Month: Feb 2023

thefreeonline Feb 1, 2023 by OffGuardian .

Coronavirus Fact-Check #17: Masks STILL Don’t Work They’re trying to bring mask mandates back – but a new study says masks do exactly what they’ve always done: Nothing.

You can read all our previous Covid fact-checks here.

Both the US and UK have seen the (attempted) re-introduction of facemask mandates amid “surging Covid cases” in the New Year.

On January 9th, ABC news headlined:–

More US schools institute mask mandates as COVID cases rise

Reporting that public schools in New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Michigan were re-introducing mask mandates. That follows late-December mandates imposed in Oakland and Iowa, among others.

It’s not much different in the UK, where there have been no mandates issued, but “experts” are “urging” people to wear masks to “limit the spread of flu, Covid and Scarlet Fever”, according to the Daily Mail. The OKHSA issued “guidance”, as they are wont to do.

Meanwhile, the Guardian is back to publishing manipulative op-eds attempting to “end the culture war” on masks, and turning the whole issue into nothing but a virtue signal.

All of this is, of course, pure propaganda that ignores actual science in favour “The Science^TM“.

Masks don’t work, that was our 6th Covid Fact-check, back in June of 2020.

For over two years we’ve been publishing piles of evidence that face masks not only do nothing to prevent the spread of respiratory viruses but are actually harmful in myriad ways.

We really don’t want to have to go over all the old research papers again…

…and we don’t have to, because there’s a new one.

On January 30th the Cochrane Library published an updated literature review on facemasks from Dr Tom Jefferson et al..

On cloth masks, a review of a dozen studies found:

Wearing masks in the community probably makes little or no difference to the outcome of influenza‐like illness (ILI)/COVID‐19 like illness compared to not wearing

masks […] Wearing masks in the community probably makes little or no difference to the outcome of laboratory‐confirmed influenza/SARS‐CoV‐2 compared to not wearing masks…

There you go. Maybe wear that quote on a lanyard instead of a mask this year.

You can read all our previous Covid fact-checks here.

from thefreeonline on 2nd Feb 2023 by The Bristol Activist

frpm The Bristol Activist January 31, 2023 James Ward Court, news, Top Story Leave a comment

A High Court judge has dismissed the appeal of climate campaigners and ruled that Bristol Airport expansion can go ahead.  

Bristol Airport Action Network (BAAN) challenged the airport’s expansion plans in the High Court following their approval by planning inspectors at an inquiry in 2021. BAAN argued that the inspectors’ decision to discount climate change from their decision was legally wrong. 

However, in an announcement published today (January 31) Lord Justice Lane ruled that the inspectors’ decision was valid and that the expansion should proceed. 

Responses from campaigners 

The decision comes as a blow to BAAN who have campaigned to stop Bristol Airport expansion since plans for expansion were announced in 2018. There were tears amongst the members of BAAN and their supporters as news of the judge’s ruling broke to those waiting outside the courthouse. 

Hundreds gathered outside Bristol Civil Justice Centre, where the hearing was held in November, and cries of “shame” echoed out when the verdict was shared. 

Speaking for BAAN outside the courthouse, Steve Clarke said: ‘The Government has policies in place which are designed to encourage the growth of airports and the number of people wanting to fly. This shows a total disregard for the climate emergency we are in.

‘In addition, this case shows that no one is taking responsibility for the extra carbon emissions from the 2 million additional passengers because they will not have been taken into account at any stage of the process either locally or nationally.

The Planning Inspectors who presided over the Inquiry stated that the responsibility lay with national Government however the Secretary of State has chosen not to consider the impact of the additional carbon; either at Bristol or other regional airport.

‘The end result of this decision is that the overwhelming voices of opposition of local people and their elected representatives have been ignored.  This is despite the chaos that will be caused locally through extra traffic congestion, noise and air pollution and the fact that the airport is already the biggest carbon emitter in the region.’

Following speeches from campaigners, protesters from XR Youth Bristol sat in front of the courthouse as fake blood was poured over their heads.

How did we get here? 

Thousands of local people signed petitions against the expansion and objected to the original planning application, outnumbering messages of support many times over. 

Bristol Airport’s planning application to expand from 10 million to 12 million passengers a year initially went before North Somerset Council in February 2020. Councillors voted against expansion, many giving as their reason that airport expansion is incompatible with efforts to tackle the climate crisis. 

Since then, further planning applications have been objected to, and the West of England Combined Authority and Bristol City Council joined North Somerset in formally objecting to expansion, although Bristol mayor Marvin Rees has always spoken in favour of the scheme. 

Continue reading “Plane Wrong: Bristol Airport Expansion upheld in new Blow to Campaigners”