SeniorJunior

One More Word to Learn - In the Growing Jungle of Med-words: Senolytics That’s a class of drugs (and of some dietary supplements)  that specializes in cleaning out the senescent cells that build up in your bod. Here from “NATURE Communications” is a taste of the reason this cleaning out is a good idea: “Aging is the main risk factor for many chronic degenerative diseases and cancer. Increased senescent cell burden in various tissues is a major contributor to aging and age-related diseases. Recently, a new class of drugs termed senolytics were demonstrated to extend healthspan, reducing frailty and improving stem cell function in multiple murine models of aging.”* OK, I'm a little senescent. That “extending healthspan” business caught my attention. My 80 year old brain (almost 81!) likes the sound of that.* The drugs getting a lot of attention are in a class of "HSP90 Inhibitors" and they wipe up senescent cells quite nicely. Th

AND THEY ARE ALL [STILL] OVER SOCIAL MEDIA! If you thought Rooskie hackers, trolls and bots had slunk off, back into their vodka soaked lairs, WRONG! "The United States has failed to establish deterrence in the aftermath of Russia’s interference in the 2016 election. We know we failed because  Russia continues to aggressively employ the most significant aspect of its 2016 tool kit: the use of social media as a platform to disseminate propaganda designed to weaken our nation." [ Read the frightening article HERE.    Super Credible. I see them regularly in many of the right wing "comments" sections, fomenting American-on-American hatred, amping up the polarization, attacking reasonable posters, etc.  THEY ARE RELENTLESS. NOTHING HAS SLOWED THEM DOWN. THE ARE BECOMING MORE SOPHISITICATED. THEY ARE A CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Other than that, I'm sanguine (optimistic, bullish, hopeful, buoyant, positive, con

No More Droughts, No More Floods Here in the west,we are going into the fourth month of a  Fall/Winter Drought... It is scary. Every tree, bush and grass is stressed. Fire danger is high when we usually have a thick layer of snow. This may be the "new normal." ...And the other side of the country to the east is getting LOTS of precip. Why don't we leverage our obviously knowledge of pipelines (2.4 million miles of 'em in the U.S.), and move some of that water out here?          Why isn't this a big time infrastructure moment?   The Romans needed water moved, and they built the aqueducts Here is my plan . Again. (and it is the most viewed post on this blog for the last 15 years). It might make your environmentalist teeth hurt, but it could save America's neck. Mucho water heading west If the Romans could do it, WE could do it. Excerpt: So the Mississippi Flood of 2020 (and most other U.S. floods) became the End of Dr

IT'S NOT THE "WILL OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE" NIKKI STOP LYING! The two most awful Big Lies right now: Trump is doing "the will of the American People" in his rogue move on Jerusalem. (#2 is "Puerto Rico is doing well.") Pew (my favorite researcher), Gallup and others say only about  31%   of Americans like the Embassy move to Jerusalem. Only 44% like "recognition as capital." From Israel:    The Times of Israel Poll: Fewer than half of Americans support Jerusalem recognition On whether they approve of recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, 44 percent of respondents told CNN they back Trump’s decision, while 45% said they disapprove. Only 36% said they support moving the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, as Trump said he would. [Now watch Trump et al blast the polls with "They had Hillary winning!" Shoot the messenger. It's their new talking point on everything.] Since the

PUERTO RICO How It Could have and Should Have Been....                                               A Real Plan for Recovery Fully involve the Puerto Ricans in a large scale way to gather their ideas and desires for what they want the revived territory to be. Give the citizens a major role in planning what the revival of the best and the repression of the worst of the unique Puerto Rican culture should be. Make multiple plans for the future of the island economy. Fully integrate these citizen inputs in all planning processes. PUT EVERY PUERTO RICAN WHO NEEDS WORK A JOB IN THE REBUILD . PAY THEM DECENTLY, STRUCTURE TRAINING PROGRAMS WHERE NEEDED, TEACHING SKILLS THAT WILL BE MARKETABLE IN THE FUTURE ECONOMY OF THE TERRITORY.   This will be key to giving Puerto Ricans a way to stay home. .. stay on the island.    Make a comprehensive commitment to building a spectacular new Infrastructure "Spectacular" meaning something that elicits local pride in its fun

