Medical Staff Avoiding the Jab

For John, BLUF:  This is about COVID Vaccinations in the United Kingdom and the British health care system, the NHS.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Why NHS staff are shunning the vaccines

From The Conservative Woman, by Ms Sally Beck, 9 December 2024.

Here is the lede plus two:

NHS staff are boycotting covid and flu vaccinations while the government is busy promoting them to the public in a television and radio campaign.  Concerned by the low uptake in the health service, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has appealed to healthcare practitioners to get jabbed.  This season, only 14 per cent of NHS workers took covid jabs and only a quarter received flu vaccines.

The NHS say this is because hospital staff are busy and have no time.  Official figures tell a different story as NHS staff are taking double the days off sick post-covid vaccine rollout than they have since 2009.  Unusually, in 2020, absences rocketed in the summer months; absence is traditionally low between May and November.  Covid vaccines were offered to front-line staff from December 2020, a sharp rise in absences began in March 2021, three months into the rollout, when seasonal illness is traditionally waning.

Sick days have doubled from the baseline of 3.75 per cent to 6.75 per cent, the highest since 2009, and have not dropped back to 2019 numbers which were between 4.5 per cent and 4.75 per cent.  Even during peak pandemic months, absences ranged between 4.75 per cent in February 2020 to 6.10 per cent in May 2020.

This is just one more hit on our faith in the integrity of our health care systems.  Doctor Fauci did not increase trust in Medicine, but rather reduced it.  How long will it take to rebuilt that trust?

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Renting a Home Shortens Life

For John, BLUF:  I wonder if planners take this into consideration?  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Research finds that renting ages you faster than smoking, obesity

From The New York Post, by Reporter Georgina Noack, 3 December 2023, 10:45 a.m. ET.

Here is the lede plus two:

No, renters, you are not imagining those grey hairs springing up on your head – your living situation is actually making you older, faster.

A landmark study out of the University of Adelaide and University of Essex has found that living in a private rental property accelerates the biological ageing process by more than two weeks every year.

The research found renting had worse effects on biological age than being unemployed (adding 1.4 weeks per year), obesity (adding 1 week per year), or being a former smoker (adding about 1.1 weeks).

It turns out that living in public housing does not have this impact on lifespan.

This is another reason why Beacon Hill should be working on giving us a major increase in affordable housing.  Affordable housing is not something we have in Lowell.  Our median income is $65,000, but the annual income needed to purchase the median home in this City is $140,000.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Zero Emissions Trucks

For John, BLUF:  California to eliminate deisel trucks by 2036, as in have them no more.  I bet this screws up the ports of debarkation.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

California Approves Regulation to Phase Out Diesel Trucks by 2036

From The National Review, by Reporter Caroline Downey, 29 April 2023, 11:18 AM.

Here is the lede plus four:

California air regulators on Friday voted to ban diesel truck sales by 2036. The California Air Resources Board unanimously approved the measure called Advanced Clean Fleets, which would prohibit the sale of new diesel big rigs by 2036 and force trucks to produce zero-emissions by 2042. New commercial trucks, such as garbage trucks, delivery trucks and other medium and heavy-duty vehicles, would need to convert to electric under the rule, CNBC reported.

“The initial focus would be on high-priority fleets with vehicles that are suitable for early electrification, their subhaulers, and entities that hire them,” the website outlining the program states. “The goal of this effort is to accelerate the number of medium and heavy-duty zero-emission vehicle purchases to achieve a full transition to zero-emission vehicles in California as soon as possible.”

Ending diesel truck sales in such a dramatic timeline is part of California Governor Gavin Newsom’s plan to crackdown on pollution in the state. Critics claim the transition will be extremely costly and burdensome for the industry, which also does not yet have the infrastructure to support zero-emission trucks. Drayage trucks, which transport cargo to and from major ports, must become electric 2035, and their new sales must be zero-emissions as early as 2024.

The American Trucking Association slammed California’s adoption of the regulation, which now must be approved or rejected by the Environmental Protection Agency within the Biden administration. Given that the trucks are significantly more expensive and “charging and refueling infrastructure is nonexistent,” the cost will be passed down to the consumer, the organization argued.

Hat tip to Memeorandum.

