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Patri’s World

Posted on July 12, 2015 by Danzig

Names You Need To Know In 2011 - Forbes Magazine "...leads a studied life" - SF Chronicle (front-page) "Friedman's vision isn't based in fiction, it's based in reality" - CBS Sunday Morning

To see what I'm up to lately, Follow me on or read one of my many blogs.

My life in San Jose, California is centered around my children Tovar and Iselle, my girlfriend Brit, my job at Google, my venture fund Zarco Investment Group, and my work at The Seasteading Institute, a small non-profit whose mission is "To establish permanent, autonomous ocean communities to enable experimentation and innovation with diverse social, political, and legal systems". Please consider joining TSI and helping us increase competition in government.

Most people come across me via my views on politics, which are described in some of these essays, talks, and papers::

Some material on my other work:

If you need to correspond with me, I can be reached for personal things as patrissimo-at-gmail-dot-com and for work things as patri-at-seasteading-dot-org. Everything addressed to me gets at least a skim within a day or two, and I fully read most of it, but I unfortunately often don't have the time to respond to it quickly, at length, or sometimes at all. If you promise not to take it personally, I'll promise to use my time to do awesome things :). (Here's a good piece on the philosophy behind this.)

Patri's World

Pictures: Floating Cities of the Future

Posted on July 12, 2015 by Danzig

The Citadel

Scheduled for completion in 2014, the Citadel could be Europe's first floating apartment building, according to architect Koen Olthuis of Waterstudio.NL. The 60-unit complex is to be built in the Dutch city of Westland, near The Hague, and is meant to protect people from flooding in a country that sits, to a large degree, below sea level.

Holland is home to more than 3,500 inland depressions, which can fill with water when it rains, when tides come in, or as seas rise overall. These so-called polders are often drained by pumps to protect residents.

Floating single-family homes are not uncommon in this soggy country, but the Citadelto be built on a flooded polderwill be the first high-density floating residential development. The complex's floating concrete foundation will be connected to higher ground via a floating road.

Olthuis predicts the Citadeland its five planned neighborswill consume 25 percent less energy over its life span than a conventional building.

(See photos of the effects of sea level rise.)

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Pictures: Floating Cities of the Future

Drugs, Brains, and Behavior: The Science of Addiction

Posted on July 12, 2015 by ev1

For much of the past century, scientists studying drug abuse labored in the shadows of powerful myths and misconceptions about the nature of addiction. When scientists began to study addictive behavior in the 1930s, people addicted to drugs were thought to be morally flawed and lacking in willpower. Those views shaped societys responses to drug abuse, treating it as a moral failing rather than a health problem, which led to an emphasis on punishment rather than prevention and treatment. Today, thanks to science, our views and our responses to addiction and other substance use disorders have changed dramatically. Groundbreaking discoveries about the brain have revolutionized our understanding of compulsive drug use, enabling us to respond effectively to the problem.

As a result of scientific research, we know that addiction is a disease that affects both the brain and behavior. We have identified many of the biological and environmental factors and are beginning to search for the genetic variations that contribute to the development and progression of the disease. Scientists use this knowledge to develop effective prevention and treatment approaches that reduce the toll drug abuse takes on individuals, families, and communities.

Despite these advances, many people today do not understand why people become addicted to drugs or how drugs change the brain to foster compulsive drug use. This booklet aims to fill that knowledge gap by providing scientific information about the disease of drug addiction, including the many harmful consequences of drug abuse and the basic approaches that have been developed to prevent and treat substance use disorders. At the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), we believe that increased understanding of the basics of addiction will empower people to make informed choices in their own lives, adopt science-based policies and programs that reduce drug abuse and addiction in their communities, and support scientific research that improves the Nations well-being.

Nora D. Volkow, M.D. Director National Institute on Drug Abuse

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Drugs, Brains, and Behavior: The Science of Addiction

Molecular Medicine University of Washington

Posted on July 12, 2015 by Danzig

Molecular Medicine Training Program

The Molecular Medicine Training Program (MMTP) at the University of Washington trains students to use advances in basic sciences to solve problems relevant to human disease; and to use insights from human disease processes to solve fundamental biological problems. Students may participate in the MMTP either via the interdisciplinary Molecular Medicine and Mechanisms of Disease (M3D) PhD Program, which provides a deep and relevant background for students committed to translational research; or via the Molecular Medicine Graduate Certificate Program, designed for students pursuing PhD training in departmental or interdisciplinary programs who wish to obtain foundational understanding of questions relevant to human health and disease. All MMTP students participate in courses that emphasize the significance of research to human disease. Thesis research is supervised by two mentors, one a basic scientist and the other a clinician scientist, enabling students to complement their experimental work with exposure to relevant problems in the clinic.

Molecular Medicine and Mechanisms of Disease (M3D) PhD Program

Molecular Medicine Certificate Program

Training incorporates three key elements: a case-based course emphasing application of basic science to human disease; a clinical interface course, and dual mentorship of Ph.D. research by a basic scientist and clinical mentor. It is open to students pursuing PhD training in the Departments of Biochemistry, Bioengineering, Genome Sciences, Immunology, Microbiology, Pathology, Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics, and in the interdisciplinary Molecular and Cellular Biology Program. The Certificate is awarded at the time of the receipt of the PhD.

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Molecular Medicine University of Washington

M.Sc. Molecular Medicine – at University of Ulm, Ulm …

Posted on July 12, 2015 by Danzig

In todays post-genomic world, researchers and scientists in the field of molecular medicine are transforming the way we understand, treat, and cure diseases. Germany is a prominent leader in this fast-moving field and is spearheading many of the latest innovations and cutting-edge approaches.

The Master in Molecular Medicine at Ulm University is the ideal postgraduate programme for students who have obtained a bachelor degree in a life science subject, such as biochemistry, biomedical science, human biology, molecular biology, molecular biotechnology, molecular life science, or molecular medicine. All of the programme's lectures, seminars, and practical courses are taught in English and all examinations are conducted in English.

This exciting degree programme enables students to expand and enhance their:

A master degree in molecular medicine equips students with the knowledge and skills necessary to undertake scientific projects in the field of molecular medicine and to review and critically discuss published data related to this research area.

