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I recently wrote a review for Missouri Medicine on the current scientific understanding of the underlying basis for autism spectrum disorder. Before submitting the manuscript, I had (a) a physician mom of an autistic son and (b) a physician mom of a Downs son review and edit the text. Both were fine with the science, but both pointed out language that could be regarded as intensive to ASD individuals and/or their care-givers. I made all the suggested changes. Why? Because the purpose of my review is to educate, and part of that is to use a lexicon that respects the intelligence and humanity of my audience. I leave it as an exercise for the reader to discern what I think about the intelligence and humanity of anyone who objects to the decision to respect my editors.  

  I'm firmly opposed to the death penalty. It's one of a few things I do agree with the Roman Catholic Church about. My opposition derives from my belief that killing an unarmed person is never justified. Even a person who rhetorically advocates for the killing of innocents, like Charlie Kirk, doesn't deserve to die for his pernicious beliefs. I've been a life-long member of the ACLU, and will defend the right of fascists like Charlie Kirk to express their heinous beliefs. I apologize to no one for that. There is nothing incongruous between those beliefs and my observation that he himself validated his death by his own words.

In the early years of the USSR, Soviet genetics was internationally recognized. Then along came Trofim Lysenko, an agronomist who convinced Stalin that he could bypass the laborious genetics of plant breeding to develop strains of wheat through the transmission of acquired traits. This fit well with the Soviet philosophy that humanity could be transformed by politics. Soviet scientists who refused to renounce genetics lost their jobs*. Lysenkoism contributed to famines that killed millions of people in the USSR and the Peoples Republic of China. For decades, the US has led the world in the development of vaccines. Smallpox has been eliminated because of vaccines, and polio was well on the way to being eliminated when RFK Jr, a decades-long anti-vaxxer, convinced Trump that he could bypass the laborious process of vaccination against preventable diseases and replace it with diet. This fit well with the GOP philosophy that science could be transformed by right-wing mythology. American sc...

It’s been fashionable to beat up on blue states for their high taxes. But if taxes were the only reason people and companies decided where to locate, why are Boston, San Francisco and New York City not just deserts? I didn’t realize until we moved here that Rhode Island has been the long-time home of Hasbro, makers of Monopoly and other games and toys. But Hasbro has decided to move to Boston MA: “Commercial real estate prices and taxes are much higher in Boston than in Rhode Island, and Hasbro executives had been concerned about the impact of   President Trump’s tariffs .” And Hasbro isn’t unique. “Hasbro and Foundation are among a larger cohort of companies that have relocated their central offices to Boston’s buzzy Seaport District from outside the market, including Alexion Pharmaceuticals, PTC, and Vertex Pharmaceuticals. Hasbro will also join another toymaker in town. Lego Group opened its  bright and colorful  157,000-square-foot headquarters at the end of Back Bay’...

About 475 workers, mostly South Korean nationals, were arrested at a Hyundai Motor   car battery facility under construction in Georgia. The workers were shackled at the wrists, waist and ankles. The return of ca. 300 to South Korea has been negotiated. At a time when Trump is demanded the foreign companies invest more in the US, this is bound to throttle such investments. “LG Energy (373220.KS) has tentatively decided to postpone the start of its EV battery plant with Hyundai in Georgia, the Korea Economic Daily reported Monday, without saying where it got the information. Hyundai has banned all US trips by its staff, the newspaper said. “LG Energy had initially planned to begin production later this year, with the goal of churning out batteries totaling 30 GWh annually, but decided to push that back to the first half of next year, the publication said, saying it would likely affect production plans for Hyundai and its affiliate Kia Corp. “An LG Energy spokesperson said Monday the...

You’d think a guy who led four casinos into bankruptcy would understand the business of entertainment, right? “ Ticket sales at the Kennedy Center have continued to plummet following   Donald Trump ’s takeover of   Washington DC ’s premier performing arts venue, with the prestigious Stuttgart Ballet expected to dance next month to houses less than 20% full.” There’s your problems. The Kennedy Center books pooftah woke foreign ballet when it needs to book red-blooded boot-scootin’ American ho-down dance. “ The Washingtonian report paints a damning portrait of the health of the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in the months since its takeover by Trump, who last month announced he had  decided “reluctantly”  to personally host its annual arts awards signature show in December. “Subscription revenue is down by about 50%, the magazine’s report said, and it quoted a spokesperson for the German embassy who said they did not know if the Stuttgart Ballet would st...