#Cancer Prevention Strategies

[andrewjhonson1234]

A recent study reveals a staggering rise in global cancer cases, with early-onset diagnoses on the rise. Explore how environmental factors—pollution, toxins, and lifestyle choices—are accelerating cancer incidence and the urgent need for policy reforms and preventive strategies.

[elitereviwer]

What is cancer? How to prevent Cancer

“Understanding Cancer: Prevention, Insights, and Hope” Imagine a world where we could live without the fear of cancer looming over our heads, a world where stories of survival and prevention dominate the narrative. While we may not be there yet, we can certainly work towards it. In this article, we will embark on a journey to unravel the mysteries of cancer, empower you with knowledge, and share…

[brick-van-dyke]

While, yes, there is evidence of this being some of the case, I think it's important to also consider two important things: where the company who produced this source sit and how much of what's out there was propaganda for Russia or by others (and how this may somewhat overlap considering anti US government sentiment is something shared by both the Russian government AND US communists who are legit leftists).

So who owns WIRED? How reliable is it and how much weight should this article be given? The simple answer is, yes, it's all true, but also we have to be aware of the framing of this article and, most importantly, what is being omitted and what is being highlighted. There was absolutely interference in the 2016 election, this has also been proven in courts and in other sources beyond just the one given, so WIRED absolutely checks out with its facts as being true. However, not everyone who had this opinion was a Russian spy and certainly people who hated and still hate Hillary are Russian spies at all. However, many are leftists who are radical communists or anarchists who hold an agenda similar to that of Russia; the growth of communist ideologies and anti us government sentiment.

That reflects today and it's not only true for the US, but for Palestine as well. For those unfamiliar, Russia has been pushing (along with China) for a single state solution for Palestine and have been very aggressively anti Israel. This isn't because what Israel is doing is wrong though, this is because Israel is aligned with the USA and NATO, which is exactly what Russia's target was during election interference in the USA before and would be once again today. It's entirely to undermine the capitalist/ liberal USA government and always has been since even the Vietnam War and the Cold War.

What needs to be considered in this case is this then; is it an enemy of the capitalist system only or the existence of the USA at all? Would a new purely leftist government taken through revolution be Russia's goal, or the destruction of the government in order to win in a war? I actually don't know, but I do know that I can agree that democrats have committed horrific acts to keep NATO existing and that NATO itself is an imperialist power.

This is where a lot of nuance comes in here, do we accept that there is Russian propaganda that happens to align with leftist ideals or do we reject our own ideals because we don't want to confirm to Russian interference? It's hard to know what way is the "right" way since there is a lot of geopolitical factors at play here. It's hard to know what would be the overall best. Ultimately, I think it depends what type of future we, as individuals, want for the USA. If you're a Trotskyist, for example, you may align with Russia's perspective already since you already happen to believe in the same ideologies. Likewise, you may be against the fall of the government overall and want internal change through peaceful means and no use of force, which means voting blue anyway regardless of who it is even without this interference or knowledge of it. I think, in this way, as much as it is important to know all of this, it isn't as earth shattering as one might think at first glance. There's nuance and context behind it that, when you think about it, isn't all that surprising.

Essentially, it really depends on your beliefs and how ""susceptible"" to said propaganda you are. Especially since this propaganda isn't just "Russian propaganda" but specifically communist propaganda, which will push people into being radicalised into far left circles, which...isn't really a bad thing depending on where you sit. Of course, this isn't for everyone and those who are more centrist/ moderates would see it as a very bad thing for so much far left propaganda to exist and push for revolution. And overall, of course, both sides would have at least some concern that it's from a foreign country, no matter how inevitable it is due to the geopolitical context that said country would do this in any situation that could radicalise people into communism.

For people who don't remember the 2016 Tumblr was full of Russian trolls who posed as progressive social justice blogs and urged young liberals to throw their vote away on a third party. You can read more about it here :https://www.wired.com/story/tumblr-russia-trolls-propaganda/ This camapign was extraiordinary succesful and third party voters were a key reason why Trump one( if you look at the electoral results you will see that the race was so close that if the third party votes had gone to Hillary she would have easily buried Trump) Sadly we didn't know that this was a orchestred camapign until Tumblr released the data itself and told us who the blogs were. Those were not simple spam blogs. They were pros. They knew how to talk to people, they made real posts and interacted. They tried this in 2020 but we were wary because the memories were still fresh But now thy are trying again. I just found this guy who is running the EXACT same play book as in 2016. Pretending to be a person of color , poting progresive posts while at the same time urigng everyoe to vote third party. As soon as I called him out he immedately blocked me beause he knew I outed him. So now i's up to you guys. Don't let Trump supporting Russian trolls run their psy ops here. Report en masse and get them now instead of waiting for months for tumblr to tell us they worked for Trump REPORT THIS RUSSIAN TROLL NOW. DON'T LET THEM PULL THEIR GAMES AGAIN: https://www.tumblr.com/decolonize-the-left

[tvdfan23]

We had a rep for one of our skincare lines come in yesterday and tell us about some new products she wanted us to sell in the office and her behavior was so icky because she kept bringing up my freckles and the products I needed to get rid of them and I was just like 🙄

[reasonsforhope]

Article

"Every year, over 350,000 women die from cervical cancer and another 660,000 are diagnosed. [Note: Plus trans men and other trans people with a cervix.] As a consequence, children are orphaned, families impoverished and communities diminished by the loss of mothers, wives, daughters and sisters. 