Students in this programme benefit from our professors professional ties with nearby hospital partners, other researchers, healthcare providers, and industry specialists.

The Master in Molecular Medicine is studied over three semesters.

In the first two semesters, students focus mainly on the module entitled Specific Aspects of Molecular Medicine, which is taught via a mix of lectures, seminars, and practical work. The lectures and seminars concentrate on various aspects of haematology and oncology, regenerative medicine, infectious diseases and immune reactions, neurobiology, and human genetics. For the practical element, students select four research courses from a choice of 40, each of which lasts for four weeks.

The first year of the programme includes a lecture and seminar on clinical trials. Students will also look at aspects of management, such as project management and European patent law, and take soft skills courses, including good laboratory practice, bioethics, and the interpretation of scientific results.

An examination is held at the end of the first year. Depending on the grade achieved in this examination, highly-motivated and well-qualified students can move directly onto the PhD programme to undertake fast-track doctoral studies.

In the third semester, students concentrate on writing their dissertation. The Master in Molecular Medicine concludes with an oral examination (viva voce) at the end of the final semester.

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M.Sc. Molecular Medicine - at University of Ulm, Ulm ...

The Social Darwinist – TV Tropes

Posted on July 12, 2015 by Danzig

"It's really simple. You bring two sides together. They fight. A lot of them die. But those who survive are stronger, faster and better." The Social Darwinist is someone who believes that the Darwinist theory of evolution i.e. "survival of the fittest" to oversimplify it should be applied to people, and sometimes entire societies or nations. To the Social Darwinist, all life is a struggle for survival in which the strongest naturally prosper at the expense of the weak and it is right, and natural that they should do so, because that's just the way things are, and/or natural law is Above Good and Evil. Such characters rarely concede that their chances for survival may have started higher than others due to reasons such as inherited wealth or social prestige. They typically state that We Have Become Complacent and stupid, and want to remove weakness and stupidity from society. It may seem to some that because humans aren't currently having wars/disaster and humans aren't endangered as a species that evolution in humans has ceased altogether. If they do talk about evolution, they are very likely to talk about Evolutionary Levels and Goal-Oriented Evolution rather than Darwin's actual theory (which was more of a pass-fail concept.) Fictional Social Darwinists generally come in five major flavors: The Straw Meritocrat: Basically, a Nietzsche Wannabe without the overt craziness. This first type believes in Social Darwinism, which misinterprets the idea of evolution and natural selection and holds that people who rise to the top in society, by whatever means, are automatically "superior" - even going so far as to praise the evils of over-ambitiousness and condemn kind behavior. Frequently this will be held even in settings where the people in charge are clearly getting there through Nepotism, or otherwise as a result of luck and privilege. Despite it being nothing more than a Theme Park Version, this philosophy is still frequently held by both fictional characters and a few Real Life 'successful' people. The Nazi By Any Other Name: The second type is a racist or speciesist who believes that their race is a Master Race, and by extension, the only one fit to live and reproduce in this world, and uses this belief as a justification for subjugating, enslaving or just plain getting rid of those that they consider "inferior" (as the Real Life Nazis did). Scary Dogmatic Aliens are very likely to have this mindset, as is any society modeled upon the Nazis. Occasionally also held by superheroes. The Evilutionary Biologist: The third type is the Evilutionary Biologist or anyone who has mistaken ideas about how evolution works "for the good of the species," and in order to help it out or not "get in its way," anyone with a birth defect or who is in any other way "weak" in this villain's eyes deserves to die to keep the gene pool strong. Many such characters hope to create the Transhuman Ultimate Life Form. This type is also what Those Wacky Nazis had in mind with Aktion T-4. The Jerk Justifier: The fourth type is simply selfish and uses Social Darwinism as just a justification for sociopathic behavior. This character may not actually believe it and may not even care, but finds Social Darwinism to be a convenient justification or excuse for the way they were going to behave anyway. Often overlaps with Straw Hypocrite - especially if he's a coward who'll immediately resort to "un-Darwinist" cheating if he's ever exposed as inferior himself. The Struggler: The fifth type believe that competition, suffering and struggle makes the individual, and possibly a society (as a whole), superior. They tend to believe in Evil Virtues like cunning, ruthlessness, opportunism and the ability to endure and survive by any means necessary, and tend to have a cynical view of the world as a hard, harsh place and that Hobbes Was Right; they may also / instead suffer from Evil Cannot Comprehend Good and thus undervalue non-Social Darwinist virtues like kindness or pacifism. A Real Man Is a Killer logic often falls into this category as does War Is Glorious. Those Wacky Nazis held to this view as well. Differ from the first in that they don't necessarily believe that those at the top always deserve it; they tend to take a Might Makes Right view of things, and the most sincere of this kind do not believe the struggle ever ends. If the Social Darwinist doesn't suffer a Karmic Death, the heroes "disprove" his might-makes-right philosophy by demonstrating the The Power of FriendshipnoteIn fact, actual evolutionary scientists posit The Power of Friendship and general co-operation as the best survival strategy for most people most of the time, not to mention an evolutionary strategy that the human species specifically evolved to exploit: either by ganging up and beating the crap out of him and his cronies, or by the leader of the group (often the All-Loving Hero) doing it himself while repeatedly driving home that he's fighting for his friends. A particularly profound way this to happen is to have the character beaten by a character who is either a visible minority the Social Darwinist considers inferior or has a glaring physical or mental handicaps. More sympathetic Social Darwinists (i.e. if they aren't hypocrites) will often begin to respect the heroes after their defeat; they may turn into a Worthy Opponent or even become a Noble Bigot as they struggle with their beliefs and begrudgingly admit that a group they had considered inferior does in fact have worthy people among them. Their beliefs might be a Tragic Flaw if they were drilled into them from a young age or they actually had to live in such a place were their views are justified. Compare Evilutionary Biologist, Evil Evolves, and Kill the Poor and Slobs Versus Snobs. Sometimes overlaps with Objectivism and the "bermensch" concept. There's a bit of this trope in the Satisfied Street Rat. Likewise, characters with a Darwinist Desire are usually only interested in applying social Darwinism on themselves and their offspring rather than imposing it on society, though both tropes can overlap in the same character. Compare and contrast Living Is More Than Surviving - Social Darwinist will variably put either survival or quality of life on top of others. Note that Charles Darwin himself would not be amused by all these people and the way they interpreted his works; he proposed nothing of the sort. (And while Darwin did believe that the Caucasian race had evolved further than other races, his racism was based not on arrogance or sociopathy; it was simply where the conclusions of his research led him.) You never see a social Darwinist treating societies in the same way a real Darwinist treats species: Darwinists are interested in maintaining biodiversity, and Darwinism is a description of the way species work, not a prescription for which species should live or die. See Appeal to Nature for the fallacy of using "nature" to prescribe any behaviour (moral, immoral or not), and also see the Analysis page for this trope for more information on that. This did not stop Social Darwinism from becoming a fairly mainstream philosophy from the Victorian era to WWII, when it became associated with the Nazis; this association contributed greatly to its loss of popularity. However, the emergence of culture war politics in the late 20th century appears to have won new adherents to the philosophy. Contrast Underdogs Always Win, which takes this concept and flips it completely on its head. A final note: despite the similarity in spelling, this trope has nothing to do with Socialism. Part of the problem comes from conflating socialism with atheism (the two do not always go together), and then reasoning that someone who does not believe in God (and, therefore, disavows the possibility of the existence of the soul) takes a crudely biological view of humanity, seeing them as animals with an instinct to dominate one another. But the fact is that the socialist's concern for and solidarity with all of humankind rules out - at least in theory - the prospect of him or her becoming so cynical, selfish and cruel.

