Monday, December 02, 2019
Sunday, December 01, 2019
"Fantastic Grandmothers"
That's what a group of seven grandmothers who do research on the greater sea snake are called. Almost every morning they snorkel in Baie des Citrons, a bay in New Caledonia. The sea snake is nearly five feet in length and is more than capable of killing a human with a single bite. But that doesn't bother them as they are providing a bounty of data and information for scientists studying the aquatic snakes.
Courtesy of our Florida correspondent.
Saturday, November 30, 2019
Life Expectancy
From a recent JAMA study:
Between 1959 and 2016, US life expectancy increased from 69.9 years to 78.9 years but declined for 3 consecutive years after 2014.
The recent decrease in US life expectancy culminated a period of increasing cause-specific mortality among adults aged 25 to 64 years that began in the 1990s, ultimately producing an increase in all-cause mortality that began in 2010.
During 2010-2017, midlife all-cause mortality rates increased from 328.5 deaths/100 000 to 348.2 deaths/100 000.
By 2014, midlife mortality was increasing across all racial groups, caused by drug overdoses, alcohol abuse, suicides, and a diverse list of organ system diseases.
The largest relative increases in midlife mortality rates occurred in New England (New Hampshire, 23.3%; Maine, 20.7%; Vermont, 19.9%) and the Ohio Valley (West Virginia, 23.0%; Ohio, 21.6%; Indiana, 14.8%; Kentucky, 14.7%). The increase in midlife mortality during 2010-2017 was associated with an estimated 33 307 excess US deaths, 32.8% of which occurred in 4 Ohio Valley states.
Between 1959 and 2016, US life expectancy increased from 69.9 years to 78.9 years but declined for 3 consecutive years after 2014.
The recent decrease in US life expectancy culminated a period of increasing cause-specific mortality among adults aged 25 to 64 years that began in the 1990s, ultimately producing an increase in all-cause mortality that began in 2010.
During 2010-2017, midlife all-cause mortality rates increased from 328.5 deaths/100 000 to 348.2 deaths/100 000.
By 2014, midlife mortality was increasing across all racial groups, caused by drug overdoses, alcohol abuse, suicides, and a diverse list of organ system diseases.
The largest relative increases in midlife mortality rates occurred in New England (New Hampshire, 23.3%; Maine, 20.7%; Vermont, 19.9%) and the Ohio Valley (West Virginia, 23.0%; Ohio, 21.6%; Indiana, 14.8%; Kentucky, 14.7%). The increase in midlife mortality during 2010-2017 was associated with an estimated 33 307 excess US deaths, 32.8% of which occurred in 4 Ohio Valley states.
Friday, November 29, 2019
Wednesday, November 27, 2019
Contract for the Web
Tim Berners-Lee is still active for the web. Over the past year he has worked with activists, academics, companies, governments and citizens from across the world to make sure our online world is safe, empowering and genuinely for everyone.
They have developed the Contract for the Web, which is based on nine principles:
Government
Ensure everyone can connect to the internet
Keep all of the internet available, all of the time
Respect and protect people’s fundamental online privacy and data rights
Companies
Make the internet affordable and accessible to everyone
Respect and protect people’s privacy and personal data to build online trust
Develop technologies that support the best in humanity and challenge the worst
Citizens
Be creators and collaborators on the Web
Build strong communities that respect civil discourse and human dignity
Fight for the Web
They have developed the Contract for the Web, which is based on nine principles:
Government
Ensure everyone can connect to the internet
Keep all of the internet available, all of the time
Respect and protect people’s fundamental online privacy and data rights
Companies
Make the internet affordable and accessible to everyone
Respect and protect people’s privacy and personal data to build online trust
Develop technologies that support the best in humanity and challenge the worst
Citizens
Be creators and collaborators on the Web
Build strong communities that respect civil discourse and human dignity
Fight for the Web
Do you want to be a judge?
Move to South Carolina and become friendly with a politician. You don't have to be a lawyer or even have a law degree to preside at a magistrate court. Magistrates include construction workers, insurance agents, pharmacists — even an underwear distributor. You will have to take a training course, but the course is shorter than those for barbers, masseuses and nail salon technicians. You'll rule on cases involving petty thefts, drunken driving, domestic violence, assaults and disorderly conduct. You'll issue arrest warrants, set bail, preside over trials and conduct preliminary hearings to assess if there is sufficient probable cause to support felony charges such as murder, rape and robbery.
Here's what ProPublica discovered about these courts:
Nearly three-quarters of the state’s magistrates lack a legal degree and couldn’t represent someone in a court of law.
A loophole in state law has allowed a quarter of South Carolina’s magistrates to remain on the bench after their terms expired, letting them escape the scrutiny of a reappointment process. One controversial magistrate continues to hold court two decades after her four-year term ended.
In 12 of the state’s 46 counties, magistrate appointments are decided by a single senator who can stock the courts with hand-picked candidates.
More than a dozen sitting magistrates have been disciplined for misconduct by the state’s judicial watchdog, but they aren’t required to disclose their offenses when seeking a new term. Even the governor, who is supposed to act as a check on nominees, is kept in the dark before signing off on their reappointments.
Here's what ProPublica discovered about these courts:
Nearly three-quarters of the state’s magistrates lack a legal degree and couldn’t represent someone in a court of law.
A loophole in state law has allowed a quarter of South Carolina’s magistrates to remain on the bench after their terms expired, letting them escape the scrutiny of a reappointment process. One controversial magistrate continues to hold court two decades after her four-year term ended.
In 12 of the state’s 46 counties, magistrate appointments are decided by a single senator who can stock the courts with hand-picked candidates.
More than a dozen sitting magistrates have been disciplined for misconduct by the state’s judicial watchdog, but they aren’t required to disclose their offenses when seeking a new term. Even the governor, who is supposed to act as a check on nominees, is kept in the dark before signing off on their reappointments.
We have to really move now
Let's talk less about Trump and act re climate change.
A quote from the annual Emissions Gap report from the U.N. Environmental Program (UNEP):
“It is evident that incremental changes will not be enough and there is a need for rapid and transformational action. By necessity, this will see profound change in how energy, food, and other material-intensive services are demanded and provided by governments, businesses, and markets.”
