The Pentagon began tracking active duty military suicides in 2001. They begin rising in 2006, soared in 2009 then leveled. Military suicides hit a record high in 2012. Exceeded combat deaths in Afghanistan in 2012. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta calls it an epidemic. All branches are suffering.

Here's the actual text of the EO. It looks kind of totalitarian on its surface, and the conservative blogosphere is screaming stuff like Obama seizes control over all food, farms, livestock, farm equipment, fertilizer and food production across America!!! But the Hot Air blog breaks it down relative to the old law, and it appears that the changes are really quite minimal. In the name of National Defense Resources Preparedness an assortment of agencies are authorized to do whatever they need to take over the means of production and supply the military. Which they already were.

Last night I listened to This American Life on NPR, and as usual, the program was fascinating and well done. This particular program was the story of how homosexuality transitioned from being considered a pathology (a result of "close binding mothers" and "detached rejecting fathers") to being seen among psychiatrists as a "normal variant".
( more, originally posted 5/14/07, moved forward to 2/10Collapse )

One in five military-age Americans is too fat to join the armed services. But don't think that means if you're a little overweight you can't get in. You can. There are quotas to fill. Still, the military has had to turn away 48,000 overweight applicants since 2005. The percentage of overweight 18-year-olds who applied (all branches) rose from 27 to 32% between 1996 and 2005.
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The Flu of 1918 and the Politics of Flu in Current Times
Notes for oral presentation, 3/19/08, paper to follow
( no way am I going to fit this into a 3 minute presentationCollapse )

I'm in the Reno airport. Last night I drove from Flagstaff down to Phoenix and stayed with friends. This morning I drove to the airport and made it through security and onto the airplane in the nick of time. Seems to work for me. I was again selected for additional screening--because I had a jar half full of powder in my bag. My usual breakfast smoothie powder: living fuel. But I made it.....traveling is stressful but it is less so when you aren't too worried about being delayed. It just doesn't matter.....I'm going to a wedding that isn't until tomorrow, I'm sure I'll make it to that.
( The ongoing taleCollapse )