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Rose Madeline Mula writes: I have thought about whom I would like to be isolated with if given the chance. Obviously, my first choice would be those I love — especially any of them who can cook. Other than that, who? No, not George Clooney. There would be way too much pressure to try to look good 24/7. Instead, it would be very handy to have a tech support guy or gal ensconced in the guest room to solve my inevitable computer glitches ... a plumber (clogged toilets are my nightmare, second only to a shortage of toilet paper) ... an electrician (in case of a repeat of my recent smoke detector catastrophe when all three failed simultaneously on a Saturday night and each screamed “EVACUATE!” every five seconds) ... And if one of these guys or gals knows how to fold a fitted sheet, that would be a big plus. more »

"Typically when a virus develops mechanisms to evade immune responses, it loses its potency to infect people," said Li. "However, SARS-CoV-2 maintains its infectivity using two mechanisms. First, during its limited exposure time, the tip of the viral key grabs a receptor protein on human cells quickly and firmly. Second, the pre-activation of the viral key allows the virus to more effectively infect human cells." Li says that recognizing the evasiveness of SARS-CoV-2 is important for designing antibody drugs and vaccines. Antibody drugs would need to overpower the tip of the hidden viral key by latching onto it very quickly and tightly during its limited exposure time.   SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is highly in… more »

While the coronavirus economic shock appears to be the largest on record, the fiscal response has also been the fastest and largest response for any postwar downturn ... At the Fed, we will continue to use our tools to their fullest until the crisis has passed and the economic recovery is well under way. Recall that the Fed has lending powers, not spending powers. A loan from a Fed facility can provide a bridge across temporary interruptions to liquidity, and those loans will help many borrowers get through the current crisis. But the recovery may take some time to gather momentum, and the passage of time can turn liquidity problems into solvency problems. Additional fiscal support could be costly, but worth it if it helps avoid long-term economic damage and leaves us with a stronger recovery. This tradeoff is one for our elected representatives, who wield powers of taxation and spending. more »

If you want some provocative thinking in these days of the doldrums, read Tigar's five mythologies. His chapter on race starts with the 1944 Supreme Court decision upholding the war-time internment of Japanese Americans on the West Coast. The Court accepted the myth that these Americans might help the Japanese government even though there was no supporting evidence. Of course, he discusses the myths behind "separate but equal" and why it was so hard to end that doctrine. Tigar draws upon his own experience in his discussion of the criminal justice system as he represented many criminal defendants in different states. He believes that "fair trial" is one of the myths of the system, though he writes about several such myths. more »