We have to act now as the report states that greenhouse gas emissions must begin falling 7.6 percent annually by 2020 to prevent global temperatures from rising more than 1.5°C by 2030. This report backs up a recent report from the U.N.’s World Meteorological Organization (WMO) that levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere reached a record high in 2018.
A quote from the annual Emissions Gap report from the U.N. Environmental Program (UNEP):
“It is evident that incremental changes will not be enough and there is a need for rapid and transformational action. By necessity, this will see profound change in how energy, food, and other material-intensive services are demanded and provided by governments, businesses, and markets.”
We have to act now as the report states that greenhouse gas emissions must begin falling 7.6 percent annually by 2020 to prevent global temperatures from rising more than 1.5°C by 2030. This report backs up a recent report from the U.N.’s World Meteorological Organization (WMO) that levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere reached a record high in 2018.
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
Saturday, November 23, 2019
What Susan Rice Has Learned From The Hearings
Her conclusions as reported in the NY Times:
1. Trump withheld an important Oval Office meeting and nearly $400 million in urgently needed military assistance from Ukraine to compel Mr. Zelensky to open, or at least announce, two investigations.
2. The hearings have amply demonstrated the extraordinary caliber and character of our nonpartisan career Foreign Service officers, civil servants and uniformed military personnel.
3. It is now abundantly apparent that most Republicans in Congress have abandoned all semblance of serving the national interest.
4. The primary beneficiary of our domestic dysfunction and divisions is President Vladimir Putin of Russia.
1. Trump withheld an important Oval Office meeting and nearly $400 million in urgently needed military assistance from Ukraine to compel Mr. Zelensky to open, or at least announce, two investigations.
2. The hearings have amply demonstrated the extraordinary caliber and character of our nonpartisan career Foreign Service officers, civil servants and uniformed military personnel.
3. It is now abundantly apparent that most Republicans in Congress have abandoned all semblance of serving the national interest.
4. The primary beneficiary of our domestic dysfunction and divisions is President Vladimir Putin of Russia.
What kind of plant is this?
It's not a plant. It's a thin sheet of ice crystals on the windshield of a car in Maine.
Courtesy of a Duncaster resident
Courtesy of a Duncaster resident
Friday, November 22, 2019
Another leader indicted
This time it's Israel. They've had a tough year politically - two elections and three attempts at forming a government since April. Now Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been indicted on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust in a set of long-running corruption cases. Supposedly, he gave or offered lucrative official favors to several media tycoons in exchange for favorable news coverage or gifts worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Thursday, November 21, 2019
Mosquitos and history
I had never given any thought to the mosquito in a historical sense. But that was before I read a review of "The Mosquito: A Human History of Our Deadliest Predator" by Timothy Winegard.
Malaria may have changed history in many ways:
Alexander the Great died from it as he was on his way to conquer Arabia and North Africa.
Alaric conquered Rome and then died before moving on Italy.
Otto II, a Holy Roman Emperor, died before consolidating Germanic tribes
Oliver Cromwell, Dante, Lord Byron died from it.
The book also argues that mosquitos affected the Hellenistic world, the Roman Empire’s rise and fall, the Crusades, the Mongol conquests of Genghis Khan, the European colonization of the Americas, the enslavement of Africans, the coalescence of Great Britain, the American Revolution, the formative collision between the United States and Mexico in the 1840s, the American Civil War.
Malaria may have changed history in many ways:
Alexander the Great died from it as he was on his way to conquer Arabia and North Africa.
Alaric conquered Rome and then died before moving on Italy.
Otto II, a Holy Roman Emperor, died before consolidating Germanic tribes
Oliver Cromwell, Dante, Lord Byron died from it.
The book also argues that mosquitos affected the Hellenistic world, the Roman Empire’s rise and fall, the Crusades, the Mongol conquests of Genghis Khan, the European colonization of the Americas, the enslavement of Africans, the coalescence of Great Britain, the American Revolution, the formative collision between the United States and Mexico in the 1840s, the American Civil War.
Monday, November 18, 2019
A few days, a few murders
Last week, a shooter at a high school in California killed two people and injured three others. Over the weekend, a shooter at a party in Fresno, California, killed four and wounded six more. Today, a shooting outside a Walmart in Duncan, Oklahoma, reportedly killed three people.
There have been more than 370 mass shootings in the US so far in 2019. What are we doing about it?
Some comparisons:
There have been more than 370 mass shootings in the US so far in 2019. What are we doing about it?
Some comparisons:
Reelection is most important...
.. to most holders of political office, some of whom, including our president, would do almost anything to be reelected. Vaping by teenagers has become a major health problem in this country. The CDC has said that nearly 2,000 people have been affected by the epidemic and 40 people have died. A federal survey showed that nearly 1 in 4 high school student had vaped within the past 30 days.
Because of the rising teen vaping rates and a nationwide epidemic of vaping-related lung injuries, in September, President Trump announced that he planned to roll out a federal ban of most flavored e-cigarette products. But the vaping industry got busy and have convinced him to do nothing as a ban would effect his reelection.
I really don't like writing about Trump, but this is outrageous and will result in unnecessary deaths.
Because of the rising teen vaping rates and a nationwide epidemic of vaping-related lung injuries, in September, President Trump announced that he planned to roll out a federal ban of most flavored e-cigarette products. But the vaping industry got busy and have convinced him to do nothing as a ban would effect his reelection.
I really don't like writing about Trump, but this is outrageous and will result in unnecessary deaths.
Saturday, November 16, 2019
Freight is declining
Freight shipment volume in the US by truck, rail, air, and barge fell 5.9% in October 2019, compared to October last year, according to the Cass Freight Index for Shipments. It was the 11th month in a row of year-over-year declines, and the third month out of those 11 when year-over-year declines were around 6%.
Friday, November 15, 2019
He really is a kid - a very nasty kid
I'm talking about our president. Here is his Twitter comment made while Yovanovitch was testifying re impeachment:
Everywhere Marie Yovanovitch went turned bad. She started off in Somalia, how did that go? Then fast forward to Ukraine, where the new Ukrainian President spoke unfavorably about her in my second phone call with him. It is a U.S. President’s absolute right to appoint ambassadors.
