Category Archives: News

Health: Heart Disease, Stroke Deaths Are Rising, Even In Healthy States

From a Wall Street Journal online article (01/14/20):

Americans are dying of heart disease and strokes at a rising rate in middle age, normally considered the prime years of life. An analysis of U.S. mortality statistics by The Wall Street Journal shows the problem is geographically widespread. 

Heart Disease Management by age group WSJ from National Center for Health Statistics CDCDeath rates from cardiovascular disease among people between the ages of 45 and 64 are rising in cities all across the country, including in some of the most unlikely places.

In the Journal’s analysis, three metro areas east of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains—Colorado Springs, Fort Collins and Greeley—recorded some of the biggest increases. Death rates in each rose almost 25%. The three cities boast robust access to exercise and health care. There are bike trails, good heart-disease treatment-and-prevention programs and nearby skiing and hiking.

Wall Street Journal Logo Heart Disease Article January 14 2020

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Fine Art: Paris Musées Makes Public Over 100,000 Images Including Monet, Cézanne And Courbet

Paris Musées Releases over 100,000 Images of Artworks for Unrestricted Public Use

Website

Setting Sun on the Seine at Lavacourt” by Claude Monet (1880)
Setting Sun on the Seine at Lavacourt” by Claude Monet (1880)
Portrait of Ambroise Vollard by Paul Cézanne (1899)
Portrait of Ambroise Vollard by Paul Cézanne (1899)
Portrait of Juliette Courbet by Gustave Courbet (1844)
“Portrait of Juliette Courbet” by Gustave Courbet (1844)

 

Weather Science: NASA Launches “IMPACTS” Campaign To Study East Coast Winter Storms

This winter, NASA is sending a team of scientists, a host of ground instruments, and two research aircraft to study the inner workings of snow storms. The Investigation of Microphysics Precipitation for Atlantic Coast-Threatening Snowstorms, or IMPACTS, field campaign will be the first comprehensive study of East Coast snowstorms in 30 years.

Music credit: “Snowfall” by Andy Blythe [PRS], Marten Joustra [PRS], “Snow Blanket” by Benjamin James Parsons [PRS] from Universal Production Music

Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Scientific Visualization Studio
Katie Jepson (USRA): Lead Producer, Narrator
Ellen T. Gray (ADNET): Lead Writer
Jacquelyn DeMink (USRA): Lead Animator
Kathryn Mersmann (USRA): Project Support
LK Ward (USRA):Project Support
Aaron E. Lepsch (ADNET): Technical Support

This video is public domain and along with other supporting visualizations can be downloaded from NASA Goddard’s Scientific Visualization Studio at: https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13519

Politics Monday: Tamara Keith And Amy Walter On Latest News (PBS Video)

NPR’s Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report join Judy Woodruff to discuss the latest political news, including shifting poll numbers from Iowa that show strength for former Vice President Joe Biden, the withdrawal of Sen. Cory Booker from the 2020 presidential race, signs of animosity between Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders and what President Trump is tweeting.

Health Studies: “Head and Neck Injuries Associated With Cell Phone Use”

From a JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surgery article:

JAMA Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery JournalCell phone–related injuries to the head and neck have increased steeply over the recent 20-year period, with many cases resulting from distraction. Although the disposition of most cases is simple, some injuries bear a risk of long-term complications. Many of these injuries occurred among those aged 13 to 29 years and were associated with common activities, such as texting while walking. These findings suggest a need for patient education about injury prevention and the dangers of activity while using these devices.

Activities During Cell Phone Use associated with Injury by age group JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg.

Since their invention, cell phones have played a major role in the daily lives of American adults. Approximately 96% of Americans own a cell phone, provoking interest in their role in causing injury. Given that head and neck traumas make up approximately 5% of emergency department (ED) visits in the United States, cell phone use in relation to such injuries could be of public health concern, in particular because of the psychological and financial burdens such injuries may entail. In addition, knowledge of the mechanism of injury is vital for patient risk stratification and trauma management,and understanding the mechanisms of common cell phone–related injuries can aid health care professionals in assessing patient needs. Health care professionals and public safety officials also must be aware of the epidemiologic nature of such injuries in order to provide adequate counseling and give input for legislation to protect the population.

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Politics: Mark Shields And David Brooks Discuss Latest In Washington (PBS)

Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks join Amna Nawaz to discuss the week in politics, including how the Trump administration and Congress have handled conflict with Iran, indications House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is preparing to send articles of impeachment to the Senate for a trial of the president and what all the tumult means for 2020 Democrats.

Wine: Remembering Georges Duboeuf, “King Of Beaujolais” (1933-2020)

From a Food and Wine online article:

LES VINS GEORGES DUBOEUF PhotoBut it’s Beaujolais Nouveau that he is most famous for, the annual celebration, on the third Thursday of November, of the first red wine to be released from the region. It’s a tradition that dates back to the 19th century, but his efforts played a definitive role in making it the international celebration it is today, so much so that he was known as the “king of Beaujolais.” Over the years, Les Vins Georges Duboeuf has expanded their Beaujolais Nouveau offerings to include a rosé and a Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau (which was particularly lovely this past year, and is still drinking beautifully).

Food & Wine logoThere are a handful of names in the world of wine that have broken through the barriers of the business and come to signify an entire region, or style or more elementally, the deeply felt joy that drinking it evokes. Georges Duboeuf, who passed away on January 4, at home in Romanèche-Thorins, managed to achieve all three—and then some.

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