FDA at work?

Animal rights groups might be interested in this...

A choice quote from MSNBC today:

“In many ways, rats and mice get greater protection as research subjects in the United States than do humans,” said Arthur L. Caplan, chairman of the department of medical ethics at the University of Pennsylvania.

Animal research centers have to register with the federal government, keep track of subject numbers, have unannounced spot inspections and address problems speedily or risk closing, none of which is true in human research, Mr. Caplan said.

Comments?

ELMO

Buy a Laptop, Save the World: $400 will buy two laptops -- one for you, one for a poor child in the developing, 9/24/2007

It's finally happening, One Laptop Per Child, and you can help!

Watch today's interview with Nicholas Negroponte on Good Morning, America. Professor Negroponte is the founder and chairman of the One Laptop per Child non-profit association. He is currently on leave from MIT, where he was co-founder and director of the MIT Media Laboratory, and the Jerome B. Wiesner Professor of Media Technology.

See also these current articles in Newsweek and Wired.

AIDSfreeAFRICA gets 501(c)3 status

Congratulations to AIDSfreeAFRICA and Dr Rolande Hodel, its founder, on the announcement of the successful approval of 501(c)3 status. AIDSfreeAFRICA is now an official non-profit, public benefit organization. Donors are therefore assured that their donations can be deducted legally from their income taxes.

Tapping the Sun: Africa

Earth at night: Compare Africa with the industrialized and industrializing nations. No lights except in a few spots. No electricity. See also Energy key to Africa's prosperity.

Then see the cover story in C&EN, August 27, 2007, Volume 85, Number 35, pp. 16-22, "Tapping The Sun: Basic chemistry drives development of new low-cost solar cells". One thing Africa has is plenty of sunshine.

• What are the opportunities for implementing solar technologies in Africa?
  
• What would it take to have solar technologies manufactured in Africa instead of imported, so the profits go to Africa?

We are increasingly dependent upon electricity. Even paper towel dispensers in many public toilets in the US have infra-red sensors and are electrically powered (none of that manual stuff for us). How can Africa become a serious participant and competitor in the world marketplace without electricity? In the meantime, profits from Africa's resources go mostly to others.

Global Warming

I just finished watching "An Inconvenient Truth." Does anyone know where to find the sawtooth graph about CO2 emissions?

The video of the earth from space was pretty amazing, too.

ELMO