Brian Beach has moved @bwbeach@qoto.org

In case anyone missed it - @trishgreenhalgh dropped a HUGE multi disciplinary study on masks & respirators yesterday.

This study involved people from all over the world and tackled everything from are masks effective against COVID (spoiler -
They are), why were there bad RCTs saying the opposite and what were their flaws, what are the sociological barriers to masking (with input from @DALupton).

It was exactly the kind of gold standard, irrefutable study on masks and respirators that we need to counter the “masks don’t work” crowd. Unfortunately I realize many of them won’t ever read it - but it still feels wonderful to see it laid out so clearly.

If any of the other contributors are on here - please drop a comment so I can find & follow you!

https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/cmr.00124-23

#CovidIsAirborne #CovidIsNotOver #CovidCautious #sarscov2 #maskup #WearAMask #CleanAir #Pandemic #Disability #accessibility #DisabilityRights #N95s

@tylervu @MisuseCase @SailorDisco @GottaLaff
I don't understand not voting. Power will be distributed. No matter how bad your choices, how does not participating help?

Sure, work to change the system. But on the day, you still vote.

“The most regretful people on earth are those who felt the call to creative work, who felt their own creative power restive and uprising, and gave to it neither power nor time.”
― Mary Oliver Ugh- that one hits me hard.

And I will never understand why so many Americans are dead set against making access to education and opportunities so fucking hard for so many. (I mean, logically, I know they are stuck in the just-world hypothesis, but still, as a human, I don't *get it*). I will never understand why people won't do things like make school lunch free, healthcare accessible by all, education affordable by everyone--exactly what kind of world do they think this makes?

I have so many interview requests that I'm actually starting to lose track of them at this point...

But I'm really glad there is so much interest. This is terrifying stuff: SpaceX and other companies are dumping stuff on the ground that could very easily kill people. Countries need to enforce the rules that already exist, and the regulations NEED to be updated to take into account how terrifyingly many re-entries are happening now.

Since 1970, there has been a:
49% decline in marine life
50% decline in insects
63% decline in Irish birds
66% decline in wildlife
69% decline in vertebrates
83% decline in freshwater species

Dams and mining key cause of freshwater fish collapse.

Dams?

Is that where we get our sustainable, clean, green energy from?

Mining?

Don't we have to mine those green metals?

The Green Transition: killing everything on earth so humans can keep consuming, sorry, devouring

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/may/21/living-planet-index-migratory-freshwater-fish-populations-decline-dams-weirs-mining-water-abstraction-pollution-threat-aoe

"AI companies are worried that they're going to run out of data to train their LLMs and energy to power their data centers. This is a strange way to discuss a fundamental design flaw. It's not some quirk or fluke that a product is constrained by reality, but the core of all engineering and science, though this is considered so self-evident that it normally remains unsaid."

https://theluddite.org/#!post/ai-hype

Biden's funding of the IRS via the IRA, is paying off:

Wealthy taxpayers who haven’t filed in years are beginning to get their returns in order, even if they haven’t received collection notices. The IRS is going after rich taxpayers who haven’t been filing their returns, an announcement hailed as a sign the agency was getting back on track after Covid delays & decades of underfunding. Agency sent out 125K notices to those who should have filed.

#Bidenomics #GOPSabotage https://news.bloombergtax.com/daily-tax-report/wealthy-taxpayers-prep-years-late-returns-ahead-of-irs-crackdown?utm_medium=taxdesk&utm_campaign=6CC5C1C0-16A3-11EF-B3DD-5754F143A863&utm_source=twitter

My family finally became Swiss citizens after a 4-year application process. Photo shows information for our first referendum vote.

Since I cannot be refused citizenship now, it is time to say what I *really* think of this country. Thread.

The bald eagle could have easily gone extinct. But we did all sorts of "woke" things protecting it legally, ran conservation and study programs, banned DDT (that good for other reasons too) and in 2007 they were removed from the endangered species list.

Likewise pine forests could be dead from acid rain.

The ozone could have a huge hole.

We CAN take care of nature when we want to. And the successes have been worth it.

I feel like we forget this, you know?

Current lightning talk ⚡ at #PyConUS: They're not "Soft Skills," They're Professional Skills (and you can do it)

A great #PyCon talk on how to be a better team member. Wish she had more time

Those of you in the US please make your voices heard. If you don't think this impacts you, best believe it will get to you one way or another.

https://action.cair.com/a/reject-targeting-nonprofits

I’m sick to fucking death of racism and this whole fucked up nation and situation, but you don’t see me throwing in the towel and it’s 400 years later. So, quit your fucking whining and get busy.