Everywhere Marie Yovanovitch went turned bad. She started off in Somalia, how did that go? Then fast forward to Ukraine, where the new Ukrainian President spoke unfavorably about her in my second phone call with him. It is a U.S. President’s absolute right to appoint ambassadors.
Therapy Llamas
The title of this post is not a typo. Llamas are being used for therapy for old people and young people. The llamas are in assisted living facilities, nursing and veterans’ homes, rehabilitation centers and walk-a-thons. There is even a reasonably large company, Pet Partners, in Texas that provides llamas for therapy after they have passed a qualifying exam necessary to become registered therapy llamas. The test involves being touched by strangers and remaining impassive when people nearby start arguing.
The llamas are supplied by people who keep llamas on their property. When they register their animals with Pet Partners, they are covered by insurance for the duration of their therapy visits. They must abide by strict rules about health, grooming and working conditions. No animal may work more than two hours a day, and handlers must be aware of any signs of fatigue or annoyance.
Courtesy of our Florida correspondent.
The llamas are supplied by people who keep llamas on their property. When they register their animals with Pet Partners, they are covered by insurance for the duration of their therapy visits. They must abide by strict rules about health, grooming and working conditions. No animal may work more than two hours a day, and handlers must be aware of any signs of fatigue or annoyance.
Courtesy of our Florida correspondent.
Thursday, November 14, 2019
Is California falling apart?
Tons of fires. Major drought. Homeless population the highest in the country. High air pollution. Expensive homes. Highest rent.
Details at Business Insider.
Details at Business Insider.
The Cost of the Wars on Terror since 9/11
This is a summary of the costs of post 9/11 wars as compiled at Brown University’s Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs:
Over 480,000 have died due to direct war violence, and several times as many indirectly.
Over 244,000 civilians have been killed as a result of the fighting.
21 million — the number of war refugees and displaced persons.
The US federal price tag for the post-9/11 wars is over $5.9 trillion dollars.
The US government is conducting counterterror activities in 80 countries The wars have been accompanied by violations of human rights and civil liberties, in the US and abroad.
Over 480,000 have died due to direct war violence, and several times as many indirectly.
Over 244,000 civilians have been killed as a result of the fighting.
21 million — the number of war refugees and displaced persons.
The US federal price tag for the post-9/11 wars is over $5.9 trillion dollars.
The US government is conducting counterterror activities in 80 countries The wars have been accompanied by violations of human rights and civil liberties, in the US and abroad.
Wednesday, November 13, 2019
Smelling Parkinson's?
Joy Milne from Scotland has a very unusual sense of smell. She has had it since she was a child. When Milne closes her eyes, she smells in color. If she puts a flower up to her nose, a "kaleidoscope," as she puts it, begins spinning in her head. The medical term for this overlapping of sensory perception is synesthesia, and the color of the scent rarely has anything to do with the color of the object in question. Coffee smells "swirly gray" to her, while the smell of the North Sea is emerald green.
For several years, she, a former nurse, has worked with a number of scientists because she is also able to smell diseases. People with Alzheimer's smell to her like rye bread, diabetes like nail polish, cancer like mushrooms and tuberculosis like damp cardboard. She has worked most closely with those studying Parkinson's disease, the cause of her husband's death. These scientists are looking for a way to detect the disease before its clear symptoms becomes noticeable. She felt that when her husband was close he smelled differently from most people; he smelled like musk.
For several years, she, a former nurse, has worked with a number of scientists because she is also able to smell diseases. People with Alzheimer's smell to her like rye bread, diabetes like nail polish, cancer like mushrooms and tuberculosis like damp cardboard. She has worked most closely with those studying Parkinson's disease, the cause of her husband's death. These scientists are looking for a way to detect the disease before its clear symptoms becomes noticeable. She felt that when her husband was close he smelled differently from most people; he smelled like musk.
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Monday, November 11, 2019
Don't wear eyeglasses to work in Japan
Apparently women are forbidden to wear eyeglasses to work in many companies. The reason? Glasses can give a “cold impression,” or cover up one’s makeup, or just aren’t liked by the boss, said many women. But men can.
Japanese women also face the 'rule' that they wear high heels to work.
Japanese women also face the 'rule' that they wear high heels to work.
My feelings re Veterans Day
This is the third year I have posted this.
When I was a kid in the 1940s, it was pretty obvious that this nation was at war. Everyone was involved in some activity to help the war effort. I and my friends collected aluminum foil. My sisters knitted. We went to the market with ration book in hand. Every so often we prepared for an air raid. My brothers served in the Battle of the Bulge and other combat. All of my male cousins and most of the men I knew were drafted. I learned to read via the headlines and the lead stories of the war that the newspapers carried every day. I practiced my writing by writing letters to my brothers. All of the men in East Cambridge were drafted. It was pretty obvious why we should celebrate their efforts. Hardly anyone was against the GI Bill. I can fully understand why in the '50s and '60s Armistice Day was a big deal. And, I can readily understand why Eisenhower renamed Armistice Day to Veterans Day in 1954.
However, I find it very hard to understand the brouhaha that is now made of Veterans Day. When Nixon abolished the draft in 1973, people now had a choice as to whether they wanted to join the military or not, as they always had a choice whether they should join the police, become a teacher, practice medicine, fight fires, etc. There are many professions where the goal is not making a dollar. Soldiers are not the only ones risking their lives. Police and firefighters also risk their lives. The military is not the only important profession that keeps this country whole. Where would we be without teachers or policemen? Why don't we have a teacher's day or a policemen's day?
The fact of a volunteer army makes us more susceptible to go to war, especially because we know so few of the volunteers. As I said above, many of the people I knew in the '40s were drafted and risked their lives defending this country. Some of my relatives served in Korea. Friends served in Vietnam or moved to Canada. Coffins landed in the military base in Bedford, MA almost every night. We were all involved in these wars and realized their cost. The President didn't tell us to avoid the fact that we were at war, we were all helping the war effort. That was our duty as citizens, no matter our age or circumstances.
