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.

Key Medical Costs Issue: Indecipherable Medical Bills

Posted on May 14, 2017 by Bruce

Those Indecipherable Medical Bills? They’re One Reason Health Care Costs So Much Hospitals have learned to manipulate medical codes — often resulting in mind-boggling bills. BY ELISABETH ROSENTHAL           MARCH 29, 2017 The catastrophe struck Wanda Wickizer on Christmas Day 2013. … Continue reading →

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From the Economist: Foreign AID Foodchain

Posted on May 8, 2017 by Bruce

So the little NGOs get eaten up by the mega-international NGOs like The Nature Conservancy, WWF, etc. . .  and THEY get displaced by the international consultants. . . . . . and everything just keeps getting better and better. … Continue reading →

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“Twitter Bots:” Recreation on-line that’s good for your brain

Posted on April 29, 2017 by Bruce

from the NY Times: <https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/28/science/twitter-bots-science.html?smid=tw-nytimesscience&smtyp=cur&_r=0&gt; SCIENCE Six Bots That Deliver Science and Serendipity on Twitter Trilobites By STEPH YIN,  APRIL 28, 2017 Photo An image from the Twitter account @mothgenerator, a bot that generates intricate images of imaginary moths and names … Continue reading →

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Overseas and International NGO’s Being Handicapped by US-Imposed Restrictions

Posted on April 29, 2017 by Bruce

{The issues discussed in this article about obstacles faced by non-profits working in humanitarian fields in war zones is actually only one aspect of US-inspired and -enforced regulations that affect all manner of non-profit and non-governmental organizations, especially in developing countries, … Continue reading →

Posted in Development, Finance Services, Governance, Small Island | Comments Off on Overseas and International NGO’s Being Handicapped by US-Imposed Restrictions

As Coral Reefs Die . . .

Posted on April 21, 2017 by Bruce

An important article from the Washington Post: <https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/04/20/as-coral-reefs-die-huge-swaths-of-the-ocean-floor-are-vanishing-with-them/?utm_term=.f5d3a0d92067&gt; Energy and Environment As coral reefs die, huge swaths of the seafloor are deteriorating along with them By Chris Mooney April 20 at 9:00 AM This Elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) near Buck … Continue reading →

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Pennsylvania Tries to Get Chesapeake Bay Pollution Right . . .

Posted on April 17, 2017 by Bruce

from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette <http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/outdoors/2017/04/16/Rural-pollutants-impact-Chesapeake-Pennsylvania-trout-streams/stories/201704160129&gt; [No wonder Pennsylvania is doing such a bad job meeting its pollution-reduction goals. According to this article from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, they’re trying to remove potassium as a major pollutant, and the Chesapeake Bay Program … Continue reading →

Posted in Erosion & Sediment Control, Governance, Monitoring, Watershed Management | Leave a comment

Public Policy, Inc.

Posted on April 12, 2017 by Bruce

[The issue discussed here is not particular to the Trump administration, but it does illuminate many of the driving forces for basic policy positions.  bp] PostEverything Analysis The traditional think tank is withering. In its place? Bankers and consultants. How … Continue reading →

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Information Wars: A Window into the Alternative Media Ecosystem

Posted on March 16, 2017 by Bruce

[From the on-line aggregation site Medium, originally a post from the Design, Use. Build Lab, by Kate Starboard, Asst. Professor of Human Centered Design & Engineering at UW. Researcher of crisis informatics and online rumors. The best exposition I’ve seen about … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Society, Dissemination, Media | Leave a comment

Super Heroes, Super Buddies

Posted on February 25, 2017 by Bruce

Coincidentally, the following opinion piece by Alexandra Petri in this morning’s Washington Post provide a good extended caption for the Super Heroes photo above, from yesterday’s Post . . . . . ComPost  Opinion  Reince Priebus and Stephen Bannon: A love … Continue reading →

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Summary of McMaster’s Vietnam Thesis

Posted on February 23, 2017 by Bruce

from the on-line PowerPost feature by James Hohman, 21 February 2017. There is a separate version of this text, linking to five questions about how McMaster will likely relate to Trump and the inner core of the White House, on … Continue reading →

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