Hat tip to Ann Althouse.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Transition Closets

For John, BLUF:  The idea is you go off to school the way your parents dress you, and then, once at school, you chaange into those cloths that best represent who you think you are (gendere wise).  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

California School Creates ‘Transition Closet’; Allows Students To ‘Swap Out’ Of Clothes ‘Parents Approve Of’

From The Daily Wire, by reporter Ben Zeisloft, 23 February 2022.

Here is the lede:

A high school in Oakland, California, is creating a “transition closet” that will allow students to come to school in clothes that their “parents approve of” and change into the clothing of their selected gender identities.

It really does seem like the public schools against the parents.

My nagging questiion is under what circumstnces can the Parents say "Enough!" and release their child to the school for housing, feeding, clothing and general supervision?  If the path the parents are on for raising their child is no longer satisfctory to their Lordships at the school, is it not time to transition the child to the school, full time.

I expect, a hundred years on, if the United States is still around, this will be seen as child abuse.

That said, adults should be free to identify as they wish.  And to have surgury and drugs as they see fit.  As with, from my childhood, Ms Christine Jorgensen.  But, Ms Jorganson was in her twenties when she sought surgury.  An adult.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Following the Science

For John, BLUF:  The last two years appears to have seen a certain amount of fraud on the part of Federal Medical Sciencists, aided and abetted by the media, including social media.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Johns Hopkins Study:  Lockdowns Are A Failure

From Victory Girls Blog, by Ms Nina Bookout, 2 Februry 2022.

Here is the lede plus three:

Lockdowns are a failure. That’s the gist of a new in-depth study from Johns Hopkins. How much of a failure? Covid mortality rates were reduced by a mere .2%

Lockdowns during the first COVID-19 wave in the spring of 2020 only reduced COVID-19 mortality by .2% in the U.S. and Europe, according to a Johns Hopkins University meta-analysis of several studies.

“While this meta-analysis concludes that lockdowns have had little to no public health effects, they have imposed enormous economic and social costs where they have been adopted,” the researchers wrote.  “In consequence, lockdown policies are ill-founded and should be rejected as a pandemic policy instrument.”

POINT TWO PERCENT! That’s it. That’s all the lockdowns did in regards to keeping us “safe” from Covid. : In other words, the draconian lockdowns have solved nothing and have, as we’ve written about multiple times, caused more problems than it solved!

There is a lot we didn't know about COVID-19 when we became awware of it.  I am sure that some in Government felt that their duty was to provide the People with a firm path forward, leaving no room for doubt for the benighted hoi polloi.

Going back to the root of the current problem, it seems that some from the Federal Health Establishment felt that it was more important to appear certain than to admit the uncertainty that existed.  The mask thing is, for me, an example.  From we don’t need them to we need two shows a self-serving set of bureaucrats, trying to downplay the importance of masks, to protect the supply, to eventually, everyone should be masked.  Self-serving medical-political leaders.  The thread through it all is don’t trust the benighted hoi palloi.  That is no way to run a democracy.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Financing Gain of Function Research

For John, BLUF:  This is a topic that has been going back and forth for quite some time now.  I am hoping this this will be bring us to a conclusion.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

NIH Corrects Claims by Collins, Fauci that U.S. Had Not Funded Gain-of-Function Research in Wuhan

From The Tennessee Star, by Reporter Cooper Moran, 21 October 2021.

Here is the lede plus two:

The National Institute of Health (NIH) on Wednesday sent a letter to Representative James Comer (R-KY-01), correcting claims that the U.S. had not funded gain-of-function research in Wuhan.

The assertions, made by NIH Director Francis Collins and NIAID Director Anthony Fauci, detail that EcoHealth Alliance violated certain terms and conditions of the grant.

“EcoHealth failed to report this finding right away, as was required by the terms of the grant.  EcoHealth is being notified that they have five days from today to submit to NIH any and all unpublished data from the experiments and work conducted under this award,” the letter stated.

This seemed a while in coming, but it is the kind of revelation that says the basic institutional Federal Government is accountable, at least to some degree.  That is good for Democracy.

The NIH, in its letter did say that the COVID-19 virus is not connected to the EcoHealth studies.

Regards  —  Cliff

A Red Flag

For John, BLUF:  We, as a nation, are filing in our efforts to have our People vaccinated against COVID-19.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

First Workers, Now Blacks:  Democrats’ Betrayals For Big Business Are Piling Up, But Can Republicans Seize It?

