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#preventive and social medicine
writerly-ramblings · 2 months
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Deeply (Catholically) grumpy with my decision, for Lent, to exercise everyday, because I should be giving something up instead. Mildly worried (conventionally) that my life so resembles a decrepit pensioner’s that there isn’t much to renounce.
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theculturedmarxist · 1 year
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Benjamin Mateus, Evan Blake
10 November 2022
A major study published Thursday in the scientific journal Nature Medicine found that each COVID-19 reinfection causes cumulative damage to patients and significantly increases their risk of death, hospitalization, and long-term sequelae referred to under the umbrella term “Long COVID.”
The study, titled “Acute and postacute sequelae associated with SARS-CoV-2 reinfection,” was conducted by noted COVID-19 researcher Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly and his colleagues from Washington University in St. Louis. It is believed to be the first study to date on the risks associated with COVID-19 reinfections, which have become increasingly common over the past year with the highly infectious and immune-resistant Omicron subvariants. Official data from Singapore indicates that at the peak of the recent surge of the Omicron XBB subvariant, roughly 18 percent of all cases were reinfections.
More so than any other study, this paper exposes the horrifying reality of the “forever COVID” policy imposed by the Biden administration in the United States and nearly every other world government outside China. Upending Biden’s lie that “the pandemic is over,” the study makes clear that each new wave of COVID-19 infections and reinfections will progressively kill and debilitate wider sections of the population.
Summarizing their findings, the authors write, “Compared to no reinfection, reinfection contributed additional risks of death… hospitalization… and sequelae including pulmonary, cardiovascular, hematological, diabetes, gastrointestinal, kidney, mental health, musculoskeletal and neurological disorders. The risks were evident regardless of vaccination status. The risks were most pronounced in the acute phase but persisted in the postacute phase at 6 months. Compared to noninfected controls, cumulative risks and burdens of repeat infection increased according to the number of infections.”
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[[Figure 1: Risk and 6-month excess burden of all-cause mortality, hospitalization, at least one sequela and sequelae by organ system. [Photo by Benjamin Bowe et al / CC BY 4.0]]]]
When the preprint version of this study was published in June, its dire findings were denounced by various right-wing figures and unprincipled scientists who have minimized the ongoing dangers of the pandemic. However, the fundamental results and analysis have weathered the objective process of professional review and remain unchanged from the preprint version.
All-cause mortality risk more than doubles after reinfection
As in their previous studies documenting the impacts of Long COVID, the research team relied on enormous electronic healthcare databases from the US Department of Veterans Affairs.
The study compared 443,588 people with a single COVID-19 infection with 40,947 who had reinfections. Of those reinfected, 37,997 had two infections, 2,572 had three infections, and 378 suffered four or more infections. All were followed-up 180 days after their last infection or reinfection and their risks for various health outcomes including mortality were assessed and compared.
In the study, the mean age of the group with one infection and the reinfection group was the same at roughly 60 years of age. Although the study does not provide all-cause mortality rates for the non-infected in the same 180-day window, life tables from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) indicate that before the pandemic, a person that was 60 years old had a burden of death of 11.5 per 1,000 people over a 12-month window, meaning that around 1.15 percent of all people 60 years of age would have died before reaching 61.
According to the data from the reinfections study, for those with only one COVID-19 infection, the burden of death at six months post-infection was 16.77 for 1,000 people. Thus, a single COVID-19 infection significantly increases one’s chances of dying should they survive the acute phase of their infection.
However, among those who were reinfected with COVID-19, the burden of deaths per 1,000 people jumped to a staggering 36.10. This figure is more than three-fold higher than what would be expected before the pandemic and more than double the burden of mortality of the first infection. In essence, having a single COVID-19 reinfection is equivalent to having aged several years beyond one’s stated age.
Vaccines, “hybrid immunity” and Long COVID
One of the most alarming aspects of the study is its finding that prior vaccination with one, two or more jabs before reinfection did not curtail long-term all-cause mortality risks. Although all-cause mortality risks declined after the acute phase of the infection (the first 30 days), after three months the risk of dying plateaued above the baseline throughout the six-month period of analysis.
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[[Figure 2: Risk of all-cause mortality, hospitalization, at least one sequela and sequelae by organ system are plotted. At the time of comparison, there were 51.3%, 12.6% and 36.2% with no, one and two or more vaccinations, respectively, among those who had reinfection. At the time of comparison, there were 41.1%, 11.7% and 47.2% with no, one and two or more vaccinations, respectively, among the no reinfection group. [Photo by Benjamin Bowe et al / CC BY 4.0]]]
The authors note that the compounding damage of reinfections “was evident even among fully vaccinated people, suggesting that even combined (a hybrid of) natural immunity (from previous infection) and vaccine-induced immunity does not abrogate the risk of adverse health effects after reinfection.”
They add, “The mechanism underpinning the increased risks of death and adverse health outcomes in reinfection are not completely clear. Previous exposure to the virus may be expected to hypothetically reduce risk of reinfection and its severity; however, SARS-CoV-2 is mutating rapidly and new variants and subvariants are replacing older ones every few months. Evidence suggests that the reinfection risk is especially higher with the Omicron variant, which has shown to have a marked ability to evade immunity from previous infections.”
These findings are a damning indictment of the false and unscientific conception of “hybrid immunity,” advanced by most politicians and official scientists worldwide, in which “natural” infections with Omicron have been touted as a positive good that will cause COVID-19 to become “endemic.”
Last January, Dr. Anthony Fauci stated, “It is an open question as to whether or not Omicron is going to be the live virus vaccination that everyone is hoping for.” These lies went unchallenged by every political tendency and media outlet except the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI) and the World Socialist Web Site.
