Update from the Heartland
No.519
21.11.11 – 27.11.11
Blog version: http://heartlandupdate.blogspot.com/
To all,
I completed my two-week, post-op, follow-up appointment on Wednesday. Good news! Adjacent, left-side, lymph nodes – clear, normal tissue {recall: right-side tissue clear [512]; right-side, lymph nodes not removed}. Prostate margins clear, except for one “microscopic spot that was indeterminate” – not perfect, but about as close as one can get short of being perfect. Doc said surgery went well, per the plan; results were good, no complications; in his opinion, the indeterminate spot will be OK. My next follow-up check is scheduled for 28.December, which will include my first post-op PSA and a good clue whether the “spot” will be a concern.
The follow-up news items:
-- On Monday, 21.November, the so-called Super Committee – actually, the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, per Title IV of the Budget Control Act of 2011 {PL 112-025} [503, 504] – publicly announced their failure to reach an agreement. What a shock! Is anyone really surprised? So now, by law, the more draconian 10% across the board budget cuts will take effect in the FY2013 appropriations, in the middle of a war and economic stagnation.
A rather long article that is worth your time, attention, contemplation and public debate:
“Teaching Good Sex”
by Laurie Abraham
New York Times
Published: November 16, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/20/magazine/teaching-good-sex.html
For those of us with grown children, the article is perhaps moot; however, it is our generation that makes and enforces laws. Needless to say, I think we need many more Al Vernacchios, and much less abstinence-only dicta from Congress. I certain support parental right and responsibility to teach their children abstinence-only, if that is their choice. Yet, I also think it is unnatural to deny human physiology and biology in the reality of puberty. Someday, we will mature as a society.
News from the economic front:
-- In yet another shock to the world financial system, Germany sought to issue €6B (US$8.1B) of 10-year bonds, but only sold €3.64B at an average yield of 1.98%. The disappointing sale highlighted how the euro zone's debt crisis is rattling investors as it spreads from weaker states to the bloc's core economies. A representative of the Danske Bank said the bond auction was a "disaster" and reflected investors' deep distrust of the euro project, rather than aversion to German government bonds.
-- The Fitch ratings firm downgraded Portugal's credit rating from triple-B-minus to double-B-plus, with a negative outlook, citing its high debts and poor economic prospects. Lisbon seeks to reduce its budget deficit as part of a €78B (US$104B) bailout package.
-- The Italian treasury sold €8B (US$10.7B) of six-month treasury bills at an average yield of 6.504%, nearly double the rate in the last equivalent auction. The government also sold €2B of 24-month zero-coupon bonds at an average yield of 7.814%. The Italian auction of underscores the challenge new Prime Minister Mario Monti faces to restore the country's fiscal health, in the dark shadow of soaring short-term borrowing costs and €1.9T in debt (120% of GDP).
-- The Wall Street Journal reported that under a proposed European Union (EU) plan, national governments would create bilateral agreements that would not take as long as a laborious changes to EU treaties. Some German and French officials fear that treaty changes could take far too long. Euro-zone authorities seek new powers to enforce fiscal discipline in the 17 countries that make up the euro zone, as they struggle to convince investors they can resolve the region's debt crisis and keep the currency area from fracturing.
Comments and contributions from Update no.518:
Comment to the Blog:
“I agree that feeling and functioning progressively better is a good sign for recovery. I will keep my fingers crossed for your results on Wednesday.
“I had no awareness of the USS Liberty incident until I read your report. I am surprised that I did not know. I find Israel strange. The institutionalized paranoia there and the blind support of the US make it one of the odder players on the world stage, and it is a dangerous force. The fact that the Liberty attack has remained largely unknown might lead to questioning of the entire US-Israel relationship if it became known to the public at large. I doubt that will happen. My guess as to the purpose of the report is that it satisfies either a political obligation or some bureaucratic process. Unless I see TV news stories about this issue, I will not expect any action from the government.
“I share your desire for the rule of law rather than public opinion in the Penn State mess. There is some chance that objective law will prevail, but that is by no means a given. In the meantime, a curious side note. The Penn State football team played our local heroes, Ohio State, this Saturday. The loss of the coaching staffers seems to have been overcome very quickly. Penn State played very well and won.
