1. Once again, public health science is being widely distorted. Not surprised. I repeat: if you want to know if a public health measure worked, you look at locality/country X that implemented it, and locality/country Y that didn't, and compare outcomes from that point in case rates. Not this silly "let's look at the death rate of a state based on who the governor is"
. Of course, people believe what they want to believe, and because of Omicron's higher virulence, mask upgrading has been recommended, but that doesn't mean the lower grade were ineffective against earlier strains.
If I want to know what works, I ask an epidemiologist, not a rando on a MB.
Basic public health interventions important to reducing omicron spread
Epidemiologist Chris Beyrer suggests that in addition to sharing effective vaccines around the world, basic practices such as masking and providing paid sick leave will help reduce the spread of coronavirus
https://hub.jhu.edu/2021/12/15/chris-be ... f-omicron/
2. Again, here's the question. I read the transcript of the school board. I understand the criteria they claim to have removed the book for. I think they are ridiculous. They claim a handful of parents raised these objections to them. But here's how democracy works. If three parents in a district tell them they are so shocked the book contains a naked mouse in a bathtub
(aren't all mice normally "naked"?) , but the majority of the parents in the district don't care ... are they really doing "the will of the people/parents" in the district? I notice nobody has yet shown any evidence they are carrying out the will of the majority, which is what I thought democracy was based on.
I again repeat: if you are a parent who thinks your 8th grader's life will be destroyed by seeing a picture of a naked mouse, have you kid not read it, don't take away that from other kids in the district.
And yes, I know, it's available online and now even locally being made available from other sources, but still.