Costs of Masks, Tests Deepen Pandemic Wedge Between Haves and Have-Nots NECN. I can’t imagine why both aren’t free.
MORE LIKE THIS, PLEASE: Danish newspaper apologizes for mindlessly parroting government narrative.
The Whole Ruling Class Has to Go Tribune
Private equity’s strange effect on workplace inequality FT. For some definition of “inequality.”
Queensland dad’s ‘desperate’ 18-month ordeal following Facebook hacking ploy
Ars Technica Immune system vs. virus: Why omicron had experts worried from the start: “Right from omicron’s first description, researchers were concerned about the variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Looking over the list of mutations it carried, scientists could identify a number that would likely make the variant more infectious. Other mutations were even more worrying, as they would likely interfere with the immune system’s ability to recognize the virus, allowing it to pose a risk to those who had been vaccinated or suffered from previous infections. Buried in the subtext of these worries was a clear implication: Scientists could simply look at the sequence of amino acids in the spike protein of a coronavirus and get a sense of how well the immune system would respond to it. That knowledge is based on years of studying how the immune system operates, combined with a lot of specific information regarding its interactions with SARS-CoV-2. What follows is a description of these interactions, along with their implications for viral evolution and present and future variants…”
- Another 1.2MILLION people will be dragged into 40p income tax bracket in next four years as experts predict a 'cost of living catastrophe' (7 Jan 2022)
- Warning stealth tax will leave average UK family hundreds of pounds worse off a year (7 Jan 2022)
- Sajid Javid defends tax rises and insists Government will help the poor amid cost-of-living crisis (7 Jan 2022)
- Legislators face battle to implement historic global tax deal (5 Jan 2022)
- 'Robin Hood' windfall tax on oil and gas firms 'would hand families£5bn help' (5 Jan 2022)
- Jacob Rees-Mogg urges Rishi Sunak to ditch impending tax rises (5 Jan 2022)
How often can you safely reuse your KN95 or N95 mask?
Washington Post: “…Health experts say while there are no hard and fast rules, there are best practices for safely getting multiple uses out of N95s or KN95s…Some experts suggest having a few masks on hand so you can rotate between them. That way, after wearing one mask, you can set it aside for a few days before picking it up again, said Richard M. Carpiano, a public health scientist and sociologist at the University of California in Riverside. That would allow “enough time for any sort of virus particulates or virus remnants to die off,” he said. The reason to have a rest period between uses is to let the mask dry out and to give time for any viral particles the mask may have filtered to deactivate, Knight added. He recommended resting your mask for 24 to 48 hours. But don’t keep the masks in rotation indefinitely.
After a few wearings, “you want to move on to a fresh one,” Carpiano said. Knight has stressed that people should wash and sanitize their hands after taking off a mask and recommended removing the mask from the ear loops or elastic bands to avoid touching the outside of the mask that may be contaminated. Where should I store masks between uses? The key is to keep the masks somewhere where they can air out, said Christopher Sulmonte, project administrator for the Johns Hopkins biocontainment unit. “There’s going to be a little amount of moisture on the mask itself — that’s just naturally what happens when you wear it,” he said. “Having a space that you’re able to dry it out is important.” Sulmonte recommended placing the masks in a paper bag, because it’s a clean place to keep the mask and it’s “contained enough that you can still have the process of letting it dry out.” Knight recommended a mesh bag as another option, placing it “somewhere that air is flowing.” Storing your mask in a clean place where it can dry out will prevent it from being exposed to contaminants between uses and will prolong its effectiveness, experts say…”
The New York Times: “Online ‘visual’ reactions have come a long way since the first sideways smiley-face emoticon appeared four decades ago. Animated GIFs — those files showing a few seconds of choppy motion, like the one of Kermit the Frog flailing his arms excitedly — are ubiquitous in text messages, online forums and chat apps, thanks to the internet’s meme culture. But animated GIFs don’t have to come from the internet: You can make your own GIFs from the photos and videos on your phone. And you may not even need extra software to do so. Here’s a guide…”
Buy Things Not Experiences!
A nice, well-reasoned piece from Harold Lee pushing back on the idea that we should buy experiences not goods:
While I appreciate the Stoic-style appraisal of what really brings happiness, economically, this analysis seems precisely backward. It amounts to saying that in an age of industrialization and globalism, when material goods are cheaper than ever, we should avoid partaking of this abundance. Instead, we should consume services afflicted by Baumol’s cost disease, taking long vacations and getting expensive haircuts which are just as hard to produce as ever.
Put that way, the focus on minimalism sounds like a new form of conspicuous consumption. Now that even the poor can afford material goods, let’s denigrate goods while highlighting the remaining luxuries that only the affluent can enjoy and show off to their friends.
[The distinction is too tightly drawn]…tools and possessions enable new experiences. A well-appointed kitchen allows you to cook healthy meals for yourself rather than ordering delivery night after night. A toolbox lets you fix things around the house and in the process learn to appreciate how our modern world was made. A spacious living room makes it easy for your friends to come over and catch up on one another’s lives. A hunting rifle can produce not only meat, but also camaraderie and a sense of connection with the natural world of our forefathers. In truth, there is no real boundary between things and experiences. There are experience-like things; like a basement carpentry workshop or a fine collection of loose-leaf tea. And there are thing-like experiences, like an Instagrammable vacation that collects a bunch of likes but soon fades from memory.
Indeed, much of what is wrong with our modern lifestyles is, in a sense, a matter of overconsuming experiences. The sectors of the economy that are becoming more expensive every year – which are preventing people from building durable wealth – include real estate and education, both items that are sold by the promise of irreplaceable “experiences.” Healthcare, too, is a modern experience that is best avoided. As a percent of GDP, these are the growing expenditures that are eating up people’s wallets, not durable goods. If we really want to live a minimalist life, then forget about throwing away boxes of stuff, and focus on downsizing education, real estate, and healthcare.
Hat tip: The Browser.
Photo Credit: MaxPixel.