released, and attempt to just talk about my methods in any revised press release.

Press embargoes are really ridiculous. Seriously people? It's still my ideas and my work. Well, I guess it's not once I sign a copyright agreement but I haven't yet! But the journal says it's theirs from the moment of acceptance.

I don't think I'll ever submit a manuscript so close to the time of a conference again. Clearly, manuscripts take precedence here but press would be nice. What a weird pickle I'm in!

The Agro-Capitalist-Ritalin-Sugar-Industial Complex

2009-10-27T13:54:00.000-05:00

Not that this is any huge surprise, but the findings are still pretty staggering. The fact that many of these cereals meet industry standards for "better-for-you" foods just shows what a joke voluntary industry-driven standards really are.

Kids Spoon-Fed Marketing and Advertising for Least Healthy Breakfast Cereals

A little bored

2009-10-21T14:30:00.003-05:00

Well, crap.

I am a little bored.

I'm getting so many manuscripts off my plate lately I am running out of projects to work on. I guess I could work on CCL (Complicated Cover Letter) for a faculty position I am considering applying for. But that seems like a giant pain.

I'd ask my mentor to hand over PHAP (Potentially Huge and Awesome Project) but he'll say, oh, did you finish with SPCP (Stupid Pointless Crap Project)? and I will be forced to say no. But I don't WANNA work on SPCP, it's pointless! But I guess I should.

I hate media reporting about health and medicine

2009-10-21T14:09:00.001-05:00

Dearest Gina,

9 times out of 10 I love your reporting.

But why did you have to write this article without distinguishing between breast and prostate cancer screening at all? There is a difference between the "exaggeration" of risk and benefit claims regarding an effective, proven, life-saving screening test (mammography) and the "exaggeration" of claims regarding an as yet unproven, probably pointless screening test with serious side effects (prostate cancer screening). Sure, both don't work as well as most public health messages claim. But one actually works! ARGH!

clipped from www.msnbc.msn.com

Advantages to cancer screening ‘exaggerated’

By Gina Kolata

The American Cancer Society, which has long been a staunch defender of most cancer screening, is now saying that the benefits of detecting many cancers, especially breast and prostate, have been overstated.

On Being Preggo and Productive

2009-10-16T09:05:00.007-05:00

I never knew how much I'd learn just by having a fetus growing inside me. For example, today I learned that it just isn't old, really fat, or really uncoordinated people who can't put on their shoes while standing. It's also pregnant people! Wow, go figure!

Being pregnant is such a public thing. As a pretty private person (yeah I know I have a blog and you might be thinking, what kind of blogger is private?, but I don't tell you people anything about my personal life here really, so accept it, yes I am a pretty private person. Even my friends tell me so.) I don't really love this part of being preggo. Everybody looks at you and stares at you when you are drinking coffee. For example. It is none of your business, people! You even get random strangers who touch your belly. WTF?!

On the postdoc front, I'm progressing pretty well with pubs and such. I've got 1 new one under review, 1 revision under review, 1 about to go out the door next week, and more in the pipeline. Truth is, though, that the only one that is really compelling to me is the one that is so complex I can't find a statistician who knows how to analyze it. I need to work on meeting more statisticians. And then finding some money so I can pay one to do this for me.

In print, at long last

2009-10-08T09:44:00.004-05:00

Several years after I first thought of the idea, shopped it around, clarified it, did the research, wrote the article, revised the article, revised the article again, and fought with a copy-editor, one of my dissertation papers is in print(!) at long last. Yay, me!

On another, unrelated note, it really creeps me out to watch people lick the tops of their yogurt containers. Ew.

My Own Awesome Typo

2009-10-06T09:37:00.003-05:00

Thanks to a coauthor who reviewed my letter to the editor describing my revisions in response to a revise/resubmit.

Here's what I had written:

"While the reviewer is correct in nothing..."

While this is close to how I actually feel, what I really meant to write was:

"While the reviewer is correct in noting..."

Those Damn Letters of Recommendation

2009-09-30T12:28:00.004-05:00

I am submitting an application for a K--an institutional career development award--by 5 p.m. today. All 3 of my letters of recommendation are yet to come in. I am watching the online system obsessively. Of course my two awesome proposed mentors have already submitted theirs. But my 3 recommenders are slacking. ARGH!

This happened a few months ago with the last application I completed. (Which btw I was awarded, even though one of my recommenders was LATE!) Why do people do this to me? I vow to never be this way with my underlings.

I know that in the academic world there is really no point at which you stop needing letters of recommendation. But really, it is sooooo irritating.

A dear friend, in that I don't know how else to commemorate his life and say goodbye

2009-09-21T14:50:00.004-05:00

This weekend I lost a dear friend, J, to AIDS. Despite everything I know and have seen of the ravages of this brutal disease, much of it learned alongside J. in Africa, the death is a shock. There are people out there who have watched generations of their friends and loved ones die from this disease, but in my heterosexual, white, and affluent life, this is my first very close experience with the devastation of the virus.

It is with J. and our exchange team in South Africa where I came to believe in God. That trip was a life-changing experience for me, in no small part because of his influence. He shared with me his contagious love of life, his open-heartedness, his absolute lovable nastiness, so many of his irritating habits, and most surprisingly to me, his unwavering faith in God. The night after he disclosed his HIV status with our team, the night after we started calling him “Tati J,” we attended a song and dance session performed by children at an AIDS hospice. I was devastated by my own negativity when I watched the children laugh and sing, thinking fatalistic thoughts about their life expectancy, the absolute brutality of a virus that could hurt such beautiful people, and the horrible inequity of it all. J. smiled at me, put his arm around me, comforted me, and told me that God was with them. I hugged him back, loving every inch of him, marveling at his strength and will. Since I heard of his passing, I have heard his laughter, his cries, his little pearls of wisdom, in my mind throughout the days and especially, as I’m falling asleep at night. Now that he is with God, he is still comforting me. If I know him at all, he is probably serving up doses of his hard-won wisdom, laughing it up, and providing comfort to the lesser angels.

I love you, Jbear.

And to all of my friends who work so hard to prevent, cure, or treat this disease, or assist those living with HIV/AIDS, keep it up. You gave him many more years of life than he expected, but not nearly as many as he deserved.

Stressed! God! Cocktails!

2009-08-27T11:47:00.008-05:00

I am stressed. But I really don't want to dwell on that right now.

I don't take direction well. Someone tells me what I'm supposed to believe and I get really, really ticked off. Which is why when I read about Anastasia's conversion crisis, I am even more convinced that I will never, ever convert to Catholicism. It's one reason I like Unitarians, even though they too, drive me crazy. (They embrace doubt and the questioning of dogma.) It's also one of the reasons I always wanted to be Jewish, because even if I didn't agree with all of their dogma, I'd still be Jewish by birth. That's something, right?

The reason I'm thinking about this is because I've been praying for a friend in trouble. Actually, to be honest, for more than one friend. And for those of you who never stopped to think about this before, praying is hard when you're somewhat spiritual but you're not affiliated with any religion or were never raised in a tradition in which you have ingrained ways of doing these things. Who and or what do you pray to? How do you do it? You have no guidance. Most days I believe in God but I don't really go in for any one of his prophets more than the others. This causes complications.

Sigh. I could really, really use a beer. No, make that a Manhattan--with Maker's Mark, and not the sleezy kind with maraschino cherry juice or anything. Too bad a drink is not exactly an option for another 5+ months. Well, I have to go to put on a post-doc happy hour. Where I will be drinking water. Sometimes being pregnant sucks.

Why Do People Eat Bad Food?

2009-08-13T13:22:00.004-05:00

I don't mean just junk food. Because I'll admit it, I love the stuff, especially Cheetos.

But I just don't understand why--unless limited by real constraints on choice such as income or access--anyone would regularly chose to eat bland, boring, soft, squishy, meaty, crappy food. White bread. Mayonnaise. The exact same lunch every day for years?

I also simply can't believe how some people really think differently colored tomatoes are some kind of new designer food. Seriously, people? Tomatoes aren't just red! Peppers aren't just green or red! Squash comes in all kinds of shapes! Sometimes it's eeven spiky! (YUM, bittermelon.)

Most every day when I see colleagues during lunch time, they peer into my tupperware and ask, "What'd you bring for lunch today?" This makes me feel a little like a creature in a zoo, exotic and strange. Today I had leftovers, as usual. Moroccan curry--sweet potatoes, golden raisins, garbanzo beans, assorted veggies, all on couscous. "What's couscous?" In my mind, this doesn't make me unique. I just like delicious flavorful food. Shouldn't everyone?

Come on people, branch out, there's more to food than Luby's!

Productivity

2009-08-11T13:54:00.003-05:00

Why is it so hard to focus on a single project? Am I totally ADHD? Or ADD? (I don't know and don't care about the difference between ADD and ADHD. Although it would prove a useful waste of time and way to procrastinate.)

I've had this pattern for years. It was a big driver of my DHP (Dissertation Holding Pattern). I was able to crank out other papers and projects, much to the dismay/delight of my committee, but somehow it was like pulling teeth to work on the actual diss.

