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firelord-frowny · 3 years

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I’ve talked a little bit about how at least one ~negative aspect~ of white supremacy/racism that impacts white people is that it can be SO DIFFICULT to avoid being Accidentally Racist over something that really shouldn’t have been that deep, and WOULDN’T have been that deep if not for the pervasiveness of white supremacy in america, and this bit about the lil country band Lady Antebellum and the controversy surrounding their name illustrates that pretty well, I think:

The band members have always said that the band's name was chosen arbitrarily, complaining about the difficulty of choosing a name. Inspired by the "country" style nostalgia of a photo shoot at a mansion from the Antebellum South, they said, "one of us said the word and we all kind of stopped and said, man, that could be a name"[40] and "Man that's a beautiful Antebellum house, and that's cool, maybe there's a haunted ghost or something in there like Lady Antebellum."[41] Haywood concluded, "[We] had a lady in the group, obviously, and threw Lady in the front of it for no reason. I wish we had a great resounding story to remember for the name, but it stuck ever since."[40] The name was always controversial, with a critic in Ms. Magazine writing in 2011 that the band's name "seems to me an example of the way we still — nearly 150 years after the end of the Civil War, nearly 50 years after the Civil Rights Act; and in a supposedly post-racial country led by a biracial president — glorify a culture that was based on the violent oppression of people of color".[41][42]

On June 11, 2020, joining widespread commercial response to the George Floyd protests,[41] the band announced it would abbreviate its name to its existing nickname "Lady A"[43] in an attempt to blunt the name's racist connotations.[1] The band members stated on social media that, never having previously sought the dictionary definition of the word "antebellum", they now consulted their "closest black friends and colleagues" so that their "eyes opened wide to the injustices, inequality and biases black women and men have always faced and continue to face every day. Now, blind spots we didn't even know existed have been revealed."[44] Fan response was mixed, with many decrying virtue signaling or even disparaging the protests.[41]American Songwriter said, "Given that the world knows what that A stands for, to many this change does little more than add extra insult to this ongoing injury."[45]

The next day, it was widely reported that the name "Lady A" had already been in use for more than 20 years by Seattle-based African American activist and blues, soul, funk, and gospel singer Anita White. The band again admitted ignorance of any prior use, which White called "pure privilege". Interviewed by Rolling Stone, White described the band's token acknowledgement of racism while blithely appropriating an African American artist's name: "They're using the name because of a Black Lives Matter incident that, for them, is just a moment in time. If it mattered, it would have mattered to them before. It shouldn't have taken George Floyd to die for them to realize that their name had a slave reference to it. It's an opportunity for them to pretend they're not racist". A veteran music industry lawyer observed that such name clashes are uncommon due to the existence of the Internet.[46][47] The band members contacted White the next week to apologize for having inadvertently co-opted and dominated her name,[48] saying that the Black Lives Matter movement had inspired them to a collaborative attitude. They nonetheless required retaining the same name, though she believed dual-naming is inherently impossible.[49]She said "We talked about attempting to co-exist but didn't discuss what that would look like"[48] because the band members would not directly respond to that explicit question three times during the conversation or in two contract drafts. She soon submitted a counteroffer that either the band would be renamed, or that her act would be renamed for a $5 million fee plus a $5 million donation to be split between Seattle charities, a nationwide legal defense fund for independent artists, and Black Lives Matter.[49]

On July 8, 2020, the band filed a lawsuit against White, asking a Nashville court to affirm its longstanding trademark of the name. The press release read: "Today we are sad to share that our sincere hope to join together with Anita White in unity and common purpose has ended. She and her team have demanded a $10 million payment, so reluctantly we have come to the conclusion that we need to ask a court to affirm our right to continue to use the name Lady A, a trademark we have held for many years."[50]

On September 15, 2020, White filed a counter-suit asserting her claim to the Lady A trademark and rejecting the notion that both artists could operate in the same industry under the same brand identity. She is seeking damages for lost sales and a weakened brand, along with royalties from any income the band receives under the Lady A moniker.[51][52]

Like????????? this REALLY didn’t need to be a thing.

And one thing I think black folks and other poc need to chill out with is dismissing any white person’s attempt at Being Better in how they move through a white supremacist world in a way that seeks to undo or at least not exacerbate white supremacy. I can TOTALLY believe that, in their white ignorant bliss, this band really did choose their name without realizing for a moment that it might leave a fucked up taste in some people’s mouths. Honestly like... antebellum IS a cool sounding word lmfao and if it wasn’t so heavily associated with slavery-era america, i’d wanna name something antebellum, too!

And like, yes, it’s true that it ~shouldn’t have taken george floyd’s death~ for anyone at all to suddenly decide that they want to go a little bit out of their way to denounce or at least not seem to promote racism in some small way. But it did. And it does. And every fucking time there’s a gross act of violence and injustice acted out on a person of color in front of the world, there’s always going to be a brand new white person out there who Sees The Light for the very first time. That doesn’t mean their new perspective isn’t genuine, and it doesn’t mean it happened All Of A Sudden. If anything, it was something they’d been thinking about for a long time, but didn’t know how to address it, or what to say, or who to say it to, or how to talk about it in their own community. OBVIOUSLY that problem is WAY LESS BAD than, ya know, actually experiencing racism, but it’s still a real thing that some white folks go through, and being mad about it isn’t going to make it NOT a real thing. it shouldn’t have taken george floyd’s death. it shouldn’t have taken trayvon martin’s death. it shouldn’t have taken the instatement of one of the most vile human beings to ever assault the face of the earth for This Person or That Person to finally want to make a positive and public change, BUT IT DID. It always does. That, unfortunately, is How It Works.

And so, this band adjusts it’s name in an effort to not seem hostile. OBVIOUSLY it’s not a grand show of solidarity. OBVIOUSLY it’s not meant to convince anyone that they’re Super Amazing White People Who Will Stop At Nothing For Racial Equality. It was literally just a small, simple gesture. They’re just modifying their image, because they were no longer comfortable with knowing how that word makes a lot of people feel. Bc like... let’s be real: probably a solid ZERO of their fanbase would have given a shit if they’d just left the name as it was. Nobody who’s going to a Lady Antebellum concert was pouting about the name. And if anything, they prolly stood a better chance of LOSING fans for ~being politically correct~ than gaining fans for changing their name to something less annoying.

And it JUST SO HAPPENS that the slight lil adjustment they made to their name steps on the toes of an existing artist, and it JUST SO HAPPENS that this artist is black, and is also an ACTIVIST in social and racial justice.

Oops.

And so, obviously people don’t interpret it as an honest mistake. Instead, it’s a result of white privilege. And I mean like??? ok, maybe it is. But I ALSO had never heard of Anita White until I read this fucking wiki page lmfao. So like... my ignorance isn’t due to no white privilege on my part. Maybe it’s a consequence of a white supremacist culture that wouldn’t glorify her and celebrate her and put her name everywhere... but that’s a different thing from privilege.

So now not only are the bands efforts to adjust to a world that’s becoming more aware of racial injustice being dismissed as disingenuous or too-little-too-late, but now they’re ALSO being accused of Using Their White Privilege to trample all over an artist they’d never heard of.

i DO think that after finding out the name was already taken, and after talking with her about it and determining that she wasn’t interested in sharing - as is her right - they should have just said “ok, sorry, thanks for talking with us about it” and picked something different. i think it’s kinda ridiculous that they think they should sue her and i think she’s HELLA right for suing their asses right back, and I hope she gets her damn money.