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Anime and Manga

"Don't you get it? My men aren't going to come and rescue me. Because if I die here, I'm not worthy to lead them anyway."

Satsuki: All students have the right to attack all other students! Secret meetings, scheming, backstabbing, anything goes! Seven days from now, reach the schoolyard alive, and then use your strength to lay claim on your social standing once again!

Comic Books

Fan Fiction

Films Animated

Rourke: Get off your soap box, Thatch. You've read Darwin. It's called 'natural selection'. We're just helping it along.

Aladar: (Concerning the elders in the back) But the others in the back! They'll never make it!

More here:

The Social Darwinist - TV Tropes

Margaret Sanger – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Posted on July 12, 2015 by Danzig

Margaret Higgins Sanger (September 14, 1879 September 6, 1966) was an American birth control activist, sex educator, and nurse. Sanger popularized the term birth control, opened the first birth control clinic in the United States, and established organizations that evolved into the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Sanger was also a writer. She used this method to help promote her way of thinking. She was prosecuted for her book Family Limitation under the Comstock Act in 1914. She was afraid of what would happen, so she fled to Britain until she knew it was safe to return to the US. Sanger's efforts contributed to several judicial cases that helped legalize contraception in the United States. Sanger is a frequent target of criticism by opponents of abortion and has also been criticized for supporting eugenics, but remains an iconic figure in the American reproductive rights movement.[2]

In 1916, Sanger opened the first birth control clinic in the United States, which led to her arrest for distributing information on contraception. Her subsequent trial and appeal generated controversy. Sanger felt that in order for women to have a more equal footing in society and to lead healthier lives, they needed to be able to determine when to bear children. She also wanted to prevent unsafe abortions, so-called back-alley abortions, which were common at the time because abortions were usually illegal. She believed that while abortion was sometimes justified it should generally be avoided, and she considered contraception the only practical way to avoid the use of abortions.

In 1921, Sanger founded the American Birth Control League, which later became the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. In New York City, she organized the first birth control clinic staffed by all-female doctors, as well as a clinic in Harlem with an entirely African-American staff. In 1929, she formed the National Committee on Federal Legislation for Birth Control, which served as the focal point of her lobbying efforts to legalize contraception in the United States. From 1952 to 1959, Sanger served as president of the International Planned Parenthood Federation. She died in 1966, and is widely regarded as a founder of the modern birth control movement.

Sanger was born Margaret Louise Higgins in 1879 in Corning, New York,[3] to Michael Hennessey Higgins, an Irish-born stonemason and free-thinker, and Anne Purcell Higgins, a Catholic Irish-American. Michael Hennessey Higgins had emigrated to the USA at age 14 and joined the U.S. Army as a drummer at age 15, during the Civil War. After leaving the army, Michael studied medicine and phrenology, but ultimately became a stonecutter, making stone angels, saints, and tombstones.[4] Michael H. Higgins was a Catholic who became an atheist and an activist for women's suffrage and free public education.[5] Anne Higgins went through 18 pregnancies (with 11 live births) in 22 years before dying at the age of 49. Sanger was the sixth of eleven surviving children,[6] and spent much of her youth assisting with household chores and caring for her younger siblings. Anne's parents took their children and emigrated to Canada when she was a child, due to the Potato Famine.

Supported by her two older sisters, Margaret Higgins attended Claverack College and Hudson River Institute, before enrolling in 1900 at White Plains Hospital as a nurse probationer. In 1902, she married the dashing architect William Sanger and gave up her education.[7] Though she was plagued by a recurring active tubercular condition, Margaret Sanger bore three children, and the couple settled down to a quiet life in Westchester, New York.

In 1911, after a fire destroyed their home in Hastings-on-Hudson, the Sangers abandoned the suburbs for a new life in New York City. Margaret Sanger worked as a visiting nurse in the slums of the East Side, while her husband worked as an architect and a house painter. Already imbued with her husband's leftist politics, Margaret Sanger also threw herself into the radical politics and modernist values of pre-World War I Greenwich Village bohemia. She joined the Women's Committee of the New York Socialist party, took part in the labor actions of the Industrial Workers of the World (including the notable 1912 Lawrence Textile Strike and the 1913 Paterson Silk Strike) and became involved with local intellectuals, left-wing artists, socialists and social activists, including John Reed, Upton Sinclair, Mabel Dodge and Emma Goldman.[8]

Sanger's political interests, emerging feminism and nursing experience led her to write two series of columns on sex education entitled "What Every Mother Should Know" (191112) and "What Every Girl Should Know" (1912-13) for the socialist magazine New York Call. By the standards of the day, Sanger's articles were extremely frank in their discussion of sexuality, and many New York Call readers were outraged by them. Other readers, however, praised the series for its candor, one stated that the series contained "a purer morality than whole libraries full of hypocritical cant about modesty.[9] Both were later published in book form in 1916.[10]