Little has changed. I am writing a proposal for a mentored career grant and presenting it to a small group of colleagues at a meeting early Thursday morning. Have I worked on it at all today? No. Instead, I'm preparing a manuscript for publication that is...TOTALLY UNRELATED and despite its near completion, BASICALLY IRRELEVANT to my current situation.

I think a lot of it has to do with my perfectionism. I hate to do something where it's not perfect. And trust me folks, a proposal with only $25K/year for research expenses is hardly going to be perfect. Or...maybe I'm just lazy.

Good News: My Postdocly Life isn't only about Neverending, Tedious Analyses

2009-07-29T15:47:00.008-05:00

Postdocly bullets of the good and the bad and the research proposal:

I just got word that I was approved for a NIH loan repayment program. No word yet on the amount of the award, but I just wanted to thank myself and the rest of yous guys. Thank you, American Tax Payers! Yay! This is awesome.

More good news, a 2-times revised article has just been finally, officially accepted for publication in a high impact journal. Bad news, they are very very picky about editorial issues. Bah!

Another article, dating from my very first job as a graduate student--yes, this was years ago will be submitted in a few days, or whenever I get to it.

I am applying for an institutional career development award (75% salary support + some research support.) I so don't feel ready for this yet as I'm not even done with my first year of postdoc life. But it's an annual cycle and it's due at the end of September, marking my one year anniversary. So in some ways, it's good timing. Anyway, the good news here is I finally have an idea for what to propose. Still trying to figure out if it's feasible though.

The only bad news in the hopper (besides my recent family-of-origin drama that would make you cry if I told you more about it), I can't seem to run the analyses I need to present at a meeting next Monday. This might entail weekend work. :( Super lame, except that I have been keeping really limited hours lately due to pregnancy-related exhaustion and food requirements (which require me to spend more time eating and sleeping than working.) So I owe the postdocly Gods some more time, for sure.

Any of you female post-docs or grads in science/medicine/psychology who will be applying for faculty positions in the next year? (Not that there are any openings.) There is a great program at Rice University in Houston designed to help you find the ideal faculty position. Although I might be increasing my competition by doing this(!), I do think it's a great opportunity. Check it Out, the deadline for applying is mid-August.

Happy Research!

An Open Letter*

2009-07-27T12:54:00.003-05:00

Thank you for your apology.

However, I doubt your sincerity. Although I knew what you would say, and had spent one month preparing my response to your negativity, and was very proud of my calm response, I cried after we spoke yesterday. You have, again, hurt me to the quick. This is our routine; I make independent decisions and you degrade them. Remember when you called me a whore? You degrade me. I don't know why. We have done this for more than 30 years.

There will be no degrading of my child's life choices. I will raise this child with love, tolerance, and support. I will do my damnedest to keep my child's life free of the ravages of hate, intolerance, mental illness, suicide, violence, lies, addiction, emotional and physical abuse, and the other toxic elements of my childhood. Inshallah, there will be no kidnapping of my child by my ex-husband in the middle of the night, no police and social-services interventions, no government cheese, no severe social and cultural deprivation. I can only imagine my excitement if my child ever makes the decision to have a child of his or her own. I would never, ever, degrade this decision. A new life is something to be celebrated, treasured.

I can't understand why you still find fault with my life/my choices. I am 32 years old. I am happily married to a stable, loving man who will provide the support to my child that I never received from a father. I have received the highest academic degree possible. I am independent and have not relied on your financial support since I was 18, not that you were offering. I own a home. I am academically and professionally successful with a promising career in front of me. I have many friends. I am healthy and happy. I have explored the world and the people in it with an open mind and have grown so much since I left your home. I make plenty of money. What the fuck have I done wrong? Are you comparing my life to yours? Please don't. Just stop.

Yes, I am grateful that I was raised to adulthood, free of any physical signs of the shit you put us through. I am healthy and have straight teeth, had a roof over my head, always got my vaccinations, and while I ate junk I had to make myself, I never once went hungry. Thank you for these things.

But I wish I was like my husband. To have a long list of family members to call who whooped with joy and excitement (maybe also some relief? disbelief?) at our news. Who already are opening their hearts and minds and making plans and preparations to welcome a new life into their family.

Remember a few months ago when you announced you were grateful you didn't have the brood of your sister as it would be such a burden to keep track of so many grandchildren? I assure you, this child will be no burden of yours.

In closing, I am grateful to my husband, my sister, my in-laws, and my countless dear friends who have wished me nothing but happiness on this new journey ahead of me. Who I can and will count on for the support and love a new family needs. I love you all.

-Julep

*Yes, I know damn well that I am posting this on a public forum. While at it's best it is adolescent and vindictive, I have done this for full public disclosure, for shaming, for the opportunity to make a public proclamation of my pregnancy and most importantly, a public vow that I will be a better parent than you ever were.

Boy Howdy, I love Jimmy Carter

2009-07-24T10:44:00.002-05:00

I heart Jimmy. And the best part, as evidenced by this statement: he loves me!

I know, I know, for those of you still there, that I haven't been much of a blogger lately. Chalk this up to my lack of angst. Which is a good thing....right?

MD-PhD Smackdown

2009-06-17T09:40:00.006-05:00

I've taken quite the hiatus from blogging. Some of you seem to still be hanging around and I admire your persistence.

This last month I've been cramming on a manuscript that I want to go out the door before I get scooped. Now that it's nearly done I've lost all my motivation. The analysis was fun but now the last minute tweaking is a major drag. I hoped to submit it this month but I have been a bit distracted the last 2 days. And now I'm leaving for a few days vacation (Yay!) So I guess it won't be till the following week.

Anywho, the topic of this post is a long-standing rivalry that I face routinely: the MD-PhD fight. As a PhD in a medical field, this is a battle I face routinely in my professional life. I prefer to leave it there and keep it out of my personal life but recently, it crept right in where it didn't belong.

A few weeks ago I went to a ob/gyn I found through a referral hotline. In the past, my criteria for gyns was complicated and I really missed the mark this time by bypassing my usual selection process (involving a tedious internet search process involving the following criteria: faculty member at prestigious medical school, no pending complaints to the medical licensing board, bonus points for board certification, fellowships in family planning, some scientific publications, advocate/user of IUDs, volunteer work at select non-profit organizations, political donations to appropriate candidates, membership in abortion-rights, universal healthcare, and select reproductive health organizations, and editorials and/other other advocacy regarding the above). Come on, you all know I'm obsessive compulsive about research so this should be no surprise.

So I go to this gyn who fits 1 1/2 of the above categories. He was very jovial and had a superb bedside manner. When he found out my line of work, he was very excited and said "That's great! The world needs more people like you!" Well, so far so good. But then he embarked on (an obviously well-rehearsed and un-educated) tirade in which he dismissed ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDIES ON WOMEN'S HEALTH. Apparently, one of the main reasons this research was so horrible is because they didn't have a single gynecologist on their initial published finding (one of the most highly cited articles in the field, btw), it was all PEOPLE LIKE ME WRITING IT. Also, it was horrible research because it "confuses" his patients and now he has to explain something to them (Why worry the little ladies so much? I know what's best for them!) I won't go a ton of details here but I will tell you this: I knew, immediately, he had absolutely no fucking clue what he was talking about. OTOH, this finding is something I know a thing or two about. I tried, and succeeded, to keep it collegial.

Listen, MDs, I wouldn't presume to tell you how you should conduct a physical exam or prescribe medicine. (Although I will tell you that this guy doesn't practice evidence based medicine on either of those fronts, much to my dismay.) Please don't tell me how to do my job.

On another note about the patriarchy, check out how real princesses live their lives.

From my to-do list

2009-05-08T13:40:00.001-05:00

6. think about power

Quitting Graduate School- I Didn't Do It, Should You?

2009-05-01T10:22:00.010-05:00

Despite a continuing number of hits to this blog from individuals considering "quitting graduate school," I acknowledge that I am no longer an expert on this topic. I consider only those poor, overly tortured saps currently in school to be experts on this topic. Did you graduate? Then you don't know what you're talking about anymore. (HELLO, recall and Pollyanna biases.) Did you quit already? Recently or many years ago? Then you're clearly not an expert either. (Quick, what type of bias is this?)

Anyway, I still get a lot of hits on this so I thought I'd revisit how I feel about not quitting graduate school. Clearly, as a disclaimer, this is pretty field-specific. I have the (um? luxury?) perspective of working in a relatively interdisciplinary field with connections to both hard and squooshy and very very fluffy sciences, so while that gives me some options, it also shows me that in terms of faculty appointments and expectations, that while I someday (Imshallah) may have it much easier than some, I may have a much harder academic life than others. (As in, there is no program in my primary field in which I could ever have a summer break. I know, boo-hoo!)

Did I quit graduate school? No. Am I glad I finished? Abso-fucking-lutely. Will I actually be able to use the knowledge and skills that I was taught in graduate school? Only time will tell (so far I've been lucky on this and the answer is "yes" but I'm still only a postdoc.) Am I still considering "quitting" academia? Yes, just not as often as I once did. Am I trying to gain some realworld skills just in case? Yes.

