NEEDING TO UNDERSTAND RESEARCH LINGO

If research funds are to be granted, 'may eventually lead to new insight' seems to be a must.  It covers 'we've tried everything else we can think of but a shot in the dark just might make it'.  There has been an incredibly useful amount of research on the brain, neurotransmitters, anomalies in brain structure, what parts of the brain do what, and what would have totally boggled the mind even five years ago.

Protocols must be written to show the experience of the lead researcher and all others working on the project.  It must be written in language understandable to non-scientists and anything to human subjects must be written in a vocabulary an 8th grader can understand.  (This is nearly impossible for some of the very technical research projects I have read).

Occasionally a research project looks similar to one already done.  However, reading the fine print, it is clear that results must be reproducible and true understanding covers some repetitious paths.  The average person usually does not understand the difficulties faced by the honest researcher.  I say the 'honest researcher' because we have all read about those who fudge their results.  However, in most programs, it is difficult to get beyond the many committees who review all research done in any facility.

References must be carefully reviewed to make sure research is not being plagiarized and unnecessarily repeated and that all, current as possible has been explored.  For humans there are all sorts of informed consent forms and HIPAA forms to be signed for human research.  Animals are unable to give permissions, so there are extra cautions for those who cannot speak for themselves.  Contrary to what PETA advocates assume, those who use animals in research have very strict guidelines about humane treatment of subjects.

What the public at large needs to understand is ,even if research proves something works, there is a very long line of agencies who need to sign off permitting research of products to be used being used pharmaceutically, or commercially, especially if they are to be ingested or in any way could prove to be detrimental for not having been studied long enough for subsequent side effects.  Occasionally something will slip through which is, truly unavoidable for even the best scientific minds, but the public does not take kindly to those circumstances.

Research not using human or animal subjects is much less frightening with such tight controls.  The basic goal  is to prove the outcomes and harm no one.  Without research we would not advance as a civilization...and advance is what we are doinhg at an alarmingly fast rate.  It is difficult for those of us not used to all these 'conveniences' to stay abreast of the times.

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WHEN YOU CAN'T SPEAK THE LANGUAGE

Wichita may be a city in Kansas, but it was first the name of a Native American tribe.  It had a language of its own, spoken, at one time, by more than 10,000 people. However the Americans didn't allow the people to continue with their own culture and demanded that all speak English.  Only one 83 year old Witchita woman remains. who can speak that tongue.   When she goes, the language goes with her.  Click here for a video and to learn more about her.

There are thousands of small languages around the world that are slowly dying out. However, it is the ones which remain that are causing some problems.  Without question, it is frightening to think you can be somewhere and unable to make yourself understood.  World travelers can be shocked if they wander away from their hotels where most employees throughout the world know enough English to make their patrons comfortable.  However, in villages and towns away from American speaking hotels it can be quite anxiety-producing.  A form of charades and universal facial and hand movements helps to a degree but limits communication to less than conversation.

As families tend to be so mobile these days, branches of families can converse in the same generation; but their children and the grandchildren may not be able to speak with the others' family members at all. While I was born and raised in the United States, along with English I learned the language of my foreign born parents.  When I visited my parents' country of birth I was happy to speak like a native, though my vocabulary was hardly sophisticated,  It was strange visiting relatives who spoke no English, forcing me to translate for my English-speaking-only husband.  It was like some churches do, first in Latin then English; first in Greek, then English, etc.

Recently I was outraged to be watching MSNBC and have commercials in Spanish.  There are two totally Spanish speaking channels for which my monthly check pays though I do not view them, as I view the numerous sports channels rarely...though they are, at least, in English if I happen on them.  I still resent making phone calls in my country where I have to press a key to get into the English speaking robot mode!

I used to supervise clinicians in a mental hospital years ago.  One of the major problems was that paranoid patients were suffering unnecessarily because the caretaking staff and aids spoke Haitian.  No matter how much we lobbied and ruled that staff must speak English at all times, it never happened.  Eventually the hospital was closed and the patients were turned out, many of them landing on the streets.  Hopefully, English was spoken there and in the hostels they might be fortunate enough to spend some time in.

