http://theconversation.com/measles-why-its-so-deadly-and-why-vaccination-is-so-vital-110779

"That’s because forgetting the past has precipitated selective amnesia in our post-measles psyche. Ignoring scientific facts has tragically brought us to a place where some people fail to appreciate the values and utility of some of the most phenomenal tools we have created in our historical war on infectious disease. Unsubstantiated claims that vaccines like MMR were associated with autism, multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, etc., etc., and ill-informed celebrities have wreaked havoc with vaccination programs. Genuine, caring parents unaware of the realities of diseases they had never seen decided that since the viruses were gone from this part of the world shots were so last millennium. Put simply, some people have given up on vaccines."

http://theconversation.com/whos-smoking-now-and-why-it-matters-109605

"Increasingly, today’s smokers are those with lower education, lower income and – importantly – a higher incidence of mental illness."

Of course, the causal arrow would change on some measures of physical health.

"Our simplest takeaway: Whether it’s an extra $8 million an hour or $15 million an hour, it costs a lot to shutter even just part of the government."
https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2019/jan/18/how-much-does-government-shutdown-cost/

The life of a Park Ranger wasn’t all violence and misery, though. As Hufstetler notes, Rangers based in Glacier National Park could make up to $100 each month with expenses such as living quarters as part of the package—a very respectable rate for the time. Indeed, according to George Jaramillo, in Yosemite Park, the conditions of housing were quite cushy. Thanks to the efforts of the first director of the National Park Service, Stephen T. Mather, the Yosemite’s Rangers’ Club had its own cooks as well as electrical power for warmth.

https://daily.jstor.org/when-the-park-ranger-was-not-your-friend/

“So in the coming weeks, if you hear a talking head suggest that a top tax rate of 70 percent means that the government will be taking away 70 percent of a person’s earnings, it’s a sign that the speaker either doesn’t understand how taxes work or is deliberately trying to mislead you.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2019/01/07/how-tax-brackets-actually-work-simple-visual-guide/

https://blog.gao.gov/2019/01/03/a-lot-of-government-information-is-freely-available/

https://www.vox.com/health-care/2018/12/18/18134825/emergency-room-bills-health-care-costs-america

A $5,571 bill to sit in a waiting room, $238 eyedrops, and a $60 ibuprofen tell the story of how emergency room visits are squeezing patients

http://www.governing.com/topics/transportation-infrastructure/gov-maglev-train-old-dominion-university.html

The car never traveled more than a short distance, at speeds far less than the promised 40 miles per hour. More test runs took place over the next few years — some of them paid for by selling most of the metal track as scrap.

Self-driving cars are coming. Tech giants such as Uber and Alphabet have bet on it, as have old-school car manufacturers such as Ford and General Motors. But even as Google’s sister company Waymo prepares to launch its self-driving-car service and automakers prototype vehicles with various levels of artificial intelligence, there are some who believe that the autonomous future has been oversold—that even if driverless cars are coming, it won’t be as fast, or as smooth, as we’ve been led to think. The skeptics come from different disciplines inside and out of the technology and automotive industries, and each has a different bear case against self-driving cars. Add them up and you have a guide to all the ways our autonomous future might not materialize.
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/12/7-arguments-against-the-autonomous-vehicle-utopia/578638/?utm_source=feed

http://robertreich.org/post/181063714375

A viewpoint…