Letters to the Editor: April 16-22, 2020

Posted

The Editor:

I would like to make a request to appeal to the public and businesses. I would love to see all of us flying our U.S. flags at half-mast for all of the victims who have died from the COVID-19 virus, those who are ill and the hospitals, caregivers and volunteer service providers who are putting their lives in danger by serving us. This would be a wonderful display to show the world we appreciate medical staff and the mourners who have lost someone dear.

Joan E. Kempinsky

Blaine

 

The Editor:

As we go forward as survivors, we are called to excel as human beings to bring our America back. We must hold to codes of justice, truth and fair play. We must temper our passions so that we can understand our opposition. We must remember that others whom we may oppose have the same rights as we do. And we must be able to admit when we are wrong to then make necessary, good, long-term adjustments. We can do all these things if we offer each other a safer and just world.

With these qualities, we might stop jumping to conclusions and finding foes where there might have been friends. We might stop pouncing on every error to bring loss to others for our gain. How much better to match one person’s weakness with another’s strength to keep the whole ship afloat. By withholding our torpedoes, we might regain confidence in each other to bring about more effective decisions and more righteous commitments. We could avoid the pitfalls of haste and prejudice with their toll of false witness, manipulated slander, unproven accusation, outrage and general uproar that make our world so nasty. Trust and tolerance could again be reasonable options.

If we do not rise above where we have been, then people will continue to hide away their faults and errors, take defensive actions, cover up bad behaviors (whether their own or of others like them) or recklessly use violence, all on the basis of illusions rather than on a basis for warfare. The innocent will be harmed, the guilty left free and social problems left unsolved. This destroys public trust and safety and never justifies it.

It may be time to reassess who we are and who we do not want to be, as this plague recedes and Easter renews. We can emerge as honest Americans with enough courage to behave like one without needing to be heroes, saints, martyrs or mavericks.

Sharon L. Robinson

Blaine

 

The Editor:

N95 masks are made from polypropylene fabric. Most people probably have some polypropylene fabric at home but wouldn’t recognize it.

The non-woven tote bags often given away as freebies and as promotional bags are made from polypropylene fabric.

They don’t feel like paper or fabric and have a micro-waffle texture. They rarely have any tags on them other than “Made in China” and laundry instructions. Out of the five I found in my garage, only one had the recycling tag – the triangle with “5” inside and “PP” underneath. I looked this up and found it to be polypropylene fabric.

It may not be the “weapons grade” polypropylene fabric used in medical N95 masks, but a couple of layers of this fabric used as an insert or lining inside a homemade mask would surely increase the level of protection over two layers of cotton. I made up a few masks using a couple of layers of tote fabric and a couple of layers of cotton and could breathe quite easily.

The tote fabric needs to be cut one inch smaller from each sewn seam because the thickness becomes too great to sew through the folds on the sides. Deconstruct the bag and straps. Smaller pieces can be stitched together by overlapping to make a larger piece. Arrange two thicknesses of tote fabric so any needle holes punched in the fabric do not align.

Launder the totes first. It is okay to dry in the dryer. Do not iron – it will melt. Masks can be microwaved for two to three minutes to disinfect under close supervision as long as all metal parts are removed.

Existing fabric masks can be retrofitted by opening up the top or bottom seam and inserting one or two layers of tote fabric cut smaller than the finished mask. If you tuck the tote fabric inside the fold made by the seam there is no need to stitch it back up.

The only recommendations I have found for “filtration materials” have been paper towels, vacuum bags and coffee filters! We can do better.

Fact check:

• Google “what N95 masks are made from.”

• Google “what are the five common uses of polypropylene fabric” – that is how I found the totes.

• Google “recycling symbols.”

Dani Fisk

Blaine

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