“Occupants of the Rotonda in Tysons Corner, Va., must have their dog's mouth swabbed in the presence of a building authority. If pet waste is found outside the building, the waste will be tested and matched to the guilty dog's DNA, reported MRCTV, a site operated by the Media Research Center.” Newsmax.
Sunday, March 29, 2015
What Americans really think about the recovery
According to a Pew Report on what the American public believes has happened in the economy, “72% say that, in general, the government’s policies since the recession have done little or nothing to help middle class people, and nearly as many say they have provided little or no help for small businesses (68%) and the poor (65%). These opinions have changed little in recent years, and differ only modestly across demographic and income categories. There are significant partisan differences in these views, though majorities of Democrats, Republicans and independents say that government policies following the start of the recession have done little or nothing for the poor and the middle class. Similarly, more think household incomes have recovered than did so two years ago. But while 51% say there has been a partial recovery in incomes (up from 42% in September 2013), just 4% say they have fully recovered. About four-in-ten 42% think household incomes have hardly come back from the recession.”
Many believe that banks, corporations, the wealthy have benefited from government policies since the “Great Recession.” I personally think politicians have said very little about the poor in recent years, and increasingly emphasize the middle class not making progress. And if they do move ahead, then they complain about a gap.
“The analysis in this report is based on telephone interviews conducted February 18-22, 2015 among a national sample of 1,504 adults, 18 years of age or older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia (526 respondents were interviewed on a landline telephone, and 978 were interviewed on a cell phone, including 559 who had no landline telephone).”
Sin and the sink stopper
This morning I pulled out the stopper in the bathroom sink drain. Oh yuk. It was awful. I wiped it off—lots of black gunk. But there was more because the stopper is plastic (bad design) with many edges and crevasses especially near the top. It’s not that I never clean that sink—and it looked fine until I pulled out the stopper. I wiped it many times with a paper towel, each bringing up a new layer. Then I soaked it and watched black chunks float loose, then I sprayed it with a Clorox bathroom cleaner—more stuff.
It’s like sin, isn’t it? You don’t see it at first—all covered up and looking nice because it’s below the slick marble of your good intentions. Then you start poking around and the horror sets in. Sin is covered over and really black. It might take a lot to get rid of it. Like the cross and Jesus’ sacrifice. But even then, we’re supposed to take care of what he did for us, daily and not let the build up put us and others at risk. Confess it and make amends before the gunk takes over.
Saturday, March 28, 2015
Midlife Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Incident Cancer, and Survival After Cancer in Men
Good news. Cardiovascular fitness in midlife may protect against cancer, not just heart disease. Aren’t middle age? Well, tell your sons, or grandsons.
Free article. http://oncology.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2203829
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High CRF was associated with reduced incident lung (HR, 0.45 [95% CI, 0.29-0.68]) and colorectal cancer (HR, 0.56 [95% CI, 0.36-0.87]) in white men.
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High CRF is associated with a one-third risk reduction in all cancer-related deaths among men who developed lung, colorectal, or prostate cancer at age 65 years or older compared with low CRF.
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High CRF is associated with a two-thirds reduction in cardiovascular death compared with low CRF among men who developed cancer at age 65 years or older.
Owner of about a dozen IHOP restaurants sells them due to Obamacare costs
Yes, Scott Womack, who testified against Obamacare before Congress, is still in business—but Obamacare is taking its toll. He has sold off full service and switched to more restaurants with hourly employees to avoid the mandates. Is this sound business practice, Mr. President?
The Affordable Care Act created an employer mandate, which was supposed to go into effect Jan. 1, 2014, but was delayed for one year by the Obama administration. The mandate requires companies with more than 50 employees to offer “adequate” coverage or face a tax penalty.
Even though he reduced his labor costs by moving into quick-service dining, Womack still took a sizable hit on health insurance. His insurance provider boosted rates by 40 percent in one year, forcing him to cut back on coverage.
He offered the plan to all 180 employees. Only two of the 140 hourly workers signed up. . .