But I’m also cognizant of how emotionally/psychologically upsetting it can feel to have to just Change Your Name after so many years of living with it. It makes sense that despite their desire to adapt and choose a new name that doesn’t make people cringe, they still want to try to hold on to the feeling that THEY associated with their own name. “Lady A” seemed like a happy medium: They can remain Who They Are while also showing that Who They Are is someone who’s not trying to glorify a disgusting era of history. But if “Lady A” isn’t an option... what’s left? What else could they call themselves that wouldn’t feel like a totally new, alien identity??

So, I understand how, on an emotional level, they want to fight to keep it.

But uh. They really need to just Be Sad about it and let it go. Just consider it one of the small, upsetting sacrifices that white folks may sometimes have to make as we ALL struggle and stumble through this fuckin long-ass road of Making The World Less Terrible For People Of Color, and move on.

But yeah, like.

It’s fucking ridiculous that this was even an issue, and it was only an issue because of racism!!!!! If white supremacists didn’t manufacture a culture that oppresses people of color and glorifies the pre-civil-war era SPECIFICALLY for the good ol slavery, then perhaps people could wax poetic about the artistic and environmental aesthetic of that era without it being assumed that they Must Be Racist. Bc like??? idk if yall know this lmfao but i LOVE????? colonial american music. like, the kind of stuff with that Ashokan Farewell vibe. I think it sounds beautiful. And i really fuckin love the black spiritual music that was developed in that time. and i think so much of the architecture and fashion was so???? Nice. Just pleasant! But I can’t even get myself to fully enjoy it because of all the fuckin connotations that have been stuck to it.

A band should be able to name theirself a name without it being such a goddamn fucking cultural crisis.

But they can’t! And it is!

Thanks, White Supremacy!

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wellsjahasghost · 4 years

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you single handedly made me ship nezha and rin and made me read the books and now that they'II probably KILL each other in next one, I think you own me (and the rest of the wold) another fic. as a treat, you know. (ily)

SKDHFKS i am so HONOURED to have brought you into the fold thank you omfg ?????? and yes i probably owe you 46 million dollars in psychological damages after the burning god releases BUT at least we all had a good time eh??? EH???

(if TBG doesn’t give me the Exact Specific things i want i might well fic it lol. unless i’m too devastated... we’ll see)

#nice people #rinezha #the poppy war #Anonymous #answered

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newstfionline · 3 years

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Tuesday, February 2, 2021

Difficult Times for Flight Attendants (NYT) One flight attendant needed medical attention for a crippling migraine brought on by confronting a passenger who refused to wear a mask. Aviation safety officials have received dozens of confidential complaints in the past year from attendants trying to enforce mask safety rules. The reports, filed in the Aviation Safety Reporting System database, at times describe a chaotic, unhinged workplace where passengers regularly abuse airline employees. The coronavirus pandemic and political divisions of the past year have caused fear, economic pain, and social and family rifts around the country, but for airline workers, and flight attendants in particular, the unease and tension have often converged in a tiny cabin space. The tension is at a level flight attendants have not seen before, said Paul Hartshorn Jr., a veteran attendant and a spokesman for the Association of Professional Flight Attendants union. “I think we’re pretty well trained on how to handle a disruptive passenger,” said Mr. Hartshorn, 46. “What we’re not trained to do and what we shouldn’t be dealing with is large groups of passengers inciting a riot with another group of passengers [over political differences].” “It’s insane,” he added.

Fight The Man: What GameStop’s surge says about online mobs (AP) It’s a fable for our times: Small-time investors band together to take down greedy Wall Street hedge funds using the stock of a troubled video-game store. But the revolt of online stock-traders suggests much more. The internet is shifting society’s balance of power in unanticipated ways. In the world of pseudonymous internet message boards, pranks-gone-wild and logic turned upside down amid a global pandemic, revolts come in all shapes, sizes and aims. Last week they gave us the Great GameStop Stock Uprising. Who knows what this week will bring. “The internet can democratize access, upsetting power dynamics between the people and traditional institutions,” tweeted Tiffany C. Li, a law professor and tech attorney focusing on privacy and technology platform governance. With GameStop, she added in an interview Friday, the goal was to upset the interests of a few large hedge funds. “But in other places the goal can be more nefarious. Online spaces are being used to radicalize people toward extremism, to plan hate crimes and attacks,” she said. “The internet isn’t really the villain or the hero.”

Pandemic Pushes More Parents to Go All-In for Home Schooling (WSJ) As parents grow increasingly frustrated with remote learning during the pandemic, some are deciding to pull their children out of school and try teaching on their own. In North Carolina, the state’s home-school monitoring website crashed on the first day of enrollment, and more than 18,800 families filed to operate a home-school from July 1 to Jan. 22—more than double the school-year before, according to the state Division of Non-Public Education. In Connecticut, the number of students who left public schools to be home-schooled jumped fivefold this school year, to 3,500. In Nebraska, the number of home-schooled students jumped 56%, to 13,426, according to state education officials. “The vast majority [of parents] are saying, ‘We’ve been really trying to do what the schools are asking us to do, but we just can’t do this anymore,’ “ said J. Allen Weston, executive director of the National Home School Association, which has been fielding inquiries on the topic. Vanderbilt University’s Joseph Murphy, who studies home schooling, said “We are in a major shift from how we thought about teaching children and running schools for 100 years. Parents have shifted to the place where they feel they need more direct involvement and greater responsibility for what happens with their children.”

Vaccine skepticism lurks in town famous for syphilis study (AP) Lucenia Dunn spent the early days of the coronavirus pandemic encouraging people to wear masks and keep a safe distance from each other in Tuskegee, a mostly Black city where the government once used unsuspecting African American men as guinea pigs in a study of a sexually transmitted disease. Now, the onetime mayor of the town immortalized as the home of the infamous “Tuskegee syphilis study” is wary of getting inoculated against COVID-19. Among other things, she’s suspicious of the government promoting a vaccine that was developed in record time when it can’t seem to conduct adequate virus testing or consistently provide quality rural health care. “I’m not doing this vaccine right now. That doesn’t mean I’m never going to do it. But I know enough to withhold getting it until we see all that is involved,” said Dunn, who is Black. The coronavirus immunization campaign is off to a shaky start in Tuskegee and other parts of Macon County. Area leaders point to a resistance among residents spurred by a distrust of government promises and decades of failed health programs. Tuskegee is not a complete outlier. A recent survey conducted by the communications firm Edelman revealed that as of November, only 59% of people in the U.S. were willing to get vaccinated within a year with just 33% happy to do so as soon as possible. Health experts have stressed both the vaccines’ safety and efficacy.

As Biden prays for healing, Catholics clash over president’s faith (GMA) On his quest to heal a divided America, Joe Biden may first have to confront bitter division over his presidency from within his own church. Since his inauguration two weeks ago as the nation’s second Catholic president, Biden’s devout Christian faith has become a new flashpoint within the church. While millions of Catholics have celebrated the ascension of one of their own to the White House, some have been publicly questioning whether Biden should be considered a model of their faith. Many Catholic clergy and faithful are passionately fixated on Biden’s support for abortion rights, which the church staunchly opposes and considers an issue of “preeminent” importance. Biden opposes abortion as a personal matter, but wrote in his 2007 memoir that he doesn’t “have a right to impose my view on the rest of society.” One in five Americans identifies as Roman Catholic, the largest Christian denomination in the U.S., according to Pew Research Center. While the faithful have long been divided in matters of theology and politics, Catholic values aren’t exclusively red or blue.

