Everyday Erinyes #232

 Posted by at 5:30 am  Politics
Sep 192020
 

Experts in autocracies have pointed out that it is, unfortunately, easy to slip into normalizing the tyrant, hence it is important to hang on to outrage. These incidents which seem to call for the efforts of the Greek Furies (Erinyes) to come and deal with them will, I hope, help with that. As a reminder, though no one really knows how many there were supposed to be, the three names we have are Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone. These roughly translate as “unceasing,” “grudging,” and “vengeful destruction.”

Not everywhere in the United States is experiencing wildfires this year – yet. But just because you cannot see it or even smell it does not mean it is not dangerous to you – and I don’t mean just indirectly. We need to be aware as much as we can.
================================================================

What’s in wildfire smoke, and why is it so bad for your lungs?

The health impact of wildfire exposure depends in part on the fire itself and how much smoke a person breathes in, how often and for how long.
AP Photos/Noah Berger

Luke Montrose, Boise State University

If I dare to give the coronavirus credit for anything, I would say it has made people more conscious of the air they breathe.

A friend texted me recently after going for a jog in the foothills near Boise, Idaho, writing: “My lungs are burning … explain what’s happening!!!”

A wildfire was burning to the east of town – one of hundreds of fires that were sending smoke and ash through communities in hot, dry western states. As an environmental toxicologist, I research how air pollution, particularly wood smoke, impacts human health and disease.

I gave my friend the short answer: The state had issued a yellow, or moderate, air quality index warning due in part to wildfires. The high temperature for the day was expected to reach 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and it was already approaching 90. That combination of high temperatures and elevated levels of particles from a fire can affect even healthy lungs. For someone with lung damage or respiratory illness, moderate levels of smoke particulate can exacerbate respiratory problems.

That’s only the start of the story of how wildfire smoke affects humans who breathe it. The rest, and how to stay healthy, is important to understand as the western wildfire season picks up.

What’s in wildfire smoke?

What exactly is in a wildfire’s smoke depends on a few key things: what’s burning – grass, brush or trees; the temperature – is it flaming or just smoldering; and the distance between the person breathing the smoke and the fire producing it.

The distance affects the ability of smoke to “age,” meaning to be acted upon by the sun and other chemicals in the air as it travels. Aging can make it more toxic. Importantly, large particles like what most people think of as ash do not typically travel that far from the fire, but small particles, or aerosols, can travel across continents.

Smoke from wildfires obscures the California sky on Aug. 19, 2020.
Smoke from wildfires obscures the California sky on Aug. 19, 2020.
Lauren Dauphin/NASA Earth Observatory

Smoke from wildfires contains thousands of individual compounds, including carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides. The most prevalent pollutant by mass is particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, roughly 50 times smaller than a grain of sand. Its prevalence is one reason health authorities issue air quality warnings using PM2.5 as the metric.

What does that smoke do to human bodies?

There is another reason PM2.5 is used to make health recommendations: It defines the cutoff for particles that can travel deep into the lungs and cause the most damage.

The human body is equipped with natural defense mechanisms against particles bigger than PM2.5. As I tell my students, if you have ever coughed up phlegm or blown your nose after being around a campfire and discovered black or brown mucus in the tissue, you have witnessed these mechanisms firsthand.

The really small particles bypass these defenses and disturb the air sacks where oxygen crosses over into the blood. Fortunately, we have specialized immune cells present in the air sacks called macrophages. It’s their job to seek out foreign material and remove or destroy it. However, studies have shown that repeated exposure to elevated levels of wood smoke can suppress macrophages, leading to increases in lung inflammation.

What does that mean for COVID-19 symptoms?

Dose, frequency and duration are important when it comes to smoke exposure. Short-term exposure can irritate the eyes and throat. Long-term exposure to wildfire smoke over days or weeks, or breathing in heavy smoke, can raise the risk of lung damage and may also contribute to cardiovascular problems. Considering that it is the macrophage’s job to remove foreign material – including smoke particles and pathogens – it is reasonable to make a connection between smoke exposure and risk of viral infection.

