I watch the ripples change their size
But never leave the stream
Of warm impermanence
And so the days float through my eyes
But still the days seem the same
And these children that you spit on
As they try to change their worlds
Are immune to your consultations
They're quite aware of what they're goin' through

Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Linkee-poo let it snow

We're going to need a bigger boat.

"While no one doubts that human hunting was the proximate cause of thylacine's demise, according to lead researcher Andrew Pask of the University of Melbourne, its fate may have been sealed tens of thousands of years before the last known animal died at the Hobart Zoo in 1936." Note that cheetahs have the same issue.

"There is no simple, universal answer to this question, but after nearly two decades of working with patients trying to lose weight, and with the help of two leaders in the field of nutrition and obesity medicine, I've put together this list of some of the most common behavioral and medical reasons you might not be losing weight, even though you think you are doing everything right. I've also tried to include suggestions to get you on the right track to sustained weight loss."

"Modern ticks are infamous for biting humans and other mammals. But ticks are very ancient, and scientists who study their evolution have long wondered what (or who) the little vampires ate before there were mammals to feed on. Feathered dinosaurs apparently were among the possible creatures on the menu."

"European governments aiming to stem an exodus of refugees from Libya have been knowingly complicit in the abuse of would-be migrants held in detention centers in the North African country, according to Amnesty International." This is my shocked face.

Why CHIP is important and Congress should be ashamed for not addressing it immediately.

For the "we don't need government interference in health care" crowd. "In the six weeks since the denial (for laser ablation surgery), Cara has had more than two dozen seizures affecting her everyday life. Her message to Aetna is blunt: 'Considering they're denying me getting surgery and stopping this thing that's wrong with my brain, I would probably just say, "Screw you."'" Insurance is already between the doctor and their patients. (Grokked from Matt Staggs)

"Two pills to wipe out hookworm could cost you four cents. Or $400… It just depends where you live… The four cents is in Tanzania. That'll cover the two pills it takes to knock out the intestinal parasite. But in the United States, where hookworm has reemerged, the price for two 200 mg tablets of albendazole can cost as much as $400." The company that makes it blames the "regulatory" differences, but my guess is the differences in health insurance rates.

"The Trump administration has scrapped an Obama-era proposal requiring airlines and ticket agencies to disclose baggage fees as soon as passengers start the process of buying a ticket." Because fuck you, that's why. (Grokked from Laura J Mixon)

"President Donald Trump signed his administration's first space policy directive yesterday (Dec. 11), which formally directs NASA to focus on returning humans to the moon." I have a request for whom we can send there first. Note that GW Bush also directed NASA to go to Mars. And then never funded the effort. Or, in other words, it's a sop.

"Around 200 stories flagged as false or misleading relating to the (Alabama Senate) race surfaced on Facebook by the weekend, according to a count by The Associated Press, one of several fact-checking organizations working with Facebook to deter the spread of false content on the platform." Same as it ever was.

"The Treasury Department report enables President Donald Trump to claim that the Senate tax overhaul would pay for itself, even though outside analyses show otherwise." It's a one page memo. One page. You can't refute it's findings because there are none.

"The EU’s 28 finance ministers had already expressed concern about the U.S. (tax overhaul) during a meeting last week, but now its five biggest economies have gone ahead with their own warning."

"White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders sparred heatedly with reporters Monday over errors made by media outlets in recent stories on President Trump." Things are getting a little testy.

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