Quickies
Quickies: IRS Scams, Flu Shot Myths, and Changing Human Experimentation Rules
- A Controversial Rewrite For Rules To Protect Humans In Experiments – “To protect people participating in medical research, the federal government decades ago put in place strict rules on the conduct of human experiments. Now the Department of Health and Human Services is proposing a major revision of these regulations, known collectively as the Common Rule. It’s the first change proposed in nearly a quarter-century.”
- The Strange Truth Behind Presidential Turkey Pardons – “There’s always lots of laughter for a lighthearted moment the day before Thanksgiving, but the truth behind the turkey pardons is a strange and sad tale with a long and myth-filled history. So, who are these overstuffed fowl? Where did they come from? And how did this whole thing get started, anyway?”
- The Killing of Laquan McDonald – This article does a good job of explaining all of the background details for this case.
- Worried About The Flu Shot? Let’s Separate Fact From Fiction – It’s that time of year again: debunking-flu-vaccine-myths season.
- Doctors debate safety of their white coats – “The debate — largely good-natured — has assumed an intensity that surprises even its participants, exposing divisions that go beyond microbiology and touch on shifting perceptions of the physician’s role. Those who call white coats dirty also find them elitist, a barrier between doctor and patient. Those who treasure the traditional garb believe it engenders trust.”
- How I Fell Face First for an Epic IRS Scam – “As an Ivy League-educated journalist who has reported on scams and their victims, I certainly never thought I’d fall for one myself. I couldn’t have been more wrong.”
- The Case of the Disappearing Quasars – “There is nothing controversial about the idea that active galactic nuclei can become inactive. What LaMassa and her colleagues doubted was that a quasar could go from active to inactive in just 10 years. Such a dramatic change should occur on a timescale that dwarfs human lifetimes. They looked for different explanations but did not find any that satisfied them.”
