boxer_dogs_dance's recent activity

  1. Comment on From Tuberculosis to HIV/AIDS to cancer, disease tracking has always had a political dimension, but it’s the foundation of US public health in ~health

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    The medical community bitterly resisted tuberculosis surveillance. A prominent New York City surgeon argued that surveillance represented a “dictatorial … encroachment” of the health department that threatened to rob physicians of their patients.

    But most people were not under the care of a private physician, and tuberculosis surveillance was a way to ensure that the largely immigrant poor living in the tenement districts got referrals to clinics, nourishment and, if necessary, isolation. Despite physicians’ attempts to kill these efforts, there was no public outcry about tracking “the great white plague” despite extensive, sensational coverage of the controversy in the popular press....

    An alliance of gay rights leaders and civil liberties advocates was initially able to prevent health departments from undertaking named HIV surveillance. But by the end of the 1980s, there was growing pressure to return HIV/AIDS to “the medical mainstream,” meaning that it could be managed therapeutically like other chronic conditions. As effective treatment became available in the 1990s, opposition faded, and all 50 states required named reporting....

    If TB and HIV/AIDS reporting began as histories of resistance, the story was very different when it came to cancer reporting, which lagged far behind infectious disease surveillance.

    In the wake of the environmental and women’s movements, citizen activists, mothers of children with birth defects and women with breast cancer became alarmed about the threat of cancer linked to pesticides or industrial pollutants. Women with cancer asserted a “right to be counted.” Although the National Cancer Act of 1971 directed the National Cancer Institute to “collect, analyze, and disseminate all data useful in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer,” by the 1980s, 10 states still had no registry.

    Vermont’s Bernie Sanders, then an independent member of the U.S. House of Representatives, called for a federally funded program to collect data on cancer in every state. Speaking in support of his bill in 1992, Sanders repeatedly invoked communities’ right to know: “We need to know the age of people who are coming down with cancer. We need to know where they live. We need to know the kind of work they do. We need their racial and ethnic backgrounds.”

  2. Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of March 10 in ~society

  4. Comment on A history of the San Francisco bouncy ball TV ad in ~tv

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    To make matters even more complicated, the director came up with a last-minute idea for a set piece that used only red balls, requiring Conner to hire additional PAs to sort the balls by color....

    “I said to everyone on the street, ‘We’re not sure exactly what’s gonna happen, but whatever we destroy, we will fix 10 times better,’” Ranahan said....

    Conner calculated that the balls reached a top speed of between 150 and 200 feet per second — or 102 to 136 miles per hour. Some bounced over houses up to three blocks over, falling into storm grates that were thought to be outside the bounce radius (San Francisco Public Works wasn’t too happy). ...

    “I think our bill was $74,000 on broken windows,” said Ranahan. “And the crazy thing is, everyone loved it. The people, the neighborhood, they still come out to me and talk to me about it.”

  5. Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of March 10 in ~society

  6. Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of March 10 in ~society

    boxer_dogs_dance
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    My amateur hot take is that Trump believes our military is superior in numbers, equipment and training and is a dumb fuck who doesn't know or doesn't care about cost or risk. The difficulty of...

    My amateur hot take is that Trump believes our military is superior in numbers, equipment and training and is a dumb fuck who doesn't know or doesn't care about cost or risk.

    The difficulty of trying to intrepret Trump reminds me of something I was only barely old enough to be aware of during the cold war, Kremlinology

    6 votes

  7. Comment on An appeal to the community for non-algorithmic recommendations in ~talk

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    Daniel Brown's book Subjects in Poetry is clearly written, accessible and IMHO interesting. I enjoyed reading it. It doesn't include the text of the poems it discusses but they are easily found...

    Daniel Brown's book Subjects in Poetry is clearly written, accessible and IMHO interesting. I enjoyed reading it. It doesn't include the text of the poems it discusses but they are easily found online.

  8. Comment on Waymo is now offering 24/7 robotaxi rides in Silicon Valley in ~transport

    boxer_dogs_dance
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    Uber offers lease options to drivers. I don't see how it's profitable, but people choose that option.

    Uber offers lease options to drivers. I don't see how it's profitable, but people choose that option.

