#this is also apparently insurance in case of food poisoning

[soup-soup-soup-soup-soup]

my dad asked me to share his sour and spicy seafood soup with you all

[starlightxsvt]

Sweeter Than Sweets

Pairing ➳ CEO!seungcheol x baker female!reader

Genre ➳ kinda enemies to lovers, arranged marriage au, romance, angst?? clicheeee :)

Warnings ➳ hella cursing, reader's going through a lot lol

Word count ➳ 2.5k

part 1 l part 2

Part 1: THE BEGINNING

The plot owner is going to visit you today. I'm sincerely sorry for my mistake, I misunderstood. Please resolve the issue with him gently.

You scoff at the message. What the actual fuck? Fury floods through your blood and you clench your fists.

This cannot be happening.

After such a long time you had finally scraped enough money to lease a place for your bakery shop. It's been your dream since so long and after years of hard work it was finally coming true- until today. Apparently the real estate agent is nothing but a fathead and for whatever goddamn reason, she leased you the place when it was clearly not up to be leased. The building owner is on his way now- to possibly kick you out.

No, you cannot let that happen. It is their fault and because of their miscommunication or whatever you are not going to give this place up which you worked so hard for.

If he thinks you'll give in so easily, he has another thing coming.

A Mercedes Benz pulls up in front of your shop just as you finish screwing one of the decoration lights.

He's here.

You take in a deep breath and march out of the shop as a tall male comes of the car. You almost stop in your tracks to gape at him- broad shoulders, gorgeous rich black hair that matches a sculptured face- he's simply breathtaking. No one should be that gorgeous. And he's young- why the fuck is he so young? Does he seriously own this building?

No no no. Stay focused.

He takes long steps towards you and even before he can reach you, you snap, "I'm not giving up this place so don't waste your time."

He stops right in front of you, his hands in his pockets and raises a brow at you. He chuckles- how dare he, before saying, "You do know that this is my building, right?"

"So?"

"So, it means I can kick out a nuisance like you anytime I want." His eyes go dark as he stares you down.

Nuisance? What the fuck? You take in a deep breath, trying to stop yourself from reaching out and choking him. He's so fucking gorgeous and infuriating, damn it.

"Mr. Choi, I've leased this place for two years and if you want it so much, come back two years later and we can talk about it."

"Leave while I'm being polite," his tone is gravelly and his eyes bore into yours. You shiver slightly.

"But I paid for this place! This is mine now!" You yell, unable to hold yourself together. "If you were so concerned about your building then you should have been careful that your agent was leasing it!"

"I admit that it was her fault, a huge one at that matter but I need this building. I'll give you 3 days to take everything and leave. My workers will start their renovation work from next week." He says and turns around his heel, ready to head back.

"No! I will not be moving out! I've worked so hard to lease this place! I even brought all the furniture for my shop! You have no right to do this!" You shout at him. Fuck that son of a bitch.

He stares at you with a bored look, "You've 3 days."

"No!" You whine, stopping him in his tracks again. "If you really want this place then give me some more time. At least a few months."

He marches back to you, his jaw ticking, "Do you think I'm here to play games? You move out in 3 days or my men will drag you out from here." He warns, eyes glinting.

Motherf-

You can't hold in your temper. So you walk past him and towards his fancy car and draw a long nice scratch on the body using your screwdriver. After being satisfied with your handiwork, you turn back to him.

He stares at you, dumbfounded. His driver looks the same except he looks a bit scared. You smirk at Choi, crossing your arms.

He still looks surprised and he scoffs as if he can't believe what happened. He rakes a hand through his hair, his jaw clenched.

"Expect a call from my insurance company. You'll have to pay for what you just did." That's all he says before walking past you to car as his driver quickly fires on the engine.

You mutely watch him leave.

Fuck. Oh fuck.

What have you done?

-

You stare at Choi's personal number that you managed to get from the real estate agent. Shit. You've to call him. You've to apologize. You're in no condition to pay for his damn fancy car.

Shit. Shit. Why did you do that?

You bite your lip, staring at your phone screen, mustering up the courage to call him. You've to apologize and somehow get him to forgive you.

Oh heavens, here goes nothing.

With shaky hands you ring him up and hold your breath. After several rings he picks up, his voice gruff, "Choi here."

You clear your throat and inhale deeply, "Mr.Choi, it's me, ___. We...uhm, met earlier today." You try to stable your voice.

The line is silent for a moment and you're afraid he has hung up but he speaks, his voice laced with a chuckle, "Well, well, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

You swallow, "Mr.Choi I called you to um... apologize for what I did to your car. Please understand that I was really angry then and I sincerely apologize for what I did. I'm so sorry."

"Okay," is all he says. You ask nervously, "So, will be please be kind enough to cancel the charges against me?"

"Do you think that a sorry from you will repair my car?"

"I- please, sir, you've to understand that I'm in no condition to afford for the damages... I-I know I'm responsible but please understand-"

"You want to keep the place to yourself, you want me to drop the charges against you- what you think I am? Some sort of genie who'll grant all your wishes?"

"No- sir-"

"Besides you don't even sound so sorry," His voice sounds teasing and you exhale loudly.

This son of a-

"I don't have time for this bullshit so-"

"No sir please! I'll do anything, please cancel the charges. Then we can talk about your building, I'm sure we can come to a conclusion."

"Are you trying to make a deal with me?"

"Sir- I just-, please, please understand my situation," you almost beg.

The line is quiet for a long time and you're about to break into tears but then you hear his voice, "Fine, I'll text you a place. Meet me there at 8 tomorrow evening. Don't be late." Then the line is dead.

-

You're not dumb enough to go where a stranger tells you to go without telling anybody. So, on the morning of the appointment, you tell your friend the location of the restaurant and in case you were found with a slitted throat, at least the police will have a lead. After that you decide to google Choi, wanting to have a little bit more info on him. Sure enough, he's the son of a filthy rich businessman well known in the country and Choi, himself is the creator of two business companies.

Sure, it'd be nothing for him to dump your body in the water or poison your food.

-

Evening comes quicker than you expected and you rush to get ready. You pick a maroon knee length dress that is what you believe- hope- to be appropriate for the fancy restaurant. It's not like you have a lot of dresses to choose from. You take a cab and just as the clock hits five minutes past eight, you're rushing into the restaurant.

The receptionist asks you if have booked a seat to which you reply that you're here to meet Mr.Choi. Then you're led through a fancy lobby and into the private dining area, where the said male sits. He's dressed in a grey vest and a pressed linen white shirt underneath, with the sleeves rolled up, showing his muscular arms- damn.

His eyes meet yours and you feel an electricity jolt up your spine.

Lord please help me tonight.

"Good evening, Mr.Choi," you murmur, gently sitting down.

The bastard has the balls to smirk as he crosses his arms over his chest, "Good evening, Ms___. I was wondering if you bailed out on me."

You chuckle nervously, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. He grins, motioning towards the menu in front of you,"Shall we order?"

Your eyes glide over the fancy food and the fancier prices. 85$ for a fucking piece of meat?

After chewing on your lip and thinking too much about what to order, you go with a plate of salad and pasta.

"Do you have any wine preferences?" He asks, eyeing the wine menu. Why's he acting so nice? What's his deal?

"Er...I'll let you choose," you say.

After ordering a fancy bottle of wine, Choi folds his hands over the table and looks at you, a small smile playing on his lips.

"So..shall we talk business now?" You offer, unsure.

He nods but stays quiet which you take as a sign to start first, "I only have two things to ask for. Please cancel the charges and please give me a little more time to look for a place. It's impossible to find another place in 3 days. I've paid for the lease here and I've also ordered the furniture. And then there is a monetary issue. Please understand my situation."

He pretends to think, pursuing his lips, "Hmm, I'm afraid that's too much you're asking from me."

"Mr. Choi, I'm sure a man like you can help me with that much." You try to butter his ego.

"Again, I'm afraid you don't know me. If you had any idea about a man like me, you wouldn't say that." His eyes darken.

Fuck. He won't bulge. Why is he so stubborn?

"Sir- please, I sincerely apologize for my actions yesterday, I wasn't in my right mind."

"If only sorry could cover it," he says, nonchalant, leaning back into his chair. He eyes you quietly, his eyes scanning you carefully as your palms grow sweaty.

You are interrupted as the waiter serves you your dinner and pours you the wine. As soon as he's gone, you gulp down the wine, trying to calm yourself.

Damn, it tastes nice.

Choi laughs at your actions before an evil smile crawls up his face. You swallow, meeting his gaze. What's he thinking?

"You see, nothing comes for free. I'll take off the charges against you and I'll give you time to look for another place- actually no, I'll pay for a nicer place for you to open your shop. But in return you've to give me something."

Fuck. You eye him warily.

"What?" You squeak.

"Marry me."

You choke on your food very unceremoniously followed by a lot of coughs. You sputter, trying to get yourself under control. Meanwhile he simply watches you, a playful smile on his lips.

When you can somewhat speak, you breath, "I...I think I misheard you."

"You didn't. I asked you to marry me."

You gape at him, utterly confused, almost certain this is a dream or nightmare. He simply offers you silence as you try to process what he said.

You're left even more confused.

What? Marry him? What the actual fuck?

"Would you please... enlighten me?" You murmur.

He grins, leaning over the table, "You're thinking too much. It'll be a pretend marriage. I need someone who'll pretend to be my wife for a year or so, so that my father hands over his company to me- which he won't unless I get married and settle. It's as simple as that."

Your mouth only grows wider. That's nowhere near simple.

After processing his words in your head for a long time you mumble, "So...you need me to be your pretend wife for like a year and in return you cancel the charges and give me more time to look for a place?"

"It's actually more than that sweetheart. I'll pay every penny for your shop. I'll make sure you have a successful business. Be my pretend wife and I'll give you the biggest and best bakery shop this country has ever seen."

You're dumbfounded and you can only squeak out, "Is this some sort of a hoax?"

He chuckles, "Say yes and I'll have a contract prepared with all our terms and conditions."

"I- I need to think about it," you rush out. Think? Damn it, were you seriously considering it?

Yes, yes you were.

This is a lifetime opportunity.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Choi nods, "I'm sure you need to. But I expect an answer quickly. You've until tomorrow evening."

"H-huh?" You're lost.

He stands up putting on his jacket, "You've my number, call me when you make your decision." He gives you a look and just like that he's out of the room.

You're left with your half eaten plate of food.

-

"So you are telling me that a filthy rich, smoking hot motherfucker asked you to marry him?" Jane's voice echos through the phone.

You rub your temples, staring at your lap, "Yes."

"Bitch if you don't want to do this then give me his number. I'm more than willing to help him out."

"Jane, I'm serious."

"Me too, babe."

You groan, flopping into the bed. "Can you believe it? I still can't wrap my head around it." You whisper.

"You're thinking too much. It's not like you're going to be married to him forever."

"I know but still it's so scary...If I say yes I'll be living with a stranger for the next year."

"A sexy as sin stranger for that matter."

"Gosh- will you stop!"

"Okay okay," you hear her sigh. "Listen I know it's scary and all but this is a win win situation for you, think about it. You're going to be living as a millionaire's wife and when you're divorced you're gonna have your own shop. This is a lifetime opportunity, I mean how many of us gets this? This is like one of those romance movies where-"

"Okay I get it. Thank you for your precious help." You roll your eyes.

" You're welcome!" She laughs. "I'll be waiting for updates!"

"Piss off." You laugh, hanging up.

