#like Parkinson- that’s a literal disease

[color-ns]

I finally figured out why J.K. Rowling chose the name Harry Potter.

That right there? That’s motherfucking MAGIC.

A skilled artisan is a joy to witness

vladik_oladik_2222

[unhonestlymirror]

Ngl, I kinda hate how One Piece portrays narcolepsy

[battleangel]

A History of Violence

I wonder if Kris Jenkins who was recently drafted in the second round by the Bengals, same name & same position as his father who was a Pro Bowler who played 10 seasons for the Panthers, Patriots & Jets, ever bothered to read what his father told the New York Times in 2011 about what it was like playing in the trenches in the NFL?

Kris Jenkins - View of Life in the NFL Trenches

Article Excerpt

"N.F.L. fans, people outside, they have no clue what goes on. This isn’t like playing Madden. This isn’t like being the popular kid in high school. When you do those things in the real world, and it don’t work out, you still have your health. The thing about football is you’re directly playing with your life, the quality of it and the longevity of it. The stakes are up there.

You ever been in a car crash? Done bumper cars? You know when that hit catches you off guard and jolts you, and you’re like, what the hell? Football is like that. But 10 times worse. It’s hell."

Nothing is questioned, nothing is learned.

Cycle and history of violence from father to son continues.

The son will just repeat everything his father went through.

Life in the trenches, on the line.

His fathers New York Times article was only written 13 years ago — did his son even bother to read it?

Article:

"The debate about concussions wasn’t there yet. I’ve had more than 10, including college and the pros. Nobody cared. And that’s the thing. We play football."

Are we as an audience, as fans, as a nation of football loving fanatics so blasé about the same violence that was visited upon the father being visited upon his son?

Does that not even get us to collectively pause before checking pre-season match ups in preparation for Week 1 next month?

America's collective Christmas in September — footballs back!!!!!!!

Do actual thoughts ever creep in amongst the unbridled ebullience, enthusiasm and unchecked joy of, "Football!!!!!!!!!!!!".

Or is the unthinking emotion inherent in football fanaticism across all levels, players and non-players alike, the point?

The pure emotion and the short circuiting of logic.

Its probably not a great idea for me to go bash my head against that dudes head 70 to 80 times a game, every game, every season.

But, its football!!!!!!!!!

So, nothing else matters?

Unlike rules now protecting quarterbacks and other positions from helmet to helmet hits, absolutely nothing has changed for offensive & defensive linemen and running backs — you're still smashing yourself head first into a concrete wall — as a running back, 20 to 30 times a game and as a lineman, 70 to 80 times a game.

No matter how much the NFL lies about this and tries to pretend the issue is concussions, its not — the existential issue threatening the sport of football itself is the repetitive SUBconcussive head impacts involved in every blocking and tackling play in football.

They are absolutely unavoidable and occur literally over a thousand times every single season.

It is these repetitive subconcussive head impacts — average 1500 hits to the head per season in high school, football & the pros — that 10 to 15 years after their playing careers are over, can cause neurological disorders and conditions like CTE, Parkinsons disease, Alzheimers disease, ALS and dementia in former players.

We have seen the movie before.

Im pretty sure Will Smith was in it.

And even that movie was nothing but masterful subterfuge from the NFL as they named it as their eternal smokescreen — Concussion — instead of what actually turned Mike Websters brain into CTE mush — Repetitive Subconcussive Head Impacts.

Doesn't have the same Hollywood ring to it, does it?

But it doesn't make it any less true or the NFL any less deceptive.

The NFL's own disability paperwork for former players says players can be compensated as early as 36 for early-onset dementia.

Is a game really worth someone losing their literal mind at 36?

When do we question the every day violence inherent in every tackling and blocking play in football?

Article:

"I remember one game, at Carolina, my second year. We played Arizona, and the double team weighed 780 pounds combined. They just kept double-teaming me, hoping I would fold and cave in. I didn’t. But that was probably the most painful day I had.

From the double teams, over the years, I wore the left side of my body down. I was past hurt.

I was at the point of numb. Like my body was shutting down nervous systems, so I didn’t have to deal with pain.

The numbness started at the very beginning. I couldn’t feel part of both arms. I couldn’t feel part of both legs. It was worse on the left.

I’m just starting to get feeling back in my left side. Look, football is no joke.

But I’m going to say this much: somebody has to be the grunt. That’s why there’s no better position on the field than interior defensive line. Forget quarterbacks or specialists. They’ve got it easy. If we don’t come to play, nobody else on defense can do their job. We’ve got the toughest job on the field. We don’t care about our facial hair. We play a grimy position.

Piles, oh, my God, they’re brutal. I’ve had my ankles twisted. I’ve been bit. I’ve done stuff. I’ve tried to break guys’ elbows, pinching people, twisting ankles, trying to bend up their arms, pop an elbow out. Why? I had to fight back."

Tackle football is cognitive dissonance & constant dissociation.

The inherent violence of football is never seriously questioned nor is it held up under a critical lens.

The most violent, punishing plays are casually dismissed post-game by players waving their hands and saying, "It was just a football play."

Yeah — thats actually the exact problem.

Ah, pile ups. Just a good old fashioned rugby scrum.

Nothing dehumanizing, nothing to worry about.

As long as its not my dick being grabbed at the bottom of a pile as I dig my way through my second bag of Fritos Scoops, safe and secure on my couch, while those dumb fucks kill themselves for an oblong shaped ball for my entertainment.

Exploitative, much?

The spectacle of the pile up.

The brainwashing so clearly evident when grown adult men who would be ashamed to act this way publicly over anything else suddenly leap in unison into the air like feral animals as Troy Aikman shouts with unfettered glee, "The ball is loose!!!!!!".

So is our collective humanity in watching a several ton mass of flesh undulate, eye gouge, scrotum twist, bite, spit and hurt each other for...what?

Us? Them? Football?

Article:

"Mentally, we’re conditioned to be tough. We’re conditioned to feel no pain. The only injury I ever felt while playing was when one of my knees tore. That’s the only time I felt pain and was like, O.K., that hurt.

But Mondays, you wake up, and it’s hard to get out of bed. It hurts wherever you got hit. I remember one time getting hit by Edgerrin James. He put his head in my chest. I woke up, and I couldn’t even move, because it felt like my chest was going to collapse. It was sore for days. All you want to do is get the blood circulating.

Hot tub. Cold tub. Hot tub. Cold tub."

Hot tub. Cold tub. Hot tub. Cold tub.

That's brainwashing.

A dissociative brainwashing ritual to dissociate the self from the pain & violence of the game.

It's like Junior Seau when he referred to himself in third person when he was mic'd up for NFL Films before every single hit for the duration of an entire game.

Very creepy if you can find it on youtube.

It literally sounded like he was programming himself to hit, then he would hit the hole, collect himself on the ground and do it.

Hard. Goddamned hard.

Again. And again. And again. And again.

If thats not brainwashing, what is?

Article:

"The brain fog? It still hasn’t stopped. It feels like you’re punch-drunk, like someone hit you over the head. It’s like you knock yourself stupid. When you have to concentrate on things, then it becomes an issue. My head gets foggy to the point where I really can’t function."

And yet you put a helmet on your son's head and you sent him out to play the same position.

Like father, like son.

Just like fathers in the military who have sons who "follow in their footsteps".

Often, articles will speak of a newly drafted player's heritage and lineage in the sport and if his father had a storied career, the hyperbole of the newly drafted son "being born to play" is routinely trotted out.

Smacks of eugenicism, genetic determinism, militarism, rigid heirarchies, dynasties.

Capitalist masculine toxicity.

Article:

"We know it’s going to hurt. We know because pain in football is consistent over time. You’re still hurting in the off-season. You’re hurting when the next season starts.

I mean, guys play hurt, but it’s a choice. They do a pretty good job now, with all the scrutiny around concussions.

On the line, it’s still painful. By the end of the year, half an offensive line might be getting shots, draining fluid from their knees. Most stay away from cortisone now, because it’s degenerative.

Everything gets off center. Bulging disk. Herniated disk. For linemen, it starts in the lower back. Throws everything off."

What did Jason Kelce recently say on his podcast with his wife?

His back is so fucked up from playing football that he cant bend down to pick up his 1 year old daughter nor can he hold her while standing.

Kelce also played on the line as the center for the Eagles.

Is it worth it?

Should children be playing this game?

Should anyone in its current incarnation?

Has science shown that the risk of repetitive subconcussive head impacts causing neurological conditions & disorders is too high for any child to assume?

What about teenagers in high school who are legally minors and not adults?

Should they be able to assume risks as teenagers that can mentally incapacitate them later in life as soon as their 30s?

Potential suicide due to CTE in their 20s?

1500 hits per season every season starting in high school.

So, that's 6k hits to the head in four years of high school football.

Another 6k more hits to the head in four years of college football.

12k hits to the head before the pros not counting youth football prior to high school which is ages 5 to 14 aka Pop Warner.

Even 5 year olds endure on average 336 hits to the head every season in Pop Warner.

5 year olds!

Kindergartners!

Ask yourself where else you could hit a 5 year old child 336 times in the head over the course of a few months without being arrested and jailed?

Is it really okay just because it's football?

Does that truly justify that amount of head impacts to a 5 year old child?

Wouldn't we call that abuse if it was happening in the Boy Scouts or any organization other than Pop Warner?

Should it be happening at all?

In service of whom and for what?

Football? Glory? Masculinity? Manhood? America? Pride? Militarism?

All of the above?

Article:

"I can’t blame anybody for my death. I made the choice to play football. I made the choice to walk through the concussions. I could have stopped. I could have said, my head hurts. It was my choice, as a man."

But who told you that playing through permanent brain injuries is what makes you a man?

Can't we blame that person?

Your father and your coaches from youth, high school, college all the way to the pros?

Militaristic views of masculinity kills boys and young men for the game of football.

It's a militaristic war game that simulates combat yet kills people in slow motion for real.

The violence suffered by players in football is as celebrated as militaristic ideals of what soldiers suffer through in war: valor, courage under fire, physical courage, endurance, stoically fighting through unimaginable injuries & pain, the quarterback heroically leading his squad as their captain marching his troops down the field to victory just like any military commander complete with a chevron like system that awards stars for each year or season of service very similar to how stripes function in the military.

This militaristic ideal of masculinity is endlessly promoted, encouraged, rewarded and valorized in football just as it is in the military.

Football is Americas killing fields.

High school players — teenaged boys, not adult men — die every year playing football.

Over a million boys play high school football each year and only a handful die or suffer permanent, disabling and/or catastrophic injury.

Would you be so glib about the numbers though if it was your son or your brother or your boyfriend or your best friend who died playing high school football?

What if they were permanently paralyzed from the neck down playing college football?

It's easy to treat the above numbers as a statistic or rounding error when you can close out of the Facebook support page for the now dead or disabled high school or college player and get ready for Chiefs/Ravens next month.

What if you couldn't just X out of the Facebook page because you had to quit your job to take care of your disabled son for the rest of your life?

Or what if your brother killed himself from having CTE from playing college football?

The reality is, we can drop a "sad crying" emoji on a Facebook status and move on — the families of the young boys and men sacrificed to this sport definitely can't.

Go ask Tyler Sash's mom if she's "moved on".

Hasn't science proven at this point that tackle football just doesnt work the way it is currently played?

Why are we okay risking future Junior Seaus, Mike Websters, Justin Strelczyks, Phillip Adams, Tyler Hillinskis with every boy and young man that straps on the pads and helmet and charges on to the field?

Is it 10% of players that get CTE? Is it 20%?

Is it more? Is it half?

More than half?

The truth is we wont know until a CTE test is developed for living players.

Pop Warners Chief Medical Director is working with the FDA to develop the test as I type this.

Why do you think that is?

The NFL's own study funded through a university admits that NFL players are 19 times more likely than non-NFL players to develop neurological conditions and disorders.

19 times!!!!!

As long as its not your brain getting scrambled right?

And you can just sit there and watch the leagues reigning back to back MVP and reigning Super Bowl Champ slowly deteriorate their minds while accumulating permanent brain damage for your entertainment.

Pass the chips.

Article:

"We consider football a gladiator sport because we understand you’re going to get hurt. You’re putting your life on the line.