Russia Protesters Defy Vast Police Operation as Signs of Kremlin Anxiety Mount (NYT) The Kremlin mounted Russia’s most fearsome nationwide police operation in recent memory on Sunday, seeking to overwhelm a protest movement backing the jailed opposition leader Aleksei A. Navalny that swept across the country for a second weekend in a row. But the show of force—including closed subway stations, thousands of arrests and often brutal tactics—failed to smother the unrest. By late Sunday evening in Moscow, more than 5,000 people had been detained in at least 85 cities across Russia, an activist group reported, though many were later released. Previously unseen numbers of riot police officers in black helmets, camouflage and body armor essentially locked down the center of the metropolis of 13 million people, stopping passers-by miles from the protest to check their documents and ask what they were doing outside. “I don’t understand what they’re afraid of,” a protester named Anastasia Kuzmina, a 25-year-old account manager at an advertising agency, said of the police. Referring to the peak year of Stalin’s mass repression, she added, “It’s like we’re slipping into 1937.” The large-scale police response signaled anxiety in the Kremlin over Mr. Navalny’s ability to unite Russia’s disparate critics of President Vladimir V. Putin, from nationalists to liberals to many with no particular ideology at all.

In Myanmar coup, Suu Kyi’s ouster heralds return to military rule (Washington Post) Aung San Suu Kyi defended Myanmar’s generals against genocide charges at The Hague. She praised soldiers as they unleashed artillery against ethnic minority settlements. She took only modest steps toward democratic changes that would chip away at the army’s political power. It wasn’t enough. On Monday, Myanmar’s military seized power in a coup, detaining Suu Kyi, elected ministers from her National League for Democracy (NLD) party and others in a predawn raid. Though condemned internationally for defending the military and its campaign against the Rohingya minority, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate who spent 15 years under house arrest until 2010 now finds herself again at the generals’ mercy. The coup underscored the fragility of Myanmar’s decade-old, quasi-democratic transition that many assumed, despite imperfections, would continue with Suu Kyi as head of the civilian government and still-entrenched powers for the military, led by Min Aung Hlaing. But the military was never comfortable with its enduring unpopularity and Suu Kyi’s godlike status among ordinary Burmese, analysts said, despite its role in engineering the country’s opening after half a century of isolationist rule.

Survivors of Beirut’s explosion endure psychological scars (AP) Joana Dagher lay unconscious and hemorrhaging under a pile of rubble in her apartment after the massive Beirut port blast in August, on the brink of death. She survived because of the courage of her husband who got her out, the kindness of a stranger who transported her in his damaged car and the help of her sisters during the chaos at the overwhelmed hospital. But Dagher doesn’t remember any of that: The 33-year-old mother of two lost her memory for two full months from the trauma she suffered in the explosion, including a cerebral contusion and brain lesions. “I lost my life on August 4,” Dagher said. “I lost my house, I lost my memory, I lost two friends,” she added, referring to neighbors killed in the explosion. “I lost my mental health, and so I lost everything.” The Beirut explosion, which killed more than 200 people and injured more than 6,000, caused wounds on an even wider scale on the mental health of those who lived through it. Even in a country that has seen many wars and bombings, never had so many people—tens of thousands—directly experienced the same traumatizing event at the same time. It came on top of the stress that Lebanese were already feeling from multiple crises, including an unprecedented economic meltdown, the coronavirus pandemic and a feeling of helplessness after nationwide protests against corruption that failed to achieve their goals. “There are very high levels of anxiety and worry across the population,” said Mia Atwi, psychologist and president of Embrace, an organization working on mental health awareness and support. “There is a low mood bordering on clinical depression for the majority of the population.”

#headlines #news

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drulalovescas · 1 year

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what being a supernatural fan feels like

what being a supernatural fan feels like

#supernatural #$46 million for psychological damage #truly an unparalleled media experience #jack kline

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ignaciooufg154 · 3 years

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Warning: These 9 Mistakes Will Certainly Ruin Your Free She Male Porn

The Horrifying Reality Regarding The Porn Sector.

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Is The Porn Sector Racist?

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paleorecipecookbook · 5 years

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Food Allergy vs. Food Intolerance: Why the Difference Matters

Although we have a lot to learn about food intolerances, ever-growing research proves that they aren’t psychological or make-believe. Read on to learn the differences between a true food allergy and a food intolerance, some examples of common food intolerances, and how healing your gut can, in some cases, alleviate the problem.

Food intolerances are very real—and can have serious consequences if they’re ignored. Check out this article to find out the difference between a food allergy and a food intolerance. #wellness #chriskresser

Food Allergy vs. Food Intolerance—They’re Not the Same

Food allergies are on the rise, especially in children:

Between 1997 and 2011 food allergies increased by 50 percent in American children (1)

Today, around 1 in 13 children and 1 in 25 adults in the United States suffer from a life-threatening food allergy (2)

In a true food allergy, a person’s immune system produces immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies in response to her consumption of a particular food. These IgE antibodies initiate a cascade of events that can affect the skin (hives), the respiratory tract (wheezing), and/or the GI tract (vomiting).

In severe anaphylactic cases, an allergic reaction can be life threatening if not treated immediately with epinephrine.

Even more common than food allergies, food intolerances are estimated to affect up to 20 percent of the population in industrialized countries. (3, 4, 5) Food intolerances are not IgE mediated and are thought to be caused by specific enzyme deficiencies, impaired food absorption, and other GI issues. (6) In many cases, other immunoglobulin antibody responses may also be involved (IgA and IgG)—but more on that later.

Food intolerances generally don’t trigger the dramatic or immediate reactions associated with food allergies, but they’re every bit as real, with varied symptoms like nausea, vomiting, respiratory problems, brain fogginess, and skin reactions such as eczema.

If unmanaged, food intolerances can have serious health consequences too. If you don’t know you have a food intolerance and keep eating the offending food(s), you increase your risk of developing an autoimmune disease, neurological disorders, and more. (7, 8, 9, 10)

Five Common Food Intolerances

Let’s explore some common food intolerances that affect millions of people.

