Gongol.com Archives: December 2019
December 26, 2019
Defense Department to servicemembers: Skip the DNA tests, please
Yahoo News says a Pentagon-issued memo says the consumer DNA kits "could expose personal and genetic information, and potentially create unintended security consequences and increased risk". They're not wrong about that.
Simone Biles named AP Female Athlete of the Year
But why stop at "female"? She's so good that the authorities in gymnastics aren't even sure how to score her. Oughtn't that make her a shoo-in for best athlete of the year, period?
Two parallel Democratic primaries
Nate Silver: "What's really going on is that there's been an extremely stable primary among the 60% of Democrats who did not graduate from 4-year colleges and mostly love Biden/Bernie, and then a relatively volatile one among the 40% who did graduate college, and the media only covers the 40%." But also note that part of the volatility probably comes from people who are watching tone more than policy, which means that changes can be amplified day-to-day or week-to-week much more than by the rollout of some new policy book. It's easy to disrupt the perceptions of a candidate's tone rather quickly, for better or worse.
"Deep state" or just the non-partisan civil service?
A nonpartisan civil service definitely beats having James Garfield shot to death in a train station.
Amtrak leadership wants to change the railroad
Who needs long-haul routes when airplanes are much faster? But America really could use swift point-to-point rail service, between cities of certain population levels and economical distances.
Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn announces engagement she initiated
Is it "non-traditional" for a woman to propose to a man? Maybe. But: If the time and the relationship are both right, then both partners ought to be thinking the same thing anyway. Good for these two.