Recent evidence suggests that long-term exposure to PM2.5 may make the coronavirus more deadly. A nationwide study found that even a small increase in PM2.5 from one U.S. county to the next was associated with a large increase in the death rate from COVID-19.

Wildfire smoke pours over palm trees in Azusa, Calif., on Aug. 13, 2020.
Wildfire smoke pours over palm trees lining a street in Azusa, Calif., on Aug. 13, 2020.
AP Images/Marcio Jose Sanchez

What can you do to stay healthy?

The advice I gave my friend who had been running while smoke was in the air applies to just about anyone downwind from a wildfire.

Stay informed about air quality by identifying local resources for air quality alerts, information about active fires, and recommendations for better health practices.

If possible, avoid being outside or doing strenuous activity, like running or cycling, when there is an air quality warning for your area.

Be aware that not all face masks protect against smoke particles. In the context of COVID-19, the best data currently suggests that a cloth mask benefits public health, especially for those around the mask wearer, but also to some extent for the person wearing the mask. However, most cloth masks will not capture small wood smoke particles. That requires an N95 mask in conjunction with fit testing for the mask and training in how to wear it. Without a proper fit, N95s do not work as well.

[Deep knowledge, daily. Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter.]

Establish a clean space. Some communities in western states have offered “clean spaces” programs that help people take refuge in buildings with clean air and air conditioning. However, during the pandemic, being in an enclosed space with others can create other health risks. At home, a person can create clean and cool spaces using a window air conditioner and a portable air purifier.

The EPA also advises people to avoid anything that contributes to indoor air pollutants. That includes vacuuming that can stir up pollutants, as well as burning candles, firing up gas stoves and smoking.The Conversation

Luke Montrose, Assistant Professor of Community and Environmental Health, Boise State University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

================================================================
Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone, “can travel across continents” – I suppose there are things scarier than that, but not many, and not much. Although “can suppress macrophages” is also right up there. At least this article gives us some practical, personal advice on avoiding as much damage as possible – and you can’t do it for us; we must practice it ourselves. I think the best thing you can do for us at this point is to help inspire people to VOTE, and specifically to VOTE BLUE, no matter who, top to bottom. And then hang around for the fights which are certain to come, and help us prevail. Only then will we be able to start the real battle to prevent the end of the world as we know it.

The Furies and I will be back.

Share
Aug 232020
 

It’s a crazy Sunday, here in the CatBox.  I overslept by over 90 minutes, so that was my AM nap.  Have a fine Sunday!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:19 (average 4:37).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0823TrumpVirusMap

Click for Interactive Map

US Cases: 5,844,432
US Deaths: 180,228
Plus all the GOP plague murder victims Republicans are hiding from us.

The Showdown at Chicken Liver Gulch:

Yesterday, there was some hilarity here.  At my request WWWendy sautéed and gooped some chicken livers.  Now Wendy’s opinion of liver is considerably worse than my opinion of Trump*.  It was delicious, and I had some for lunch with guacamole, aka goopamole.  I often feed her bites of goopamole, when  I eat it, so I did so yesterday.  I had teasingly asked her if she’d like a bite of liver to see the strength of her NO!  So when I offered her the goopamole, she decided that I was using goopamole to hide the liver underneath.  Although I have never done anything mean to her, it took me several minutes to convince her that I would not do such a thing, and she enjoyed the goopamole.  In fact, I was so considerate that I gargled with Listerine, so I could hug her goodbye without liver on my breath.  It was so good, I had more for breakfast.

Short Takes:

From CNN: Maryanne Trump Barry bitterly criticized her brother, President Donald Trump, saying, “Donald’s out for Donald,” and appeared to confirm her niece Mary Trump’s previous allegations that he had a friend take his SATs to get into college, according to audio excerpts obtained by CNN.