It is interesting that most of the politicians that will be speaking on Veterans Day have not served in any capacity in the military. I'll end with a comment from Aaron O'Connell, a professor at Annapolis, "Uncritical support of all things martial is quickly becoming the new normal for our youth. Hardly any of my students at the Naval Academy remember a time when their nation wasn’t at war."
When I was a kid in the 1940s, it was pretty obvious that this nation was at war. Everyone was involved in some activity to help the war effort. I and my friends collected aluminum foil. My sisters knitted. We went to the market with ration book in hand. Every so often we prepared for an air raid. My brothers served in the Battle of the Bulge and other combat. All of my male cousins and most of the men I knew were drafted. I learned to read via the headlines and the lead stories of the war that the newspapers carried every day. I practiced my writing by writing letters to my brothers. All of the men in East Cambridge were drafted. It was pretty obvious why we should celebrate their efforts. Hardly anyone was against the GI Bill. I can fully understand why in the '50s and '60s Armistice Day was a big deal. And, I can readily understand why Eisenhower renamed Armistice Day to Veterans Day in 1954.
However, I find it very hard to understand the brouhaha that is now made of Veterans Day. When Nixon abolished the draft in 1973, people now had a choice as to whether they wanted to join the military or not, as they always had a choice whether they should join the police, become a teacher, practice medicine, fight fires, etc. There are many professions where the goal is not making a dollar. Soldiers are not the only ones risking their lives. Police and firefighters also risk their lives. The military is not the only important profession that keeps this country whole. Where would we be without teachers or policemen? Why don't we have a teacher's day or a policemen's day?
The fact of a volunteer army makes us more susceptible to go to war, especially because we know so few of the volunteers. As I said above, many of the people I knew in the '40s were drafted and risked their lives defending this country. Some of my relatives served in Korea. Friends served in Vietnam or moved to Canada. Coffins landed in the military base in Bedford, MA almost every night. We were all involved in these wars and realized their cost. The President didn't tell us to avoid the fact that we were at war, we were all helping the war effort. That was our duty as citizens, no matter our age or circumstances.
It is interesting that most of the politicians that will be speaking on Veterans Day have not served in any capacity in the military. I'll end with a comment from Aaron O'Connell, a professor at Annapolis, "Uncritical support of all things martial is quickly becoming the new normal for our youth. Hardly any of my students at the Naval Academy remember a time when their nation wasn’t at war."
Thursday, November 07, 2019
Can 11,258 scientists be wrong?
It is possible, but I don't think likely in that they are talking about climate change. A new report by the American Institute of Biological Sciences has the signatures of 11,258 scientists in 153 countries from a broad range of disciplines who warn that the planet “clearly and unequivocally faces a climate emergency,” and provides six broad policy goals that must be met to address it.
What do you think? Fact or fiction?
What do you think? Fact or fiction?
Wednesday, November 06, 2019
Tuesday, November 05, 2019
A deer in the ocean
In Maine yesterday some lobstermen saw a deer in the ocean about 5 miles off the coast. They were able to haul the deer onto the lobster boat after a few tries. Once the deer was on board, they weren’t sure how he would like being on the boat and wondered if he would get spooked or try to run away. But the deer remained remarkably calm during the boat ride.
Monday, November 04, 2019
McDonald's vs. JPMorgan
They treat their CEOs differently. Steve Easterbrook, the CEO of McDonald’s, was fired by his Board for engaging in a consensual relationship with an employee, in violation of company policy. Whereas it seems that no matter what Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan, does, he can't lose his job or be punished.
Here's some of what JP has done under Dimon's leadership:
$6.2 billion in losses from derivatives in London in 2012.
The Bernie Madoff deal resulted in two criminal felony counts from the U.S. Department of Justice, to which JP pleaded guilty.
In 2015, JP pleaded guilty to one more criminal felony charge for its role in rigging foreign currency trading.
In September of this year, the U.S. Department of Justice, for the first time that anyone can remember, named the precious metals trading desk of the bank a criminal enterprise and charged three of its traders, including the head of the desk, with racketeering under the RICO statute.
Here's some of what JP has done under Dimon's leadership:
$6.2 billion in losses from derivatives in London in 2012.
The Bernie Madoff deal resulted in two criminal felony counts from the U.S. Department of Justice, to which JP pleaded guilty.
In 2015, JP pleaded guilty to one more criminal felony charge for its role in rigging foreign currency trading.
In September of this year, the U.S. Department of Justice, for the first time that anyone can remember, named the precious metals trading desk of the bank a criminal enterprise and charged three of its traders, including the head of the desk, with racketeering under the RICO statute.
Saturday, November 02, 2019
Use of debt in corporate America
Interest rates have been low for a while. That's one reason why American companies are currently sitting on a record US$15.5 trillion in debt. However, this debt was not primarily used to finance expansion and growth but more commonly to jack up stock prices through dividends, stock buybacks and acquisitions.
And then we have what sounds like a repeat of the Great Recession. $660 billion of companies’ so-called leveraged debt is held in collateralized loan obligations that have been sold to a variety of investors and financial institutions. The IMF estimates that half of corporate debt – excluding small businesses – is high risk, or junk rated, which has a much higher chance of default than investment grade debt.
And then we have what sounds like a repeat of the Great Recession. $660 billion of companies’ so-called leveraged debt is held in collateralized loan obligations that have been sold to a variety of investors and financial institutions. The IMF estimates that half of corporate debt – excluding small businesses – is high risk, or junk rated, which has a much higher chance of default than investment grade debt.
Who petitions the UN?
I thought it was only other countries residents that did so. Well, in October, human rights activists in New York City; Washington, D.C.; London; and Kingston, Jamaica presented the UN with a petition from incarcerated organizers requesting humanitarian intervention. These activists were referring to the South Carolina prison system. The petition called for adequate food and water, time outdoors, access to vocational training and the removal of steel plates blocking sunlight inside Level 3 prisons.
It seems that prisoners held in the state’s high-security prisons spend 20 to 24 hours a day in 9 by 11 cells with small windows that have been covered with steel plates. They have no access to rehabilitative services or educational programs and are not allowed any freedom of movement outside their cells.