Significantly, the study finds that long-term sequelae affecting various organs like the heart, kidneys, lungs, brain, and general constitution were all persistently elevated throughout the six-month post-reinfection assessment. Additionally, this burden of poorer health was cumulative between first, second, third and fourth reinfections. In particular, the lungs, heart, and vascular system were most impacted by repeat infections, leading to a considerable burden of disease.
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[[Figure 4: Risk and 6-month excess burden of sequelae by organ system of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection versus no reinfection in 30-d intervals covering the acute and postacute phases of reinfection. [Photo by Benjamin Bowe et al / CC BY 4.0]]]
In another study published earlier this year, Dr. Al-Aly and his team found that people with breakthrough infection after being vaccinated only had a 15 percent lower chance of developing Long COVID and were at increased risk of death and organ damage compared to controls who never were infected.
In their reinfections study, the authors hypothesize that “impaired health as a consequence of the first infection” might increase one’s risk of more adverse health outcomes with repeat infections. Indeed, studies have shown that COVID-19 can injure one’s immune system, potentially setting them up for more onerous sequalae upon reinfection with COVID-19 or other viruses. These studies provide firm evidence that infection with SARS-CoV-2 qualifies as a consequential pre-existing health condition irrespective of one’s vaccination status.
A recent report in The Tyee reviews the science behind these concerns and the critical role of immunologist Dr. Anthony Leonardi, who has spoken out continuously on dangers of the “herd immunity” strategy, particularly for children. Ultimately at play here is the idea that allowing the virus to rip through communities, wave after wave, is a public health hazard that is having dire repercussions.
Conclusion
The results of the reinfection study are of immense importance in that they validate in the negative the precautionary principle that many scientists have advocated against the “forever COVID” policy that places the interests of Wall Street above humanity.
They also underscore the salient point that COVID is in no way comparable to the flu. Indeed, SARS-CoV-2, if not fatal, can lead to multi-organ injury with long-term consequences to the health of those infected, with compounding risks upon each reinfection.
Due to the conscious repudiation of all public health measures to mitigate against COVID-19, society confronts the unimpeded evolution of increasingly immune-evasive variants which steadily raise the risk of reinfections. Each wave of infection will further drive non-COVID excess deaths, which remain invisible to the public, and further strain healthcare systems already brought to their knees globally after three years of the pandemic.
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[[Figure 5: Risk and 1-year excess burden of hospitalization, at least one sequela and sequelae by organ system are plotted. Results from one SARS-CoV-2 infection (n = 234,990), two SARS-CoV-2 infections (n = 28,509) and three or more SARS-CoV-2 infections (n = 1,023) versus noninfected controls (n = 5,334,729), in those with a first infection before the Omicron wave, are compared. [Photo by Benjamin Bowe et al / CC BY 4.0]]]
Despite repeated claims that the number of deaths caused by COVID-19 are at pandemic lows, excess non-COVID deaths reported by various countries such as Peru, the UK, Northern European countries, and Australia are anywhere from five to 20 percent over pre-pandemic baselines. These are astronomical figures of which there is no mention in the corporate media.
These extra deaths can only be explained by the horrendous experiences of the last three years, in which the population has been left to fend for itself and subject to unending waves of mass infection, death and debilitation.
In many respects, the reports by Dr. Al-Aly and his colleagues have an evidentiary quality to them. They function as a forensic analysis of the crime of “social murder” committed by the ruling elites globally. Although an autopsy report is detached and formal in meticulously describing the trauma or disease sustained by the deceased, a dispassionate and objective introduction of the facts in an inquest, once made public, cannot be overlooked.
The policy makers guilty of this social crime must be held to account for the deaths of an estimated over 20 million people worldwide and the disabling of hundreds of millions more with Long COVID. Fundamentally, the ongoing disaster of the pandemic is an irrefutable indictment of world capitalism, which subordinates all social needs to the profit interests of a rapacious financial oligarchy. This outmoded system must be replaced by a world socialist society which reorganizes world economy to ensure the health and decent living conditions of all of humanity.
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wikipediapictures · 2 years
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Public health
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your--isgayrights · 2 years
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It’s orvuto anon again, I stalled on your pinned post again — experimental neuroscience?? :eyes:
Yesss. I'm actually an undergrad neuroscience major... Like writing and art and stuff is just for fun, I wanna be a research neuroscientist one day lol.
#That's why I practically haven't posted the past few weeks cuz I'm back in school#I'm also in a lot of east asian history classes because I'm minoring in east asian language and lit for fun#and I've been running into this barrier recently where I feel like its hard to explain to people the overlap that exists between hard#science and the needs of the individuals that science is supposed to help you know#like for me the reason being a research neuroscientist is so appealing is because if you're going to pick a job where you mostly do busy#work all day then being in a research field just means you know that whatever pointless thing you're doing or failed experiment you perform#everything you do is a piece of data that's going to contribute to this greater process that really has tangible eeffects in helping real#people who suffer from neurological disease. which I think is comforting in a world where doing a little never feels like enough#What I've been thinking about lately though is that I have an inherent belief in that system because I really believe in the ability of#people to do good in it because I'm coming from the same frame of rationalist mindset that a lot of research is based in but that in#clinical applications there are a lot of inherent biases that prevent people from knowing what illnesses they have and how to receive#treatment for them... because in my east asian history classes we've been talking about different belief systems and ways of thought#that sometimes have to do with medicine or psychology. and I always think that it's interesting to analyze practices that are mysticized in#modernity through that lense. but it's become apparent to me that it's hard to express that interest as genuine to religious people without#them feeling as though I'm dismissing their beliefs rather than trying to analyze how they interact with the physical reality that I know.#and it made me realize that the dismissiveness of western science towards religion combined with ableism in society makes it hard for peop#le who have the symptoms of things like psychosis or mood disorders that might have an associated role in a religion to feel like#psychiatric diagnosis or treatment isn't a complete insult to who they are as a person and I think that's the fault of a lack of compassion#and respect for others in clinical practice... its just like a social norm that i really wish would change. because i don't think physical#reality has to be dismissive of spiritual beliefs when acknowledged but because of some of the habits of western scientists and#certain subsects of christianity people don't think about it enough to have that conversation sometimes...#that's just what i've been thinking about lately lol.#personal#ask#anonymous
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A resident physician at the University of Ottawa's faculty of medicine who was suspended over pro-Palestinian social media posts says he's been reinstated but has no plans to return to the institution. Dr. Yipeng Ge, 29, was sanctioned by the university last November after it got several complaints about a series of pro-Palestinian posts he'd made, ones that included references to "apartheid" and "settler colonialism." At the time of his suspension, Ge had been a fourth-year public health and preventive medicine resident and was completing a residency at the Public Health Agency of Canada. His research has focused on Indigenous health, anti-racism and decolonization.
