COVID may affect pancreatic function: https://www.sacbee.com/news/coronavirus/article254829122.html . More: https://www.dovepress.com/acute-pancreatitis-and-covid-19-a-single-center-experience-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-JMDH . It does appear that COVID affects the pancreas in some individuals. The mechanism is not well understood.
LA sheriff won’t enforce vaccine mandate on employees: https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-los-angeles-health-ea88466d28b70560c227f11ee7d44efd . This is not good. The cops get a special deal.
UCLA doc tossed for refusing employer vaccine mandate: https://www.sacbee.com/news/coronavirus/article254829122.html . He’s an anesthesiologist, so not an expert. He’s also a nut who’s endangering his colleagues and patients. Good riddance.
The end of the pandemic: https://www.deseret.com/coronavirus/2021/10/9/22716488/cdc-director-covid-pandemic . These comments are truly ridiculous. I would agree the virus isn’t stupid, but that’s because it has no brain. As to the pandemic ending if humans work together, if that’s the solution, the pandemic will not end. The virus is embedded in the global population. US citizens are highly mobile, both domestically and internationally. There will be outbreaks in the US until COVID medical treatment advances well beyond its current capabilities. We have no choice but to learn to live with the virus and manage the outbreaks.
The most important advances in the near term are employer mandates, vaccine mandates for school children, contact tracing and testing, and oral antiviral treatments.
England gives 2 million booster shots in first 3 weeks of campaign: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/oct/09/more-than-2-million-people-in-england-have-had-covid-booster-jab .
WSJ: COVID infections rising in schoolchildren: https://www.wsj.com/articles/covid-19-cases-rise-in-u-k-schoolchildren-whom-the-nation-hesitated-to-vaccinate-11633782525 .
WSJ: Healing the COVID learning loss in elementary schools: https://www.wsj.com/articles/when-fourth-graders-cant-read-one-phoenix-school-has-a-new-way-to-fight-pandemic-learning-loss-11633818431 . One hopes schools nationwide are focusing on this problem. Correcting these issues will literally redirect hundreds of thousands of American lives.
The Flying Nut: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/unruly-passenger-questioned-after-nyc-flight-lands-laguardia-n1281171 . So, nothing like Sally Field.
WSJ: The rapid evolution of work in the US: https://www.wsj.com/articles/remote-workers-can-live-anywhere-these-cities-and-small-towns-are-luring-them-with-perks-11633820638 . And: https://www.wsj.com/articles/despite-u-s-employment-gains-many-women-remain-on-labor-market-sideline-11633827300 .
Bannon refusal to comply with House subpoena is nonsense: https://lawandcrime.com/2020-election/a-desperate-play-for-time-lawyers-dismiss-steve-bannons-nonsense-refusal-to-comply-with-congressional-subpoena/ . Executive privilege is a well-defined concept. Bannon’s argument makes no sense except to cause delay. As usual , SB=BS .
WSJ: Voters cash this Czech: https://www.wsj.com/articles/czech-prime-minister-andrej-babis-loses-his-bid-for-re-election-11633812836 . Yes, voters said No to the Yes Party.
The case of the Boston Marathon bomber returns to public attention at the US Supreme Court: https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-dzhokhar-tsarnaev-boston-courts-bombings-3a784f624dc605fda09af8ffe0188977 . This was an almost unthinkable act of terrorism that occurred on US soil in 2013. The point of argument here, however, is academically interesting.
This newsletter regularly points out that currently on the US political right, facts don’t matter. The current Exhibit 1 is the Big Lie about the2020 election which currently grips the Party of Orange Julius (the former GOP). The law has extensive rules about what “facts” are admissible at trial; “Evidence” is a required course in law school. As the article points out, a defendant on trial for a crime involving the death penalty is given wide rein in presenting evidence concerning his state of mind.
Here, on appeal the defendant argued that certain evidence was improperly excluded because the prosecution had relied on it in obtaining a search warrant. DOJ argues that the exclusion was proper because different rules apply to obtaining a search warrant than apply to admissible evidence at trial. Should the Supreme Court rule for the defense, future prosecutions face a trap of unknown dimensions when arguing for a search warrant. This is because the facts are not fully known at that time, and therefore trial strategy cannot be fully known.
So the case involves an academic issue with powerful real world consequences. It is useful for all of us to remember, however, that the rule of law is based on centuries of thought about “relevant facts”. The current tendency to make everything political is perhaps the most basic attack of “facts don’t matter” on the institutions of the legal system.
WSJ: Soccer trouble right here in River City: https://www.wsj.com/articles/abuse-scandal-rocks-portland-thorns-11633735769 . One reason soccer is so strong here is decades of boys and girls youth soccer programs. Another is the quality soccer program at the University of Portland, which has produced many national and international stars. This has embedded soccer into our sports culture. We have knowledgeable fans who will force the Thorns to respond vigorously.