The prisoners, themselves, say guards have committed serious abuses, such as withholding water from prisoners and arbitrarily subjecting prisoners to solitary confinement. Plus, they also list mold problems, rotting food, contaminated drinking water and a lack of access to showers.
It seems that prisoners held in the state’s high-security prisons spend 20 to 24 hours a day in 9 by 11 cells with small windows that have been covered with steel plates. They have no access to rehabilitative services or educational programs and are not allowed any freedom of movement outside their cells.
The prisoners, themselves, say guards have committed serious abuses, such as withholding water from prisoners and arbitrarily subjecting prisoners to solitary confinement. Plus, they also list mold problems, rotting food, contaminated drinking water and a lack of access to showers.
College is a business
One more example is the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. It has had its logo on hamburger buns, coffee and wine for a few years. Now, it has moved on to beer; it offers Ragin’ Cajuns Genuine Louisiana Ale and Ragin’ Cajuns Genuine Louisiana Lager.
Lafayette is not the only college with their own beer label, more than 20 universities marketing their own brand of beer. For example, Boiler Black (Purdue), Old Tuffy (North Carolina State), El Lobo Rojo (New Mexico) and Stampede (Colorado).
Friday, November 01, 2019
She liked snakes
And some of her Indiana neighbors did also. They housed 140 snakes in a house reserved for the snakes. Unfortunately, Laura Hurst, one of the snake keepers (she had 20), got too close to an 8 feet reticulated python on one of her semi-weekly visits to the house. The snake wrapped around her neck. This happens to be the longest snake in the world, capable of reaching over 32 feet in length.
Thursday, October 31, 2019
Old Age or Poor Management
The fires in California resulted in a two-day power shut-off to shut down the wildfires. One group affected by this shutdown was a group of seniors who resided in a senior center in Northern California. They lived in a low-income apartment complex and were trapped with their wheelchairs and walkers. Although they were old, sick or cognitively impaired to care for themselves during an extended outage, they were without guidance from their property management company or the utility behind the blackout as they faced pitch-black stairwells and hallways and elevators that shut down.
Monday, October 28, 2019
$75 billion has increased to $120 billion
That's the amount of money the New York Fed is giving each day day in cheap overnight loans to Wall Street securities trading firms. Also, it is increasing its 14-day term loans to Wall Street, a program which began in September, to $45 billion. Why?
No Wall Street crisis has been announced to the public to explain these massive loans and Treasury buybacks.
Not one hearing has been held by Congress on the matter.
Not one official elected by the American people has authorized these loans.
The loans are not being made to commercial banks (which could re-loan the money to stimulate the U.S. economy). The loans are going to the New York Fed’s primary dealers, which are stock and bond trading houses on Wall Street who count hedge funds among their largest borrowers.
No Wall Street crisis has been announced to the public to explain these massive loans and Treasury buybacks.
Not one hearing has been held by Congress on the matter.
Not one official elected by the American people has authorized these loans.
The loans are not being made to commercial banks (which could re-loan the money to stimulate the U.S. economy). The loans are going to the New York Fed’s primary dealers, which are stock and bond trading houses on Wall Street who count hedge funds among their largest borrowers.
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Friday, October 25, 2019
Another casualty of climate change
The Pentagon has just issued a report that climate change could decimate the military. The two most prominent scenarios in the report focus on the risk of a collapse of the power grid within “the next 20 years,” and the danger of disease epidemics. The report sees climate change resulting in
global starvation, war, disease, drought, and a fragile power grid.
The deer got even
A hunter in Arkansas shot a deer and watched it collapse. Assuming the animal was dead, the hunter went to check on the body - at which point the deer stood back up, attacked and killed him.
Finally a bold proposal
Chuck Schumer wants to get rid of gas-powered cars; he wants all drivers to drive electric cars. And, he wants it done in 20 years. He is not alone, as the following groups support him: the Sierra Club, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the League of Conservation Voters, the United Automobile Workers, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Ford and General Motors.
How would this happen? First, there would be a large discount on an American-made electric vehicle when you trade in a gas-powered car. There would be grants given to states and cities to build charging stations all over the country. There would also be grants to retool existing manufacturing plants in the United States and build new ones in this country that specialize in those technologies.
Of course, it's not cheap; Schumer estimates it would cost $454 billion over 10 years.But, it would also create tens of thousands of new, good-paying jobs in this country and should re-establish the United States as the world leader in auto manufacturing.
What are the odds of this happening with a do-nothing Congress?
How would this happen? First, there would be a large discount on an American-made electric vehicle when you trade in a gas-powered car. There would be grants given to states and cities to build charging stations all over the country. There would also be grants to retool existing manufacturing plants in the United States and build new ones in this country that specialize in those technologies.
Of course, it's not cheap; Schumer estimates it would cost $454 billion over 10 years.But, it would also create tens of thousands of new, good-paying jobs in this country and should re-establish the United States as the world leader in auto manufacturing.
What are the odds of this happening with a do-nothing Congress?
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Hiring the right people
I thought a basic problem with the GW Bush administration was its inability to hire good people. Now, we have a worse manager in Trump. He fires people quickly; there have been four different heads of the Department of Homeland Security, three in charge of the Department of Defense, two at the EPA, two at State. The interior secretary has been under investigation by the department’s inspector general since his first day on the job. All in three years!
Then, we have Barr, Pompeo and Mulvaney who think their job is defending Trump. And Carson who doesn't know that in the HUD world the word REO refers to foreclosed properties, not Oreo cookies.
Does Trump even know the names of his cabinet members? This past week he tweeted of the defense secretary Mark Esperanto, who is really Mark Esper.
Then, we have Barr, Pompeo and Mulvaney who think their job is defending Trump. And Carson who doesn't know that in the HUD world the word REO refers to foreclosed properties, not Oreo cookies.
Does Trump even know the names of his cabinet members? This past week he tweeted of the defense secretary Mark Esperanto, who is really Mark Esper.
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
Another vote for impeachment
This vote from Andrei V. Kozyrev, the Russian foreign minister from 1991 to 1996.
The summary of his article in today's NY Times: When I was the Russian foreign minister, America was a beacon of moral truth. By impeaching Donald Trump, it can become one again.