And yet, unlike most other cancers, almost all these cases and deaths can be averted. We have powerful vaccines that can prevent infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV) that causes cervical cancer; we have diagnostics to detect it early; and we have treatments for those it strikes. With these tools, cervical cancer can not only be stopped; it could become the first cancer to be eliminated. Some high-income countries are already close to elimination, meaning fewer than four cases per 100,000 women.

But in many low- and middle-income countries, these tools are still not available, which is why 94% of cervical cancer deaths occur in those countries. 

In 2018, WHO launched a global call to action to eliminate cervical cancer, which was followed in 2020 by the adoption by all 194 WHO Member States of a Global Strategy to Accelerate the Elimination of Cervical Cancer as a Public Health Problem. The strategy calls for countries to achieve three targets by 2030: 90% of girls fully immunised against HPV; 70% of women receiving timely screening; and 90% of those found with precancer or cancer accessing treatment.

These targets are not just aspirational, they are achievable, even in low- and middle-income countries.  Bhutan has already reached the targets, the first to do so in the South-East Asia region. 

Since introducing the HPV vaccine in 2011, Rwanda has reached vaccine coverage of 90%, and today announced its national goal to reach the 90-70-90 targets three years ahead of schedule, by 2027. Already, in two districts – Gicumbi and Karongi – Rwanda is meeting those goals. Nigeria, which introduced the HPV vaccine in October last year [2023], has already vaccinated 12.3 million girls.  

We have the tools and the opportunity to eliminate cervical cancer. 

Since WHO issued the global call to action in 2018, more than 60 countries have introduced the HPV vaccine into their immunisation programmes, bringing the total to 144 countries that are routinely protecting girls from cervical cancer in later life. With scientific advances, we can now prevent cervical cancer with just a single dose, which 60 countries are now doing.  

The largest provider of HPV vaccines to low- and middle-income countries is Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which plans to vaccinate 120 million children between now and 2030. But this plan requires that investments in health are sustained. We are also counting on manufacturers to confirm and honour their commitments to provide HPV vaccines to low- and middle-income countries in the coming years, to avoid the supply constraints that held back progress in the past.

But we cannot rely on vaccines alone. The impact of the rapid scale-up in vaccinating girls now will not be seen for decades, when they reach the adult years when cervical cancer typically appears. To save lives now, we must match the increase  in vaccination with increases in screening and treatment. 

Decades ago, as more women gained access to pap smears in developed countries, the mortality associated with cervical cancer dropped rapidly. Today, even better tests are available. Over 60 countries now include high-performance HPV tests as part of their screening programs. Women can even collect their own samples for HPV testing, removing more barriers to life-saving services. In Australia – which is on track to become one of the first countries in the world to achieve elimination – more than a quarter of all screening tests are now done this way...

Several countries are also investigating the use of artificial intelligence to enhance the accuracy of screening in resource-limited settings. When women are found with precancerous lesions, many are now treated with portable battery-powered devices, which can be operated in remote locations."

-via The Telegraph, November 18, 2024. Article written by Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO).

[bunnydracula]

incredible updates regarding mohamed al manasra's campaign:

mohamed's gofundme page is finally back online after weeks of a technicality preventing him from initiating transfers! please donate and share as widely as possible! family and friend group chats, phone calls, and emails are some of the best ways to get eyes on this campaign!

another update: mohamed's wife, manal, now has an ally at al-shifa hospital who is willing to vouch for her at the border crossing so that she can get into egypt for proper cancer treatment. this is miraculous news, and hugely increases chances of survival for the entire family. manal's friend at al-shifa predicts that he will be able to move manal out of gaza within a month (around the 2025 new year). it is now more important than ever that mohamed's campaign circulate as far as possible. we need these donations to make sure mohamed, manal, and all three of their children can make it past the rafah crossing. the stars have aligned for this family, and it is now our job to get them the funds they need to escape the gaza strip. here are alternative app links that go directly to mohamed's fundraiser organizer. we believe that a diversity of platform options is our smartest strategy going forward, so mohamed may still collect donations when one platform stalls or fails:

cashapp link (for americans)

venmo link (for americans - please do not indicate anything having to do with palestine in description)

paypal link (note: people have been having issues with this link and it’s not clear if it’s just a general issue with paypal or not. i’m leaving it up for now but thankfully the GFM is working again anyway)

mohamed’s fundraiser is vetted #192 here! please help my dear friend. god bless you who are generous and brave for this family that i love so much.

tagging for reach: @transmutationisms @anneemay @determinate-negation @shivroy @teethburied @schoolhater

[stephanidftba]

From Sharon Astyk on Facebook:

Folks, if you haven't been wearing a mask regularly or consistently, but who oppose this administration I want to encourage you to start (folks who have been wearing them all along, let this one go, because this isn't about you.)

I know, I know, you don't want to - you don't want to be harassed, you've had covid twice and it wasn't that bad, you aren't that worried, so why would you do that?

1. Wearing a mask in public means that people who are protesting masked are normalized. If there are many people wearing masks in public spaces, they can't identify who is resisting easily. If masks are a proxy for resistance, as governments are calling them, then it is rather like the story of King Christian of Denmark donning the yellow star. So if you want to protect and support resistors, you can mask.

2. We are on our own with disease protection. RFK jr has been very clear he plans to make vaccines incredibly inaccessible to most Americans. Right now there are circulating cases of measles, TB, mumps, covid and below the radar bird flu (yes, that too) as well as other stuff. No one is going to give you a vaccine to prevent disease. No one is going to tell you when you or your kids are exposed to measles or tuberculosis or bird flu. They are not testing, they are not recording data, they are not seeking to protect you. If you don't protect yourself, no one will.

