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How Do You Diagnose Autism? Michael Savage thinks doctors are getting it wrong. By Juliet Lapidos Children's advocacy groups are demanding that Michael Savage apologize for denigrating autism as the "illness du jour" on his radio program last Wednesday. Savage also attributed the high prevalence of autism and related disorders to faulty diagnoses: "In 99 percent of the cases, it's a brat who hasn't been told to cut the act out." How do doctors spot the disorder? Surveillance and interviews. According to the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, autism is an ear

Pre-emptive Presidential Pardons Can you be pardoned for a crime before you're ever charged? By Jacob Leibenluft With six months to go before President Bush leaves office, the White House is receiving a flurry of pardon applications. The New York Times reported that "several members of the conservative legal community" are pushing for the White House to grant pre-emptive pardons for officials involved in counterterrorism programs. Wait—can a president really pardon someone who hasn't even been charged with a crime? Yep. In 1866, the Supreme Court ruled in Ex parte Garland that the pardon powe

What's a Bank Run? And how do you get on the FDIC's secret problem list? By Jacob Leibenluft Last week, California-based IndyMac became the largest bank to fail in two decades after a bank run depleted its deposits. Now, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.—which took over what's left of IndyMac—says that 90 financial institutions are on its secret list of "problem" banks. How does a bank end up on this secret list? By getting a bad rating, based on its financial situation and visits from inspectors. Every few months, federal regulators issue banks a "CAMELS rating" that goes from one (for the

How To Help a Lost Dolphin Bang on some pipes or just use a pinger instead. By Jacob Leibenluft A group of about 15 bottlenose dolphins that have been swimming in New Jersey's Shrewsbury River since mid-June now appears to be moving farther inland. Local marine officials had originally planned to coax them out of the river, but they have shelved those plans for now. How would you coax a dolphin back into the ocean, anyway? With nets or noise—but both methods can be dangerous. Nets have been used to save dolphins before, usually by deploying divers to ensnare the dolphin, removing the animal f

What's So Exotic About an "Exotic Loan"? Its zany repayment plan. By Juliet Lapidos The Federal Reserve will issue new lending rules to "restrict exotic mortgages" for people with poor credit ratings, according to a report in Tuesday's New York Times. What's so exotic about an exotic mortgage? Its nontraditional repayment plan. Under a conventional mortgage, a borrower pays back part of the loaned money each month, along with interest. A borrower who takes out an "exotic" or "alternative" loan, by contrast, can put off paying back the principal. With an interest-only plan, or "IO," the borrow

Do Fireworks Cause Air Pollution? Air quality on the Fourth of July. By Jacob Leibenluft Officials in Nevada warned that July 4 fireworks—combined with smoke from California wildfires—may cause unhealthy levels of air pollution. So did the weekend fireworks cause Las Vegas to exceed clean-air standards? Yes, at least for a few hours. This isn't at all unusual: State environmental agencies often report Independence Day spikes in their PM2.5 readings—a measure of the concentration of very tiny airborne particles, no bigger than 2.5 micrometers in diameter. Under federal law, a location's air qu

The 500,000 Artifacts of George Washington How did archaeologists find half a million objects at one site? By Jacob Leibenluft Archaeologists announced on Wednesday that they had unearthed George Washington's boyhood home at a site not far from Fredericksburg, Va. Over the course of a seven-year excavation, the researchers found more than 500,000 artifacts. How can there be half a million artifacts at one site? Almost everything you find counts as an artifact, as long as it was made or impacted by people. The objects comprise more than just materials from George Washington's home; archaeologi

Secret Muslims Are Muslims allowed to hide their faith? By Juliet Lapidos According to a poll published in March, one in 10 registered voters believes that Barack Obama is a Muslim. He's not—the presumptive Democratic nominee for president is a Christian—but this rumor got the Explainer wondering whether there's a history of Muslims who deny their faith publicly while maintaining it privately. Are Muslims allowed to pass? Yes, if you're a Shiite; maybe, if you're a Sunni. According to Chapter 16, Verse 106 of the Quran, "Any one who, after accepting faith in Allah, utters Unbelief—except unde