His final paragraphs:
That sort of presidential morality seems to be a thing of the past. But the America I knew then is still with us today, in the hearts and minds of ordinary citizens and members of Congress. If Washington looks different now, I believe it to be an aberration.
Russia likes seeing President Trump in the White House in part because it provides the Kremlin a chance to point to the ugly side of American politics — to say, just as they did with Mr. Nixon, look how sordid, how hypocritical.
But I believe that if Congress, Republicans and Democrats alike, act to remove this president, a new powerful message would be sent to governments and people around the globe, just like the one that went out in 1974: Moral principles still matter in American politics and policy. And the future still belongs to moral truth and to those who embrace it.
The summary of his article in today's NY Times: When I was the Russian foreign minister, America was a beacon of moral truth. By impeaching Donald Trump, it can become one again.
His final paragraphs:
That sort of presidential morality seems to be a thing of the past. But the America I knew then is still with us today, in the hearts and minds of ordinary citizens and members of Congress. If Washington looks different now, I believe it to be an aberration.
Russia likes seeing President Trump in the White House in part because it provides the Kremlin a chance to point to the ugly side of American politics — to say, just as they did with Mr. Nixon, look how sordid, how hypocritical.
But I believe that if Congress, Republicans and Democrats alike, act to remove this president, a new powerful message would be sent to governments and people around the globe, just like the one that went out in 1974: Moral principles still matter in American politics and policy. And the future still belongs to moral truth and to those who embrace it.
Flaring is not good for us
Flaring is performed by the major energy companies such as Exxon and BP. It is the intentional burning of natural gas as companies drill faster than pipelines can move the energy away. And, according to data from the three largest shale-oil fields in the United States, it is increasing significantly. Last year, operators across the three basins together flared or vented a record 320 million cubic feet of gas, more than 40 percent above levels seen just five years ago. The pace for the first two quarters of 2019 has been even higher.
Why is it done? There aren’t pipelines close enough to a well to capture and transport the gas, or because gas prices are so low that it’s cheaper to discard the gas than to try to sell it.
Why is this a bad thing? Because natural gas is a potent contributor to global warming and also wastes vast amounts of energy.
Why is it done? There aren’t pipelines close enough to a well to capture and transport the gas, or because gas prices are so low that it’s cheaper to discard the gas than to try to sell it.
Why is this a bad thing? Because natural gas is a potent contributor to global warming and also wastes vast amounts of energy.
What does Exxon believe in?
ExxonMobil says it believes “the risk of climate change is real,” and it is “committed to being part of the solution.” Plus, it also says it supports a federal carbon tax and the Paris climate agreement. Yet, why did it give over $750,000 to such groups as the American Petroleum Institute? Why did it spend another million dollars on congressional candidates who did not believe that climate change was here?
Monday, October 21, 2019
Does this say something about America in the 21st century
Andrew Johnson was the only president impeached in our first 200 years. In the last 50 years, two have been impeached and it seems likely that a third will be. What does this say about us today?
Thursday, October 17, 2019
Reviewing our military budget
Lindsay Koshgarian, director of the National Priorities Project at the Institute for Policy Studies, looks at some areas of the defense budget that could be cut. She thinks we could save $300 billion a year, just about the same amount as Medicare for All. Now, I'm not in favor of Medicare for All, but I do think we spend a hell of a lot of our money on the military.
She begins her article by reminding us that "Over 18 years, the United States has spent $4.9 trillion on wars, with only more intractable violence in the Middle East and beyond to show for it. That’s nearly the $300 billion per year over the current system that is estimated to cover Medicare for All (though estimates vary)." Let's look at the areas she thinks we can cut.
"The $4.9 trillion we’ve spent on wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria and elsewhere grows to $5.9 trillion once we add in future care for veterans of those wars. That’s more money than the G.D.P. of every country in the world other than the United States and China.... Despite the obvious downsides, Pentagon officials first requested $165 billion in war funds for 2020, although even they admit that only $66 billion of that is actually related to fighting wars — the rest covers regular operations.
"Our support of foreign militaries, $14 billion, is more than five times the budget of the United Nations."
We have "more than 800 bases and installations in more than 90 countries. Closing half or more of our foreign bases could actually enhance our national security by defusing unnecessary tensions and discouraging ill-thought-out interventions. And it would raise about $90 billion for things like Medicare for All. What are we doing with that base in Aruba, anyway?"
We have a lot invested in nuclear weapons; we have "4,000 deployed or stockpiled nuclear weapons, plus 2,500 more retired weapons awaiting dismantling. Our nuclear stockpile amounts to almost half the world total of 15,000."
"President Trump’s border wall has been estimated to cost as much as $25 billion. The sum budgeted for this year alone, at $9 billion, is more than the budget for the Environmental Protection Agency."
She begins her article by reminding us that "Over 18 years, the United States has spent $4.9 trillion on wars, with only more intractable violence in the Middle East and beyond to show for it. That’s nearly the $300 billion per year over the current system that is estimated to cover Medicare for All (though estimates vary)." Let's look at the areas she thinks we can cut.
"The $4.9 trillion we’ve spent on wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria and elsewhere grows to $5.9 trillion once we add in future care for veterans of those wars. That’s more money than the G.D.P. of every country in the world other than the United States and China.... Despite the obvious downsides, Pentagon officials first requested $165 billion in war funds for 2020, although even they admit that only $66 billion of that is actually related to fighting wars — the rest covers regular operations.
"Our support of foreign militaries, $14 billion, is more than five times the budget of the United Nations."
We have "more than 800 bases and installations in more than 90 countries. Closing half or more of our foreign bases could actually enhance our national security by defusing unnecessary tensions and discouraging ill-thought-out interventions. And it would raise about $90 billion for things like Medicare for All. What are we doing with that base in Aruba, anyway?"
We have a lot invested in nuclear weapons; we have "4,000 deployed or stockpiled nuclear weapons, plus 2,500 more retired weapons awaiting dismantling. Our nuclear stockpile amounts to almost half the world total of 15,000."
