- Neil Ferguson’s infamous Imperial College London model predicted lockdowns would avoid 1.7 to 2.1 million COVID deaths. A new study finds the actual reduction in COVID deaths associated with lockdowns was 4,300 to 15,600.
- A positive obituary for Silvio.
- The left hates home schooling.
- Can noise reduce your life expectancy?
- Is most mental illness little more than socially disapproved preferences? Byron Caplan: Yes. Arnold Kling: No.
- The danger in exercising too much.
Author: John C. Goodman
Update on Britain’s National Health Service
In May over half a million people waited more than 4 hours in A&E. Not much more than a decade ago that number was negligible. Tens of thousands are waiting 12 hours or more. There can be no doubt this is killing many thousands of people. Excess mortality in 2023 is running above the 5 year average, which includes the pandemic years.
Sam Freedman, “How Bad Does It Need to Get? Understanding the NHS Crisis.”
Friday Links
- Blockbuster story: First person sickened by COVID-19 was the Chinese scientist who oversaw the “gain of function” research that created the virus.
- Harvard Medical School morgue manager and others sold stolen human remains.
- Health care to consume one out of every five dollars of national income.
- More progress on quantum computing.
- Is Merck being “coerced” by Medicare? Michael Cannon: No. David Henderson: Yes.
Thursday Links
- US plans to rejoin UNESCO. Trump pulled us out because the organization is flagrantly anti-capitalist and anti-US. Biden is not only rejoining; he has agreed to $619 million in “arrears” payments.
- More than 90% of cancer centers are impacted by drug shortages.
- Cato paper on new technologies: Should we try to avoid harmful effects by regulation or by tort law?
- Is woke culture the reason Hollywood can’t make good movies any more – unless it recycles old plots and themes?
- Two different views of AI:
The New York Times: “Generative A.I. Can Add $4.4 Trillion in Value to Global Economy, Study Says,”
Bloomberg: “Biggest Losers of AI Boom Are Knowledge Workers, McKinsey Says.”