Continue Reading
Tagging @politicsofcanada
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peace-chats · 8 months
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PEACEFULLIFESTYLES P.C.S.
Peaceful Lifestyles, the Best Way to Live!
Doctors Without Borders (MSF): Provides medical care in conflict zones and areas affected by disasters.
One of the most peaceful organizations, we see in the world is this, since Doctors are really wealthy and their financial demands make them always be working for money. So, it is very rare to see activist doctors. While their work is humanitarian and it is always linked to ‘big pharma’ since they are their foot soldiers, these ones are outstanding. Doctors in general do great work for humanity for pay, these one’s just are very awesome. I watch their documentaries and their missions and I’m very impressed. True peacemakers, peacebuilders, and peacekeepers. Natanael 
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ptmasterguide · 2 years
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INQOVI
In this article, we will discuss INQOVI (Dosage Overview). So, let’s get started. IndicationsINQOVI is indicated for treatment of adult patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), including previously treated and untreated, de novo and secondary MDS with the following French-American-British subtypes (refractory anemia, refractory anemia with ringed sideroblasts, refractory anemia with excess…
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inqilabi · 2 years
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The best way to help Iranian women as persons in the west is to protest in front of US gov buildings, embassies, or UN buildings and demand to lift the crippling sanctions of 40 years that have been killing Iranians by preventing daily basic needs like bread, shelter, medicine and heat electricity from being met. You cannot have any social progress like womens rights when your basic needs can't be met. None of the counties under US imperialism will ever have rights for women until imperialism is defeated. Defeating imperialism is integral to women's rights
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vin-taege · 7 months
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hii am i doing this right?🫠 i hope so lol i saw you saying your requests were open and wanted to ask for chishiya x reader who is really shy or has social anxiety and something like niragi bothering them? i want all the angst and all the fluff lmao
if you aren’t comfortable or just don’t want to do it that’s totally fine of course!:) i hope you have a great day :3
I'll Handle It
Summary: Niragi has been fucking with you mainly to get on Chishiya's nerves—but this time, he's gone too far.
Genre: fluff, a smidge of angst (Niragi being inappropriate)
Pairing: reader x chishiya
Words: 1.4k
Note: This is set before Arisu and Usagi came to the Beach! I've been caught up in school, so I apologize for being absent for so long :((
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You tried to steady your grip on the glass, despite the condensation making your hold on it slippery. The poolside was significantly more difficult to weave around after Hatter's return from his game. Bodies were slick with sweat and adorned with glowstick necklaces, bumping and grinding all over the tiles. The air was thick with the scent of chlorine and alcohol, and the night wasn't dwindling to an end yet.
You normally would be as far away from here as possible, but your willingness to help a friend trumped your despise for large crowds. Earlier in the evening, Tatta had asked you if you spotted Ann anywhere, with him saying that he needed supplies from the locked storage closet in her office. You had shaken your head then, and you could've left the conversation at that. But you thought that he already had a lot on his plate, especially after being the Beach's errand boy. So, here you were, trying to find An in this beer-fuelled rave area.
The earphones Chishiya gave you helped to block the loud bass from the speakers. You had "swiped"—technically, borrowed, but the man thrived off teasing you—them from him during the morning. It helped calm you down and prevented the feeling of being overwhelmed. When Chishiya figured out this habit of yours, earphone pairs started to mysteriously pop up on your bedside table. When you confronted him about it, he only said that it was for you to stop getting his own pair.
Typical.
Unbeknownst to you, Kuina and Chishiya were presently on the other end of the party, trudging through the thick crowd as well.
"Are you sure you spotted them here?" He glanced back towards her, raising his voice a little so Kuina could hear him above the music.
"Yeah, I saw them just leave the bar a couple of minutes ago," she shouldered past a particularly rowdy guy. "Why'd she come here?"
"Knowing them, it's probably a favor," he sighed.
It was when they got into the middle of the crowd that he saw you standing anxiously near the beach chairs. Your back was towards them, an oversized jacket covering the majority of your body. You usually didn't care about showing skin, but you didn't want to give the militants fuel to bother you. But no matter what you wore, people like Niragi always found a way to be a creep.
"Shit, we need to get there," Chishiya muttered to Kuina. His eyebrows knit, gaze hardening as he saw a familiar black and white giraffe-print polo coming closer and closer to you. "Kuina, remember the medicine I gave you a while back?"
You felt a hand on your shoulder, gripping you firmly before spinning you around. You scrunched your nose, greeted by the sight of Niragi's crooked smile.