Rather than helping existing and aspiring franchise owners expand by adding jobs, locations and more hours for their employees who need them most,” said spokesman Matthew Haller, “the law’s arbitrary definition of ‘large employer’ and ‘full-time work week’ have contributed to the steady increase in part-time employment in America and have been a drag on new franchise business formation.”
Americans spend 4.3% of their household income on “food away from home.” Looks like as that cost goes up, more Americans will be fixing dinner at home. Fewer people will be working in the restaurant industry, which helped many students and housewives bring in some extra dollars. That might pay off in obesity.
Speaking of delays, there have been more than 49 significant changes made to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: at least 30 that President Obama has made unilaterally, 17 that Congress has passed and the president has signed, and 2 by the Supreme Court. Why? Because 1) it’s unworkable on a national level for businesses of all types, and 2) as special favors for those who support the president’s policies. http://www.galen.org/newsletters/changes-to-obamacare-so-far/
What is the Census Bureau’s definition of “family”?
The 2010 version states: “A family consists of a householder and one or more other people living in the same household who are related to the householder by birth, marriage or adoption.”
The 1930 version is strikingly similar: “Persons related in any way to the head of the family by blood, marriage or adoption are counted as members of the family.”
But before 1930? If you do genealogy research, you may have noticed a difference. Family is more closely what we would call unrelated “occupants.” The pre-1930 version is more what we would call “household.”
The 1920 version: “The term ‘family’ as here used signifies a group of persons, whether related by blood or not, who live together as one household, usually sharing the same table. One person living alone is counted as a family, and, on the other hand, the occupants or inmates of a hotel or institution, however numerous, are treated as a single family.”
The 1900 Census version: “The word family has a much wider application, as used for census purposes, than it has in ordinary speech. As a census term, it may stand for a group of individuals who occupy jointly a dwelling place or part of a dwelling place or for an individual living alone in any place of abode. All the occupants and employees of a hotel, if they regularly sleep there, make up a single family, because they occupy one dwelling place …”
http://blogs.census.gov/2015/01/28/statistical-definition-of-family-unchanged-since-1930/
Friday, March 27, 2015
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Obama’s foreign policy a miserable failure
“An abiding goal of President Obama’s foreign policy has been to reduce America’s role in the Middle East, in the belief that it would lead to greater stability and serve U.S. interests. Has a policy ever been so thoroughly repudiated in so short a time? Mr. Obama has succeeded in his retreat, but the vacuum he’s left has produced a region on fire that is becoming a broad Sunni-Shiite war.”
Do on-line computer game sites help your brain?
Might be fun or relaxing, but so far, the proof isn’t there. Exercise is probably better.
“In addition to remaining intellectually active, older adults concerned about maintaining their cognition must protect their cardiovascular health. The brain contains multitudes of blood vessels, and lack of physical activity seems to affect the brain negatively, just as it does the heart. Stroke carries its own risks of cognitive impairment and dementia, independent of diseases like AD. The American Heart Association recommends that older adults get at least 150 of moderate-intensity physical activity minutes per week. Time spent playing computer-based brain games might be better spent, when possible, taking a walk.
In summary, brain games have not yet fulfilled their promises of improved brain fitness. This does not mean that computer-based cognitive training will never be able to improve cognitive function, but it does not appear that training with the right amount of intensity and duration is yet available. If such games are enjoyable for their consumers, there is no compelling reason to stop playing, but for those hoping to avoid dementia, a focus on improving cardiovascular health and seeking broader opportunities for mental stimulation may prove more beneficial.
http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/42522/title/Opinion--Can-the-Brain-Be-Trained-/
Gray Matters, vol. 2
It’s difficult for me to put the word ethics and President Obama in the same sentence—he lied about his support for gay marriage in 2008 in order to get elected and then lied again in 2012 and said his view “evolved;” he lied about Obamacare in order to get support from Catholic politicians; he lied about insured Americans being able to keep their plan or doctor when he knew it wasn’t true; he believes abortion is a woman’s health issue and gives our tax money to Planned Parenthood, allowing killing the unborn for any reason, even gender and disability, at any point in the pregnancy; he’s inserted himself into “race conversations” when he didn’t have the facts, like the Boston police incident with Professor Gates and the Trayvon Martin case in Florida; he pulled out the troops prematurely from Iraq ignoring his military advisors allowing ISIS to swarm so he could meet a campaign promise, and then claimed victory; he touts Bowe Bergdahl’s release in the Rose Garden while calling Ft. Hood workplace violence denying the injured special medical benefits; and on and on. No, ethical is not a word that comes to mind.
