Indy Digest: Sept. 7, 2023
Few things keep me awake at night—but one of the things that does is the thought of another deadly virus, along the lines of pre-vaccines COVID-19.
Because if one came along right now, we’d be in deep, deep trouble.
For a prime example why, let’s head down to Orange County—specifically, Huntington Beach. The Orange County Register reports:
Huntington Beach is moving ahead to likely declare itself a “no mask and no vaccine mandate” city, preemptively taking a stand ahead of any future orders from health agencies.
Councilmember Gracey Van Der Mark created the proposal. After a 4-3 approval vote from the City Council, the city manager will return with a resolution at the next council meeting for formal adoption.
“This is all about individual liberty and standing against government intrusion,” Van Der Mark said.
The alleged reason for this move is to get ahead of another mask/vaccine mandate coming down from the state, as COVID-19 cases continue to rise. However … nobody is proposing a new vaccine or mask mandate (something Councilmember Dan Kalmic pointed out later in the story).
As of now, this move by the city of Huntington Beach—and others like it being made by “standing against government intrusion” folks (many of whom, rather interestingly, are in favor of abortion restrictions and the like)—will accomplish absolutely nothing. They’re pointless. They’re harmless.
But … what if another another deadly virus, along the lines of pre-vaccines COVID-19, came along—be it a deadlier, immunity-evading SARS-CoV-2 variant, or something else?
Because of the anti-mask, anti-vaccine, anti-science and anti-facts sentiment being whipped up by a certain segment of a certain political party, it would be horrifying.
—Jimmy Boegle
Last chance: Extended Round 1 Voting Ends 9/8!
From the Independent
Collectible Community: Participants in the Palm Springs Card Show Hope to Spark a Love for Trading Cards
By Matt King
September 5th, 2023
The Palm Springs Card Show is a two-day exhibition and sale of sports cards, Pokémon action figures and more, happening Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 16 and Sept. 17, at the Palm Springs Convention Center.
Community Voices: Congress Should Oppose the ‘Big Box Bill’ to Protect Small Businesses That Depend on Credit Card Benefits
By David Eugene Perry
September 6th, 2023
While the so-called Credit Card Competition Act may appear to target fairness and competition, a closer examination reveals that it could favor large, big-box retailers at the expense of customers and the credit card benefits they cherish.
The Lucky 13: John Grounds, Founder, Vocalist and Guitarist for The Desert Crows
By Matt King
September 7th, 2023
Whether the group is performing at local bars or entertaining crowds outside of Acrisure Arena before headline shows, The Desert Crows have a great set of ’60s and ’70s rock jams, matched with high-energy performances.
The Weekly Independent Comics Page for Sept. 7, 2023!
By Staff
September 7th, 2023
Topics touched upon this week include fried chicken, a ravaged wasteland, trophy culture, competing brands—and more!
More News
• Some housekeeping: Due to a glitch over the holiday weekend (involving a login issue due to something involving Google that affected a handful of people), we extended the nomination-round voting in our Best of Coachella Valley readers’ poll through tomorrow, Friday, Sept. 8. So you have a reprieve if you wanted to vote and didn’t get around to it! The voting website is vote.cvindependent.com!
• The Stagecoach lineup is out. KTLA reports: “Goldenvoice and other organizers have announced the full lineup for country music’s biggest festival. The 2024 Stagecoach Festival in Indio, California will feature headliners Morgan Wallen, Miranda Lambert and Eric Church. ‘I can’t wait to get back to the desert to play Stagecoach in 2024. It’s going to be one hell of a party,’ Church said. The three-day festival will also feature Willie Nelson & Family, Post Malone (performing a special set of country covers), Jelly Roll, HARDY, Megan Moroney, Bailey Zimmerman, Leon Bridges, Diplo, Wiz Khalifa, The Beach Boys, Elle King and more.”
• Updated COVID-19 booster shots could be available as soon as next week. NBC News says: “The Food and Drug Administration plans to greenlight updated versions of the COVID boosters as early as Friday, according to four people familiar with the agency’s plans. The latest shots are designed to target the XBB.1.5 omicron subvariant. Though that strain is no longer dominant, the boosters should still protect against current circulating subvariants, which are closely related, the drugmakers and experts say. … After the FDA’s signoff, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and its advisory committee will issue their own recommendations about who should get the shots and how they should be used. The agency’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is expected to vote at a scheduled meeting Tuesday. The CDC’s director, Dr. Mandy Cohen, could sign off on the boosters shortly after the meeting, allowing vaccinations to begin.”
• Sort of related: Those expired COVID-19 tests you have sitting on a shelf somewhere may still be good. CBS News reports: “The FDA has extended the expiration dates of a number of different test brands, lengthening their shelf lives to up to two years. The extensions come in response to manufacturers testing their kits for accuracy beyond their printed expirations dates and sharing the results with the FDA.” If you want to skip the story and head directly to the list of new expiration dates, here ya go.
• You may want to, as best you can, double-check your pharmacy orders. The Los Angeles Times reports: “California pharmacies make an estimated 5 million errors every year, according to the state’s Board of Pharmacy. Officials at the regulatory board say they can only estimate the number of errors because pharmacies are not required to report them. Most of the mistakes that California officials have discovered, according to citations issued by the board and reviewed by The Times, occurred at chain pharmacies such as CVS and Walgreens, where a pharmacist may fill hundreds of prescriptions during a shift, while juggling other tasks such as giving vaccinations, calling doctors’ offices to confirm prescriptions and working the drive-through. Christopher Adkins, a pharmacist who worked at CVS, and then at Vons pharmacies until March, said that management policies at the big chains have resulted in understaffed stores and overworked staff. ‘At this point it’s completely unsafe,’ he said.”
• The New York Times reports on a true financial mystery: Medicare costs aren’t growing like they used to, and how they’ve been forecast to grow. After you scroll long enough to get past the cute-but-intrusive graphics, you’ll read this: “Something strange has been happening in this giant federal program. Instead of growing and growing, as it always had before, spending per Medicare beneficiary has nearly leveled off over more than a decade. The trend can be a little hard to see because, as baby boomers have aged, the number of people using Medicare has grown. But it has had enormous consequences for federal spending. Budget news often sounds apocalyptic, but the Medicare trend has been unexpectedly good for federal spending, saving taxpayers a huge amount relative to projections. ‘Without a doubt, this is the most important thing that has happened to the federal budget in the last 20 years,’ said David Cutler, a professor of health policy and medicine at Harvard, who helped the Obama White House develop the Affordable Care Act.“
• And finally … The Washington Post succinctly tries to explain, as the headline says, “Why planes are extremely gross right now: From diarrhea to the vomit-covered seats, cases of bodily fluids on recent flights abound.” (If you’re reading this while eating, I am so, so sorry.) A little more: “There are the incidents that do make the news, like the deeply unfortunate Delta flight that had to make a U-turn over the weekend due to a passenger suffering from ‘diarrhea all the way through the airplane.‘ Or the travelers who were removed from their Air Canada flight after refusing to sit in vomit-soaked seats on Aug. 26. The rapid-fire dose of gross has us reeling with questions. Namely: what, dear god, is happening? And should we be worried? Are airlines capable of keeping planes clean? Are we doomed for disgusting flights?” Click to read if you dare.
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