The Washington Post first obtained the previously unreleased transcripts and audio from Mary Trump, author of a recent bombshell book about the President and one of his most outspoken critics. Mary Trump, who has said that Donald Trump is unfit to be president and has voiced support for his rival Joe Biden, revealed to the Post that she had secretly taped 15 hours of face-to-face conversations with Barry in 2018 and 2019.

In one of the conversations revealed by the Post, Trump’s sister called him “cruel.”

Among the some of the more critical comments made by Barry was commenting on how her younger 74-year-old brother operated as president. “His goddamned tweet and lying, oh my God,” she said, according to the recording. “I’m talking too freely, but you know. The change of stories. The lack of preparation. The lying. Holy shit.”

This is nothing new to us, but it might influence those few, who are still on the fence.  RESIST!!

From NY Times: Tropical Storms Marco and Laura continued to churn in the Caribbean on Saturday, prompting a wave of warnings and watches for several countries, and leading the governor of Louisiana to declare a state of emergency.

Marco on Saturday was about 110 miles northwest of the western tip of Cuba, with maximum sustained winds of 65 miles per hour, the National Hurricane Center said on Saturday night.

Mr. Cline said it was possible that both storms would become hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico as early as Monday. He added that it would be “pretty unusual” and that the last time it happened was in 1933. The last time a hurricane and a tropical storm were both in the Gulf of Mexico was in 1959, he said…[emphasis added]

Note that for the second time, criminal Fuhrer Trump* has stolen FEMA funds to pay for his scams. First, he did so in 2019 to pay for the wall that never happened. Second, he did so to pay for the Unemployment relief that nobody received. I doubt that he will put the money back, even though hurricanes are on the way.  RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast of protest): “He’s Got Bone Spurs” a Roy Zimmerman song parody

So true! Kudos to left wing protestors.  RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Share
Aug 172020
 

It’s a busy day here in the CatBox.  Diana, my palliative care nurse will be here shortly for my routine weekly visit.  The same stories still dominate the news, so my research took an extra long time.  It’s a relatively cool day: only 95° Angry smile.  Oh God, it’s Monday!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 2:48 (average 4:24).  To do it, click here.  Hoe did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0817TrumpVirusMap

Click here for interactive map.

US Cases: 5,569,520
US Deaths: 173,143
Plus all the many GOP plague murder victims Republicans are hiding from us.

Short Takes:

From Euro-News (Hat-Tip Lona): CLIMATE JUSTICE

This is where Kamala Harris comes into her own. While she was district attorney of San Francisco, 15 years ago, Harris created an environmental justice unit, which specifically existed to deal with cases of environmental crime.

Harris identified that “crimes against the environment are crimes against communities, people who are often poor and disenfranchised,” as she said to the San Francisco Chronicle in 2005.

The nexus between socio-economic disadvantage and environmental damage is something Harris has sought to address consistently – long before terms like ‘intersectional environmentalism’ even existed.

More recently, Harris has sued major oil companies after they violated environmental legislation, and after the devastating Refugio oil spill in 2015, the company responsible (Plains All American Pipeline) were indicted on 46 criminal charges.

The following year, after Volkswagen was found to have cheated on its diesel emissions, Harris secured a €73m settlement from the car manufacturer for the state of California.

Although many so called progressives, aka regressives, have whined incessantly that Harris is a “corporate Democrat”, her track record on the environment is quite good.  RESIST!!

From YouTube (Raw Story Channel): Trump claims ‘dogs’ are getting mail-in ballots

Barf Bag Alert!!

