My Virtual Reading Room

The Partnership:The Secret History of the War in Ukraine, from the NYT

(gift link)

This is the untold story of America’s hidden role in Ukrainian military operations against Russia’s invading armies.

Item #1:



Item #2:

t.me/stalin_gulag/10373

...truly, it would've been difficult to have a vivid enough imagination to think up such news...

Did anything good happen in 2024? Actually, yes!

From cures for diseases, signs of climate hope and the beauty of nature, here are some of the positive news stories you might have missed this year.

(as a medical professional, I was especially pleased with the news from Chad, and the medical news)

Received a package from an unknown sender? Experts warn of new ‘brushing’ scam — here’s how to protect yourself this Christmas, from the NY Post

Santa Claus is coming to town, political cartoon edition

Don’t doomscroll about Trump. Do these five things instead.

Elections are important, but they’re not the only way to advance progressive policies.

If you can't take in anymore, there's a reason, by Nadia Bolz-Weber, from her Substack

an essay on circuit breakers, empty buckets, and the shame-show of social media

It was linked from a recent Carolyn Hax column, which might perhaps also be of interest to some people here.

(gift link, but I'm told Wash Post now asks for registration--I hasten to assure you it's quick and free)

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Russian pianist dies in jail after criticizing Moscow’s action in Ukraine, from AP News

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1. The Economist: ХАМАС осознал, что нападение на Израиль было стратегической ошибкой

Online weight-loss drug scams described

McAfee’s Threat Research Team has described the problem of malicious websites, emails and texts, posts on social media, and marketplace listings used by scammers to capitalize on both high demand and high prices for semaglutide drugs that can help with weight loss. [Karnik A. How Ozempic scams put people’s finances and health at risk. McAfee Blog, June 12, 2024] McAfee researchers reported:

• 449 risky website URLs and 176,871 dangerous phishing attempts centered around Ozempic, Wegovy, and semaglutide
• scammers on Facebook impersonate doctors based outside of the U.S. and promise semaglutide drugs without a prescription
• there were 207 scam postings in just one day in April for Ozempic on Craigslist and similar marketplaces
• scammers offered drugs at too-good-to-be-true, deeply discounted prices
• scammers offered to accept payment through Bitcoin, Zelle, Venmo, and Cash App, which are nonstandard methods for prescription drug payment.
• scammers may fail to deliver drugs consumers paid for or may even deliver fakes. Examples include EpiPens loaded with allergy medication, insulin pens, or pens loaded with a saline solution

They advise consumers to be wary of semaglutide drugs sold: (a) without prescriptions, (b) from unlicensed pharmacies, (c) at unreasonably low prices, (d) via websites that don’t provide verifiable product information, and (e) with testimonials.
Patients commonly discontinue semaglutide weight-loss treatment

An analysis of nationally representative, commercial insurance data has found while prescriptions of semaglutide drugs for weight management have increased exponentially, many patients discontinued the drugs before achieving clinically meaningful weight loss. [Real-world trends in GLP-1 treatment persistence and prescribing for weight management. Blue Health Intelligencer Issue Brief, May 2024] Key findings include:

• about half the patients who received prescriptions stayed on treatment for a minimum of 12 weeks, enough time to achieve clinically meaningful weight loss
• 30% of patients discontinued treatment within four weeks, before reaching the targeted dose
• patients aged 35 and older were more likely to stay on GLP-1 treatment for at least 12 weeks
• patients who regularly visited their healthcare providers were more likely to stay on the drugs

The report notes that almost all new users of the drugs suffer some gastrointestinal side effects. Patients often stop treatment due to difficulty coping with vomiting, nausea, and diarrhea.
“Adaptogen” marketing debunked

Yale University clinical neurologist Steven Novella, M.D., has noted the term “adaptogen” used in marketing some dietary supplements is vaguely defined and “just another marketing buzzword for snake oil products.” Claims made for adaptogens are akin to meaningless “structure-function” claims tolerated under the Dietary Supplement Health and Health Education Act (DSHEA) such as ”boosting the immune system,” “increasing energy," and “supporting a positive outlook.” Novella calls adaptogens “the same con with a new label.” [Novella S. What are “adaptogens”? Science-Based Medicine, June 5, 2024]

(from Dr. Barrett's Consumer Health Digest)

Two interesting pieces:

Why Simply Hustling Harder Won’t Help You With the Big Problems in Life (from GQ)

A conversation with author and self-help historian Kate Bowler about how productivity culture is a lot like a religion.

