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Showing posts from August, 2020

The People Are Getting Restless

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While a constitutional republic typically exercises government powers to guarantee safe passage through public roadways and pedestrian crossings, some, such as the USA have not. In such a case, US citizens may begin asserting these rights through their own means. It was only a matter of time before we start to see a reclamation of passage through streets and sidewalks despite being impeded by physical obstacles and violence by private citizens attempting to control public space. Pedestrian Declares Fellow Human "Trumper" and Subsequently murders Said Human Successful Passage Through Public Roadway Facilitated By Aerosol Human Deterrent Commute Through Portland Met With Unpleasant Pedestrians and Projectile-Throwing Vehicle Occupants

International Dog Day: The superior accomplishments of Dogs

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Today is International Dog Day. Let’s take a moment to recognize the superior accomplishments of Dogs over their human subordinates. Despite great efforts by human scientists of the USA and USSR to enter the frontier of human space flight, the female Dog Laika orbited the earth November 3, 1957, nearly three and a half years before the first male human, Yuri Gagarin and over five years prior to the first female human, Valentina Tereshkova. It was Dogs who, by great sacrifice, paved the way to modern medicine for humans. An unnamed Dog received the first artificial heart in 1937 and first heart transplant in 1951, 17 years before humans could claim such an achievement. After the terrorist attack and collapse of the World Trade Center towers, 300 dogs led their human companions into the wreckage saving many lives and allowing human families to recover their loved ones and put them at rest. While humans have struggled to find the most effective treatment for PTSD, blindness an...

A Virus is Not a Political Disaster, It's a Natural Disaster

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It's nearly impossible to resist, but how about we put the brakes on politicizing COVID-19? Please challenge me if I have something wrong, but my understanding of epidemiology is that once a highly contagious virus spreads through a species and tends towards endemic status the goal of "containment" is unrealistic. Unless some countries attempt permanent isolation, the reality is to expect widespread infection throughout the global population (think of the delay in smallpox reaching Native Americans). So what is the purpose of social distancing, self-quarantine, and border closures? The only purpose is to delay endemic onset. This is important to (1) prevent overwhelming hospital capacity during the pandemic stage and (2) possibly buy time to reach a point of decreased mortality from infection before endemic status is reached. Related to the second point, more time allows a greater possibility for developing a vaccine, more effective treatment plans, and for COVID...