Bill Gates has been a widely interviewed person over the last year regarding the COVID-19 virus. Why? Maybe the TED talk titled "The Next Outbreak, We're Not Ready" shown 5 years ago might have something to do with this? Or maybe the fact that the Bill &Melinda Gates Foundation has spent millions of dollars funding vaccines for foreign countries? Money that is spent by a foundation but verified by Bill and Melinda through countless hours of research. There has to be accountability for philanthropy. Research, research, and data, data-driven.
With that being said, the public is not always interested in the scientific data which emerges from research. Especially, if the scientific data conflicts with political messaging. In the video below, CNN Correspondent Brianna Keilar reviews Fox & Friends Correspondents attack Bill Gates for his precautions during the holiday season over the COVID-19 virus:
I would be willing to bet a large amount of money on Bill Gates's advice. Whereas, I do not believe the clowns on Fox & Friends who have persistently promoted President Trump's non-science rhetoric. The rhetoric is extremely dangerous to society.
The attack on Bill Gates is unfortunate. Although, as a philanthropist with the amount of work that the organization does, there is bound to be much criticism. Keep up the great work Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation staff. Your work truly is groundbreaking and matters to the world.
The photograph above shows former Governor of New Jersey Chris Christie at a White House event back in September of this year. Since then, Governor Chris Christie has had a visit for a couple of weeks to the intensive care unit after contracting the COVID-19 virus. There is a stark difference between Governor Chris Christie that is shown in the picture above and that of recent news.
In the video below from MSNBC's Morning Joe, the video released on Twitter by Governor Chris Christie is shown advocating for COVID-19 (i.e. mask deniers) deniers to wear a mask:
Yes, it is not too late in the game to contract COVID-19 and suffer from the virus.
When you watch the news, do you see a person who looks like you? For me, a white male of 48 years of age, the answer is yes. But not just yes, overwhelmingly yes - in every occupation. For other nationalities, that is not the case. What impact does that have on a person trying to succeed in today's society?
Representation is critical to success. The days of the old ways are being replaced slowly with new ideas, new thoughts. In the video below, MSNBC news anchor Stephanie Ruhle interviews an elementary school teacher who has transcended her daughters' life by such an action:
That is a perfect example of representation where it matters most. The action of that mother has completely transformed the image of 'normal' in that child's mind. The action's influence is completely noticeable. Imagine if we were all that brave to take actions like this teacher has? What would the world look like?
I have been thinking a lot about this lately. With the onset of online learning taking a more critical role in society, what does representation mean? That is an open-ended question to which a blog post may be composed later to continue that conversation.
Just look at the demographic makeup of today's largest corporate boards. Do they reflect the diversity that we see at the state and local level? Is representation changing fast enough to keep up with a changing society? These are all questions that need to be entertained by each of us.
Rebekah Jones was an employed cybersecurity expert for the state of Florida 8 months ago. After Florida law enforcement agents raided her home with guns drawn, she is a news story. Why? Because she pointed out inaccuracies in the health data regarding COVID-19 deaths for the state of Florida. Yes, that is what is printed and passed by your eyes.
Florida death numbers were riddled with inaccuracies that aligned the data with the message of Governor Rick DeSantis. Where have readers heard about science not aligning with political messaging? The conflict between COVID-19 data and political messaging seems to have taken a large turn for the worse over the last year.
In the video below, an interview with Rebekah Jones is conducted by MSNBC's Ali Velshie. The tape is rolled off the home raided by Florida law enforcement, which has been vehemently denied by Governor Rick DeSantis:
These politicians are amazing. How do they lie so easily as lives are taken by the terrible COVID-19 virus? That is an open-ended question to which we may never understand any future answer.
As if the COVID-19 virus pandemic could not get worse. With the rollout of the COVID-19 virus vaccine hitting the arms of Americans, including Vice President Mike Pence last Friday morning, reporting arrived late in last week alerting Americans that shipments have been stalled -- if not stopped. By who? None, other than our Commander-In-Chief - President Donald J. Trump. What?
