#How do you treat coronavirus?

[pangur-and-grim]

I'm looking into getting a purebred cat for the first time because I've developed allergies, and it's such a different world from my niche corner of dog breeding, I'm so lost How common is it for cat breeders to focus on temperament over conformation? I've shown a dog and been to many shows, and am working on a breed in development. I'm uncomfortable with a fixation on "correct" appearance versus a heavy focus on what an animal's quality of life is and what they're like to live with If I'm paying more for a kitten than I charge for a puppy I want to know the breeder has done a lot of handling and enrichment, grooming conditioning (for relevant breeds), and pair their cats for temperament strengths and weaknesses, not just conformation. What should I look for on a breeder site/what should I ask without sounding rude? I also have seen a couple breeders advertise a health guarantee including FIP for one year, and I'm wondering how that's possible. Can you really guarantee against it? I'm so sorry you and your gremlin are going through this, it sounds like a rollercoaster!

it's difficult to answer your first question! cat breeding seems more…..casual in terminology than dog breeding, if that makes sense? 

with temperament, there’s a stereotype for each breed (Bengals = active, Siamese = yowly, Ragdolls = angelic beings, etc). breeders often have a page on their site explaining their idea of what the breed is (the ideal appearance, personality, and so on), and then a section with their breeding cats, with blurbs for each one. and they usually also have social media, where you can see how these cats slot into their lives.

if you’re from the states, be VERY WARY of breeders who cage their cats! that’s more of a cultural norm there, and personally, I prefer breeders who treat their animals like family members and live alongside them.

here are two examples of breeders who go above and beyond: Praticalcats and Trillium Devon Rex. their sites give away how obsessive they are about their animals - all the articles on Praticalcats, and all the genetic testing on Trillium - and I would feel comfortable recommending them to anyone who asked.

as for over-emphasis on a “correct” appearance – for each breed, there will be a certain look that’s a red flag. Devon Rexes that are too brachy, Maine Coons that are too large, Siamese that are too spindly, etc. if you do enough research on your breed of choice, you’ll start recognizing it. the cat will look more ‘special’, and more ‘like it’s breed’, but it’s an exaggeration at the cost of other qualities.

for specific questions like what handling they do, whether they’re conditioned to tolerate grooming, and how the cats get paired with buyers, most of the time you have to contact a breeder to ask that. there should be a mini job interview before any money changes hand, where the breeder grills you, and you get to return the favour. if a breeder skips this, I’d consider that a major red flag. and don’t worry about sounding rude, a good breeder will be delighted that you care so much about all of this!

and now, the guarantee against FIP – what are they guaranteeing, exactly? it might be a guarantee that they’ll replace the kitten if they develop FIP (the contract with my breeder had a similar clause). but if they’re guaranteeing that any kitten from them won’t develop FIP, then that’s nonsense. basically all young cats get exposed to the feline coronavirus that causes FIP, and whether they develop it or not is just a lottery gamble. I'd be suspicious of any breeder who claims that their kittens are exempt from this.

anyway, I think I've answered everything. hopefully that was helpful, and not just me rambling!

[reasonsforhope]

I'm sorry I'm sending so many asks. I've been struggling like this for a year now, and it's barely gotten easier, but you've often been a good help with my anxiety. I really appreciate everything you do. It's hard to have hope.

I've had a really bad moment again recently. I have to be honest, the worst thing, that makes me the most anxious out of everything else, is COVID. Because it feels like nobody is paying attention, and that there is no good news. There is never any good news. COVID is always the catalyst for the worst of my anxious slumps. It's really bad. COVID is very, very scary. If you somehow have anything for that, I'd be thankful. Often I've only been able to set my heart on nasal vaccines, or next gen vaccines in general, but they're not going fast enough whatsoever.

I'm sorry, again. I don't want to try and treat you like a therapist. I just trust you. If this is too overwhelming, you can just delete it, but if you do, I'd like to know. Just so I'm not waiting for it to be answered.

I just ravaged through someone's doomy collapse blog, again, after stumbling on it in my rising anxiousness, and it was not good. I think I'm clearly too open-minded of a person to some degree, and I feel so pulled around by information that I see. I don't want to be placated, out of the loop, or lied to, but I don't want to feel hopelessly depressed. Everything is too complex. I feel like I've been through this maze, top to bottom, over and over again, and again. I just wish I knew how much truth their words held, or anyone else's words held.

And I wish we were all masking, at the very least. I'm holding myself back from swearing. I don't know if you'd have a good way to counteract general "collapse" thoughts, either. But that's also a thing.

<3 I'm touched by your trust.

I just found some good news about COVID - the first genuinely good covid-related news article I've seen in a while, instead of all of the "ah but young abled people are fine!" bs - and remembered this ask.

"As new varieties of the coronavirus took center stage during the COVID-19 pandemic, the odds of developing long COVID dropped. Those who were vaccinated against the virus saw the biggest plunge over time.

For every 1,000 unvaccinated people, 104 developed long COVID up to one year after an infection during the pre-delta phase of the pandemic. That fell to 95 per 1,000 during the delta variant’s era and 78 during omicron’s reign. Among vaccinated people, just 53 out of 1,000 developed long COVID up to a year after infection during delta and only 35 during omicron, researchers report July 17 [2024] in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The study of U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care System data looked at people who had a COVID infection from March of 2020 — the month the pandemic began — to the end of January in 2022. The researchers, from the Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care System, compared the rates of long COVID during three phases of the pandemic among those who had and had not gotten vaccinated...

A comparison of omicron infections with infections from prior eras found that 72 percent of the drop in the long COVID rate during omicron was attributable to vaccines. The remainder was due to changes in the virus and improvements in medical care and the use of antiviral treatments during the omicron phase.

Even with the steep decline in the occurrence of long COVID for vaccinated people, there is still a risk, the researchers write. With “the large numbers of ongoing new infections and reinfections, and the poor uptake of vaccination,” they continue, this “may translate into a high number of persons” with long COVID."

-via ScienceNews, July 17, 2024

--

Masking continues to be important. The virus continues to be a problem. But especially given the decline in masking, I'm really encouraged to see this news. Because long covid IS scary. And I'll take any good news on this front that I can get.

