Expert challenges broad bivalent vaccination: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/young-healthy-people-may-not-need-bivalent-boosters-offit-155018744.html . Again, we provide alternative viewpoints on this website. But we also criticize the hell out of them when needed. Dr. Offit defines the goal as preventing serious illness, and says preventing infections is unrealistic. He is dangerously wrong on both counts. Long COVID is clearly a serious illness, and it often affects young people. Thus, vaccination of young, healthy people is necessary to prevent serious illness.
We also know that the chance of mutation increases with the increase in global virus load. Therefore, reducing spread reduces the risk of mutation. These are really straightforward ideas that the doctor somehow is unable to recognize. As I’ve said before (on a different poor recommendation), as far as his participation in the advisory panel, the doctor should get Offit.
Scientist honored for creating global COVID tracker: https://apnews.com/article/science-health-covid-medical-research-ecec377c4f2a46e20fbc221eda8bd4cc . The Lasker Prize includes a $250,000 award.
WSJ: North Korea begins mass COVID vaccination: https://www.wsj.com/articles/north-korea-launches-mass-covid-19-vaccination-campaign-11664365537 .
WSJ: A bionic pancreas for Type I diabetics: https://www.wsj.com/articles/bionic-pancreas-shown-to-manage-blood-sugar-levels-for-type-1-diabetics-11664398802 .
One-shot monkeypox vaccine strategy effective: https://apnews.com/article/monkeypox-health-public-rochelle-walensky-centers-for-disease-control-and-prevention-beff7e23de343daf578920b2c3f3e6b7 .
WSJ: Investor enthusiasm for latest Alzheimer’s drug: https://www.wsj.com/articles/alzheimers-blockbuster-might-spur-investor-bonanza-higher-medicare-costs-11664384599 .
WSJ: Unloading pension liabilities as interest rates rise: https://www.wsj.com/articles/with-interest-rates-rising-companies-look-to-unload-pension-liabilities-11664357403 . As pension actuaries know, this is sound financial practice to de-risk the balance sheet. The key is to unload the liabilities at the interest rate peak, because the gains within the pension plan can have significant financial benefits to the health of the corporation. Also, the long-term nature of these liabilities means the leveraging is immense.
If all the bears roar in the woods, do investors hear them?: https://thehill.com/policy/3664008-how-low-could-stocks-go-much-further-say-wall-street-analysts/ . Besides the strong negative sentiment, one of the five most powerful hurricanes in history made landfall in Florida today. The market responded by going up 2%. This seems unsustainable, not only over the long term, but in the short term as well. Bond yields must continue to go up, and the market must continue to go down.
WSJ: Another side of pension liability risk in the UK: https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-did-bank-of-england-have-to-prop-up-bond-market-11664395480 . My sense is that the UK’s policy of buying bonds is quite similar to the US policy of quantitative easing. But of course we have had to move away from quantitative easing because of its inflationary implications. The UK has inflation problems worse than ours. Therefore, there seems to be a disconnect here that may reveal itself fairly quickly.
WSJ: Here is another take on the same problem: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-return-of-inflation-makes-deficits-more-dangerous-11664366538 . While Ip is coming from a different perspective, his comments seem to lead to the same problem mentioned in the paragraph above. And again, from another angle: https://www.wsj.com/articles/global-stocks-markets-dow-update-09-28-2022-11664362367 . The market reaction makes no sense given the difficulties of increased government borrowing at this time.
Ukrainians outraged by Russian referendum as annexation looms: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2022/09/28/ukraine-russia-invasion-live-updates/10448245002/ . Me too. One of the main points of this stunt is to draft Ukrainians in the occupied territories into the Russian army to fight against Ukraine. More: https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-putin-kyiv-moscow-0e7634dcfc648276b9af1ee19535cd3f . WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/russian-leaders-welcome-referendum-result-as-ukraine-conflict-deepens-11664390063 .
WSJ: More economic troubles for Putin’s Russia: https://www.wsj.com/articles/russias-mobilization-and-plunging-oil-prices-weaken-putins-economic-hand-11664324441 . Does everyone get that authoritarians’ efforts to save face are typically disasters? Three examples: Putin’s military failure in Ukraine; Xi’s Zero COVID failure in China; and Orange Julius’ Lifetime Achievement Award in refusing to take responsibility for his actions.
