Saturday, September 25, 2021
Skeletal...
Prodigal...
The Prodigal Son, marble sculpture by Joseph Mozier, c. 1857, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
By all accounts, the Whitakers were a perfect family living in a community outside of Houston, Texas. That was all shattered on Dec. 10, 2003, when the family of four was gunned down as they entered their home. The dad, Kent, survived as did their son, Bart.
The investigation into the shooting revealed an intricate plot and a ruthless conspiracy. The mastermind of the plot is the oldest son Bart. In 2007 he was tried, convicted, given the death penalty.
Kent Whitaker[father] has fought to save Bart [son] from being executed.
The day Bart Whitaker was scheduled to die. Bart had a final meal. His father visited the prison for the last time before his scheduled execution.
Then his sentence was commuted to life in prison with no chance for parole for masterminding the fatal shootings of his mother and brother.
Undue...
What made us happy?
Aristotle proposed eudaimonia—of leading a virtuous life—as the pinnacle of happiness. The notion of living a meaningful and fulfilling life (e.g., making genuine social connections, excelling in one’s capabilities, being morally sound, etc.) bodes well with the positive psychology movement that emerged at the turn of the 21st century, giving rise to concepts such as flow, flourishing, and eudemonic well-being.
While the significant role that eudaimonia plays in happiness, the pendulum has swung too far in this direction when it comes to determining what “should” make people happy.
Too many people today , young and old, are under constant pressure to build a successful and prosperous career, do well in school, be a good parent (or child), make meaningful social relationships, or exert positive social influence. The problem is that these “virtues” have become so synonymous with achieving happiness that they are placing undue burden on individuals.
Purge...
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has launched a purge of agency heads and other officials appointed by her disgraced predecessor Andrew Cuomo with at least nine bureaucrats either resigning or being told they’ll be out of a job within the next few days, sources told The Post on Friday night.
Topping the list of departures is Michael Hein, the former Ulster County Executive who was tapped by Cuomo in 2019 to oversee the state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance.
Zucker, who had been in his position since 2015, was accused by critics of helping Cuomo minimize and disguise the terrible toll of COVID-19 in nursing homes across the state. It was he who issued the infamous March 2020 order that required nursing homes to accept coronavirus-positive residents returning from hospitals, provided they were not critically ill. Zucker also barred nursing homes from testing the returning residents for the virus.
Just a thought.
Thursday, September 23, 2021
Skyscraper...
Indictment...
More than half a dozen contractors were indicted for trying to score lucrative contracts by bribing supervisors at public housing developments in Brooklyn and Queens, officials announced Monday.
“The residents of NYCHA often live in conditions that are deplorable,” said Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez at a press conference, referring to the embattled New York City Housing Authority. “This kind of brazen bribery cannot be accepted. This cannot be the way business is done. The residents of NYCHA deserve so much better.”
The DA and the city’s Department of Investigation announced at the joint press conference the takedown of nine contractors — Lakhwinder Kumar, Charanjit Singh, Satbir Singh, Davinder Singh, Nishan Singh, Surinder Singh, Guriqbal Singh, Jaswant Banga Singh and Bakhshish Chand.
Where does the tax money go? NYC budget of a 100 Billion Dollars ends up evaporated. Still the Democrats want to tax people some more. NYSHA, Homeless, MTA, Sewer, roads, ..etc
Just a thought
Muscles...
Loss of muscle mass and function (sarcopenia) may result from both acute and chronic diseases and, as in a vicious cycle, deeply impacts short- and long-term clinical outcomes.
These chronic conditions are often associated with sarcopenia in older individuals. It is therefore possible that sarcopenia itself is a risk factor for SARS-CoV-2 infection and critical illness.
It should also be highlighted that COVID-19, especially in its severe forms, involves marked elevation in inflammatory cytokines and prolonged immobilization, and is in fact associated with clinically significant weight loss.
Thus, sarcopenia may be a risk factor for COVID-19, while at the same time, COVID-19 infection and subsequent hospitalization may be an underestimated driver of cachexia and sarcopenia. Despite the potential clinical relevance of sarcopenia in COVID-19, little evidence is available in the literature to date.









