MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'guns'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:01:47 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174626&cid=t_112565_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1833 Rifle relaxation I was craving something this evening, something to settle my focus.  I had spent the day in the car, transporting our home-schooled kids to music lessons.  I read, and sat in the truck making calls, making appointments, the sort of thing I do when I’m stuck in a vehicle.  I love my job as chauffeur, don’t get me wrong!  But after a day of driving, and sitting and waiting, I needed something.  After a busy day, I re-discovered a source of perennial relaxation. I pulled out my pellet-rifle.  I found a canister of .177 cal. lead pellets.  I found a thin piece of a plank, maybe an inch in width.  I stuck it in the side of a stump.  Then, backing up, I began to shoot. My pellet-rifle is an RWS Model 34.  It’s a fine quality German rifle, of the singl... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174626 Tue, 30 Aug 2011 02:21:08 +0100 5174626 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4841488&cid=t_112565_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1605 I guess I am a 1911 kind of guy! Occasionally I love to poke around in our local pawn shop (The Seneca Pawn Shop, in Seneca, SC, to be exact.)  It is a glorious place where I have purchased many paintball guns for my boys, as well as my son’s first electric guitar. It is also a place where a guy like me can talk about guns among other men who know exactly what I mean.  A place where no one will look askance if I ask  ‘how many Mosin-Nagant rifles can I get?’  And be answered with, ‘I have four in the back, I’d love to sell them to you!’ While poking around, looking in the glass cases a few days ago, one of the owners asked what I wanted.  ‘Well, I don’t have a 9mm anymore, and I was just looking.’ Suddenly, out of the blue, he drop... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4841488 Thu, 19 May 2011 03:43:18 +0100 4841488 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4794858&cid=t_112565_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fthe-nra-wants-to-prevent-physicians-from-asking-their-patients-about-guns%2F2011.05.06 Should the government be able to dictate to a doctor what he or she is allowed to discuss with a patient? Yes, says the National Rifle Association (NRA), which is pushing state legislation to prohibit physicians from asking patients about firearms in their homes. An NRA-supported bill in Florida originally would have made it a criminal offense—punishable by fines and/or jail—if physicians asked a patient about firearms. The Florida Medical Association (FMA) fiercely opposed the bill as an intrusion on the physician-patient relationship. Now, a compromise has been reached between the NRA and the FMA that “allow doctors to ask questions about gun ownership, as long as the physician doesn’t ‘harass’ the patient, and doesn’t enter the information into the patient’s record witho... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4794858 Fri, 06 May 2011 19:00:00 +0100 4794858 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4704624&cid=t_112565_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FTI0rIAQ1l5s%2F By Tim LynchFrom today’s Washington Post: During his campaign, Obama supported reintroducing the lapsed assault weapon ban, promised to eliminate an amendment requiring the FBI to destroy records of gun buyers’ background checks and advocated closing the gun-show loophole. Since taking office, the president has done none of that, and before the midterm elections, he shelved a proposal requiring gun dealers to report bulk sales of high-powered semiautomatic rifles. In his State of the Union address, just weeks after the Giffords shooting in January, Obama made no mention of guns. … Other leading Democrats, even those traditionally willing to offer full-throated support for gun-control efforts, have grown surprisingly less vocal as they take on more of a national role. The Dems... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4704624 Tue, 12 Apr 2011 14:44:07 +0100 4704624 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4419139&cid=t_112565_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fpossible-5-million-fine-or-prison-for-doctors-who-ask-about-guns-in-the-home%2F2011.01.31 No photo for this post. You can imagine why. I’m a little stunned by the news that a politician in Florida is trying to stifle pediatricians from asking questions about guns in the home. My reaction is utterly predictable. Should I YELL IT or write it down or leave it up to your genius (and imagination)? (silence) The skinny on the Florida proposal: Florida Rep. Jason Brodeur said “he has heard about a number of cases in which doctors asked about guns. He thinks the topic should be off-limits.” Brodeur says he’s concerned about doctors asking patients about guns in the home. He’s concerned that information could get into the hands of the government or insurance companies. Under the proposed legislation, a doctor could face a fine of up to $5 million or be sent to prison for up t... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4419139 Mon, 31 Jan 2011 16:00:08 +0100 4419139 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4343126&cid=t_112565_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fmental-illness-and-the-tucson-shooting%2F2011.01.13 When reports arrived that accused gunman Jared Lee Loughner had opened fire in Tucson, Arizona on January 7, journalistic first responders linked the incident to the fierceness of political rhetoric in the United States. Upon reflection, some of the discussion has turned to questions about mental illness, guns, and violence. And plenty of reflection is required, because the connections are not at all simple. To get a sense of just how complicated they are, we invite you to read the lead article in this month’s Harvard Mental Health Letter entitled, “Mental Illness and Violence.” Strangely (for us) it was prepared for publication a month before the tragedy in Tucson. In light of the shooting, we are making the article available to non-subscribers. I am not surprised at the outrage ex... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4343126 Thu, 13 Jan 2011 22:00:21 +0100 4343126 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4125070&cid=t_112565_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F11%2F02%2Fthe-psychology-of-guns-and-race%2F I have just posted my forthcoming article, Quick on the Draw: Implicit Bias and the Second Amendment, on SSRN.  The abstract appears below: African Americans face a significant and menacing threat, but it is not the one that has preoccupied the press, pundits, and policy makers in the wake of several bigoted murders and a resurgent white supremacist movement. While hate crimes and hate groups demand continued vigilance, if we are truly to protect our minority citizens, we must shift our most urgent attention from neo-Nazis stockpiling weapons to the seemingly benign gun owners among us—our friends, family, and neighbors—who show no animus toward African Americans and who profess genuine commitments to equality. Our commonsense narratives about racism and guns—centered on a conceptio... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4125070 Tue, 02 Nov 2010 04:01:19 +0100 4125070 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3999002&cid=t_112565_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1293 Elijah's weapon of choice for flashlight wielding intruders This morning I worked day shift.  To allow my wife and children a little more sleep in the pre-dawn stillness,  I poked around the house with a flashlight, gathering stuff and attempting not to fall over a cat on the dark stairs. While downstairs, putting on my shoes around 6:30, I heard tentative steps down the stairs.  I looked up to see Elijah, my 11-year-old son, walk into the dining room, eyes squinting…with a machete in his hand. ‘Uh, what’s up?’  I asked, hoping that he wasn’t having a dream of combat in which I would become the ‘black knight.’ ‘I wasn’t sure who was using a flashlight,’ he answered calmly. I hugged him and said, ‘I am so proud of you... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3999002 Sat, 25 Sep 2010 02:47:07 +0100 3999002 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3802394&cid=t_112565_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1222 I have a new ’smart phone.’  It’s a Droid, from Verizon.  Pretty cool.  I like what it can do, though it tends to enable me tendency to chronically check my e-mail.  I like the features, between ease of texting, voice dialing, etc.  But it’s big, compared to me dear departed flip-phone, whose corpse lies in state in my pickup truck. But I noticed one day, as I reached around my side, that the large phone now on my hip felt remarkably like my revolver.  Odd feeling, that.  I was in public; I remember panicking, wondering if I had forgotten to conceal my concealed weapon for some reason. And as I pondered this, I realized that both represent fundamental differences in the way we view individuality.  Maybe it’s a stretch, but I’m a writer, so I&#821... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3802394 Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:02:05 +0100 3802394 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3662680&cid=t_112565_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1170 Conclusion:   Dogs don’t like to be shot by pellets; even ones moving at an almost pointless 150 feet per second.  Dogs use their keen intellect and natural skills to associate the sound of the gun and the thump of the pellet hitting them, with the maniacally happy man on the bicycle. Report:  After initial salvo, dogs remained under bushes when we returned. Problem solved.  Aren’t dogs smart?  And ain’t science cool? Edwin (Source: edwinleap.com) edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3662680 Tue, 15 Jun 2010 04:41:36 +0100 3662680 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3648481&cid=t_112565_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F4ZCAYfHGVlc%2F By Tim LynchJohn Lee still has his life and four children still have a father because Mr. Lee  had a handgun when three criminals tried to kill him and take his money. When John Q. Citizen takes out a gun and the criminals flee, reporters don’t consider the incident “news” (at least when there are no injuries)–so guns are typically on the evening news when they are used by criminals.  