Category: Massachusetts

Safety first in Maskachusetts

by philg

Common sense measures to fight SARS-CoV-2 are back in various parts of Maskachusetts. “Mask Mandates Are Returning to Schools as COVID-19 Cases Surge” (TIME, May 25) says that the good old days never ended in Boston per se:

Boston public schools, for example, have maintained a mask requirement. City health officials said they would recommend lifting the school mask mandate once daily COVID-19 cases in the city fall to 10 new cases per 100,000 residents. The positivity rate currently stands at 54.5 new cases per 100,000 residents.

Neighboring Brookline, however, was briefly mask-free. “Brookline reinstates indoor mask mandate for schools, town buildings” (WCVB, May 23):

The mandate that began Monday requires everyone to wear a face covering over their mouth and nose while inside the library, senior center, all public schools and any other town-owned indoor spaces where the public gathers.

Student Alice Gametchu-Walker said she noticed several of her classmates were absent from Pierce Elementary School.

“I thought it was a good idea because a lot of kids have been out with colds and COVID,” she said. “I decided to keep wearing a mask because I just felt safer wearing it.”

Now that climate change has brought months of brutal heat to Maskachusetts, maybe people could cool off and stay fit to fight off COVID-19 by swimming across Walden Pond? “Massachusetts DCR again restricts open-water swimming at Walden Pond while lifeguards are on duty” (Boston Herald):

Walden Pond State Reservation on Saturday announced that last year’s open-water swimming rules would return, effective Sunday. That means swimming is not allowed outside the area designated by ropes and buoys from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. while lifeguards are on duty.

Open-water swimming is only allowed during park operating hours when lifeguards are not on duty, DCR said in a statement, stressing the policy helps ensure that lifeguards keep their focus on designated swim areas inside the ropes and buoys. The allowed open-water swimming hours are from 5 to 10 a.m. and then from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

“We want visitors to our designated swimming areas to have fun while cooling off from the summer heat, but we also want to stress safety and the importance of taking precautions to keep yourself and your family safe this summer,” said Acting DCR Commissioner Stephanie Cooper. “Our lifeguards are a valuable resource, but we also count on the public to take an active role in watching their children when they are in the water, using caution when swimming at unguarded beaches, and utilizing safe swimming practices to avoid a tragedy.”

In Florida, meanwhile, you can swim in the open ocean when the surf’s up and the lifeguards have put out their red “you’d be an idiot to go out” flags. And, of course, wear a mask at your discretion.

Related:

  • They’re back to masks in Alameda County, California (NYT): “Alameda is the first county in California, and the largest jurisdiction in the United States, to issue a universal indoor mask order since the end of the winter Omicron surge.”
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Anti-hate reeducation at a Maskachusetts public school

by philg

I won’t put this one in quote style because the italics will make it harder to read…

Prior to the April break I wrote to let you know that I was concerned about hateful language that had been found in a bathroom and that we would be following up with an outside speaker. Today Mr. Mark Liddell came to talk with our students. Mr. Liddell is the High School Coordinator for the METCO program [busing children, based on skin color, from City of Boston schools to suburban districts, thus relieving the foreign owners of downtown real estate from having to pay for these kids’ education] in the Wayland Public Schools. Mr. Liddell has done at least six presentations with our parent groups through the generosity of the Lincoln METCO Parent Board who has brought him as a speaker over the last two years around many topics of race and history.

We spent an hour together first with 5th and 6th grade and then with 7th and 8th grade talking about language, historical context, and how we should respond when we hear hate speech. As Mr. Liddell is a high school teacher, there were pieces of his talk that might have felt difficult for some students to understand. There were other parts that were uncomfortable to sit through as they showed unfortunate pieces of our history. Students were given the opportunity to stay with Mr. Liddell and teachers at school to continue to talk and ask questions after the assembly.