...and now, more about you:

Should you quit? Odds are, yes. Why should you quit? This depends on your goals. Have you always thought you would be able to grow up and be just like your professor? Hey, you might, but don't hold your breath. If you think you can apply the knowledge and skills and socialization you gained in school in a number of different environments and toward different ends...well, more power to you. Keep going. If you just want someone to call you "Doctor" someday? Then keep going, you can totally make it and get what you want from the experience. If you seriously think you'll get tenured someday? Take an informal poll of assistant professors out there. If you want to stay in academia but can't stand the thought of adjuncting or remaining research faculty? Consider a different field or get ready for disappointment.

Restructuring the University

2009-04-30T17:01:00.002-05:00

clipped from www.nytimes.com

In other words, young people enroll in graduate programs, work hard for subsistence pay and assume huge debt burdens, all because of the illusory promise of faculty appointments. But their economical presence, coupled with the intransigence of tenure, ensures that there will always be too many candidates for too few openings.

Mark Taylor's NYT's recent editorial calls the graduate education the "Detroit of higher learning." As in, it's doomed. The quote here (below? above? I don't know) sums up a lot of the ambivalence I feel about academia. WAY too many people are churned through a ruthless system.

I like what he says about disciplines and about problem-focused learning and restructuring the university, and even abolishing permanent departments (to a lesser extent). His suggestion of a "water program" was obviously based on (or was strangely coincidental with) a famous course called (you guessed it) Water at my alma mater, The Evergreen State College. But while this is a great idea for undergraduate education I am not convinced this should be the way of graduate education. Disciplines serve as a form of organization, structure, and shared memory for thought and knowledge. Collaboration is great but without any solid grounding in one or many disciplines, all you have is loose and unstructured knowledge. Plus you have no academic lineage and good luck succeeding in academia without lineage. I can say this for a fact because Evergreen had no disciplines and I am missing a lot of the basic grounding in certain fields that would serve me well today. (On the plus side Evergreen, you excel at the promotion of critical and innovative thinking, reading, and writing skills.)

Taylor spends some time bemoaning narrow scholarship. He's right. I can hardly even explain my work to others. But my field is primarily supported by grants from the federal government (primarily NIH). Should they be paying me to do something that everyone else is doing and that is "obvious"? Clearly not. Is the pursuit of new knowledge flawed just because it's obscure? So what if few people ever read my dissertation. Only a few people need to for it to have any actual impact on the world. In this way, it only matters that people who want to move beyond it read it. They learn what is already known. Then, they go farther. Clearly, many paths are dead ends. But you can't learn or discover something new until you ask a new question, something that hasn't been asked or answered before.

He also suggests mandatory retirement. Oh hell no. Seriously? Abolishing tenure? Yeah, that's probably on its way out anyway. I won't get into that here. Transforming the traditional dissertation? It's likely that any changes in the diss won't be as radical as he suggests. I see no problem with writing a long tome that is rarely read by others. It's a learning exercise. Besides, I had to write one.

Taylor suggests expanding the range of professional options for graduate students? YES. YES YES YES. This is a suggestion of his that I adore. To do this, the graduate students need to be taught practical skills and to be taught by non-career-academics.....people who actually work in their field in the real world (if there is one.) This never happened in my graduate school.

There have been plenty of other responses to this. I'll post to them later in a format that takes html.

Till then, publish or perish!

Sometimes Quitting Is a Good Thing

2009-04-17T14:43:00.002-05:00

One of my most recent visitors found me by googling the words "why i quit grad achool."

R01s and Pirates

2009-04-08T09:22:00.006-05:00

Given the recent pirate incident, I want to clarify that I think pirates are actually only cool in books and movies and also in costumes at wooden boat festivals when they kidnap your wenches.

Also, in other late-breaking news, Dr. Mentor received an R01 yesterday. There is still some hope.

Redistributing the Wealth

2009-04-07T16:29:00.012-05:00

I recently got a super awesome t-shirt as a gift from a friend. Here's what it says:

"Pillage before plunder
What a blunder.
Plunder before pillage
Mission fulfillage!"

How awesome is that?

Or wait, was it "Plunder before pillage...?" Apparently I'm

not the only one confused about pillaging and plundering. Either way, you get the point.

Also awesome is this, a live piracy map, showing recent redistribution efforts (recent piracy attempts and attacks) around the world!

Aliens (the outer space kind) Wanted by the U.S. Postal Inspector!

2009-04-03T12:05:00.015-05:00

Take a good, hard look at these aliens, pictured below. They are currently being hunted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service!

Yes, a U.S. government agency is hunting aliens! And no, I don't mean this
pseudo law enforcement agency, but the far more legitimate and useful U.S. Post Office.

THIS IS FOR REAL. THIS IS NOT A HOAX.

I wouldn't have known if the following had not happened to me on last Wednesday. I received a REAL SNAIL MAIL CHAIN LETTER! It was SO COOL! Immediately I had all kinds of ideas of how to respond. I'm still not sure, I might send these folks a heartfelt letter of thanks for brightening up an otherwise booooring day. Maybe I will send them some pesos. Maybe I will write a book about it. Or maybe, in response to the letter's claim that "Not only is this not illegal, it's a great idea." I will instead send them information from the U.S. Postal Inspectors webpage as a helpful reminder that um, yeah, chain letters, are actually totally illegal, and moreover, not such a hot idea either.

If you find yourself in a similar, exciting position, and are seeking more information, see
here and here.

If however, you find yourself in a similar position of being scammed through the U.S. mail, and are seeking retribution over it, Raise a rukus!

And don't forget to hunt those aliens, too!

What do these things have in common: War, Natural Disasters, Poverty, Crappy Governments, Lack of Education, and the Suppression of Women

2009-04-03T09:13:00.009-05:00

They cause disease.

The current issue of the MMWR (don't look for it online until next week) reports that polio cases are up by 26% in 2008.

When I was in an small alley in the filthiest of all Indian cities, I saw a Rotary International worker providing polio drops to infants held in the arms of their older siblings (by older I mean between 4-7 years old). I was so happy I could have cried.

This disease has got to go. Polio should be part of our past but instead, it is a sad reminder of how we have failed the most vulnerable.

On the same note, I went to a lecture by HUGE UNIVERSITY FIGURE (HUF) yesterday. The talk was focused on postdoctoral scholars responsibility to the global community. HUF laid out the greatest global challenges, which included (among other things) poverty, human health, aging/growing population, environment/sustainability, & clean water. Yay, I actually agree with these things. Unfortunately, the final message of the day was that FANCY UNIVERSITY (FU) was investing heavily in training us, the next great generation of scholars in the U.S. (many of us are not from the U.S.), and expects a return on their investment...in the U.S. HUF presented "amazing achievements" benefiting "the world" from FU's alumni/trainees .... and they were all, each and every one of them, advancements benefiting THE RICH DEVELOPED WORLD TECHNOLOGICAL/MILITARY COMPLEX. When asked what we could do to advance scholarship and training of the booming new generation of scientists from India and China.....HUF told us to stay home in the U.S. and work for Boeing. (I paraphrase.)

NIH Grant Changes in Effect

2009-04-01T12:17:00.001-05:00

Good news everyone, writing a grant is going to be WAY easier! No more struggling for months or years. We're all going to get funded. YAY!

clipped from lvlmnly.wordpress.com

Submitting NIH proposals via text messaging

NIH has announced that starting April 1, in a collaboration with Twitter, it will begin accepting proposals by text message. To submit a proposal, faculty should

1. Create a screen name on http://www.twitter.com

2. Invite NatInHealth to be your friend.

3. Post a proposal by text message

Proposals are limited to 140 characters including budget and CV. While all health related topics are covered by this announcement, special consideration will be given to proposals that address conditions that affect the Web 2.0 generation such as blackberry thumb. Proposals will be reviewed by the general public on Digg.com and funding decision will be announced within 24 hours of submission. Funds will be distributed by PayPal, eliminating the need for university accounting systems.

NIH spokesperson Dr. April Fulesjoak said that NIH anticipates the pay line to be at 4 stars.

Quitting Graduate School

2009-03-31T13:00:00.003-05:00

Recently, fabio from orgtheory posted Grad School Rulz #21 on a topic of interest to 99% of all graduate students: quitting graduate school. It provides a good look at reasons to stay or quit the Academy.

I know this is of interest to my readers as it's probably the #3 reason search string that brings people to this site. For example, I get these a lot (insert various spelling errors): "graduate school cult" or "quitting graduate school". Even a good friend of mine (T-2 days from his defense) just posted on his FB that, following his advisor's criticisms at the 11th hour, he was planning to drop out.

Clearly, it's too late for me to drop out. BUT YOU MIGHT STILL HAVE A CHANCE!

Graduate school and the academy are quite cultish and as such, frank discussions about "quitting" are few and far between. Just this weekend I attended the National Postdoctoral Association annual meeting in Houston. For those of you unfamiliar with the organization, be sure to check out their website but do keep in mind the fact that the organization is heavily geared toward biomedical/science postdocs. Anywho, this meeting did a wonderful job presenting career development, networking, goal-setting, and job-landing opportunities OUTSIDE the Ivory Tower. My favorite part is when a group of recruiters from the [INSERT BIG FEDERAL RESEARCH INSTITUTION HERE] asked, "Why on earth do you people do this to yourselves? For Christ's sake, I pay my secretary more than you make!"

