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Latest Posts by fairytalesmakeyoustrong - Page 4
Really happy to see this at my local library
A Guide to Making Up Diseases (as Explained by a Biologist)
So listen up y’all, nothing drives me crazier as both a writer and a scientist than seeing alien diseases that make no fuckin’ sense in a human body.
If you’re talking about alien diseases in a non-human character, you can ignore all this.
But as far as alien diseases in humans go, please remember:
DISEASE SYMPTOMS ARE AN IMMUNE RESPONSE.
Fever? A response to help your immune cells function faster and more efficiently to destroy invaders.
Sore/scratchy throat? An immune response. Diseases that latch onto the epithelium of the throat (the common cold, the flu) replicate there, and your body is like “uh no fuckin’ thanks” and starts to slough off those cells in order to stop the replication of new virus in its tracks. So when it feels like your throat is dying? guess what it literally is. And the white spots you see with more severe bacterial infections are pus accumulation, which is basically dead white blood cells, and the pus is a nice and disgusting way of getting that shit outta here.
(No one really knows why soreness and malaise happens, but some scientists guess that it’s a byproduct of immune response, and others suspect that it’s your body’s way of telling you to take it easy)
headache? usually sinus pressure (or dehydration, which isn’t an immune response but causes headaches by reducing blood volume and causing a general ruckus in your body, can be an unfortunate side effect of a fever) caused by mucous which is an immune response to flush that nasty viral shit outta your face.
Rashes? an inflammatory response. Your lymphocytes see a thing they don’t like and they’re like “hEY NOW” and release a bunch of chemicals that tell the cells that are supposed to kill it to come do that. Those chemicals cause inflammation, which causes redness, heat, and swelling. They itch because histamine is a bitch.
fatigue? your body is doing a lot–give it a break!
here is a fact:
during the Spanish 1918 Plague, a very strange age group succumbed to the illness. The very young and very old were fine, but people who were seemingly healthy and in the prime of life (young adults) did not survive. This is because that virus triggered an immune response called a cytokine storm, which basically killed everything in sight and caused horrific symptoms like tissue death, vasodilation and bleeding–basically a MASSIVE inflammatory response that lead to organ damage and death. Those with the strongest immune systems took the worst beating by their own immune responses, while those with weaker immune systems were fine.
So when you’re thinking of an alien disease, think through the immune response.
Where does this virus attack? Look up viruses that also attack there and understand what the immune system would do about it.
Understand symptoms that usually travel together–joint pain and fever, for example.
So please, please: no purple and green spotted diseases. No diseases that cause glamorous fainting spells and nothing else. No mystical eye-color/hair-color changing diseases. If you want these things to happen, use magic or some shit or alien physiology, but when it’s humans, it doesn’t make any fuckin’ sense.
This has been a rant and I apologize for that.
Here is the prologue of a story I’ve been writing. Give it a look and if you like it, share it. Urban fantasy, and it looks like it’s going to be a long story.
Do some real, peer reviewed research that isn't funded by the actual vaccine companies. Doctors, even in Canada get paid nice fat bucks for vaccinating. And vaccine companies don't have to do trials to prove their research is sound and safe. In fact they redact a lot out of their "scientific papers" - including things about how African American boys are at higher risk of vaccine injury from the MMR than any other demographic. But hey. Yeah. Vaccinate your children with an adult dose of chemicals
Here are my sources that vaccines do actually save lives and are safe:
Vaccines save 20 million lives, $350 billion in poor countries since 2001
Measles vaccination has saved an estimated 17.1 million lives since 2000
Vaccines save 9 million lives a year globally
Vaccinations Can Be Money-Losers For Doctors
Some more debunking here:
https://www.paladinahealth.com/blog/debunking-myths-immunizations-dr-demeyere-coursey
Myth #2: Big pharma is in it for the money.