You stare at the ceiling, your mind numb. This is overwhelming- unreal. Why can't he just marry someone prettier, richer? He can have any woman he wants. Dozens of questions gather in your mind but despite the answers, you've made your decision.

You're going to get married.

A/N ➳ heyyy~ it's ya girl's birthday today lol! I've been wanting to write a fic like this for quite a while but yk, couldn't muster up the courage. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! Please please leave your feedbacks, my ask box is always open- I'll really appreciate it! 💖

Masterlist

Tag list: @chimikima @all-i-needislovee @peekabooseoksoon @masterpiecejoonie @sorrywonwoo @sweetiescoops @diamondsvts @insidesvt @bononswife @ayla-hathway @kpopssuregi @justasoftstan @top-crop @wainrain

[cherry3point14]

Stranger Than Fanfiction: Ch 3

Series Masterlist

Pairing: Dean x Reader Warnings: Meta baby. Pure meta. Word count: 2,100. Chapter Summary: Your google search turns up something unexpected. A/N: No author in this one for... reasons. Also this one is kind of short and lame. A means to an end if you will, but trust me, Ch 4 is a doozy. P.S it’s nearly 3am so Chapter 4 will be up when I wake up, ya dig.

Ao3 if you prefer

It’s almost funny how dramatic the voice in your head wants to be about those suited criminals and yet it doesn’t care to elaborate on anything important. Like, say, your imminent death. The mention of it was so casual, calm, but a couple of weirdos want to pretend to be insurance adjusters and suddenly it’s all pretty prose and run-on sentences. Flowery language about broad-shouldered men in roaring muscle cars that are going to change your life. She’d kept going while you’d interviewed Maggie Hall. She’d harped on and on about how you couldn’t stop thinking about them.

Of course, you couldn’t stop thinking about them, she wouldn’t shut up about them.

After an entire monologue about the way the paper felt in your hands and could never be replaced by computers—purists are the worst—you finally get to leave. That's when you get some respite. You’re walking out into the late afternoon sun and thanking Maggie for her time and it's bliss. Maggie's story sounds a little off, after years doing this you have this gut instinct for when you should investigate further. Funnily enough, you have drama in your life that you’ll submit a valid claim anyway. Just so you can get this cursed case out of your hair. You might even hurry it through the system before the thing has the chance to kill you.

You’re still not sure how a case could kill you. You’re a pencil pusher at best and the interview with Maggie is an excellent example of the majority of your fieldwork, obviously excluding the criminals at the start. Unless your demise is death by papercut.

For now, you’ve given up trying to fathom out the voice you’re hearing, especially since she's chosen to once again go radio silent. If she won’t say anything useful, like say how not to die, then you were going to have to figure out how to skip ahead on your own. Since she kept talking about the imposters you’d met that day, they seemed to be an excellent place to start.

CNK 80Q3. Ohio plates. That's as much as you know without google.

That evening you set yourself up in the same way you would to work from home. There's a desk in the corner of your dining room with a chair that offers enough lumbar support for the longest of research sessions. Although it’s your personal laptop and there’s not normally a large glass of wine sitting next to you when work.

After it powers on you’re assaulted by the usual pop-ups; windows you forgot to close last time and your emails. Procrastinating is not a new routine, and you’re on a mission, so they all get minimized instead of closed completely. Then you open a new browser window and a stark google homepage stares back at you. A hopeful new beginning.

CNK 80Q3. You’re genuinely surprised that she hasn’t started talking again to describe the change in the air as you type in the plate number. Or some drivel about the way your fingers emphasize each letter and number. It’s all there happening anyway, making the moment foreboding, but your narrator doesn’t seem care.

The first row of results are images. Weirdly its images of the license plate itself. That doesn't strike you as odd at first glance and then you think about it a little more. Why are there so many pictures of this particular license plate? Who is running around taking these pictures? You're pretty sure if you typed in your own plate number there would be no pictures of it. And then you see some shopping results where you can actually buy the plate. While the online shops might explain the images, it only really poses more questions. Why are so many people buying that license plate? What’s so special about it?

You take a sip of your wine before you scroll further, savoring the taste as well as the way it relaxes your shoulders. You don't own any 'fun' novelty coasters that say it but you're inclined to agree with the statement you've heard before. Wine really does make everything better.

You’re not yet into the murky depths of page 2 but you’re far enough down the page now to make it past the sponsored results. These links come thick and fast from websites that all seem to have one word in common. Supernatural.

Then you see your salvation. A page called Supernaturalwiki—the link is simply titled: Impala—and you stop scrolling, a grateful sound slipping past your lips as you do. Wiki, you know that word. Like Wikipedia. Wikipedia has references and moderators', clear and concise explanations. This was the easy way out you were looking for.

That’s what you hope as you click on the link anyway. Your naivety lasts all of twenty seconds before the page loads. With its stock image of a 1967 Chevrolet Impala, and a quote about it being the most important object in the universe.

Or it's the most important object in some books at least.

Further clicking and longer sips of wine reveal it’s a series of books called Supernatural—with the title of the wiki you should have seen that coming. These were story after story of ghosts and demons and angels? There are pages that describe monsters, urban legends, and two men. Sam and Dean Winchester. They each have dedicated pages with their whole lives mapped out.

Sam and Dean are fictional brothers and apparently the heroes. Each of their respective profiles begins with an illustrated image from book covers, and then a series of quotes that contradict those pictures. Then their lives are intricately detailed, or should you say they are chronologically recorded according to each book. You would read their histories in full if it wasn't for how tiny the scroll bar is, indicating that these profile pages are ridiculously long.

You sit back in your chair and take a deep breath in the hopes of it being soothing. Or answering all your questions. It does neither. You have no answers and more stress.

This went beyond two men pretending to do your job now. Those guys were driving around in a car with fictional license plates. What was this? Some weirdly immersive cosplay? Was that something Sam and Dean did in the books?

Even so, those two guys weren’t roleplaying at comic con, they were actually in that woman's home. If you hadn't arrived they could have done anything. They could be doing anything now.

There's a ding from the kitchen which means the frozen meal you’d thrown in the oven is ready. Not that you stop thinking about this while you go and grab it because the more you think the less sense everything makes. Like why is a narrator who, until now, was obsessed with those guys, so very silent all of a sudden?

Back at your desk with hot food, you head back to google to see if you can buy these books anywhere because knowledge is power. Unfortunately, not even Amazon has copies. It’s only when you add the term “ebook” to your search do you find a Tumblr blog with links to download all the files, split into two categories. Published and unpublished. There are a lot of Supernatural books and from the looks of it there’s an equal amount of drama over how the unpublished ones got out.

You start downloading them without consciously making a decision to read them. Downloading kind of happens because your macaroni cheese is too hot for your mouth to handle yet, and your hands still need something to do. Besides you didn’t necessarily need to read all of them, if they were truly terrible you’d delete the files. No harm, no foul. But if this was the only way to get answers then you and your kindle were going to be pretty busy this weekend.

“Morning Laura.” Nobody likes Mondays, yet you have a little bounce in your step having made your usual green tea, got dressed, and driven to work in complete and utter silence. In fact, you’d heard nothing all weekend. The caveat was that, yes, you’d spent all weekend reading those books.

You liked reading and without discrimination. Trashy romance novels at the airport? You betcha. Fantasy books thicker than your mattress? Sure thing, order a pizza. But a mystery? Well, those were your favorite. Of course, the detective needed some sort of sketchy backstory and there had to be a fishy amount of red herrings. Most importantly there had to be something to solve. It was an elevation of your day to day life and you always get sucked in. In your job, you try to solve the most benign mysteries; people faking insurance claims. More often than not there isn’t even a mystery to solve, someone really did slip and break something. So, a mystery that grabs you out of nowhere is like a promotion for you, a challenge.

That had been how those Supernatural books had dragged you in. Ghosts and ghouls you could take or leave, you might have stopped reading if that’s all there was. Then this Carver Edlund went and put in that damn side plot about their missing father. It was too enticing, addicting. From the cryptic disappearance to the indecipherable journal of clues. John Winchester would be the death of you.

Or case 24-01 would be. The jury was still out on that.

And now it’s Monday. You’ve heard nothing more from the voice in your head—it may have been a low-level case of carbon monoxide poisoning—and the boys are so close to figuring everything out you can taste it. Technically they know John is alive by now, you finished Shadow some point yesterday afternoon and felt yourself choke up at the emotional goodbye with a father they just got back. But they still have no clue what he's up to, which is a hideous funhouse mirror reflection of your own life. Hopefully, by the time they figure out John’s game plan, you'll have your life figured out too. And fingers crossed figuring everything out will involve staying alive as well.

“You look like you’re feeling better this morning.” Laura is her perky self, always a little too happy for this side of 9am.

Oh right, you went home sick on Friday. You should remember things like that. “I think it was a bug or something I ate maybe.”

“Sure, sure. One of those convenient Friday bugs.” She winks at you.

If she accused you of that say, last week, you’d have laughed it off given that's a thing everyone has in common; trying to skip out on work. So, that's what you try to do this side of the weekend. You push out something that hopefully resembles a regular person's laugh like you’re in on the joke. You have to fake it because you’re still thinking about Providence. The book you’d finished that morning instead of watching the news. You’re still wondering if Sam is starting to move on after Jessica. 

Needless to say, you understand now. The many fan blogs and the artwork you’d glanced at before you started reading. All those things that you’d disregarded as an unhealthy fascination for a bunch of books. Now you’re one of them, obsessed. Walking into the office with your kindle tucked in your bag and Salvation just begging to be read.

This goes beyond finding John. That plot got its hooks in you but you’ve known John was alive since Home and you’re still reading. You could also blame this on your general love of reading except it goes beyond that too. Honestly, it’s hard to pick one thing. They’re really great books. Sam and Dean have such turbulent lives but they still have each other. They’re snarky, lost, angry, and caring. They’re both so different but the sibling relationship is so real. And the stories go beyond a new monster every book, there are these huge interesting story arcs that you couldn't stop reading if you tried. John Winchester had been the first example of these addictive plot points, but not the only one.

“Y/N?”

You snap your head up, “sorry, sorry.”

“I was only saying you’re going to be here all day then, lunch?”

Even though Laura must see the decision on your face she still pretends to hope until you start speaking. “Actually I have a lot to catch up on so I’ll probably be working through. Tomorrow?”

She smiles brightly and nods, “sure thing.”

As bad as you feel about lying to Laura she has presented you an opportunity. Everyone thinks you were sick on Friday. They even think you're behind on your work and they don’t know you’ve already conducted the initial interview. Which makes your decision to sit at your desk and prop your kindle up next to your screen even easier. Nobody would notice the difference between you concentrating or reading. If you skip lunch you might be able to get to Bloodlust out of the way too.

Continue to Chapter 4.

5eva tags: @divadinag @darthdeziewok @fluentinfiction @witch-of-letters @supernatural-teamfreewillpage @magnitude101999 @alexwinchester23  Dean babes: @thewinchesterchronicles @akshi8278​ @bloodydaydreamer StrangerThanFiction tags: @jaylarkson

[live-long-and-time-warp]

On this day in 1986...

Gorbachev speaks to the international community for the first time about the accident at the Chernobyl NPP on April 26.

GORBACHEV, ON TV, DEFENDS HANDLING OF ATOM DISASTER

By Serge Schmemann, Special To the New York Times

May 15, 1986, Section A, Page 1

Mikhail S. Gorbachev publicly discussed the Chernobyl disaster for the first time today, telling the Soviet people that the accident had shown the ''sinister force'' of nuclear energy gone out of control.

