Aneri Pattani September 29, 2020 For a term that’s at least 100 years old, “herd immunity” has gained new life in 2020. It starred in many headlines last month, when reports surfaced that a member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force and adviser to the president, Dr. Scott Atlas, recommended it as a strategy to combat COVID-19. The Washington Post reported that Atlas, a … Continue reading Corralling the Facts on Herd Immunity
By Paul Wiele for Pyramid Welcome to my self-inflicted purgatory: the first 2020 general election debate! First off: as you know, I am not much of a Biden fan and absolutely despise Trump, so I will be replacing my primary “worst point by someone I like” and “best point by someone I dislike” with: Worst Expression of a Good Point: Trump is actually right that his … Continue reading The first debate could have gone worse. Possibly. Somehow.
Whether you want to call September 29, 2008, the “beginning” of the recession probably depends on the kind of economist you are (or aren’t). By today, both Lehman Brothers and Washington Mutual had filed for bankruptcy, and Bear Stearns was long gone, having been sold through a government-arranged deal to JP Morgan Chase in March. It was clear that there was a financial crisis going … Continue reading Today in History: the Beginning of the 2008 Recession
On September 23, 1952, Richard Nixon – the junior U.S. senator from California and the Republican nominee for vice president – made a speech to address allegations that he had, illegally or at least unethically, profited from his campaigns. Nixon, who earned a healthy salary of around $125,000 in 2020 dollars, lived “in style far beyond his salary,” according to the New York Post, and … Continue reading At least Nixon had a dog
Laura UngarSeptember 25, 2020 Matthew Fentress was just 25 when he passed out while stuffing cannolis as a cook for a senior living community six years ago. Doctors diagnosed him with viral cardiomyopathy, heart disease that developed after a bout of the flu. Three years later, the Kentucky man’s condition had worsened, and doctors placed him in a medically induced coma and inserted a pacemaker … Continue reading Heartbreaking Bills, Lawsuit and Bankruptcy — Even With Insurance
Elections in the Soviet Union were and are often decried as undemocratic. The way the Soviet election system worked was simple: you were handed a ballot with one candidate, nominated by the local branch of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. If you wished to vote for that candidate, you simply handed the ballot back to the poll worker. If you wanted to vote … Continue reading The safest election is one with no voters
To compete in the heavy world of fast-food, each restaurant – if I may be so bold as to call them that – has a “thing.” Wendy’s is all about freshness. Carl’s Jr. targets a specific kind of masculinity. Popeye’s is passionately southern. Subway makes the sandwich in front of you, Chipotle is a Subway for burritos, and Moe’s is a Chipotle for people who … Continue reading Spicy McNuggets and the long-term survival of McDonaldland
by Miranda Green When the first fire of the season broke out on the Hoopa Valley Reservation in Northern California in July, Greg Moon faced a dilemma. As Hoopa’s fire chief and its pandemic team leader, Moon feared the impact of the blaze on the dense coniferous forests of the reservation, near Redwood National and State Parks, where 3,000 tribal members depend on steelhead trout … Continue reading Native Americans Feel Double Pain of COVID and Fires ‘Gobbling Up the Ground’
As part of the process of Brexit – the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union – the country has had to grapple with a complicated topic. Under the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, residents of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland have a right to move freely across the national boundary between them. This was fine when both countries were in the European Union, … Continue reading What to do when your predecessors dislike you
“The historical precedent of election year nominations is that the Senate generally does not confirm an opposing party’s nominee but does confirm a nominee of its own.” Mitt Romney In announcing his decision not to obstruct a Supreme Court nomination by President Trump, Mitt Romney – who voted earlier this year to convict Trump of obstruction of justice – cited a “historical precedent” that caught … Continue reading Fact check: Romney’s “historical precedent” isn’t that historical