This afternoon the faculty will further conversations on how to talk with our students as issues continue to surface. Mr. Liddell ended his time with our students sharing the following pledge:

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City of Boston spent taxpayer funds on the legal defense of a policy that 9 out of 9 Supreme Court justices found unconstitutional

by philg

Back in January: City of Boston happy to fly rainbow and Islamic flags, but not a Christian group’s flag

Today in the NYT… “Supreme Court Rules Against Boston in Case on Christian Flag”:

The Supreme Court unanimously ruled on Monday that the city of Boston had violated the First Amendment when it refused to let a private group raise a Christian flag in front of its City Hall.

One of the three flagpoles in front of the building, which ordinarily flies the flag of Boston, is occasionally made available to groups seeking to celebrate their backgrounds or to promote causes like gay pride. In a 12-year period, the city approved 284 requests for the third flag.

It rejected only one, from Camp Constitution, which says it seeks “to enhance understanding of our Judeo-Christian moral heritage.” The group’s application said it sought to raise a “Christian flag” for one hour at an event that would include “short speeches by some local clergy focusing on Boston’s history.” The flag bore the Latin cross.

The Appeals court decision says that the lawsuit was originally filed in 2018. Thus, to avoid the horror of a Christian-themed flag blocking a billboard for one of the city’s “essential” marijuana dispensaries, the City of Boston paid lawyers for years to defend a policy that not even a single Supreme Court justice found constitutional.

The Appeals court document is also interesting for the list of organizations who hate seeing a Christian flag so much that they’re happy to toss out the U.S. Constitution. Examples of folks who filed amicus briefs in support of the city’s unconstitutional behavior:

  • Anti-Defamation League
  • Central Conference of American Rabbis
  • Hindu American Foundation
  • Maine Conference, United Church of Christ (they also hate Jews in Israel)
  • Men of Reform Judaism
  • National Council of Jewish Women
  • Christ; People for the American Way Foundation (it is not “the American Way” to follow the American Constitution?)
  • Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association
  • The Sikh Coalition
  • Southern New England Conference, United Church of Christ (again with the Israel-haters; I’m not sure that this name is accurate because I never heard anyone in New England who attended a UCC church mention either “Jesus” or “Christ”)
  • Union for Reform Judaism
  • Women of Reform Judaism

Not strictly related, but why do we Jews have so many different organizations? And why isn’t there a Reform Judaism-related group for those who do identify neither as “Men” nor “Women”? Also, what happens when a member of Men of Reform Judaism becomes a “woman” (as the term is defined by Ketanji’s panel of biologists)? Does she have to switch to the “Women of Reform Judaism” group?

The Person of Color (identified as such by the media) who is the current Boston mayor gets into the spirit of Islam today:

See also “Boston City Council approves protest restrictions proposed by Mayor Wu” (Boston Globe, March 30, 2022) for how Mx. Wu has enhanced freedom of speech.

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Massachusetts Marijuana Billboards

by philg

To celebrate World Health Day, let’s look at a state where long-term public health was optimized by closing schools for more than a year while keeping the marijuana stores open. Every retailer of healing cannabis in Maskachusetts requires a permit to operate from the government. These permits are limited and, generally, political connections are required to obtain one. Thus, the dope trade is so lucrative that these shops have outbid Verizon, Apple, McDonald’s, et al. for billboard space on the Massachusetts Turnpike. Our heroic reader/commenter Alex has done a drive-by photo project for us. The following photos are from the Pike, I-91, and some of the “poor mine” towns near Springfield, MA.

First, remember that consuming alcohol and psychotropic drugs 24/7 “is not a choice; it’s a disease.”

(Yet it is a disease that can be cured by giving people money on condition that they stop being diseased? See “Financial Incentives for Adherence: Do They Pay?” (Psychiatric Times 2017) and “California Wants To Become The First State To Pay People With Addiction To Stay Sober” (state-sponsored NPR 2021))

This one might be my favorite, the old religion of Christianity represented by a church right next to a billboard for the new religion of weed:

Dazed and Turning Leaf:

For every 200 billboards promoting the consumption of scientifically proven healing cannabis, there is 1 that is part of a disinformation campaign (in this case, disseminating misinformation that marijuana does not improve driving skills; Facebook Fact Checkers rate this claim “Missing Context”).

