Feb
29
On May 6, 2010, the Dow Jones Industrial Average opened the day steady, but on a downward trend because of rumblings about the early stages of what is now the Greek debt crisis. Then, at around 2:45pm, the Dow suddenly dropped 600 points within 5 minutes. By 3:10, the markets regained most of what they …
Feb
29
Mitt Romney’s camp must be breathing a sigh of relief today as he managed to eke out a win in Michigan over Rick Santorum. Over the last few weeks, Santorum fought a hard campaign criticizing Romney as out-of-touch and in lockstep with Wall Street billionaires while touting his own conservative values. In the end, Romney survived Michigan, …
Feb
28
Virus outbreaks are often characterized in movies (and sometimes in the media) as fast-moving, virulent and often unstoppable, as in the case of famous thrillers such as Outbreak or 28 Days Later. In reality, epidemiologists have found that viruses move rather slowly among many population– but when the right pieces fall into place, suddenly the …
Feb
27
Throughout the 1960s, space exploration was viewed with a sense of wonder and awe throughout the United States and helped create interest in science and engineering among an entire generation of young Americans. However, 50 years after John Glenn’s historic orbital flight around the Earth in the tiny Friendship 7 capsule, there isn’t much fanfare over …
Feb
27
From the viewpoint within the campaign to re-elect President Obama, there is certainly a generous amount of cautious optimism, says Helene Cooper, the New York Times correspondent at the White House. With no clear frontrunner, President Obama and his staff can’t help but embrace each GOP “flavor of the week” as a sign that Republican …
Feb
24
Despite the latest news that fuel prices are on the rise, with the national average at $3.65 per gallon, Americans are actually using less gasoline than they did two years ago, with national trends on consumption either flat or trending downward. In fact, oil isn’t necessarily as critical in fueling America’s economic recovery as is …
Feb
24
The 24-hour news cycle has given us unprecedented access to the Arab Spring protests in North Africa and in the Middle East, with journalists reporting virtually live from the front lines of protests and conflict. The tragic deaths of Marie Colvin (pictured) and Remi Ochlik earlier this week in the besieged Syrian city of Homs remind us of …
Feb
23
If you thought the Mayan calendar’s prediction of Earth ending in a fiery flame in 2012 was scary, you haven’t listened to America’s preeminent Marxist economist, Richard Wolff. As detailed in Adam Davidson’s great article in the New York Times, It Is Safe to Resume Ignoring the Prophets of Doom … Right?, Wolff, a former …
Feb
23
There’s been some buzz over the last couple of days about Google’s rumored new product, Google glasses. While the tech giant hasn’t officially released any official information about their foray into eyewear, several websites have speculated on what kind of features may come with the glasses, based on a New York Times article that claims …
Feb
23
Out of the 210 distinct cell types found in the human body, one of the most talked about–and controversial–is the stem cell. These unique cells are broadly categorized into additional types: adult stem cells, which act as little repair engines within the adult human body, and embryonic stem cells, which can form any of the 210 separate cell types …