Capitalism at its finest—“Hospitals narrow their scope—more facilities limit care to lucrative specialties such as cardiology and orthopedics. Some see potential conflicts.”—News headline.

Brush baby’s teeth—An independent study found that in a 40-mile radius of nuclear power plants there is as much as 53 percent more strontium 90 than in neighboring areas. The cancer-causing toxin is inhaled and absorbed in bones. Researchers checked accumulation in baby teeth.

He seems in fine fettle—The Prez told the world he enjoyed beef on New Year’s Day and intends to keep cow meat on his menu. He also confided that in the coming year there would be less fighting and more jobs.

Makes sense, no?—“Best gains are behind us: ’03’s robust [?] growth might not be sustainable.”—New Year’s economic appraisal.—USA Today.

Buckaroo city—In Charleston, West Virginia, an extra $1 a week tax will be imposed on everyone working in the town. It will be used to repair city streets and hire more cops.

Try it for breakfast—“To ease fear about jobs, put imagination to work.”—James Flanigan, Los Angeles Times business specialist.

Female, male—she’s Black—The Vermont labor relations board upheld the firing of a University of Vermont cop. He had held a Black woman at gunpoint while he and other cops were hunting for a suspected robber who was described as a Black man.

Tardy terror warning—“More than a million people flying on Christmas holidays with budget airlines may be putting their lives in the hands of an exhausted pilot. A study into the stress and fatigue suffered by budget airline pilots showed they frequently lose concentration because of punishing schedules set by their companies.”—The Times, London.  
 
 
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