The Mercedes logo gets some added class by appearing right next to a weed shop billboard:

The implication is that Mercedes is better with cannabis. This concept is made explicit in the next billboard: “Springfield is better with cannabis”.

Who says that Republicans and marijuana don’t mix? A big portion of the Springfield Republican‘s building will now be devoted to cannabis retail.

The INSA “cannabis for real life” shop, right next to the Basketball Hall of Fame:

A proven-by-Science Theory of Wellness:

Illustrating the challenge of taking pictures while driving….

What if phone camera use leads to an accident? A personal injury lawyer stands ready:

Happy World Health Day to everyone and I hope that everyone stays healthy this year by following CDC guidance (to test and not to test, that is the Science).

Related:

  • “Welcoming Refugees” (Jewish Family Service of Springfield, MA): For us social justice is rooted in the Jewish commandment to remember the experience of slavery and the Exodus from Egypt. … JFS resettles refugees fleeing their homelands in partnership with HIAS (formerly the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) and the State Department. In the past five years JFS resettled over 500 refugees from around the world to Western Mass– their new home. Well before a family’s arrival, staff secure housing, furniture, and household items for new families. We then provide comprehensive support, including support for school-aged children, comprehensive employment services, and help navigating their new community. JFS continues to serve New Americans long after initial resettlement — for up to five years and beyond in many cases. [Remember that there is no archaeological evidence to support the Passover victimhood narrative. Despite the extensive body of written history from Ancient Egypt, there is nothing to suggest that Jews were ever enslaved in Egypt, that a large group of Jews lived in Egypt, or that a large group of Jews fled Egypt.]
  • “Poverty in Springfield, Massachusetts” (from Welfare Info): The poverty rate in Springfield is 28.7%. One out of every 3.5 residents of Springfield lives in poverty. … 21.1% of Black residents of Springfield, Massachusetts live below the poverty line. 26.7% of Asian residents of Springfield, Massachusetts live below the poverty line. 13.3% of White residents of Springfield, Massachusetts live below the poverty line. 43.5% of Hispanic residents of Springfield, Massachusetts live below the poverty line. Enrolled in Elementary School(Grades 1-4) in Springfield, Massachusetts have a Poverty Rate of 46.1%.
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Medical waiver for tinted windows in Massachusetts

by philg

A friend is a tinted window enthusiast and mentioned in a chat group that he was having some trouble getting his doctor in Maskachusetts to sign documents that will satisfy the bureaucracy that runs the tint waiver program:

Apparently this should not be too challenging. The tint enthusiast knows of some people who were approved due to doctors using “dry skin” as a justification.

A response from a Californian in the chat group:

Get medicinal marijuana doc to say u r too stoned to put sunglasses on

Separately, is tinted glass necessary on any modern car? For roughly 20 years, at least mid-trim cars have come from the factory with heat-rejecting (sometimes called “solar absorbing”) glass, right?

(Where is aftermarket tint necessary? Airplane windows! Unfortunately, they are plastic and can be destroyed by standard automotive products. Small planes typically have no air-conditioning (costs $30,000 and reduces payload by 10 percent) and the factory windows are greatly inferior in heat-rejection to what’s in a Toyota Corolla (one of which passed us on Florida’s Turnpike the other day going at least 90 mph!). Plane Tint sells a specially formulated product that we applied to our 2005 SR20 before making the Florida move. It has held up well so far.)

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Boston will end its COVID-19 state of emergency on April Fools’ Day

by philg

Yesterday on boston.gov:

Mayor Michelle Wu and Dr. Bisola Ojikutu, Commissioner of Public Health and Executive Director of the Boston Public Health Commission, today announced Boston’s COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Declaration will end on April 1, 2022. The announcement follows a vote by the Boston Board of Health during their Wednesday meeting following the recommendation of Dr. Ojikutu. The Emergency Declaration has been in place since March 15, 2020.