While I strongly recommend everyone get any boosters or vaccines they need, in a society with low vaccination rates, and permeable vaccines that let some cases through and wane with time, a vaccine-only strategy is not viable. You cannot tell when you are exposed to these diseases, and you will just get sick, and some people will die.

No one is going to tell you when Bird flu starts spreading human to human on any scale. We will find out when a bunch of people get very sick and die - and I don't want you to be among them. No one is going to tell you when a kid has measles at your school in many states now, and you don't know if your vaccine from 30 years ago is still holding. 38% of cases in Ontario have been in vaccinated adults.

Vaccines and air cleaning and far UV light, and smaller classroom densities (yeah right) are all good tools, but the most reliable one is an N95 or equivalent mask.

3. The opinion of Trump, RFK jr and the rest of this administration is that disabled or medically vulnerable people should just die. They've been very clear, and we've seen it in how they cut support, research, to cancer, sickle cell disease, diabetes, alzheimers, etc... and how they talk about people with disabilities like autism.

They are rapidly and painfully stripping resources like SSDI, Medicaid, Special Education support programs and funding, research for rare cancers and diseases, testing that would let you know if your baby has a condition...you name it.

A 14 country study just showed that after 5 1/2 years of the pandemic, 25-30% of people who have covid have long covid. And we've known that was going to happen - that's almost exactly the same stats we've seen in other studies. By your third infection, your risk of long covid is up around 30%.

And while our support systems have been broken and fraying for a long time, they are simply DEAD now. You won't get SSDI. You won't get health care for your disability. You may not get treatment for your cancer. Your Alzheimers meds may not be covered. RFKjr thinks the answer to type 2 diabetes or mental health issues is a work camp.

We know that some viruses, including covid are oncogenic (the obvious one is the HPV virus, and the vaccine prevents cervical cancer perfectly), which means they up your risk of cancer. We know it increases your risk of dementia, and the rate at which dementia progresses. We know that covid can reactivate EBV and TB.

We also know that measles wipes your immune system for three years - including your vaccines. If you get measles, and you cannot get vaccinated again, you could die of diptheria, tetanus, mumps, etc...

You cannot afford to be newly disabled right now. They want people dead or unable to resist. DO NOT COMPLY IN ADVANCE. No one is protecting you from this. So protect yourself - this is as much a step as getting your passport or supporting your food pantry.

4. Because they are so clear that they have eugenicist intents towards disabled people, as well as non-white folks, wearing a mask is an act of solidarity with them.

Statistics have always shown that non-white people are more likely to wear masks than white folks, mostly because they know perfectly well that the safety net has a lot of huge holes in it. They are often worn by people who simply cannot afford to be sick.

Moreover immunocompromised and disabled people HAVE to mask. There are also people who physically CANNOT mask, who rely on others to mask to protect them. When you put on a mask, you do two things.

1. You stand with those who must or wish to mask, and practice community care. You make it clear those lives are more valuable than your convenience. Remember, they are counting on you not to believe that and let disabled people be first targets.

2. You make protest, activism and resistance safe and accessible for millions of people who otherwise cannot participate in standing up to our goverment. You help cross crucial thresholds for engagement by making resistance fully accessible.

My father, who is in his middle 70s and disabled, repeats the mantra regularly that these motherfuckers are not going to get to kill him, no matter how hard they try. That he has no intention of dying under Trump. He's going to stay alive and piss them off and fight back until he gets to piss on their graves.

If you want to do that, you have to wear mask. Its that simple. Masking is fighting back. Masking is solidarity. Masking protects you and everyone. Masking is resistance. Wear a mask in public.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1FT62GK2av/

@covid-safer-hotties

[sizzlingsandwichperfection-blog]

Hi. I've started writing a semi-weekly TB Newsletter, if you're interested in that kind of thing. Here's the second letter--about public-private partnerships, leprosy, and my forthcoming big announcement about expanding access to tuberculosis care. You'll hear more about that on Thursday. Anyway, here's the newsletter. You can sign up here.

---

In advance of the Big Announcement this Thursday, I made a vlogbrothers video today on how we end TB–with the comprehensive care plan often known as S-T-P, which is short for “Search, Treat, and Prevent.” But one thing I didn’t discuss in that video is the downstream benefits of comprehensive TB care.

Once you’ve hired community health workers to screen for TB, it becomes much easier to screen for other illnesses like diabetes, high blood pressure, and non-TB lung issues (especially lung cancer). TB is notoriously a disease of vicious cycles–a disease of malnutrition that makes malnutrition worse, a disease of poverty that makes poverty worse, and so on–but addressing TB can be a story of virtuous cycles: TB survivors become TB advocates, as I’ve seen with my friend Henry in Sierra Leone. More effective TB treatment leads to less stigmatization of the disease, as communities come to see the disease as curable and survivable rather than terrifying and deadly. And better access to TB care leads to a stronger overall healthcare system, because more community health workers are better connected to more primary healthcare clinics, which allows communities to better address all kinds of health problems.

—

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is not the only bacteria of its family that causes a lot of human suffering; there is a closely related species called mycobacterium leprae that causes the disease known as Hansen's Disease, or more commonly leprosy. There are still around 200,000 cases of leprosy diagnosed each year around the world, and while the disease is curable, it also remains–especially if not caught and treated early–a significant driver of suffering and disability in our world. 