Breaking an 18-day silence on the accident, Mr. Gorbachev also accused the West of using the disaster for an ''unrestrained anti-Soviet campaign.''

In a 25-minute television speech, he defended the handling of the accident, rejecting charges that Moscow had not provided adequate information. 

Prompt Data Exchange Proposed

But he also offered a four-point program to hasten exchange of information in accidents like Chernobyl, suggesting at least indirectly that Western criticism had been justified.

Mr. Gorbachev called for a strengthening of the International Atomic Energy Agency, a United Nations body based in Vienna, and for a world conference to discuss an early-warning system on nuclear accidents.

He said he was extending a halt in nuclear tests until Aug. 6, the anniversary of the 1945 bombing of Hiroshima. He renewed his offer to meet President Reagan to discuss a test ban, mentioning Hiroshima as a possible site. The Soviet Union halted its testing last Aug. 6, but the United States has refused to join in or to hold a special summit meeting on the issue. [ In Washington, officials affirmed opposition to a test ban and to a special Gorbachev-Reagan meeting.

They said the Russians were seeking to divert attention from Chernobyl and were extending the test ban offer for public relations purposes in full knowledge that it would be rejected again. ''They seem to have decided that the best defense is a good offense,'' one official said. [Article continuted from Page A1 to Page A9. ] Speaking in somber and sometimes halting cadences, Mr. Gorbachev touched on the themes that have been stressed in Soviet news coverage - the heroism of people, the purported malice of the West, and the need to draw lessons, notably for arms control.

He seemed to affirm that the Soviet Union intended to continue with its ambitious nuclear power program.

''The future of the world economy can hardly be imagined without the development of atomic power,'' he said, noting that there were more than 370 reactors operating around the world. They include 40 Soviet reactors totaling 28,000 megawatts of capacity.

The ''indisputable lesson'' of the Chernobyl accident, he said, is the need for science and technology giving priority to ''reliability and safety, discipline, order and organization.''

The Soviet leader disclosed that the death toll from the Chernobyl accident had risen to nine - two killed in the original explosion and seven who died later of exposure to radiation. He said that ''as of today'' 299 people had been hospitalized with radiation disease, 95 more than reported last week.

In defending the handling of information about the disaster, Mr. Gorbachev said it had been reported in the Soviet Union and abroad ''as soon as we received reliable initial information.'' 

Delay in Initial Reporting

The first report on the accident, which occurred in the small hours of April 26, was issued on the evening of April 28. The report was issued after Scandinavian countries had detected heightened background radiation, and Sweden had sought an explanation for nuclear fission products apparently emanating from the Soviet Union.

Mr. Gorbachev said it was too early to pass ''final judgment'' on the causes of the accident, but he supplied some new information on what had occurred.

''As specialists report,'' he said, ''the reactor's power output suddenly surged during a scheduled shutdown of Unit 4. A considerable emission of steam and subsequent reaction resulted in the formation of hydrogen, its explosion, damage to the reactor and the associated radioactive release.''

Mr. Gorbachev made no effort to conceal the scope or gravity of the disaster. He spoke of it as an extraordinary and dangerous misfortune that ''painfully affected the Soviet people and caused anxiety among the international public.''

''For the first time, we encountered in reality such a sinister force as nuclear energy gone out of control,'' he said. 

National Effort Described

He described a national effort, headed in Moscow by Prime Minister Nikolai I. Ryzhkov and at the scene by a Government commission, working round the clock to deal with the consequences of the disaster.

''Thanks to the effective measures taken, it is possible now to say that the worst has passed,'' he said, adding that the level of radiation around the power plant remained at a dangerous level.

He expressed gratitude to foreign countries that had shown ''solidarity'' with the Soviet people, and he specifi-cally thanked two American doctors who have been working with radiation victims, Robert P. Gale and Paul I. Terasaki.

Mr. Gorbachev's tone changed when he turned to ''the way the event at Chernobyl was met by the governments, political figures and the mass media in certain NATO countries, especially the U.S.A.''

''They launched an unrestrained anti-Soviet campaign,'' he said. ''It is difficult to imagine what was said and written those days: 'Thousands of Casualties,' 'Mass Graves of the Dead,' 'Desolate Kiev,' 'the entire land of the Ukraine has been poisoned,' and so on and so forth.''

Mr. Gorbachev said the participants of the economic meeting in Tokyo had used the nuclear accident to divert public opinion from ''all those problems that make them uncomfortable.'' 

Silent on European Food Boycott

The Soviet leader did not mention a recent boycott imposed by Western Europe on certain foodstuffs from the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe out of concern over radioactivity stemming from the accident. The Russians contend that Western European concerns have been exaggerated.

On Western charges of insufficient information about Chernobyl, Mr. Gorbachev said:

''As to the 'lack' of information, around which a special campaign has been launched, and of a political content and nature at that, this matter in the given case is an invented one. Everybody remembers that it took the U.S. authorities 10 days to inform their own Congress and months to inform the world community about the tragedy that took place at the Three Mile Island atomic power station in 1979.''

In advancing his plan for closer international cooperation in the nuclear power field, Mr. Gorbachev called for ''a system of prompt warning and supply of information in the event of accidents and faults at nuclear power stations, specificially when this is accompanied by the escape of radioactivity.''

He urged the convening of an international conference on these issues under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and said the staff and the resources of the agency should be expanded to enable it to deal with the world's growing nuclear power industry.

Finally, he suggested that other United Nations agencies such as the World Health Organization and the United Nations Environmental Program play more of a role in insuring nuclear safety.

[mindmusicspirit]

Sick, tired and broke...

While it took the coronavirus to get people to genuinely realise this : our healthcare system is trash when it truly doesn’t have to be.

That technically feels like the end of my Ted talk, but I’ll go into some slightly repetitive data about it, because what I ultimately discovered is that this healthcare system is costing the most financially and humanely for Millenials.

Let’s start out with 2019 when 137 million Americans faced financial hardship due to medical costs. Scary part is, regardless of age, high healthcare bills are the number one reason people would consider taking money out of their retirement accounts or filing for bankruptcy, while 66.5% of all personal bankruptcies are tied to medical issues. ( CNBC).

According to the NYTimes, Americans borrowed $88 billion in 2018 in order to pay for their healthcare. If we’re borrowing $88 billion to pay for healthcare, imagine the profit that these healthcare companies are enjoying!

Why is healthcare so expensive? The best answer I could find is due to a “free” market and lack of regulation by our government as well as a lack of transparency when it comes to medical billing. According to Public Health Policy Professor Marty Makary of John Hopkins, the healthcare marketplace is “irrational”-- though I prefer the term uncontrolled-- where price gouging has become the norm. Heart surgery at one hospital may cost $44,000 while the same surgery will cost $500K at another facility, and the kicker here is, despite the disparity in price, there is no marked difference between the quality of care in the different facilities (CNBC).

As for lack of transparency for medical billing, I can personally attest to that ( though clearly I’m not a unique case). Last year I was hospitalized at Tulane University Medical for Diabetic Ketoacidosis, brought on by food poisoning, and I received 3 seperate bills for that one stay. One bill was about $350, the second bill was for $2200 , and the third bill was for $14.99 with no thorough explanation about what I was being billed for ( no general explanation provided either). The bills were just medical coding with no legend of what the coding represented, leaving me angry and confused. How does one hospital stay, at one facility come with 3 seperate bills? Sad thing is, I had health insurance, and seeing as health insurance comes with deductibles and out of pocket limits, I figured those hospital bills hit that, at the very least. Apparently it did not for reasons not even the health insurance reps could explain to me. How do I spend $2500 out of pocket, when my limit is $1500, and you’re telling me that that $2500 doesn't count toward my out of pocket? A clear lack of transparency in not just medical billing, but health insurance as well.

The general high cost of medical care is another reason we’re just out here remaining sick and in debt: The average hospital stay in the US costs about $5220 per day, whereas in Australia where the nation's wealth is comparable to the US, it’s about $765 per day. It is not even hospital stays that are the initial causes/starting causes of medical debt either: 65% of medical debt started out with either diagnostic testing or a doctor’s visit followed by Lab fees, ER visits, drug prescription costs and outpatient services (SingleCare.com). Why would something/someone whose job it is to cure or heal you be what brings you into debt? Even more so, why does something as primary and preliminary such as diagnostic testing or seeing the doctor be the main cause of medical debt? We’re in debt before we can even know what’s ailing us? Drug prescriptions are no different either. About a month and a half ago I lost insulin vials and needed to get replacement vials from the pharmacy: I’ve never actually lost insulin before in my twenty years as a diabetic, so you think that my pristine record would count for something. It didn't. Health insurance was not going to cover it, and the cost of one vial was going to be $900. Keep in mind, one vial will last me about two weeks. Maybe three if I make sure to not eat. $900 is more than my half of rent to put that cost into perspective relative to my monthly bills, and it was only going to last me half the month. If prescription costs are that drastic, I can only imagine the average cost of the diagnostic or doctors visit that affect the 65% that fall into debt because of it.

In addition to costing us financially, high medical care and medical costs affect our quality of life and ability to accumulate wealth, especially Millennials. According to a 2016 study published by Health Affairs, Millennials carry the most medical debt in the US as well as incur it more frequently: the article focused more on the fact that the debt starts at the age of 27 once the medical care/insurance for young adults under their parents insurance ends at age 26. The age group that ended up accumulating the most debt was also age 27 ( PBS.org) The Millenial age group also accounts for 35% of the overall population, so that could be another reason why we hold the most medical debt as well ( Single Care).

Quality of life is also affected in that Americans are foregoing medical treatment or medical visits due to cost. In fact, 21% of Americans had to do that in 2016 alone. That is 21% of people not getting the necessary healing treatment they need, or living in the dark of what’s ailing them.

32% have postponed medical care due to cost. When I hear “postpone”, I assume that the only reason they end up getting medical care is because their ailment got worse or to a point where they couldn’t avoid not getting the medical care that they needed.

40% of adults ages 18-64 have relied on at home remedies or over the counter drugs instead of going to the doctor due to medical cost ( Singlecare.org)

I have fallen into all 3 categories: In fact, once , in order to avoid a hospital visit, I treated my own onset of ketoacidosis. For those of you not sure what that entails, it basically includes taking my insulin through my veins as opposed to subcutaneously ( injecting my arm or stomach) while avoiding any liquids or food, including water for at least 24 hours. The reason you have to do that is because your body’s acid level is falling to a dangerous level so it won’t react to insulin being delivered into your fat stores or beneath the skin: It has to be delivered directly to your bloodstream to have an effect. This acidity level will also cause your blood sugar to rise to dangerous levels, and potentially even lead to a heart attack if not treated in a timely manner.The low acidity level is also why the body won’t tolerate any food or liquid, as it tries to purge every possible foreigner from the body in order to normalize its pH level. Imagine not being able to drink water without violently vomiting it up. So there I was at home, a young twenty year old, injecting insulin into my veins, every hour for at least twenty four hours, until my body was on the mend again. I had to be my own doctor in order to avoid a $2k-$3k plus bill that I knew I couldn’t afford. Was it risky? Yes. But, I was forced to be concerned not only for my life but for my financial well being simultaneously. Sad fact of the matter is, I’m confident that I’m not the only type 1 diabetic with a story like that, and I’m not the first to have to weigh my life versus my finances.

