Jill Biden’s Doctorate Is Garbage Because Her Dissertation Is Garbage

You can tell someone is smarting from an inferiority complex when he insists on being addressed as “Dr.” on the basis of holding an academic doctorate rather than being a physician. Ph.D. holders who have genuine accomplishments don’t make you call them “Doctor,” which is why you never hear about “Dr. Paul Krugman” and “Dr. George Will.” None of the professors I knew at Yale, even the ones who were eminent in their fields, insisted on the title, and I think most of them would have scoffed if someone had addressed them as “Dr.” The only reason you ever hear the phrase “Dr. Henry Kissinger” is that Kissy grew up in title-mad, airs-and-graces Germany, where people are awed rather than dismissive even if you insist on a triple-serving title (“Herr Professor Doktor”).Insisting on being called “Doctor” when you don’t heal people is, among most holders of doctorates, seen as a gauche, silly, cringey ego trip. Consider “Dr.” Jill Biden, who doesn’t even hold a Ph.D. but rather a lesser Ed.D., something of a joke in the academic world. President-elect Joe Biden once explained that his wife sought the degree purely for status reasons: “She said, ‘I was so sick of the mail coming to Sen. and Mrs. Biden. I wanted to get mail addressed to Dr. and Sen. Biden.’ That’s the real reason she got her doctorate,” Joe Biden has said.Mrs. Biden wanted the credential for its own sake. As for its quality, well. She got it from the University of Delaware, whose ties to her husband, its most illustrious alumnus if you don’t count Joe Flacco, run so deep that it has a school of public policy named after him. That the University of Delaware would have rejected her 2006 dissertation as sloppy, poorly written, non-academic, and barely fit for a middle-school Social Studies classroom (all of which it is) when her husband had been representing its state in the U.S. Senate for more than three decades was about as likely as Tom Hagen telling Vito Corleone that his wife is a fat sow on payday. The only risk to the University of Delaware was that it might strain its collective wrist in its rush to rubber-stamp her doctoral paper. Mrs. Biden could have turned in a quarter-a**ed excuse for a magazine article written at the level of Simple English Wikipedia and been heartily congratulated by the university for her towering mastery. Which is exactly what happened.Jill Biden’s dissertation is not an addition to the sum total of human knowledge. It is not a demonstration of expertise in its specific topic or its broad field. It is a gasping, wheezing, frail little Disney forest creature that begs you to notice the effort it makes to be the thing it is imitating while failing so pathetically that any witnesses to its ineptitude must feel compelled, out of manners alone, to drag it to the nearest podium and give it a participation trophy. Which is more or less what an Ed.D. is. It’s a degree that only deeply unimpressive people feel confers the honorific of “Doctor.” People who are actually smart understand that being in possession of a credential is no proof of intelligence.My friends, I have read this document in its entirety and it is so equally lacking in rhetorical force, boldness of conception, and original research that it amounts to a triple null set, a vacuum inside a blank inside an abyss. If Ingmar Bergman were alive and hired to make a film about this paper, he would say, “I can’t do it, there’s so much emptiness even I cannot grasp it,” and it would sound so much worse in Swedish that suicide hotlines would have to hire extra staff. Gene Simmons has a better claim to be a Doctor of Love than Jill Biden to be a Doctor of Education; after all, Simmons has spent a lifetime demonstrating mastery of his field. As for Biden, she has spent a lot of time teaching remedial English to slow learners in community colleges. Which is like being a rock musician who’s in a bar band. That plays covers. At mixers. Held in assisted-living facilities. Mrs. Biden’s dissertation emits so much noxious methane the EPA should regulate it, Greta Thunberg should denounce it, and Hollywood celebrities should hold a telethon to draw awareness to its dangers.As Joe Biden has frankly noted, Mrs. Biden sought the Dr. honorific to rebuild her amour propre. Much of the press plays along, addressing Jill Biden as “Dr. Biden” even when actual medical doctors are referred to without the honorific if they are not currently practicing. Eminent pediatric neurosurgeon and HUD secretary Ben Carson is now “Mr. Carson” to the New York Times, but the same paper refers to Mrs. Biden as “Dr. Biden.” This practice appears to contradict the Times’ style guide, which explains that the “Dr.” title is used for non-physicians “only if it is germane to the holder’s primary current occupation (academic, for example, or laboratory research).”Mrs. Biden until recently taught English composition at NoVa, a small community college in Northern Virginia. To justify addressing her as “Dr.” would require a generous view of what constitutes an “academic,” and judging by the writing skills evinced by her students (“She very bad teacher and it is hard to pass class. I RECOMMEND NOT TAKE THIS PROFESSOR”), they emerged from her tutelage lacking mastery of even very basic grammar. As for the contents of the dissertation, which she cobbled together from a few secondary sources and some vapid interviews and questionnaires she sent around at the campus where she worked before her husband became vice president, Delaware Technical Community College, I’ll go over them in detail in my next column.