There are many connections between TB and leprosy: Not only are the bacteria that cause these illnesses very similar, but patients have often expressed similarities in experience. TB patients who were encouraged or forced to live in sanitariums often compared themselves to lepers. One disheartening parallel between the diseases is that in both cases, those living with these illnesses are often abandoned by their families and must make new social connections within the new community of “leper” or “consumptive.” Also, both Hansen’s Disease and TB continue to exist largely because of systemic failures rather than due to a lack of knowledge or technology.

—

I really recommend Dr. Salmaan Keshavjee’s TED talk about how we ended TB in the U.S., and how we can end it using the same strategy around the world.

—

Last link from me today: I’ve been thinking a lot about the complex intersection between public and private investment (for reasons that will be clear on Thursday!) and I keep coming back to one infographic in an excellent paper (https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0256883) about the public money that was poured into the creation of the GeneXpert Machine, which can quickly and accurately test for TB. The GeneXpert machine has created a lot of profit for Danaher’s shareholders, and it has also created some societal benefit, but it could create a lot more societal benefit if it created less profit for Danaher’s shareholders. This tension seems to me one of the defining features of 21st century life. Anyway, here is the infographic:

That’s the money–over $250,000,000 of it–that came from taxpayers (mostly in the U.S. and Europe) to fund the creation of the GeneXpert Machine. And yet, this tech largely funded by the public is controlled entirely by private enterprise. I’m troubled by that model of value allocation, even if I still believe that private money and private enterprise have important roles to play in fueling innovation. But taking a quarter billion dollars of public money and then claiming total ownership over a technology, and using that ownership to deny the technology to the world’s poorest people, seems like a deeply flawed system of resource distribution to me.

I’ll see you on Thursday. I’m nervous and excited.

DFTBA,

John

[kakao-lovey]

𝄞⨾𓍢ִ໋ 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘧𝘵, 𝘴𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴

A complete guide to hand care for the porcelain dolls among us

While you certainly don't need ten steps involving harsh exfoliation, that weird red serum from the Ordinary or baking your hands in plastic gloves, taking care of your hands can be very rewarding, seeing as you essentially stare at them all day every day.

Let's clear some misinformation: you cannot make your fingers physically longer, no matter how many hand exercises you do. The length of your fingers is reliant on your genetics, and what kind of activities you did while your bones were still growing (Which is why pianists have such beautiful hands). You can, however, change the texture of your skin, correct hyperpigmentation and increase flexibility of and circulation in your hands.

Strategies

Before going to sleep, massage a hydrating moisturiser or lotion into your hands, and cover with cotton gloves. Alternatively, you could wait until the product is absorbed to go to bed.

Wear sunscreen: SPF 50 is best. Try to reapply after washing your hands, and every two hours if you're in the sun. UV rays cause 'photo-aging' (aka wrinkles, rough texture and moles) and can contribute to skin cancers. Use a non-comedogenic, mattifying sunscreen (As to not rub the product off when using your hands).

Keep nails trimmed, filed and at an appropriate length: If you play a string instrument, you know that long nails are a no-go. The same goes for gardening, volleyball, a job that involves typing, etc.

If your nails are stripy, this usually indicates a protein, vitamin A or zinc deficiency. Different people are more susceptible, but I recommend a well-rounded multivitamin supplement. (Or, better yet, improving your diet)

Ingredients to look for

Glycerin: a gentle and universally compatible humectant

Shea butter: a natural ingredient for deep hydration

vitamin E: an inflammatory antioxidant with natural sun protection

Ceramides: lipids naturally produced by the skin, which restore and maintain the skin barrier

Urea: combats roughness and dry texture through its keratolytic properties.

SPF: at lest 30, to prevent photo-aging and skin cancers

+ Cotton gloves: synthetic materials like polyester aren't very breathable and can cause irritation

What to avoid

Exposing your hands to cleaning chemicals: wear rubber gloves when cleaning the kitchen, washing the dishes or the car.

Alcohol-based hand sanitizers: extremely drying to the skin, and can cause roughness and cracking.

Fragranced soaps: fragrance in any beauty product is a bad idea, as it is drying and an acne, rosacea and eczema trigger.

Biting at your fingernails: not only does this make your nails look unsightly, it is also very unhygienic, as dirt and germs accumulate underneath them throughout the day.

Picking at cuticles: consider a fidget / sensory toy to keep your hands busy.

Extra: how to do a hand massage

Massages improve circulation and relax muscles that we use strenuously. Almost everyone uses their hands all day to do all sorts of tasks, so this is universal.

Apply an oil, lotion or Vaseline to reduce friction

Press your thumb into your palm, and move in circles around the centre.

Take each finger at a time and close a fist around it, pressing down and sliding upwards, like you're getting toothpaste out of a tube.

Press your one thumb onto the muscle of the other, on your palm, and move around that muscle to relieve tension.

Press the very tips of your fingers between your index finger and thumb.

Anyhow, that's all. Hope you've found at least one thing helpful!

[izooks]

Some of Joe Biden’s accomplishments:

**Domestic policy**

* **American Rescue Plan (2021)**: Provided $1.9 trillion in COVID-19 relief, including direct payments, enhanced unemployment benefits, and funding for vaccines and testing.

* **Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (2021)**: Allocated $1.2 trillion for infrastructure projects, including roads, bridges, broadband, and clean energy initiatives.

* **Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (2022)**: Expanded background checks for gun purchases and provided funding for mental health services.

* **Child Tax Credit Expansion (2021-2022)**: Temporarily expanded the Child Tax Credit to provide up to $3,600 per child in monthly payments.

* **Affordable Care Act Expansion (2021)**: Made health insurance more affordable for low- and middle-income Americans by reducing premiums and expanding subsidies.

