Here’s some amazingly good news amidst all of the nonsense of late. On Thursday, the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) at the White House announced that they were updating policy guidance to mandate that all taxpayer-supported research should be immediately available to the public at no cost. According to the actual policy guidelines, US departments and agencies have until the end of 2025 to make this change (though, it’s not clear that there’s any remedy if they don’t). This is really huge — and it seems to have come out of nowhere.
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Of course, it also wouldn’t surprise me if Congress comes back with bills to lock up such research again — or a future administration flip flops on this. But… for now… good news!
Huge News: Biden Administration Announces All Publicly Funded Research Should Be Available For Free To The Public
Tag: Research
MIT professor wrongfully accused of spying for China helps make a major discovery
Months after an MIT professor was cleared of spying for China, he helped make a major scientific discovery. But he says the success has been bittersweet.
MIT professor wrongfully accused of spying for China helps make a major discovery
Insufficient vitamin D linked to fourfold increase in risk of death among Covid-19 patients
Irish researchers find unvaccinated patients with low vitamin D levels are more likely to suffer severe disease and death
Insufficient vitamin D linked to fourfold increase in risk of death among Covid-19 patients
Bill Gates and the Secret Push to Save Biden’s Climate Bill
Bill Gates and the Secret Push to Save Biden’s Climate Bill
Gates started wooing Manchin and other senators who might prove pivotal for clean-energy policy in 2019 over a meal in Washington DC. “My dialogue with Joe has been going on for quite a while,” Gates said. “Almost everyone on the energy committee” — of which Manchin was then the senior-most Democrat — “came over and spent a few hours with me over dinner.”
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Also at Manchin’s insistence, automakers also will see new strings attached to electric vehicle tax incentives so they will have to be made in North America and, by 2024, can’t use batteries sourced from China. Labor leaders bemoaned that the final package doesn’t contain much support for workers who lose their jobs in the green transition.
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There’s been such whiplash from 2016 when, as Gates puts it, green spending from the US government “had dropped to near zero.” Six years later, American climate finance has been “reinvigorated,” and Gates now sees innovation “going way faster than I expected. That’s why I’m optimistic that we will solve this thing.”
The working class is going to be thrown under the bus, but at least Bill Gates is happy. 🤷🏼♀️
A widely cited report predicting doom for the Russian economy has come under scrutiny from economists
By Margarita Lyutova. Abridged translation by Sam Breazeale, Meduza, 8/10/22
In late July, a team of researchers from Yale published a report titled “Business Retreats and Sanctions Are Crippling the Russian Economy.” Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the same team has maintained a list of international companies that have ceased operations in Russia in response to the war. The project is led by management and corporate responsibility expert Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, a professor at the Yale School of Management and the founder of Yale’s Chief Executive Leadership Institute. The report has been cited widely in recent weeks, but Sonnenfeld is neither an economist nor a Russia specialist, and experts have raised doubts about some of the report’s claims. Economic journalist Margarita Lyutova explains why the researchers’ conclusions might be worth taking with a grain of salt.
Meduza: A widely cited report predicting doom for the Russian economy has come under scrutiny from economists
Related:
Business Retreats and Sanctions Are Crippling the Russian Economy
Compound in red wine, chocolate prevents smallpox virus cousins from replicating
Disclaimer: The information posted here is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please seek the advice of a medical professional before taking any supplements!
Compound in red wine, chocolate prevents smallpox virus cousins from replicating
“Resveratrol is a small, natural compound in many plants like grapes, cocoa beans, peanuts and blueberries,” said Shuai Cao, postdoctoral researcher studying the effects of resveratrol on viruses. “Our recent study found that high concentrations of resveratrol — higher than anything you may find in food naturally — prevent poxviruses from replicating in human cells.”
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The Kansas State University researchers recorded resveratrol’s success with vaccinia and collaborated with researchers at the CDC to perform similar experiments with monkeypox, a contagious and deadly virus to humans that has caused periodic disease outbreaks in Africa. Resveratrol had the same effect with monkeypox, which means that it has a good chance of inhibiting all poxviruses, Cao said.