The meeting was great and I encourage you all to look into it. Let me know if you want more info on it, and I'll be happy to share some of the things I learned. Basically, I was newly inspired, filled with big thoughts and dreams, until I got back to my cube on Monday, and I realized I don't know how to do anything else.

What do you guys think about the re-entering the "Real World?" Worth it? Not? What about telling your mentor? (Now that would not be a discussion I would look forward to!)

The Public's Health

2009-03-24T09:45:00.005-05:00

I have been following Sandy Szwarc's blog, Junkfood Science lately.

In a nutshell, Szwarc critically reviews recent medical and public health research and legislation, and media coverage of health, with a particular emphasis on anything relating to food, nutrition, physical activity, and obesity. As near as I can tell, she is pretty critical of any study or policies attempting to prevent, treat, or quantify the impact of fatness, or any health conditions relating to being fat. Sometimes she's critical in ways I agree with (for example, I think she's right when she repeatedly claims that a lot of public health policies are unsupported by solid evidence). Sometimes I disagree (for example, when she claims there is no credible evidence linking food intake to incidence of type II diabetes.)

She has a major axe to grind about "lifestyle medicine." I do too, actually. Just for very different reasons. Overall, I find her underlying theories (unspoken but obvious) to be too reactionary and well, atomistic. My philosophy about health centers on the social-ecological foundation of health, social determinants of health, and constrained choice...in a nutshell. And it drives me *NUTZ* to read Szwarc's reactionary rants that 1) claims the medical, media, and political industries are fabricating evidence; 2) all health outcomes are the direct result of genetics; 3) hails the randomized controlled trial as the final word regarding scientific evidence; and 4)fancies itself to be the end-all-be-all of renegade smoking-gun/myth-busting truth-busting information on health.

If I was motivated, which I am not, I think it would be a fun challenge to provide another perspective on her posts. Instead, I think I'll just rant about it in a non-productive way and leave you all with this!

Random Bullets of Postdoclyness

2009-03-19T15:07:00.002-05:00

•I just had my first dissertation article accepted. Huzzah! The reviews were the best I’ve ever had. One reviewer says, “ …I can see the paper being accepted almost as-is, and would not be surprised if that were the eventual decision.” WHOA. For the record, this is my first article in a good journal ever. It is also, not so coincidentally, my first good article. The others were mostly remnants from student projects. And it’s damn nice to know someone else thinks it’s good too.

•Can’t believe I’m already 6 months in to a 2 year postdoc.

•Do I just get the bad articles for peer review? Why do they all suck so bad?

•How is 100% soft money not some kind of violation of human rights?

•Why did I get myself volunteered to be a chair for a committee?

•Why has my article been “awaiting reviewer assignment” for 3 months? When it’s a freaking revision and has already been assigned reviewers!

•I can’t code well. I have no attention to detail. I waste a lot of time on fixing my own bad code.

•I hate my cubicle. I feel like it’s some kind of horrible hazing experiment to put the new postdoc in a cubicle with her back and computer screen facing the door.

•I really, really, really want to be a beekeeper. I think my backyard is too small for this right now though. It might upset some neighbors.

•Is it 5 yet?

•Is it normal that every other day I think about changing careers? When I haven’t even technically started this one?

•I am totally cynical. I think 99% of manuscripts in my field are b.s. Do I really want to write tons and tons of b.s?

•A small, optimistic, Pollyanna part of me really did think such existential crises would end post-PhD. The cynical remainder of me is pretty pissed (but not at all surprised) that this was not the case.

No More Room

2009-03-17T22:07:00.001-05:00

I haven't been blogging much lately folks. It seems like everyday I have postdocly thoughts to share but I have been really, really busy running tons of analyses, none of which fail to reject the null hypothesis. Sigh. Thoughts of my future, like100% soft money funds and unrealistic tenure expectations, are causing me more and more stress. So, for that I apologize. But for the following I won't.

I have had a shitty couple of days, except for some small but significant good news (more on that later), and overall I have almost no more room for anger at myself or other people. Anger is a bad, bad emotion. (SO not shanti.) I've already been through a mantra and thoughts of detachment and they helped, they really did. But its jackasses like this (yes I am calling the Pope a jackass, with NO QUALMS ABOUT IT) that piss me off again.

I don't believe in hell. But when I meet my maker/equivalent I sure hope I never have to face down a blunder like this. Even if I do it because I think it's right. Especially if I do it because I think I'm right and everyone else is wrong.

clipped from www.cnn.com

Pope Benedict XVI refused Wednesday to soften the Vatican's ban on condom use as he arrived in Africa for his first visit to the continent as pope.

He has, however, assembled a panel of scientists and theologians to consider the narrow question of whether to allow condoms for married couples, one of whom has HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

Question: What do Executions and the Economy Have in Common?

2009-03-02T12:19:00.001-06:00

Answer: They both suck.

It seems every morning when I drive to work I hear more stories about lay-offs, foreclosures, store closures, and the general state of the sinking economy. For once, there is some good news as a result of these problems. Of course when we're rich again, I'm sure we'll pick right up where we started.

On another note, my recent lack of blogging is related to the general distraction of living and working on a 105 year old house and my overall tiredness of sitting at a computer to blog after working on one all day.

clipped from www.cnn.com

Budget concerns force states to reconsider the death penalty

Thankfulness

2009-02-16T09:19:00.001-06:00

Well, it could be worse. I could be a post doc in this lab. Yuck!

clipped from www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Geographic Distributions and Origins of Human Head Lice (Pediculus humanus capitis) Based on Mitochondrial Data.

1: J Parasitol. 2008 Dec;94(6):1275-81.

Light JE, Allen JM, Long LM, Carter TE, Barrow L, Suren G, Raoult D, Reed DL.

Apparently, I'm a nerd.

2009-02-05T15:07:00.004-06:00

Thanks Maude for the heads up but I guess I'm a little disappointed. How can I be a nerd? :( I don't even speak Klingon!

Your result for The Nerd? Geek? or Dork? Test...

Pure Nerd

83 % Nerd, 26% Geek, 30% Dork

For The Record:

A Nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia.

You scored better than half in Nerd, earning you the title of: Pure Nerd.

The times, they are a-changing. It used to be that being exceptionally smart led to being unpopular, which would ultimately lead to picking up all of the traits and tendences associated with the "dork." No-longer. Being smart isn't as socially crippling as it once was, and even more so as you get older: eventually being a Pure Nerd will likely be replaced with the following label: Purely Successful.

THE NERD? GEEK? OR DORK? TEST

Take The Nerd? Geek? or Dork? Test at HelloQuizzy

The District, My Manuscripts, and COFFEE!

2009-02-04T14:35:00.006-06:00

Baracka is SUCH a celebrity, last night on t.v. I saw his new commercial promoting his stimulus plan, and I thought, wait, isn't the campaign over already? Now turns out he has his own reality show, The District! Awesome! Thanks Dub for the heads up.

For some reason I put together a manuscript time line (and shared it with my mentor) that has me submitting 3 papers in March. Ha! What was I thinking? Maybe I need my own reality vlog to document my own fall from grace. But the good news is.....I FINALLY SUBMITTED ONE OF MY DISSERTATION MANUSCRIPTS! To a top tier journal!

And most importantly, and quite possibly explaining the sheer freneticness of this post, is the following exciting revelation. How long have I worked here? Since October? And how many sleepy afternoons have I passed where I had no hope for a caffeinated kick in the pants other than a Diet Coke? Well, had I moved two feet to the right I might have noticed THIS (ok I wanted to put a picture link here but I'll have to take my own, apparently the internets aren't as enamored with it as I am) a little earlier. Oh yeah, a high class Wolfgang Puck "Crappy Cap" coffee vending machine(i.g. automated caffeine-pusher, which typically produces crappy cappuccinos.) This one, though, WOW, you can specify your degree of desired "STRENGTH" "LIGHTENER" and "SUGAR." (My favorite is the "lightener"--I ordered this extra strength!) And it it is gourmet--with options for vanilla, berry, chocolate, coffee, or combos of any of the above. WOW!! After just one cup: GO ME!

outtie~

Snow

2009-01-28T16:26:00.001-06:00

....going stir crazy. Nuff said.

Culture! And sex!

2009-01-26T14:16:00.005-06:00

I am surrounded on both sides by the social-psychological and biomedical paradigms. So I should be used to seeing everything, everywhere, the glamorization and investigation into psychological and/or biological and/or (yes this is a real word) psychoneuroimmunological explanations for observed human phenomena.

The recent article What Do Women Want in the NYT explores women and sexual desire. And ignores culture.

Assuming sexual response arises from some psycho-biological pathway and that observed differences between the genders points to some evolutionary basis without investigating learned responses, reinforced norms (via culture), etc. etc. is SO ANNOYING! While there may be no to little sex research in other cultures, it bears mentioning that sexual response has (an apparently as yet unmeasured) cultural component. Maybe (in the most simplistic way), western women of the type that volunteer for academic sex research get turned on by watching other women because we are trained from an early age to view women as sexual beings.

Whatever happened to culture, anyway?

Thank you Mr. President

2009-01-23T16:35:00.003-06:00

clipped from www.cnn.com

President Obama signed an executive order Friday striking down a rule prohibiting U.S. money from funding international family planning groups that promote abortion or provide information, counseling or referrals about abortion services.