"Are you lost, little puppy?" he mockingly cooed.
Instinctively, you cupped a hand over your drink. Taking a step back, you stood your ground and peered up at him. Despite mustering all your courage, your voice came out wavery. "Go away, asshole."
He cackled as you warily looked at the gun slung over his shoulder. With a wicked glint in his eye, he closed the distance between the two of you, a hand snaking behind your lower back and forcefully pulling you towards him. "All that bark from such a small bitch. Where's your pussy of a boyfriend?"
"Not wasting his time getting shit-faced here, unlike you," you snarled. Your heart was thumping, skin crawling in disgust. He reeked of alcohol and his touch was uncomfortably getting lower. "If you won't let go of me right now, I'll break your fucking nose."
"I'd like to see you try. You won't be so mean after I'm done with you. Why don't you just give in and sleep with a real man tonight, huh?"
Before you knew it, you slammed your fist into his face. The music blared on in the background, but you swore you heard a faint crack. Your drink spilled all over him, ice cubes flying out. He staggered backward, clearly not expecting you to actually do it. Despite being good at games, everyone knew you to be mild-mannered, usually avoiding conflict.
But damn, it was so difficult for you to restrain yourself any further from people who gave you the ick.
A hand was suddenly on your elbow, tugging you away from the now undoubtedly fuming man. Chishiya landed a kick square on Niragi's chest, hurtling him towards the pool.
"We should run," he whispered close to your ear. Taking your hand in his, you slid out of the crowd and into the protection of the halls. Chishiya led you towards his room before shutting the door behind him. He peered out the peephole, waiting for a few minutes before deeming it safe.
When he turned to you, you were sitting quietly on his bed, busying yourself by winding your earphones up and tucking them away.
"Why were you at a party?" He sat down next to you. To your surprise, he wrapped his arms around you, pulling you into a comforting hug. You knew he wasn't one to initiate physical contact, and you respected that. But having him be this affectionate to you was admittedly a nice change.
"Was trying to help Tatta find An," you murmured into his chest.
He hummed, starting to stroke your hair with his hand. "You okay?"
"I handled it," you lazily grinned at him. Truth be told, you felt proud of yourself.
"I know you did. But I'm asking you if you're okay, not if you handled it," Chishiya's voice was muffled against your hair. He was still very paranoid of what the militants could do to you, especially after news broke out of the two of you dating.
You looked up at him, cupping his face with your hands. "I'm okay now. I just really want to take a shower."
You offered him a small grin, one which he didn't reciprocate. You could tell he was still mad over what happened. You wondered how much of it did he see in general. This type of anger within him was familiar to you—one that was silent, but by all means, still threatening. Above all, it was the type of anger that only showed when it was directed towards himself.
"Shiya, I'm okay, I promise," you firmly repeated.
"I saw how he had his hands on you," he said darkly. "I'll make sure it won't happen again."
"Don't get into trouble because of me okay?"
"Niragi can't keep harassing you all the time. Even if Hatter did something about it, he wouldn't listen," he tsked. "I'll handle it, okay?"
One look at him told you that there was no convincing him otherwise. You just gave him a hesitant nod, before allowing yourself to be cuddled again. His lithe fingers pressed softly against your waist, his other hand twirling strands of your hair.
Outside, you could still hear the faint sound of the party, but it seemed miles away now. At that moment, there were only you and him—and nothing else mattered.
   .❀。• *₊°。 ❀°
"I'm sorry for dragging you into that mess, ___," Tatta looked at you mournfully.
"You should be." You dug an elbow into Chishiya's side lightly, making him roll his eyes.
"It's okay, Tatta. I'm fine now," you offered him a reassuring smile.
You were seated in the lounge, basking in the silence of the morning—mainly because a majority of the Beach's population was hungover.
"You know, if it makes you feel any better, I heard Niragi was bed-bound since last night or something," Tatta said, before munching on the bread he had for breakfast.
"Wow, I didn't know I could hit that hard."
Kuina let out a light chuckle, Chishiya smirking next to you. You flitted your glance towards the two, raising an eyebrow in question. Kuina caught your expression, giving you a playful shake of her head.
"Tell them why, Tatta."
Tatta let out his own tiny smile. "Well, from what I've heard, someone snuck laxatives into his drink last night. He downed it right after he got out of the pool and realized you guys were gone."
You let out a snort, turning your attention to Chishiya. The platinum blond avoided your gaze, though a playful smile was on his lips. He stated defiantly, "It wasn't me."
"Oh, it was definitely me," Kuina beamed. She then threw Chishiya a pointed glance. "Wonder who gave me those drugs though."
"Still wasn't me," he replied cooly, crossing his arms.
"You are unhinged," you laughed at him.
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
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grilledbroccolli · 3 months
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Vampire!reader is craving Dan Heng
Description: Fem!Reader who is secretly a vampire but refuse to feed on human. Dan Heng to the rescue.
Warning: vampire, blood, reader forgetting about taking of herself
You have been starving yourself. Fresh blood is scarce on a train in the middle of space. Since joining the nameless in their travels, you have not told anyone about your thirst for blood nor did you plan to feast on your new friends. After arriving on a new planet, you always excuse yourself to be alone to search for live animals. Blood of animals are the only blood you dare feast on. Being a half blood, you always felt bad for hurting innocent humans. You would go out and hunt for wild animals for their blood. Once you're full, you would store the rest in blood bags for later consumption. But right now, you underestimated how long the journey would be to this new planet, you have already consumed all the contents in the blood bags you have prepared before boarding the train. Even though you can still eat human food, but it won't fill you up.
