quarantine

Massachusetts in theory requires 14 days of quarantine for people coming in from other states, with a regional exemption. I complied after my NC trip. What I don't think is being done by most (any?) area universities (or prep schools, for that matter) is universal quarantine for arriving students. The military academies did this, and after the two weeks started a mixed program of masked outdoor training and online classes otherwise. It seems to have worked at Annapolis and West Point. The Air Force Academy is being less transparent. Boston College (Arthur's employer) is feeling overly cocky, in my opinion, presumably because they have successfully housed a few hundred students over the summer who would have lost their visas or otherwise been harmed if they had to return whence they came. That's not the same a a campus full of folks. Arthur has been tested, once, and given a wrist band to prove it. I think they are doing that for everyone, and requiring masks and distance. Some classes will be in person, with students spread out. Others will be online. I don't see how that is much different from other campuses with have already shut down due to virus clusters. I know that college campuses are kind of like their own worlds, but it seems to me that Massachusetts regulations should be followed.

Irritated about bad science (headlines)

Generally about "scientists make things worse," from a doctor who is very pro-science. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7leWXMr3ayk&feature=youtu.be Worth the twenty minutes. I'm still pissy about the neck gaiter thing, which got huge amounts of publicity (including on the Washington Post), based on a brief, not very good but entertaining study. The methodology and conclusions have been disputed since, but of course we really don't have ultimate knowledge about best face coverings. I like the idea of transparency that underlies pre-print articles. I like retractions for bad papers. I like controlled trials as a concept, but I also kind of like anecdotal evidence. Studies have shown that routine screening mammograms over time don't really improve lifespan, and they aren't entirely benign. https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD001877.pub5/full Still, my doctor wants me to have one regularly, even thinking that it's worth being briefly in a tiny room with a stranger now. Arthur's cousin is convinced it saved her life. Rambling, as is often the case.