I have been waiting for this one.

Those of you who aren't familiar with the ridiculousness of this now former law, known as the Mexico City Policy or the "Global Gag Rule", can read about it here.

While it sounds like it's all about abortion, it has a far bigger impact on women's and children's health around the world.

I'm just a little surprised he didn't do it on Day 1 like Bush did.

Now I want to know what he will do next!

Standing White Dudes Watching the Sitting Black Dude Close Gitmo

2009-01-22T16:36:00.001-06:00

'Nuff said.

clipped from www.cnn.com

I am sooooo predictable

2009-01-21T15:55:00.003-06:00

I think I just spent more time searching for the perfect iPhone app to help me track my fitness/diet goals than I will actually spend working toward said fitness/diet goals.

Meanwhile, I perish (perish: verb, to suffer destruction or ruin resulting from a chronic inability to publish).

What's in a Speech?

2009-01-21T09:34:00.007-06:00

Wow, yesterday was a cross between a wedding and Miss Universe pageant, wasn't it?

Below is a word cloud of the most common words in Obama's speech. Check out Read Write Web to see how drastically different Bush's inaugural speech was in 2005, and to see the clouds from Clinton, Reagan, and Lincoln.

As for me, I hope I can capitalize on this sense of new beginnings and hope and actually get some of my own work done. I'm floundering.

Heartstrings A Flutter, I Can't Wait for the Inauguration

2009-01-15T11:18:00.005-06:00

Next week we will witness the end of the Bush presidency and the end of an era marked by war, financial crisis, and the erosion of our civil rights.

Fortunately with every end there is a beginning. On Tuesday, President Obama (and kickass Secretary Clinton) will begin ushering in a new era of....(dare I say it as I abhorred it during the campaign).....hope.

For some pre-inaugural pulling of your heartstrings and a glimmer of the hope and dreams of our incoming president, read the
letter Obama wrote to his daughters Malia and Sasha. But before you do, get the tissues.

Free Bras

2009-01-13T12:42:00.007-06:00

I know my posting has been sporadic at best. And that I tend toward the random and absurd. That's just how I roll.

Speaking of the random...

I have been scanning my local Freecycle a lot lately and have come across some funny stuff. Here's a great offer that raises all kinds of questions:

OFFER: Two bras size 38B wore once on a cruise

Seriously? What kind of cruise was this? Why were they just worn on the cruise? But apparently they were in hot demand, because just two days later I see the following post:

TAKEN: Two bras size 38B wore once on a cruise

...they were taken.

I love Freecycle.

Another Problem with Causality - A Huge Waste of Money Called a "Success"--

2009-01-12T15:15:00.003-06:00

OMG. This stuff drives me crazy. So a hugely expensive random steroid testing scheme in Texas came up with few positive tests. Rep Flynn, the sponsor of this legislation, claims the program has deterred steroid use, and therefore, is a success!

It's another claim of causality to which I declare, "BOGUS!"

clipped from news.yahoo.com

By the tens of thousands, Texas student-athletes have been pulled out of class to urinate in a cup for the nation's largest high school steroids testing program.

the first 10,000 tests found only four positive results

The point of testing was to act as a deterrent against steroid use, not catch teens using drugs, said Rep. Dan Flynn, a Republican.

calls it an "incredible success."

Thanks auderey for noticing this.

OMG

2009-01-09T15:49:00.002-06:00

Today is the deadline for several faculty to complete and submit recommendations for me for a program I applied for a month ago. A month ago. There are 7 more minutes yet and my last faculty has just now logged on to the system.

What makes it worse is that 30 minutes ago I called this person and was told, "Don't worry, I've done these things before."

Just now I got a panicked call from this faculty member that "The System" wasn't working.

It cuts off in 1 minute now.... and unless she can talk the federal government out of it, I will be out of the running for funding I spent 2 months applying for.

Seriously? A bailout for porn?

2009-01-07T16:32:00.001-06:00

I would think the "adult entertainment" industry wouldn't do well in times of high unemployment, just like the alcohol industry does. I mean, what else are people supposed to do?

clipped from politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Another major American industry is asking for assistance as the global financial crisis continues: Hustler publisher Larry Flynt and Girls Gone Wild CEO Joe Francis said Wednesday they will request that Congress allocate $5 billion for a bailout of the adult entertainment industry.

Overheard

2008-12-19T09:02:00.001-06:00

Yesterday I overheard this in the office restroom, ".....I guess that corn went right through me." Ew. Who the hell was she talking to?

Fiona, My New Puppy!

2008-12-17T09:27:00.001-06:00

Random Postdocly Updates

2008-12-16T15:19:00.004-06:00

I recently attended my university's postdoc association holiday party. It was more fun that I thought it would be. You get a bunch of primarily lab scientists together and...well things can get boring fast.

After 2 days of endless data cleaning, my back and right wrist are starting to hurt. Ugh, RSIs.

I forgot my lunch today. Since it was in the teens today I didn't really feel motivated to leave my building. We do have a small diner/lunch spot in my building. But every time I go there I wonder just what "vegetarian beef barley soup" is really made of. Being primarily concerned with the "vegetarian" part, and less interested in the "beef" side of things, I have yet to try it out.

I am annoyed at my university for not providing enough holidays. What's up with that? We don't even get Christmas Eve off, or the day after Christmas. Sure we get a decent package of vacation days for a research-only environment, but it's not like people actually use them.

My new puppy, Fiona, is adorable.

Local NPR affiliate weather report this morning that scared the crap out of me

2008-12-15T14:16:00.001-06:00

"...feels like 3."

That's all there is to say folks. It's flipping cold here.

Slow Posting, It Was the Cats

2008-12-09T13:37:00.003-06:00

I apologize for the lack of posting but things have been a little hectic lately. Most of you know I relocated in late September but you might not know that I came alone, with just a car full of clothes and dissertation data and a sweet friend who volunteered for the 2-day drive. Over Thanksgiving weekend, the rest of my household came to join me.

This process involved:
--Cats getting microchips injected in their backs.
--Awesome friends who helped me pack and clean. I love you guys!
--Putting mad cats in containers.
--Loading tons of crap onto a big truck.
--Cat with a bleeding nose.
--14+ straight hours of me and brother in law driving in the snow/sleet/rain. --Husband driving Big Truck for 18+ hours.
--Cats on drugs.
--Cats hiding in friend's closets.
--Putting cats back into containers, again.
--Very sad cats.
--Closing on our first house.
--Going to Lowes.
--Missing cat.
--Unloading the massive truck.
--Searching for cat.
--Going to Home Depot.
--Trying to find some socks, because it's cold.
--Cat trying to commit suicide.
--Another visit to Lowes.
--Learning about the "charm" of a 105 year old house.
--Going, again, to Home Depot.
--Cats slowly recovering, but never, ever, forgiving.
--Discovering mold.
--Cat with a scabby nose.
--And by tomorrow afternoon,MY FIRST DOG, FIONA. And then, another trip to Lowes.

So, as you can see, my life is pretty wild. More on the Postdoc Experience (PE) when things settle down.

Postdocly Life- It's Not So Bad

2008-11-24T16:32:00.007-06:00

Here I am, 6 weeks into the rest of my life (real employment at a different university post- PhD).

Some might say a postdoc still isn't a "real" job. To that I say: It's as real as I can handle post-PhD.

My long-term readers will all remember my extended periods of moaning and complaining about graduate school. It was horrible, it was a cult, it was soul-sucking, blah, blah, blah.

Well today I'd like to sing another tune about post-doc life. Surprisingly, it's not a tune about high-powered R1 research institutions and the ego-mania they engender, the anxiety caused by living a purely grant-funded existence, the inherent problems of being, yet again, at the bottom of a strongly hierarchical system, or the difficulties in balancing a mentor's work with your own ideas.

The tune is thus: POSTDOCLY LIFE TOTALLY AWESOME AND I LOVE IT!

The Invisible Postdoc

2008-11-22T18:07:00.004-06:00

I'm a ghost. In a cubicle! Actually, fortunately, my life is not so grim at New University but I know that it very well could have been ghostly, indeed.

copyright Jorge Cham, PhD Comics

Time Management

2008-11-20T17:50:00.004-06:00

I think it's very telling that while printing a copy of Susan R. Johnson's "Personal Productivity: How to work effectively and calmly in the midst of chaos" (exhibit a of my plan to become more productive!), I stood for a significant period of time, silently, motionlessly, pointlessly, and most importantly, unproductively, over the copier while it churned and chugged.

Maybe I'll never learn.

Me and My Favorite Ear Accessory/Safety Device

2008-11-20T16:35:00.005-06:00

I get a lot of crap for talking on the phone while driving. Also while walking. Also while in social situations. And at work. And other times, too.

Well, a recent incident involving a man, a cell phone, and a bullet proves that by protecting my ear from stray bullets, I'm actually safer while talking on the phone.

So there!

Ugh- Nasty Snack Attack

2008-11-18T15:00:00.006-06:00

I bought a box of these
tasty little treats at the grocery store on Sunday. They're pretty yummy (they taste like a combination of cheese doodles and popcorn) even though they're filled with msg and other horrible things I usually try to avoid and, a plus, each bag is only 90 calories. Too bad I ate 5 of them.

