Give A Little

 A little bit of happiness each day; one of the ways we are told to emotionally cope with the pandemic and general unrest in the world right now.

But the need that was present before 2020 is still there, pushed to the background, so the chronically downtrodden are suffering even more.

There is a way to help every day that is free to you and takes minutes. The added benefit is that you do this right from your computer, a place many of us spend too long using these days anyway.  Since today is World Cat Day, I thought I might give a little bit more by spreading the word about Greater Good.

Greater Good has been helping the world for decades. It is a well established, respected organization that is a presence worldwide. I chose dogs and cats to focus on, but they actively support the rainforest, autism, literacy, breast cancer, and a few more. 

Here is how it works. I will use animals as an example since that is what I know about. You sign up for a daily reminder email. That is worth kibble, defined as dog/cat dry food. Each morning you will get a reminder email. Open it up and click the link which will take you right to the contribution page. Simply click to give. You can leave at that point, having donated kibble, or click any of the other offered charities to"click and go "again. I can contribute to all of them in about 4 minutes. I also play the 2 question trivia each day. It is quick and easy and even if I get it wrong I give more kibble plus I learn and interesting little fact. Again, this is just the dog and cat portion but I am sure the others are similar.

I find that giving 4 minutes a day to Greater Good makes me feel like I contributed a little toward improving the world, which is the most that many of us can realistically do.

Please give this a try. It is one of few places where you can give and not be harassed to give more or have your email sold. GG is a charity that asks you to give 2 to 5 minutes a day without spending a dime. Of course you can also give money. 

Click this link to read more about Greater Good, or click here to go right to the click and give page to see how fast and easy this is. There is a subscribe button at the top.

I used to feel that my contribution to large problems was so small it was meaningless. Then a long time ago I read this sappy poem that changed my perspective. 

                    

COVID-19 Update: Only Cheese Should Be Aerosol

This morning We woke up to yet more disturbing news about COVID-19. Over 200 (some reports say 400) scientists worldwide have asked the World Health Organization (WHO) to reclassify COVID-19 as an airborne virus and not just a respiratory virus.

The difference is huge and will change how strict our response will be.

Right now we know the virus spreads in large particles through coughing, sneezing and talking. Because these droplets are heavy they simply drop to the floor. You need close, prolonged contact with someone to become infected. This is what makes masks so vital. This is why only 6 feet separation is needed. (Its probably much less than 6 feet but err on the side of caution).

Airborne, or aerosol spreading means the virus travels on much smaller particles and, like a can of aerosol, it can hang in the air for a long time and travel much farther than it can in larger droplets. Some scientists are saying it might even be able to get into your air-conditioning (though almost certainly in concentrations too small to be infectious).

The WHO is the health ambassador for the world. It gets its data from scientists and doctors around the globe, so publishing has consequences. With no documented cases and a small percentage of scientists wanting them to call it airborne (aerosol) they cannot change what has been proven to work through experience without some scientific evidence.

The WHO has not agreed to change how COVID-19 is transmitted because there is no proof, not even one tiny study, that shows aerosol transmission. There are no documented cases of transmission this way either. Even if it is eventually proven to be aerosol, the virus is almost impossible to capture and detect except in a controlled environment. Therefore, we will still not know how far it can travel, how long it can live in that state and how much of a dose you will need to become infected.

We need to be careful what we take to heart. The media has had knee-jerk reactions to COVID-19, resulting in each report being of equal gravity. The public wants to know everything about this virus but in the process of telling us, they do not give us a degree of certitude. As a result, we see all information as equal. It is not the media’s job to assess, it is our responsibility to read and digest information and then give it the importance it deserves. We do not need to panic immediately just because we see it on TV.

As it stands, this story might fade off by the end of the week, or it may take off and change our world again. Right now it is a wait and see scenario.

From The Experts: Info On Running Our Lives With COVID-19

Anthony Fauci and 5 other health specialists answered question on how they personally deal with COVID-19 on a daily basis. Here are the findings, in a shorter form than the original, plus added material from other reliable sources.