"President Trump’s border wall has been estimated to cost as much as $25 billion. The sum budgeted for this year alone, at $9 billion, is more than the budget for the Environmental Protection Agency."
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Stock Buybacks by Major Banks Are Not Good For Us
This Thursday, the House Financial Services’ Subcommittee on Investor Protection, Entrepreneurship and Capital Markets will hold a hearing on stock buybacks by publicly traded corporations. The practice was illegal until 1982. When major banks do it, they have less to spend on investing in our economy. When other companies do it, they have less to spend on boosting stagnant worker wages, investing in new equipment or research and development.
And, the banks are not dropping small change into buybacks. JPMorgan Chase has spent $16.4 billion in buybacks. How much better would the economy be if they spent that money on loans to small businesses to kick start innovation and job growth? Banks are not alone with the practice; buybacks have gone from less than $200 billion in 2000 to a record $811 billion last year.
Then, we also have to live with so-called “universal” banks, in which Wall Street’s brokerage firms and investment banks have combined with deposit-holding, federally-insured banks – giving the the potential to use savers’ deposit money to artificially inflate their own stock through buybacks. And, the SEC allows these mega banks to trade in their own stock in their own Dark Pools, the equivalent of an in-house stock exchange.
Then, in another heart-warming effort, we have a strange Federal reserve which for the past month has pumped hundreds of billions of dollars each week to Wall Street stock trading firms (not commercial banks) with no authorization or hearings occurring in Congress. This is the first time the Federal Reserve has acted in this fashion since the epic financial crash of 2008.
And, the banks are not dropping small change into buybacks. JPMorgan Chase has spent $16.4 billion in buybacks. How much better would the economy be if they spent that money on loans to small businesses to kick start innovation and job growth? Banks are not alone with the practice; buybacks have gone from less than $200 billion in 2000 to a record $811 billion last year.
Then, we also have to live with so-called “universal” banks, in which Wall Street’s brokerage firms and investment banks have combined with deposit-holding, federally-insured banks – giving the the potential to use savers’ deposit money to artificially inflate their own stock through buybacks. And, the SEC allows these mega banks to trade in their own stock in their own Dark Pools, the equivalent of an in-house stock exchange.
Then, in another heart-warming effort, we have a strange Federal reserve which for the past month has pumped hundreds of billions of dollars each week to Wall Street stock trading firms (not commercial banks) with no authorization or hearings occurring in Congress. This is the first time the Federal Reserve has acted in this fashion since the epic financial crash of 2008.
A government of lobbyists
In the two years of the Trump administration 281 lobbyists have been hired. That's four times more than the Obama administration had six years into office. Or, one lobbyist for every 14 political appointments made.
Trump has also abandoned an Obama-era ethics pledge clause that prevented registered lobbyists from seeking or accepting employment with any executive agency that they lobbied the two years prior.
Trump has also abandoned an Obama-era ethics pledge clause that prevented registered lobbyists from seeking or accepting employment with any executive agency that they lobbied the two years prior.
Monday, October 14, 2019
Sunday, October 13, 2019
The Grid
There is more and more talk about our electric grids vulnerability to cyberattacks. The GAO has looked at the matter and concluded that cyberattacks could cause widespread power outages in the United States, but the scale of such outages is uncertain. They strongly recommend that the DOE develop plans for electric grid cybersecurity that address the key characteristics needed for a national strategy.
Here are some areas which could be 'invaded'.
Here are some areas which could be 'invaded'.
Saturday, October 12, 2019
Friday, October 11, 2019
Big pigs
China can't seem to import enough pork, so it is breeding them so that they become giant swine. The average pig in the U.S. weighs 750 pounds. In China the 'new' pigs at 1,650 weigh more than double that.
One effect of the latest tax law
The 2017 tax law capped federal deductions for state and local real estate and income taxes at $10,000 a year and also eliminated some mortgage interest deductions. This has had a pretty big reduction in home values. Counties with high home prices and high real estate taxes and where homeowners have big mortgages are suffering the biggest hit, given the larger value of the lost tax deductions. The decline in values is over 11% in some areas.
A different view of Christ
This is how he is perceived in some parts of Panama, where this statue resides. While people visit the statue year-round, they really celebrate it on October 21 when as many as 60,000 pilgrims and beyond travel for a festival, in which 80 men with shaved heads carry the black Christ statue on a large float through the streets of the city.
The men use a common Spanish style for solemn parades – three steps forward and two steps backward – as they move through the city streets. The night continues with music, drinking and dancing.
Thursday, October 10, 2019
Where is OSHA?
I never realized that, unless the government issues a special enforcement initiative, OSHA can inspect a workplace only if a worker complains. However, under the Trump administration, these initiatives no longer exist. After almost three years there has been no permanent administrator. Further, almost half of OSHA’s senior executive positions are now empty and filled with “acting” staff, temporarily leading offices on short-term bases. Thus, OSHA currently has fewer inspectors than at any time in the agency’s almost 50-year history, and it has conducted a near-record low number of inspections. At its current staffing level, it would take the agency 65 years to visit every workplace in the country just once
Many of the workers in dangerous jobs are immigrants, unlikely to ever call OSHA because they fear firing — or worse. This means the agency currently has almost no ability to focus inspections on the workshops where workers are being overexposed.
Many of the workers in dangerous jobs are immigrants, unlikely to ever call OSHA because they fear firing — or worse. This means the agency currently has almost no ability to focus inspections on the workshops where workers are being overexposed.
Live in a blimp for a couple of days
Goodyear is offering its blimp for rent via Airbnb at $150 a night for the October 22nd weekend. That's when Michigan plays Notre Dame; tickets to the game are included in the deal.
The blimp has been outfitted with a bed, a couch, two chairs, several tables, a potted plant and plenty of football knicknacks.
While you will not be able to leave the property other than for the game, just outside the blimp are a TV and open bar.
From our Florida correspondent
The blimp has been outfitted with a bed, a couch, two chairs, several tables, a potted plant and plenty of football knicknacks.
While you will not be able to leave the property other than for the game, just outside the blimp are a TV and open bar.
