On two occasions ( here and here ) in 2020, I used the term "miasma" when discussing medical officials' inexplicable advice to the public pertaining to COVID. In the earlier of the two pieces, I wrote: My point was that the advice they were giving was appropriate if COVID spread through contaminated air. But Dr. Fauci, CDC and WMO were confusingly telling us that it spread through "droplets" (there are many other articles in addition to the one at the link that state the droplet hypothesis). The two -- droplets vs contaminated air -- are contradictory in the way transmission occurs and how to protect ourselves.  In a fascinating investigative report in Wired ,  it turns out the miasma theory  is correct when it comes preventing the spread of COVID in the sense that airborne coronavirus virons (small enough to be aerosols* -- a term also used in meteorology) suspended in the air create an invisible cloud of "bad air." Spend enough time in it and you a...

Thanks to a Freedom of Information Act request, we now know what Dr. Fauci was really saying and doing. It isn't pretty.  "Gain of function" is the highly immoral research Fauci was involved in. It involves making viruses more lethal . The ostensible reason is so vaccines can be created. Of course, when the coronavirus leaked or was released from the Wuhan lab, millions died.  The media bears huge responsibility for lionizing Fauci (who has been, at best, wrong about many important issues in his career) and for downplaying the evidence the virus was manmade.  P.S. Whenever the media combine "consensus" and "science" in an article be extremely skeptical.  Consensus has nothing to do with science or the scientific method.

Just like a 'consensus' (which has nothing to do with science or the scientific method) was manufactured for global warming, the same was done to suppress suspicions the Wuhan virus originated at a Chinese government lab in that city. Of course, that lab had/has connections to Dr. Anthony Fauci.  I don't know how the coronavirus began. But Judy's story of how the consensus was manufactured is well worth your time.  Unfortunately, we live in an era where we need to be skeptical about everything. 

Associated Press photo When we get to May or June and this is all over, I am hoping Congress or someone in a position of power will research how the public health community squandered its credibility and diminished our quality of life with its, "wear masks outdoors" nonsense -- advice that even Dr. Fauci ignored even though he gave it.  Examples of "outdoors danger!" are here and here  and here (there are many more, of course).  Wall Street Journal report from Monday urging people outdoors to "Mask Up!" * Perhaps the most idiotic was closing Yosemite and then opening it to only 100 guests at a time. If you have never been there, Yosemite is vast!   As  The Atlantic  reported earlier this week: I've been tracking every report I can find for the past year, and have yet to find a confirmed super-spreading event that occurred solely outdoors. Such events might well have taken place, but if the risk were great enough to justify altering out live, I woul...

Hopefully, part of "normal" be bicyclers not  wearing masks. 

For years, Yale and George Mason universities have had 'institutes' to market global warming gloom and doom to the public. A significant amount of the funding comes from our tax dollars. I've often said if the science is good, it will be convincing. It doesn't need slick Madison Avenue advertising techniques. Now we learn the federal government is looking to sell us a coronavirus vaccine in much the same way it has tried to sell us global warming. Here is a partial list of the messaging it is trying out along with Yale University. I don't like the idea of slick marketing for a coronavirus any more than I like it for global warming. 

Watching several sporting events over the weekend, I noticed multiple people who were completely isolated from others wearing masks. An example would be this photographer. He will be there the entire game and it is unlikely he will be approached by others. On a different network, the camera showed isolated photographers and sound people in masks. If that makes them feel more secure, that's great. But, I want to make sure everyone knows there is literally zero chance of catching any illness when outside by yourself. There is some medical research that shows a decrease in oxygen while wearing a mask, so the fresh air is better.

Highlights: There is no reliable evidence masks work outside of a healthcare environment. They bring up an interesting point that as the mask moistens, it makes the situation worse.  High humidity destablizes the virus (makes it less lethal).  Cooler, less humid weather makes it less more transmissible on surfaces.  There are many unknowns with regard to the transmission of this virus that are not understood and probably will not be understood until the autumn and winter.  The chance of deaths in children is extremely low -- less than one in a million.  As I was working on this post late Wednesday afternoon, I was watching the Royals v Cardinals. I have a couple of comments regarding this photo. There is literally zero chance of catching any illness in the open outdoors by yourself. None. But, if you want to wear a mask, wear it properly.  Note that his nostrils are not covered.  Of course, if there is a law that says you have t...

Government's response to coronavirus has been a tragedy. A realistic way forward is here . Agree with this 100%.

"The Critic" While most have been focused on COVID-19 the last four months, the rationale for continuing to waste trillions on global warming has been taking an overdue and well-deserved beating.  Unfortunately, we humans are generally terrible at envisioning an unfamiliar future. That is why Pearl Harbor and September 11 -- in spite of more than ample warnings for both -- were each dubbed a "failure of imagination." For more than two months, there were ample warnings of COVID-19 but, instead, the CDC screwed around and lost vital time because it felt like creating its own test rather than using the perfectly good tests already available. Dr. Fauci, not was less than truthful to us (sometime he has done multiple times in his career) and his dishonesty cost lives because he evidently couldn't envision the economic havoc the lockdowns would create. So, it is unfortunate that during the COVID-19 hubbub, One movie . Two Important Books by former environm...

Dr. Cliff Mass of the University of Washington has posted an outstanding analysis comparing weather forecasting to disease forecasting. I highly recommend it ; you can read it  here . I would like to take Cliff's analysis a bit further: In addition to making accurate forecasts of Sandy's path and intensity,  meteorologists knew what instructions to give people to save their lives.  With one (big) exception, there wasn't any "wear a mask, don't wear a mask, etc." We knew what would work because we researched it.  The huge mistake was when Mayor Bloomberg decided to "play meteorologist" and downplay the threat posed by Sandy. I wrote about it at the time, here . It is quite possible that mistake by the mayor cost lives. Politicians imposing themselves into science is almost always a a bad idea.  There is one other aspect in the Sandy comparison I wish to mention: The National Weather Service got hung up on whether Sandy would or would not be a ...