It's especially encouraging because it shows how much staying on top of your vaccinations really does matter and really can prevent long covid.

I'm also really hopeful (though I don't have a related background and have no idea how realistic my hopes are) that this trend has been continuing past the end of the study (2022).

[dosesofcommonsense]

From BioClandestine on Telegram

If Trump wins 2024, he will halt all funding for Ukraine, negotiate an end to conflict with Putin, thus preventing WW3.

The reason Biden and the Deep State cannot negotiate with Putin, is because Putin wants their heads for crimes against humanity, namely for manufacturing C19.

This is not speculation on my part. Russian MIL literally listed Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and George Soros, as being the main ideologists behind the plot to manufacture coronavirus strains in Ukraine, with US DoD funding, and there is an open source paper trail to back it up. You can debate on whether or not you believe them, but the reality is, Putin wants the “Western Elites” and Xi agrees with him.

It’s not hyperbolic to say that this is life or death for the Deep State actors. If Trump wins and negotiates a settlement with Putin, Russian MIL have already been demanding for activation of Articles V and VI of the Biological Weapons Treaty, which would result in a Security Council investigation and international military tribunals. That’s what Russian MIL have been demanding at the UN for nearly 2 years now. And that’s just the biological stuff, not even accounting for the whole 2014 coup, shelling the Donbas, funding and supporting Ukraine in 2022, Nord Stream, etc.

What do you think Trump is going to say? No? Trump wants to prosecute the exact same people for crimes against humanity! Putin is literally demanding that all of Trump’s enemies trying to imprison him, must be prosecuted by military tribunal… How could Trump say no to that?! He’d be killing multiple birds with one stone. And Trump’s DOJ wouldn’t have to do the prosecuting. It would be a coalition of military judges from different countries around the world. It would be far more legitimate and no way could the Dems cry “partisanship”. It’s international law.

Y’all might think it’s crazy, but this is the trajectory we are headed on if Trump wins, which is why the Biden regime are going to do everything in their power to prevent Trump from winning. If they fail, they will be treated as international war criminals, and will face the ultimate penalty.

Extinction Level Event (for the deep state, for globalism, for all their synvophants in levels of government and the MSM).

Let’s say Russia and China are lying, and the US did not manufacture C19.

Then why would Fauci, Collins, and the US government, put so much effort into covering up the lab origins?

Why are the US and their allies the only ones NOT interested in who caused a global pandemic?

Why did government health agencies and Big Tech censor scientists and journalists who pointed out its lab origins? If someone else created this virus, why are the US government so invested in covering up who is responsible? Over a million Americans died, shouldn’t they be tirelessly trying to find out who killed all those people?

Who benefited from the pandemic? American Pharmaceutical companies, that began the vaccine development BEFORE the pandemic. Who funds the MSM and Deep State politicians? Big Pharma.

If Russia and China are lying, why is it that the US veto every request at the UN Security Council for a joint investigation into the origins of C19?

There are two options. Elements within the US are responsible, or, a different entity is responsible and the US government went out of their way to cover it up.

The paper trail confirms it’s the former, but either way, heads must roll.

[covid-safer-hotties]

'Vaccine fatigue' blamed as roughly half of people in US will skip COVID and flu shots this year - Published Sept 16, 2024

by Melissa Rudy

A growing number of U.S. adults are hesitant to get recommended vaccines this fall, a new survey found.

The poll, which included 1,006 people, found that only 43% of respondents have gotten or plan to get the COVID vaccine.

Only a slight majority (56%) of adults said they have gotten or plan to get the flu shot this fall.

The poll also found that 37% of those who have gotten vaccines in past years plan to skip the shots this season.

Around one-third of respondents also said they don’t believe they need the vaccines mentioned in the survey — flu, COVID, RSV or pneumococcal pneumonia.

Vaccine hesitancy tends to skew younger, as adults aged 65 and older are the most likely to get the recommended immunizations.

The nationwide survey was conducted by The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in mid-August 2024.

These findings come just weeks after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved updated COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer for the 2024-2025 season.

"We’re at the start of respiratory virus season, when you have the triple threat of flu, COVID-19 and RSV," said Nora Colburn, MD, medical director of clinical epidemiology at Ohio State’s Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital, in a press release.

"Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation about vaccinations, but the reality is that they are safe and highly effective in preventing serious illness and death," she went on.

"Older adults, people with certain chronic medical conditions, and those who are pregnant are especially at risk during respiratory virus season." Dr. Jacob Glanville, CEO of Centivax, a San Francisco biotechnology company, reacted to the poll’s findings.

"It’s obviously not surprising that 37% of people said they had been vaccinated in the past but weren’t planning to this year," he told Fox News Digital.

"We just had a vaccine mandate a couple of years ago, and furthermore, childhood vaccines are very broadly administered, so those 37% are people who wouldn’t be getting a vaccine normally anyway."

The reported rate of 56% for the flu shot is a little above average, Glanville said, as it tends to hover at around 50%.

"Coronavirus vaccination rates are a little lower than for the flu," he noted.

This could be due to lack of clarity with the public over how COVID should be treated post-pandemic, according to Glanville.

"It’s also fatigue due to the COVID vaccines not being particularly effective at preventing symptoms, which causes people to believe that they are not effective (although they do protect against severe illness)," he added.

Dr. Marc Siegel, senior medical analyst for Fox News and clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center, said he finds the poll’s findings concerning.

"Both vaccines wane over six months, so a yearly booster makes sense for high-risk groups," he told Fox News Digital.

Siegel estimates that this year’s flu season will be similar to last year’s, which was "moderate," with 25,000 deaths and 400,000 hospitalizations.

"The flu shot decreases severity and number of hospitalizations by about a quarter, and helps to provide community immunity," he added.

For COVID, Siegel warned that the virus’ activity is still fairly high — "especially in the western U.S."

The doctor also warned of a new variant circulating in Europe, which he expects will soon be in the U.S., known as the XEC subvariant.

"It seems to be more contagious — it causes congestion, cough, loss of smell and appetite, sore throat and body aches," he told Fox News Digital.