The crave for blood is getting stronger by day. All you ever did these days is stay cooped up in your room to prevent yourself from hurting others. You only leave your room for the bathroom or to eat human food with your crewmates to prevent them from worrying about you. You know rumours of your kind is terrifying. It's true that many vampires do kill and feast on humans. You worry that once they find out about your secret, they would identify you as a threat to the whole Astral Express. You would feel guilty from time to time when you know you're a threat to your crewmates but still crave the family-like atmosphere they offer and also the smell of a crewmate. From the moment you met Dan Heng, he never left your mind. His face, his voice and his delicious scent is so addictive. The last time you crave human blood was the last time you were blood hungry which was when you were just a child. But craving on a specific human's blood is a first. His being made you agree to joining the nameless. To you, he smell like lotus flowers somehow. You avoided him the most during your hungers to prevent yourself from jumping on him like hungry lion. You believe that if you can keep your cravings on the down low, consume blood cautiously, you can keep your identity safe from the rest of the crew and from him.
Your crewmates starts to smell like a feast. Your nose were getting more sensitive these days. Then, the worse happened. Dan Heng cut his finger on a page of a book. The distinct metallic smell swarm into your nose when he just so coincidently decided to ask about what's wrong with you these days.
Knock knock, "Y/n? Are you in there?" Dan Heng ask in his usual cold tone. He thinks you're acting fishy these few day when you keep avoiding socializing and eat your meals in a hurry.
"Y- Yes! What's up?" You answer in hurried tone. The smell of an open wound is getting to your head.
"Are you ok these days? You've been acting weird."
"I- I'm fine! I'm a little busy now, can't talk." You answered while rushing to the furthest corner from the door to control yourself.
"Is it ok if I come in?"
"N- No! No! Please don't! I, uh, my room! Is a mess! Ya, a mess. I- I will..." The scent is starting to consume your mind. Drools start forming in the corner of your mouth. You tried so hard to breath in as less as possible. "I'm not feeling well. It's contagious. Please don't come in. I will tell you when I recover." You don't even realize your sentence is all over the place.
"Uh ok? Can I get you anything? Maybe some medicine?" Dan Heng starts to get worried for your wellbeing.
"No need for that. I have the meds. Thanks for worrying."
"Then, I'm gonna get going. Do text us if you need anything."
"Ya ya, sure sure." You pray for him to just leave.
Luckily he left after that. But of course, he did not forget to informed the crew about your wellbeing.
From time to time, March and Stella would knock on your door to ask how you're feeling. They haven't seen you out of your room since ever since Dan Heng came by your room that day. The whole crew is getting worried. Now that you have smelt raw, fresh human blood right from the vessels, you fear you will pounce on anyone that you see. They would leave your serving of the food at the door to make sure you are eating well even though you have long lost the appetite for it. Once you bring the food into your room, the lingering smell of your friends on the tray is the only thing that allows your stomach welcome the food into the system. But they will not last long in there. Your system would absorb the nutrients needed for your human side and then reject the rest. You would eat your meal when everyone's asleep so that you can leave your room to use the bathroom without encountering anyone. You pray everyday that the train will arrive on the new planet quicker so that you can quench your thirst.
Today, you lock yourself in your room, a blanket over your head, facing the corner furthest from the door. Thoughts of Dan Heng and how he would taste on your tongue is consuming your mind. You haven't slept last night and haven't showered in days. You just took the tray of food that Stella put on your doorstep a few hours ago into your room. You took a bite of the cold rice. Blegh! You gagged. You run to the door, unlocking it and flinging it open and sprint to the bathroom while sealing your mouth shut with a palm to prevent vomit spilling on the floor. You kneel down against the toilet bowl and start vomiting.
(Blegh-gh ugh)
You haven't eaten the whole day, making it more painful to vomit.
Suddenly, a pair of hands were pulling your hair back. Preventing them from getting into your face. Shit! The smell of vomit and the burn of the stomach acid at the back of the throat has distracted you from noticing someone approaching. You quickly stand up from the kneeling position to wash and gargle your mouth at the sink. You did not fail to pick up the scent of Dan Heng.
(Shit, shit, shit!) You thought. You hurriedly turn off the sink and fingers immediately pinch your nose shut. You face him who was behind you, handing you some tissue paper to wipe your face dry. You were slightly embarrassed to have him see you in a state like this. Cracked, pale lips, messy and clumped up hair, just vomited.
"...h-... hey, Hey!" Exhaustion and hunger is seeping into your system. "Hey! Are you alright?" Dan Heng ask with a face full of worry. He started to grab your shoulder, hoping to get your attention.
"Y- a! Yes I'm alright. Thanks for helping me." You started to panicked. (Too close! His scent, omg.) "You need to go. " You tried to shake off his grip on your shoulder but it did not budged.
"Y/n, what is wrong with you?! You just vomited. You are not alright at all." He is starting to get frustrated with you. He haven't seen you in days, neither did the other crewmates. And now that you just vomited in the middle of the night. He really couldn't help but get worried for you. These last few days, his mind is full of you. The last time he heard your voice, you sounded like you don't want him near you at all. He does not care for whatever others think of him, but you, you got him curious. Something about you is just so alluring and he couldn't put a finger onto why. Now that you rejected his help twice, he needed to know what is wrong with you, he need you to accept is help.
"Go! Please go." You go on your own. You ran away. He immediately grip your wrist and pull you back into the bathroom and slam the door shut. He grip both your wrist in one hand and lock it in place above your head.
"You're not going anywhere until you tell me what is wrong with you." His patient is running thin. He glare at your weak and sickly figure. Your faces just inches apart. You look away as you panic to how close he is to you. You are a shaking and a blushing mess under him.