Here is the sub-headline:

Now roughly 72 percent of black New York City residents aged 18-44 are banned -- banned -- from entering dining establishments.

From The Federalist, by Christopher Bedford, 1 October 2021.

Picking up on the subheadline:

At a practical level, fighting the virus, I can almost imagine the value of the mandate, except it suggests an underlying problem.  Our Federal Government is not able to sell the solution.  Over the last year and a half they have squandered their reputation.

Worse, the President is a cranky old man who will not tolerate anyone thinking differently from him.  That is not just a bad personality trait. It will work against the success of our Democracy.

And, quoting The Federalist, “Now roughly 72 percent of black New York City residents aged 18-44 are banned -- banned -- from entering dining establishments.”  That sounds like a problem unsolved.  Why are we unable to reach out to our Black Brothers and Sisters and help them see value in Vaccinations?  Or, are the Unvaccinated right and we are wrong and the Vax is bad and we are stupid.  If it was 32% it would be one thing, but it is 72% who haven’t had the jab.  This should be a big red flag and should be causing the Federal Government to rethink its approach.  Alas, ’tint happening.  I think the House Speaker is just as stubborn as the President.  Stubborn leaders are not leaders.  They are dictators..

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

The Health of the Nation

For John, BLUF:  For decades we screened immigrants for poor health, and excluded individuals  Now we are told COVID-19 is very dangereous, except for those coming across our Southern Border.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Federal Court Ruling Just Made the Border Crisis Infinitely Worse

From PJ Media, by Reporter Rick Moran, 17 September 2021, 9:34 AM ET.

Here is the lede plus two:

A federal judge in Washington has ordered the government to stop using a public health law to deny families entry into the United States illegally.  U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan gave the government 14 days to appeal before the order is implemented.

Title 42 was instituted in March of 2020 in response to the pandemic.  The law allows for expedited removal of most illegal aliens, including families.

The immediate effect of Sullivan’s ruling will be dire. Families that show up at the border will not be turned away.  Instead, they will be processed and released as they await their court hearing — possibly as long as five years away.

This strikes me as revolutionary.  I remember going to the US Embassy in Manila, The Philippines, and seeing long lines of emigrants outside, holding what appeared to be x-rays.  Why?  Because of tuberculosis.  We were screening folks for infectious diseases.

The article quotes The Wall Street Journal:

In a statement, the ACLU said the policy was unnecessary to control Covid-19 in the U.S. and that the U.S. can safely allow migrants to seek protection.

“President Biden should have ended this cruel and lawless policy long ago, and the court was correct to reject it today,” said Omar Jadwat, director of the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project.

Does this mean that both the ACLU and Judge Sullivan believe that Vaccination mandates are wrong?

Equally interesting is if the Executive Branch let this one go, without worrying about the consequences, because it aligned with the Administration's immigration policy.

This being Constitution Day, we should ponder, Article 2, Section 3, Clause 6, wherein the president must "take care that the laws be faithfully executed."  Do you think President Biden has ducked his responsibilty by soft peddling the value of this law, passed by Congress?

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

The Exemptions

For John, BLUF:  After promising no Vaccination mandates, a few months back, President Biden has now come out with them.  He hasn't reached everyone, but even so, he has exceeded his Constitutional limits  I hope the US Supreme Court does its job.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

The Vax Mandate Exceptions

All Governent Employees must get the COVID-19 Vaccindation, as well as workers in businesses with 100 or more employees. For some reason, those in private enterprise may skip the Vaccintion if they submit to a weekly test.♠ 

Now, for the exemptions:

• The humdreds of thousands of illegal immigrants coming across our Southern Border.  They are not being vaccinated.  An exemption, for some reason.
• Postal Workers.  There are some 640,000 Postal Employees.
• Members of Congress, and †heir staffs, are not covered by President Biden's Vaccine Mandate.  They are in a separate branch of Government, as is the Judiciary.
• Then there are businesses, where firms with fewer than 100 employees (thus not part of the President's Mandate) accounted for 98.1% of the some 6 million employer firms in the US.

The President is getting help in his obsession with Vaccinations from Colleges and Universities.  Those institutions, which used to be hotbeds of independent thinking and freedom, have now moved into the area of fascism.  For example, at Rutgers University, in New Jersey, a student taking virtual classes was required to have a COVID-19 Vaccindation.  It appears Zoom has become so good it can transmit diseases,

On the other hand, there are all the unemployed and those not seeking work, which runs to millions of people.  The President's power over them is as yet limited.