 

If criminal Fuhrer Trump gets any more full of shit, we’ll have to paint a crescent moon on his forehead. Obviously it is my feline proclivity to be biased against dawgs, but if they could vote, they would be far more responsible than Republican Sheeple.  RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast of protest): ANTI-REPUBLICAN FUNNY SONG

 

This song is ten years old. It was spot-on then, and the Republican Reich is so much worse now! Kudos to left-wing protestors!  RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Share
Jul 222020
 

It’s a busy day here in the CatBox.  I fought for an hour over sluggish response while typing, before I finally figured out the batteries in my keyboard were bad and changed them.  I scheduled another Pet Scan for early next month.  And I had to spend 45 minutes on the throne to vacate all the Republicans infesting me.  Tomorrow, please expect no more than a Personal Update or an Open Thread.  WWWendy will be here.  Woooo Hoooo!!  We have lots to do.  In addition, it’s a grocery delivery day.  Happy Hump Day!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:17 (average 4:29). To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0722TrumpVirusMap

US Cases: 4,030,200
US Deaths: 144,983
World Cases: 15,136,436
World Deaths: 620,502
Trump* Death Share: 23.4%

Short Takes:

From YouTube (Late Show Channel): Greta Thunberg: Humanity Is “Setting Fire To The Boat” Instead Of Facing The Climate Crisis

The first time I saw Greta, I called her an international hero. Each subsequent time, I become more convinced of that truth.  RESIST!!

From YouTube (Parody Project Channel): SPREADIN’ THROUGH THE AIR

Amen Don! Here in the US, criminal Fuhrer Trump* murdered over 1,000 yesterday with his plague, Trump* virus.  RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from labor): Tom Morello. A Union Song


Except for unmuzzled Nazi police unions, support labor!  RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Share
May 012020
 

Oscar-winner Emma Thompson stars in new Extinction Rebellion film

This As Seen from Afar will take the form of a ‘short take’ of an article published  on the euronews site by *

[Yesterday has seen] the release of a new short film starring Emma Thompson about Extinction Rebellion. The film depicts a fictionalised version of the protests held by the activist group last April, which culminated in the UK becoming the first country to formally declare a climate emergency. [Italics mine]

The double Academy Award winner took part in last year’s climate protests, which saw parts of the UK’s capital grind to a halt during a fortnight of continuous civil disobedience. It was during this time that the short film, entitled Extinction, was shot.

The 12-minute production tells the story of a group of climate activists meeting with the Environment Minister in the midst of an ongoing rebellion.

Emma Thompson explained the importance of both the piece and the movement more generally, saying, “Everything depends on what we do now. In a crisis, you have to convince people to take positive and immediate action. The suffragettes taught us that. You have to be active in your disobedience.

YouTube: Extinction – Starring Emma Thompson

“How we respond to the coronavirus crisis is a test run for how we need to respond to the climate crisis, and we see the same forces attempting to obscure and to undermine science in pursuit of perpetual growth and private profit. Whatever happens next, we can be sure that ‘business as usual’ is no longer tenable.” Film Co-writer Sam Haygarth

* https://www.euronews.com/living/2020/04/30/oscar-winner-emma-thompson-stars-in-new-extinction-rebellion-film  

Share
Feb 172020
 

I want to rest all I can today, because tomorrow is shove a camera down my throat day.  Please expect only a Personal Update.  By the time WWWendy gets me home it will be supper time.  Depending on how I feel I may or may not be able to publish Wednesday.  I’ll update you as soon as I can.  Oh God, it’s Monday!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:56 (average 5:27).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Cartoon:

This is how white supremacists used to steal elections.

Short Takes:

From Crooks and Liars: Trump’s newest Medal of Freedom winner was apparently terribly concerned about presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg kissing his husband on stage during an ugly rant on his radio show last week, where he said this during his attack on the former mayor’s sexuality:

Now, there may be some Democrats who think that is the ticket. There may be some Democrats who think that’s exactly what we need to do, Rush. Get a gay guy kissing his husband on stage, to ram it down Trump’s throat and beat him in the general election. Really. Having fun envisioning that.

