Category: current events

The AARO Finally Has a Website And is it Part of a Zero-Sum Game?

The All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) finally has a website—more than a year after it was formed.

It looks like there’s an intriguing message in the section “Coming Soon: US Government UAP-Related Program/Activity Reporting.” It says AARO will accept reports of UAP from current government employees who know of any programs or activities related to UAPs dating back to 1945.

One sentence tells you “This form is intended as an initial point of contact with AARO; it is not intended for conveying potentially sensitive or classified information.  Following the submission of your report, AARO staff may reach out to request additional detail or arrange for an informational interview.”

Several other sections provide further information and pictures and videos on UAP.

I wonder if all this is a reaction to the House Oversight Committee Hearing on UAP on July 26, 2023. Either the website has been under construction for all of last year and was just finished a couple days ago or it was just thrown together recently.

This makes me think of a couple of things, one is Dr. George Dawson’s blog post “Is This An Episode of the X-Files?” The other is an X-Files episode itself, “Zero Sum” which Sena and I just saw a couple of nights ago. We don’t remember seeing it when it first aired in 1997. You can read the Wikipedia article about the episode.

The gist of it is that Assistant Director Skinner makes a deal with the Smoking Man in which the latter will save Agent Scully’s life (she’s dying of cancer related to alien experiments) if Skinner hides the death of a postal worker who was killed by a swarm of bees carrying smallpox. This is part of a complex plot by a group called the Syndicate which is either trying to work with extraterrestrials to either exterminate the human race or save it (depending on which episode you watch) by using bees as a vehicle to transmit either smallpox or a vaccine to cure the Black Oil, which screws you up pretty bad. Part of this is my interpretation because the storyline sometimes is not clear about this to me.

Anyway, the back-and-forth actions and reactions of the characters, especially Skinner and the Smoking Man, are pretty good examples of a Zero-Sum game, loosely defined in that neither gets much of an edge on the other as they both try to counter each other’s efforts in what is probably just a power struggle from the Smoking Man’s perspective and a desperate effort to save Scully’s life from Skinner’s perspective.

Anyway, I wonder if the UAP reporters and the government (including the AARO) might be in some kind of zero-sum game. UAP reporters try to get the government to admit that Extraterrestrial Biological Entities (EABs) and Extraterrestrial spacecraft exist. But the government denies it. Neither side ever seems to get much further ahead of the other.

CDC Update Today on Covid-19 Variant BA.2.86

Today’s update by the CDC on the Covid-19 variant BA.2.86 is at this link.

Highlights:

  • “The variant has been identified in at least four states in the United States in samples from either people or wastewater.
  • This variant is currently being studied in the laboratory to help understand how the immune system may interact with this virus.
  • The current increases in cases and hospitalizations in the United States are likely being driven by infections with XBB lineage viruses, not the new BA.2.86 variant.”

“CDC’s current assessment is that the updated COVID-19 vaccine, which will be available in mid-September, will likely be effective at reducing severe disease and hospitalization. Immune responses generated from prior infection also help protect against severe outcomes of COVID-19. There is currently no evidence that this variant is causing more severe illness. That assessment may change as additional scientific data are developed. CDC remains committed to releasing updates on trends and observations of this variant.”

“Immune Impacts:  Approximately 97% of the U.S. population has antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 from vaccination, previous infection, or both (hybrid immunity). Immune responses to vaccines and infections are complex and involve both humoral (antibodies) and cellular immunity. It is likely that the humoral and cellular immune responses will continue to provide protection against severe disease from this variant. Laboratories are currently working on measuring antibody neutralization of BA.2.86 as well as other immune responses. This is an area of ongoing scientific investigation.

Therapeutics: The assessment as to the impact of BA.2.86 on currently approved or authorized therapeutics is unchanged. Examination of the mutation profile of BA.2.86 suggests that currently available treatments like nirmatrelvir-ritonavir (Paxlovid), remdesivir (Veklury), and molnupiravir (Lagevrio) will be effective against this variant. This assessment is from the SARS-CoV-2 Interagency Group (SIG), which comprises experts from multiple United States government agencies. Monitoring is ongoing, and CDC will update this document as additional data on the impact of this variant on therapeutics become available.”

CDC ACIP to Discuss Covid-19 Vaccines on September 12, 2023

The CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has a scheduled meeting on September 12, 2023 to discuss Covid-19 vaccines. The information about it is a bit difficult to find. It’s announced as a notice on the Federal Register. On the agenda:

Matters To Be Considered: The agenda will include discussion of COVID–19 vaccines. Recommendation votes for COVID–19 vaccines are scheduled. Agenda items are subject to change as priorities dictate. For more information on the meeting agenda, visit https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/meetings/index.html.

Clicking the link as of August 28, 2023 did not reveal a meeting agenda, but I expect this to be updated in the near future.

“I Have a Dream” Speech 60 Years Later

Today is the 60th anniversary of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.

I was too young to remember it. However, I have a deep appreciation of the meaning it has not just for Black people, but for all of us. It’s not difficult to broaden the implication for all people.

My personal reflection about this started this morning with a look at one of my primary school class pictures. I’m the handsome guy 2nd from the left in the top row. The other kids of color in the photo are Latino.  

The photo shows not just a group of kids. It also illustrates, just by chance, pretty closely the percentage of black persons in the state of Iowa as of the 2021 U.S. census, about 4%. Historically though, in the county in which I was living at that time, the percentage of nonwhite persons was listed at 0.4%. This was a 28% drop from the previous decade. In 1980, the percentage of Black people in the state was only 1.8%. As near as I can tell from the web, the current percentage of Black people as of the most recent data is 3.74% (possibly as of 2021).

My father was black and my mother was white. In Iowa, the law against miscegenation (marriage between blacks and whites) was repealed in 1839. On the other hand, my parents got their marriage license in 1954 in Watertown, South Dakota—which was 3 years prior to when that state repealed its law against interracial marriage. Right below the license, though, is a certificate of marriage marked State of South Dakota in Codington County. It certifies that my parents were married in Mason City, Cerro Gordo County in the state of Iowa.

I’m not going to try to puzzle that one out. My mother kept a lot of old photos and legal records that anchor me in my personal history.

I have photos of my father with me and my brother, Randy. I also have photos of my mother with me and my brother.

What I don’t have are photos of all of us together. It’s understandable to ask why. I wonder if it has something to do with the culture and mindset of the time. Why was it not possible to find someone, black or white, to snap a family photo of us together?

We can pass legislation repealing anti-miscegenation laws as well as other laws to protect civil rights. That is a necessary (but perhaps insufficient) step toward non-exclusion of certain groups of people from basic human rights.

Ashley Sharpton, who is an activist with the National Action Network and daughter of Reverend Al Sharpton, said that Americans need to “turn demonstration into legislation.”

I agree with her. On the other hand, I also wonder what more has to happen in the minds of all of us to turn legislation into transformation—of our personal implicit biases, which are not in themselves always bad or inescapable.

And since we’re into rhyming, what about asking another question? Can we turn demonstration into legislation while encouraging transformation without bitter confrontation?

Official CDC Update on New Covid-19 Variant BA.2.86

I’ve been looking for official CDC news about the new Covid-19 variant, BA.2.86 and it looks like it was just posted on their website yesterday.

Highlights:

“Last week, a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 called BA.2.86 was detected in samples from people in Denmark and Israel. At least two cases have been identified in the United States. This variant is notable because it has multiple genetic differences from previous versions of SARS-CoV-2.”

“Based on what CDC knows now, existing tests used to detect and medications used to treat COVID-19 appear to be effective with this variant. BA.2.86 may be more capable of causing infection in people who have previously had COVID-19 or who have received COVID-19 vaccines. Scientists are evaluating the effectiveness of the forthcoming, updated COVID-19 vaccine. CDC’s current assessment is that this updated vaccine will be effective at reducing severe disease and hospitalization. At this point, there is no evidence that this variant is causing more severe illness. That assessment may change as additional scientific data are developed. CDC will share more as we know more.”

Moderna Files for FDA Authorization of Updated Covid-19 Vaccine

The Moderna corporation announced in June 2023 that it filed for FDA authorization of its monovalent XBB. 1.5 vaccine.

Pfizer also announced the same message in August. It’s on page 4 of the Pfizer Earnings Call.

Hawaii Memories

The wildfires in Maui are so devastating. We wish everyone the best. We also had a wave of nostalgia back to 1997 when we visited the Hawaiian Islands on our first vacation in a long while after I finished my psychiatry residency in 1996.

The plane trip was very long and what I remember most about it, flying all the way from Iowa, was the terrible case of bilateral airplane ear which lasted for a couple of hours after we landed in Honolulu. After that, things got a lot better. It was a long time ago, so the memories are a little hazy.

We remember the bus from the airport stopped at the hotel where the tour guide got out to check the reservations for all of us. It was very hot because the bus driver didn’t want to let the vehicle run so as to allow the air conditioner to cool us off. We were probably the youngest members of the tour group. It was the oldest who complained the loudest, finally convincing the bus driver to start the bus to cool everybody off.

After we arrived at the hotel, it was also the oldest members who had the energy to go out and see Don Ho perform. When they got back, they said he got drunk, but he was able to sing “Tiny Bubbles.” We were too exhausted to go. The oldest group members were often the most energetic.

