Relevant and even prescient commentary on news, politics and the economy.

Collective guilt

Apparently, the National Guard shooter in DC was an Afghan refugee. Now the Trump Administration has got its panties in a twist, calling it an act of “terrorism” and blaming all Afghan refugees. “Afghan refugees in Massachusetts who fled the Taliban in recent years fear they won’t be able to stay in the country after […]

IQ. So what?

I don’t know if my IQ was tested. Needless to say, I don’t know what my IQ is. I do know that I was awarded a BA in microbiology with honors at the age of 22, a PhD in genetics at the age of 27, a tenure track assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology […]

Ah, Tennessee

I lived in Tennessee from 1958, when my parents moved to Oak Ridge, until 1977 when I moved to Chapel Hill NC to start grad school. While these might be considered my “formative years,” I don’t consider myself a Tennessean. Judged by number of years spent in a state, I’m Missourian, since I lived in […]

Economics of PhD training

My wife and I did our PhDs at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It took us five years after we finished undergrad. “Typically, the philosophy department at Boston University funds PhD candidates for up to seven years. Grippo, who uses they/them pronouns, started PhD coursework in 2019, and as of September, still […]

Boost your brain power with fluoridated water

Artificial fluoridation of public water supplies, which reduces dental caries, tooth decay, and dental health disparities, is one of the 20th century’s great public health achievements. The idea began with the observation that communities where the natural levels of fluoride in the water is high had unusually low levels of dental decay. When I was […]

Exercise can reduce risk of dementia

There are plenty of good reasons to maintain high levels of physical activity throughout your life. In addition to reducing risk of heart disease, diabetes and clinical depression, we can add reduced risk of dementia: “Physical activity in both midlife and late-life was linked to substantially less dementia risk, a long-term analysis of a large […]

Forget about the Epstein files

Trump announced he’ll sign a bill demanding the release of the Epstein file, something the White House has resisted for months. But if that’s the case, why doesn’t he just release them all now and dispense with legislation? BWAHAHAHAhahahaha!!! Did you fall for that one? “In his social media post suddenly declaring he didn’t care […]

The art of no deal

Trump screwed his farm belt voters with his China tariffs. While China had been a reliable buyer of American soybeans, it retaliated by buying Brazilian soybeans instead. Brazil is expected to have a record soybean harvest next year. Recently, Trump announced a “deal” in which China would resume American soybean purchases. “A U.S. Department of […]