Stuff below the fold

 mainly linked for Later reading:


  StrategyPage on China's imperial plans to take over the world (or much of nearby Asia).

Also from SP: A podcast on anti missile technology.

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CDC on opioid addiction etc.

Most of the overdose deaths are from synthetic illegal opioids. Background is the population is getting older and NSAIDS and other pain relievers are not strong enough for chronic pain, so with the increase in emphasis for doctors to relieve pain, we saw an increase in prescribing mild opioids for chronic pain, especially in the elderly who get GI bleeds or fluid retention/renal failure/CHF from NSAIDS...

they use the meme if you get a mild narcotic for an injury you are more likely to get addicted, but I wonder: A bigger problem is addict types stealing Grandmom's Tramadol or Tylenol#3 that she uses when her arthritis is kicking up.

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Peace in our time? US and Russia cooperating in Syria.

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Librivox has recipes... and what is this about chafing dishes? they are used if you entertain a lot of guests (we have them here for parties and meetings) but for ordinary folks both here and in the USA, they are a "WTF IS THIS" gift.

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Poverty kills... or maybe racism kills. JAMA explains why black babies have a higher death rate but notes it is going down. A lot of the deaths are related to maternal complications or prematurity.

No comparisons of black children with immigrants (including Black immigrants from Africa and the West Indes) or Hispanics, so we don't know if it is racism or poverty, or the barriers to access medical care. And this doesn't even include stuff like urban/suburban/rural demographics.

Sickle cell disease, which is one cause of the higher mortality in black children, usually doesn't kick in for a couple months after birth, but I wonder about things like high blood pressure complicating the mix.

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Milo is suing his publishers, but his self published book is selling nicely.

Alas, unlike AnnCoulter's hyperbolic writing (where she insults over the top for laughs), it is not "LOL" funny, but a serious take on using flamboyant humor to combat political correctness. But aside from "gamergate" information it wasn't worth reading unless you are a Trumpite minion....Sorry Milo..

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Ghana has entered the Space Race.

No, they didn't launch it, but they built the satellite, but it was launched from the Space station after being sent there via SpaceX, one of the private space companies.

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censoring history to be politically correct:
Churchill won't be in the movie "Dunkirk" because the film makers don't want to politicize the film.

WTF?

first they came for General Lee, now they come for Churchill?

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lab grown meat: The future of food?

Frederick Pohl was unavailable for comment. But this was first predicted in 1897...