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Articles by Patterson Clark
Why a Las Vegas casino holds the key to Western water
LAS VEGAS, Nevada — The country’s highest-stakes water fight in a century is playing out this week at a Las Vegas casino. The seven Western states that share the Colorado River are facing a looming spring deadline to agree on how to share its dwindling flows. The negotiations will shape the future of the West — and they’ll depend, more than anything, on the personalities around the table. There isn’t a single, or even two or three, fronts to the American West’s water wars.
9 of 10 fastest growing districts repped by Republicans, Census data shows
The Capitol is seen just before sunrise in Washington, D.C. | Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo Population explosions in Texas and Florida over the past decade delivered both of those states additional congressional seats in the upcoming reapportionment, but new data from the Census Bureau released this month shows exactly where the growth was.
Vegetable planting schedule: Timing seeds and transplants
Washington Post gardening columnist Adrian Higgins developed this seed-starting and planting schedule for vegetable gardeners in the Mid-Atlantic. The calendar assumes a last frost date of April 15, late for Washington but still a time of risk to gardens to the north and west of the city. If frost is predicted after transplants are planted, they should be covered for the night.
Regional road map to Obamacare
Maryland and the District have expanded Medicaid so that low-income adults can receive additional assistance with health-care costs. Virginia has opted out of the Medicaid expansion, providing no extra help for some of the state’s poorest citizens, who also are barred from buying subsidized policies on the new exchange. Read related article. By Patterson Clark and Lena Sun Sept. 15, 2013 Where do you live? How big is your family? You qualify for Medicaid if your household income is less than . . .
The international effort to locate Flight 370
The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 has spanned three weeks with more than two dozen countries assisting in the mission. The search deployed as many as 58 planes and 43 ships in one day. In total, at least 80 ships and 61 aircraft have helped in the effort. Other countries have reviewed their radar records and provided satellite images for the hunt. To date, pieces of what could be the plane have been spotted on satellite imagery, but no wreckage has been recovered.
For D.C. allergies: A delayed wallop of pollen
Trees that usually flower in February and March are just waiting for a few warm, sunny days to release their pollen. They are expected to overlap with trees that usually flower in April, possibly creating concentrated misery for allergy sufferers in coming weeks. Read related article.
Preventing radioactive leaks at Fukushima Daiichi
By Patterson Clark and Emily Chow Oct. 12, 2013 On March 11, 2011, a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and 46-foot tsunami knocked out power and backup generators at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on the east coast of Japan. Pacific Ocean Reactors 4, 5 and 6 were shut down at the time of the earthquake. Fuel-core meltdowns occurred in reactors 1, 2 and 3, which were active during the earthquake. 5 6 4 3 2 1 A cascading series of events sent radioactive particles into surrounding areas.
Covid swamps Trump Country
With help from Myah Ward THE TRUMP BUMP — On the pandemic’s first peak in early April, the states that voted for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton accounted for 67 percent of new Covid-19 cases. For the newest peak, which we’re still climbing, the states that voted for President Donald Trump have an even larger share: They accounted for 73 percent of new cases on June 28. Welcome to POLITICO Nightly: Coronavirus Special Edition. Renu is off today, and Nightly will also be off July 3-6.
After the virus: A 5G gold rush?
Such choices "will help ensure the Company is well positioned when the pandemic passes and economies begin to recover," AT&T added. Connectivity is having a moment in a hunkered-down nation, with every Skyped play date and Slacked workplace conversation calling new attention to the benefits of ubiquitous internet adoption, even at existing 4G or slower speeds.
The What, When and How of 5G
The Agenda In 2019, U.S. telecom companies began rolling out a fifth-generation wireless network, promising consumers faster and more reliable service on their smartphones and computers. Beyond that lie even bigger potential transformations in driverless-car communications, business logistics, “smart cities” and health care.