We went a great little restaurant in either Kauai or maybe it was in Hilo, Hawaii (the Big Island) and got plates of huge shrimp. They were shorthanded on servers and several members of the tour group (again the older ones) pitched in to help out.

We saw the Kodak Hula Show in Honolulu on the island of Oahu. I read a little about it and the show nearly closed in 1999, but it was taken over by the Hogan Family Foundation for three years at a cost of half-million dollars per year. The show closed in 2002 so that the money could be used to fund educational programs.

Of course. we also visited the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor. One of our tour group members who was a veteran of that war wept as he read the names. We became friends with him and his wife and sent each other Christmas cards for a few years afterward.

We saw the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens in Hilo, Hawaii. It’s huge. It was a tribute to the Japanese immigrants to The Big Island who helped build its agricultural history beginning in 1868.

We visited the Wailua River State Park Fern Grotto Area and the Waimea Canyon in Kauai. The latter is also known as The Grand Canyon of the Pacific. I think Kauai was where I first tried coffee-flavored ice cream—Kona coffee, I’m sure. It remains one of my favorites, next to plain vanilla.

We got a few photos of the Iao Needle in the Iao Valley on Maui. We went to a big luau, but I can’t remember exactly where it was. I remember I was coming down with a head cold and had a runny nose. We tried poi, and I’m afraid I didn’t find it very tasty—and it had nothing to do with cold.  Maui was the final island to see on our itinerary. I think we saw the huge Banyan Tree in Lahaina because we have a picture of a very large tree with Sena standing in front of it.

The 150-year-old Banyan Tree was charred in the fire, but it’s still standing.

Shout Out to University of Iowa Hospitals Doctor Joseph Zabner!

Here’s a big shout out and congratulations to my former University Hospitals colleague Dr. Joseph Zabner who received the 2023 Distinguished Mentor Award.

Maybe an Iowa State Fair Contest Would Settle the Score in UFO Flap

I just saw the news story about the whistleblower David Grusch a couple days ago. Apparently, Mr. Grusch’s personal medical record was obtained through the state of Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and released to the public. He was one of three people who testified recently at the House Oversight Committee hearing on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP). He reported that the Department of Defense (DoD) had knowledge of extraterrestrial craft and “biologics” (extraterrestrial bodies?).

This reminds me of one of the final comments by one of the other three witnesses, which is worth framing as a quote:

“Don’t make the fish bigger than it was.” — retired Commander David Fravor of the U.S. Navy.

The current director of the DoD organization for UFOs, Sean Kirkpatrick, PhD, who heads the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), expressed his objection in no uncertain terms to Mr. Grusch’s testimony, calling it insulting.

Anyway, I had to learn a little bit more about the FOIA, and found out that in addition to the federal government FOIA, each state has its own FOIA process. I looked up the Virginia state FOIA, and usually personal medical records are one of the exempted files. Apparently, they can still release them.

I think this might be an attempt to discredit Mr. Grusch. I’m puzzled by the release of his medical history. I don’t know anything about specific protections for retaliation against whistleblowers, but I would think exposing anyone’s medical record would count.

Not to spread any more conspiracy theories, but what if this whole thing is a well-orchestrated complex distraction from the general shambles of our political system? It would tend to discourage other whistleblowers from coming forward. Maybe that’s the intent.

If politicians and people in general were to make a concerted effort to treat each other with civility, respect, and a sense of humor, maybe these embarrassing sideshows could be minimized.

I don’t know if UAP involve advanced civilizations from across the galaxy and I doubt it. In fact, I tend to think a quote from Men in Black would fit:

“Human thought is so primitive it’s looked upon as an infectious disease in the better galaxies.”

I’m pretty sure most ETs have been steering clear of us for a long time.

How about this: the Iowa State Fair is on now, and it runs from August 10-20. I haven’t checked this out with anyone at the Fair, but if we could persuade David Grusch and Sean Kirkpatrick to settle their differences by competing in one or more of the contests coming up in the coming week, we might be able to get them to shake hands and have some laughs. Sena and I have never been to the Iowa State Fair, but if this event could be added, I think we could swing a trip there.

I see that the Cow Chip Throwing contest is scheduled for August 16 at 11 a.m. That would be a knee slapper.

It’s too late to arrange for them to compete in the Monster Arm Wrestling contest, which is this Sunday. Could a special event be scheduled later?

How about a cribbage game? The Cribbage Tournament is on August 20, starting at 10 a.m. with registration and the games start at 11 a.m.  Now that would be special since Sena and I are fans of the game. David and Sean would have to learn how to play cribbage ahead of time, and it’s not that hard.

There are other events, but the guys need to get ready and decide soon so they can enter. And they should notify me so that Sena and I can make the trip to Des Moines and catch the action.

Both winner and loser should get free corn dogs.