Germany, "standing atop a billion-dollar mountain of masks" purchased by the panicked Merkel government in 2020, begins to "thermally reprocess" (i.e., incinerate) the rapidly expiring surplus
Germany, "standing atop a billion-dollar mountain of masks" purchased by the panicked Merkel government in 2020, begins to "thermally reprocess" (i.e., incinerate) the rapidly expiring surplus
Well at least they have found a solution to the energy crisis the stupid idiots created with their climate alarmist nonsensical anti science. One nonsensical anti science does counter balance another though I guess. The lunatics are truly in charge of the asylum
We have purposely avoided directly confronting the issue of masks because it is such an emotional and political issue. Like waving a red flag in front of a bull, the topic elicits strong emotions which overwhelms reason. We wear a mask in the hospital and don a N95 mask, gown and gloves when we see a patient known to have COVID-19. Masks are used for source control when patients are admitted with various types of infectious respiratory diseases. After the visit, we dispense of the gown, gloves and change into our regular surgical mask to continue patient rounds. In public, we wear a cloth mask to comply with executive orders and as a courtesy to others who feel afraid and uncomfortable. Like most of you, we rarely wash the mask, we stick it in our pockets, pick it out of the glove compartment or off the floorboard when we need it.
In truth, we wish masks worked. If they did, it would be a cheap, and easy way to control the spread of Covid. The idea that they protect not only their wearer, but also those people around them seems noble. We wished masks worked because citizens are spending billions of dollars on them.
We wish masks worked because most Americans wear them now. Telling them it was unnecessary will not make them happy. We wish masks worked because they have become a symbol for virtue and social responsibility. Anyone who doubts their utility is personally attacked; as though they don’t believe the viral pandemic is real, or don’t care about those who die from it.
We wish masks worked, because they distract from other important Covid related issues such as: school closings, lack of access for non COVID related illness, increased mental illness, elderly dying alone, missed youth experiences, substance abuse, suicides, increased poverty and homelessness, suppression of free speech, censorship of science, disruption of supply chains, government agencies used to oppress small businesses, restriction of religious gatherings, travel disruptions, isolation protocols, modeling over actual data, quarantines, lockdowns, contact tracing, and global harm of the economy that most impacts the working class, vulnerable and poor.
We wish masks worked.
But they don’t.
At least, not the cloth and surgical masks you see in the public arena. They litter the landscape and waterways. They are difficult for people with disabilities and small children. It promotes natural germaphobe tendencies and indoctrinates the young to see their fellow humankind as a sack of germs.
There have been many randomized controlled trials (RCT) and meta-analysis of previous studies that suggest that masks do not work to prevent influenza- like illnesses, or respiratory illness transmitted by droplets and aerosol particles – like Covid. This knowledge was the basis for the WHO and CDC recommending against the public wearing masks in the spring of 2020. It was repeated by authorities and experts at every level.
Dr. Jerome Adams, the Surgeon General tweeted, “Seriously people – STOP BUYING MASKS! They are NOT effective in preventing the general public from catching Coronavirus”
Dr. Anthony Fauci told 60 minutes, “There’s no reason to be walking around with a mask”.
In April, the New England Journal of Medicine wrote: “we know that wearing a mask outside of health care facilities offers little, if any protection from infection”.
What changed? Well, it wasn’t the science.
All studies are not equal. The gold standard of medical evidence comes from randomly controlled studies. Recent observational studies that were used to support mask mandates were poorly designed for confounding factors, carried out in medical environments, and then, impressions were extrapolated to the general public. Studies that evaluated the viral exposure of mice in a cage covered with mask material vs. caged mice without a mask cover does not seem to translate well to a world of humans who use their hands. In contrast, a recent Danish mask study of the general public that was performed in a prospective, randomized fashion did not endorse the current majority narrative and was vigorously criticized and suppressed by some.
A new drug, medical product or procedure would never be approved based on this type of evidence.
Logic argues against mask effectiveness. The size differential between viral particle or droplet size expelled from the human respiratory tract compared to the filter size of surgical or cloth masks is substantial. If you read the fine print on most consumer masks, one will likely read a statement such as this; “not intended for medical purposes and has not been tested to reduce the transmission of disease”.
