Posted inCoronavirus Science

Anti-science views of conservatives led to many more COVID deaths

I'm a strong believer in science. Everyone should be. Not just because science is our best means of knowing reality, and that's a very good thing. Also because ignoring science can be dangerous to your health. Very dangerous, according to Peter Hotez, MD, Ph.D, who wrote a book that I'm about half through reading: The Deadly Rise of Anti-Science: A Scientist's Warning. Hotez is the founding dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, where he co-directs the Texas Children's Center for Vaccine Development. His book, which I'm enjoying a lot despite the bleak theme,…
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Posted inCoronavirus Personal/Stories

After I got Covid, science became my best friend

About two weeks ago, on Monday, January 30, I tested positive for Covid. A few days later I blogged about this on my HinesSight blog in I test positive for Covid. And feel positive about Paxlovid. Well, it was a good run without ever getting Covid -- about three years since the nasty virus came to the United States in early 2020.  After I had trouble sleeping last Saturday night, feeling on edge for no discernible reason, I took a rapid Covid test Sunday morning, which came back negative, even though my voice was a bit hoarse. But Monday morning…
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Posted inCoronavirus

I’m tired of our nation’s 9/11 obsession

Over on my Salem Political Snark blog, I just finished "On 9/11, let's remember the 659,556 Covid deaths."  Here's how I introduced that post on Facebook. I have to be honest. I'm tired of our nation's obsession with 9/11. Yes, it was a tragedy. But 9/11 pales in comparison to the tragedy of the Covid pandemic, which has killed 220 times as many people than died on 9/11. Radical Islam was responsible for 2,996 deaths. Radical Trumpism is responsible for the hundreds of thousands of Covid deaths that experts say could have been prevented. I refuse to mourn the deaths…
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Posted inCoronavirus India

India’s worsening Covid crisis partly due to religion

Since for 35 years I was a member of a religious organization headquartered in India, I have a special interest in how that country has been doing during the Covid pandemic. Recently I've been seeing dire stories about rapidly increasing Covid cases and deaths in India.  The reasons for the deteriorating situation are complex, but a big part of the blame seems to be related to factors that have been evident here in the United States, especially during the time Trump was president. Namely, poor leadership from those in charge of the country; declaring victory over Covid prematurely; allowing large…
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Posted inCoronavirus Death/Rebirth

Religion is anti-life when an afterlife is fantasized

I want to get some facts straight. (1) Every living entity dies.(2) This includes humans.(3) So you, I, and everybody else will die.(4) There is no solid evidence of life after death.(5) Yet religions claim there's an afterlife. It's difficult to see how anybody could disagree with 1-3 and 5. Plus, 4 is almost indisputable, since any evidence of life after death is extremely tenuous, unscientific, and open to dispute. Given these facts, I can't understand why so many Americans look upon our current COVID-19 death count, of 266,000, Washington Post screenshot shown above, and shrug off the astounding number.…
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Posted inCoronavirus Science

The coronavirus doesn’t care what people think of it

Philosophically, the coronavirus (novel coronavirus, actually, since COVID is a new version) has some interesting aspects. Most obviously, the virus is teaching us something important. It doesn't give a shit what people think of it. It just does what it is designed to do by evolution -- spread between individuals whenever it has a chance.  You can't pray your way out of getting it. You can't wish your way out of getting it. You can't positive-think your way out of getting it. The only way to protect yourself is to avoid contact with the virus. Wear a mask. Physically distance…
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Posted inCoronavirus Science

Dalai Lama says, “We must listen to scientists.”

Hey, I can dream. It'd be great if our science-denying president, Donald Trump, and his fact-phobic Republican colleagues would pay attention to what the Dalai Lama said in the most recent issue of TIME magazine. Oh, plus religious people who embrace prayer and faith over positive action and reason. The Dalai Lama is speaking to them also. I've boldfaced the parts of what he said that I particularly liked.  These are timely sentiments from the Daiai Lama, since the United States is experiencing the highest levels of COVID cases since the pandemic began, and Trump, along with some clueless Republican…
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Posted inCoronavirus

One death is unbearably sad — 132,218 is beyond imagining

How the United States has managed, and mismanaged, our Covid crisis response occupies a lot of attention. Just about every conversation includes some variation of "How are you coping?" It's the most frequent topic on cable TV. Also, local television news. Yet I worry that we're ignoring what to me is a vital thing to focus on: the infinite treasure that is life. Which has a flip side: the unbearable sadness of death. Naturally I look upon this from my own perspective. A 71 year old man. An atheist. Someone who doesn't like the idea of his own inevitable death…
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Posted inCoronavirus Reality

COVID reality is kicking Donald Trump in the butt

Reality can be harsh. And always, truthful. That's why reality is feared by religions and politicians alike. At least, religious believers and politicians who have a vested interest in denying facts because the truth is inconvenient for them. There's nothing positive that can be said about the COVID crisis here in the United States. According to a story I read in today's newspaper, the United States has 4.3% of the world's population but has suffered 25.5% of the COVID-19 deaths. Why?  Largely because we have a president who is utterly incompetent to manage a Little League team, much less a…
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Posted inCoronavirus Religions Science

Eastern Oregon churchgoers thought Jesus would protect from COVID-19. He didn’t.