During her work among working class immigrant women, Sanger was exposed to graphic examples of women going through frequent childbirth, miscarriage and self-induced abortion for lack of information on how to avoid unwanted pregnancy. Access to contraceptive information was prohibited on grounds of obscenity by the 1873 federal Comstock law and a host of state laws. Searching for something that would help these women, Sanger visited public libraries, but was unable to find information on contraception.[11] These problems were epitomized in a (possibly fictional) story that Sanger would later recount in her speeches: while Sanger was working as a nurse, she was called to the apartment of a woman, "Sadie Sachs," who had become extremely ill due to a self-induced abortion. Afterward, "Sadie" (whose marital status Sanger never mentioned) begged the attending doctor to tell her how she could prevent this from happening again, to which the doctor simply advised her to remain abstinent. A few months later, Sanger was called back to "Sadie's" apartment only this time, "Sadie" died shortly after Sanger arrived. She had attempted yet another self-induced abortion.[12][13] Sanger would sometimes end the story by saying, "I threw my nursing bag in the corner and announced... that I would never take another case until I had made it possible for working women in America to have the knowledge to control birth." Although "Sadie Sachs" was possibly a fictional composite of several women Sanger had known, this story marks the time when Sanger began to devote her life to help desperate women before they were driven to pursue dangerous and illegal abortions.[13][14]

Accepting the connection proposed between contraception and working-class empowerment by radicals such as Emma Goldman, Sanger came to believe that only by liberating women from the risk of unwanted pregnancy would fundamental social change take place. She proceeded to launch a campaign to challenge governmental censorship of contraceptive information. She would set up a series of confrontational actions designed to challenge the law and force birth control to become a topic of public debate. Sanger's trip to France in 1913 exposed her to what Goldman had been saying. Sanger's experience during her trip to France directly influence The Women Rebel newsletter. The trip to France was also the beginning of the end of her marriage with William Sanger.[15]

In 1914, Sanger launched The Woman Rebel, an eight-page monthly newsletter which promoted contraception using the slogan "No Gods, No Masters".[16][note 2][17] Sanger, collaborating with anarchist friends, popularized the term "birth control" as a more candid alternative to euphemisms such as "family limitation"[18] and proclaimed that each woman should be "the absolute mistress of her own body."[19] In these early years of Sanger's activism, she viewed birth control as a free-speech issue, and when she started publishing The Woman Rebel, one of her goals was to provoke a legal challenge to the federal anti-obscenity laws which banned dissemination of information about contraception.[20][21] Though postal authorities suppressed five of its seven issues, Sanger continuing publication, all the while preparing, Family Limitation, an even more blatant challenge to anti-birth control laws. This 16-page pamphlet contained detailed and precise information and graphic descriptions of various contraceptive methods. In August 1914 Margaret Sanger was indicted for violating postal obscenity laws by sending the The Woman Rebel through the postal system. Instead of standing trial, she jumped bail and fled to Canada. Then, under the alias "Bertha Watson", sailed for England. En route she ordered her labor associates to release copies of the Family Limitation.[22]

Margaret Sanger - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hank Henshaw – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Posted on July 12, 2015 by Danzig

Hank Henshaw is a supervillain featured in the DC Comics universe. While originally featured primarily as an enemy of Superman, recent years have repositioned him as one of the main enemies of the Green Lantern Corps. While the character debuted in The Adventures of Superman #465 (April 1990), he was reintroduced as the original Cyborg Superman during the Reign of the Supermen storyline following Superman's death. At times, he is also referred to as The Cyborg (not to be confused with Teen Titans member Victor Stone aka Cyborg).[1]

Hank Henshaw first appeared as a crew member on board the doomed NASA space shuttle Excalibur in Superman #42, and Henshaw and the other crew members were next seen in Adventures of Superman #465.[2][3]

In a pastiche of the origin of the Fantastic Four, Hank and the other three members of the Excalibur crew, including his wife Terri, are part of a LexCorp-designed radiation experiment that is affected by a solar flare, causing their shuttle to crash.[1] As a result of their radiation exposure, the human bodies of two crew members were destroyed. However, their minds survived and they were able to construct new bodies out of cosmic radiation and bits of earth and wreckage from the shuttle, respectively. Initially, Henshaw and his wife suffer no ill effects from the radiation (though Hank's hair turns white), and the crew travels to Metropolis in the hopes of using LexCorp facilities to cure their mutated crew mates. During a brief battle with Superman, the crew member now composed of radiation becomes unhinged and flies into the sun, thereby destroying himself. By this time, Henshaw's body has started to rapidly decay while his wife is beginning to phase into an alternate dimension. With Superman's help, Henshaw is able to use the LexCorp facilities to save Terri. The remaining member of the shuttle crew commits suicide using an MRI booth to tear apart the metallic components of his body.[4]

Though Henshaw's physical body expired, he was able to transfer his consciousness into the LexCorp mainframe. Now able to control technology, Henshaw appears to his wife in a robotic body. The shock of this bizarre rebirth is too much for Terri and in a fit of insanity, she jumps to her death from the nearest window. By this point, Henshaw's electronic consciousness has begun to disrupt Earth's communications networks. Using NASA communications equipment, Henshaw beams his mind into the birthing matrix which had carried Superman from Krypton to Earth as an infant.[1] He creates a small exploration craft from the birthing matrix and departs into outer space alone.[5]

Henshaw spends some time traveling between planets, bonding with local lifeforms to learn about the culture and history of various worlds. Henshaw would later come to believe that Superman was responsible for the tragedy of the Excalibur after learning that around the time of the accident, the Man of Steel had thrown a rogue Kryptonian artificial intelligence (the Eradicator) into the sun. Henshaw believes that this created the solar flare that resulted in the Excalibur crew's transformations (Although Superman had shared this concern with Terri after he saved her life and she had confirmed that the flares would have been triggered before Superman disposed of the Eradicator).[6] Over time, Henshaw becomes delusional and paranoid, believing that the Man of Steel had intentionally caused the deaths of himself, his wife, and his crew, then driven him from the Earth. Arriving on a planet controlled by alien overlord and Superman foe Mongul, Henshaw learns of Warworld and forcibly recruits Mongul as part of a plan for revenge against Superman.[7]