That is correct. States across the nation were notified that shipments of vaccines scheduled to hit the arms of Americans the week of Christmas have been stalled or reduced by 30-40%.
Merry Christmas, America!
And for those who support this inexperienced President:
Merry Christmas, Trump supporters who have lost a loved one to the COVID-19 virus!
Merry Christmas, Trump supporters who are in denial of the COVID-19 virus!
The President has once again stalled or reduced shipments of a much-needed vaccine for a virus that has killed up to nearly 300,000 Americans.
What is President Trump thinking? What is his administration thinking?
As reported by MSNBC correspondent Rachel Maddow in the video below, there is NO explanation being offered by the administration for the reduction or stalling of distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine:
I am sorry that I have to say -- I am extremely disappointed by the Trump administration. Can there not exist one person to have the guts to call out an inexperienced - leader - of the United States?
Hundreds of thousands of doses of vaccines are sitting in a warehouse waiting to be shipped to hospitals to give to Americans...
Who is letting Americans die?
Hospital beds are filling unnecessarily because people cannot follow the rules.
Now, Americans will continue to die when there is a solution - a vaccine - that is being withheld?
What is going on, folks?
This is turning into complete mayhem. Oh, my goodness.
The damage to the federal government by the Trump administration will continue to be unveiled long after President Trump leaves office. Decades in the past, the federal government has secured experienced and knowledgeable government employees. Employees range from experienced accountants to scientists who have years of knowledge of how the government works. The Trump administration has been toxic to the point of many of these experienced employees jumping ship over the last four years.
What has this done to the government? At the federal level, those who have thick-skinned or decided to bear the brunt of an ignorant administration for four years to have America stay relatively safe has been pared down tremendously. The federal government, in short, has been running on 'auto-pilot' for the last four years.
Yes, I said ignorant administration. The Trump administration has shown complete ignorance by replacing veteran employees in federal agencies with inexperienced personnel who will follow orders from the White House. What does following orders look like?
According to reporting from The New York Times, following orders means passing on messaging (i.e. reports) without obstruction and not caring about manipulation by the White House. For example, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was one such federal agency run by extremely inexperienced people. Kyle McGowan was charged with the position of chief of staff at the CDC. His qualifications? Served previously as a staff member for Senator Tom Price. Really?
The world has been ravaged by the COVID-19 virus pandemic over the last year. In the reporting by the Times', Americans find out that the Trump administration has changed the messaging from the CDC to fit their idea of what the message should be. A message that is not parallel but perpendicular (runs opposite) to science. Wow!
That blew my mind. The change of messaging that normally occurs is not to completely change the message but change the rhetoric slightly. Although, in the present case, a blatant disregard for science was accomplished by White House employees conducting the dirty work of the Trump administration.
Further, the damage of suppressing reports that are critical to the scientific community along with the rest of society such as Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports - a widely read report which is apolitical in scope. The report is dense with infectious disease information and data to disseminate to the community at large. Why suppress science?
The concluding thoughts on this outrageous action by the Trump administration is that science does not go with the message of "the stock market is doing great, so is the economy". Which is sad. Because the reality of the state of affairs is that while the numbers on the stock market fluctuate in response to stimulus checks or COVID-19 vaccine hopes, there are still 22 million people out of work.
Further, as March of 2021 approaches, mortgages or loans which have been put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic start to become due. If Congress does not act, where will the money come from. As the Christmas holiday approaches and online shopping continues to rise in response to the inability to shop in person, ask yourself "Are Americans really saving for the rough times ahead?" or are they thinking that Congress will act eventually and bail them out?
The story by the Times' clearly indicates that there is a blatant disregard for science in the Trump White House. Further, the CDC could have reduced the overall number of deaths by disseminating the correct message at the right time. President Trump decided that was not the path that was correct for the nation to proceed down. Now, we have nearly 300,000 deaths of Americans and the COVID-19 virus is still ravaging our country.
