
Spoon-Balls
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OT: SLU Drops SAT/ACT Requirement
Spoon-Balls replied to Box and Won's topic in Billikens.com Main Board
This is huge, and to be honest, long overdue. In reality, our education system has been bogged down over the past number of decades by teaching strictly to the test. Teachers don't like it. Students don't like it. For-profit testing companies love it. We need a return to the classical education of years past, where teachers could teach their students important life skills, not just standardized test taking strategies. Standardized tests have no true relationship to eventual future success. Grit, resilience in challenging times, motivation level, time balancing skills, etc. are all much better predictors of future success than standardized test scores. Though we can debate how exactly those might be measured. https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/09/the-failing-grade-for-tests/498407/ -
SLU & NCAA Corona Virus Discussion
Spoon-Balls replied to billikenbill's topic in Billikens.com Main Board
*See Westworld Season 3 -
SLU & NCAA Corona Virus Discussion
Spoon-Balls replied to billikenbill's topic in Billikens.com Main Board
Problem is, most work as we know it probably won't exist IMO. The pandemic simply accelerated trends that have been going on for years. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/05/bridge-post-pandemic-world-already-collapsing/611089/ -
SLU & NCAA Corona Virus Discussion
Spoon-Balls replied to billikenbill's topic in Billikens.com Main Board
Pretty good perspective on why the Sweden herd immunity approach should be taken with a grain of salt. Really brings into perspective just how many uncertain variables there are in all of this (e.g. specificity of the existing antibody tests, true prevalence of Covid in populations, etc). Opinion | Coronavirus and the Sweden Myth At the end of the day, being overly cautious from the get-go was most likely the correct move for the majority of nations, particularly the U.S. (even though our response time was significantly delayed). Here's the thing, America is probably the least physically healthy population of any developed nation in the world, and consequently the least equipped to deal with a pandemic. Rates of diabetes, HTN, other chronic underlying conditions are significantly higher than most other developed countries, not to mention our population just being less healthy in general due to higher rates of poverty, inequality, toxic stress, etc. Those factors all diminish immune capacity. Simply expecting a Sweden approach to work here is pretty naive, given that their population is more homogenous and is overall far more healthy than ours. I highly doubt that pockets of the U.S. which have higher poverty, higher inequality, more obesity, and more underlying health risks would be completely protected from a targeted herd immunity approach. If anything, such an approach would exacerbate the disparities that already exist for those people, since they would essentially be forced to lock down for many more months than everyone else, not to mention they may be more likely to become exposed to the virus. I get that people can't go on like this forever, and that there needs to be a balanced approach to ultimately start reopening things. I agree with Brian, it doesn't help that we have irrational fear mongering and irrational downplaying of the threat both occurring simultaneously right now. Honestly I think the only solution to preserve the economy and prevent people from simply starving is to implement some kind of universal basic income. -
SLU & NCAA Corona Virus Discussion
Spoon-Balls replied to billikenbill's topic in Billikens.com Main Board
Just when you thought 2020 couldn't get any worse... https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/02/us/asian-giant-hornet-washington.html -
Jimerson, Lorentsson, and French in the game at the same time.... Sweet Jesus. The Werewolf is going to have a feast in the wide open paint, or else our snipers will be raining 3's all day long. Yuri/Jacobs -- Goodwin -- Perkins/Jimerson -- Lorentsson -- French/Bell Deadly with that stretch 4 presence.
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SLU & NCAA Corona Virus Discussion
Spoon-Balls replied to billikenbill's topic in Billikens.com Main Board
Preliminary results from a vaccine human trial could here by mid June. Huge news. This is the best chance at a "silver bullet" that we've got. https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/30/uk/oxford-coronavirus-vaccine-trial-astrazeneca-gbr-intl/index.html -
SLU & NCAA Corona Virus Discussion
Spoon-Balls replied to billikenbill's topic in Billikens.com Main Board
A joke that anyone considers this a-hole anything but the absolute antithesis of a medical professional. -
SLU & NCAA Corona Virus Discussion
Spoon-Balls replied to billikenbill's topic in Billikens.com Main Board
Lot of good fact checking here. -
SLU & NCAA Corona Virus Discussion
Spoon-Balls replied to billikenbill's topic in Billikens.com Main Board
https://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/health-med-fit/coronavirus/protesters-gather-at-the-missouri-capitol-downtown-clayton-to-demand-state-reopen/article_a9da78ea-07f2-58b7-a33b-4815fd63558c.html -
Some good news for everyone this morning: https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/supreme-court-declines-to-hear-kroenke-rams-and-nfl-appeal-in-relocation-lawsuit/article_0d4614e1-b871-530f-b5e7-3514c2ffdba0.html#tracking-source=home-breaking
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SLU & NCAA Corona Virus Discussion
Spoon-Balls replied to billikenbill's topic in Billikens.com Main Board
I can't even fathom the pain of having a loved one die alone... https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/04/19/coronavirus-deaths-daughter-listens-hours-father-dies-alone/2986665001/ -
Recruiting - 2020 Class (Optimal Vision Class)
Spoon-Balls replied to Quality Is Job 1's topic in Billikens.com Main Board
Also won't have to worry about foul trouble nearly as much -
Super excited to see what Strickland can bring to the table, he and Hargrove rotating at the 3 will be electric.