The Bizarre Social History of Beds, from The Conversation

Today, beds are thought of as bastions of privacy. But not long ago, they were the perches from which kings ruled and places where travelers hunkered down with complete strangers.

Five Healthcare-Related Ones:

WHO Overturns Dogma on Airborne Disease Spread. The CDC Might Not Act on It, from KFF Health News

...
The WHO concluded that airborne transmission occurs as sick people exhale pathogens that remain suspended in the air, contained in tiny particles of saliva and mucus that are inhaled by others.

While it may seem obvious, and some researchers have pushed for this acknowledgment for more than a decade, an alternative dogma persisted — which kept health authorities from saying that covid was airborne for many months into the pandemic.

Specifically, they relied on a traditional notion that respiratory viruses spread mainly through droplets spewed out of an infected person’s nose or mouth. These droplets infect others by landing directly in their mouth, nose, or eyes — or they get carried into these orifices on droplet-contaminated fingers. Although these routes of transmission still happen, particularly among young children, experts have concluded that many respiratory infections spread as people simply breathe in virus-laden air.

“This is a complete U-turn,” said Julian Tang, a clinical virologist at the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom, who advised the WHO on the report. He also helped the agency create an online tool to assess the risk of airborne transmission indoors...

A Doctor at Cigna Said Her Bosses Pressured Her to Review Patients’ Cases Too Quickly. Cigna Threatened to Fire Her, from ProPublica

Cigna tracks every minute that its staff doctors spend deciding whether to pay for health care. Dr. Debby Day said her bosses cared more about being fast than being right: “Deny, deny, deny. That’s how you hit your numbers,” Day said.

Three more from the NYT:

(gift links, so you can read if you don't have a subscription ;)

Skepticism Is Healthy, but in Medicine, It Can Be Dangerous

Women Are Calling Out ‘Medical Gaslighting’

Studies show female patients and people of color are more likely to have their symptoms dismissed by medical providers. Experts say: Keep asking questions.

The Moral Crisis of America’s Doctors

The corporatization of health care has changed the practice of medicine, causing many physicians to feel alienated from their work.

Cat climbed into Amazon return box, found alive 630 miles away, from The Washington Post

How ECMO Is Redefining Death, from The New Yorker

...as they say, "nobody dies on ECMO"...

Researchers raise doubts about CBD products promoted for pain relief

Based on their literature review of cannabidiol (CBD) products’ purity, harmful effects, and effectiveness, researchers from the U.K. and the University of Alberta have concluded: “For people living with pain, the evidence for CBD or hemp extract shows it is expensive, does not work, and is possibly harmful.” [Moore A, and others. Cannabidiol (CBD) products for pain: Ineffective, expensive, and with potential harms. The Journal of Pain, 25(4):833-842, 2024] Their key findings were:

• CBD products have varying amounts of CBD, from none to much more than advertised.
• CBD products may contain other chemicals that may be harmful.
• Out of 16 randomized clinical trials for pain using pharmaceutical CBD in oral, buccal/sublingual, and topical forms, 15 found no greater pain-relieving effect for CBD than for placebo.
• Meta-analyses link CBD to increased rates of serious adverse events and liver toxicity.

(from Quackwatch's Consumer Health email digest)

He didn’t know what a sonnet was. Now he’s won a major poetry prize.

Ajibola Tolase has been awarded the Cave Canem Prize, putting him in a storied literary lineage
~~

Do take a look, it's a very nice story! (And the would-be Latinist in me finds the name of the prize highly amusing)

Mental health and related matters:

How to enjoy your problems

Accepting your problems is one thing. To enjoy them? Well, that’s pretty much enlightenment. Here’s how to get there, by Chelsea Harvey Garner

The harms of adverse childhood experiences are well-known. But positive experiences can affect future health, too, from STAT News

Purpose in life and cognitive health: a 28-year prospective study, from Cambridge Uni Press

(Spoiler: their conclusion: Purpose in life is associated with healthier cognitive function measured up to 28 years later. Individuals with lower purpose, especially in their 60s or older, and with steeper declines in purpose, are more likely to have dementia at age 80.)

