The Remorseless Tide of Reality
Posted By: earlybird, 4/16/2022 2:16:35 PM
In what seems like a lifetime ago, a friend explained to me his thumbnail distinction between philosophy and ideology. Philosophy requires one to fit one’s mind to the world; ideology compels one to fit the world to one’s mind. The crux was how each viewed human nature: philosophy accepted the imperfectability of human nature; ideology demanded its perfection. Within this admittedly narrow limning, one can see how philosophy and ideology respond when confronted by reality. By accepting the imperfectability of human nature, a philosophic attitude encourages intellectual, emotional, spiritual, and societal growth. By rejecting the imperfectability of human nature and recognizing instead only the capricious whims of untrammeled will,
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This costly medication is actually increasing hospital days after the manufacturer said its price was determined based on reducing lengths of stays. Consider these strategies so you may not need it.
STORY AT-A-GLANCE
One study showed remdesivir lowered hospital days by 30%, yet doctors in Florida are finding that people who take the drug are staying longer than those who don’t
The company priced the drug based on how much it could save in hospital costs. The cost to produce, package and ship one vial is $10, while the commercial price is $520 per vial
Big Pharma is poised to make large profits from drugs and vaccines that the U.S. government subsidized
Dr. Anthony Fauci and top officials at the agency he heads scrambled in April 2020 to answer questions about altering the endpoint in a trial testing the antiviral drug called remdesivir, newly obtained emails show.
The endpoint was changed in the middle of the trial from measuring the effectiveness against death and various forms of hospitalization on day 15 to time to recovery through day 29.
Gilead Sciences, which makes the drug, announced the results of the trial in early April 29, 2020. Within hours, Fauci, the longtime head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), was trumpeting them to reporters at the White House.
The Remorseless Tide of Reality
5 replies
In what seems like a lifetime ago, a friend explained to me his thumbnail distinction between philosophy and ideology. Philosophy requires one to fit one’s mind to the world; ideology compels one to fit the world to one’s mind. The crux was how each viewed human nature: philosophy accepted the imperfectability of human nature; ideology demanded its perfection.
Within this admittedly narrow limning, one can see how philosophy and ideology respond when confronted by reality. By accepting the imperfectability of human nature, a philosophic attitude encourages intellectual, emotional, spiritual, and societal growth. By rejecting the imperfectability of human nature and recognizing instead only the capricious whims of untrammeled will,
The Interior Department is faced with a new lawsuit over its refusal to comply with a request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) probing potential government ethics violations surrounding Secretary Deb Haaland’s August wedding.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday by the government-transparency group Protect the Public’s Trust (PPT), seeks to compel records requested by FOIA days after the event to examine whether improper gifts or influence peddling took place over the ceremony. According to the complaint, the Department of the Interior dismissed the group’s inquiries four times when following up on the request now submitted more than 220 days ago.
Congressional report alleges that consulting firm McKinsey engaged in a “serious conflict of interest” by working for the U.S. government on issues relating to the opioid epidemic while, at the same time, advising drugmakers, including on projects meant to persuade regulators about the safety of opioid products.
The U.S. House Oversight Committee alleged in its April 13 report (pdf) that at least 22 McKinsey consultants, including senior partners, worked for both the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and opioid manufacturers, at times simultaneously.
“(snip) at the same time the FDA was relying on McKinsey’s advice to ensure drug safety(snip)the firm was also being paid by the very companies fueling the
The top prosecutor of Pima County in Arizona reversed a non-prosecution policy on certain drug possession cases last month after the stance failed to meet the intended goal of reducing the jail population.
The failure was brought about by local law enforcement agencies, many of whom continued to make arrests in the belief that it is their job to enforce the law regardless of prosecution policies.
Last December, Pima County Attorney Laura Conover issued a policy to immediately stop prosecuting simple drug possession, paraphernalia, or other personal use cases.
The policy memo said deputies and police officers should bring people who commit these crimes to drug treatment centers, not the jail.
Twitter is reportedly considering a so-called “poison pill” tactic to thwart Elon Musk’s effort to buy out the social media platform, prompting a critical response from the Tesla chief.
Cameron Winklevoss,(snip) said in a tweet that “Twitter is considering a poison pill to thwart @elonmusk’s offer,” while two anonymous sources told The New York Times that Twitter’s board is mulling the tactic, which is used to block hostile takeovers.
