It’s NOT The Flu
COVID-19’s comparisons with "normal" mortality from seasonal flu is a misguided mental model. "Why" is well illustrated in this must-read Scientific American piece by a front line clinician, and is the most important article I’ve read on what makes COVID-19 the...
Science! and the COVID Conundrum
As public consciousness of the COVID-19 pandemic's death toll gives way to the economic impact of shut-downs, border closings, and other mitigation measures, the matter of when and how to reopen the economy and lift restrictions on people's movements and behaviors...
Collapsing Context
Fond as I am of coining fun or memorable phrases, and amused as I am by the social justice Left's language gymnastics, I've developed a tendency to note the really good ones, of both the pithy and roll-your-eyes sort. Among my favorites of the pithy sort are George...
The Right To Feed Others
One of Monty Python's more famous sketches is that of the Whizzo Chocolate Company, more commonly known as the Crunchy Frog skit. Mr. Hilton, proprietor of the aforementioned confection producer, is confronted by two members of the Hygiene squad, who eventually arrest...
The Sell-Out Cop-Out
Political filmmaker Michael Moore's new movie Planet of the Humans contains a refreshing bit of honesty: that wind and solar are not the enviro-panacea that greens, carbon-haters, climate catastrophists, and various other enviro-fetishists have long claimed. Honest...
Conspicuous Blame
As I recently lamented, the hard part of managing the COVID-19 pandemic lies in the easing of restrictions and lockdowns. We were originally told we had to "flatten the curve," which makes for a nice catchy bit of motivation. As is inevitable with politics, however,...
Solution Pachinko
As the crisis of the Coronavirus threat tests our system, it's useful to look at the efficacy of our last "Black Swan" crisis: the response to the events of September 11th. The look is depressing. We invaded Iraq in an effort to make them like us: the first lesson is...
The Best and Brightest?
We will learn many lessons, in the coming months, from the COVID-19 pandemic. While I have been circumspect in drawing hasty or premature conclusions, in believing particular models or projections, or in concluding whether Policy A or B or C has been good or "the...
Get Off My Side!
The COVID-19 lockdown has driven many of us into the waiting arms of Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, and other streaming services, as we seek replacements for our social gathering habits. My current binge is the new season of Bosch on Amazon Prime, which premiered this...
COVID Calculus
Thomas Mann, writer, philanthropist, social critic, and Nobel Laureate, told us, nearly a century ago, that "everything is politics." COVID-19 and the response to it are no exception. I have little doubt that every action taken in response to the pandemic has involved...
Evolution Versus Regulation
South Korea successfully mitigated their outbreak of COVID-19, with early and widespread testing as their principal defense. Testing means quarantines can be targeted and the outbreak compartmentalized, giving their medical system the space to adapt. America...
The Humanistic Ethic
Freeman Dyson, physicist, polymath, and intellect of such a towering magnitude that "genius" feels somehow inadequate, recently passed away at the age of 96. Obituary writers in the usual places chose, predictably and disappointingly, to highlight one particular...
The Memes of Destruction
Some friends and I have been jokingly wondering about how the anti-vaxx crowd will react when a COVID-19 vaccine becomes available. My bet is that most will continue their baseless and histrionic caterwauling (if you didn't know my opinion on the matter, you do now)...
Aesop’s Grasshoppers
I've been taking my own advice, and doing my darnedest to avoid proffering half-baked opinions on the Coronavirus matter, a matter that's producing new (and often conflicting) information every day. There are, however, countless others who are seizing on the fallout...
A Paramedic’s Perspective On the Pandemic
I am a paramedic, active in the New York City 911 system, with nearly thirty years experience. This is my main concern of our ability to manage the COVID-19 pandemic: New York City's Emergency Medical Services often fails to handle our "routine" caseload. We were...
“Regulate Everyone But Me!”
The fine folks over at Reason just rebutted the 'snarky' crisis-conclusion being peddled by left-leaning sources that there are no libertarians in a pandemic. They pointed out that we are witnessing the waiving of rules and regulations in order to facilitate the...
An Unwasted Crisis
The Coronavirus crisis has proven to be a generational event that has gripped the world. Drastic measures are being taken by governments, markets are roiled, and our individual lives have been significantly impacted. We are still in the early stages, with...
Robin Hood’s Crowded Theater
A discussion prompted by yesterday's blog post, which recounted, among other things, how Joe Biden used the 'fire in a crowded theater' trope to justify gun restrictions, led to a suggestion that the trope be retired. I disagreed then, and still do, 24 hours later....
Bully Boy Biden
Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent. -- Isaac Asimov Joe Biden, who cruised to multiple victories in yesterday's primaries and likely to the Democratic nomination for President, had a "true colors" encounter with a construction worker in Michigan. The man,...
If You Have To Lie…
If you're explaining, you're losing. - Ronald Reagan This quote crossed my news feed this morning, as a rebuttal to those who are working to downplay Biden's latest "senior moments." Shortly thereafter, yet another "Jesus was a socialist" meme encroached upon my...
This Week's Poll
Loading ...Most Liked Posts
Most Liked Comments
on We Condemn Bigotry, Except When We Celebrate It 9+
on Trump’s Bullies 7+
on Gun Rights Lesson #551 – Sensible Gun Regulation 6+
on Let The Squirming Begin 5+on Clinton The Bulletproof 5+
on Fact-Checking Trump 5+on Is the Earth’s Climate in Trouble? 4+
on Congratulations, Democrats! 4+
on Whence Morality? 4+- on Bernie-Bros, Meet William Hauser 4+
Active Comment Threads
Most Commented Posts
Universal Background Checks – A Back Door to Universal Registration
COVID Mask Follies
When Everything Is Illegal…
An Anti-Vax Inflection Point?
“Not In My Name”
The Great Social Media Crackup
War Comes Through The Overton Window
The First Rule of Italian Driving
Most Active Commenters