The best studies are outcome based and measure “patient oriented evidence that matters.” A pharmaceutical company may show their statin drug greatly reduces cholesterol and science can show a correlation between cholesterol and heart disease. So, the obvious premise is that lowering cholesterol reduces risk of heart attacks.
Except it doesn’t. At least not for primary prevention in patients without preexisting vascular disease. It is why you must do the study. Does the intervention work in real world conditions?
In August, 2021, Pew Research reported that 85% of Americans said they wore masks in public all or most of the time. If this is so, and if masks are effective, why has the incidence of SARS-Cov-2 increased so rapidly? Why is there not a favorable correlation between mask usage and disease transmission in countries and states with different mask policies?
If masks and lockdowns work, why don’t they work?
The graph below shows the daily number of deaths per million in the UK, France, Spain, Italy and Sweden from March to December. The number to the right reflects the percentage of the population that report wearing a mask in public spaces. Sweden has the lowest number of deaths per million in this comparison despite only 7.7% of the surveyed population reported wearing a mask. For those who argue that Norway, Denmark and Finland have lower mortality rates than Sweden. They would be correct, but these countries also have much lower rates of mask use compared to other European countries (less than 50%). Masks have been oversold as a solution.
The Covid mania reaction / over-reaction by western governments will be a lesson in bizarre, stupid behavior with a few sinister twists thrown in. The coercion, lying, profiteering and cultural damage will take generations to overcome. In the US, we have paid people to stay home and destroyed thousands of small businesses while irreparably breaking the trust in public health. All for what? To prop up self important government officials, demonstrate control and inject fear and neediness into populations.
Now many have doubled down on the same stupid positions while an incredulous people wait for apologies, accountability and penalties none of which are forthcoming. If we were previously wary of government, now we are outright hostile. Wake up people. Take back our world. Pray, plan, prepare and RESIST.
What sort of power are they using to burn these masks? Wind? Hydro? Solar? What is the carbon footprint of the mask burning operation? Perhaps the masks can be used to soften the blow as they bulldoze that village for the new coal mine….
Reminds me of a post I wrote almost a year ago to the day...
TRADE OFFS AND ENVIROMENTAL IMPACTS?
I've been wondering what the environmental impact of the current global strategy will add up to, including the total carbon footprint, and the possible negative impacts on nature. For example, what are we going to do with all those billions of contaminated (plastic and metal) used syringes? What was the extra energy/chemical cost in producing, shipping and transporting them around the world?
Likewise, what is the addition to the plastics burden on the environment from all the billions of single use (throwaway) pieces of PPE - the masks, gloves, aprons, visors, hand sanitizer bottles?
How much extra energy has been required for the running of the refrigeration units needed to store and transport the billions of injections? Which developing country's land fill will all these refrigeration units end up in? Indeed, as usual, will developing nations bear the environmental brunt of the first world's lion share use of injections?
Also, do climate change activists generally align with the pro-injection or anti-injection camps?
1, If the states don't want to pay storage costs, why not distribute the masks to the general population and let them burn the silly things to heat their homes.
2. And please tell me how masks "expire?" They're paper with a little piece of metal and a couple elastic strips.
3. Did anyone consult Greta Thunberg? That mouthy Swedish brat seems to be an authority on everything.
Welcome to the “fighting the last War” stage of pandemic.As a young person I lived near a semi abandoned military base and it was fairly easy to get inside it.We spent many hours destroying decades of decaying supplies for the base,probably destroying $100,000 of useless items.I wouldn’t be worried about an attempt to restart the whole mask thing at this phase ,but large bonfires suddenly appearing inside warehouses is a possibility.
They need to take the bureaucrats who instigated (and perpetuated) these mask programs, and put unremovable masks on them ... like in Alexandre Dumas' The Man in the Iron Mask.
So why do commuters have to buy their own? In all sorts of fancy colours, I might add. I saw a elderly man wearing a rainbow coloured mask the other day. But you can get just about anything to match your outfit.
this whole farce could have saved millions of people of starvation. it could have done so much good, like filtering water for drinking, planting trees (instead of cutting them down for yet more useless masks) and thousand other things.
Great for the environment. They should build plastic, circular figurines as a tribute, call it: Emissions of Incompetence - and make all the Smart Science People wear it as a crown of stupidity around their foreheads for the rest of their lives. The modern scarlet letter. Better than what they deserve. Take the crown or go to prison.