One of the most isolated spots on earth faces a massive COVID wave

Gaza has recorded just over 29,000 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began, but it is now averaging about 1,000 new cases a day, driving that total figure up rapidly. While many countries have been hit hard by COVID-19, Gaza’s problems are made worse by blockade, which has devastated the economy.

Sure Signs You Have COVID Now, According to the Mayo Clinic

With coronavirus cases setting worldwide records every day, you may be worried you've caught the potentially deadly virus. Fortunately, there are some clear indicators you may have COVID-19, so you can get help if it happens. "Signs and symptoms…may appear two to 14 days after exposure," reports the Mayo Clinic, the renowned nonprofit medical center. "If you develop symptoms…or you've been exposed to the COVID-19 virus, contact your doctor. Also let your doctor know if you've had close contact with anyone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19….Common signs and symptoms can include" the following—read on, and to ensure your health and the health of others, don't miss these Sure Signs You've Already Had Coronavirus.  1 You May Feel a Fever Usually but not always, COVID is "associated with a fever," reports the Mayo Clinic of a most common presenting symptom. "Sometimes it's low-grade from 100.3 F to perhaps higher. Some people experience much higher fever that go up to 102 F or 103F. Individuals may experience some shortness of breath." 2 You May Suffer a Cough Patients "may experience a cough. And it can either be a dry cough, or they may cough up phlegm," says Dr. Clayton Cowl, chair of Mayo Clinic's Division of Preventive, Occupational and Aerospace Medicine. If you have one, stay away from others. "Risk factors for COVID-19 appear to include close contact (within 6 feet, or 2 meters) with someone who has COVID-19," says the Mayo Clinic, and "being coughed or sneezed on by an infected person."  3 You May Experience Tiredness Dr. Greg Vanichkachorn, an occupational medicine specialist at the Mayo Clinic, has said this fatigue can last for months for "long haulers," those with Post-COVID syndrome. "It's not just like any fatigue, like the fatigue we get from a bad night of sleep but rather profound fatigue." He explained, "Patients will say that doing something as simple as taking a dog for a walk, going up a flight of steps in their home, can often result in them needing to take a nap or a rest for several hours afterwards." 4 Early Symptoms of COVID-19 May Include a Loss of Taste or Smell "COVID-19 might cause a new loss of smell or taste — without nasal congestion. This typically lasts nine to 14 days," says the Clinic. "Some research suggests that loss of smell or taste might be an early predictor of COVID-19." 5 You May Have Shortness of Breath or Difficulty Breathing "Few sensations are as frightening as not being able to get enough air. Shortness of breath — known medically as dyspnea — is often described as an intense tightening in the chest, air hunger, difficulty breathing, breathlessness or a feeling of suffocation," reports the Clinic. "If you have unexplained shortness of breath, especially if it comes on suddenly and is severe, see your doctor as soon as possible." 6 You May Have Muscle Aches "Symptoms of COVID-19 are typically myalgia, or muscle aches, and a lot of fatigue," says Dr. Cowl.RELATED: COVID Symptoms Usually Appear in This Order, Study Finds 7 You May Get Chills COVID "can cause a wide range of signs and symptoms," reports the Mayo Clinic. "The most common are fever, dry cough and tiredness. Other symptoms include shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, muscle aches, chills, sore throat, headache, or chest pain." 8 You May Have a Sore Throat "A sore throat is pain, scratchiness or irritation of the throat that often worsens when you swallow. The most common cause of a sore throat (pharyngitis) is a viral infection, such as a cold or the flu," reports the Clinic. 