Blog
Social Security Policysplainer
It is apparently time for another policysplainer. The New York Times, among others, covered the report that Social Security will start running a deficit in the next decade and not long after, be insolvent. This really should not be a surprise. The Congressional Budget Office pointed this out in 2016,
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Piedmont Hydrogeology
The Piedmont Province is a geographic region stretching from southern Pennsylvania southward through Maryland, Virginia, the Carolinas, northern Georgia, into eastern Alabama. The Piedmont consists of a plateau region bounded on the west by the Blue Ridge mountain range. On the east, the plateau is bounded by the Atlantic coastal
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Formal and Informal Language in English
Plain form versus formal form of the language is something Americans do not think they do. Except, they do differentiate between formal and informal language. Sociolinguists call this register, when we change the style of speech we use in different contexts. For instance, if I am writing an essay for
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Groundwater Recharge in Old Cemeteries
I have a delightfully ghoulish topic of what happens to groundwater recharge in old cemeteries. As I have talked about before, groundwater recharge is important. First, the water table needs to be refreshed. Drawdowns reduce the water supply. Second, the ability of groundwater to absorb rainwater is important for reducing
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Stokes’ Theorem and Green’s Theorem
I took a look at Green’s theorem last week and its relationship to the planimeter. Green’s theorem is a remarkable work that tells us much about the structure of two-dimensional shapes. As I said, it’s analogous to the fundamental theorem of calculus, finding the area under the curve. But Green’s
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Howard County Charter Review
On Monday night, the Howard County Council adopted CR18-2019, establishing the octennial Charter Review Commission and its membership. I am fortunate to be appointed and I look forward to continuing good work for the county. The nice thing about Charter Review is that unlike the Board of Appeals, there is
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Green’s Theorem and the Planimeter
I am going to start by saying I do not find Green’s theorem very intuitive. It is a magnificently powerful theorem. It has been proven, so it must be true, but unlike many other theorems, I do not feel it comes naturally. (I have mentioned this before!) But I think
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