WSJ: The justices continue to debate the Supreme Court’s legitimacy: https://www.wsj.com/articles/kagan-v-roberts-justices-spar-over-supreme-courts-legitimacy-11664394642 . Roberts lost Round 1 to Kagan. Now Kagan wins Round 2 without coming out of the corner. Roberts should realize that when Alito comes to his defense, it’s time to shut up.
The abortion issue is on the ballot this year: https://jezebel.com/at-least-2-more-underage-rape-victims-2-pregnant-cance-1849593472 . It becomes increasingly clear that GOP legislators have passed show pieces to excite their base. But when these laws became functional, their dysfunction has become obvious.
National GOP drops funding for 3 candidates: https://news.yahoo.com/why-the-gop-has-shunned-some-republicans-in-key-races-183938464.html . Like every coin, this issue has two sides. We’ve previously reported individually on the problems each of these candidates faced and their loss of party funding. However, part of the shift involves more GOP funding in targeted races, like JD Vance in Ohio. Also, these candidates received Democratic funding in the primary, because they were believed to be weaker opponents. When that funding went away, these 3 could not raise adequate funds on their own. As questionable as the Democratic strategy is, it did work.
We can draw several conclusions from this. First, as the split between the parties widens, fewer votes are up for grabs. All effort switches to turnout, the strategy for that now focusing more on motivating the base. Second, this has become driven more by the negative characteristics of the opponent than the positive aspects of your candidate, which makes politics increasingly tribal. And third, the result of tribalism is to dumb down the message. This in turn further widens the split between the parties, and it seeps from the election to actual behavior in office.
Well, at least things are going well at home: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/marjorie-taylor-greene-husband-files-for-divorce_n_6334f835e4b0e376dbf3028b . We learn at there is at least one person in the (former) household that is not a power-hungry lunatic.
McConnell supports Electoral Count Act: https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/3663693-mcconnell-backs-senates-electoral-count-act-bill/ . I passed over this info yesterday, but on reflection it is important that the GOP start supporting constructive legislation. This would fall in that category.
Orange Julius’ lawyers contest judge’s order to verify government’s list of seized property: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-objects-to-verifying-list-of-property-seized-from-florida-estate-court-filing/ar-AA12mSDJ?cvid=818e1f2784e84e819a91c7dd8e7e5382 . Huh? OJ’s lawyers were present during the search and signed a receipt for the materials. If they refuse to cooperate, and do not contest the inventory list, the judge has no option but to accept the list as presented by the government. Remember, Rule No. 1 is, Don’t piss off the judge. Judge Dearie is probably not pissed off, but he is about to drive a truck over these lawyers. More: https://www.rawstory.com/trump-special-master-mistake/ . And then there’s the $3 million, paid upfront, benchwarmer: https://www.alternet.org/2022/09/a-3-million-dollar-benchwarmer/ . Apparently, OJ doesn’t like the advice of competent people – again …
Advances on OJ on another legal front: https://www.salon.com/2022/09/28/legal-troubles-mount-as-oath-keepers-plan-to-throw-him-under-the-bus-at-sedition-trial/ . As slow a process as this is, justice is coming for Orange Julius.
WSJ: The challenges of Hurricane Ian: https://www.wsj.com/articles/hurricane-ian-takes-aim-at-fast-growing-region-in-florida-11664388300 . Frankly, I have little sympathy for the people developing properties in this area. Global warming continues, bringing stronger hurricanes and rising seas with it. I wouldn’t want to be carrying a 30-year mortgage on property in this area. More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/track-storm-florida-cuba-gulf-of-mexico-html-11664027958 . More in photos: https://www.wsj.com/articles/ian-whips-florida-as-monster-category-4-storm-11664404317 .
WSJ: Heidi Heitkamp: You can’t eat without natural gas: https://www.wsj.com/articles/you-cant-eat-without-natural-gas-un-world-food-programme-prices-costs-supply-climate-change-ukraine-fertilizer-11664395485 . If so, Heidi, it’s best to lay off the beans … and I wouldn’t mention it in the headline …
See it here: Aaron Judge ties Roger Maris: https://sports.yahoo.com/fan-comes-oh-so-close-to-catching-aaron-judges-historic-valuable-61st-home-run-ball-022937891.html . Yahoo, indeed! The wait is over. Now attention turns to Number 62. As the Blue Jays fans showed, every baseball fan is rooting for it. And that would include the Blue Jays pitcher, as long as it’s off someone else. This is good for baseball. WSJ: More, sort of: https://www.wsj.com/articles/aaron-judge-61-home-runs-roger-maris-al-record-11663683930 .