I hope the reader is not confused.  I have had my two shots, as has my wife.  We plan on booster shots when are Primary Care Physician says so and they are available.  But, we are in the over 65 category and have some comorbidities.  I understand why some are reluctant to get the Vaccination.  And I respect their right to make their own choices.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  Is the Weekly test painful enough that the CDC thinks it will drive people to get the Vaccination?

"Sanitarian Apartheid"

For John, BLUF:  In which the author, living behind enemy lines in France, takes the dystopian view of forced vaccinations.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

THE SEGREGATION OF CITIZEN COVID

Here is the sub-headline:

France brings out a SARS-CoV variant of leprostigma by fiat. Now where did I put my clapper and bell?

From the dissident frogman, Friday, July 16th anno domini 2021.

Here is the lede plus four:

YOU KNOW THAT FUNNY FEELING WHEN THE HEAD OF STATE ADDRESSES THE NATION AND DECLARES THAT YOU AND SOME OF YOUR FELLOW CITIZENS SHALL BE TREATED AS OUTCASTS AND ARBITRARILY DEPRIVED OF YOUR RIGHTS?

Or perhaps you don’t.

I know I didn’t until Emmanuel “Jupiter” Macron, President of Le Pays des Droits de l’Homme the “nation of human rights”, as some French like to call this country, appeared in the idiot box and announced, right on the eve of Bastille Day, that:

Our choice is simple:  to put the restrictions on the unvaccinated rather than on all.

Restrictions being Macron’s byword for segregation, to be implemented on people who have not been covaxxed into submission—whatever the reason we have, of which there are many, ranging from the borderline insane conspiracy theories to informed common sense and caution.

What ever happened to the battle cry, "My body, my choice"?  I guess it varies by location and year.

I have been vaccinated, but then I am over 60 and have co-morbidities.  Mine was a rational choice.  It I was 20 and in good health, then I might have considered an alternative choice.

For sure the varying offical word from the CDC and others does not inspire great confidence in the proclamations of the expert class.

Regards  —  Cliff

Take a Nap

For John, BLUF:  I am an afternoon napper, so I find this news about the value of an afternoon nap as encouraging.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Afternoon nap could boost mental agility, study says

From United Press International, by HealthDay News, 27 January 2021, 1:05 AM.

Here is the lede plus one:

"You snooze, you lose" may not be true when it comes to your brain:  A new study finds that napping in the afternoon may actually boost mental agility.

The study couldn't prove cause and effect, but a midday nap was associated with a rise in "locational awareness," verbal fluency and working memory, the Chinese researchers reported this week in the journal General Psychiatry.

"Among the things that are good for you and fun, you can now count daytime naps," said Dr. Gayatri Devi, a neurologist specializing in memory disorders at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

Who knows what science will tell us next, but I think this finding seems supported by experience.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Why So Negative?

For John, BLUF:  The Media has, after it overcame its aversion to President Trump's initial COVID-19 efforts, turned negative on the virus.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

WHY IS ALL COVID NEWS BAD?

From Power Line Blog, by Blogger John Hinderaker, 29 November 2020.

Here is the lede plus one plus two:

Three professors, two from Dartmouth and one from Brown, have produced a paper for the National Bureau of Economic Research titled, “Why Is All COVID-19 News Bad News?”  It focuses on the U.S. press, and its findings are disturbing . . .

Why are “major” U.S. news sources so massively more negative than their international counterparts?  I think the widespread hostility toward President Trump is the obvious answer.  The fact that Fox isn’t much different from its left-wing competitors probably tells us more about Fox than about the American press in general.

But that isn’t the whole story.  This NBER article suggests that the pessimism of major news outlets is a response to reader demand.

Quoting from the original paper:  "Ninety one percent of stories by U.S. major media outlets are negative in tone versus fifty four percent for non-U.S. major sources and sixty five percent for scientific journals."  That is a lot of negativity.

The NBER post notes that Fox News, once a major mainstay of the Conservatives movement, is now the same as other press outlets.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Personally Confused

For John, BLUF:  COVID-19 is a new disease and there is a lot we don't know, but the various government agencies are doing the best they can, and, one hopes, learning as they go along.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

CDC now says coronavirus 'does not spread easily' via contaminated surfaces

From Fox News, by Reporter Madeline Farber, 20 May 2020.

