#r+j is definitely my go to reference for these two because of the similarities

[tidetower]

My only love sprung from my only hate!

Too early seen unknown, and known too late!

Prodigious birth of love it is to me

That I must love a loathed enemy.

A Romeo & Juliet inspired art of Addam & Daeron by jurimaart

[kanmom51]

I wonder: if I showed this simple (and definitely incomplete) list of things Jikook did with each other to some outsider... would they think they are a couple or not?

(-> YES. YES THEY WOULD. The fact that people have the gut to discredit them because they are same sex members of a boy group blows my mind! The overly pushed heteronormative is especially disgusting :/)

JM is JK 's emergency contact

JK has JM initials tattoed on his ring finger

they know e/o's family very well JK's mom loves JM JK references JM's father multiple times JK's brother seem to like JM a lot

JM gave JK a '(love)bite' on his neck

JK nibbled on JM's ear on a stage in front of 66k people after saying 'I love you'

JK called JM baby

JK called JM dangshin

JM called JK puppy prince

JK drops honorifics with JM

you are me I am you

they where together on free days/national holidays

they are often seen arriving and leaving together in the same car

JK said JM is the perfect person to marry

JK always gives JM his full attention when JM is talking

JK said JM is the member who gave him the most confort

they went to see the first snow together

they wore matching outfits on valentine's day

they went on a private holiday together (JK's present to JM for his birthday)

JK recorded their holiday together and published the video as his last present to JM (said video has romantic undertones and lyrics)

JK has preferential treatment for JM - pancake - never getting angry and letting JM get away with anything - scolding the other members when they talk over JM

they have special voices/tones for e/o

they share or match clothes jeans shirts green jackets vampire t-shirt olive brewery sweater grey t-shirt pants/shirt by LV check collection olive green and balck plaid jacket purple shirt and purple marni sweater shoes on several occasions

they went on a date to disneyland

they went on a date bowling

they went on a date ice skating

they touch in sus places neck (both) inner thighs (both) waist (JK to JM) chest (JM to JK) hair/face/lips (both) ass (both)

they hold hands for no reason

they back-hug for no reason

they side-hug for no reason

they hug for no reason

they sit on top of e/o

JK gravitates towards JM

JK stares at JM a lot esp his lips

they cuddle

JM said he would go to the moon with JK

JM said he would feel safe with JK even on a deserted island

JM said JK is a reliable banreyo

JK said everything about JM is cute

JK said JM is the cutest

JK said JM with makeup is sexy

JK said 'if it's sexy, it's JM hyung'

JM said he loves waking up and seeing JK

JK portraied his and JM morning routine in the music video for LGO bc he wanted realism

JM said the part of his heart that thinks about JK is quite big

JK woke up early on a 'retreat' in New Zeland to collect snow and gift it to JM

JK said JM's existence is honey for him

they have been seen going shopping together

they have been seen working out together

they have given e/o plenty of compliments (even on their phisical appearence)

the thing JK is most sorry for is an argument with JM when they were younger

jin repeatedly teased them for their couply behavior

they flirt on stage magic shop

they naturally pair up for group pictures

they wait for e/o to head home

they give e/o advice on dancing, performance and singing

they are together at weird hours at night (night buddies coff coff)

V called them out several time for being together alone instead of with him (vlives)

they said they better not do vlives together bc they distract e/o

the members refers to them as a unit

staff has said they never see them separated

they have questionable selcas together (of buised lips and shared beds)

JK said JM is shameless

they flirt a lot during downtime

JM seems to like being picked up/carried around by JK

JM said JK is his happy virus

JK said he makes JM happy. JM didn't deny

rabbit spit

JM saying JK likes being tied up

allusive pick up lines everywhere my heart is burning why are you acting cute detective play with me arrest me do you think you can always be forgiven bc you are cute it's not our first time I want you why do you always come to my room give me a kiss why am I so erotic? I am going to be your future boyfriend are you happy bc of me? Don't you hear my heartbeat? I purple u do you like me that much? This is my toy JK's holy sweat You gotta spank him although he's older

questionable subtitles provided for context star, wind and romance mood and they lived happily ever after JK is happy with JM kate minslet and leonardo jungcaprio JM is JK's favourite model the director is getting into it JM and JK are one the maknae is happy thanks to JM hearts, cute comments and music from the editing team over their interactions

the sun and moon duo

golden closet film

big romantic gestures for e/o JM getting back to korea from Paris for JK's birthday JK singing romantic songs to JM

korea's open secret

being seen together taking a covid swab

JM always stays afterhours to reharse with JK

they are e/o biggest fanboys

JK is protective of JM (airport)

jimmeo and kookliet

JM got annoyed Jin called him while he was spending time with JK

they went on a boat date to see the red moon

they went to see malta together

JK is often potographing or filming JM

they have moments together that are proper misteries and so weird the mosquito net incident the whole osaka vlives fiasco the various 'home' references laguna beach the kiss sound video while JK reharses weird tweets/hashtags what do you want for your birthday, do you have a desire? Ambiguous use of the world ARMY what is tasty in Busan JM's manager the tissue incident the incriminated-selfie gate

they seem to know everything about e/o

they mention e/o a lot

their last two solo songs are love songs (finding love in unexpected places and the joy coming from happy love)

j-hope mixes them up a lot

JM has plenty of cute pet names for JK

JM said 'it could appear as if JK is simply somebody close to him who is younger (but...)'

JM is always with JK when he is phisically or emotionally hurt

JK often massages JM for his chronic pain

JM often massages/caresses JK bc yes

JK imitated JM's dangerous dieting in order to make him realize how bad it was

they have private (questionable) videos dancing together/practicing alone

JK took over a call JM did to Jin on vlive to say 'I love you'

JK said 'I love you JM' in the mic after a concert

JK said 'I love you' to JM on the red carpet in sign language

They both said they get hyped when they make eye contact on stage

JK gave JM the cutie award

JK stays close to JM when JM falls asleep in public places

they blew kisses to e/o

they got lost staring at e/o and forgot what they where doing JM on the red carpet both of them at awards

they paired accessories

they paired hair colors

they have a lot of admiration for e/o as people

JK lets (or makes) JM win

they get frequently lost in their own world

they reference things only the other understand

JK sometimes puts up a bit of a jealous act I do not approve of this

JM lets JK scold him

JK said to JM 'you are always number one for me'

JK said to JM 'I am always watching you'

JK has been recorded softly containing JM when he's on a perfectionist streak

they seek e/o out for comfort after performance hugging/hand holding

when one is hurt the other looks like he's suffering too JK on stage when JM broke down in the first virtual concert JM when JM got denied in a game

they defend e/o from the other members and have e/o's back

the other members separated them on several occasions when they got too touchy

personal space who?

They know things about e/o that are clearly not shared with the class brushing teeths snoring alarm ring sleeping time

black swan performance

they put e/o hands under the other's clothes to touch bare skin

JM kissed JK's neck

they feed e/o

spanking and ass-grabbing

they were caught on camera ogling e/o shamlessly

JM's weird strenght kink

JM said his camera roll is full ok JK

they have a different smile for e/o

other members said suspicious things about them together

JK only saw JM and J-hope during their official break

all the members minus JM complain about JK not answering his phone

heart eyes

drinking from the same bottle

blindly recognizing e/o's body parts just by touch or out of context photos

napping on each other (yeah, you read that right)

non-verbal communication over 9000

weird editorial cuts in backstage videos when the two of them are together

JM said 'JK falls asleep hugging me'

JM said 'JK plays hard to get but when he thinks I am sleeping he comes by and say I love you'

JM said he is the main model for GCF

JK said JM's photocard is sexy

JK sometimes hesitates in touching JM or holding him when he knows they r on camera

JK said JM is a fallen angel

JK praised JM's dancing several times

JK likes to tease JM

fixing e/o clothes

JK closes his eyes when JM touches him

JM run trough a whole stage abandoning his stage persona when he hought JK was being sick

JM puts JK's happiness first

similar mindset about important stuff in life

JM sat on JK. Uh. Different ways

JK putting his hands over JM while being hugged in order to drag JM even closer

JM ordering JK around and literally dragging him around

JK being overprotective

the members subtly panicking when JK/JM have to interact closely on camera

JM having to fight for JK's forgiveness while Jin was immediately let off the hook

Quite a list anon, lol. You put so much work into this list I couldn't not post it.

I do agree with most of your points if not all of them, but a good example of just how much there is out there to show how these two are the real deal.

[radramblog]

Rating the letters of the alphabet

I feel like part of my style of comedy is just rambling about shit and making loose connections between things as part of an overall bit. I think. I’m no expert on myself, unfortunately.

The inspiration for the following absolute load of shite is trying to search Tiermaker for nothing. Like, no characters in the search bar. Didn’t come up with anything. Did a search for just a space. No dice. What about just a? Surely that’ll bring up everything with an A in the title. But it didn’t, and I was somewhat disappointed.

Then my head started writing bits about letters and that’s how we got here. This is probably really stupid, but maybe it’ll at least be fun. Wordplay is cool, though maybe not my strong suit? Anyway.

A: A is one of the two letters that’s also just a word, as you’ve just seen, giving it a necessary promotion in rank. Not a lot of things get to double up like that, though with the “an” ligature maybe it’s actually a double or nothing. But because of the confusing common connection crossing contexts for the character, it gets somewhat awkward to talk about the letter in conversation. An A, in my opinion, A does not get. 4/5.

B: B is also just a word letter but unlike A when you write it out you have to stick a few extra letters on to make it work, making it not as good. But B’s association with bees isn’t enough, because in the year of our lord, like, 2019 or something, it would become inextrixably linked with shite memes as the B emoji became king. And I just don’t respect that. It’s otherwise a fine letter, dragged down by its company. 2/5.

C: Oh come on now, the word doesn’t even have a C in it anymore! You can sea the see without any of our tertiary letter’s involvement whatsoever. Not to mention how its two main sounds are just copies from other letters wholesale. C must be confusing to non-english speakers, I’d imagine. C as a grade gets what C as a grade typically entails for many a schoolchild. 3/5.

D: It would be remiss of me not to give a sterling grade to the D. Why, none of us would be here without it. While many a youth may find the D to be quite a humourous subject, I assure you I’m taking it with the gravest of sincerity when I say the D has got to be one of the best letters of all.

And by D I mean deity, of course. Wait, what did you think I meant? 5/5.

E: The absolute absurdity that is the E meme elevates E efficiently enough to excel beyond many another vowel. However, it is also the single most common letter in the English language, going so far as to open the damn name. It’s to the point where someone made a point of writing an entire book without using it, and I think Gadsby is cool but mayhaps avoiding fifth uncial was a bit showy. I can’t help but mark it down for the sake of hipster cred. 3/5.

F: F is for Fuck. I like the word Fuck. F is for paying respects. I think the military-industrial complex has poisoned our cultural landscape to the point that a reference to one of its most prized productions’ awkward moments has become one of the most colloquially used meme letters in existence, And That’s Terrible. 3/5, I’m conflicted.

G: Man literally who the fuck cares about G. What is it even good for. Just an absolute waste of a letter, total shithouse. It’s NATO equivalent is Golf, the Worst Sport, too. Who asked for any of this? Just use a J instead, it’s cooler. 1/5.

H: I’ve seen “Hhh” used enough times in written forms of pornography to not consider it a Horny Letter. That and it, being short for Hentai, is often used to denote adult material in Japan. Basically what im saying is, I think this gets worse the less sex-positive you are. 6/9.

I: I think I’ve said enough about letter words already, but I is another high-tier one because like A I is just it’s own thing. It can also, however, be a bit confusing, looking just like an l a lot of the time, and having to constantly capitalise it is a pain in the ass. I also don’t have a particularly high opinion of myself, so a high opinion of I seems disingenuous. 3/5.

J: Clearly the best letter, hands down. I’m definitely not biased. There are so few letters as underappreciated by J- a fact many a person who’s had to do that “assign yourself an alliterative adjective” icebreaker game has had to reckon with. Because it appears to be a lot more popular with names than with words, and that just kind of sucks. 6/5.

K: K has in some circles managed to bump off its partner to become yet another letter word, though in a very informal abbreviated sense. However, when you’re looking into scientific fields, eventually said partner returns, having lost some weight on the trip down to absolute zero. This all makes complete sense in my head, and I’m sure is a lot less funny to anyone who doesn’t live there. 4/5.

L: I’d argue that L doesn’t cop its namesake. It’s a really useful letter, loads of words use it, especially in pairs, and my ADHD-brain thought it was fun to just say LLLLLLLLLLL for a bit while I was thinking about this so I guess that’s staying in now. Put me down as an L Lobbyist. 4/5.

M: Mmmmmm. M&Ms. But also it’s kind of a pain to write. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. 3/5.

N: I’d like to fight whoever decided we should have two letters that sound so similar right bloody next to each other in the alphabet. Actually, who the fuck even decided the alphabet’s order to begin with? Maybe it should go M to N, that’ll bloody show you. 2/5.

O: Our fourth vowel, and perhaps one of the underappreciated ones. O is similarly a letter word, but a much more common one considering its use as an interjection. It’s also one half of a very powerful letter combo, as we’ll see. 4/5.

P: There’s the other half. Many a joke involves OP as a phrase, whether it mean overpowered or original poster, and the letters’ adjacency is a lovely bit of serendipity. Whenever I say P out loud, on its own, I have to resist the urge to do some incredibly shitty beatboxing, which may or may not be a good sign. 4/5.

Q: I was going to write some very harsh words about Q, and its dependency on U, but then I realised that that is probably hate speech against the disabled. It still sucks, though. 0/5.