“On the child sexual exploitation issue, I would rather you had linked to the academic study than to Mr. Kristof’s op-ed piece. Op-ed is a place for opinions, and certainly Mr. Kristof’s writing does not rise above that level. The tone of the piece leaves me in doubt of anything he says. He gives nothing that might illuminate the true scope of the issue, the damage to the children, or anything other than the story that moves him. (Does he make a paycheck by being so moved?) The academic study has more to offer by its very nature. An academic study must give its methods and its sources of information, which may then be evaluated for their information value or lack thereof. A truly legitimate study will give the backgrounds of its investigators, their roles in the study, and especially the source(s) of funding. Funding for a study such as this could come from an objective source, but it could also originate from interested parties of any position.
“To finally address your point, I share your idea of legalizing prostitution. ‘The oldest profession’ will not go away. Consider the changes that would arise from regular inspections of people and premises by health departments and other regulators, with any noise or other law-enforcement issues handled by non-bribed police officers. Between the various regulators, human trafficking would become far more difficult, to whatever extent it exists. I suspect that all or most of that regulation could be funded by savings on law enforcement and, perhaps, a transaction tax.
“However, I doubt that legalizing prostitution would significantly reduce sexual contact by adults with children. (I confidently assume that child prostitution would remain illegal.) I do not see adult-child sex as an easiest way out or supply-and-demand type of issue. Sex is everywhere. Most sex offenders are married, and many enjoy a regular sex life with their spouses. The “presenting” issue with adults who have sex with children is attraction; they desire children as much as they do adults, sometimes much more. Of course, other deeper issues drive that attraction, and the experts continue to study the deeper factors with little progress to date in treating them.
“Another set of information I would like to obtain is the seismic maps and information your other contributor mentioned. I know only the bare beginnings of seismology, but I find it interesting and the importance seems obvious. I would appreciate any help with that. I will note that your contributor used “New Madrid” to refer to the fault line itself, not the town for which it is named. The town is located in Missouri, not Arkansas. I’ve been there; it was a nice place.”
My reply to the Blog:
The Liberty incident is a tragic event in U.S. history. An accident might have been a single strafing pass by a fighter aircraft – NOT multiple passes by multiple aircraft, followed by surface vessels firing five torpedoes and circling at close quarters in an attempt to board the ship. Many pilots and naval vessel commanders would have had to be incompetent, ignorant and otherwise blind. It was not until they knew the armed protective air cover was inbound at high speed that they broke off the attack and initiated diplomatic contact to “apologize.” The U.S. Government apparently gives Israel a pass for violent attacks on U.S. ships and sailors. Nonetheless, as I said, my point was not so much the history but rather noting the similarity with Aslan Soobzokov’s struggle – Jewish (Israeli) assassins apparently have a free pass with the U.S. Government – unprecedented in international relations, to my knowledge.
Clearly, I cannot prove my hypothesis; I do not possess the resources necessary to carry out such a comprehensive study; however, I do agree such studies are sorely needed.
All three sources – the Sandusky Press, the Penn State study, and the Kristof Op-Ed column – represent different perspectives of the same issue. My contention remains, “sunlight is the best disinfectant.” By making as much of the sex trade public, inspect-able, regulated, and open, the more isolated and hopefully identifiable the child sex trade would become, presumably making it easier to investigate and prosecute. Yet, there is no law that can defend against parents selling their 6-year-old daughter into the illegal sex trade. My point was, we can rant & rave and pass a myriad of laws condemning child sex trafficking, but that does not address the root cause; and, I will argue that such laws only exacerbate the deplorable situation (as long as the perpetrators are allowed to hide underground).
A collateral purpose in my proposal would be the refocus of Law Enforcement (LE) resources away from moral projection laws and concentration on injurious behavior that harms person or property.
Regulation of prostitution may not “significantly” reduce child trafficking, but any reduction would be good. If we did legalization / regulation properly, we would make it far more difficult to supply that segment of the sex trade. This is also an international issue – sex tourism to more complacent countries. I do not know if you are correct regarding your assessment of “most sex offenders,” but I do believe other acceptable outlets would relieve some of the pressure.
I would encourage more and deeper studies, as you say. I would advocate a broader set of definitions that go beyond the “lowest common denominator” level of our current morality laws. The Penn State study took the current law as sacrosanct, and I am not so sure. Limiting the scope will yield limited results.
I’ll try to recover those seismic charts and send them separately.