With Superman apparently dead after his battle with Doomsday, Henshaw decides to pose as him in order to destroy his reputation. To that end, the Cyborg claims to be Superman reborn, the result of the hero's body being pieced together and revived with technology. The Cyborg then uses knowledge obtained from Superman's birthing matrix to construct a body that is genetically identical to Superman.[7] When analyzed closely by Professor Hamilton, the Cyborg passes for the real thing due to components within himself that include Kryptonian alloys, combined with the fact that the replaced body parts correspond with those parts of the original Superman's body that were most severely injured in his fight with Doomsday.[8]

After destroying a Superman memorial plaque in front of the Daily Planet, the Cyborg exiles Doomsday into space, prevents a nuclear meltdown, and saves the President of the United States from an assassination attempt. The White House then endorses the Cyborg as the 'true' Superman.[9][10] When confronted by Lois Lane, the Cyborg claims his memory is "blurry" but he can see a "spaceship on a farm and the name Kent", suggesting that Henshaw may be aware of Superman's secret identity.[8]

Henshaw's arrival as Superman, the self-styled Man of Tomorrow, was simultaneous with that of three others: John Henry Irons (the self-styled Man of Steel), Eradicator (the self-styled Last Son of Krypton), and the modern Superboy.[9] The endorsement of the President ensures that the Cyborg eclipses the rest of the heroes claiming to be Superman's heir. During this time, two cults spring up in anticipation of Superman's return from the dead; one which deified the Eradicator and another which venerated the Cyborg. Supporters of both would eventually come to blows over which was the real Superman. This was a foreshadowing of a battle yet to come between the Cyborg and the Eradicator as the Cyborg began to move his plans forward.[1]

When an alien ship appears over Coast City, the Cyborg attacks and severely injures the Eradicator, allowing Mongul's craft to destroy the city. The Cyborg also murders an entire family of vacationers trying to find a way out of the devastated area. [11] The Cyborg was then able to convince the White House and the public that the Eradicator is responsible.[12] After tricking and defeating Superboy, Henshaw prepares to launch a nuclear warhead intended to convert Metropolis into a second Engine City.[12][13]

Superboy is able to escape and warn John Henry Irons, Supergirl, and the resurrected but powerless original Superman of the Cyborg's plans.[7][14] The quartet travels to the site of the former Coast City, and Superman (whose powers are slowly returning), Supergirl, and Steel confront Mongul and the Cyborg while Superboy stops the missile from hitting Metropolis.[15] While Green Lantern defeats Mongul, the Cyborg lures Superman and the Eradicator to the Engine City main reactor and attempts to kill Superman with the kryptonite that powers the engine. When Henshaw tries to kill Superman with a concentrated blast of kryptonite radiation, the Eradicator intercepts the blast at the expense of his own life. As the Kryptonite energy passes through the Eradicator, the radiation is altered and acts to fully restore Superman's powers. Superman is then able to easily defeat the already weakened Cyborg.[16]

Originally posted here:

Hank Henshaw - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

USGS Flagstaff Science Campus – Public Page

Posted on July 11, 2015 by Danzig

FSC History

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) Flagstaff Science Campus (FSC) houses science centers and research teams of the USGS that have a diverse range of scientific expertise. The late Eugene Shoemaker established the Astrogeology Branch of the USGS in Flagstaff in 1963, as a research facility for the new science of planetary geology. Flagstaff's clear air and high elevation made it a desirable location for telescope observations of the Moon and planets, and nearby Meteor Crater was a superb training ground for the Apollo astronauts. There and in the volcanic fields surrounding Flagstaff, astronauts tested equipment and were taught to look at the Moon through the eyes of a geologist.

While the initial focus of the FSC was lunar and planetary studies, other USGS groups began to migrate to the campus in the 1960s through the 1990s. Scientific collaboration among the various scientists located at the FSC provide one of the most unique USGS campuses in the country. The expertise of FSC scientists and collaboration opportunities provide the ability to address science issues related to water, ecosystems, climate and land-use change, energy and minerals, environmental health, and planetary exploration and study.

FSC staff provides outreach to other science organizations, schools, and to the general public. Scientists provide brown bag lectures on campus and other locations in Flagstaff. The public can take self-guided tours of FSC facilities and science displays. Also, FSC staff participates in Flagstaffs annual Festival of Science.

For more information about FSC outreach activities, please contact Greg Vaughan (gvaughan@usgs.gov, 928-556-7006)

The Flagstaff Remote Sensing Science Consortium (FRSSC, pronounced Frisk) includes scientists and other professionals at the USGS Flagstaff Science Campus (FSC) who develop and apply remote sensing techniques and methods in support of USGS science priorities and societal needs. Visit the FRSSC web page to learn more!

Nanotechnology – IOPscience

Posted on July 11, 2015 by Danzig

Titanium and titanium alloys exhibit a unique combination of strength and biocompatibility, which enables their use in medical applications and accounts for their extensive use as implant materials in the last 50 years. Currently, a large amount of research is being carried out in order to determine the optimal surface topography for use in bioapplications, and thus the emphasis is on nanotechnology for biomedical applications. It was recently shown that titanium implants with rough surface topography and free energy increase osteoblast adhesion, maturation and subsequent bone formation. Furthermore, the adhesion of different cell lines to the surface of titanium implants is influenced by the surface characteristics of titanium; namely topography, charge distribution and chemistry. The present review article focuses on the specific nanotopography of titanium, i.e. titanium dioxide (TiO 2) nanotubes, using a simple electrochemical anodisation method of the metallic substrate and other processes such as the hydrothermal or sol-gel template. One key advantage of using TiO 2 nanotubes in cell interactions is based on the fact that TiO 2 nanotube morphology is correlated with cell adhesion, spreading, growth and differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells, which were shown to be maximally induced on smaller diameter nanotubes (15 nm), but hindered on larger diameter (100 nm) tubes, leading to cell death and apoptosis. Research has supported the significance of nanotopography (TiO 2 nanotube diameter) in cell adhesion and cell growth, and suggests that the mechanics of focal adhesion formation are similar among different cell types. As such, the present review will focus on perhaps the most spectacular and surprising one-dimensional structures and their unique biomedical applications for increased osseointegration, protein interaction and antibacterial properties.