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Linssen after posterizing some A10 players next year:
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SLU & NCAA Corona Virus Discussion
Spoon-Balls replied to billikenbill's topic in Billikens.com Main Board
It would also be super helpful to see exactly what percentage of the population has acquired Covid-19, remained completely asymptomatic, and already developed an immunity. Especially if we're talking about gradually getting people back to work over time. -
SLU & NCAA Corona Virus Discussion
Spoon-Balls replied to billikenbill's topic in Billikens.com Main Board
Also, Fauci's plan for bringing sports back is essentially a small scale version of what would be required on a larger, national level in order to re-open certain sectors of the economy. Namely, consistent, widespread testing. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/2020/04/15/coronavirus-dr-fauci-sees-path-sports-comeback-without-fans/5136306002/ "Nobody comes to the stadiums. Put (athletes) in big hotels, wherever you want to play. Keep them very well-surveilled, but have them tested like every week and make sure they don't wind up infecting each other or their families and just let them play the season out." -
SLU & NCAA Corona Virus Discussion
Spoon-Balls replied to billikenbill's topic in Billikens.com Main Board
Unfortunately I don't think we'll ever get anywhere near being able to replicate what countries like South Korea have done. Our healthcare system is a mess and Covid-19 exposed it for what it is. U.S. healthcare needs to undergo a dramatic transformation in order to be better prepared in the future. Not to mention, the pandemic is going to force us as a nation to address some really tough questions about just how unhealthy we are collectively. Obesity, widespread hypertension, stress levels, co-morbid conditions, etc. are all significantly higher than our international counterparts, and we need to address this in a drastic way to mitigate the damage of future pandemics. Maybe this is a wake up call. https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-obesity-top-factor-after-age-driving-nyc-hospitalization-2020-4 Future pandemics are going to happen, that is not a question. But preventative measures are things that we as a nation can actually control, if we have the collective will to make the necessary changes. Profit can no longer be the sole driving force in the healthcare system, since prevention usually has no business/profit model. -
SLU & NCAA Corona Virus Discussion
Spoon-Balls replied to billikenbill's topic in Billikens.com Main Board
I never even brought up hydroxychloroquine in my post, and I never even said anything about the two being the same. Not sure how you inferred that. Similar drugs of the same class, but clearly not the same. I simply said I wasn't surprised that a study looking at the use of high chloroquine doses significantly increased the risk for fatal arrhythmias. Nothing I've stated here has ever suggested that I'm "not positive" about possible treatments. This has never been about "not being positive." Dr. Fauci isn't just some random troll trying to tear down everyone's optimism. He's a scientist, and expresses healthy skepticism towards treatments that are not only unproven, but ones that may also cause more harm than good for patients. "First, do no harm." My point is, we don't know how effective hydroxycloroquine or chloroquine are in treating Covid-19. I never said they may not be effective treatments. But there are definitely real concerns, as indicated in the article by the NYTimes. -
SLU & NCAA Corona Virus Discussion
Spoon-Balls replied to billikenbill's topic in Billikens.com Main Board
"Roughly half the study participants were given a dose of 450 milligrams of chloroquine twice daily for five days, while the rest were prescribed a higher dose of 600 milligrams for 10 days. Within three days, researchers started noticing heart arrhythmias in patients taking the higher dose. By the sixth day of treatment, 11 patients had died, leading to an immediate end to the high-dose segment of the trial. “To me, this study conveys one useful piece of information, which is that chloroquine causes a dose-dependent increase in an abnormality in the ECG that could predispose people to sudden cardiac death,” said Dr. David Juurlink, an internist and the head of the division of clinical pharmacology at the University of Toronto, referring to an electrocardiogram, which reads the heart’s electrical activity."" -
SLU & NCAA Corona Virus Discussion
Spoon-Balls replied to billikenbill's topic in Billikens.com Main Board
Can't say I'm surprised... Small Chloroquine Study Halted Over Risk of Fatal Heart Complications -
SLU & NCAA Corona Virus Discussion
Spoon-Balls replied to billikenbill's topic in Billikens.com Main Board
Westworld -
SLU & NCAA Corona Virus Discussion
Spoon-Balls replied to billikenbill's topic in Billikens.com Main Board
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/04/06/i-dont-have-coronavirus-it-might-kill-me-anyway-163101 -
SLU & NCAA Corona Virus Discussion
Spoon-Balls replied to billikenbill's topic in Billikens.com Main Board
https://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/if-they-call-me-im-coming-former-cardinals-first-baseman-mark-hamilton-set-to-graduate/article_067ef05a-c919-5695-a92f-fc091a1e7c78.html Awesome article. Mark Hamilton has the right attitude. While not being able to take part in the traditional medical school commencement festivities certainly sucks, it's important to remember why we're going into this profession in the first place, and to appreciate the opportunity we'll have to make a difference when we start residency. -
SLU & NCAA Corona Virus Discussion
Spoon-Balls replied to billikenbill's topic in Billikens.com Main Board
https://www.axios.com/coronavirus-hydroxychloroquine-white-house-01306286-0bbc-4042-9bfe-890413c6220d.html