Yes, pharmaceutical companies make money from selling vaccinations. However, illness is far more expensive. In fact, research has shown that between the years of 1994-2013, vaccines created a net savings of $295 billion dollars directly and $1.3 trillion societally.
What’s more, pharmaceutical companies make 2 to 5 times as much money from the drugs that they sell for illness, as compared to the annual flu vaccine. In fact, of the top 20 drugs sold annually by large pharmaceutical companies, the flu vaccine doesn’t even make the list.
Myth #3: Vaccines contain toxic chemicals like aluminum and mercury.
Dosing is important to understand. If anyone ingests any large amount of a substance, it can become toxic. However, the amount of aluminum in a vaccine averages only to around 0.125mg per dose. The average human consumes 30-50mg of aluminum in their daily diet. Additionally, while the amount of mercury used in a vaccination falls under the same umbrella, it was removed from almost all childhood vaccines in 2001 after the public protested its presence.
Given this information, it remains our medical opinion that vaccinations are safe. They are life-prolonging, and we believe their benefits far outweigh their risks. If you have concerns regarding immunizations, like flu shots, we invite you to talk to your Paladina Health provider.
Some more debunking (emphasis mine)
https://www.livescience.com/57488-vaccine-safety-numbers.html
Here’s a look at some of the data behind vaccine safety and effectiveness:
-Over the past two decades, childhood vaccines have saved the lives of 732,000 U.S. children and prevented more than 300 million kids from getting sick, according to a 2014 study from the CDC.
-Nearly 90 percent of vaccine side effects are not serious, according to the CDC.
-More than 20 rigorous scientific studies have shown that there is no link between the MMR vaccine and autism, according to the CDC. The original study that claimed to find such a link has been discredited, and was retracted.
-A 2011 report from the National Academy of Medicine reviewed more than 1,000 vaccine studies and concluded that serious reactions to vaccines are extremely rare.
-The MMR vaccine can cause fevers, and some children who develop a fever can have a seizure; these are called fever-triggered seizures. However, studies show there is one case of fever-triggered seizure for every 3,000 to 4,000 children who receive this vaccine. And these seizures almost never cause harm over the long term, the 2011 review said.
-About one in 10 children who is infected with measles develops an ear infection, and such infections can result in permanent hearing loss, according to the CDC.
-For every 1,000 children who get measles, one or two will die from the disease, the CDC said.
-Two doses of the measles vaccine are about 97 percent effective at preventing measles, the CDC said.
-In rare cases, the rotavirus vaccine, called RotaTeq, is linked to the development of a serious intestinal disorder called intussusception. A 2014 study found that for every 65,000 children who received this vaccine, there was one case of intussusception.
-A 2011 study found that the rotavirus vaccine had prevented 65,000 U.S. children from being hospitalized with rotavirus since 2006.
-A 2012 study found that the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is linked with an increased risk of fainting. The study, which included nearly 200,000 girls who received at least one dose of the Gardasil HPV vaccine, found that there were 24 cases of fainting per 1,000 people on the day of vaccination. For comparison, there were an average of four cases of fainting per 1,000 people when studied months after vaccination.
-The HPV vaccine was introduced in 2006, and during the next four years, the rate of HPV infections among teen girls decreased by 56 percent, despite a relatively low vaccination rate in this age group, according to a 2013 study. (HPV infections in women increase the risk of cervical cancer.)
-Studies on the safety of the chicken-pox vaccine found that about 3 percent of children had a mild, chicken-pox-like rash after the first dose of the vaccine, according to the CDC. On average, these children had two to five lesions, compared with the typical 250 to 500 lesions found in children who contract the actual illness, according to the Immunization Action Coalition (IAC), a nonprofit organization funded by the CDC that creates and distributes educational materials on vaccines.
-Although chicken pox is usually a mild disease, it can cause serious complications, including bacterial infections of the skin, pneumonia, inflammation of the brain and blood stream infections, according to the CDC. Before the introduction of the chicken pox vaccine, there were about 4 million cases of chicken pox in the United States per year, and of these, an estimated 11,000 people went to the hospital with complications and 100 people died from the disease, the IAC said.
