Putting faces on the people who make us so mad We can see an accurate caricature of our unsupervised, trough-swilling federal government apparently represented in the reportedly grossly incompetent (and apparently too stupid to repent) faces of Arlington National Cemetery former Superintendant John Metzler Jr. and former Deputy Superintendant Thurman Higginbotham. These two, forced to [...]
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: 20 years of problems at Arlington Cemetery, Aaron D. Davis, Arlington National Cemetery, Christian Davenport, Hostile senators unload on ex-Arlington chiefs, John Metzler Jr., Mark Benjamin, Michael E. Ruane, Thurman Higginbotham
- Published:
- 30 July 2010 – 09:23
- Author:
- By BrainiYak
The Rockefeller Foundation just reported that, “New economic security index shows 20% of households at risk” Jacob S. Hacker et al. created an “Economic Security Index” to track economic conditions that relate directly to American families. The index tracks three elements: (i) decline in income, (ii) out-of-pocket medical expenses, and (iii) the financial incapacity to [...]
Categories: Economy
Tagged: Economic Security at Risk, Economic Security Index, income, Jacob S. Hacker, medical expenses, Rockefeller Foundation
- Published:
- 29 July 2010 – 06:15
- Author:
- By BrainiYak
Paul Krugman spotlighted this sad game Economist/columnist Paul Krugman wrote about the Senate’s failure in passing a climate bill: If you want to understand opposition to climate action, follow the money. The economy as a whole wouldn’t be significantly hurt if we put a price on carbon, but certain industries — above all, the coal [...]
Categories: Air pollution,Climate,Climate change,Economy,Environment,Global warming
Tagged: coal, cowardice, John McCain, maverick, oil, Paul Krugman, West Virginia, Who Cooked the Planet?, Wyoming
- Published:
- 28 July 2010 – 13:48
- Author:
- By BrainiYak
The battle for the soul of medicine revolves around two poles Atul Gawande, perennially eloquent surgeon, wrote in The New Yorker last year: When you look across the spectrum from Grand Junction to McAllen—and the almost threefold difference in the costs of care—you come to realize that we are witnessing a battle for the soul [...]
Categories: Medicine,Public Health
Tagged: Atul Gawande, kickbacks, Mayo Clinic, McAllen, rapaciousness, regulatory, tax, The Cost Conundrum, The New Yorker
- Published:
- 23 July 2010 – 12:16
- Author:
- By BrainiYak
Degree-by-degree analysis of what to expect from global warming is now available Committee on Stabilization Targets for Atmospheric Greenhouse Gas Concentrations; National Research Council, Climate Stabilization Targets: Emissions, Concentrations, and Impacts over Decades to Millennia (National Academies Press, 2010) Report’s probable effects on government ─ nada Steve Cohen, executive director of the Earth Institute at [...]
Categories: Climate change,Science
Tagged: Climate Stabilization Targets Emissions Concentrations and Impacts over Decades to Millennia, Columbia School of International and Pulbic Affairs, Earth Institute, Hannah Hoag, Report maps perils of warming, Steve Cohen
- Published:
- 21 July 2010 – 15:54
- Author:
- By BrainiYak
Like most people (I would guess), I have recollections of the past that are synopsized into one picture and its associated emotion. Always positive, if wistful. Emotional connections, but lacking detail. As if the memory has wrestled the meaning out of the past and left the dross behind. These synoptic memories lack the stresses [...]
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: anxiety, memory
- Published:
- 20 July 2010 – 18:41
- Author:
- By BrainiYak
China faces significant water shortages Jane Qiu, writing in Nature (reporting on the 2010 International Groundwater Forum in Beijing) notes that China has 20 percent of the world’s population, but only 5 to 7 percent of the planet’s fresh water. Groundwater irrigates 40 percent of China’s agriculture and, in dry regions, accounts for 70 percent of [...]
Categories: Environment
Tagged: China, China faces up to groundwater crisis, drought, ground water, irrigation, Jane Qiu, Ogallala Aquifer, water, water table
- Published:
- 17 July 2010 – 10:13
- Author:
- By BrainiYak
Some pseudogenes may not be functionally vestigial after all DNA contains a great deal of what we used to think of as trash, but it turns out that some of this allegedly vestigial detritus may not be free-riding Life’s train. Background information for people not familiar with cell biology DNA codes for (makes) messenger RNA [...]
Categories: Medicine,Science
Tagged: A coding-independent function of gene and pseudogene mRNAs regulates tumour biology, DNA, Laura Poliseno, micro RNA, mRNA, pseudogene, PTEN, PTENP1., RNA, Tina Hesman Saey, Vestigial RNA runs interference
- Published:
- 16 July 2010 – 12:24
- Author:
- By BrainiYak
The Tour de France and the World Cup had moments worthy of Greek and Shakespearean tragedy Lance Armstrong and the Tour Lance Armstrong’s bad fortune during the most difficult mountain stage (so far) in the Tour weaves themes of aging, hubris, snarling Fates, and personal courage in the space of a few hours. Confronted with three crashes, [...]
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: Diego Forlán, Greek tragedy, Lance Armstron, Shakespearean tragedy, Tour de France, World Cup
- Published:
- 14 July 2010 – 17:33
- Author:
- By BrainiYak
Bob Herbert ─ speaking directly with insight, eloquently with soul Bob Herbert (of the New York Times) consistently speaks for America’s lost heart. Today, he wrote that: What a country. We’ll do whatever it takes to make sure the bankers keep living the high life and swilling that Champagne while at the same time we’re taking [...]
Categories: Economy,Education,Ethics
Tagged: Bob Herbert, Bob King, labor, labor movement, labor unions, Outside the Casino, Restoring a Hallowed Vision, schoolchildren, U.A.W.
- Published:
- 13 July 2010 – 11:29
- Author:
- By BrainiYak