During their meeting, Boston Public Health Commission officials provided a recommended framework for Boston Public Schools to use in determining when to lift the school masking requirement. Dr. Sarimer Sánchez, from BPHC’s Infectious Diseases Bureau, advised reviewing the school masking policy when the number of positive COVID-19 tests per day in Boston falls below 10 cases per day per 100,000 residents, while considering other COVID-19 metrics. BPHC is also encouraging development of “mask friendly” policies for students and staff, and increasing access to vaccines in school communities. The current COVID-19 daily case incidence is approximately 13 cases per 100,000 residents in Boston. The final decision on revising the school mask policy will be made by Boston Public Schools.

At least for now, the Science-informed emergency continues and children are forced to wear masks. But on April Fools’ Day, Science will say that it is safe to emerge from the bunker.

Related:

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Resisting on International Women’s Day

by philg

Nostalgia for our old neighborhood, a lawn sign in front of a successful divorce plaintiff’s $1.8 million (Zillow estimate) house:

One good thing about Massachusetts family law is that it relieves quite a few people who identify as “women” from the need ever to work at a W-2 job again and thus these folks can resist on a full-time basis.

Readers: What are you doing to celebrate International Women’s Day? If you’re looking for suggestions, how about a Melinda Gates video watch marathon?

Speaking of Melinda Gates, a former Microsoft employee, “52% of women believe their gender is limiting their careers in the tech industry” (Atlas VPN):

Today we can celebrate many great women who have helped shape the world of technology as we know it. From Katherine Johnson, a mathematician whose pioneering work at NASA was instrumental in the success of sending astronauts into orbit, to Reshma Saujani, founder and CEO of the nonprofit Girls Who Code, which aims to increase the number of women in computer science — these and many other talented women continue to pave the way for others in tech.

Nevertheless, women are still largely underrepresented in the tech industry and face many obstacles when pursuing a career in the field. According to data presented by Atlas VPN, 52% of women believe their gender is limiting their career in tech, and one-fifth of women are thinking about leaving their current position.

Despite increasing discussions about gender diversity in the technology industry, men still hold the vast majority of positions in tech, even in top companies.

If “top companies” are measured by stock market valuation, see Six-year anniversary of the SSGA Gender Diversity Index ETF.

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Limiting political protests in the Cradle of Liberty (TM)

by philg

“Boston Mayor Michelle Wu Proposes Limits On Protests At Private Homes” (CBS):

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, who has been targeted in early mornings by people outside her home protesting her city employee coronavirus vaccine mandate, filed an ordinance Monday that would limit when protesters can picket.

“Boston has a strong legacy of activism, and it’s important to uphold and protect the ability to speak out and advocate fiercely to keep our democracy strong,” Wu said in a statement. “But in a moment of divided national politics, we can’t normalize the harassment and hate spilling over into our communities.”

Protests will be allowed when national politics are unified, i.e., when every American agrees with the ruling party. Also, oftentimes the best way to uphold and protect the ability to speak out is by arresting and fining those who speak out.

An attorney friend in Maskachusetts:

She had no qualms about supporting protesters outside Gov. Baker’s house, when it was for some climate change cause. No problem with shutting down I-93, proudly showing pictures of herself doing it on social media, when it was for a cause [Black Lives Matter] she supported. But now, when protesters are outside her house, she wants an ordinance making it illegal.

Isn’t it interesting that these “leaders” all seem to find their inner censor when protests are against their pet causes and pet decisions? (Looking at you, Justin Trudeau).

It is possible that the above quote contains a misstatement. What I was able to find was an employee of Michelle Wu proudly posting about shutting down Interstate 93:

Related:

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Maskachusetts trying to ferret out the young people using essential and healing marijuana

by philg

Recent email from a school in the Land of Closed Schools and Open Marijuana Shops…. (not in quote style for superior readability)

Massachusetts law mandates school districts to screen students for possible substance use. To address this mandate we will be conducting a screening program to take place for all 7th grade students attending the Lincoln Public Schools (for more information about the law, please visit http://www.masbirt.org/schools). The screening will take place during the day on March 15, 2022 at the Hanscom Middle School and the Lincoln 5-8 School. The goal of this program is to let students know that we are available to support healthy decisions and to assist them in obtaining support if needed for substance use related problems.