1. Celiac Disease

Often confused with a wheat allergy, celiac disease (CD) is not an allergy but rather an autoimmune disease, characterized by an inflammatory immune response to wheat gluten, rye, barley, and related proteins. Affecting 1 to 5 percent of Americans, CD usually manifests as GI disturbances like abdominal pain and diarrhea, but many patients with CD have no GI symptoms and may not even know they have it. (11, 12)

These atypical, or “silent,” forms of CD are far from harmless. Silent CD is associated with higher rates of iron deficiency, anemia, osteoporosis, neurological symptoms, and a nearly fourfold increase in the risk of death. (13, 14)

2. Non-Celiac Gluten Intolerance

CD screening only tests for antibodies to a few components found in gluten, but people can react to many other components of wheat and gluten in a condition called non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS). (15, 16, 17, 18, 19) No robust diagnosis yet exists for NCGS. The best clinical description is: “a reaction to gluten that resolves when gluten is removed from the diet, and CD and allergy have been ruled out.” (20)

Despite its inexact diagnosis, NCGS is real—and studies are proving it. Double-blind, placebo-controlled trials indicate that a subset of people who do not have CD or a wheat allergy can and do indeed react horribly to gluten when they don’t know whether they are being given gluten or not. (21, 22, 23)

Up to one in 20 Americans may have NCGS, which can affect the brain, skin, endocrine system, stomach, liver, blood vessels, and more. NCGS can produce a wide range of symptoms: (24, 25, 26)

Bloating

Abdominal pain

Gas and related pain

Diarrhea

Constipation

Tiredness

Headache

Anxiety

Foggy mind

Eczema

Chronic fatigue

Joint and muscle pain

Asthma

Depression

Unfortunately, many health professionals still don’t take NCGS seriously, which does a huge disservice to those suffering. In fact, NCGS, especially if undiagnosed, can be even more serious than CD. Epithelial damage to the gut, systemic immune activation, and systemic inflammation are all linked to NCGS. (27) By continuing to eat gluten, patients with NCGS are at higher risk of developing arthritis, thyroiditis, multiple sclerosis, ataxia, diabetes, and even amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease). (28, 29, 30, 31)

3. FODMAP Intolerance

Sometimes, people who think they are sensitive to gluten may actually be intolerant to FODMAPs, or fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols. FODMAPs, a type of carbohydrate, are found in many common foods besides wheat, including:

High-fructose fruits

Asparagus

Brussels sprouts

Garlic

Onions

In the case of FODMAP intolerance, the GI tract isn’t fully digesting and absorbing these short-chain carbs, which are then fermented by gut bacteria, creating gas and increasing fluid movement into the large bowel. (32)

FODMAP intolerance is common in people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). By adhering to a low-FODMAP diet, up to 75 percent of people have relief from functional gut disorder symptoms, especially IBS. (33, 34, 35, 36, 37). However, a low-FODMAP diet is not advisable long term because it can decrease microbial diversity and density of beneficial bacterial species. (38, 39)

4. Lactose Intolerance

Up to 65 percent of the world’s population—literally billions of people—may be lactose intolerant. (40) Lactase, the enzyme that digests the milk sugar lactose, is present in infants and young children, presumably to digest breast milk, but many people don’t maintain full lactase function beyond childhood. (41, 42)

Why Eat Dairy, Anyway?

Most iterations of the Paleo diet don’t include dairy. But, if well tolerated, dairy can be a nutritious and beneficial part of a Paleo template. If you’re not eating fish heads, bones, and skin, getting adequate calcium without dairy isn’t easy. Pastured dairy is a great source of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, and K2 and is a primary source of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a beneficial, naturally occurring trans fat thought to have anti-cancer properties. (43)

5. IgG- and IgA-Mediated Food Intolerances

Many prominent immunologists argue that some (maybe even most) food intolerances do activate the immune system, but rather than being IgE mediated like a food allergy, they are mediated by IgG and IgA antibodies. IgG- and IgA-mediated food intolerances are thought to be related to increased gut permeability and are often implicated in Crohn’s disease and other GI conditions. (44, 45) If the gut is permeable, food molecules can escape and be detected by the immune system.

Symptoms of these intolerances range from allergy-like reactions such as rashes and asthma to GI symptoms like cramps, constipation, and diarrhea and neurological symptoms such as migraines. (46) Unlike IgE-mediated responses, IgA- and IgG-mediated responses can take days or even months to occur, which makes identifying the culprit(s) more difficult. (47)

How to Overcome a Food Intolerance

People with food allergies generally have them for life, although children sometimes can “outgrow” allergies to milk, egg, wheat, or soy. But you might be able to do something about a food intolerance by healing your gut.

Food intolerance circles back to compromised gut health. In most cases, a food isn’t being digested properly and/or or food molecules are getting past the gut lining when they shouldn’t be able to.

Here are some ways to fix your gut:

Increase stomach acid using supplementation and herbs. Stomach acid is needed for digestion. Although many people think they have too much stomach acid, they may in fact have too little.

Get tested and treated for SIBO or intestinal pathogens to reestablish a healthy gut flora.

Eat sauerkraut and other fermented foods and consider taking a probiotic supplement.

Eat fermentable fiber, as prebiotics can be even more effective than probiotics at improving the microbiota profile.

Drink bone broth. The gelatin, glycine, and glutamine in bone broth all have beneficial effects for the gut.

Should You Get Tested for a Food Intolerance?

The most budget-friendly way to identify food intolerances is a 30-day Paleo reset diet, as I’ve outlined in The Paleo Cure, where the most common offenders (dairy, grains, legumes, sweeteners, processed foods, industrial seed oils, and alcohol) are removed from the diet for 30 or even 60 days and then systematically reintroduced.

If your suspected food intolerances seem linked to severe reactions or conditions like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), IBS, or ulcerative colitis, the Paleo autoimmune protocol (AIP) diet, which goes a step beyond Paleo by also initially removing eggs, nightshades, coffee, nuts, and seeds, might be prudent. In a study published in 2017, 11 of the 15 IBD patients who adopted an AIP diet achieved clinical remission in just six weeks! (48) This further supports the idea that the gut and food intolerances are intricately linked.

But because reactions don’t always appear right away, these rudimentary dietary experiments can be incomplete. The next option would be IgA- and IgG-based blood tests.

A lot of controversy surrounds blood tests that screen for food intolerances based on IgA and IgG levels. Some scientists and immunologists claim that levels of IgG and/or IgA antibodies in the blood merely reveal that a patient has been exposed to certain foods, not that they are necessarily intolerant to these foods. (49, 50, 51) I interviewed Dr. Aristo Vojdani, a respected immunologist with many peer-reviewed papers, on this very subject. We explored some of the reasons why not all food intolerance tests are created equal, such as how testing cooked versus raw foods can yield different outcomes, but not all tests measure both. (52)

It’s clear we need more research surrounding reliable, reproducible, and scientifically founded food intolerance testing. However, food exclusion diets based on IgG and/or IgA antibody testing have provided relief for symptoms of:

Ulcerative colitis (53)

IBD (54)

Migraines (55)

Skin disorders (56)

At my clinic, we use the IgG/IgA tests offered by Cyrex Labs. (Your healthcare provider will have to order this for you as this is not a direct-to-consumer lab.) Array 3X identifies gluten and gluten-related protein intolerances. If a patient has celiac disease or NCGS, they are very likely to have other food sensitivities, and I might follow up with Array 4 or Array 10. (57)

Now I’d like to hear from you. Did you know the details of a food allergy vs. food intolerance? Have you ever been dismissed or mocked for claiming to have a food intolerance? Let me know in the comments!

The post Food Allergy vs. Food Intolerance: Why the Difference Matters appeared first on Chris Kresser.

Source: http://chriskresser.com March 09, 2019 at 09:29PM

#paleo #recipe #food #delicious #healthy #yum #diet

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verdigrisprowl · 6 years

Text

Unicron Hunting: Resurrection

Megatron is brought back to life.

There’s angry shouting.

Smokescreen and Bumblebee escort Megatron to get repairs, hauling the corpse of the herald Soundwave with them. Prowl and the living Soundwave remain behind, with the reliquary.

Time to tend to their wounds—physical or psychological.