You might not die now, like in an old Roman arena, but 5, 10 years down the road, you could. You know that.

I wouldn’t change anything.

During my career, I kept my mouth shut. This now, speaking out, it’s about telling you my life. There’s no agenda, no vendetta. This is what football’s really like.

The first warning is the first meeting you have with an agent, when you realize this is real. My choices count at this point. I’m going to be prostituting myself for the next 18 years of my life.

That’s the first warning.

The next one is that good old combine.

That’s when you realize, when you march in that room half naked, I’m a number now."

No, thats when you realize that the NFL is MODERN DAY SLAVERY.

It's a modern day meat market.

6% of the US population is Black male. 75% of the NFL is Black.

0% of the owners are Black. Only 2 out of 32 coaches are Black.

Almost all of the NFL owners are white with very few exceptions and exactly none of them are Black.

The NFL is a modern day plantation.

Article:

"I loved New York. I loved playing there. I loved the spotlight. I was fine in New York, but I also played for Eric Mangini. We started 8-3, Brett Favre, all of that. Everybody told Mangini, stop with the long practices, you’re killing us. You practice too hard. We’re on turf."

36% of all injuries that occur in the NFL are due to turf & 1/4 of all concussions are a result of players heads slamming against turf.

So...

Why won't the NFL replace turf with grass in their stadiums as the NFLPA has been asking for for years?

Because they're cheap as hell and would rather injure their own investments then pay for grass.

The owners & the league have the same exact disregard and disdain for their own players.

The NFL has agreed to switch out turf for grass for the World Cup because the soccer players refused to do what NFL players are forced to — fuck their bodies up on turf.

It proves the NFL and owners could do it and, in fact, they did do it so they could host the World Cup in their football stadium — unless it's actually for the players in their own league.

In that case, you're shit out of luck.

Should have played soccer.

Article:

"What you hear from guys like Ray Lewis, James Harrison, what they’re saying is we’re well aware what we’re signing up for. The violence, we love it. The madness, we love it. We love measuring ourselves in it.

Those guys express themselves with their pads. You soften the game, you’re taking away their freedom of expression. Nobody wants to see flag football, and now, you might as well give guys flags, tell them to hug afterward, all that."

Did he even read the beginning of his own article???

Constant cognitive dissonance is the distillation & essence of tackle football — by the players, the audience, coaches, trainers, medical personnel, announce team, play by play, color, pre-game & post-game hosts, team & network journalists.

I see no repetitive head impacts causing CTE.

I hear no repetitive head impacts causing CTE.

I speak no repetitive head impacts causing CTE.

Article:

"The violence is what I remember. Like against Buffalo in 2009, when I had the game of my career. Or the time I slapped a lineman out of the way in Houston with one arm. Winning, the physical part, the mayhem, finding the line between insanity and sanity, that’s the exact reason why you play. That’s the reason fans like football in the first place.

A guy like James Harrison, he’s possessed, and that’s the guy you love to play with, love to watch. He doesn’t need to be babied."

Protection from permanent brain damage & trauma, fans bloodlust, coaches unreasonable demands, neurological disorders & conditions, neurological symptoms including suicidality, depression, memory loss, confusion, irritability, volatility, aggression, amnesia, mental incapicitation, deteroriation & decline is being "babied"??????????

Article:

"The N.F.L. is too big to fail. If that happened, it would be a slow death. It’s still the ultimate game. For us, it’s like legal prison rules. You have to protect your manhood, your well-being. You’re going to be challenged. You’re going to be tested."

"You have to protect your manhood."

Protect The Shield.

Brainwashed into the cult of American masculinity.

Just like all the other 2.6 million young boys & adolescents playing youth football.

Another million playing in high school.

100k playing in NCAA college football.

1600 play in the NFL.

All brainwashed into the cult of masculinity.

Millions of young boys and teenagers sacrificed on the altar of tackle football, Americas true religion.

Article:

"There aren’t too many places a 400-pound guy with an attitude can go and beat the crap out of somebody and not get locked up for it. I have a violent streak. I have to fight it out of my system. We signed up for it. All of it. We’re not trying to be sane or rational."

What does an 8 year old playing tackle football for Pop Warner sign up for?

Tradition, rigid authoritarianism, toxic masculinity, ideals of manhood worth sacrificing your body, mind, memories, personality, self and literal life for.

A 13 year old football player committed suicide after an egregious hit and post concussion symptoms that lasted for over a year in 2018.

He played through the hit and practiced in pads the very next day — think that might have made his concussion worse?

Prior to the hit, he was a straight A student, a voracious reader, erudite, sociable & well-liked.

After the hit, he became withdrawn.

He lost vision in one eye. He lost his balance frequently.

He was unable to read for more than a few minutes at a time.

He started tackle football at 9.

He played two ways as a linebacker and running back and was known as a ferocious hitter who never complained of pain.

He attempted suicide, was hospitalized, seemed to be improving, then the second suicide attempt was tragically successful.

Dead at 13 for the sport of football.

When is enough enough?

Football is a game, it's a magical talisman, it's a sport, it's a crucible, it's a maker of men, it's the distillation of manhood and masculinity, it's what being a man is.

It's worth bashing and battering your brains repeatedly.

It's worth your mind.

It's worth not knowing who you are at 50.

It's worth you committing suicide.

Just remember to shoot yourself in the chest so your brain can be donated and studied.

[covid-safer-hotties]

Noah Lyles' collapse underscores our collective COVID denial - Published Aug 10, 2024

Read the full story at either link! (covidsafehotties archive is always free of pesky in-line ads!)

We keep pretending that the pandemic is done and over, but it keeps knocking us off our feet

The 2024 Olympic Games are serving up some less-than-subtle metaphors for how poorly we handle public health. Just after winning a bronze medal in the much-anticipated men's 200-meter race, U.S. sprinter Noah Lyles collapsed on the track in exhaustion — not just because he’d completed a brutal run in just 19.7 seconds, finishing third, but also because he was sick with COVID-19, a diagnosis that he’d concealed from others. He had been favored to take home gold, as he did in the 100-meter race a few days earlier.

But seeing an American Olympic star sprawled out and gasping on the track, and then taken away in a wheelchair, was more than a shocking image. It also represented the general “mission accomplished” attitude toward SARS-CoV-2: We think we’ve won against this virus and we haven’t.

COVID isn’t just spreading like wildfire through the Olympic Village in Paris — we are undergoing surges across the globe, with the World Health Organization tracking steep rises in infections in 84 countries. After more than four years fighting this thing, it is still knocking us out.

In some parts of the U.S., the amount of COVID is so high that experts are claiming this summer surge is on par with winter waves of the virus. But none of this should be unexpected at this point. This is no longer the “novel” coronavirus that once terrified people with its unpredictability. We know how it behaves, with surges in both summer and winter, and we know how to fight against it — yet our apparent strategy at the moment is to pretend it doesn’t exist at all, even when it swipes us off our feet.

It’s true that the pandemic is much different than it was in 2020. For one thing, in spite of this surge, deaths are relatively low, following trends since vaccines became available. In 2023, COVID dropped from the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S. to the 10th, according to recent provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That's not great, but it does indicate that widespread immunity (from vaccines, previous infections or both) is giving us some level of protection. Though let’s not forget that at least 1.2 million Americans have died to date from COVID. It’s nothing to sneeze at.

Deaths aren’t the only concerning metric, of course. Sometimes a COVID infection is asymptomatic, while at other times, the symptoms last for months or years or never fully go away. Patients call this long COVID and public health experts have described it as a mass disabling event. Lyles isn’t just lucky he won a bronze medal — he’ll be lucky if he doesn’t experience months of headaches, lung issues or extreme fatigue that never goes away.

Yet long COVID is rarely factored into discussions about this pandemic, even when kids get it. Instead, it’s treated as if infections are merely a mild cold at this point. Just shake it off, as Taylor Swift might say, while her summer tour dates become superspreading events.

Millions of patients can attest that COVID is anything but mild — and it's definitely not the flu. The SARS-CoV-2 virus can worm its way into nearly every part of our bodies, trashing our immune system and damaging our organs. We tend to think of the disease as a respiratory problem, given all the coughs and sniffles it produces, but it’s really more of a vascular disease, impacting any system that relies on blood vessels. That can include damage to the brain, which can manifest in symptoms like long-term cognitive impairment and Parkinson’s disease.

Yes, a virus that can literally cause brain damage is spreading at record levels and most people are acting like it’s just another wave. Just keep running.

But we’re not just paying the price with our bodies. The economy is also getting smacked by long COVID. A recent comprehensive review in the journal Nature Medicine found that the “cumulative global incidence of long COVID is around 400 million individuals, which is estimated to have an annual economic impact of approximately $1 trillion.” That's ignoring the long list of ways that long COVID wreaks havoc on the body, including, as the study notes, "viral persistence, immune dysregulation, mitochondrial dysfunction, complement dysregulation, endothelial inflammation and microbiome dysbiosis."

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Mike Luckovich

* * * *

President Biden and VP Harris meet with Ukrainian President Zelensky

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met separately with President Biden and Vice President Harris on Thursday. The meetings were remarkable on many levels.

First, the Biden-Harris administration continues to present a unified front in supporting Ukraine while placing limitations on the offensive use of American weapons. The Biden-Harris administration’s steadfast support for Ukraine stands in stark contrast to the nearly universal GOP embrace of Putin’s war of aggression against Ukraine. See US Department of Defense, Biden Administration Announces New Security Assistance Package for Ukraine.

Second, Vice President Harris’s meeting and joint press conference with President Zelensky gave VP Harris a more prominent public-facing role in discussing US foreign policy toward Ukraine and Russia. Joe Biden deserves great credit and admiration for his generosity of spirit in allowing VP Harris to take a leading role on an important foreign policy matter. Biden’s action allowed VP Harris to showcase experience on the international stage. Joe Biden’s lack of ego is remarkable for a man who has risen to the nation’s highest office.

In her remarks in a joint press conference with President Zelensky, VP Harris said,

My support for the people of Ukraine is unwavering. [T]there are some in my country who would instead force Ukraine to give up large parts of its sovereign territory, who would demand that Ukraine accept neutrality, and would require Ukraine to forego security relationships with other nations. These proposals are the same as those of Putin, and let us be clear, they are not proposals for peace. Instead, they are proposals for surrender, which is dangerous and unacceptable.

See The Guardian, Harris decries Trump’s ‘proposals of surrender’ as Zelenskyy visits White House | Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Finally, as Biden and Harris were strongly supporting Ukraine, Trump was strongly suggesting that he would sell out Ukraine by demanding surrender. At a press conference on Thursday, the following exchange occurred:

Trump: I believe I will be able to make a deal between President Putin and President Zelensky quite quickly. Reporter: What does that look like? Trump: I don’t want to tell you what that looks like.

Trump's evasion is outrageous on many levels. The press would never accept such evasion from Kamala Harris. Remember when the White House pool reporters literally screamed at Karine Jean-Pierre when she told the press that an army specialist in Parkinson’s Disease did visit President Biden during several dozen visits to the White House. (The next day it was reported that the physician was visiting with veterans of the Iran and Iraq war working in the White House.)

Moreover, it is clear that Trump's secret plan involves telling Zelensky that the US will cut off aid to Ukraine unless it surrenders immediately to Putin. There is no other reasonable inference to be drawn from Trump's refusal to specify his “peace plan.”

Kamala Harris is right. Trump's “proposals for peace” are really “proposals for surrender.” Yet another reason the choice is clear and important in November.

The NYTimes is finally writing about Trump's unhinged press conferences

The press conference at which Trump evaded the reporter’s question about Ukraine was billed as a press conference about immigration. But Trump grew bored of his prepared remarks on immigration and began a free-style jazz improvisation without the jazz. As described by the NYTimes (Gold and Haberman),

Mr. Trump quickly appeared to grow bored with the remarks he read from, and drifted repeatedly toward other topics. He talked about inflation, accused Ms. Harris of lying about working at McDonald’s years ago and nursed his fury over how the ABC News debate moderators handled his face-off with Ms. Harris nearly three weeks ago. At the beginning of the news conference, Mr. Trump struggled at times to articulate his thoughts or make a point clearly. He stumbled over some words as he read from remarks he had plainly not written. He bootstrapped one thought onto another based on whether the words associated with something else, as opposed to having a clear through line. [¶¶] The group of Trump employees and supporters gathered in the lobby along one of the barricades that penned in where Mr. Trump spoke appeared to grow restless, with some looking around, as Mr. Trump talked and talked.

