- Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JP Morgan Chase join forces to tackle employees’ health-care costs (WaPo) "The independent company would be jointly led by executives from all three companies and would be focused on technology that could increase transparency and simplify health care, according to the joint announcement. It will be free from the need to deliver a profit."and Amazon's new health care business could shake up industry after others have failed (Politico)
- The Mysterious Interior World of Exercise (NYT) "When we exercise, far-flung parts of our bodies apparently communicate with one another, thanks to tiny, particle-filled balloons that move purposefully through the bloodstream from one cell to another, carrying pressing biochemical messages... It is thought that, under the right conditions, fat cells chat with muscle cells, and muscle cells whisper to brain cells and everybody seems to want to be buddies with the liver. These interactions are especially abundant during exercise..."
- Scientists Discover a Bone-Deep Risk for Heart Disease (NYT) "They have learned that a bizarre accumulation of mutated stem cells in bone marrow increases a person’s risk of dying within a decade, usually from a heart attack or stroke, by 40 or 50 percent. The condition becomes more likely with age. Up to 20 percent of people in their 60s have it, and perhaps 50 percent of those in their 80s. The mutations are acquired, not inherited — most likely by bad luck or exposure to toxins like cigarette smoke. But there is little that patients can do."
- The New Health Care: Preventive Care Saves Money? Sorry, It’s Too Good to Be True (NYT) "There are many good arguments for increasing our focus on prevention. Almost all have to do with improving quality, though, not reducing spending. We would do well to admit that and move forward."
NEWS:
- Trump’s First Year: The Ominous Signs Ahead (National Review) "We can’t know what the future holds, but the bad news so far is a bad sign. It suggests that conservatives and Republicans have only begun to drink from the bitter cup that has been poured for them. The polling evidence we have...should raise major alarm bells. Historically...there’s a very strong and consistent relationship between the president’s approval rating and his party’s performance in midterm elections. The second major hazard ahead...is Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation. For a variety of reasons, public attention has drifted away from the numerous women who have accused Trump of various types of sexual harassment. But sooner or later...his accusers will resurface... ...there are serious reasons to fear that the identification of Trump with conservative arguments and positions is poisoning the well with a whole generation of younger voters who associate the Right with all of Trump’s character flaws. Finally, we come to the catch-all threat: Trump, even when he is doing a good job as president, remains a man of proven poor character in a multitude of observable ways."
- A wave of retiring Republicans spells trouble for Donald Trump in 2018 (Quartz) "Political strategists say these resignations are a key indicator of how party leaders rate their chances of remaining in control of the chamber next year, regardless of their public rhetoric."
- Melania Trump, Out of Sight Since Report of Husband’s Infidelity, to Attend State of the Union (NYT) "Mrs. Trump and the president have had a tumultuous relationship at times over the years, but few episodes have roiled the peace as much as the news surrounding Ms. Daniels. The reports of a payoff blindsided the first lady, who was furious with her husband, according to two people close to the couple. She has kept a low profile since."
SPORTS:
- Cleveland Indians Will Abandon Chief Wahoo Logo Next Year (NYT) "Cleveland has been edging away from the logo in recent years and has used it less frequently, but beginning in 2019 it will not be seen at all on the team’s uniforms, or on banners and signs at Progressive Field, the team’s stadium. Consumers will still be able to purchase items with the logo on them at the team’s souvenir shops in the stadium and at retail outlets in the northern Ohio market, but those items will not be available for sale on M.L.B.’s website."
TECHNOLOGY:
- Can Mycroft’s Privacy-Centric Voice Assistant Take On Alexa And Google? (FastCompany) "While the goal of creating a privacy-first voice assistant is noble, maintaining tight control over your personal data always comes at a cost. In this case, Mycroft’s all-or-nothing approach to retaining voice data will make speech recognition more challenging, putting the company at an inherent disadvantage against companies that hoover up as much audio as they can."
- The Other Scary Foreign Hacking Threat Trump Is Ignoring (FastCompany) "'Quietly, the Kremlin has been trying to map the United States telecommunications infrastructure,' McCain announced, and described a series of alarming moves, including Russian spies monitoring the fiber optic network in Kansas and Russia’s creation of 'a cyber weapon that can disrupt the United States power grids and telecommunications infrastructure.' When McCain asked if Sessions had a strategy to counter Russia’s attacks, Sessions admitted they did not."
WINTER OLYMPICS:
- Snow big deal: Olympic Alpine race course will be tended to by ‘a magician’ (WaPo) "While Johnston will use a team of helpers and a fleet of large snowcats to move snow, the challenge is understanding the snow at a molecular level and the ever-changing weather. He wants a course that’s fast but not dangerous, which requires constant supervision and attention to the smallest details."
BOTTOM OF THE NEWS:
- Medieval Times Goes Modern, Replacing Its Kings With Queens (NYT) "For the 34 years Medieval Times has been in business, that monarch has been a man. But the show, which draws an estimated 2.5 million customers each year, is replacing all of its kings with queens. And its peculiar brand of dinner theater — a sort of G-rated 'Game of Thrones' — is taking on an unlikely resonance amid the national jousting over gender equality provoked by the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements."
TODAY'S SONG:
- Hot Blooded (Foreigner)
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