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Very good post. You nailed it near the end, when you said, "I think that using science as a political and economic tool is eroding faith in science." That is precisely what has happened. This is sad, and I'm afraid we will pay the consequences for a long time.I think he is a jerk. And I thought that before this came out because of what I've read about his relationship with his family.
But I think the issue here is about the dishonesty and not about the mask wearing at press conferences.
I think that not wearing a mask in a press conference where he's probably pretty far away from the reporters doesn't matter too much in a physical sense. But lying about it was clearly wrong.
Not wearing masks at press conferences has been happening throughout the pandemic, even pre-vaccines.
Remember all the videos of the politicians putting the mask on when they thought cameras started rolling, wearing the mask to walk to a podium, then taking the mask off?
Masks do help, but I don't think they help as much as originally advertised. In real world settings, wearing surgical mask reduces cases by ~11% and cloth masks by ~ 5% (see link below on article about a real-world effectiveness of masks).
This is certainly not nothing. And worth doing IMO because the cost (monetary and otherwise) is so small. But it's also small enough that it's not worth shouting someone down over. We were originally advised to call campus police for on people not wearing masks, which was a super-obvious over reaction in my opinion.
I think we still have signs up at work that say masks reduce transmission by upwards of 90%. I think that evidence that shows this is more from lab tests assuming perfect behavior which is not possible for humans.
Here's an article about a large scale trial on surgical vs. cloth masks in real world conditions where this data comes from.
I think the previous overestimation is probably because of things like it being very hard for people to go long periods of time wearing a mask without touching it. And touching it dramatically reduces effectiveness. And for most people I've seen in classes, the reason they touch it is because it's falling down. And uncovering the nose also dramatically reduces effectiveness. It's not a simple thing to wear a mask for long periods of time. Maybe that's why the real world and predicted effectiveness is so different?
And I think this is information that people who study these things mostly knew - or at least would have predicted - before (i.e. masks help, but probably not a ton). I think mask effectiveness was intentionally overestimated (or at least people didn't push back too hard on numbers that never made much sense given all the previous literature) as a way to increase confidence and try to get the economy back on track. Unfortunately, I think that using science as a political and economic tool is eroding faith in science (just like like all other institutions politics is corrupting).
That's my $0.02 anyway.Comment
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Excellent point. Same reason why no one trusts the media...they allowed themselves to become a propaganda tool. let's be honest...COVID has become a political tool and economically it has become big business for research organizations, big pharma, etc who for two years have been getting more money made available to them than ever. Some people don't want the pandemic to go away."My team, may they always be right, but right or wrong...MY TEAM!"Comment
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Facts are, getting vax doesn't lead to less covid cases, it probably leads to more.Comment
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“what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul." - Billy Madison PrincipalLast edited by SteelBucks; 11-06-2021, 09:03 PM.Comment
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Tomlin hasn't won a playoff game in seven years and counting. The earliest will be eight years. I guess that in Art Rooney's II, opinion is worth a 3 year extension.
Our 2024 draft looks to be grade A. Our 2023 draft is an A. The roster is talented, but Mike Tomlin is still the head coach.
*** Mike Tomlin is the best coach since the AFL- NFL merger that has not won a playoff game in 8 seasons or more. It's either him or Lewis. ***Comment
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