"The new vaccine should provide at least some coverage."

Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center and an attending physician in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, told Siegel that very young children are being hospitalized at a greater rate — "likely because they haven't been vaccinated with the primary series."

"I recommend a yearly booster for the elderly, immunocompromised and those with chronic illness, along with anyone who is at risk for long COVID or has had it previously," Siegel said.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued the following vaccine recommendations

Flu: Everyone 6 months and older is advised to get vaccinated against influenza.

COVID-19: The latest version of the COVID vaccine is recommended for everyone 6 months and older.

RSV: The respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine is recommended for everyone aged 75 and older, as well as those aged 60 to 74 who have certain chronic medical conditions, such as lung or heart disease, or who live in nursing homes, as they are at a higher risk of severe disease. Pregnant women are also advised to get the vaccine during weeks 32 through 36 of pregnancy.

Pneumococcal: Everyone younger than 5 years and age 65 and older is advised to get the pneumococcal vaccine, along with those who are at increased risk of severe disease.

[partisan-by-default]

There’s a huge schism growing on the left I’ve struggled to understand.

And, I think I’ve figured out how to put words to it, please tell me if this rings true to you.

There are Policy Leftists and Infinite Leftists.

I am a Policy Leftist. There are specific policies I want with a beginning and end. I can argue them from a rational basis without calling you names if you disagree. Single payer healthcare. Lowering housing costs. Civil rights for LGBT people.

It brings me into conflict with Infinite Leftists. They see all these issues in terms of a purity test that spirals into infinity.

You start with one issue, and you ride it leftwards. If you ever stop, you are a moral monster.

♾️ Single payer healthcare should be universal health care. Actually, that’s capitalism so nationalize it. Actually, medical establishment discriminates against trans people so informed consent for all medication. Actually, why take hormones at all, gender itself… ♾️

It’s not that those policy goals the problem. It’s that all these arguments are so moralistic, Policy Leftists like myself can’t ever have a moment to go, “Hold on, how are we going to do that?” If you do, you get screamed at by your own side.

Infinite Leftism works well online. I myself was caught up in it for much of the Gamergate era. But when it comes to actually getting policy passed, it’s cancer.

It trains people to expect Utopia with none of the compromises needed in a democracy.

Infinite Leftism does incredible damage, particularly to the marginalized people it’s supposedly trying to speak for. Because the people most hurt by the system are held to the highest infinite standards of purity.

This shitshow with Infinite Leftism is like coronavirus. Everyone catches it eventually. And I think a lot of people like have had it often enough to be immune to it. It’s why Infinite Leftism is so much weaker than it used to be.

If there’s any future for progressives taking over the party from corporate Democrats - it’s going to come from Policy Leftists who have a narrowly defined set of objectives. That’s a base requirement to build the coalitions needed in a Democracy.

The Infinite Leftists will scream. They’ll call us names. They’ll puff their chests and insist their way is the only way to win.

I think most people are frankly tired of their bullshit. Our reasoning and strategy are better than theirs.

Some people treat democracy like it's a customer service desk ("I don't care how you fix this just make it happen") and not something that requires active participation.

We used to call people who spent their energies complaining online "slacktivists". Imagine if a quarter of the collective energy spent "debating" on Twittter was spent on, oh idk, the homeless.

[exprimis]

The author's bio is a treat:

Charles S. Faddis served for 20 years as an operations officer in the Central Intelligence Agency, including as a department chief at the CIA’s Counterterrorism Center and as a chief of station in the Middle East. He earned his B.A. from Johns Hopkins University and his J.D. from the University of Maryland Law School. He is the author of several books, including Willful Neglect: The Dangerous Illusion of Homeland Security and Beyond Repair: The Decline and Fall of the CIA.

I wonder what he identifies as the failures of the CIA? Let's see:

The CIA had no sources inside Al Qaeda to tell us about the 9/11 plot.

The CIA didn't immediately attribute COVID-19, known to be descended from bat-borne coronaviruses, to the bat coronavirus gain-of-function research in the Wuhan lab.

Bureaucracy and a risk-averse culture.

Loss of skills, but also loss of mystique: "The people who run our government [...] have done their best to turn the CIA into just another federal agency. [...] We act as if anyone can be taught to conduct espionage—as if this is no longer an arcane craft to be practiced by a select group of unique people."

"The CIA has proved unable to put a source inside a Chinese bio lab, within the leadership structure of the Taliban, or next to Vladimir Putin."

The CIA has been politicized: backing Hillary Clinton in the Benghazi inquiries, aiding the Trump dossier investigation, and former intelligence officers decrying the Hunter Biden laptop as Russian propaganda.

The first point is transparently false; read the 9/11 Report and you will learn that the CIA had "real-time intelligence" on Bin Laden as early as 1996, with a plan to capture the known terrorist financier in place by the fall of 1997. That Bin Laden was planning to hijack civilian airliners was known as early as 1998.

The second point is still a matter of contention.

The third point is true of every part of government, but is especially true in international politics, geez.

The fourth point makes Charles Faddis sound like he's been reading too many spy novels where there's no risk of war from getting found out.

The fifth point is false as to Al Qaeda and laughable as to Putin. And if the CIA had any assets in Wuhan, their existence would be so totally classified that the CIA would hesitate to use their information in public, because the CIA prefers to not have its spies tortured and executed.

The sixth point reads like the seething cope of a man whose ideology is opposed by the Deep State, whether or not his facts are right. It is incredibly ironic that he complains that the CIA, which historically reported only to the President, was a political tool of the presidential administration of a Democrat.

So what does he identify as solutions?

Fire a lot of people.

"Recruiting must be completely revamped. Quotas are absurd. Focusing on color, gender, and sexual orientation is at best irrelevant. We want the best, and that means those people who possess the unique blend of skills and abilities that enable them to do what everyone else considers impossible."

Make training tougher.

Flatten the org chart and make it all about ops, not about analysis or support.

... for a man complaining that the CIA wasn't able to put spies in specific locations, he seems awfully invested in removing the ability of the CIA to recruit people who will blend in in those locations due to their color, gender, and sexual orientation.

