The slash-and-burn policies are bad enough, whether it’s using a sledgehammer to uproot agencies or cutting seemingly haphazardly (sometimes having to reverse the decision), but to defund mRNA vaccines is crazy. There are numerous promising projects underway in which such vaccines are being used to target cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and other maladies. The mRNA platform is the single greatest achievement in medicine since the ART cocktails against HIV in the 1990s.
Thank you for posting this, SClarke. I appreciate it.
I did ask TK if I could ask about SS in here.
Naturally, I along with millions of seniors who have SS am concerned about social security.
A friend has tried to call a local SS office daily this week just to see how difficult it is to get through. She can be on hold for 1-2 hours and then gets a message something is wrong and is disconnected.
This is very scary as it will likely become a matter of life and death for folks who are among our most vulnerable
It is my understanding that if a senior has direct deposit now he or she is not impacted by this new disaster being proposed by T,and D. Does anyone know if that is correct?
I do not understand why social security is even being considered to be touched as we put our own money towards it and the companies and jobs we have also pay into it. If the money is not there that means the government is using our money and should be dealt with swiftly as that is stealing. It shouldn’t be costing the US government or tax payers anything.
Also there is now talk about separating NOAA and putting the National weather service in the department of defense. Several problems with this and I have experience with things already with NOAA and the DOD relationship already. Hurricane gliders are either done by programs connected to Universities with high clearances or private organizations. There are two versions, those done by NOAA and those done by the NAVY. NOAA is public knowledge we can talk about those and where they are located etc. The NAVY gliders we can not say anything about. Where we dropped them, where they were going etc. If the NWS goes into the DOD expect more of the second than the first. More things hidden instead of public. NOAA is together for a reason. Now do I think they should stay in the Commerce department, no. I think it should be its own thing and gain the same protections as NASA got a handful of years ago. I was actually angry with democrats last year when there were democrats and even republicans on a bill to make NOAA its own department and give it protection like the FWS and NASA. NOAA is done by executive action were their issues with what was being proposed yes but its way better than what is being proposed now by the extremist MAGA cult. . Trump could technically disband it with a stroke of a pen if certain democrats got on board NOAA would not be in such a threat as it is right now. I can only hope that what ever damage is done over the next 4 years, the next president can undo it. Though I have always dreamed of working for NOAA in some capacity in its research branches, I will be hesitant due to the threat of MAGA republicans.
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Your no-hype southeastern New England weather blog!
There’s only 1 word for this and it is “insane.”
https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/nih-grants-mrna-vaccines-trump-administration-hhs-rfk/
The slash-and-burn policies are bad enough, whether it’s using a sledgehammer to uproot agencies or cutting seemingly haphazardly (sometimes having to reverse the decision), but to defund mRNA vaccines is crazy. There are numerous promising projects underway in which such vaccines are being used to target cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and other maladies. The mRNA platform is the single greatest achievement in medicine since the ART cocktails against HIV in the 1990s.
Yes, “insane” says it all.
https://www.gocomics.com/nonsequitur
Joshua, I thought of you and some of your writing when I read this article about an unregulated herbal extract used in an attempt to curb opioid addiction:
https://aeon.co/essays/can-the-unregulated-extract-kratom-help-fight-the-opioid-crisis
This is better for the first link:
https://www.gocomics.com/nonsequitur/2025/03/17
Thank you for posting this, SClarke. I appreciate it.
I did ask TK if I could ask about SS in here.
Naturally, I along with millions of seniors who have SS am concerned about social security.
A friend has tried to call a local SS office daily this week just to see how difficult it is to get through. She can be on hold for 1-2 hours and then gets a message something is wrong and is disconnected.
This is very scary as it will likely become a matter of life and death for folks who are among our most vulnerable
It is my understanding that if a senior has direct deposit now he or she is not impacted by this new disaster being proposed by T,and D. Does anyone know if that is correct?
I do not understand why social security is even being considered to be touched as we put our own money towards it and the companies and jobs we have also pay into it. If the money is not there that means the government is using our money and should be dealt with swiftly as that is stealing. It shouldn’t be costing the US government or tax payers anything.
Also there is now talk about separating NOAA and putting the National weather service in the department of defense. Several problems with this and I have experience with things already with NOAA and the DOD relationship already. Hurricane gliders are either done by programs connected to Universities with high clearances or private organizations. There are two versions, those done by NOAA and those done by the NAVY. NOAA is public knowledge we can talk about those and where they are located etc. The NAVY gliders we can not say anything about. Where we dropped them, where they were going etc. If the NWS goes into the DOD expect more of the second than the first. More things hidden instead of public. NOAA is together for a reason. Now do I think they should stay in the Commerce department, no. I think it should be its own thing and gain the same protections as NASA got a handful of years ago. I was actually angry with democrats last year when there were democrats and even republicans on a bill to make NOAA its own department and give it protection like the FWS and NASA. NOAA is done by executive action were their issues with what was being proposed yes but its way better than what is being proposed now by the extremist MAGA cult. . Trump could technically disband it with a stroke of a pen if certain democrats got on board NOAA would not be in such a threat as it is right now. I can only hope that what ever damage is done over the next 4 years, the next president can undo it. Though I have always dreamed of working for NOAA in some capacity in its research branches, I will be hesitant due to the threat of MAGA republicans.