Bumblebee - Yesterday at 9:17 PM

And thus lay the empty shell of the slave of Unicron, a husk of a warlord now so much dead metal. The planet, once ravaged by the terrors of dark energon, was eerily still. It was as if Cybertron itself was trying to catch its breath after a thorough beating.

Only the sound of a ground bridge cycling to life broke the still.

Smokescreen - Yesterday at 9:27 PM

Smokescreen comes through as quickly as he can, though is slowed by a frame he is carrying along with him. Smokescreen is practically clinging to the frame, ready to protect the frame if need be.

Bumblebee - Yesterday at 9:28 PM

Bee's quick to follow. "Is he dead?! What happened?"

Soundwave - Yesterday at 9:41 PM

The bird twins hover over Megatron's body, trapping it in a cage of feelers so the only part of Megatron that's accessible to the smaller mechs is the portion of chest nearest his spark. Buzzsaw whirs quietly, his wings already activated to serve as an extra deterrent. Whatever they're going to do to had better be exactly what they'd said it would be, or else someone's losing vital pieces.

Ravage sits next to Soundwave, his audio dishes flattened back and fangs bared, ready to leap at and savage anyone who dares get too close. Soundwave himself is focused mostly on his dead alternate's grey husk, prepared to do the same if it defies expectations and moves so much as a finger.

The other three are stood near-ish to Prowl. Whichever twin is red today is hugging Soundwave's severed arm. The blue one keeps glancing over at Prowl, concerned by his posture and lack of speech. Zori just stands guard, much bigger than normal, pincers and stinger at the ready.

[[He is dead.]] Soundwave's mental voice sounds like he's forcing it to be still. Little wavers creep into it here and there. [[We forced Unicron into an ancient containment unit. All that he was - and did - is gone.]]

Prowl - Yesterday at 9:44 PM

Prowl lets go of his reliquary long enough to rap on it with his knuckles—THIS ancient containment unit—but otherwise doesn't reply, and doesn't acknowledge the new arrivals. His gaze is fixed somewhere near Megatron's husk, half expecting it to jump up and shove the birds in its mouth.

Bumblebee - Yesterday at 9:48 PM

"What'd it DO to him?!" Bee's immediately shaken to near tears at Megatron's physical state. It looks like Unicron ripped him apart down to the chassis and just slapped him back together again and used rust for glue. "We- I-" He turns to Smokescreen. "Do you think he'll be okay if we put his spark back in him when he looks like that?"

Soundwave - Yesterday at 9:53 PM

[[He doesn't know.]] And frankly, he was still furious enough with Megatron and his alternate (and by extension, himself) for making any of this possible that he didn't much care either. [[You do not have a choice. It will take too long to return him to normal. Corrosion will set in.]] A pause while his gaze briefly flicked away from his alternate and over to Megatron. [[More.]]

Bumblebee - Yesterday at 9:57 PM

"AAAGH!" That has him fumbling for the spark crystal, nearly dropping it twice in a blind panic, before jumping onto Megatron's chest as much as he can fit and moving plates around to fit the little sphere into its spark housing. It falls into place so plainly, like skiball almost, that Bee almost feels bad the moment slipped out of his fingers... literally. It should have been more important? Maybe? More... explosiony?

Megatron - Yesterday at 10:12 PM

The crystal is warmer than it has been, perhaps a little brighter. The scarred spark within flickers as it's slotted into place, fading a little as what minute energy it has spreads through the spark chamber, lighting biolights and reactivating components. The frame shudders before relaxing again, fans spinning lazily. The lights behind his optics glow faintly before they close, a groan escaping from deep in his chest.

He can't remember the last time he was so exhausted...

Prowl - Yesterday at 10:15 PM

At the first sign of motion in Megatron's corpse, Prowl scrambles to his feet and automatically gets into a fighting position, fists raised and knees bent, the heel of one foot pressed against the wall. He at least still has enough presence of mind not to go any farther than that.

Soundwave - Yesterday at 10:26 PM

Prowl isn't the only one to react. Ravage hisses, Soundwave flinches, Zori clacks a pincer in warning, and Laserbeak - poor, poor Laserbeak, who has experienced too many of her companions' deaths and had to be pinned down when Soundwave passed out because she wouldn't stop screaming in fear of her carrier going to join them - accidentally gives Megatron a small electric shock before she realizes it's him and not Unicron again.

Smokescreen - Yesterday at 10:28 PM

Smokescreen pauses, nodding, before shrugging, "I've got no idea- I hope so, though."

Smokescreen's soon setting Soundwave down, coming to Megatron's side as Bee puts the crystal in, trying to see if he's okay- "Bee, do you have any energon for him? Maybe that'll help him get back to normal! Megatron! Can you hear me? Are you okay? There's no Unicron bits still in you, right?"

Bumblebee - Yesterday at 10:29 PM

"YEAH I've got energon!" He pulls out one of his emergency snacks, just a little energon goodie. "Can you online your optics? Can you feel all your systems? What's the last thing you remember?"

Megatron - Yesterday at 10:43 PM

Loud. It's too loud, who in the Pit is is making so much noise? The shock barely registers, some sort of dull pain, but as his sensors recalibrate, it becomes obvious that something is on top of him. He starts to recognize voices, putting together sentences. Smokescreen, Bumblebee... Primus, why can't he move?

Slowly, his optics open, still duller than they should be, but a clear ice blue.

"Bumblebee..." His voice is hoarse, everything hurts. No, he's too tired to hurt. His optics seem to have trouble staying online. "Smokescreen..." And Laserbeak and... Buzzsaw. Isn't he dead? They all look too small, and he still can't move. "Why...? What's going on, have I... been offline?"

Bumblebee - Yesterday at 10:46 PM

He bawls. "You WERE! You pulled the Void card! It killed you and Unicron had your body and Soundwave was under his control and I was scared!"

He throws himself down on Megatron's chest to hug him and sob. It hurts and it's over, it's all finally over.

Smokescreen - Yesterday at 10:49 PM

"Megatron, you were in a crystal! And we went to this place, and Unicron took over your body, and- you're okay now, and-"

Smokescreen is squeezing Megatron's arm, trying to reassure him that he's okay, "Are you feeling okay? Do you need more to eat or anything? I have some stuff to talk about- but I'm sorry- I think after all the Unicron stuff, and some stress to his frame, Soundwave's... I'm sorry, Megatron. We're going to get you and his frame back to the med-bay, will that work out?"

Soundwave - Yesterday at 11:09 PM

The birds reluctantly let go of Megatron, finally convinced that he's not going to sprout more rust and spines and eat everyone and everything in the room, and fly over to Soundwave. Neither can dock right now, as part of their frames would hit the damaged shoulder and cause him pain, so they just settle on the ground nearby, blocking him in on three sides with Ravage's help.

He vents in disgust at all the questions. Listen to them, caring so much about one who threw himself to the Unmaker. They're lucky he's too tired to take advantage of their inattentiveness to drop the wretched corpse into a smelter.

Prowl - Yesterday at 11:13 PM

Prowl lowers his fists, just a little, but he can't quite pull himself out of his battle ready posture. When he looks at Megatron his HUD still highlights the million little places where Unicron made him wrong. Acid rises in his throat, lapping at the back of his tongue.

Megatron - Yesterday at 11:18 PM

"Unicron...?" So the worst outcome, that thing he had been avoiding all this time, despite everything, had come to pass. He had died, and the Chaosbringer had used him. Wait. He couldn't hear him anymore. No more whispers in the back of his mind, and the leaden feeling in his lines was from his lack. "You... defeated him?" He was free!

And Bee was crying, Smokescreen rambling something about Soundwave. He tries to lift his arm to drape it across Bee's back, only succeeding in bending his elbow just enough to rest his servo beside the minibot on his chest. His frame feels... wrong somehow, but he can't place why. Soundwave. It comes back to him suddenly, the meeting in the tunnels, the card, feeling himself removed.

Growling, he tilts his helm, finding Soundwave surrounded by his minis. Heavily damaged. Behind him, a white mech stands, looking terrified and ready to fight. This cuts the growl right away. He had done that, he knew it. Was that the taste in his mouth, the traitor's oil? Megatron turns away again. "I'm sorry for... causing so much concern."

Smokescreen - Yesterday at 11:25 PM

"I didn't, really- Sounds and that guy over there did. I'm just glad you're back to yourself. We don't even have to worry about Unicron anymore! We'll be able to get the allspark no problem! I can see about getting a repair crew for you. ... And probably a repair crew for this part of Cybertron, too." Smokescreen's finally taking the matrix off from his neck, hiding it in his subspace to hopefully never take out again.

Smokescreen takes a step away, already starting to make a few calls to get the medbay ready for a heavily damaged Megatron. He's making a point of calling near the deceased Soundwave's frame, in case anyone gets any ideas.

Prowl - Yesterday at 11:31 PM

"Con— Con-cern?!" The acid boils over his tongue.

He doesn't sound quite right, like a computer that's only barely been programmed to speak but is trying to skip straight to shouting. "You—nearly killed him." He points at Soundwave. "You almost—let HIM—" he kicks Unicron's reliquary, "—destroy Cybertron. Destroy it! You! By f-fragging around with CHAOS GOD blood! Do you want to apologize? Do you MEAN it? Apologize to Cybertron— Apologize to your people. For what you almost did—HAVE done—to THEIR planet. You—You made YOURSELF into the BIGGEST threat that YOUR people face—and—and—and you call yourself their leader. You dare."

Bumblebee - Yesterday at 11:33 PM

Bee holds himself over Megatron's spark chamber, comming his friend. :: Don't listen to them, that's just the shock talking. Let's get you and Soundwave home. ::

Soundwave - Yesterday at 11:41 PM

Soundwave refuses to look at Megatron. He isn't interested in seeing this so-called concern he's sure the mech has plastered on his warped, misshapen face for everyone to see . Hmph! As if a simple apology could erase years of stupidity and poor choices. As if one could nearly become the death of Cybertron and everyone on it and just - just excuse and absolve themselves with a single polite apology. He sees no reason to accept it, or to even pretend he will. If he's still being forced to come to grips with the enormity of the actions he took during the war, there's no way in this or any other reality he's going to allow Megatron off that lightly.

Prowl's sudden speech draws his attention instead. Part of him worries over the sound of Prowl's voice and whether or not this is the prelude to crumbling in public. Part of him wants to find the loudest clip of applause he has and play it back. A third wants to kiss him for daring to read Megatron - Megatron! - the riot act, and still another screams at him to take Prowl and run while they can escape with their lives more or less intact.

He does nothing but sit, though his lights brighten some as the rant carries on.

Smokescreen - Yesterday at 11:46 PM

Smokescreen finally finishes his call to the medbay, though he's still watching over the deceased Soundwave's frame. He's looking away, but is smiling just a bit. Prowl was actually right- this entire event- it was so worrying, and stressful, and Megatron really did need to hear that, Smokescreen felt. He's going to have to ask Soundwave to thank Prowl for it later.

For now, Smokescreen's looking over at Bee, comming him, ::I got the medbay ready- we can bring them there, so they can monitor him and help him stabilize. And- and maybe there's something they can do for Soundwave?::

Bumblebee - Yesterday at 11:49 PM

:: How do we get him out of here? I don't think he can walk, and we can't carry him. :: Bee's been on the receiving end of those long, self-flagellating thoughts from Megatron before. The words aren't anything new to him, but he's insulted by the idea that they all think it's something he's never thought about before. He holds on tighter. Fine then. It's he's going to be the devil's advocate, then so be it.

April 25, 2018

Smokescreen - Today at 12:07 AM

::I think we might be able to get him out together. He can't be that much heavier than Optimus, right? I can call and get some more bots to help out. That's probably the smarter idea.:: And just like that, Smokescreen starts to make a call, though it may take a few more moments for bots to get to the bridge and arrive to help carry Megatron out. Smokescreen's trying to think of any sort of cover story for what just happened. Maybe a fragged up acid storm? But everyone probably heard Unicron... Maybe the truth is the best option.

Megatron - Today at 12:08 AM

Ah. So it's Prowl. That righteous indignation is immediately recognizable no matter the frame. But barring the sudden recognition, Megatron is taken aback by the outburst. None of it was anything that he hadn't told himself at some point since his victory, but to hear it literally spat at him with such vitriol... He stares, wide-eyed, unable and unwilling to argue despite the way his optics slide into their trademark glare. He had been the cause of this, it was all his fault and it could have been so much worse... but he was also the only one who could make it right again. This Prowl will be remembered. He certainly feels more awake now.

Awake enough to realize that Bee had just now referred not to this Soundwave, but to his conjunx. Pistons straining in protest, Megatron tries to sit up, knowing even before he sees the frame why Soundwave isn't knelt beside him in relief, too. His helm bows, and even though he's mostly upright now of his own accord, the mangled warlord feels even weaker than he had when he couldn't move. A deep grief slips out from the cracks of his tightly wound field, but he doesn't let it show on his face, continuing to glare now at the ground.

"I did dare, and it cost me... everything. It has already been decided... that Cybertron will decide my part in its future. Unable to alter the past either... I will not atone for my past by begging forgiveness. I will do so by taking action." Megatron's wrecked helm lifts back to glare daggers at Prowl. "That is how change is made to matter."

Prowl - Today at 12:14 AM

Prowl glowers at Megatron, trying to work some sort of reply into words. He used up what most of what few he had at his disposal shouting at Megatron for his idiocy.

But after a long moment, he nods once, sharply, and snaps, "Damn straight." He'd far rather see Megatron dead than trying to atone; but if he HAD to atone, it had to be through actions rather than words.

And with that, he sinks to sit on the floor, back sliding against the wall, to drop his hand protectively over the reliquary again.

Bumblebee - Today at 12:16 AM

Bee huffs and hauls one of Megatron's arms onto his shoulders with a big heave of effort. "I'm glad your back. Let's go home."

Soundwave - Today at 12:09 PM

The taste of grief and the hesitation in Megatron's response call to Soundwave from across the room, pulling his focus away from the internal echoes of Prowl's furious outburst. So the old fool's promising to mend his ways, is he? Talking about loss and prices paid, as if he knows a damn thing about any of that. Megatron dares to claim he understands what "everything" means when he wasn't even there to experience it himself, locked neatly and safely away in some distant room, or cupboard, or wherever it was Smokescreen and Bumblebee found that crystal.

