The latest report on new unemployment claims was abysmal, coming in at 4.4 million last week, some 100,000 more than surveyed economists had expected. The continuous claims came in at just under 16 million, an all-time record. Mainstream labor economists estimate that, all things considered, the actual unemployment rate now (which is only officially reported
READ MOREA dramatic change in our political situation is coming as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. At least, that’s what I’ve heard some individuals joyously suggest. One reason for this suggestion is the current immigration situation. Because immigration is temporarily halted in the U.S. and most of Europe, those who wish to restrict it have
READ MORELast week brought two special delights. Though I had read and even taught Francis Gray Patton’s novel Good Morning, Miss Dove, I had never seen the movie. With forlorn hope, I went to YouTube, punched in the title, and there it was, a wonderful film released in 1955 starring Jennifer Jones as “The Terrible Miss Dove,” an
READ MOREBy the common acclamation of many critics and film historians, as well as amateur aficionados like me, 1939 was the most notable single year for the release of great movies in the golden age of American filmmaking. Everyone knows it is the year that gave us Gone With the Wind and The Wizard of Oz.
READ MOREA new Department of Homeland Security study shows that heat, humidity, and sunlight could help to kill the coronavirus, offering a potential literal ray of hope against the pandemic as summer nears. “Our most striking observation to date is the powerful effect that solar light appears to have on killing the virus both [on] surfaces
READ MORESoon, YouTubers will be silenced if they don’t agree with the United Nations on public health. As The Verdict reports: YouTube will ban any content containing medical advice that contradicts World Health Organisation (WHO) coronavirus recommendations, according to CEO Susan Wojcicki. Wojcicki announced the policy on CNN on Sunday. WHO is an agency of the
READ MOREMany Americans may be surprised and confused to see farmers dumping milk down the drain or letting vegetables rot in their fields. Why would they be destroying food at a time when grocery stores and food pantries struggle to keep pace with surging demand during the coronavirus pandemic? As sociologists with a specialty in agriculture
READ MOREA debate is forming about the U.S. response to COVID-19 and it’s worthwhile to consider this debate early, as it develops, before battle lines harden. On one side is the school of thought that shutdowns, lockdowns and closing of “nonessential” businesses were an overreaction to either inaccurate or exaggerated computer models on the spread of
READ MOREFirst, some random observations: A devout priest I know, around age 50, was hospitalized for COVID-19. He received treatment and is now recovering. On Tuesday, April 21, a mother in Meridian, Idaho was arrested for taking down police tape and signage forbidding entrance to a park playground and allowing her children to play on the equipment. After
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