As a result of that skewed coverage, it is no wonder that many people have a negative view about firearms. On June 17, Cato will be hosting a forum about guns, crime, and self-defense.  Speakers include John Lott, Jeff Snyder, and Paul Helmke of the Brady Campaign. For related Cato scholarship, go here. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3648481 Wed, 09 Jun 2010 18:37:17 +0100 3648481 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3644832&cid=t_112565_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F06%2F09%2Fmiddle-age-suicides-continue-to-rise%2F Suicides amongst the middle-aged — 45 to 54 year olds — continued to rise for the second straight year in a row, from 2006 to 2007 (the last year we have the final government data on). This means this age group enjoys the highest suicide rate in the U.S. The rate in 2007 was 17.6 per every 100,000 people, up from 17.2 per 100,000 people in 2006. Typically, according to the article in the New York Times, the eldest segment of the population — those 80 and older — suffers the highest suicide rate. Men typically commit suicide nearly four times as often as women, and most people who contemplate suicide would carry a depression diagnosis. Since 2000, the age-adjusted death rate for suicide has increased by 8.6 percent, according to the U.S. National Center for Health St... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3644832 Wed, 09 Jun 2010 10:00:38 +0100 3644832 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3487037&cid=t_112565_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FRfts-SGcthQ%2F By Roger PilonOpposition is building to the proposed D.C. Voting Rights Act because it also restricts D.C.’s draconian gun-control laws. Mary G. Wilson, president of the League of Women Voters of the United States, and Billie Day, president of the League of Women Voters of the District of Columbia, said today that “asking citizens to sacrifice their safety in order to have representation in Congress is unacceptable.” And on NPR’s Morning Edition today, we heard the thoughts of D.C. councilwoman Mary Cheh, my con law professor: “I would rather wait to eternity before I bow down to the gun lobby and say ‘The only way I’m gonna get this is if we give up the right to protect ourselves.’” The District’s gun laws protect us? By keeping guns out of the hands of crimina... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3487037 Tue, 20 Apr 2010 15:58:47 +0100 3487037 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3023104&cid=t_112565_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FFdQ86luyMYg%2F Steve Chapman has another terrific column — this one about gun regulations and the tendency of politicians to exempt themselves from such regulations — for the public good, of course.  Here’s an excerpt: Roland Burris, another Chicagoan, has endorsed a nationwide ban on handguns and, in 1993, organized Chicago’s first Gun Turn-in Day. But the following year, while running unsuccessfully for governor, he admitted he owned a handgun — “for protection,” he explained — and hadn’t seen fit to turn it in along with those other firearms. Lesser mortals apparently can protect themselves with forks and spoons. The Supreme Court will soon be hearing an important case about Chicago’s firearm regulations and the right to keep and bear arms... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3023104 Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:05:08 +0100 3023104 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2865617&cid=t_112565_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.blisstree.com%2Fhealthbolt%2Fduh-study-carrying-gun-ups-shooting-risk%2F Ok, I have the first in Healthbolt’s Duh Study File. I had a Duh Study File in Blisstree’s Condition and Disease blog, if you want to read more of them. Duh studies are studies that make me wonder one of a few things: *WHY* did they waste time and/or money on this? Who the heck doesn’t know that already? How on earth did the researchers get funding for this study? And this helps us how? Today’s Duh Study is that carrying a gun increases your chance of being shot. Really. According to a study done by a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, people who carry guns are 4.5 times as likely to be shot and 4.2 times as likely to get killed compared with unarmed citizens. When the team looked at shootings in which victims had a chance to defend themselves, their od... Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2865617 Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:03:42 +0100 2865617 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2828178&cid=t_112565_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FzVk9PqlfXfg%2F Many people reading the news today about the Denver/ Brooklyn terrorism investigation must be confused about why the feds charged the alleged attacker, Najibullah Zazi, with conspiring to use weapons of mass destruction. The answer is that under U.S. Code (18 U.S.C. 2332a) essentially any explosive device counts as a weapon of mass destruction. The definition includes: (A) any explosive, incendiary, or poison gas – (i) bomb, (ii) grenade, (iii) rocket having a propellant charge of more than four ounces, (iv) missile having an explosive or incendiary charge of more than one-quarter ounce, (v) mine, or (vi) device similar to any of the devices described in the preceding clauses; (B) any type of weapon (other than a shotgun or a shotgun shell which the Attorney General finds is generall... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2828178 Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:53:50 +0100 2828178 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2641339&cid=t_112565_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F07%2F27%2Fgive-me-the-gun-when-suicidal-ideations-take-over%2F I have been thinking about this question ever since I read it on a discussion thread in Group Beyond Blue. Meg writes: So, my husband has shown interest in getting a handgun permit. It’s the South, and lots of people have them. I don’t have an issue with the concept of it. He wants to take the class and is really responsible about it. He doesn’t hunt and isn’t a “war games” kind of guy or a gun fanatic. Then I told him that a stipulation would be that when we had children, the way the gun was stored would need to be open to discussion. We would need to agree on a safe way to handle it based on the relative risks involved. He’s fine with that. I next suggested that he look up some gun stores or ranges to call about lessons. I think it was the phrase... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2641339 Mon, 27 Jul 2009 11:35:34 +0100 2641339 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2510278&cid=t_112565_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F-BJR1SisED8%2F A media drumbeat is steadily building to keep those on the government’s terrorist watch list from buying firearms. A month ago, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) introduced a bill to bar them from purchasing a gun even if they had no legally disqualifying criminal conviction. Now Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) has introduced his own legislation to achieve the same goal. This is arbitrary government at its best. The “no-fly” list used to prevent suspected terrorists from boarding aircraft has tagged Nelson Mandela, Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA), Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA), Rep. Don Young (R-AK), Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), a retired general, a Marine reservist returning from Iraq, the President of Bolivia and dead 9/11 hijackers, a former federal prosecutor, and over twenty men named John... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2510278 Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:55:39 +0100 2510278 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2458151&cid=t_112565_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F06%2F06%2Fthe-situation-of-handguns-on-urban-streets-abstract%2F David Kairys has recently posted his fascinating essay, “Why Are Handguns So Accessible on Urban Streets?” (forthcoming in Against the Wall: Poor, Young, Black, and Male (Elijah Anderson, ed., Penn Press, 2008) on SSRN.  Here’s the abstract. * * * This short essay explains why it is easier for young black men in many poor, urban areas to obtain a handgun than an up-to-date school textbook or a regular job. A chapter of Against the Wall: Poor, Young, Black and Male, edited by Elijah Anderson with other chapters by Cornel West, William Julius Wilson, and Douglas Massey, the analysis focuses on handgun marketing and distribution and addresses the social and political context that yields easy availability of handguns. Under federal law and the laws of most states, any person... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2458151 Sat, 06 Jun 2009 04:27:01 +0100 2458151 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2416799&cid=t_112565_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FrZASRIzMXRQ%2F As I have noted before, “gun free” zones are an exercise in fantasy. To some, a place without guns sounds like a great place to live.  Unfortunately, others think they sound like a great place to plunder. Some recent developments highlight the ability of armed citizens to defend themselves and how localized gun bans near schools or on universities make victims of law-abiding citizens. A group of Georgia college students at a birthday party owe their lives to the fact that one of them had a gun. (H/T Of Arms & the Law) Two gunmen burst in to the apartment and separated males and females into different rooms. The gunmen began discussing whether they had enough bullets to kill everyone at the party. One of the students pulled a gun from his backpack and shot at the home invad... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2416799 Mon, 18 May 2009 17:36:31 +0100 2416799 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2398594&cid=t_112565_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FNhy_ss5eFls%2F There is a new review of Brian Doherty’s book, Gun Control on Trial: Inside the Supreme Court Battle over the Second Amendment, over at The American Spectator. The review captures the uphill battle that the Heller litigants faced in the District of Columbia: When an employee on the Taxicab Commission once suggested that taxicab drivers be able to arm themselves for self- defense, a spokesman for then mayor Anthony Williams said, “The proposal is nutty, and obviously, it would not be entertained seriously by any thinking person.” After D.C. readjusted its laws in the wake of Heller so that guns were no longer prohibited but regulated to the point of making ownership exceedingly difficult, Mayor Adrian Fenty justified it thusly: “I don’t think [the people of D.C... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2398594 Thu, 07 May 2009 18:41:23 +0100 2398594 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2347775&cid=t_112565_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FuZgmGhQTKSM%2F Last June, the Supreme Court ruled in District of Columbia v. Heller that the Second Amendment protects an individual’s right to keep and bear arms, at least in the home for self-defense.  Here’s our own Bob Levy, who masterminded the Heller litigation, talking about that decision: While the Court’s ruling was a watershed in constitutional interpretation, it technically applied only to D.C., striking down the District’s draconian gun ban but not having a direct effect in the rest of the country. Well, today the Ninth Circuit (the federal appellate court covering most Western states) ruled that the Second Amendment restricts the power of state and local governments to interfere with individual right to have guns for personal use.  That is, the Fourteenth Amen... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2347775 Mon, 20 Apr 2009 21:21:47 +0100 2347775 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2249705&cid=t_112565_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FYME3h3x6VAQ%2F As I said earlier this week, Eric Holder’s push for an “assault weapons” ban is a misguided policy that will not have any serious impact on Mexican drug cartels.  It really ought to be called a “ban on semi-automatic firearms with politically incorrect cosmetic features,” but that doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue.  I am pleased to see that CNN is providing coverage of this that notes (1) the difference between semi-automatic sporting arms and machine guns and (2) that Mexican authorities are not releasing the serial numbers of firearms seized from the gangsters.  This is probably because many of these guns are coming from the Mexican government, not American gun stores.  The drug cartels are putting up billboards to recruit soldiers and policemen ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2249705 Thu, 05 Mar 2009 16:54:31 +0100 2249705 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2234427&cid=t_112565_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FLvSfP3wCOiw%2F Attorney General Eric Holder recently announced that the Obama administration will seek a new federal “assault weapons” ban.  This is an ill-advised policy that defies common sense. The ban would be a revival of a law passed in the early years of the Clinton administration that expired in 2004.  The law prohibited the sale of newly-manufactured magazines holding more than ten rounds of ammunition and having two of five cosmetic features on semi-automatic rifles.  If you had a pistol grip and a detachable magazine, you couldn’t have a bayonet lug.  More recent proposals have attempted to ban “barrel shrouds,” which the rest of the world calls “handguards” - the place you put your hand (instead of on a hot barrel) to prevent burning it while firi... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2234427 Tue, 03 Mar 2009 15:27:29 +0100 2234427 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2206758&cid=t_112565_88_f&fid=34857&url=http%3A%2F%2Fscalpelorsword.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F02%2Fduck-hunt-made-easy.html From the comments: "The weapon of choice for the zombie apocalypse." (Source: Scalpel or Sword?) Scalpel or Sword? blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2206758 Mon, 23 Feb 2009 15:23:00 +0100 2206758 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2026857&cid=t_112565_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2F479512433%2Fprying_the_gun_out_of_my_cold.php Old folks are dangerous enough. I should know. I am one. Bad enough you allow me to hurtle down the highway in semi-control of a couple of tons of steel while thinking about science (at least I'm not thinking about decking some young thing or even decking some young thing while hurtling down the highway in semi-control of a couple tons of steel). But put a weapon specially designed for my cold, arthritic hands? (OK, they're not arthritic, but they probably will be soon). This story (hat tip reader emc) is almost too bizarre: Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post... (Source: Effect Measure) Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2026857 Tue, 09 Dec 2008 12:34:49 +0100 2026857 