The Spam Superhighway What's "Port 25," and what does it have to do with Internet junk mail? By Chris Wilson A set of guidelines, published last week, for how to crack down on spam e-mail recommends that Internet service providers block outgoing traffic from customers on "Port 25," a major conduit for unwanted e-mail. (Read the guidelines here.) What is Port 25, anyway? The virtual pathway that most e-mail traffic follows when it travels from your computer to a server. Because there are so many different kinds of information being transferred on the Internet—Web pages, e-mail, and database re

Hostage Rescue for Tots What was a 3-year-old doing at a paramilitary simulation exercise? By Jacob Leibenluft A French soldier wounded 17 people—including a 3-year-old child—when he accidentally loaded his gun with live ammunition during a hostage-taking simulation in the southern city of Carcassonne. What on earth was a 3-year-old doing in a military training scenario? Enjoying the spectacle. According to news reports, the simulation was part of an army open house designed to allow French citizens—including the soldiers' families—to get a closer look at the elite paratrooper unit stationed

Hostage Rescue for Tots What was a 3-year-old doing at a paramilitary simulation exercise? By Jacob Leibenluft A French soldier wounded 17 people—including a 3-year-old child—when he accidentally loaded his gun with live ammunition during a hostage-taking simulation in the southern city of Carcassonne. What on earth was a 3-year-old doing in a military training scenario? Enjoying the spectacle. According to news reports, the simulation was part of an army open house designed to allow French citizens—including the soldiers' families—to get a closer look at the elite paratrooper unit stationed

Rent-a-Hive How much does it cost to borrow a colony of honeybees? By Jacob Leibenluft The House Agriculture Committee heard testimony on Thursday about the toll Colony Collapse Disorder was taking on beehives nationwide. Growers complained that the skyrocketing cost of renting bees was forcing them to raise prices on crops. Just how expensive is it to rent a colony of bees? Between $10 and $180, depending on the season. When you rent a colony of bees, you aren't just shelling out for the insects—the per-colony rental fee typically covers the cost of transporting the bees, setting up the hive

Rent-a-Hive How much does it cost to borrow a colony of honeybees? By Jacob Leibenluft The House Agriculture Committee heard testimony on Thursday about the toll Colony Collapse Disorder was taking on beehives nationwide. Growers complained that the skyrocketing cost of renting bees was forcing them to raise prices on crops. Just how expensive is it to rent a colony of bees? Between $10 and $180, depending on the season. When you rent a colony of bees, you aren't just shelling out for the insects—the per-colony rental fee typically covers the cost of transporting the bees, setting up the hive

Why Don't Jehovah's Witnesses Vote? Because they're representatives of God's heavenly kingdom. By Jacob Leibenluft Serena Williams told reporters at Wimbledon on Wednesday that she's excited about Barack Obama's candidacy but won't vote for him because Jehovah's Witnesses "don't get involved in politics." Her sister Venus—who is also a Jehovah's Witness—wouldn't even comment on the presidential election. Why don't Jehovah's Witnesses vote? Because of John 17:14 and other passages in the Bible. In that verse, Jesus says of his followers: "They are not of the world, just as I am not of the worl

Why Don't Jehovah's Witnesses Vote? Because they're representatives of God's heavenly kingdom. By Jacob Leibenluft Serena Williams told reporters at Wimbledon on Wednesday that she's excited about Barack Obama's candidacy but won't vote for him because Jehovah's Witnesses "don't get involved in politics." Her sister Venus—who is also a Jehovah's Witness—wouldn't even comment on the presidential election. Why don't Jehovah's Witnesses vote? Because of John 17:14 and other passages in the Bible. In that verse, Jesus says of his followers: "They are not of the world, just as I am not of the worl

Are Black Muslims Sunni or Shiite? Many say, "None of the above." By Chris Wilson The Barack Obama campaign rejected help from Muslim congressman Keith Ellison during the Democratic primary, the New York Times reported this week. Ellison, an African-American who was raised as a Catholic, converted to Islam in college. What's the deal with black Muslims—are they Sunnis or Shiites or something else? Most are Sunnis, if they care to make the distinction. A 2007 survey by the Pew Research Center found that among the several million Muslims in America, 20 percent are native-born African-Americans.

