Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Marc Dion: No Reason to Suspect Foul Play (Creators Syndicate)
They found her near the river, on the weedy bank. The river is paved over for most of its length, but it rises in a couple spots, and one of them is near the interstate, in back of a now-abandoned Sam's Club. The river powered the first cotton mills in the city where I live, but electricity came along, and they gave the river a layoff notice, and then buried it, a fate common to working people and working rivers.
Paul Krugman: The Bad News in the Good News (NY Times Blog)
This morning's job market report was definitely good. Job creation was surprisingly strong for this late in an economic expansion; wages are finally rising, although still far more slowly than they were before the Great Recession. You never want to make too much of one month's report, but this was clearly positive. And stocks plunged. What?
Dr. Michael Gregor: Plant-Based Is Not the Same as Vegetarianism (Nutritionfacts.org)
"A closer look reveals that 'extreme' or 'inhumanly cruel' describes not plant-based nutrition, but the consequences of our present Western diet," Dr. Esselstyn writes, adding that having a breastbone sawed in half for bypass surgery or a stroke that renders one an invalid unable to speak "can be construed as extreme, and having a breast, prostate, colon, or rectum removed to treat cancer may seem inhumanly cruel." That's extreme. [In comparison, e]ating a bean burrito is easy.
Dr. Michael Gregor: Cancer (Nutritionfacts.org)
The truth is that adhering to just four simple healthy lifestyle factors can have a strong impact on the prevention of chronic diseases: not smoking, not being obese, getting a half hour of daily exercise, and eating healthier-defined as consuming more fruits, veggies, and whole grains, and less meat. Those four factors alone were found to account for 78 percent of chronic disease risk.
Garrison Keillor: The beauty of competence
I wanted to be thought gifted, but competence was within reach and so I took that. And now I am trying to be competent at the job of being a lighthearted old man. It never was my ambition before, but now the opportunity is upon me and I am slowly learning.
Tom Lamont: "Margot Robbie: 'I asked my girlfriends what they'd been through. And they were angry'" (The Guardian)
Our conversation has reminded her of a bit in the film, when Harding is moved to comment on the outdatedness of competitive women's figure-skating, its tutus, its sequins, "this old-timey vision of what a woman's supposed to be". The skater's response is to glide over to the judges' table at a competition - to face the arbitrators of this dated industry directly, and to stick up a middle finger at them. Just an awesome moment, Robbie says. "And, sadly, pretty relevant - right?"
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Presenting
Michael Egan
took the day off.
has returned to semi-retired status.
In memory.
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
Bonus Links
Jeannie the Teed-Off Temp
from Marc Perkel
Marc's Guide to Curing Cancer
So far so good on beating cancer for now. I'm doing fine. At the end of the month I'll be 16 months into an 8 month mean lifespan. And yesterday I went on a 7 mile hike and managed to keep up with the hiking group I was with. So, doing something right.
Still waiting for future test results and should see things headed in the right direction. I can say that it's not likely that anything dire happens in the short term so that means that I should have time to make several more attempts at this. So even if it doesn't work the first time there are a lot of variations to try. So if there's bad news it will help me pick the next radiation target.
I have written a "how to" guide for oncologists to perform the treatment that I got. I'm convinced that I'm definitely onto something and whether it works for me or not isn't the definitive test. I know if other people tried this that it would work for some of them, and if they improve it that it will work for a lot of them.
The guide is quite detailed and any doctor reading this can understand the procedure at every level. I also go into detail as to how it works, how I figured it out, and variations and improvements that could be tried to enhance it. I also introduce new ways to look at the problem. There is a lot of room for improvement and I think that doctors reading it will see what I'm talking about and want to build on it. And it's written so that if you're not a doctor you can still follow it. It also has a personal story revealing that I'm the class clown of cancer support group. I give great interviews and I look pretty hot in a lab coat.