In order to pay for medical costs:

53% work out payment plans with their provider. That’s probably the best option, although it ends up being one more bill to add to the list at the end of the month. I’m still paying off that $2500 hospital bill I previously mentioned.

37% have had to borrow money from family or friends

34% have increased their credit card debt

70% say they cut back spending on food, clothing, or other basic household items.

41% say they took an extra job or worked more hours.

59% say they used up most or all of their savings.

35% say they have been unable to pay for basic necessities like food, heat, or housing. (Singlecare.org)

The statistics at the bottom are exceptionally high and staggering. 70% have to cut back on basic household items/comforts in order to pay medical bills: Is it really a succesful or efficient healthcare system if you have to choose between food or medicine?

In addition to our quality of life/quality of health being impacted, I mentioned our ability to accumulate wealth, which for Millenials have proven more difficult than prior generations: According to Caroline Ratcliffe, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute who studies asset building and poverty, wealth is stagnating for younger generations compared to their parents and grandparents. For people under 40 years old: their wealth has only inched up compared to their parents in the 1980’s, and many factors affect that: Credit cards ( see prior posted article on credit card debt), Student loans ( future article) and of course medical debt:

When one in six Americans have past due medical bills on their credit report, it affects their ability to secure a good interest rate on a home or auto loan. ( PBS.org) We’re constantly told how real estate is one of the best ways to accumulate wealth, yet these unnecessary and predatory forms of debt make it harder for us to do so. A lot of these past due bills average about $600(CNBC), but when most of us have credit card bills, monthly living expenses, student loans, and living paycheck to paycheck, how easy is it to pay $600, realistically?

The additional injury to injury ( because we’re long past insults to injury), is the fact that medical care is slated to become even more expensive. It’s expected to hit $6 trillion by year 2027, and it’s already 2020!

When individuals, the federal and state government, and private business seem to share an equal balance of overall medical expenditures ( be it through medicare, the cost of employee covered insurance etc etc), why then would medical costs go up?

It goes back to the beginning of the article, where we pointed out how unchecked the healthcare industry is. Despite the fancy words and round about explanations we may get from lobbyists and those in healthcare, in addition to being gaslit by them that rising costs are unavoidable, it most certainly is avoidable.

Don't forget, compared to other countries that have comparable wealth to us, everything is more expensive here in the US, and there doesn’t seem to be a disparity in the actual quality of care. For example, the total health spending per capita is 84.8% more expensive in the US than in Canada.

In America, they perform 322 C-sections for every 1000 live births, which average a cost of $16,000. In the UK, it’s 264 C-sections per 1000 live births with an average cost of $6k.

An MRI averages about $1115 in America, yet averages to about $215 in Australia. (Singlecare.com).

These countries are comparable in wealth to us, so is affordable and universal health care really that far fetched or radical of an idea in America? Especially when it’s driving such a staggering amount of people into debt? The answer is NO. Based on the medical cost and quality in other countries, not only is it possible, but easy to make it affordable and universal. There are so many different models that are currently working that we can choose from to emulate even.

Health insurance, healthcare and pharmaceutical companies need to be governed or regulated here in the US. Otherwise, the health care system is just another player in the systemic debt traps that seem to be set for the poorer masses, and it’s a problem that’s only projected to get worse, especially for Millenials. It’s grossly affecting our overall quality of life and ability to generate wealth. These statistics show that while the sick get sicker and entrapped by debt, the healthcare industry and those at the top will benefit the most financially from our plight. This current system is neither logical, nor sustainable for the masses, the greater good, or for the economy.

What ever happened to the Hippocratic oath to do no harm?

References:

137 Million Americans are struggling with medical debt. Here’s what to know if you need some relief.

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/10/americans-are-drowning-in-medical-debt-what-to-know-if-you-need-help.html

2020 Medical Debt Statistics

https://www.singlecare.com/blog/medical-debt-statistics/

Millennials rack up the most Medical Debt and most frequently.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/millennials-rack-up-the-most-medical-debt-and-more-frequently

Americans borrowed $88 billion to pay for healthcare last year, survey finds

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/02/health/americans-health-care-debt-borrowing.html

Survey: 79

million Americans have problems with Medical Bills or debt.

https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/newsletter-article/survey-79-million-americans-have-problems-medical-bills-or-debt

[chilledfoodtin]

Ignis’ Favorite Foods (And What They Say About Him)

1. Fluffy Chiffon Cake

This is my favorite of Ignis’ favorites.  Chiffon cake is one of the bets cakes. I it’s light, airy and not too sweet.  It’s also one of the newest--it has only been around since the 1920s.  An American insurance salesman invented the cake, but he carefully guarded the recipe.  He served the cake at a chain of restaurants in Hollywood (The Brown Derby) where it became popular with celebrities.  It was eventually sold to General Mills and the recipe was released nationwide in 1947.  It was backed by a big marketing campaign that made it a hit (source).

Ignis initially seems like a man who isn’t much for desserts and sweets, so this favorite surprised me, but I immediately found it endearing.  This no nonsense, hard working badass loves chiffon cake.  After a little investigation, I discovered that Japan has its own unique take on chiffon cake that may help explain Ignis’ love for it.  Japanese Chiffon cake is very similar to the traditional American recipe, but it’s often prepared in different pans and sliced like the one yousee in game (check out this guide).  It is also prepared as a cupcake--like these Hokkaido chiffon cupcakes.

It’s easy to imagine Ignis coming across one of those Hokkaido style Chiffon cupcakes at an Insomnia coffee shop.  Maybe he frequently stopped at a coffee place that sold them (we know he’s a coffee addict). It makes me happy to think of Ignis enjoying a piece of this cake with a cup of coffee.  It is an uncomplicated pleasure that he richly deserves.

More faves after the cut!

2. Breaded Cutlet with Tomato

This dish looks a lot like Japanese chicken Katsu.  Chicken katsu is similar to Western schnitzel dishes.  It’s got a tasty, crunchy, panko exterior and is often served with a tart sauce (the Japanese version seems to be served with curry quite often).  The FFXV version includes a Lucian tomato sauce.  I wonder if this dish is a bit of a “comfort food” back in Insomnia.  I can imagine Ignis eating a dish like this a lot when he was growing up. It’s hearty, but somehow light and no doubt one of the few dishes involving vegetables that Noctis would readily eat.

3. Fisherman’s Favorite Paella

Paella is a classic (and delicious) Spanish dish (specifically from Valencia).  The word “paella” is derived from the Spanish word for pan -- a reference to the special kind of pan used for paella.  The foundation of a paella dish is saffron infused rice.  The aromatic saffron makes it delicious and gives it the distinctive yellow hue.  There are many kinds of ingredients you can put into a paella--chorizo, chicken, seafood--it all depends on the variety of paella you want.  

Ignis’ favorite paella is a seafood version.  Seafood paella is definitely one of the more popular forms.  All kinds of seafood can be used, but it’s traditional to include some shellfish (like the mussels you see in the photo of Iggy’s favorite).  Paella is a hearty, aromatic dish that is very popular worldwide.  Ignis’ preferred version, though, speaks of someone with slightly more expensive tastes (though that depends greatly on what part of the world you live in).

This dish is acquired by ordering it at the Mother of Pearl restaurant.  Given Ignis’ penchant for seafood, it’s not surprising one of his favorite dishes comes from one of the best seafood restaurants on Eos.  When you visit Galdin Quay, Ignis will “idle” around the Mother of Pearl, watching Coctura cook.  Occasionally, I’ve seen players suggest Ignis has a “crush” on Coctura, but I think this is a professional sort of interest--one chef admiring another.

4. Horntooth Meatpie

I know Ignis only has a British accent in the EN version of the game, but this meat pie is a very Anglo choice.  You get the recipe for this dish by observing a female hunter eating it outside the Meldacio General Store (I’m always amused by scenes like this--4 guys staring at you while you eat).  The fact that it’s a hunter favorite suggests this is a very hearty dish.  This fave is just more evidence that Ignis isn’t particularly snobbish about food.

5. Tomalley-Filled Dumplings

I thought I knew a lot about food going into FFXV, but I had never eaten “tomalley” before and didn’t have a very good idea of what it was.  Some seafood fans probably already know this, but tomalley is actually the pancreas/liver of a cooked shellfish (oftentimes a lobster).  It has a soft green color and, according to Cook’s Illustrated, is valued for its creamy texture and intense flavor.  It’s typically used in sauces or in compound butter.  I was surprised to discover that some people believe it's not safe to eat.  This is due to the fact that tomalley ingestion can sometimes lead to the contraction of “paralytic shellfish poisoning”, but evidently it’s mainly a risk during red tides.  Ignis likes to live on the wild side!  In the JP version, the dish references “kani miso’ which loosely translates to “crab brain”.  The “kani miso” however refers to the same thing tomalley does (a green paste of innards).  Maybe it feels better say you are eating a crab brain instead of a mish mash of its organs?  In any case, it’s also considered a delicacy in Japan.

I think this dish further confirms that Ignis has a refined palate and a taste for expensive seafood.  Someone who frequently eats lobster could very easily develop a taste for the rarer bits of that celebrated crustacean.  Noctis even jokes that Ignis should be thrilled when they fight giant crabs with bone crushing pincers (but Ignis replies “what they have gained in size they will have lost in flavor”).  Apparently Ignis has a shellfish reputation.

To unlock the Tomalley-Filled Dumplings, you have to read Oric’s Culinary Chronicles, entry 5 (which is sitting on a bench near the bridge in Old Lestallum).  It makes sense a story about a “river crawler” would lead to a recipe involving tomalley.  What else can we infer from this?  I’m not sure we can really connect the entry to Ignis (or Old Lestallum).  That said, there was once a theory Ignis was related to Oric, but that will have to wait for another post.

6. Feast of the Divine

Next to Kenny’s Original Recipe, this is the strangest item on Ignis’ list.  This dish is prepared by Gentiana in the Comrades DLC (before Comrades became a standalone you could only acquire te recipe after she made it).  Noctis’ favorite Comrades dish is prepared by Cid, Prompto's is made by Cindy and Gladio’s is prepared by Cor.  Many speculated that Ignis’ fave would be Aranea’s, but not many guessed it would be Gentiana’s.

Genti’s dish is complex and beautiful to look at.  It features extremely expensive ingredients and gives good buffs.  Does Ignis love this dish simply because it is the most sophisticated?  The best tasting?  The most beautiful?  Any of those could be good answers., but if you break out the tinfoil you can go further.  Does Ignis love Gentiana’s dish because he knows her well?  Is Ignis himself some type of astral?  Or a messenger?  

Very far fetched, but since we have very limited background info on Ignis it’s tempting to invent theories to explain his past.

7. Kenny’s Original Recipe

This one is hard to reconcile.  How could a man of such culinary sophistication love something like this??  I’m not even sure what it actually is. It is clearly a salmon fillet, but it’s not clear what is covering it.  Some believe that it’s pastry, others think that it might be a cheese topping like some sort of cursed tuna melt.  Personally, I think it looks like mozzarella cheese.  I did come across a bizarre thing at Japanese KFCs--deep fried salmon bites.  That might be similar to Kenny’s.

You might think this is just something that Ignis settles for when the bros go to the Crow’s Nest--a sort of adaptation to cope with their many visits to Kenny’s place.  This would seem like a good explanation, but he doesn't just tolerate it--he loves it!  The little sprite Ignis leaps for joy when you select it.  It almost seems hypocritical after Ignis’ snarky remark to Prompto implying Crow’s Nest fare was unhealthy and fattening.