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Nanotechnology - IOPscience

Medical Genetics at University of Washington

Posted on July 11, 2015 by Danzig

Medical Genetics Faculty, Fellows & Staff: 2014

The University of Washington Department of Medicine is recruiting for one (1) full-time faculty position at the Associate Professor, or Professor level in the Division of Medical Genetics, Department of Medicine. This position is offered with state tenure funding.

Successful candidates for this position will have an M.D./Ph.D. or M.D. degree (or foreign equivalent), clinical expertise in genetics, and will be expected to carry out a successful research program. Highly translational PhD (or foreign equivalent) scientists may be considered. Although candidates with productive research programs in translational genetics/genomics and/or precision medicine will be prioritized, investigators engaged in gene therapy research may also be considered.

The position will remain open until filled. Send CV and 1-2 page letter of interest to:

Medical Genetics Faculty Search c/o Sara Carlson Division of Medical Genetics University of Washington seisner@u.washington.edu

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Medical Genetics at University of Washington

Asteroids and Comets, Asteroids and Comets Information …

Posted on July 11, 2015 by Danzig

Rogue Remnants

Though too small to earn the distinction of planet, asteroids and comets strike huge fear in the human mind. And for good reason: at some point in the future, one of the chunky rocks or icy mud balls will slam into Earth and alter the course of history. Such an impact 65 million years ago is widely believed to have killed off the dinosaurs.

Asteroids and comets are considered remnants from the giant cloud of gas and dust that condensed to create the sun, planets, and moons some 4.5 billion years ago. Today, most asteroids orbit the sun in a tightly packed belt located between Mars and Jupiter. Comets are relegated to either a cloud or belt on the solar system fringe. Gravitational tugs, orbital collisions, and interstellar jostles occasionally perturb an asteroid or comet onto a wayward path.

The distinction between asteroids and comets is fuzzycomets tend to have more chemical compounds that vaporize when heated, such as water, and more elliptical (egg-shaped) orbits than asteroids do. And when observed through a telescope, comets appear fuzzier.

Asteroid Belt

Asteroids are essentially chunks of rock that measure in size from a few feet to several miles in diameter. (Small asteroids are called meteoroids.) The largest asteroid, Ceres, is about 590 miles (950 kilometers) wide. Like most asteroids, it lies in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Many astronomers believe the belt is primordial material that never glommed into a planet because of Jupiter's gravitational pull. Other astronomers say the belt is a planet that was broken apart during a collision.

Comets are balls of rock and ice that grow tails as they approach the sun in the course of their highly elliptical orbits. As comets heat up, gas and dust are expelled and trail behind them. The sun illuminates this trail, causing it to glow. The glowing trails are visible in the night sky.

While there are perhaps trillions of comets ringing the outer fringes of the solar system, bright comets appear in Earth's visible night sky about once per decade. Short-period comets such as Halley's were perturbed from the so-called Kuiper belt out beyond the orbit of Neptune and pass through the inner solar system once or twice in a human lifetime. Long-period comets come from the Oort Cloud, which rings the outer reaches of the solar system, and pass near the sun once every hundreds or thousands of years.

Occasional collisions and gravitational tugs send asteroids and comets careering toward the sun on highly elliptical orbits, some close enough to Earth to pose a risk of impact. Astronomers are constantly on the lookout for bodies on such a catastrophic trajectory. Most asteroids, fortunately, are too small to cause any damage. Instead they burn up in the atmosphere and appear to us as a shooting star.

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Asteroids and Comets, Asteroids and Comets Information ...

POST HUMAN EXHIBIT CATALOG ESSAY 1992-93 Jeffrey Deitch

Posted on July 11, 2015 by Danzig

POST HUMAN EXHIBIT CATALOG ESSAY 1992-93 Jeffrey Deitch

On most peoples beauty scale, Stacey Stetler would be a 10. A blond, blue-eyed, 5-foot-11 New York model, she has confidently sashayed down the runway for Yves Saint Laurent in Paris and has graced the covers of fashion magazines. But until recently, when Ms. Stetler looked in the mirror she saw less perfection and more flaws. "I was flat-chested," Ms. StetIer said. "You couldnt tell if I was coming or going. My back protruded almost as much as my front." Ms. Stetler enhanced her boyish figure by having breast implants. She is not alone.

The New York Times, 6 February 1992, front page

Stories about breast implants, crash diets, and mood drugs have moved from the health and beauty page to the front page. The public has been galvanized by explosive testimony about sexual harassment and by the sensational rape trials of public figures. Questions about the new boundaries of appropriate interpersonal behavior are attracting unprecedented interest. There is a growing sense that we should take control over our bodies and our social circumstances rather than just accepting what we inherited.

Social and scientific trends are converging to shape a new conception of the self, a new construction of what it means to be a human being. The matter-of-fact acceptance of ones "natural" looks and ones "natural" personality is being replaced by a growing sense that it is normal to reinvent oneself. The Freudian model of the "psychological person" is dissolving into a new model that encourages individuals to dispense with the anguished analysis of how subconscious childhood experiences molded their behavior. There is a new sense that one can simply construct the new self that one wants, freed from the constraints of ones past and ones inherited genetic code.

Human evolution may be entering a new phase that Charles Darwin never would have envisioned. The potential of genetic reconstitution may be quickly propelling us beyond Darwinian natural evolution and into a bold realm of artificial evolution. Our society will soon have access to the biotechnology that will allow us to make direct choices about how we want our species to further evolve. This new techno-evolutionary phase will bring us far beyond eugenics. Our childrens generation could very well be the last generation of "pure" humans.