But here is it: “Commission Releases Gray Matters, Vol. 2 – final response to President Obama’s BRAIN Initiative related request Commission focuses on three controversial issues that must be addressed if neuroscience is to progress and be applied ethically”
See more at: http://bioethics.gov/node/4715#sthash.Q6kR6TQ2.dpuf
The origins of modern medicine
“Dr. Stanley Burns is an ophthalmologist, surgeon and historian who lives right near Grand Central Station in Manhattan. His three story home - is nondescript from the outside. There's a tiny sign on the door that says Burns Archive but inside is one of the largest and most important photographic archives of early medical history in the world.
Currently Dr. Burns serves as the medical and historical adviser to The Knick, a hit HBO series.”
You can listen to an interview.
http://burnsarchive.com/Explore/Medical/
http://www.burnsarchive.com/SHOPPE/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burns_Archive
The interview also includes discussion with the author of The Good Doctor, the story of Dr. Philip Lerner.
Long lost purple heart will be reunited with family of recipient
Ten years ago Smuckers the dog dug a hole in the lawn and when his owner Steve Jankousky went to fill it up, he found something shiny—a Purple Heart. For 10 years Jankousky has been looking for the man whose name was engraved on it--Cpl. Richmond Litman. Finally, he found a step-daughter, and will soon be in touch with Litman’s family. The Korean War soldier died in the 1990s.
And Smuckers is still alive to help with the reunion. Neat story.
Do you need to be present at your wedding?
Although this “Ask a Librarian” question primarily concerns Islamic law in The Gambia where proxy marriages and divorces are allowed, there was a time (WWII) when proxy marriages were more common in the U.S. and is still legal in four states,
“In the United States, proxy marriages were apparently common during World War II; today, four states (California, Colorado, Montana and Texas) still recognize this form of marriage with certain restrictions.”
Maybe it’s just me because I was a librarian, but the Library of Congress Law librarians blog is fascinating, and I could spend a day or two just wandering through.
Ebola vaccine coming along
“A Phase 1 trial in China has demonstrated the safety of a new Ebola vaccine and hinted at its efficacy, according to a study published today (March 25) in The Lancet. The vaccine candidate is the first to incorporate immunogens from the strain of Ebola that has terrorized West Africa for nearly a year; all other tested Ebola vaccines have been based on the strain that caused an outbreak in Zaire in 1976, according to a press release.”
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Drug Enforcement Agency employees get hand slap for sex parties
Agents from the federal Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) attended wild sex parties in Colombia with prostitutes procured and paid for by local drug cartels, a shocking report from the Justice Department's Office of the Inspector General (OIG) states.
Politico reports that seven agents admitted attending the parties, were punished only with suspensions of between two and 10 days, and supervisors often failed to report the violations up the chain of command.
The explosive 139-page report is the result of an OIG investigation into allegations of sexual improprieties and harassment within the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the U.S. Marshals Service.
Read http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/DEA-prostitutes-parties-Colombia/2015/03/26/
http://www.politico.com/story/2015/03/dea-sex-parties-colombia-report-116413.html#ixzz3VVOve3Qu
http://www.justice.gov/oig/reports/2015/e1504.pdf#page=1
Based on the 8 recommendations, Hillary isn’t the only government official that has a technology problem.
What’s your gender?
A survey published in 2008 had a question about gender—and choices were male/man (26%), female/woman (41%), part time one or the other (20%), or fill in the blank with responders own term. The fill in choice got 860 possibilities including genderqueer, hybrid, third gender, twidget, birl and pangender.
I guess I’m not shocked that the researchers were shocked to find employment discrimination.
And I suppose that makes most of us anti-trany if we can’t figure it out.
“A gender not listed here,” The Williams Institute, UCLA, 2012
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