[thoughtportal]

When Raymond Schinazi was a boy in Egypt, life got chaotic.

He watched his mother nearly die. His family became refugees.

But the seeds were sown for his life's work.

His science — and the drugs from it — have saved millions of lives.

Meet two virus busters. They took on HIV and now they have COVID-19 in their sights.

So how do viruses wreak so much havoc in our body, and why are they so hard to cure?

Beyond vaccines, can history help us quash this coronavirus?

[wrennsly]

Hey! Sorry, I'm kind of a rando here, and I'm gonna be on anon. But about your ARG post. I think it would be in poor taste to try to solve the ARG using info exposed about an abusive relationship, but also there's nothing particularly morally wrong about it. The arg is really old at this point, and not many people in this community even care about Wilbur Soot's projects anymore. Some people will probably find your plan weird and wrong, others won't give a fuck. In the end, you can do what you want. However, a lot of real life actual people were hurt by his actions, particularly his ex-partners. And using information about those actions to solve his arg may be pushing it too far, and psychoanalyzing the creators is always taking it too far in this community. (yes, even psychoanalyzing the bad ones)

I think your goal here is very important. Do you just want to solve the arg (made by an asshole that has been ostracized by the community) or is there a greater purpose to doing this? How are planning on presenting the information on the arg if you do find something? What if you find something ugly, can you share it in a manner that is respectful of the victims? Will solving it continue to platform an abuser? You cannot treat this situation like it is a spectacle, or something to theorize about, or something to take advantage of.

To summarize: There is a lot to consider, and some lines you shouldn't cross. As long as you are careful and conscientious of the people affected, I think it would be fine. But just have awareness of your own motives for doing this, and how it could affect others.

-🥝

Hello!

Thank you for asking. I would first like to say that my intention is not simply to solve the arg, since that would be in poor taste seeing as we are dealing with actual people and traumatic circumstances. My actual goal is to figure out if by realizing the corrupt nature of the author/creator a story could have a different impact or could be simpler to solve. Simply put: does the way we see people affect the things they make even to a point where the author is subconsciously telling us things about themselves without meaning to.

I’ve been researching the psychology behind storytelling and media creation and I do believe this is a solid way to try out my hypothesis, however like you said I don’t wish to cause anyone emotional distress. I have reached out to Shelby along with the other victims asking for their explicit permission to continue this train of research and will not be sharing any more information on the topic unless the state that they are comfortable with me doing so

I also wish to know the communities opinions on this as I know these things can affect people on a mental level, especially since Wilbur’s popularity peaked during the coronavirus and probably helped people who were going through the pandemic.

I hope this makes my intentions a bit more clear and lets you know I am fully aware of the difficult ground I’m on. Thanks for asking

[liara-shadowsong]

So I just recently returned from vacation, and have been doing some meal prep before I return to work tomorrow. I wore an N95 mask on the plane in both directions, keeping it on continuously from before the start of boarding until after disembarking, making sure to do any eating and drinking in the airport with an appropriate amount of personal space. And I've been self-monitoring for any potential signs and symptoms of influenza, coronavirus, strep, etc.

So here I am cutting some fruit I just got at the grocery store yesterday, and I'm like "hm... this doesn't seem especially fragrant" and promptly zip off to find something else to sniff (my cat's favorite treats smell exactly as fishy as they are supposed to, and my current scented candle smells correct, which is good). And then all I can think is "Bitch, you bought a pineapple... In Ohio... In April... On sale for two fucking dollars... How fragrant were you expecting it to be, dumbass? You're lucky it's even remotely ripe!" (Verdict: I'm a moron, but not ill.)

(In case you were wondering, I had a lovely trip.)

[gothicprep]

i know this is partially a product of me being in my own world most of the time, but no one ever told me that rachel levine is transgender prior to the babylon bee shit. I live in pennsy and I can’t remember the press here making an event of it. whenever she’d get on tv with coronavirus updates, I was mostly just like “dr grandma is at it again with the public safety”.

i do remember some anti-lockdown types calling her a man and shit like that, but I heavily defaulted to “damn, so this is how we treat post-menopausal women now 🙄”

i only bring it up because I find it emblematic of how vicious and willing to dig up personal details these types are. is being an asshole a reliable predictor of Covid denial? it’s more likely than you think.

[chargetheintruder]

Oh, and I wasn't kidding . . .

about Long COVID-19 symptoms being a serious thing, regardless of age:

In short words: anyone can be screwed over by this. Even sitting Presidents. And no, Paxlovid doesn't help with that really, it just sort of "takes the edge off" of active COVID infections, for some, maybe.

And yes, I read off the full list of Long COVID-19 symptoms and really just asked myself, yet again, "How AM I still alive ?" (/Bernie Meme) Besides the obvious: spite, and I'm literally too poor to die properly. Nono, people in this so-called "Christian Nation" want to offer their "prayers" to you, while you're flat on your back in a hospital bed (as I was) just so they can judge you for "being a sinner," but when it gets real and you're just a carcass, then everyone's too cheap to give you a proper burial. Nope, "he's a mope" and he goes in a vinyl bag and gets dumped into a landfill calling itself a Potter's Field because that's how the poor, homeless and destitute are treated here. Like trash.

And yes, the so-called "doctor" in charge of releasing me from the hospital with an untreated colon tear literally had the gall to do that to me, to prayer-dump his judgement on me like that, while I was flat on my back this past February. But enough about that tangent, sorry.

Point is Long COVID-19 can flatten the life and thought process out of anyone, especially if they've had repeated COVID infections. Note the past tense: it doesn't even matter if President Biden currently has a coronavirus infection or not. His immune system and internal organs have already taken the hit.

So yeah. That 25th Amendment over there is a thing. It describes a procedure. It's fairly modern and clear about it. It's not there to hurt feelings. President Joe Biden, fairly elected President, winner of both the popular vote and Electoral College vote, HAS TO step aside for health reasons. Vice-President Kamala Harris HAS TO step up and be allowed to serve as President Pro Tempore. She has dibs on that because she was fairly elected TOO alongside Joseph Biden, as you do.