Here's another in the endless supply of reasons not to be religious. Or, if you want to be religious, to not be a fundamentalist. It destroys your ability to engage in critical thinking. Meaning, using reason to learn how the world works, and to act in accord with that wisdom. Oregon, where I live, has done much better than most states during the COVID-19 crisis. In large part that's because we have a Democratic governor, Kate Brown, who put in place a stay at home order early on and has managed reopening in a judicious fashion, allowing counties to relax…
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Posted inCoronavirus Personal/Stories

Check out my top 10 bright spots during the coronavirus period

Head on over to my HinesSight blog and learn what's been keeping my mood up during the enforced isolation of Oregon's Stay Home, Save Lives orders.  Tonight I wrote, "My top 10 bright spots during Oregon's stay-at-home period." Number 1 is: This afternoon I came home from a dog walk to find my wife taking part in a Zoom dance party celebrating her grand-niece's birthday. Naturally I had to grab my iPhone and upload a short video to You Tube.
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Posted inCoronavirus

Study shows hydroxychloroquine leads to more deaths — so don’t take it

Science and reason should be trusted hugely more than anecdotal reports. I've been saying that hydroxychloroquine shouldn't be taken to prevent or treat COVID-19. A recent study shows this caution is deserved. So don't pay attention to people who claim that hydroxychloroquine is effective. Further research is needed, but so far those who advocate for its use are akin to faith-based religious believers who make assertions without evidence. Here's the Politico story, "More deaths, no benefit from malaria drug in VA virus study."------------------------------ A malaria drug widely touted by President Donald Trump for treating the new coronavirus showed no benefit…
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Posted inCoronavirus God

Pastor’s death shows that COVID-19 is larger than God

The evidence is in: the coronavirus, or COVID-19, is larger than God. Bishop Gerald Glenn, a pastor in Virginia who defied a social distancing warning, now is dead from an infection. Despite warnings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to avoid mass gatherings and maintain social distancing, Glenn said in a sermon on March 22, "I firmly believe that God is larger than this dreaded virus," and announced he was not afraid to die. Hopefully this will send a message to other people that they need to trust in science, not in irrational religious leaders. Bishop Gerald Glenn
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Posted inCoronavirus

Small things become big joys during the coronavirus crisis

With so many people suffering because of the coronavirus, it's natural to feel anxious, unhappy, even depressed. But I'm finding that the isolation and altered routine caused by Oregon having a Stay Home, Save Lives order has some bright spots. Sure, I no longer can go to Tai Chi classes. Nor can I go to our athletic club. Meeting a friend at a coffee house is a no-no. I still go grocery shopping once a week, but wear a mask and gloves. The dog park we used to enjoy is closed.  So much is different now. Along with many millions…
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Posted inCoronavirus

Don’t use hydroxychloroquine without a doctor’s order

I do my best not to censor comments left on my blog posts, which must be approved by me before they're published. But I'm going to change that rule for comments relating to the coronavirus pandemic. Facts, truth, and science are our best weapons against COVID-19. So I have zero tolerance for people who spread untruths about it. I apologize for not acting sooner to prevent some false comments from being published. But better late than never. Specifically, ignore anyone who says that hydroxychloroquine should be taken without a doctor's order to either prevent or treat a coronavirus infection. This…
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Posted inCoronavirus

Trump acts like a cult leader in his coronavirus briefings

Because Oregon is under a shelter in place order from Governor Brown and my usual routine has been disrupted, I've been entertaining myself (broadly speaking) by watching Trump's coronavirus briefings most afternoons -- including today. Not surprisingly, they're horrifying. Early on in Trump's presidency I thought that his egotism, incompetence, habitual lying, and incoherent babbling was as amusing as it was disturbing. But that was when Trump's personal defects didn't directly threaten American lives, just indirectly, such as by his repeated attempts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare. Now, though, there's nothing funny about the failure of Trump…
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Posted inCoronavirus India

A foreigner’s scary tale of being checked for COVID-19 in India

Here's a description someone emailed to me yesterday about what happened after they wanted to be checked out in India for possibly having COVID-19, the dreaded coronavirus. Hopefully this doesn't describe a typical medical experience in India. If it does, India is in deep trouble as it fights the coronavirus (currently the country is in the midst of a three-week stay at home lockdown).  If you aren't aware what paan is, check out the Wikipedia page about this commonly chewed substance in India. I was in India recently. Just got back a little over a week ago. Had a great…
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Posted inCoronavirus India

Be strong, India. Your 3-week coronavirus lockdown is a wise decision.

I'm no fan of Prime Minister Modi, because he reminds me of President Trump in some disturbing ways. But his decision to institute a strict lockdown of everybody in India for three weeks is the right thing to do -- even though this is going to create a lot of hardship.  A New York Times story, "Modi Orders 3-Week Total Lockdown for all 1.3 Billion Indians," describes why the lockdown is needed. NEW DELHI — India’s prime minister ordered all 1.3 billion people in the country to stay inside their homes for three weeks starting Wednesday — the biggest and…
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Posted inCoronavirus Religions Science

Religion is bringing out the coronavirus stupid in people

Not surprisingly, the coronavirus pandemic is causing religious people around the world to turn to superstition, fantasy, and unproven remedies.  Naturally they'd be much better off if they paid rapt attention to the public health experts who are using science and facts in their advice about how to keep from being infected by the COVID-19 virus. But religion often brings out the stupid in people. Especially when they're afraid of an unseen menace. Like a virus. Or the devil. The difference being that a virus is real, and the devil isn't, along with God and other imaginary supernatural entities.  Today…
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