Well at least they have found a solution to the energy crisis the stupid idiots created with their climate alarmist nonsensical anti science. One nonsensical anti science does counter balance another though I guess. The lunatics are truly in charge of the asylum
Why do masks go out of date ?
These are not eggs.
Masking the Science
We have purposely avoided directly confronting the issue of masks because it is such an emotional and political issue. Like waving a red flag in front of a bull, the topic elicits strong emotions which overwhelms reason. We wear a mask in the hospital and don a N95 mask, gown and gloves when we see a patient known to have COVID-19. Masks are used for source control when patients are admitted with various types of infectious respiratory diseases. After the visit, we dispense of the gown, gloves and change into our regular surgical mask to continue patient rounds. In public, we wear a cloth mask to comply with executive orders and as a courtesy to others who feel afraid and uncomfortable. Like most of you, we rarely wash the mask, we stick it in our pockets, pick it out of the glove compartment or off the floorboard when we need it.
In truth, we wish masks worked. If they did, it would be a cheap, and easy way to control the spread of Covid. The idea that they protect not only their wearer, but also those people around them seems noble. We wished masks worked because citizens are spending billions of dollars on them.
We wish masks worked because most Americans wear them now. Telling them it was unnecessary will not make them happy. We wish masks worked because they have become a symbol for virtue and social responsibility. Anyone who doubts their utility is personally attacked; as though they don’t believe the viral pandemic is real, or don’t care about those who die from it.
We wish masks worked, because they distract from other important Covid related issues such as: school closings, lack of access for non COVID related illness, increased mental illness, elderly dying alone, missed youth experiences, substance abuse, suicides, increased poverty and homelessness, suppression of free speech, censorship of science, disruption of supply chains, government agencies used to oppress small businesses, restriction of religious gatherings, travel disruptions, isolation protocols, modeling over actual data, quarantines, lockdowns, contact tracing, and global harm of the economy that most impacts the working class, vulnerable and poor.
We wish masks worked.
But they don’t.
At least, not the cloth and surgical masks you see in the public arena. They litter the landscape and waterways. They are difficult for people with disabilities and small children. It promotes natural germaphobe tendencies and indoctrinates the young to see their fellow humankind as a sack of germs.
There have been many randomized controlled trials (RCT) and meta-analysis of previous studies that suggest that masks do not work to prevent influenza- like illnesses, or respiratory illness transmitted by droplets and aerosol particles – like Covid. This knowledge was the basis for the WHO and CDC recommending against the public wearing masks in the spring of 2020. It was repeated by authorities and experts at every level.
Dr. Jerome Adams, the Surgeon General tweeted, “Seriously people – STOP BUYING MASKS! They are NOT effective in preventing the general public from catching Coronavirus”
Dr. Anthony Fauci told 60 minutes, “There’s no reason to be walking around with a mask”.
In April, the New England Journal of Medicine wrote: “we know that wearing a mask outside of health care facilities offers little, if any protection from infection”.
What changed? Well, it wasn’t the science.
All studies are not equal. The gold standard of medical evidence comes from randomly controlled studies. Recent observational studies that were used to support mask mandates were poorly designed for confounding factors, carried out in medical environments, and then, impressions were extrapolated to the general public. Studies that evaluated the viral exposure of mice in a cage covered with mask material vs. caged mice without a mask cover does not seem to translate well to a world of humans who use their hands. In contrast, a recent Danish mask study of the general public that was performed in a prospective, randomized fashion did not endorse the current majority narrative and was vigorously criticized and suppressed by some.
A new drug, medical product or procedure would never be approved based on this type of evidence.
Logic argues against mask effectiveness. The size differential between viral particle or droplet size expelled from the human respiratory tract compared to the filter size of surgical or cloth masks is substantial. If you read the fine print on most consumer masks, one will likely read a statement such as this; “not intended for medical purposes and has not been tested to reduce the transmission of disease”.
The best studies are outcome based and measure “patient oriented evidence that matters.” A pharmaceutical company may show their statin drug greatly reduces cholesterol and science can show a correlation between cholesterol and heart disease. So, the obvious premise is that lowering cholesterol reduces risk of heart attacks.
Except it doesn’t. At least not for primary prevention in patients without preexisting vascular disease. It is why you must do the study. Does the intervention work in real world conditions?