Let's let science guide us from here on out Mr. President!
As news reports outlets spread the word of the electoral college today, President-elect Joe Biden can rest peacefully. The battle (i.e., unprecedented election challenges) is one step closer to being over. Officially, after the electoral college speaks, the word is cemented - President-elect Joe Biden - will be president in 2021. MSNBC anchor Ari Melber shows proof of such claims along with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell welcoming the new President into office - unofficially of course.
After the electoral college spoke, President-elect Joe Biden spoke too. Below is the video of his speech by CNN:
The time has come to accept the results of this election and move on. Trump and his administration can pack up and get ready to leave the office. I say "Trump" because in the next post, the damage that this man continues to do - along with that in the past - is still being uncovered.
The original topic for today was regarding the decision last week of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to turn down a COVID-19 relief bill put forth by Democrats and White House officials for $916 billion. The video below came across my eyes and brought a sense of joy.
Last Friday, a blog post appeared regarding the COVID-19 vaccine being distributed around the U.K. The first person to receive the vaccine was Margaret Keena, age 90, of the U.K. Further down the line was to be the WWII veteran Michael Tibbs, shown in the picture above. The video below is an interview with Michael Tibbs, who is 99 years old. He offers a sense of hope during a pandemic that has plagued the world for nearly a year:
Imagine the history that Michael Tibbs has seen throughout his 99 years on this Earth. And he continues to make history as one of the first to receive the COVID-19 shot. Notice how he says that he is not lucky but Fortunate to get the vaccine. There is a difference in the choice of words.
Count your blessings to be able to have such a vaccine for a disease that has ravaged nearly 290,000 American lives. The New York Times has an expose titled "Those We've Lost," which is worth viewing. The range and caliber of people who have been taken by COVID-19 are unparalleled. Check it out if you do not believe me. I encourage each reader to do so. I was astonished by the biographies.
If you are having doubts about getting the vaccine, just look at the article mentioned. Be thankful that you still have time to live a good life. Gratitude is far from present in some household these days. Instead, a sense of rage exists in light of quarantine, and masking orders are given.
The news out of the U.K. this week regarding the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine should be a beacon of hope to all of the world's residents. Be thankful. Hope is here. Practice gratitude. Take a deep breath. Smile. You might just feel better like Michael Tibbs does these days.
Last week the results of COVID-19 vaccines made the news. Predictions were made on the early distribution around the world. Despite the ultra-cold temperatures needed to transport/store one version of the vaccine. Pfizer will ship to the U.K. while AstraZeneca and Moderna will be releasing predictions as soon as 'Emergency Use Authorizations' are granted by the Food and Drug Administration.
The interview above is around 30 minutes in length. Although, I would argue as a scientist that the video is well worth the time spent. There are several key topics discussed in the interview, which are listed below:
1) What is the importance of vaccine trials?
2) How does Moderna's vaccine work?
3) What about equity/diversity of race-based trials?
4) How much will the COVID-19 vaccine cost a person?
These questions will come to light in the coming days. Especially since the Pfizer vaccine has rolled out in the U.K. earlier this week. One of the most exciting results of the pandemic is that the way scientists work together across the world might change medicine in the future. Instead of sticking to our previous ways, different avenues that appeared during the pandemic might play a larger role in the future. Which would have the overall benefit to humanity in the future.
Regardless, the concerted effort of science worldwide to halt and come up with a COVID-19 vaccine is unprecedented and should shine brightly on all scientists around the world. Simultaneously, we have a major problem in society that the current President of the United States has discouraged his followers (around 73 million) people from believing scientific evidence, which is extremely dangerous.
Be careful what Politicians say in the public eye. The result can be hazardous. Scientific evidence is based on repeated research to validate results. Confirmation is a paramount obstacle that has finally been overcome with a vaccine from Pfizer.
