Headline Muse, 9/1

Eating burgers, or salads, or soup
Has effects, say researchers who snoop,
They determine the kind
And the number we find,
Of bacteria found in your poop

Headline: What We Eat Shapes Microbe Societies Inside Us

Yeah, I cheated again; it’s not a proper headline but NPR’s health blog, “Shots” (great name). But what a great story. I’m sure my readers already know that there are more cells inside of you that are not yours than that are. More bacteria cells than person cells. And yes, this bacteriological biome acts as an organ, and helps to make you the person you are. And that alone is so very cool. But it turns out that (obvious in hindsight–a phrase intended as a compliment to the authors) what you eat helps to shape what sort of bacteriological population you carry.

Y’know, just click the link and read the story. It’s very worth it.

Headline Muse, 8/27

As they batten the hatches and cower
Still their numbers increase by the hour
Not exactly a boast—
Cast your eyes on the coast;
There’s a million, right now, without power

Headline: Hurricane Irene Causes Power Outages For Nearly 1 Million East Coast Customers

Have not heard word from my relative who, at last info, was refusing to evacuate in NC. She’ll be fine, is my guess, but a hell of a lot of people won’t be.

Headline Muse, 8/24

Though the quake was too little to boast
Eastern cities may soon turn to ghosts
Because winds, rain, and tide
Simply won’t be defied
As Irene casts her eye on the coast

Headline:Irene Heads for North Carolina, New England

And gee, that puts the entire BosNyWash megalopolis in a giant bullseye. Be safe, people. Don’t be stupid, and know that other people will be. That’s a lot easier to predict than, say, weather.

Headline Muse, 8/23

It was more than the locals could take
As their neighborhoods started to shake
But still worse were the smirks
From the West-Coaster jerks
With their constant “You call that a quake?”

Headline: 5.8 Magnitude Earthquake Rattles East Coast

No, I didn’t feel it. But I’ve felt larger quakes on softer ground, while in Greece. Very disconcerting. I’m very glad it looks like damage was minimal. Let us all give thanks… to architects, engineers, builders, and all those who helped others today, even if that help was just calming them down.

Headline Muse, 8/21

He’s captured; he’s cornered; he’s fled
He’s packing, surrendered, or dead
I’m skipping the headlines—
No journalist deadlines—
I’ll read it on Twitter instead

Headline: Rebels Close In On Libyan Capital

The real story is that news organizations are, as they were with the death of Bin Laden, clearly a second or third in the race to report. Of course, Twitter is more of a rumor-storm than a news outlet; CNN half an hour behind, but are they using that time to be more certain?