See NYTimes, McDonald’s, Pelosi, Debate Moderators: Trump Speech on Border Veers Off Course.

In the past, the NYTimes reported such remarks as “meandering.” Now, the Times is accurately reporting that Trump is “struggl[ing] to articulate his thoughts.” When Joe Biden spoke with a lifelong stutter, the Times demanded that he withdraw from the presidential race. Now that the Times is acknowledging that Trump cannot think or speak in a logical or linear fashion, the Times is content to describe the sorry spectacle and shrug its shoulders.

President Biden signs executive order on gun violence

On Thursday, the President signed an executive order designed to reduce the proliferation of machine guns and “ghost guns,” and improving active-shooter drills in schools. See WhiteHouse.gov, Executive Order on Combating Emerging Firearms Threats and Improving School-Based Active-Shooter Drills | The White House

VP Harris leads the newly established White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. After President Biden signed the executive order, he handed the pen to VP Harris and urged her to “keep it going.” Kamala Harris then said,

It is a false choice to suggest you are either in favor of the Second Amendment, or you want to take everyone’s guns away. I am in favor of the Second Amendment and I believe we need to reinstate the assault weapons ban. [The American people have a right to] live, work, worship and learn without fear of violence -- including gun violence.

Trump stands by Mark Robinson, pretends he doesn’t know what controversy is about

During Trump's presidency, a standard tactic by Republicans trying to avoid commenting on Trump's latest outrageous statement was to say, “I haven’t seen the tweet.” On Thursday, Trump resorted to that tactic with Mark Robinson, the GOP candidate for governor of North Carolina. When a reporter asked Trump if he will drop his endorsement of Mark Robinson, Trump said,

I don’t know the situation.

Of course, Trump knew enough about Mark Robinson to describe him as “Martin Luther King on steroids.” But now that Robinson has been caught making comments on a porn forum praising Nazis and slavery, Trump “never heard of the guy.” (My words, not his.)

Critically, Trump will not withdraw his endorsement of Mark Robinson no matter what—which should give Democratic candidate for governor, Josh Stein, a reason to keep hammering Robinson and Trump throughout the remainder of the campaign. If Trump can’t un-endorse a guy who says that Mein Kamp is a good read, his antisemitic credentials are incontestable.

[Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter]

[girlactionfigure]

You're right. Other than modern drip irrigation, water saving innovations, geothermal power, solar powered windows, cherry tomatoes, monitors for sudden infant death syndrome, MobileEye, Waze, silent wind turbines, the 8088 Intel chip which paved the way for modern computers, USB flash drive, harmful microorganism counters for food and beverage industry, using the ocean to produce solar energy, optical heart beat monitoring, increasing plastic recycling efficiency by 50%, portable sleep apnea monitors, the world's smallest camera for medical procedures, water utility leak detection technology, HP digital printing press, remote heart and vitals monitoring for medical staff, contributions to developing a COVID vaccine, R&D that led to the first cell phone, a phone that can detect diseases including cancer, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson's with 93% accuracy, an exoskeleton that helps paraplegic people walk again, a digestible medical camera in the form of a pill, a flexible heart stent that saved millions of lives of people suffering from coronary heart disease, computer firewalls, antivirus software, ICQ, the iron Dome missile defense system, glasses that read text to visually impaired people, leading breakthrough medical technologies like the ability to 3d print a functioning human heart and nanotechnology that detects and attacks cancer cells, home kits for analysing guy bacteria, desalination tech and a machine that can literally make safe drinking water out of air... WHAT HAS ISRAEL ACTUALLY DONE FOR YOU.

The Mossad: Satirical, Yet Awesome

@TheMossadIL

[maaarine]

I have a relative who has Parkinson's disease

he told me about how he had to keep badgering doctors to finally get a diagnosis

it dawned on me that he was being dismissed the way women often are: "your issues are caused by anxiety, it's all in your head, it's normal to experience pain"

except his fault was not being a woman, but being old

because he's old, he's not thinking straight; because he's old, he has mobility issues, that's normal

he would literally show up at the doctor's office with a file that summed up all of his relevant information, to give the doc an overview, to help them connect the dots — and the doc wouldn't even look at the file

retrospectively, all the clues were there, and if he had only been listened to and taken seriously, he could have started his medication earlier

I have another elderly (female) relative who blindly trusts doctors and finds it rude to disagree with them or ask for a second opinion, and I'm always like girl, you need to wake the fuck up about that profession

don't get me started on the doctors that my late mother had to deal with, I'll get murderous

when docs dismiss me and talk to me like I'm a dumbass, I'm like sure, I don't expect to be helped by anyone ever, so it's fine, big shrug, I'll just go die

but when they do that shit to other people, I need to slit their throat

[ladylooch]

Hi B, I hope you had an awesome day!

I'm venturing into your asks without doing it anonymously - hoping I don't fall flat on my face with this ask. It's a long one, too 😬

Just a little preface - I went to visit my parents today after they returned from their Caribbean vacation. My Dad was diagnosed with Parkinsons about 15 years ago, and despite his mobility issues, everything went well with the assistance they were provided through the 2 weeks. So, they traveled home, and while my Mom went to get the luggage cart, my Dad saw their bag come out in the carousel. This is not going to sound funny, but trust me... they were laughing as they told me this. He decides to try and grab the bag, and he does - but he loses his balance and falls to the ground. He still has a solid grip on the bag and doesn't let go. He's then dragged along the floor alongside the carousel for about 20 feet before he lets go of the bag.

So, with all of that, I was wondering, between Timo and Nico, or even any other men in your AUs, who deals with embarrassing moments the best vs the worst? Does anyone get mad or annoyed or can they laugh it off?

Thanks so much, as always, B!

Oh my gosh!!! hahahahaha! I knew someone who had Parkinsons for over 25 years, so I completely understand that these stories are funny and offer some sunlight in the midst of a really dark disease. Hugs to you babe and your parents! It's a really tough one 😘

Nico is the best in these moments. He rolls with it all. Not much rattles him. He is also the one that is very much a caretaker. If Lexi trips, "baby! are you okay!" If she gets sick and he has to help clean her up, he is all about dignity with her, stepping out if that is what she prefers or keeping his eyes focused on her face. One time, Lexi and Nico are wrestling around on the couch and Lexi lets out a lil toot. Nico immediately pops up, looking down at her red face. She is completely mortified. Nico literally locks eyes with her and says "That is the cutest fart I have ever heard." Lexi responds with, "I want to die." And then there is Nico: "No, babe do it again! that was so cute!" 💀

Timo is similar too! Although I don't see him thinking Emma's farts are cute.But we see his roll with it attitude with him and Em all the time. It's more so about making sure she is okay, feeling out if he can make fun of her or not, and then going from there. During her first pregnancy, so much is happening to Emma's body that he doesn't dare make fun of any of that. He knows she is too sensitive about the changes. I feel like Emma is always running out the door late after having Lio, so she will leave the house in her slippers or Crocs to go meet clients. Timo is constantly meeting her in the city with her high heels 😂 Eventually, he just hides a pair in her car so he doesn't have to keep rescuing her.

[doublel27]

Anon is right tho. I mean it's lovely how much carlos loves TK and how he's not afraid to show it but we need to see the same effort from tk too. Now, don't get me wrong I'm not trying to hate on TK or tarlos I know they love each other equally but unfortunately they're not showing that. Like I was really hoping for tk to call carlos his soulmate but I guess we can't have everything.

Sorry for the rant but this episode is kind of let down for me and I'm sad because I was so excited for this episode and now it's 5am and I can't sleep 😅

Firstly, I want to start by saying that it sucks to be disappointed by something you were looking forward to. Especially something like a television show that is usually a comfort and is very much controlled by real people.

Second, dear nonny, I would like to say as much as I enjoyed this episode my feelings are not without some critique. I have sucked my spouse into Lone Star with me and our major critique is one that has been a problem with this show for a long time.

Tim Minear and the writers room over-write for their episodes and then film all of they and sometimes in editing/post production they’re so intent on fitting everything in that things feel very surface or not fully fleshed out. I felt that way about all of tonight’s storylines. There was more to mine, but it all got left very shallow.

That being said, I do fundamentally disagree about TK not showing love back to Carlos in this episode.

First, I’m going to start with context. TK was just told by his father that he has a 1 in 4 chance of having a genetic neurodegenative disease that could take him (if they have the gene) anytime in the next 5-20 years.

And Huntington’s is no joke. It’s like taking Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and ALS and sticking them in a blender with steroids. It’s devastating and relentless and there’s a reason Robert is asking Owen to help him live out the end of his life instead of his wife and children. And TK is a medical professional who understands exactly what the progress might be.

And so he doesn’t lie and he doesn’t hide it, but he stays up until Carlos is off shift to have the conversation because TK loves Carlos too much to want to burden him with the reality of this disease.

But this is one of the first times all season that TK has been the one who needed comforting. So I’m not surprised that Carlos is the one that said the soulmates line. Because TK needs reassurance that this isn’t a line too far for Carlos.

TK has been doing that for Carlos all season.

TK looked Carlos straight in the face when Carlos explained the Iris situation and just said “alright, what do we have to do.” Many members of the fandom wanted him to be mad or petty or jealous or have feelings and while there were feelings, TK put Carlos first and helped to take care of the barriers in their way.

When Carlos was kidnapped and didn’t come home, TK was the one who tirelessly advocated that something was wrong. He figured out the pharmacy connection and then he literally saved Carlos’s life and had very romantic conversation as they loaded into the ambulance.

TK then, a man who has been having conversations about having kids since season one, faced with the fact that Carlos didn’t want kids gave up his dream and plans for fatherhood because Carlos is more important. Like…he cooked fucking dinner (how many phone calls with Tommy and Paul were there to get that together) and told Carlos it didn’t matter if Carlos was ever ready for kids because Carlos is all the family he needs. That’s a level of conflict that often leads to broken engagements and divorce.

This is all THIS season. Seasons two and three TK gave every romantic speech this couple had. Carlos is just getting here with words this season. And it’s beautiful growth for both of them.

[sanctiphera]

He couldn't cope with a modern Western society that treats women and minorities like people. So he moved to a more corrupt society, run by hardmen, where it's okay to treat some people as less than others.

Then, he acts shocked and horrified when it turns out, the hardmen will treat him really badly — maybe even worse than is justified by his creepy rapey behaviour — to curry favour with more developed countries.

He is shocked.

But the algorithm promotes Andrew Tate for a reason.

Everything he says and does looks tailor-made to fit in with the strategy of tension. What he does and says is quite ridiculous, but the themes that he will touch on are very much in line with what we find out of Anglo-American intelligence.

Romanticizing Islam, for example, has been a long-term project of British intelligence going back to Lawrence of Arabia.

And what's Andrew Tate been doing lately?

He's been promoting Islam as the antidote to wokeness. His cartoonish take on manliness will ironically keep dysfunctional men in a perpetual state of adolescence that's very much intentional.

The Tavistock Institute (and other Western academic institutions connected to intelligence) have been studying methods to reduce the population through social engineering.

What better way to reduce the population than by telling frustrated young men to become materialistic frat boys forever?

Yes, he says he wants men to have lots of kids. However, he is promoting an interpretation of masculinity that is so cartoonish that, if taken seriously, not very many guys out there would be successful in finding a woman, much less having kids.

Almost nothing he says is meant to be taken seriously, or at least not literally. He literally said that dopamine is the worst thing ever for you because his bro science brain told him to say that shit. By that logic, he must believe that Parkinson's disease (characterized by a loss of ability to produce dopamine) is wonderful.

But his outrageous antics are the point. They grab your attention, and you either think he's wonderful or you think he's a horrid character.

Most people don't understand that he's a useful character to manipulate the population into embracing despotic technocratic governance (he really animates the folks who love censorship).

[tea-with-eleni]

Visiting family for Thanksgiving is hard.

Not because of politics. I'm incredibly grateful for that. My whole family, both sides, everyone that's living that we have any regular contact with, is a dedicated liberal. My great-grandparents were too, apparently.