**Foreign Policy**

* **Withdrawal from Afghanistan (2021)**: Ended the 20-year war in Afghanistan.

* **Re-joining the Paris Agreement (2021)**: Re-committed the United States to global efforts to address climate change.

* **Strengthening Alliances with NATO and the EU (2021-present)**: Repaired relationships with key European allies after strained relations during the Trump administration.

* **Supporting Ukraine in the Ukraine-Russia War (2022-present)**: Provided military, humanitarian, and diplomatic support to Ukraine in its defense against Russia's invasion.

* **Nuclear Deal with Iran (2023)**: Revived negotiations with Iran on a comprehensive nuclear deal, aimed at preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

**Other Notable Accomplishments**

* **Appointing Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court (2022)**: Made history by being the first Black woman appointed to the nation's highest court.

* **Signing the Respect for Marriage Act (2022)**: Ensured federal recognition of same-sex and interracial marriages.

* **Establishing the Office of the National Cyber Director (2021)**: Coordinated federal efforts to combat cybersecurity threats.

* **Creating the COVID-19 National Preparedness Plan (2021)**: Developed a comprehensive strategy to respond to future pandemics.

* **Launching the Cancer Moonshot (2022)**: Re-energized the government's efforts to find a cure for cancer.

[dragonagitator]

House MD fans: You wake up in the PPTH ER in summer 2004. What you doing?

Scenario parameters:

All your memories of the show and the past 20 years are intact.

You are stuck there/then and cannot return to our universe/year.

You have nothing but the hospital gown on your back.

Questions:

So, what do you do?

How much would you tell House?

How would you get him to believe you?

Who else would you tell?

How much would you tell them?

Inspiration:

The author self-insert isekai fanfic "Intervention" by VivatRex (aka @acrownforaking). They've been writing it for the past 11+ years and are still updating. It's already nearly 300k words long despite only being up to the events of S02E15. I AM IN AWE.

I haven't been able to stop thinking about this scenario ever since I read that fanfic a month ago. I'd love to discuss it with other House MD fans and hear what you would do.

(Apologies to the mutuals for the abrupt blog topic change. A new brainrot has taken hold.)

My short answer:

My long answers are below the cut.

So, what do you do?

My primary objective would be to enlist House in averting the pandemic.

My reasoning: If anyone can nip it in the bud before it gets out of Wuhan, I figure that a world-renowned genius doctor who is an infectious diseases specialist, speaks Mandarin, and now has a 15-year head start would have the best chance.

Difficulty level: Babysitting a narcissistic manchild with the self-preservation instincts of a toddler until the year 2020 so that he makes it there then alive, out of prison, and with his sanity, medical license, and professional reputation intact. To quote Quantum Leap, "Ohhhhhh boooooooy."

Strategy: I'm in the "I could fix him, but whatever's wrong with him is way funnier" camp, so I wouldn't try to change him (that always backfires anyway). Instead, I'd try to change his circumstances:

A stable romantic relationship would help, so I'd seduce him if I can (I'm not his type but a gal's gotta shoot her shot), try to get him together with Dominika earlier if I can't, and tell him how horribly his relationship with Cuddy ended so he knows better than to even start it.

Avert the shooting. Moriaty was a patient so his info is in the PPTH files. I AM THE ONE WHO KNOCKS. Or for a less murdery approach, try to get him arrested in April 2006 for violating New Jersey's strict gun laws.

Warn House about Tritter so he can switch patients with another clinic doctor.

Warn House to never get on a bus with Amber.

Tell Kutner I'm from the future and he's the only one who can prevent something horrible from happening (he's a Trekkie so he'll want to believe), then unfurl my big timeline poster and point at the "Kutner suicide early 2009" stickynote and ask him "so what's up with that, dude?"

Tell Wilson everything I can remember about his cancer -- he's an oncologist and thus can work backwards from there to figure out when to start checking for it so he can cut the tumor out while it's still just a tiny baby.

I would take a harm reduction approach to House's drug use, e.g., suggest that he try microdosing psilocybin and extend his liver's lifespan by substituting cannabis for some of his Vicodin and alcohol consumption.

Methods: Even though he doesn't have one for most of the show, House mentions a few times that he's entitled to hire an assistant, and I happen to be excellent at administrative work.

I think he'd be willing to hire me because working as his executive assistant / department secretary would position me to recognize patients as they come in so that I can discreetly pass along anything I remember, e.g., the kindergarten teacher has pork worms in her brain, ask the scientist in Antarctica to show you her feet, etc.

Meanwhile, I could lurk around the hospital preventing miscellaneous shit, e.g., get the gift shop volunteer from S01E04 to go home sick, ensure that the gunman from S05E09 is promptly admitted, diagnosed, and treated before he snaps and takes hostages, etc.

Possible sidequests:

Use my foreknowlege to get rich by milking online poker bonuses until the passage of the UIGEA in 2006, use my poker money to start flipping houses until 2007, get in on the "Big Short" in 2008, and set a Google Alert for "Bitcoin" so I can start mining/buying it from day one. Unfortunately, I haven't paid enough attention to individual stocks to play the market other than knowing that Amazon would be a good long-term buy & hold.

Use my riches to change the outcome of the 2016 election and try to steer the development of the internet and society in general in a slightly less stupid direction.

Send Pete Carroll a letter postdated just before the 2013 Superbowl telling him the outcome, then suggest for the final play of the 2014 Superbowl that the Seahawks try handing the ball off to Marshawn Lynch instead of throwing it because that throw will be intercepted. PRIORITIES.

