WobLog

An article from today's Washington Post describes amazing work that demonstrates that some patients in a so-called "vegetative state" are in fact quite conscious:

an international team of scientists decided to try a bold experiment using the latest technology to peek inside the minds of 54 patients [in "vegetative states'] to see whether, in fact, they were conscious.

One by one, the men and women were placed inside advanced brain scanners as technicians gave them careful instructions: Imagine you are playing tennis. Imagine you are exploring your home, room by room. For most, the scanner showed nothing.

But, shockingly, for one, then another, and another, and yet two more, the scans flashed exactly like any healthy conscious person's would. These patients, the images clearly indicated, were living silently in their bodies, their minds apparently active. One man could even flawlessly answer detailed yes-or-no questions about his life before his trauma by activating different parts of his brain.

"It was incredible," said Adrian M. Owen, a neuroscientist at the Medical Research Council who led the groundbreaking research described in a paper published online Wednesday by the New England Journal of Medicine. "These are patients who are totally unable to perform functions with their bodies -- even blink an eye or move an eyebrow -- but yet are entirely conscious. It's quite distressing, really, to realize this."

...

"This should change the way we think about these patients," said Nicholas D. Schiff, an associate professor of neurology and neuroscience at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City. "I think it's going to have very broad implications."

The pressing challenge now is to figure out a way to communicate effectively with these patients, both as part of their treatment and as a means of allowing them contact with the outside world.

H/T National Review Online

Posted by Don Roberts at 6:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ABC News reports on an upcoming Super Bowl ad featuring Heisman Trophy winning quarterback (and homeschooling hero) Tim Tebow:

The University of Florida campus is slowly catching wind of Tim Tebow's decision to star in a Super Bowl ad slated to air on CBS on Feb. 7, and some say the ad's message is bound to spark controversy.

The ad spot was purchased by Focus on the Family, a conservative Christian organization that places emphasis on marriage and parenthood.

The Associated Press reported this week that the ad's theme will be "Celebrate Family, Celebrate Life," with Pam Tebow sharing the story of her difficult 1987 pregnancy -- instead of getting an abortion she decided to give birth to Tebow, the now-famous quarterback who went on to become a Heisman Trophy winner, leading the Gators to two BCS wins.

I find it somewhat bizarre that when ABC reporter April Dudash quotes the usual collection of left-wing campus malcontents for reaction, she includes two representatives of the "LGBT community." Presumably unplanned pregnancies are not a burning issue for this group, which nevertheless seems to have strong views on the matter. Anti-religion bias, perhaps?

Posted by Don Roberts at 8:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In honor of the President Obama's comments to George Stephanopoulos that Scott Brown's victory resulted from the One (in his first year as president: 411 speeches, 158 interviews. Source - CBS News) not spending enough time talking to the American people:

Posted by Don Roberts at 6:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

From today's Wall Street Journal, an article on the new "Young Guns" of the GOP, who are hoping to use the 2010 midterm elections to inject some new energy — and new faces — into the Republican party:

Meet the new Young Guns.

The recent wave of Democratic retirements bodes well for Republicans. Yet they are still largely winning by default. The public doesn't like the Democratic agenda, but it hasn't forgotten the GOP's own corruption and loss of principle. And crafting a new image is a tough haul for a minority that is stuck responding to events, and that is still populated by many of the same, entrenched faces.

What is happening instead is a real (if underreported) effort to reshape the party from the bottom up--to, in effect, repopulate it with a crop of reformist candidates in the midterm. Behind the effort are three congressmen--Wisconsin's Paul Ryan, Virginia's Eric Cantor and California's Kevin McCarthy.

In 2007, Fred Barnes of the Weekly Standard profiled this trio as the "Young Guns" of the GOP. Hailing from different parts of the country, from different perspectives, what the three shared was a core belief in fiscal conservatism, a wonkish interest in tackling systemic government failures (budget, entitlements), and an ability to connect to younger voters.

At a recent interview, Rep. McCarthy remembers that not long after the article, the three sat down and vented frustration that party leaders seemed more interested in protecting old faces than investing in new talent. Inspired by Mr. Barnes's label, they began the Young Guns program, to recruit and bring along a new generation of House Republicans.

[...]

Kevin McCarthy is the congressman for the district where Lisa's parents live. My father-in-law has always had good things to say about him, much of it based on personal experience. Paul Ryan has always impressed me in TV interviews, and Eric Cantor has been a key player in the effort to kill Obamacare. Here's hoping their "Young Guns" project gets some real traction!

Posted by Don Roberts at 5:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Somewhat old news now, but Brit Hume is still in hot water for his remarks a few days ago during the panel discussion on Fox News Sunday inviting Tiger Woods to a personal conversion:

Way to go, Brit!

Peter Wehner has more to say in a thoughtful piece on National Review Online, including reference to an exchange between William F. Buckley, Jr. and Malcolm Muggeridge on living/sharing one's faith.

UPDATE: You can view the exchange between Buckley and Muggeridge here.

Posted by Don Roberts at 12:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The American website of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest has a story (with pictures!) of last month's celebration of American Thanksgiving at the Institute's seminary near Florence, Italy. As the number of American seminarians grows, this feast becomes a bigger celebration each year, helping the international cadre of future priests learn something about the U.S. and our traditions.

Parenthetically, we've had two of the young men in the picture above over to our house for dinner, and I can vouch that they're solid guys and will, God-willing, someday be good, holy priests.

Posted by Don Roberts at 12:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Walt Disney's nephew, Roy E. Disney, who was the last member of the Disney family to work for the company and the man who revitalized Disney's animation efforts 20 years ago, has died in Newport Beach at the age of 79 from stomach cancer. Roy Disney served as the conscience of the entertainment giant in his well-publicized battles with then-CEO Michael Eisner. If Disney survives as a family-friendly entertainment company, it will be thanks to Roy Disney's influence.