R: R is the one I am most struggling to think of things to say about. R is another letter that’s just kinda there. I’m sure the Roberts and Rachels of the world would disagree with me, though. It’s also the name of a program that I know has traumatised a lot of young biologist wannabes, slapping us with a whole pile of maths and statistics when we just wanted to look at cool plants and shit. Or in my case, cool cells and shit. 2/5.

S: The most overrated consonant, but also the thing that makes plurals not a pain in the ass. However I’m going to lean towards giving S a positive rating, if only because it’s associated with snakesssss (and serpentine characters who can talk) and I like those. 3/5.

T: I don’t think T gets enough credit as one of the pillars of the English language. A lot of very common words feature it, and yet it feels like it never gets the same level of credit as big shots like S or half of the vowels. T is like the character actor of the alphabet, is basically what I’m saying. 4/5.

U: Ah, the letter Americans hate for some reason. I think this is actually commentary on the history of American politics. Because throughout history, America has been extremely selfish and self-centered, while attempting to present a positive image that people are finally seeing past. They only entered WWI and WWII when it was convenient for them, they started wars and initiated coups in even their allies for petty ideological reasons, and they’ve gone to war with several countries and funded wars with several others seeming just for shits and giggles. Because apparently if you’re not an American, then you’re not one of them, and that means they hate U. 4/5.

V: I actually think V is underrated. It’s a fun sound. That’s it, no joke here. It’s neat, I like it. 4/5.

W: This may come as a shock to you, but double-u over here is actually two Vs! unless you’re writing in cursive, but fuck cursive. The French actually have it right on this one, naming it double-v (pronounced doobleh-vay). Add in the fact that it’s literally just M upside down, and you’ve got a pretty shite letter. 1/5.

X: There’s a reason literally every “A is for Apple” thing you see made for kids uses Xylophone for X, and that’s because there are no commonly used words that start with it. Seriously, it’s all just scientific terms- I’d argue X-Ray is more common than Xylophone in common parlance, but also, who wants to explain imaging to a kid. It doesn’t even get a second page of words on Dictionary.com. X also has implications as a letter word, that I’d rather avoid at the moment. 2/5.

Y: Ah, Ygreck, everyone’s favourite “what the fuck, France?” moment. Between that and being sorta kinda not really a vowel, Y prompts its own question more often than I’d care to admit. 2/5.

Z: As a (technical) member of the generation associated with this letter- on the one hand, I’m sorry, on the other, y’all have it coming. The final letter of the alphabet, one of the other ones worth 10 in scrabble (and yet X isn’t???), and one we probably got pretty sick of in the early 00s when it was everywhere- ironically, when most of the generation was getting born. 2/5.

And that’s the lot of them. I hope this didn’t alienate any non-English speakers too hard. It’s probably fine.

Join me for more bullshit next time I have another stupid idea. I mean, tomorrow.

[of-lightandlyric]

I’m just starting out on my path with Apollo, but even still I feel he knows how skeptical I can be of things, and decides to brazenly show his influence in small spurts of ‘coincidences’ so I have no room to doubt. XD Yesterday was definitely one of those days, oh my gosh I was so happy. XD

A little preface: Ever the skeptic who tends to doubt myself and my experiences excessively, I’d asked Apollo to show me three specific signs of his influence, if he wished, before a week had passed. I’d really hoped to see them, but didn’t truly expect to see anything, let alone two so far! XD The first sign I asked was to see a spiral sun in a place I didn’t expect. (Which I did! It was the sign of a restaurant I pass often but never noticed the logo ☀️ The realization hit me like a lightning bolt, lol) The second sign was for someone to reference Apollo’s name, out of context, without me steering the conversation or bringing up anything related to him or Greek mythology.

SO: Yesterday was a rainy day, and I reaaallly wanted to go to Barnes and Nobles to pick up some books as a treat for working hard. I roam around and draw to the Tolkien section (which remains one of my greatest loves in literature) and found an Illustrated Encyclopedia of Tolkien by David Day. I flipped through it casually, and the second page I randomly opened to was this:

The implications of this are fascinating to me by the way. I -ADORE- Rivendell, it’s one my favorite places described in The Lord of the Rings. ^^ I didn’t even know Apollo was mentioned in that book! So I was very happy. ^^ Spent two hours there lookin for books, had a fabulous time. Some of my spoils include: Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom by Rachel Pollack (An -outstanding- read, btw!), Unfinished Tales by J. R. R. Tolkien, Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller and The Iliad by Homer, Fagles translation. ^^ Seeing my books, the lady at the checkout asked, since I was interested in Greek Mythology, if I had heard of the book of the month. It was a book called ‘Daughters of Athens’ that she had said was a retelling of the story of Apollo and Daphne. Also, it was on sale. So I bought it in a heartbeat. Turns out the book I bought is not the book she mentioned but a similar one under an almost identical name. The book I bought is a modern retelling of Helen of Troy. I’m not disappointed at all, I’m excited to read this and I’m curious of the other one too! :) However, I found that exceptionally interesting because her mentioning the wrong book actually fulfilled the second sign I’d asked of Apollo! I feel he went beyond what I asked, however. I asked for someone to say his name out of context without me sparking a conversation or guiding it towards him. I feel he might have influenced events so that not only was his name mentioned, but actually him -specifically- of all the gods she could have mentioned. ((She was also the absolute sweetest, omg (@@) ))

I felt the warmest inside and knew that was the sign I had looked for. THEN, as if that wasn’t enough, on the way home, I looked to my left on the bus and -right- next to me, I saw this:

I felt like even on such a rainy day, he decided to show that he was there and it made me soooooo happy. I tend to doubt so much because of not only my upbringing, but because I tend to doubt that a being as amazing as him would actually reach out too and show interest in me, lol. It makes me feel so tiny, but very loved at the same time. ^___^ There was a part of me that could imagine him sitting crossed legged on the roof of the building, surrounded with books and the warmest smile on his face as he observed passerby. ^^ The third sign I’ve asked was for him to reveal some sign of his influence in a dream, something I would know was definitely him. This I’m still on the look out for. But so far he not only answered two of my signs before the week is up, but he gave me so much crammed into the space of a single day. I would have been so happy just seeing one thing. I really feel so humbled and so happy. ^____^

[tales-of-spring]

A - Z of Fluff | Peter Parker

A= Attractive (What do they find attractive about the other?)

Peter loves your face as a whole, but more specifically, your smile and its dimples. It's what made him crush on you in the first place. He loved seeing you flash your beaming, radiant smile towards him. It made him feel butterflies, his heart started to pound faster and his knees began to tremble. He was mesmerized by that smile of yours, and he would do anything to see it.

B= Baby (Do they want a family? Why/ Why not?)

Peter thinks he's still too young to be thinking about a family. But he has fantasized living the typical normal American family. Good house with a porch and a back yard, close to the woods. Having his own lab at home so he won't miss as much when he worked outside of the house. He would be damned to not be there for his family.

C= Cuddle (How do they cuddle?)

Peter likes being the big and little spoon and usually adjusts to your preference, which is him being the big spoon. He likes that position because it makes him feel like he's protecting you, it's the position in which he feels the closest to you, both body, mind, and soul. Though, on his bad days, he absolutely loves being the little spoon. He loves your touch, your embrace around his body, it calms him.

D= Dates (What are dates with them like?)

A little awkward but in a cute way, constant laughing, almost too much pop culture references but you don't mind. A little cheesy but you can feel Peter's intense emotions for you through everything. The way he smiles at you through a joke, the way he holds your hand, the way he talks about you with tears in his eyes after the date and you have to stop him so he's not ranting on and on.

E= Everything (You are my ___ (e.g my life, my world…))

You're his everything.

F= Feelings (When did they know they were falling in love?)

He had a gut feeling when he laid his eyes on you, but he was certain when you two met.

G= Gentle (Are they gentle? If so, how?)

Due to his enhanced strength, Peter's always scared to hurt you in the back of his mind. He makes sure to always be as gentle as he can be, which is very gentle. He softly caresses your cheeks with the back of his hand. He plants his kisses upon your body gracefully and slowly. His fingers that travel your body are as careful and precise as a ballet dancer's steps.

H= Hand/ Hold (How do they like to hold? How do they like to hold hands?)

Peter holds your hand whenever it's possible for you two to hold hands.

I= Impression (First Impressions/s)

He thought you were one of the most intelligent, prettiest people he has laid his eyes on.  

J= Joker (Are they into pranks?)

Peter's always up for a laugh unless A) he's focused or B) you're focused or grumpy. He knows better than to bother you when you're already agitated, but whenever he's grumpy, and I mean grumpy, the only thing that can make him smile, is seeing you smile. Peter pulls those really childlike pranks like lyric pranks or badly choreographed practical jokes.

K= Kisses (How do they kiss?)

At first, Peter, as well as you, was pretty shy about publically kissing each other. So you guys started out in the more secluded areas but even then, Peter was a passionate yet gentle kisser. The first few times he just held your hand, but after that, his hands were literally all over you; your hips, your shoulders, your back, your cheeks.

L= Little Things (What little things do they love/ notice.)

He loves it when you flash your smile at him when you're laughing about something (most of the time it's those darn pop culture references or witty remarks) He always notices how you light up when you see him and he just gets all gooey inside.

M= Memory (Their favorite moment together.)

When you both confessed your feelings for each other. It was on a long school day and you both snuck out and broke into the school's kitchen pantry for snacks, but the door fell into the lock and you guys were trapped in there for a few hours. You guys entertained each other and you had food so it wasn't that bad.

N= Nickel (Do they spoil? Do they buy the person they love everything?)

Peter is not a spoiler, but, whenever he feels the need to get you something (anniversary, birthday, a shitty day, etc.) he makes sure it's always something nice, something you'll definitely like and remember.

O= Orange (What color reminds them of their other half?)

Orange, because it's vibrant and warm; exactly how he feels when he looks at you, thinks about you.

P= Pet names (What pet names do they use?)

Peter uses a variety of nicknames for you; baby, sweetheart, babe, lovely and gorgeous are amongst them.

Q= Questions (What are the questions they’re always asking?)

Are you okay? Do you need anything? Can I come?

R= Remember (Their favorite memory of each other.)

His favorite memory of you was you getting back up after a number of tough and shitty days. He was so inspired by your strength, and not to mention, he was a super, super proud boyfriend.

Your favorite memory of him was when he was telling you about some of his fears and traumas. You were so touched that Peter would share something so sensitive and personal with you.

S= Sad (How do they cheer themselves/ each other up.)

Peters cheers himself up by cheering you up, it's simple. But if you're not available at the moment, then he'll most likely lock himself in his room and watch some childhood movies.

T= Talking (What do they love to talk about?)

You, being spiderman, the avengers, science. But somehow he manages to always mix you in with one of those other topics.

U= Universe (Use a metaphor, what are they to each other? (e.g he was the universe, ever-changing and mysterious.))

He was the dawning sun; bright and warm yet shyly peeking around the edge of life.

V = Vaunt. (What do they like to show off? What are they proud of?)

He likes to show off the thing he's most proud of. That's mostly you but sometimes he can be a little braggy about his self-made tech, or a new version of his suit.

W= Why (Reasons why they love you.)

Peter loves you because you make him feel worthy of love- other than parental or platonic love. He loves you because, with you, he feels the happiest, he feels like his life is not meant to be just life, but something worth working on.

X= Xylophone (What’s their song?)

Peter's a sucker for anything old school and catchy, but he can appreciate some good slow-dancing songs. At homecoming, you two were slow dancing to ''Sixteen Candles'' and that's when you kissed in public for the first time, it was a big deal for you guys.

Y= You (The ___ to my ___ (e.g the cookies to my milk, the macaroni to my cheese.))

The logic to his science. Everything makes sense when he's around you.

Z= Zebra (If they wanted a pet, what pet would they get?)

Peter would 10/10 go for a dog; probably a golden retriever or something similar. The dog has to be playful and loyal like your relationship.

[siren-queen-imagines]

Fluff Alphabet: Cesaro

A fluff alphabet of the Swiss Superman that I wrote for the lovely @helluvawriter from my last writing blog. Hope you all enjoy!!

Masterlist

(gif by me)

A = Attractive (What do they find attractive about the other?): Cesaro has this romantic poetic side to him that he tends to show around you and only you these days. There are two things he’s found attractive about you: your eyes and your smile. He sees the eyes as the window to your soul and true feelings. He could get lost in them. And your smile...god your smile. So bright and happy whenever you smile at him. It never fails to make him smile back at you.

As far as you go, the list can go on and on about what you find attractive in Cesaro. But if you had to pick just one? It would definitely have to be his smile. He’s been a little insecure at times lately since he’s been wearing braces. During those times, you always make sure to find little ways to remind him that he still has a great smile.

B = Baby (Do they want a family? Why/Why not?): Cesaro definitely wants a family but it’s not something he’ll rush into. He knows and understands the responsibilities of having children and doesn’t want to share you until he’s ready. He’ll want to enjoy your time together first. Cesaro wants a family because he likes the idea of raising children with the one he loves with all of his heart. Having mini-yous and hims to carry on your legacies. He looks forward to the day you two decide to start a family.

C = Cuddle (How do they cuddle?): Your man loves to cuddle and will sneak it in at every chance he gets. Majority of the time, he loves to wrap his arms around you with your head resting on his chest. He knows how safe and loved it makes you feel. And every now and then, he’ll love when you’re laying down and you offer a cuddle the same way he holds you. He loves resting his head on your chest and listening to your heartbeat. 

D = Dates (What are dates with them like?): Dates with Cesaro are thoughtful and romantic. He loves getting dressed up with you and taking you to nice restaurants but he also tends to think of a reason why he chose that restaurant, such as it’s a new place you’ve always wanted to try or you wanted to go back because of a previous memory you two shared. One time, he took you to this lovely restaurant when he took you to visit him home town. After that, you two ended up on a walk  where he showed you some of his favorite places to go before you two found a pool. You two decided to go for a swim. It was something so simple but yet so romantic.

