Shutting Down Science:
In January 2001 the New England Journal of Medicine published a study showing that reducing salt in the diet could lower blood pressure, even in people without hypertension. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, which funded the study, quickly posted a press release on its Web site announcing the findings.

The Salt Institute, an industry group, was stung by the study’s results. Unable to challenge the data on scientific grounds, the institute found another way to attack them. It filed a petition under the Data Quality Act–a law ironically intended to ensure that regulations are based on solid science–arguing that the findings did not meet the act’s standards and that the heart institute had therefore broken the law by posting them…
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this was dumb of them on both sides. one study does not a finding make and policy should not come from one finding.

Chinese, English speakers vary at math:
But native English speakers also showed activity in a language processing area of the brain, while native Chinese speakers used a brain region involved in the processing of visual information, according to the report in Tuesday’s issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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this lends something to the sapir-worf hypothesis…..

Nashuatelegraph.com: Man charged after videotaping police
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NASHUA – A city man is charged with violating state wiretap laws by recording a detective on his home security camera, while the detective was investigating the man’s sons.Michael Gannon, 49, of 26 Morgan St., was arrested Tuesday night, after he brought a video to the police station to try to file a complaint against Detective Andrew Karlis, according to Gannon’s wife, Janet Gannon, and police reports filed in Nashua District Court.
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this has better be canceled at the court level…

Know your rights when you’ve been pulled over:
The Flex Your Rights Foundation has posted a 45-minute video on Google designed to help you understand your rights next time a cop pulls you over.

We’ve touched on the issue of how to handle police car searches once or twice before, but this video, apart from being fairly dorky, should help you get an idea of your rights on the road. Thanks Jason! — Adam Pash
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be aware of your rights…. so you can reminisce when they are taken away…