-After the introduction of the chicken pox vaccine, cases of the disease fell nearly 80 percent in the U.S. over a decade, according to a 2012 study.
I really wish there was an option on those Customer Service Surveys that says specifically, “The representative I spoke to was lovely and helpful and deserves all of the raises but I think that you, as a corporation, should die in a fire.”
Watch: How toxic masculinity follows men from birth to death.
Just like I said. Illegal adoption.
https://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/immigrant-mom-loses-effort-regain-son-us-parents/story?id=16803067
Analysis of satellite imagery and aerial photographs indicate that all of Haiti’s remaining primary forest will disappear in less than two decades if current deforestation rates continue.
but you can get me
so let’s set out to
(-64)
BIG NEWS
| PRE-ORDERS NOW OPEN |
Hurricane is an unofficial collaborative fanbook centered around exploring the relationship between Voltron: Legendary Defender’s Shiro and Lance through the theme of weather. All proceeds will be donated to ECPAT.
The zine itself is 21cmx21cm (8.3inx8.3in), perfect bound, and features over 35 pages of illustrations from 20 talented artists. At 90+ pages, the zine includes 5 stories totalling over 13,000 words.
The bundle includes, in addition to the zine: one 2’’ enamel pin designed by @lemonjuiceday, one 2.3’’ acrylic charm designed by @sir-scandalous, one 4’’ x 6’’ sticker sheet designed by @andyzambie, and three 4’’ x 6’’ miniprints designed by @arctg, @paperwan, and @andyzambie.
See the full lists of participating artists and authors.
| Stretch Goals |
100 sales: All physical copies of the zine will be printed with gold-foil-embellished covers.
200 sales: All non-pdf orders will include an exclusive sticker sheet designed by @cata-strophes.
300 sales: All non-pdf orders will include an extra 4’’ x 6’’ miniprint illustrated by @lemonjuiceday.
| Giveaway |
Reblog this post for a chance to win a free bundle! The winner will be randomly selected from a combined list of tumblr reblogs and retweets. The winner will be contacted via DM and will have 72 hours to respond before a new winner is selected. The giveaway ends when on September 15, 12:00 AM PST.
Pre-orders close on October 1st, 12:00 AM PST.
| PRE-ORDER HERE |
If you’re gonna be mad at ScarJo…
Please also be mad at director Rupert Sanders, the cis white dude directing Rub and Tug and who directed ScarJo in whitewashed Ghost in the Shell.
Please, be mad at them both.
I’m all for fighting for marriage equality in the LGBT community. But we’re so focused on that no one knows about this problem.
Morning After Pill for HIV
I think that people forget that condoms protect you from more than just pregnancy.
And there is no morning after pill for HIV.
Reading about abusive men and the way they think. Very unsettling and an incredible book so far. Here are my very professional notes.
I feel like I should make a post about this because it’s not something that’s very well-known, and that Americans in particular may need to know about given the uncertain state of our healthcare system at the moment. I’ve wanted to write this out for a while, It’s kind of a long post, so sorry about that!
If you have an emergency and have to go to the hospital, you’ll owe the hospital a lot of money. (I got into a car wreck and broke my ankle and my arm. My hospital bill was around $20,000)
You’ll also owe the ambulance provider, if you need one. (My ambulance bill was about $800)
You may get separate bills from the anesthesiologist or surgeon. (My anesthesiologist bill was $1,700)
You may need follow-up appointments. (My orthopedic surgeon billed me for the appointments and his surgery together and it was about $1,000)
You’ve also got to pay for medical equipment you need afterward, like crutches or a walking boot. (Mine cost about $75)
Altogether, I ended up with almost $24,000 in medical debt from one car accident. That’s a really scary number for someone like me who makes $10/hr at a 12 hour a week job.
