Month: July 2020

Build downdraft paint booths for K-12 schools?

by philg

Unionized American school teachers refuse to work unless they can be guaranteed not to get coronaplague from the students. Words are not going to soothe these concerned souls. “School closures ‘a mistake’ as no teachers infected in classroom” (Times of London, July 22):

Scientists are yet to find a single confirmed case of a teacher catching coronavirus from a pupil anywhere in the world, a leading epidemiologist has said.

Mark Woolhouse, an infectious disease epidemiologist at Edinburgh University, offered reassurance to staff preparing for the full reopening of schools next month.

I predict that this won’t result in a single American school opening up for business as usual. Zero cases is one case too many!

Americans apparently did not like my previous pet idea: “Plague-proof Florida and Texas with shaded outdoor classrooms?”

Thus, it is time for another pet idea! This one comes from the world of aircraft and automobile painting: pull student exhaust air down through the classroom floor. The technology for downdraft paint booths is highly advanced (example). They have been built large enough to paint a Gulfstream. Below are a couple of photos from West Star Aviation, which paints some very big airplanes indeed. At right is your humble author next to some of the air filters, against which coronavirus would stand no chance.

Presumably the airflow wouldn’t have to be as powerful for a classroom as for a paint booth. Air conditioning systems have been implicated in spreading coronaplague among adults, right? Why not a system for schools in which (a) each classroom has its own HVAC system, (b) there are 8-12 outlets in the ceiling, and (c) there are 8-12 exhaust outlets in the floor? For maximum safety, the system would have no recirculation.

(Separately, as long as we’re on the topic of aircraft paint, at West Star I noticed that all of the people working in the 100-degree hangars sanding the paint off jets seemed to identify as “men” while there were folks appearing to identify as “women” working in air-conditioned offices and comfortably sitting in chairs.)

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Was John Lewis an advocate for Black Americans?

by philg

John Lewis, a Civil Rights leader of the 1960s who became a Member of Congress, died two weeks ago. I hope it is not too soon to wonder whether he was actually working against the interests of the people whom he claimed to be helping.

From his 2011 press release:

“I am a very proud member of the Congressional Black Caucus,” said Rep. John Lewis. “Throughout my quarter century in Congress, the CBC has been a tireless, consistently progressive voice, always advocating for and insisting upon inclusion as a mandate of our democracy. The CBC is a powerful and seasoned advocate for African-Americans and all people who have been left out and left behind in this country.”

Was Mr. Lewis actually an advocate for the interests of African-Americans?

In his role as a member of Congress, Lewis was a reliable advocate for increased low-skill immigration. Example: 2018 press release. He voted “no” on Donald Trump’s border wall and was rated 0% by two organizations that seek to restrict immigration (ontheissues.org).

“Effects of Immigration on African-American Employment and Incarceration” (NBER, 2007):

One reason, the authors argue, is that black employment is more sensitive to an immigration influx than white employment. For white men, an immigration boost of 10 percent caused their employment rate to fall just 0.7 percentage points; for black men, it fell 2.4 percentage points.

That same immigration rise was also correlated with a rise in incarceration rates. For white men, a 10 percent rise in immigration appeared to cause a 0.1 percentage point increase in the incarceration rate for white men. But for black men, it meant a nearly 1 percentage-point rise.

In other words, Mr. Lewis was a thoroughly modern U.S. politician. Thanks to BLM, Black Americans (and their white “allies”?) can choose their statues, but immigrants will take their jobs, compete with them for rental apartments and public housing, space and resources in the public schools, space on the jammed roads and packed (now with Covid-19!) subway cars and buses, etc.

Readers: Can a politician actually advance both the interests of low-income African Americans and would-be low-skill immigrants at the same time? The U.S. does not have infinite financial resources nor infrastructure capacity. When an immigrant moves into public housing in San Francisco, for example, that unit becomes unavailable to a Black American, no?

Related:

  • “Yes, Immigration Hurts American Workers” (by George Borjas, Harvard Kennedy School labor economist, in 2016): Both low- and high-skilled natives are affected by the influx of immigrants. But because a disproportionate percentage of immigrants have few skills, it is low-skilled American workers, including many blacks and Hispanics, who have suffered most from this wage dip. The monetary loss is sizable. The typical high school dropout earns about $25,000 annually. According to census data, immigrants admitted in the past two decades lacking a high school diploma have increased the size of the low-skilled workforce by roughly 25 percent. As a result, the earnings of this particularly vulnerable group dropped by between $800 and $1,500 each year.
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NASA’s new mission: Inclusion

by philg

A friend’s Facebook post from July 23:

NASA today added Inclusion to its set of core values, reminding me, again, why this is the best place to work in government.

Inclusion – NASA is committed to a culture of diversity, inclusion, and equity, where all employees feel welcome, respected, and engaged. To achieve the greatest mission success, NASA embraces hiring, developing, and growing a diverse and inclusive workforce in a positive and safe work environment where individuals can be authentic. This value will enable NASA to attract the best talent, grow the capabilities of the entire workforce, and empower everyone to fully contribute.

Incorporating Inclusion as a NASA core value is an important step to ensuring this principle remains a long-term focus for our agency and becomes ingrained in the NASA family DNA. Together, we can continue to accomplish great things for all of humanity.

There is a new logo/graphic to go with this:

So… making employees feel welcome (why did they run a hostile work environment from 1915 through 2020, more than 100 years?) is now at the same level as “safety” (not killing pilots and passengers on the various rockets, airplanes, and helicopters operated by the agency).

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Covid-19 will go away if we just keep our schools closed

by philg

Good news from the Department of Correlation DOES Equal Causation: if we keep our schools closed, coronavirus will go away and leave us alone. From the maximally prestigious JAMA: “Association Between Statewide School Closure and COVID-19 Incidence and Mortality in the US”

Some excerpts:

All 50 states closed schools between March 13, 2020, and March 23, 2020.

The absolute effects associated with school closure during the 26-day period after school closure (days 17-42), which were calculated using model estimates with the assumption of linear growth, yielded 638.7 cases per 100 000 that would have occurred if schools had remained open (Table 3). Compared with the 214.8 cases per 100 000 estimated from the school closure model, the absolute difference associated with school closure was 423.9 (95% CI, 375.0 to 463.7) cases per 100 000.

In March 2020, states enacted multiple nonpharmaceutical interventions, including closing schools, nonessential businesses, and restaurants and bars, and prohibiting large gatherings, to curb SARS-CoV-2 spread and prevent death. Completely isolating the effects of any single nonpharmaceutical intervention is impossible because recommendations for increased handwashing, cleaning, and wearing of masks evolved simultaneously. Measured COVID-19 incidence also was affected by testing availability, which was limited early in the pandemic and varied nationally.

The authors reject the “Flatten the Curve” dogma as it was explained to us back in March. Infections are not merely delayed. They are prevented. The shutdown was “to curb SARS-CoV-2 spread and prevent death” and “school closure may be effective in curbing SARS-CoV-2 spread and preventing deaths during future outbreaks.”

Should we be more afraid of touching a dog with coronaplague in his/her/zir/their fur (an often-voiced concern of neighbors here in the Boston area) or a child?

Studies have documented lower attack rates for children, and children comprise a small proportion of documented infections. Children may be less susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection; however, studies have documented viral shedding in asymptomatic children.

#AbundanceOfCaution time! #KeepThemSafeKeepSchoolsShut!

If you’re going to criticize this paper, keep in mind that, based on the journal, this is the absolute pinnacle of American medical thinking! I would like to re-title the paper, though, even if I don’t feel distinguished enough to criticize the statistical methods employed. Philip’s title for this work: “We closed our schools in March 2020 and coronavirus has hardly bothered us since then.”

Below, a picture of something we won’t be doing any time soon… bringing one of the flight school helicopters to a local school and explaining to the youngsters how it flies.

