Gas..

Neither Qatar nor any other single country has the capacity to replace Russian gas supplies to Europe with liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the event of disruption due to a conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Qatar's energy minister said on Tuesday.

With most of Qatari volumes are locked into long-term contracts mostly to Asian buyers, the amount of divertable volumes that can be shipped to Europe is only 10-15%, Saad al-Kaabi Minister of Energy of Qatar added.

Kaabi's comments renewed concerns over Europe's security of gas supplies as tensions escalated between Russia and Ukraine.

"Russia provides 30-40% of the supply to Europe. There is no single country that can replace that kind of volume.

The United States and its European allies are set to announce fresh sanctions against Russia after President Vladimir Putin formally recognized the independence of the two regions in eastern Ukraine. The sanctions could affect the Russian flow of gas into Europe so it is punishment for the Uropeans and the Americans with double the prices that was just doubled last year. Good going.

 

Price..

 

House Republican lawmakers championed the measures when introduced in 2021. The bills received almost unanimous support in both legislative chambers.

The three bill's signed Wednesday establish new rules for contracts between pharmacies and pharmacy benefit managers. These contracts cannot include provisions that would prevent a pharmacist from disclosing if a different medication, like a generic, would be cheaper for a customer. 

Patients can't be forced to pay a co-pay that's more expensive than the medication received under changes in the bills. The legislation also requires benefit managers to be licensed with the state and to submit annual "transparency reports." Benefit managers are barred from using spread pricing, a tactic smaller pharmacies typically oppose that allows managers to recoup additional fees.

Whitmer signs bills into Michigan law to cut prescription costs, increase accountability.  Can Biden's administration do this for poor people.

Just a thought.

Selective..

 Two prosecutors leading the Manhattan district attorney's investigation into the Trump Organization abruptly resigned on Wednesday, The New York Times reported.

The resignations from the two prosecutors, Carey Dunne and Mark Pomerantz, reportedly came after the new district attorney, Alvin Bragg, expressed doubts about moving forward with a case against former President Donald Trump.

Pomerantz confirmed his resignation to The Times. The paper reported that the investigation into Trump has stalled amid Bragg's hesitation to pursue charges against Trump, and that neither Pomerantz nor Dunne had questioned any witnesses before a grand jury in more than a month.

It also comes after lawyers for Trump and Weisselberg asked a judge to dismiss the DA's case against the Trump Organization and its CFO, citing "selective" and politically motivated prosecution. No investigation to the Nursing home Deaths.

Just a thought.

Deaf..

 

President Biden and his administration appear unconcerned about the public's anxiety over rising prices. Biden's chief of staff, Ron Klain, was eviscerated when he retweeted last October,

 "Most of the economic problems we're facing (inflation, supply chains, etc.) are high class problems. We wouldn't have had them if the unemployment rate was still 10 percent. We would instead have had a much worse problem."

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has repeatedly mocked reporters who have asked sincere questions about the administration's efforts, or lack thereof, to fight inflation.   Just a thought.

The president himself has downplayed the unease among Americans concerning skyrocketing inflation. This comes after he promised that inflation would be transitory. Just a thought.

Hug ..

 

Most people would agree that hugging has a positive effect on mood, we just feel ever so slightly better if a loved one gave us a heartfelt hug. But what influences how hugging affects mood? A recent study by researcher Anna L. 

Dueren from the Department of Psychology, at the University of London, U.K., and her team focused on the question of what influences the effect of hugging on mood (Dueren et al., 2021). 

In the study, the 45 women hugged a confederate of the researcher for either one second, five seconds, or 10 seconds and reported how the hug felt. 

The results were clear: five-second and 10-second hugs both were rated as more pleasant than one-second hugs. Thus, the optimal hug should be at least five seconds long. 

Just a thought.

Nord..

 

Germany on Tuesday halted the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea gas pipeline project, designed to double the flow of Russian gas direct to Germany, after Russia formally recognised two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine.

Europe's l ok upenergy project, worth $11 billion, was finished in September, but has stood idle pending certification by Germany and the European Union. 

The pipeline had been set to ease the pressure on European consumers facing record energy prices amid a wider post-pandemic cost of living crisis, and on governments that have already forked out billions to try to cushion the impact on consumers.

But on Tuesday the European benchmark gas price, currently the Dutch March contract , was up 10% to 79.28 euros per megawatt hour (MWh).

Prices were set to double.

Magpies..

 

When we attached tiny, backpack-like tracking devices to five Australian magpies for a pilot study, we didn't expect to discover an entirely new social behavior rarely seen in birds.

 goal was to learn more about the movement and social dynamics of these highly intelligent birds, and to test these new, durable and reusable devices. Instead, the birds outsmarted us.

As our new research paper explains, the magpies began showing evidence of cooperative "rescue" behavior to help each other remove the tracker.

While we're familiar with magpies being intelligent and social creatures, this was the first instance we knew of that showed this type of seemingly altruistic behavior: helping another member of the group without getting an immediate, tangible reward.  Researchers.

Aerobic...

 

Based on new findings, the team concluded that not only does regular exercise help support episodic memory over time, but aerobic exercise seems to be best, and they found the greatest benefits in those 55 and up.

Episodic memories are memories of specific experiences that include things like time and location, such as driving a car for the first time, according to the study authors, episodic memory is one of the earliest memory systems to decline as we get older.

"It seems like exercising about three times a week for at least four months is how much you need to reap the benefits in episodic memory."

" Tere were greater improvements in memory among those who are age 55 to 68 years compared to those who are 69 to 85 years old, so intervening earlier is better.

However, it is never too late to start and benefit.  Just a thought.

Mag..

 

Magnesium plays an essential role in supporting your muscles, nerves, energy levels, and even your brain functioning. “It is a key electrolyte that regulates biochemical reactions, including protein synthesis, blood-glucose control, and blood pressure. Heart function and digestion are also directly affected by magnesium

“Not only does magnesium help ensure that our body processes work properly, but it has antioxidant properties that protect against free-radical cell damage and it helps keep us asleep, which is especially important as we age and the ability to sleep often declines,”

A recent study in Nutrients Journal describing multifaceted reasons why there are decreased levels of magnesium as we age. “The most common reason being decreased intake of foods containing magnesium, as well as impaired absorption and increased excretion.”

Bread..

 

The Blue Zones diet incorporates plenty of bread. There is absolutely nothing wrong with eating bread.

Unfortunately, the majority of bread sold in the United States is highly refined, meaning stripped of the beneficial fiber that helps boost digestion and heart health. “In the U.S., bread tends to be less fresh and more processed than in other countries.   

Those living in the Blue Zones, on the other hand, tend to bake their bread from scratch and with fewer ingredients and more whole grains. “Research consistently shows that diets rich in whole grains are associated with healthier aging and longevity.” 

Even in Blue Zones regions (such as Ikaria) where bread made with refined flour is among the most popular varieties, citizens pair their slices with fresh fruit, veggies, beans, nuts, avocado, lentils, seeds, and healthy fats like olive oil.