Here is the lede plus one:

For those of you still wiping down groceries and other packages amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, breathe a sigh of relief:  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now says the novel virus “does not spread easily” from "touching surfaces or objects" — but experts warn that doesn’t mean it’s no longer necessary to take "practical and realistic" precautions in stopping the spread of COVID-19.

Though it’s not exactly clear when, the federal health agency appears to have recently changed its guidelines from early March that simply said it “may be possible” to spread the virus from contaminated surfaces.  The CDC now includes "surfaces or objects" under a section that details ways in which the coronavirus does not readily transmit.

I think the key is that if one is older or have underlying physical conditions, one should be conservative in terms of exposure to potential points of virus transfer.  Avoid crowds, don't shake hands, no hugging of folks outside the house.  Another thing is paying attention to what health experts, and what Government officials, say.  Use judgement.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

A Problem Long Time Building

For John, BLUF:  But, at the end of the day, as Mr George Anthes says (on the City Life Show), the responsibility falls mostly on the individual States.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

FLASHBACK:  The Obama-Biden Administration Repeatedly Sought Millions in CDC Cuts

From PJ Media, by Mr Matt Margolis, 30 March 202.

Here is the lede plus three:

Joe Biden has made pandemic preparedness a theme of his attacks on President Trump in recent weeks.

But, according to analysis from Gregg Re at Fox News, the Obama-Biden administration repeatedly sought to cut hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), "seemingly undercutting former Vice President Joe Biden's repeated attacks on the Trump White House for its pandemic preparedness."

The budget requests are available online via the CDC website.

On many occasions, Democrats, including Biden, have falsely accused President Trump of slashing the CDC's budget.  Biden has used these false claims to suggest that he would never even propose similar cuts, let alone make them.  Fact checks from the Associated Press and FactCheck.org both proved the claims made by Biden and others to be wrong, because CDC funding actually increased during the Trump administration.

But, that isn't the whole of the story.  From the Just the News webpage we have an article by Ms Christine Dolan, from 31 March 2020, headlined "How Obama’s failure to resupply respirators in federal stockpile created a 2020 crisis".

The sub-headline is "The stockpile's 100 million supply of N95 respirator masks was never fully replenished after 2009 swine flu pandemic, experts say."

Yes, the current Administration is behind and playing catchup.  Yes, the current Administration should have refilled the national stockpiles immediately.  But, there is only so much that can be done at any one time.  They guessed wrong about the biggest threat, or by actions deterred the biggest threat and thus this came to the fore.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Coronavirus Tracking Map

For John, BLUF:  Now that it is officially a Pandemic (thanks WHO), people are more interested in how many are infected, and how many have died.  Here is a good source for up to date data.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University (JHU)

This is current data, updated on the fly.

Hat tip to the MASSterList Digest.

Regards  —  Cliff

A PSA

For John, BLUF:  A Public Service Announcement from your local Belvedire Blogger.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Here’s how to tell if you have the coronavirus — and when to see a doctor

From The NY Post, by Ms Tamar Lapin, 4 March 2020 .

Here is the lede plus six:

With the coronavirus outbreak spreading across the US, fears of catching the new illness have spiked — but coming down with a fever and cough doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve been infected.

So how can you tell if you have the virus? And when should you see a doctor?

Symptoms of the coronavirus — fever, cough, runny nose — are similar to those of the common cold or the flu.

If you’re experiencing those symptoms but feel like you can manage them with over-the-counter drugs from the comfort of your home, experts say that’s what you should do.

“If you feel well enough that if it weren’t for coronavirus you wouldn’t see a doctor, don’t see a doctor,” Lauren Sauer, an assistant professor of emergency medicine at Johns Hopkins Medicine, told The Washington Post.

If your symptoms are more severe — a fever that won’t go away, shortness of breath and lethargy — then it’s time to call your doctor.

However, most cases of the coronavirus — officially known as COVID-19 — have been mild, so if all those with a common cold flood emergency rooms, it’ll make it tougher for professionals to treat critically ill patients.

