Psychedelic Room Helps Dementia Patients. “…Psychologists are reaching back to the psychedelic and ‘mind expanding’
1960s and updating research on sensory deprivation with the hope of offering relief to
people suffering from this type of dementia.

What looks like a modern art exhibit is in fact a room that enhances mental stimulation for
people with dementia. Colored lights, a giant butterfly, and a tube filled with bubbles are just
some of the objects that fill the space.” brain.com

Social and Cultural Aspects of Drinking – Culture Chemistry and Consequences. “Alcohol is a symbolic vehicle
for identifying, describing, constructing and manipulating cultural
systems, values, interpersonal relationships, behavioural norms and
expectations. Choice of beverage is rarely a matter of personal taste.” The ethnography of the “shared chemical daydream.”

We need a Constitutional Right to Vote in Presidential Elections . Vice Dean and Professor of Law at Columbia University Michael Dorf proposes we begin to seek a constitutional amendment. Recall you didn’t vote for President, you voted for a slate of electors pledged to vote for the candidate of your choice. If you live in Florida, and likely in many other places as well, you may not have even done that, even if you think you cast a vote. [via Looka!]

She’ll “Go Down” in History; or: “Yours Was Yum”: “The famous British tabloid press has tracked down a London woman whose lewd e-mail exchange with a
boyfriend was circulated to millions around the world like a virus.” Wired Some dismissed it as a grand hoax but then ate their words (no pun intended). The Register. And the admiration quotient is running high.

One writer’s opinion of The Best Science Books of the Year The Times of London And another’s. The Independent

Neural basis for self-control found?

Study Reveals How Antidepressants Work… in rats, at least: “In a study conducted in rats, regular use of antidepressants

promoted the growth of new cells in the hippocampus, an area

of the brain where cells are known to waste away in people

who are depressed. The hippocampus plays a role in learning,

memory and mood.” It’s a well-kept secret, but we’ve been using medications to treat mood disorders for half a century or more, and we don’t know how they work. I’m not sure this study changes that.

2 Killed by Violence Counselor on Midtown Street, Police Say. “A domestic violence counselor walked up to his estranged
girlfriend on a crowded Midtown street yesterday,
fatally shot the man she was with and then opened fire on
her, killing her with a point-blank shot to her forehead as
she lay wounded, the police said.” New York Times Addendum: a friend from New York writes me that the shooter walked up to two policemen, announced he would shoot himself and did so before they could act. He is in critical condition.

Wonder weed: “The first complete DNA sequence for a plant
could have more impact than its human
equivalent… Its genome is tiny – the human genome is thirty
times larger – but contains the genetic secrets of all flowering
plants.” New Scientist

The Real Thing: Democracy as a Contact Sport “Why
are you using a public library to promote a junk food product?” Common Dreams [via Robot Wisdom]

Explorers Determine Source of Amazon high in Peruvian Andes. The origins of the mighty river have been sought for centuries. As explorational feats become fewer and far between, they nonetheless remain exciting…

U.S. Approves PET Scans for Wide Range of Cancers. Great news. HCFA’s move essentially moves PET scanning from an investigational to a therapeutic tool. By allowing Medicare reimbursement for its use, a new era in medical imaging opens.

Panel Says Estrogen a Cancer Agent. “Estrogen, the so-called female
hormone, should be listed as a known cancer-causing agent, government advisers said on
Friday.”

Solar Tantrums Could Last Two More Years; Space Telescopes Feel Pain. “An 11-year cycle of solar tantrums expected to peak during the summer of 2000 has so far
been weaker than anticipated, but forecasters cautioned that the worst could still be ahead
— way ahead.

Meanwhile, scientists operating space telescopes have been puzzled by unexpected gusts of
solar radiation. But scientists are seizing the opportunity to use the orbiting observatories’
science instruments to study the brief, mysterious waves of energy that have buffeted the
crafts without warning.” space.com

Can Hubble’s Replacement Succeed? “NASA’s Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST) is being revamped as
engineers wrestle with cost and technology issues to keep the $1 billion observatory on track
for launch before 2010.

The overhaul includes shrinking the NGST’s primary mirror diameter.” space.com

Report: Hillary Clinton Agrees to $8 Million Book Deal. More double standard in action. We just got finished raking Newt Gingrich over the coals for something similar, but the Senate, unlike the House, is not bound by the same ethical guidelines, and even if it were, Ms Clinton would not be subject to them until her Jan. 3 arrival on the Senate floor. For Simon & Schuster to make back this investment, the book would have to sell considerably better than, say, the last Harry Potter volume. Smacks of corporate charity to me.