How much would you tell House? How would you get him to believe you?

Your story about being from the future of an alternate universe in which House and everyone he knows are characters on a fictional TV show is already too batshit crazy to believe even without his kneejerk "everybody lies" skepticism. How would you differentiate yourself from all the patients who pull crazy stunts to try to get him to take their case?

My answer: For the "from the future" part, I'm hoping there's some sort of test that House could run to confirm that I was indeed vaccinated with a mRNA vaccine against the COVID-19/SARS-COV-2 virus. Given that neither of those things existed in 2004, that would be physical evidence that I'm not from around here now.

If producing physical evidence isn't possible, then I know that Vegetative State Guy from S03E15 is already a patient at PPTH because he'd been there for 10 years, so I'd find him and tell House about his son. I could also tell House enough about the cases from the first few episodes that I'm pretty sure he'd believe me by Christmas. I want in on Chinese food with Wilson.

I would wait until House accepted the "from the future" part before broaching the "fictional TV show" issue. Until then, "I watched a TV show about your life and cases" is a 100% true statement and it's not my fault if he assumes that show was a documentary. :)

Once he believed me, I'd tell him everything.

Who else would you tell? How much would you tell them?

There are people out there who would literally kill for your knowledge of the future, so going public or being too open about it seems highly risky.

My answer: I'd tell House, Wilson, and Chase right away. Kutner but not before Jan 2009. Maybe eventually Cuddy and the rest of the Diagnostics team if keeping my foreknowledge of the future from them proves too difficult.

House is the only one who gets to know everything. Everyone else is on a "need to know" basis.

I might also bring Bill Arnello (the brother/lawyer of the mob informant in S01E15 "Mob Rules") into the circle of trust because he could be a very useful resource for some of my sidequests, e.g., changing the outcome of the 2016 election far far far in advance and in the most direct way possible. (Hi, Secret Service! This is a purely hypothetical discussion about time travel and not at all indicative of any real criminal intent, pls do not pay me a visit, kthxbai.)

I think the only people I would tell the "fictional TV show" part to would be House, Wilson, and Chase, because there are things I need to warn them about that definitely wouldn't have been in a documentary. Like Chase needs to know that killing Diballa is 100% the right thing to do but he seriously needs to work on his OpSec. Everyone else gets the implied documentary lie of omission.

If I get caught knowing too much by random patients, I'll just claim to be psychic. Way more people believe in that than would believe in time travel.

What would you do?

[cosplayinamerica]

Poison Ivy / Cosplayer : @yasmeenleeee / photo : @mokey_d_meeple

I’m a 33-year-old neurodivergent cosplayer currently in remission from Cervical Cancer since January 16th. In September 2024, I was diagnosed late with Autism and ADHD, and just one week later, I found out I had Cervical Cancer. Cosplay has always been my safe space, a place where I felt at home. Yet, I often found myself leaving early from events, overwhelmed by sounds and sensations that no one else seemed to notice. It wasn’t until my diagnosis that I finally understood why I struggled in these environments.

Realizing I was AuDHD (Autistic and ADHD) helped make everything make sense, but just when I began accepting my neurodivergence, cancer entered the picture. In reflecting on my journey, I faced a choice: to succumb to a negative mindset or to embrace the heroes I cosplay as and use my story to make a difference in the world.

There is a lack of discussion on how to manage and survive a convention while being neurodivergent. The typical response is simply, “Here’s a sensory room,” but there is so much more to navigating a con than just that space. To help others, I’ve started sharing tips and advice on my social media, including the tools I bring with me to cope at these events.

This year, I had the honor of hosting my very first panel at Megacon Orlando, where I discussed how I survive a con weekend with my AuDHD. It was an incredible experience to share my strategies and connect with others who face similar challenges. I want to continue advocating for better understanding and support for neurodivergent individuals at cons.

Another topic that needs more attention is Cervical Cancer awareness and prevention. Many young women at comic cons might skip their annual pap smears, not realizing how crucial they are. If I hadn’t put mine off, I truly believe I could’ve avoided this diagnosis altogether.

Cosplay has been my source of strength throughout this battle. When I cosplay as my favorite characters, it brings out a side of me I never knew existed. It gives me courage, confidence, and the reminder that heroes never give up, no matter how tough the fight is. I want to remind others, especially those who are neurodivergent or face invisible disabilities, that they are seen, valued, and not alone in their struggles. Through sharing my journey, I hope to inspire and support others in their own battles. Remember, kindness is free, and we all deserve to be treated with compassion.

[reading-writing-revolution]

Over the past week I’ve had two big takes: The clouds are darkening, and the opposition is assembling.

Trump’s first 90 days have been both chaotic and predictable. Shortly after Trump’s election, we predicted he would overreach by steamrolling through Project 2025. We warned that our only effective strategy to halt the slide into authoritarianism depends on unified opposition. We recommended people organize that opposition on the ground. Since then we’ve seen a wave of methodical grassroots organizing that has produced the fastest growth in new locally led Indivisible groups since we started Indivisible more than 8 years ago.

But that opposition movement in Congress was flat-footed, in the words of one US Representative. In response to this “roll over and play dead” strategy, Trump did not moderate or slow down. He empowered his top donor, Elon Musk, to ransack the federal government. Together they dismantled agencies and defunded programs for special needs students, cancer researchers, and disaster preparedness. They have menaced the press, the business community, the law firms, the universities, the courts, America’s closest international partners, and the American public itself. 

