AN EARTH-SHATTERING KABLOOOP: Decades Ago a Huge Noise Roared in The Ocean. For Years It Was a Mystery.

IS THIS REALLY A NEW CHALLENGE, OR EVIDENCE THAT COVID WASN’T ONE? The Rise of “Long Flu” – A New Health Challenge Similar to Long COVID. Long-term sequelae of flu aren’t new. I lost much of my sense of smell for years after having flu at age 12.

Plus, note this about the overhyped lethality of Covid: “During the overall 18-month study period, patients who had COVID-19 faced a 50% higher risk of death than those with seasonal influenza.” So the “it’s a bad flu” argument appears to have carried the day.

RISE OF THE MACHINES: “We are ~3 years away from the ChatGPT moment for physical AI agents.”

NOTHING WILL. The ‘wealth transfer’ from boomers won’t save Gen X and millennials.

JUSTICE: “If you, like me, think that the January 6th defendants have often been overcharged for merely entering the Capitol building, then you should be watching this case. The Supreme Court has just granted cert to an appeal by Joseph Fischer, who was charged with obstructing an official proceeding of Congress and thus faces a severe sentence. The charges are based on a law passed in the early aughts (2002). Those charges are based solely on his trespass and not on any violence or destruction.”

SURE, THAT’LL WORK: Chicago Mayor Settles On a Bold New Crime-Reduction Strategy: Issuing Lots of Reparations Checks.

WELL, GOOD: Single ‘smart’ insulin injection regulates glucose levels in mice and minipigs up to one week.

OUT NEXT WEEK FROM KURT SCHLICHTER: The Attack. An October 7 style attack in the United States? It could happen. (Bumped).

THE TRUTH AND THE GASLIGHTING:

The truth:

The suffering public aren't imagining things. — Larry Summershttps://t.co/drgvWnXXBR

— wretchardthecat (@wretchardthecat) December 30, 2023

The gaslighting:

How much more good luck can the world survive?https://t.co/FEWJIEDCMM

— wretchardthecat (@wretchardthecat) December 31, 2023

TYLER COWEN ON HARVARD:

Harvard, upon closer examination, seems to have a quite mediocre governing board. I believe there are a few exceptions on the list of names, but nonetheless I see a lot of evidence for a critical mass of poor decision-makers, many of them also lacking in courage. Furthermore, they are bad at the things they are supposed to be good at.

Just as Harvard has many of the best faculty, and many of the best students, I had expected the school would have a super-distinguished and super-competent board, even if it was a board I might have disagreed with on many key issues. I had never looked at the Harvard board before. So I was naive. But in fact the board of “the Corporation” is a big, big disappointment (WSJ), relative to the rest of the institution. Harvard seems to do best when the relevant decisions are not being made by the governing board. More fundamentally, viewed as a political economy problem, I don’t see which are the institutions or incentives in place to make the board really, really good, as it ought to be. Nope.

Most of our institutions seem to be like this nowadays.

ONWARD AND UPWARD: SpaceX ends 2024 with new round of Starlink satellites.

KEEP UP THE SCARE: DEI programs in the tech industry are in broad retreat. “CNBC notes not only cuts, but also scaling back of hiring: ‘By mid-2023, DEI-related job postings had declined 44% from the same time a year prior…. In November 2023, the last full month for which data was available, it dropped 23% year over year.'”

LIFE GOALS:

“Enemy of global communism”

Like dude, write that on my tombstone https://t.co/G9eTQLiCJG

— Hannah Cox (@HannahDCox) December 31, 2023

HOW ABOUT JUST END FEDERAL FUNDING, PERIOD? Crenshaw proposes bill to end funding for schools with mandatory DEI statements.

HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE: Bates College faculty fearful of challenging students due to far-left DEI office.

ROUNDUP: Articles about military drones.

THERE’S A TSUNAMI WARNING: Evacuation underway after massive earthquake strikes western Japan.

REMINDER:

Since "Capitalism" is trending on X this New Year's Eve, it's a perfect time to remind everyone that it is the single best system for reducing poverty and improving the overall human condition that has ever been discovered. pic.twitter.com/J767QxBlZg

— Ezra Wyrick 🗽 (@Ezra4Liberty) December 31, 2023

WELL, KEEP UP THE SCARE: DEI is on the run. “Diversity, equity, and inclusion, or DEI, in higher education was deceptively sold as a set of policies designed to promote “the fair treatment and full participation of all people,” particularly groups that “have historically been underrepresented.” But DEI offices have proved to be epicenters of division and ideological conformity, stirring hostilities and imposing an intolerant monoculture. Fortunately, 2023 saw more than a dozen states start to take action against the DEI hydra, with six achieving concrete steps that other states should follow.”

ANALYSIS: TRUE. “As we survey the American landscape, we cannot help but notice that just about everything has been corrupted by the left.”

JONATHAN HAIDT & ZACH RAUSCH: What We Learned in 2023 About Gen Z’s Mental Health Crisis.

ROGER KIMBALL: The Pitfalls of Benevolence: Unpacking the Toxic Mix of Universal Good Intentions and Political Correctness in the New Year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE, EVEN THE LOSERS AND THE HATERS.

MICROBIOME NEWS: Study reveals relationship of gut microbiome on children’s brain development and function.

OPEN THREAD: Last of the year. Try to be worthy.