There is more at the article.  And avoid crowds.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Disease and Climate Drive History

For John, BLUF:  The Blogger gets to the point that disease and climate are drives of big changes in history.  And it isn't just the European colonization of the Western Hemisphere.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Disease and Cold Drive History

From The Chicago Boyz, by the Assistant Village Idiot, 29 February 2020.

Here is the lede plus two:

This was not prompted by Coronavirus discussions in any way.  My reading and podcast listening the past month have both led to considerations of disease affecting historical events.  I have several times thought it would be fun to talk with Trent and Mike K about the subject over a beer or three.

The effect of disease on historical events has usually only been mentioned in extreme cases, when it is obvious that at least some influence must have occurred.  The effect of smallpox on the Aztecs, or the Black Death on the economics of Europe receive some mention, but even in those cases summary histories can leave them out.  Amazing, but true.  There has been some increase over the last twenty years of historians addressing the issue of disease directly, and the last five years has seen an explosive growth in that approach because of what we can learn from archaeology rather than written records.  What has then happened is that the text historians have doubled back and acknowledged “yes, this was there all along, but because we could not clearly understand symptoms nor measure extent we could not make definitive statements.”  So they mostly said nothing.

Or, as I suspect, they preferred other explanations, as we all have, due to the training in how to look at history we have all grown up with.  I may be partly guilty myself.  I have heard doctors offer up possible medical explanations they have run across in their reading, only to be greeted with blank looks and polite smiles.  No, silly.  It’s kings and battles and trade routes and technological advances.  Diseases are just there all the time and have only a marginal effect.  I have been only slightly more sympathetic until the last decade,

Then the Blogger goes on to look at New England in 1620.  It was disease that shaped the history.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

The Marriage Bonus

For John, BLUF:  One is better off married than single.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Marriage linked to longer lifespan, new data shows

Here is the sub-headline:

Part of the marriage benefit could be explained by the fact that people in good health are more likely to marry, said Katherine Ornstein, a professor at Mount Sinai's Icahn School of Medicine.

From United Press International, by Reporter Dennis Thompson, 10 October 2010.

Here is the lede plus two:

Married folks not only live longer than singles, but the longevity gap between the two groups is growing, U.S. government health statisticians report.

The age-adjusted death rate for the married declined by 7 percent between 2010 and 2017, according to a new study from the National Center for Health Statistics, part of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"Not only is the rate for married lower, but it's declining more than any other group," said lead author Sally Curtin, an NCHS statistician.

Between the headline and the sub-headline I am confused.  Was it causation or merely correlation?

My personal conclusion, based on this and other things I have read, is that marriage is a social good, and we have done a bit of damage to it since the 1960s.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Life Tradeoffs

For John, BLUF:  Per "A Guide to Longevity Throughout History, From the Prehistoric Onward", life span has doubled since around 1800.  But, there were costs.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Air pollution caused 400,000 premature deaths in Europe

From The New York Post, by Reuters, 16 October 2019.

Here is the lede plus four:

Poor air quality caused about 400,000 premature deaths in Europe in 2016, the most recent year data is available and almost every city-dwelling European is exposed to pollution levels that exceed healthy levels, according to a report on Wednesday.

“Air pollution is currently the most important environmental risk to human health,” the European Environment Agency (EEA), the EU’s health agency, said in the report.

The report’s author, EEA air quality expert Alberto González Ortiz, said that while the level of dangerous particles in European cities was dropping, it was not dropping fast enough.

“We have not yet reached the EU standards and of course we are far from reaching the WHO (World Health Organization) standards,” Ortiz said.

EU law currently requires countries to assess the level, notably in urban areas, of a range of pollutants, including ozone and particulate matter and take action if certain limits are hit.

So, what are the tradeoffs?  I assume we all attribute these deaths to pollution from the industrial revolution.  Thus, the question is, how much would we trade off to save those 400,000 lives?  And, the Supplementary Question:  How many additional early deaths would accrue from giving up the some of the benefits of modernity?

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Progress is Ongoing

For John, BLUF:  The world is, on average, a much better place than it was a hundred years ago.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Good News

From Town Hall, by Reporter John Stossel, 18 September 2019.

Here is the key paragraph:

There is less war and more food.  We live healthier and longer lives.  HIV will soon be history.  We are increasingly free to be whoever we are and love whom we want.  Even work has become more pleasant.

Of course we could reverse this trend, but going for some sort of socialist utopia.  Like Cuba, Venezuela, or North Korea.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff