The Banter Brief: The "Inject Yourself With Lysol" President
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Welcome to this week’s edition of The Banter Brief — the best weekly round up on the interwebs!
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Also: Make sure to read the latest in our two part series for Members on the smearing of Joe Biden:
Part 2: Biden And The "Dementia" Conspiracy The Banter speaks to an actual neuroscientist who specializes in cognitive aging and asked for a professional opinion on Joe Biden's cognitive health.
1. Most Important Story Of The Week
An Unprecedented Number of Vaccine Trials
(image: Jennifer Haller receives the first administration of an mRNA vaccine, made by the biotech firm Moderna. Via AP PHOTO/TED S. WARREN)
According to Axios, there are at least “92 vaccines under development for COVID-19” going on around the world. This is completely unprecedented in human history, and the sheer amount of resources being thrown at what is universally recognized as our best chance of getting out of this horrendous mess, is breathtaking.
COVID-19 vaccine development is unique in that almost all the trials are not following the traditional, lengthy protocol that takes years to yield results. Advances in genetic engineering mean vaccine development could theoretically, happen in a number of months — potentially September. Via the Guardian:
The rest [of the vaccine trials] rely on the fast-track idea that the immune system doesn’t need to see the entire virus to generate the ammunition to fight it off in the future. If the virus is the warship, the theory is that the immune system needs only to see the enemy flag to form an indelible immune memory. In the case of Covid-19, this flag takes the form of prominent protrusions, known as spike proteins, that form a halo or “corona” around the virus….
….By September there could be a vaccine – maybe several – that appear broadly safe and effective.
There are of course, no guarantees any of the vaccines will work, but scientists around the world appear to be cautiously optimistic, particularly given COVID-19 is “quite stable genetically” So unlike the flu vaccine, once (and if) a workable vaccine for COVID-19 has been found, it won’t need to change every year. There are many, many hurdles to overcome — scalability, distribution, potential side effects, coordinating a global role out and so on, but if nations can work together there could be light at the end of the tunnel.
Runner up: president Trump told Americans yesterday that injections of disinfectant could help cure coronavirus. He said: “I see the disinfectant, where it knocks it out in a minute. And is there a way we can do something like that, by injection inside, or almost a cleaning”. (Yes, that is an actual quote).
Read Now: The Smearing Of Joe Biden Part 2: Biden And The "Dementia" Conspiracy - by Ben Cohen
2. Poll Analysis
The GOP is officially in panic mode over Trump’s polling. Americans are not impressed with his insane daily press briefings, and his poll numbers are going south. It is bad, and makes Trump’s reelection chances slimmer than ever. Reports Politico:
An NBC/Wall Street Journal poll released over the weekend revealed that voters thought Biden would do a better job than Trump in managing the virus by a 9-point margin, and new surveys show Trump trailing Biden in Florida, Michigan and Pennsylvania.
Democrats should not get too happy though — as The New York Times points out, Hillary Clinton was further ahead at a similar point in the 2016 election. Trump could, hypothetically, turn things around. The question is whether the same scorched earth tactics he used against Clinton will work on Biden.
3. Quote Of The Week
“As a global leader in health and hygiene products, we must be clear that under no circumstance should our disinfectant products be administered into the human body (through injection, ingestion or any other route). As with all products, our disinfectant and hygiene products should only be used as intended and in line with usage guidelines. Please read the label and safety information.”
- Reckitt Benckiser, the company that makes Lysol and Dettol, responding to president Trump’s suggestion that disinfectant be injected to treat Coronavirus.
4. What to Watch
The Angel
The Angel is an account of the remarkable life of Ashraf Marwan, son-in-law of the Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser, and advisor to his successor Anwar Sadat. Marwan became a spy for Israel's Mossad, and played a crucial role in forging peace between the two nations.
The Netflix movie has all the intrigue, tension and intelligence of a first rate spy thriller, with the added bonus of it being a true. While the script isn’t perfect (a little stale in places), Marwan Kenzari, who plays Marwan, is excellent, and the story so compelling you forget the imperfections of the film. Marwan is an ambiguous historical character, and his motives for betraying his country (or serving?) are unclear. The Netflix movie is sympathetic to Marwan, focusing on his humanity, vulnerability, and desire to avoid conflict, but there are question marks the film hints at. Was Marwan in it for money? What did he get out of his double crossing? It is a mystery viewers are left to ponder for themselves, and this makes the film all the more intriguing. Well worth a watch.
5. Good News
More good news for the Earth. According to new analysis from IQAir, a global air quality information and tech company “Lockdowns restricting travel and industry imposed to halt the spread of coronavirus have resulted in unprecedented reductions in deadly air pollution around the world.”
The report continues:
“Major cities that suffer from the world's worst air pollution have seen reductions of deadly particulate matter by up to 60% from the previous year, during a three-week lockdowns period…Seven out of the 10 cities studied, including New Delhi, Seoul, Wuhan and Mumbai, saw significant improvements in air quality. Those with historically higher levels of PM2.5 pollution witnessed the most substantial drops in pollution”.
When the pandemic ends, it will be interesting to see how eager we all are to go back to grey skies and poor lung health. One would very much hope not.
Have a great weekend!
Read more for Banter Members:
The Smearing Of Joe Biden Part 2: Biden And The "Dementia" Conspiracy
We spoke to an actual neuroscientist who specializes in cognitive aging and asked for a professional opinion on Joe Biden's cognitive health - by Ben Cohen
Tea Party 2.Derp
Like most sequels to bad movies, this one is somehow even dumber than the original, says Justin Rosario.
Republicans' approval of Trump's handling of COVID-19 is now 106%. They are funding Lysol to receive a $59 billion grant to study intravenous Lysol infusions. An arm of the study will look at the combination of Lysol + hydroxychloroquine, and another arm will compare Lysol to prayer alone. Who said the Republican party isn't for science?
”When the pandemic ends, it will be interesting to see how eager we all are to go back to grey skies and poor lung health. One would very much hope not.“
I certainly hope so.
But given how many morons are demanding that things “get back to normal NOW!!”, my expectation is they’ll make up for lost time and insist on being even worse polluters than before.