E = Everything (You are my ____ (e.g. my life, my world…)): “I love you, mein engel…” Cesaro will say every chance he gets. It took him a while before he finally told you that he calls you his angel in his native Swiss German. He knew you’d rather hear the translation from him than the internet. After he told you what he’s calling you, he’ll say it in English once in a while.

F = Feelings (When did they know they were in love?): It was one of the simplest of moments when he knew he was in love with you. You were busy reading a book, completely caught up in the story, when you gasped at a certain part. Cesaro was on his phone and looked up when you gasped. He smiled lightly at how captivated you were that it got a reaction out of you. That’s when he realized that he was in love with you.

G = Gentle (Are they gentle? If so, how?): Cesaro is very gentle. He knows there can be a rough side to him considering what he does for a living but he makes sure that you know he cares so much about you. He tells you in the gentle kisses and the way he touches you.

H = Hands (How do they like to hold hands?): He likes to hold hands with your fingers laced together. He’ll look to hold your hand while the two of you are watching TV in bed or just walking around. With your fingers entwined together sometimes his thumb with trace up and down yours.

I = Impression (What was their first impression?): In the beginning, Cesaro thought you were beautiful, kind and humble. The more time he got to spend with you he saw you as funny and even awkward but he loved that about you.

J = Jealousy (Do they get jealous?): He isn’t a very jealous person. Mostly because he knew that not only were you all about him, but that if anyone tried anything he knew you’d make sure it would be known that you were taken. But there will be rare moments where jealousy rears its ugly head. And it’s not because he doesn’t trust you but because he doesn’t trust whoever is trying to hit on you.

K = Kiss (How do they kiss? Who initiated the first kiss?): Cesaro is a slow, passionate kisser. It’s the romantic in him and he loves to savor the feel on your lips on his. It was actually you who initiated the first kiss. He was so caught up in his head about when he should kiss you that it had been a few dates before you just couldn’t take it anymore.

L = Love (Who says ‘I love you’ first?): You were the first to say I love you. Cesaro is a man who takes his time to think things through and he wanted to be sure before he said it. He didn’t want to say it unless he meant it because it would only hurt you in the end. When you said it, he was surprised but he was flattered by it. He had to stop you when you started ranting about how he didn’t have to say it back. He told you that he’s happy that you felt comfortable enough to tell him and that he wasn’t so sure he was ready to say it yet. He had been hurt in the past and he wanted to take his time which seemed to be longer than most people. He wanted you to be open with how you felt so if you ever wanted to say it again, he wouldn’t mind it. He also made sure that you knew that he would say it to you...he knew it he just needed to work through some past feelings. 

M = Memory (What’s their favourite memory together?): His favorite memory of the two of you was your first getaway together. Normally most couples go to the beach or somewhere warm but he took you to a snowy cabin in the woods. He wanted to have you all to himself and use the excuse to cuddle you for warmth. But the thing that came to mind the most was when the two of you were sitting in front of a fire, covered in a blanket when the power went out. You two spent the outage using the fire as a source of light and played some board games that were left behind. 

N = Nickel (Do they spoil? Do they buy the person they love everything?): He wants to but you won’t let him spoil you. He’ll pick his battles and sometimes buy it behind your back to surprise you with later. But if you mention you want something, he’ll play it cool but buy it for you anyway, depending on what and when you need it. If you need it for work, for example, he’ll buy it immediately. Other times are for gifts for your birthday or Christmas. You always find yourself surprised by this but thankful. You make sure to return the surprise at a later time in a similar way.

O = Orange (What color reminds them of their other half?): It’s two: black and grey. It’s colors that he sees everywhere but he associates them with you. He thinks of you because it reminds him of when you borrow his shirts (which also happen to be his merch) and wear them around. 

P = Pet names (What pet names do they use?): Cesaro likes to call you darling, babe and beautiful. He knows they’re simple and maybe even cliche but it just comes out of his mouth. It’s what he calls you when he’s not referring to you as “mein engel”.

Q = Quaint (What is their favorite non-modern thing?): He is a big fan of the James Bond franchise and he still owns a VCR. While he has the films on DVD and Blu-Ray as well, nothing beats having to watch his favorite movies on VHS.

R = Rainy Day (What do they like to do on a rainy day?): Cesaro will take this as an opportunity to keep you in bed and be lazy all day. He’ll even be willing to get up and either make or go get some coffee for you two. He loves his coffee…

S = Sad (How do they cheer themselves/others up?): Cesaro is an animal lover so when he’s feeling down, he’ll google pictures of puppies, kittens and other cute animals. If he knows you’re feeling down he’ll send you those pictures. If he can’t cheer himself up, he’ll always call you and see if you could come over. Majority of the time, you’re available and you come over and make his favorite meal. If you need cheering up, he’ll bring you over some junk food and cook for you.

T = Talking (What do they like to talk about?): He likes to talk about everything and anything with you. You guys will talk about movies, TV, your future, travel plans. It can get pretty random too. One minute you two are driving to the next arena and the next you guys are debating over who was the best villain in the James Bond series.

U = Unencumbered (What helps them relax?): When you aren’t with him, Cesaro likes to cook. It helps him to clear his mind and just focus on the task in front of him. If you are with him, he’ll ask for you to rub his shoulders or gently scratch his head as he lays in you lap or on your chest.

V = Vaunt (What do they like to show off? What are they proud of?): One of the main things he’s proud to show off is you. You’re so amazing and wonderful that he can’t help but show you off to the world. He prides himself on holding high personal values so he makes sure to present himself as a professional in both his personal and work lives. 

W = Wedding (When, how, where do they propose?): Cesaro is a romantic so he makes sure to take you somewhere special. He chooses to take you somewhere meaningful to your relationship like one of your hometowns or somewhere you both enjoyed. He tries to play coy so that you won’t suspect him so he’ll be sure to take you out in similar ways of previous dates. He’ll be sure to end the night somewhere you have a beautiful view before he gets down on one knee and asks you the big question.

X = Xylophone (What’s their song?): It’s weird. Whenever you hear ‘Suit and Tie’ by Justin Timberlake, it makes you think of your Swiss Superman. Cesaro is a well dressed man and you can’t help but think of him. Love song, for Cesaro, it’s ‘Vision of Love’ by Mariah Carey. Your Spotify was shuffling as he was driving once while you were sleeping and he listened to the lyrics. He thinks of you and your relationship when he heard it.

Y = Yes (Do they ever think of getting married/proposing?): Oh definitely. Cesaro thinks of getting married but he wants to take his time. He’s not gonna rush into it because he knows he doesn’t need papers to say he’ll spend the rest of his life with you. He’ll get them on you eventually but he’s gonna enjoy everything and every moment he has with you. 

Z = Zebra (If they wanted a pet, what would they get?): Animal lover to the core, choosing one pet would be hard. But if he had to choose, he would start with a dog. He has no preference as to the breed because he knows it’s gonna be the best doggo. 

[sandwichpress]

Reflective Journaling - The Kolb Cycle

Describing the Experience: What happened?

A recent creative experience that was meaningful to me was the first week of our second BCT project; Data Objects. I remember thinking that this would be an easy project, especially after our first project Cards for Play. However, I would soon realize that this was not the case and began to struggle a lot during that first week.

Our brief was to create an experience by mapping a data set to an object. We worked individually during the first week, with groups being assigned later. During this first week we were expected to create low fidelity prototypes of our data objects, so I began by brainstorming and writing down any ideas I had on a list.

In the first few days I bounced around between data-sets, from aircraft crash statistics to obesity throughout the world. The data-set I ended up with however was “infant mortality rates in NZ from the last century”. A similar thing happened with the object, I thought up of different ways to modify different objects. For example I thought of using the weight of baby dolls to represent the data, with more deaths equaling to the baby’s weight getting reduced. The prototypes I worked on the most however, were the paper planes. I attempted to modify various aspects of the planes in the hope that the changes would affect how they flew. The final versions of which were simply paper planes with different lengths of string attached to them. Eventually I stopped working on these prototypes and switched to a baby crib instead, but it was too late and soon enough the week was over.

Analysis and Observation: Taking a Look Back

I remember that by the end of the week I felt extremely frustrated with myself. I felt that I had wasted a lot of time on the paper plane prototypes. They didn’t end up being useful, and the time I had spent could have been made creating different, maybe better prototypes.

There were a couple of reasons I stuck with the paper plane idea for so long. They were relatively easy to make and add changes to, materials wise they are pretty cheap to make and finally I thought I could transfer my findings from a low – fidelity prototype to something a bit more advanced (i.e. a flying model plane). While creating the prototypes I expected the changes I made to the paper planes (different wing lengths, overall size, etc) to affect how the flew. It would have been a very obvious visual clue to how the data affected how the object functioned. This was not the case however, during my tests I found it very difficult to see any appreciable difference between how each individual aircraft flew. It was too random.

This randomness and further testing led me to abandon this set of prototypes. When I showed the planes to people, they immediately thought that the data was supposed to be aircraft crashes. I had been so focused on mapping the data to an object that I had inadvertently assumed that they existed in a vacuum. This surprised me at first, but when my testers told me why they thought so (paper planes = something to do with aircraft crashes), it made sense. So I decided to switch my prototyping paper planes to modifying aspects of a baby crib. Alas, this was too little too late and in the following days we were creating groups.

Research and Investigation: What Can I Learn?

One mistake I recognize upon going through what happened was that I immediately got to working and started brainstorming. I did not think critically about our brief or analyze the problem at hand. As stated by Paul &Elder (2009) [2] “the quality … of what we produce, make or build depends precisely on the quality of our thought.” The quality of my thinking was not of a sufficient enough standard, I was too focused on how to map the data to the object I could not see the why of why I was mapping the data to said object. This can be further expanded upon by the first step of the Template for Problem-Solving by Paul & Elder (2009), to be an effective problem solver one first has to figure out and regularly re-articulate their goals, purposes and needs. Since I did not analyze our brief, I was not able to properly recognize the goal of this project and lead myself towards the wrong path.

Related to my first mistake is a second. Since I did not analyze my brief, I was not able to clearly define what my goal was. Thus I did not to take into consideration what the user would experience when they interacted with my object. I made the assumption that the user would do what I wanted them to do, something that is not usually the case. J.J. Garret (2010) [1] explains how the user experience can often be overlooked in design, and how this can make or break product. He also explains how a product can be functional, yet have a terrible user experience, thus driving away the user. In this instance I made the grave error of ignoring the end user, so while my objects (the paper planes) technically functioned, (they show the data through the length of the string) they confused my end users (they thought it had something to do with aircraft).

These two mistakes remind me of the Marshmallow Challenge, an activity the whole class participated in. We split into groups and attempted to create a tower of spaghetti with a marshmallow on top. During that activity most of the groups left the marshmallow till the last minute, often causing the tower to fall.  “What the marshmallow challenge does is it helps them [the participants] identify the hidden assumptions.” Tom Wujec (2010). In this case the marshmallow of my project was the user experience. My initial assumptions of the project being easy and that the user would be fine with whatever object I presented would lead my tower (or project) crumbling into pieces.

Reflection: What Can I Do Better?

So comes the hardest part of any reflection. Asking how one could improve upon oneself. Combing through this experience again, there are a number of things that I could definitely improve upon.

In the future, before I start anything, project or other wise. I should ask myself questions. Questions like:

What is my goal?

Who is this for?

Why is it needed? / What is it’s purpose?

How will I know that goal has been achieved?

What assumptions have I made before starting?

Are these assumptions true or false?

Of course, asking questions only at the start of something is not enough. I have to keep on ‘playing with the marshmallow’, I have to know if I am heading towards the right direction. So using the first week of Data Objects as an example. Instead of creating and iterating on a whole bunch of plane prototypes, I should have made one set and tested them on an end user. See how they reacted, etc. That way I would have known from the start that people would have thought my data was completely different and it would have saved me a lot of time and trouble. So when making improvements upon something, I should perform tests before iterating upon it any further.

I have also learned that in order for a product to be successful, it must not only be functional, but also friendly to the end user. It must confuse and inconvenience them as little as possible. As such, it is important to think of designing something through the eyes of the end user. This is because everybody is different from one another, and it is very likely that your end user will see the product in a different light to you. In future projects I should keep in mind what I want users to experience and try to imagine how they would experience it through testing and asking questions.

I am sure that everything I have learned from this experience would be helpful in times to come.

References:

[1] Garrett, J. J. (2010). Elements of user experience, the: user-centered design for the web and beyond. Pearson Education.

[2] Paul, R., & Elder, L. (2009). The miniature guide to critical thinking-concepts and tools (Thinker’s guide). Dillon Beach, CA: Foundation for critical thinking.

[3] Wujec, T. (2010). The marshmallow challenge. Retrieved April, 28, 2019.

[mingxinyu]

Week 4: Disinformation, Fake News and Surveillance (February 4)

The class discusses whether people no longer have online privacy, And the following question impressed me, Do you agree that modern Information-based Societies are ‘Surveillance Societies’？

I think my answer is definitely yes, As George Orwell said：“Big brother is watching you (Orwell, 1992)”

I think our lives have been monitored, Banks and other financial institutions to monitor your property and credit conditions, the government to monitor your address and criminal records, medical system can monitor your illness history, even in the social network's comments might are being censored（it is possible in China）, we live in all the information will be recorded in a background of the system, can be queried or be monitored at any time. It's very disturbing. The teacher in the class asked everyone to answer questions about how to avoid online supervision.