"Be a good girl and look at me." Dan Heng demanded. You comply. He realized that your face is all red and sweats dripping down your forehead. You are panting, hard, and drool leaking from your mouth. He suddenly see your fangs that he failed to notice in the past, or at least they weren't this sharp before.
"A- are you a... vampire?"
(It's over. He found out.) You thought.
"I uh... uhm..."
"Is this what you want?" Dan Heng raise his right wrist to your mouth. No, this is bad, so bad. His smell is taking over your brain. You could no longer control yourself. You open your jaws larger as he move his wrist right where your fangs are. You puncture his wrist with them and close your lips around it.
"Ngh" Dan Heng sigh in pain as you drink his blood. He slowly release your wrists from his grip and pat your head, encouraging you to drink more. With your free hands, you grip his arm tighter and closer to your mouth like a beggar who haven't eaten in days.
"Slow, slow now. I'm all yours."
This is my first ever fanfic. I got so carried away writing this. I'm sorry for any error.
Part 2 out
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“The ‘war on drugs’ may be understood to a significant extent as a war on people. Its impact has been greatest on those who live in poverty, and it frequently overlaps with discrimination directed at marginalised groups, minoritiesand Indigenous Peoples. In our reporting and experience, we have found that such discriminatory impact is a common element across drug policies with regard to the widest range of human rights, including the right to personal liberty; freedom from torture, ill-treatment and forced labour; fair trial rights; the right to health, including access to essential medicines, palliative care, comprehensive drug prevention and education, drug treatment, and harm reduction; the right to adequate housing; freedom from discrimination and the right to equal treatment before the law; right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment; cultural rights and freedoms of expression, religion, assembly and association. Globally, drug control has had massive costs for the dignity, humanity and freedom of people of African descent, with reports showing that people of African descent face disproportionate and unjust law enforcement interventions, arrests and incarceration for drug-related offences. In various countries, the ‘war on drugs’ has been more effective as a system of racial control than as a tool to reduce drug markets. Policing interventions based on racial profiling remain widespread, whilst access to evidence-based treatment and harm reduction for people of African descent remains critically low. Around the world, women who use drugs face significant stigma and discrimination in accessing harm reduction programmes, drug dependence treatment and basic health care. Although one in three people who use drugs are women, women constitute only one in five people in treatment. Women are also disproportionately affected by criminalisation and incarceration, with 35% of women in prison worldwide having been convicted of a drug-related offence compared to 19% of men. The causes of women’s interaction with the criminal justice system in relation to drugs are complex, often linked to other factors such as poverty and coercion, and may reflect systemic gender inequality in society more broadly. Of note, most women in prison for drug related offences have little education. Under international law, States that have not yet abolished the death penalty may only impose capital punishment for the ‘most serious crimes’, meaning crimes of extreme gravity involving intentional killing. Drug offences clearly do not meet this threshold. However, drug-related offences are still punishable by death in over 30 countries, and human rights experts have raised concerns about evidence of its discriminatory impact on individuals belonging to minorities. Everyone without exception has the right to life-saving harm reduction interventions, which are essential for the protection of the right to health of people who use drugs. However, according to UN data, only 1 in 8 people with drug dependence have access to appropriate treatment, and the coverage of harm reduction services remains very low. The situation is particularly critical for women, LGBTIQ+ persons, and other marginalised groups, for whom harm reduction and treatment services may not be adapted or respond to their specific needs. Women and LGBTIQ+ persons also face even higher levels of stigma, including self-stigma, and discrimination than men who use drugs.
As the world grows older, drug use among people over 65 has also increased. The COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on the health and well-being of older persons, and studies show an increased use of pain relievers, tranquillizers, and sedatives among this age group. Older drug users are also more often using the dark web, social media, and online forums to obtain illicit substances resulting in a rise of drug-related deaths among older populations. The criminalisation of substances traditionally used by Indigenous Peoples such as the coca leaf can also result in the suppression, undermining and marginalization of traditional and indigenous knowledge systems and medicine, which has wide-ranging health impacts and is rooted in discriminatory hierarchies and conceptions. Forced eradication of crops, including through the aerial spraying of highly hazardous pesticides, can cause serious harm to the environment and clean water, as well as to the health and welfare of Indigenous communities. Indigenous Peoples that might be affected by these and other drug control operations must be meaningfully consulted, and guarantees should be given that their lives, cultural practices, lands and natural resources are not violated. Criminal laws and the punitive use of administrative and other sanctions stigmatise already marginalised populations. Criminalisation results in significant barriers to access to health services (including those for HIV and palliative care) and in other human rights violations. As called for by the UN system Common Position on drug-related matters, drug use and possession for personal use should be decriminalised as a matter of urgency. Drug use or dependence are never a sufficient justification for detaining a person. Compulsory drug detention and rehabilitation centres need to be closed and replaced with voluntary, evidence-informed, and rights-based health and social services in the community.
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lordnot · 7 months
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If you want to get angry with every American politician who railed against socialized medicine, try making an appointment with a specialist with private health insurance.
Recall their warnings about rationing of care as you're told that the first available appointment is a Thursday afternoon four months away.
Think about the fearmongering about how the quality of care would drop as your doctor meets with you for all of fifteen minutes, half of which is asking you questions you answered on a survey before you came in, the other half doing the minimum amount of tests of your breathing, blood pressure and the like necessary to bill your insurance.
Recall the hysteria around 'death panels' as your doctor goes over the long-term risks of not having your condition treated, and then tells you to call a number to actually get tested for the condition that has another two month waiting list.
