science

RFK, Jr. promotes quack medical remedies

by Dave

It sad, unfortunate and unnecessary. The measles epidemic in Texas is deadly serious. Robert Kennedy, Jr. was the chairman of the Children’s Health Defense from 2015 to 2022. It is a radical fringe organization against approval of many vaccines, including the Covid-19 vaccines. They have filed many lawsuits against mandatory vaccines for children.

The outbreak of measles occur in communities near Lubbock, Texas where the percentage of unvaccinated residents is high. The Mennonite population is reluctant to be vaccinated. This seems to be the principal reason for the outbreak. Measles can be severe if the individual is malnourished. The Mennonites generally do not eat processed food, hence their diet is notably very healthy.

We have proven vaccinations against measles. “I’m very concerned about the messaging that’s coming out,” said Dr. Jeffrey Kahn, chief of infectious diseases at Children’s Health in Dallas. “It’s somewhat baffling to me that we’re relitigating the effectiveness of vaccines and alternative therapies. We know how to handle measles. We’ve had six decades of experience.”

So, Robert Kennedy, Jr. is the last person that should head the Health and Human Services in the US government. It is true that measles is rarely fatal and the fatality rate is one to three for every 1,000 people infected. Of the approximately 300 people infected in Texas, one unvaccinated child has died. I think that’s one too many.

In the past, Robert Kennedy has promoted false information that vaccines are dangerous and can cause autism and that unconventional remedies such as cod liver oil and Vitamin A are effective.

Robert Kennedy, Jr. stated:

“While there is no approved antiviral for those who may be infected, CDC has recently updated their recommendation supporting administration of vitamin A under the supervision of a physician for those with mild, moderate, and severe infection. Studies have found that vitamin A can dramatically reduce measles mortality.”

There is nothing more powerful to persuade vaccine hesitant people to refuse to be vaccinate, than to suggest they can simply take an ordinary over-the-counter supplement. It is especially bad when they also refuse to vaccinate their children.

Vitamin A does not prevent measles and can be harmful to children in large or prolonged doses, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. It has been shown to decrease the severity of measles infections in developing countries among patients who are malnourished and vitamin A deficient, a rare occurrence in the United States.

The community health experts are doing an excellent job of correcting misinformation and giving parents good reasons to vaccinate their children as the first line of defense against a disease that can result in death. Unfortunately, they must contend with a steady stream of misinformation coming from fringe groups, and supported by the Secretary of Health and Human Services Department, that vitamin supplements are effective remedies and there is nothing unusual about a measle outbreak in their community.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Links:

Daily Beast RFK, Jr. asks quack cure activist for help with deadly measles outbreak

New York Times: Kennedy Links Measles Outbreak to Poor Diet and Health, Citing Fringe Theories

AP, West Texans, Mennonites at center of measles outbreak choose medical freedom over vaccine mandates

Wikipedia, Children’s Health Defense

Reuters, Doctors push back as parents embrace Kennedy and vitamin A in Texas measles outbreak

Manned flight to Mars

by Dave

We are learning many reasons why the OceanGate submarine was not safe enough to go 13,000 ft below the sea to view the Titanic. Of course, there was little problem sending cameras and strobe lights down to these depths. In fact, advances in robotics now make it possible to explore extremely challenging environments.

I feel the same way about exploration of Mars. I really loved the latest headline from NASA, “The Ingenuity Phones Home” which of course, is about receiving communications from the Ingenuity helicopter, after a communications black out, because the helicopter communicates with the Perseverance Rover, which was behind a hill, and couldn’t receive communications. All that changed on June 28, and I am hoping for more images from the Martian surface.

Pictured above is Sara Langberg, an aeromechanical engineer at AeroViroment, and a member of the team which designed the Ingenuity helicopter.

“I’m honored and humbled to be a part of it,” said Langberg. “Hardware that I designed and built with my own hands is going to touch the surface of Mars and that’s just mind-boggling.”

Mars is not a place to be colonized. This is a ridiculous notion. Locking up six astronauts for two years and submitting them to unhealthy conditions (weightlessness and radiation) makes no sense. I want real research not headlines.

CNN Link: https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/25/health/biology-of-spaceflight-studies-wellness-scn-trnd/index.html

Red risks for a journey to the red planet: The highest priority human health risks for a mission to Mars

Mars is a planet to be explored. Send the robots, rovers, helicopters, and other devices with thousands of sensors.

