Pat @Pat@qoto.org

@orbital

But guac is more ULRN!

@freemo

For the first six months of the pandemic, they also said that anyone who self-isolated for 14 days could no longer become infected and could not infect anyone else. They got it wrong this time, too.

The infection rate varies considerably around the country, so to put out a blanket statement to apply to the whole country is absurd. Guidance should be based on the infection rate at a local/regional level. When the number of infections in my state and bordering states is in the single digits, then I'll change my behavior.

(Also, my toot was clearly labeled as a joke. I don't initiate violence and only use violence as a last resort for self-defense.)

#COVID19

Social-distancing tip...

How can you tell when they are too close?

If you can reach their face with your fist, then they were too close.

#hyperbole #joke

@Binkle

I'm open to the facts. If they change, then so does my mind.

What facts do you have to present?

I'm open to the facts. If they change, then so does my mind.

What facts do you have to present?

@Binkle
Also, COVID-19 was the leading cause of death last year, surpassing heart disease.

@Binkle
Reason is what you listen to, not yelling.

Reason is what you listen to, not yelling.

@Binkle

The only angle I have to consider is whether that guy who is approaching me is a threat or not.

@Binkle

Society makes these kinds of judgements all the time. We hope that they make the judgements based on reason, but sadly that's not always the case.

For example, I've heard many people argue that COVID-19 is no big deal because "98% of people who get it survive." Well, that's much worse odds than the brave solders who stormed Normandy and other areas in France during Operation Overlord in WWII. People hear 98% and it sounds like a big number but it's actually a terrible risk of dying.

Most juristidictions don't allow people to point a gun at someone even if they know it's not loaded. The risk is very small, but the consequences are enormous. We decide what is negligent and what is not. With COVID-19 and masks it's a no-brainer. In fact, the only reason why it is even a question is because the US had an imbecile in the WH with a big microphone who told everyone not wear masks. If he hadn't have done that and other mismanagement, a half-million people would still be alive today who died from COVID-19.

@Binkle

It depends on the virulence and prevalence of the virus, i.e., what the risk is of unprotected exposure (and how effective a mask would be to reduce the risk for any particular virus. In Asia, they continued to wear masks even after SAR-1 was under control and continue to wear masks even where COVID-19 is nearly extinguished.

There is actually a good case to be made for wearing masks during each flu season, for example, because masks are even more effective at controlling the flu and flu vaccines are not always effective , and many people die from the flu each year (but still that's only a fraction of those who have died from COVID-19).

But measles, for example, is much less prevalent and spreads much more readily than COVID-19. I haven't seen an studies on it, but I don't think ordinary cloth masks would help much to control measles. But the measles vaccine is very effective, so that's what's recommended for that disease.

@freemo

Also, you have just as much of a right to defend yourself against someone pointing a gun at you whether you are wearing kevlar body armor or not.

@freemo

(I just posted several studies on mask effectiveness)

My point of all of this isn't which is more effective. The point is that not wearing a mask is a lethal assault and should be treated as such. And yes I do wear a N100/P100 respirator when I'm around people in public and when someone approaches me without a mask I treat that as a lethal threat and yes I've gotten into a physical altercation with someone who tried to assault me in that manner.

And I've consulted law enforcement on the issue and their recommendation is just as I said:

1) Tell the person to stop.
2) If they continue to advance, flee the area and call 911.
3) If you can't escape, then treat it as a lethal threat and use no more force than necessary to defend yourself.

#mask #2A #Covid19 #vaccine

Here are several studies that show the efficacy of mask wearing for the control of COVID-19:

Scientific Brief: Community Use of Cloth Masks to Control the Spread of SARS-CoV-2". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 10 November 2020.

Physical distancing, face masks, and eye protection to prevent person-to-person transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis |journal=The Lancet |date=27 June 2020 |volume=395 |issue=10242 |pages=1973–1987 |doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(20)31142-9|pmid=32497510 |pmc=7263814 |doi-access=free

Scientific Brief: Community Use of Cloth Masks to Control the Spread of SARS-CoV-2 |url=https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/masking-science-sars-cov2.html |website=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |date=10 November 2020

Reduction of secondary transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in households by face mask use, disinfection and social distancing: a cohort study in Beijing, China |journal=BMJ Global Health |date=May 2020 |volume=5 |issue=5 |pages=e002794 |doi=10.1136/bmjgh-2020-002794|pmid=32467353 |pmc=7264640 |doi-access=free

Scientific Brief: Community Use of Cloth Masks to Control the Spread of SARS-CoV-2 |url=https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/masking-science-sars-cov2.html |website=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |date=10 November 2020

Case-Control Study of Use of Personal Protective Measures and Risk for SARS-CoV 2 Infection, Thailand |journal=Emerging Infectious Diseases |date=November 2020 |volume=26 |issue=11 |pages=2607–2616 |doi=10.3201/eid2611.203003|pmid=32931726 |pmc=7588529 |doi-access=free

Scientific Brief: Community Use of Cloth Masks to Control the Spread of SARS-CoV-2 |url=https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/masking-science-sars-cov2.html |website=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |date=10 November 2020

Absence of Apparent Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from Two Stylists After Exposure at a Hair Salon with a Universal Face Covering Policy – Springfield, Missouri, May 2020 |journal=MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report |date=17 July 2020 |volume=69 |issue=28 |pages=930–932 |doi=10.15585/mmwr.mm6928e2|pmid=32673300 |doi-access=free

SARS-CoV-2 Infections and Serologic Responses from a Sample of U.S. Navy Service Members – USS Theodore Roosevelt, April 2020 |journal=MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report |date=12 June 2020 |volume=69 |issue=23 |pages=714–721 |doi=10.15585/mmwr.mm6923e4|pmid=32525850 |pmc=7315794 |doi-access=free

Scientific Brief: Community Use of Cloth Masks to Control the Spread of SARS-CoV-2 |url=https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/masking-science-sars-cov2.html |website=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |date=10 November 2020

@academicalnerd

When I first did this, I shut my furnace off and never turned it back on. That was over a decade ago. (And I live in an area where it gets very cold.) It's works very well.

I use 3-liter plastic bottles filled with water. I try to place them near the center of the building and also try to put some where they can catch some of the sunshine through the windows.

There are also seasonal thermal storage techniques where you capture the heat from summer and store it in a large container (with a low surface to volume ratio) and then use that stored heat in the winter.

@mc
It's a joke... think about it.

@academicalnerd

I do this in my home. I just use plain H2O. You don't need to rely on the latent heat of phase changes for it to work. Anything that has a large heat capacity will work. Water is the cheapest substance with a high specific heat capacity.

It can be a simple as placing bottles of water throughout your house. It significantly reduces the temperature swings.

@shockrah

Use dd instead of cat and the pdf file should print too.

@louiscouture

On second thought... The idea of team captains picking players kind of sets up a meta-competition among individuals to see who gets picked first. Probably best to have team members picked randomly.

@louiscouture

The "solution" for school sports is to make all sports coed. Even individual sports like running can be made coed by, for example. relay races. Sports like baseball can be done coed by using the old-school method of having team captains take turns picking players for their teams from among all kids in a coed class.

Really, is this the most important trans issue people can come up with?