Be very afraid

By Bill Bramhall

 

Once upon a time

 

Forest growing season in eastern U.S. has increased by a month

Warming changed timing of budburst, coloration in past century

By Emily Caldwell, Ohio State News

The growing period of hardwood forests in eastern North America has increased by an average of one month over the past century as temperatures have steadily risen, a new study has found.

The study compared present-day observations of the time span from budburst to peak leaf coloration in seven tree species to similar documentation that was collected by an Ohio farmer at the turn of the 20th century. 

An analysis of changes in those leaf patterns along with decades of temperature data for northwest Ohio showed a clear connection between increased warming during winter and spring and an extended period of tree growth. 

The implications of the longer growing period – both positive and negative – remain unknown. But the simple fact that leaves stay on trees about 15% longer than they did 100 years ago is an “obvious indicator that temperatures are changing and shows that things are not the way they used to be – they are profoundly different,” said lead author Kellen Calinger-Yoak, assistant professor of evolution, ecology and organismal biology at The Ohio State University. 

New water treatment zaps 'forever chemicals' for good

Cleaning PFAS out of our water

University of British Columbia

Fatemeh Asadi Zeidabadi, a PhD student in the UBC department
of chemical and biological engineering and a student
in Dr. Madjid Mohseni's group. Photo credit: Mohseni lab

Engineers at the University of British Columbia have developed a new water treatment that removes "forever chemicals" from drinking water safely, efficiently -- and for good.

Forever chemicals, formally known as PFAS (per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a large group of substances that make certain products non-stick or stain-resistant.

There are more than 4,700 PFAS in use, mostly in raingear, non-stick cookware, stain repellents and firefighting foam. Research links these chemicals to a wide range of health problems including hormonal disruption, cardiovascular disease, developmental delays and cancer.

To remove PFAS from drinking water, Dr. Mohseni and his team devised a unique adsorbing material that is capable of trapping and holding all the PFAS present in the water supply.

The PFAS are then destroyed using special electrochemical and photochemical techniques, also developed at the Mohseni lab and described in part in a new paper published recently in Chemosphere.

Lots of changes when COVID emergency declared at an end in May

End of Covid emergency will usher in changes across the US health system

Rachana Pradhan 

The Biden administration’s decision to end the covid-19 public health emergency on May 11 will institute sweeping changes across the health care system that go far beyond many people having to pay more for covid tests.

In response to the pandemic, the federal government in 2020 suspended many of its rules on how care is delivered. That transformed essentially every corner of American health care — from hospitals and nursing homes to public health and treatment for people recovering from addiction.

Now, as the government prepares to reverse some of those steps, here’s a glimpse at ways patients will be affected:

Trump's current coup attempt

Trump’s unprecedented call for protests is the latest sign of his aim to degrade America’s institutions

Shelley Inglis, University of Dayton

In a social media post on March 18, 2023, former President Donald Trump announced that he would be arrested on March 21 on charges stemming from an investigation led by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Bragg’s office is probing hush-money payments to Stormy Daniels, an adult film star, which were allegedly made to spare candidate Trump embarrassment on the eve of the 2016 presidential election.

“THE FAR & AWAY LEADING REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE AND FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, WILL BE ARRESTED ON TUESDAY OF NEXT WEEK. PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK!” wrote Trump.

Scholar Shelley Inglis spent more than 15 years with the United Nations, where she advised governments and democracy advocates on how to strengthen the rule of law, human rights and democratic governance. We asked her about Trump’s post.

What did you think about when you heard his call for protests?

Let me begin by quickly describing populism, because it’s important to my thoughts about Trump’s post. Populist movements portray “the people in a moral battle against elites,” as scholars Jane Mansbridge and Stephen Macedo describe it. Some level of populism is inherent in democracies where candidates appeal to be elected by “the people.”

But what I call autocratic populists use this narrative to claim they are the sole voice of “the people” and those against them are “bad” or even “evil.” They undermine any and all opposition to them and attempts to hold them accountable, including independent institutions like courts, elections and the media. This is how such populists become so dangerous for democracy and the rule of law.

Members of the media set up cameras in front of the
courthouse on March 20, 2023, in New York, ahead of
former President Donald Trump’s anticipated indictment.
 AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez

Trump has that autocrat’s populism, in which he says that not only is he anti-elite but that he is “the only one” who can represent the people and calls on the public to question legitimate democratic institutions – which he did even when he was the head of those institutions.

Scholars like me know that protests play an important role in societies, and the freedom to protest is part of a democratic society. The idea of peaceful protests is to hold the government accountable and for people to have an avenue for free speech and be able to participate in demonstrating their demands. But I believe protests are most valuable when they originate from civil society or advocacy groups.

It’s really a red flag if a political party or leader is using people in protest in a democracy like the U.S. That devalues the idea that protests come from the people or what we call civil society. Instead, it’s a manipulation of a democratic society.

Where's my money? (Apologies to "It's a Wonderful Life")

For more cartoons by Ted Rall, CLICK HERE.

 

Republican war on women, continued

 

Are we getting smarter or dumber?

Americans' IQ scores are lower in three domains, higher in one

Northwestern University

IQ scores have substantially increased from 1932 through the 20th century, with differences ranging from three to five IQ points per decade, according to a phenomenon known as the "Flynn effect."

But a new study from Northwestern University has found evidence of a reverse "Flynn effect" in a large U.S. sample between 2006 and 2018 in every category except one. For the reverse Flynn effect, there were consistent negative slopes for three out of the four cognitive domains.

Unexplained Digestive Problems?