In order to help prevent students from starting to use substances, or to intervene with early use, the Lincoln Public School nurses and the middle school counselors will be providing an interview-based screening for all 7th grade students regarding the use of alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs. This screening utilizes the most commonly used substance use screening tool for adolescents in Massachusetts, the CRAFFT II. Student screening sessions will be brief (approximately 5 minutes). These screenings are conducted confidentially and in private, one-on-one sessions conducted by our school nurses and social workers.

Students who are not using substances will have their healthy choices reinforced by the screener. The screener will provide brief feedback to any student who reports using substances, or is at risk for future substance use. If needed, we will refer students to our counselors for further evaluation. Results of the screening will not be included in your child’s school record, nor will results be shared with any staff other than the Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) Team. The SBIRT Team is composed of the school nurse and middle school counselors. All students will receive some educational material and a resource list at the time of the screening.

The governor says that marijuana is “essential” and people in Maskachusetts generally agree that marijuana can heal most medical problems (which is why, even before there was a profitable legal recreational marijuana industry, there was a thriving “medical marijuana” industry). Yet a separate collection of state bureaucrats wants to tell 12- and 13-year-olds that marijuana is somehow bad. (Same argument on alcohol, which was “essential”.)

I would love to meet the 7th grader with the temerity to point out to the screeners that nearly every billboard on the Mass Pike promotes marijuana use and wondering how it is possible that something that is great for adults is terrible for 13-year-olds. Also that adults couldn’t wait to stick 13-year-olds with a vaccine designed for older people.

Separately, it is interesting how Colorado and Maskachusetts set up their respective marijuana industries. In Colorado, there are numerous marijuana shops, each fairly small. As far as I observed, none of them has become rich enough to outbid Apple, Verizon, McDonald’s, et al. for billboard space. In Maskachusetts, by contrast, the number of cronies authorized by the government to sell marijuana is much smaller and, therefore, the profits are apparently staggering.

Here’s a photo from January 2022 of Mountain Medicinals, a “family-owned dispensary” in Idaho Springs, Colorado (contrary to the name, this is recreational and they can sell even to those who do not need to be healed):

As you can see, there are only three cars in the parking lot and the sign is modest. (In MA, the marijuana shops are so busy that they need to pay off-duty police officers to direct traffic.) Also, speaking of maximizing health, note the masked pedestrian in the crisp mountain air (it was below freezing outside and he and I were the only people outside within a 500′ radius).

Related:

  • Department of Blessings of Lockdown…. “Marijuana Sales Increased In Multiple States During COVID, Study Finds” (Marijuana Moment, 8/9/2021): Legal marijuana sales in multiple states reached record highs in mid-2020 as coronavirus spread across the nation, according a new study. To date, sales in the four states examined in the analysis—Alaska, Colorado, Oregon and Washington—”have increased more during the COVID-19 pandemic than in the previous two years.” (Tough to understand how labor force participation rate has fallen so much when so many more Americans are starting each day with a motivational bong hit)
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Massachusetts during Götterdämmerung (of the Coronagods)

by philg

With deaths from COVID-19 only about as bad as in January 2021 (when few were vaccinated), in both the U.S. as a whole and Maskachusetts alone, declarations of “Mission Accomplished” are becoming common, with associated rollbacks of orders to check vaccine papers and orders for the subjects to wear masks.

How do people who have clung to their cloth masks as security blankets react during the Twilight of the Coronagods?

“Massachusetts Mask and Vax Mandates: A (Temporarily Accurate) Guide” (Boston Magazine, 2/16/2022):

Whether you’re required to wear a face mask depends on where you are. When you see it on a map, it’s striking just how much variety there is when it comes to policies town-by-town and city-by-city. Boston still requires them for all public indoor spaces, as do neighbors Cambridge, Somerville, Newton, and Brookline. Some places, like Medford, Malden, and Melrose, require masks only in municipal buildings.

