Natural resistance to COVID: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/why-people-keep-avoiding-covid-ba5-rcna39442 . Yes, 30% of the population has so far avoided COVID, and a major part of that is behavioral. It is possible that some of us have T cells which quickly defeat the virus. The suggestion that scientists are “narrowing in” on factors of natural resistance seems questionable. It seems more accurate to say that genetics may play a significant role, and scientists are actively examining that possibility. WSJ: More speculation: https://www.wsj.com/articles/think-youve-never-had-covid-19-think-again-11658741403 .
Joe Manchin has COVID: https://apnews.com/article/covid-health-united-states-west-virginia-5896a014867b0c9d5ae94de486cce007 . As Joe Biden has said, with 50 Democratic votes in the Senate, each Senator gets to be president. So now President Joe is isolating, and the other President Joe is isolating at the White House.
Ditto for Lisa Murkowski: https://apnews.com/article/covid-health-alaska-lisa-murkowski-congress-cc98f0031672dc95143c553bf2c40976 .
Biden’s COVID symptoms continue improvement: https://news.yahoo.com/biden-now-nearly-symptom-free-doctor-says-163451935.html . Paxlovid gets some strong press here. WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/bidens-covid-19-symptoms-continue-to-get-better-white-house-says-11658678928 .
Zero COVID creates drag on elderly vaccination: https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinas-zero-covid-policy-drags-on-vaccination-drive-11658745899 . Stupid, stupid, stupid. As China has a rapidly aging population, perhaps they are intentionally trying to weed out the elderly.
Australian COVID surge continues to set records: https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2022-07-26/australias-covid-hospital-admissions-deaths-rise-as-variant-surges .
Micronesia’s COVID outbreak explodes: https://apnews.com/article/covid-health-new-zealand-micronesia-c1ba905755977ac09d637e069cd01776 . They have gone from first case to over 1,000 in about a week.
New Zealand COVID cases may have peaked: https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2022-07-25/nz-prime-minister-says-early-signs-that-covid-19-cases-falling .
WSJ: The ongoing study of child hepatitis outbreak: https://www.wsj.com/articles/mysterious-hepatitis-cases-in-children-may-have-complex-cause-11658761407 . Does it seem like viruses are finding new ways to mutate and attack humans? Some believe that global warming promotes animal migrations which in turn affect disease transmission.
Monkeypox can be very painful: https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/what-its-like-to-have-monkeypox-patients-experts-explain-174729298.html . The article discusses structural racism in medicine. While structural racism certainly exists, the problem is much broader. For example, for years the risk of heart attack in women was underplayed. Children with ADD were presumed to be almost exclusively boys. However, it was the hyperactivity symptom that was primarily male. ADD affects males and females about equally. And the racial bias has a major geographic component. We ignore Africa because it is far away, as if airplanes don’t exist.
WSJ: Do hospitals skimp on charity care?: https://www.wsj.com/articles/nonprofit-hospitals-vs-for-profit-charity-care-spending-11657936777 . There’s no question in the Journal’s mind, but there is in mine. We all know that hospital pricing is both nontransparent and chaotic. Further, a hospital’s location says a lot about how many people enter who qualify for charity care. And as the article (partially) points out, we have 31 states who’ve adopted Medicaid expansion and 19 who have not. So how exactly do you draw meaningful conclusions on this topic nationally? Enquiring minds want to know.
Ukraine works to ship grain: https://www.aol.com/news/ukraine-works-resume-grain-exports-055005827-101025744.html . More: https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2022-07-25/u-n-world-food-programme-optimistic-on-ukraine-grain-export-deal .
Babbling about the Fed: https://money.usnews.com/investing/news/articles/2022-07-25/feds-united-front-on-interest-rates-may-soon-be-tested . What exactly is your idea of soon? Nothing here suggests the Fed is backing off its expected 75 basis point increase on Wednesday. The next Fed meeting will be in September, and the projected increase is 50 basis points. Unless inflation data gets a lot better quickly, the 50 basis points increase seems likely. After all, it is a decrease from 75 basis points. So I see nothing yet to question the current fed path before October.
WSJ: The longer-term Fed outlook: https://www.wsj.com/articles/investors-bet-fed-will-need-to-cut-interest-rates-next-year-to-bolster-the-economy-11658694486 . I would agree that the Fed is likely to overshoot in raising rates, and will need to correct downward. But the question remains, how high will they go this year? This is the key factor as to when downward correction will occur.
Documenting Orange Julius’ support for the insurrection: https://news.yahoo.com/jan-6-trump-edits-draft-speech-remarks-on-national-healing-160114073.html . OJ’s edits show he wanted to show support for his followers. Of course, he now regularly says that if reelected he will consider pardons for all those convicted. Surprisingly, this article does not point out the obvious lie in the text that OJ immediately deployed the National Guard and federal law enforcement. Some uninformed person apparently wrote the draft, and OJ did not correct the lie. We may never find out why this was in the draft, but I would definitely like to know.
Blowback against OJ’s involvement in the 2022 election: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/gop-concerned-damage-trump-launches-2024-bid-midterms/story?id=87298324 . Hogan promotes his own presidential campaign with smart press. He has set up more blowback if (and hopefully when) OJ-endorsed Mehmet Oz, JD Vance and Herschel Walker lose their Senate bids.
Ongoing pursuit of the deleted Secret Service texts: https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/22/politics/secret-service-investigators-text-messages/index.html .
WSJ: Bitcoin bet hammers Tesla: https://www.wsj.com/articles/tesla-records-170-million-impairment-charge-on-bitcoin-11658751201 . Given that Musk’s behavior strikes me as manipulative of the cryptocurrency market, the chickens have come home to roost.
More world records close the track championships in Eugene: https://sports.yahoo.com/two-world-records-fall-us-wins-three-more-golds-on-final-night-of-world-athletics-championships-032819833.html . Looking at the ongoing progress of women in all areas of athletics, these successes seem directly attributable to Title 9. You go, girls!
However, with progress comes a few uh-oh’s: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/dodgers-ball-girl-fields-fair_n_62dea54de4b081f3a901eb2b . At least the Dodgers got out of the inning and won the game …