"A newly described dementia strikes people in their last decades of life. The disease, aptly named LATE, comes with symptoms that resemble Alzheimer’s disease, but is thought to be caused by something completely different."
"Burger King announced that it plans to roll the Impossible Whopper out to all of its stores nationwide after a pilot in its locations in the St. Louis area 'went exceedingly well,'… Burger King found that adding the meatless patties to the menu translated to incremental sales for its locations, which means more customers and more profit."
How fucked up is our healthcare delivery system in the US? "By 2014, the hardware components of a DIY artificial pancreas—a small insulin pump that attaches via thin disposable tubing to the body and a continuous sensor for glucose, or sugar, that slips just under the skin—were available, but it was impossible to connect the two. That’s where the security flaw came in. The hackers realized they could use it to override old Medtronic pumps with their own algorithm that automatically calculates insulin doses based on real-time glucose data. It closed the feedback loop." Welcome to the cyberpunk future.
"Two whistleblowers at a pharmaceutical company responsible for one of the largest drug price increases in US history said the company bribed doctors and their staffs to increase sales, according to newly unsealed documents in federal court… The price of the drug, best known for treating a rare infant seizure disorder, has increased almost 97,000%, from $40 a vial in 2000 to nearly $39,000 today." That's "first against the wall when the revolution comes" territory. (Grokked from Kelly Swails)
Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. "While public health officials have focused on the opioid epidemic in recent years, another epidemic has been brewing quietly, but vigorously, behind the scenes. Methamphetamine use is surging in parts of the U.S., particularly the West, leaving first responders and addiction treatment providers struggling to handle a rising need." The "War on Drugs" is a farce. Want to reduce drug use, increase the minimum wage, decrease income disparity, give people concrete hope for a better future. "Interdiction" is as effective drug policy as trying to stop floods by using an umbrella.
"When the launch of NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory and Glory missions failed in 2009 and 2011, the agency said it was because their launch vehicle malfunctioned… Now, a NASA Launch Services Program (LSP) investigation has revealed that the malfunction was caused by faulty aluminum materials. More importantly, the probe blew a 19-year fraud scheme perpetrated by Oregon aluminum extrusion manufacturer Sapa Profiles, Inc., which Orbital ATK fell victim to, wide open." It's all fun and games until a satellite blows up and insurance companies demand answers.
"The U.S. Air Force Academy has abruptly removed its commandant of cadets amid an investigation, but officials are not saying much more about the inquiry or what precipitated the firing." I was going to say, "about time", but Brig. Gen. Kristin Goodwin has only been there since 2017, which means she was the one brought in to change the toxic and overtly evangelical culture that had been growing there since 2001. My guess is those who wanted to continue the earlier culture managed to get their way.
"Robots have revolutionized auto manufacturing, making plants safer and products more reliable — and reducing the number of people involved in the process. But walk inside a modern auto plant, and you'll quickly realize that robots have hardly replaced the human touch — at least, not in some areas." There's been a lot of garment rending over the coming robot apocalypse, so it's good to see an article that talks about reality, instead of geek-boi fantasy. The auto industry probably has the longest record of the use of robotics, and they're recognizing that they can't fully eliminate the human from the production. And don't start on "artificial intelligence" (and boy has that term been watered down in the last decade). Right now you can buy relatively cheap robots to handle grill work (fast food). They make economic sense right now. Except for one thing. They're not very good at it. Because what many people think of as "rote" work isn't and involves a lot of decision making and judgements that robots can't do very well.
Why is this recovery unlike all over recoveries? "We got some significant economic numbers this morning — especially significant in light of the meeting, tomorrow and Wednesday, of the Federal Reserve's Open Market Committee. The Bureau of Economic Analysis reported spending in March was way up and income inched higher. But it's the inflation number that probably matters most, at this juncture, for Fed interest rate policy and economic growth." Now, I've just gotta say that in general it doesn't feel like inflation is too low. At least not for what we buy. But the Fed and Commerce have been fucking with the CPI since the 80s. Oh, btw, the BoLS has a handy-dandy inflation calculator where you can enter the dollar amount, and what month and year you want to start and when you want to end to find out the relative buying power. For instance, I started working for a paycheck in April of 83, IIRC minimum wage at the time was $3.25, which is had the same buying power as $8.38 today (federal minimum wage is $7.25, although many states and municipalities have higher minimums).
Remember when conservatives (coughFoxNewscough) were saying that Sen. Warren's plan on cancelling student-loan debt was pissing off those who have already paid off their loans? "A solid majority of Americans — 57% — who've already paid off their student-loan debt support Sen. Elizabeth Warren's ambitious new plan to cancel tens of millions of Americans' student debt, according to a new INSIDER poll."