This new sense of ones power to control and, if desired, reconstruct ones body has quickly developed a broad acceptance1 but there is still a significant segment of society that is deeply disturbed by its implications. The bitter debate over abortion rights is an example of how explosive the controversy over the limits of "natural" life will become. The battle over the abortion issue and the outcry over euthanasia and the right to choose suicide may be just the beginning of an enormous social conflict over ones freedom to use the new biotechnology to take greater control over ones body and to enhance the course of ones life.

The issue of using genetic engineering to "improve" the fetus will potentially become much more highly charged than the controversy over abortion. It may not be an exaggeration to say that it will become the most difficult moral and social issue that the human species has ever faced. Genetic engineering is not just another life-enhancing technology like aviation or telecommunications. Its continued development and application may force us to redefine the parameters of life.

Our consciousness of the self will have to undergo a profound change as we continue to embrace the transforming advances in biological and communications technologies. A of the self will inevitably take hold as ever more powerful body-altering techniques become commonplace. As radical plastic surgery computer-chip brain implants and gene-splicing become routine, the former structure of self will no longer correspond to the new structure of the body. A new post-human organization of personality will develop that reflects peoples adaptation to this new technology and its socioeconomic effects.

New approaches to self-realization are generally paralleled by new approaches to art. With each successive transformation of the social environment, great artists have both reflected and helped to define the new personality models that have developed out of societys absorption of technological, political, and social change. Looking back through the history of art, we can see how artists have portrayed the changes in models of self-realization that have accompanied profound changes in the social environment.

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POST HUMAN EXHIBIT CATALOG ESSAY 1992-93 Jeffrey Deitch

97 Spiritual Enlightenment Stories : In5D Esoteric …

Posted on July 11, 2015 by Danzig

Below are nearly 100 stories of spiritual enlightenment. please look past any religious overtones and appreciate the spiritual meaning of each story.

Story #1 A martial arts student went to his teacher and said earnestly,I am devoted to studying your martial system. How long will it take me to master it?

The teachers reply was casual,Ten years.

Impatiently, the student answered,But I want to master it faster than that. I will work very hard. I will practice every day, ten or more hours a day if I have to. How long will it take then?

The teacher thought for a moment,20 years. Story #2 Two traveling Zen monks reached a river where they met a young woman. Wary of the current, she asked if they could carry her across. One of the monks hesitated, but the other quickly picked her up onto his shoulders, transported her across the water, and put her down on the other bank. She thanked him and departed.

As the monks continued on their way, the one was brooding and preoccupied. Unable to hold his silence, he spoke out. Brother, our spiritual training teaches us to avoid any contact with women, but you picked that one up on your shoulders and carried her!

Brother, the second monk replied,I set her down on the other side, while you are still carrying her.

Story #3 When the Zen spiritual teacher and his disciples began their evening meditation, the cat who lived in the monastery made such noise that it distracted them. So the teacher ordered that the cat be tied up during the evening practice. Years later, when the teacher died, the cat continued to be tied up during the meditation session. And when the cat eventually died, another cat was brought to the monastery and tied up.

Centuries later, learned descendants of the spiritual teacher wrote scholarly treatises about the religious significance of tying up a cat for meditation practice.

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97 Spiritual Enlightenment Stories : In5D Esoteric ...

Challenges in Gene Therapy – Learn Genetics

Posted on July 11, 2015 by Danzig

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Gene Therapy

Challenges in Gene Therapy?

Gene therapy is not a new field; it has been evolving for decades. Despite the best efforts of researchers around the world, however, gene therapy has seen only limited success. Why?

Gene therapy poses one of the greatest technical challenges in modern medicine. It is very hard to introduce new genes into cells of the body and keep them working. And there are financial concerns: Can a company profit from developing a gene therapy to treat a rare disorder? If not, who will develop and pay for these life-saving treatments?

Let's look at some of the main challenges in gene therapy.

For some disorders, gene therapy will work only if we can deliver a normal gene to a large number of cellssay several millionin a tissue. And they have to the correct cells, in the correct tissue. Once the gene reaches its destination, it must be activated, or turned on, to make the protein it encodes. And once it's turned on, it must remain on; cells have a habit of shutting down genes that are too active or exhibiting other unusual behaviors.

Introducing changes into the wrong cells Targeting a gene to the correct cells is crucial to the success of any gene therapy treatment. Just as important, though, is making sure that the gene is not incorporated into the wrong cells. Delivering a gene to the wrong tissue would be inefficient, and it could cause health problems for the patient.

For example, improper targeting could incorporate the therapeutic gene into a patient's germline, or reproductive cells, which ultimately produce sperm and eggs. Should this happen, the patient would pass the introduced gene to his or her children. The consequences would vary, depending on the gene.

Our immune systems are very good at fighting off intruders such as bacteria and viruses. Gene-delivery vectors must be able to avoid the body's natural surveillance system. An unwelcome immune response could cause serious illness or even death.

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Challenges in Gene Therapy - Learn Genetics

ArtLex’s Fm-Fz page

Posted on July 11, 2015 by Danzig

foam core or foam board - A strong, stiff, resilient, and lightweight board of polystyrene laminated with paper on both of its sides. It may be any of several thicknesses, in any of a variety of colors. It is often employed as a surface on which to mount two-dimensional work, and as a material with which to construct three-dimensional work (such as architectural models). Although more expensive than some other cardboards, it is preferred to them for many qualities, including the ease with which it can be cut. Make straight cuts by using an extremely sharp razor knife on top of a mat or other surface that will not be damaged. Draw the knife toward you along the edge of a metal ruler (with finger tips away from that path). Cuts at each of three successive depths will produce a neat edge to the board.

Also see adhesives, bristol board, carding, card stock, corrugated cardboard, matboard, oaktag, and packaging.

focal length - In photography, the distance between the lens (its rear nodal point) and the focal plane (the film's or paper's surface).

Also see aperture, camera, f/stop, telephoto, and wide-angle.

focal plane - In photography, an image line at right angle to the optical axis passing through the focal point. This forms the plane of sharp focus when a camera is set on infinity.

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ArtLex's Fm-Fz page

Nanotechnology and Emerging Technologies – Nanoscience …

Posted on July 10, 2015 by Danzig

Researchers have developed a simple double-transfer printing technique that allows them to integrate high performing electronic devices - featuring state-of-the-art, non-planar, sub-20nm FinFET devices - fabricated on novel flexible thin silicon sheets with several kinds of materials exhibiting complex, asymmetric surfaces including textile, paper, wood, stone, and vinyl. This process utilizes soft materials to integrate nonplanar...