Buttigieg was asked if he wanted to respond to Limbaugh’s remarks this Sunday by Dana Bash on CNN’s State of the Union:

Now Mayor Pete is not my 1st choice, but when it comes to Rush Limbarf and Republican homophobia, I could not be more on his side.  RESIST!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Slick Lobby: Velshi On How Fossil Fuel Is Buying Your Vote

I’m sure none of my regular readers are falling for this Republican bullshit, but we need to educate others: Corporations are NOT people. Money is NOT speech. Fossil fuels are killing YOU!  RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): I Think We`re Alone Now – Tommy James & The Shondells


Ah… the memories!  RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

Share

Good vs Evil

 Posted by at 9:56 am  Politics
Jan 222020
 

Since I summarized it in today’s Open Thread, I’m going to take a break from the impeachment trial of Putin’s Pollution Pervert, Fuhrer of the Republican Reich, Resident Donald Trump.  Instead, I’d like to give you an extreme example of good, followed by an extreme example of evil.  Then I’ll contrast the two.

The Good:

0122Greta

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg inveighed against the sowers of “climate chaos” Tuesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, offering a view of the world that stood in stark contrast to President Trump’s.

In two speeches at the conference, the 17-year-old Thunberg renewed the call to “start listening to the science” on climate change. The world, she said, needs to “treat this crisis with the importance it deserves.”

Thunberg’s remarks echoed her warning in Davos last year, when she told world leaders: “I don’t want your hope. I don’t want you to be hopeful. I want you to panic. I want you to feel the fear I feel every day. And then I want you to act.”

The Swedish teenager’s activism helped inspire a global climate action movement, which earned her Time magazine’s Person of the Year title in December.

Inserted from <Washington Post>

Greta Thunberg Tells Davos: You’ve Done Nothing On Climate Change [Full Speech]

The Evil:

0122TrumpDavos

President Donald Trump’s speech in Davos was not what many attendees wanted to hear.

At a conference dedicated to multilateralism and earnest discussion of the world’s most pressing problems, the American president used his keynote address to reel off a laundry list of his domestic accomplishments, promote the US economy and dismiss climate activists as “prophets of doom.”

He didn’t take questions from his host, World Economic Forum founder Klaus Schwab, or the elite audience of leading executives, bankers and politicians.

This year’s Davos meeting is focusing heavily on how business and the economy must change to save the planet. But taking the stage just hours after Greta Thunberg admonished world leaders for doing “basically nothing” to reduce carbon emissions, Trump touted America’s role as the world’s biggest oil and gas producer and dismissed climate activists as prophets of doom…

Inserted from <CNN>

The Contrast:

Trump and Greta Thunberg clash at Davos over climate change

Could anything be more obvious?

RESIST!!

Share
Jan 122020
 

It’s a queasy/busy day here in the CatBox.  I managed to keep the last three very small meals down, but not without discomfort.  It’s also another High Holy Day in the Church of the Ellipsoid Orb.  WWWendy and I shall be meditating between chores.  Good luck to both Pat and Nameless.  Please don’t fight, you two.  Have a great Sunday.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:49 (average 5:38).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Cartoon:

Back in those days, even the Democrats were Republican misogynists!

Short Takes:

From YouTube (Daily Kos Channel): Rep. Steve King blames Democrats and George Soros for his racism on the floor of the House

 

There’s one and only one reason people accuse Steve King [R-KKK] of racism on the floor of the House. The son of a bitch (apologies to dawgs) is a damn Republican racist!  RESIST!!

From YouTube (Elizabeth Warren Channel): Elizabeth Warren: No One Should Go Bankrupt Over Medical Problems

 

Nobody has to tell me how medical mayhem can drive a formerly prosperous person to economic distraction. Liz could not be more spot-on!  RESIST!!

From CNN: Australia’s beleaguered prime minister, Scott Morrison, has admitted there were things he “could have handled much better” in the bushfire crisis and will propose a royal commission into the disaster.

The prime minister has been heavily criticized for his tone-deaf interactions with fire-ravaged communities and inaction over climate change.

From what I have surmised, based on comments from Aussies, the biggest mistake was made by Morrison’s father. He should have worn a condom.  Kudos to the firefighters from Oregon and all over the world helping to fight the fires there.  RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Paul Revere & The Raiders – Indian Reservation HQ Sound

 

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

Share