Are Black Muslims Sunni or Shiite? Many say, "None of the above." By Chris Wilson The Barack Obama campaign rejected help from Muslim congressman Keith Ellison during the Democratic primary, the New York Times reported this week. Ellison, an African-American who was raised as a Catholic, converted to Islam in college. What's the deal with black Muslims—are they Sunnis or Shiites or something else? Most are Sunnis, if they care to make the distinction. A 2007 survey by the Pew Research Center found that among the several million Muslims in America, 20 percent are native-born African-Americans.

What's Up With Chinese Menus? The stories behind "chicken without sexual life" and "bean curd made by a pockmarked woman." By Brian Palmer In preparation for this summer's Olympic Games, the Chinese government has recommended new English translations for more than 2,000 traditional Chinese dishes to appeal to Western tourists. The menu items in question include "bean curd made by a pockmarked woman," "ants climbing a tree," and "chicken without sexual life." Where did these unusual names come from? Stories of a recipe's creation, its physical appearance, or a description of its ingredients. T

What's Up With Chinese Menus? The stories behind "chicken without sexual life" and "bean curd made by a pockmarked woman." By Brian Palmer In preparation for this summer's Olympic Games, the Chinese government has recommended new English translations for more than 2,000 traditional Chinese dishes to appeal to Western tourists. The menu items in question include "bean curd made by a pockmarked woman," "ants climbing a tree," and "chicken without sexual life." Where did these unusual names come from? Stories of a recipe's creation, its physical appearance, or a description of its ingredients. T

Why Would a Virus Look at Kiddie Porn? Malicious code that makes your computer visit illegal Web sites. By Tony Romm On Monday, a Massachusetts court dismissed child-pornography charges against Michael Fiola, a state employee. It was alleged that the 53-year-old had accessed the illegal material at work, but an extensive forensic investigation (PDF) of his computer revealed that viruses and other malicious programs—25 of them, to be exact—were the culprits. Why would someone create a virus that downloads child pornography? So other people could secretly view the porn. Fiola's computer had bee

Why Would a Virus Look at Kiddie Porn? Malicious code that makes your computer visit illegal Web sites. By Tony Romm On Monday, a Massachusetts court dismissed child-pornography charges against Michael Fiola, a state employee. It was alleged that the 53-year-old had accessed the illegal material at work, but an extensive forensic investigation (PDF) of his computer revealed that viruses and other malicious programs—25 of them, to be exact—were the culprits. Why would someone create a virus that downloads child pornography? So other people could secretly view the porn. Fiola's computer had bee

The 25-Cent Flood Protection Device Why are we still using sandbags to keep rivers from overflowing? By Jacob Leibenluft The Mississippi River breached more than a dozen levees in the St. Louis, Mo., area Thursday as flooding continued to spread across the Midwest. To mitigate the damage, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers alone has distributed nearly 13 million sandbags, most of which have been filled and laid down by local residents. Why do we still use sandbags? Because they're cheap, easy to use, and usually effective. The familiar image of the burlap sack stuffed with sand goes back at lea

The 25-Cent Flood Protection Device Why are we still using sandbags to keep rivers from overflowing? By Jacob Leibenluft The Mississippi River breached more than a dozen levees in the St. Louis, Mo., area Thursday as flooding continued to spread across the Midwest. To mitigate the damage, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers alone has distributed nearly 13 million sandbags, most of which have been filled and laid down by local residents. Why do we still use sandbags? Because they're cheap, easy to use, and usually effective. The familiar image of the burlap sack stuffed with sand goes back at lea

What Does a Nuclear Blueprint Look Like? Lots and lots of computer files. By Chris Wilson The notorious A.Q. Khan smuggling ring had its hands on the design for a sophisticated and compact nuclear weapon, according to a new report from a former U.N. arms inspector. In 2006, electronic blueprints for the device were discovered on hard drives in several countries. What does a nuclear weapon blueprint look like? Lots of diagrams, instructions, and lists of materials. While the word blueprint may conjure images of white schematics on blue paper, the designs found on the computers of two Swiss bus