SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – OVERNIGHT:

AH YES, DIVERSITY – FROM COLLEGE FIX:   A review by Young America’s Foundation of this year’s commencement speakers at the top 100 universities as ranked by U.S. News & World Report identified only one conservative.  “With 37 liberal speakers imparting progressive ideas and just one conservative addressing graduates, the bias in this year’s commencement season is undeniable,” YAF stated in reporting its findings.  The spreadsheet of the 100 graduation speakers put together by YAF gives each speaker on the list a ranking of either liberal, conservative, unclear or N/A.  Nearly 40 were marked liberal. The rest were marked “N/A” with just a few slated as “unclear.”  The only speaker given a “conservative” listing is Tom Jorden, the president of Cimarex Energy, who is giving the address at his alma mater, Colorado School of Mines.  In contrast, the “Class of 2021 will hear divisive speeches from many left-wing speakers with a history in social justice and ‘anti-racism,’ including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, John Legend, David Brooks and André De Shields,” the foundation states.  What a wonderful education our children are getting.

VACCINE UPDATE – FROM FOX:   A study in the United Kingdom led by the University of Birmingham in collaboration with Public Health England reported that waiting months between doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine produces much stronger protection against COVID-19.  Dr. Helen Parry, a senior author on the study at Birmingham, said: "We’ve shown that peak antibody responses after the second Pfizer vaccination are really strongly boosted in older people when this is delayed to 11 to 12 weeks. There is a marked difference between these two schedules in terms of antibody responses we see."  Britain has a policy of delaying the second dose by up to 12 weeks to free up vaccines for more people. Britain announced Sunday that more than 20 million people have now received both doses. The two shots of the Pfizer vaccines were intended to be given three to four weeks apart.  The study found that antibodies were three-and-a-half times higher when given after 12 weeks.  "This study further supports the growing body of evidence that the approach taken in the U.K. of delaying that second dose has really paid off," said Dr. Gayatri Amirthalingam, consultant epidemiologist at Public Health England. "Individuals need to really complete their second dose when it’s offered to them because it not only provides additional protection but potentially longer lasting protection against COVID-19."  Apparently, Americans will soon be alerted to the availability of booster shots for those already vaccinated.

May 18, 2021