Related:
I remember the following study of Resveratrol’s effects on SARS-CoV-2:
Resveratrol shows potential as SARS-CoV-2 antiviral, study finds
To determine which phase of the viral life cycle resveratrol exerts its effects, they conducted two sets of experiments. In one set, they treated the cells with resveratrol before infection; and in another set, resveratrol was administered to SARS-CoV-2 infected cells. Interestingly, the findings revealed that resveratrol, when applied before infection, was capable of inhibiting the viral replication only by 20%; whereas, post-treatment with resveratrol caused a 98% reduction in viral replication. These findings suggest that resveratrol is more efficacious in the presence of the virus.
To further investigate the mode of action of resveratrol, they incubated the cells with both SARS-CoV-2 and resveratrol at the same time and observed that resveratrol could inhibit viral replication by 64%. These findings suggest that resveratrol may be capable of preventing viral entry into the cells.
Resveratrol Side Effects and Health Hazards <~~can affect how blood pressure, anti-coagulant, and anti-platelet medications work. It can also increase the risk of bleeding during and after surgery.
Resveratrol – Uses, Side Effects, And More <~~can interact with some medications and other supplements.
Irony – The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation partly funded a study about COVID-19 booster shots for the BA.5 Omicron subvariant. Surprise: Boosters still work
The latest Omicron subvariant may be a master at evading the immune response our bodies produce from the vaccine or previous COVID-19 infection, but a new study suggests existing booster shots will still help.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation partly funded a study about COVID-19 booster shots for the BA.5 Omicron subvariant. Surprise: Boosters still work
Covid vaccines caused temporary menstrual changes in more than 40% of people with regular cycles, study finds
An analysis published Friday in the journal Science Advances found that 42% of people with regular menstrual cycles said they bled more heavily than usual after vaccination. Meanwhile, 44% reported no change and around 14% reported a lighter period. Among nonmenstruating people — those post-menopause or who use certain long-term contraceptives, for example — the study suggests many experienced breakthrough or unexpected bleeding after their Covid shots.
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The new survey started in April 2021, around the time people began to report unexpected bleeding and heavier flow post-vaccine. However, these anecdotes were at the time met with the rebuttal that there was no data linking menstrual changes to vaccination.
That was both true and indicative of a larger problem. Individuals who took part in Covid vaccine trials were not asked if they experienced menstrual changes.
Previously:
The Contagion Effect: From Buffalo to Uvalde, 16 Mass Shootings in Just 10 Days
The latest mass shootings in Texas and New York highlight the frequency of such attacks — and how they can spread like a disease
The Contagion Effect: From Buffalo to Uvalde, 16 Mass Shootings in Just 10 Days
Related:
Our Narrative of Mass Shootings Is Killing Us
Mass Shootings Are Contagious:
The idea that violence might be contagious is not new. Suicides often cluster, in a phenomenon known as suicide contagion, in which vulnerable people are inspired to take their own lives after reading about the details of previous suicides. In an attempt to stop the contagion, many media outlets abide by voluntary reporting standards to not sensationalize suicides.
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“The contagion that appears to be apparent in the mass killings and school shootings may have something to do with the media coverage,” Towers said.
This doesn’t mean the media shouldn’t report on mass shootings, Towers said. But voluntary efforts to de-emphasize the killer’s name and portrait might help stave off additional shootings.
Fauci’s Royalties And The $350 Million Royalty Payment Stream HIDDEN By NIH
Last year, the National Institutes of Health – Anthony Fauci’s employer – doled out $30 billion in government grants to roughly 56,000 recipients. That largess of taxpayer money buys a lot of favor and clout within the scientific, research, and healthcare industries.
Fauci’s Royalties And The $350 Million Royalty Payment Stream HIDDEN By NIH
Ms. Cat’s Chronicles 
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