And keep in mind how many privileges you possess that others do not that prevented this whole process from being even more difficult. Privileges like living close enough to a major city that the specialist is only 40 minutes away by car and not two hours. The fact that you own your own vehicle. How you are able to take time off of work without worrying about a supervisor calling you last minute to say you need to come in. The fact that you can afford the copays, can afford to miss a half day of work, don't have to worry about whether you'll be home in time before kids get back from school, etc.
In short: it was all a crock of shit.
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briarpatch-kids · 10 months
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I hate how much people's stigma of use disorder and addiction prevents us from having decent things. Like I'd LOVE for people to not get bloodborn disease from both re-used and discarded needles. But when the subject of a needle exchange came up recently, the people I was with (not friends) wouldn't stop focusing on how it's "enabling" to have a system where people have to trade their used needles for new ones because addicts get to have access to fresh clean methods of use rather than having to share or re use needles.
From what I know about the cost of doing business and the cost of medicine in the US, a single case of HIV prevented would likely save a year's worth of operating costs. That's not even taking into account the value of human life, imagine if addiction and use disorders didn't usually mean hitting "Rock Bottom" or dying of overdose because your cousin or brother or ex or whatever was able to get help when they needed without stigma and the social safety net prevented them from all the infections and worse that can come from an unsafe supply or consumption method. Yeah, they'd still have a problem, but it could be addressed before people die from it. I know this is America and bootstraps and choice and all that, but I also know you're not supposed to sentence people to death without a fair trial either. And right now, the way we're treating addicts is a death sentence. Just a long, slow, drawn-out death sentence.
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anamericangirl · 7 months
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During the height of pandemic, I was among the people who didn't like anti-vaxxers because they claimed outlandish things. I remember getting into an argument with an anti-vaxxer who claimed that vaccines will make your heart explode or something. He deleted his comment quickly after but I was thoroughly unimpressed.
However, I wonder: why were you all against vaccines, masks and COVID-19 restrictions? What made you think that this is all bullshit and I should resist this?
We were against the mandates, mostly. If someone wanted to get the vaccine or wear a mask then fine they have the freedom to do it but making everyone do it is an unconstitutional restriction of liberty.
The government has no right to force people to take an experimental medicine. People were banned on social media and censored for asking questions about the vaccine. They were being punished for not blindly following what they were told to believe. We were told the vaccines were perfectly safe and there was no risk but there was no way they could know that because it was a completely new and untested medicine and there was absolutely no research or knowledge on long term effects. And it turns out the “anti-vaxxers” were right about pretty much everything. The vaccine doesn’t stop the spread or protect people from covid and if it did why the hell do you need to get three or four of those shots in a single year?
We know now there are some risks with the vaccine. Myocarditis can result from it and it’s something even the CDC quietly admitted to after a while. There is a risk of myocarditis especially in young people and they still encouraged people to have their kids vaccinated even though children are the demographic least threatened by covid.
And still, “anti-vaxxers” were treated as evil and dangerous. Threatened, even by the White House, with a winter of “severe death” that never happened. They were blamed, censored, mocked, and people even called for their death and for them to be put into “reeducation camps.”
Masks don’t work like they claimed either. There have been multiple studies, again quietly, published admitting this to be the case. And it’s something we knew even before the ridiculous mandates came down. And no one should have been forced to wear one. Ever.
And the restrictions were authoritarian and unnecessary and completely unconstitutional. Covid, from the very beginning, had an over 97% recovery rate and there was no justification for mandating people be locked up in their homes for what turned out to be way more than two weeks.
And they did it all under the guise of “oh we have to for your own good we’re saving lives!” When they weren’t. Nothing they made anyone do prevented the spread or helped at all and they knew it from the very beginning.
If it was really as bad as they said why were people arrested for going to church, having funerals, or visiting family in the hospital but not for engaging in violent riots across the country and why wasn’t anything done to stop people from flooding across the border illegally?
It should be resisted because it’s a violation of your rights and it was all a lie.
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azulsluver · 8 months
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Bully!au with a cunning mc?
Oh how the tables turned
tw. yandere, bully!characters, manipulation, mentioned violence + public humiliation.
Heartslabyul || Savanaclaw || Octavinelle ||
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From what I am getting at, reader this time can stand up against the bullies. During their time spending with Ace and Deuce, they noticed the way they've been a little distant and leaving backhanded comments. Perhaps reader has been in these types of situations, so they knew better than to entertain the duo by pouting and complaining. Instead, let them have a taste of their own medicine, being sure to catch onto their words in case it sets Deuce off. He's such a hot head. Call out on Deuce's bullshit, corner his feelings and get him to side with you. Ace would be left to fend for himself, so used to having people agree on his terms, he's gotta pick a side to be in the league.
People may not realize it, but Deuce is so easy to manipulate in this au. But he's too far deep into his delusions and selfish desires to repent, thus why it's best to catch on to the signs and take the wheel. Deuce is pathetic in your hands, separate him from Ace, make excuses to keep him company and busy while Ace stays from the side, he is the main reason why Deuce acts this way towards you after all. It's preventable, to say at least, but Ace won't back down so quick.
You have to play the game right, or else you'll fall like a stack of cards.
Ace is good at gathering troops into his plans, he gets to fling those around if they aren't much use to him. You'll catch on pretty quick however, understanding why Ace decided to have everyone turn their back on you. Because he's interested. You make Ace second guess himself, what was special about you to begin with. Could it be the fear of rejection, social image?
You want to peer inside that silly head of yours, glaring from across the room. And you noticed, the way his posture straightens as his eyes make contact with yours, teeth biting his lower lip as sweat cling to his neck. Ace loves the attention.
Riddle and Cater could be out of pure spite. You're good at something that they want.
