October 21, 2009
Radio Lab: What’s Normal?
Three stories that “reframe our sense of normalcy,” by Radio Lab. First story below; more here.
October 19, 2009
ARRA Update: 250,000 Education Jobs Saved
Our colleagues over at SchoolGrants2009.com today report on a new study that finds the stimulus bill has saved 250,000 education jobs, mostly teaching positions. The preliminary White House Domestic Policy Council figures are from quarterly reports that must officially be filed at the end of this month. The White House report says:
As part of the unprecedented transparency requirements of ARRA [the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act], the first quarterly public accounting of all expenditures to date will be posted by the Recovery, Accountability, and Transparency Board on October 30th. Initial reporting from states find that the October 30 release will show at least 250,000 education jobs created or saved across the nation that are supporting our students and fueling our economy.
For some perspective, 250,000 is about the population of such cities as Jersey City, N.J., Greensboro, N.C., and Glendale, Ariz.
Three Fixes to Senate Health Care Bill
Henry Aaron, senior fellow in economic studies at the Brookings Institution and an expert on health care legislation, wrote an article in the New York Daily News last week about three fixes that would improve Sen. Max Baucus’s (D-Mont.) health care legislation, which is now being melded with another Senate measure before heading to the floor.
The reforms he suggests seem reasonable: make purchasing health insurance more affordable, adjust employer penalties to ensure that they don’t adversely impact low- and middle-income workers, and reduce administrative red tape. These would seem to be relatively non-controversial fixes to a bill that Aaron thinks, if improved, would be a “huge step forward.”
October 16, 2009
Science Friday: Musicophilia
Who doesn’t love listening to Oliver Sacks? Not only is he a super smart neurologist who has dedicated his life to improving the every day lives of patients, he has a lyrical voice that is very pleasing to the ears. I could listen to him all day. Here, and below, he talks about music and the brain, the subject of his newest book Musicophilia.
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October 15, 2009
Top 10 Items to Preserve in Health Care Reform
TNR’s The Treatment breaks down the top 10 items worth fighting for in health care reform. In other words, the things that should not be compromised away. We’ll see if, later on, this becomes the top five items worth fighting for, the top two, and so on.