My very best wishes to all. Take care of yourselves and each other.
Cheers,
Cap :-)
I completed my two-week, post-op, follow-up appointment on Wednesday. Good news! Adjacent, left-side, lymph nodes – clear, normal tissue {recall: right-side tissue clear [512]; right-side, lymph nodes not removed}. Prostate margins clear, except for one “microscopic spot that was indeterminate” – not perfect, but about as close as one can get short of being perfect. Doc said surgery went well, per the plan; results were good, no complications; in his opinion, the indeterminate spot will be OK. My next follow-up check is scheduled for 28.December, which will include my first post-op PSA and a good clue whether the “spot” will be a concern.
The follow-up news items:
-- On Monday, 21.November, the so-called Super Committee – actually, the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, per Title IV of the Budget Control Act of 2011 {PL 112-025} [503, 504] – publicly announced their failure to reach an agreement. What a shock! Is anyone really surprised? So now, by law, the more draconian 10% across the board budget cuts will take effect in the FY2013 appropriations, in the middle of a war and economic stagnation.
A rather long article that is worth your time, attention, contemplation and public debate:
“Teaching Good Sex”
by Laurie Abraham
New York Times
Published: November 16, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/20/magazine/teaching-good-sex.html
For those of us with grown children, the article is perhaps moot; however, it is our generation that makes and enforces laws. Needless to say, I think we need many more Al Vernacchios, and much less abstinence-only dicta from Congress. I certain support parental right and responsibility to teach their children abstinence-only, if that is their choice. Yet, I also think it is unnatural to deny human physiology and biology in the reality of puberty. Someday, we will mature as a society.
News from the economic front:
-- In yet another shock to the world financial system, Germany sought to issue €6B (US$8.1B) of 10-year bonds, but only sold €3.64B at an average yield of 1.98%. The disappointing sale highlighted how the euro zone's debt crisis is rattling investors as it spreads from weaker states to the bloc's core economies. A representative of the Danske Bank said the bond auction was a "disaster" and reflected investors' deep distrust of the euro project, rather than aversion to German government bonds.
-- The Fitch ratings firm downgraded Portugal's credit rating from triple-B-minus to double-B-plus, with a negative outlook, citing its high debts and poor economic prospects. Lisbon seeks to reduce its budget deficit as part of a €78B (US$104B) bailout package.
-- The Italian treasury sold €8B (US$10.7B) of six-month treasury bills at an average yield of 6.504%, nearly double the rate in the last equivalent auction. The government also sold €2B of 24-month zero-coupon bonds at an average yield of 7.814%. The Italian auction of underscores the challenge new Prime Minister Mario Monti faces to restore the country's fiscal health, in the dark shadow of soaring short-term borrowing costs and €1.9T in debt (120% of GDP).
-- The Wall Street Journal reported that under a proposed European Union (EU) plan, national governments would create bilateral agreements that would not take as long as a laborious changes to EU treaties. Some German and French officials fear that treaty changes could take far too long. Euro-zone authorities seek new powers to enforce fiscal discipline in the 17 countries that make up the euro zone, as they struggle to convince investors they can resolve the region's debt crisis and keep the currency area from fracturing.
Comments and contributions from Update no.518:
Comment to the Blog:
“I agree that feeling and functioning progressively better is a good sign for recovery. I will keep my fingers crossed for your results on Wednesday.
“I had no awareness of the USS Liberty incident until I read your report. I am surprised that I did not know. I find Israel strange. The institutionalized paranoia there and the blind support of the US make it one of the odder players on the world stage, and it is a dangerous force. The fact that the Liberty attack has remained largely unknown might lead to questioning of the entire US-Israel relationship if it became known to the public at large. I doubt that will happen. My guess as to the purpose of the report is that it satisfies either a political obligation or some bureaucratic process. Unless I see TV news stories about this issue, I will not expect any action from the government.
“I share your desire for the rule of law rather than public opinion in the Penn State mess. There is some chance that objective law will prevail, but that is by no means a given. In the meantime, a curious side note. The Penn State football team played our local heroes, Ohio State, this Saturday. The loss of the coaching staffers seems to have been overcome very quickly. Penn State played very well and won.