Oh look, it's Infrastructure Week. Again. "Democratic congressional leaders say President Trump has agreed to a $2 trillion infrastructure plan. But — and it's a big but — there was no agreement on how to pay for such a wide-ranging and expensive proposal." The most hilarious part about this (and there are several, like "Trump asked, 'What's happening with the fish?'"), and I'm being serious here, "The Democratic leaders say the onus is on the president to come up with a way to pay for the improvements." And they got him to say "I'll lead on this." Look, all I'm saying here is don't play poker with Pelosi or Schumer.
"Just as the federal government is about to tighten its regulations on wood heaters, Lamppa Manufacturing is preparing to expand. Instead of slowing things down for Lamppa, the new rules could give the tiny company a leg up on its competition. Daryl Lamppa traces his company's roots to his grandfather, who built wood-burning stoves for the saunas of Finnish settlers during the Depression." That's because Lamppa is 1 of only 2 companies in the US whose current furnaces meet or exceed the new regulations.
"Nearly two years ago, President Trump stood in the East Room of the White House and announced that Taiwan-based Foxconn — a major supplier of Apple technology — was going to build its first U.S. manufacturing facility, outside Milwaukee." How's that going? (Hint, like most of Trump's "businesses", a lot of hype, but not a lot of substance.)
"Dozens of lawmakers have signed a letter to the Trump administration demanding to know why there has been a drastic slowdown in granting U.S. visas to Afghans and Iraqis who helped U.S. forces." JFC, can we get this problem solved already?
"A man armed with a pistol opened fire on the final day of classes at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, killing two people and leaving four others wounded -- three of them critically, authorities said."
"A U.S. Army veteran with experience fighting in Afghanistan conspired to stage a terrorist attack on a planned white supremacist rally with the intent of inflicting mass casualties in the Los Angeles area, according to federal prosecutors." Waits for the inevitable right-wing freakout.
"The plane was on the tarmac. Nicolás Maduro, the disputed president of Venezuela, was ready to head to Havana, Cuba, amid widespread international condemnation and the threat of ouster. But the Russian government talked him out of leaving." That's a nice story, Mike, and I'm sure it's so totally true. And then the president warns Cuba, but not the Russians who we know are actually there.
In case you needed any more reason to think Stephen Moore is a dick. "Earlier this decade, Stephen Moore, the economic commentator who is one of President Trump’s picks to join the Federal Reserve board, told right-leaning audiences that the working poor should pay more taxes, that Walmart benefits the poor more than the social safety net, and that income inequality can be solved by creating more billionaires." (Grokked from Chuck Wendig)
"Attorney General William Barr faces tough new questions about his response to special counsel Robert Mueller's report… Judiciary committee members want to know why Mueller told the attorney general he was frustrated with Barr's original summary of the report. In a letter, Mueller told Barr his message to Congress 'did not fully capture the context, nature, and substance' of Mueller's views on obstruction of justice… Barr previously told lawmakers he didn't know if Mueller supported his conclusion on obstruction." And Mueller was a disappointed in the margins. Also, rumors are there is more than one letter.
"Attorney General William Barr has been on the job for just 10 weeks, but in the short time he has led the Justice Department, he has already managed to put his stamp on the place." The career employees hope the stain isn't permanent.
For when people oppose voter initiatives on the ballot amending state constitutions because, "well, why does it need to be in the Constitution?" "The Missouri legislature moved one step closer on Monday to putting on the ballot a measure that would gut an anti-gerrymandering initiative passed by voters last year. The proposal, if it becomes law, would set the stage for the state to exclude non-citizens from its redistricting process, kicking off a major legal battle over who deserves political representation in the country." Because those bastards will try and change it if it's not in the Constitution. Also here is GOP election strategy laid bare. As I've stated before, they know their demographic is shrinking and they'll do anything to hold onto power just a little longer (and get their judges into lifetime appointments as their last vestige). (Grokked from Michele)
"A federal district judge in Washington ruled on Tuesday that congressional Democrats could proceed with a lawsuit claiming that President Trump was violating the Constitution by continuing to profit from his businesses while president."
"President Trump has filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking to keep two banks from responding to congressional subpoenas, setting up a legal showdown with Democrats eager to investigate his finances." So that's going to slow down the eventual disclosure of these materials until well into the 2020 election. Good job, Trump Lawyers.
I'm really not a big fan of Joe Biden running for president (not too much against him, although I have reservations about him), but… "President Donald Trump went on retweeting binge early Wednesday, promoting tweets from nearly 60 accounts that replied to a post regarding the International Association of Firefighter's support for former Vice President Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential race."
No comments:
Post a Comment