Miller-McCune

Naked Pleasure

Lisa Conti — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 09:43:00 -0700

They're anything but warm and fuzzy. Wrinkled, bald with slits for eyes, naked mole rats huddle together underground for warmth. While they have no hair, poor eyesight, an unregulated body temperature and no pain sensation in their skin, these critters have something that most rats, most mammals in fact, don't -- a remarkable, eusocial, home life.

Report: Vendor Control Undermines Elections

David Rosenfeld — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 16:05:00 -0700

Nonprofit group claims vote-counting machine vendors are the ones in control during some elections.

90 Years Later, Finding Immunity to the 1918 Influenza Virus

Matt Palmquist — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 09:47:00 -0700

Survivors of the 1918 influenza pandemic who were infected or exposed to the disease were made immune to the strain for the rest of their lives, according to a new study from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine's Department of Microbiology.

Urban Forest Management Is Up a Tree

Amy R. Ramos — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 08:30:00 -0700

It turns out it's not just the disappearance of rainforest trees - mahogany, teak, Brazil nut - that is cause for concern. In a new paper, "Street Trees - A Misunderstood Common-Pool Resource," Indiana University environmental affairs scholars Burnell C. Fischer and Brian C. Steed note that the tree cover in a number of metropolitan areas - the so-called urban forest of street trees like ficus, sycamores, and dogwoods - has declined dramatically. (According to Trees Atlanta, a nonprofit conservation group, Atlanta has lost 60 percent of its tree cover in the past two decades.)

Burning Down the House to Keep Warm

Hal Herring — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 07:00:00 -0700

Only a fool would support expanded domestic exploration — offshore or elsewhere — under the Bush administration's dysfunctional energy policies. Here's how those policies need to change for America to responsibly find the energy it needs.

Counting the Dead Freighted with Controversy

Michael Todd — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:08:00 -0700

Body counts matter whether it comes to generating headlines or political activity, so efforts to gain usable numbers are a matter of some concern.

ED Drugs Break Through Blood-Brain Tumor Barrier

Amy R. Ramos — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 13:35:00 -0700

Although it's unlikely to be incorporated into the ubiquitous marketing campaigns for erectile dysfunction drugs, a significant off-label use of the medications may have been identified by researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. In a laboratory study conducted on rats, the research team used erectile dysfunction drugs to increase the amount of a chemotherapy drug that was able to cross the blood-brain tumor barrier and thus attack the tumor — without affecting healthy brain tissue.

Nixonian Echo in Musharraf's Exit

Sara Barbour — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:02:00 -0700

With Pakistan's President Musharraf announcing his resignation today amid parliament preparations for his impeachment, Americans may be reminded of another high-profile resignation that took place 34 years and nine days ago - that of U.S. President Richard Nixon.

Derailing the Boondoggle

Ryan Blitstein — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 07:00:00 -0700

A Danish professor promotes a cure for billion-dollar cost overruns in government megaprojects: Use past boondoggles as a baseline.

Bill of Goods: The World's Biggest Boondoggles

Ryan Blitstein — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 07:00:00 -0700

A look at some infamous public works projects and what went wrong.

California's Big Play for Solar

Michael Todd — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 16:59:00 -0700

Not too far from the home of Miller-McCune.com, the utility company Pacific Gas & Electric said Thursday it plans to build what's being billed as the largest solar-energy facilities in the world - two photovoltaic plants that at their peak reportedly will able to pump out 800 megawatts.

A Future of Less

David Villano — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 07:00:00 -0700

Miller-McCune magazine exclusive: Here's how government can help curb America's seemingly endless appetite for "more."

Last, or Second from the Top

Sara Barbour — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 15:41:00 -0700

Despite the current media frenzy over both major party presidential candidates' searches for running mates, if ever there was an underappreciated job, it would have to be that of vice president of the United States.

States Illegally Purged Voters, Advocates Contend

David Rosenfeld — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 11:57:00 -0700

In June, Miller-McCune reported on barriers to the ballot box. Included in the myriad ways you could be barred from voting is having your name taken off the rolls because of a change of address.

Profile of a Pimple

Lisa Conti — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 10:33:00 -0700

Of all the human diseases, you'd think that acne would be an easy one to give mice -- not so much.

No Weighting

Valerie Brown — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 07:00:00 -0700

Oregon researchers develop counseling approaches that reduce anorexia, bulimia and obesity among young women — apparently for years.

Earthship Trooper

Michael Haederle — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 07:00:00 -0700

September's Miller-McCune magazine features Michael Reynolds and his brand of low-consumption, off-the-grid housing.

Munich Still Can Drive Foreign Policy

Sara Barbour — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 17:09:00 -0700

With President Bush's decision today to provide humanitarian aid (delivered by U.S. military aircraft and naval forces, no less) to Georgia in its recently inflamed conflict with Russia, the tension between White House and Kremlin may seem vaguely reminiscent of the Cold War era strain.

Presidential Polling an Inexact Science

Sara Barbour — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 16:34:00 -0700

In America, we don't just want things, we want them now. Drive-thru McDonalds, Google on iPhones, overnight shipping more expensive than the pair of shoes... Naturally, it was only a matter of time before the national quest for instant gratification leaked into politics, and so began our obsession with the presidential preference poll.

Firm Support for Online Prescriptions

Tom Jacobs — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 16:24:00 -0700

Is it safe to purchase prescription drugs over the Internet? A new study of some of the most popular online medications – drugs to treat erectile dysfunction – concludes an e-prescription system operating under state regulation may actually be safer than the traditional method of obtaining drugs: a doctor’s appointment followed by a trip to the pharmacy.