The poison pill method gives existing shareholders the right to buy additional shares at a discount, diluting outstanding stock and making a hostile takeover more financially challenging (snip)
Musk said a “poison pill” move could expose Twitter’s board to “titanic” legal liability.
Elon Musk’s ambitious bid to take Twitter private under his ownership has hit a roadblock as Saudi investors are rejecting the Tesla CEO’s offer, causing Twitter shares to drop and setting the stage for a bitter struggle for control of the social media giant.
On Thursday, several hours after Musk announced his “final offer” to buy Twitter outright, the Saudi Arabian Prince Al Waleed bin Talal Al Saud responded that the offer was not acceptable to him. Al Waleed purchased a 5.2 percent stake in the company in 2015, and if it is assumed that he has retained these shares, he would count among Twitter’s largest shareholders
When discussing transgender issues, legislation, and other controversies, it is common to see the statistic that 40 percent of transgender people have considered or attempted suicide. Where does this number come from, and how reliable is it in determining the moral and ethical consequences of transgender-related policies?
While appearing on “The View,” Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg was asked by Ana Navarro if he agreed with Chasten Buttigieg that the passage of the artificially controversial Florida bill HB 1557, Parental Rights in Education, would “kill kids.” Without hesitation, he agreed with the assertion.
Loose Nuke Talk
12 replies
Americans, like the planet’s other 7.5 billion people, are not prone to talk or think much about nuclear weapons.
Of course, some of us are old enough to remember how “mutually assured destruction,” or MAD, was supposed to ensure the general peace. (snip)
for the most part as long as the world’s three largest nuclear powers—the United States, Russia, and China—do not square off in a war or are not sucked into a third-party conflict, the world assumes nukes are out of sight and out of mind.
Or so we thought until recently.
'Person of Interest' in Brooklyn Subway
Attack Has Social Media Accounts Full
of Extremism 8 replies
Attack Has Social Media Accounts Full
of Extremism 8 replies
Police announced earlier that Frank R. James was a “person of interest” in the Brooklyn subway attack in which at least 10 people were shot and at least 13 others were injured. (snip)
Heavy has identified various accounts related to James.(snip)He also makes anti-white comments, saying black people and white people shouldn’t be on the same planet.
He also has a variety of extremist posts and posts about killing people, according to reports.
The Illusion of Evidence-Based Medicine
10 replies
In 1990, a paradigm shift occurred in the development of new medicines and treatments. An idea so big, that it was supposed to encompass the whole of medicine. It was to start initially at the level of pre-clinical and clinical trials and work all the way through the system to the care and management of individual patients. This new concept for how medicine would be developed and conducted is called evidence-based medicine (EBM). (snip)Evidence-based medicine is “the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients.”(snip)So, what the hell happened?
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The New York Times published an op-ed Friday that proposes eliminating belief in God — as one of the holiest weekends of the year begins. Titled “In This Time of War, I Propose We Give Up God,” the article claims that God is responsible for “war and violence” and for “oppression and suffering,” and suggests that people stop teaching children about Him. Author Shalom Auslander, who is disillusioned about his upbringing in a religious Jewish community in New York, argues (original emphasis): God, it seems, paints with a wide brush. He paints with a roller. In Egypt, said our rabbi, he even killed first-born cattle.
A 22-year-old man was arrested in connection with a shooting at a busy mall in South Carolina's capital city that left 14 people injured. Jewayne M. Price, 22, was arrested early Sunday and is expected to be charged with unlawful carrying of a pistol.
He was initially detained as one of three people initially identified as persons of interest in Saturday's shooting at Columbiana Centre. No fatalities have been reported. But nine people were shot and five people suffered injuries, including broken bones lacerations and a head injury, while attempting to flee the mall for safety. The victims ranged in age from 15 to 73.