The new and important news is that items you bring into your home are rarely touched and when they are the virus dies very quickly.This means it is a waste of time to wash your groceries and disinfect your packages. They recommend washing your hands after you put things away. If you are still dubious, whatever comes in can just sit for a day and the virus will have died. There is more and more evidence that shows transmission is fully direct person-to-person contact. 

MASKS: They all agree that wearing a mask anyplace that is not your home is vital, though they stress being outside poses less of a risk as long as you can also socially distance. Some studies since the protests began suggest that being outside at all drastically reduces the spread of the virus.

         

VISITORS: Do not have any, with 2 exceptions; adult kids, IF you are 100% sure they have been quarantined and/or have taken all the precautions. Also,house cleaners come in but the family either leaves or gathers in one room until they are  finished.Hardest are  repair technicians. With them, wear a mask and keep your distance. Friends are only allowed outside and at least 6 feet away. They cannot go inside at all. 

GROCERY STORE

OR ORDER ONLINE?:  Its split half and half. If you go to any store wear your mask, AND social distance. Social distancing and wearing a mask are supposed to work together. It is not and either/ or situation.

MAIL AND PACKAGES: They are not too worried about these 2 items. Again, the more labs study this virus the more they have seen that it infects almost completely person-to-person. 

INSIDE/OUTSIDE DINING: NONE of them will dine indoors and they seem to feel strongly about this. Two of them might dine outside if there are only a couple others there and they were far apart but the answer is generally no. 

BUS/TRAIN/FLYING: No, no and NO. If you MUST fly (medical emergency) wear an N95 mask. 

JOINING A PROTEST: If you are going to do it, wear the best mask you can find, stay 6 feet apart from anyone, and stay to the edges of the crowd. Of course this is nearly impossible to do because you are not in control of the people around you, but if you or your kids insist, that's the safest way to go about it. Personally, I would not allow a household member to go, and others need to quarantine for 14 days afterwards before I will see them.

EXERCISE: Stay out of the gym! They were adamant about that. Exercise in your home or where you will be alone like walking, jogging or bike riding.

DOCTORS: Going to the doctor is much safer now. They all are overly cautious for themselves and their patients and what protects them protects you anyway. Anything elective or preventative can wait.

ANOTHER WORD ON MASKS

Since your mask is your best defense you should know the facts.

If you google a mask you will find many different ways of making one and a variety to purchase but they are all carefully worded to say "stops the spread of COVID-19" and not "prevents YOU from getting COVID-19". The mask I am recommending will help prevent you from getting the virus.

Wearing a mask helps others greatly, and helps you depending on the type of mask you wear. The way the N95 fits is a large part of why it is effective. It fits snugly to all parts of the face so there is no way for air to get in. If you find a mask made of the right cloth and make sure there is no air getting in it will be as effective as an N95.

There have been numerous tests performed to find the best cloth to use for a mask and thankfully these separate tests reached the same conclusions. Two layers of cotton fabric with a middle layer of either flannel, silk or chiffon. On inserts, you can use cotton or even a paper towel or coffee filter. The best is  cotton/silk/cotton because the silk has an electrostatic charge.

Once you get the fabric the hard part is blocking all gaps. It really seems impossible, which is why the N95 and similar are the best. N95 has a 99.9% effective rate whereas a mask with gaps are up to 50% less effective at protecting you. Find a mask that fits over the face but also over and under the chin. Pull the sides where the elastic comes out tightly to bunch up the fabric. This will create a seal on the sides. The hard part is the nose. Even with a wire it doesn't want to seal. There is always tape for that, though if you have only that part slight gaped and you social distance you are pretty well protected. Just be aware of this weakness in the mask if you do not tape it at the nose.

Do not touch your mask while it is being worn and wash your hands after removal. Wash frequently in mild soap, no softeners or dryer sheets. I have seen people wearing them pulled off their nose "so they can breathe better". I understand this but if you do that why wear one at all? Plus, if you could breathe easily through it it will not protect you (though it will protect those around you.)