I got my debt down to $1075 by making some phone calls and submitting some paperwork.
The first thing I did was contact the hospital. They don’t make it easy to find, but many hospitals (perhaps most hospitals?) have financial assistance programs for people who can’t afford medical bills. I don’t make a lot of money, and I have bills to pay, so they were able to help me. I called the billing department and asked if they had any assistance programs for low income people who can’t pay their bills. I had to call multiple times, and I got transferred in circles by people who didn’t know what I was talking about. Finally, I got an appointment with someone in “Eligibility Services” (I don’t know what other hospitals call it, if it’s something different). I had to bring my pay stubs and copies of all of my bills. When I got to the hospital for the appointment, nobody knew what I was talking about so I had to wander a little to find where I needed to go. I spoke with the guy in Eligibility Services, and I waited for a decision on how much of the bill they would forgive. A month later, I got a call telling me it was totally forgiven.
I did the same thing for my ambulance bill and my anesthesiologist, but the process was a LOT easier. I just had to mail some paperwork and it was totally forgiven.
I didn’t bother with the medical equipment suppliers, since the bills came from separate companies and I didn’t feel like going through the process twice for $75. I was assured at the hospital that they had similar programs for debt forgiveness, so I could have probably avoided paying that too.
The only thing I couldn’t get taken care of was the surgeon/follow-up appointment cost, but they were able to put me on a no-interest payment plan.
Medical debt is scary because it’s something that can come from stuff that’s already really scary. I didn’t need the burden of $24,000 in debt on top of trying to get around on a crutch with a broken arm (it’s not easy, believe me!).. but I can’t imagine what it would be like with a bigger debt or a more severe medical emergency. I see lots of people in even worse trouble than I was in, both financially and medically. Please know that there are options for you when that GoFundMe doesn’t do enough. Even if your income is higher than mine, it’s worth a shot even for partial debt forgiveness.
“A Thread of Tips” by Shelby
• #16 is missing but to find out more tips, follow her on twitter; be sure to thank her! 😁
disclaimer: check sites and tips before using at your own discretion.
Does Planned Parenthood offer Hormone Replacement Therapy for transgender people?
Someone asked us:
Can Planned Parenthood provide hormones to transgender people? And if so, what are the costs?
Why yes, yes we do. There are an increasing number of Planned Parenthood health centers that offer hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for trans clients. (Cost will vary depending on your insurance and Planned Parenthood health center policies.) Currently, the Planned Parenthood health centers that offer hormone treatment for trans folks are:
California:
Fresno
Mountain View
Sacramento
Santa Cruz
Walnut Creek
Colorado:
Denver
Maine:
Biddeford
Portland
Sanford
Topsham
Montana:
Billings
Great Falls
Helena
New Hampshire:
Derry
Keene
Manchester
West Lebanon
New York:
Ithaca
North Carolina:
Asheville
Chapel Hill
Raleigh
Vermont:
Barre
Bennington
Burlington
Hyde Park
Middlebury
St. Albans
Washington
Bellingham
- Calvin and Maureen at QueerTips
the “___ change my mind” guy sitting at a desk is Steven Crowder who is literally a deep conservative “comedian” and the biggest transphobe of 2018 so can we NOT use that meme anymore thanks. he literally calls trans people tr**** in some of his videos and refers to caitlyn jenner (I may not like her but Christ) as a transgender f@scist because she transitioned and refers to her transitioning as “going full #sjw.” this meme is cancelled and not funny. use google if you don’t believe me. bye
Photo by Kerstin Langenberger
“I see the glaciers calving, retreating dozens to hundreds of meters every year. I see the pack ice disappearing in record speed. Yes, I have seen bears in good shape – but I have also seen dead and starving polar bears. Bears walking on the shores, looking for food, bears trying to hunt reindeer, eating birds’ eggs, moss and seaweed. And I realized that the fat bears are nearly exclusively males which stay on the pack ice all year long. The females, on the other hand, which den on land to give birth to their young, are often slim. With the pack ice retreating further and further north every year, they tend to be stuck on land where there’s not much food.” - Kerstin Langenberger
Tens of thousands of students across America walked out of school today to demand action on gun violence. Listen to what they had to say.