And she's been a trial lawyer, it turns out. She'll be going against someone with 34 felony convictions, that can ONLY be addressed in the most extra-legal, non-Constitutional, corrupt and Ex Post Facto way possible by that corrupt Taco Bell Supreme Court over there.

So what's the problem again?

[isabellatomasblog]

The Courier and Parable of the Sower: Predictions of the Future 

The Courier is a short film about a society facing worldwide pandemic which was caused by a virus outbreak known as the Hunter Virus. The main character Lee, played by Reno Wilson, works as a courier. A courier is this world’s version of a delivery man, only with much more advanced technology. This short film, directed by Courtney Jones, came out in 2014, yet much of the world it depicts is eerily similar to life in our current timeline. The Courier is set in the year 2027, only three off from where we are now in 2024. Lee wears high advanced tech glasses that are almost identical to google glasses. While they differ in style, the way they function is very similar. Lee uses his glasses as a GPS to locate different buildings and places he needs to get to. The Courier opens up with two doctors arguing about releasing the anti-virus. Samanatha “Sam” Bell is the doctor who created the anti-virus and she wants the public to have access to it. Unfortunately her boss disagrees and this causes her to run away with the stolen anti-virus. While trying to escape she crashes into Lee and tells him he has to deliver the syringe to the federal building. Lee, who was ready to go on vacation, is now put in an extremely dangerous hunt with the faith of humanity resting on him.

One thing about The Courier that makes it so similar to our world is this idea that doctors were the ones who create virus outbreaks. Lee puts this together after Sam tells him that her lab is responsible for all the death and destruction of the hunter virus. His immediate thought process is that he was correct to believe that medical labs also created things like cancer. This is so interesting to me because there was a big conspiracy theory going around during COVID-19 that the coronavirus was purposefully leaked to kill certain people. Whether this is true or not has not been confirmed but it’s also important to point out that many people affected by COVID were people of color who lived in poor neighborhoods. While this theory may seem a bit far fetched on the surface it makes more sense when you dig a bit deeper. Lee is a black man and this makes his suspicion of pharmaceutical companies more justifiable,especially given the history of how doctors have historically treated Black people. He’s not just a crazy conspiracy theories as his friends have labeled him, but someone who understands that the government does not always care about minority groups or marginalized people.

Another way The Courier is very similar to our current world is the existence of a virus itself. There have been many films and pieces of media that predict what the future looks like, but none come as close as this film has. At least to me, afrofuturistic media seems to be super accurate at depicting possible issues in the future before they even surface. Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower is a perfect example of this. Like in The Courier, society has also collapsed due to similar issues we face everyday. For Parable of the Sower it’s partially due to environmental problems, but the biggest issue is how the government seems to not care. Both Parable of the Sower and The Courier create an atmosphere where it’s clear their governments can not be trusted, nor do they care about the well being of their citizens. Even though Lee is told by Sam to bring the vaccine to the federal building, he soon learns that none of the people working for the government are to be trusted. Sam tries to buy him some time by sacrificing herself in the alleyway where she is shot dead. Lee runs to a hiding spot and calls special Agent Cameron from the federal building. Agent Cameron starts out helpful but once Lee makes it to his car he figures out that Cameron has double crossed him. He also wants to stop the release of the vaccine. Lee has to fight Agent Cameron and his partner in order to protect the anti-virus.

Placing Lee, a Black man, in charge of saving humanity is one key element of afrofuturism. Lee proves himself to be very capable and smart too. His character is not there to fill diversity requirements, like many Black casts are, rather he is the driving force of the film. Without him humanity would have been doomed. One thing he does that is very smart is he replaces the syringe antivirus solution with Gatorade while in the elevator. This was something I missed when watching it the first time but after a few rewatching, I understood his plan. When the syringe does get taken from him by Agent Cameron it seems that all hope is lost. However, because the anti-virus has been replaced with a fake, Lee actually has the real virus. The final scene shows him walking out into the distance symbolizing a new wave of hope for the future. This signals to the viewer that Lee was successful and that his world will be in better hands now. This is one of the pivotal aspects of Afrofuturism. As expressed in both Parable of the Sower and The Courier, Afrofuturistic artists use their art, their voices, and their stories to point us to a future they want to avoid while also providing solutions to create an empathetic world where these issues won’t be at the forefront. Afrofuturism is about the here and now.

[boostlete]

How Do Probiotics Work?