An Ebola treatment center
The 10 Ebola treatment centers in West Africa are based on a design of three wards, which help separate patients suspected of having the disease from those with a confirmed diagnosis. Because there are not nearly enough such treatment centers, Liberia and the World Health Organization plan to set up much scaled-down versions, called community care centers, which will provide only rudimentary care. The community care centers would separate suspected and confirmed cases. By Patterson Clark Sept.
Containing Ebola: What it would take
To halt the spread of Ebola, many more people need to be isolated in treatment centers, according to CDC models. Read related article By Patterson Clark Oct. 9, 2014 The U.S. military has pledged to build 17 treatment centers. The project should be completed by mid-November. 1,700 people could be treated in the 17 U.S. centerseach one with a capacity of 100 beds. U.S. response CURRENT RATE IDEAL RATE At current ratesof transmission,each infectedperson is passingthe disease to about twomore people.
Protection from Ebola: A complicated procedure
Protection from Ebola: A complicated procedure Health-care workers must wear personal protective equipment when treating Ebola patients. The extensive and meticulous techniques vary slightly, depending on organization, location and availability of supplies, but must be carefully followed to avoid infection from the virus. By Charity Brown and Patterson Clark Oct. 12, 2014 Wash hands.Put on coverall or gown, tying at back of the neck and waist.
The Bitcoin Landscape
In a decade, bitcoin has grown from an obscure proposal for a virtual currency to an entire ecosystem of companies and services, all scrambling to capitalize on the more than $100 billion in estimated total bitcoin holdings. How does it all work? In the imaginary town shown here, the trains represent the “blockchain,” the encrypted record of transactions at the heart of this new economy.
SENATORS CONSIDER BLOCKING TARIFFS -- Trump could veto omnibus package -- HELLER SEES SCOTUS RETIREMENT AS REELECTION BOOST -- House Dems distance themselves from Farrakhan rhetoric
SENATORS CONSIDER BLOCKING TARIFFS -- Trump could veto omnibus package -- HELLER SEES SCOTUS RETIREMENT AS REELECTION BOOST -- House Dems distance themselves from Farrakhan rhetoric 03/09/2018 08:00 AM EST By Nolan D. McCaskill (nmccaskill@politico.com or @NolanDMcCaskill) GOP MULLS BLOCKING TRUMP TARIFFS -- A bloc of Senate Republicans is preparing legislation to block President Donald Trump’s tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.
Sean Patrick MALONEY backs CUOMO over NIXON — DE BLASIO jets to SXSW— SHARPTON tries legacy building
Sean Patrick MALONEY backs CUOMO over NIXON — DE BLASIO jets to SXSW— SHARPTON tries legacy building 03/09/2018 07:17 AM EST By Jimmy Vielkind in Albany and Laura Nahmias in Manhattan, with Daniel Lippman Mayor Bill de Blasio found himself in a familiar, if uncomfortable position Thursday, when he hosted a town hall for high school students to talk about gun violence.
Scott expected to sign school safety, gun control bill - Utah challenge: Kindness month - Deputy gave stay-away order during shooting - Medical marijuana bill heads to governor - POLITICO
Scott expected to sign school safety, gun control bill — Utah challenge: Kindness month — Deputy gave stay-away order during shooting — Medical marijuana bill heads to governor 03/09/2018 07:08 AM EST By Marc Caputo (mcaputo@politico.com; @MarcACaputo) and Matt Dixon (mdixon@politico.com; @Mdixon55), with Emily Goldberg (egoldberg@politico.com; @ejgold94) and the staff of POLITICO Florida Good Friday morning. This was supposed to be Day 60 of the 60-day Florida legislative session.
The Legal Way to Seize Guns From Dangerous People
President Donald Trump shocked the gun-rights world when he urged authorities in the wake of the recent school massacre in Florida to “take the guns first, go through due process second,” and the White House quickly hastened to explain away the off-the-cuff remarks.