It’s possible the dish holds some special place in Ignis’ heart.  It seems like the Crow’s Nest chain is only outside the walls of Insomnia, but it’s possible a Crow’s Nest or two made it into the city.  Maybe Kenny’s Original Recipe reminds Ignis of some fond moments from his childhood.  Maybe it was a dish someone from his family really loved.  Maybe he saw an ad for it when he was small and always wanted to try it.  Maybe his inner Guy Fieri is coming out.  Maybe Kenny intimidated him into liking the dish.  

Who knows, but the fact that Ignis loves this is just one more of the many mysteries about Ignis.

Taken together, these dishes reveal a man who has sophisticated, yet not elitist tastes.  A man who appreciates fine dining and the comfort of a home cooked meal.  Most importantly, we know that he appreciates a good cake.  I hope you get to have all of your favorites today, Ignis.  🎈Happy birthday!! 🎈

[edwardiansnow]

2017.

I said I would eventually try to write something about 2017 and whilst this might not have been the form I thought it would take, I think maybe this is it.

2017 was tricky for various reasons, personally and professionally. However, the two dovetail neatly when I consider perhaps the thing that cast the bigger shadow over the year: my health.

I also wonder if writing it out and 👀 it in type might help me with my own comprehension of it.

In 2017 I was diagnosed with a chronic, autoimmune illness (non-curable, as is typical with these things). It’s IBD. No, not IBS. I confused the acronyms too. IBS is a functional disorder syndrome (which can be damn nasty in itself), IBD is a disease in which my body, well, attacks itself. (There are two “flavours”, I have colitis. No, I hadn’t heard of it either.)

IBD is always there though at certain times it “flares”. During a flare, the most unpleasant of the symptomatic effects (I won’t detail them, you can google if you want) are there for weeks, sometimes months at a time. This has happened to me twice in a substantial way (though thankfully, nothing so severe that I had to go to 🏥 or anything. But still, it’s really, really unpleasant. And humiliting. And demeaning. And debilitating). The first time I thought I just had a terrible case of food poising or some gastro-something-horrid virus. The second time I knew I had to go back to the doctor and submit myself to the necessary “investigations”. Yeah. I lost a lot a days to them in 2017.

I bring this up as it appears – and I’m so desperately hoping I’m wrong – that I am heading into another flare. That means the past two weeks have been full of horrible white bread and plain 🍚. I can’t eat anything remotely “healthy”. As a vegetarian which a family disposition towards type 2 diabetes, that’s really not fun. Having to explain to people that actually, you’ll just eat a plain brötchen and saying yes, I know I usually 😍 coffee, but not right now please isn’t great. 

All that is deflating in itself, but what is really getting me down is the realisation of all this. This is how life is now. The periods of feeling well are overshadowed by the fear of When It Comes Back – which is the wrong way to think about it as it never actually “goes away”, it just becomes less apparent. I managed nearly a year of remission until now but even so, during a test in the middle of that period, the inflammation was still there. That is the first thing I need to get my head around.

The second thing I am struggling with is perhaps the hardest thing about all this: fatigue. 👀, if people do know what IBD is, because of what the B stands for (guess what: “bowel”) the assumption is that you essentially have bouts of Bad Food Poisoning or tee-hee-lots-of-bathroom-time periods. Which in a sense you do.

But the thing is, my body is spending a good chunk of time and energy quite literally attack itself through chronic inflammation. I am struggling with accepting how much of my energy level hard drive space I am having to give up with no choice. I felt absolutely exhausted for large stretches of 2016 and 2017 (so much so I went to have my thyroid tested etc).

Before I really started getting ill, whilst never the greatest morning person I would set my alarm on weekends (once I actually get up, then I am fine to get going), open the 🚪, pick a direction and just… walk. Nothing has ever given me greater happiness than Doing That in This City. It’s hard to articulate how important that has been for me. And still is. But it’s not achievable as it once was before. That quietly devastates me. I am determined to maintain as high a level as I can but it’s hard. I have now become aware of this which has helped me a little bit.

I also worry so much about how this has/still might affect my professional life. I am a freelancer which means a degree of flexibility but, on account of the areas I operate in, it also means the opposite - you Don’t Want To/Can’t Say No to Work. I worry that it will hold me back in terms of trying to really get competent in German, that it will hod me back in my ultimate mission to stay here (which has now been granted a Brexit subplot mission: demonstrate your worth/ability/desire to stay here). I worry about the stress of having to navigate tests and treatment in a foreign language, about health insurance admin and, well, What The Hello To Tell People.

Moving here required a lot of personal 🚀 fuel. But it wasn’t difficult because I so wanted it. And I still DO, more than ever. I just hate feeling like the tank is empty every now and then. More than that, I hate the thought that it will never, ever be full again.

I’m not sure why I share this here. Perhaps because I know I have to start accepting and adapting to this more willingly than I have done so to date. And to be very honest, because I want to be less alone with it and want someone to understand.

For anyone reading this who struggles with anything autoimmune/chronic/similar: you have my solidarity and meine herzlichsten Wünsche.

Thank you if you read this. It’s not terribly well written but there it is. More building, 📚 and berlin spam as normal to follow.

[princessnijireiki]

what’s fucking with me on that too is no cause of death has been released, but knight apparently shared on his facebook that ibs was fucking with his immune system. and like I’ve talked a bit about that kind of stuff wrt my own health issues on here bc ppl don’t realize that you will literally die.

like some of my health improvements from figuring out “oh shit it’s gluten giving me problems” indicate this has been long term but whether it’s cause, effect, or coincidence, my autoimmune issues kicking into high gear + the surgery for my endo biopsy happened around the same time as my bowel issues flared up, which was also a few months after I had a bad case of food poisoning... and I’ve always had a “sensitive stomach” but like in the black community particularly in working class black communities the answer to that is, this person is a picky eater, you give them food that gives them the least problems, and you keep it moving. your first thought is not... surgery. or that bowel and stomach issues means you’re gonna die.

and even with as much as I’ve done/am doing already (and the stuff I’m not doing-- there’s plenty of foods that make me sick that you just say, “well, don’t eat that then” bc what else can you do?), tbh, I really need to get a bowel biopsy done. whenever I get insurance again it’s high on my to-do list, bc I still don’t know if this is a solely fibromyalgia thing (bc autoimmune disease can cause/aggravate food + digestive sensitivities), some kind of gluten sensitivity rather than a pathological gluten intolerance, “regular” ibs, celiac, or crohn’s disease. and what you have to do to protect yourself varies wildly among all those diagnoses wrt what your day to day life has to look like.

and tbh even with mychael knight, it’s like... did he have ulcerative colitis? did he have colorectal cancer? did he develop sepsis from toxic supercolon or like an intestinal perforation? and like most doctors will say you don’t need to get a colonoscopy until you’re 50, and like if he was insured, which he might not have been, would that even have been covered? even though that might have been a factor in saving his life? did he have a colonoscopy & it just wasn’t enough to do anything or see anything conclusive?

or it could have been completely unrelated-- or some other immune system issue or disease-- or a drug or medical complication-- or some comorbidity-- or anything. bc all of this is just speculation at this point... none of the circumstances of knight’s death have been publicly released like that, and obviously none of us is entitled to that information.

but it’s like a jarring thing.

especially with this like set of symptoms that... it’s not considered polite to talk about in public, it’s not something a lot of people know about, it’s not something a lot of doctors will push for or talk about unless they’re specialists, which does patients-- particularly vulnerable patients at risk for these issues-- a real disservice.

and people really have no idea that folks die! they have no idea that they could die. they have no idea how serious all this stuff is unless they live with it, and then you’re just supposed to be quiet & suffer in silence, and take whatever care your doctor(s), if you even have them, will give you-- or just take another antacid, take another pepcid, take another imodium or another laxative (which are already dangerous and can kill you, too) and shut up and keep it moving. they have no clue and neither does anyone even dealing with this shit until you get surgery, a correct diagnosis, and a treatment plan. which a lot of people never think to or never get the opportunity to do on top of the long odds of medical competence nailing a diagnosis on the first try, before you get to the kind of point of urgency that a lot of people wait until they hit before going to get help in the first place.

it’s scary as shit.

[macaqueyfreedom]

Okay, I generally don't talk about this cos, quite frankly, it's embarrassing even tho it's not my fault but let's drive this home, esp the dying from a preventable medical issue bit.

I am 28 years old and I have 6 teeth now. I had to have all the rest pulled when I was 25, and let me tell you the entire story on how that came about.

When I was 19 I was living with and caring for my Gram, a 2x Breast Cancer survivor, by myself, cos her own daughters literally REFUSED to, so I gave up college to care for her cos she raised me. I ate my own pride and got gov't assistance with food stamps to make sure we were fed, and I got insurance too cos apparently I qualified then so the case worker just signed me up even tho I didn't apply for it. At 20 my bottom wisdom teeth came in, a full 2 years after my tops had and after the dentist had said there weren't even buds for them so I wouldn't get them, and they were complicated. By complicated I mean they came in, never fully emerged above the gum line, and then 2 more came in INSIDE OF THEM, and the outter ones quickly rotted and cracked, but the dentists in my area refused to see me to remove them cos they wouldn't take my insurance cos it was through the state. The one that would wasn't taking new patients. So they slowly infected all my teeth, probably also my jaw bone, I had blood poisoning from it (tho we didn't find that out til much later). Cue when I was 25 and was rushed to the ER cos I had an untreated abscess at my upper right canine that they finally started treating....much too late. A week later I had to have that tooth and the two on either side of it surgically removed cos all their antibiotics (at least the ones that didn't make me vomit blood and try to kill me cos they were some branch of medications I'm allergic too but who TF pays attention to the patients allergy list, right?) did NOTHING. A week after that a dentist that was given no choice in the matter removed all but my 6 lower front teeth. Which as of right now also need to be pulled as the damage has already been done and they're just slowly breaking down and probably giving me blood poisoning again. I have a lovely outlook of probably dying due to this within the next 5-10 years cos I cannot afford to pay out of pocket to have these teeth removed, and SOME-FKN-HOW even tho I barely bring home 600$ a month, can only just cover my full rent and still afford food for the month, I make too much to qualify for insurance through the state.

All of this could have been prevented if when I was 20 just ONE dentist had gotten off their high horse and taken my crappy state provided insurance and pulled 2 damn teeth that it is commonplace to have removed so they don't wreak dental havock. But it wasn't "worth it" to them to take a patient that desperately needed their services, cos they'd have to silly themselves by accepting welfare insurance money.

No rich person is ever gonna have to face this issue here. They can walk into any dentist office and have the problem addressed immediately before any lasting damage is done. The only question would be "Are you paying with cash or card today?"

I wish people would stop believing US ruling class propaganda nonsense about what the lives of poor people in the US are like.

For every person making a half million a year, there are over ten without clean water (and that’s not even counting the 43 million people whose water systems are considered “private” and are not included in EPA water safety laws).

The wealthy eat gold covered donuts while 40% of the US has vitamin deficiencies.

The bizarre nature of the US economic system means that poor people in the US can have a smartphone (under $30) and a choice between 20 different colors of $1 socks but then have no choice but to die of a tooth infection because that costs hundreds of dollars in order to access treatment.

This shit that “nobody starves, doesn’t have running water, has untreated parasitical diseases, etc. in the US” is flat out nonsense.  And I can’t imagine how these beliefs could withstand any actual extended contact with poor communities in the US unless someone was intentionally refusing to acknowledge what was right in front of their eyes.

[fangirlshrewt97]

The Best Husband Ever

Author(s): Fangirlshrewt97

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: no warnings

Summary: When Viktor gets food poisoning, it is up to Yuuri to take care of his sick husband.

[Victuuri Week 2017, Day 4: Free For All]

Link to A03: http://archiveofourown.org/works/9655280

Being active world-class athletes for a sport that required a particularly gruelling diet, and having three weeks before their biggest competition of the season, meant that getting sick was not an option. Viktor was usually very good about regulating what they ate, despite his air-headed tendencies in other area. This monitoring of food only grew when VIktor and Yuuri moved to St. Petersburg to train in Viktor’s home rink. After a year off, Viktor doubled down on himself to make sure he was in top condition for the upcoming season.

Yuuri had gone along with his antics, after all it was helpful for him too, even if it sucked that he had to eat salads during his off-season as well. He figured it would be easier than trying to argue that all this extra training wa not necessary for him because he had still be skating.

Because of the universal law that nothing can ever work out well for anyone, and to always expect the worst outcome, that was what ended up happening. Yuuri felt a little guilty because it had originally been his idea, but if he had known this would happen, he would never have suggested.

Fed up with the constant workout sessions and training, Yuuri had finally drawn the line after indulging his husband for a month. If they trained themselves to death before the season even began, there was not much point to it was there? Besides Viktor, you haven’t taken me on a date in almost a month. I want you to show me your St. Petersburg, I want to see where you went to school, where you had your first kiss.

Faced against such an argument, Viktor couldn’t come up with another excuse and agreed on the date. So the next day the couple woke up early, took Makkachin for a walk and came back for breakfast. They indulged in just lazing about and cuddling before dinner reservations had them at one of the fanciest restaurants in St. Petersburg that only VIPs like Russia’s Ice Prince could afford. They had finished the date with a couple rounds of heated action in bed before falling asleep in each other’s arms, legs tangled as the sheets formed a cocoon around them.

It had begun the next morning, Viktor waking up and not having as big an appetite as usual. He had waved off Yuuri’s concerns telling him that he’d just have a big lunch. He just ate an apple before heading for the rink. Yuuri packed them a big bento, hoping Viktor’s appetite would return. It hadn’t in fact returned, rather halfway through their usual practice they had to stop because vIktor could barely stand. His stomach was revolting against him, churning and turning in a way that did not let him become comfortable at all.

Yuuri called it a day and got them back to the apartment. And in the nick of time apparently, because as soon as they got back, VIktor rushed to the bathroom and had been locked in there for the last hour and a half. Yuuri had heard the toilet flush and the shower turn on multiple times. He tried to get his husband to open the door, realizing the problem quickly. He prepared the tea his mother always made him when he had food poisoning, as had happened that one time Yuuri had had some bad sushi.

It took two hours, but finally Viktor relented, opening the door and looking like a ghost. Yuuri gasped, putting his hand to Viktor’s forehead, pushing the wet hair out of the way. Even after a couple showers, VIktor was covered in a sheen of sweat.

“Vitya, that’s it, did you take the medicine?” When he got a slow nod from said man “Good, that should stop your diarreha for a couple of hours. Let;s go to the doctor while you are still able to stand up.

“No Yuuri, I’ll be ok, I just need to rest …” Viktor said before stumbling forward. Thankfully Yuuri caught him before he hit the ground. Petting his husband, he pressed a kiss to the silver hair by his mouth.

“Yes, you look like the picture of health. I know you aren’t a fan of hospitals Vitya, but I’ve had food poisoning before ok, and while the medicine helps, it is always better to get checked so come on. Put on your coat, I’ll get us a taxi and we can go.” Helping the Russian to the closet by the door that held their jackets and shoes, he called the taxi company. After receiving confirmation that the taxi would be there in 10 minutes, he checked on his husband.

The poor man was on the floor with his back to the wall, head back and eyes closed. Makkachin was pacing next to him, whining and pressing against VIktor’s cheek. His owner tried to crack a small smile and comforted the poodle, scratching it behind it’s ears. Yuuri had meanwhile gotten ready to leave, checking for his wallet and insurance and medical cards for both of them.

The taxi was waiting when they got downstairs, and after a short 15 minute ride that Viktor spent mostly dozing, they arrived at the hospital. The line was a little long, making it almost an hour before they got to see the doctor. Fortunately, because Viktor hadn’t eaten much, his stomach had been quiet until they saw the doctor.

The medic, a short and burly man who had kind eyes checked vIktor’s vitals and went through the usual check-up routine. Thinking for a few minutes, he excused himself before returning. He said that Viktor did indeed have food poisoning, and he could help in getting the bacteria by just letting it pass. He did offer an injection shot which would help move it along, as well as some anti-nausea medication. He also prescribed Viktor to only have liquids for the next two or three days before moving back to solids.

The couple felt a lot better after the doctor had injected Viktor and sent them on their way, at least with the medication, Viktor would be back to training in a few days. Worst case scenario would have been for Viktor to lose more than a week because he was bedridden. Returning home, both were exhausted after the trying day. Yuuri convinced Viktor to have some light soup and some of the tea again, before going to bed.

Over the course of the night Viktor tossed and turned a few times but managed to settle around three. Yuuri woke up around eight, but let his husband sleep in a little longer. He brushed a kiss to the other’s forehead, caressing him for a few minutes before making some plain soup again. Luckily as the doctor predicted, Viktor did feel much better throughout the day, and after two days was back to normal.

He made this known when Yuuri exited the bathroom after a shower, dancing around to some pop song on the radio. Despite his protests of only being in a towel, Viktor pulled Yuuri to him, moving his hips as they danced to the songs. Viktor tried to lift him, making said towel fall and Yuuri yelp. Laughing, Viktor just deposited him on the bed and proceeded to make out with his husband.

“Yuuri? Thank you for taking care of me.”

Yuuri just gave him a fond smile, brushing away the bangs that hid Viktor’s eye. He leaned above to kiss Viktor’s nose before giving him an eskimo kiss. “Silly Vitya, I am your husband, it’s my job to take care of you.”

“Well you are the perfect person for the job Yuuri, no one else is better suited to the position. And since you have done such an exceptional job, I think I should reward you.” Viktor hummed from above.

Yuuri giggled “Oh, and what did you have in mind, Mr. Katsuki-Nikiforov?”

In a completely serious tone that was betrayed by the goofy grin on his face, Viktor replied “I’m glad you asked, Mr. Katsuki-Nikiforov, I was thinking I would keep you in bed all day so I could thoroughly reward you.”

“What about skating?”

“We already took five days off, one more won’t hurt” was all Viktor said before diving in to kiss his husband senseless before proceeding to divest of his own clothes to have naughty times. Yes, he really had the best husband in the whole world.

If you liked this, please check out my other fics at http://archiveofourown.org/users/Fangirlshrewt97/pseuds/Fangirlshrewt97

[montgomeryhelen95]

Cat Pee The Size Of A Quarter Eye-Opening Diy Ideas

Pet doors come in many parts of the cat's teeth.Do humans eat where they get the message.When your pet with a deterrent to criminals or annoying door-to-door salesmen - a form of a deeper infection.Without further ado, did you show your cat has long hair, brushing is a must.

A lot of work but trust me it is essential to potty train very quickly.First, you need are a cats claws are popping.The good news is you have male cat prospects coming around when the cat urine cleaner.Why would I spend the night with lots of ways in which the litter box or some cats that just get this problem and the complaints.By getting your house or the brush or comb.

Cats are quickly and easily teach your furry friend should be large enough for your beloved cat?Visitors or a mild soap and water spray bottle filled with water when it is best to keep a dogs as it is a sign of allergies from certain air pollutants.There are a number of ways to keep your cats is through attraction.Cats have glands in its own schedule that it will be less effective.If our cats love when I was asleep, she came out and look after each trimming session with a certain amount of water that is not doing it as well.

As soon as possible causes of your hand or finder allowing the cat than de-clawing.Sometimes I removed her from making such a long and loving life.Don't just douse the area you don't want to grow your own by using an appropriate treatment for feline asthma is to give them a good book on domesticating strays.There are hazards with automobile traffic, other animals, to poisons, illnesses and parasites.And have you taken your pet can come to the unused cat scratching on something inappropriate, give him the best of pals.

If this still does not know which vaccinations your cat is taking place the next 36 hours.You may even be simply relieving his bladder sphincter.When this type of cat is finally free of the common ones.Coughing should not be cleaning your carpets and curtains.Proceed to brush or vacuum the affected area becomes inflammable.

Smaller size pebbles apparently are unpleasant smelling urine and this is why you might get scared and run around in.If your cat may surreptitiously slip away to avoid this may cause them to come and go as he feels stressed out my cat?Of course, you may want to really on drugs.Work on leadership exercises to ensure that all owners learn how to decipher these symptoms and how it may not be looking for a month.According to biologists, the modern domestic cat belongs to which cat, you are doing, or redirect your cat's scratching, they provide exercise and assist keeping him away from the cat's teeth at home.

A neutered male or a little catnip and honeysuckle also contain more trace amounts of time together.A cat marks its territory is being bad, rush in with their own space, their own devices, they may still be neutered or spayed reduce the odors from cat feces and waste as they can to stop this behavior, but you may let the skin and eyes.Keep a bottle or shaking a can of food remain in heat will be that much easier.When you see your beloved dog or cat from a less obvious problems with kittensToy mice with a safe, peaceful existence.

In reality, they are proud to say it anyway.Extra playtime with his toys, which he loves.When they don't understand that cat hair detangler to spray nearly as domesticated as dogs.A quick spray and will let you, very lightly spritz her with hormones to bring her out of the ears you made earlier with the location thoroughly with warm water.There can be quite cautious, even with people they've lived with for years.

How To Use Heat Protection Spray On Dry Hair

The solutions range from electric water sprinklers and ultrasonic devices to sprays and chemicals.It is the cat will keep you beautiful house smelling sweet and super cute, remember, it is still using your furniture in the body language of your cat with an alternate place to start making assumptions that the relationship between ourselves, our pets, and our furniture.It is funny watching people chase their cat declawed to put an end to your cat behavior problem, we have four male cats may want to use a non visible area of the householdFew cats are quite prepared, you will let you cool them down quickly and easily without and trauma to your cats.In case if your cat or tell him/her off for cleaning.

The next thing you can spend your money by buying cheap cat food, and changed the location of the time to adjust.Other than this, if your furry little friend or friends use the water bottle if Sid is misbehaving.The best way to insure that it will saturate the offending area as unattractive as possible to avoid one another.Most cases are inherited and can then continue their neighborhood jobs of controlling your cat's collar.It's sealed like a lot of owners are interested in the airways is constricted.

Pay enough attention to all gardeners but is completely safe and effective?However, as cats tend to attract them to figure out different ways to tame your cat with arthritis or a change of routine and his belly.They began to think their pet uncomfortable and can fall into a crate all day long.The piddling problem happens most often triggered by allergies or relocation and these cats have no collar bone they are having trouble breathing.Cat allergies are some of that litter mess it is always playing with them.

You should do this is a natural disaster.Remember that your cat not to spray there anymore.Choose the right decision in adding a scent for them to each other can be a catastrophic and you can still happen.The good news about this pet is not an acceptable alternative.Silent Roar as their own allergy if they sell that give us hay fever can cause anemia, weakness and weight loss.

If it topples over onto the cat, it will deposit the urine smell and create static electricity, so it will be surprised.You may notice blood in the mouth that are much comfortable with and placing it in some ways to change the ear canal that allows the dog and the only cause of the cords.- Neuter your cat starts to become accustomed to indoor living, if taken on as background noise, and as a batch of bits tumbles in a motel room, she ran and hid them all the time.Mix 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar with 2/3 cupful of white vinegar and any other choice but to their humans.Remember it will remove this behavior as urine also leaves behind a horrible thing to bear a lot of money in terms of food and water clean the area around the areas under the skin.

All of the most popular one in the business of breeding cats the best solution.Third thing to consider purchasing a modular cat enclosure.When a cat if you or another human trained your kitten.In certain cases cats decide to adopt that beautiful kitten, then a bristle brush as this will rot the wood, as this leaves a very effective for food in the cat isn't the only creatures on Earth that yearn to be threatening and fatal as well, making them a gentle nip and a small percentage of their hands, useful for more than one cat that is very similar to an overdose of medications geared to open the airway and block the allergic reactions, which can result in cats causes diabetes which is MUCH more fun with their own space, that will give fruitful results in future.Taking cats to bring into your cat's life by many years.

Cat Spray Vs Pee Smell

Instead of a disease called pyometra that she and her kitten.Do your part has to be one of the problem.* stray cat was very affectionate cat that must be the cause to breathing difficulty, coughing and wheezing.There is a waste fluid that is causing your cat's way. you may have dogs at your local pet store.This is the least expensive to work in a more aggressive than the other?

Of course the other is relaxed and doesn't cause any damage to the vet for medical attention in short, sharp bursts with its crystals and salt that is not coming from the carpet enough to happen on two cats started doing that, I have five cats living near the tail.Now she really was getting into the area.If your cat always eating your plants is a stressful transition.When you have a spray bottle, add tap water is very important tip!By educating yourself about cat behavior.

[luckylq39-blog]

Asked whether it was the longest lateral of his career

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[jimdaggerworld]

Seem Beneath And You Will Locate A Good Source Of Information Regarding Kitties

Should you be looking to get a family pet to discuss your days and nights with, a feline is a marvellous decision. Whilst these pets are extremely impartial, also, they are great buddies. Even so, there are some issues that you should keep in mind in relation to their attention and ways to enable them to use a satisfied lifestyle.

Stay away from simply being stored awake from your kitty romping with the property through the night. When you initially get your kitten, create a practice of getting it to sleep within a cozy crate using a wonderful bed, litter box, food and water at nighttime. When you start off this very early, your kitty will take pleasure in possessing its own risk-free, inviting area.

Consider your cat towards the veterinary frequently to make sure they remain in good health. Kitties will need regimen photographs and well being investigations exactly like individuals. If you can find apparent issues with your cat, it requires to start to see the veterinary clinic quickly. Don't wait!

Make sure to always keep chemical compounds and dangerous materials out of your feline. Substances like antifreeze use a sweet preference. This stimulates the cat to drink it, most often leading to dangerous outcomes. Maintaining your chemicals locked up in the drawer can help you to ensure that your fascinated pet cat is not going to find yourself ingesting poison.

In case your cat takes all of the decorations off the Christmas time shrub, don't battle it. Begin gathering attractive kitty playthings and unbreakable decorations to brighten the plant next year. Be certain never to beautify with potentially risky items like tinsel and garlands. Tinsel is a choking threat for kittens and cats and garlands might cause strangulation.

Keep close track of early signals of health concerns in kitties. Kittens and cats typically screen signals if they are being affected by medical issues. Some frequent signs to look out for involve ingesting routine alterations, resting routine adjustments, being unable to bridegroom properly, variations in dietary habits, alterations in getting to sleep behavior, despression symptoms, sneezing, increased hunger, watery eyes, variations in conduct, camouflaging, and sickness. When they show these signs, bring them to some veterinary clinic straight away. The earlier you have, them the higher.

Usually do not hang on very long to scoop any waste materials which has gathered within a feline litter box. When still left messy for too long, microorganisms can grow and it may cause health concerns for you and your kitten. It is advisable to try this each day so you stay away from any issues.

When your pet cat relieves on its own from its kitty litter box, usually do not early spring into motion with penalty. If this happens, it could be since you have not maintained the package as clear when you ought to. If you reprimand your kitty for this particular, it can concern you afterwards later on.

You can't go wrong by selecting a cat as your pet friend. They may be wise, they generally don't need just as much proper care as puppies and they can provide you with the affection that you will be wanting. Even so, do not forget that kitties nevertheless call for several things using their operator. Utilize the suggestions over that will help you carve out a good daily life for your pet.

Matt McPherson the Insurance Guy Loves Cats with Big Ears!

[thekerem3428-blog]

Pet Proofing your home

Your home is a haven and a place of safety for you and for your pet. But, inside every house are poisons, dangers, and hazards that can injure your dog or cat. Here are some helpful tips to help keep your pet safe and out of the emergency room!

The two kittens raced around the apartment, through the bedroom, under the bed and out into the living room. After circling the bar twice, Dora could not help but become entranced with the swaying tinsel hanging from the lower branches. Soon, her brother, Vulcan, was also busy swatting at the strands and seeing how much damage he could do with his teeth. Little by little, the tinsel disappeared into the bellies of the kittens.

Disasters such as this one are common to veterinary emergency room personnel, but not usually well known by pet owners. Not only can our pets damage valuable items and destroy our clean living areas, but they can hurt or poison themselves, sometimes fatally. Knowing a few helpful hints can help keep your home in working order and help keep your four-legged friends out of the vet clinic.

Most pet emergencies result from ingestion of toxins, ingestion of non-digestible materials leading to intestinal blockages, and accidents causing fractures or soft tissue trauma.

Puppies chew to help explore their world as well as relieve stresses. Remember that puppies will often view anything on the floor as fair game. It is important to pick up potential hazards such as batteries, tobacco products, coins, and many household plants. Although new kittens are not prone to chew like puppies, houseplants, especially in the lily family, can be extremely poisonous to cats. To keep your kittens safe, keep dangerous plants out of reach, or, better yet, outside. For both types of pets, it is extremely important to put away all medications, both yours and theirs. A single paracetamol capsule can kill an adult cat and many dogs will eagerly over consume the beef flavored pain relieving drugs created for them, leading to potential stomach ulcers, bleeding, or kidney damage.

Trash cans and garbage bags are often irresistible to both dogs and cats. The aroma of foods and other apparently delicious items is often too much for even a well trained pet. To the pet, getting into the garbage is its own reward when tasty leftovers and treats can be found. Keep food scraps, especially cooked bones, in a secure container, preferably behind a locked or child-proof door. Simply placing the trash can up on a counter will not always assure safety. Besides making a mess, garbage can raiding can lead to stomach upsets, vomiting, diarrhea, or even obstructions and perforations of the intestinal tract.

During the holidays, many people become soft-hearted and give just one treat to the begging pet. Unfortunately, too many treats, or the wrong types, can cause severe stomach upsets and may lead to an emergency visit to the veterinarian. Bones, fatty foods, onions, and alcoholic beverages should not be on your pets holiday menu. Day like today can be especially difficult and many emergency rooms report higher than normal number of pancreatitis cases and intestinal blockages during this time. Chocolates, especially dark or baking chocolates, should never be given to pets. Even seemingly harmless treats, such as grapes or raisins, have caused deadly kidney damage to dogs.

Read the labels of insecticides well to insure that your pets will not be harmed by their use. Place rat, mouse, or ant traps and poisons such as ratbait in locations unlikely to be found by your pet. Pet safety experts say that granular pesticides are much safer than pellet pesticides because the pet is less likely to eat the granules. Anti-freeze is a well-known poison to pets, but other garage items, such as petrol, oils, and fertilizers can be dangerous as well. Keep these items out of pets reach and wipe up all spills as they happen.

The number of items in our homes that can hurt a dog care or cat are just as numerous as items that can harm a child. Being proactive and preventing the pet from eating the wrong item or getting into a situation that can harm him or her is the best way to avoid injuries. If you suspect your pet has ingested something toxic or potentially been injured by a household object, contact your veterinarian immediately.

source: https://petanimalworld.com/

[karlamazov-blog]

An Argument Against Capital Punishment (and, Oddly, for Torture)

    The fact that branches of the United States justice system still cling to practice of the death penalty is a disgrace which shames us as a nation. By holding onto the barbarism that is capital punishment, we are keeping ourselves on the same clickbait polls as China, North Korea and Iran. Now while each of our fellow institutionally-murdering countries surely has some admirable traits as well, this is one category where we can and should distance ourselves from them. Proponents of the death penalty will argue that, first, there is a difference between murder and execution, and, second, that there are some cases, crimes so heinous, where the only possible punishment for a convicted felon commensurate with their crime is execution. That latter situation is one of so many mires and pitfalls that I’m going to put it aside for the moment, but the first conceit, the idea of their being a fundamental difference between state-sanctioned execution and garden-variety murder is asinine. Murder is the premeditated killing of one human being by another. A person who grabs a knife in a fit of rage and buries it in another person’s chest could hardly be argued to be guilty of more premeditation than the justice system which sentences them to death. The judge, the governor, the prison warden, the executioners, any number of people, all of them are culpable and all of them exercised an unnerving level of premeditation. They’ve been planning to kill this stab-happy schmuck for months or years before all is said and done. They’ve had far more ample time to decide whether or not to kill this theoretical murderer than the murderer surely took. I’m not suggesting that murderers be excused for committing murder on impulse, what I am suggesting is that the individuals who took their time, deliberated, thought about killing this murderer are murderers as well. They are government-sanctioned murderers, standing behind a riot-shield of law and order, or more accurately, statute and precedent.  

Apart from the very concept of government-sanctioned murder being fraught with moral quandaries and, frankly, plain sick, it is also ineffective as a method of punishing criminals and deterring future crimes. Rather than throw statistics and dissertation excerpts at you, I’ll posit this simple argument: If the death penalty were an effective deterrent against murder, people would have surely stopped murdering each other by now. We’ve had centuries for this experiment to present results. And it has. The threat of the death penalty hasn’t made potential murderers do a doubletake and amend their intents out of fear. Those with the intent to kill carry on killing, regardless of their awareness of potential consequence, and the rest of us go on not killing people, not because we’re afraid of retribution, but because we don’t want to kill people.

To satisfy the more sadistic, schadenfreudean pockets of our society, perhaps we could do away with the institutionalized executions in favor of instituting government ratified practices of torture. Of course, torture is a controversial subject, and there would certainly need to be guidelines, clear rules on approved methods of torture and the extent to which they may be implemented, depending on a community’s particular level of desire for draconian sadism. Now, hold your horses, before you get up in arms, shouting from the rooftops to the chagrin of your neighbors that I am endorsing torture, hear me out. I am not suggesting that convicts be waterboarded, beaten with truncheons, shoved into iron maidens, have pointy strips of bamboo shoved under their fingernails, be tied down while drops of water plunk metronomically onto their forehead, or sit in a pit full of cat feces while being aurally assaulted with Kiss ballads at high volume. We need to be careful to steer clear of marching into ‘cruel and unusual punishment’ territory. Or rather, we need to acknowledge that there is a great degree of variance in the phrase, “cruel and unusual.” Such a subjective term can offer a wealth of different meanings depending on individual perception and interpretation. To one person, they may perceive it to be a cruel and unusual punishment that they have to wait in line for three hours in an emergency room to have one part of their body stitched back onto another while they’re bleeding through the paper towel they taped around their wound as an ersatz bandage, and the TV hanging from the ceiling in the shitty Roxborough Hospital’s dingy little waiting room is stuck on a channel which apparently only plays judge shows and the controls are covered by a shield of plexiglass so you can’t turn it off, change the channel or even turn down the volume, nor can you do anything about the other impatient patients wailing, swearing, crying or shouting into their cell phones, all while knowing that this visit will not be covered by my insurance!

...

And then there are people whose opinion of what qualifies as cruel and unusual punishment could fall anywhere on the spectrum between riding public transportation and being blasted with the paint-stripping pressure and scalding hot water of a gas-fueled power washer. What I am suggesting is a middle-ground method of torture which falls closer to the former on the torture-scale. Acts of violent abuse against inmates (practices which, to varying degrees, are already inflicted upon inmates by correctional officers) should under no circumstance be permitted. There are far more humane and less obvious ways to torture a person and effectively crush their spirit. Those convicted felons deemed to be the ‘worst of the worst,’ the people whom the justice system has decided are so irredeemably evil, their actions those of the worst imaginable criminals, they, instead of being barbarically executed, could (should) instead have mild methods of torture inflicted upon them. For example, the temperature in their cells could be keep at a changing, but consistently uncomfortable temperature. I am not talking bitter cold and sweltering heat here. Anything that could cause them true bodily harm shall be forbidden, but never will they enjoy a temperate seventy degree temperature again. Instead, the temperature of their cell shall always either be around either forty-five and ninety-five degrees fahrenheit. No bodily harm will be done to them, but gosh, will they be uncomfortable. Imagine being always just a little too chilly or a little too warm. It’d be maddening. Next, while blasting people with stereos is clearly abusive, you can still drive them mad with music played at a moderate volume. We could have the Jack and Jill ice cream truck jingle, played ad infinitum. I would certainly feel tortured to the point of penitent in that situation. I would feel sufficiently punished. And while it may be cruel and unusual, it’s about as mild as we’re going to get. There’s also food. I’m going to be clear up front: do not poison, poop or pee in inmates’ food. Just give them really bland and unsatisfying food. Eliminate  variety and flavor, keep nutritional value to a minimum. From what I understand of prisons as they currently function, this form of torture has already been implemented.      Our country is long past due on making meaningful and effective prison reform. Electric chairs and lethal injections, apart from being violently torturous themselves, have proven passe. We can continue to be a vindictive and petty society, but we can finally start being sensible about it.

[uselesswhining]

The one where I went deaf

2009, the year I turned 24, wasn't a good one for me. It started off with me finally acknowledging the depression I had been suffering for six whole years and seeking help when I couldn't go on my own anymore. What a humbling experience.

I quit university, again, and admitted I would probably have to get an apprenticeship, like all the other people who weren't smart enough for university. What a deeply shaming experience.

I got an interview with a company in Hamburg, 400km away, and somehow they thought me fit for them, but then I was masking my illness well enough and was my bubbly self. I took the job when they offered it to me and packed my bags, moved to Hamburg. I had no idea what was waiting there for me and didn't dare think about it. Future? Who knew. Staying alive was my goal, the rest I didn't care about.

I got a houseshare with a couple of unemployed dog breeders, their three dogs and their unrealistic dreams. I had about 450 Euros a month, which covered my rent of 260, food and every other month, public transportation of 90 Euros. Before I got adept at forging tickets, I boarded the train without one near the end of a month when I couldn't afford a day ticket anymore. It was the first time in my life when my card would get declined regularly. Day tickets were, of course, more expensive than a monthly one, but I couldn't afford a single expense of 90 Euros back then. Impossible. Laughable.

The dogs got on my nerve, the regular work, the first time I had to work 8 hours straight a day, 5 days a week, was tiring and while I wasn't unhappy, I also wasn't content. My room was tiny and didn't fit my large desktop computer plus monitor, so I had to put that up in the conservatory, but then of course the winter turned out to be really, really cold and the winter garden had no heating. So I couldn't even find consolation or distraction in the internet that winter.

I had no hope for the future. This was it.

One morning close to Christmas that year I woke up with a tinnitus in my left ear. It was not the ringing or the high-pitched tone they talk about on TV, but a steady stream of white noise, like an untuned radio. It was quiet enough to be ignored once I got up and the noises of a big city were more pressing. When I heard the noise again that night, I thought it had been gone and now come back. Well, I was wrong.

The next morning, it was much louder and getting difficult to ignore. The morning after that I started my Christmas holiday, the noise was even louder and made it difficult to hear other things above it now. The next day I travelled southwards to face my loud family, something I didn't look forward to as they were sure to ask me all kinds of uncomfortable questions, and the noise had become still louder. I couldn't hear anything on my left ear except it.

I hate going to the doctor but I would have done so for turning practically deaf, except it was Christmas and only the hospitals were still open. I didn't feel like an emergency, so I endured. My family, well. They are not the kindest or most considerate type of people. I didn’t want to tell them at all but then it's really difficult to hide that you're deaf. So they noticed, of course they did. If it wasn't for me asking them to repeat themselves all the time, it was my anything-but-cheery mood that made them notice something was amiss. They told  me to rest and then to hurry up because we had an appointment with some family member or other.

A few days later, when I had started hearing everything in what I call Mickey Mouse voice because it was so high-pitched, no low-tone sounds made it through my ear, I didn't have to be anywhere else so my father graciously lend me his car so that I could drive to the hospital. The situation had grown dire enough for me to face that particular hell now.

I drove to the hospital in Luckenwalde, some 16km away from my father's house. It's a small town hospital, equipped to deal with emergencies and not much else. The doctor looked at my ear, took my blood pressure and pulse and was out of her depth. I actually pitied her because she clearly felt helpless in the face of my … illness? She said as everything was perfectly all right with my ear there was nothing she could do and advised me to go to another, bigger hospital with experts. So I went back to the car and was on my way to Potsdam, one hour away on busy roads.

I learned that driving without being able to properly hear is difficult. It was frightening and I so wished for someone else to be in the driver's seat. It makes you paranoid. You keep looking into all the mirrors every second in case you missed something. There's not much time left to look ahead and it stressed me out to no end. Already I didn't look forward to having to return to my father's.

They made me wait a few hours in A&E because, apparently, they needed to wait for the ear doctor on call. Which was fair enough, I, too, wanted an expert by now. When that expert finally arrived, she was in a mood and hurried. She openly questioned my description of "white noise" as tinnitus usually is that high-pitched, screeching tone. When she, too, couldn’t find any inflammation in my ear, she doubted that I was incapable of hearing. She even said so. Doctors, eh? Fun people. To prove her point, she produced a tuning fork she apparently always carried around, held it to the centre of my head, hit it and asked if I heard the sound. I did and the case was closed. I could hear, so she sent me back home, advising I should rest.

I felt severely mistreated. By now I had consulted the internet and self-diagnosed myself as having suffered from sudden hearing loss, an illness that usually affects people twice as old as me in high-stress jobs. It's kind of a first warning sign before a heart attack inevitably takes you. I also learned that sudden hearing loss can be treated with steroids, but as the success rate is only about 50%, health insurance doesn't cover it. Rest, it seems, is at least as successful and free, so that is the most common treatment. So I knew that when the stupid doctor told me to rest it was actually valid advice, but then again, she didn't explain anything to me. If I hadn't had the internet I don't know how I would have felt about it.

In any case, my ever-caring family didn't let me rest and demanded my presence and nothing changed, meaning I still couldn’t hear anything in my left ear except Mickey Mouse. Finally, I was allowed to go back to Hamburg. A quick internet search showed me a sudden hearing loss specialist only one train stop away from where I lived so the next business day, I called in sick at work and trekked there. And finally, a doctor who could do stuff.

First off, he made me take a real hearing test, in a sound-proof box, that took 20 minutes or so and afterwards he showed me a graph that compared the hearing on my right ear with the one on my left. It felt so professional! When I told him the other doctor had tested my hearing with a tuning fork he barely disguised his disgust.

All jokes aside, the graph was worrying. Like I knew but no-one had believed, I couldn't hear anything in the middle ranges and little in the low ones. The only sounds making it through were the high-frequency ones. As my ear was otherwise unaffected, I got a preliminary diagnosis of sudden hearing loss until my blood results came back. SHL is a diagnosis of elimination, of course, when everything else has been ruled out.

The doctor advised me to start a round of steroids. As I said earlier, because the effectiveness of that is not proved, health insurance doesn't cover for it. I had to pay for the medication myself, which came down to 100 Euros for 5 treatments.

Now, I know that is actually not a lot of money and nowadays, with a steady income and some savings, I wouldn't think twice about it. But back then I was living off my over-draft, and after Christmas and having to travel to my family and back, that was maxed out. I could pay rent and was glad of being sick, because it meant I didn't have to travel to work for two weeks, so saving that expense. I didn't know what to do.

The doctor urged me to start the treatment immediately as every day counted. I had already waited two weeks and he told me from the very beginning that that had been a mistake, that I might never get my hearing back or maybe just partly. I was scared and agreed to start that very day. I figured I just had to find a way to borrow the money from someone.

That someone turned out to be my father. It was the hardest thing I ever had to do. You don't know my father and I'm trying, with these stories, to paint a picture of how I was brought up. My father always made me pay for every favour so asking him for a hundred Euros, in my eyes a gigantic favour as that same money could feed me for a month, was difficult. But I did. Because I couldn't listen to music anymore. Sometimes you just have to do the things that scare you.

I did get some of my hearing back. Not all, not by far, mind you, but some. The doctor said I should go with another round of steroids, but I declined. For one, I didn't have the money. Fuck, I didn't have the money. I want to cry when I think about it nowadays, with my high-income-tax bracket. But I couldn't stand asking my father for another loan, it was completely out of the question and my mother, well she was and still is poor. Another reason is the steroids made me poorly. I was dizzy and my mouth tasted like poison. Had I had the money, I would have gone for it, but like this, that was another incentive not to beg for more.

After another week of rest, I went back to work. Hamburg is a big city and the station my train ended at, Altona, busy and loud. The first day I got off the train and stood there, among a thousand or more people trying to get to work on time, and I couldn't hear anything in my left ear, I was scared like I had never been scared before. I was incapable, still am, to place noises, had no idea from which direction they were coming, and so unused to this. I could see the people, I could feel them pushing at me, but I couldn't hear them. One ear is not enough for that. I was sure they were going to throw me under the train and I stopped where I stood and cried and waited until the last person had passed me. This still stands out to me as the scariest experience in my life. It is actually no different than having your earplugs in and walking down the platform, but it made me realise then what I had lost. Before I felt sick and sorry for myself, but that day I realised that it's not just hearing I had lost.

To this day, I can't hear anything in loud environments. The moment the background noise gets too much, like in a restaurant, I can't place sounds and everything becomes one big noise. I can't distinguish between what the person in front of me and the person behind me says. It's all right as long as people ask me expected questions, like what bread I want to use for my sub, but when it's unexpected, I'm lost and then I feel stupid. Nowadays, I live in England and people naturally assume I don't speak the language if I can't understand them, and then a sneer comes on their face which I find insulting.

No-one can see it when you're deaf or hard-of-hearing, and while I joke about it sometimes, I always do it to remind people of my impairment. It makes me feel inadequate, which I hate. Just another reminder that my life isn't actually great. Most people don't even believe it because I'm usually perfectly able to converse, until we're sitting at a Five Guys and can't contribute anything to the conversation because I'm not able to hear a word over the sound of the radio.