On the mask I am recommending:

from Medical News Today:  

"The team even suggests that the performance of this combination is comparable to that of N95 masks, which are used by healthcare professionals."

Etsy .com is a treasure trove of mask shops.

Here are 2 links to a couple shops I found that make good masks:

Hiddenbloom  and   Farmer & Fashionista

I hope this helped. There is so much confusion. If you know me well you know I have been dubbed "the queen of research" by my family and it's not uncommon for me to research a topic for 3 full days before writing on it. 

Please comment if you have anything to add or if you have questions. You will be helping others. Stay safe.

CORRECTION: The masks you buy are actually do not mention illness prevention at all. they recommend masks for dust, construction, etc. but never mention illnesses. The medical experts are the ones who rarely tell you to wear a mask to protect yourself. They tell you its "to stop the spread" which may imply self protection.

Jacksonville's Trifecta

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To put it kindly, Florida is an interesting state. Within this state is Jacksonville, the City of Bridges, or South Georgia, as we like to call it, since, unlike the majority of Florida, we do not have gated communities, snowbirds (people who come to South Florida for the winter), or outfits that put aqua and coral together. We brag that our  football stadium has swimming pools, we have The Florida Theatre and we have The University of Florida which, among intellectuals, is known as "the Ivy League of the South". We are the birthplace of Lynyrd Skynyrd. You can see why bragging is not a major pastime with us.

That is, until COVID-19.

In May of this year Jacksonville made national news because of how low our pandemic numbers were.  We were even used as an example for other cities on how to handle COVID-19.

It seems we are getting a second 15 minutes of fame. Since every other choice city turned him down, Donald Trump will be hosting the RNC convention here in Jacksonville.

The University of North Florida did an outstanding job in a recent poll. Outstanding because the margin of error is only 1.95%. This poll says that, despite being a Republican city, 58% of those polled do not want the convention here and 71% were gravely concerned about the repercussions from the virus. The poll included Republicans as well so this is not a "leftist conspiracy" pole. This also means that even some of Trump's die-hard supporters are concerned for their safety because of the convention.

Why was Jacksonville chosen? Trump is losing in the polls right now.  He needs important states and with Biden currently leading in Texas, he must have Florida to win and Florida as been leaning left recently. But most likely we got stuck with this because no one else would  acquiesce to Trump's demands for a packed arena and mask-less faces.  It is disturbing that our president and our local government care more about walking the party line than they do our safety.

UPDATE: Jacksonville's mayor Lenny Curry has mandated mask wearing for indoors and when social distancing is not possible beginning at 5:00 PM yesterday.

Does this invalidate our concerns? Not in the least. When has a law or regulation ever stopped Trump from buying or threatening his way into getting what he wants, even before he was president? August is many weeks away, giving him enough time to find a way for this convention to be an exception to our safety mandates.

Add to this a nation that is already in turmoil. Left and right both have a minority who are irrational, violent and fearless. Our fair city will have these people coming to us from all over the country. When the two sides meet, and  the radicals clash, are our streets going to burn too?

The final blow (no pun intended) is that this will happen at the height of hurricane season. I hope Curry has planned how to either quickly evacuate or shelter and feed all these extra people, people who most likely cannot be trusted in same shelter together. If you think this is far-fetched look at Fox News and CNN. You have footage of all the violent intolerance  that has already happened, plus you also have opposing ideologies with the same level of hated on either side.

An entire book could be (and probably has been) written about the phenomenon that is The Trump Era but frankly I do not care. We are in a pandemic. We will be at the height of hurricane season. We are hosting two groups of angry people and a history of conflict resolution through violence. All I care about is my city and the people in it and how we will get through the rest of 2020.

This post is dedicated to my father. I have done major editing in an attempt to write an unbiased piece after he read the first one and said it was another anti-Trump article. Dad, this is the best I can do.