Author Archives: kirkmike157

Why Free Trade Isn’t

Posted on March 4, 2021 by kirkmike157

Originally posted on Skating Under The Ice:
I lived for eight years in the Solomon Islands, 1985 to 1991 and 2007 to 2009. The Solomons are a nation of about three hundred islands just south of the Equator. The only thing…

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Unmasking the Truth

Posted on June 4, 2020 by kirkmike157

As the COVID-19 pandemic of February and March 2020 unfolded like the slow-motion train wreck that it was and still is, each week brought a new, unexpected scene. For several weeks, we shopped for our groceries as we always had, … Continue reading →

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Science Guy

Posted on March 17, 2020 by kirkmike157

The Eastern Market district of Detroit is on the wrong side of the freeway. The Fox Theatre, the big new stadium where the Tigers play – they’re over on the other side. Here in the Market, each block is an … Continue reading →

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I Know This Man

Posted on February 20, 2020 by kirkmike157

My son would probably not have reached his normal adult height if it had not been for the barbacoa burritos at Chella’s Restaurant on Liberty Street in Ann Arbor. I was there with him a lot. Several nights a week. … Continue reading →

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17 Questions About Glyphosate

Posted on December 9, 2019 by kirkmike157

Originally posted on Thoughtscapism:
Many worry about pesticides for health or environmental reasons, and the most common target of general concern is undoubtedly glyphosate, the active ingredient in the famous weedkiller RoundUp. I find that the best thing to do when something worries me,…

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Putin’s Poisons

Posted on January 11, 2019 by kirkmike157

Vladimir Putin is the current totalitarian ruler of Russia, which isn’t in itself an historically surprising circumstance. From the Tsars to the Bolsheviks and on through the present, a single despotic person has generally ruled over Russia, and frequently over … Continue reading →

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New paper provides no evidence that polar bears ate whale carcasses to survive Eemian interglacial

Posted on November 26, 2018 by kirkmike157

Originally posted on polarbearscience:
Contrary to what the misleading press release implies, an entirely speculative new paper by polar bear specialists Kristin Laidre and Ian Stirling (among others) presents zero evidence that polar bear consumed whale carcasses during the last…

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Saturated Fatty Acids

Posted on October 5, 2018 by kirkmike157

Originally posted on Chemtymology:
Before chemists had a detailed understanding of molecular structure, newly discovered chemicals were named on the whims of the discoverers. By the end of the 19th century the number of organic molecules known to science had…

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Untangling the March for Science

Posted on April 24, 2017 by kirkmike157

If there was a single cartoon that captured the essence of the “March for Science”, this was it. The image of a sanctimonious Bill Nye grinning approvingly over some gender studies nonsense, while the true icons of science look down … Continue reading →

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Activism and the Academy

Posted on March 17, 2017 by kirkmike157

I am a member of a thing I call the Academy. It is a club, but without any roster, dues, or membership requirement – other than a preoccupation with science. It is non-exclusive, without judgment of any kind with respect … Continue reading →

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