From our Florida correspondent
Wednesday, October 09, 2019
Thursday, October 03, 2019
JP Morgan Chase hit with RICO
The Department of Justice charged JPMorgan Chase with racketeering under the RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act)statute. This is the first large bank to be charged under this statute, which has been used against members of the Gambino and Bonanno crime families. The charge is against the bank's precious metals desk. DOJ says that the desk rigged the prices of gold, silver and other precious metals for the past eight years; it “conducted the affairs of the desk through a pattern of racketeering activity, specifically, wire fraud affecting a financial institution and bank fraud.”
The economy needs watching
From Wall Street on Parade:
Two notable things happened on Monday, September 16, 2019. Rates started to spike in the overnight loan (repo) market, reaching a high of 10 percent the next day and forcing the Federal Reserve to step in as a lender of last resort for the first time since the financial crisis. The Fed has had to intervene every business day since then with overnight loans, funneling hundreds of billions of dollars to its primary dealers, while also providing $150 billion in 14-day term loans to unnamed banks.
Two notable things happened on Monday, September 16, 2019. Rates started to spike in the overnight loan (repo) market, reaching a high of 10 percent the next day and forcing the Federal Reserve to step in as a lender of last resort for the first time since the financial crisis. The Fed has had to intervene every business day since then with overnight loans, funneling hundreds of billions of dollars to its primary dealers, while also providing $150 billion in 14-day term loans to unnamed banks.
Wednesday, October 02, 2019
The Railroad and Culture
I never really thought much about the railroad, but The American Scholar has an interesting article which argues that it had a large effect on the culture that took form in Europe beginning in the 1840s. It affected the way people read, how music was played in public and in private, and the development of museums.
For example, not many books were shipped between countries prior to the railroad because of the cost of shipping. It had been expensive and slow to ship books, but the expansion of railways slashed the cost and sped up distribution. The number of books France exported between 1841 and 1860 doubled.
Trains also encouraged reading because of the boredom of long journeys. By 1854, the French publisher Louis Hachette had 60 stalls in railway stations. Fifteen years later, he had 500. The more astute publishers understood quickly the need for a new type of literature for passengers. Short stories became hugely popular, as did travel guides and the detective tales known as “penny dreadfuls.” Many more books were published outside their country of origin.
And the sale of pianos burgeoned because the rails could transport the huge, heavy instruments. Exports and deliveries multiplied, and by midcentury, piano ownership was no longer a luxury.
And it boosted tourism. A museum in Manchester, England attracted more than 1.3 million visitors from all over Europe.
For example, not many books were shipped between countries prior to the railroad because of the cost of shipping. It had been expensive and slow to ship books, but the expansion of railways slashed the cost and sped up distribution. The number of books France exported between 1841 and 1860 doubled.
Trains also encouraged reading because of the boredom of long journeys. By 1854, the French publisher Louis Hachette had 60 stalls in railway stations. Fifteen years later, he had 500. The more astute publishers understood quickly the need for a new type of literature for passengers. Short stories became hugely popular, as did travel guides and the detective tales known as “penny dreadfuls.” Many more books were published outside their country of origin.
And the sale of pianos burgeoned because the rails could transport the huge, heavy instruments. Exports and deliveries multiplied, and by midcentury, piano ownership was no longer a luxury.
And it boosted tourism. A museum in Manchester, England attracted more than 1.3 million visitors from all over Europe.
Tuesday, October 01, 2019
Minimizing costs
One way the sheriffs in Alabama do so is by placing sick prisoners on medical bond, where they release inmates who do not have Medicaid or insurance to cover their medical bills. Thus, the sheriff's office would be financially responsible.
Some sheriffs really push the issue, as with a woman prisoner who the dispatcher said to the sheriff, “We are going to have to do something with Tracie because she is throwing up everywhere. … Her blood pressure is at 183 over 113. I don’t have a county unit available to carry her to the hospital.” The sheriff's response, “See if she had insurance, if she had Medicaid.” This, despite the fact that the nearest hospital was only 1½ miles away.
Inmates suffering heart attacks, on the verge of diabetic comas and brutalized in jail beatings have been released so sheriffs wouldn’t have to pay for their medical care. Some were rearrested once they had recovered.
Some sheriffs really push the issue, as with a woman prisoner who the dispatcher said to the sheriff, “We are going to have to do something with Tracie because she is throwing up everywhere. … Her blood pressure is at 183 over 113. I don’t have a county unit available to carry her to the hospital.” The sheriff's response, “See if she had insurance, if she had Medicaid.” This, despite the fact that the nearest hospital was only 1½ miles away.
Inmates suffering heart attacks, on the verge of diabetic comas and brutalized in jail beatings have been released so sheriffs wouldn’t have to pay for their medical care. Some were rearrested once they had recovered.
More Climate Change
A UN agency, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, has released a pretty scary report, which was written by more than 100 international experts and is based on more than 7,000 studies. It is the most extensive look to date at the effects of climate change on oceans, ice sheets, mountain snowpack and permafrost. And things look pretty bad.
Climate change is heating the oceans and altering their chemistry so dramatically that it is threatening seafood supplies, fueling cyclones and floods and posing profound risks to the hundreds of millions of people living along the coasts. The report concludes that the world’s oceans and ice sheets are under such severe stress that the fallout could prove difficult for humans to contain without steep reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Fish populations are already declining in many regions as warming waters throw marine ecosystems into disarray.
The oceans have served us well as a buffer against global warming. They soak up roughly a quarter of the carbon dioxide emitted from power plants, factories and cars; they absorb more than 90 percent of the excess heat trapped on Earth by carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. This will not continue unless we act now.
Climate change is heating the oceans and altering their chemistry so dramatically that it is threatening seafood supplies, fueling cyclones and floods and posing profound risks to the hundreds of millions of people living along the coasts. The report concludes that the world’s oceans and ice sheets are under such severe stress that the fallout could prove difficult for humans to contain without steep reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Fish populations are already declining in many regions as warming waters throw marine ecosystems into disarray.
The oceans have served us well as a buffer against global warming. They soak up roughly a quarter of the carbon dioxide emitted from power plants, factories and cars; they absorb more than 90 percent of the excess heat trapped on Earth by carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. This will not continue unless we act now.
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