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1991791&cid=t_112565_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F11%2F27%2Fthe-situation-of-inequality-guns-germs-and-steel%2F From Youtube: Jared Diamond’s journey of discovery began on the island of Papua New Guinea. There, in 1974, a local named Yali asked Diamond a deceptively simple question: “Why is it that you white people developed so much cargo, but we black people had little cargo of our own?” Diamond realized that Yali’s question penetrated the heart of a great mystery of human history — the roots of global inequality. Why were Europeans the ones with all the cargo? Why had they taken over so much of the world, instead of the native people of New Guinea? How did Europeans end up with what Diamond terms the agents of conquest: guns, germs and steel? It was these agents of conquest that allowed 168 Spanish conquistadors to defeat an Imperial Inca army of 80,000 in 1532, and s... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1991791 Thu, 27 Nov 2008 04:30:33 +0100 1991791 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1815306&cid=t_112565_88_f&fid=34857&url=http%3A%2F%2Fscalpelorsword.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F09%2Fim-not-bitter-im-blessed.html from the NRA, via Hot Air (Source: Scalpel or Sword?) Scalpel or Sword? blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1815306 Mon, 22 Sep 2008 20:34:00 +0100 1815306 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1560799&cid=t_112565_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2008%2F07%2F01%2Fguns-are-a-lethal-choice%2F I don’t mean to be insensitive to the potential for destructive nature of a gun in the home, but there was a spate of news articles yesterday regurgitating a statistic which is neither new nor news — that more than half of firearm deaths in the U.S. are suicides. From the Associated Press: Public-health researchers have concluded that in homes where guns are present, the likelihood that someone in the home will die from suicide or homicide is much greater. This isn’t news, however, as for the past 25 years, 80% of the time suicide has outranked homicides and accidents as the number one handgun killer. Why do so many people turn to a handgun when they want to end their lives? Perhaps it’s because nothing else in this world is quite like a handgun. A handgun&#82... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1560799 Tue, 01 Jul 2008 14:06:48 +0100 1560799 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1423793&cid=t_112565_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F05%2F05%2Fnaive-cynicism-in-election-2008-dispositionism-v-situationism%2F This post was originally published on April 23rd. Because the “elitism” card continues to played, we thought it worthwhile to republish this post for those who might have missed it the last time. * * * In case you missed it, the last week and a half have been a bit rough for the golden boy from Chicago. To boil down hundreds of hours of cable news commentary, political punditry, and radio talk-showery: Obama called certain working-class Midwesterners bitter, and everyone else called Obama elitist. The conventional wisdom is that Hillary’s success in Pennsylvania last night was at least partially the result of Obama’s remarks. The storm began when, speaking to a private group in San Francisco, Obama offered this take on the effects of economic stagnation in certain p... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1423793 Tue, 06 May 2008 02:00:10 +0100 1423793 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1344237&cid=t_112565_88_f&fid=34857&url=http%3A%2F%2Fscalpelorsword.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F04%2Fpizza-hut-and-guns.html I love Pizza Hut pizzas.My favorite pie is their thin and crispy Pepperoni Lover's, but when I'm feeling a bit rebellious, I sometimes take a walk on the wild side and order a supreme. I enjoy their pan pizza too, and I've even been known to scarf down a few of their wings. I have wistful memories of the discontinued P'Zone.Not a week goes by that I don't have a large order delivered for the family, and twice a week is not unheard of. When I buy pizzas for the ER, it's a safe bet that I'm calling the Hut as well. I'm a loyal fan, forsaking all other pizza delivery restaurants for over 20 years.But I can assure you that if Pizza Hut eventually fires James William Spiers III for defending himself against an armed robber, I will join Iowa State Senator Brad Zaun, and I will never order anothe... Scalpel or Sword? blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1344237 Wed, 02 Apr 2008 05:25:00 +0100 1344237 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1274852&cid=t_112565_88_f&fid=34857&url=http%3A%2F%2Fscalpelorsword.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F03%2Ftexas-rocks.html "As Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton race around Ohio and Texas for tomorrow's primaries, they are telling a tale of economic woe. Yet the real story isn't how similar the two states are economically but how different. Texas has been prospering while Ohio lags, and the reasons are instructive about what works and what doesn't in economic policy.