When you experience something traumatic, the last thing you want to do is to relive it. The second to last thing you want to do is to even think about it. Covid was a nightmare. We were sick of it while the pandemic was still raging. But there are some people who can't stop thinking about it, because they're still sick. And they're sick with symptoms that no one seems to be able to fix and they're dealing with an issue no one wants to hear about anymore. The only thing worse than going to a doctor's office where no one wants to deal with you is walking out into a world where most everyone else feels the same. "Long-COVID patients, generally speaking, have been very miserable for a very long time, and because the illness attacks their brains, their hearts, their lungs, their guts, their joints — sometimes simultaneously, sometimes intermittently, and sometimes in a chain reaction — they bounce from specialist to specialist, none of whom has the bandwidth to hear their whole frustrating ordeal together with the expertise to address all of their complaints: the nonspecific pain, the perpetual exhaustion, the bewildering test results, the one-off treatments. 'These are people who have not been able to tell their story to anybody but their spouse and their mom — for years sometimes ... And they are, in some ways, every doctor’s worst nightmare.'" NY Mag: The Mystery of Long COVID Is Just the Beginning. At Yale’s clinic, medical sleuth Lisa Sanders is trying almost everything. 2You Can Pay Me Now, Or You Can Pay Me Later"Danes do end up paying for the free education ... through the country’s steep taxes that can carve out over 50% of one’s income. (It’s a progressive tax system, so the more you earn, the more you pay.) But polling in the country has shown satisfaction with the high taxes, which not only contribute to free education, but also free health care and pensions." The World: Denmark pays students to go to college. But free education does have a price. 3Direct Payment"We spend billions in a year to manage homelessness and that investment is not getting good returns, because the homelessness crisis is only growing." It's hard to argue with that. So what are the other options? What if money was given directly to the homeless? A B.C. study gave 50 homeless people $7,500 each. Here's what they spent it on. "They did not spend more money on alcohol or drugs, contrary to what people believe, and instead they spent the money on rent, food, housing, transit, furniture, a used car, clothes. It's entirely the opposite of what people think they're going to do with the money." 4Everybody Must Get Stones"Only six men are known to have lifted the stone, including a man called Michael Clarke, who, according to legend, hoisted it onto his back over a century ago, walked 150 feet to the local pub, downed a glass of whisky with the stone still on his back, and walked right back to the graveyard. Keohan is hoping that if he can find it, he can claim his place as the seventh." Tired of Kettlebells? Try this. GQ: The Quest to Pick Up the Lost Lifting Stones of Ireland. (I get hand, arm, and shoulder stiffness just scrolling through long reads like this...) 5Extra, ExtraBiggly: Joe Biggs, "a leader of the Proud Boys who led the far-right organization’s infamous march to the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, has been sentenced to 17 years in prison – among the longest sentences handed down yet for a convicted rioter." Yes, the insurrection was a remarkably serious crime against America. And people who were involved deserve bigly sentences. Related: Trump pleads not guilty to Georgia election interference charges. 6Bottom of the News"Police said shortly after 6 a.m., a pickup truck was hauling about five million bees in crates using an open trailer when the crates slid onto the roadway." Local beekeepers help police catch millions of bees accidentally set loose near Toronto. Get a copy of my 📕, Please Scream Inside Your Heart, or grab a 👕 in the Store.
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Lisa Kashinsky and Kelly Garrity's must-read rundown of what's up on Beacon Hill and beyond. Jan 09, 2024 View in browser By Kelly Garrity and Lisa Kashinsky MAKING ENDS MEET — Gov. Maura Healey’s plan to slash $375 million from the state budget to help plug a $1 billion revenue hole came as something of a surprise after she initially said she had no plans to scale back spending. But some budget watchers say the move to control costs was inevitable — and that the governor...
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