Maybe someone who knows what "everything" actually is should show him the truth. Someone who couldn't scream and claw at their spark when it cracked open again and again and again because their Lord would have discarded them for showing weakness. Someone who ALSO made the mistake of stealing a fragment of a god and now teeters on the edge of their own awful realization, only managing to delay the inevitable collapse because they'd rather die than let Megatron witness it. They should sear it into Megatron's spark for all eternity, so he'll never, ever forget why he made these promises.

If it also happens to please the cruel, hateful side of them that wants to see Megatron suffer the way they and everyone else have? Unexpected perk.

Soundwave sends a single private text message with the misleading title "Personal Guidelines, Subject: Atonement" in the hopes it will encourage Megatron to examine the contents.

If he does, he'll see and hear Soundwave and Ravage's memories of the earlier encounter with the late Herald. They contain all of the alternate's furious screeching and all of his broken sobbing. All of the pain and anger shoved at Ravage. Every whispered "I killed him". No distraught sound or uncertain action proves too small to share or too dull to jab in and twist between Megatron's emotional seams.

May every single nanosecond of it haunt Megatron until the day he finally, truly dies.

Megatron - Today at 10:02 PM

Megatron very pointedly does not want to hear the traitor's opinion on how he can fix this mess. Nothing can fix this and he's fairly certain they know that. He doesn't want to move for how much effort it takes, for how much he's loathe to explain any part of this to medics, but more than that he doesn't want to stay here. Here, he's faced with accusations he can do nothing but agree with, reminding him of everything that's gone wrong, not to mention the faces of once-beloved ghosts glaring at him from either side of Soundwave. He can't look Rumble or Frenzy in the eye.

It takes him several tries to get close to standing, but he knows he has to; the pair of Autobots can't carry him and the other two certainly won't help. With no other choice, Megatron snarls, hauling his misshapen frame to its pedes. He stands there, collecting strength he doesn't have.

"...Thank you, for what it's worth." He addresses everyone present, familiar and not, too much of his spark in it. He too finds a comm channel to the medbay.

::Singer. Clear the room.:: He's in no shape to explain why.

Prowl - Today at 10:06 PM

Prowl flinches when Megatron lurches upright, fingers convulsing on top of the reliquary. Then he stills again.

Smokescreen - Today at 10:11 PM

As Megatron starts standing, Smokescreen goes back over to help him up, trying to give him some support, in case he needs help staying up. He'll have to come back for Soundwave's frame once Megatron is safely inside. But it doesn't seem like the living Soundwave would have any plans to destroy the body handy, so Smokescreen figures it'll be okay.

Bumblebee - Today at 10:13 PM

Bee slides down to the ground, and while Megatron makes his slow march into the bridge, he keeps an optic on Prowl and Soundwave. His face speaks volumes. No funny business. Not another word. That's enough out of both of you.

But it looks like Smokescreen can't make it through the portal with both the big bots. He gives Megatron's leg a little pat and moves his vigil to Soundwave's body. He'll stand guard until he can be collected.

Soundwave - Today at 10:16 PM

Oh, he has plenty of plans he could enact. But Bee is still standing there, and he doesn't want to leave Prowl alone right now, so quiet sitting it is.

Bumblebee - Today at 10:17 PM

"I'm pickin' you two for my soccer team, someday."

Soundwave - Today at 10:18 PM

[[...What.]]

Prowl - Today at 10:18 PM

No acknowledgment.

Bumblebee - Today at 10:18 PM

"You're really good at kicking things when they're down."

Prowl - Today at 10:19 PM

Even more no acknowledgment.

Bumblebee - Today at 10:20 PM

"Some big fraggin' heroes you two turned out to be." Bee crosses his arms. "Because you two have carte blanche to hurl any insult, any verbal abuse, any spare bit of hate you have at my friend because's he's the bad guy. Because it's okay, he deserves it."

He huffs. "Thanks for the help saving the planet, I'll forever remember the both of you as the mechs who insulted my friend, told me you'd kill his husband, treated me like I was stupid, and did it all for the good of Cybertron." He tosses his head at Prowl. "Real good Autobot there." And to Soundwave. "Great example to set for your deployers."

Soundwave - Today at 10:39 PM

Soundwave ignores the joke he doesn't quite get in favor of addressing the actual meat of the complaint being served. [[Remember this however you wish. He never claimed to be a hero, or kind, or a friend to your friends. He did what was necessary. It was never about anything else.]]

He glances around to his deployers with the optic sensors on one feeler, still watching his alternate's frame.

[[And his deployers know who he is. The majority of them would have done the same. Or worse.]]

Megatron - Today at 10:42 PM

Megatron doesn't turn around, he can't. Part of him cheers Bumblebee on, part of him wishes he would take their side. They're right, it's his decisions that led them all here. Bee is right, he's just woken up to find all of his worst fears realized. He starts shaking, stumbling as the bridge opens. "Don't leave him there with them," he whispers to Smokescreen. "Please." Whether he's referring to Bee or his conjunx's frame is unclear.

Smokescreen - Today at 10:47 PM

Seeing Megatron this weak... A few years ago, he would've been happy to see that. Now, it's reminding him of Optimus. Close to joining the well, worried about the others more than himself... Smokescreen's grip on Megatron tightens.

"What about you, though? Are you gonna be okay?" Smokescreen's trying to keep him stable, whispering as Smokescreen starts leading him towards the bridge. "I'm gonna get you into berth, and then me, Bee, and Sounds will be here, too. Don't worry. Bee's pretty tough, you know. And he won't let anything happen to our Sounds."

Bumblebee - Today at 11:16 PM

Bee stands, watching, until he's collected. Prowl and that other Soundwave don't get another look, and with that, the ordeal's finally, really over.

Megatron - Today at 11:21 PM

"Heh... I know he is..." Limping through the swirling vortex, he has to stop a few times to keep from falling to... is there even a floor inside a ground bridge? Either way, he can't keep from shaking, from the strain of keeping himself from going limp. Okay? What an inane question...

Finally with Smokescreen's help, and soon after the medic's, Megatron makes it through the bridge, ordering it to remain open for a while longer. Singer, the vehicon surgeon, is doing his best not to gawk at the horror his leader has become, falling into the analytics of his trade. Megatron refuses to lay on a berth, using both servos to cling to the side of one until everything stops spinning, or until Bee and Smokescreen and... everyone is near. Whichever comes first.

Smokescreen - Today at 11:25 PM

As soon as Megatron's sitting, Smokescreen's giving him a pat on the shoulder, before running back out to go for Bee and Soundwave, waving at Bee, "He's in there, safe and sound. Let's get Soundwave next and hope everything'll turn out okay." Smokescreen's going over to Soundwave's frame, lifting him up, but waiting for Bee before he starts moving.

Bumblebee - Today at 11:30 PM

Bee's at his side and through the bridge with him.

#mightymegatron #slenderwave #asksmokescreen #thescrappystinger #chat

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tadhannahj · 2 years

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and that's $46 million for psychological damages

#cinematic parallels which I will think about while crying myself to sleep #our flag means death #ofmd #stede bonnet #edward teach #blackbeard #blackstede #blackbonnet #gentlebeard #good omens #aziraphale #crowley #ineffable husbands

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womenscare · 4 years

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Abortion Statistics In Florida And USA | Fort Lauderdale Women's Center

ABORTION FACTS AROUND THE WORLD:

1/3 of all pregnancies worldwide are unplanned

Approximately 25% of the world population lives in countries with highly restrictive abortion laws, mostly in Asia, Africa and Latin America

One woman dies every 7 minutes around the world due to an unsafe illegal abortion. Women who undergo illegal abortions are those who are very poor and do not have access to family planning facilities for education and prevention of unwanted pregnancies

Making abortion illegal or legal has no effect on the total number of abortions performed in the world. Making abortion legal dramatically reduces maternal morbidity and mortality.

