Thursday, April 25, 2013

@8:24, 4/24/13

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http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/425748/april-23-2013/austerity-s-spreadsheet-error?xrs=share_copy


1
Science

Court Backs E.P.A. Veto of Mining Permit

The Environmental Protection Agency has the authority to revoke a mining permit to protect streams and wildlife, a federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday.
Decisions and Verdicts; Water Pollution; Animals; Mountaintop Removal Mining; Coal; Clean Water Act; 

Shutting down coal mining  destroys livings, also deaths.
Mountain top removal can wait for the climate to recover.

2
Business Day

With Juice and Vegan Trends, a Company Aims for National Exposure

Recognizing the growing market for vegan and vegetarian food, Organic Avenue, known for its juices, wants to extend beyond New York City.
Juices; Vegetarianism; Veganism; Consumer Behavior; 

http://michaelpollan.com/books/the-omnivores-dilemma/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Omnivore%27s_Dilemma
"The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals is a nonfiction book by Michael Pollan published in 2006. In the book, Pollan asks the seemingly straightforward question of what we should have for dinner. As omnivores, the most unselective eaters, we humans are faced with a wide variety of food choices, resulting in a dilemma. Pollan suggests that, prior to modern food preservation and transportation technologies, this particular dilemma was largely resolved, primarily through cultural influences. These technologies have recreated the dilemma, by making available foods that were previously seasonal or regional. The relationship between food and society, once moderated by culture, now finds itself confused. To learn more about those choices, Pollan follows each of the food chains that sustain us; industrial food, organic food, and food we forage ourselves; from the source to a final meal, and in the process writes a critique of the American way of eating."

We can start the extended discussion with Pollan's book.
I would prefer to deal with the problem rather than the echos of the problem.  Nibbling at the edges is slower than I like.

3
Health

Smoking? Combat? Wait Till 21, Young Recruits Say

Many young people walking into a military recruitment center in Manhattan said that they were not mature enough to make any life-or-death decisions before 21.
Smoking and Tobacco; Draft and Recruitment (Military); United States Defense and Military Forces; Youth; Law and Legislation; 

I am glad the recruits agree with me.   
 
4
World

Drone Strikes Turn Allies Into Enemies, Yemeni Says

In testimony before a Senate Judiciary subcommittee, a Yemeni man who had studied in the United States said the strikes turned Yemenis against America.
Drones (Pilotless Planes); United States Defense and Military Forces; Targeted Killings; 

I would like to see us out of the public assassination business.
I see nothing I want to do about death by executive decision as long as it can kept it rare and anonymous.
One should not sign political murders.

5
Science

Monsters of the River at One Moment in Time

As one researcher prepares to leave the area where she’s been tracking a monster fish through the wilds of Guyana, she thinks back to the work and ahead to what must still be done.
Fish and Other Marine Life; Forests and Forestry; Rivers; Sustainable Living; 

Scientists are people.  Often they are nice people.
 
6
World

Fukushima Plant Operator Should Prepare Better, U.N. Watchdog Says

Tepco, the operator of Japan’s stricken nuclear plant, has to stop relying on stopgap measures, a team from the International Atomic Energy Agency said.
Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (Japan); Japan Earthquake and Tsunami (2011); 

Yes.  
Reverse osmosis could clean the contaminated water for discharge to the sea.  Peripheral wells could drop the water table. 
7
N.Y. / Region

City Plan Sets 21 as Legal Age to Buy Tobacco

The age to buy cigarettes legally would rise to 21 from 18 under a proposal that officials unveiled on Monday, a measure that would give New York the strictest limits of any major American city.
Smoking and Tobacco; Youth; Age, Chronological; 

I am not sorry I quit.
Not starting is better.
Tobacco is an addictive drug and should be regulated along with the others.
 
8
World

Taliban Abduct 11 Civilians After Their Helicopter Goes Down in Afghanistan

Eight Turkish engineers and at least one Russian were among those taken hostage after surviving a forced landing in eastern Afghanistan, officials said.
Kidnapping; Helicopters; Engineering and Engineers; Afghanistan War (2001- ); Hostages; 

This is a problem for the Afghan government.
 
