Author: Jack
I retired in 2008 and so I have more time now to devote to several of my interests The blog here is mainly for my interests in some current events but may have the occasional rant on other subjects. I have also decided to keep my genealogy posts and book reviews here instead of 2 additional blogs (and so simplify my life a little).

Is Obamacare and employer-provided insurance pro-business or anti-business?

Is Obamacare and employer-provided insurance pro-business or anti-business?

Posted on by Jack

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (PPACA), commonly called the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or Obamacare, is controversial. Republicans consider it anti-business; Democrats not so much. But is it really more pro-business or anti-business than our present system ?

Employer-provided health insurance began during World War II as a way of getting around wage controls on businesses. Currently most of the insured under 65 have employer-provided insurance. Obamacare is similarly dependent on employer-provided insurance. Sort of a doubling down on the idea by mandating that employers provide insurance or pay a penalty.

But is employer-provided insurance a good thing? Or would we be better off if the insurance was provided by another method ? And how do we pay for it ?

So many questions. Are there good answers? What do you think?

Bloomberg can’t buy America on gun regulation

Bloomberg can’t buy America on gun regulation

Posted on by Jack

National Rifle Association (NRA) CEO Wayne LaPierre says Bloomberg “can’t buy America” in his efforts to influence the gun control argument.

One could also argue that the NRA has for too long dominated any consideration of gun control and opposed rational regulation with great harm to this country.

The Supreme Court and same-sex marriage and interracial marriage

The Supreme Court and same-sex marriage and interracial marriage

Posted on by Jack

I was thinking about the arguments before the Supreme Court right now as they decide about 2 same-sex marriage cases. It seems to me that both laws are wrong in that they denying civil rights to a certain class of individuals.

I was thinking of a documentary I saw a while back. I looked it up and it seems to be The Loving Story on HBO. The klink may be a bit slow to load but it is a good summary of the story and has links to more about the documentary.

In that case there was a law against interracial marriage which forced this couple from their home. The law was eventually found unconstitutional but it seems to me a good bit of harm was done to this and probably other families by then.

I was thinking that this is kind of the same issue or at least very similar so I googled what I remembered from “The Loving Story” and found a good blog entry did a very good job in discussing this.

So read The Supreme Court Ended Mixed-Race Marriage Bans Less than 50 Years Ago.

John Greer and Julia Mary Hopkins family of New York City

John Greer and Julia Mary Hopkins family of New York City

Posted on by Jack

Lately I’ve been filling in some details on close but not direct ancestors in hopes I’ll find something that gives me some insight or additional direction on my more direct line. So that’s what this is about. One of my great grandmothers was Elizabeth Greer born in Ireland to Ruth Allingham and Matthew Greer.

Elizabeth had an older brother named John Greer who was born in Ireland about 1860. I believe he came to the US in the 1870s and married Julia Mary Hopkins in 1888 in New York City (NYC). Continue reading “John Greer and Julia Mary Hopkins family of New York City”

Irish surname websites for genealogy

Irish surname websites for genealogy

Posted on by Jack

Sometimes you just get lucky.

Maybe someone has already done a good bit of work on your family but you don’t know it. Perhaps a third or fourth cousin you don’t know.

Or there might be some people searching the same surname who are not closely related but may have some advice for you. Sometimes these people with a wealth of information on your family have a website or sometimes someone with a website for your surname of interest be aware of someone searching the same surname.

One way to see if there is a webpage for people interested in your Irish surname is my webpage listing hundreds of links to websites for particular Irish surnames. Have a look at the links on my Irish surname page .

Another option is to use Google or some other search engine to find the names that interest you. Be creative in your search terms!

Toms River: A Story of Science and Salvation release in a few days

Toms River: A Story of Science and Salvation release in a few days

Posted on by Jack

I just wanted to remind everyone that Toms River: A Story of Science and Salvation by Dan Fagin will be released in a few days (March 19). It is an important book and I hope quite a few read it.