Requiem aeternam dona ei, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat ei. Requiescat in pace. Amen. (Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. Rest in peace. Amen.)

Posted by Don Roberts at 6:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here's an interesting video putting the recent global temperature rise (aka, the "Hockey Stick") in perspective:

H/T the Planet Gore blog at NationalReview.com

Posted by Don Roberts at 12:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We just got back from our Thanksgiving travels. We started at the Livermore airport, whence we departed with Lisa's Dad for Tehachapi. We spent a very relaxing, enjoyable Thanksgiving with my in-laws in their just-finished home — after 13 years in the small cottage on their property, they were ready for more room.

On Saturday, we drove down to Orange County for my extended family's Christmas party that night. There must have been over 50 people at the party. No inverted family tree here, baby!

After a really nice stay with my cousin Joe, our family was treated to my birthday dinner on Sunday by Joe and my Aunt Betty and Uncle Floyd at the Outback Steakhouse in Laguna Hills. We are becoming quite fond of Outback. The main reason is that they have a gluten-free menu. Many of the items are also dairy-free (or can be made so). These GFCF choices are a real boon for Lisa and Sarah.

Posted by Don Roberts at 9:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On a recent trip, I spent a full work-week in New Mexico. To avoid getting in no workouts, I looked for a suitable gym. I found the Santa Fe Spa on St. Francis Drive in northern Santa Fe. For a $10 per visit guest fee ($40 per week), they have a very good selection of free weights, weight machines, and cardio equipment. My only criticism was the lack of power cage / squat racks. However, since the gym is at over 7000' elevation, squats were probably not on the menu, anyway.

I'd definitely recommend it to others spending time in the area.

Posted by Don Roberts at 5:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Compare this:

"I expect political hardball on any legislation as important as the health care bill. I just didn't expect it from the United States Council [sic, it's "Conference"] of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). Who elected them to Congress? [They] seemed to dictate the finer points [of the Stupak ammendment, and] managed to bully members of Congress to vote for added restrictions on a perfectly legal surgical procedure. The IRS is less restrictive about church involvement in efforts to influence legislation than it is about involvement in campaigns and elections. Given the political behavior of USCCB in this case, maybe it shouldn't be."

Representative Lynn Woolsey (D., Calif.), co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, attacking the bishops in a Politico op-ed.

And this:

"It is an attempt to establish a theocracy to take charge of our politics and our legislation. It is an attempt to make the legislative power of this country subordinate to the church. It is not only to unite Church and State, but it is to put the State in subordination to the dictates of the church."

Senator Stephen A. Douglas (D., Ill.), on March 14, 1854. He was talking about an anti-slavery petition.

HT The Corner.

Posted by Don Roberts at 7:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today's Wall Street Journal has an article on an actuarial assessment by WellPoint, Inc., provider of such health insurance as Blue Cross and Blue Shield, of private insurance costs under Obamacare.

At the request of Congressional delegations worried about their constituents--call it a public service--WellPoint mined its own actuarial data to model ObamaCare in the 14 states where it runs Blue Cross plans. The study therefore takes into account market and demographic differences that other industry studies have not, such as the one from the trade group America's Health Insurance Plans, which looked at aggregate national trends.

In all of the 14 states WellPoint scrutinized, ObamaCare would drive up premiums for the small businesses and individuals who are most of WellPoint's customers. (Other big insurers, like Aetna, focus on the market among large businesses.) Young and healthy consumers will see the largest increases--their premiums would more than triple in some states--though average middle-class buyers will pay more too.

Not even two hours after Wellpoint had presented its materials on the Hill, Democrats were already trashing it--which, considering that it runs to some 238 pages and took weeks to prepare, must have required remarkable powers of digestion and analysis.

In fact, what distinguishes the Wellpoint study is its detailed rigor. Take Ohio, where a young, healthy 25-year-old living in Columbus can purchase insurance from WellPoint today for about $52 per month in the individual market. WellPoint's actuaries calculate the bill will rise to $79 because Democrats are going to require it to issue policies to anyone who applies, even if they've waited until they're sick to buy insurance. Then they'll also require the company to charge everyone nearly the same rate, bringing the premium to $134. Add in an extra $17, since Democrats will require higher benefit levels, and a share of the new health industry taxes ($6), and monthly premiums have risen to $157, a 199% boost.

Meanwhile, a 40-year-old husband and wife with two kids would see their premiums jump by 122%--to $737 from $332--while a small business with eight employees in Franklin County would see premiums climb by 86%.

[...]

Democrats have been selling health care as one huge free lunch in which everyone gets better insurance while paying less. But the policy facts simply don't add up, and Democrats are attacking WellPoint because they don't want anyone to understand what their health-care schemes will mean in practice. Democrats know that if the public is given the facts and the time to consider them, Americans might demand that Democrats stop pushing the country off this cliff and start all over.

Posted by Don Roberts at 10:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Reason #3,763,425 why we homeschool.

Posted by Don Roberts at 12:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Need a little inspiration to hit the gym or skip that doughnut? Today's San Francisco Chronicle has an article on Jack LaLanne, who recently celebrated his 95th birthday and is still in great shape: exercising and advocating clean eating.

Posted by Don Roberts at 4:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Fellow parishioner Jay Balza has posted photos and video of Bishop Salvatore Cordileone's Solemn Pontifical Mass at St. Margaret Mary's Church in Oakland, CA. The Holy Mass was offered on September 20, 2009 in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Traditional Latin Mass in the Diocese of Oakland. Head over to Jay's blog, Veritatem Facientes in Caritate, for all the details.

Posted by Don Roberts at 12:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)