That's a good question. Even if big brother is watching you, even if all the freedoms we enjoy now are false freedoms, even if " freedom is slavery (Orwell, 1992) " how can people avoid or resist?

The first thing that comes to my mind is bitcoin, the digital currency that has created many wealth myths in recent years.

It is worth to explore the reasons behind bitcoin's rise from a series of worthless digital symbols a few years ago to a high-priced investment item worth up to £15,409 one piece, making it one of the brightest stars in finance and investment in recent years.

Bitcoin, a decentralized cryptocurrency with blockchain as the underlying technology, it was published by satoshi nakamoto on October 31, 2008, and trands block was born on January 3, 2009. The decentralized digital currency Bitcoin presents an anonymous alternative to the centralized banking system and indeed enjoys widespread and increasing adoption. (Ziegeldorf et al., 2016) Decentralized electronic cash has been explored by computer cryptographers for years, and nakamoto has finally made it a reality, following in the footsteps of others. Mr. Nakamoto designed and developed the bitcoin system, which spawned a number of cryptographic digital currency and blockchain technology projects. In the bitcoin trading system, the issuance and transaction of currencies do not require the intervention of centralized institutions, which are automatically executed by computers. When two people transfer electronic cash to each other, they do not need the participation of a central institution.

In some countries, central Banks and government agencies, bitcoin is treated as a virtual commodity, not a currency.I think the reason why bitcoin is not a currency is because if bitcoin becomes a real currency, Banks will face huge challenges and governments will lose credibility.

Bitcoin is based on blockchain technology.Blockchain is a distributed database that enables permanent, transparent, and secure storage of data. The blockchain technology uses cryptography to keep data secure. (Kulkarni, n.d.)

If bitcoin and blockchain technology become widespread, people will trust the technology, not third-party institutions or government endorsements. At the same time, the world will become fairer and more transparent, and whoever has the computing power will be the node, there will be no more centralization and there will be no back-office supervision by governments or third parties, which may also be a way to solve the problem of network monitoring.

However, there are also many voices of doubt. In recent years, governments around the world have also opposed the use of bitcoin, claiming that bitcoin is involved in illegal transactions, and criminals will use the cryptographic properties of bitcoin to trade drugs or weapons on the dark Internet, which leads to the public's impression of bitcoin being associated with illegal crimes.

There are many similarities between bitcoin and the Internet in 1994. In 1994, the Internet was for amateurs and hackers. It took years for the Internet to go mainstream, but when it went mainstream, it changed the world.

Every revolution starts with a misunderstanding, and bitcoin is destined to be one. Bitcoin's long-term goal is to liberate the world economy. Bitcoin's potential is limited to the imaginations of entrepreneurs working to drive this new virtual economy. To monitor and maintain its authenticity, I believe the user community will eventually self-regulate, potentially masking or eliminating the need for governments to regulate the encrypted world.

Without big brother behind the monitors, the people would be truly free. Governments and corporations may be right. Spying on people may also be a sign of responsibility to the people. However, human society needs to continue to develop. I believe that only by removing the shackles can human civilization and science be further developed.

After 12 years of ups and downs since its birth, I believe the bitcoin revolution will come in the near future. It is about breaking the network surveillance, democratising economic opportunity and reassessing governance. I expect it will change everything from banking and the financial system to health care to democracy and even government.

References

1. Kulkarni, K. (n.d.). Learn Bitcoin and Blockchain.

2. Orwell, G. (1992). Nineteen eighty four. Louisville, Ky.: American Printing House for the Blind.

3. Ziegeldorf, J., Matzutt, R., Henze, M., Grossmann, F. and Wehrle, K. (2016). Secure and anonymous decentralized Bitcoin mixing. [online] ScienceDirect. Available at: https://www-sciencedirect-com.ezproxy.brunel.ac.uk/science/article/pii/S0167739X16301297?via%3Dihub [Accessed 18 Feb. 2020].

[exploringsocialinformatics]

Post #3: A Lovely Impossible Dream

I wrote this post based on the article “The Pill That Costs $9000 in US Sells for $70 in India,” which I chose because I just have a lot of feelings about access to healthcare, especially considering it’s such a hot topic in the US at the moment. I took the general idea of disparate access to medication between various countries and went on a bit of a globalist screed.

There should be a global, regulated, human rights-focused manufacturer of generic, necessary medications.

I should go ahead and say this is wildly speculative and probably (almost definitely—like, somewhere between 99.999% and 150%) impossible, but I truly believe we should dream as high as possible to at least get closer to a better world, so bear with me as I weave this pie in the sky dream of a global community of people not dying from easily preventable diseases.

The United States’ pharmaceutical industry is a nightmare. Based on the article from The Times of India, India’s is certainly better—if by “better,” we mean, “better for the people who need medication,” which would be the ideal focus (Nagarajan). But putting any price on life-saving medication that’s already cheap to manufacture is in and of itself a telling statement on the value we place on our global citizens, especially when the medication could be manufactured outside of a competitive industry and provided at a fraction of the cost.

Or there could be virtually no cost if it could be sponsored entirely by the governments of the world or through the same foreign aid given out via the United Nations—in fact, based just on the impact that the United States has already had on global health, it’s easy to imagine that supplying more cost effective medication would only make it easier for us to give as much if not more than we have in year prior. After all, as it was addressed in a Stanford Medical article, these donations rarely cost more than 1% of the US’s GDP (Bendavid). Imagine if that medication was already being produced via a global pharmaceutical manufacturer and they didn’t have to go through the complications of mixing public and private interests to go about distributing this aid.

Free medication for the whole world is admittedly something that probably wakes wealthy industry executives up in the night, sweating and terrified, and I’ll touch on how that could hold it back in moment, but as I said: pie in the sky.

In The Globalization of the Pharmaceutical Industry, J.L. Valverde addresses several aspects of global pharmaceutical policy that would need to be the focus if we were to better bring together the pharmaceutical industries from different nations for the greater good, including the involvement of international organizations such as the World Health Organization and The Global Fund—who, according to him, have “facilitated the immense improvement in access to HIV/AIDS treatment over the last 15 years” (22) among many other accomplishments.

Imagine if we could use existing organizations like the WHO to establish generic pharmaceutical manufacturing that is equitable to all who seek their help—or, at least, to use their focus on policy to create a new organization. Not only would this make a huge impact on health specifically but it would be a global method: we’re in this together. When we’re facing huge issues like climate change that will require multiple countries to work together (Zavis 2015) to literally save the world, working together to save our people—treating all people of all countries like our people regardless of where you live—is a significant, improbable, beautiful step in the right direction.

Are there significant issues with implementing a global policy like this? Absolutely—there will always be significant issues when you are attempting to disrupt a power as big as the pharmaceutical industry, and my lack of in-depth experience in both pharmaceutical policy and global economies is holding back a full investment in my own argument. The scope and depth of this argument are difficult to determine and certainly not something that could be covered in a blog post. If I’m speculating, though—and as I said, wildly—I can address the issues essentially as well as I can the greater possibilities.

The biggest issue that I would point to in terms of what would hold this idea, good or bad, back is the fact that the pharmaceutical industry in the US has consistently donated the most to campaigns for congressional seats than any other lobby (Evers-Hillstrom 2019), which affords a lot of power to a significant portion of the global industry to influence lawmakers. In terms of criticism, though, a central argument is that something that takes away that much power from the people who have developed those medications would be a violation of their rights. This article from The Globalist is from 2000 but it had the most concise description of this argument framed against the concept of a government manufacturer that I could find, saying, “Locally produced drugs would, of course, be much less expensive than those produced in the United States [referring to African countries manufacturing their own drugs]. But to U.S. trade authorities and drug companies, this represents a gross abuse of U.S. intellectual property rights” (“Medical Socialism”).

I don’t want to completely dismiss the idea of intellectual property rights, nor do I completely want to dismiss similar arguments like the idea that it would keep industry leaders (the people who own the patents that constrict smaller companies from competing but also the people who are consistently developing important medications) from continuing to innovate and explore new possibilities. While, based on the profits they make, I am skeptical something like someone else producing a limited array of generic medication (probably based on the WHO’s “Essential Medications List,” though it is admittedly long [2020]) would hold them back that much, there’s no denying that this would have an impact on the economy surrounding the pharmaceutical industry and the economy as a whole. And, again, I can’t successfully argue what that impact would be because this idea is untested but it’s a potential red flag against it.

An argument that’s a little more grounded in reality and certainly more achievable is to have government-manufactured generic medication on a national or even state/province level in countries where this is possible. There are at least two significant proposals that have come out of the United States in the last few months supporting this concept. Elizabeth Warren sponsored a bill in late 2019 that would create an Office of Drug Manufacturing under the Department of Health and Human Services, saying, “The solution here is not to replace markets, but to fix them. The Affordable Drug Manufacturing Act will introduce more competition into the prescription drug market, and bring down prices for consumers” (Warren 2019).

More recently, just last month in January of 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom of California has proposed similar legislation, described as, “part of a multi-prong effort that includes strengthening the state’s public option for health insurance and increasing drug pricing transparency” (Lin).

The concept of governments individually manufacturing their own generic medication to take place within the pharmaceutical marketplace is incredibly progressive and also infinitely more sellable than a global manufacturer—especially one giving out medication for free. The first can fit relatively easily within the pharmaceutical industry as we know it while the latter would. . .probably require a dramatic global transition of moral priorities, which is not something that’s likely to be achieved. Like I said, though, we may as well dream big. Coming from my own perspective, the very fact that we have pharmaceutical industries at all represents a degree of moral deficit. But if we start within the bigger framework that the health of the world as a whole—especially that of struggling, marginalized people who already lack access to proper healthcare—is the most important factor when thinking about healthcare and pharmaceutical production, maybe we’ll at least get nudged in the right direction even if my own wild starry-eyed globalist dream is out of reach.

 Resources

Bendavid, E. (2019, May 16). Foreign aid for public health bolsters America's 'soft power'. Retrieved from https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2019/05/foreign-aid-for-public-health-bolsters-americas-soft-power.html

The Globalist. (2000, July 10). Medical Socialism. Retrieved from https://www.theglobalist.com/medical-socialism/

Lin, J., & Aguilera, E. (2020, January 11). Gov. Gavin Newsom to propose that California manufacture its own generic drugs. Retrieved from https://calmatters.org/health/2020/01/gavin-newsom-to-propose-california-manufacture-state-generic-drugs/

Nagarajan, R. (2016, February 7). The pill that costs $9,000 in US sells for $70 in India - Times of India. Retrieved from https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health-news/The-pill-that-costs-9000-in-US-sells-for-70-in-India/articleshow/50887471.cms

Valverde, J. L. (2016). The Globalization of the Pharmaceutical Industry. Retrieved from https://www.ifpma.org/resource-centre/the-globalization-of-the-pharmaceutical-industry/

Warren, Elizabeth. (2019, December 20). Schakowsky, Warren Reintroduce Affordable Drug Manufacturing Act, Legislation to Radically Reduce Drug Prices through Public Manufacturing of Prescription Drugs. Retrieved from https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/schakowsky-warren-reintroduce-affordable-drug-manufacturing-act-legislation-to-radically-reduce-drug-prices-through-public-manufacturing-of-prescription-drugs

World Health Organization. (2020, February 3). WHO Model Lists of Essential Medicines. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/medicines/publications/essentialmedicines/en/

Zavis, A., Megerian, C., & Yardley, W. (2015, December 12). Nearly 200 nations join together to fight climate change in historic Paris agreement. Retrieved from https://www.latimes.com/world/europe/la-fg-climate-talks-20151212-story.html

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS 2020: 24/01

Mac Miller hasn’t had a #1 album since 2011, in the US or the UK, but his home country is most important here. The beloved Pittsburgh rapper made his debut with mixtapes, but his first studio album, Blue Slide Park, and his immature, fun-loving and careless attitude struck a chord with the general public, giving him a #1 debut album in America. Ever since, Mac Miller had been on a journey, with somewhat diminishing success  across his various experiments with acid-trip jazz-rap on Watching Movies with the Sound Off and Faces, funky soul and love-tinged R&B in The Divine Feminine, grandiose and genre-defying pop rap in GO:OD AM, as well as the melancholy synth-funk of Swimming. These albums had been successful, obviously, but never took him back to the reaches that he had debuted at. Tragically, on 7th September, 2018, Mac died of an accidental drug overdose, the climax of an addiction to substance abuse that had been troubling him for at least a decade, and that had been heavily documented in his music. I’m not saying that I was a massive fan of Mac Miller, but most of his music did very heavily resonate with me, especially Faces and my personal favourite, GO:OD AM. So, understandably, once producer Jon Brion released Mac’s astonishing and heart-wrenching posthumous album, Circles, earlier this month, I was very disappointed that Eminem, another white rapper who very much occupied a space in Mac’s audience, a space that you cannot deny existed, released a surprise album the same day called Music to be Murdered By, in which he spouts offensive nonsense that goes against everything Mac would have stood for, with gutter trash production, painful lyrics and staccato flaws, and arguably the most immoral decision made by Eminem, features a posthumous feature from late rapper Juice WRLD, who passed away due to a drug overdose last month. Yes, there are other hip-hop and pop artists who released albums that week, like Halsey, whose release date had been planned for months now and is clearly not taking away from Mac’s audience, as well as 070 Shake, who might not even chart, and Dreamville, a record label with a mediocre deluxe edition of a compilation album which again will not take from Mac’s chance at success, and at book-ending his career with a #1 as an evolved human, with more maturity, acceptance and most importantly, peace. Eminem’s album release is blatantly disrespectful, and out of protest and general apathy for this douche that I’ve been feeling for a long time, I’m not listening to the man’s album, or any of his songs. However, three of them happened to debut in the UK Top 40 this week, so I’m replacing them all with songs outside of the top 40.