No, it's because my grandfather on my mom's side used to be a rocket scientist. He literally worked on some of the computer systems for the Saturn V rocket back in the day. But... he has parkinson's disease. And he's had it for a while. And it's taken his memory.

It's zapped most of his short term memory and scrambled a lot of the long term memory for about the last twenty years - so far as I can tell.

My grandmother is still sharp as a tack. She has arthritis and had hip replacement surgery and is clearly annoyed that she isn't as mobile as she'd like, but she's mentally completely present. She learned how to use an iPhone three years ago, because she wanted to learn how to text. Mostly, she was totally capable of figuring it out herself, she was just very anxious because her experience with technology includes things like "My husband found that the best place to ground his HAM Radio in our apartment was the metal shower (which keeps shocking me now)". Upon learning that it's really hard to permanently damage an iPhone, she has overcome much of her anxiety and is at least as tech savvy as my mother. She likes texting.

My grandfather though. He somehow managed to mess up their television system, his desktop computer, his bedroom television, and their wifi.

Here is what was wrong:

The surge protector for the cable box, blu ray player, and apple TV was off.

The cable box was not plugged in.

His bedroom TV had been reset somehow, likely by accident. It needed to be re-synced to the cable channels.

His computer was plugged in, as were two mice. The monitor and keyboard were not plugged in.

The wifi router had an ethernet cable coming out of one ethernet port that then plugged back into the other ethernet port. That may or may not have caused the problem but it definitely didn't help.

He'd forgotten his computer password and god only knows what happened to the paper where he wrote them all down.

It's fixed now. It's all, as best I can tell, currently functional. And I got him to let me put the side of his computer box back on. It looked like it had been pried off with a crow bar. Probably the crow bar inexplicably sitting on his desk. He was about to start pulling away at the circuitry, made extra concerning by the way he had misidentified the CD-rom drive as the hard drive.

[catspittle]

Injuries, mental conditions, and other maladies, consolidated - actually I'm just combining this into one big post because guess who forgot stuff last time.

Crane is deaf in both ears due to physical abuse, although not completely. Does not know ASL due to prejudice, but has the capacity to read lips to a degree.

Hemophilia-B.

Walks with a limp [left side] from a past hip injury that ended up almost separating his leg from his body. Said hip has also been partially replaced with titanium. +shot in the left knee 2019 IRP, remnants of kneecap later calcified. Partially wheelchair bound due to walking difficulties.

Severe throat and vocal fold scarring, thanks Eduardo Flamingo for trying to eat him and also various and mostly female rapists at Arkham. Can't speak that clearly, often slurring his words. Prefers to express himself in short sentences or simply grunts, unless you really get him going on a topic.

Speaking of my cyborg man: his lower jaw is pretty much entirely titanium mesh, his spinal cord barring the nerve sheath has been entirely replaced with metal due to a car accident in his 20's, his ribcage is now reinforced, and at least two of his heart valves have been replaced entirely. + stents

In addition his spine is barely covered with skin + muscle and you can see the metal when he twists at certain angles.

Now missing roughly half his brain tissue due to literally dying in childbirth in the 1980's. This causes Crane to suffer from complications including but not limited to: seizures, CSF leakage, narcolepsy, short-term memory issues, and increased mood swings to the point of being extremely volatile. 

Marfanoid, so more often than not will dislocate his joints several times a day. Can’t lift anything heavy, the usual. Not as flexible as he used to be due to the metal in his body.

Now possesses a singular lung due to a run-in with Doomsday during his time on the Suicide Squad, which also demanded the floating rib reinforcement.

Parkinson’s Disease, the early stages.

Severe photophobia, almost always has one eye shut at all times.

Self-harm scarring across shoulders and one wrist. Various scars as a general, both internal and external. His genitalia are recognizable but still somewhat mangled. Overall? Torture victim! Many of his nerve endings have been outright removed because the United States sure as hell doesn't treat its minority prisoners like humans...and neither did Crane's own family.

Truly, it's hard to gauge the full extent of his mental illnesses, as often doctors in Gotham City will revoke/revise diagnoses to fit an agenda [and god knows he lies to himself], but here's what can concretely be determined of his mental state:

Postpartum depression escalating into Complex Bereavement Disorder.

As with canon Scarecrow, unspecified psychosis. But in his case, they're likely a part of the Borderline Personality Disorder.

More than likely DID, emphasis on the Dissociative part of Dissociative Identity Disorder.

Inferiority complex with added anxiety.

Honestly I'd be willing to diagnose him with C-PTSD were it not just a normal thing for Asian-Americans [can confirm, am Asian-American]. Overall? He's almost 70, he's barely functioning. Don't expect a whole lot but witty quips from him.

[battleangel]

NFL Machine: 2023 to 2024 False Narratives

While the young players in tonight's draft will be full of excitement and hope, the promise of a boyhood dream on the cusp of being fulfilled, a literal lifetime of sacrifice, blood, sweat and tears finally culminating in the dream of playing in the NFL, walking across that stage, shaking Roger Goodell's hand, putting on that team jersey with their name on the back and putting on their team hat, smiling for the cameras, their childhood dream coming true...

The fact of the matter is, a lot of these same men once they have exited the league, the majority of whom will do so within 3 years, and even the Pro Bowlers who play an average of 12 seasons, may not be smiling in 10 to 15 years after their playing career is over as that is typically where neurological symptoms of diseases like CTE, early-onset dementia, Parkinson's, ALS and Alzheimer's begin to surface from repetitive head trauma caused by subconcussive hits.

Not concussions -- the hundreds of thousands of subconcussive hits these men endure during spring training, training camps, practices, drills, scrimmages and games from Pop Warner in their youth, to high school and college as young men all the way to the professional level in the NFL.

While positions vary, and linemen, linebackers and running backs obviously take more hits than a quarterback or wide receiver, the fact is that every single person that plays the sport of tackle football is required to block and tackle and plays are only blown dead by a whistle if you take the ball carrier to the ground and physically stop their forward progress. You could also force a fumble, intercept a pass, the QB could slide or run out of bounds or throw the ball away -- but the inherent nature of football, unlike its predecessor rugby, is that every single square inch must be fought for and defended. Naturally, that results in some type of contact on nearly every play.

The majority of concussions at the NON-professional level -- UNpaid WITHOUT health insurance -- in high school and college occur during practice which means they are entirely preventable but still to this day only the Ivy League conference and one other university has removed hitting from their practices.

That is a lot of hits and they do add up and they do take their toll later on.

While not every football player develops a neurological disorder from playing football, and while there is an obvious selection bias in the brains autopsied for CTE by Dr. McKee as those players were already exhibiting symptoms or else they would not have had their brains donated to be tested in the first place, there has been a link proven at this point by Dr. Bennet Omalu and Dr. McKee that repetitive subconcussive head trauma absolutely can cause CTE and that every year of playing tackle football adds to the risk.

That is irrefutable at this point.

What we don't know is why some players develop neurological disorders and others don't -- but it isn't a question anymore that the more subconcussive hits a player endures, the more likely it is that they will be diagnosed later with a degenerative neurological disorder.

There is no test currently that can diagnose CTE in a living person as it can only be confirmed via autopsy posthumously.

So, we don't have a definitive way of knowing who does and doesn't have CTE until that individual dies and an autopsy is performed specifically looking for the tau proteins that form in individuals with CTE.

So, the link has been proven and the risk is there -- what we don't yet know is how many tackle football players have CTE?

All linemen? Most linebackers? Most runningbacks? Quarterbacks who take a lot of sacks? Other position players who play for more than a decade? NFL and college players who start tackle football between 5 and 8 years old versus waiting until high school?

While we won't know the prevalence of CTE until a test for living players is developed, we certainly know the risks, and instead of the NFL doing something to mitigate that risk, they have their team doctors lying to Tua and telling him that quarterbacks don't develop CTE, it is more a thing that happens to linemen and runningbacks when Miami's own former quarterback, Morrell, the back up to Griese during Miami's famed undefeated 1972 season literally died with the most advanced form of CTE, Stage IV.

And while Morrell played during an era where quarterbacks were unprotected by the rules, there have been college quarterbacks diagnosed with CTE, so for the team doctor to tell Tua when he was contemplating retirement that he has nothing to worry about because he is a quarterback and CTE isn't seen amongst players in the position he plays is an audacious lie.

With the NFL draft being tonight, I wanted to share a document that I put together of last year's season (2023 to 2024) where I documented in NFL games I watched any hits that seemed to lead to a concussion where the player either wasn't evaluated or passed the protocol too quickly or where the player was temporarily removed from play only to re-enter the game later or where the player finished the game only to report concussion symptoms after the game or in the following days to the team's facility.

I also notated where the announcers explicitly took place in creating false narratives for the viewer and I will include clips and/or images of the hits I am referencing when I have them.

Specifically, the announcers would either gloss over egregious, sometimes helmet to helmet hits, or there were times I saw a player collapse (Amazon Prime Black Friday game) and even having seizures (Cowboys game late season) and we were never provided with an update by the announcers and, in the latter case, the announcers never even mentioned that the Cowboys player was visibly seizing on the field (I tried to find footage of the hit on Youtube, Twitter & Reddit and was unable to).

In this post, what you will see is that the NFL is a machine that is constantly propagandizing both its viewers and players through the announce team, play by play and color commentating, as well as pre-game shows like Game Day Morning (NFL Network) and Sunday Morning Countdown (ESPN) by either minimizing, justifying, glossing over and/or glamorizing the violence on the field.

You will also see teams continuously lying about player injuries, especially concussions, dishonestly claiming after the game that a player had a knee injury when he clearly lowered his helmet to deliver the hit then promptly proceeded to collapse on the field (Amazon Prime Black Friday game) yet Miami stated the player had a "knee injury" after the game.

There are many, many other examples like this which should remind you of Miami lying two seasons ago that Tua had a "back injury" when he clearly had suffered a concussion as he was wobbly (classic ataxia symptoms) and struggled to get up and had to have multiple players assist him just to stand yet he still finished that game against the Buffalo Bills.

2023 to 2024 False NFL Narratives 11/24/2023 - Dolphins vs Jets On October 23rd, 2023, Jevon Holland fell to turf after colliding with fellow Dolphins defender vs Eagles.

He was on the turf for several minutes then evaluated in the lockerroom for a concussion by the UNC (unafilliated neurological consultant) and he cleared the test and was put back in the game.

The next morning (Monday), Coach Josh McDaniels confirmed that Holland had reported concussion symptoms and had been entered into the concussion protocol. He cleared the protocol a week later on November 1st and rejoined the secondary.

Tonight, approximately one month after Holland sustained a concussion against the Eagles, during the inaugural Black Friday game on Amazon Prime on November 24th, late in the 4th quarter, Holland lowered his helmet to deliver a tackle and immediately collapsed to the turf.

Earlier in the game, Holland had had a 99 yard pick 6 touchdown.

The broadcast stepped away to a commercial break directly after the above hit occurred and, when they returned, there was no update on Holland as they displayed a graphic on screen displaying the current AFC playoff picture and returned to the in-game action without providing commentary on Jevon Holland, who we had just seen collapse to the turf after lowering his helmet and delivering a hit just prior to the break.

The game concluded, and while Al Michaels & Kirk Hebstreit commented on Hollands incredible 99 yard pick 6, they never provided an update on how Holland was doing, if he had been evaluated for a concussion or if he had been ruled out of the game with a concussion.

In other words, the announce team acted like Holland had never collapsed to the field after lowering his helmet to deliver a hit.

As the game concluded, Al mentioned that the sideline reporter would be interviewing Jevon Holland about his 99 yard pick 6.

Holland was lucid, clear eyed and seemed 100% in control of his faculties.

There was no mention of him lowering his helmet earlier to deliver the tackle that left him collapsed and lying motionless on the turf.

Miami Dolphins claimed after the game that Jevon Holland had injured his knee, but during the broadcast of the game, a slow motion replay clearly showed that Holland lowered his helmet to deliver a tackle then he collapsed to the turf afterwards.

This is eerily similar to when Tua Tugavoila, Miami Dolphins QB, fell to the turf after a hard hit vs Buffalo Bills on a Sunday afternoon game two seasons ago, and had difficulty getting up, was visibly wobbly, stumbled, and had to be assisted up by several Dolphins players.