Related:

  • “Why Most Published Research Findings Are False”
  • “Teachers Are Wary of Returning to Class, and Online Instruction Too” (NYT, July 29): Unions are threatening to strike if classrooms reopen, but are also pushing to limit live remote teaching. Their demands will shape pandemic education. … remote learning failed many children this spring, deepening achievement gaps by race and income. … one of the stickiest points of contention being how many hours per day teachers should be required to teach live via video. … a full school day over video would not be feasible for either students or teachers (although some private schools have embraced it).
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Boston Bruins hockey team and Black Lives Matter

by philg

“How Bruins Plan to Support Black Lives Matter During National Anthems” (NBC Boston):

The Bruins plan to lock arms during the playing of the Canadian and U.S. national anthems prior to games in the restarted 2020 NHL season, the team announced Tuesday.

The gesture will be “a sign of solidarity with the Black community,” per the team, and is “solely intended to be a positive sign of support for the Black community, and a way for us to use our platform to help end racism.”

Is this the ultimate proof that BLM is actually a movement by and for white people? (click on the photo below, the result of typing “Boston Bruins fans” into Google image search, and let me know if you see any people of color!)

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Visual artists will switch to outdoor sculpture due to plague?

by philg

With art museums closed or compromised (regulated pre-arranged visit times, masks, etc.) and art galleries damaged by the destruction of American retail, will visual artists switch to outdoor sculpture?

If most people with money flee the cities to suburban or country estates, and then spend a lot of time imprisoned in their yards, that’s a big market for attractive sculpture, right?

From the Storm King Art Center, now somewhat reopened (good day trip due to being adjacent to a near-infinite-length runway at KSWF; Dia:Beacon will reopen August 7):

(you may be able to park next to Donald Trump’s family Boeing 757 at KSWF, which is where it lives)

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Why hasn’t coronavirus been able to succeed in Laos, Vietnam, or Cambodia?

by philg

From The Google:

  • Vietnam population: 95 million
  • Laos population: 7 million
  • Cambodia population: 16 million

Number of deaths from Covid-19 so far among these nearly 120 million people? WHO data: 0.

People in these three countries can be smarter than Americans and Europeans, certainly. So perhaps they have managed coronaplague better than Americans and Europeans. But is it reasonable to assume that they’re infinitely smarter? That’s the assumption that we would need to explain an actual death rate of 0.

Maybe these countries are not good at testing and diagnosing Covid-19 compared to Americans and Europeans. But can they be infinitely bad at testing and diagnosing? That’s the assumption that we would need to explain a reported death rate of 0.

Unlike New Zealand and some similar success stories featured in our media, these countries are not islands, protected from immigrating viruses by a Trump-style wall of ocean. They are snuggled up against China, the original source of the “non-Chinese virus”. China is a big trading partner for these countries.

Readers: What could account for 0 deaths out of 120 million population? A mostly immune population due to previous exposure to a similar virus?

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Focus on Black Lives Matter degrades business performance?

by philg

I am hopeful that readers will notice a more responsive server as of last night. The virtual server behind this site had hit a load average of 21 while simultaneously using only 1-3 percent CPU for user processes. How is that possible? The Unix top command was showing up to 98 percent CPU used for “st”. If you’re a dinosaur like me and most of what you learned about top was learned in the 1980s, this is confusing indeed. “st” is “steal time”, i.e., time that was “stolen” by other virtual machines on the same host and/or the hypervisor. If st is more than 10 percent, that’s a sign that the underlying physical machine is overloaded.

Why hadn’t the hosting service noticed this issue and migrated some of the demanding virtual machines off the physical machine to prevent this kind of overload? What could they be doing if not writing a Perl script to catch problems like this? “We stand with the Black community”:

(The page notes that the company will offer “Paid time off for voting”. Perhaps there will be a few decades of unpaid time off for any employee who shows up with an “All Lives Matter” T-shirt or a MAGA/KAG hat!)

The company is sufficiently committed that a banner reading “Black Lives Matter. Linode is committed to social justice and equality.” appears at the top of every page for a customer’s tech nerds. Want to know the operating system running underneath your server? IPv4 versus IPv6 traffic? See if your server was backed up? The hundreds of pages that show information like this are all headed by a “Black Lives Matter” message.