ALBUM BOMB: Music to be Murdered By – Eminem

On 17th January, Eminem released his eleventh studio album, Music to be Murdered By. It debuted at #1 on the UK Albums Chart, becoming his ninth to do so, and features contributions from Dr. Dre, Young M.A., Royce da 5’9, Ed Sheeran, Juice WRLD, Skylar Grey, Black Thought, Q-Tip, Mr. Porter, The Alchemist, Anderson .Paak, Don Toliver and Slaughterhouse, minus Joe Budden. I’m disappointed in every single one of you. There are three songs from the album in the top 20, let’s go.

#17 – “Darkness” – Eminem

Produced by Eminem, Luis Resto and Royce da 5’9

It’s Eminem’s 46th(!) UK Top 40 hit, and sorry to switch up the structure and cover new arrivals first, but I’m not going to talk about this song, which was released with a music video from the perspective of the 2017 Las Vegas shooter who killed nearly 60 people, because of course it was, to “make a point about gun control”. Instead, I’ll talk about some random song outside of the top 40, hmm... how about “SUGAR” by BROCKHAMPTON?

#68 – “SUGAR” – BROCKHAMPTON

Produced by Jabari Manwa, Romil Hemnani and Chuks Chiejine

This is the first time I’m covering self-proclaimed hip-hop boy band BROCKHAMPTON on here, with what is probably their mainstream breakout hit after releasing three fantastic albums in the SATURATION trilogy and the middling but successful iridescence. This is from the pretty decent album GINGER, and correlating with the album it originates from, the song is only pretty decent. It’s definitely one of their most boy band-sounding songs, mostly due to the sweet, soulful hook delivered by uncredited vocalist Ryan Beatty, that works perfectly with the modest guitar pick-up, soon becoming a mantra, especially with that sweet harmonica in the background. However, Dom McLennon’s cheap Auto-Tuned verse is obnoxious, and there is a element of monotony to the mundane instrumentation, especially when the chorus starts to lose its lustre. Matt Champion is uninteresting and soon upstaged by bearface’s beautiful falsetto crooning, even though it feels incredibly out of place. Kevin Abstract’s bridge is cute, and I appreciate the reference to a previous BROCKHAMPTON single, “BLEACH”. Although, much like the hook, it runs its course, as does the meaningless bearface meander as an outro, which is droning and frankly makes the song feel a lot longer than 3 minutes and 25 seconds. It’s an okay song all things considered, and I do love the lyrics about youthful relationships that form strong bonds in later life, kind of like BROCKHAMPTON, especially after all of the struggles they have had to face since their debut, but sonically, this doesn’t do much for me. Sorry.

#12 – “Those Kinda Nights” – Eminem featuring Ed Sheeran

Produced by Eminem, FRED and D.A. Doman

I don’t want to hear a sex song from Eminem, or one from Ed Sheeran, let alone BOTH. These guys have so many top 40 hits in the UK they’re probably drowning in Official Chart Company data by now, so I won’t bother counting and I won’t bother reviewing; let’s listen to another boy band, shall we?

#46 – “BLACK SWAN” – BTS

Produced by Pdogg

There is more than one similarity here with BROCKHAMPTON though, as this is an emo-rap song with a pretty synth backdrop by a group of God knows how many guys crooning and rapping about love in heavily Auto-Tuned and processed tones. It’s almost like this was the perfect week for these two bands to appear. For context, this is the lead single from K-pop group BTS’ seventh album, I’m assuming from the artwork, and I quite like most BTS songs, to be honest, even if they very much suffer from the same flaws as most K-pop, some of their discography really flows effortlessly in comparison. Now, I obviously don’t speak Korean, but this seems very Westernised in the first place, with a Latin-infused acoustic guitar behind stuttering trap percussion and booming 808s. The BTS boys harmonise pretty fantastically over it as well, even if the rapping can sound somewhat awkward and off-beat, and in contrast to most K-pop, the transitions between verse and chorus are actually coherent, mostly because it just trades its guitar for a higher-pitched squeal and... yeah, sorry, I can’t say I like this either. There are some elements of this that are pretty sounding, at least, and it’s not offensively bad or anything, but I feel like this is just a second-rate rendition of much better emo-rap from catchy songwriters like Lil Peep, or even ILOVEMAKONNEN. For what it’s worth, the verse with J-Hope and SUGA on it is pretty nice, but that’s all I have to say, really. Honestly, it’s kind of disappointing.

#1 – “Godzilla” – Eminem featuring Juice WRLD

Produced by Eminem and D.A. Doman

Yup, you read that right. #1. Eminem’s tenth, Juice WRLD’s first. May the late Jared Higgins rest in peace, and I do feel somewhat petty replacing his song with another man who I know is up there with him, but I don’t regret passing on distasteful schlock from a man well past his prime, featuring cash-grab grave-robbery that even Drake would take offense to. I think it’s time to finally talk in depth about Mac.

FEATURED SONG: “Blue World” – Mac Miller

Produced by Guy Lawrence and Jon Brion

“Blue World” is far from the most introspective set of lyrics on Mac Miller’s posthumous album, Circles, but it is definitely my favourite track from the album, which is a 9/10 by the way. The production is handled by Guy Lawrence, one half of future bass duo Disclosure, and you can definitely tell, as it is a jarring intermission during the more run-down guitar soul instrumentals found on Jon Brion-produced tracks. That’s not to say the instrumental is bad per se, though, far from it; it starts with a sample of “It’s a Blue World” by the Four Freshmen, specifically just isolated vocals that drown out after playing for 20-seconds until a sample chop that is arguably catchier than the actual chorus, shifting the coherent blues of the Four Freshmen to muddled, confusing synth-focused messes, with slick percussion and excellent 808 bass creeping in, especially in the second verse, but it doesn’t detract from the sweet instrumental that very much sounds “blue”. The finger-snaps aren’t fake in this one, folks, and the bridge with Mac Miller meandering over the choir loop, over the already overwhelmingly bubbly production, which is quite minimalist in many places otherwise, is just a beautiful, grand moment, probably one of the best I’ve heard in popular music. Lyrically, Mac Miller is at peace, retrospectively rapping about the trials and tribulations of life like they’re nothing, in a calm, almost bored tone. The contrast is pretty fittingly “trippy”, which does add a subtle dark undertone to the song, which of course is always there through seemingly foreboding lyrics about his death that he saw as inevitable, although he was attempting to “turn around and do 180”, referencing Donnie Darko and constant failed attempts at picking his life back up and kicking the habit, only to be shot down once again. Of course, the morbid subtext of this is the car crash that he was involved in prior to the overdose, that changed his way of thinking and made him appreciate the more finer, subtle things in life. While the first half of the chorus is sweet and funny, the second half, despite taking no musical tone shift, is a desperate plead for the devil to spare him, and for him not to trip into the sin of drug addiction once again, after making such an effort to improve his life. On the first verse, he talks to himself, saying that he only makes music for himself, because, well, it’s the only thing he can really do to allow himself to express creativity through his personal struggles with mental health, and music gives him an avenue. After all of his friends supposedly leave him, he keeps a facade that he doesn’t worry, when in reality, he is conflicting with himself and ruminating on it. Whilst the official lyric seems to be “That’s rich”, I would like to believe my initial mondegreen as it could also work as an interpretation: “We ain’t even worried, we just laughin’-ass rich”: Mac Miller feels that his wealth and status has blocked him from all regular social interaction, and he can only laugh in response, ignoring his mental state for the sake of keeping up appearances. After the first refrain, he falls, and loses his mind in the second verse, detailing the “devil” calling him (This could be the voices in his head or even a drug dealer), but he is so used to fashionable life as an egotist that he feels like God when he’s being tempted by the devil, and he keeps his head on his shoulders, even if it’s just for the fans to know, or at least have the impression, that he’s okay. The bridge is awfully poignant and is almost talking to himself on Earth: If Mac could foresee Mac having the time of his life in Heaven, maybe he could have done something to reconcile his relationships or repair his mental state before it was too late. But, hey, he’s at peace. He’s not afraid of death, so why should we? It’s actually a pretty inspiring, uplifting single all things considered, and definitely one of if not my all-time favourite Mac Miller song. What a beautiful track. Rest easy, Mac. You too, Juice.

end of part 1

Top 10

Apologies for shaking up the format, but I did want to get all that nonsense out of the way before the regular programming, so to speak. So we know already that “Godzilla” by Eminem featuring Juice WRLD is unfortunately at #1 and I do not need to elaborate.

At number-two, at the runner-up spot, is “The Box” by Roddy Ricch, up three spots, and making a play for #1 next week because “Godzilla” definitely will not last.

Down two spaces to number-three is last week’s #1 is “Own It” by Stormzy featuring Burna Boy and Ed Sheeran.

To my surprise and excitement, the excellent “Blinding Lights” by the Weeknd is up four spaces to number-four.

At number-five, down three positions, is “Before You Go” by Lewis Capaldi, but it might rebound due to the video.

At number-six, down three spots off of the debut, it’s “Life is Good” by Drake, then Future.

“Don’t Start Now” by Dua Lipa has unfortunately taken a tumble down three spots to number-seven.

At number-eight, it’s “ROXANNE” by Arizona Zervas, also falling down two spots.

We actually have a second new entry in the top 10 as well, which is “Ei8ht Mile” by DigDat and Aitch missing its chance at chart coincidence gold by debuting at number-nine. I’m honestly really surprised this debuted so high but I also don’t expect it to last, despite its consistently good streaming numbers. It’s from his mixtape of the same name, and it’s DigDat’s fourth UK Top 40 entry, first top 10 hit, and highest ever charting song, after “New Dior” peaked at #16 last week. It’s Aitch’s seventh UK Top 40 hit (And fifth top 10 hit). We’ll talk about it more in depth later.

Finally, Lewis Capaldi’s “Someone You Loved” is at #10. Go away.

Climbers

Our only climber here that’s notable enough is for Halsey, as the release of her album Manic has meant that “You should be sad” leapt up 11 positions to #26. I don’t think it’ll last, though.

Fallers

Well, this is a weird one. I set a number of spots fallen as an arbitrary limit to what songs I can talk about and consider “notable”, so most of the fallers here won’t get talked about, even if most of the chart as a whole has actually fallen at least a spot, including four-spot or three-spot drops for nearly the entire top 10 of last week. Our only big notable ones should be pretty obvious though: “Lose You to Love Me” by Selena Gomez loses the album momentum down nine spaces to #27, “South of the Border” by Ed Sheeran featuring Camila Cabello and Cardi B flops down six spots to #30, the diss track “Still Disappointed” by Stormzy is actually still here to my surprise, down 15 spaces to #36 for obvious reasons, and “Watermelon Sugar” by Harry Styles temporarily falls six spots to #39, but there’s a video soon so it’ll be rebounding well enough. There’s also a small collection of songs that are just 2019 leftovers making their way out; “bad guy” by Billie Eilish is down five to #28, “Vossi Bop” by Stormzy is down seven to #34, “HIGHEST IN THE ROOM” by Travis Scott is down seven to #37 and “Senorita” by Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello is down five  to #40.

Dropouts & Returning Entries

There aren’t any returning entries this week but we have plenty dropouts. Selena Gomez’s “Rare”, despite being one of my favourites from Selena, is actually the first to drop out off of the debut at #28 last week, along with “I Don’t Care” by Ed Sheeran featuring Justin Bieber out from #29, “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, etc. out from #36, “Outnumbered” by Dermot Kennedy out from #38, and “Turn Me On” by Riton, Oliver Heldens and Vula, all of which are just ending their second run as 2019 leftovers. By next week, we’ll be fully 2020... I hope. Anyway, here are some songs you should look out for below #40, that could easily reach the top 40 in the coming weeks. They’re not all good songs, but they’re not all bad either: “High Fashion” by Roddy Ricch featuring Mustard at #74, “Say So” by Doja Cat at #60, “Roses” by Saint Jhn at #55, “Power Over Me” by Dermot Kennedy at #53, “Suicidal” by YNW Melly at #50, and of course, “Good News” by Mac Miller at #45. Let’s talk about the non-Eminem new arrivals, which honestly don’t seem promising.

NEW ARRIVALS

#35 – “Me & You Together Song” – The 1975

Produced by George Daniel and Matthew Healy

Me and the 1975 don’t exactly get along. I hate the pretentiousness of some of the content, and Matthew Healy is one of the least likeable pop singers in recent memory, but I can’t deny some of the choruses and genuinely great songwriting that the band demonstrates throughout their discography, and “The Sound” is genuinely incredible. I appreciate the willingness to experiment as not enough mainstream pop does, but they never go too far into the deep end and stay in mostly boring pop-rock territory, which makes a lot of their songs feel either janky and awkward or just slow and dull. This is their third single from their upcoming album Notes on a Conditional Form after the last two failed, and apparently this is “music for cars”. Well, we’ll see about that. This is their ninth UK Top 40 hit, and God damn it, I like this one a lot. It’s a full-on 1990s British rock throwback, with elements of shoegaze, dream pop and of course Britpop fused together in one quick jangle-pop bop. It starts pretty abruptly with that really catchy, really pretty guitar riff, as well as some unexpected distortion that I’m just glad has made its way on the pop charts, to be honest, and then Matthew Healy comes in and actually sounds pretty great, with one of his sweetest vocal melodies in a long time. His cute, loveable vocal cadences make this love song feel so full of joy, delight and sunshine, and sure, it’s a bit too saccharine and perhaps overly sweet, but it’s also really freaking catchy, and you can’t deny how great the guitars sound in this. Healy’s vocals feel oddly lo-fi and definitely out of the focus on the mix here, making some of the lyrics basically incoherent, but a sincere declaration of puppy love has never focused on the poetic intricacies. Sometimes a repetitive, nasal mantra of “I’ve been in love with you for ages!” is all you need. Yeah, this is pretty great, and it reminds me of their earlier stuff, which was bubbly, bouncy and a lot more fun than what they tried to do afterwards, but this in undoubtedly a lot more refined. Looking at the lyrics actually, I love these too: Matty’s infatuated with a friend who doesn’t feel the same way, and he can’t properly get her to reciprocate that, but he seems okay with it. I love these mundane one-liners he drops, and honestly, they sound kind of like anti-humour. Here are my favourites:

I can’t remember when we met because she didn’t have a top on [The opening line. He doesn’t elaborate]

We went to Winter Wonderland and it was s**t but we were happy (Happy)

Oh, and there’s this whole tangent where he desperately tries to reassure the fact that he is NOT in fact gay, which is unnecessary but funny regardless. Yeah, I like this song a lot. Check it out.

#33 – “What a Man Gotta Do” – Jonas Brothers

Produced by David Stewart and Ryan Tedder

The Jonas Brothers are just a pop group now, alright? The novelty wore off pretty quickly last year so now Nick, Joe and Kevin have got to prove themselves as pop stars in 2020... and they’re doing it with a rock song apparently, our second in a row, and that’s a good sign. They performed this at the Grammy’s and I watched the performance on 4Music’s pitiful coverage; I wasn’t interested, really, but that may just be because it’s live so I don’t get to properly hear all of the intricacies of the Jonas Brothers. It’s their sixth UK Top 40 hit and yeah nevermind lmao

Okay, so admittedly the song is not terrible but it’s far from great. Nick Jonas’ falsetto is still hilarious, especially when half-mumbling over isolated guitar strumming, but I do appreciate the return to Disney-rock, especially the chorus, which is insanely catchy but a tad dry; in fact despite the elements of character in the song like Jonas Brothers’ natural lack of charisma, the generally awful lyrics and the overly quiet crowd chanting noises, I can’t find a single part of this song that is any different from a sub-par Disney villain song. Not one from Scar or any of the epic animated ones, no, the ones from their Disney Channel sitcom garbage. Also, I swear the Grammy’s version had, like, a climax? This just exists for three straight minutes. No more, no less. No Jonas, no Brothers.

#9 – “Ei8ht Mile” – DigDat featuring Aitch

Produced by Chris Rich Beats and WhYJay

This is a three minute drill song with 13 verses. Okay, well, those 13 verses are both very short, and there’s also not a single chorus; really, it’s just one really long verse where both DigDat and Aitch trade bars. The beat is kind of cool and menacing, as it’s mostly piano but has some brass inflections and they sound pretty sweet and Latin-influenced, almost? It sounds like a sample from a spy movie, kind of? I can’t really describe  it, or this song, as it completely lacks description. Aitch is void of personality, and DigDat is more energetic, sure, but his content isn’t there like it was in “New Dior”. None of these flows are interesting, and neither are the lyrics, and neither are the rappers. This is exactly what I expected though, to be honest. How the hell did this debut so high?

Put my money in bricks, not cocaine ones

Wh—So you just put your money in bricks? Do you invest in real estate?

Talk like your bad and you shoot like Kobe / Till you get left scar-face like Tony (Geez)

Uh—

I’m richer than all them opps, ask Sony (Ask them!)

Huh? Why?

Still washin’ up white like Persil

Okay, that’s kind of funny.

Big bro’s plugs are bald got a moustache; Breaking Bad

Nevermind.

Got a spin ting, no Beyblade / Pray they don’t lock me up like TAY-K

HUH

Conclusion

Sadly, I can’t give anything to BROCKHAMPTON, BTS, or Mac Miller, so I’m going to give Worst of the Week to Eminem. Not the songs, not the album, just Eminem. Best of the Week is definitely going to “Me & You Together Song” by the 1975, and I think there’s not really anything worth caring about here to award any Honourable or Dishonourable Mentions. Follow me on Twitter @cactusinthebank, I’ll see you next week.

REVIEWING THE CHARTS 2020

[cecilrshort-blog]

Learning Theories - Where I Stand

Back in October, I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the AECT conference in the beautiful Kansas City, Missouri. The conference started on Wednesday and went through the weekend, ending on Saturday, but I left for the conference early early because I wanted to see family, and because I attended a workshop on Tuesday. That workshop has inspired this post.

The workshop was offered by a graduate student from a university in the eastern United States, and focused on gamification of learning. It was really cool and I learned a lot; however, there was one thing that happened that I found troublesome. The workshop instructor asked the attendees of his workshop (there were three of us) a question that I have heard many times before in instructional design settings. The question was: Where do you stand on this spectrum of learning theories? He showed us a diagram that looked like this:

SIDEBAR: (Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon question at such conferences, and there have been times that the question has even led to heated debates between various groups of scholars. To be succinct, I think this debate is a dangerous waste of time for a field that has so much potential, and can accomplish so much more than deciding which approach to learning is best. Yet, I want to weigh in on the debate and explain why all sides are both simultaneously wrong, and right, about their stances. Let’s go back to my conference experience).

The workshop instructor began by stating his own stance on learning theories. He explained (in a weird kind of instructional design hipster fashion) that he used to be to the far right of the spectrum, even past Constructivism, but has since moved a little more to the left. Next he asked a friend of mine from Virginia Tech for her answer.

She responded along the lines of, “Well, I have raised one husband, two dogs, and three kids, so I know Behaviorism works!” She went on to testify of the power of punishment and reward for furthering the learning of students, even pulling in some examples from learning through video games - which I appreciated. Next, the instructor asked one of my colleagues from BYU the same question.

Being in the same program, her response did not much surprise me. She stated that she was somewhere between Cognitivism and Constructivism, and really kind of floats back and forth between them. In my opinion, this was by far the best response so far. HOWEVER, I could see from the look in the eyes of the instructor and my friend from Virginia Tech, that sides were already starting to form for the debate.

The instructor turned to me and asked, “Cecil, how about you? Where do you fall?” The question made me feel as if I were being drafted for war, and my decision would tip the scales toward victory.

I took a deep breath and said, “I think each of the learning theories you have on the board makes some dangerous assumptions about what is and is not considered learning, and that they all have too narrow of a view concerning the responsibilities of both learners and teachers. So, I consider myself to be a critical synthesizer.”

My friend from Virginia Tech responded instantly, “Ooh! I like that! Can I use it?” I told her that I’d be more than happy to let her use it, just give me credit. *wink*

The instructor asked me to clarify. What does it mean to be a critical synthesizer? Well, here goes:

Being a critical synthesizer is similar to what Yanchar and Gabbitas (2011) describe as practicing “critical flexibility.” They describe critical flexibility as the act of taking a “critical stance towards one’s own design sense and an awareness of alternative views that may facilitate the gradual development of one’s practice” (p. 388). Critical flexibility is important to the design and development of instruction, but works less well for guiding the act of instruction. By contrast, a critical synthesizer can change his or her approach to learning based upon the changing demands of a learning context. The critical synthesizer realizes, like the critically flexible designer, that various learning theories and movements have their uses, but using only one approach, or trying to use all of the approaches at once, creates binds in critical assumptions and/or practical applications for learning. The critical synthesizer moves from theory to theory and approach to approach based upon the demands of a learning context. Table 1 identifies some of the contexts and views of learning based upon some of the most popular theories and approaches.

Given the ways in which learning in different contexts can overlap, it is important that educators take a broad approach to learning, understanding that it can have different implications under different circumstances. Learning how to act in elementary school, for example, is vastly different than learning to fly a plane. Taking the same approach to each learning scenario would not only be inappropriate, but foolish. If forced to provide a singular definition of learning, I would say I view learning as “a change in knowledge, understanding, or action that can occur under various circumstances and in various contexts.” Planning for various contexts requires educators to illustrate a critical understanding of the learning context, and a critical synthesis of learning theories and approaches.

I hope that as our field continues to mature, we will seek out less polarization of learning theories, and more compromise and understanding of the ways in which different learning theories can offer insight into different learning situations. Teaching and learning can be difficult concepts to understand, and both have a variety of explanations and approaches. But if educators and instructional designers are going to be prepared to overcome such difficulties they will need learn to become critical synthesizers who use the strengths of various approaches to meet the needs of their various learners in various situations.

References

Brown, J. S., Collins, A., & Duguid, P. (1989). Situated cognition and the culture of learning. Educational researcher, 18(1), 32-42.

Gagné, R. M. (1985). A theory of instruction. The conditions of learning and theory of instruction (pp. 243-258). Fort Worth, Holt, Rinehart & Winston, Inc.

Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Siemens, G. (2005). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 2(1).

Slavin, R. E. (2009). Behavioral theories of learning. Educational psychology: Theory and practice (9th ed., pp. 126-155). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Yanchar, S. C., & Gabbitas, B. W. (2011). Between eclecticism and orthodoxy in instructional design. Educational Technology Research and Development, 59, pp. 383-398.

[firewoman-in-the-cosmos-blog]

Album: Drunk

Artist: Thundercat

Genre: Jazz Fusion / Funk / Soul

Release Date: February 24, 2016

RIYL: Flying Lotus, Kamasi Washington, Robert Glasper, BADBADNOTGOOD, Hiatus Kaiyote, Kendrick Lamar

Best Tracks: 4, 9, 10, 12, 14, 15, 20,

Rating: 9/10

Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Thundercat reigns the music industry as one of the most talented contemporary bassists-understood by his plethora of features throughout the R&B, rap, hip-hop, jazz, and soul industries. He plays the bass as if it were a guitar, with swift riffs that are almost unbelievable in their rapidity and intensity. Some of the artists that he has blessed his musical genius with by featuring on their tracks include Kirk Knight, Flying Lotus, Kendrick Lamar, Mac Miller, Erykah Badu, Childish Gambino, Ty Dolla $ign, Kamasi Washington, Vic Mensa...the list goes on. Thundercat has been recording, producing, and writing in the music world since 2002, but did not release his first studio album, The Golden Age of Apocalypse, until 2011. In 2013, he released his energetic sophomore album, Apocalypse, which I have definitely enjoyed more than the album prior, and which contains the absolute golden banger of a track, “Oh Sheit It’s X.” Two years later, in 2015, he released a beautiful, melancholy EP The Beyond / Where the Giants Roam. His newest release, Drunk, proves as my favorite Thundercat release yet, with twenty-three delicious, enticing tracks.

Drunk definitely sticks to Thundercat’s roots with its funk fusion. Certain tracks maintain an uppity beat, such as “Bus In These Streets (feat. Louis Cole),” “Blackkk (feat. Sounwave),” “Jameel’s Space Ride (feat. Louis Cole),” “Friend Zone (feat. Mono/Poly)” (my favorite track of the album), and “Them Changes (feat. Flying Lotus)” (first released on his 2015 EP). However, most tracks on the album feel slow, and almost painful in their decreased tempo. The general theme of the album is inebriation, which is made fairly clear with the album title. I imagine Thundercat intends his listeners to enjoy this album while intoxicated, as the final lyric to the 39-second opening track “Rabbit Ho” is “Let’s go hard, get drunk, and travel down the rabbit hole.” It almost seems as if Thundercat is beckoning his listeners to join him on an alcohol-included journey, where the listener dives alongside Thundercat into a rabbit hole--the rabbit hole seeming to be a metaphor for the remainder of the album. The album continues to oscillate on the topic of, you guessed it, drinking! Thundercat consistently describes situations in which he finds himself drunk throughout the album, whether he’s forgetting his wallet at the club in “Captain Stupido (feat. Flying Lotus),” discussing how “at the end of it all, no one wants to drink alone” in “Walk On By (feat. Kendrick Lamar),” living it up on restless nights in Tokyo in “Tokyo,” or struggling to “open his eyes, girl / cause’ he’s just too wasted,” in “Drink Dat (feat. Taylor Graves & Wiz Khalifa),” OR he’s “drowning away all of the pain” in “Drunk (feat. Flying Lotus).”

Another one of the album’s themes is space, demonstrated through musicality and lyrics. Thundercat creates a spacey, almost ethereal, vibe through his smooth bass riffs, his echoing and harmonizing ooh’s and ahh’s, and his expressive synths. It almost feels as if Thundercat embraces you with his bass melodies, comfortably cocooning you in his smoothness and flow in songs like “A Fan’s Mail ((Tron Song Suite II) feat. Sounwave),” “Lava Lamp,” “Jethro,” “Show You The Way (feat. Flying Lotus, Michael McDonald, & Kenny Loggins,” “Walk On By (feat. Kendrick Lamar,” “3AM (feat. Flying Lotus),” “The Turn Down (feat. Pharrell Williams).” Listening to Thundercat feels like looking through a kaleidoscope of sound--each instrument, riff, and vocal amalgamating in the tube, expanding and dwindling in energy, vibe, and feel. A thrilling funk-filled galaxy ride! “Jameel’s Space Ride (feat. Louis Cole)” more concretely and literally fulfills this theme of space. The song feels very fun and positive with fast-paced synth chords topped with fluttering synths in a higher octave; however, this joy is contrasted with the political message of the song as Thundercat sings: “I want to go right / I’m safe on my block / Except for the cops / Will they attack? Would it be ‘cause I’m black?” Track twelve “Tokyo” feels very out-of-this-world as well with its twinkling high-registered synths; the song transports you to a flattened space, as the synths sound like the soundtrack to an 8-bit video game, where everything is two dimensional.

Thundercat employs other subtly political or suggestive messages throughout the album. In “Walk On By (feat. Kendrik Lamar),” Kendrick’s irresistibly smooth verse topples Thundercat’s creamy, mellow melody, as Kendrick raps about his personal experiences growing up in Compton as a black man (and as you may or may not know, the personal is the political!). Kendrick calls out the lack of opportunity he had under the oppressive white supremacist, capitalist system in the states, and how “When the line becomes thin: be killer or fireman.” In order to survive, individuals in similar inopportune situations had to either participate in gang culture and submit to violence, or act as a “saving” member of one’s community and essentially turn against one’s community by fighting it. Through this, he alludes to the lack of stable, equitable, and community-building opportunities for young people in Compton.

The album is chock-full of comical lyrics, and the unconventionality of Thundercat’s lyricism adds to his ultimate talent and ability to work with complexity. In track fourteen “Friend Zone,” Thundercat struggles over a “bullshit” relationship in which he struggles over rejection (as he is placed in the contested “friend zone”). He tries to shake off the rejection (which he clearly feels not so nonchalant about, considering he wrote a song about it) by explaining how everything’s fine, he doesn’t need this person: “Because I’d rather play Mortal Combat anyway.” My favorite line of the song is “I will throw you in the garbage / ‘Cause you play too many games.” Oh Thundercat, you funny fellow you ! Thundercat also ends the tune “Show You the Way” with some pretty jocular and wise advice: “If you’re going to fill your water bottle with vodka, always make sure you have a friend with a bottle that actually has water in it.”

Thundercat’s fabulous repertoire of funk/jazz fusion music, along with a litany of features, is substantially enhanced with Drunk. His incredible music-making skills are explicit through his undeniable bass-playing abilities, and the overall spacey feel of this album enhances its engaging complexity. Thundercat recounts funny stories through his songs, while also making references to the political, ingraining himself as an integral voice, deserving to be listened to in the music world. The 23 tracks of the album run for a total of 51 minutes, as most songs don’t run over three minutes. I would highly recommend this album to anyone interested in rap/hip-hop, jazz, funk, or soul, but also to anyone who enjoys narrative music that is electrifying,  absorbing, and largely uncommon. Thundercat’s music is not like much else I have heard, but its uniqueness is part of its overwhelming charm. So make a gin and tonic, or grab a few beers, or maybe even a J (and if that doesn’t fit your fancy then make a good ol’ cup of coffee or tea) and listen to Drunk!!

[mc-cried]

Thing???

The v cool @starkillir tagged me in one of these things and I love doing them. Here is that thing

A- Age: 17

B- Biggest Fear: That I’m not going to be good enough

C- Current Time: 20:19 Eastern Standard Time, February 10th, 2017, Common Era

D- Drink you had last: Half a glass of water

E- Everyday starts with: Staring at the floor for twenty minutes

F- Favorite song: I got three currently: Pretty Machines by Parquet Courts, Where Mountains Pierce the Sky by Panopticon, and Ghost Fields by Murder by Death

G- Ghosts, are they real: Maybe? I mean events definitely shape an area’s mood, and that’s kinda similar to spirits

H- Hometown: BAAAAHSTON (Actually a little town 45 minutes north of Boston called Manchester-by-the-Sea. Lots of movies get shot here) 

I- In love with: A boy and my dog

J- Jealous of: People who can “people” to steal @mere-peripheral‘s expression.

K- Killed someone: I can neither confirm nor deny these reports due to concerns of national security.

L- Last time you cried: Today, about an hour ago over bullshit

M- Middle name: Abraham

N- Number of siblings: I’m a triplet so, one brother and one sister (technically speaking I’m the oldest).

O- One wish: to be Calm™

P- Person you last called/texted: @krabgod if you count Discord. My dad if you don’t.

Q- Questions you’re always asked: What is that? (related to music, academic questions, and obscure references I make too much).

R- Reasons to smile: My dog, video games, music, probably have an internship doing space things this summer

S- Song last sang: Nothing Came Out by The Moldy Peaches

T- Time you woke up: 6:30, laid in bed until 8:20. I have no effort.

U- Underwear color: Pink

V- Vacation Destination: Pripyat (City outside Chernobyl). 

W- Worst Habit: I overthink everything. Also shitty jokes.

X- X-rays you’ve had: Several teeth ones, two for my collar bone when I was 6, 1 on my foot when I was 11 because I got a screw in it, three or four chest x-rays because of very bad colds

Y- You’re favorite food: A good cheeseburger

Z- Zodiac sign: Leo

Oh, I tag: @saltierney @mere-peripheral @krabgod and @unicornlamps. Also whoever wants to do the thing.

[kristinsimmons]

Dental Cavitations: Definition, Facts, & Myths

Have you heard of dental cavitations? They can be big problems in your jawbone, but you may never know you have one.

What are dental cavitations?

There’s a lot of misinformation out there about dental cavitations. Some patients have been “led astray” because their doctors have misdiagnosed a dental cavitation. 

Also, the fact that two major dental conditions sound similar can be confusing: dental cavitation and dental cavity.

A dental cavitation is a term that is used to describe an area of damage in the jawbone. The dictionary defines a “cavitation” as an empty space formed within a solid object or body. 

“Cavitation” is not a medical term, although it is used by dentists and other healthcare professionals. 

A dental cavitation is an area of infection, inflammation, or necrosis within the jawbone. 

If not treated correctly, it will fester, and toxic elements could spread to other areas of the body. 

On the other hand, a dental cavity (known by dentist as “dental caries”) is an area of break down in the structure of a tooth caused by acids produced by specific bacteria. It also is known as tooth decay where infection is eating into the enamel, dentin, or the root structure of a tooth. 

If you truly have a “dental cavitation” in your jawbone, this can be a serious problem. Proper treatment could lead to an expensive surgical procedure to “repair” it. 

But some patients are misdiagnosed with a dental cavitation. The dentist might see an area of “demineralization” in the jawbone that is not pathologic. If this demineralized area is treated as a true dental cavitation, it could lead to unnecessary surgery and significant expense. 

Since “cavitation” is not a recognized dental term or condition, there is much confusion revolving around its diagnosis and treatment. In my opinion, misdiagnosis is an error that may be understandable. Yet, overdiagnosis of dental cavitations is fraud in my opinion and could lead to unnecessary treatment, high cost, and pain. 

Let’s take a deeper dive into this area. I’ll describe some facts about “dental cavitations”. 

Medical Terminology

The accepted medical term for a dental cavitation is “cavitational osteonecrosis” or “ischemic osteonecrosis”. 

Some professionals that are not in the “know” will classify this jawbone disease as a sham. However, it is definitely real and definitely could cause isolated as well as systemic destruction. 

This type of lesion may be a hollow space surrounded by dead bone, or it may be filled with various inflammatory, toxic, or infectious elements.  

One of the problems with a dental cavitation is that most of these lesions are painless. However, if there is pain, they are usually called “Neuralgia-Inducing Cavitational Osteonecrosis” (NICO). 

As I mentioned, these bone lesions must be diagnosed correctly. “Cavitation lesions” that are only areas of demineralization with no pathology rarely need to be treated. A good dentist will not convince you to treat this kind of demineralization if s/he knows there is no pathology.

Diagnosis of Cavitations

As I have suggested, dental cavitations may be difficult to diagnose. It is difficult or impossible to see these lesions when viewing a regular single dental periapical x-ray or a panoramic dental x-ray. 

A panoramic x-ray shows the upper and lower jaw, the teeth, and the sinus spaces. (See Figure 1, which shows a 2-dimensional periapical dental x-ray with a difficult-to-see cavitation within the red circle.)

Figure 1  Cavitational Osteonecrosis in lower jaw (within red circle)

Most dental x-rays are 2-dimensional pictures of specific areas of your jaw and teeth. However, the jaw and teeth are three-dimensional structures. So, a 2-dimensional x-ray flattens the 3-dimensional object into a picture that shows minimal detail. More detail is required to identify potential areas of cavitational osteonecrosis.

To see this lesion in detail, the dentist should have the patient receive a 3-dimensional picture of the jaw. This can be done with a Cone Beam CT Scan (CBCT) of the potential lesion.  

But before any x-ray is taken, the dentist must review the dental and medical history of the patient to determine the possible causes of the bone lesion before making the diagnosis. 

Causes of Dental Cavitations

Dental cavitations in the jawbone could be the result of a variety of insults to the bone. Here are 5 possible causes:

Some type of trauma to the bone causing a blockage of blood flow could cause bone cells to die, thereby creating a hollow space within the bone. 

Following an improperly performed procedure to extract a tooth could leave infection or debris in the bone socket, which could result in a dry socket and eventually a dental cavitation. 

Overheating the bone during a dental procedure using cutting drills could cause the bone to die, leading to cavitational osteonecrosis. 

A tooth abscess penetrating into the bone and becoming isolated within the bone could form a bone lesion. 

Continuing infection at the base of a tooth root, which has a failing root canal, could be the culprit.

Linking Dental Cavitations to Chronic Disease

When harmful bacteria and toxic substances accumulate in the hollow space in a bone lesion, the immune system is activated via the mouth-body connection. Various biologically active chemicals are produced which can travel along nerve sheaths, through bone spaces, within lymph, and into the systemic bloodstream. 

These biological chemicals and toxic substances can affect other cells and organs in the body — creating chronic systemic inflammation, chronic diseases, and chronic pain. 

It is important to realize that pain and chronic disease could occur a distance from the jawbone lesion. This is another reason why it may be difficult to understand that the dental lesion caused an area of pain and chronic disease somewhere else in the body.

Published Research

Researchers have uncovered some facts you need to know. Most published articles use the terms of “cavitational osteonecrosis” and “NICO”:

In this 2010 peer-reviewed paper, the authors discussed 22 patients with NICO in the jawbone. They described the progression of the disease and treatment for this bone lesion. 

In a paper published in 2012 in the National Journal of Maxillofacial Surgery, the clinicians described their diagnosis and treatment for a patient, whom they diagnosed with an isolated lesion of NICO in the lower jawbone. 

The authors of this 2015 study evaluated 15 patients with unusual facial pain and trigeminal neuralgia. Their research suggested that the jawbone lesions, described as “cavitations” and “NICO”, might be the cause of the jaw pain as a result of the inflammatory cytokines that these lesions produced.

In this 2017 article published in Implant Dentistry, the surgeons covered their treatment for 34 patients who experienced dental cavitations in the area where dental implants were to be inserted. The dentists explained how these lesions were treated prior to placing the dental implants.

These articles are important because they discussed human case studies exhibiting these jawbone lesions and their potential threat to patient’s health. Most of the general public and many dental practitioners are unfamiliar with these lesions or have previously been misinformed.

Treatment of Dental Cavitations

Treatment of cavitational osteonecrosis consists of entering the lesion and cleaning it out thoroughly. The fluid and tissues removed from the lesion should be sent to pathology to be identified. 

The dental surgeon may use a laser to decontaminate and debride the lesion. S/he may place a biologically active material into the bone space to enhance its healing. 

In addition to surgically treating the bone lesion, it is important to support the patient’s immune system. There should be an integrative approach including a non-inflammatory nutrient-dense diet and various spore-based probiotics to support a diverse and abundant garden of healthy microbes in the gut. 

Sometimes, it will be necessary to determine if any toxic substances already exist in the body like heavy metals, which may need to be reduced or eliminated.

My Final Thoughts

While the medical and dental professions are not completely convinced cavitational osteonecrosis exists, the few published research papers reveal it is true. 

These lesions go undetected because they usually do not develop immediately after the bone insult. 

And most importantly, various diseases and pain can manifest in areas of the body other than the jawbone. The medical literature needs more documented cases from researchers to wake up the healthcare professionals who are the ones to diagnose and treat this problem.

4 References

Glueck, C. J., McMahon, R. E., Bouquot, J. E., Khan, N. A., & Wang, P. (2010). T− 786C polymorphism of the endothelial nitric oxide synthase gene and neuralgia-inducing cavitational osteonecrosis of the jaws. Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology, Oral Radiology, and Endodontology, 109(4), 548-553. Abstract: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20185342

Gandhi, Y. R., Pal, U. S., & Singh, N. (2012). Neuralgia-inducing cavitational osteonecrosis in a patient seeking dental implants. National journal of maxillofacial surgery, 3(1), 84. Full text: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3513818/ 

Lechner, J., & von Baehr, V. (2015). Peripheral neuropathic facial/trigeminal pain and RANTES/CCL5 in jawbone cavitation. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2015. Full text: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4481083/

Chen, Y. W., Simancas-Pallares, M., Marincola, M., & Chuang, S. K. (2017). Grafting and Dental Implantation in Patients With Jawbone Cavitation: Case Series and 3-Year Follow-Up. Implant dentistry, 26(1), 158-164. Abstract: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28098576

The post Dental Cavitations: Definition, Facts, & Myths appeared first on Ask the Dentist.

Dental Cavitations: Definition, Facts, & Myths published first on https://wittooth.tumblr.com/

[dentalinfotoday]

Have you heard of dental cavitations? They can be big problems in your jawbone, but you may never know you have one.

What are dental cavitations?

There’s a lot of misinformation out there about dental cavitations. Some patients have been “led astray” because their doctors have misdiagnosed a dental cavitation. 

Also, the fact that two major dental conditions sound similar can be confusing: dental cavitation and dental cavity.

A dental cavitation is a term that is used to describe an area of damage in the jawbone. The dictionary defines a “cavitation” as an empty space formed within a solid object or body. 

“Cavitation” is not a medical term, although it is used by dentists and other healthcare professionals. 

A dental cavitation is an area of infection, inflammation, or necrosis within the jawbone. 

If not treated correctly, it will fester, and toxic elements could spread to other areas of the body. 

On the other hand, a dental cavity (known by dentist as “dental caries”) is an area of break down in the structure of a tooth caused by acids produced by specific bacteria. It also is known as tooth decay where infection is eating into the enamel, dentin, or the root structure of a tooth. 

If you truly have a “dental cavitation” in your jawbone, this can be a serious problem. Proper treatment could lead to an expensive surgical procedure to “repair” it. 

But some patients are misdiagnosed with a dental cavitation. The dentist might see an area of “demineralization” in the jawbone that is not pathologic. If this demineralized area is treated as a true dental cavitation, it could lead to unnecessary surgery and significant expense. 

Since “cavitation” is not a recognized dental term or condition, there is much confusion revolving around its diagnosis and treatment. In my opinion, misdiagnosis is an error that may be understandable. Yet, overdiagnosis of dental cavitations is fraud in my opinion and could lead to unnecessary treatment, high cost, and pain. 

Let’s take a deeper dive into this area. I’ll describe some facts about “dental cavitations”. 

Medical Terminology

The accepted medical term for a dental cavitation is “cavitational osteonecrosis” or “ischemic osteonecrosis”. 

Some professionals that are not in the “know” will classify this jawbone disease as a sham. However, it is definitely real and definitely could cause isolated as well as systemic destruction. 

This type of lesion may be a hollow space surrounded by dead bone, or it may be filled with various inflammatory, toxic, or infectious elements.  

One of the problems with a dental cavitation is that most of these lesions are painless. However, if there is pain, they are usually called “Neuralgia-Inducing Cavitational Osteonecrosis” (NICO). 

As I mentioned, these bone lesions must be diagnosed correctly. “Cavitation lesions” that are only areas of demineralization with no pathology rarely need to be treated. A good dentist will not convince you to treat this kind of demineralization if s/he knows there is no pathology.

Diagnosis of Cavitations

As I have suggested, dental cavitations may be difficult to diagnose. It is difficult or impossible to see these lesions when viewing a regular single dental periapical x-ray or a panoramic dental x-ray. 

A panoramic x-ray shows the upper and lower jaw, the teeth, and the sinus spaces. (See Figure 1, which shows a 2-dimensional periapical dental x-ray with a difficult-to-see cavitation within the red circle.)

Figure 1  Cavitational Osteonecrosis in lower jaw (within red circle)

Most dental x-rays are 2-dimensional pictures of specific areas of your jaw and teeth. However, the jaw and teeth are three-dimensional structures. So, a 2-dimensional x-ray flattens the 3-dimensional object into a picture that shows minimal detail. More detail is required to identify potential areas of cavitational osteonecrosis.

To see this lesion in detail, the dentist should have the patient receive a 3-dimensional picture of the jaw. This can be done with a Cone Beam CT Scan (CBCT) of the potential lesion.  

But before any x-ray is taken, the dentist must review the dental and medical history of the patient to determine the possible causes of the bone lesion before making the diagnosis. 

Causes of Dental Cavitations

Dental cavitations in the jawbone could be the result of a variety of insults to the bone. Here are 5 possible causes:

Some type of trauma to the bone causing a blockage of blood flow could cause bone cells to die, thereby creating a hollow space within the bone. 

Following an improperly performed procedure to extract a tooth could leave infection or debris in the bone socket, which could result in a dry socket and eventually a dental cavitation. 

Overheating the bone during a dental procedure using cutting drills could cause the bone to die, leading to cavitational osteonecrosis. 

A tooth abscess penetrating into the bone and becoming isolated within the bone could form a bone lesion. 

Continuing infection at the base of a tooth root, which has a failing root canal, could be the culprit.

Linking Dental Cavitations to Chronic Disease

When harmful bacteria and toxic substances accumulate in the hollow space in a bone lesion, the immune system is activated via the mouth-body connection. Various biologically active chemicals are produced which can travel along nerve sheaths, through bone spaces, within lymph, and into the systemic bloodstream. 

These biological chemicals and toxic substances can affect other cells and organs in the body — creating chronic systemic inflammation, chronic diseases, and chronic pain. 

It is important to realize that pain and chronic disease could occur a distance from the jawbone lesion. This is another reason why it may be difficult to understand that the dental lesion caused an area of pain and chronic disease somewhere else in the body.

Published Research

Researchers have uncovered some facts you need to know. Most published articles use the terms of “cavitational osteonecrosis” and “NICO”:

In this 2010 peer-reviewed paper, the authors discussed 22 patients with NICO in the jawbone. They described the progression of the disease and treatment for this bone lesion. 

In a paper published in 2012 in the National Journal of Maxillofacial Surgery, the clinicians described their diagnosis and treatment for a patient, whom they diagnosed with an isolated lesion of NICO in the lower jawbone. 

The authors of this 2015 study evaluated 15 patients with unusual facial pain and trigeminal neuralgia. Their research suggested that the jawbone lesions, described as “cavitations” and “NICO”, might be the cause of the jaw pain as a result of the inflammatory cytokines that these lesions produced.

In this 2017 article published in Implant Dentistry, the surgeons covered their treatment for 34 patients who experienced dental cavitations in the area where dental implants were to be inserted. The dentists explained how these lesions were treated prior to placing the dental implants.

These articles are important because they discussed human case studies exhibiting these jawbone lesions and their potential threat to patient’s health. Most of the general public and many dental practitioners are unfamiliar with these lesions or have previously been misinformed.

Treatment of Dental Cavitations

Treatment of cavitational osteonecrosis consists of entering the lesion and cleaning it out thoroughly. The fluid and tissues removed from the lesion should be sent to pathology to be identified. 

The dental surgeon may use a laser to decontaminate and debride the lesion. S/he may place a biologically active material into the bone space to enhance its healing. 

In addition to surgically treating the bone lesion, it is important to support the patient’s immune system. There should be an integrative approach including a non-inflammatory nutrient-dense diet and various spore-based probiotics to support a diverse and abundant garden of healthy microbes in the gut. 

Sometimes, it will be necessary to determine if any toxic substances already exist in the body like heavy metals, which may need to be reduced or eliminated.

My Final Thoughts

While the medical and dental professions are not completely convinced cavitational osteonecrosis exists, the few published research papers reveal it is true. 

These lesions go undetected because they usually do not develop immediately after the bone insult. 

And most importantly, various diseases and pain can manifest in areas of the body other than the jawbone. The medical literature needs more documented cases from researchers to wake up the healthcare professionals who are the ones to diagnose and treat this problem.

4 References

Glueck, C. J., McMahon, R. E., Bouquot, J. E., Khan, N. A., & Wang, P. (2010). T− 786C polymorphism of the endothelial nitric oxide synthase gene and neuralgia-inducing cavitational osteonecrosis of the jaws. Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology, Oral Radiology, and Endodontology, 109(4), 548-553. Abstract: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20185342

Gandhi, Y. R., Pal, U. S., & Singh, N. (2012). Neuralgia-inducing cavitational osteonecrosis in a patient seeking dental implants. National journal of maxillofacial surgery, 3(1), 84. Full text: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3513818/ 

Lechner, J., & von Baehr, V. (2015). Peripheral neuropathic facial/trigeminal pain and RANTES/CCL5 in jawbone cavitation. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2015. Full text: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4481083/

Chen, Y. W., Simancas-Pallares, M., Marincola, M., & Chuang, S. K. (2017). Grafting and Dental Implantation in Patients With Jawbone Cavitation: Case Series and 3-Year Follow-Up. Implant dentistry, 26(1), 158-164. Abstract: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28098576

The post Dental Cavitations: Definition, Facts, & Myths appeared first on Ask the Dentist.

from Ask the Dentist https://askthedentist.com/dental-cavitation/

[biofunmy]

Style Conversational Week 1354: The Empress discusses this week’s Style Invitational contest and results

Then I clicked on Build Puzzle and ta-da — a grid that didn’t quite fit the dimensions I needed for the print page in the Arts & Style section. (The tool builds the smallest puzzle it can that accommodates the word list you feed it.)

There must be a setting somewhere to specify instead how big you want the grid, but it was easy enough to just add and subtract words a few times until I ended up with this week’s 20-by-20 square. Here are the words I used — and if you were to produce some hilariously brilliant definition for any of them, you’re certainly free to use it as an entry.

examinee, hemiparasite, physiology, eleemosynary, lanceolate, aqueous, ipomoea, nouveau, aquaria, zooecia, aureolae, quinoa, boohoo, opioid, aikido, pityriasis, intrauterine, epopoeia, ouguiya, castigatory, style (added at the end to make the grid fit just right), dentilabial, nepheline

So what’s the upshot? After I posted Week 1354 this morning, Jesse sent me a message: “Grid looks pretty good on first glance. I think the issue with the vowel percentage is that after your words are placed all the leftover spots get filled with consonants. So if you only submitted “cat” there would be that one A and 399 consonants. So you just need to submit enough words to fill up most of the grid and it will naturally work out. Anyhow, choosing vowel-heavy words seems to have worked well too. It’s about 35% vowels (English average is around 40%; I think the past grids may have been something like 20% or less). </dorkanalysis>”

So: My plan didn’t vowel it up as much as I thought it would, because — who knew — all the “fill” is consonants. Next year, then, God willing, what I’ll do is submit lots of short words with vowels: pine, rate, ease, aide, etc. The more words, the less fill — and so the fewer consonants.

On the other hand, the Loser Community has risen admirably to the challenge; words don’t have to have lots of vowels. And it’s a big, big grid: I guarantee that there are hundreds of pronounceable words in there waiting to be discovered.

For inspiration and guidance, here’s the Losers’ Circle (a.k.a. Above the Fold) — the winner and runners-up — from Week 1294, featuring someone whose name will quite possibly be cited in Week 1354 entries as well:

Fourth place: J-4: ALARMOPATH: An extreme worrywart. “Nellie stayed up all night fretting that she might be an alarmopath.” (Jesse Frankovich)

3rd place: F-7: MaTOO: Reminder that sexual harassment did not start yesterday. (Mark Raffman)

2nd place: P-5: ZITSEN: The other red-nosed reindeer. (Dudley Thompson, Cary, N.C.)

And the winner of the Lose Cannon: N-16: DJ DIZZY G: Rudolph W. Giuliani’s secret hip-hop name: “I’m a long-in-the-tooth sleuth for truth-isn’t-truth — kind of goof, like I’m dipped in vermouth or I fell off a roof, trying to prove there’s no proof …” (Frank Osen)

I stress this in the intro AND atop the entry form, but I’ll give it one more shot here: When I get all the entries together after the Oct. 28 deadline, I’m going to group them, as always, into one anonymous list of what might be several thousand entries. And after that, I would really like to copy them into a Word document and click on Sort. IF each entry begins with the word’s starting coordinates — A-1, F-15, etc. — rather than a number, or a bullet, or the word itself, or “Starting on A-1,” or “1-A,” or “This one is my favorite,” I’ll be able to look at all the A-1 words at once, including the ones that are similar to one another. C’mon, help me out here. Don’t you want me to be in a good mood when I’m deciding how funny you are?

Fabulosity, of course: The new-word poems from Week 1350

I’m expecting lots of entries to Week 1354; pondering the word search grid during a five-minute after-breakfast sitting should make for an entry or three from even an occasional Invite reader. A poetry contest is a different matter, especially one that asks you to use words you might have to look up — and one that requires you to be especially skilled in using the English language with wit, economy and some semblance of an ear. And so I wasn’t exactly shocked that the ink in Week 1350, for poems that focused on words newly added to Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary — ended up mostly on the blotters of our veteran Loserbards.

And sure enough, it’s LB Brendan Beary, of the 1,078-ink Brendan Bearys, who earns his whoa 39th Invite win with “Escape Room,” a beautifully crafted verse that builds perfectly to its twist ending:

This escape room’s the worst, everybody agrees;

We feel trapped, with a lingering sense of unease

That we’ll never get out of here, try as we may —

We get sullen or spiteful, our nerves start to fray

Till at last we’re released, overjoyed to survive …

And we come every weekday, 8:30 to 5.

I had specified that the poem had to use, or at least acknowledge, the new term’s actual meaning. But I was talking about such cases as “haircut” to mean a financial loss, not the term being used, as Brendan does so deftly, as a metaphor. And of course, until the last line the poem makes perfect sense as a reference to the clue-solving on-site game.

The Year of the Rookie Phenom continues with the second-place ink by Bob Kruger; Bob now has a two wins and a second since his debut in Week 1271. In third place is the most occasional Loser to get ink this week: It’s just the fifth blot of ink for Michelle Christophorou, who serves up this week’s best line in her ode to the sexiness of her “rhotic” American man who, unlike the British, pronounces the R-sound within words: “There is nothing as firm as his R’s.” Erhotic, I’d say.

And there’s ol’ Duncan Stevens, with yet another above-the-fold Loss and three for the week. I just looked up my shortlist to check who wrote what, and it turns out that I’d first singled out eight of Duncan’s poems this week.

What Doug Dug: Ace Copy Editor Doug Norwood agreed with my choices for first and second place. He also singled out both Stephen Gold’s and Jesse Frankovich’s takes on “free solo” climbing, plus Frank Osen’s “sesh.”

Last call to march into Gettysburg!

(Reprinting the following from last week’s Conversational)

Just about every year, a contingent of Losers takes advantage of Loser Roger Dalrymple’s tour guide expertise, driving up to Gettysburg, Pa., for lunch in a local pub followed by a drive to various sites where the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg transpired, and perhaps a stroll around the historic town. I can’t make it this year, but it’s always fascinating and fun. (Except the time I got sick …) Lunch is at Appalachian Brewing Co., a nice pub. Because Keeper of the Brunches Elden Carnahan is on vacation, it’s best to RSVP to Roger directly at rogerandpam [at] comcast [dot] net.

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