I reviewed this book which tells the story of an industry and environmental catastrophe in some detail and does it well. See my review and if you think you might like this book, give it a read.

The Secret Gospel of Ireland by James and Leo Behan

The Secret Gospel of Ireland by James and Leo Behan

Posted on by Jack

The full title and subtitle is actually The Secret Gospel of Ireland:The Untold Story of How Science and Democracy Descended from a Remarkable Form of Christianity That Developed in Ancient Ireland. But that is quite long and would not do as a title of this review.

The Behan brothers begin with the early history of the Catholic church. The Romans never made it to Ireland but did rule most of the known world in those days. The Catholic church or at least that a large part of it was centered in Rome and became the official state religion of the Roman Empire in 380 AD.


The really interesting thing is that this is not just a straightforward history of the Church with perhaps a regretful statement about the light of learning going out in Europe but surviving in Ireland and then being revived in Europe by some travelling Irish monks.

No, this is much more. Consider the issues discussed, Why did the Pope send a mission to Ireland? Why was Patrick much more successful than the bishop sent by the Pope. How and why did Irish Christianity differ from the Roman Catholicism of the time. What were the philosophical and theological ideas of each? What were some of the other ideas considered? And how did they develop and influence each other?

The Behans cover a lot of ground in about 200 pages. And do so in an interesting fashion and weave an important explanation of events, relating some Irish influence on Catholicism to our ideas of science and democracy.

A very interesting book. And as a bonus, they added a short chapter at the end with references and suggestions on further reading.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit so this is really a very favorable review but I do have one minor gripe.

The title can be a bit misleading. That is, The Secret Gospel of Ireland might lead you to believe that this is about some long-lost secret scrolls found in Ireland. And that is not what this book is about at all. But that is a bit of a quibble and definitely not as important as the content of this wonderful book.

The subtitle is a much better indicator of what this book is about but it is too long to be a good title. So we have a shorter and less accurate title. Certainly not a major flaw but something I thought I should mention in case any prospective readers are mislead.

But the title does have the sense of the book and a short pithy title does make it easier to refer to the book, to say nothing of looking nice on the cover (very nice cover, by the way). So we have a good book with a title that might be more accurate but I have no suggestions there.

This book is definitely a keeper. I enjoyed it very much and learned a lot in the process. The nice part about having this book on my bookshelf is that when I am feeling a bit philosophical, I can reread parts or turn to that last bonus section to find more reading.

I highly recommend this book to those with an interest philosophy, theology, or the intellectual history of Europe.

Truth in food labeling

Truth in food labeling

Posted on by Jack

In saw in this morning’s paper (Philadelphia Inquirer) that a state senator has introduced a bill on labeling containing genetically engineered food.

I don’t think there is much evidence that there is a difference safety wise but I think those consumers who wish to avoid genetically engineered foods should be able to identify those products they wish to avoid.

I am more concerned about the addition of undisclosed ingredients to food. Last week, I wrote about the dairy industry’s wish to add secretly add artificial sweeteners to Milk.

Ideally labels should have the whole truth and nothing but the truth. That is, they should at a minimum tell you everything added to the food and in addition have other information (organic,, genetically modified, etc) to the extent practical. Obviously, there will not be room enough to tell you everything but let’s aim to have everything a reasonable consumer might look for.

Low increase in employer health care: The good and bad

Low increase in employer health care: The good and bad

Posted on by Jack

The good news is 2012 saw the lowest increase in in health insurance costs for employers since 1997. That is certainly good news for employers. But the bad news is that this is largely the result of switching employees to lower cost plans. Almost certainly, bad news for employees. These finding are in a press release by Mercer , who conduct the National Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans. More details are in the press release and even more in the detailed report.

Here are a few more articles on this I’ve run across:

Businessweek even suggests some employers may drop health-care coverage .

Since the trend among employers seems to be to lower costs and decrease benefits (or increase the employee’s share), I am wondering if our dependence on employer-provided health benefits as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) is such a good idea.

