I'll start with some news of the day: The FDA approved its first Alzheimer's drug  to delay dementia. Aducanumab by Biogen, to be sold as Aduhelm. However, it comes with an annual cost of $56,000, plus an additional major diagnostic test expense.   Of course Biogen stock value shot up.   More than 6 million Americans have Alzheimer's, with more than a doubling expected by 2050. All this after somewhat inconclusive tests about the effectiveness of this drug. What this means is that the FDA has effectively concluded that targeting that sticky brain compound, beta-amyloid, is a worthy solution. But the cost and lack of convincing data will mean that medical plans and doctors will show huge reluctance to proceed. My reading of the politics of the Senate and Biden Administration is that the White House has pretty much given up passing liberal and filibuster-killing legislation because of Senator Joe Manchin , who, while a Democrat, barely got elected the last t...

It is Sunday, and my story today will be on how blessed I am.  Not really spiritually, but just the reality of how I became what I am today.  Then again, maybe there was an occasional divine intervention.  Either that or pure luck, again and again. As I reflect on my past, my major goal has been achieved.  I lived into the Year 2020, which means I am 80 years old.  Alas, the pandemic made it a disappointing year.  Yet, relatively, I did well.   2020 began with a trip to  Thailand last February when it was #2 to China in COVID-19 ( although that term only became official when I was on that trip ).   Today, Thailand is #113 in total number of cases.   With a population fifty times larger than Hawaii, the number of these coronavirus infections is just about the same at 30,500.   And, by the way, the USA is not looking good at all, with 66,780 new cases yesterday.   India jumped to 152,682 new cases yester...