It was reported by Miami during the game at halftime that Tua had suffered a "back injury" and that he had experienced "back spasms" that made it difficult for him to walk when very clearly Tua had displayed concussion symptoms after being hit which included ataxia, a loss of motor control/instability.

Despite how obvious this was during the broadcast, Tua was never evaluated for a concussion and Miami Coach McDaniels defended the lack of even evaluating Tua for a concussion in the press conference after the game.

Four days later, Tua and the Dolphins faced the Bengals on Thursday Night Football at Paycor Stadium.

Tua sustained another very hard hit and slammed his helmet against the turf and immediately went into a fencing response.

He was put on a board and immediately ruled out of the game and taken to a local hospital where he was diagnosed with a concussion.

The Amazon Prime broadcast did mention that the head impact Tua clearly appeared to sustain on four days prior on Sundays game against the Bills which he then went unevaluated for and played through and there was additional speculation whether both head impacts occuring in four days could have led to Tuas fencing response with the hit he sustained during that current nights game against the Bengals.

After sustaining his second concussion in four days against the Bengals on Thursday Night Football and exhibiting a fencing response, a few weeks later, Tua received another very hard hit and he appeared to be concussed but he was unbelievably never evaluated.

Tuas QBR prior to the hit was over 100, his QBR after the hit was under 60.

Tua admitted after the game that he couldnt remember any of the plays he had just called during the game.

Despite all this, Tua was never evaluated for a concussion or ruled out of the game despite suffering a serious concussion a few weeks earlier vs the Bengals that led to a fencing response and him being evaluated at a hospital only four days after sustaining a hard hit Sunday vs the Bills which resulting in Tua stumbling and having to be helped to his feet by several fellow Dolphins for which he was never evaulated for nor removed from the game.

Still no concussion evaluation during the game although Tua admitted after the game he couldnt remember any of the plays he had just called during the game and his QBR in the game was over 100 prior to the hit and under 60 after the hit. And he had already suffered two concussions in four days just a few weeks prior to this game.

Still no concussion evaluation.

The next day, on Good Morning Football on the NFL Network, the hosts announced that Tua had reported concussion symptoms that morning when he reported into the team facility.

Tua was diagnosed with a concussion, placed on Injured Reserve, and ruled out for the rest of the season.

Even with all of this occurring to Miamis quarterback just last season, even with Jevon Holland falling to the turf after colliding with a fellow Dolphin on October 23rd vs the Eagles and lying on the turf for several minutes motionless and even after Holland was evaluated for a concussion in the lockerroom then allowed to return to play in that same game, even after Holland reported concussion symptoms the very next morning to Miamis training staff (just like Tua did last season) and they ruled him out with a concussion for a week, even after they cleared Holland on November 1st and Holland returned to play, even when Holland lowered his head approximately a month after sustaining the concussion against the Eagles on Amazon Prime's Black Friday game to deliver a tackle which once again left him motionless on the turf, Holland was still not evaluated for a concussion and he was instead incorrectly diagnosed after the game with a "knee" injury.

This is a systemic problem with the Miami Dolphins, their head coach Josh McDaniels, their training staff, the unaffiliated neurotrauma consultants (UNC) and independent spotters -- they have all failed.

Did the NFLPA, the players union, step in on Holland's behalf and intercede as they did with Tua the season prior which led to the "Tua rule" and ataxia being added to the list of "no-go" symptoms in the NFL's concussion protocol that if exhibited automatically removes a player from the game? You know the answer to that because unless you are a Dolphins fan, you have no idea who Holland is.

Miami is reckless with their players health and we have seen this play out multiple times now in back to back seasons.

Will the NFL do anything?

Will the NFLs top medical director say anything? Last season, the NFLs top medical director did admit that Tua "did not look like" he sustained a back injury.

Okay -- thats it?

No fines, suspensions, warnings or loss of draft picks for Miami's head coach and their trainers?

The UNC that cleared Tua last season and cleared Holland in October -- why havent they been fired?

The independent spotters that missed Tuas concussion last season and Hollands concussion last month should be fired.

Who protects these men from themselves AND their coaches, trainers, independent spotters, unaffiliated neurotrauma consultants, Roger Goodell, the NFL machine and the purposely oblivious fans and often neutered and ineffective NFL Players Association?

11/30/23 - Dallas vs Seattle On November 30, 2023, Dallas played Seattle on Amazon Prime Thursday Night Football.

During the third quarter, Tony Ferguson (#87, Tight End) caught a pass from Dak Prescott on the 5 yard line and Quandre Diggs (#6, Safety) hit him helmet to helmet.

It was an egregrious hit that Al Michaels commented on the broadcast.

However, there was no flag.

This is extraordinary given that Seattle & Dallas were the two most penalized teams as of that current season in the NFL.

Carissa Thompson even said during halftime that the laundry was flying like crazy.

Additionally, Bobby Wagner (#54, Linebacker) was called for pass interference for defending a pass to Tony Pollard that was nowhere even close to DPI.

Literally, even the Amazon Prime broadcast stated there was nothing there and it wasnt pass interference.

So, an egregious gratuitious helmet to helmet hit -- let 'em play!

But for the crime of playing defense, Wagner gets hit with DPI.

One of those plays -- helmet to helmet hits -- causes concussions and permanent brain damage and was supposed to be legislated out of the sport.

Pass interference doesnt cause the players' jelly and egg yolk-like unprotected brains to move around violently and rupture against the inside of their sharp and bony skulls.

Yet pass interference is what gets the yellow flag and what gets penalized.

Permanent irreversible and preventable brain damage is nbd.

11/9/23 - Panthers vs Bears Hayden Hurst (TE, Carolina Panthers) suffered an extremely hard yet legal hit from Jaquan Brisker vs the Bears on 11/9/23 that caused Post Traumatic Amnesia.

Hayden Hurst's father tweeted the following on 12/6/23: "@haydenrhurst has been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Amnesia by an independent neurologist as a result of the hit he took in Chicago November 9. Slow recovery, don’t know when he’ll be back. Prayers appreciated!"

Per the above linked video, the hit was hard but perfectly legal. There is no way to legislate hits like this out of the game without removing tackling.

Post Traumatic Amnesia has happened in an NFL game before, even if it wasn't diagnosed as such at the time.

Troy Aikman still to this day does not remember winning an NFC Championship Game for the Cowboys in the mid 90s.

He was concussed so hard that when he arrived at the hospital after the game, he asked if the Cowboys had won the game.

Aikman says to this day, he watches the game back, but he doesnt remember himself playing in it while literally watching himself play.

Joe Burrow told Colin Cowherd on The Volume podcast during the 2022 to 2023 season that there are entire quarters and halves in college games he played that he doesnt remember due to extremely hard hits that happened during the course of those games.

Burrow claimed that he was strictly talking about his LSU days and that this hadn't happened to him in the NFL.

Cowherd replied that he wasnt surprised and that Drew Bledsoe and Trent Dilfer had personally told him in the past there were entire games they couldnt remember due to how hard they had been hit.

Cowherd said it may be a part of the game fans dont typically know about but he agreed with Burrow that it was extremely common.

Is this level of violence acceptable?

Hurst now has anterograde (post traumatic) amnesia not from a car accident or an explosion in a war or a physical assault but from the sport of football itself.

Unbelievably, the Panthers have confirmed that Hurst is already back at practice as of 12/6/23 and Hurst advised that, far from the hit being career ending as many observers and journalists rightfully wondered, that he would be "back in a week or two" but not before confirming he still has 4 hours of memory from the game when he was hit (11/9/23) that he doesnt recall at all -- aka he is still suffering from the effects of anterograde (post traumatic) amnesia.

I realize some people never regain their memories of the lost time -- but should he already be jumping back in with the live bullets less than a month later in padded practice?

It hasnt even been a month and hes already back at practice and Hurst says he may play next week!

That is totally reckless.

It unbelievably gets worse -- Hurst was not removed from the game after receiving the hit from Brisker that later caused the anterograde (post-traumatic) amnesia and returned to play the rest of the game on 11/9/23.

Per the Panthers, Hurst didnt enter the concussion protocol until the next day after the game (11/10/23).

So, how many more hits did an already concussed Hurst suffer when he returned to play after the Brisker hit?

Could there have been a second concussion?

Once you are concussed, it takes much less head impact to sustain a second concussion.

When Hurst reported concussion symptoms the next day at the team's training facility and the Panthers entered him into the concussion protocol, is it possible that unbeknownst to himself and the training staff, that he could have been reporting symptoms for two concussions?

Since Hurst was irresponsibly allowed to return to the game and continue playing after the Brisker hit, we will never know.

From ESPN.com on 12/7/23: Hurst entered the protocol during the Thursday night game after taking a hit that caused his head to hit the ground. He re-entered the game and wasn't placed into the protocol until the next day.

He later was told by the independent neurologist that he was suffering from post-traumatic amnesia.

"That's what I was told by the neurologist but sounds way worse," Hayden said.

Post-traumatic amnesia, according to the Cleveland Clinic, is amnesia that develops after an injury. It can involve multiple forms of amnesia. It can invoke confusion and frustration in those impacted because they have difficulty remembering where they are, how they got there or any new information since the injury.

"I'm doing better each day," Hurst wrote ESPN on Thursday in a text message. "It's not going to end my career, just being cautious as I come back. Should be another week or two."

"I appreciate everyone reaching out & checking on me. I suffered a pretty nasty concussion against the Bears a few weeks ago & don't remember up to 4 hours after the game. Scary situation but the Panthers have been incredible walking me through this process," he wrote on X.

He added in a follow-up post: "While it was scary, it is NOT career ending. I'm starting my return to play this week, so fingers crossed I make it back for the last few weeks! God Bless & Keep Pounding !!!!"

Keep pounding???

12/11/23 - Texans vs Jets On 12/11/23, CJ Stroud (QB - Texans - Offensive Rookie of the Year) slammed the back of his head against the turf at MetLife Stadium and was entered into the concussion protocol and was removed from the game.

It is well documented at this point that 1/4 of all concussions occur from the players heads slamming against the turf - 1/4!

25% of all concussions in football, permanent brain damage, are caused by the players heads slamming against the turf!

Replace all turf in all NFL stadiums with grass!

Soccer players have refused to play on turf in the World Cup so they are switching the turf out for grass then literally switching it right back to turf for NFL players -- how wrong is that?!

The owners have the money and, as has been proven, for the World Cup they can and will remove the turf and replace it with real grass.

They just dont give a damn about players in their own league!

The NFL Players Association has tried to get turf replaced with grass in their CBAs to no avail.

On top of the unnecessary permanent brain damage, it has also been proven that 36% more injuries happen on turf vs grass.

Cleats get caught. Players get caught.

They slip and slide.

Tendons and ligaments tear.

And the NFL owners dont give a damn.

So, the injuries and permanent brain damage continue.

Additionally, the Texans coach was asked post-game if CJ Stroud would be playing next Sunday.

He had just been concussed that same night, removed from the game & entered into the concussion protocol and the coach was already being asked if Stroud would be playing in exactly one week.

Its disgusting, infuriating & fucking terrifying that this decision is left to individual team trainers, coaches & UNC (independent neurotrauma consultants).

NFL has NO mandatory time off after a concussion -- the only professional American sport that doesnt have a mandatory sit out time period for a concussion like the NBA, MLB, MLS, NHL, UFC & boxing all do -- all you have to do is "clear the protocol" and you can be back at a padded practice a few days later Wednesday then playing in a game Sunday.

For that to be happening with everything we know about CTE is terrifying, infuriating, disgusting, inhumane, fucking reckless, disingenuous and a fucking slap in the face to every player who has died from CTE, who has committed suicide, who has harmed themselves, their families, their friends, their neighbors & strangers.

Week 11 - 12/4/23 On 12/4/23, a week  prior to the hit that caused the concussion on 12/11/23, CJ Stroud suffered a hard hit against the Denver Broncos.

Two concussions in one week but this one was undiagnosed yet clear as day from watching the broadcast.

He needed help from teammates to get back to his feet and he appeared wobbly afterwards.

Stroud wasnt checked for a concussion and played out the duration of the game.

