Chuck Dinerstein

2 days ago | acsh.org | Cameron English |Chuck Dinerstein

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed systemic weaknesses in our disaster preparedness infrastructure. Despite prior warnings, politics and apathy nurtured a response system that prioritized appearances — e.g., a national stockpile of rotting N-95 masks — over effective interventions. Perverse incentives encouraged officials to drag their feet when time was short, a failure leading to poor coordination and resource allocation that couldn't counter a global viral threat.

3 days ago | acsh.org | Cameron English |Chuck Dinerstein

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed systemic weaknesses in our disaster preparedness infrastructure. Despite prior warnings, politics and apathy nurtured a response system that prioritized appearances—e.g., a national stockpile of rotting N-95 masks—over effective interventions. Perverse incentives encouraged officials to drag their feet when time was short, a failure leading to poor coordination and resource allocation that couldn't counter a global viral threat.

5 days ago | acsh.org | Chuck Dinerstein

Elon Musk just joined the club of industrialists who build cities. Starbase, a brand-new municipality in Texas anchored by SpaceX’s rocket launches and Martian dreams, is the latest experiment in corporate governance dressed up as civic innovation. But is this techno-utopia a launchpad for the future or a reboot of a bygone and problematic past? On May 3, 2025, with a vote of 212 to 6, residents in Cameron County, Texas, incorporated the new municipality of Starbase.

1 week ago | acsh.org | Chuck Dinerstein

One of the enduring strengths of vaccination is its ability to create long-lasting immune memory. Two key players maintain this memory: long-lived plasma cells, which continuously produce antibodies, and memory B cells, which stand ready to adapt to future infections. These B cells are vital for fighting viruses that frequently mutate, such as those responsible for respiratory infections, e.g., COVID-19Plasma cells dedicated to producing antibodies are the immune system’s tireless workers.

1 week ago | acsh.org | Chuck Dinerstein

This week’s reading tour spans the fall of elites, the social glue of hobbies, corporations that have lost their way, and Taco Bell’s bold leap into nuggetdom. From crumbling trust in authority to overpriced pine and industrially processed poultry, it’s a buffet of modern times. The pejorative term, pointy head intellectual, has been replaced by elites, but it remains intentionally demeaning. “It is no surprise that we are especially skeptical of elites these days.