Vertigo: Source of the spinning
The inner ear is often the source of vertigo. There, tiny crystals of calcium, or otoconia, can detach and move freely through the semicircular canals. Movement causes otoconia to stimulate the motion-sensitive cupula, which sends false signals to the brain, creating vertigo. Read related article.
Why some Antarctic glaciers are disappearing faster than we thought
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Scientists have long known that glaciers resting under sea level can be unstable if they rest on a downward sloping sea bed. Warmer ocean currents erode the glacier’s base from below. The grounding line retreats downhill and, as it does, even more of the glacier is exposed to warm water. It melts more and flows faster. Now, researchers have identified two new processes that can make this still worse.
By Robert M. DeConto, David Pollard Verified, Chiqui Esteban Verified, Bonnie Berkowitz, Patterson Clark
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The Washington Post
Verified
Fiber: The least sexy weight-loss tool
This piece is about fiber, but you should read it anyway, especially if you’re looki ng for a healthy way to drop a few pounds. (Don’t worry, we’ll use metaphors for the icky parts.) Just last month, data crunchers at Under Armour’s MyFitnessPal app examined data from 427,000 weight-losing users who had come within 5 percent of their goals.
Looking for a geographic thrill? Go where states meet
Thirsting for a geopolitical split? Straddling a common border between two states can be a kick, but even more thrilling is squatting on three at once, where a triumvirate of states converge at one point: a “tri-point.” For a slightly enhanced adventure, take some time off from work, pay an entrance fee and stand in line waiting to visit Four Corners, a quadri-point (AZ-CO-NM-UT) where visitors can lie down on the lines drawn and be quartered.
How giant panda cubs grow
How giant panda cubs grow By Patterson Clark and Kennedy Elliott, Updated: August 22, 2015 Mei Xiang’s cubs, born Aug. 22, should follow this basic schedule of panda cub growth. Story: Giant panda gives birth, National Zoo says.
How a museum gives an elephant a facelift
Henry, the 14-foot-tall African bush elephant that has towered over tourists in the rotunda of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History since 1959, was beginning to show his age. So this week, taxidermists and artists are giving Henry the taxidermy equivalent of a week-long spa treatment while the diorama he stands on is rebuilt. By Bonnie Berkowitz and Patterson Clark Aug.
Rare find: Mastodon bones unearthed in Yorktown
At least 12,000 years ago, a mastodon with a toothache died on top of a pile of seashells beside a creek near what is now Yorktown. The flesh decayed, leaving teeth and bones that were gradually covered by sediment from the creek. Over the years, the bones of other mastodons in Virginia dissolved. But this one was in just the right place to survive. In 1983, a brick mason named Lawnell Hart was out hunting when he spotted an enormous tooth in the creek.
A deathbed of shells might give Virginia its first full mastodon
A heavily worn back molar still bears the marks of a severe abscess, which might have played a role in the animal’s death. A deep cavity in the root matches up with an infection scar found in a portion of the lower right jaw. American mastodons became extinct about 12,000 years ago, after living in North America for nearly 4 million years. The animals stood as tall as 10 feet and weighed as much as six tons.
Today’s botany lesson: Corn sex
A kernel of corn planted in the spring can sprout and grow as tall as 10 feet. That’s when the magic happens. The male bits and the female parts conspire to yield several squeaky ears, each loaded with a thousand kernels bursting with sugars, vitamins and fiber. It’s no wonder that corn has become one of the world’s most dominant crops. Story: Think you know corn? Chew on this. that will swell into a kernel, but only if fertilized. heavy, usually falling within only about 10 feet of the plant.
The top 50 hospitals that gouge patients the most
Health and Science The top 50 hospitals that gouge patients the most These are the 50 hospitals in the United States with the highest markup of prices over their actual costs. That means that they are charging out-of-network patients and the uninsured, as well as auto and workers’ compensation insurers, more than 10 times the costs allowed by Medicare, according to new research published Monday. Read related article. Charge Markup State Hospital Affiliation Source: Health Affairs.