My Dewey Decimal Number

2008-11-14T09:00:00.002-06:00

Ever wonder where you belong in a library? As for me, I'm surrounded by Christians.

Julep's Dewey Decimal Section:

229 Apocrypha & pseudepigrapha

Julep = 91449681900 = 914+496+819+00 = 2229

Class:
200 Religion

Contains:
The Bible and other religious texts, books about the general philosophy and theory of religion.

What it says about you:
You don't mind thinking about the unknown or other very big ideas. You will never feel like your work is finished. The 200-series is dominated by Christian topics, so you may feel like you're constantly surrounded by Christians.

Find your Dewey Decimal Section at Spacefem.com

Academic Identities and the Real World

2008-11-11T09:24:00.005-06:00

This may seem really minor or silly to some of you. But I have a problem. And judging by the most recent PhD Comics, I'm not the only academic with this problem.

copyright Jorge Cham, PhD Comics

In many ways it's worse for me than others. What I do is pretty interdisciplinary and also pretty obscure and overall just defies simple explanation. I can't just say I'm a biologist or a historian. While the average person (including myself) has no real idea what it is that a biologist or historian does on a daily basis, at least we are able to conjure up an image, an identity for these fields. My field doesn't even have a name that ends in an "ist!"

It's the eternal cocktail party dilemma. Is it enough to say I work at a university? I'm not a professor yet and nobody (and I mean nobody) knows what a "post-doc" is. Sometimes I say I do "research." I know it's a major cop-out but it's the best I can do.

Plus there's the very real issue identified in this comic. Few people really ever understand what any other academic is doing. If you were totally understood then I'd worry about your job security.

Reactions to the Election

2008-11-07T08:34:00.006-06:00

As thrilled as I was watching the returns of the election, I am almost more thrilled by the response. The entire world was watching and now is filled with hope...and plans! NPR has had a lot of coverage of international response and yesterday I heard people from across Africa, South and East Asia, Europe, and the Middle East with their hopes and dreams about just what President Elect Obama will accomplish. In addition to turning around the U.S. economy, he is expected to end the genocide in Darfur, broker a 2-state solution in Israel and Palestine, and also to cure the common cold. Let's see how he does with these types of expectations. Personally I prefer less pressure. But maybe that's why none of y'all voted for me.

Even Nelson Mandela has plans for our man.

Also moving was Angry Professor's reflections about how it feels to move from a racist upbringing as a white descendant of slave owners to a proud voter in the recent election.

Just a shout out to those of us who who helped to make this possible: Young voters, college-educated whites, Hispanics, African Americans, and women. Keep it up people!

My Office Space, A Burial Ground

2008-11-06T08:15:00.005-06:00

My new "office" (cubicle)has both pros and cons compared to my cubicle from Old Job (may she rest in peace). For example, while I no longer have to listen to my colleagues on the telephone detailing their latest diet dramas to their girlfriends, making doctor's appointments, administering questionnaires about the particulars of fecal occult blood testing to old people, or ordering their husbands around,I have entirely new sources of aural pollution to content with. Here's what I'm dealing with:

1. a constant drone from the dying ballast in the fluorescent lights directly above my head (which won't be fixed until they're actually dead)
2. the intermittent grinding sounds of my hard-drive and fan of my cpu
and, my favorite, the newly added component to this symphony of office sounds:
3. the dying buzz, over the last 4 days, of a lost fly, desperately trying to find it's way back to the light---of the droning fluorescent bulb directly above me.

Today, the fly, let's call him Henry, is only intermittently buzzing, and while I am simultaneously sad about his eventual demise yet looking forward to the eventual silence that will come with his passing, with each moment of his silence, I become increasingly nervous about his impending final flight--a drop, stiff little fly bits and all--onto my desk...or into my coffee...or (G-d forbid), down my shirt.

On Not Voting For a Woman Vice Presidential Candidate

2008-11-04T16:28:00.004-06:00

At least one person has asked me what I think about having a female vice presidential candidate. I'm guessing I was asked because I was a Clinton delegate early on and because well, I think chicks are cool and sadly underrepresented in politics.

I think this picture sums up my feelings quite well(thanks stewgad).

We have waited a long time in this country to have a woman in the white house and as for now, I'm content to keep waiting. For now, I'm ready for Obama and Biden--two outstanding advocates of women....even if they are lacking any actual ovaries.

Black President

2008-11-03T16:09:00.004-06:00

This is truly a new and promising era for America.

I wanted to share with my remaining handful of followers of this mostly dead blog the video and lyrics of a song by Brenda Fassie about Nelson Mandela, South Africa's first president elected in a representative election. I love this song and everytime I hear it I am inspired by the extraordinary journey of Madiba.

I am hoping and praying that with the election of Obama, the U.S.A. is now--finally--back on track and about to undergo it's own extraordinary journey. A journey from a unilateral bully with widening inequalities and a sinking economy to a prosperous democracy working toward diplomacy and justice in a peaceful world.

BLACK PRESIDENT by Brenda Fassie

The year 1963
The people's president
Was taken away by security men
All dressed in a uniform
The brutality, brutality
Oh, no, my black president
Him and his comrades
Were sentenced to isolation
For many painful years
For many painful years
Many painful years
Of hard labour
They broke ropes
But the spirit was never broken
Never broken
Oh, no, my, my black president

Hmm maa (3x)
Mama
Hmm maa (3x)
Mama

Hmm maa (3x)
Madiba
Hmm maa (3x)
Madiba
Ahh, nyu ye uyee huu

He broke ropes
But his spirit was never broken
Never broken
Oh oh oh, my president

Now in 1990
The people's president
Came out from jail
Raised up his hand and said
'Viva, viva, my people'
He walked the long road
Back, back to freedom
Back, back to freedom
Freedom for my black president

Let us rejoice for our president
Let us sing for our president
Let us pray for our president
Let us sing, let us dance
For Madiba give us freedom
We thank you Lord
For listening to our prayers
Night and day
Oh oh oh, my president

Madiba

Zulu /Xhosa lyrics

My president
I will die for my president
I will sing for my president

I will stand and say
Viva, viva, viva, viva, viva, viva

Voters Anxiety

2008-11-03T16:04:00.002-06:00

Living in a state without early voting is giving me a severe case of Voters Anxiety (VA). Just last night I had a dream that I went at to the polls first thing in the morning but was forced to wait in line the entire day and was never even able to cast my ballot! OMG! STRESSSSS!

I can't wait for our New President. I am already hearing the lyrics to a certain Brenda Fassie song in my head...which I won't post until all is said and done.

Name Recognition

2008-10-06T13:54:00.004-05:00

I worked at Former University (FU) for, let's see, almost 8 years. In that time, I spent 7.99 years without receiving a name tag designation on my cubicle, despite asking about the possibility on multiple occasions. In the final month of my tenure at FU, my cubicle and I were finally granted the recognition we deserved and that I (and the delivery man) always hoped for.

I have now worked at New University (NU) for 3 days. I noticed, of course, that my cubicle (!yes I am a postdoc in a cubicle!) did not yet have my name. But I was nonplussed. When my mentor came today to get me for a meeting, he asked after it and apologized. I expect it will arrive within the week.

I love NU!

And hell yes, I took my name plate with me when I left FU.

Postdocly

2008-10-05T11:48:00.004-05:00

Well, I am now back in the States and am officially a post-doc at New University. I have lots of thoughts and observations to share about this but I am also just a little bit busy and overwhelmed with thoughts and obligations and reflections about my move, my new job, my recent international travel, The Spider Bite, and so on. I need to think and process a lot and hopefully will post some laterz this week, espeically some thoughts about the transition from student to pseudo-not-student/postdoc, what it's like to finally work in a Collegial Environment, and some thoughts about how I am to go about Identifying My Research Agenda.

Meanwhile, I am trying to catch up with the blogosphere and noticed that Maude PhD has been preoccuped with quizziness and the implications of Radical Classist Revolution and inspired me to take a feminism quiz, with possibly suprising results below. I'll have to mull this over.

Your result for The Feminism Test...

Gender-Liberal

You scored 83% Gender-Abolitionist, 100% Sexually Liberal, and 40 % Socialist

You are the Gender-Liberal. This means that you share qualities with both Liberal Feminists and Gender Abolitionists. Like the Liberal Feminist, you feel political change needs to be done on a small-scale level through legislative change, not necessarily through a massive destruction of class society through the adoption of an extremist socialist stance. You are also very concerned with sexual liberation, and feel that women should be free to do what they please sexually without criticism, just as men should be free to do. However, you differ from the Liberal Feminist culturally, because you see gender as a social construction that needs to be destroyed. Like the Gender Abolitionist, you realize that gender is often perceived as one's identity, when it should only be perceived as a small, insignificant part of that person. We shouldn't be able to say "This person IS a woman". Rather one should say something more akin to "This person HAS the physical traits of a woman". This way, we wouldn't be assuming someone's physical traits are a part of their identity, and we couldn't use this difference to oppress them or categorize them. In short, you advocate extreme cultural change through the destruction of gender roles, but politically you are less extreme, instead focusing on individual or legislative change as opposed to a massive change of ideology.

