Wednesday, June 22, 2022

High optimism linked with longer life and living past 90 in women across racial, ethnic groups

 

“Higher levels of optimism were associated with longer lifespan and living beyond age 90 in women across racial and ethnic groups in a study led by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “Although optimism itself may be affected by social structural factors, such as race and ethnicity, our research suggests that the benefits of optimism may hold across diverse groups,” said Hayami Koga, a PhD student in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences studying in the Population Health Sciences program in partnership with Harvard Chan School and lead author of the study. 
“A lot of previous work has focused on deficits or risk factors that increase the risks for diseases and premature death. Our findings suggest that there’s value to focusing on positive psychological factors, like optimism, as possible new ways of promoting longevity and healthy aging across diverse groups.” The study was published online on June 8, 2022, in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society…”


Peter W Clark used to chat to blogger, John Hempton, during Wickenby hearings in Sydney courts

Today’s SMH has a fascinating insight into strip clubs and wirecard murky watergate of European finance

 “Hempton harboured a decade-long hunch that Wirecard was up to its eyeballs in some seriously bad stuff – widespread fraud, money-laundering for pornographers, Russian state actors and mercenaries.”


How Long Does Covid Immunity Last? Will a Second Illness Be Worse? How Can I Prepare?

The New York Times – “Some reinfection questions, answered. If you’re one of the millions of Americans who have already had Covid-19, you may be wondering how long you will have immunity from the coronavirus. Earlier in the pandemic, most people assumed that getting infected had at least one upside: that you would be protected against future encounters with the virus. But as the latest wave heads toward the Western region of the country and the virus shows no signs of easing up, reinfections seem to have become common. 

Already, many people are reporting second or even third infections with newer variants. Experts have warned that exposure to the coronavirus — through vaccination or infection — does not mean that you are completely protected from future infections. Rather, the coronavirus is evolving to behave more like its closely related cousins, which cause common colds and infect people repeatedly throughout their lives…”


Whose Venice Is It?

The Biennale is ticking along, and controversy remains: Some Venetians "feel that the Biennale, aided by the current city government, is monopolizing space that could be used by locals to create a sustainable, year-round cultural and economic life beyond tourism." - The New York Times


… once upon a time: The Russians are coming! The Russians are coming!

Thanks to Putin, Russia has resumed its old ways


The Fed Can’t Fix What’s Driving Inflation. But It Can Start a Recession. J.W. Mason, Barron’s. “If wages aren’t what’s driving inflation, why are we addressing inflation with tools that act mainly on wages?”

 

This Is Going to Hurt NYT (Re Silc). “Policymakers are engineering this slowdown. Then, the problem was a global pandemic; now, it’s stubbornly high inflation, and the main way the government knows to solve that is by inflicting some economic pain.” Remember the pandemic? Good times

 

Apple workers vote to unionize at Maryland store Associated Press

 

Labor Notes Headliner Covered Up Sexual Assault & Retaliated Against Chicago Union Democracy Activists Payday Report. Yikes.

 

Amazon builds property empire, quietly buying land across the U.S. Seattle Times 


Facebook Says Apple is Too Powerful. They’re Right. Cory Doctorow, Electronic Frontier Foundation