Ominous rumblings regarding US election – here and elsewhere, social media have a lot to answer for. With the right policies, we might emerge from the COVID crisis a bit faster than previously thought, but some patience still needed. More evidence that we do have a ‘say’ in our healthspan.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
‘Facebook has been (…) a disaster for the world, a powerful vector for paranoia, propaganda, and conspiracy-theorizing as well as authoritarian crackdowns and vicious attacks on the free press. Wherever it goes, chaos and destabilization follow.” – Jamelle Bouie in the New York Times
Barton Gellman, The Election That Could Break America
(The Atlantic, November 2020 Issue)
The recent comment from Donald Trump that he might not endorse a “peaceful” transfer of power if he loses the November election makes this article more pertinent than ever. If the vote is close, the President could easily throw the election into chaos and subvert the result. Some reputable analysts are warning that conditions are ripe for a constitutional crisis that would leave the nation without an authoritative result. An in-depth article delves into the details of a well-too possible crisis that would entail dramatic consequences for the entire world (reads in about 15 min).
Click here to read the full article.
Paul De Grauwe and Yuemei Ji, A tale of three depressions
(VOXeu, 24 September 2020)
The two economists argue that, once the fears about COVID-19 are gone, the global economy has the capacity to rebound quickly, and much faster than after the Great Depression in the 1930s and the Great Recession of 2007-2008 (during these two major crises the banks had to be fixed before a recovery could be sustainable). Today, banks do not have to be fixed, meaning that IF governments and central banks continue to support economic activity, the recovery could be faster than we think (reads in 7-9 min).
Click here to read the full article.
Sarun Charumilind, Matt Craven, and others, When will the COVID-19 pandemic end?
(McKinsey, 21 September 2020)
This is a useful read, insofar as it reflects the best “common wisdom” available from the business community. The strategy consultants make a useful distinction between (1) an epidemiological endpoint (when herd immunity is achieved) and (2) a transition to a form of normalcy. They expect (in the US, and probably also true for most rich countries) the former to take place in the third or fourth quarter of 2021 and the latter to happen around the first or second quarter of next year (reads in 10 min+).
Click here to read the full article.
Catherine Buni and Soraya Chemaly, The Risk Makers
(OneZero Medium, 21 September 2020)
This is a longer-than usual-read (30 min +), but a necessary one to understand the critical extent to which social media platforms have engineered viral hate, sowed the seeds for genocidal violence, and undermined democracy by creating election interference. Take the time to dive into the tech industry’s decades-long failure to reckon with the risk. A damning account, often based on insightful comments from industry insiders.
Click here to read the full article.
Jancee Dunn, Is Aging a Disease You Can Reverse? A Look at the Science Behind the Longevity Movement
(Vogue, 22 September 2020)
Many scientists now regard aging as a disease that can be targeted, treated, and perhaps even reversed. They argue that when it comes to healthspan, genetics account for only some 20%, our environment, and lifestyle accounting for the rest. This is the reason why longevity is the wellness world’s latest buzzword. Proper diet and exercise seem to play a predominant role. So does sleep and stress control. An easy and short read (6-7 min) that contains a review of the essential literature.
Click here to read the full article.
