COVID infections damage the heart: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/heart-health/covid-hurts-heart-according-science-rcna71262 . Specifically, COVID damages heart cells’ ability to regulate calcium. Calcium regulates the speed and force of heart muscle contractions, so this damage reduces heart function.
The changing face of long COVID: https://www.aol.com/news/infected-first-wave-navigated-long-130321199.html . This article, like so many on long COVID, suffers from illogical analysis. Again, the pandemic is best viewed as an arms race between the virus and the vaccines. Because a large percentage of the population has been vaccinated (although many are not boosted), it is a reasonable hypothesis that the vaccine offers some protection against long COVID.
However, this does not mean that the disease is now less severe. To test that hypothesis, you need to study severity in persons who remain unvaccinated and have not had a previous COVID infection (that is, who have not developed any level of natural immunity).
WSJ: Long COVID disability accommodation: https://www.wsj.com/articles/long-covid-is-a-disability-heres-how-to-ask-for-workplace-accommodations-9b63fd90 .
COVID vaccine lowers heart attack risk for those who get infected: https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2023-02-20/covid-vaccine-bonus-lower-heart-attack-risk-if-you-get-infected .
WSJ: Rising US COVID death toll: https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-the-u-s-covid-19-death-toll-is-still-rising-93b2b12a .
New COVID outbreak in Hangzhou: https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3210861/fresh-covid-fears-chinas-hangzhou-2-schools-report-outbreaks . Sigh. We know there will be ongoing outbreaks in China. The Chinese need to face reality …
WSJ: Electric spinal cord therapy for paralysis patients: https://www.wsj.com/articles/zaps-to-the-spinal-cord-improved-patients-paralysis-after-stroke-dadfd336 .
Social Security shortfall date advances to 2032: https://thehill.com/business/3860243-social-security-set-to-run-short-of-funds-one-year-earlier-than-expected/ . As the Fed is pushing to raise the unemployment rate, that date will advance further in the coming year.
WSJ: Fed rate hike reality begins to bite the deniers: https://www.wsj.com/articles/investors-worry-too-hot-economy-will-put-fed-on-more-aggressive-rate-path-bf41e230 . What do you mean “worry”? The Fed has consistently told us this for months.
Belatedly, Ohio acts to preserve health of train derailment victims: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ohio-open-clinic-growing-health-concerns-train-derailment-rcna71442 . The “controlled burn” of toxic chemicals was as red a flag as you’ll ever see that the derailment created hazardous exposure to residents. Anyone of means piled their family in the car right after the derailment and moved away – whether to relatives or a motel – until the danger was fully addressed. It’s no picnic to be poor in this country.
Sneaking Joe into Ukraine: https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-biden-kyiv-politics-74c9de636c489393c86ad115e5cbcb48 . Is the AP kidding? When the White House announced that Biden would travel to Poland, most people would surmise that a visit to Ukraine was a strong possibility. WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/for-ukraines-zelensky-biden-visit-to-kyiv-is-a-welcome-boost-88c4770d . Still more: https://www.wsj.com/articles/bidens-kyiv-visit-was-months-in-the-making-bb307fb8 . And: https://www.wsj.com/articles/president-biden-visits-ukraine-for-first-time-since-russias-invasion-30a7c8d3 .
GOP nuts come out of their holes to criticize Biden’s visit: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/bidens-visit-ukraine-draws-criticism-conservative-house-republicans-rcna71477 . Remember the phrase, “When you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all”? In that reality, these screwballs would observe a lifetime vow of silence. A very appealing world, don’t you think?
Uneducated lunatic Marjorie Taylor Greene proves it daily: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/marjorie-taylor-greene-calls-national-divorce-liberal-conservative-sta-rcna71464 . A few observations: (A) Seceding was tried once, involving your home state of Georgia. The South lost, as in crushed. Get over it. (B) Every known economic analysis shows that the blue states are the engines of wealth production in this country, and they financially support the red states. If the red states were on their own, they’d quickly go broke unless we allowed them to walk away from their existing debts, which will not happen. (C) What Greene suggests is treason, plain and simple. Liz Cheney agrees: https://thehill.com/homenews/house/3867118-cheney-fires-back-at-marjorie-taylor-greene/ .
Russia’s plan to absorb Belarus: https://news.yahoo.com/russia-belarus-strategy-document-230035184.html . This does not come as a surprise. Putin’s goal of rebuilding the Russian empire looks like his only priority. However, the boldness of this document still shocks.
Turkey-Syria earthquake version 2.0: https://www.aol.com/news/magnitude-6-3-earthquake-strikes-185946749.html . Another earthquake has struck southern Turkey. While this quake was powerful, the earlier quake, centered in a somewhat different area, was considerably stronger. Casualties are likely to be much lower, with the early reports setting the death toll at 6. Meanwhile, published reports on the initial quake now confirm 47,000 deaths, the figure reported here two days ago. WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-earthquake-strikes-southern-turkey-d914acbf . Still more: US pledges more aid: https://www.wsj.com/articles/blinken-pledges-100-million-in-u-s-aid-for-earthquake-hit-turkey-and-syria-5a439054 .
WSJ: China’s property market problems remain unresolved: https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinas-state-owned-property-developers-shun-private-sector-deals-f18c946d .
WSJ: Manchester United acquisition bids: https://www.wsj.com/articles/manchester-united-sale-glazers-qatar-ratcliffe-premier-league-a59f1a4d .