Please see update below.  ...by a statistically significant amount.  I wish to carefully report what is in this study: it seems to call into question the assertions made in some news stories that masks have no effect on blood oxygen . Per the five authors, the study was motivated by, in part: Surgeons in the operating room frequently experience physical discomfort, fatigue, and possibly even deterioration of surgical judgment and performance. Note the title, "surgical mask induced de oxygenation ."  Deoxygenation is never good. The peer-reviewed paper was published in 2008 in the well-known medical journal, Neurocirugia. Link to paper, here . The results, in the words of the paper, I recommend you consult the paper for details.  The study does  not  look at the cumulative effects on physicians' health -- if any -- from wearing masks for extended periods of time. However, I don't know any surgeon who performs operations five days a week. ...

[Note: this posting is intended as a backgrounder for reporters. Others will probably want to skip it.] The single most important course I took in my meteorology-math-engineering education at the University of Oklahoma was "History of Science." Our instructor was from behind the Iron Curtain and was passionate about preventing science's misuse. For a full semester, we were drilled on the importance of the scientific method and how science is supposed to work. What we learned applied to all sciences. Headline from 1978 "Science News" questioning whether Dr. Ted Fujita's downburst hypothesis was "a lot of hot air" The blog  posting below about Governor Kelly's mask order has generated a lot of questions and some controversy. I have spoken with reporters in Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma. I've answered a number of questions online. Please allow me to write a little more to help put some things into perspective. My concern is wider tha...

This is really unfortunate. Based, in part, on communications I had with a Kansas physician and a reporter last night, it appears Kansas Governor Laura Kelly wanted to do this, did it, and will spend the next few days searching for a justification. Ready, fire, aim. I gave our governor the benefit of the doubt through March and most of April. Mistakes were inevitable when facing a new foe. Now, this strikes me as a blend of authoritarianism and virtue signaling . Here's why: The typical justification for these measures is, "A vaccine is a few months away. We can be inconvenienced for a short period of time." I hope so, but the problem is that we don't know if there will ever be a vaccine that is both safe and effective. There isn't a vaccine for the common cold. There isn't a vaccine for HIV. It took  more than a decade  to create a vaccine for measles. There is no long-lasting influenza vaccine. There is no vaccine for SARS after seventeen years. Aga...

This is one of the finest pieces I have read since the coronavirus crisis began. It explains why so many are contemptuous of liberty and wants someone -- especially during the COVID crisis -- to lead them (even if in the wrong direction). Every word is worth the read but, if you don't have time, consider the following: When North Korean despot Kim Jong-un visits a factory or farm, he makes pronouncements for improvements. Such pronouncements are called “field guidance” or  “on-the-spot guidance.”  No matter how nonsensical, the pronouncements of the despot are revered and obeyed.  In North Korea, there is no path forward that doesn’t begin with 100% obedience. There is nothing to be discovered, only edicts to obey. To serve the despot is the only purpose of life for North Koreans. Andrew Cuomo is a beloved politician, despite having issued “field guidance”  sending thousands of nursing home residents to their deaths . Even in May, after news of his disastr...

This study was brought to my attention yesterday afternoon. I tend to be skeptical of groundbreaking computer modeling studies, whether good news (above) or bad (more than 2.2 million would die of COVID in the U.S.). So, if you are indoors or in constricted areas outdoors, keep wearing those masks and washing your hands!!

It is rare that I watch the national network newscasts because I can usually anticipate what they are going to cover, and how they are going to frame it, before they air. Tonight is a perfect example. They ran a story with a lightly mocking tone toward those who are not wearing masks. Yet, take a look at this photo from later in the newscast. Savannah Guthrie, inside, in a studio with other people, is not  wearing a mask. Yet, the reporter -- at night in the unconstrained outdoors with no one else visible in the scene -- is  wearing a mask. Whether NBC intends it or not, this conveys the message that masks are a political symbol , at least for some. My advice is unchanged: Indoors and in a constrained outdoor situation? Wear a mask! At  Yosemite  or at the  beach ?  You don't need it. NBC also reported, at length, on the surge in cases in Houston and elsewhere and discussed it with various medical experts. Fine. But, what didn't they report? D...

Pitiful. "We need to be cautious," said the mayor . So, we are going to continue to depress the economy, cost people their jobs, and have people not  breathe fresh air because of the utterly unscientific nonsense that people can get COVID-19 by breathing fresh air? Photo taken yesterday as people were putting themselves in 'mortal danger' by breathing fresh air. [sarc off] What has become of our nation?

The MSM continues to publish science-free stories urging us to wear masks outdoors. As usual, the CDC did not provide any scientific evidence behind its 'encouragement.'  The above article is here . A similar science-free "use masks outdoors" article is here . Note: I'm not looking for peer-reviewed study specifically for novel coronavirus. I'm looking for any  study that shows masks are necessary to prevent the study to prevent the outdoor transmission of viruses. As far as I can tell, they don't exist. Meanwhile, the circumstantial evidence that it is extremely difficult to contract COVID-19 outdoors is looking very strong. 1. New , from Seattle , analysis here . After repeated outdoor protests with thousands crowded together, the number of cases went down.  2. Repeating my earlier commentary pertaining to the Memorial Day Lake of the Ozarks party and the complete lack of cases that resulted . [Update: 12:30pm, 6/15. There was one person w...