During another play against the Broncos in the same game on 12/4/23, Stroud briefly rolled his eyes to the back of his head, closed them for a few seconds then appeared unsteady once he stood back up.

Although none of the Texans trainers or independent spotters reacted to this, one of the refs motioned a Texans trainer over to check on Stroud.

The trainer checked Stroud on the sideline then he was immediately put back in the game.

The following Sunday (12/11/23) vs the Jets, Stroud suffered an extremely hard late hit from Quinnen Williams. The back of his head slammed against the MetLife turf and he laid on the field for several seconds before being ruled out with a concussion.

Week 13 is coming up this weekend and Houston has a chance to make the playoffs.

Although Stroud was entered into the NFLs concussion protocol Sunday (12/11/23), it appeared given Stroud seemingly briefly losing consciousness, appearing wobbly and needing two teammates to help him to his feet the previous week against the Broncos on 12/4/23, that Stroud suffered concussions back to back two weeks in a row -- the one against the Jets on 12/11/23 was diagnosed and the one against the Broncos on 12/4/23 wasnt.

Stroud was also in MVP discussions leading up to Sundays (12/11/23) game vs the Jets and is on pace to potentially break some rookie records.

So, there was pressure for the Texans coach to start Stroud and not Mills or Keenum that Sunday against the Titans.

Thankfully, when asked if the Texans will play Stroud Sunday, the head coach said he is going to put Strouds health and career longevity above any "win now" demands.

However, many Texans fans disagreed with this and have stated online if Stroud clears the protocol, since the Texans havent ruled him out of Sundays game, if hes medically cleared then he should be out there as he obviously gives the Texans the best chance to win on Sunday and keeps their playoff hopes alive.

Here lies one of the existential dilemmas facing the NFL: why is this decision left up to the coaches?

Because the NFL is the only professional sport in America -- out of the NBA, MLB, MLS, NHL, UFC & professional boxing -- that doesnt mandate a specific time off period once an athlete sustains a concussion.

Literally, Stroud could have done a full padded practice three days later that Wednesday if his coach wasnt looking out for his well-being and cared more about keeping Houstons playoff chances alive then whether Stroud will be able to remember his own name in 25 years.

Stroud has been concussed two weeks in a row -- against Denver last Sunday (12/4/23) and this past Sunday against the Jets (12/11/23).

What would have happened if the Texans HC felt differently and Stroud played Sunday?

What if he lost consciousness again and sustained a third concussion in three weeks?

What if he died on the field from Second Impact Syndrome vs the Titans on Sunday and, unlike Damar Hamlin, what if he didnt come back?

Thats where tackle football is headed.

Flag football has been added to the 2028 Olympics.

NCAA has added flag football as a collegiate sport eligible for scholarships.

The Pro Bowl this season and last were flag with no tackling.

There is a sea change coming as the CTE test in living players will be available in 3 years max per Dr. Ann McKee, the famed CTE researcher at Boston University.

That CTE test, once available, is going to confirm CTE in almost all current NFL and many college and high school linemen, most linebackers and running backs, many tight ends and some quarterbacks, wide receivers and defensive backs.

This is all coming.

Its why the Pro Bowl game is now flag football.

If I know this, the NFL knows this.

Its why you keep seeing flag football commercials with female players with the NFL's biggest stars like George Kittle and Tua Tugavailoa.

The NFL knows its where the sport is going in 10 to 15 years so theyre gearing up for it now.

CTE test in living athletes will eliminate the NFL's feeder systems (high school & Pop Warner) because the lower level leagues will not be able to be insured once its revealed that the vast majority of linemen, linebackers as well as a sizable amount of running backs as well as some tight ends, quarterbacks, wide receivers and defensive backs who are currently playing have CTE.

CTE has been found in non-professional tackle football players at the high school level as young as 17.

The NFL knows tackle football is going away and will be replaced by flag.

So then why not implement some changes now before we get served a live death on Monday Night Football along with our Buffalo Wild Wings?

Eliminate kickoff and place the ball at the 35 yard line.

66% of all injuries occur during kickoff.

Eliminate QB sneaks and onside kicks.

Institute weight limits to get rid of lopsided matchups of 100+ pounds (tight ends vs linemen, etc.).

Replace artificial turf with grass as turf causes 25% of all concussions and 36% more injuries.

But the NFL wont do any of the above.

Just like CJ Stroud potentially getting concussed again had the Texans HC played him and possibly dying against the Titans, the NFL just doesnt care.

12/17/23 - Browns vs Bears During Week 15, on 12/17/23, the Browns played the Bears. Towards the end of the fourth quarter, Za'darius Smith (Browns, DE) accidentally collided helmet to helmet with fellow Browns defender Myles Garrett (Browns, DE).

It was an extremely hard hit and Smith laid on the turf motionless for several seconds afterwards then the broadcast cut away for an injury timeout.

When the broadcast resumed, we were informed by the announce team that Smith was in the blue medical tent.

This was towards the end of the game so no additional updates on Smith were provided.

I googled Smith the following day (Monday - 12/18/23) and here is the first link I saw: "Cleveland Browns defensive end Za’Darius Smith exited the win in the final moments against the Chicago Bears. Smith was injured when he collided with Myles Garrett on a stunt in the game’s closing seconds. Smith was blindsided and stayed on the field for quite a while before being moved to the medical tent. His injury wasn’t disclosed in the immediate aftermath of the game. The Browns cannot afford to lose Za’Darius Smith for multiple games. The team has lost over 15 players to injured reserve."

The Cleveland Browns wont tell you but I will -- the incredibly hard accidental hit to the head that Smith suffered when he collided with Garrett and collapsed motionlessly to the turf for several sustained moments before being taken to the blue medical tent was 100% a concussion.

The reason the Browns "didnt disclose" Smiths injury in the "immediate aftermath of the game" is because they know he was concussed but they have already lost 15 players to injured reserve, its December football and a very tight race in the AFC North heading into the end of the season so they dont want to enter Smith, their best rusher behind Garrett, into the concussion protocol.

Even though he should have been. Even though he was concussed.

12/17/23 - Cowboys vs Bills During Week 15 (12/17/23), the Cowboys played the Bills on Sunday Night Football.

Donovan Wilson (#6, Cowboys) is a safety for the Dallas Cowboys.

Wilson was injured during a play and the broadcast briefly showed him convulsing on the field right before a commercial break but commentary didnt say anything.

Wilson was removed from play and evaluated for a concussion then he returned to the game late in the second quarter.

I tried to find footage of Wilsons injury and subsequent convulsions on the turf but I could not find footage of Wilson going down and momentarily convulsing on the field on twitter, youtube or reddit.

At the end of the day, convulsing on the turf after a hard hit and then being evaluated for a concussion should be enough to get you ruled out of the game.

Instead, Wilson was evaluated for a concussion -- after convulsing on the turf for several sustained moments -- then returned to the game.

12/21/2023 - Rams vs Saints On Amazon Prime Thursday Night Football, the Rams faced the Saints on December 21, 2023.

After a hard tackle, the running back for the Rams, Kyren Williams' (#23), helmet popped off and a player landed very hard on him with his full weight.

Williams was slow to get up.

Williams was then shown entering the blue medical tent and the broadcast mentioned he was being checked out.

Kyren then almost immediately exited the tent and reentered the game.

There was no additional commentary regarding Williams' helmet popping off after the hard tackle, the player landing on him after, him being slow to get up, him being checked out in the blue medical tent then him immediately exiting the tent and then reentering the game.

Was Williams checked for a concussion in the blue medical tent?

Did Williams clear the concussion protocol that quickly?

It was a huge career defining game for Williams, after he had made several mistakes in the previous weeks game, as he scored a touchdown and had several big runs.

Williams was interviewed on the sidelines after the game as one of the key reasons for the Rams victory.

What hit? What blue medical tent? What concussion?

12/17/23 - Jaguars vs Ravens "Pederson said Lawrence suffered the concussion on a scramble up the middle with five minutes remaining in the Jaguars' 23-7 loss to Baltimore last Sunday (12/17/23).

Lawrence did not leave the game but completed only one of his seven pass attempts after that play."

This is proof that Lawrence was concussed!

Just like with Tua the season prior when he suffered his third concussion that season and, during the game, his QBR went from 100 to 60 yet he was never even evaluated for a concussion.

Lawrence didnt complete 6 out of 7 passes after the hit.

He was never checked for a concussion.

He never was checked for a concussion in the blue medical tent or on the sidelines.

Per Pederson, Lawrence self-reported symptoms after the game and it was immediately apparent that the concussion was sustained on the scramble up the middle.

Pederson said Lawrence self-reported symptoms after the game and was placed in the concussion protocol.

Lawrence did not practice that Wednesday or Thursday.

Lawrence cleared concussion protocol the following week exactly seven days after suffering his concussion and was cleared to play against the Buccaneers on 12/24/23.

12/31/23 - Bengals vs Chiefs "Pacheco was forced out of the game on Christmas Day due to the accidental blow he took to the head from a teammate as his helmet was knocked off and fell backward. The impact from the defender caused a nasty collision as the independent doctor ushered Pacheco off the field for further examination and was later ruled out for the rest of the day."

Pacheco cleared concussion protocol and played on New Years Eve against the Bengals on 12/31/23 than six days after the concussion he suffered on Christmas Day -- less than a week!

Pacheco cleared concussion protocol in six days!

That is ridiculous and absurd.

Unfortunately, the NFL's concussion protocol is five stages and each stage can be cleared in just one day.

So, technically, a player can actually clear concussion protocol in just five days.

That is a totally reckless, dangerous and insane concussion protocol!

There is no literal way that anyone can clear concussion protocol in less than a week and be recovered enough to play a violent and collision-filled sport like football with guaranteed head impacts, hits to the head, hard tackles and required blocking and tackling on every play that result in subconcussive head impacts.

1/7/24 - Saints vs Falcons During Week 18, on Sunday afternoon (1/7/24), the Saints were playing the Falcons in the last week of the regular season -- win or go home for both teams so there was a lot on the line.

Algiers (Falcons, Tight End) collided with Avante Taylor (Saints, Safety, #1) helmet to helmet.

Taylor dropped to the turf without body control and lay still for several moments.

Noone called timeout to check on him and the next play was about to start.

The independent spotter signalled for a timeout and pulled Taylor to check him in the blue medical tent.

Despite the high stakes in the game for both teams and the high adrenaline inherent in the "win and youre in" nature of football, the system worked as designed for once when the Saints' coach and trainers did not call for an injury timeout but the independent spotter did the right thing and called for a timeout. Thats why the spotters are there and why they are independent and unaffiliated from the team.

Later on in the same game (Week 18 - Saints vs Falcons, 1/7/24), Tyrann Matthieu (Saints, Safety) lowered his shoulder for a very hard hit against Drake London (Falcons, #5, WR).

This was a legal hit as Matthieu delivered it textbook style with a lowered shoulder but it was an extremely hard hit.

London was very shaken up after the hit.

London was never checked on the sidelines or in the blue medical tent but he most definitely should have been evaluated for a concussion.

The independent spotter who earlier in the same exact game did such an exemplary job signalling to the ref and calling timeout to check on Taylor even though his own teams coach and trainer neglected to do so was nowhere to be found to do the same for London who also needed to be evaluated for a head injury.

The hit by Matthieu to London occurred on 4th down so perhaps the thinking was, they're coming off the field anyway, he'll be okay once he can catch his breath on the sidelines.

You cant "catch your breath" from a concussion.

2023 NFC Wildcard Playoff Game - Rams vs Lions Matthew Stafford (QB, Rams) was tackled by Aidan Hutchinson (Lions) and then a second defender came in and hit Stafford very hard in the ribs then Stafford hit his head hard after falling to the turf during the 2023 NFC Wildcard Playoff game.

This is the picture that started this post.

Stafford immediately grimaced and was in obvious pain & discomfort.

Stafford was then shown on the sidelines being walked into the blue medical tent.

The broadcast mentioned Stafford looked hurt and Collinsworth added that Stafford had hit his head hard on the turf.

When the broadcast resumed, they replayed Stafford slamming his head against the turf.

It was clear that Stafford was concussed and seemed to exhibit a brief fencing response.

The broadcast showed Stafford walking into the blue medical tent holding his side.

The broadcast then announced that Stafford exited the blue medical tent as Nucua (WR, Rams) entered the tent to be evaluated.