On February 14, 2018, thanks to a complete systemic failure at the school and county level, Nikolas Cruz was able to murder 17 of his classmates at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School. David Hogg, a student at the school, was not among the injured nor was he even in the line of fire (which is, of course, a good thing). Nevertheless, by becoming one of the loudest voices calling for gun control following the shootings, Hogg managed to get a place at Harvard. (snip) Hogg’s musings on Twitter (which are so prolific it’s hard to know how he finds time for school work)
During an interview with “Pod Save America” on Thursday released on Friday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki stated that canceling student loan debt is “on the table” and high costs are “an important thing to consider. That’s a big part of the consideration.”Psaki responded to a question [relevant exchange begins around 1:00:55] on whether taking executive action on student loan debt cancelation is still on the table by stating, “Yes, still on the table. … So, as you said, it ends August 31. We have to then decide whether it’s extended and what you look at is, even though the economy’s very strong, we created
Former Atlanta mayor Bottoms says she
was turned away from steakhouse for wearing leggings 28 replies
was turned away from steakhouse for wearing leggings 28 replies
Former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said she was denied entry to an upscale steakhouse due to her attire Friday. Ms. Bottoms tweeted that she should be able to wear “mall” attire because the Capital Grille restaurant she visited is located at the Perimeter Mall in Dunwoody, Georgia. “Asked if I could sit in the bar area and was told, ‘No.’. Rules are the rules, just wonder if the woman who came in immediately after me, who I did not see come back out, was also denied service,” she wrote. Ms. Bottoms’ clothing violated the restaurant’s dress code, according to its website. “For the comfort of all guests
Chicago - The State of Illinois has launched a new program that will provide free health care to undocumented immigrant adults ages 55 to 64.
The free health care program was approved by lawmakers in Spring 2021. It is an expansion of Illinois' program to provide health benefits for immigrant seniors.
Covered services include doctor and hospital visits, lab tests, physical and occupational therapy, mental health, substance abuse disorder services, dental and vision services, and prescription drugs.(snip)The free health care will expand even further on July 1 to cover eligible adults ages 42 to 54.
Protests kicked off in Grands Rapids, Michigan, after the Grand Rapids Police Department released a video of an officer shooting a 26-year-old Black man in the head–the officer has not been charged.
The city of Grand Rapids held a press conference Wednesday to release about 20 minutes of footage showing the killing of Patrick Lyoya on April 4. Grand Police Chief Eric Winstrom was joined by city officials to release a series of videos that all revealed different angles of the incident recorded by the unidentified officer’s dashcam, his bodycam, a cellphone, and a neighbor’s home security camera.
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill paid less federal taxes in 2021 than in 2020, despite the couple earning more income in 2021.
In 2021, Joe and Jill Biden reported $610,702 in earned income and paid 24.6 percent in federal taxes. In the year prior, they reported $607,336 in earnings. Despite the nearly $4,000 increase in income, the Biden family paid almost $7,000 less in federal income tax for 2021.
The Bidens paid a $157,414 tax bill in 2020, compared to $150,439 in federal taxes for 2021. The couple also paid $30,765 in Delaware state taxes,
Charles Murray just can’t help himself; he’s been a social scientist and prolific author for almost 40 years, writing books on the American experience and societal issues. Now he is back in the mix with a book, Facing Reality: Two Truths About Race in America (Encounter Books 2021), that follows up on the book he wrote with Richard Hernnstein, The Bell Curve (1994). That magnificent work blew the top off of racial debates in America by its in-depth analysis of racial cognitive ability (IQ) differences and socio-economic mobility of Americans and factors that are associated with success in life.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki has defended herself after she was recorded asking if Fox News' Peter Doocy was a 'stupid son of a b***h' or just played one on TV. On Friday night, Psaki stressed that she was not deliberately attempting to insult the 34-year-old Fox News White House correspondent. 'Full video shows I also told a story about Peter’s grace last night and made very clear I was not being critical of him or any reporter at Fox, and instead was critical of the slant of some Fox topics. He is doing his job. I am doing mine. We debate. We disagree. I respect that.' Psaki tweeted.
Thank God for fact-checkers. Where would we be without them? Instead of believing the evidence provided by our own two eyes, we’re assured that what we see isn’t really what we thought we saw. Except when it is. But that’s another story.
Last Thursday, Joe Biden spoke to students and faculty at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro. It was boilerplate political stuff — blaming the supply chain problems on COVID-19, increased fuel prices on the Russians, and inflation wasn’t his fault.
At the end of the speech, Biden’s eyes became a little glassy and he turned around slowly and extended his hand. Except there was no one there.
The European Union’s anti-fraud body has accused Marine Le Pen and several of her party members–including her father–of embezzling about €620,000 while serving as members of the European parliament.
France’s investigative website Mediapart published a section of the new 116-report alleging that the MEPs misused EU funds for national party purposes. The claims come a week before the second round of the presidential election, on 24 April, in which Le Pen will go head to head with Emmanuel Macron.(Snip)In one incident reported by Mediapart, Marine Le Pen is said to have made a claim in 2010 worth €5,000 for hotel rooms for 13 far-right
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McCotter digs a little deeper...