Politics
Weekly Legislative Update and Meetings: “Taking Military Domestic Violence Out of the Shadows;” A Bill to Require Federal Law Enforcement Agencies to Report On Cases of Missing or Murdered American Indians
A bill to improve obstetric care in rural areas; a bill to establish a National Commission on Fibrotic Diseases; A bill to ensure the safe use of cosmetics, and for other purposes; A bill to amend the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 relating to determinations with respect to efforts of foreign countries to reduce demand for commercial sex acts under the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; A bill to require federal law enforcement agencies to report on cases of missing or murdered Indians, and for other purposes; A resolution expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the relationships between firearm violence, misogyny, and violence against women and reaffirming the importance of preventing individuals with a history of violence against women from accessing a firearm. more »
National Hurricane Research Division: Why don't we try to destroy tropical cyclones by nuking them?
"During each hurricane season, there always appear suggestions that one should simply use nuclear weapons to try and destroy the storms. Apart from the fact that this might not even alter the storm, this approach neglects the problem that the released radioactive fallout would fairly quickly move with the tradewinds to affect land areas and cause devastating environmental problems. Needless to say, this is not a good idea ... A fully developed hurricane can release heat energy at a rate of 5 to 20x1013 watts and converts less than 10% of the heat into the mechanical energy of the wind. The heat release is equivalent to a 10-megaton nuclear bomb exploding every 20 minutes." more »
GAO** Reports: Electronic Cigarettes - US Imports and the Value of US E-cigarette Imports was $2.4 billion; CDC and FDA Campaigns
Over the last 15 years, use of electronic cigarettes in the United States has grown rapidly as use of traditional cigarettes declined. Most e-cigarettes sold here are thought to be imported. The government began collecting data on imported e-cigarette devices, parts, and liquid in 2016. The value of US e-cigarette imports was $2.4 billion and brought $120 million in tariff revenue over that period. China accounted for 97% of these e-cigarette imports by value, and more than 271 million e-cigarette devices were imported. more »
Jo Freeman Reviews: American Founders by Christina Proenza-Coles
American Founders demonstrates that African-Americans were everywhere in American history, on both continents and all the islands. They were key protagonists in all the democratic struggles. They contributed to America history at every level. Most were of mixed race. Americans might talk about racial purity (for a few decades in the 19th and early 20th centuries) but they never practiced it. This book is more of a reference book than a sit-down-and-read book. It’s full of facts and people, but doesn’t tell stories longer than a few sentences. It has a point of view, which reference books rarely do. Keep it handy to dip into when you want to expand your knowledge. It’s full of information that you never knew you didn’t know. more »