9
Education

Seeking to Pare Standardized Tests, Legislators Take Aim at Testing Firm

With parents and educators denouncing Texas lawmakers’ efforts to uproot the standardized testing program, legislators are critical of the tests’ developer, Pearson.
Tests and Examinations; Education (K-12); Budgets and Budgeting; State Legislatures; Law and Legislation;
10
Health

Do We Have to Cool Down After Exercise?

Contrary to what most of us learned in gym class, cooling down after a workout won’t substantially improve limberness or reduce muscle soreness. A brief walk after exercise, however, may prevent dizziness by maintaining normal blood flow to the brain.
Exercise; Legs; Medicine and Health; Muscles; Research;

No.  Walk a few minutes.
 
11
Opinion

Only an Accident

Are victims of industrial explosions different from victims of terrorism?
Explosions; Factories and Manufacturing; Terrorism; Accidents and Safety; 

Why makes no difference to the dead and the injured.
Why makes a difference to the police and the regulators.
 
12
Business Day

Why I Pay What I Pay

Am I paying my people too much, too little, or just the right amount?
Factories and Manufacturing; Labor and Jobs; Small Business; Wages and Salaries; 

Seems like a reasonable scale.  
I wonder how it compares with union scale.
 
13
N.Y. / Region

Parole Granted for Political Consultant in a Corruption Case

Hank Morris, who was an adviser to Alan G. Hevesi, a disgraced former New York State comptroller, had been in prison since March 2011.
Probation and Parole; Frauds and Swindling; Pensions and Retirement Plans; Prisons and Prisoners; 

There is not much point in keeping such locked up.
His political repute is shot.
 
14
World

Restoring Sea and Romance to a French Treasure

A $285 million project to restore Mont-St.-Michel as an island is touching the commercial heart of the town, confusing tourists and angering residents.
Restoration and Renovation; Levees and Dams; Monuments and Memorials (Structures); Water; 

I have learned enough about Gothic Architecture to loose most of my enthusiasm for it.  As a building designer I like modern.  
Make things as simple as is cheap and pleasant.
 
15
Business Day

Safety Agency Backs Limits to Car Devices

The guidelines, which are not mandatory, focus on communication, entertainment and navigation devices included by automakers.
Automobile Safety Features and Defects; Wireless Communications; 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is ducking the necessary regulation.  
Ban unnecessary distraction. 

16
Opinion

Resistant Bacteria in Meat

Dr. Bernadette Dunham of the Center for Veterinary Medicine at the F.D.A. responds to an online news article.
Antibiotics; Bacteria; 

We are loosing antibiotics through abuse.  End the abuse.

I can eat less meat.  Resistant staph aureus can kill me. 
17
Opinion

‘A Chinese Threat to Afghan Buddhas’

In Afghanistan, a Chinese mining company threatens to destroy the remains of an ancient Buddhist city, which archaeologists are now racing to excavate.
Archaeology; Mines and Mining; Buddhism; 

The Afghans can require that the Chinese preserve the historical artifacts.

18
World

Amid Much Tumult, France Approves ‘Marriage for All’

The passage of the same-sex marriage law by the lower house of Parliament came after months of sometimes angry debate and a series of major protests.
Same-Sex Marriage, Civil Unions and Domestic Partnerships; Homosexuality; Marriages; 

Rationality, even in France.

19
World

U.S. and China Put Focus on Cybersecurity

A Chinese general said he pledged to work with America on cybersecurity because the consequences of a major attack might be “as serious as a nuclear bomb.”
Cyberwarfare; Defense and Military Forces; United States International Relations; Nuclear Weapons; 

China will shortly become very busy domestically.
      U.S. corporations will have to guard their own secrets for a bit.
 
20
Opinion

The Boston Case, From Many Angles

Readers react to developments in the marathon bombing investigation.
Boston Marathon Bombings (2013); School Shootings; Newtown, Conn, Shooting (2012); Terrorism; 

Murder is still a crime in Massachusetts.


Let us discover if a testosterone boost is desirable.





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