Arguing with a doctor about use of surgical masks for defensive protection

The received wisdom from the medical community is that we shouldn't wear surgical masks to prevent us from getting infected with COVID-19.  I don't agree.  I think this is very bad advice.  Of course, there is a shortage of masks, so that's concerning, but doesn't go to the basic science of what defensive protection the mask would provide.

I got into an argument on FB with a medical doctor who is also a personal friend.  She spouted the general received wisdom & I counter argued -- not my usual mode.  I usually try to respect the doctors as knowing more than I do, but in this case I don't think so.  So here was the argument

Position of Dr

I think some people need to take a course in logic and logical fallacies. We need science, not intuition. N-95 masks (very tiny pores which can filter out viruses) protect the wearer, surgical masks (which viruses can pass through) decrease the transmission from an infected individual.




My response:


What I'm reading online is that hand washing is only about 20% effective in preventing transmission of colds and flu. I don't think it's going to be much better than that at preventing COVID-19 transmission. Also, what I'm reading online is that ordinary surgical masks have a range of protectiveness -- certainly not 95% like the N-95 masks, but still somewhat. I saw one estimate of 30-60%, which would be higher than hand washing. We're also seeing less spread of the virus in countries like Taiwan and Japan, where everyone is wearing masks. I'm not buying this business of the surgical masks having no protective effect. I think that's a distortion.


I saw an article online that one layer of a torn up tee shirt will block you from inhaling 50% of airborne virus. That's better than nothing.



If you walk through a grocery store, even if you keep 6 feet away, you're only two seconds away from breathing in what the next person has exhaled. The studies I'm seeing online are that COVID-19 remains airborne for between 1/2 hour and 3 hours. Certainly, it's still going to be there for 2 seconds. The surgical mask is better than nothing.

Also, the mask keeps you from touching your nose and mouth.



I TA-ed pre-med physics. I wasn't all that impressed that everyone understood basic Newtonian mechanics.




The reader may wish to read this article from Columbia University

https://news.columbia.edu/news/can-face-masks-protect-you-catching-coronavirus








It seems to me that, even if the mask only gives you 50% protection, that's better than nothing, when you're talking about a potentially fatal virus.

questions about coronavirus

I'm compiling a list of questions about coronavirus

1. What precautions are being taken to keep it from being on raw fruits and vegetables.
2. How much microwaving of these fruits and veggies would kill it?
3. What kind of laundering protocols would remove it from clothing? Does Clorox2 have enough hydrogen peroxide to kill the virus in a load of laundry? What are the risks of laundering more than one person’s laundry in the washer at the same time?
4. Why aren't we requiring everyone to wear masks to prevent transmission -- rather than discouraging masks?
5. What's turning up in that research about AIDS & malaria drugs against this virus?
6. How is Lawrence Garbuz doing?
7. When Tom Hanks says "one day at a time" does that mean he's really feeling rotten?
8. How long would a garment have to hang in a closet, for the virus to die on the garment?
9. Why aren’t stores limiting how much toilet paper a person can take out at a time?
10. Am I taking a big risk by using the same vacuum cleaner in several rooms?
11. Is there any hope at all of a vaccine by fall?

Ad for @stc

Hey, I'm in an ad that has several million views!!!! Yay!

قصة stc الأمريكي! pic.twitter.com/zOuUVjnK7m

— مجموعة stc (@stc) February 27, 2020

 Here are some stills from the ad

This was a really fun shoot.  Kudos to Sonia Studios for such a great job!

Tulsi wrt Syria and India

Someone on Facebook asked me to provide a link proving that Tulsi is not a Hindu nationalist. This is what I said.


I just find it preposterous. She goes and has a conversation with Modi and all of a sudden she’s a Hindu nationalist. This idea that we can’t speak with people without being accused of supporting them is ludicrous. The idea that the press can force her to insult the leaders of foreign countries, putting the words of inflammatory yellow journalism in her mouth is repulsive. It’s not a good idea for a presidential candidate to be repeating inflammatory words of yellow journalism. Refusal to do so is to her credit.

Yet, the press, in their arrogance, sees fit to tar and feather her,because they can’t control the words that come out of her mouth. If she won’t repeat the words “brutal dictator” with respect to the Syrian leader, all of a sudden she is supporting him. If she won’t repeat something insulting about Modi’s “Hindu Nationalism,” then all of a sudden she’s a Hindu nationalist.

This is a person with no Indian ancestry. She’s not involved with these long-standing Hindu/Muslim rivalries in India at all. She’s an American through and through. She has her Hinduism from her very white German American mother, who must’ve been something of a flower child when she was younger.

Tulsi is the quintessential American, a child of the melting pot who did two tours of service in Iraq. The smears upon her character are the military industrial complex fearing her antiwar stance.

I do feel that she hasn’t been articulate enough in explaining that she is trying to spread the spirit of aloha ... in explaining that she doesn’t want to insult foreign leaders. A presidential candidate who has insulted foreign leaders is going to be compromised in their ability to negotiate in the future.

Bronx County Chorus Concert 12/8/19

Here was the program for the concert

Here are some pictures taken by Che'Francois Photography.

This is a picture of me singing "You're a Mean One Mr. Grinch."  I tried to sing it from the perspective of the Grinch, as if he were talking to himself

Here are some pictures of me singing with the choir

Here is a picture of the whole chorus

Here is a FB page with more information about the photographer 

https://m.facebook.com/pages/category/Media-News-Company/Che-Francois-Modern-Wedding-Photography-ConnecticutNew-York-155704284538078/

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I had 3 solos. Two were in our Messiah rendition in the first half.  I sang  "Then Shall the Eyes of the Blind be opened" and the alto part of "He Shall Feed His Flock Like a Shepherd."  The second was in our Hollywood portion in the second half.  I sang "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch."

*****

Here are some screen shots from the Bronx County Chorus instagram page.  They"re @bronx_county_chorus on Instagram.  These show me rehearsing for my Grinch solo. I like these childrens' comic book villain roles.  I blogged about that before About my Fascination with Villain Roles These pictures were taken by Denise Carrier Wharton.

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My son was there and took a photo and two videos.

My Messiah solos

Grinch solo 

articles about plastic degrading

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/28/science/plastics-preservation-getty.html

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/sniffing-out-museums-decaying-plastic-artefacts/3008645.article

https://insider.si.edu/2009/08/problem-plastics-in-museum-collections-have-conservators-on-alert/

I first noticed that plastics degrade when I put a bunch of hair restraining devices into a large glass jar., then got my hair cut.  When I went back to look at the devices, I opened the jar and smelled a strong chemical smell -- clearly outgassing from the plastics.

This idea that plastics last forever is crazy.

To the reader: some of these blogs are for my own future reference.

Tulsi disinformation

Here's some information about the rumors that Tulsi is somehow supported by the Russians

here's a video that shows the kind of statistical distortions that go into alleging that Tulsi has Russian backing

Source of Russia hacking rumors

https://theintercept.com/2019/02/03/nbc-news-to-claim-russia-supports-tulsi-gabbard-relies-on-firm-just-caught-fabricating-russia-data-for-the-democratic-party/?fbclid=IwAR29m1CvnW1vCU3EJmURL8AeqmGbS09Nj1VX54IP9n4ny8yFQiSXeRLyzzI

discussion of disinformation regarding Tulsi's missed votes

https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/presidential-candidates?fbclid=IwAR1rrGM03ldw3wzUff5INz95fbrfmQ3uoSjXMa9bMu6iWe4SuSWwONiSLlM

I'm not a big fan of Jimmy Dore, but he has some insightful comments about how main stream media distorted Tulsi's anti-war positions.