The Deadly Choices at Memorial

New York Times article by Sheri Fink on how patients were killed at a beleaguered New Orleans hospital.

The Case for Marriage

Editorial highlighting important aspects of traditional marriage.

Hat tip: First Thoughts.

Under which God?

Mike and I are reading American Babylon, by Richard John Neuhaus, and this post about American's civil religion seemed highly relevant.

Labor Day

Had a beautiful Labor Day today and enjoyed it by going into the city. Stopped at Georgetown Cupcake's store on M Street to pick up our order, met my aunt Mary Sue and cousin Jonathan (a medical student at the GWU medical school), and had brunch at Peacock Cafe (they have great Eggs Benedict and French toast). Later, we saw the the Madeleine Albright Collection of pins at the Smithsonian Institution Building (the Castle).

Listened to part of the Nationals' 13-3 victory over the Mets on the way home.

Utah

Last week I was in Utah, where I taught a three-day short course on Probabilistic Risk Assessment and Management at Hill Air Force Base. I stayed in the suburban hamlet of Layton, which reminded me of Bowie, Maryland, right down to the shopping centers with Target and Lowe's.

After the third day of class, I had some time to explore. First I quickly toured the Hill Aerospace Museum, which has a great collection of military aircraft, including fighters, bombers, and helicopters, including a Bell TH-13 similar to those that brought injured soldiers to the 4077th in M*A*S*H.

Then I continued north, on the advice of one of the students in my course, and drove up to Ogden. I toured the city's historic Union Station and the Eccles Rail Center next to the station, which has some impressive locomotives and rail cars. The city is not from from Promontory Summit, where the transcontinental railroad was completed, and was an important railroad junction. Today the station is a collection of museums and the Union Grill, where I had the carrot soup and the meatloaf for dinner.