When the bullies found lax opposition, they escalated their bullying.

We are building a unified opposition. In the days after the inauguration this year, Representatives like Maxwell Frost, Jamie Raskin, and Jasmine Crockett joined us at a boisterous rally outside the DOGE-ransacked US Treasury building. Frost asked the crowd, “Are we the minority or are we the opposition?” Chris Murphy has consistently been on the front lines using every bullhorn he can find to shout “THIS IS AN EMERGENCY.” Cory Booker gave the longest speech in history of the US Senate to bring attention to the crisis. AOC and Bernie have drawn enormous crowds for their anti-Oligarchy tour in red and blue states.

Days ago, Sen. Chris Van Hollen flew to El Salvador to meet with a Maryland father of three who Trump had disappeared to a torture prison. Van Hollen lambasted California Governor Gavin Newsom for calling the camps a distraction, “anybody who can't stand up for the Constitution and the right of due process doesn't deserve to lead.” When House Republicans tried to prevent House Dems from making similar trips, the Dems told them to shove it. 

In a moment like this, leaders of institutions, leaders of communities, and leaders in elective office are all looking around to see which way the people are going. Faced with a set of ridiculous demands from Trump, Harvard University boldly, clearly, and defiantly said NO. We have heard from credible sources who were organizing at Harvard, that their oppositional stance was directly influenced by the massive, peaceful, April 5 Hands Off! protests around the world. We have heard from our friends on Capitol Hill that the rolling waves of mass protest and town halls and empty chair town halls are injecting some courage into the halls of Congress. Organized people power is turning the tide -- it’s not happening all at once, or as fast as we might like, but it’s happening.

Regardless of what they throw at us -- we will organize. We desperately need this unified opposition to take shape, because the clouds continue to darken. In response to Harvard’s defiance, Trump escalated his bullying -- threatening to take away the university’s tax status. Inside DC and across the country, rumors are swirling that Trump could be coming after political opponents in nonprofits in the coming days. The rumored executive orders may target climate groups on Earth Day (tomorrow), or perhaps more broadly seeking to neutralize any nonprofits that could be seen as a threat.

At Indivisible, we are tracking this closely and will be responding quickly when and if these escalations against civil society materialize. But regardless of what comes, I want to be clear: Indivisible will not back down from peacefully and aggressively organizing the opposition to these power-hungry, money-grubbing authoritarians. If something big goes down in the coming days -- we will be communicating over email, text, and on BlueSky: Find me, Leah, and Indivisible there. And come hell or high water you can find me and Leah on a weekly live Whats The Plan discussion at 3pm ET on Thursdays. 

Courage is contagious. Read on to Indivisible’s weekly action items to help spread it around.

-- Ezra Levin Co-Executive Director, Indivisible

[oldguardleatherdog]

"How now shall we live?"

First steps towards an effective resistance.

What was good and true and right the day before the election remains good and true and right today, and no mass delusion or wrong choice by a misguided and ill-informed majority changes that truth.

A revival of the Resistance movement is starting to stir online and in the real world; resolve is beginning to coalesce among people of goodwill. I would favor an approach designed to prevent the POS from taking office at all, but since Kamala's come out in favor of a boring old peaceful transition (dang it!), a different strategy is called for.

The best ideas I've seen are variations on finding ways to thwart the POS and his gang of idiots at every turn using every tool we have available to us, and I think that’s going to be our way forward.

But for us to have a chance at effective resistance at scale, resolve and energy and a united effort on the LGBTQ+ side and other parts of our “coalition of the good” will be required in abundance to sustain long-term resistance and disruption of the plans and actions of this Administration that are clearly designed to injure and harm us in a multitude of ways; many of us have been put on notice that we’re targets, and the level of fear and uncertainty of our safety is off the charts – something America has not had to contend with in hundreds of years.

What could an effective, robust, muscular resistance look like in our current moment? Well, I have thoughts. Stay with me here, I have specifics to lay out for you, but there are some words to climb - beautiful words, all the best words, strong men with tears in their eyes come to me and say - (continued after the jump)

It begins with individual resolve, and continues by engaging with others. This is not the time to isolate, to stay solo: we need to connect. No self-lockdowns or heads in the sand or hiding under the covers!

It's not important to have a fully fleshed-out game plan at this point. It's important that we view things as they are and discern the next right thing to do. We need to make sure that we walk in the light, that we stay aligned with what we know is right. If we allow darkness or corrupt motives into what we do, we will fail. (This is getting slightly on the woo-woo side of things, but I view it as fundamental to our success.)

Light is a funny thing: it dispels darkness, it provides safety, it guides us through rough waters and difficult pathways, but in concentrated form it can be a laser that slices someone's arm off, and it can give you skin cancer if you're outdoors without sunscreen.

Lucifer, after all, is the Angel of Light, as his name in Latin will tell you - and this activist and spiritual warrior of four decades will tell you that each step we take needs to be effective, morally justifiable, and targeted so that collateral damage is minimized. MAGAs bludgeon with indiscriminate blunderbusses and misshapen cudgels; we wield stilettos, trip wires, keenly aimed photon grenades into unprotected garbage vents.

I am convinced that we will endure, survive, even thrive, and in the end prevail.

This will be the most difficult effort of our lives to date, individually and collectively, and the stakes could not be higher.

We do not yet know the shape and form of the perils in store. What is already apparent, though, is the wanton cruelty and brazen sadism of our enemies now unfurled at full mast, as the vile stench of the devious, depraved methods they’re devising to inflict maximum misery wafts towards us.