So, feel free to read this and see what I'm talking about. But if any of you want to help then pass this around to both doctors and cancer patients. I need some media coverage. I'm looking for as many eyeballs as possible to read these ideas. Even if this isn't the solution, it's definitely on the right track. After all, I did hike 7 miles yesterday. And this hiking group wasn't moving slow. So if this isn't working then, why am I still here?
I also see curing cancer as more of an engineering problem that a medical problem. So if you are good at solving problems and most of what you know about medicine was watching the Dr. House MD TV show, then you're at the level I was at when I started. So anyone can jump in and be part of the solution.
Here is a link to my guide: Oncologists Guide to Curing Cancer using Abscopal Effect
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
"BUT WHAT THE HELL."
THE GHOST OF RICHARD NIXON
THE ANTI-SEMITE.
HOW CRUEL WILL OUR GOVERNMENT GET?
"YO-MEMO IS SO STUPID…"
MUNCHIES FOR SALE!
WHAT A DOPE!
Visit JD's site - Kitty Litter Music
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Pretty nice summer day.
'Karma'
Stephen King
Stephen King has apologised for calling a fatal crash between a lorry and a train carrying Republican lawmakers "karma".
The horror and science fiction author admitted he had been "thoughtless" to tweet a joke about the collision, which killed one person and seriously injured another in rural Virginia.
A passenger in the truck died and its driver was seriously injured. No Republicans or their families, who were also travelling on the train, were badly hurt.
The next day, Mr King, a vocal critic of President-for-now Donald Trump (R-Pendejo), tweeted: "A trainload of Republicans on their way to a pricey retreat hit a garbage truck. My friend Russ calls that karma."
After being criticised for the post, he added: "Of COURSE sorry the truck driver died."
Stephen King
Women's Day Event
Vatican't
The Vatican has barred former Irish President Mary McAleese from speaking at an annual event at the Vatican marking International Women's Day, just months before Pope Francis heads to Ireland for a big Catholic family conference, organizers said Friday.
McAleese, who has a gay son and has criticized the church's position on LGBT issues, was invited by the Voices of Faith Catholic women's advocacy group to participate in a March 8 panel discussion at the Vatican on women in church governance. In previous years, the Women's Day event has been held in a small palazzo in the Vatican gardens.
Voices of Faith said it submitted a dozen names of proposed panelists to Cardinal Kevin Farrell, head of the Vatican's laity office. It said Friday that he rejected McAleese and a Ugandan LGBT rights advocate, Ssenfuka Juanita Warry, as well as a third unnamed panelist. No reason was given, said Deborah Rose Milavac, a Voices of Faith advisory board member.
Voices of Faith then decided to change venues and hold the conference with its original panelists down the block at Jesuit headquarters.
McAleese, the Irish president from 1997-2011, is an outspoken advocate for gay rights and has urged the Vatican not to exclude gay Catholics from the upcoming World Meeting of Families, which Francis is expected to attend in Dublin in August.
Vatican't
Rules Tighten
YouTube
YouTube on Friday began labeling news broadcasts that get government money as it vowed to be stricter about content at the globally popular online video-sharing service.
A feature being rolled out in the US displays notices below videos uploaded by news broadcasters which receive government or public money, according to a blog post by YouTube News senior product manager Geoff Samek.
"Our goal is to equip users with additional information to help them better understand the sources of news content that they choose to watch on YouTube," Samek said
The move is likely to affect videos from services such as Russia-backed RT, which critics call a propaganda outlet for Moscow, but others as well.
The blog post included a screen shot with a disclaimer about the US government-funded Radio Free Asia. The flagging may also apply to state-chartered news organizations such as the BBC and AFP, and US-based public broadcasters.
YouTube
4,300-Year-Old Tomb Found
Egypt
The tomb of a woman named Hetpet, who became a senior official in the royal palace, has been discovered in a cemetery on the Giza Plateau, archaeologists from Egypt's antiquities ministry announced today (Feb 3).