Kindle App on the iPhone 5

Kindle App on the iPhone 5

Posted on by Jack

I had previously written about the Bluefire Reader e-reader on my iPhone so I thought I should also tell you about the Kindle App on the iPhone 5.

I have a Kindle which is several years old and really like it. I often use it to read the books I review on this website. More about that in my Bluefire link above.

The iPhone 5 screen is bigger that the old iPhones so that might make a difference in the experience but I suspect it would not make all that much difference. Any iPhone screen would be much smaller than a Kindle.

So if you are reading with similar size fonts the main difference is that there is less on each page. On the Kindle you have buttons to advance the page, but the app changes the page when you touch with screen at the side. Or you can also use the swiping action if you like that.

With the Kindle you have a bunch of buttons available to do various things but with the app those functions are hidden most of the time but reveal themselves when you touch the top or bottom of the screen. I haven’t checked to see if all functions on the Kindle are also on the app but those I use are there.

My Kindle is Wi-Fi only (no 3G) so if I am in the presence of Wi-Fi, the app and Kindle can synch so I can go back and forth between reading a book on one and then the other and my place carries over.

I usually read on the Kindle when at home. But the app is great if I am waiting somewhere and want to read my book for a while. I usually carry my phone when we go anywhere and carrying the Kindle around is not hard but now it is unnecessary.

I also use the app at home if my wife wants to use the Kindle so we don’t have to be a two Kindle family. Also sometimes I just use the app on my phone because I feel like it.

Note added:

I forgot to mention that the app is free from the Apple store. So if you have an iPhone and a Kindle account, you have nothing to lose by trying this. You’ll probably like it!

Asking the FDA if they can secretly add artificial sweeteners to Milk

Asking the FDA if they can secretly add artificial sweeteners to Milk

Posted on by Jack

The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) and the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) are asking the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to allow the addition of artificial sweeteners to milk and other dairy products without listing these additions on the label. Some people try to avoid artificial sweeteners (especially aspartame) for various reasons and, of course, they could not do this unless they avoided milk all together.

I think all foods should be labelled with all added ingredients. That does not seem to be the case now but this change in milk regulation is especially outrageous as milk is an important food for most of us.

Here is the FDA notice and request for comments. Notice this Federal register notice includes a Request for comments.

Here is the story is less official (and more readable) form:
http://www.naturalnews.com/039244_milk_aspartame_FDA_petition.html

http://www.thedailysheeple.com/aspartame-in-milk-without-a-label-big-dairy-petitions-fda-for-approval_022013

The FDA asks for comments from the public. You may or may not approve of this addition of artificial sweeteners to milk or other dairy products. You may think it is important or unimportant that consumers be told what is in the food they eat.

My own opinion is that it is fine to add aspartame or others ingredients as an option but consumers should have a choice and be informed. And we are informed by listing the ingredients on the label. For example, it does me know good to know there are brands with aspartame and brands without aspartame if I can’t tell them apart.

I’m for Truth in Labeling. The dairy industry seems to be asking for Omissions in Labeling. Tell the FDA what you think.

You can make comments via the FDA link above but it is not a straight-forward as I think it should be, so here is a direct link to the FDA page for comments on this issue. (click on the blue COMMENT NOW button in the upper right of the FDA page)

Who to blame for the sequester

Who to blame for the sequester

Posted on by Jack

Today’s question seems to be: Who is to blame for the sequester? And the answer most people will reach very much depends on personal beliefs.

Democrats blame Republicans and Republicans blame Democrats. John Boehner has called it, “the president’s sequester”. And it is commonly called the Obamaquestor (hashtag #Obamaquester on Twitter).

But according to factcheck.org a member of President Obama’s administration did first propose the sequester idea but it was supposed to be a such a bad thing that Congress would be forced to find the deficit reduction required by Congressional Republicans to to increase the debt ceiling. This Budget Control Act passed on a bipartisan basis so it would seem silly to me to say that the sequester belongs to one side or the other.