Accidental Irony and the Serependipity of Search Engines I Google-Imaged "legs akimbo" while writing on my latest attempt at  novelizing to see if I was using the term correctly.  Many pages down, I came on this: Got that? Side-by-side thumbnails, neither having anything I can see to do with "legs akimbo" nor each other, just an algorithmic placement. Perhaps a secret message for apostates? It gave me pause.  Then, unrelated and just below... ... this reassured and comforted me, but what really got me back into my superficial philosophical attitude was just to the right of "Church": Those legs are definitely akimbo! So thanks, Google Images. I am using the term correctly,                                                       and who knows, I hear Church calling. Scooter

Best-So-Far (that I'm aware of) "Tailsitter" drone that TRANSITIONS to Fixed Wing [Never mind that, this is just a fun short video .] Bell couldn't afford a quad-copter (Just kidding; this was shot from the only angle that blocks the fourth wing and motor.) Look for one these babies to be delivering ammo to troops in a fight or pharmaceuticals to the beleaguered sick. Then maybe Amazon packages or FedEx'd goodies.  These high speed transitioning drones seem to define a field where small startups could make some noise.   Just watch this baby zoom. Click HERE, where it says HERE

Hack by Russians from the  printerfile of the O family in  western Pennsylvania. Released  into the social mediaverse for  unknown motivations: From All The O s to all of YO s ! Dear  Cousin, (forgive the mimeograph) Merry Christmas from the heartland and the O home!!. Christmas (say “ Merry Christmas ” three times!) makes us remember how happy we are that America is on the road to greatness again, like back when families cared for one another (OK, slavery, but…) as Roy Moore reminded us. And a tax break is coming!! (Our accountant says not for us - but he’s Democrat liar.) All the jobs are coming back to our local iron foundry, a little fairy told me on the Internet.  O Jr., our college grad (the one living in the basement) is looking forward to some good paying work worth his time. Thank you President Trump!!  Our heating bills have been running a little high, so we’re switching back to coal even though our nasty neighbor says it will “dirty up” her laundry on

... But Only in Europe So far... but knowing the lobby power of Monsanto and Bayer, probably not here. * Thanks, E.U. Damian Carrington @dpcarrington Thursday 23 March 2017  12.20 EDT Last modified on Monday 27 November 2017  22.15 EST View more sharing options   This article is  9 months old Shares 106,419 Comments 1,095 The world’s most widely used insecticides would be banned from all fields across Europe under draft regulations from the  European commission , seen by the Guardian. The documents are the first indication that the powerful commission wants a complete ban and cite “high acute risks to bees”. A ban could be in place this year if the proposals are approved by a majority of EU member states. Might the U.S. come to this decision?  I'm thinking not with Pruitt at EPA and Trump at the White House. Can you imagine how many illegal immigrants it would take to pollinate our crops with feathers? Or perhaps the Trumpst

Monsanto and Bayer Are MERGING? Two Giant Chemical Companies. Should You Give a Hoot? Only If You Think Food Is Important The Bees! The Bees!   A "worker" for you and me. Deceased prematurely. Bees are dying at alarming rates. Monarch butterflies are declining. And a recent study found that 80 percent of the insects in Germany have disappeared over the past three decades. Scientists say this indicates we are in the midst of an “Insect Apocalypse.” One of the key culprits is the massive increase in the use of pesticides. I'm feeling really sick These pesticides (neonicotinoids) are harming our health and our food system. But they’re generating millions in profits for Bayer and Monsanto. This merger is one way the companies are trying to shore up their control and double down on toxic, industrial-scale, chemical-intensive agriculture. Stop the merger!  I mean do what you can. For instance,  Home Depot to phase out bee-killing pesticides***