TTHblog
Security vs. Environment: Issue-Framing in the Nord Stream Pipeline Project
By: Marina Stefanova, Georgetown University April 2010 marked the beginning of the construction of Nord Stream, a controversial joint project of Gazprom, BASF SE/Wintershall Holding, E.ON Ruhrgas, and N.V. Nederlandse Gasunie. When completed, the pipeline will be 1,220 km long and will run on the Baltic seabed from Vyborg, Russia to Greifswald, Germany. The pipeline will [...]
Gene Patents: Sequencing Scientific Controversy
Do you have the rights to your own DNA? A question Genae Girard never considered until she was denied that right. How can someone else own your DNA? Current models estimate that as much as 20% of all human genetic material has been patented [1]. Recently this practice has entered the national spotlight with the landmark [...]
Algae Biodiesel: A Shift to Green Oil?
Energy is one of the few commodities that can single-handedly cause economies to crumble, instigate resource wars, and cripple the fragile balance of the world’s ecosystem all at once. The symbiotic relationship between consumers and current energy resources can only be sustained as a function of mutual benefit. When the consumer depletes the available resources [...]
Your Genes Belong to Us: Gene Patenting and its Discontents
By Gengshi Chen Genae Girard, a 39-year-old woman living in the US, had to pay a staggering $3200 for a single genetic test for the BRCA gene associated with breast and ovarian cancer, only to find that she was unable to request a second opinion upon receiving the positive test result. After consulting with doctors, [...]
Gaming: Harnessing the Cognitive Surplus
Harnessing the Cognitive Surplus By James Scott-Brown How do you spend your free time? If you were an average American, you would spend 20 hours a week watching television, and another 3 hours playing games [1]. Clay Shirky has written about how, after the Second World War, enormous changes in society occurred, so that “society [...]
Brawn and Brains: Looking at NFL Head Injuries
Any football fan watching a Sunday afternoon game will most likely witness at least one slow‐motion replay of a running back lowering his head as he faces off against a safety, or a defensive end’s helmet colliding with another player’s during a tackle. Fans of professional football bear witness to repeated head trauma during every [...]
Multiplication Tables? Dismal State of U.S. Mathematics Education
Math Education It always shocks me to see high school students struggling to solve simple arithmetic problems. I happened to casually glance at the algebra homework of a ninth grader one day and saw “3×7 =” written next to a graphing question. Evidently, he did not immediately know the answer and was probably looking for [...]
What Makes a Pretty Face? The Biological Basis of Beauty
Biological Basis of Beauty By Thomas Gizbert Poet and philosophical essayist Kahlil Gibran wrote in the early 20th century, “Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart” [1]. However, a number of recent studies are building a scientific case against this statement, claiming that beauty resides not in the heart, [...]
The Doctor-Patient Relationship in the Internet Age
Introduction The advent of the “information technology age” has led to a rapid change in the doctor‐patient dynamic. Before the Internet became host to a plethora of medical information and advice, the doctor‐patient relationship was confined primarily to office consultations. In that setting, doctors advised patients on the best course of medical action, and the [...]
Obesity Epidemic: Will Money Talk?
In October 2010, obesity passed smoking as the most preventable cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States [1]. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 68% of adult Americans were overweight or obese in 2008 [2]. A recent projection by Wang et al. estimates that of the 86% of American adults who [...]
Lurking Dangers in Everyday Goods
The chemicals known as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) belong to a class of chemicals known as perfluorinated chemicals. From recent studies it has been seen that the concentration of these chemicals has been increasing in both our water supplies and our blood serum. Studies in the University of Exeter, United Kingdom, indicate that [...]
Muslim Brotherhood: A Different Breed of Islamists
In theory, Americans and their government unreservedly support democratic movements. In practice, however, they worry about democratic alternatives to long-standing dictatorships. Sure, America is pro-democracy; but US interests come first. And while Arab dictators are certainly corrupt and oppressive, they do maintain regional stability. Along these lines, Western coverage of the latest resistance to Arab [...]
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