Target Criminals, not Repulsive Ideologues

From a law enforcement viewpoint, the whole concept of radicalization is slippery to monitor and not that helpful in identifying possible offenders. What the research shows is that folks who eventually carry out terrorist acts tend to have other violent acts in their history. Time and treasure spent on watching ideologues could be more productively used by watching previous offenders. It seems they typically latch on to the ideology as a motivation to do what they already want to do and that's to just hurt people.

Profiling white supremacists won't prevent domestic terrorism. The aftermath of the attack on Aug. 12, in Charlottesville, Virginia. Shay Horse/NurPhoto via Getty Images The events in Charlottesville have made many ... www.slate.com

Primer on Voting Efficiency

This is a good primer on the mathematics used to evaluate the level of gerrymandering in a given set of district boundaries.

Gerrymandering Efficiency Gap: A Better Way to Measure ... If insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result, then litigants who challenge gerrymandering must be mad. Last month, a federal ... newrepublic.com

Abstinence-only-until-marriage Programs and Policies Are Failures

Yet another study shows that abstinence-only-until-marriage programs and policies fail miserably.

Abstinence-only-until-marriage programs and policies in the United States are ineffective as they do not delay sexual initiation or reduce sexual risk behaviors, two scientific review papers show. They also violate adolescent human rights, withhold medically accurate information, stigmatize or exclude many youth, reinforce harmful gender stereotypes, and undermine public health programs. Abstinence-only-until-marriage programs have been widely rejected by health professionals who care for young people.

So now, can we just get on with having real science-based sex education programs?

Medicaid for All

Exclusive: Sen. Schatz's new health care idea could be the Democratic Party's future The Hawaii senator is working on a new bill that would create a Medicaid buy-in for uninsured Americans. www.vox.com

Here's a path to the public option that didn't get into the ACA.

There's More Than One Way To Get Nuclear Power

The TVA is increasing nuclear power in 3 ways, adding an SMR, completing a partially-built power station, and uprating an existing reactor.

Hospitals in Trump Country Suffer

A friend of mine has pointed out that we could make great progress towards reducing our health care costs by making it easier for qualified doctors from foreign countries to work in the United States. Unfortunately, the Trump immigration policies tends to drive them away. And it's our rural citizens who suffer. 

Self-healing Rubber Developed

What's cool about watching research is that occasionally you see things that could someday change the world as we know it. Rubber is one of those materials has been so important that the ability to produce it has strongly contributed to the winning of wars and thereby the course of history. Imagine how our future might change if rubber could be self-healing. Rubber bands would last forever. New possibilities would open up for all kinds of devices and materials for medical, industrial, and consumer use.

Increase Minimum Wage, Reduce Child Neglect

Lindsey Rose Bullinger of Indiana University's School of Public and Environmental Affairs says,

Money matters, When caregivers have more disposable income, they're better able to provide a child's basic needs such as clothing, food, medical care and a safe home. Policies that increase the income of the working poor can improve children's welfare, especially younger children, quite substantially.

Those professing to truly care about the welfare of children should look at raising the minimum wage.

Renewable Subsidies Pay for Themselves

A paper in Nature Energy examines the health benefits from moving away from fossil fuels and it finds that the benefits of wind and solar offset all the subsidies.

This Could Be Huge

This reprograms skin cells with as simple touch of a button.

Breakthrough device heals organs with a single touch: Device instantly delivers new DNA or RNA into living skin cells to change their function www.sciencedaily.com Researchers have developed a device that can switch cell function to rescue failing body functions with a single touch. The technology, known as Tissue Nanotransfection (TNT), injects genetic code into skin cells, turning those skin cells into other types of cells required for treating diseased conditions.

Rich are Hoarding the Growth

Economic growth thrives on demand. When workers don't have sufficient disposable income, demand dries up. This article explains where all that money is.

You're not imagining it: the rich really are hoarding economic growth www.vox.com Some of the most complete data on inequality ever is here, and it's staggering.

For My Navy Friends

USS Gerald R Ford launches first aircraft using electromagnetic catapult newatlas.com The USS Gerald R Ford scored a double first less than a week after commissioning, as the nuclear-powered supercarrier launched and recovered a fighter plane for the first time using an electromagnetic catapult.