look…………….. write as much shitty fic as you want. nobody can stop you. you’re learning constantly and it’s better to write hackneyed implausible ridiculousness than it is to not write at all out of fear of fucking up. you’re good
Saw this somewhere else and felt the need to post it cause no one else ever really tells you this stuff
Wait, other people hear the buzzing electronic noise? The one that causes the same sensation in my head as a high pitched whistle, even though that isn’t what it sounds like? WHAT! My parents told me I was hearing things.
Auditory Processing Problems
• *someone says something* “what?” *repeats themselves* “sorry?” *repeats themselves again* “pardon?”
•"hey, y'see the red thing at the top of the shelf, will you get it?“ “Sorry, what?” “On the sh-” “oh yeah sure, I’ll get it.”
•*doesn’t hear teacher because someone’s pen is making a scratchy sound at the back of the room*
•*replays video 10 ten times to figure out what they’re saying*
•teachers asking, “why do you always stop writing in the middle of a sentence, just write down whatever I’m saying,” followed by the response, “I’m just processing it,” rebuked by, “we’ll stop processing it and just write.”
•*gets really focused on staring out the window and goes through four songs without hearing a single on*
This post is being ████ by your Internet service provider.
LISTEN UP!!!!!! NET NEUTRALITY ENDS APRIL 23RD
We put up a good fight…but now we only have 60 days to turn this around. There is still ONE thing we can all do!!!!!
There’s something called the Congressional Review Act (CRA) that can be used to stop the FCC. We just need ONE MORE VOTE to win the Senate!!!
For those who missed my last giant post a few months ago, last year, the FCC voted to repeal the Obama regulations designed to protect a fair and open internet. If these regulations are knocked down, providers like Comcast, AT&T, and Verizon will have EVERY RIGHT to slow down internet speeds to those who aren’t on their more expensive plans. Even further, they have the power to censor and regulate what we see online. MORE further, they’d even have the power to slow down competitors’ streaming speeds, like Netflix, to make their own services more appealing. THIS SHIT IS NOT RIGHT!!!!!
First thing you can do is to GET OFF YOUR ASS (OR ON IT IF YOU’RE AT A COMPUTER…) and take 20 seconds to sign this!!!! Second thing is to SHARE THIS CAMPAIGN WITH EVERYONE!!!
SIGN THIS!!!! https://www.battleforthenet.com/onemorevote/
There’s going to be a huge protest on Feb 27th that I’ll be taking part in. The above link goes into detail on what YOU can do on that day. Please guys. Don’t just sit there and let this happen. THIS IS OUR LAST CHANCE! THIS IS OUR INTERNET!!!! NOW FUCKING DO SOMETHING!!!!
A rare giant hellbender salamander found dead because some hiker’s rock-stacking collapsed on her. I didn’t even know rock stacking was a thing until this year but there are many ways it disrupts the environment.
The soccer gender pay gap is ridiculous
Man yells, “Make America Great Again!” Before shooting 6 people dead.
Man wearing, “Make America Great Again” hat murders 2 strangers for no reason.
A Trump supporter murders 2 police officers because they told him he couldn’t wave a Confederate flag at a high school football game.
Two men beat a homeless man with a metal bar and urinate on him screaming, “Donald Trump was right, all these illegals need to be deported,” When asked for a comment about the incident Trump defends them saying, “My supporters are very passionate. They love this country and they want this country to be great again.”
Trump supporter attacks a Hispanic man and a Muslim student at a gas station while yelling, “Trump! Trump! Trump!”
Trump supporter stabs a black man unprovoked because he was holding hands with a white woman, tells police they need to release him so he can attend a Trump rally that night.
Trump supporter attacks Muslim woman at airport.
A Trump supporter punches a 70 year old protester in the face.
Trump supporter arrested for brutally beating protester.
3 Trump supporters arrested planning terrorist attack to kill Muslims.
Trump supporter confuses an Indian man for a Muslim at restaurant and says, “Things are different now, I don’t want you sand n*ggers sitting next to me.” Before attacking the man.
“We got a new President you fucking f*ggots.” Men yell as they attack gay man.
Trump supporters track down and brutally beat an artist because she made a painting of Trump with a small penis.
Trump supporter who sucker punched protester: “Next time, we might have to kill them.”
Trump is asked to comment on his supporters brutally beating a black man, he responds with, “Maybe he should have been roughed up,”
“You fucking gorillas and baby monkeys, We voted for Trump. Trump’s building a wall, beaners, and you’ll be going back to where you belong.” Man yells at black elementary school children unprovoked before he swerves his car at them attempting to hit them.
Trump supporters beat black man so badly he’s hospitalized for concussion and call him the n-word.
Trump supporter pepper sprays a 15-year-old girl point-blank in the face after another Trump supporter groped her breasts, shouting “n*gger lover” as she attempted to run away.
Trump supporter walks up to a black man in the middle of a downtown area and says, “Donald Trump will deport you.” Before punching the black man.
“Trump is going to win and if you don’t like it I’m going to beat your ass,” Trump supporter yells at random black woman outside of convenient store.
Man attacks and kicks Muslim airport employee shouting, “Trump is here now, he will get rid of all of you.”
In 8 months Trump supporters attacked protesters at 20 different rallies.
Trump supporter tracks down a local Latino Democratic political candidate and tries to run him and his elderly mother over with a car. (The Latino candidate is also a former marine.)
“This is for Donald Trump!” man yells as he runs up a Latino person and punches them in the head.
Trump supporter goes to Hillary Clinton rally to disrupt the event, ends up punching someone when asked to leave.
Trump supporter punches, chokes and slaps protesters on video during rally.
An angry mob of Trump supporters brutally beat and grab a mans genitals because he held up a, “Republicans Against Trump” sign.
A Trump supporter yells, “Get your black kids out of here. Do you even have a job? Do you know what a job is, n*gger?” Before physically attacking a black man who had come to the hospital to get help for his sick 2 week old daughter.
Local Republican Politician sexually assaults a woman by, “grabbing her pussy.” and then says he is allowed to do it because now that Trump is president he doesn’t have to be politically correct.
Canadian man who was a vocal Trump supporter both online and in person goes into a mosque and murders 6 people.
Trump supporter physically assaults Comedian on stage for making Anti-Trump Joke.
Man yells, “Trump” while beating African immigrant cab driver.
A Trump supporter is arrested for burning a Mosque down.
A Trump supporter sees a car has pro-gay bumper stickers on it and then follows the car, waiting for the 75 year old driver to get out before brutally attacking him while screaming, “My new president says we can kill all you f*ggots now.”
A Trump supporter is arrested after brutally attacking gay men outside a McDonald’s. Witnesses describe the aftermath as, “There was blood everywhere.”
A Muslim refugee gay rights activist is kidnapped and raped by two men in retaliation for, “Trump being mocked.”
A Trump supporter is arrested on terrorism charges for building bombs he was going to use to kill Muslims.
Person spray-paints a transgender veterans car with the word “Trump” then sets it on fire.
A Trump supporter attacks two Muslim women and tries to push over a stroller with a baby in it while screaming, “Get the fuck out of America”
A Trump supporter tells a random Muslim woman he sees on the street, “I’m voting for Trump because he said he would send all of you terrorists out of this country.” Before attacking her.
Man shoots out the windows of two businesses from a car while shouting, “Hail Trump.”
THIS IS IMPORTANT