(....)So tomorrow the eyes of America will be on these two states moving in different directions. Ohio has an economy burdened by high taxes and work rules that impose heavy costs on employers. Texas embraces free trade, keeps taxes low, doesn't impose unions on business and has tooled itself for 21st century global competition. Ohioans may not like to hear this, but for any company considering where to locate a new plant or move an existing one, th... Scalpel or Sword? blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1274852 Mon, 03 Mar 2008 10:56:00 +0100 1274852 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1165290&cid=t_112565_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2F220041960%2Fschool_killings.php The second leading cause of death in the 5 to 18 year old age group in the US is homicide. These are school aged children and the first thing that comes to mind are the big names like Columbine and Virginia Tech. But we know there are other school-related homicides that kill only one or two. Moreover there seem to be more of them than we remember from years past. But are there? Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post... (Source: Effect Measure) Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1165290 Sun, 20 Jan 2008 21:06:12 +0100 1165290 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1076224&cid=t_112565_88_f&fid=34857&url=http%3A%2F%2Fscalpelorsword.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F12%2Fwhy-i-carry-gun.html I carry a gun because I can.I carry a gun because I love my family, and I consider it my responsibility to protect them from harm. I value my life and the lives of my family more than anything else in the world. If we were ever threatened, I'd rather die with a gun in my hand than watch helplessly while the ones I love were brutalized.I realize that I cannot depend on anyone else for protection. When seconds count, the police are minutes away.I carry a gun because the safest place to keep a loaded gun is on your person at all times. An unloaded gun is as useless as a paperweight, and a gun in the safe is no help when you need a gun RIGHT NOW.I carry a gun because even though I'm a big strong intelligent man, without a gun I would be no match for a drug-crazed skinny punk who had one.I carr... Scalpel or Sword? blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1076224 Fri, 07 Dec 2007 08:52:00 +0100 1076224 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1072370&cid=t_112565_88_f&fid=34857&url=http%3A%2F%2Fscalpelorsword.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F12%2Ftexas-style.html Among my most cherished fringe benefits of this job is the opportunity to get to know some of the people I admire most: the policemen, firefighters, and paramedics that are fellow links in the safety net of our society. I consider these men and women to be the ultimate VIPs and I would do anything for them, expecting nothing in return.So I was totally surprised and deeply touched when after I treated an officer "on the side," he brought me a speedloader and some hollowpoints for my snubby.I love Texas. (Source: Scalpel or Sword?) Scalpel or Sword? blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1072370 Wed, 05 Dec 2007 23:32:00 +0100 1072370 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=843786&cid=t_112565_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F152559968%2F 20-year-old John Yasment was suspended for one semester from Adirondack Community College back in April for repeatedly typing the words “must die” on a college computer and then printing out five pages with those words on them. The September 4th Post-Star (NY) notes that the discovery of those five pages occurred on April 18th, two days after the shootings at Virginia Tech. Yasment was also charged with second-degree aggravated harassment, a misdemeanor, but these charges were dropped. His lawyer, Richard Moran, notes that Yasment is a part-time student in the college accessibility program for those with disabilities (Yasment has Asperger’s Syndrome). The Post-Star provides further details of what happened. Yasment types his feelings as a means of therapy to deal with fru... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=843786 Wed, 05 Sep 2007 15:39:32 +0100 843786 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=830982&cid=t_112565_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F149949459%2F Speculation that Seung-Hui Cho had autism circulated after last April’s shooting massacre. On August 20, the Wall Street Journal reported that Cho had been diagnosed with selective mutism while in high school in Fairfax County, Virginia. The Report of the Virginia Tech Review Panel on what happened on April 16th is now available: The August 30th Washington Post notes: The [8-member] panel [appointed by Virginia governor Tim Kaine] found that Cho showed signs of mental health problems from childhood and was treated by both counseling and medication at different times through high school. In 1999, after the shootings at Columbine High School, Cho began to write about suicide and homicide, the panel reported. When he was preparing to go to college, his family and high school guidance c... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=830982 Thu, 30 Aug 2007 05:35:35 +0100 830982 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=703027&cid=t_112565_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Fscienceblogs.com%2Feffectmeasure%2F2007%2F06%2Farmed_and_pedantic.php Since I'm a professor I notice stories about professor's rights. I'm all for having my rights. But there are some rights I don't think professors need to have or should have: Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post... (Source: Effect Measure) Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=703027 Thu, 28 Jun 2007 21:31:32 +0100 703027 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=682842&cid=t_112565_133_f&fid=35452&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.graphictruth.com%2F2007%2F06%2Fim-taking-another-payperpost.html USA Network's Burn Notice is a new spy show that's in need of some buzz. Well, I happen to love spy shows. Even stupid ones. Especially deliberately stupid ones, like "Get Smart." However, the genre has gone downhill of late, with 24 establishing that the most important tool for spies to use vs spies is a car battery, jumper cables and a bucket of salt water.I'm sorry, in the American Rules version of The Greatest Game, torture is cheating.But I like USA Network's quirky approach to programming, so I felt it worth a look. The opportunity didn't say I had to approve, it just said "go look and then talk about what sort of gadget the character would need to remain "under the radar." I'm taking this as a promise that a wide variety of gadgets will be a staple of the storyline, and I go into dr... Graphictruth blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=682842 Tue, 19 Jun 2007 04:00:00 +0100 682842 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=551063&cid=t_112565_117_f&fid=34612&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedoctorweighsin.com%2Fjournal%2F2007%2F4%2F17%2Fthe-virginia-tech-massacre-the-hopeful-perspective.html The horrific events at Virginia Tech fills every decent human being with a profound sense of sorrow and a feeling of frustration: What can we do about it? When is it all going to end, if ever? I found myself searching history for answers from the point of view of a scientist. The history of suppression of  knowledge.  There have always been  authoritarians, religious fanatics, the State,  charlatans—conspiring to deprive us of the truth so as to perpetuate their hold on power and lucre. This phenomenon reaches as far back as biblical times; we read about the first set of ‘spies’ Moses sent to scout the land of Canaan. They gave him a truthful report about the harshness of the land and the misery of its inhabitants, a message he... The Doctor Weighs In blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=551063 Tue, 17 Apr 2007 23:31:21 +0100 551063 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=549750&cid=t_112565_123_f&fid=34883&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdenverpickles.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F04%2Fanother-iteration-of-tragedy.html My thoughts and prayers go out to those at Virginia Tech having to deal with unspeakable tragedy.I cannot pretend to imagine what it must be like for a university to lose so many of its community in one day.And yet...I remember going out to dinner with my wife on a spring evening eight years ago. We were in an Irish pub in East Boston. The television in the bar was showing footage of a horrible massacre in Littleton, Colorado, at the local Columbine High School.I was in my last year of residency, and I was working on a free-form elective rotation, looking at firearm injuries, where and how they were occurring, and different ways to address the problem: office counseling, community education, product design, legislative efforts, and such.I remember saying to my wife that this country has a ... Just Practicing blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=549750 Tue, 17 Apr 2007 18:40:00 +0100 549750 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=547933&cid=t_112565_117_f&fid=34612&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedoctorweighsin.com%2Fjournal%2F2007%2F4%2F16%2Fgun-massacre-on-campus-again.html "When will we ever learn?"Every time we have a mass murder related to guns, talking heads on TV start out by saying that it is the easy accessibility of guns in this country that makes violence so deadly. [The United States has a higher rates of firearm ownership than do other developed nations, and higher rates of homicide.] Then slowly, but persistently, the "pro-guns for everyone" folks mouth some variant of the NRA message that guns don’t kill, people do. Yes, I agree, mass murderers can still wreak havoc even in the absence of guns. But, let’s get real…how many people could a killer kill if he only had a knife? In the case of today’s horrendous crime on the Virginia Tech campus, I would suggest that it is highly unlikely that 33 young colle... The Doctor Weighs In blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=547933 Tue, 17 Apr 2007 03:14:57 +0100 547933