#new health status
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blueiscoool · 6 months ago
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The Statue Head of Hygieia Found Stuck Between Two Rocks in Turkey
A 2100-year-old statue head of the Hygieia (Health) Goddess was found during the excavations in the ancient city of Laodikeia in Pamukkale, Denizli, southwestern Türkiye.
Laodikeia is situated in a geographical location on the south side of the Lycus River, 6 km north of Denizli. Laodikeia was the most famous and influential city in the 1st century B.C. The remains of the city are dated from this era.
The city was called ”Laodikeia on the edge of the Lycus” in ancient sources. According to other ancient sources, the city was founded by Antiochus II in 263-261 BC and named after Antiochos’ wife. The Romans made the city the center of Kybira’s conventus (Golhisar-Horzum) because of the geographical setting.
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It encompasses the largest stadium in Anatolia, two theaters, four baths, five agoras, five fountains (nymphaeums), long colonnaded streets, impressive temples, and a myriad of churches and basilicas.
Earthquakes often plagued the town, and in 494 AD, a massive quake severely crippled the city. A further earthquake between 602-610 and an increasing threat from Arab raids led to the eventual abandonment of the city.
The excavations in the ancient city of Laodikeia are under the supervision of Pamukkale University Archaeology Department lecturer Prof. Dr. Celal Şimşek continues under the presidency.
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Hygeia was the ancient Greek goddess of health. She gave her name to the philosophy of hygiene. Hygeia was a young goddess, daughter and chief attendant to Asklepios, the god of medicine. She was in charge of cleanliness and how to live a long life (preventive medicine).
In classical sculpture she was often shown holding or feeding a large snake (the symbol of Asklepion medicine) in her arms. Statues of Hygeia were erected in all the major healing centres sited in the temples of Asklepios. Her primary temples were in Epidaurus, Corinth, Cos and Pergamon.
By Leman Altuntaş.
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itsalwayssunnyinhollywood · 8 months ago
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Sometimes I remember that it's always sunny is going to end one day and that means there will be a last episode and the thought of what that last episode will be terrifies me
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bumblingbabooshka · 1 year ago
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Worst Guy Ever - Also, Unfortunately, Very Homosexual Convo. (subtextually)
#Evidence of Tom being a bad boyfriend is also in a file labeled 'Tom wants to fuck Steth so bad'#but seriously I wanted to deck him in this convo v_v FORTUNATELY it is bearable bc I think that's the point - like the narrative is#showing that Tom is 'ruining what he's worked for' by being a dick to B'Elanna so I'm not like meta-mad about it (like OTHER Tom/B'Elanna#moments) <- Ex: Tom saying 'I have a beautiful girlfriend' instead of something like#'someone I care about/a girl I love' but that's a like...tv writing thing. I don't like it but I know it's a tv writing thing#Woman as like a status symbol instead of a person you care about#I never care about Tom's inner conflict in Tom episodes (with the exception of the one where he gets thrown in solitary - him going full#rogue was fun) bc his inner conflict is always the most boomer bullshit#Literally he's just having a midlife crisis in this one.#BUT...GUYS....IMPORTANT NEWS...BULLDOG'S IN THIS ONE??#BULLDOG ?? My enemy BULLDOG BRISCOE from Frasier??? Good to see you man! This makes sense.#Steth....WHY would you choose to turn into a guy with a detailed and established web of interconnected relationships on a ship with a#complex hierarchy? Steth really thought he'd be able to play it cool on VOYAGER...the USS codependent...nu uh#they sniff you out and maul you like gophers on that baby#EHHEHEEH the Emh is funny as hell...'WOW...I had no idea me being so perfect at everything was making you feel bad! It all makes sense to#me now...' / Steth(as Tom):....Yeah v_v#SNRKEHEHEHEHEHEH GUYS..I'm taking a mental health day so I can reflect on myself and how even though I'll never be as good as the Doctor#I'm probably still worth SOMETHING#Steth(as Tom): Hey now B'Elanna...let's not go around blaming Steth for things. He's a pretty cool guy actually.#Okay yes confirmed! The above convo is also to show that Steth is 'being better' than Tom by telling B'Elanna what she wants to hear#unfortunately this does not make me like Tom more#SHE WANTS SO LITTLE. SHE ASKS FOR SO LITTLE.#BC Tom DOES say that B'Elanna is 'overreacting' and basically calls her crazy even when it's not for a later moral lesson and#this isn't framed as bad by the narrative. If your girl's always mad at you then your relationship ISN'T good.#There's literally NO resolution once again to their relationship issues. Tom shows her his garage program and when B'Elanna says she feels#she doesn't value her he says 'Yeah I do.' episode ends.#T/B scenes are literally [conflict arises then they argue or kiss] <- it is never...RESOLVED...#Me @ The Writers: (B'Elanna voice) Is this your idea of an adult conversation?#OH. Gay subtext: I hate spending time with my girl I want to hang out and live the bachelor life with my cool guy friend.#Tom's grease monkey program might as well be a subscription to playgirl magazine sit DOWN dude
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icewindandboringhorror · 6 months ago
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oughhhhhhhhhhhh........ 89 F days in early May..........