By the way, Elon Musk isn’t going. Neither is Mr. “Multi-planet Species” Neil deGrasse Tyson. They are not taking a chance on their health. They are not subjecting themselves to 2 years of confinement.

I have commented on this topic before, and nothing really has changed my opinion.

Stay tuned,

Dave

EPA Worst Adminstrator Ever: Scott Pruitt

by Dave

The EPA has existed for 47 years.   It was created by Richard Nixon in 1970, by Executive Order.    Richard Nixon also signed into law, the Clean Air (1970) and Clean Water Acts (as amended 1972).   The first line of the  Clean Water Act states:

The objective of this Act is to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation’s waters.

This first sentence is powerful, as the act directs the federal government in conjunction with state agencies to RESTORE  the quality of the  nation’s waters.   Thus, there was an acknowledgement of a problem.   Thus, the creation of the agency was direct the government to take a leadership role in the restoration of  our water and air resources.  Nixon being from California,  likely understood this, as the Colorado watershed encompasses 7 states in the US and 2 states in Mexico.   California is downstream to all pollutants discharged into the Colorado River in the US.

Scott Pruitt may like to see environmental policy run from the state and local level,  mainly for political reasons, but it is the geographical reality which makes so many of our environmental problems, a national problem, requiring federal action.   The pollutants  from the coal burning plants goes to the upper atmosphere,  where there are no signs saying “You are entering Massachusetts” or even, “You are entering Canada.”

Scott Pruitt is an attorney of law.   He has done nothing to restore or improve air or water quality in his home state of Oklahoma, as Attorney General.   Instead, he accepted contributions from Tyson foods, who were being sued for polluting the Illinois River that flows through Oklahoma.

Oklahoma AG and EPA Pick Pruitt Stalled Pollution Lawsuit After Contributions From Poultry Industry

His track record as AG was to attack EPA actions, initiating 13 lawsuits against the EPA.

Now as administrator of the EPA, his actions run counter the core mission of the EPA, to preserve the water, land and air natural resources of the US for future generations to enjoy.   His perspective is one of an advocate for individuals to pollute as much as they want, so long as they don’t endanger the health and safety of general population.   Individual liberties may sound good, but in result can be extremely harmful.

I have posted numerous blogs on the actions of the EPA under the Trump administration, including the most recent one on banning EPA scientists from making presentations at a scientific meeting on the Narraganset Bay estuary.   I was please to see Steven Colbert, the late night show host,   really tearing into Scott Pruitt’s policies, noting that until he pulled the 3 scientists from the meeting, it is likely few people knew about this estuary, or even what an estuary was.

Scott Pruitt latest attack on the agency he runs is to remove as many of the independent and dedicated environmental scientists in the advisory groups in the EPA and replace them with people of his own choosing.   This tactic in this case is to bar anyone who is receiving funding from the EPA from participating in the advisory groups.

Citing The Bible, The EPA Just ChangedAdvisers Its Rules For Science 

In support of his drastic actions,  Scott Pruitt relies on the pretext that scientists receiving funds from the EPA might have a conflict of interest.  However, this was quickly countered by numerous organizations,  noting there was already strict disclosure rules in place, the prevent conflict of interest.    Dr. Tiech from George Washington University stated the following:

” Disqualifying the very people who know the most about a subject from serving as advisors makes no sense.”

More succinctly, he wrote, “Frankly,  this directive is nuts.”   Others voiced similar opinions, as follows:

The change calls into question EPA’s ability to protect the country, according to Rush Holt, chief executive officer of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. “We question whether the EPA can continue to pursue its core mission to protect human health and the environment,” Holt said in a statement issued Tuesday.

Scott Pruitt battled the EPA through lawsuits as Attorney General of Oklahoma.  Now,  he must battle the organization he heads.

Stay tuned,

Dave

PS.  I’ve posted numerous blogs on the EPA and the Trump administration’s indifference to environmental issues.   See the various categories such as Environment, Global Warming. Coal, or Chloropyrisfos.  Also you can search under EPA  or Scott Pruitt.

The Paris Accords Exit

by Dave

The announcement will be made at 3:00 pm today (June 1, 2017).    It has been widely rumored that Trump will pull out of the Accords.  The Agreement was a very major step forward in acceptance of a global problem.

