RQ127

“The Brain Bank is the world’s largest collection of athlete brains. Since its inception in 2008, the bank has documented over 50 cases of CTE [chronic traumatic encephalopathy]. Much of that work is in the hands Dr. Ann McKee, the bank’s co-director and neuropathologist. She actually dissects the brain to track the trauma in the brain, and what she’s finding in the brains of some players in their 40s and 50s is astonishing.

‘You expect a pristine brain. I saw a brain that was riddled with tau proteins. I was stunned at how similar that brain was to the boxers who lived into their 70s,’ she said. Tau proteins are the same type of proteins found in brains of Alzheimer’s patients.

But to see the same type of damage in 17-year-old Nathan Stiles’ brain was something that surprised even McKee. It’s the youngest case she’s documented, and for her, a call to action. ‘It tells you that we’ve really got to protect our kids,’ she said. ‘It’s not just car seats and seatbelts, but it’s making sure that when they go out to play sports that we take proper precaution and we give them proper advice.’”

–Nadia Kounang. “Brain Bank Examines Athletes’ Hard Hits.” CNN Jan. 27, 2012. Web.

RQ126

“Like videogames, real cars have cheat codes–actions that unlock hidden potential. Some are printed in the owner’s manual; others are meant only for dealers. Many shut down safety features, so we’ll warn you: Don’t try these on public roads unless you think you can cheat death, too.”

–Keith Barry. “Prepare for Liftoff.” Wired Feb. 2012: 58.

RQ125

“Brain scans revealed that people with no symptoms of Alzheimer’s who engaged in cognitively stimulating activities throughout their lives had fewer deposits of beta-amyloid, a destructive protein that is the hallmark of the disease.

While previous research has suggested that engaging in mentally stimulating activities – such as reading, writing and playing games – may help stave off Alzheimer’s later in life, this new study identifies the biological target at play. This discovery could guide future research into effective prevention strategies.”

–Sarah Yang. “Lifelong Brain-stimulating Habits Linked to Lower Alzheimer’s Protein Levels.” UC Berkeley NewsCenter. January 23, 2012. Web.

RQ124

“To say that I met Nicholas Brisbane over my husband’s dead body is not entirely accurate. Edward, it should be noted, was still twitching upon the floor.”

–Deanna Raybourn. Silent in the Grave. Ontario: Mira, 2007. Quote on page 13.

RQ123

“With history within their grasp, the 49ers, a historically mistake-free team, fumbled away their chance to reach their first Super Bowl in 17 years.”

–Eric Branch. “49ers Drop Ball as Giants Win NFC Title Game 20-17.” SFGate Jan. 23, 2012. Web.

RQ122

“She could not have known that to my mind sloppiness in textual analysis was absolutely unforgivable, far worse than the deliberate falsification of results from a slipshod chemical experiment.”

–Laurie King. A Monstrous Regiment of Women. New York: Bantam Books, 1995. Quote on page 56.

RQ121

“Without being too dramatic, we are seeing an attempt to resist the destruction of the central institutions of modernity: the university, the public commons, and the welfare state. Although it was once taken for granted that everyone should sacrifice for the common public good, this social contract has been broken, and now some are fighting to maintain it, while others are pushing us forward to a more premodern mode of social organization.”

–Bob Samuels. “UCR Students Promote a Bad Tuition Plan as Police Beat Protesters.” Changing Universities. Blogspot. Jan. 20, 2102. Web.

RQ120

“Argument 2: ‘But isnʼt the UC in particular broke?’
• Yes and no. While state funding has declined sharply, the mismanagement and priorities of UC Administrators and the Regents have worsened the impact of these cuts on students, workers, and overall educational quality.
• Assumption: Because the UC is a public university, the Regents who manage the UC must be transparent and accountable to voters—and share our priorities.

BUT: the Board of Regents is neither transparent nor accountable.
• The majority of the 25 Regents are appointed by governors to serve 12-year terms, (usually as political favors for large contributions or fund-raising efforts.)
• Voters, students, and even lawmakers have almost no say about who gets to be a Regent or what their priorities should be in managing the University.

SO: What are those priorities?
• The UC prioritizes construction projects, administrative growth, and executive bonuses—over students, workers, and faculty.
• The ratio of managers to professors in 1994 was 3 to 6. But by 2010, there were actually more managers than professors.
• The Regents approve millions in 20-25% raises and bonuses for top executives nearly every time they meet—even as they are cutting pay and hiking fees.
• The cost of administrative bloat in the UC is estimated at $600 million a year.

POINT: The UC is not broke. Like the state, UC Administrators and the Regents have made a choice to respond to state cuts by funneling money to administrators and executives, while forcing pay cuts and tuition hikes on UC workers and students.”

–”Teach the Budget”. Winter 2012. teachthebudget.com. Quote on pages 2-3.

RQ119

“SOPA (the ‘Stop Online Piracy Act’) and PIPA (the ‘Protect Intellectual Property Act’ ) are bills in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, respectively. These bills are presented as efforts to stop copyright infringement committed by foreign web sites, but in our opinion, they do so in a way that would disrupt free expression and harm the Internet. Detailed information about these bills can be found in the Stop Online Piracy Act and PROTECT IP Act articles on Wikipedia (which remained available during the blackout). GovTrack lets you follow both bills through the legislative process: SOPA on this page, and PIPA on this one. The Electronic Frontier Foundation, an organization that advocates for the public interest in the digital realm, has summarized the flaws in these bills, and the threats to an open, secure, and free Internet.”

–”Wikipedia:SOPA initiative/Learn more.” Wikipedia. Web. Page accessed Jan. 19, 2012.

RQ118

“Indeed, contrary to popular belief, people actually get happier with age.”

–Sonja Lyubomirsky. The How of Happiness. New York: Penguin Books, 2007. Quote on page 63.