Author Archives: Bruce

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About Bruce

Work for sustainable development of small islands and the Chesapeake Bay; ex-Peace Corps (Volunteer and staff) in LA & Caribbean; cruised Caribbean on S/Y Meander for three years; like small tropical islands, French canals, Umbria, Tasmania, and NZ. Married 52 years to the late Kincey Burdett Potter (see Kincey.org). President of the now-sunsetting Island Resources Foundation.

Lest We Forget — Secret use of census info helped send Japanese Americans to internment camps in WWI I

Posted on April 8, 2018 by Bruce

I thought you might like this story from The Washington Post. Secret use of census info helped send Japanese Americans to internment camps in WWII The abuse of data from the 1940 census has fueled fears about a citizenship question … Continue reading →

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Harassment on Eric Holder’s Watch at DoJ

Posted on April 3, 2018 by Bruce

from the NY Times — lead in the Sunday print edition: POLITICS At the Justice Dept.’s Death Penalty Unit, Accusations of Favoritism, Gender Bias and Unwanted Groping By KATIE BENNER                  MARCH 31, 2018 … Continue reading →

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Virginia Institute of Marine Studies (VIMS) study shows seas rising faster than thought

Posted on March 14, 2018 by Bruce

[VIMS is now calculating sea level rise at 32 sites around the USA and Alaska. From the standpoint of: 1) Our special concern for the Chesapeake Bay; 2) The strategic importance of the Bay and its immediate environs to the … Continue reading →

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Miscellaneous, but Distressing, Crud from Recent News

Posted on March 13, 2018 by Bruce

 

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NPR: Sad State of Health Services in USVI

Posted on February 4, 2018 by Bruce

Nearly five months after Hurricanes Irma and Maria, medical services in the USVI are still in horrible shape, with 400 seriously ill patients receiving care in the mainland, and both major hospitals (in St. Thomas and St. Croix) unable to … Continue reading →

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Gerrymandering: The Root of All Evil [NOT]

Posted on January 30, 2018 by Bruce

This deep analysis of gerrymandering, from a joint study by “FiveThirtyEight” and the “Cook Political Report” is from Dan Balz’s The Sunday Take political analysis column in the Washington Post. Gerrymandering is the root of all political evil. Or is it?  … Continue reading →

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National Action Plan for Open Government, version 4.0

Posted on January 22, 2018 by Bruce

[Not sure that this news represents a vote of confidence in the Open Government movement or support for it by the US Government . . . At the least, the less-than-24-hours advance notice of the postponement of the meeting evinces … Continue reading →

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When “Alternate Truth” Starts to Drive US Government Policy — e.g., today. . .

Posted on January 21, 2018 by Bruce

[There’s a point at which I stop being bemused by the blunders and lies — which cannot be distinguished from each other, because the perpetrators themselves DO NOT KNOW the difference — of the New Regime. This report from the … Continue reading →

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Why You Pay Lots for Emergency Care: “Duh, It’s a Monopoly, Dude.”

Posted on December 11, 2017 by Bruce

[This article is from the exemplary on-line magazine Vox, by Sarah Kliff, who is a super interpreter of public policy in the health arena. Follow her regularly, including especially her daily VoxCare column. ] Emergency rooms are monopolies. Patients pay … Continue reading →

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US Fisheries Regulation: States’ Rights, except When the Emperor Says NO

Posted on November 22, 2017 by Bruce

Really important example of how to kneecap regulatory processes. Result will certainly be over-exploitation of fisheries resources for the seventh largest fishery on the East Coast (summer flounder) . Needless to say, this is being led by national, Trump administration, … Continue reading →

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