CNN outlined three options that Trump has: (1) The Normal Exit- by withdrawing from the Accords by 2020 (2) The Radical  Exit- by withdrawing from the UN organization (UNFCCC) under which the Accords were agreed upon and (3) The non-exit, which Trump simply ignores the provisions of the Accords.

The radical exit is the one supported by conservative groups,  such as the Heritage group.  The coal companies such as Peabody and Cloud Peak Coal, want Trump not to exit the Accords, as this puts the EU in a leadership role in setting targets.

Options

A final option (“death in the legislature” option)  is for Trump to  state the Accord is really a treaty, which must be ratified by 2/3 of the Senate.  With the Republican controlled Senate, the treaty would be “dead on arrival.”   This would change the issue to one of Obama overstepping his authority, and Trump might just go for it.

The Paris Agreement is more of an “agreement in principal”  rather than a treaty, as it lacks any penalties for countries who do not reduce their carbon emissions. It is an important first step as it is an  agreement of mutual commitment  to a global problem.   As it is structured,  the US could stay in the Accords,  do nothing to reduce these emissions and not be sanctioned by the UN.

Obama signed the agreement as an Executive Order.  Trump can legally exit the agreement, but has to comply with the set schedule if he wants to do the normal exit.

I predict that many countries will be looking more at the “non-exit” or “non-compliance” option, which means climate change is something leaders of the countries are concerned about, but  nobody does much about it.

This will leave the US as the only one of 193 countries to exit the Accord.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Clean Power Plan

by Dave

I’m afraid under Gov Rick Perry as head of Department of Energy and Scott Pruitt as head of EPA, the Clean Power Plan will soon to become history.    It is a real shame.  The Clean water and Air Acts were signed into law by Richard Nixon, and stood strong through Reagan, Bush (H.W.),  Bush (W), and 16 years of democratic party  presidents.

Scott Pruitt is a horrible choice.   The mantra of Republicans is regulation is bad for business and business will make America great again.  However, it is  a giant step backwards for international cooperation for environmental needs.

We can not expect other countries around the world to work with us in curbing carbon emissions, if we are not doing our part.

China and the US produce the most CO2, accounting for 45% of emissions:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_carbon_dioxide_emissions

The top ten producers, include India and the EU, and account for 68% of carbon emissions.

Carbon emissions cause global warming, and serious breathing problems, particularly with those suffering from asthma.

The Republicans don’t have a plan- except if you consider downplaying the problem and delaying any real solutions as a plan.  Energy generated by coal typically generates twice the carbon emissions than natural gas.  Cleaning  up of CO2 emissions from coal fired plants increases costs.  The decline in coal usage has occurred as more operators prefer natural gas (also a polluter).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clean_Power_Plan

The Clean Power Plan isn’t perfect.  Critics abound who can tell you the flaws in the program in an instant.  However,  the alternative (see Republican Plan) is horrible, so going from a horrible situation to a flawed one, is a step in the right direction.

Without a real US plan,  we likely lose support from China, India, EU countries, Japan and Russia.

Stay tuned,

Dave

 

 

 

 

 

Pluto

by Dave

Ok, is this Pluto the dog or Pluto the planet?  It is the planet, oops, I meant the dwarf planet.  I was thinking of posting a picture of Pluto (the dog),  but all images are licensed to Disney.  You’ll have to do your own searching.

Back to the dwarf planet, Pluto.  The New Horizon spacecraft has spent nearly 10 years to get to Pluto and in the last few weeks, has been transmitting back incredibly detailed photos of Pluto.

New Horizon Pictures

I know from my studies (up to about 9th grade, earth science), it is way-way far away, recently confirmed by Wikipedia:

Pluto- Wikipedia

I also learned that the demotion to dwarf status was not taken well at all, particularly in New Mexico, where a resolution in the legislature passed, designating Pluto as a planet, because the scientist that discovered Pluto, Clyde Tombaugh,  lived in New Mexico.

In 1930, Clyde was 24 years old when he discovered Pluto.  He did not have, at that time, any formal education beyond a high school degree.  But he had built telescopes and designed lenses and mirrors on his family’s farm, so the Lowell Observatory hired him in 1929.   Later, studied astronomy at the University of Kansas, and earned a BS and MS degrees.

Clyde Tombaugh  

Clyde passed away at the age of 90 in 1997.  In his lifetime, he is credited to having  discovered hundreds of asteroids.  The New Horizon carried aboard his ashes on its voyage to Pluto.

Stay tuned,

Dave