Posted: Jul 09, 2015

Researchers have been looking to design catalyst materials that can significantly enhance the performance of oxygen evolution reaction (OER), a key eletrode reaction that is an enabling process for many energy storage options such as direct-solar and electricity-driven water splitting and rechargeable metal-air batteries. However, OER suffers from sluggish kinetics - but a novel material inspired by the pomegranate might change...

Posted: Jul 02, 2015

Researchers have demonstrated the fabrication flexible ferroelectric random access memory (FeRAM) devices using state-of-the-art CMOS processes (sputtering, photolithography, and reactive ion etching). This bridges the existing gap between rigid inflexible semiconductor high performance, integration density, yield, and reliable electronics and highly flexible polymer/hybrid materials based relatively low performance electronics....

Posted: Jul 01, 2015

While there is a great deal of knowledge on optical manipulation of metallic nanoparticles in liquids, aerosol trapping of metallic nanoparticles is essentially unexplored. In general, very little is known about optical manipulation of any type of particle in air, where the physics appear to be rather different than in water. The just demonstrated ability to manipulate and study individual metallic or semiconductor nanostructures...

Posted: Jun 30, 2015

Getting from 2D to 3D has been quite a challenge for the graphene community. The transfer of two-dimensional graphene onto three-dimensional surfaces has proven to be difficult due to the fractures in graphene caused by local stresses. New research is bound to change that. Scientists have demonstrated graphene integration into a variety of different microstructured geometries - pyramids, pillars, domes, inverted pyramids,...

Posted: Jun 29, 2015

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Nanotechnology and Emerging Technologies - Nanoscience ...

NCI Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer

Posted on July 10, 2015 by Danzig

NCI caNanoLab 2.0 Launched!

The National Cancer Institute Office of Cancer Nanotechnology Research and NCI Center for Biomedical Informatics and Information Technology have completed initial enhancements to improve usability of the caNanoLab data portal, which is now deployed as caNanoLab 2.0. To learn more about the enhancements and provide feedback, visit the caNanoLab Usability Discussion Forum.

Annual Bulletin 2013

The National Cancer Institute Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer published its 2013 issue of the annual bulletin. The bulletin outlines the various ways the Alliance reaches the wider scientific community, as demonstrated by numerous news stories, perspective articles, and solicitations for community input, all focused on advancing the cancer nanotechnology field.

Read the Bulletin.

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION SUMMARY

The National Cancer Institute Office of Cancer Nanotechnology Research published a summary of its request for information on the Directions and Needs for Cancer Nanotechnology Research and Development. The RFI sought to gain feedback, comments and ideas on the status and future of the field and the role NCI funding has played and should continue to play in the future.

London Centre for Nanotechnology

Posted on July 10, 2015 by Danzig

3 months 2 weeks ago - FREE Webinar: One-dimensional quantum wire: physics and applications at ultra low temperatures, 26.03 @ 15.00 GMT: https://t.co/0e6TLegkBb 3 months 2 weeks ago - - Silicon chip's quantum capabilities improved one thousand-fold: http://t.co/2jX6nUTgKK 3 months 2 weeks ago - Superfast quantum switch offers promise for hacker-proof computing | News | The Engineer http://t.co/NCi5GoBQBr

3 months 2 weeks ago - LCN Biophysics seminar on 'control of epithelia dynamics'; Xavier Trepat from IBEC, Barcelona. 25th Mar, 1pm, Ramsay LT, UCL Chemistry

3 months 2 weeks ago - Strongly Correlated Electron Seminar; Prof Radu Coldea, Uni of Oxford, 27th March @ 11am in G54, Diamond House

4 months 1 week ago - Seminar in low-cost optical pick-up units & DIY AFM model workshop, Dr Edwin Hwu, Fri 6th March @ 3pm. Roberts G08 Sir David Davies LT

4 months 1 week ago - IPLS March Meet-up, 4-5PM, Wednesday 04/03/15 Location: UCL MRC/LMCB Seminar Room (2nd Floor), drinks and snacks provided

4 months 2 weeks ago - Materials meeting on Friday 27th Feb, E7 Physics @ 10am. Talks in Neutron scattering & carbon nanotubes confirmed. Refreshments provided!

1 year 1 month ago - TOP Research Talk 4:30pm, Maths 500. Suguru Amakubo, Carbon nanotubes and Alice Pyne, Single-molecule reconstruction by AFM. All Welcome!

1 year 7 months ago - TOP Research Talk Today 4:30pm, Ramsay Lecture Theatre. Angie Ma (Photonic lab on chip), Guy Matmon (Lithium Holmium Fluoride), All Welcome.

1 year 7 months ago - TOP Research Talk tomorrow at 4:30pm, Ramsay Lecture Theatre, UCL. Angie Ma (Photonic lab on chip) and Guy Matmon (Lithium Holmium Fluoride)

London Centre for Nanotechnology

What is Libertarianism? | A Libertarianism.org Guide

Posted on July 10, 2015 by Danzig

Liberty. Its a simple idea, but its also the linchpin of a complex system of values and practices: justice, prosperity, responsibility, toleration, cooperation, and peace. Many people believe that liberty is the core political value of modern civilization itself, the one that gives substance and form to all the other values of social life. Theyre called libertarians.

If youre new to libertarianism and want to learn more, the items below will give you a good start.

David Boaz

In just 20 minutes, David Boaz introduces libertarianism, explores the ideas behind it, and the policies it leads to. If you want to know what libertarianism is all about, this is the place to start.

November 3, 2011 Essays

Aaron Ross Powell

Libertarianismits theory, its practiceis an awfully big topic. This reading list gives you a place to start. A combination of newcomers and established classics, these books offer accessible introductions to variety of libertarian thought, from philosophy to history to economics.

April 5, 2012 Columns

Aaron Ross Powell

In this essay, Aaron Powell and Trevor Burrus explain how big government not only makes us poorer and less free, but also undermines our moral character and turns neighbor against neighbor.