Fermented foods contain probiotic bacteria naturally. Their labels typically display the number of live organisms called colony forming units (CFUs). Supplements and other products designed to promote gut health may also include probiotics. They should help alleviate diarrhea, constipation and stomach discomfort. How do probiotics work? Your gut microbiome refers to the bacteria living within your digestive tract. These beneficial organisms aid digestion, nutrient absorption and your immune system - yet certain lifestyle choices like eating too much processed food and taking antibiotics may alter this balance - leading to digestive discomfort, irregular bowel movement and more frequent illness. Probiotics can help relieve or prevent digestive symptoms like diarrhea, bloating and IBS by increasing nutrient absorption and improving colon and ileum health. They may also aid in cases such as antibiotic-associated diarrhea, eczema and pregnancy nausea. Studies suggest that certain probiotics may protect against tooth decay by reducing plaque (a buildup of harmful bacteria on teeth). Furthermore, certain probiotics have also been shown to lower cancer risks by inhibiting tumor growth and decreasing angiogenesis activity. What are the health benefits of probiotics? Probiotic bacteria are essential in supporting digestion by helping absorb certain nutrients, boost your immune system and producing enzymes to aid with digestion. They are present in human bodies naturally in areas like mouth, skin, gut, intestines, vagina and urinary tract - you can find probiotics there too! You can access probiotics by eating fermented foods like yogurts with live cultures; kefir; aged cheeses; tempeh; miso; or taking dietary supplements available as capsules, liquids or powders. Studies of probiotics demonstrate their benefits by helping prevent infectious diarrhea, reduce antibiotic-associated diarrhea and alleviate other types of digestive upset including constipation, IBS, abdominal pain and bloating. They may even help combat chronic bacterial infections like H. pylori, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and ulcerative colitis. Probiotics may provide additional protection from coronavirus infections by delaying symptoms associated with "cytokine storm," caused by COVID-19 (the pathogen previously known as SARS-CoV-2). Studies also suggest probiotics can moderately relieve symptoms associated with irritable bowel syndrome in certain people (65). What are the risks of taking probiotics? Probiotics have a longstanding record of safe use among healthy individuals. But additional high-quality research is necessary to understand how they may work for conditions like mental health, IBS and vaginal infections - and to be aware that effects vary between strains or brands. Probiotics may cause mild side effects in the initial days after starting to take them, particularly as your gut bacteria balance is resettled and restored. Most commonly these include stomach-related symptoms like gas and bloating. Probiotics have the potential to cause infections in those with compromised immune systems, including recent hospitalization or surgery patients. Furthermore, probiotics may alter how your brain works by altering production of mood-boosting and focus-increasing neurotransmitters--known as gut-brain connection. While research on probiotic consumption for older adults remains scarce, some studies indicate it can actually improve cognitive performance - it is advised to speak to your healthcare provider first before beginning probiotic supplementation. What are the best probiotics to take? Probiotics come in all shapes and sizes to improve gut health, so finding the one for you depends on what ailments you want to treat. Saccharomyces boulardii may relieve leaky gut (when molecules enter your bloodstream and cause inflammation and immune reactions), while Bifidobacterium lactis may reduce bloating and constipation. Your diet should include probiotic-rich foods and beverages like yogurt with live cultures or beverages like kefir, kombucha or sauerkraut. When choosing supplements that have been tested by third parties or are certified gluten-free and vegan. Probiotics have the ability to alter your gut microbiome and cause temporary side effects such as gas, bloating or diarrhea. But these should pass quickly once you start taking them; just follow the dosage instructions closely for multiple probiotics taken at once as this ensures their strain and amount of CFUs match what your doctor recommends. Read the full article

[covid-safer-hotties]

also preserved at the archive

By: Jessica Wildfire

You don't need me to tell you how bad it's getting.

I'll tell you anyway, though.

As we drown in endless waves of Covid that generate millions of infections and thousands of deaths per week, our leaders have effectively stripped away every tool we have. They prefer a society that sacrifices themselves for short-term economic and political gains and then becomes ripe clientele for the pharmaceutical industry. They collude with the media to push out a daily barrage of misinformation aimed exclusively at ensuring we continue to work, shop, and vacation, because that's what they care about. Meanwhile, they do absolutely nothing about pandemics on the way as dozens of diseases spread out of control, at levels 10 times worse than normal. As the World Health Organization sounds alarms, telling us "we have arrived in the post-antibiotic era," and that we faced a future pandemic up to 20 times worse than Covid, our leaders focus on vibes. That last part should get our attention. Yes, we are here. We have arrived in the time when superbugs aren't responding to antibiotics. If that weren't bad enough, they're preying on our weakened immune systems.

And bird flu has likely gone human to human.

But it's not hopeless.

Four years ago, we looked to plants to protect us from pathogens because vaccines and treatments weren't coming anytime soon. The minute those vaccines and antivirals came out, most people forgot all about plants. They reverted to their old assumptions that plants were for hippies.

Well, here we are again.

Our vaccines and treatments are failing, and when they work they're often in short supply, or we can't even get access to them. Moms and dads are rolling out the NyQuil in little cutesie Facebook posts, along with all the pills that treat the symptoms but leave the disease itself to roam free all over your body.

We can do better.

As we mask while demanding clean air and better medicine, it's time to revisit those plants and see what they can do.

Do they even work?

Yeah, they do.

A 2024 review of studies in Viruses identified 10 different plant compounds with broad antiviral properties and effectiveness specific to Covid (and in many cases several other viruses). As they write, "plat-derived molecules can tackle viruses by acting on different aspects of their infection process" and "inhibit coronavirus/host protein pathways" by blocking them. The authors initially identified 45 different compounds and then narrowed them to the 10 most effective.

Plants work because they contain terpenoids, flavonoids, phenols, and alkaloids that all demonstrate "high anti-viral potential against SARS-CoV-2 particles" as well as other viruses. They do this in a variety of ways that work across variants because they block virus entry while also tamping down replication and essentially "stopping its life cycle."

Sounds good to me...

Let's get into it.

First, ginkgo biloba contains two bioflavonoids called quercetin and rutin that can block Covid's 3CLPro BS PL-pro enzymes, as demonstrated in two different studies that looked at how they bind to parts of the spike protein. According to an article in Nature, 3CLPro plays a central role in virus replication, specifically for Covid. Ginkgo also contains kaempfero that inhibits Covid's envelope protein E, "consequently suppressing virus activity and proliferation." G. Biloba also brings an anti-inflammatory effect that can help with recovery as well.

Second, turmeric and curcumin "can either bind directly to the receptor binding domain of the viral S-proteins or secure ACE2 receptors of the hosted cell." Basically, they stop viral entry into your cells. As the authors write, a curcumin derivative called bi-demethoxycurcumin "displayed the best binding affinity" to spike proteins.

It also works on the original SARS virus.

Third, a common spice called artemesia annua demonstrated antiviral activity in clinical trials. The group who took an artemisia compound called artemisinin-piperaquine "took significantly less time to reach undetectable levels of SARS-CoV-2 than the controls." In fact, artemisinins "are known for their extended-spectrum antiviral activity." An artemisia derivative called artesunate has shown effectiveness against both DNA and RNA viruses including hepatitis and HIV.

Artemesia compounds work similar to ginkgo by latching on to five different parts of the spike protein "which might explain its remarkable binding affinity." In addition to flavonoids like quercetin, researchers have identified di-caffeoylquinic acid as doing a lot of the heavy lifting here. Like curcumin, these flavonoids also bind to ACE2 receptors on your cells and protect them. Medical researchers are working on refining these compounds into artenimol, a single high-potency compound for giving to patients.

Fourth, nigella sativa (black cumin seeds) have shown antiviral activity by disrupting viral RNA transcription. Carvacrol and nigellidine extracted from these seeds "can block ACE2 receptors, thus inhibiting the SARS-CoV-2 entry into the host cells."