Lone Star Tick Bites May Be To Blame

By AMERICAN GASTROENTEROLOGICAL ASSOCIATION 

The American Gastroenterological Association has released new guidance to help doctors and patients identify if unexplained digestive symptoms are caused by alpha-gal syndrome, a food allergy caused by tick bites. 

The guidance was published in the medical journal Gastroenterology and explains that alpha-gal syndrome causes the body to react to meat and products made from mammals, with symptoms appearing 2-6 hours after consumption.

The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) has released new clinical guidance to help physicians and patients identify if unexplained digestive symptoms are due to alpha-gal syndrome, a food allergy that is caused by lone star tick bites. The AGA Clinical Practice Update was published today (March 21, 2023) in the medical journal Gastroenterology.

Alpha-gal syndrome is an allergy that causes your body to react to eating meat from mammals and products made from mammals. Symptoms usually start 2-6 hours after eating the mammalian meat or food.

Ailing seniors deserve dignity

Rationing toothpaste is no way to live

By Jim Hightower 

What’s wrong with us? Our nation’s moral compass, I mean.

I don’t like being a downer, just focusing on wrongs, but some wrongs stand out as morally abominable, such as this one.

It’s about hundreds of thousands of our low-income elders who, toward the end of life — when they’re frail and most vulnerable — find themselves cast into a part of the Medicaid system that has been deliberately structured by Congress to subject them to needless deprivations and daily indignities.

These are our loved ones with serious health problems who need long-term care in nursing homes, and two-thirds of them rely on Medicaid to cover their costs. To get this benefit, they surrender all of their income, which goes to defray their nursing home expenses.

Of course, for a decent existence beyond mere survival, we all rely on a few little things that are basic to our humanity. The government authorizes each state to set a monthly “personal needs allowance,” so elderly patients can cover their hygiene and grooming products, a book or CD, a small gift for grandchildren, a chocolate bar, etc.

Good! But then Mr. Mingy walked in.

Charlestown Town Council plate runneth over

Upcoming Town Council Meetings - Mar 27, 29

From Charlestown Residents United

From left to right: Susan Cooper (CCA), Rippy Serra (vice-president), Deb Carney (president), Grace Klinger, Steve Stokes

We have three, yes THREE, Town Council meetings coming up on Monday, March 27, and Wednesday, March 29. Here is your preview.

Monday's meeting will start at 7 pm in the town hall council chambers as usual. The agenda and backup materials can be seen here.

Here are some notable topics from the agenda:

• The Council will be considering new Zoning rules for Public Storage Facilities and perhaps schedule those rules for the formal public hearing on April 24. Public Storage Facilities were removed as an allowed use on April 11, 2022 with that restriction set to expire on April 30, 2023. This proposal would extend that restriction for another year. More details can be read here.

• There has been previous discussion about Cannabis regulation (reported here and here). At this meeting there will be a discussion of draft ordinance changes for that purpose. Starting here in the agenda packet, you can read the history in Town Council minutes, the new draft, and comments on that draft by Joseph Warner, the Town Building Official (dated March 20, 2023).

• There has been a ongoing issue with bills for "out of scope services" from our financial auditors, that total about $56,000. The Town has been struggling to receive adequate explanation of the work and the authorization for it. This will be discussed again. The agenda packet section for this topic, starting here, does not appear to include any new information.

• The Council will consider directing the Parks and Recreation Director to obtain quotations for lighting and electricity for Puchalski Field, behind town hall. The agenda packet gives a paragraph of rationale here.

• Scott Keeley proposed new signs for our Town Beaches at the February 27 Council meeting (reported here). This meeting includes an agenda item to consider developing new signs. The details can be read in the agenda packet here.

• The South Couth County Tourism Council has proposed something called the South County Troll Trail as a tourism initiative. The Council will discuss whether to participate in this. The details are in the agenda packet starting here.

On Wednesday, March 29, there will be two Council meetings:

The first Wednesday meeting will start at 6 pm and will be held jointly with the Planning Commission to discuss Commercial and Village Design Standards. This is an outcome of the February 27 Council meeting here there was some concern about how the bid process was handled and how the work would be done, reported here. The agenda packet has details including the detailed minutes of that section of the February 27 meeting.

The second Wednesday meeting will start at 7 pm and will be devoted to discussion of a report on Operational and Organizational Assessment of the Town’s financial processes and internal controls by consulting firm Clifton Larson Allen LLP. The agenda packet includes the report.

As usual public attendance in person in town hall is allowed for these meetings. They will be offered as a live stream to view through WebEx as described in the agenda. People watching online will not be able to comment or ask questions. The video of the sessions should be available for viewing on the morning after each meeting, on the meetings page. It will be down the page in the Past Meetings section.

MUSIC VIDEO: Randy Rainbow does George Santos

 

Stop the spread of norovirus

 

Thank you

A Simple Way To Reduce the Consequences of Stress?

By BIAL FOUNDATION 

Stress is an inevitable part of life, and it can have a significant impact on our physical and mental well-being. Therefore, finding ways to reduce the impact of stress is crucial. A recent study has found that practicing gratitude can help buffer the effects of acute psychological stress.

In a study involving 68 adults, researchers from Irish universities discovered that gratitude has a unique stress-buffering effect against both the initial reactions to and recovery from acute psychological stress. This special ability may play a role in improving cardiovascular health.

Given that stress can adversely affect human health and well-being, including causing high blood pressure and increasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as coronary heart disease, it is essential to understand our individual responses to stress and identify potential factors that can act as effective stress buffers.