Margaret Keenan, age 90, of the U.K., has received the first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. She is the first person in the world to receive the Pfizer vaccine. The event occurred yesterday morning. Reporting of the event has spread throughout the world like wildfire. Offering glimpses of hope to those who have lost a loved one to COVID-19 along with hopes of a brighter future to the rest of us -- still living in fear of contracting the virus and spreading it.
Anderson Cooper of CNN offered staggering statistics a couple of days ago on December 7th, the anniversary of Pearl Harbor. The attack left just over 2,400 military soldiers dead. In the video below, the statistics of deaths per day due to COVID-19 match that of Pearl Harbor. Which should be a wake-up call. Watch the video:
The main take-home message of the reporting above is that the Trump administration, along with the United States President, has never taken the COVID-19 virus seriously. And as a result, nearly 290,000 deaths have occurred. As news hits of the U.K. patients receiving COVID-19 vaccines, one cannot help but wonder why Americans are not receiving the same vaccine.
Turns out that the Trump administration refused to purchase Pfizer vaccines earlier in the year. What? This type of leadership lack is the same disappointing news that has surfaced over the last few years. Discouraging does not even begin to describe the state of the White House.
The New York Times reports that the Trump administration is now taking executive order to prevent COVID-19 vaccine distribution to other countries in hopes of getting doses to Americans. America's first right President Trump. Make America Great Again. So far, President Trump has made America laughable due to the lack of leadership over the course of the last 4 years.
At the very least, President Trump could come out and say that although the vaccine has arrived, each American should remain masked up when out in public. But that would take leadership and accountability—two qualities which are greatly lacking in our President.
We are suffering as a world. The economy is headed down the toilet. What happens when the mortgages that have been suspended back in March come due next March? Are Republicans going to step up and help those in need? Based on their actions thus far, the future looks very bad for those who stand to lose more as the COVID-19 virus continues to ravage the world.
Conclusion...
Yes, bad times are here. Yes, the good news is here, too, with the distribution of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine. With that being said, we should not become complacent. Each American should continue to wear a mask while out in public view. Yes, the mask is uncomfortable and annoying, but is it compared to the risk of dying? Stay safe and cheerful during the holiday season.
The economy is in shambles, with the COVID-19 virus touring the world, wreaking havoc on the planet's citizens. As a result, Black Friday sales are suffering, as are Christmas sales, which are approaching us quickly. What does this lack of sales or economic slowdown suggest for other areas of the world?
One area is construction. Surprisingly, housing construction slowed down at the beginning of the pandemic but is now resuming slowly. Road improvements, construction on the road has increased slightly during the pandemic, with traffic decreasing as people are quarantined to their residences. Other industries have not fared as well and continue to see a slowdown or potential shutdown.
With Congress refusing to support aid packages, business as usual has stalled tremendously. That will have a ripple effect down the road. As for the transformation from fossil fuels to renewable energy, the momentum has slowed. Recent reporting by Politico Energy has shown that the International Agency for Energy has stated that the transition toward renewable energy slowed over the course of the COVID-19 virus:
ENERGY INEFFICIENT: Countries are expected to post slow progress on energy efficiency across the globe this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to the International Energy Agency's latest energy efficiency report released this morning. "As a result of the crisis and continuing low energy prices, energy intensity is expected to improve by only 0.8% in 2020, roughly half the rates, corrected for weather, for 2019 (1.6%) and 2018 (1.5%)," the report said — well below the level needed to achieve global climate and sustainability goals.
"Together with renewables, energy efficiency is one of the mainstays of global efforts to reach energy and climate goals. While our recent analysis shows encouraging momentum for renewables, I'm very concerned that improvements in global energy efficiency are now at their slowest rate in a decade," said Fatih Birol, the executive director of the IEA, in a statement.