Fifth, ginger (6-gingerol, 8-gingerol, 10-gingerol) can inhibit parts of the Covid spike protein. Specifically, it's the bioactive compounds geraniol, shogaol, zingiberene, and zingiberenol that do the blocking.

Sixth, garlic (allium sativum) shows antiviral activity. It contains compounds called allicin, ajoene, and garlicin that work against several viruses in the same ways as the other compounds, by targeting spike proteins, disrupting transcription, and protecting your cells' entry channels.

Next:

Cinnamon at 50 ug/ml operates the same way as the other compounds, by blocking host cell entry and viral replication. Rosemary (rosmarinus officinale) shows effectiveness in blocking viral activity, even in a study that compared it to the antivirals remdesivir and favipiravir.

Want an unusual suspect?

It's dandelion.

Dandelion extract has shown to be "effective against influenza virus infection" and in higher concentrations "showed efficacy against spike proteins... and its different mutants" in human lung and kidney cells, while also helping to prevent the cytokine storm that's often so deadly in the acute stage. Here in particular, studies have shown that dandelion extract works regardless of the variant.

Finally, oregano (origanum vulgare) extract demonstrates antiviral activity against many DNA and RNA viruses, including Covid and HIV. As the authors write, extracts "showed remarkable efficacy against equine influenza virus, canine coronavirus, RS, and H1N1. In fact, it can inhibit up to 74 percent of viral activity at certain sites.

Again, carvacrol does the heavy lifting.

I've looked at other supplements and extracts with antiviral properties. They include grapeseed extract, grapefruit seed extract, olive leaf extract, echinacea, St. John's-Wort, and elderberry.

A 2024 study found that oleuropein, found in olive leaf extract, demonstrates high antibacterial activity at 130 mg/ml and high antifungal activity at 65 mg/ml. Another 2022 study found that oleuropein showed significant effectiveness against Covid in hospitalized patients when they were given 250-500 mg every 12 hours for five days. (No real difference between 250 and 500 mg.) The study also reviews previous research that oleuropein has shown effectiveness against other viruses, including HIV and influenza. It works the same way as other flavonoids, lectins, secoiridoids, and polyphenols, by blocking ACE2 receptors.

A 2022 study reviews available research on elderberry (sambucus nigra), confirming antiviral activity against HIV, flu, and coronaviruses. As the researchers write, adults in clinical trials "showed a significant reduction in symptoms, averaging 50 percent." Elderberry has also shown the ability to stimulate the production of immune cells. A 2019 study confirms that elderberry works against flu via "multiple modes of therapeutic action," including the inhibition of replication and host cell entry. An extensive 2021 study looking at prior research found that high-quality elderberry extracts enriched with anthocyanin work especially well.

A 2022 study in Nature found that a mixture of St. John's Wort (hypericum perforatum) and Echinacea showed significant antiviral activity against Covid. Specifically capsules with .9 mg of St. John's "can significantly reduce SARS-CoV-2 viral load," peaking at 36 hours after the start of treatment.

St. John's Wort works just fine on its own. The authors stress the importance of maintaining its concentration if you add other compounds like echinacea.

That said, a 2022 study in Frontiers in Pharmacology found that echinacea at 4,000 mg for 10 days led to a substantial reduction in viral load and fewer hospitalizations when used to treat Covid patients.

Here's a chart docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1cTJ3lXHPUW7AyrZPXQb63IjmhVbahRm_7Y5IMxKcqO8/edit?usp=sharing&ref=okdoomer.io

You can also look up most of these supplements and extracts on Mount Sinai's health library. They'll give you a good breakdown. It's a good idea to talk with a doctor if you're skeptical or not sure about interactions with other drugs, or look at the studies on your own. The studies linked in the sheet provide the most detailed dose information I can find, usually presented in a table. Duration runs around two weeks for an acute illness and 3-4 months for chronic infections like HIV.

Do I think it's sustainable to take high amounts of supplements all year long to ward off all kinds of airborne diseases, for the rest of our lives? Not really. That's why we absolutely need clean indoor air, masks, better vaccines, and better treatments. Until then, at least we have this information.

List of studies raindrop.io/JW_Lists/alternative-treatments-47681852

So there you have it.

If you've been wondering whether this stuff really works, the answer appears to be a loud yes. We need more research on dose amounts, but the studies all point in the direction of taking as much as you can while staying within the safe limits, for the duration of any time you feel at risk of getting sick.

Most of these extracts work against multiple viruses. They also help regulate your immune system and push it toward a less inflammatory response.

That's good to know.

My family has been using some of these supplements for several years, and it might explain why we've managed to steer clear of Long Covid. We still wear N95 masks everywhere. We advocate for clean air and better vaccines, along with better treatments. In the meantime, it looks like we can up our supplement game and that it's actually going to bring some benefit.

This isn't magic.

These plant compounds work the same way as many of the antivirals on the market. Medical researchers have been researching the antiviral properties of plants for decades, and cultures have used them for thousands of years. Given our current outlook, they're worth taking seriously.

Use what you can.

[dertaglichedan]

New Documentary Asserts Deborah Birx Was Real Culprit Behind Disastrous Covid Lockdowns

Legal Insurrection recently looked back on the 4th anniversary of “15 days to Slow the Spread,” highlighting the spate of disastrous consequences of the covid lockdowns that extended in some locales for three years.

I have often noted the role of Dr. Anthony Fauci in this fiasco. But a new documentary reminded me about”Scarf Lady” Dr. Deborah Birx.

“It Wasn’t Fauci: How the Deep State Really Played Trump” shows how Birx, a career bureaucrat, seized control of the government from President Donald Trump and created a disaster.

The documentary shows how Birx was invited to join the White House Coronavirus Panel in March 2020 through a connection with former Vice President Mike Pence. Her qualification was being the leader in the Office of the Global Aid Coordinator (OGAC) as part of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program.

Interestingly, there was an Inspector General report on complaints about her leadership style, which is described as dictatorial and “lacking rationale.” The complaints in the letter should have been heeded.

