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

Wednesday, August 9, 2017

Linkee-poo is searchin' in the sun for another overload

NPR asks the question if sugar in fruit is the same as sugar in candies. Short answer, no. Even if you take away all the extras in the fruit (the fiber, vitamins, proteins, fats and flavonoids), processed sugar is made in a way to be easily absorbed by your body (this is why "sugar in the raw" can be better for you). Now, chemically it's the same, but there are slightly different shapes of sugar. Glucose (what your body needs), fructose and galactose are all C6H12O6, but they are all different shapes. Remember, the engines of your cells are enzymes, and enzymes are all about the shape (and electrical charges, but mostly shape). Maltose, ribose, lactose and a few others have different chemical compositions (but they're all Carbon, Hydrogen and Oxygen), and then fats are basically these sugars stacked together with some extra bits to hold them all together. But not only are the shapes important (your body needs to convert fructose to glucose before using it), the composition and mixture of all of these is important.

"The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has proposed spending $275 million to upgrade defenses against an invading force. The enemy? A fish. Specifically, Asian carp that are threatening to break through to the Great Lakes." For those of you who don't live near the Great Lakes, this is a Very Big Thing™ and it's also something the Trump Administration has proposed cutting funds for (actually for anything to do with the Great Lakes).

And then this asshole. Male jogger pushes woman into path of oncoming bus.

"President Donald Trump, who constantly rants about 'leakers' and warns his Twitter followers to be wary of anonymous sources, on Tuesday morning retweeted a Fox News report that cited anonymous intelligence community officials."

Someone needs to get Steve Forbes to adjust his medication. "When it comes to communications, Republicans too often are cowardly and incompetent." He then goes on a tear that's basically,"screw the CBO, screw the pundits, for Tax Cuts go big or go home." Because blah blah Reagan (and now Kennedy, it's a nice talking point meant to diffuse Democratic opposition) give rich people more money and somehow magic happens and we have a better economy with more jobs and higher incomes. Well, Steve, hate to break it to you but Reagan's cuts tanked the economy, which he then had to raise taxes to get back on track. And since Reagan's time a 2% GDP growth has become the norm. It was his (and conservative) policies that drug us down (and making sure banks broke their "boom/bust" cycle). Also, we've had several "tax cuts" meant to bring us more jobs and higher wages and not a single one worked (except for the Social Security holiday, and because that was Obama it was never extended or renewed). And then he ends with "So make simple cuts now, and go for major tax reform after next year's elections." Seriously WTF, Steve.

"Eager to attract good help in a tight labor market — and unsure of the future of the Affordable Care Act — large employers are newly committed to maintaining health coverage for workers and often for their families, too, according to new research and interviews with business analysts… That's a marked change from three years ago, when many big employers… contemplated ending medical benefits and shifting workers to the Affordable Care Act's marketplaces." When I was being poached for the new job I started in March my first question was about their health plan. And then there's this, "Employers expect health costs to increase 5.5 percent next year, up from 4.6 percent in 2017, according to the Willis Towers Watson report." Compared to the increases we saw in the late 90s and early 2000s, that's hellasmall increases. Also note their comment about double-digit increases in the Obamacare marketplace isn't true everywhere. Ohio, which expanded Medicaid, has seen similar 5-8% increases.

"Cairo, Ill., is one of the fastest depopulating communities in the nation, with abandoned buildings throughout the river town. The federal government plans to demolish two public housing projects where many of the remaining residents live." Dr. Carson does the "Hi, I'm from the government, we're here to help," line in Cairo.

"President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer on Tuesday claimed Trump has sent special counsel Robert Mueller, who is overseeing the federal investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, private messages of 'appreciation and greetings.'" Pictures or it didn't happen. Actually this is a blunt attempt to get opposition to Trump's potential firing of Mueller to soften. It's the ol' "don't throw me in the briar patch" gambit by saying, "Oh no, we really like Mueller and think he's doing a bang-up job."

In a fantastic diplomatic move President Trump tries the one strategy every former president and diplomats have eschewed, he threatens North Korea. Here's his own red line, which North Korea promptly overstepped. Just to remind everyone, Clinton did reach a multilateral agreement with the prior Kim Jung to stop his nuclear arms program. A deal the GW Bush administration immediately broke by turning around the tankers carrying heavy fuel oil to North Korea when they took office. Literally turned them around.

"FBI agents raided former Trump campaign Chairman Paul Manafort's home… the raid reportedly took place in late July, one month after Manafort registered as a foreign agent."

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