With the announcement by Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the Director of the Centers for Disease Control, that “The CDC has to change,” the season for bureaucratic changes in response to its failing pandemic responses is fully underway. But to misquote William Shakespeare, I have come to neither bury nor praise their work. Instead, I want to discuss their efforts through the lens of “midinformation.”

“The CDC has to change.” Those are the words of the Centers for Disease Control’s director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky as she announced a reorganization and change in leadership stemming from its flawed handling of the coronavirus pandemic. But, will such a shake-up lead to a shape-up? We have our doubts.

Water (H2O) is essential to life and is ubiquitous; found even on planets, asteroids, and comets. It is a deceptively simple but very complex entity with many facets. Many people in developed countries consider access to quantities of drinkable (potable) and other water to be a given and at a low cost. The United Nations says that access to sufficient, safe water is a human right, but you get what you pay for.  Access to universal assured safe drinking water has existed for only about 120 years with the development of microbiology to test for pathogens and engineering for filtration and disinfection water treatment.

A recent study has reporters worried that "ultra-processed" foods accelerate cognitive decline. Don't panic just yet.

I like Marion Nestle, although I do not always agree with her point of view. She writes a food blog entitled Food Politics, and in her current article, it seems that the emphasis here is on politics rather than food.

There is no question that health, fitness, and anti-aging issues dominate our culture and have risen to a cult level of obsession for millions of people who have turned the simple task of feeding and taking care of themselves into a religious obsession. 

We sure need a new pain medicine without the baggage of NSAIDs or the stigma of opioids. Johnson & Johnson thinks it might have an answer - a derivative of Tylenol without the associated liver toxicity. But does it treat pain? Not very well.

“Consumers increasingly want to make decisions on the environmental sustainability of foods.” Are you one of these consumers? Can your food choices sustain your health and that of the planet? A new study considers the “environmental impact” of food products. As it turns out, not all foods that sustain your health will sustain the planet – we will not eat our way out of climate change.

Is the climate crisis a population problem or a poverty problem?
Are you more disabled as a composer if you are blind or deaf?
A Dutch pastime - Uitwaaien
Medicare can negotiate prices; what might go wrong?

In the last few weeks, there was a skirmish in the political battles involving the veterans of our efforts in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the rest of the Middle East, Jon Stewart, and PACT, the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act. After a bit of posturing and strategy, PACT was passed. But what do we know about the burn pits beyond the sound bites?