In addition to concerns about performance targets, country team members cited broader issues related to OGAC’s management approach. Of 68 statements the inspector general’s office received about OGAC’s leadership, 49 — or 72% — were negative. The auditors cited responses that described OGAC’s leadership as “dictatorial,” “directive,” and “autocratic.” “Sometimes decisions are made without clear rationale other than ‘[the Global AIDS Coordinator] told you to,” one respondent told the auditors. Another reported that an implementing agency with “high level technical staff” has been “directed to read the [planning] letter and do exactly that.” “Let’s just obey and move on. This is a worrying trend. Working in fear and a space where nothing is negotiable. It is causing a lot of strain with the government. Also losing gains made in the country. There should be room for negotiation and allow people to air their views,” the same person reported.

The documentary notes that Birx was the covid policy maker on the panel, not Fauci . . . whom the film suggests was merely its “face.” Birx handled covid, caused by an airborne respiratory virus that is readily transmittable, using the exact same approach used for AID—a bloodborne pathogen that is substantially more difficult to contract.

The playbook she used was taken directly from her PERFAR experience.

Treat the disease as a killer.

Focus on children.

Get to zero cases at any cost.

Thus, the “15 days to slow the spread” morphed into the national nightmare from which we are still recovering.

[amatorfilozofus]

Why ‘there’s no such thing as society’ is regarded with moral revulsion

I was searching the internet for Margaret Thatcher’s famous (or should I say infamous) quote that ‘there’s no such thing as society’ to find out what exactly did she say. During my search I have found an article by professor Hugh McLachlan entitled ‘Why ‘there’s no such thing as society’ should not be regarded with moral revulsion’. So this post is reply to that article.

The central point of the discussion is a quote from Margaret Thatcher:

“There is no such thing as society. There is a living tapestry of men and women and people and the beauty of that tapestry and the quality of our lives will depend upon how much each of us is prepared to take responsibility for ourselves and each of us prepared to turn round and help by our own efforts those who are unfortunate.”

Boris Johnson alluded to this quote when he said that the coronavirus crisis had proved there really was such a thing as society. Professor McLachlan claims “There is no apparent rational basis to his assertion.” which Johnson makes. And regarding the Thatcher quote he says we shouldn’t regard it “with moral revulsion, as some sort of expression or defence of individualistic selfishness”.

Firstly I think professor McLachlan misses the whole point of Johnson’s statement. Saying that the coronavirus crisis had proved there really is a society simply means that we are dependent on each other and must work together. It is not a metaphysical claim about there being such an object as ‘society’.

With regards to the Thatcher quote I don’t think people regard it with moral revulsion because she is making some kind of unacceptable metaphysical statement. The problem usually that people have with this quote is that it assumes that individual responsibility is everything. We are responsible for ourselves and we are responsible for our neighbours, but this is quite unfair since not everyone starts from the same place. Some are more fortunate, have wealthier parents, attend better schools and some have poorer parents and attend worse schools, and all Thatcher has to say about this is: “well you have to take responsibility for yourself”. People, who regard this quote with moral revulsion believe that this situation is not acceptable, and we must do something to level the playing field by introducing welfare measures to help those in need. This is just what Thatcher didn’t want to do. She cut welfare spending and weakened labour unions. Unemployment was high during her years in office, and inequality increased. But according to her philosophy this is not a problem since everyone is responsible for him or herself so if they are unemployed it’s their fault and not her policies’ fault which she is implementing since “there is no society”.

Professor McLachlan says at almost the end of the article: “There is no obvious logical connection between the opinion that society does not exist and any particular political or moral stances. In particular, there is no intrinsic association with it and selfishness or with any opposition to altruism, social solidarity and cooperation.” He might be right about this but this is not really the point, we don’t treat Thatcher’s quote in a vacuum; we associate it with her politics, so when someone is against this quote he or she is against a particular neoliberal political stance. “There is no society” doesn’t just mean that society does not exist; it means to many people “you are on your own”.

I think I could even stop here, since it seems to me the quotes are not about the metaphysical question of the existence of society, but I would like to continue because as I see Professor McLachlan has two arguments against the existence of society.

For the first one he start with discussing Emil Durkheim’s views: “He (Durkheim) argued that the objects of study in sociology are ways of acting, thinking and feeling, which he called “social facts”. He argued that because they can have a causal effect upon individuals, social facts are just as real and just as objective as natural physical objects and forces. We can be affected by, say, public opinion or inflation as well as by something like gravity. For Durkheim, society is the ultimate “social fact”.” Then he says: “Many sociologists would say that, on the contrary, what appears to each and all of us as “social reality” is, to a greater or lesser extent, subjective. It is a product of our own social interactions and the meanings we attach to them. On this account, societies are like the sorts of “imagined communities” that nations are sometimes said to be.” I agree that there might be a subjective element to how people see these “social facts” in their life but this doesn’t make them unreal. Durkheim’s examples are public opinion and inflation, but we can go on with the examples: high unemployment rate, high inequality, low social mobility etc. These things do have effects on the lives of individuals and it does not make them merely subjective that individual people have different personal experiences of them.

The other argument is borrowed from Karl Popper: “The celebrated philosopher of science Karl Popper argued that societies do not exist. According to him, such collective terms refer to concepts, to theoretical entities that we construct to try to explain what actually exists and occurs rather than to existing things themselves.” I don’t think we can make a clear demarcation where we have merely theoretical entities and where do we have something “real”. Are numbers real or only theoretical entities? Molecules used to be considered “just” theoretical entities, before with the advance of science they are detectable. But if someone doesn’t like these examples then what about the wave function in quantum mechanics? Is that merely a theoretical entity or is it real? If we have a good explanatory theory which uses the concept of “society” then we should use it, and it makes no sense to claim it’s not really real. This is like having a problem in physics which we can solve by calculation but then taking it all back because numbers are not real.

In summary I don’t want to argue for or against the metaphysical existence of society. I think it is useful to discuss things like inflation, unemployment, social mobility, and when we discuss such things we usually use the word “society”. For me the usefulness of the word is enough to legitimate its use, and I think it is not fruitful to go metaphysical and ask “but does it really exist?”