The tomb dates back over 4,300 years, to a time after the Giza Pyramids had been constructed. While Giza is most famous for its pyramids, the site also contains large cemeteries that archaeologists have been uncovering gradually for nearly two centuries. These tombs often hold the burials of elite members of ancient Egyptian society.
"The tomb has very distinguished wall paintings, in a very good conservation condition, depicting 'Hetpet' standing in different hunting and fishing scenes or sitting before a large offering table receiving offerings from her children," Egypt's antiquities ministry said in a statement.
"Scenes of reaping fruits, melting metals and the fabrication of leather and papyri boats as well as musical and dancing performances are also shown on walls," the ministry said. The paintings also show two monkeys: In one scene, the monkey is gathering fruits and the other it is dancing in front of an orchestra, according to the ministry.
The tomb also contains a shrine with a purification basin and places where incense and offerings could be held. One area inside the shrine may have held a statue of Hetpet, which is now missing, the archaeologists suspect. The archaeologists didn't find a mummy inside the tomb, but it's possible the mummy and statue were robbed in ancient times, something that commonly occurred in ancient Egypt.
Egypt
Right-Wing Outlets Got Advance Excerpts
GOP Memo
As news broke that President-for-now Donald Trump (R-Corrupt) authorized the release of a GOP memo on Friday meant to undermine the ongoing investigation into his campaign's links to Russian officials, several right-wing outlets appeared to have received excerpts in advance.
Before House Republicans published the document online, Fox News anchors began reading "exclusive first excerpts," and the Washington Examiner and The Federalist teased that they had the memo's contents.
Trump and congressional Republicans defended the release as a move toward "transparency" in the Russia investigation, which they have repeatedly alleged is a partisan "witch hunt."
Yet the fact that media outlets friendly to Trump obtained portions of the memo before its actual release further underscores the political nature of the document, and suggests it's meant solely to cast doubt on the Russia investigation and propel unprecedented partisan attacks on the FBI and the Department of Justice.
In the run-up to its release, right-wing media defenders of Trump feverishly and breathlessly claimed the memo was highly damaging and provided evidence of Department of Justice and FBI bias against Trump.
GOP Memo
Brags
Geraldo
Citing Sean Hannity's ardent defense of President-for-now Donald Trump (R-Crooked), Geraldo Rivera on Thursday bragged that if the Fox News host were around during Richard Nixon's time, the embattled former president wouldn't have resigned.
"Nixon never would have been forced to resign if you existed in your current state back in 1972, '73, '74," Rivera said during Hannity's radio program when the two were discussing Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe into whether the Trump campaign colluded with the Russian government during the 2016 presidential campaign. Rivera later called the probe a "toothless tiger."
"I know, it's too bad for - It's too bad for Nixon, because nobody like you existed then," Rivera added. "I say that because I believe that our prime responsibility now is to unshackle the 45th president of the United States."
Hannity has long railed against the Russia investigation, echoing Trump by calling it a "witch hunt." He has also devoted large amounts of airtime to promoting theories that undermine the FBI and the Justice Department, including the notion that text messages between two romantically involved FBI employees prove there's a "deep state" attempt to undermine Trump.
Geraldo
U.S. Mulls
Federal Lands
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is considering changes to a California desert plan that had set aside areas for renewable energy development, a move it says would promote more wind and solar projects on federal lands.
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management, in a statement on Thursday, said it would consider amending the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan as part of a broader federal effort to unwind regulations that impede energy development.
The process is also aimed at making more land available for wireless broadband infrastructure, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Katharine MacGregor said in the statement.
"We need to reduce burdens on all domestic energy development, including solar, wind and other renewables," she said.
The news drew praise from the wind and solar industries but criticism from California officials and environmental groups.
Federal Lands
Food Shortage Crisis Amid Climate Change
Polar Bears
The situation is becoming more and more grim for the polar bear.
