







Moving on, hopefully
The CDC’s New Mask Guidelines Make No Sense | The Daily Show

Saturday Night at the Massachusetts Lesbian Bar Everyone Is Talking About
Last Ditch, a bar and art space, ended its Covid mask requirement as a way to attract more people. What it got instead was outsized attention.

Low-cost measurement of face mask efficacy for filtering expelled droplets during speech
A simple method was developed for evaluating the efficacy of face masks to reduce respiratory droplet emission during speaking. , Mandates for mask use in public during the recent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, worsened by global shortage of commercial supplies, have led to widespread use of homemade masks and mask alternatives. It is assumed that wearing such masks reduces the likelihood for an infected person to spread the disease, but many of these mask designs have not been tested in practice. We have demonstrated a simple optical measurement method to evaluate the efficacy of masks to reduce the transmission of respiratory droplets during regular speech. In proof-of-principle studies, we compared a variety of commonly available mask types and observed that some mask types approach the performance of standard surgical masks, while some mask alternatives, such as neck gaiters or bandanas, offer very little protection. Our measurement setup is inexpensive and can be built and operated by nonexperts, allowing for rapid evaluation of mask performance during speech, sneezing, or coughing.

Low-cost measurement of face mask efficacy for filtering expelled droplets during speech
A simple method was developed for evaluating the efficacy of face masks to reduce respiratory droplet emission during speaking. , Mandates for mask use in public during the recent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, worsened by global shortage of commercial supplies, have led to widespread use of homemade masks and mask alternatives. It is assumed that wearing such masks reduces the likelihood for an infected person to spread the disease, but many of these mask designs have not been tested in practice. We have demonstrated a simple optical measurement method to evaluate the efficacy of masks to reduce the transmission of respiratory droplets during regular speech. In proof-of-principle studies, we compared a variety of commonly available mask types and observed that some mask types approach the performance of standard surgical masks, while some mask alternatives, such as neck gaiters or bandanas, offer very little protection. Our measurement setup is inexpensive and can be built and operated by nonexperts, allowing for rapid evaluation of mask performance during speech, sneezing, or coughing.

Inexpensive, Accessible Device Provides Visual Proof that Masks Block Droplets
DURHAM, N.C. – Duke physician Eric Westman was one of the first champions of masking as a means to curtail the spread of coronavirus, working with a local non-profit to provide free masks to at-risk and under-served populations in the greater Durham community.

A Western Mass. lesbian bar required KN-95 masks. When it changed the rules, all hell broke loose. - The Boston Globe
Last Ditch Bar in Greenfield wanted to build community. They got a firestorm instead.

ICE wants its mask back, and hired a company to ask - FlokiNET - the Privacy Blog
We receive takedown notices regularly. They come from individuals, lawyers, companies, and governments. This post is part of a series where we document how we …

Masks and respirators for prevention of respiratory infections: a state of the science review
SUMMARY This narrative review and meta-analysis summarizes a broad evidence base on the benefits—and also the practicalities, disbenefits, harms and personal, sociocultural and environmental impacts—of masks and masking. Our synthesis of evidence from over 100 published reviews and selected primary studies, including re-analyzing contested meta-analyses of key clinical trials, produced seven key findings. First, there is strong and consistent evidence for airborne transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and other respiratory pathogens. Second, masks are, if correctly and consistently worn, effective in reducing transmission of respiratory diseases and show a dose-response effect. Third, respirators are significantly more effective than medical or cloth masks. Fourth, mask mandates are, overall, effective in reducing community transmission of respiratory pathogens. Fifth, masks are important sociocultural symbols; non-adherence to masking is sometimes linked to political and ideological beliefs and to widely circulated mis- or disinformation. Sixth, while there is much evidence that masks are not generally harmful to the general population, masking may be relatively contraindicated in individuals with certain medical conditions, who may require exemption. Furthermore, certain groups (notably D/deaf people) are disadvantaged when others are masked. Finally, there are risks to the environment from single-use masks and respirators. We propose an agenda for future research, including improved characterization of the situations in which masking should be recommended or mandated; attention to comfort and acceptability; generalized and disability-focused communication support in settings where masks are worn; and development and testing of novel materials and designs for improved filtration, breathability, and environmental impact.

Masks and respirators for prevention of respiratory infections: a state of the science review
SUMMARY This narrative review and meta-analysis summarizes a broad evidence base on the benefits—and also the practicalities, disbenefits, harms and personal, sociocultural and environmental impacts—of masks and masking. Our synthesis of evidence from over 100 published reviews and selected primary studies, including re-analyzing contested meta-analyses of key clinical trials, produced seven key findings. First, there is strong and consistent evidence for airborne transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and other respiratory pathogens. Second, masks are, if correctly and consistently worn, effective in reducing transmission of respiratory diseases and show a dose-response effect. Third, respirators are significantly more effective than medical or cloth masks. Fourth, mask mandates are, overall, effective in reducing community transmission of respiratory pathogens. Fifth, masks are important sociocultural symbols; non-adherence to masking is sometimes linked to political and ideological beliefs and to widely circulated mis- or disinformation. Sixth, while there is much evidence that masks are not generally harmful to the general population, masking may be relatively contraindicated in individuals with certain medical conditions, who may require exemption. Furthermore, certain groups (notably D/deaf people) are disadvantaged when others are masked. Finally, there are risks to the environment from single-use masks and respirators. We propose an agenda for future research, including improved characterization of the situations in which masking should be recommended or mandated; attention to comfort and acceptability; generalized and disability-focused communication support in settings where masks are worn; and development and testing of novel materials and designs for improved filtration, breathability, and environmental impact.

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100% blackout. Zero eye pressure. Super comfy. The world’s most effective sleep mask, guaranteed.

Washington Heights Mask Minyan
Washington Heights mask minyan halachik halachic egalitarian leftist community jewish

What does the future hold?
I've been told I'm good at hiding bodies... pic.twitter.com/ZZBHOvzOKt

This is a really good point re: the lesbian bar story. Yeah, I'm sure the Globe reporters and their friends don't mask, but lots of folks in Boston, ESPECIALLY queer folks, mask pretty consistently. Like I work at a college and I see young folks in masks CONSTANTLY. It's pretty normalized here.
Lex McMenamin (they/them)
like, hella people in boston mask! what the fuck was this story framing! i really dont know man
I don't know that there is a definitive line to cross that makes you say, "I live in a police state now" but when masked gunmen can routinely brutalize the public, citizen or immigrant alike, with impunity, you have reached that point.
Chris Ingraham
Kavanaugh stops in action: ICE tackled a non-verbal kid near his school, left him with injuries requiring surgery, and then left the scene when they realized he wasn't the person they were looking for independent.com/2026/10/23/ice-detains-specia…
This is a really good point re: the lesbian bar story. Yeah, I'm sure the Globe reporters and their friends don't mask, but lots of folks in…
How can you keep a business accessible to immunocompromised folks yet stay out of the red? This was the question the NYT should have asked…

Inexpensive, Accessible Device Provides Visual Proof that Masks Block Droplets

Low-cost measurement of face mask efficacy for filtering expelled droplets during speech

Neck Gaiters for COVID-19 Worse Than No Face Covering At All | Infection Control Today

The Astounding Physics of N95 Masks