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Understanding Human Nature and Lockdowns
The situation in Los Angeles is a great window into how the government is handling the COVID lockdowns in the wake of spiking cases, how they’re handling it incorrectly, how residents of the city are doing whatever they want, and how that mishandling is creating unnecessary problems.
In the wake of spiking cases, the Governor has decided to close beaches, parks, etc; even though the risk from these activities is extremely low.
Enough with the beach-scolding! It's not scientifically-sound and it's counterproductive. It's a virus—not a moral agent geared to smite people who dare enjoy themselves. Six months in, we *know* most risk is indoors. More knowledge, less baseless outrage. https://t.co/rlAM0Da3CZ pic.twitter.com/rM3uC1pHI6
— zeynep tufekci (@zeynep) July 4, 2020
The real risk is indoors without great ventilation:
*This* is what we should be talking about. The people at risk are the "essential workers" who can't work via zoom/slack, people in nursing homes and prisons, and people who attend crowded indoor places (restaurants/bars). We need to address the real risk. https://t.co/7quvCB0IZ6
— zeynep tufekci (@zeynep) July 5, 2020
Residents of Los Angeles were told no fireworks on the Fourth of July, despite the fact that outdoors fireworks would have given residents something safe to do outdoors. This is a good visual depicting how city residents felt about being told what to do:
Commie Newsom banned ALL gatherings July 4 in California with the sole exception of protests (of course). He further banned fireworks displays. California had some other ideas 💥✨🎉pic.twitter.com/He2bF7MYWH
— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) July 5, 2020
And the result of city-wide fireworks?
UNHEALTHY and VERY UNHEALTHY air quality categories in LA and Northern Orange Counties. Air pollution is HIGH as a result of firework smoke. Keep windows and doors closed and limit time outside today @NBCLA pic.twitter.com/AjqbNOa0e8
— Shanna Mendiola (@ShannaNBCLA) July 5, 2020
So now, Californians are not any safer from COVID and are also unable to go outside because the air quality is dangerously bad thanks to illegal fireworks displays on every single block. Isn’t it great when government “helps?”
Published in General
You have been taken in by, and are trafficking in, fake news. The air quality was not “dangerously bad.” Notice that your graphic is labeled “forecast.” There were no actual measurements by the AQMD to back up the claim.
This perfectly illustrates why no one trusts the corporate media.
That KCAL video was awesome. When I lived in Pasadena, we would drive up to Mt. Wilson and just watch the fireworks from one end of the horizon to the other. Given the distance, we’d only see municipal scale displays.
We had a similar display here in Colorado Springs last night, despite the warning posted in the newspaper of a $750 fine and possible prosecution. It went on for at least a couple hours. Beautiful.
Mr. C says he thinks he knows what people did with their gubmint check. . .
It gives me hope. I suspect a disproportionate number of those criminal fireworks displays were put on by Trump voters.
The North Texas area (at least part of it) flaunted the rules too. The Weeping family didn’t participate in any of it – we’re basically homebodies. But I’m proud of those who did. It gives me hope as well.
We used to go to Lacey Park in San Marino to watch the fireworks display. The kids were little and we would bring a blanket and an ice chest. Find a spot before dark and stay until the end. The kids would be asleep by then. They are in their 50s now.
Pictures taken about an hour ago. First one a bit shaky since I took it from my bicycle.
That stood out for me too. How do you get that kind of dramatic air quality in a city whose industry and vehicle traffic is way down? Whatever predicistics they are using are made of figurative smoke.
People cannot meet in Church or go to the beach, but they are allowed to protest “injustice” in close quarters with one another, masks optional. Tell me there isn’t an organized effort by the left to put people under government submission . . .
It turns out that it’s easier for bullies to boss around elderly churchgoers than it is young anarchists.
Actually, vehicle traffic isn’t down much anymore and there’s not that much industry that would emit particulates in my area. In fact, cars are minimal particulate emitters. I mention particulates because those were the pollutants that were allegedly the cause of poor air quality, specifically PM2.5 and PM10.
What makes the forecast even more absurd is that there were onshore winds last evening. Clean air from the Pacific Ocean would displace any contaminated air from fireworks in coastal areas. The AQMD does not have any active PM2.5 or PM10 monitoring stations in many coastal regions, for good reason.
The forecast was pure, straight-up, fear mongering and disinformation.
Well I’m proud to announce that my family, comprising of about 20 people, had fireworks last night.
And I’m not ashamed of that fact. Even with sprinkling rain, we sat outside under umbrellas while my husband and brother played with pyrotechnics and blow torches because why not?
Happy Independence Day!
I drove into LA today after a long weekend out of town. We were afforded some good views of the LA basin and everything looked fine.
@drlorentz: do you remember a “prediction” like this after July 4th?
Of course not. There have always been plenty of rogue fireworks on years that had official fireworks, which would only have added to the particulate load. These sources were only present for two or three hours.
When I was a resident physician at LA County Hospital in the 70s, we were not so concerned with fireworks on the 4th but gun shots into the air. Lots of those and you know what they say about what goes up.