Investments in new energy-efficient buildings, equipment and vehicles are also expected to decline this year, mostly because of declines in economic growth and income uncertainty among consumers and businesses. Sales of new cars are expected to drop more than 10 percent from 2019, in turn keeping the overall vehicle fleet older and less efficient, the report said, although the share of electric vehicles in new car sales is expected to grow to 3.2 percent, up from 2.5 percent last year.
This is not surprising given the slowdown of the entire economy. Fewer people are working internationally. Therefore, shipping supplies and incorporating them into changing the current infrastructure has slowed down too. Add into the mix a lack of federal dollars from Congress, and the result is a transformation on hold. Which is sad.
Although, the real devastating loss is the nearly 275,000 people in the United States and the deaths of other countries. The lack of federal action has had a lasting effect so far this year. In an upcoming blog post, the topic of the ripple effect of misinformation will be addressed.
The world's expectations toward combating climate change and other drastically needed measures must be managed accordingly with the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In time, the world will return to a new normal. That new normal might entail greater momentum toward combating climate change. As the world is noticing how 'inaction' leads to a terrible result.
Pay attention and take action at all levels as possible. Congress take action now. People are out of work and need financial assistance. Local governments need financial assistance to fund unemployment benefits. These small local governments are not allowed to run monetary deficits like the federal governments. That means deficits equate to cuts - major cuts in other areas. Where is the money Congress?
Natural gas has gained interest over the last few decades for its reduced carbon footprint. Yes, greenhouse gases are emitted as a result of the use of natural gas. Although, the amount of carbon footprint in total is reduced -- which is a savings no matter which way the problem is viewed.
The year was 2015 in Porter Ranch, California, North San Fernando Valley. The location was a natural gas storage facility owned and operated by SoCal Gas (a subsidiary of Semper Energy). Over the course of a few months, after the casing on a Well (SS-215) failed, an unprecedented blowout occurred with methane being spewed into the atmosphere along with other unknown chemicals.
Residents of Porter Ranch have been waiting for five years for a proper health study to occur. The aerosolized chemicals spewed out which landed on their community (and mine) have an unknown composition. That is, the public is unaware of the composition.
Note: Full Disclosure - I sit on the Community Advisory Group for the Aliso Canyon Disaster Health Research Study being conducted by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
As the health study shapes into a 'Request For Proposal' to be sent out to scientists across the United States to propose research studies, the news hits that Senator Joe Manchin is eagerly awaiting the opening of another gas storage facility?
How is this possible without the dangers studied at Aliso Canyon?
I write to respectfully request an update on the Department of Energy’s plans to fulfill a provision of the Fiscal Year 2020 (FY 2020) Appropriations bill (P.L. 116-94) to report on the economic and security benefits of an underground storage facility for natural gas liquids (NGLs) in Appalachia.
We have spoken before about the proposed underground storage facility for NGLs, including ethane, also known as the “Appalachian Storage Hub,” and how it has the potential to be a gamechanger for not just the Appalachian region, but the nation. The DOE had previously studied the feasibility of establishing an ethane storage and distribution hub in the United States and found that it would have economic and strategic benefits, particularly given the current concentration of infrastructure in the Gulf Coast. This is in addition the potential to create 100,000 much needed jobs in Appalachia, according to the American Chemistry Council.
I believe it’s similarly important as we move forward with this critical project that the Department study the economic security and national security benefits of geographical diversification of this infrastructure by siting this Hub in Appalachia. These benefits can be maximized through partnerships with domestic businesses and international partners that have America’s best interests at heart.
This report was called for in the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Report (116-102) on the FY 2020 Energy and Water bill, S.2470 (pg. 107), which encourages the Department, in consultation with the Departments of Defense and Treasury, to issue a report which would identify the potential benefits of a storage and distribution hub to national security, including the identification of potential risks to national and economic security of significant foreign ownership and control of United States domestic petrochemical resources. I respectfully ask for an update on how the report is progressing and when your team plans to complete this critical report.