Quelle surpirse!

The New Science of Optimism and Longevity, from the MIT Press Reader.

A growing body of research suggests that optimism plays a significant role in promoting both physical and mental well-being.

Are we all doomed? How to cope with the daunting uncertainties of climate change, from Nature

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when thinking about the damage that might be wrought by global warming — but that is missing the point.


Microorganisms:

The Microbiome and Its Myth-Making Machine, from McGill Uni

If you have heard something very specific about the microbiome, odds are it’s wrong.

Everyone Is Eager to Forget Covid. But Who Are We Forgetting Along the Way?, collection of articles from Firefox Pocket

Critical care physician battles long COVID with hope and grit, from Kevin MD

Four years on: the career costs for scientists battling long COVID, from Nature

Many with the condition have found ways around their health problems, but they say more employer support is needed.

Four from The Cut:

The Lure of Divorce

(Seven years into my marriage, I hit a breaking point — and had to decide whether life would be better without my husband in it.)

My Marriage Was Never the Same After That

In 2016, I wrote a poem that went viral. My home life got complicated.

5 Marriage Counselors on What Therapy Can’t Fix


The Day I Put $50,000 in a Shoe Box and Handed It to a Stranger.

I never thought I was the kind of person to fall for a scam.


And one from The Washington Post:

Yes, it’s a scam: Simple tips to help you spot online fraud

Unexpected, on MedPage Today, earlier this week:

To the horror of a woman who discovered her biological father was her mother's fertility doctor, her former high school boyfriend turned out to have been her half-sibling. (CNN)

Below is the list of Top 7 Headlines from the Washington Post.

...and what they failed to mention in these headlines is that Israel and Ukraine both got bombed (yes again) at midnight, their time--aka, happy new year to you from your friends and cousins...
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Good morning. It’s Monday, Jan. 1. Happy New Year! Let us help you with your resolutions — take this quiz to get started. Now let’s catch up.

• Japan issued tsunami warnings after a massive earthquake.

What to know: An estimated 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck off Japan’s western coast today. Authorities urged those in vulnerable areas to evacuate or run to higher ground.
Zooming out: The warnings have stoked fears across Japan, where a 2011 earthquake led to towering waves and a nuclear disaster, killing at least 18,000 people.

• The U.S. Navy killed Houthi militants trying to board a shipping vessel in the Red Sea.

What happened? U.S. helicopters exchanged fire with militants from Yemen yesterday, sinking three boats and killing their crews, the U.S. said.
Why? American vessels are in the region to protect one of the world’s busiest shipping routes, which Iran-backed Houthis have threatened since the Israel-Gaza war began.
In Israel: The Israeli military said it was preparing for “prolonged fighting” in the Gaza Strip in 2024.
( Read more... )

From Alfred Koch's FB, Dec. 29th:


"Today I wanted to comment upon the jumps and grimaces which have started in Russia on the topic of "nearly naked" evening party of a certain lady called Ivleeva, which the entire Moscow beau monde has attended. Naturally, they all came "nearly naked". And they looked repellent and disgusting. Which is to say, they looked exactly the way they do clothed. In that sense, nakedness didn't help them.

I want to specify, right away, that I had left Russia before this woman's star has risen and therefore I cannot fully evaluate the extent of her talent.
but, judging by the number of her subscribers, she must be a local mega-star. Although I don't know in which genre.
But it seems she herself doesn't even know that. She's simply a star. In all the genres.Such things are possible nowadays."

6 Cool DIY Art Projects for Less Than $50

(I rather like the paper chain one)

Top Authors Share Their Must Reads of 2023


From The Washington Post:

Barbie, the Titan submersible and everything else we Googled in 2023

Did anything good happen in 2023? Actually, yes!

Ask Amy: Annual charity column shows ways to give

Carolyn Hax: Most-read columns of 2023