Friday Hodgepodge

Notable Commentary

"Regardless of the ultimate trajectory of the H5N1 strain currently engulfing avian species globally, it serves as a reminder of the absolute necessity to be proactive in the face of an unavoidable future influenza pandemic." -- Amesh Adalja, in "What Bird Flu Reminds Us About Influenza Pandemics" (Medpage Today)

"I don't think there is anything nefarious about the term 'immunity debt,' but I do believe it is being misused and misapplied in a manner that doesn't really get to the core of what is behind the RSV [Respiratory Syncytial Virus] surge." -- Amesh Adalja, in "Our Pediatric 'Immunity Debt' Is Really an 'RSV Debt'" (Medpage Today)

"Do people really think it is harmless to bring children to see sexuality portrayed not as a sacred expression of love for one special individual, but as frivolous 'desecrating' for the benefit of any and all strangers?" -- Charlotte Cushman, in "The Real Purpose of Drag Queen Story Hour" (The American Thinker)

"In recent weeks, we've seen three separate stories in which what was portrayed as a consensus a few years ago has undergone significant scientific re-examination." -- Paul Hsieh, in "The Unsettled Science of Covid-19" (Forbes)

"80% of patients knew that an 'unremarkable' chest x-ray was good news. But only 21% understood that a chest x-ray described as 'impressive' was bad news." -- Paul Hsieh, in "The Power of Ordinary English to Improve Healthcare" (Forbes)

"If lawmakers succeed, it will destroy companies' incentive to license new inventions patented by university researchers." -- Adam Mossoff, in "Misusing a Decades-Old Law Isn't the Way to Lower Drug Prices" (The Virginian-Pilot)

"The other disturbing error of Mr. Krugman ... is the failure to consider the political context in which economic policies are made." -- Raymond Niles, in "Wage and Price Controls Are Not the Answer to Inflation" (The American Institute for Economic Research)

Image of Jan Roos's "Narcissus at the Spring" by The Independent, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain.

"So, as part of the application process to Ralston College, where free inquiry and the love of truth prevail, you are required on the application to identify twenty narcissistic statements as your 'personality traits'?" -- Lisa VanDamme, in "Why My Daughter Withdrew Her Application to Ralston College" (Medium)

"The solution to government 'encouragement' of electric vehicles isn't to ban them in a few small rural places but to persuade or remind enough voters that government interference with the economy is a misuse of government and has ultimately failed to deliver widespread prosperity every time it has been tried." -- Gus Van Horn, in "Wyoming GOP State Lawmakers Propose to Ban Electric Cars" (Capitalism Magazine)

"The proper response by lovers of liberty is not -- as the GOP has done so far -- merely object to the particular ideas that underly some state investment strategies, but to work towards the real solution, namely to privatize the investment sector." -- Gus Van Horn, in "State Investing, Not ESG, Is the Political Problem" (Capitalism Magazine)

"Conservatives used to joke about hiding pistols from gun-grabbing Democrats inside economics textbooks: How times have changed!" -- Gus Van Horn, in "Egg Price Debate Hides Guilt and Scheming on Both Sides." (RealClear Markets)

-- CAV