After Nucua exited the medical tent, Tirico announced the UNC (unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant) called a medical timeout to ensure that Nucua (RB, Rams) had been evaluated -- this was the right action by the UNC as Nucua had been shown on the broadcast as slow to get up.

However, Stafford had been shown in a slow motion replay slamming his head very hard against the turf, after which he seemed to briefly exhibit a fencing response and Collinsworth commented during the replay how hard Stafford had hit his head against the turf -- if Collinsworth saw it and we in the audience saw it why didnt any of the UNC or independent spotters see it?

Why didnt the UNC or independent spotters call a medical timeout to ensure that Stafford had been evaluated for a concussion?

Because this was the Sunday Night game of Wildcard Playoff weekend and it was the most Hollywood-esque anticipated storyline -- each QB used to play for the opposing team in the matchup for the first time ever in playoff history -- Stafford played 12 seasons for the Lions, then they traded him to the Rams and the very next season, he won the Super Bowl with the Rams and this was his first time back playing against Detroit -- Goff had played multiple seasons with the Rams, the Rams traded him to the Lions, Goff then took the Lions to the playoffs -- so, stakes were high on both sides and the Lions had not won a playoff game since 1991 and the game was in Detroit. Eminem was there and did the intro for SNF. And exactly none of that meant that Stafford wasnt concussed, didnt briefly exhibit a fencing response and shouldnt have been evaluated for a concussion -- but he wasnt.

1/20/24 - Divisional Round - Niners vs Packers Deebo Samuel (WR, 49ers) suffered an extremely hard hit to the side of his helmet and he was very slow getting up.

There was an injury TO & commercial break.

Once the broadcast returned, Deebo Samuel got checked in the blue medical tent.

Deebo reentered and then left the game several times.

With 9:40 left in the 2nd quarter, Deebo was shown running into the lockerroom.

With 4:09 remaining in the second quarter, Erin Andrews reported that Deebo was questionable to return with a shoulder injury.

Erin also advised that Deebo had previously missed two games earlier in the season due to a shoulder injury.

However, the replay of the hit Deebo suffered clearly showed a helmet to helmet hit against him.

We then saw Deebos shoulder being examined on the sidelines and Erin Andrews advised that he had previously injured his shoulder earlier this season and missed some time.

Deebo was then shown in the lockeroom at halftime without his pads.

When the game resumed after halftime, we were advised that Deebo had undergone some xrays of his shoulder.

We then saw Deebo on the sidelines in a hoodie and Erin Andrews reported that Deebo was still questionable to return to the game.

Deebo did not return to the game.

Chris Rose advised during NFL Gameday Final that Deebo had been checked for a concussion during the game and was cleared before being removed from the game due to a shoulder injury.

Per replay of the hit, however, the head impact Deebo suffered was due to a hard hit to the side of his helmet where he was slow to get up.

This is is the same hit they also claim he hurt his shoulder on and the shoulder injury is why he was officially ruled out of the game.

I think Deebo also had a concussion from the hit by Greenlaw and they covered it up by saying he reinjured his shoulder.

In the same game, Tucker Craft (TE, Packers) was hit extremely hard by Dre Greenlaw (49ers) on the side of his helmet as he blocked for Jordan Love (QB, Packers).

Craft was shown on his knees holding his head and was very slow to get up.

There was an injury TO and the broadcast went to commercials.

Upon returning to the broadcast, Greg Olsen (color commentator) advised that Craft had been slow getting up prior to the commercial break and that he was on the sideline, getting his eye checked out and that he appeared to "just need to take a breath".

Kevin Burkhardt (play by play announcer) then quickly advised that Craft had actually just entered the blue medical tent and he was getting checked out.

1/20/24 - Divisional Round - Bills vs Chiefs Shakir (WR, #10, Bills) suffered an extremely hard hit where he was sandwiched between two defenders then hit very hard.

Tony Romo stated on the broadcast that he could "hear the hit all the way up in the broadcast booth".

Shakir was shown on the turf holding his head.

Romo then advised the broadcast would be stepping away and there was an injury timeout and the broadcast went to commercials. When the broadcast returned, Shakir was shown jogging on the sidelines and Nantz announced that Shakir was jogging into the lockerroom.

Tracy Wolfson then announced that Shakir was being evaluated for a shoulder injury.

It was an extremely hard hit and he was holding his head when he fell to the turf -- not his shoulder.

Shakir most likely had a concussion and, just like Deebo Samuel during the playoffs and Tyler Brate (Bucs, TE) the previous season, they lied and claimed it was a shoulder injury.

Just like Tua's "back injury"  the previous season vs the Bills on Sunday -- before he was concussed a second time four days later against the Bengals on Thursday Night Football -- undiagnosed concussion Thursday vs the Bills where he finished the game --  then a diagnosed concussion four days later against the Bengals where he exhibited a fencing response &  was stretchered off the field, right?

Shakir returned to the game in the 4th quarter with under 5 minutes to go.

In the same game, in the first quarter of Chiefs vs Bills, Mike Edwards (S, #21, Chiefs) took a hard hit and was very slow getting up.

It was then announced on the broadcast that he was evaluated for a concussion and that he was entered into the concussion protocol.

Edwards was then ruled out of the game with a concussion in the 2nd quarter with 8 minutes left. The concussion protocol worked correctly in this instance as Edwards never returned to play and was subsequently ruled out of the game.

However, later in the same game, the concussion protocol failed spectacularly again -- remember, it had already failed earlier in the game when Shakir (WR, Bills) was allowed back into the game with a clear concussion in the 4th quarter with less than 5 minutes to go.

Knox (#88, Bills) taken out of game to be checked. Hard hit, slow getting up.

L'Jarius Sneed (Chiefs) also was "a bit shaken up" on the same play as Knox (#88, Bills) per the broadcast but Sneed stayed in for the next play and he wasnt evaluated.

Tracy Wolfson then advised that Knox was checked in the blue tent for a head impact and she said it "remained to be seen"whether or not he would come back in to the game.

Nantz then interrupted  Wolfson and advised that Knox was already back in the game.

AFC Championship Game - 1/28/24 - Chiefs vs Ravens Mike Edwards (Chiefs, S, #21) slow to get up and walked to the sidelines.

The broadcast stated he had been knocked out of last week's game vs the Bills with a concussion as I notated within this document two pages up -- two concussions in 8 days!

NFC Championship Game - 1/28/24 - 49ers vs Lions Dre Greenlaw (49ers, 2nd Quarter) delivered an extremely hard hit and appeared to injure his shoulder.

Greenlaw struggled to get up from the field.

He limped off and then slumped down on the sidelines and was in significant pain.

He was surrounded by trainers who removed his helmet.

The broadcast mentioned that his shoulder appeared to take the brunt of the hit and that Greenlaw was receiving a lot of attention on the sidelines.

The broadcast then cut away to commercials.

Upon returning from commercials, the broadcast announced that they were concerned about Greenlaw and that Erin Andrews had an update on how he was doing.

Erin advised that Greenlaw suffered a stinger after the tackle on #87.

Andrews further advised that despite suffering a stinger, Greenlaw essentially ran out of the blue medical tent and the broadcast showed a slow mo of Greenlaw running to his teammates on the sidelines.

Andrews further commented that people say that when Greenlaw hits you, he runs right through you, and the broadcast replayed Greenlaws hit on the Lions player (#87). 

The broadcast then showed Greenlaw on the sidelines receiving a shoulder massage from a trainer while another trainer removed his jewelery. 

Greenlaw returned to the game in the same quarter (2nd quarter) with 7:45 remaining. 

After suffering a stinger that caused him to collapse and drop to one knee on the sidelines in agonizing pain, Greenlaw returned to the game within five minutes and was shown delivering hard hits. 

Greenlaw was in the blue medical tent for less than a minute. 

The broadcast then advised that Greenlaw was the 49ers enforcer.

What stinger?

Later on in the same game, Brock Purdy (QB, 49ers) was tackled by 3 Lions defenders. 

Purdy was shown crushed underneath the defender flat on his back on the turf, his helmet partially off as it was an incredibly hard hit. 

The announcer conceded that the Lions "probably got away" with not getting a RTP call and that the crowd had noticed it and reacted to the missed penalty. 

As the broadcast went to commercials, Brock Purdy was shown walking to the sidelines in slow motion with a bloody lip. 

The broadcast stated again that the Lions had gotten away with a missed penalty and Purdy had a "bloody lip and all".

After commercials, the announce booth asked Dean Blandino (rules analyst) if the refs missed a RTP penalty on the last drive.

They replayed the hit against Purdy and Blandino advised that Houston (#41, Lions), lowered his head after Purdy had been tackled to the ground with force. 

Blandino advised he believed that the refs missed the penalty and Houston (#41, Lions) should have been flagged for RTP.

Later on in the same game, McCaffrey (RB, 49ers) had a very physical run where he got within a few yards of the end zone. 

When he was tackled to the ground, he landed hard on his head. 

The broadcast showed him a bit slow to get up. 

The broadcast then mentioned that McCaffrey landed on his head on the last play and that that was probably why he headed to the sidelines because he "needed a break".

Did he need a break or did he have a concussion?

After the 49ers scored a touchdown, their sideline was shown celebrating while the stadium erupted. 

While McCaffreys teammates cheered, he was shown on the sideline with trainers working on his neck as he grimaced in pain. 

The broadcast did not mention this as the stadium and 49ers were still celebrating the touchdown and, instead, advised that the Lions would need to score soon as there were 3 minutes left in the game.

What neck injury? What concussion?

The NFL Draft: Exploited Dreams As is probably clear from the above, I won't be watching the draft tonight. I have previously written articles on my tumblr questioning why I continued to watch the NFL despite all of the violence, dehumanization, head trauma, permanent brain damage, unguaranteed contracts, exploitative players union and commodification of players as products to be consumed.

For the past 13 years, I have watched football every Sunday from 9 am (Gameday Morning) or 10 am (Sunday Morning Countdown), the 1 pm, 4 pm and 8 pm games and Gameday Final -- from 9 am or 10 am to 12:30 am every Sunday; Mondays, pre-game on ESPN, Monday Night Football then ESPN post-game -- 7 pm to 12:30 am and Thursdays pre-game on Amazon, Thursday Night Football then Amazon post game -- 6:30 pm to 12:30 am.

28 hours of football a week, every single week, and me and my husband -- the only reason I ever got into football as I hated it prior to meeting him -- would make a different dip every week which we would then watch all day while we watched all the games. It was definitely our couples routine.

That was 2011 when I started watching football with my husband and slowly became a fan of the physical courage, larger than life personalities, confidence, swag, charisma, courage, physicality, calm under pressure and the general hypnotic and quixotic thrilling allure of the game, the spectacle of it all, the violent chess game that required aggression and strategy all appealed to me.

But I could never get over the helmets crashing, violence, injuries and concussions.

I bought Nate Jackson's book, Slow Getting Up, in 2016 -- he is a former TE for the Denver Broncos -- and that started nearly a decade's worth of research which has involved reading thousands of academic, scholarly and scientific journal articles, books, blogs and studies and conversing with attorneys via email who have been involved in litigation against the NFL.

Despite being a huge Joe Burrow, Bengals and Eagles fan, the amount of research, and the limitless depths and levels to the NFL's deception and depravity have finally served to mostly turn me off from the NFL.

I have previously attended Eagles and Ravens games in person. I have a Joe Burrow t-shirt, orange and black beaded necklace, sunglasses and cat ears as well as Eagles t-shirts and Super Bowl shirts and I attended the Eagles parade live when they won the Super Bowl in 2018.

From all of the above, I have decided to minimize my interactions with the NFL.

Over 85% of players who have applied for payouts under the NFL's $765 million concussion settlement have been denied. That's not okay.

The race norming bias where the NFL assumed that Black players were less intelligent so if they didn't fail their neurological assessments spectularly, they were denied disability benefits. That's not okay.

It's a long list that as you can see from this post kept getting longer and I could no longer put up with the racism, exploitation, lies, denials, gaslighting, subterfuge, underhandedness of the NFL.

The NFL is too similar to Israel - who they staunchly support while they murder 35,000 Palestinian civilians in a genocide yet the NFL would only give a moment of silence to the Israeli civilians who lost their lives -- 4,000 to 35,000.