Cutting trees to fight climate change?
European countries are subsidizing the cutting of forests across the southeastern United States to produce wood pellets that can be burned in power plants as a climate-friendly alternative to coal. But some scientists say burning wood to make electricity could lead to higher levels of carbon pollution for decades. A matter of wood sourceIdeally, pellet mills use wood that comes from dead trees and the leftover branches and sawdust from other lumber operations.
Your brain on ADHD
Up to 11 percent of school-age children and 4 percent of adults are estimated to have attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. About 70 percent of those kids (and an unknown but growing number of adults) take medication for it. Scientists don’t know exactly what ADHD is — or why certain drugs improve its symptoms — but most research suggests that it causes signaling problems in the brain. ADHD medications are thought to improve those brain signals.
Salt: How much is too much - or too little?
A lack of conclusive evidence leads to disagreements among scientists over what constitutes threatening sodium levels in the diet.
7 ways to defy death
Your browser does not support the video element. By Sohail Al-Jamea, Patterson Clark and Shelly Tan, Published: April 3, 2015 The average American can expect to live for about 80 years. But that may change as scientists develop new ways to prolong human life. In this game, you will have access to seven promising tools. Play to learn more. Read the rest of this series. Can you make it to 100 years or beyond?
Sweetness - but at what cost?
Washington Post – Too much sugar can be detrimental to health – rotting teeth, building fat, damaging blood vessels and stressing out the system that regulates blood sugar. Some people turn to artificial sweeteners, but those are under increasing suspicion of creating such metabolic problems as diabetes and obesity. Natural alternatives to sugar sweeteners exist, but even they have pitfalls if consumed in excess. We are hard-wired to love sweets.
We crave that sweet taste - but at what cost?
Too much sugar can be detrimental to health – rotting teeth, building fat, damaging blood vessels and stressing out the system that regulates blood sugar. Some people turn to artificial sweeteners, but those are under increasing suspicion of creating such metabolic problems as diabetes and obesity. Natural alternatives to sugar sweeteners exist, but even they have pitfalls if consumed in excess. We are hard-wired to love sweets.
Utilities take aim at solar roofs
Culture Connoisseurs consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on the arts, lifestyle and entertainment. Fact Checkers contribute questions, information and facts to The Fact Checker. Washingtologists consistently post thought-provoking, timely comments on events, communities, and trends in the Washington area. This commenter is a Washington Post editor, reporter or producer. This commenter is a Washington Post contributor.
A guide to sweeteners, both synthetic and natural
Sweeteners: a periodic table This table charts the wide variety of sweeteners available in the United States, either in bulk amounts or as additives in food. Not listed are super-sweet- tasting, zero-calorie proteins from several African fruits (monellin, brazzein and thaumatin), which have not been approved for use by the FDA. Also not included: banned or poisonous sweeteners, such as lead acetate, which ancient Romans made by cooking sour wine in lead pots.
The ebb and flow of blue crabs
By February in the lower Chesapeake Bay, mature female blue crabs are buried in the sediment, waiting for the arrival of summer to hatch their eggs and continue a life cycle that takes about two years to complete.
For Rosetta, a comet up close
Even before the Philae landing probe approaches the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko today, scientists know the space rock is not what they imagined when the mission launched in 2004. Data collected by the Rosetta orbiter shows that the comet is warmer and shaped differently than expected, and the surface is porous and uneven rather than smooth. That increases the difficulty for today’s first-ever attempt to land a craft on a comet.
A deafening winter ahead for whales and other marine mammals
Excruciating noises are in store this winter for whales and many other marine mammals that happen to be in the vicinity of increasingly intensive U.S. Navy exercises off the coasts of Hawaii and California. Read related article.