Environmental catastrophe, cancer, and water quality: Toms River by Dan Fagin

Environmental catastrophe, cancer, and water quality: Toms River by Dan Fagin

Posted on by Jack

Toms River by Dan Fagin succeeds on many levels. It is a detailed account of the events leading to extensive pollution and an excessive incidence of cancer in Toms River, NJ. Oddly, although the environmental catastrophe detailed here resulted in one the largest financial settlements in such cases, the story is not well known. Fagin tells that story well.

But he does much more. To put the story in context there is a bit on the development and history of the type of chemical industry involved. He delves into the history of medicine and particularly the association of chemical exposures and cancer and the applications of mathematics and statistics to the study of infectious and environmental diseases giving us the science of epidemiology.


This historical background is important to understanding what happened in Tom’s River and how the high incidence of childhood cancer was shown to be associated with the poisoning of this area near the New Jersey shore.

One would think that all this history and science could be a bit boring to the average reader. But by presenting it well and interspersing these history and science lessons with the human costs and events in Toms River, the book reads well and keeps your interest.

But I must tell you about me here. I am a retired scientist and my work was somewhat related to the issues covered in the book. So although I think all this science and history may be of interest to the average reader, I could be wrong. But I hope not. This specific case may or may not be of interest to potential readers but this issues of environmental pollution and health should be important to nearly everybody.

I had read an advanced reader on my Kindle (courtesy of Netgalley) and the book did seem long. Now that I am finished and writing a review I checked on Amazon and learned the book is 560 pages long (and will not be released until March 19, 2013). So it is a long book and will take a considerable investment of time to read but I thought it well-worth the time spent.

The book seems suitable for several audiences. It is certainly comprehensive and well documented with notes so that someone with a professional interest in environmental studies, public health, or some of the legal issues would benefit from this book. A student or general reader with an interest in any of these issues would learn a good bit of useful information while enjoying a good read.

I had planned on publishing this review around the time of publication but I read an article in the paper (I get the Philadelphia Inquirer which covers news in our neighboring state.) It seems there is currently a controversy in NJ about water quality and the importance of industrial representation in setting standards. I thought NJ residents might be interested that there is a soon-to-be-published book on the role of industry when the water quality in Toms River, NJ was an issue. Of course, I also hope many others read this book, too.

Here is the newspaper report I first read and several other articles I have run across.

This is an important book. Although the book is long and the subject matter complex, Dan Fagin does a great job in presenting the science in a highly readable way. I highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in the association of environmental pollution and health.

National Health Insurance plan in the US and business

National Health Insurance plan in the US and business

Posted on by Jack

A few days back I asked, “If we had a true National Health Insurance plan in the US, would it be pro-business or anti-business?

But still no answers or comments. It seems to me that compared to or present system, which is largely based employer-provided insurance, another system or systems could both increase coverage and allocated costs in a less harmful way to our economy.

Our present system directly adds a cost to the employer. I don’t recall where I saw it but a good example that sounds reasonable to me is that the cost of health insurance adds thousands of dollars to each car produced by American car makers. I would think this cost would put US companies at a large disadvantage in competing internationally. Also there would be competitive advantages and disadvantages within the US.

So a true National Health Insurance plan in the US would appear to have many advantages for our economy. If that is the case, other questions such as “How do we pay for it?” or “What does this plan look like?” follow.

But let’s not jump ahead but just consider one question at a time. Is National Health Insurance good for the economy?

What do you think?

Question on US National Health Insurance

Question on US National Health Insurance

Posted on by Jack

I have a question on US National Health Insurance:

If we had a true National Health Insurance plan in the US, would it be pro-business or anti-business? Currently we are basing things mainly on employer-provided insurance. I would think the cost of that would put companies at a disadvantage in competing internationally. Also there would be competitive advantages and disadvantages within the US.

Would a true National Health Insurance plan in the US put all companies on a level playing field with both other US companies and rivals in countries where there is National Health Insurance?

What do you think?