More on Hillary's endorsement

http://mobile.nytimes.com/article;jsessionid=6CD50150B6C9ABEBDC089E5BBF6A0A03.w6?a=173043&f=19

Bill's '92 presidential run

An interesting re-cap of Bill Clinton's '92 run for the Democratic nomination. While he technically didn't wrap it up until June, it was considered highly improbable as early as April that he'd fail to become the nominee due to the delegate math.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/article;jsessionid=8F36D98BAC17CCB7C88FA82D3B96F054.w5?a=169155&f=77

Scratch that bit about VP Clinton

Her behavior baffles me.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/article?a=168323&f=19

Wow... 75,000 gather for Obama in PDX

Obama draws a crowd estimated at 75,000 in Portland. I remember watching the dragon boat races along the Willamette... wish I was there with them today! (Though poolside wasn't bad. :-)

http://mobile.nytimes.com/blogs/thecaucus/5159

The platypus genome

I've always loved the undeniable strangeness of the platypus. And now that their genome has been sequenced, they're as odd as ever. (Link below.)

I'm at the gym, taking a break from studying for finals. They start tomorrow with biology, and since I've been reviewing a lot of material on gene expression, the platypus article caught my eye.

It's been a weekend of temptations, with two friends from LA in town (Happy 40th, JJ!). Sounds like a lot of fun was had poolside and beneath the disco ball... wish I'd been able to join you guys. But we'll see you in LA next month for Pride!

And speaking of biology, I got my sutures out yesterday. The process of healing is so amazing, especially the way it accelerates. Friday night I wasn't sure whether the stitches in my wound from last Friday's blender mishap were ready to come out, but by Saturday afternoon there was a nice strip of shiny pink skin. The miracle of collagen. :-)

http://mobile.nytimes.com/article?a=163318&f=25

Las Vegas' downtown building boom(?)

Development of a new Las Vegas city center is moving from the drawing boards to the construction site (note that this isn't the huge City Center development taking shape on the Strip itself). Meant to revitalize (or replace) Vegas' existing downtown with residential development, a performing arts center, and a 60-story $700 million international jewelry trading highrise, it exemplifies the local "neverending growth" myth that has taken root here in the desert.

My guess is that with the slowing U.S. economy and the rising cost of oil, we may be overshooting the mark.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/article;jsessionid=078BC0F92E46300C947FFB986E6617FC.w5?a=158646&f=21

More on food prices

And the global political ramifications.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/article?a=156835&f=19

Network cynicism

"I'm mad as he'll, and I'm not going to take it anymore!"

If you've never seen the 1976 movie Network (or if it's been awhile), you should consider renting it.

ABC's dismal democratic debate last night and this article about the withering reviews it's getting reminded me of the movie and has me wondering: are the execs at ABC ashamed today? Or are they laughing cynically about all of (negative) press they're getting?

http://mobile.nytimes.com/blogs/thecaucus/4850

Shared risks

You might think that global trade gives the world a "safety net," but there's an article in the latest New Scientist magazine that suggests living in an increasingly interdependent world is actually making us more vulnerable. I'll write more about it next week, but here's an example which supports their case: the skyrocketing price of rice.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/article?a=156403&f=25

No more Review-Journal...

If you're staying at one of Harrah's properties here in Las Vegas.

Unread by their guests? Cost-cutting? Retaliation for the R-J's stories on permit problems at their hotels?

http://mobile.nytimes.com/blogs/thelede/1121

Good luck, George

While making progress on climate change this year would be amazing, I'm skeptical of President Bush's ability to provide the necessary leadership. Still, we can hope.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/blogs/dotearth/226

We the corporate world

Obama and Hillary (and maybe Lou Dobbs) have one thing right: the current President is more focused on looking out for corporations than serving the American people.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/article?a=154437&f=19

The Big Island gets bigger

Damn, Victor and I were just there a couple of weeks ago; we missed some of the best volcanic eruption viewing in decades...

http://mobile.latimes.com/news.jsp?key=151712&rc=top

A multitude of challenges

I have an idea: instead of positioning it as an 'either/or' choice, why don't we try to tackle global warming AND existing problems like malaria and hunger?

Just saying...

http://mobile.latimes.com/news.jsp?key=151215&rc=sci

Resilient knees?

I'm trusting the NY Times on this one and going for a run. It's 80 degrees and suuny in Vegas!

http://mobile.nytimes.com/article?a=151251&f=26

Nader... don't say that word

We can't stand another four years on our current path because of a spoiler...

http://mobile.nytimes.com/article?a=151389&f=28

Oracle revenues up, stock down

When I left Oracle 8 years ago, I sold my final stock options at around $35. Today, many acquisitions later, it's trading at $18.

I guess it's been an eventful ride for a lot of us!

http://mobile.nytimes.com/article?a=151231&f=23

Shush now

I always find it interesting when someone expresses the opinion that someone else should keep their own opinion quiet. :-)

http://mobile.nytimes.com/blogs/thecaucus/4633/single

Not knowing

A reminder that in medicine--as in life in general--certainty often remains elusive. Learning to live with not knowing lies on the path to peace.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/article?a=150816&f=26

Miles apart

I've been reading comments left by readers on various news websites in response to articles about the presidential campaign. As of late, the chasm between Obama and Hillary supporters seems as wide as the more familiar one between Democrats and Republicans. No doubt my readers feel the same way about my blog!

This is the challenge we face: coming together by seeing our commonalities as being more profound than our differences. I am as guilty as the next, it seems.

The following article explores the divide in Dover, Pennsylvania, the recent battleground in the evolution-intelligent design debate.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/article?a=150840&f=77