They have not been shy or coy in communicating their plans and intentions, and they’ve been gleefully bragging about the methods, implements, tools, and techniques they intend to employ to bring their dark and nihilistic vision into reality.

They are, almost literally, and with the full-throated exhortations of their Christian Nationalist religious auxiliaries and avatars and “prophets,” bringing Armageddon from the fever dreams of St. John out of antiquity and into our real world. For the first time since September 11th, humanity will encounter pure unadulterated evil in ways we can see, hear, feel, taste, smell, made corporeal, physical, inescapable, and we will have to contend with it face to face.

Right now, I'm not advocating leaving the country, but our trans friends in particular will need to have resources and safe pathways to move to sanctuary cities and states. We need to throw our support behind organizations that can effectively and responsibly move people out of danger, and if those orgs don't exist, we need to create them.

I'd intended to retire from activism post-election, but I've changed my plans. I'm here for the long haul.

We are not fools. We know what we see. We know the difference between right and wrong, good and evil, what destroys and what uplifts.

And when we behave accordingly, with smarts and courage and clarity of intent and spirit, we can from time to time do some real good in this world.

Of course, progress comes in fits and starts, and this is a scary time no matter how grown-up we are, but we've got to be brave enough to live and to fight for what’s right, even when all we can see is darkness.

Remember, you are not alone, and we are finding ways to support you when you reach out.

~~~

All these words, Animal, I hear you saying. All these lofty thoughts, all this cheerleading, and you haven’t given us one damn thing to do about this. Do you actually have a plan? Or even a concept of a plan?

Well…the first thing to do is engage.

Staying solo won't help. Human contact is key right now, for the cause, and for our own spirits. Do not isolate.

There are already gatherings and organizations ramping up and calls for zoom meetups and in-person actions. Monitor your socials, keep your eyes and ears open, and you will find a place or places where your help will be uniquely well fitted.

Look at your communities, the people and places that make up the fabric of your daily life and walk, and you will find many dynamic and determined people from all backgrounds and age groups who are ready to do something now.

You may want to consider starting something yourself, first as a mutual encouragement effort among friends, and then as the weeks go by and you see what's coming down the pike, develop counter-actions with the group you've got. Feel free to reach out to me for ideas and advice and encouragement and shoulder to cry on and everything and anything you can imagine. I'm not going anywhere.

~~~

I’ve been thinking about a time many years ago, when I was a young hotheaded activist in local politics here in San Francisco, and a friend said something that rewrote my world:

I was pissed off after our election for Mayor went the wrong way - the former police chief beat the progressive incumbent after running on an anti-gay platform during the height of AIDS.

I was riding with a friend of mine, older than me and definitely wiser, who was a longtime student at the San Francisco Zen Center (perhaps an aspirant or acolyte? He lived there and was more than a novice for sure).

As I growled and seethed in the passenger seat, my friend said to me, quietly and calmly,

“Ram Dass had an expression for moments like these: ‘How now shall we live?’”

I was dumbstruck. Just like that, the scales fell and I got it.

To answer the challenge of “How now shall we live?” is to open our eyes with maximum clarity, in the light of day, and see with truth and courage the reality we see around us in this moment, unvarnished, unobstructed, uncompromising, to take a comprehensive and authentic look at and accounting of our world as it is -

and based on the truth of what we see, do the next right thing – it could be a small act or a large task, affecting just one person or situation or many, to make contact with someone or to repair a broken hinge or to run for office, it will have a million variations but as you think on this and give it focus your next right task will present itself to you, unique to you.

And when that task is done, that thing accomplished, repeat the process and do the next right thing, and the next one, and the next right thing after that, until it becomes second nature, it becomes part of your daily walk through life.

I have seen the positive effects of this approach in my own life and in the lives of others, and I’m not here to lie to you. It’s simple, it’s clear, it’s grounded in our true nature, and it yields positive results that make a tangible difference soon enough that you can begin to trust the process and build on your results.

I intend to make this approach my primary tool for effective resistance and sustained activism against this rotten, misbegotten Administration, and I hope that others will take all or part of this approach and integrate it into their own work as individuals and in their group efforts as well. It’s effective, it’s not complicated, and it gets results.

In this way, we can begin to make things right, and I am convinced that by doing the next right thing, consistently, with focus and intention, with care and clear intent, with enough of us using this approach and taking it to heart, we will drive back, disrupt, thwart, spoil, deflect, defang and defeat the plans and intentions of The Liar Donald Trump and his pack of slavering billionaires, enablers, enforcers, worshippers, and followers.

This fight is worth fighting. They do not have the right to disrupt our lives and our families and our freedom to live as we see fit, and there is nothing about supporting a victorious politician that grants them that power or the license to come waltzing in, order us around, and haul us off to some internment camp built by their construction cronies for kickbacks. ~~~ How now shall we live?

We shall live in ways and acts that reflect our true nature, which rise from the best in each of us.

We shall live in ways and acts that bring positive effects to our lives and the lives of others, that protect the vulnerable, the sick and the disabled,

that rebuke and repel the presence and actions of those who want to injure us, imprison us, strip us of our rights and dignity and humanity,

that renew and restore the basic decency and goodness of heart that has been missing from too many of us for too long.

We shall live with our heads held high, with strength and purpose and focus, with clear intent and forward motion and love for ourselves and for each other and for our world,

We shall live with joy in the present and real hope for the future.

And here, and now, we shall not lose heart.

We are brave enough and strong enough to fight for what we treasure in this world.

We know what matters. We know what to do.

We will fight, and we will win.

Don’t forget to breathe!