New York’s system of health care — much like the rest of the nation’s — allows for hundreds of thousands to go without health coverage and many more living under the fear of financial ruin that comes from knowing your healthcare coverage is woefully inadequate.

Initial jobless claims fell more than originally forecast which has had a positive effect on the stock market, and presumably on the economy. The drop was approximately 17,000 from the prior week and 7,000 down from the economists’ predictions. The continuing applications for unemployment were up to 1.875 million which is an increase of about 6,000, so in relative terms that is a very small number.

Perhaps the first time I felt like an adult, to the extent that I’ve ever earned that honorific, was freshman year in college art history class. After four years of high school and torture chamber courses in chemistry and math, all with the goal of gaining admission to an Ivy League college, I was sitting in the dark, albeit not in the Ivy League, looking at beautiful slides of works of art. "I can’t believe I’m getting paid for this,” I said to myself. Or words to that effect. Meaning getting college credit for something that seemed so enjoyable, almost recreational.

Here are this week's highlights from the WAMC Listener Comment Line.

There have been some electric moments thus far in the Olympic track and field competition, including some particular high notes for the American team. Perhaps most notable so far was a surprising first and third finish in the men’s 1500, where American Cole Hocker somehow found a lane in the final 100 through a field of favorites.

New York State and New England have just been hit with horrendous, damaging weather, worse than many here have experienced before. What now?

More frequent heat waves, bigger wildfires, rising sea levels, hotter temperatures are the unmistakable signs of climate change. Last year was the hottest ever and earlier last month we had some of the hottest days in recorded history.

In the arena of did you know? The Miami Herald recently had an article which pointed out that thousands of new species are found each year, with the highlights including a tiger-like creature in Bangladesh, a slender forest creature with spurs in India, a large mouthed river creature with giraffe like pattern also recently discovered, and a vivid alien-like sea creature found hiding in the coral off Japan. This is just a sample, but I think fascinating, as is the concept of 5,000 new species being discovered each year.

People’s lives, careers and relationships took some strange twists and turns during the Covid pandemic. But few were as specific as Sophie Becker’s. She hooked up with a dummy. I’m not referring to a questionable roommate or romantic partner. But an actual wooden dummy. The results of their friendship were on display last Saturday when they performed together at Art Omi, an arts center in Ghent, NY.

It has been over five weeks since the debate between President Biden and Donald Trump. In the two commentaries I delivered after, I chose not to say a word about the implications of that debate because, to be honest, I was depressed --- depressed by the thought that Trump was about to waltz into the Presidency.