Category: News You Can Use

‘Dark matter’ concept darker than ever

~ odd man out

By Odd Man Out

“The stars are matter, we’re matter, but it doesn’t matter.” — Captain Beefheart

For years laymen have felt puzzled by the concept of “dark matter,” an unscientific term scientists use to describe the invisible substance that supposedly accounts for 83 percent of the matter in the universe. So it was less than comforting to read yesterday that scientists were and still are as puzzled as the rest of us. More here.

Mowing

~ susie ~ 2 Comments

by Susie

From Consumers Report, some advice for those of you who have lawns to maintain:

“It’s a sure sign of spring: The robins return and millions of lawn owners head out to apply fertilizer and weed-killers to their lawns–a rite widely known as ‘weed and feed’,” Rossi writes on his Cornell blog. But unless you have a history of weed problems, Rossi recommends skipping the whole thing. He says Memorial Day and Labor Day are better times to apply fertilizer.

In the “Slacker’s guide,” Rossi and several other turf experts offer advice that will save you at least 65 hours of work this season. But one place you shouldn’t skimp is on mower maintenance, according to Peter Sawchuk who conducts the mower testing at Consumer Reports. In addition to keeping a sharp blade, Sawchuk recommends using fresh gasoline, adding a stabilizer, checking the oil and changing the spark plugs if necessary.

Worse than Pink Slime……

~ Boohunney

by Boohunney
There’s has been renewed interest in Pink Slime, also know as Lean Finely Trimmed Beef (LFTB.)

The USDA will give school lunch programs the choice of beef with the filler or without. That is good news. Here is a piece comparing the “other school meats” , that is, chicken nuggets and hot dogs to Pink Slime.

The safety concerns of the preservatives in these “other” processed meats have been a concern of nutritionists for some time.

I still like corn dogs.

 

The new G.I. Bill

~ susie

Useful piece in the Times this week about how some colleges are adapting to an influx of veterans (and in some cases, not trying to adapt at all). It makes a big difference in whether the vet is going to succeed:

“There are some great colleges and universities that deserve an A+,” said Mr. Garcia, a former Marine. “But there are some colleges and universities that perform varying unscrupulous practices, and they deserve an F.” An area needing immediate improvement, according to Mr. Garcia, is career counseling. As of January, 9.1 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans were unemployed, higher than the national rate of 8.3 percent.

Clearly, some schools deserve high marks for looking out for student-veterans. Columbia University, which banned the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps in 1969 and allowed it back only in 2011, now ships out admissions staff members to military bases to recruit students.

And what a difference a war makes at the University of California, Berkeley. Rocked by violent antiwar protests during the Vietnam era, the school currently promotes its “military friendly” designation from G.I. Jobs magazine on its Web site for veterans.

Still, Gene van den Bosch, who founded the Arizona Veterans’ Education Foundation, frets that some schools pay student-veterans little more than lip service. “Perhaps some colleges are trying to maximize a public relations benefit and portray themselves as being military- or veteran-friendly,” Mr. van den Bosch said. “And yet when you investigate and say, ‘Define that,’ it turns out it may be in many cases, ‘We have somebody who’s going to help them process their G.I. Bill checks.’ ”

If you (or someone you know) is related to or knows an Iraq vet, pass this article along.

Piggie of the Week: The GOP makes a Boo-Boo. Again.

~ susie

Ben Franklin is believed to have said “Nothing is certain but death and taxes.”

If he had been alive today, he would have added “and Republican’s complete lack of foresight.” The Iraq War, for instance, was going to be over in weeks. OOOPS. Holding the debt ceiling hostage would make them look strong. OOOPS. Scott Walker was going to dominate Wisconsin. OOOOPS. The Tea Party was going to be their personal conservative army. OOOPS. Sarah Palin would rally the GOP. OOOPS. Impeaching a sitting president would work out swell. OOOOOPS.

In today’s Piggie of the Week, AP Ticker considers how the Citizens United decision backfired on the Republicans.

Diet soda

~ susie ~ 2 Comments

It’s bad for a lot of reasons (bone health is another) but this is a pretty good reason to switch to water:

Diet soda may seem to be a healthier alternative to calorie-laden regular soda, but a new study shows that people who regularly drink diet soft drinks may be putting their hearts at risk.

Those who drank diet soda on a daily basis were at an increased risk of experiencing stroke, heart attack and death due to these conditions, according to the study.

“Our results suggest a potential association between daily diet soft drink consumption and vascular outcomes,” study researcher Hannah Gardener, an epidemiologist at the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine, said in a statement.
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