"[T]he mortality rate among patients over age 65 exceeded 26 percent, and almost all patients over 65 who needed mechanical ventilation during that period died."

According to a new JAMA article (which studied coronavirus patients in Northwell Health hospitals "in and around New York City"), reported in "Do You Want to Die in an I.C.U.? Pandemic Makes Question All Too Real/Sobering statistics for older patients sharpen the need to draw up advanced directives for treatment and share them with their families" (NYT).

A new study in JAMA Internal Medicine questioned 180 patients over age 60 with serious illnesses; most said they would trade a year of life if that meant they could avoid dying in an I.C.U. on life support.... “Many older patients we’ve encountered with Covid-19 have opted not to undergo ventilation and an I.C.U.,” Dr. White said. “No one should impose that on a patient, though if there’s true scarcity, that may arise. But patients might choose it for themselves.”...

While you're thinking about that, here's the ad the NYT served up for me in the middle of the article:



"More than 20% of Americans think vampires are real/More than 25% think climate change is not"... therefore you might want to donate $1,000 to the World Health Organization. We're supposed to worry that a fifth to a quarter of Americans are so science-ignorant that we should give money to an organization that may or may not represent good science. How would I know? Well, one thing is: I'm wondering if it is really true that 20% of Americans think vampires are real, because if they don't, then the organization is passing on fake statistics and that's evidence against its dedication to good science!

Here's a study from last year (at YouGov) that says 13% of Americans believe in vampires — 14% of Republicans and 8% of Democrats. And here's an IPSOS survey from last year that said "Almost half of Americans believe that ghosts are real (46%), and a third believe that aliens visit earth (32%), while only a small amount believe in vampires (7%) and zombies (6%)."

For $1,000, you need to do better with the statistics. And now I'm wondering about the value of the statistics about how likely you are to die if you're over 65 and end up on a ventilator. Just as the World Health Organization wants its donations, the health care system would benefit if you decline its services and accept home-based death.

"Brussels has decided against decorating its iconic Manneken-Pis statue in a Michael Jackson costume as planned for the 10th anniversary of the US pop icon's death, officials said Friday."

"The decision was made in the wake of a new documentary, 'Leaving Neverland,' which since its release this year has revived claims the singer sexually abused children. Brussels' famous Manneken-Pis statue of a nude young boy has been cheekily urinating into a Baroque fountain for 400 years. He is dressed about 130 times a year in various outfits often donated by organisations or embassies to mark a special occasion or event, such as the Chinese new year or the start of football's World Cup."

Yahoo reports.



Well, at least the Belgians aren't clamoring to take down the statue taken down (which is the incipient practice in the United States). What can they do when the thing is such a landmark? How many tourists assemble at the foot of this little boy every day?

Manneken Pis (About this sound[ˌmɑnəkə(m) ˈpɪs], meaning "Little Pisser" in Dutch) is a landmark 61 cm (24 in) bronze sculpture in the centre of Brussels (Belgium), depicting a naked little boy urinating into a fountain's basin. It was designed by Hiëronymus Duquesnoy the Elder and put in place in 1618 or 1619. The current statue is a replica which dates from 1965. The original is kept in the Museum of the City of Brussels.[ Manneken Pis is the best-known symbol of the people of Brussels. It also embodies their sense of humour (called zwanze in the dialect of Brussels) and their independence of mind.

At that last link (to Wikipedia), there are several photos on the Mannekin Pis in costumes (and the explanation that the statue is dressed in costumes several times a week). I'll just pick one, the Dracula:



By the way, the Belgians have installed a female version of the Manneken Pis, the Jeanneke Pis, erected in 1987. Also in Belgium, Het Zinneke (Zinneke = bastard), a statue of a dog urinating. Why Belgians want to be associated with pissing, I'm not so sure. I guess once one thing is very famous, other things will refer to it. Or maybe I just need to understand more about zwanze:

Not easily defined, zwanze is characterised by mockery, self-deprecation, a wariness of power and an incredulous response to all types of authority, which on occasion is too forgiving of official blunders.

"Zwanze is a bit like gueuze (a Belgian beer) and grenadine,” remarks [the author Alain] Berenboom. “It is a combination of bitter beer and sweet syrup, two apparently incompatible products Belgians like to mix to make a drink called Mort subite [Sudden death], which is only fatal for cranky people... "

"Doctors urge women to stop putting garlic in vaginas..."

A teaser at Drudge goes to "No, Putting Garlic in Your Vagina Will Not Cure a Yeast Infection" (at Oprah Magazine). The best part of that is the comments, which generally proceed on 2 themes, exemplified by: 1. "But garlic pairs well with fish" and 2. "Keeps away vampires!"

ESPN's sports-writing metaphor makes it impossible to understand the incident it is writing about.

"MSU irked by Wolverines' slight... extinguish the flames... dumping gasoline... on the ropes... parting shot... Throwing the stake down in our backyard... Michigan players planted a stake on the Spartan Stadium turf... 'It just felt like we needed to put a stake in them at that point'... defeating Michigan State was like beating his 'little brother'... 'The little brother stuff, all the disrespect...'... 'Throwing the stake down in our backyard out here and coming out there like they're all that. That got shoved up... It got shoved in the last minute and a half'... Michigan coach Brady Hoke said he was aware that something might have happened with his players before the game... Cook said seeing Michigan players plant a 'dagger' on the field fueled him early in the game...."

What the hell happened? Was an actual stake or dagger involved at some point? "Put a stake in them" seems to refer to the method of killing a vampire, but "throwing the stake down" sounds like a failed attempt to say "throwing down the gauntlet." As for "planting a 'dagger,'" I googled "how to kill a vampire" to see if a dagger was an alternative approach — as if that would help me understand the article — and I was amused — as I tried to understand the sports talk in terms of vampires — an effort to explain vampire-slaying in terms of sports:

If you think of monsters in terms of sports, vampires are those great offensive players who can always score, but are pretty crappy defenders. Sure, their speed and strength give them a big advantage, but the truth about vampires is they are too used to overpowering their opponent with their offensive capabilities that very few have spent much time learning to defend themselves.

Knowing this, the key to killing a vampire using a wooden stake is to strike first. Yes, that means playing offense against the offensive powerhouse, but in this game of life and death, you only need to score once.

Okay, enough with the sports analogy....

Yeah, stick a fork or knife in that analogy, it's done.

ADDED: This article makes it clear:

Right before the opening kickoff, U-M junior linebacker Joe Bolden stabbed a tent spike into the field of Spartan Stadium. U-M head coach Brady Hoke issued a statement on the incident on Sunday, stating the stake was used during a Friday night meeting as a motivational tool and a team leader elected to bring it on the field.

The stake ultimately turned into a motivational tool for MSU, instead of U-M.

“Everyone saw when they ran out and stuck the dagger on our grass and disrespected us right out of the gate,” junior quarterback Connor Cook said. “We weren’t having that.”

MSU certainly was fired up immediately after the incident, driving down the field on the opening possession to take a lead they would never surrender.

"There's this vampire story — that Bain comes in and shows its teeth and sucks the blood out of the operation."

The Romney campaign, fighting back on the GST Steel story.

Bat on a Plane...

... a plane leaving Madison.

What Madisonian vampire do you think was trying to light out of here on recall evening?

"It is the job of every generation to be the Van Helsing who slays the vampire that sucks the taxpayers' blood..."

"... that is, the train."

Yes — since you asked — I actually do understand this cartoon.