Do the math that the NFL refuses to do.

The NFL's treatment of Colin Kaepernick.

Goodell's disgusting statements on George Floyd.

The NFL's treatment of players who chose to kneel during the anthem as is their right per the first amendment.

The NFL's racist dog whistles to its mostly aging and white audience regarding Trump, Israel, zionism & Black Lives Matter.

Its a long list that only gets longer.

Their exploitation of Damar Hamlin.

I have decided to go from watching nearly 30 hours of NFL programming a week every week for 4 months to only watching Eagles vs Cowboys, Bengals vs Chiefs, Eagles MNF & SNF games, Bengals SNF & MNF games, the AFC & NCF Championships and the Super Bowl.

I prefer this to zealotry and trying to just cut it all off -- I would rather cut off 90% of my NFL watching then try to go for 100%, fail and then things stay the way they were for the past 13 years.

I have unfollowed the Bengals, Eagles & NFL accounts on all social media and also unsubscribed from their newsletters.

I will not attend any more games at Lincoln Financial Field nor will I attend another parade if the Eagles win another Super Bowl.

I also won't be watching the draft tonight nor tracking who the Bengals or Eagles select.

I can't unsee these young men tonight, full of hope promise dreams and ambitions, twenty to thirty years from now unable to work, talk, remember their playing careers, their wives & childrens names.

I can no longer embrace these young determined men lured by the bright lights and big money of the NFL being exploited for their courage, physicality, talents, intelligence, strength & heroic feats on the field.

[senadimell]

Re: the death post, is it wrong to ask why you see it as a bad ideal for society to aspire to? I agree that coming to peace with death is healthy for individuals but I don’t think we should have that attitude as a society. The ideal of immortality, of being physically ~26 forever, seems a noble one to aspire to. Our deaths should ideally be under our control. That they aren’t is probably not changing in the near future (hence the need to come to peace with it as individuals) but it doesn’t make it any less of a tragedy imo. Plus as an ideal it doesn’t seem that impossible in comparison to others, we have real life examples of immortal organisms, we have no indication that it goes against the laws of physics (unlike, say, teleportation).

Sorry for the long delay in answering @urupotter. It's not wrong to ask, but the answer is complicated because it's deeply personal and touches on my moral convictions, so it's emotionally taxing to discuss. Also, my religious upbringing likely plays a part in how I see things and I don't expect that to be universal.

The short of it is this: I cannot imagine a society that seeks immortality that is not deeply, deeply ableist.

I live in a country that used to be renowned for its eugenics and those attitudes didn't go away after the second world war, we just focused it on health and beauty and perfect babies and anti-miscegenation.

Literally, there's a supreme court ruling still on the books that upholds state-decided compulsory sterilization. Legally, it's just fine for the state to decide who's allowed to reproduce because "three generations of imbeciles is enough."

I already live in an ableist society, and I live in a society that's terrified of and ignorant towards death. We are phobic towards aging and disease. We bury and hide those things. Parents go to live in nursing homes when they're sick and unless someone dies in hospice in your home or you were in an accident or the military or work in hospice or mortuaries etc., most people have literally not seen an unembalmed corpse. You also don't see fragile, elderly people in public, and multigenerational households are rare.

I don't know if I'm communicating this well, but for us to pursue immortality, I have a really hard time believing we could do that without denigrating mortality, aging, and disability.

So if we have a system where those things are looked down on, then we think about who has access to life-extending treatment, and that's where class comes in. Even if we could technically come up with something that makes you immortal, I highly doubt that everyone would have equal access to it. So you end up with an amplified version of the society we live in now, where youth and beauty is praised and age is feared or disparaged, and even more than now, access to beauty and immortality is tied to wealth and power. (ageism in hiring is already a huge problem!)

Do I think it's a good use of societal resources? Not really, no. Even if we put aside all of the problems for the policymakers, I think there's other things I'd rather medical researchers be focusing on.

Now, there are definitely age-related things that I think are great to focus on fixing. Coming up for some ways to get rid of arthritis = great! would make lots of people's lives easier! Getting rid of Alzheimer's and other kinds of dementia? Absolutely! While we're at it, let's cure Parkinson's.

It might seem contradictory that I'm totally find with finding cures for degenerative diseases but am not okay with treating death, perhaps the ultimate degenerative disease. But I guess that's the thing, I don't see death as a disease, and I don't see disability as inherently bad (some kinds of disability are just bad—there is nothing redeeming about migraines. Or Alzheimer's). I'm not sure how to describe why those two goals feel different, but it just seems like hubris to pursue eternal youth, whereas stopping specific kinds of suffering seems noble.

Here's where I get into the fuzzy philosophical side of things. I think aging and death have a whole lot to teach us as a society. I think we learn compassion through caregiving. I think we learn humility and patience. I think there's tremendous wisdom to be found in aging and dealing with aging and death. I don't think we should go around inflicting it, obviously, but I do think that we have so much to learn.

This is the part where I'm speaking purely personally, and don't expect others to have to agree with me, but I don't think in a perfect world we would have control over our deaths. This has to do with what I understand the purpose of life to be.

(I'd rather not get into a public discussion on assisted suicide; the short of it is that I'm not blanket opposed to it but I think it's a very very delicate issue and I lack the life experience to know if it's something I would ever pursue, so I'm not the one who should be setting policy)

And maybe this is silly or morbid or crass, but tbh it does give me a sense of relief to know that we all die because there are some sucky people in the world with a lot of power and money and I don't think it would be a better world if they were immortal.

So in conclusion, I think it's actually worse for a society as a whole to be pursuing immortality (as opposed to individuals) because of all the attitudes that go around with it. Also, there's enough preventable deaths to go round and I think we should focus on that.

[after-nine-at-the-oasis]

Hey guys xD

LOL "pain is a stimulant" xDD

As he deserves tbh, so valid 😌😌 >:))

Aww PHEW yeah she's fine 😅🥰🥰

At first I thought somehow she got a scrape or something on her head but it was just Tommy checking her eyes lol

Thank goodness <333

Y'all all did it, but you especially Grace :'))

You put in the effort form the very beginning <333

My girl 😭❤️❤️🥰

LOL yeah how to explain this to your husband XD

OPE there he is now XD rip girl good luck lol

AWW themmm 😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🥰🥰🥰🥰

Y'all I literally love them so much <333

I can't even 😭😭❤️❤️❤️

Awww themm :'))

Nah I mean they did help but they weren't the ones who were here first xD

Lol Judd sounds like he's boutta go for him xD

LOL he is XDD

I mena he did show up but FAIRRR lol xD

HE <333

Judd of course 🥰🥰❤️

He loves her so much :')) :'DDD

YESS it is a skill that can be earned 🥰🥰

What a slay honestly :'DD

YESS now go home y'all deserve it 😭🥰❤️ xDD

My idiots <33

But also of course they're very smart, Judd too but Grace specifically right now :')) like focusing on her lol

My babeys :')) ❤️❤️❤️ <3

Aww hey guys :))

Lol xDX

I mean you are stealing it from him xD

LOL yep see xD

Ooh that sounds good

I mean y'all are acting like it's good lol xD

Good for y'all :))

Ooh interesting activities :D

Fun I mean not like weird lol

OPE :o

Oof yeah it is expensive xdd

Okay I don't actually think he's part of the trafficking ring but still this is sus xdd

I don't think he's trying to distract Owen or something even though I did first think that automatically that's just because this show has broken my trust one to many times XDD

But nah not genuinely

Oof still sucks though xd

OOPE :OO so THAT'S what we were focusing on there lol

I figured something had to go wrong or be revealed for this scene to exist xD and also because I don't think that the journal and such count as revealing information about the family lol

Anyway D: oh no it's like a disease or something isn't it? Like Parkinson's or something DD:

HUNTINGTON'S???

ಠ⁠oಠ

I

Oh my gosh

Oh C R A P

This ain't good 😭😭😭😭

Aww dude I'm sorry :((

Ohh that's where the pause earlier at the name came from 😭 he was forgetting his daughter's name 😭😭 that sucks dude I'm so sorry :'((

That's so sad 😭

Ahh died with it but not from it :'((

And passed it on to you guys xdd

But YEAH BACK TO NO OFFENSE SIR THE MORE IMPORTANT PART: ITS HEREDITARY

OHHHHH NOOOOOOO 😭😭😭

TK AND OWENNNNN 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH

I am S T R E S S E D this is not okay 😭😭😭😭 DDDD':

I'm sorry though guys :'(( for all of you <33

Not like sorry for but sorry for as well I mean just this sorry is addressed to all three of them xd

And I mena his family too now that I think about it

Even if you guys don't have it :'((

Because like there's a chance they won't get it

Pretty darn 99.9% sure on that XD

Well 100% really xD but anyway

I'm sorry y'all 😭😭😭❤️💔

But aww yeah he does still want to spend time with you that's not the only reason he came down :')

While he still can though as well probably

So it's probably still a bit of the reason xd

Yup :'(( xd 😭😭😭

You're gonna be fine :')

Nah you guys are gonna be fiiine :')))

This is fine 😌

You're gonna be fine :'D

This is gonna be fine :) :')

AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I'm not okay :'))

[some-eldritch-bats]

So. I have heard the above stated unironically. For folks who agree with the above comment (which was made sarcastically, to be clear, they absolutely don't agree with the thing they said)... Here's my little diatribe. Sit down, shut up, and listen.

Gambling, especially slots like this, is strongly associated with poverty and having limited wealth. This is for many reasons but obviously one reason is fucking obvious: if you put all your money into a machine, you don't have any. These machines are specifically designed to prey upon poor people and people who were not taught financial literacy, which combined is a lot of people.

Problem gambling is DIRECTLY CAUSED BY treatment for Parkinson's disease. People who have never gambled before in their lives can suddenly develop severe gambling addictions. This is because some of the primary medications for Parkinson's disease directly elevate levels of dopamine in your brain. Drugs like carbidopa are literally designed to hyper-activate your reward pathways, because Parkinson's is a disease of low dopamine production, especially within the basal ganglia (which lets you start, continue, and stop voluntary movements and is also what's defective in people with tic disorders). People taking carbidopa have had their reward pathways ripped out of their head and replaced with a giant flashing fucking light saying "WOOOOO GAMBLING AND DRUGS BAYBEEEE!!!" It's not their fault they can't stop gambling and it's functionally IMPOSSIBLE for them to stop. Other issues with carbidopa include sudden food or alcohol addictions, other sudden substance addictions, and engaging in risky behaviours (especially risky sexual behaviours, which are kind of rampant in retirement homes). Frankly, if someone you love and have some part in the care in who has Parkinson's disease suddenly develops an addiction of some kind? You need to do something to try and stop them. Put limiters on their cards, get them blacklisted from all local casinos and put child safety locks on their phone apps, check on them more frequently, if possible become a co-signatory on their accounts and monitor their spending.

Do yous think that casinos are distributing that "hoarded wealth" that they steal from patrons? NO!!! THEY'RE FUCKING VAMPIRES!!! They fucking hoard it RIGHT BACK, and far far worse too. Old people have to pay to eat. They have to pay for utilities. They pass their money on when they die to younger family members who go out and buy houses. Casinos fucking don't. They put it in a big Scrooge McDuck pile and then they invest it into their friends' businesses and the wealth consolidation gets even worse.

These machines are fucking rigged and I cannot stress enough: were none of these other things true, that alone would make them evil. These things need to be shut the shit down because this is basically just legalised theft and I have no idea why.

I come from New South Wales in Australia, which is the unambiguous poker machine capital of the world. We have legalised poker machines OUTSIDE of casinos, which has led to virtually every pub having a stupidly high number of poker machines to the point that there is ONE POKER MACHINE FOR EVERY 88 FUCKING PEOPLE. Imagine walking into a normal-ass pub on a high street, and the first thing you see is a line of poker machines and a bunch of people sat in front of them, slowly and methodically dropping their food money into the slot. That's a normal sight in my home state, in this country that claims to give people a fair fucking go.

These machines are legalised theft, and they target the poor and the vulnerable and the elderly and the disabled. They target people that nobody cares about and systematically rob them, and this is considered "good business" instead of a "heinous crime against humanity" for no reason at all.