“On the child sexual exploitation issue, I would rather you had linked to the academic study than to Mr. Kristof’s op-ed piece. Op-ed is a place for opinions, and certainly Mr. Kristof’s writing does not rise above that level. The tone of the piece leaves me in doubt of anything he says. He gives nothing that might illuminate the true scope of the issue, the damage to the children, or anything other than the story that moves him. (Does he make a paycheck by being so moved?) The academic study has more to offer by its very nature. An academic study must give its methods and its sources of information, which may then be evaluated for their information value or lack thereof. A truly legitimate study will give the backgrounds of its investigators, their roles in the study, and especially the source(s) of funding. Funding for a study such as this could come from an objective source, but it could also originate from interested parties of any position.
“To finally address your point, I share your idea of legalizing prostitution. ‘The oldest profession’ will not go away. Consider the changes that would arise from regular inspections of people and premises by health departments and other regulators, with any noise or other law-enforcement issues handled by non-bribed police officers. Between the various regulators, human trafficking would become far more difficult, to whatever extent it exists. I suspect that all or most of that regulation could be funded by savings on law enforcement and, perhaps, a transaction tax.
“However, I doubt that legalizing prostitution would significantly reduce sexual contact by adults with children. (I confidently assume that child prostitution would remain illegal.) I do not see adult-child sex as an easiest way out or supply-and-demand type of issue. Sex is everywhere. Most sex offenders are married, and many enjoy a regular sex life with their spouses. The “presenting” issue with adults who have sex with children is attraction; they desire children as much as they do adults, sometimes much more. Of course, other deeper issues drive that attraction, and the experts continue to study the deeper factors with little progress to date in treating them.
“Another set of information I would like to obtain is the seismic maps and information your other contributor mentioned. I know only the bare beginnings of seismology, but I find it interesting and the importance seems obvious. I would appreciate any help with that. I will note that your contributor used “New Madrid” to refer to the fault line itself, not the town for which it is named. The town is located in Missouri, not Arkansas. I’ve been there; it was a nice place.”
My reply to the Blog:
The Liberty incident is a tragic event in U.S. history. An accident might have been a single strafing pass by a fighter aircraft – NOT multiple passes by multiple aircraft, followed by surface vessels firing five torpedoes and circling at close quarters in an attempt to board the ship. Many pilots and naval vessel commanders would have had to be incompetent, ignorant and otherwise blind. It was not until they knew the armed protective air cover was inbound at high speed that they broke off the attack and initiated diplomatic contact to “apologize.” The U.S. Government apparently gives Israel a pass for violent attacks on U.S. ships and sailors. Nonetheless, as I said, my point was not so much the history but rather noting the similarity with Aslan Soobzokov’s struggle – Jewish (Israeli) assassins apparently have a free pass with the U.S. Government – unprecedented in international relations, to my knowledge.
Clearly, I cannot prove my hypothesis; I do not possess the resources necessary to carry out such a comprehensive study; however, I do agree such studies are sorely needed.
All three sources – the Sandusky Press, the Penn State study, and the Kristof Op-Ed column – represent different perspectives of the same issue. My contention remains, “sunlight is the best disinfectant.” By making as much of the sex trade public, inspect-able, regulated, and open, the more isolated and hopefully identifiable the child sex trade would become, presumably making it easier to investigate and prosecute. Yet, there is no law that can defend against parents selling their 6-year-old daughter into the illegal sex trade. My point was, we can rant & rave and pass a myriad of laws condemning child sex trafficking, but that does not address the root cause; and, I will argue that such laws only exacerbate the deplorable situation (as long as the perpetrators are allowed to hide underground).
A collateral purpose in my proposal would be the refocus of Law Enforcement (LE) resources away from moral projection laws and concentration on injurious behavior that harms person or property.
Regulation of prostitution may not “significantly” reduce child trafficking, but any reduction would be good. If we did legalization / regulation properly, we would make it far more difficult to supply that segment of the sex trade. This is also an international issue – sex tourism to more complacent countries. I do not know if you are correct regarding your assessment of “most sex offenders,” but I do believe other acceptable outlets would relieve some of the pressure.
I would encourage more and deeper studies, as you say. I would advocate a broader set of definitions that go beyond the “lowest common denominator” level of our current morality laws. The Penn State study took the current law as sacrosanct, and I am not so sure. Limiting the scope will yield limited results.
I’ll try to recover those seismic charts and send them separately.
My very best wishes to all. Take care of yourselves and each other.
Cheers,
Cap :-)
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