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

Ultra-processed Foods and Cardiometabolic Health

Briefly . . .Ultraprocessed Foods and Cardiometabolic Health. Characterizing foods people are eating today . . . people in the US aged 1 year or older obtain an average of 55% of their calories from eating ultra-processed foods. Maya Vadiveloo, PhD, RD, an associate professor in the department of nutrition at the University of Rhode […]

“Abundance Denied”

Building and investment is stifled by the current regulatory regimes. Hence abundance denied. Of course, to gain some of the abundance Sam Walker discusses need investments newer infrastructure to support faster trains. he system is lacking the funding. Sam Walker . . . My following the railroad industry comes from growing up at Hollidaysburg, PA. […]

Political Appointees will Review Scientific Grants

A first level of review is carried out by a scientific review group (SRG). It is composed (primarily) of non-federal scientists who have expertise in relevant scientific disciplines and current research areas. Their role is to assess the overall impact a proposed project (or resource, or training, or center, etc.) will likely have on the […]

Second Time in as Many Days, Donald J. Trump Suggests Americans want a Dictator

This crap is beginning to grate on me. If it is not bothering you, then there is something wrong with your thinking. Tr__p is an elected official and not a king ruling by divine right. Tr__p is feeling pretty damn secure to imply such in public. No legitimate American wants a dictator “August 26, 2025” […]

Robert Reich Talking Politics

This short YouTube will eat up less than five minutes of your time. I believe Robert is mostly correct in his regard for our current president and a failed Republican party which appears to be bought, sealed, and delivered to do his bidding. The same as in the sixties and seventies, the answer to this […]

Improving Social Security Options

Dean Baker: Don’t Buy the Scare About Social Security. “The increase in spending on Social Security from 2033 to 2034 (measured as a share of GDP) is 0.03 percentage points. That would be less than 1.0 percent of the Pentagon’s budget. This is the extent of the increased economic burden in the year the trust […]

AZ Tr__p Supporters Who Did Not Learn from the Last Time he was in Office

This is history and some whining also. But it it is worthwhile to look it over again. I read pieces like this and wonder. What the hell did you think Tr__p was going to do? Furthermore, what was wrong with Kamala Harris to cause you to vote for Tr__p? Tr__p has a history of lining […]

Questions to a Secretary of State

“Five Questions with Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows,” Civil Discourse Shenna Bellows is Maine’s 50th Secretary of State and the first woman to serve in that role. She’s led implementation of reforms like automatic voter registration and online voter registration in her state and has taken strong stands against Donald Trump—she ruled that he wasn’t […]