Linkee-poo Tuesdays

Judith Krantz and Chris Cornell, and so it goes.

"Uranus has rings, too." Don't get personal. (Grokked from Dan)

"Democratic state attorney generals and environmental groups are gearing up for what is expected to be a precedent-setting legal battle with the Trump administration over its rollback of an Obama-era power plant pollution rule… They argue the new Trump rule won't do enough to stop climate change and that the administration is ignoring the Clean Air Act's (CAA) requirement that the federal government manage pollution that is harmful to human health."

"But, (VP) Pence isn't really saying that the administration understands what the science says and will follow it. Instead, he's simply hiding behind a bunch of equivocations -- the ridiculousness of which are laid bare by Tapper's repeated fact-based pushback and the VP's anemic 'responses.'" We're boned.

"SpaceX caught the fairing, or nose cone, of its Falcon Heavy rocket on Tuesday, passing another milestone as the company seeks to consistently reuse an expensive part of its rocket." But only returned two of the 3 cores.

"Scientists have long found a possible link between anticholinergic drugs and an increased risk of dementia… A study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine on Monday suggests that the link is strongest for certain classes of anticholinergic drugs -- particularly antidepressants, bladder antimuscarinics, antipsychotics and antiepileptic drugs… people taking these medications are advised not to stop them without consulting with their doctor first, as that could be harmful." Also add the usual disclaimers about it being one study, a small study, the results are not determinative just related.

"Anyone who has tried to shop around for hospital services knows this: It's hard to get prices in advance… President Trump signed an executive order Monday that he says would make such comparisons easier, and make the pricing process more transparent." The problem is that even with prices (and I agree that the only way for the consumer to have an effect in the market is to show the full price upfront) consumers don't have enough information to make good decisions. So what I see this doing, besides upping the information caregivers will need to know (as it is we are often asked how much the x-rays/CTs will cost), is delaying care, patients going against medical advice, and hospitals and providers charging the high-end of their prices to make sure they cover all of the various possibilities of the care. And when you're in an emergency, are you really going to price shop? So with the cost of the x-ray, are we going to include the cost of the Radiologist to read that x-ray? Are we going to force providers to disclose the whole pricing structure (hint: your pharmacy co-pays often are more than what the pharmacy pays for the drugs) or just the "MSRP"? What happens if you're getting a standard surgery and there is a complication, do we wake you up and wait until you're legally able to make a decision to explain the cost options to you? The devil will be in the details, but if I had to lay money this will be done in the most stupid manner possible. Which won't change a damn thing and will end up costing even more.

"The fake messages are an example of 'dark patterns,' devious online techniques that manipulate users into doing things they might not otherwise choose to. They are the digital version of timeworn tactics used to influence consumer behavior, like impulse purchases placed near cash registers, or bait-and-switch ads for used cars." Know what you want up front, don't let them drive you to make choices, make sure you slowly read all options given to you.

"In the photograph, Gretchen Altman is smiling, leaning back casually, a cup of coffee in hand — Hills Bros. Coffee, to be precise. It looks like a candid shot, but if you hit like, leave a comment, and tag a friend, you can get three different blends of brew, for free." The rise of the "micro-influencer." We've been dealing with this for a long time, including people posting book reviews (which is why I don't do that here).

In case you ever wondered why I rail against the system, here's a tweet storm by Jim Wright that explains a little of it. In the village I live in I was appalled that only 18% of the kids went on to higher education than HS. The drop out rate was higher. It's now about 50% (when you include trade schools), but that still too damn low. Parents in my village quit their jobs when their kids are Seniors to "make it the best year of their (kid's) lives." Seriously. I've been told this to my face by the parents. The best these kids can hope for is Senior year of High School. And no matter how much my wife and I have tried, they stubbornly refuse to change or accept that help. We donate science books to the school, they go missing. We donate art books, they give them to the little kids to cut up to make "arrangements". We donate books on college selection and financial aid, they disappear into the counselors' offices never to be seen again. The kids we meet and know we encourage to do better, have more, see the world. Most don't. And just like Jim says, they're "(n)ot just proud of it, but determined to it. Their politicians and their religion tell them that a desire for a better future is arrogance, elitism, a sin, unamerican and that doing so makes for lazy entitled children. I look around at this proud poverty and am appalled." And they "don't want a government handout", but boy-howdy let them plant a few acres less than will qualify them for crop insurance or assistance and you'll hear it shouted across the fields (seriously). Two of my coworkers at the hospital are from that. I'm proud they've at least gone for a 2 year degree and have a great job. But neither are going to leave their parent's farms, and both are marrying their high school sweethearts. My grandparents were middle class, but we were working poor. I look back at the opportunities I didn't even consider were available to me and sometimes I wonder what might have been. And not to blow my own horn, but (knock on wood) I've done pretty well for myself and my wife.

"My work as a journalist has taken me to many foreign countries, including frequent trips to Mexico. On May 13, I was returning to the U.S. from Mexico City when, passing through immigration at the Austin airport, I was pulled out of line for “secondary screening,” a quasi-custodial law enforcement process that takes place in the Homeland Security zone of the airport." (Grokked from Ellen Kushner)

"The Pentagon announced earlier this month that training by Turkish pilots on F-35 fighter jets had been halted at a U.S. air base in Arizona following Turkey’s purchase of Russian S-400 defense systems."

"Iran accused the United States Tuesday of lying about wanting to resume talks between the two countries in the wake of new sanctions imposed by President Donald Trump earlier this week."

"Fresh sanctions levied by the United States drew an intense reaction from Iran on Tuesday, with a senior official saying they spell the 'permanent closure' of diplomacy between the two countries." Two can play hardball. Iran tells the US to get lost.

"There is no American strategic alliance that President Trump won’t seek to undo in the name of… a quick buck? After years of grousing about NATO, this week Bloomberg reports Trump has been privately musing to aides about upending the U.S.-Japan defense treaty that came out of the wreckage of World War II. The 60-year-old pact saw Japan give up its military in return for security guarantees from the U.S., laying the groundwork for decades of regional stability and economic growth." But Trump doesn't like it because it doesn't require Japan to militarily assist the US. There's a reason for that.

"A Vietnamese court has sentenced an American to 12 years in jail for what was described as an attempt to overthrow the Communist nation’s government."

"A Russian air force plane landed on Monday in Venezuela’s main airport, according to a Reuters witness and a website that tracks plane movements, three months after a similar arrival spurred a war of words between Washington and Moscow." End game, reduction of force, escalation of force? Time will tell.

"The Treasury Department will conduct an investigation into the circumstances leading to a delay in the production of a new $20 bill featuring a portrait of slave-turned-slave-emancipator Harriet Tubman."

"The White House on Monday threatened to veto House Democrats' proposal on how to meet its request for $4.5 billion in funds to address the influx of migrants on the southern border." So much for those two weeks (also next week starts the 4 of July recess).

"More than 200 migrant children detained in a remote Border Patrol station in southwest Texas without adequate food, water and sanitation have been moved after news of the conditions became public last week." It wasn't just about that one station.