Also on today’s menu:
Cloth Masks Are Still With Us
‘Donate Your Age’
The war in Afghanistan began 20 years ago today, on Oct. 7, 2001, with American-led coalition airstrikes against airports and terrorist training camps, in response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the U.S.
The United States marked the 20-year anniversary of 9/11, but the actual start of the war in Afghanistan is going largely unnoticed here — but in the United Kingdom, armed forces commemorated the 20th anniversary of the start of U.K. military operations in Afghanistan with ceremonies honoring the 457 British personnel killed during the conflict.
Wreaths dedicated to those who lost their lives in combat in Afghanistan were laid at the Bastion Memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire and at the Iraq and Afghanistan Memorial near the Ministry of Defence in central London.
Cloth Masks Are Still With Us
An article in The Atlantic reminds us that the cloth masks that are so ubiquitous in the United States were originally intended as a stopgap measure because, in April 2020, surgical masks and highly-coveted N95s were in short supply. The CDC offered guidance on how to make masks from old T-shirts, but we knew that cloth masks, although far better than going maskless, were not as protective as other types.
A recent study in Bangladesh has linked wearing surgical masks with an 11.2 percent decrease in COVID-19 symptoms and antibodies, while cloth masks were associated with only a 5 percent decrease. Many other countries, including France, Austria, and Germany, shifted their mask guidance away from cloth masks toward those offering higher protection a long time ago.
Michael Osterholm, an epidemiologist at the University of Minnesota, said, “People are just divided into either you’re masked or you’re not, and that would be like saying everything that has wheels”—including a tricycle and a jetliner—“is the same.” He notes that vaccination is by far the most protective measure a person can take. Second is ensuring proper ventilation — replacing the air in a room at least five to six times an hour, he explained. Next is social distancing. Then there’s masking: “You keep going down in that order, and finally the lowest thing in terms of overall prevention potential is individual respiratory protection,” he said.
‘Donate Your Age’
The Blakeley-Mills Newfound Regional Scholarship Foundation has announced this year’s “Donate Your Age” campaign to raise money to help students pursue further education, with two donors offering to match donations up to $10,000.
To date, 27 scholarships, named after athletics coaches Alan Blakeley and Earl Mills, have provided $26,000 to Newfound graduates. The Class of 1972 has had the greatest participation in scholarship donations for two years in a row.
The scholarship team is asking that people donate an amount that corresponds to their age, but any amount of money is welcome. Checks may be mailed to Blakeley-Mills Regional Scholarship Foundation, Inc., PO Box 691, Bristol NH 03222. Donations also may be made online by going to www.newfoundalumni.com and clicking on the fundraiser tab.
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