As you certainly know by now, Boston opted to make vaccine checks mandatory at indoor venues like restaurants and gyms in January. Brookline did the same thing. (Interestingly, Brookline’s vax mandate applies to restaurants’ outdoor patios, while Boston’s does not). Other cities and towns considered following in Boston’s footsteps—among them Arlington, Cambridge, and Somerville—but didn’t, although lots and lots of business owners have enacted their own vaccine rules.

Meanwhile, Boston is nearing the next stage of its vaccine mandate policy—per the city’s B Together plan, kids 12 and older will need to be fully vaccinated to enter those places, too, beginning February 15. Kids ages 5-11 will need to have at least one dose by March 1, and two doses by May 1.

Even though lots of states have been dropping their school mask mandates, the CDC thinks it’s too soon to take that step, and is sticking with its guidance that kids stay masked in schools.

From the linked-to article:

“As small business operators we have a civic duty to take care of the health and safety of our guests and employees alike,” Tracy Chang told Eater in July 2021. Chang is the chef and owner of Pagu in Cambridge’s Central Square. “The past year has taught us just how vulnerable are the lives of essential hospitality workers, just how broken the existing hospitality industry is when it comes to wages, benefits, and welfare,” Chang continued. “We now have an opportunity to rebuild the industry to be a better, stronger one, starting one restaurant at a time. The least we can do is pay people more, check for proof of full vaccination, take temperatures at the door, and require masks indoors when not eating/drinking.” [later in the article it notes that Mx. Chang also requires government-issued photo ID, which is definitely not a racist policy]

If he/she/ze/they really wants to #StopTheSpread, why not close his/her/zir/their restaurant permanently? People eating at home won’t generate as many infections or breed as many mutations as people eating in restaurants.

Club Passim (47 Palmer St., Cambridge): All staff, performers, and customers are required to show proof of vaccination (the card or the photo) upon entering the club; ticket purchases will be refunded for those who cannot or will not show proof. Non-performers must wear masks indoors unless actively eating or drinking. Passim continues to offer livestream performances and online classes.

Again, if you’re concerned about COVID-19, why assemble COVID-19-spreading people to hear music when everyone has the capability of streaming audio and video at home?

How about those schools? February 17 email from a suburban district is presumably typical:

The Lincoln Board of Health met on Wednesday evening, February 16th to discuss the February 28, 2022 expiration of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education school mask mandate. While they agreed that our positive case numbers have dropped to low levels, concerns were raised about the possibility of an increase in cases after the February vacation week. They would like to see that our low number of cases are sustained over the next few weeks. In addition, Board of Health member Dr. Kanner shared that state level data is still at rates higher than it was in August when the BOH instituted the Town and school mask mandate.

The Board of Health voted to hold off on a decision until March 9, 2022 when they will reconvene to review the COVID data for the schools, Town and state and consider rescinding the town mask mandate.

The School Committee met this morning and received an update on the outcomes of the Lincoln Board of Health meeting. The Committee voted to re-visit the decision regarding maintaining the mask mandate or moving to less masking in the schools at it’s upcoming School Committee meeting on March 10th.

From “Brookline Indoor Mask Mandate and Vaccination Requirement at Businesses to Remain in Effect Until Further Notice”:

Interim Health Commissioner Patrick Maloney announces that the Town of Brookline’s mask mandate and proof of vaccination requirement continues to remain in effect though the need for these requirements will be reassessed next month. [i.e., in March 2022]

Proof of vaccination will continue to be required for patrons at all: … [restaurants, gyms, theaters, museums, etc.]

Additionally, masks continue to be required in all public indoor spaces in Brookline.

(Most of the above is actually illegal in Florida, of course, which refuses to follow Science. The legislature, for example, passed a law that forbids public schools to order children to wear masks.)

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