After being told numerous times by Cater that he'd call the fashion police every time you two would hang out. He expects you to not take it by heart (100% wants you to), through gritted teeth and crumpled knuckles, giving him a confused expression to lay off. If Cater wished to create an image of himself that'll falsely inform others, then you might as well play it his way. Fooling Cater by pretending to be the air headed friend, you listen well to your elders, people slowly recognize you by the littlest of things that can make you stand out. Associating yourself with Cater meant you had been influenced on what you should or not do with him.
In fact you enjoy Cater's expression, when someone comes to say hi to you and not him, or mention your story of something you did last week. Shrugging your shoulders as you bat your lashes, Cater could barely hold himself from strangling you. He can see what you're doing, you aren't as dumb as he thought you'd be.
Clicking his tongue, Cater would want to cut you off from his social life for good, but you'll be a reminder to him that he has to do better. If you can easily take down his persona, just how willing were you to do more than just tease him for taking advantage of an innocent person such as yourself.
Riddle has been through some sort of public humiliation, and you've kept that to the back of your mind. He's high and mighty, he knows what he wants, and he gets it one way or another. You and Riddle would be rivals at most, some form of twisted love he's created for himself, for you, that you're perfect. But so, so disgusting.
He doesn’t wanna focus on or getting in a relationship, his bad habit of being a neat freak has caused a toll on him. Making it worse the longer he indulged in this unhealthy behavior and of, although majority of the characters start off light during their bullying. When turned a blind eye is where evil sets in, growing rapidly once they realize how good it feels to have someone bellow them. Riddle, per say is victim to this trope.
You have to push yourself to him, grab his attention and prove him that you are worth the respect. This goes with intelligence because he’s somewhat attracted to those who know how to use their knowledge to hood use. That’s the point, make use of yourself to show Riddle that you’re someone on his level. This can go two ways with him being your rival or friend.
Don’t be seen as vulnerable around Trey. It’s what started for him to prey on you, with no clue on how the world work to little no friends. At first Trey was your average normal friend who helped you at times need, sometimes it came with a price. But then he got greedy, expecting more than taking advantage of your naivety.
Trey is a little tricky to figure because he doesn’t open up about himself a lot. You have to find weak points that doesn’t involve hurting his loved ones. However you can easily deceive him by playing coy, keep him in line with his morals (once he gets comfortable there’s no turning back). I wouldn’t say he’s easily influenced but he hopped onto the train when it did come to bullying you, I guess he took some form of pity but that was to mask his sadistic tendencies. Trey does try to control his urges of said “temptation”, but he gets off to the feeling of someone needing his help in dire situations.
Which means you can be buddy buddy with Trey just make sure not to trigger any opportunities for him to get to how he is in this AU. At least he gives you free snacks.
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dresshistorynerd · 22 days
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Hi, while looking through extant garments in a museum collection for reference for a school project, I found several garments of different designs that were all labelled as "binder" without any other context or explanation. Obviously my first thought was the kind of binder I use, especially for the first one that looks elasticated, but I have to assume they're for something else like gynecomastia or compression..? Do you know happen to know anything about them?
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This is interesting!
They could actually be the types of binders you use. I immediately thought of 19th century male impersonators - female (?) actors who specialized in male roles in Vaudeville and other similar forms of theater, in which drag was integral part of, and would also have their own one man impersonation comedy and music shows and male stage personas. Basically they were drag kings. (Similarly female impersonators, basically drag queens, were also quite popular.) They were known to bind their chest, and other actors, who didn't necessarily do the impersonation shows, but played male roles on stage, would also often bind their chest for their performance. Here's for example two successful male impersonators, British Vesta Tilley (first picture) and American Ella Westner (second picture).
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Queer women and trans masc people, who dressed in masculine clothing, (which was pretty common) also sometimes bound their chests, but unsurprisingly that was not exactly celebrated like drag performances were, so there weren't binders made for queer people specifically. I'm guessing they either made their own binders or used binders made for actors. Often those actors were the same people as those queer people, since drag performance was one of the few socially acceptable ways to fuck around with gender. Not all of them were queer, Vesta Tilley looks excellently queer in her drag, but outside stage she was respectable member of high society and very supportive of her husband who became conservative member of parliament (after she had retired). And I think we can easily imagine what kind of political opinions about queer people she was supporting when he was conservative in the context of 1923 Britain. But many of them were known to be queer, like Ella Westner, who eloped to Paris with a very interesting woman, Josie Mansfield (pictured in the last photo above), who was mistress to an infamous scammer and the man who murdered him. Westner was also buried in men's clothing by their own request.
I couldn't find pictures though what did the binders used for chest binding looked like, so I decided to look into what kind of other binders were used in the era. I think the first binder or perhaps both of them could be baby/infant binders (first two pictures below). Apparently people in Victorian era (and in 18th century) believed that chilled abdomen could cause cholera and I guess other bowel issues, so they treated cholera and tried to prevent it by wearing binders and belts (last picture), which could be also made from flannel or wool knit for extra warmth. And babies are quite vulnerable to bowel issues and cholera, so they made binders for babies too. I've seen many different types for these (for both baby and adult use) with some of them like cloth wraps, and some of them kinda corset looking though not corset shaped. If the binders you found were indeed for abdomen warming purposes, I'm sure they are for babies, since those for adults would be so low there definitely wouldn't be shoulder straps like that. The proportions on the first binder especially seem to me fitting for a baby, like the straps feel a bit too wide for adult scale. The second one is harder to guess, it could be a baby binder, but it seems to have boning in the middle, which would make maybe more sense in a chest binder?
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But yeah Victorian medicine continues to be... interesting.
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