In August, 2021, Pew Research reported that 85% of Americans said they wore masks in public all or most of the time. If this is so, and if masks are effective, why has the incidence of SARS-Cov-2 increased so rapidly? Why is there not a favorable correlation between mask usage and disease transmission in countries and states with different mask policies?
If masks and lockdowns work, why don’t they work?
The graph below shows the daily number of deaths per million in the UK, France, Spain, Italy and Sweden from March to December. The number to the right reflects the percentage of the population that report wearing a mask in public spaces. Sweden has the lowest number of deaths per million in this comparison despite only 7.7% of the surveyed population reported wearing a mask. For those who argue that Norway, Denmark and Finland have lower mortality rates than Sweden. They would be correct, but these countries also have much lower rates of mask use compared to other European countries (less than 50%). Masks have been oversold as a solution.
it would all be so funny if it weren't so infuriating and if I didn't have a massive falling out with most of my friends over this shit
Why would you burn masks when you can just throw them all over the roads and dump them in the oceans?
So the paper expires? Was there some magical solution applied to the masks that disappears after a certain time??? But SCIENCE!
The Covid mania reaction / over-reaction by western governments will be a lesson in bizarre, stupid behavior with a few sinister twists thrown in. The coercion, lying, profiteering and cultural damage will take generations to overcome. In the US, we have paid people to stay home and destroyed thousands of small businesses while irreparably breaking the trust in public health. All for what? To prop up self important government officials, demonstrate control and inject fear and neediness into populations.
Now many have doubled down on the same stupid positions while an incredulous people wait for apologies, accountability and penalties none of which are forthcoming. If we were previously wary of government, now we are outright hostile. Wake up people. Take back our world. Pray, plan, prepare and RESIST.
What sort of power are they using to burn these masks? Wind? Hydro? Solar? What is the carbon footprint of the mask burning operation? Perhaps the masks can be used to soften the blow as they bulldoze that village for the new coal mine….
Reminds me of a post I wrote almost a year ago to the day...
TRADE OFFS AND ENVIROMENTAL IMPACTS?
I've been wondering what the environmental impact of the current global strategy will add up to, including the total carbon footprint, and the possible negative impacts on nature. For example, what are we going to do with all those billions of contaminated (plastic and metal) used syringes? What was the extra energy/chemical cost in producing, shipping and transporting them around the world?
Likewise, what is the addition to the plastics burden on the environment from all the billions of single use (throwaway) pieces of PPE - the masks, gloves, aprons, visors, hand sanitizer bottles?
How much extra energy has been required for the running of the refrigeration units needed to store and transport the billions of injections? Which developing country's land fill will all these refrigeration units end up in? Indeed, as usual, will developing nations bear the environmental brunt of the first world's lion share use of injections?
Also, do climate change activists generally align with the pro-injection or anti-injection camps?
1, If the states don't want to pay storage costs, why not distribute the masks to the general population and let them burn the silly things to heat their homes.
2. And please tell me how masks "expire?" They're paper with a little piece of metal and a couple elastic strips.
3. Did anyone consult Greta Thunberg? That mouthy Swedish brat seems to be an authority on everything.
"Thermally reprocess"!
I like it. I am going to start using it.
Have we reached Peak Stupid yet? May 2023 bring relief.
Welcome to the “fighting the last War” stage of pandemic.As a young person I lived near a semi abandoned military base and it was fairly easy to get inside it.We spent many hours destroying decades of decaying supplies for the base,probably destroying $100,000 of useless items.I wouldn’t be worried about an attempt to restart the whole mask thing at this phase ,but large bonfires suddenly appearing inside warehouses is a possibility.
They need to take the bureaucrats who instigated (and perpetuated) these mask programs, and put unremovable masks on them ... like in Alexandre Dumas' The Man in the Iron Mask.
So why do commuters have to buy their own? In all sorts of fancy colours, I might add. I saw a elderly man wearing a rainbow coloured mask the other day. But you can get just about anything to match your outfit.
this whole farce could have saved millions of people of starvation. it could have done so much good, like filtering water for drinking, planting trees (instead of cutting them down for yet more useless masks) and thousand other things.
Great for the environment. They should build plastic, circular figurines as a tribute, call it: Emissions of Incompetence - and make all the Smart Science People wear it as a crown of stupidity around their foreheads for the rest of their lives. The modern scarlet letter. Better than what they deserve. Take the crown or go to prison.