I appreciate the assistance that your staff have provided to mine and thank you for your attention and distinguished leadership on this critically important process.
With warmest regards,
Without going into detail over the controversy here in California, the opening of a new facility seems premature. I suggest those readers interested should read up on our meeting results and the progress of the study. There is even a possibility to input information/inquiry into the direction of the health study. What concerns do you have? Do you live near a natural gas storage facility?
At least wait for the results of a health study. Especially, given that the new facility stands to put more Americans in harm's way. Stay tuned for more results.
Earlier in the pandemic, the questions surrounding a vaccine for the COVID-19 virus were centered around a timeline toward production. After which, the evolving questions centered now around distribution -- equitable distribution. Who gets the first shots? With Pfizer distributing the vaccine approved by the British government, the questions about the COVID-19 virus have shifted once again.
The latest set of questions are centered on ethical medicine. Approval of the vaccination -- quick approval. Above that, another longstanding question has been regarding making such a vaccination mandatory across the United States. There are groups of people who hold the belief that vaccinations do more harm than good. I do not share their belief as scientists, but I can certainly understand where they are coming from.
Furthermore, mandatory action for a vaccination brings me back to an instance while serving in the United States Air Force from 1996 - 2000. First, though, I would like to share a video of an interview regarding the COVID-19 vaccinations and mandatory distribution by MSNBC shown below:
As I mentioned before I shared the video above, I encountered such a dilemma in the U.S. military overseas. The conundrum surrounded the distribution of the anthrax vaccine. The military was vaccinating all U.S. soldiers. Although interesting enough, not all soldiers had to receive the vaccination. Why?
The option was given to each soldier to not take the vaccination. What? Yes. The alternative was to be discharged from the United States Military with a possibility of an upgrade to honorable duty in 6 months. The last part about the upgrade has not been investigated by myself to this day.
What I do know is that a few of my fellow service personnel took the bait. I was astonished, to say the least. The result was their rapid shipment off of the overseas base (I mean rapid). Within a couple of days, they were gone. Their actual discharge process from the military took a while. I returned a few months later and one soldier was still waiting for discharge - for refusing to take the vaccine.
Needless to say, I was super surprised to see the option of refusing to take the vaccine back then. For a military soldier to refuse is rather unique. Why? Because the military owns a person once they enlist or enroll for military service. The military prides itself on taking care of soldiers. That includes preserving life if possible and being mission ready.
This also means taking a vaccine if necessary. Giving a soldier a choice strayed far from my idea of military service. Although, I would later learn that upon being told to deploy to a dangerous zone overseas, the military offers each military soldier the option to be a 'conscientious objector' and avoid deploying. Which is another subject altogether.
I believe that each American should get a vaccination for the COVID-19 virus. Simply because it is the right course of action for the greater good. There is a reason why medicine has advanced over the last 100 years to reduce unnecessary deaths due to a virus.
The Spanish Flu killed around half a million U.S. citizens. That was 100 years ago. One would think that modern medicine could reduce that number greatly with 100 years of technological development occurring in between. With nearly 270,000 Americans died due to a virus that could have been avoided, the mandatory vaccination of Americans seems more reasonable to me.
Challenges remain...
Before Americans have to actually deal with the question of being forced to get vaccinated from the COVID-19 virus, the immediate problem resides with the distribution of vaccination across the world. Currently, the Pfizer vaccine has to be stored at -70 degrees C. This is extremely cold. Dry ice can hold a tray at such a temperature.
Additionally, ultracold freezers can hold vaccine vials at such a temperature. But does the world have enough freezers to do so while disseminating the vaccine across the world? That remains to be seen.
These questions, along with past questions about the COVID-19 vaccine, will survive us living in the moment. History will write various opinions on both sides of the aisle. The challenge still remains to execute and achieve immunity, which is a story still to be written. Stay tuned!