#like 77F inside my ROOM right now whilst I try to get ready for bed and such.. DESPITE putting like layers of cover#over the windows and blocking the sun out for nearly the entire day.................................... evil#which I know is not bad compared to some places I guess but just...grrr....#Wild that one of my primary life goals and unreachable dreams is just ''live in a place with good air conditioning'' lol#No 'dinky little ac you have to tediously install in the window' that will be loud and annoying and keep you awake#and you can hear everyhting outside all the time and etc. etc. no.... the entire house... on one big air conditioning system....#imagine.............#Some news station posted a status like 'yaay summer weather! hope everyone has fun at the parks this weekend!''#... posts written by people who must live in some alternate reality or something ghjbhj...#One persons ''hellish doom pit of misery'' is another persons ''fun tee hee outdoor activity weekend~'' I suppose#I mean its also that my health problems just make me overly heat sensitive so there is SOME practical reason behind my preferences#also.. but even before I had as many physical issues. I just always loved that type of weather so much more and generally didn't like heat#MY version of ''OOh nice weather to go outside in!!!'' would be like.. 40F and partly cloudy. or gray skies misty and 60F or so. lol#... misty with gray skies my dearly beloved.... fog...... hail.... precipitation in general.... my closest ally and companion#... now I am daydreaming about them (cold weather conditions)...
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kniesout · 7 months ago
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listen-to-the-inner-walrus · 7 months ago
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#i figured it would be nice if usamericans could not make posts about how jk rowlings transphobia is an online white person thing#because okay look i dont expect people in your country to know about it#but over here she is using her wealth and status to actively harm trans people#trans people in the uk are suffering due to her#she is a fucking threat to us#to our lives#to our existence#maybe not everyone in the uk knows about it but that doesnt fucking matter#what matters is the fact that joanne rowling is one of the wealthiest people in the country and is held in high regard and has actual sway#in politics and has been using all of that to actively harm us#and im sorry but you can fuck off with your ''bestie its not that deep''#it is that deep#our priminister felt comfortable making a transphobic joke in the house of commons when the mother of a recently murdered trans child was#spectating and despite being given multiple chances to apologise he didnt#i regularly have to avoid the news as a trans person in this country because its so fucking depressing that i worry for my mental health#im not gonna start arguing with whoever made that post because i just dont have the energy#but jesus fucking christ#maybe for you it is a chronically online white queer thing#because YOU DONT LIVE HERE#YOU DONT LIVE IN THIS COUNTRY#so idk maybe dont fucking tell us to calm down about it#maybe recognise that a post isn't about you and just scroll past#dont invalidate the genuine threat that woman poses to us#i dont care how jk rowling is seen in your country to be honest because it really doesnt matter at this fucking point#not every thing is about your fucking country#vent post#delete later
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byanyan · 11 months ago
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ㅤat this point, they're beyond wasted and vibing out to music that's too loud with several substances on standby for when the buzz starts wearing off. happy new year!!
#━━ ˟ ⊰ ✰ ic status ⋮ fighting a fight i'll win anyway.#excuse to make use of this gif bc it's one of my faves? maybe.#but mostly i don't want to make an ooc post bc i don't much care for new years#THAT SAID....... i do actually have a goal for this year#and that's to finally ACTUALLY take fucking steps toward getting a diagnosis so that i can maybe start to be a functioning human being#for the first time in far far too long#at this point i'm p sure i'm on the autism spectrum and/or adhd and only having treatment for depression & anxiety#and having psychs guess at MAYBE things like bpd are the underlying main issue#then not actually doing anything about it#has royally fucked over my quality of life since middle school (:#i don't like talking much about my life bc it's genuinely so embarrassing#but i figure maybe baring a little of my soul will help encourage me to finally take steps forward.#this is basically my happy place. my retreat. my escape.#and byan has effectively become my comfort character and a bit of an outlet#so while i'm out here crying about shit i just want to say a huge thank you to all of you lovely mutuals who have kept me company#and put up with my sharp and glittery little freak and given me all these amazing relationships for them#i'd be doin a whole lot worse if not for y'all you have no idea#thank you i love you and here's to hoping that 2024 is good and a better mental health year for all of us ♡♡♡#...there's a good chance i'll be embarrassed enough to delete all these tags later tbh#but i'm in basically the last time zone to hit midnight so it's probably late enough that most people won't see it anyway lmao
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anaalnathrakhs · 2 years ago
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argh you just know there’s something a little shady under that whole retirement situation :))))
#sorry i have an unhealthy parasocial attachement to that old man but#like#either he unfollowed them bc retiring bc of health concerns is probably not fun and having the whole travel log rubs salt on the wound#which is the charitable explanation but still depressing#or he might've been forced into retirement or smth and there's bad blood :)))))#right when nikki talks about making new material#mick ''unclear status in the band as so far a touring retirement was retirement from all meaningful activities of the band'' mars#unfollows their social media#like he WAS kinda sweeped under the rug following retirement but it's not necessarily out of character for him#at least whether he likes it or not that's how he's handled it since he's been in motley#but like. is it that crazy to think it COULD have happened that he's being excluded from this hypothetical new music#and isn't taking it well#like i'm not trying to say the others are horrible evil assholes like just the geographical distance will cause exclusion#and while that would be painful to everyone to be excluded in such a way it's not necessarily ethically wrong or whatever#we don't know what they discuss or not and what kind of internal agreement they have#BUT THEY DO HAVE A HISTORY OF BEING PETTY BITCHES#AND IT WOULDN'T BE TOO FAR FETCHED TO SAY THEY MIGHT'VE WENT AND BEEN DICKS TO EACH OTHER AGAIN#WOULDN'T BE THE FIRST TIME#like idk if say. i was in mick's shoes. and i. say. learned from social media that the band i'm supposed to work with is making new music#without me#after 40 years#and didn't warn me or didn't discuss this with me or something#i'd be pretty pissed#now of course i'm not saying this is what happened#i'm just saying it might have happened#and the entire basis of this anyway is that i'm very sad my parasocially beloved old man might be upset#and the status quo of general peace and happiness my parasocially beloved band might be disturbed#and i need to talk it out#so yeah#broadcasting my misery
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solemntitty · 10 months ago
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oof yeah, 44% of the wastewater surveillance sites (currently our best indicator after hospitalizations/deaths for COVID community transmission levels) that the CDC receives info from are in that 80-100% bucket. (dug a little deeper into their metrics for ww surveillance, basically it's like a percentile of the individual ww surveillance sites previous data, so can be a bit inaccurate but is a best possible measure from such a broad epidemiological surveillance data source). yikes.
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big rip to the east part of the US rn
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saladbroth · 2 years ago
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honestly it should be criminalised that i get incredibly stressed out and anxious over asking for therapy appointments. wdym i need this shit but in order to get it i need to cry like five different times, have an anxiety attack and then quadruple check the mail i've written ten different times that's bullshit
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breadbox-draws · 2 years ago
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i’ve just woken up from a dream where John Doe had met people that were his parents, his brother, and sister at some sort of party gathering at a family friend’s house (he didn’t remember any of them deeply, just that they were Of Importance to him)
i really want to write this all out so bad-
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roseprincessarts · 2 years ago
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A Cope and My Feelings
Hey ...
I ... Really don't want to talk about this, but anxiety had built up inside me and quite frankly hasn't gone away. But I have to get it off my chest and possibly get the support I needed the most.
This will be a one time, but warning before commenting. Harassment that attacks people's opinions will be deleted or reported if necessary. Everyone is allowed to have their own beliefs and opinions, but any comments that attacks people's opinions and beliefs is considered harassment and will be deleted and/or reported. Everybody has different opinions and beliefs, and that's how to apparently is.
Sigh... here goes nothing. You know everyone's feeling about politics and predictions, like war, great depression that is supposed to happen in the future. To be frank, I letted the anxiety get the best of me because of thinking about it, causing my mental health to be at a low rate and a high rate of anxiety and fear. The fear has gotten inside me, just thinking about it and let it ruin my whole day. It's just distasteful and unbearable.
I didn't even think my mental health thinking about politics could take it, thinking about if war and depression does happen, we'd be prepared for survival.
I letted my mental health get the best of me because how bad my anxiety can really get, and I am trying to get as much help as possible.
Sigh.... Hope I don't get backlashed... Too much, but politics is not my mojo anymore, and I will not allow my anxiety to get worked up any longer. Stupid of me to post this, I know, but the fear and anxiety about war and great depression, and future (which says that may or may not happen) has gotten higher inside and been emotionally and mentally draining.
Welp, here you have it, and I will forget the whole political things and focus more on my life, my future, which I hope to achieve.
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foolishaetherguardian · 7 months ago
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I think a piece of what makes this compelling to me is the idea that they are shackled by their strengths, by the very things that they are worshiped for. It is an inversion of the way that most people/stories/characters are shackled by pain/weakness/traumas. And it can have all the same effects. A prodigy might deny their skills because they aren't actually the skills the world desires. A warrior might not believe they can sing despite having a voice to make even Apollo envious. A prophet might not realize that they are really a savant with tools. The same way a victim might not realize it's abuse a hero might not realize it's a chain.
it's always so fascinating and heartbreaking when a character in a story is simultaneously idolized and abused. a chosen prophet destined for martyrdom. a child prodigy forced to grow up too fast. a powerful warrior raised as nothing but a weapon. there's just something so uniquely messed up about singing someone's praises whilst destroying them.
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boreal-sea · 5 months ago
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Look.
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I have made you a chart. A very simple chart.
People say "You have to draw the line somewhere, and Biden has crossed it-" and my response is "Trump has crossed way more lines than Biden".
These categories are based off of actual policy enacted by both of these men while they were in office.
If the ONLY LINE YOU CARE ABOUT is line 12, you have an incredible amount of privilege, AND YOU DO NOT CARE ABOUT PALESTINIANS. You obviously have nothing to fear from a Trump presidency, and you do not give a fuck if a ceasefire actually occurs. You are obviously fine if your queer, disabled, and marginalized loved ones are hurt. You clearly don't care about the status of American democracy, which Trump has openly stated he plans to destroy on day 1 he is in office.
EDIT:
Ok fine, I spent 3 hours compiling sources for all of these, you can find that below the cut.
I'll give at least one link per subject area. There are of course many more sources to be read on these subject areas and no post could possibly give someone a full education on these subjects.
Biden and trans rights: https://www.hrc.org/resources/president-bidens-pro-lgbtq-timeline
Trump and trans rights: https://www.aclu.org/news/lgbtq-rights/trump-on-lgbtq-rights-rolling-back-protections-and-criminalizing-gender-nonconformity
The two sources above show how Biden has done a lot of work to promote trans rights, and how Trump did a lot of work to hurt trans rights.
Biden on abortion access: https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/08/politics/what-is-in-biden-abortion-executive-order/index.html
Trump on abortion access: https://apnews.com/article/abortion-trump-republican-presidential-election-2024-585faf025a1416d13d2fbc23da8d8637
Biden openly supports access to abortion and has taken steps to protect those rights at a federal level even after Roe v Wade was overturned. Trump, on the other hand, was the man who appointed the judges who helped overturn Roe v Wade and he openly brags about how proud he is of that decision. He also states that he believes individual states should have the final say in whether or not abortion is legal, and that he trusts them to "do the right thing", meaning he supports stronger abortion bans.
Biden on environmental reform: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/10/07/fact-sheet-president-biden-restores-protections-for-three-national-monuments-and-renews-american-leadership-to-steward-lands-waters-and-cultural-resources/
Trump on environmental reform: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/climate/trump-environment-rollbacks-list.html
Biden has made major steps forward for environmental reform. He has restored protections that Trump rolled back. He has enacted many executive orders and more to promote environmental protections, including rejoining the Paris Accords, which Trump withdrew the USA from. Trump is also well known for spreading conspiracy theories and lies about global climate change, calling it a "Chinese hoax".
Biden on healthcare and prescription reform: https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2023/06/09/biden-administration-announces-savings-43-prescription-drugs-part-cost-saving-measures-president-bidens-inflation-reduction-act.html
Trump on healthcare reform: https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/07/politics/obamacare-health-insurance-ending-trump/index.html
I'm rolling healthcare and prescriptions and vaccines and public health all into one category here since they are related. Biden has lowered drug costs, expanded access to medicaid, and ACA enrollment has risen during his presidency. He has also made it so medical debt no longer applies to a person's credit score. He signed many executive orders during his first few weeks in office in order to get a handle on Trump's grievous mishandling of the COVID pandemic. Trump also wants to end the ACA. Trump is well known for refusing to wear a mask during the pandemic, encouraging the use of hydroxylchloroquine to "treat" COVID, and being openly anti-vaxx.
Biden on student loan forgiveness: https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/biden-harris-administration-announces-additional-77-billion-approved-student-debt-relief-160000-borrowers
Trump on student loan forgiveness: https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamminsky/2024/06/20/trump-knocks-bidens-vile-student-loan-forgiveness-plans-suggests-reversal/
Trump wants to reverse the student loan forgiveness plans Biden has enacted. Biden has already forgiven billions of dollars in loans and continues to work towards forgiving more.
Infrastructure funding:
I'm putting these links next together because they are all about infrastructure.
In general, Trump's "achievements" for infrastructure were to destroy environmental protections to speed up projects. Many of his plans were ineffective due to the fact that he did not clearly outline where the money was going to come from, and he was unwilling to raise taxes to pay for the projects. He was unable (and unwilling) to pass a bipartisan infrastructure bill during his 4 years in office. He did sign a few disaster relief bills. He did not enthusiastically promote renewable energy infrastructure. He created "Infrastructure Weeks" that the federal government then failed to fund. Trump did not do nothing for infrastructure, but his no-tax stance and his dislike for renewable energy means the contributions he made to American infrastructure were not as much as he claimed they were, nor as much as they could have been. Basically, he made a lot of promises, and delivered on very few of them. He is not "against" infrastructure, but he's certainly against funding it.
Biden was able to pass that bipartisan bill after taking office. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Plan that Trump tried to prevent from passing during Biden's term contains concrete funding sources and step by step plans to rebuild America's infrastructure. If you want to read the plan, you can find it here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/build/guidebook/. Biden has done far more for American infrastructure than Trump did, most notably by actually getting the bipartisan bill through congress.
Biden on Racial Equity: https://www.npr.org/sections/president-biden-takes-office/2021/01/26/960725707/biden-aims-to-advance-racial-equity-with-executive-actions
Trump on Racial Equity: https://www.axios.com/2024/04/01/trump-reverse-racism-civil-rights https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-37230916
Trump's racist policies are loud and clear for everyone to hear. We all heard him call Mexicans "Drug dealers, criminals, rapists". We all watched as he enacted travel bans on people from majority-Muslim nations. Biden, on the other hand, has done quite a lot during his term to attempt to reconcile racism in this country, including reversing Trump's "Muslim ban" the first day he was in office.
Biden on DEI: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/06/25/executive-order-on-diversity-equity-inclusion-and-accessibility-in-the-federal-workforce/
Trump on DEI: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-tried-to-crush-the-dei-revolution-heres-how-he-might-finish-the-job/ar-BB1jg3gz
Biden supports DEI and has signed executive orders and passed laws that support DEI on the federal level. Trump absolutely hates DEI and wants to eradicate it.
Biden on criminal justice reform: https://time.com/6155084/biden-criminal-justice-reform/
Trump on criminal justice reform: https://www.vox.com/2020-presidential-election/21418911/donald-trump-crime-criminal-justice-policy-record https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/05/trumps-extreme-plans-crime/678502/
From pardons for non-violent marijuana convictions to reducing the federal government's reliance on private prisons, Biden has done a lot in four years to reform our criminal justice system on the federal level. Meanwhile, Trump has described himself as "tough on crime". He advocates for more policing, including "stop and frisk" activities. Ironically it's actually quite difficult to find sources about what Trump thinks about crime, because almost all of the search results are about his own crimes.
Biden on military support for Israel: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/biden-obama-divide-closely-support-israel-rcna127107
Trump on military support for Israel: https://www.vox.com/politics/353037/trump-gaza-israel-protests-biden-election-2024
Biden supports Israel financially and militarily and promotes holding Israel close. So did Trump. Trump was also very pro-Israel during his time in office and even moved the embassy to Jerusalem and declared Jerusalem the capitol of Israel, a move that inflamed attitudes in the region.
Biden on a ceasefire: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2024/06/05/gaza-israel-hamas-cease-fire-plan-biden/73967659007/
Trump on a ceasefire: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-israel-gaza-finish-problem-rcna141905
Trump has tried to be quiet on the issue but recently said he wants Israel to "finish the problem". He of course claims he could have prevented the whole problem. Trump also openly stated after Oct 7th that he would bar immigrants who support Hamas from the country and send in officers to American protests to arrest anyone supporting Hamas.
Biden meanwhile has been quietly urging Netanyahu to accept a ceasefire deal for months, including the most recent announcement earlier in June, though it seems as though that deal has finally fallen through as well.
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worldrsmtv · 1 month ago
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thoughtportal · 9 months ago
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Opinion Here’s how to get free Paxlovid as many times as you need it
When the public health emergency around covid-19 ended, vaccines and treatments became commercial products, meaning companies could charge for them as they do other pharmaceuticals. Paxlovid, the highly effective antiviral pill that can prevent covid from becoming severe, now has a list price of nearly $1,400 for a five-day treatment course.
Thanks to an innovative agreement between the Biden administration and the drug’s manufacturer, Pfizer, Americans can still access the medication free or at very low cost through a program called Paxcess. The problem is that too few people — including pharmacists — are aware of it.
I learned of Paxcess only after readers wrote that pharmacies were charging them hundreds of dollars — or even the full list price — to fill their Paxlovid prescription. This shouldn’t be happening. A representative from Pfizer, which runs the program, explained to me that patients on Medicare and Medicaid or who are uninsured should get free Paxlovid. They need to sign up by going to paxlovid.iassist.com or by calling 877-219-7225. “We wanted to make enrollment as easy and as quick as possible,” the representative said.
Indeed, the process is straightforward. I clicked through the web form myself, and there are only three sets of information required. Patients first enter their name, date of birth and address. They then input their prescriber’s name and address and select their insurance type.
All this should take less than five minutes and can be done at home or at the pharmacy. A physician or pharmacist can fill it out on behalf of the patient, too. Importantly, this form does not ask for medical history, proof of a positive coronavirus test, income verification, citizenship status or other potentially sensitive and time-consuming information.
But there is one key requirement people need to be aware of: Patients must have a prescription for Paxlovid to start the enrollment process. It is not possible to pre-enroll. (Though, in a sense, people on Medicare or Medicaid are already pre-enrolled.)
Once the questionnaire is complete, the website generates a voucher within seconds. People can print it or email it themselves, and then they can exchange it for a free course of Paxlovid at most pharmacies.
Pfizer’s representative tells me that more than 57,000 pharmacies are contracted to participate in this program, including major chain drugstores such as CVS and Walgreens and large retail chains such as Walmart, Kroger and Costco. For those unable to go in person, a mail-order option is available, too.
The program works a little differently for patients with commercial insurance. Some insurance plans already cover Paxlovid without a co-pay. Anyone who is told there will be a charge should sign up for Paxcess, which would further bring down their co-pay and might even cover the entire cost.
Several readers have attested that Paxcess’s process was fast and seamless. I was also glad to learn that there is basically no limit to the number of times someone could use it. A person who contracts the coronavirus three times in a year could access Paxlovid free or at low cost each time.
Unfortunately, readers informed me of one major glitch: Though the Paxcess voucher is honored when presented, some pharmacies are not offering the program proactively. As a result, many patients are still being charged high co-pays even if they could have gotten the medication at no cost.
This is incredibly frustrating. However, after interviewing multiple people involved in the process, including representatives of major pharmacy chains and Biden administration officials, I believe everyone is sincere in trying to make things right. As we saw in the early days of the coronavirus vaccine rollout, it’s hard to get a new program off the ground. Policies that look good on paper run into multiple barriers during implementation.
Those involved are actively identifying and addressing these problems. For instance, a Walgreens representative explained to me that in addition to educating pharmacists and pharmacy techs about the program, the company learned it also had to make system changes to account for a different workflow. Normally, when pharmacists process a prescription, they inform patients of the co-pay and dispense the medication. But with Paxlovid, the system needs to stop them if there is a co-pay, so they can prompt patients to sign up for Paxcess.
Here is where patients and consumers must take a proactive role. That might not feel fair; after all, if someone is ill, people expect that the system will work to help them. But that’s not our reality. While pharmacies work to fix their system glitches, patients need to be their own best advocates. That means signing up for Paxcess as soon as they receive a Paxlovid prescription and helping spread the word so that others can get the antiviral at little or no cost, too.
{source}
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