The other feminist types:

The Housewife

The Marxist

The Liberal

The Liberal Extremist

The Gender Abolitionist

The Radical

The Gender-Liberal

The Revisionist

Take The Feminism Test at HelloQuizzy

New Blog to Discuss Traveler's Diarrhea among Other Things

2008-08-14T11:39:00.004-05:00

Dearest Fans,

On Monday I will be celebrating my newfound freedom from studenthood by departing for India for a month long trip.

So I am going to redirect you to my far more exciting blog, which will be covering both the highs and the lows of my Indian adventure: http://www.exitingamerica.blogspot.com

Rejection: On Scientific Writing

2008-08-05T23:32:00.005-05:00

I don't know about you guys but I have such a tough time getting journals to reject my manuscripts. Fortunately, if you are like me, there is help available. A few years ago the BMJ published a helpful guide by Horacio Plotkin (it's got to be good as it had previously been rejected by JAMA, Science, NEJM, Lancet, and PNAS) replete with useful tips on just how to get a paper tossed by a journal. They include:

Use fancy words.
In the introduction, criticise the work of possible reviewers. Be particularly nasty. This is your chance for revenge.
Use more fancy words.
Start by looking at your data randomly. Something will come out. Why bother with writing a protocol when you already have results?
Use even more fancy words.

Good luck, all! I know that with persistence you can do it!

Can Anyone Guess?

2008-07-31T08:26:00.003-05:00

Ok, a little game. Give me your best guess about what brings the following list of different countries together.

Thailand
Bangladesh
El Salvador
Korea
India
Mexico
Sri Lanka
Haiti
China
Honduras

Taste Tripping on Miracle Berries

2008-07-30T11:43:00.008-05:00

A few weeks ago I heard about a great opportunity via the blogosphere:

Pay $15 for the pleasure of eating one small, red berry indigenous to West Africa.

So...I had to do it.

Yes, faithful readers, I ate a Miracle Berry Synsepalum dulcificum and it was kewwwwl. The berries are famous for altering the perception of taste for anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours, creating sweet from sour.

Our hosts had a eclectic tasting buffet of brussel sprouts (tasted like chocolate), tequila (went down smooth, real smooth), strawberries (incredibly sweet and delicious), sour patch kids (like sweet gummy candy, not sour at all), salt and vinegar potato chips (weird), red wine vinegar (mild), Guinness beer (watered down week old chocolaty Bud light), and a special cocktail, cucumber mojitos (sweet minty simple syrup with a touch of key lime pie.)

And before you freak out or think bad things about me because I went to a party with total strangers, handed over some money, and ate a foreign substance handed to me inside a small ziplock bag, the berries are totally safe (the internet says so).

According to the NYT, "flavor tripping" parties are all the rage, check them out if they come to a town near you.

Manuscript Review...and Possible Revenge

2008-07-18T09:14:00.016-05:00

I have just been asked to review a manuscript for a journal and return the review within one month. I have never published in this journal. I did, however, submit an article there three months ago. It's still under review.

Perhaps I can speed the process with one of Anomie’s Blind Reviewer Voodoo Doll!!

Summer Off: Movie Edition

2008-07-07T09:48:00.006-05:00

Well, so far my summer has been pretty relaxed. One of my main goals this summer (yes, this was a real goal for me) was to watch more movies. Verily, a challenging goal. (See: comic below.)

Anywho, I am still working hard toward my goal and have seen a variety of movies, including obscure and indy films, classics that I somehow missed, and boneheaded blockbusters. Two of these movies made an impression on me and I recommend them to you all, my small band of loyal readers.

My Kid Could Paint That

A thought provoking film about a 4-year-old Marla Olmstead who quickly rockets to fame as a child prodigy of abstract expressionist art and then, just as quickly, is discredited following accusations of fraud. I liked this film because the viewer gets the rare opportunity to accompany the documentarian Amir Bar-Levas he struggles to both please and remain loyal to the family who has invited him into their lives while still creating an objective story. This film raises questions about the documentary process, the meaning of art, parenting, exploitation, and truthiness.

Jindabyne
Based on one of Raymond Carver’s short stories (one of my top 5 all time writers), director Ray Lawrence tells the story of four men who, while fishing in the mountains, discover the body of a dead Aboriginal girl in the river. The men opt to tie the drifting body—preventing her from washing downstream—and continue their weekend fishing trip undeterred. The authorities are notified when the fishing trip concludes a few days later. The town’s horrified reaction to their callous disregard sets the stage for a baleful tale about race, the environment, mental illness, forgiveness, truth, resolution, family, marriage, and responsibility.

This movie is not going to be for everyone. The movie relies on emotion and symbolism more than dialogue and story and everything is not resolved in the end. Some might bristle at the liberal use (get it?) of symbols and metaphors to portray some uniquely Australian conflicts. Personally, I love that stuff. Also, there is a weird electrician dude that is just annoying. Pluses include phenom acting by Laura Linney and Gabriel Byrne.

Guns: This Is Why

2008-07-01T09:32:00.006-05:00

I live in Texas, a big gun-loving state. Just a few days ago when discussing the recent Supreme Court decision, I missed my opportunity to get on my soapbox when someone baited me by asking, "What, you wouldn't allow me to protect myself?" This is why, dumby: You are far more likely to blow yourself away than to protect your precious dvd collection.

When people talk about guns, the words they use include "rights, freedom, American, 2nd amendment, protection, safety, etc." But somehow suicide, accidental gun injuries and death, and domestic violence never rise to become part of that conversation. For the life of me I don't know why. Is it that we are confronted daily with images in the media of heroic gunfights between the bad guys vs. the good guys? But what about the good guy vs. himself? Or the bad guy grabbing the good guy's gun and using it against him? Or the good guy's young child accidentally shooting her foot off? Why do we never talk about these things?

clipped from www.cnn.com

ATLANTA, Georgia, (AP) -- The Supreme Court's landmark ruling on gun ownership last week focused on citizens' ability to defend themselves from intruders in their homes. But research shows that surprisingly often, gun owners use the weapons on themselves.

Public-health researchers have concluded that in homes where guns are present, the likelihood that someone in the home will die from suicide or homicide is much greater.

Studies have also shown that homes in which a suicide occurred were three to five times more likely to have a gun present than households that did not experience a suicide, even after accounting for other risk factors.

One public-health study found that suicide and homicide rates in the district dropped after the ban was adopted.

More than 90 percent of suicide attempts using guns are successful, while the success rate for jumping from high places was 34 percent. The success rate for drug overdose was 2 percent, the brief said, citing studies.

And what's better is that the article concludes with some controversial statistics about guns and mentions that both sides agree that research about gun violence has dropped sharply in the last decade. Apparently the CDC (the main funder of research on gun-related injuries), cut back in 1996 when Congress ordered that none of the agency's appropriations be used to promote gun control.

This is a classic case of the Bush administration's famous policies on scientific research.

Michelle vs. Hillary, or Shift vs. Pantsuit

2008-06-28T09:19:00.007-05:00

After watching an almost 10 long of discussion of Michele Obama's arms (no, I am not kidding you, and please don't assume that I care for Ann Althouse because I do not.), I now know why Hillary lost to Obama. If only she had instead worn sleeveless shifts a la Michelle instead of her infamous pantsuits!

Or, as good journalists do, Althouse and Givhan propose an alternative theory by revisiting cleveage as the possible deciding factor--for another 6 whole minutes of internet vlogarbage.

Mattel CEO Barbie Promotes Unrealistic Career Images

2008-06-24T15:19:00.001-05:00

clipped from www.theonion.com

EL SEGUNDO, CA—Toy company Mattel is under fire from a group of activists who say their popular doll's latest incarnation, CEO Barbie, encourages young girls to set impractical career goals.

The Post-Election Feminist Rift

2008-06-13T14:50:00.007-05:00

I just read a blog post about sexism in regard to Clinton's campaign that directed me to Dahlia Lithwick's article about repairing the feminist gender rift that reared its ugly head in the recent Democratic nomination process.

[Disclosure: I was a state delegate for Clinton and, while saddened at her loss, will nevertheless happily vote for Obama in November.]

I have always been a bit annoyed by the ceaseless divisiveness in the feminist movement. Do generational changes in the feminist movement really need to be codified into hard and fast feminist typologies like the second and third waves? Sure things have changed in the movement...for example in regard to the treatment of race. But these divisions only serve to accentuate the differences between the movements and lead to a finger pointing and stereotyping. Witness the recent Rebecca Walker tell all and the (absurd and polarizing) motherhood-is-superior backlash against the generation of second wavers. (Not to mention that the use of sequentially numbered "feminist movements" seems to imply a hierarchy of achievement in our ways of thinking and being--a fundamentally non-feminist sort of thing to do.) But I digress.

The feminist "generational rift" in election 2008 politics is a sad reality of a movement that frequently loses touch with it's fundamental principles and too easily descends to reactionary blame games. de Beauvoir had it right the first time around (well, some of it) when she asserts, "For women it is not a question of asserting themselves as women, but of becoming full scale human beings."