Screening travelers for Ebola
This is what a passenger arriving at Dulles can expect if he is coming from one of the countries hard hit by Ebola: Read related article. By Bonnie Berkowitz and Patterson Clark Oct. 22, 2014
The toll taken by Wildlife Services (USDA)
The toll taken by Wildlife Services (USDA) By Patterson Clark, Published: June 6, 2014 In 2013, more than four million animals were killed by a service of the Department of Agriculture that resolves wildlife conflicts. Almost half of the animals killed were native to the United States. The killings were in response to a variety of complaints. Read related article.
New tools join the now-desperate hunt
Off the western coast of Australia, aircraft, ships and a robotic submarine continue searching for Flight 370, the aircraft that disappeared with 239 people on board en route from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Beijing on March 8, six weeks ago. Here is a look at the equipment being used in the hunt. Read related article.
Deadly Issues That No One Ever Told You About Sitting
Anthony Dejolde TV/Radio personality who educates his audience on entrepreneurship, productivity, and leadership. Read full profile People always equate relaxing with sitting. Probably most of you agree, but the problem is if you sit for most of your waking hours, you’re slowly killing yourself. At least, that’s what four experts say in a detailed infographic presented here. About the serious health issue mentioned earlier, one of my friends heeded the warning.
Evolving sports: Winter Olympic Games sports history
evolving sports By Denise Lu and Patterson Clark In the early 20th century, the Olympics absorbed an organization of winter sports known as the Nordic Games. Some sports have remained since the first official Winter Olympics in 1924, while others, such as the winter pentathlon, have come and gone. In 2014, a dozen new events will be added to the Games in Sochi.
The health hazards of sitting
We know sitting too much is bad, and most of us intuitively feel a little guilty after a long TV binge. But what exactly goes wrong in our bodies when we park ourselves for nearly eight hours per day, the average for a U.S. adult? Many things, say four experts, who detailed a chain of problems from head to toe. Download a pdf poster of this graphic. By Bonnie Berkowitz and Patterson Clark Jan.
Her biggest save
Story by Caitlin Dewey Photos by Marvin Joseph Published on November 2, 2013 Briana Scurry couldn’t be sure if it was the painkillers or the fact that surgeons had just plucked pea-size balls of damaged tissue from the back of her head. But when the two-time Olympic goalkeeper and Women’s World Cup champion awoke at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital on Oct. 18, the headache that had hijacked her life for the past 3-1/2 years was gone.
How giant panda cubs grow
By Patterson Clark and Kennedy Elliott, Published: August 26, 2013 Mei Xiang’s cub, born Aug. 23 and deemed robust and healthy at his first checkup, should follow this basic schedule of panda cub growth. Read related article.
The science and sound of childhood heart murmurs
By Patterson Clark and Alberto Cuadra, Published: July 15, 2013 In children, about half of all detectable heart murmurs are known as innocent murmurs, normal whooshing sounds made by turbulence in the cardiovascular system. Physiological changes, such as exercise, fever or anemia can increase blood flow and create a temporary, innocent murmur. To a physician, an innocent murmur makes a brief, musical and localized sound, whereas structural murmurs produce extended, harsh sounds.
The state of health in the United States
By Patterson Clark, Kennedy Elliott and Katie Park, Published: July 10, 2013 In analyzing the nation's health across three different categories — lifespan, obesity and physical activity — the good news comes with the bad. Men are generally living longer, but in a few select counties, women's lifespans are decreasing. From 2001 to 2009, physical activity was on the rise, but so was obesity. Read related article.
Why chimps are lousy pitchers
By Patterson Clark, Published: June 26, 2013 About 2 million years ago, human shoulders began evolving into a configuration ideal for throwing projectiles, such as rocks and spears. Those hunting techniques may have improved our ancestors' diets, allowing them to evolve larger bodies and bigger brains. Chimpanzees are perfectly suited for scrambling up trees and tearing things apart with their jaws and teeth.
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