Bill McCormick

COVID-19 / Myths

March 19, 2020 by Bill McCormick

First, so there is no confusion, let’s limit verifiable sources to the CDC and WHO and any they suggest. I say this now because I want to eliminate our president as a source of information. I’m not sure if he doesn’t understand, or just enjoys lying, but reasons are irrelevant, results are. Yesterday he went on national television and announced that there was a vaccine being tested in Washington, and that it was the fastest any such tests had ever come to fruition. This, clearly, was meant to calm people down and let them know a cure was forthcoming. The problem is, it’s not true. At least not in any meaningful sense. The National Institute of Health is in phase one testing of a possible vaccine that may, or may not, work on humans. The initial tests, based on years of international corona virus related research and not slapped together in a few weeks, showed some promise in animals.
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Don’t Do This

February 27, 2020 by Bill McCormick

People do stupid things for honorable reasons. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, and not asphalt, after all. A man I know wanted to make things easier for his wife, who is in a wheelchair. So he built a ramp, with his own hands. And it is lovely to view. Unfortunately, to make it fit the front of their tiny home, and not thinking about alternate shapes, or directions, this ramp could have taken, it is now a thirty-five degree death slide. Neighbors have taken up a collection to hire him a contractor, which is sweet of them but, for now, people have to come by and carry his wife out the back door if she needs to go anywhere. Other people, in an effort to get “healthy” go on a detox diet. I’ll keep this simple and let Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D., from the Mayo Clinic, address whether they work; “Detoxification (detox) diets are popular, but there is little evidence that they eliminate toxins from your body.” As to the companion for these diets, FUN WITH ENEMAS, she adds this; “Colon cleansing, which is often recommended as part of a detox plan, can cause cramping, bloating, nausea and vomiting. Dehydration also can be a concern.” Well, I’m in. How ’bout you? Here’s the thing, your liver and kidneys do a great job of of filtering out the bad stuff every day. If you simply eat healthy, and drink eight glasses of water a day, you’ll be fine. If you’re still not convinced, visit Health.Com for an itemized list of the ways you are doing more harm than good.
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Knit One, Pearl Two

February 10, 2020 by Bill McCormick

Way back in the early ears of World News Center I wrote a fun article about medical advancements that were coming down the pike at a rapid rate. One, human limb regeneration, has hit a tiny snag. Simply put, it doesn’t work. Here’s the thing, while many life forms on our planet can, and do, regenerate limbs, they are far less complex than people. The working parts in a simple hand number thirteen and that’s just an overview. Fingers count as one, for example. Add in the capillaries, supporting tissues, and so on and there’s a lot that needs to happen, in the right order, to make one work. But all is not lost. The science behind the research is still yielding some amazing results. “How amazing?” you ask tentatively.
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Fast Tracking For Fun and Profit

January 16, 2020 by Bill McCormick

Last week, on The Big Wakeup Call, Ryan and I discussed a new Alzheimer’s drug that was zooming towards public use. And I mean ZOOOOOOOMING! From a preliminary, and vague, research paper released in November of 2019, to opening trials on humans in February of 2020 kind of zooming. That kind of time line is essentially unheard of in the world of medicines. I’ve written, on several occasions, about the trials and tribulations facing new treatments for Alzheimer’s. The FDA’s own rules would seem to preclude any such speed, but here we are. The company, called Green Valley, is based in Shanghai and reports to the Chinese government. In 2007 they released a “cancer cure” that was so ineffective it led to millions of dollars in lawsuits and complaints.
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Prepare To Max Out Your Credit Cards

January 2, 2020 by Bill McCormick

Once upon a time, comic book fans were lucky to get a super powered movie a couple of times a decade. Now, with there being super properties on eight television networks (as of now), and in theaters monthly, those long gone days seem innocent and sweet now. What doesn’t seem so innocent are some of the plot lines. Comic book fans have gotten older and want stories that appeal to them. One example is Archie and the gang are now in a sexy thriller called Riverdale. That said, comic book companies are increasing the number of titles aimed at kids to keep the fandom moving from generation to generation. DC has multiple iterations of every superhero so anyone, from the youngest toddler to the oldest geriatric can relate to a version. In an alternate multiverse, I can attest that there are people who have bought my entirely NSFW characters as images on onesies for infants. Why do they do this? I haven’t got a clue. The point is, we have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to hero related properties and people are buying them. [Read more…] about Prepare To Max Out Your Credit Cards