New research published in the journal Science on Thursday found that polar bears have metabolic rates 60 percent higher than scientists previously thought, meaning the animals require more food to survive their harsh Arctic environment than was previously known.
Polar bears already face challenges due to the effects of climate change on natural habitats, and the new information means their ability to adapt to receding sea ice will become even more difficult.
The polar bear's diet is high in fat, supplied largely by hunting seals, but with less Arctic ice, scientists worry that the bears will have to walk or swim greater and greater distances for food with each passing year.
The researchers used radio collars to track nine female polar bears near the Beaufort Sea. Using collected blood samples, scientists found that five of the bears lost body mass due to malnutrition. Four of the bears lost 10 percent body weight in just a 10-day period.
Polar Bears
Dinosaur Footprints Discovered at Flight Center
NASA
At least 70 mammal and dinosaur tracks were discovered in an area no larger than two square meters at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center near Washington D.C., according to a research paper published Jan. 31 in the journal Scientific Reports.
The tracks were initially discovered in April 2012 by a local track expert when he was dropping his wife off at her job in the Flight Center. According to a NASA release, expert Ray Stanford noticed a rock outcropping behind the building and went to investigate. He then discovered a 12-inch-wide dinosaur track on a slab of sandstone the size of a dining table, which was covered in around 70 additional footprints made more than 100 million years ago.
The footprints of eight different species were identified, including large, predatory dinosaurs and much smaller mammals. NASA reports that all the tracks were likely to have been made at a similar time, with evidence suggesting at a location on the edge of a wetland.
"The concentration of mammal tracks on this site is orders of magnitude higher than any other site in the world," Martin Lockley, a paleontologist with the University of Colorado, Denver, and co-author on the Scientific Reports paper, said in the NASA release.
"I don't think I've ever seen a slab this size, which is a couple of square meters, where you have over 70 footprints of so many different types," he added. "This is the motherlode of Cretaceous mammal tracks."
NASA
In Memory
P-23
A mother cougar has been found dead near Malibu Canyon Road after apparently being struck by a vehicle, officials have revealed.
The nearly 6-year-old California mountain lion, dubbed P-23 by scientists tracking her, was the mother of two kittens (including P-54) born about a year ago, her third litter. Their fate is unknown, but they're close to the age when kittens typically leave their mother to strike out on their own, said a statement by the National Park Service.
The death this week is the latest sign of the difficult battle for survival the big cats face in the Santa Monica and Santa Ana mountains of the Los Angeles area as housing and highways increasingly encroach on their habitat and inhibit their searches for prey and mates. Los Angeles is one of only two major cities in the world, along with Mumbai, that have big cats living within the city limits.
The National Park Service has studied about 60 mountain lions in and around the Santa Monica Mountains. About 20 adult cougars are believed to live in the Santa Ana Mountains.
P-23 is the 18th mountain lion to be killed in a road collision in the region since 2002. Wildlife and environmental activists have been advocating for the construction of a wildlife crossing over U.S. 101, which would allow for safe, freer access throughout the area by the big cats. The Liberty Canyon Wildlife Crossing would create a 200-foot-long, 165-foot-wide overpass bridging U.S. 101 west of Liberty Canyon Road in the city of Agoura Hills, but the mission has lagged due to a lack of funds. The California Department of Transportation, known as Caltrans, released an environmental assessment in September and is reviewing public comments on the project.
P-23 had been a favorite of mountain lion watchers ever since she was spotted by a cyclist in 2013 astride a dead deer on Mulholland Highway in Los Angeles.
P-23 was a prime example of what's known as "first-order" inbreeding among the cougars of the area, another problem caused by territory constraints from housing developments and highways. Such inbreeding threatens the survival of the species. P-23 was the result of a mating of P-12 and his daughter. P-23 later also mated with P-12, who was both her father and grandfather, to produce P-36 and P-37. P-23's half sibling is suspected of being the father of her latest litter.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife will conduct a necropsy of P-23.
P-23
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