Those who supported Obama are not any less feminist than those who supported Clinton. They haven't "let women down." They aren't minimizing the great accomplishments or turning their backs on previous generations of feminists. In fact, some would argue that Obama is in some ways more of a feminist than Clinton. Conversely, those who supported Clinton didn't necessarily "do the right thing" by supporting a woman. The highest glass ceiling of all is an alluring, symbolic, and important target...but a reactionary vote for a woman just for the sake of her gender or sex--even for the first viable female presidential candidate in the history of this country--isn't a feminist action.

Despite the undeserved baggage of the movement and all the sexist garbage in the media, feminism is alive and well and feminists of all generations should be proud. Millions of women and men across America recently made independent decisions about two historically underrepresented and qualified feminist presidential candidates. What an achievement....so why all the finger pointing?

PhD in the liberal arts?

2008-06-11T12:00:00.002-05:00

Hmmm. I didn't get my PhD in any of these fields although my BA is in liberal arts. Liberal liberal arts actually.

I wonder if this means I made the wrong choice? Or that I need to go back to school for another degree??! Hmmmmm....perhaps the latter.

You Should Get a PhD in Liberal Arts (like political science, literature, or philosophy)

You're a great thinker and a true philosopher.

You'd make a talented professor or writer.

What Advanced Degree Should You Get?

I am a Miserable Wife

2008-06-08T21:26:00.001-05:00

As a 1930s wife, I am
Very Poor (Failure)

Take the test!

Sexism in the Media

2008-05-28T08:45:00.003-05:00

The video is from the Women's Media Center and includes some really shocking examples of sexism in the media during this presidential campaign, most of it specific to Hillary of course. Note the high percentage of clips from Fox News. My favorite part is when the female anchor is so overwhelmed by Bill O'Reilly's sexist sleeziness that she can't help but roll her eyes in disgust.

On another but related note, since when did news anchors provide their own damn opinions?! Whatever happened to the objective journalism?

Seen on Wicked Anomie and Feministing.

New Blog Ideas: Health and Medicine in the Media

2008-05-24T09:58:00.005-05:00

I feel strangely empty PD (post dissertation). What the hell should I do with all my free time? I mean, besides writing and submitting all 3 of my dissertation manuscripts in the next 3 months (!!!!!!!!!yes, I know, this is what my advisor wants from me!!)

Perhaps even more importantly, what the hell am I going to blog about? I don't have an adventurous interesting life these days--I spent it either in the cubicle, buried in a book, watching t.v., eating, sleeping, or hanging out with my motley friends.

But I do have an interest that I would like to explore in more depth. I am fascinated by the intersection of media, public opinion, and medical research. I am particularly amazed when normal, seemingly intelligent people take a headline and then suddenly cull themselves from cell phone usage because they think phones cause cancer.

For example, just the other day, during a 15 minute chair massage, my massage therapist, when finding out that I do research, encouraged me to learn more about the groundbreaking discoveries in China and Japan regarding acid/base balance and cancer. Whoa.

So in my feeble attempt at fighting the machine(s), I am thinking about a Health Blog in which I critique medical research that hits the media in a small attempt to give the lay reader some perspective on what it all really means.

I'm not sure where or how I'll start this up or exactly what it'll look like. Friends who know me know I am attracted to the quirky and bizarre, so I'll definitely have to occasionally indulge these interests by highlighting bizarre medical practices or diets. Any other ideas?

Where I've Been and Also A Gender Thing

2008-05-21T10:31:00.006-05:00

Well, I've been gone on vacation for a few weeks now. A "vacation" involving 3,950ish miles of driving with hubby. Yes, driving. What was I thinking?! Why didn't we just go sit on a beach somewhere for 2 weeks? Anyway, improbably, we had a lot of fun, saved some money and gained some smug by driving a borrowed one of these, (I want one! I want one!) and saw a lot of friends and family. We also got to scope out our future city and managed to eke out some some beach time on
Orcacoke Island.

Other than that, I am gearing up for my state's democratic convention. I don't plan on wearing a bullet-proof vest, but that is only because I do not own one.

In that regard, it's good to be back in the blogosphere for the conclusion(?) of the democratic nomination process. I'm glad I didn't miss Wicked Anomie's very smart and accessible summary of the role of McCain and Obama's masculinities in this campaign. Although as a caveat on this one, I'm not totally comfortable analyzing these anonymous allegations re: comments by McCain.

More on the Job and Upcoming Roadtrip

2008-05-05T09:47:00.003-05:00

So yes I swear I actually have been offered a job. I walked in graduation last week and it was a big relief to be able to finally have an answer to everybody who asked, "So what's next?"

I've been offered a post-doc in a decent sized Midwest town. Yes it looks like I'm relocating to a landlocked corn-fed city. I'm really excited about the opportunity and sort of ambivalent about the location....it could definitely be worse but it could totally be better. Of course anything better would have a much higher cost of living, something I wouldn't be able to swing on a post-doc salary.

At this point all I can say is that it's very very weird to be finally facing change after...years, years, years of the same.

So spousal unit and I are going to go check out the city and a bunch of other cities on our.... Four Dollar a Gallon Gas Roadtrip Tour 08! Wooohooo! Based on my lack of planning and a quick glance as a U.S. map it looks like we'll be driving through at least 13 states including our own! We'll be stopping to visit friends and family in MO, IN, NC, and FL. Holy crap. It's a good thing we're able to borrow a Prius for this ridiculous adventure.

More later...and hopefully some updates from the road.

I Got a Job

2008-04-30T08:31:00.001-05:00

Holy. Crap.

Another Job Talk

2008-04-20T23:49:00.003-05:00

I'm leaving tomorrow to the Midwest for a job talk and interviews. I feel woefully unprepared but am hoping for the best.

I am so overwhelmed with the details of my dissertation that if you were to ask me what it was about I would have trouble telling you. This doesn't bode well for a day and a half of meeting people who will be asking me all about it.

Baby got Stats

2008-04-17T11:15:00.004-05:00

Since I'm not sure what to blog about these days, with the diss done and all, I'm back to YouTube. Clearly I have a lot of free time these days with only a job talk, grant proposal, and defense to do in the next 2 weeks.

As seen on Wicked Anomie...

If you still want to get your grove on, check out Statz for Life...

Damn Dinosaurs

Praying. On a Tank.

MUBARAK STEPS DOWN

Crowds in Cairo Erupt in JubilationAfter Vice President’s Announcement

Oedipus...with vegetables

Vegetarians and Pescetarians have Lower Risk of Certain Cancer

A classic example of science-y spam

Lookout for Penis Bandits, Ladies!

oooooooooooooohboy

People, You Need to Get Out

Dear foodies, chefs, etc.

I am in a bad mood today. Here's why:

What’s Irritating Me Today (or, another example of how this blog has no focus)

I'm BAAAAAAACK!

Baby, It's Cold Outside

Postdocly Progression

Pregnancy, the Good and the Bad

Got It!

Staying in Academia? Why am I always job searching??

21st Century Etiquette

News from the Frontlines

Caught in the headlights

The Agro-Capitalist-Ritalin-Sugar-Industial Complex

A little bored

I hate media reporting about health and medicine

Advantages to cancer screening ‘exaggerated’

On Being Preggo and Productive

In print, at long last

My Own Awesome Typo

Those Damn Letters of Recommendation

A dear friend, in that I don't know how else to commemorate his life and say goodbye

Stressed! God! Cocktails!

Why Do People Eat Bad Food?

Productivity

Good News: My Postdocly Life isn't only about Neverending, Tedious Analyses

An Open Letter*

Boy Howdy, I love Jimmy Carter

MD-PhD Smackdown

From my to-do list

Quitting Graduate School- I Didn't Do It, Should You?

Restructuring the University

Sometimes Quitting Is a Good Thing

R01s and Pirates

Redistributing the Wealth

Aliens (the outer space kind) Wanted by the U.S. Postal Inspector!

What do these things have in common: War, Natural Disasters, Poverty, Crappy Governments, Lack of Education, and the Suppression of Women

NIH Grant Changes in Effect

Quitting Graduate School

The Public's Health

Random Bullets of Postdoclyness

No More Room

Question: What do Executions and the Economy Have in Common?

Budget concerns force states to reconsider the death penalty

Thankfulness

Geographic Distributions and Origins of Human Head Lice (Pediculus humanus capitis) Based on Mitochondrial Data.

Apparently, I'm a nerd.

Pure Nerd

The District, My Manuscripts, and COFFEE!

Snow

Culture! And sex!

Thank you Mr. President

Standing White Dudes Watching the Sitting Black Dude Close Gitmo

I am sooooo predictable

What's in a Speech?

Heartstrings A Flutter, I Can't Wait for the Inauguration

Free Bras

Another Problem with Causality - A Huge Waste of Money Called a "Success"--

OMG

Seriously? A bailout for porn?

Overheard

Fiona, My New Puppy!

Random Postdocly Updates

Local NPR affiliate weather report this morning that scared the crap out of me

Slow Posting, It Was the Cats

Postdocly Life- It's Not So Bad

The Invisible Postdoc

Time Management

Me and My Favorite Ear Accessory/Safety Device

Ugh- Nasty Snack Attack

My Dewey Decimal Number

Crowds in Cairo Erupt in Jubilation
After Vice President’s Announcement