Readers: On the theory that humans aren’t great at focusing on multiple goals at the same time (witness nearly the U.S., now entirely devoted to the single goal of avoiding coronadeath and the folks who switched attention to BLM immediately abandoned all thoughts of social distancing), is it fair to say that any company that truly commits to Black Lives Matter will also deliver an inferior product and service compared to if they hadn’t made this commitment?

Related:

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Now legal to bring our filthy bags into Maskachusetts grocery stores

by philg

“Reusable Bags Allowed Again In Massachusetts Grocery Stores” (CBS):

Reusable bags have been cleared to return to checkout lines in Massachusetts, with a previous ban now removed in the latest round of Baker administration guidance affecting grocery stores.

“This is a home run — good for the environment, for public health, for reducing waste, and for protecting both workers and shoppers,” MASSPIRG executive director Janet Domenitz said in a statement.

“Reinstating bags bans, effective immediately, doesn’t give business owners a chance to use up their stock of existing plastic bags or a chance to stock back up on paper bags if they need them. Even 30-60 days advance notice would have been a help,” Reibman wrote. “?It’s bad enough that store workers have to enforce mask wearing. Requiring cashiers to be the ones who inform customers this week that they have to pay for bags again, is just cruel.”

We’ve seen how powerful a virus can be, generating enough fear to paralyze a society of 330 million, for example, despite killing only about as many people as will be replaced in a few months of immigration (see “More than 1 million immigrants arrive in the U.S. each year.”). We watch as $billions continue to be spent on obsessive sanitizing of every surface that is reachable with a Lyson wipe. Does it actually make sense to encourage people to bring their filthy bags into stores again? (for a canvas bag to do less harm to the environment than a series of disposable plastic ones, the canvas bag must be re-used literally hundreds of times (Oregon Public Broadcasting))

After all of this effort to turn our grocery stores into Japanese- or Swiss-style models of cleanliness, we’re going back to bags that have been soaked in germs for years?

Bonus… the Big Save market in Hawaii, 1990. Rollei 6×6 SLR and… film!

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Jair Bolsonaro recovers from Covid-19 with the help of hydroxychloroquine

by philg

“Brazil’s President Bolsonaro says he tested negative for coronavirus” (NBC):

The right-wing leader who previously downplayed the disease posted on social media on Saturday that he had tested “negative” along with a greeting of “BOM DIA A TODOS” or “GOOD MORNING EVERYONE” in Portuguese. The posts were accompanied by a photo of Bolsonaro holding a packet of hydroxychloroquine that he credited for his quick recovery.

The 65-year-old president has gone further, dismissing the disease that has killed hundreds of thousands as nothing more than a “little flu.”

Might this prove to be the Lisbon Earthquake for the devout followers of the Church of Shutdown? From Wikipedia:

The [1755] earthquake had wide-ranging effects on the lives of the populace and intelligentsia. The earthquake had struck on an important religious holiday and had destroyed almost every important church in the city, causing anxiety and confusion amongst the citizens of a staunch and devout Roman Catholic country. Theologians and philosophers focused and speculated on the religious cause and message, seeing the earthquake as a manifestation of divine judgment.

How could the God of Shutdown have failed to strike down Jair Bolsonaro, who actively mocked the Church, compared coronaplague to influenza, agreed with Dr. Donald J. Trump, M.D. regarding hydroxychloroquine, refused the Sacrament Of The Mask until he developed symptoms (i.e., he followed the W.H.O.’s advice, circa early June!), and actively taunted mask-wearers while mocking the Rainbow Flag religion? (“Before Getting COVID, Brazilian President Said Masks ‘Are for Fairies'”)

Here’s a bizarre unexplained angle to the story…. “Jair Bolsonaro is denounced in The Hague for genocide and crimes against humanity” includes a picture of the genocidal maniac sitting next to a Hanukkah menorah (a bit out of season!).

Wikipedia says that Bolsonaro is Catholic. Was he at someone else’s house for that photo? He just loves Hanukkah when not committing genocide and got the menorah out five months early? What?

Related:

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