Some are surprised that the Untied States has never made English official as the language here.  Some states have ruled it thus but not all of them.  Immigrants used to know more about our Constitution than our home-grown folk.  That has all changed as the government has grown weaker and people have lost patriotism.  WW 2 had made us all united as Americans, even all the foreign born (with the exception of the poor choices made to lock the Japanese-Americans in camps).  Today, patriotism is scarce.  People treat the American flag with utter disrespect; many have forgotten to hold their hands over their heart when saluting it or hearing the National Anthem, and we seem to be fighting the North and South Civil War still.  None of that is good as a model for foreigners who have migrated to our country and see no reason why they can't make it their own in every way.  Why do we not set a better example of pride in our country and request it of people who bring their own culture and language with them, expecting us to learn their ways but not the reverse.

A ROUTE TO FUNDING SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT

Many software developers have offered a free, minimal program.  It has been a successful tool for those who cannot afford to buy the program but, if they can use it, can become helpful by letting others know its usefulness.  This has happened for many of the utilities, especially virus protectors..  If people want the additional features in the paid program and can afford the price, they will buy it.

Source Forge offers all its software for free.  Its open source allows developers. and coders to improve on  programs.  Open Office, much like MS Office but at no cost (which many have used instead of MS Office) has been in existence for a number of years and must, certainly,seems to be drawing away customers for the extraordinarily expensive (at least for average, home users) Microsoft Office.  Now it is said that Microsoft plans to offer a free version of Office in the same manner.  Click here for more info.

GNU/Linux (pronounced G-Noo) writes of its free software: " Free software” is a matter of liberty, not price. To understand the concept, you should think of “free” as in “free speech”, not as in “free beer”.  What is GNU?  Click here
Unless you are a business for whom expensive software is a tax write-off, .It behooves most of us to find what gets our job done at least out-of-pocket expense.

It is important to note software mentioned above is not a copy of a copyright program in existence.  Cheap copies are like the man in the raincoat on the street corner who opens his coat to flash copies of expensive watches.  Those are scams.  For more info, click here.

NOT A MAN BUT A COMMITTEE BEHIND THAT CURTAIN

 It is delightful how everyone seems to think that the President runs the country.  I suppose they thought their father ran the household, too, or that the Pope handles the millions of Christians..  The President can't cover it all so he has a bunch of people as advisers.  As soon as we have more than one person making decisions, we know we are being run by a committee.  (I've always known God has to be a committee because of the hot and cold explanations of that for which God is credited.)

It should follow that more great minds are looking at the problems by committee, but those of us who are used to working with committees know that isn't the way it actually works.  The great Think Tanks of our country are usually pretty insular in the beliefs, conclusions, and biases. Oddly, their conclusions can be pretty pre-determined.  Getting a lot of people together who think the same way is not going to bring about new insights.  It explains why Republicans watch Fox News and Democrats watch MSNBC.

It does make me wonder why we have so few real leaders while we have so many followers.  Do you?


We also know (sort of like a Murphy's Law) that the more people working on a solution grows the problem exponentially before its solution.. Smart people are prone to think their solution is it so often a power struggle eveolves rather than allowing the focus to remain on the problem trying to be solved.

Changing the subject has developed into a real specialty for lots of people and professions.  It is the greatest tool for those of us who do not wish to continue on a topic.  Just watch the major network talking heads...they do it all the time as do their guests.  They work so tightly produced down to the seconds they can talk so it is rare the listener is left with an understanding as to whether questions were answered or not.