    4 votes

  10. Comment on An appeal to the community for non-algorithmic recommendations in ~talk

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    Different people treat long series differently. If someone knows that they are committed to reading them all, there is no reason not to begin at the beginning and read in order. However, the best...

    Different people treat long series differently. If someone knows that they are committed to reading them all, there is no reason not to begin at the beginning and read in order.

    However, the best books are frequently not the earliest written. Pratchett grew and changed as a writer. If one is only going to read a few, don't start with the beginning.

  11. Comment on Waymo is now offering 24/7 robotaxi rides in Silicon Valley in ~transport

    boxer_dogs_dance
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    I wonder how they handle knowing when to return to base for cleaning? Uber drivers talk about drunk passengers who vomit. There was an article about how people in San Francisco are having sex in...

    I wonder how they handle knowing when to return to base for cleaning? Uber drivers talk about drunk passengers who vomit. There was an article about how people in San Francisco are having sex in the cars.

    9 votes

  12. Comment on An appeal to the community for non-algorithmic recommendations in ~talk

    boxer_dogs_dance
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    You're welcome. Re Dr. Pelikan, did you check Wikipedia I don't know more than that.

    You're welcome.

    Re Dr. Pelikan, did you check Wikipedia

    I don't know more than that.

    1 vote

  13. Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of March 10 in ~society

  14. Comment on Michelle Obama launches podcast with her brother Craig Robinson in ~life

    boxer_dogs_dance
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    According to her autobiography, Michelle Obama came close to telling Barack not to run for office when he first broached the subject. She has made many statements that she personally hates...

    According to her autobiography, Michelle Obama came close to telling Barack not to run for office when he first broached the subject. She has made many statements that she personally hates politics. Her recent book the Light We Carry focused on personal resilience and grit and related life lessons.

    So maybe? She's not a wonk like Ezra Klein. She is a lawyer, a mom and a former first lady.

    6 votes

  15. Comment on Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and US influencers bash seed oils, baffling nutrition scientists in ~food

    boxer_dogs_dance
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    I'm far from expert but I see this as comparable to fruit good fruit juice bad. Fiber is not the only factor but fiber and bulk make it more difficult to over consume. I'm sure it's a complex...

    I'm far from expert but I see this as comparable to fruit good fruit juice bad. Fiber is not the only factor but fiber and bulk make it more difficult to over consume.

    I'm sure it's a complex analysis with many factors but that is one that I see. And if your question was why seed oils are worse than other fats for frying, I have no idea. Generally using oil for frying is not the healthiest choice I believe but I still do it.

    2 votes

  16. Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of March 10 in ~society

  17. Comment on Department of Agriculture fired the experts on invasive pests that can decimate crops in the US in ~society

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    People cope in different ways. I'm finding an odd fascination with the obscure details and I am grateful that I have a background reading about the world wars. People who were larping online about...

    People cope in different ways. I'm finding an odd fascination with the obscure details and I am grateful that I have a background reading about the world wars.

    People who were larping online about how monarchy is cool are now getting a lesson in what it means to be ruled. I wonder if they like it.

    3 votes

  18. Comment on Department of Agriculture fired the experts on invasive pests that can decimate crops in the US in ~society

    boxer_dogs_dance
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    Add the 51st state rhetoric. Trade war is not the only war on the table.

    Add the 51st state rhetoric. Trade war is not the only war on the table.

    5 votes

  19. Comment on Department of Agriculture fired the experts on invasive pests that can decimate crops in the US in ~society

    boxer_dogs_dance
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    The question is can any of the most egregious harm be prevented by targeted publicity or will it all have to be dealt with, repaired, mitigated or accepted after the fact. history doesn't stop....

    The question is can any of the most egregious harm be prevented by targeted publicity or will it all have to be dealt with, repaired, mitigated or accepted after the fact.

    history doesn't stop. Trends reverse and opinions and cultural consensus can change. But we here in the US are locked into our constitutional timeline for elections unless Congress acts or unless these fools seize autocratic power for a while.

    3 votes

  20. Comment on US Immigration agents arrest Palestinian activist who helped lead Columbia University protests in ~society