January 12, 2017
Yesterday, President-elect Trump directed his paid staffers to stand in the audience of a press conference and cheer for him. / Politico
See also: “Obama’s moving farewell, Trump’s terrifying hello.” / The Washington Post
“Over time we settled in and learned to do what everyone else did—enjoyed the weekend as a time for family and friends, a time for hikes in the mountains and lunches in the garden.” France recently established a “right to disconnect.” For an American in Europe, it takes some getting used to. / KQED
More than 200 scientists, philosophers, and thinkers answered. Here’s a cross-section of the responses: / edge.org
—Richard Dawkins demands more attention to a “Genetic Book of the Dead” that would help us understand the environments we evolved in. / edge.org
—“Confirmation bias,” says Brian Eno in a beautifully succinct response. / edge.org
—LSE’s Helena Cronin think we need to “Bring back sex” (as opposed to gender). / edge.org
—Psychologist Alison Gopnik says “life histories,” especially from children and grandparents, would enrich our understanding of evolution and culture. / edge.org
—“Alloparenting,” or parenting offspring that are not one’s own, deserves more attention, says Allison Marsh, also a psychologist. / edge.org
“If Republicans were smart, they’d impeach Trump as soon as possible.” Republicans have everything they need in hand. The only wild card is a Trump. Why wouldn’t they clear the path? / The Concourse
Canada’s Gildan Activewear bought the bankrupt American Apparel and will probably close its physical stores as well as the Los Angeles factories where the company’s monochromatic beanies, leotards, and sweaters are made. / Los Angeles Times
Should you be somewhat comforted by Trump’s vague public statements about his plans for public health—the most we really have is a line from his 100-day plan promising a hiring freeze on all federal employees except “the military, public safety, and public health”—please take care to remember the public health legacy of Mike Pence. / assets.donaldjtrump.com
“[Disease prevention] is consistent with a conservative approach. The business argument for the CDC is a good one.” Here’s hoping former CDC director and Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher’s optimism is not misplaced. / Georgia Health News
Per anonymous reports, the Trump Cabinet nominee that Senate Democrats are going to oppose hardest is Tom Price. / New York
“If I asked him, ‘What is your stance on global health?,’ I don’t know what he’d say. I don’t think anyone really does.” The consensus amongst public health crisis experts is that Trump has no idea what he’s getting himself into, and that his propensity for sharing falsehoods could make a situation like an Ebola outbreak much worse. / The Atlantic
Following the various dire scenarios presented in this stack to their logical conclusion, one would likely end up somewhere close to the following fictional situation, by NYU bioethicist Art Caplan: / thehealthcareblog.com
From scientific journal Primates: “Although Japanese macaques are known to ride deer, this individual showed clearly sexual behaviour towards several female deer, some of which tried to escape whilst others accepted the mount.” / link.springer.com