Obama's Virtual Commencement Address

For the record, another inspiring speech from the former president, directed to the nation's high-school class of 2020:

Doing what feels good, what's convenient, what's easy -- that's how little kids think. Unfortunately, a lot of so-called grown-ups, including some with fancy titles and important jobs, still think that way -- which is why things are so screwed up. I hope that instead, you decide to ground yourself in values that last, like honesty, hard work, responsibility, fairness, generosity, respect for others.

Bonus:  For comedy relief, here's a couple of headlines that made me laugh out loud.

Fox Host:  Obama's "Not All That Articulate"

Trump Calls Obama "Grossly Incompetent"

How Small Our Differences

Former president George W. Bush released this timely nonpartisan message to the nation on Saturday via Twitter:

Let us remember how small our differences are in the face of this shared threat.  In the final analysis, we are not partisan combatants.  We are human beings, equally vulnerable and equally wonderful in the sight of God.  We rise or fall together - and we are determined to rise.

Strange but True

Twin brothers die in pandemics 100 years apart:

The Data Is In - So?

Did the nation overreact to the pandemic?

Scott W. Atlas, M.D., formerly professor and Chief of Neuroradiology at Stanford University, now a health care policy Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, a conservative think tank, presents "five key facts" about the pandemic in this opinion piece published on The Hill political journalism website.  He begins with these startling statistics:

Five key facts are being ignored by those calling for continuing the near-total lockdown.

Fact 1: The overwhelming majority of people do not have any significant risk of dying from COVID-19.

The recent Stanford University antibody study now estimates that the fatality rate if infected is likely 0.1 to 0.2 percent, a risk far lower than previous World Health Organization estimates that were 20 to 30 times higher and that motivated isolation policies.

In New York City, an epicenter of the pandemic with more than one-third of all U.S. deaths, the rate of death for people 18 to 45 years old is 0.01 percent, or 10 per 100,000 in the population. On the other hand, people aged 75 and over have a death rate 80 times that. For people under 18 years old, the rate of death is zero per 100,000.

Of all fatal cases in New York state, two-thirds were in patients over 70 years of age; more than 95 percent were over 50 years of age; and about 90 percent of all fatal cases had an underlying illness. Of 6,570 confirmed COVID-19 deaths fully investigated for underlying conditions to date, 6,520, or 99.2 percent, had an underlying illness.

If you do not already have an underlying chronic condition, your chances of dying are small, regardless of age. And young adults and children in normal health have almost no risk of any serious illness from COVID-19.

I have no expertise in epidemiology, so I make no claims about the truthfulness of this article.  It is thought-provoking, though.  You can read it and form your own opinion, taking into consideration other facts and points of view.

Also in the news:  Navy hospital ship in New York Harbor discharges, transfers last patients