9 You May Get a Runny Nose "Interestingly, unlike many other respiratory viruses, only a minority of patients have been reporting upper respiratory symptoms like runny nose or sore throat, although some people have reported those," Dr. Nipunie Rajapakse, a Mayo Clinic pediatric infectious diseases specialist, said early on during the pandemic. 10 You May Have a Headache "Headache is"—well, a, "pain in any region of the head. Headaches may occur on one or both sides of the head, be isolated to a certain location, radiate across the head from one point, or have a viselike quality. A headache may appear as a sharp pain, a throbbing sensation or a dull ache," says the Clinic. 11 You May Feel Chest Pain Regarding COVID-19 symptoms, "the classic ones you'll hear about are fever and any kind of respiratory symptoms, like shortness of breath or cough, or anything that involves the lungs," says Dr. Stacey Rizza, a Mayo Clinic infectious disease specialist and researcher. "We also know that people are likely to express these receptors the virus needs to infect cells in the mouth, in the throat, and in the GI (gastrointestinal) tract. We have seen people get sore throat, some kinds of GI upset and sometimes diarrhea. We also know these receptors are expressed on the heart, and sometimes people get inflammation of the heart tissue itself and some chest pains. We've even had some people present with what they thought was a heart attack, and in fact, it was inflammation the heart tissue that was caused by the virus itself." 12 You May Get Pink Eye (Conjunctivitis) Says the Mayo Clinic: "COVID-19 might cause eye problems such as enlarged, red blood vessels, swollen eyelids, excessive watering and increased discharge. The infection also might cause light sensitivity and irritation. These symptoms are more common in people with severe infections."RELATED: 7 Side Effects of Wearing a Face Mask 13 Other COVID-19 Symptoms Reported by the Mayo Clinic "This list is not all inclusive," warns the Clinic. "Other less common symptoms have been reported, such as rash, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Children have similar symptoms to adults and generally have mild illness. The severity of COVID-19 symptoms can range from very mild to severe. Some people may have only a few symptoms, and some people may have no symptoms at all. Some people may experience worsened symptoms, such as worsened shortness of breath and pneumonia, about a week after symptoms start." 14 How to Avoid COVID-19 in the First Place If you experience any of these symptoms, hunker down and contact a medical professional, and otherwise follow the fundamentals to help end this surge, no matter where you live—wear a face mask, social distance, avoid large crowds, don't go indoors with people you're not sheltering with (especially in bars), practice good hand hygiene and to protect your life and the lives of others, and don't visit any of these 35 Places You're Most Likely to Catch COVID.

Alberta's top doctor says new strain of COVID-19 identified in the U.K. may not be 'dramatically different'

Alberta’s chief medical officer of health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, commented on the new variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 detected in the U.K., indicating that it may not be as significant some may assume.

Woman comes up with 'genius' way to get free shipping on every online order: 'This is sorcery'

This works on virtually any online website, and it's absolutely genius.

Florida shuts down bay known nationally for its oysters

Because of a dwindling oyster population, a Florida agency voted unanimously Wednesday to shut down oyster harvesting in Apalachicola Bay through the end of 2025, dealing a blow to an area that historically produced 90% of the state’s oysters and 10% of the nation’s. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation commission did express the hope of reopening the bay before the ban on commercial and recreational harvesting ends if oysters recover sooner.

Betsy DeVos pleads with Education Department employees to ‘resist’ the Biden administration