It's a showdown between freedom and stupidity. Put your bet on the 2nd one

The NPC Podcast is on the air. The organizers of the National Pharmaceutical Congress are proud to release our new weekly podcast series, hosted by Peter Brenders. Peter's guest this week is Christine Lennon of Incyte Biosciences Canada. Listen here now, or download the episode and play it at your convenience. The NPC Podcast is presented in cooperation with Impres Pharma.

⇒ Issue #92 (In numerology, 92 is all about the great new beginnings that are coming your way through partnerships and teamwork)
⇒ Confirmed Covid cases in Canada as of 08/11: 122,053*
⇒ Confirmed Covid fatalities in Canada as of 08/11: 9,034*
⇒ Worldwide Covid cases as of 08/11: 20,113,592*
⇒ Worldwide Covid fatalities as of 08/11: 737,022*

August 11, 2020—Good morning, CurveFlatteners. It’s Mitch Shannon reporting to you this morning from Sturgis, S.D., trying to be heard over the thrilling roar of 250,000 hard-partying bikers at the iconic 80th annual motorcycle rally. 

Alright, that’s a lie. I’m actually 2,000 km east and north of that raucous scene, at my desk in tranquil Swansea, Ont., experiencing recollections of an earlier, noisier phase of my career, back when I edited a couple of enthusiast magazines about motorcycling. If you owned a touring bike, the Sturgis Rally was a big thing back then, just as it is today: a kind of perennial Woodstock-for-the-rest-of-us, with Slayer substituting for Richie Havens, knock-off 1%-er patches worn in place of love-beads, and way, way too many Gold Wing-riding orthodontists from Wichita letting off steam by posing over a tabletop of overpriced Bud Light Limes.

There is one notable difference that happened to pop up between Sturgis then and Sturgis now, and that’s the recent phenomenon we call the Covid-19 pandemic. You’ve probably read about it in this newsletter, among other places. You may remember: 20 million infected, three-quarters of a million dead. That pandemic.

But what’s a deadly pathogen, compared to that ritual camaraderie you only get to experience on two wheels? Following that line of thought, an estimated 250,000 rebels-without-a-clue mounted up and rolled into the isolated town of 6,600 north of the Black Hills, where “social distancing” and “protective facemasks” are mere words you don’t need to pay any attention to, because they say them on CNN, from whence all the fake news originates.

And to prove the point, a nervous Nellie named Dr. Jonathan Reiner, who is a CNN medical analyst, described the rally as potentially being a dreaded super-spreader event. Added comedian Lewis Black: “If you are wondering today where in the universe you'll find the intersection of freedom and stupidity, it's Sturgis, S.D. Or just think of it as a really big, even huge, Science Experiment.” You can watch it unfold, with one hand over your eyes, here.

Mr. Black might consider the frequently quoted ethos of the motorcycling fraternity, which is, “If you don’t ride, you don’t know.” But in this case, he probably does know. You cringe to think that many of the carefree revellers of this week may soon go from moistly exclaiming “Har har!” to having their bro’s and old ladies affixing Harley stickers and MAGA signs to their ventilators in the ICU. We’re reminded, though, that there’s always a silver lining in every dark cloud. As one of Lewis Black’s Twitter followers added: “Can't wait to see all the cheap motorcycles on sale in about six or so weeks.”

COVID CHRONICLE 08/07/2020

• Researchers have puzzled over suspected links between Covid-19 and obesity, but an article just published in the International Journal of Obesity may offer some explanation. Dr. Candida Rebello and co-authors observe that obesity compromises the immune system response as a result of elevated levels of leptin produced by fat cells. They theorize a potential avenue of treatment may be a drug that prevents inflammatory responses to the virus. Says study co-author Dr. John Kirwan: "If you have obesity, there are a number of underlying [inflammatory] issues that make it more difficult for you to fight off a COVID-19 infection." 
• The metrics on spousal abuse and gender-based violence demonstrate a large uptick in incidents all over the world during the Covid pandemic, according to an article published in the June issue of the journal Bioethics. In Hubei Province, Peoples Republic of China, reports of domestic violence tripled in February 2020, notes Neetu John of Columbia University, a co-author of the article. Says lead author Terry McGovern, a family health professor at Columbia's Mailman School: "Gender norms and roles relegating women to the realm of care work puts them on the frontlines in times of crisis, resulting in a greater risk of exposure while excluding them from developing the response."  
• What you don't know can't hurt you. That might have been an instruction you heard from your grandmother. Nonetheless, it doesn't apply to Covid-19. A study of 515 adults conducted by two institutions in the southern USA demonstrates mo' knowledge about the pandemic co-relates to less Covid-related stress. Says Prof. Shevaun D. Neuper of the North Carolina State University psychology department: "Knowledge reduces uncertainty, and uncertainty can be very stressful. We found that knowledge is power. The more factual information people knew about Covid-19, the less stress they had. That was true across age groups." He is co-author of an article in the current Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences.

WHAT CHRONICLE IS WORKING ON TODAY

Chronicle's new e-newsletter, "Skin Spectrum Weekly." It's a weekly report out every Monday featuring clinical news and expert medical commentary on scientific and cultural subjects related to Skin of Color and Ethnodermatology. Have a look at http://skinspectrum.online and sign up for your free subscription. 

I'M JUST FINISHING READING...

One thing to be said for this pandemic is that you get to finish a lot of books you've been meaning to get to for the last 10 years or so. I bought Phoenix Noir (Patrick Millikin, ed., Akashic Books, Cdn$20 paperback), a collection of short fiction, at the Hudson newsstand in Sky Harbor Airport around 2010, put it away and never opened it. I don't know why I put it off this long. The seedy side of America's fifth-largest city is very noir indeed, as these stories vividly portray. The contribution from the great Don Winslow, set on the Van Buren motel strip, disappoints but a tale from the east valley suburbs of Mesa and Apache Junction, written by a newspaperman named Robert Anglen ranks among the best things I've ever encountered. I can't account for why Mr. Anglen hasn't turned out dozens more of these stories over the years, but my plan is to write to him tonight and ask him that very question. 

TOMORROW AND TOMORROW

Stay safe, stay cool, and always watch out for motorcycles when you're making those left turns. Our John Evans will continue the Covid-related coverage tomorrow morning.