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The Great Salmonella Outbreak of 2010

It is certainly great to know that the United States food and disease oversight can pick up on a common food contaminant (salmonella, spp) increase and trace it back to a commonly accepted source, namely chickens.  This previous farmboy knows that you have to be very careful of this pathogen because it is everywhere.  We [...]

Taxing health care plan premiums

A current item on the internet is the ’sudden’ discovery in the new federal health care legislation that employer funds for health care premiums are going to be included in employee ‘total’ pay and thus subject to taxation or tax bracket creep.   Let’s do some thinking about this.
First, does anyone know of any employer who [...]

An Electric Car Conundrum

US energy independence is really anchored into the transportation sector.  Therefore, our huge domestically supplied electrical system can only help if that power somehow leaps into the fuel tank.  Electric cars with rechargeable batteries come quickly to mind.  But here is a twist:
” … Avoiding the ugly: Swapping coal for oil?
The biggest battle in [...]

On Local Impact of Yucca Mountain

Three local leaders (Tri-City Herald, Feb 19, 2010) are advancing concern about violation of law with regard to the present federal administration’s canceling of funding for Yucca Mountain nuclear material storage licensing.   Missing from this gray cloud observation is the silver lining that the US now has an opportunity to revise all used nuclear fuel [...]

The US Unemployment Map

An interesting visual effect of US unemployment since 2007 has been provided by the American Observer.   It is a month to month change in county unemployment rates, 2007-2009.  Take a look.