PEOPLE TRY TO READ EVERYONE'S MIND BEFORE THEY SPEAK

Political correctness has just gone too far.  There are plenty of legitimate reasons not to say hateful or inconsiderate things, but insisting that a person must learn a whole new language sometimes goes too far.  I know some elderly folk who will never learn to say Asian instead of Oriental.    They refer to getting some take-out 'Chink' food' and that, too, sadly, will never change. They also don't know geography. It won't change, just as Frank Sinatra never stopped calling women 'broads', just as no one will teach GW Bush. or Sarah Palin to properly pronounce nuclear.  Generation may die off but, eventually, new ones with equally offensive reticence to be considerate to others, will perpetuate.

When we try to be so correct, we assume that the new terms will be considered less offensive, that they will mean something different to the listeners.  Unfortunately, a rose is a rose regardless of what name we attach to it.  If we call it by its Latin name, 'of the Rosaceae family' the response most likely will be, "What?"  If we call a lawnmower operator an environmental engineer,  most of us know what we are talking about and what the pay scale for the job is..  A 'waste disposal specialist' for the man who empties the wastebaskets at the end of the day should earn him a raise in salary.just for the new title.  However,' secret donation' instead of bribe certainly lends more credibility to the receiver of the funds, does it not?

Someone made a politically correct dictionary for laughs.  To read a politically incorrect dictionary, click here. I particularly like the new definition for cowardly:  challenge challenged. 

PROFILING: RIGHT OR WRONG? GOOD OR BAD?

The notion that it is avoidable for people to profile is bizarre.  We learn to recognize danger by making certain assumptions by appearances and behaviors.  It is totally a part of our survival kit  What people should be talking about is not profiling per se, but inappropriate behavior with profile information.  Those in authority, such as police, guards, people in charge of decisions that significantly effect the life of the one profiled have laws to protect that they are not reacted to subjectively.  Without those laws, our Constitution and its amendments, we would be at the mercy of everyone's individual biases and prejudices.  This is what is being considered in the US currently. Lieberman wants to unnecessarily amend the Constitution  though it is not clear that just wouldn't make way for more harmful mistakes to our citizens..   Some people are acting as though  having strong feelings about something  means they have the right to act on those feelings even if it seriously, negatively impacts on another citizen's rights..

Many biases and prejudices are being fostered by media. Some of  those who speak in the name of religion, politicians, and those who choose to brainwash voters for their own personal gain are also wanting more power to control with their emotions rather than laws and rules..  Law enforcement would be set back many years if we were to disallow the huge databases storing information to help solve crimes.  I reiterate, it is not the forensic profiling that is a problem, it is how forensic professionals or untrained people who had access to personal data could misuse it.  For anyone wishing to learn a bit more about criminal profiling, click here.

Anyone who goes on the Internet is being profiled.  Our country allows profilers to track personal information to see what products interest them, what they buy, where they go on the Internet.  Their rationalization, also without consulting the public or getting permission, is that it will help better direct advertising and lessen SPAM.  All of this is done with most computer users totally unaware as to the reasons their computer has slowed down.

Profiling will never go away.  We need to define parameters for the way profiling can be helpful to our society or ways in which it can be harmful when it violates people's right to not have to submit to unreasonable and uncalled for search and seizure.  (Amendment 4 - Search and Seizure. Ratified 12/15/1791.
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.)  Clearly, in 1791 there were no cars or they too might have been written in.  For more, click here.

ANOTHER LOCK ON THE BARN DOOR AFTER THE HORSE IS STOLEN

Robert Gates has ordered an investigation ( a far-reaching review) of administrative costs at the Pentagon.  Apparently 40% money spent went to bureaucracy.  He seems to believe he can save 10 billion dollars to go on combat operations.  330 billion dollars has been saved by cutting several dozen weapons programs.  I suppose that will have the Republicans babbling about the job losses.

It is heartening to see someone publicly stating what the rest of us have already suspected for years but there has not been transparency of the Pentagon budget to the public in years, to the best of my knowledge. 

If you would like to read the whole article, click here.  It appeared on the BBC News online.  If nepotism, graft, pay-offs, and downright theft could be eliminated we might be able to establish an American Middle Class again.