Monday opinionating, without hesitation or shame. Muscle, cars, and muscle cars. And science. What more could you want?
EJ Dionne:
Liberals, who (in my view, correctly) opposed Roberts and Alito on philosophical grounds, should thus not be hypocritical themselves and deny the conservatives' right to challenge a nominee's philosophy. On the contrary, liberals should welcome a real debate -- and win it.
What he said. This is what political capital is for.
Alec MacGillis:
Last week, President Obama told Sen. Orrin Hatch, the veteran Utah Republican, that he would appoint a "pragmatist, not a radical," to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice David Souter.
So what's that mean? So far with Obama, you can never be certain.
Paul Krugman:
The fact that the medical-industrial complex is trying to shape health care reform rather than block it is a good omen. But I still won’t count my health care chickens until they’re hatched.
I'm sure they have your interest in mind. Don't they always?
Doug Glanville: On Manny and enhancing drugs.
Stanley Fish:
The name Pontiac strikes an elegiac and forlorn note ("Forlorn: the very word is like a bell"). The Pontiac is gone and the entire parent company may follow it. And then there’s all that talk about hybrids and plug-ins and the prediction, once more, of the demise of the internal combustion engine. I guess it’s all over.
Well, maybe not, for if you read the auto magazines, which I do religiously, especially in barber shops where you don’t have to pay for them, it’s still morning in America and, indeed, it’s still 1970.
Peter Dizikes:
But the stem cell battle is not just a high-profile clash of values. The dispute provides a sharp focus on how science may help reshape America. Several states have set aside billions of dollars to support stem cell research, and the new federal money Obama is promising will generally flow to those areas. That means states supporting stem cell research will experience an economic windfall while attracting highly educated technology workers who tend to vote Democratic. The more conservative states restricting stem cell research will attract fewer funds and fewer socially liberal voters. In short, a state's stem cell policy will influence electoral results and help determine whether a state turns red or blue.
AP:
Tamiflu is patent protected but World Trade Organization rules allow poor countries to override such rights in a health crisis. Indian pharmaceuticals giant Cipla said it would charge about $12 per course of a generic Tamiflu. One course of Roche Tamiflu can sell for up to $100.
That has led critics to question why the World Health Organization hasn't ordered up batches of generic Tamiflu or encouraged poor countries to do so as it raised its pandemic alert level to phase 5 — signaling it believes a global flu outbreak to be "imminent."
New England Journal of Medicine:
Although it has been just over a month since the first cases were identified, it seems unlikely that this outbreak will lead to widespread, severe illness and deaths. However, this may be just the first wave, and we will carefully monitor this outbreak.