Nearly 50% of pregnancies that occur yearly are unwanted with nearly ½ of those pregnant women terminating their pregnancy. In essence; 42 million choose to terminate their pregnancy with close to half of those (20 million) being illegal.

Common complications from unsafe abortions are cervical tears, retained pregnancy tissue, severe heavy bleeding, sepsis, uterine perforation, bladder and bowel damage, which can lead to maternal death if patients are not treated in a timely matter. Death may also result from such complications as gas gangrene of the uterus and acute renal failure. The patient can become permanently disabled due to stroke, or septic clots that form in the upper or lower extremities that lead to the necessity for removal. If a patient develops a severe infection it can lead to tubo-ovarian abscess, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) which may result in a high incidence of infertility and ectopic pregnancy.

Between 10 and 50% of unsafe abortion cases need medical attention but a lot of women delay or decide not to seek medical care. This is because in a lot of countries where it is illegal to have abortions performed, the women who go to the hospital for help will be reported to the local law authorities and are subject to arrest and spending time in jail. The medical staff often refuses to help and will even harass women about their botched abortion. 600,000 maternal deaths occur each year. Seventy thousand (70,000) of those maternal deaths are from the complications of unsafe abortion which represents 12 to 13% percent of maternal deaths. Prior to 1966, Rumania allowed abortions to take place and as a result, maintained a very low maternal death rate. From 1966 to 1989 abortions were made illegal and the maternal mortality rate increased over 10 times compared to the remainder of Europe.

When performed by qualified Physicians and medical personnel appropriately trained about the medical and surgical abortion techniques, it is a relatively safe and necessary procedure. In the United States, for example, the death rate for abortion is currently 0.6 per 100 000 procedures, making it as safe or safer than receiving an injection of penicillin.

FACTS ABOUT ABORTION IN THE UNITED STATES

Incidence of Abortion

Nearly half of all pregnancies among American women are unintended, and 4 in 10 of these are terminated by abortion. 22% of all pregnancies end in abortion.

40% of pregnancies among white women, 69% among blacks and 54% among Hispanics are unintended.

In 2005, 1.21 million abortions were performed, down from 1.31 million in 2000. More than 45 million legal abortions were performed from 1973 through 2005.

Each year, about 2% of women aged 15-44 have an abortion; 47% of them have had at least one previous abortion.

At least half of all American women will face an unintended pregnancy by age 45 and, at current rates; about one-third will have had an abortion.

Over 88% of abortions occur in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Over half of all abortions in the U.S. occur within the first 8 weeks of pregnancy. 6.7% occur between 13 and 15 weeks, 3.5% occur between 16 and 20 weeks, and 1.1% of abortions occur at 21 weeks or greater.

Today, the number of abortions has declined from a peak of 29.3 per 1000 women aged 15-44 in 1979 to 19.4 per thousand. It has only slowly dropped over the last several years because poor women have not had access to Family Planning Facilities for education and prevention of pregnancy through effective birth control measures.

Who Has Abortions?

Fifty percent of U.S. women obtaining abortion are younger than 25: Women aged 20-24 obtain 33% of all abortions, and teenagers obtain 17%.

37% of abortions occur with black women, 34% with non-Hispanic white women, 22% to Hispanic women and 8% to women of other races.

Women who obtain abortion represent every religious affiliation. 43% of women obtaining abortion identify themselves as Protestant, and 27% as Catholic; and 13% of abortion patients describe themselves as born-again or Evangelical Christians.

Most women receiving abortion (83%) are unmarried. Women who have never married obtain two-thirds of all abortions. 16% are separated, divorced, or widowed. Married women are significantly less likely than unmarried women to resolve unintended pregnancies through abortion. About 60% of abortions are obtained by women who have one or more child.

The abortion rate among women living below the federal poverty level ($9,570.) is per women (below 100% of poverty) is nearly four times that of women above 200% of poverty (112 vs. 29 per 1000 women).

The decision to have an abortion is never simple. The reasons women provide for having an abortion underscores their understanding of the responsibilities of parenthood and family life. Three-fourths of women cite concerns for or responsibility to other individuals; three-fourths say that having a baby would interfere with work, school or the ability to care for dependents; and half say they do not want to be a single parent or are having problems with their husband or partner. Lack of money ranks very high. Many feel the responsible course of action is to wait until their situation is more suited to child rearing; 66% plan to have children when they are older and financially able to provide for a child and/or in a supportive relationship with a partner so their children can have two parents. Others wanted to get pregnant and developed serious medical problems, learned that the fetus had severe abnormalities, or experienced some other personal crisis. Each year, about 13,000 women have abortions because they became pregnant as a result of rape or incest.

Only 1% of women say they have been forced or pressured into having an abortion. There are some women who do not want to continue their pregnancy but are pressured to do so by family members, friends, or fear of social stigma. Pre-abortion counseling is designed to determine whether a woman is fully comfortable with her abortion decision, and if she is not, she is encouraged to wait until she has had a chance to consider her options more fully.

Most women do not later regret their decision to terminate their pregnancy. Relief is the most common emotional response following abortion, and psychological distress appears to be felt the greatest before, rather than after, an abortion.

There are undoubtedly some women who, in hindsight, wish that they had made a different choice and the majority would prefer never to have become pregnant when the circumstances were not right for them. When a wanted pregnancy is ended (for medical reasons) women may experience a sense of loss and grief. As with any major change or decision involving loss, a crisis later in life sometimes leads to a temporary resurfacing of sad feelings surrounding the abortion. Women at risk for post-abortion adjustment are those who do not get the support they need, or whose abortion decisions are actively opposed by people who are close to them.

Contraceptive Use

54% of women having abortions had used a contraceptive method (usually the condom or the pill) during the month they became pregnant. Among those women, 76% of pill users and 49% of condom users report having used their method inconsistently, while 13% of pill users and 14% of condom users report correct use. Some women used hgh supplements after the abortion for recovery. There is no contraceptive method that can prevent pregnancy 100% of the time.

46% percent of women who have abortion had not used a contraceptive method during the month they became pregnant. Of these women, 33% had perceived themselves to be at low risk for pregnancy, 32% had concerns about contraceptive methods, 26% had unexpected sex and 1% had been forced to have sex.

8% of women who have abortion have never used a method of birth control; non-use is greatest among those who are young, poor, black, Hispanic or less educated.

About half of unintended pregnancies occur among the 11% of women who are at risk for unintended pregnancy but are not using contraceptives. Most of these women have practiced contraception in the past.

Most women who have an abortion have not had one previously (52%) or only one previous abortion (26%). If women used abortion as their primary method of birth control, they would be getting pregnant 2 or 3 times a year. With nearly 30 years of possibly becoming pregnant abortion can’t be used as any woman’s primary source of birth control. There is also a very high likelihood of having one or two unintended pregnancies over a thirty year period of time.

Safety of Abortion

Risk associated with abortion is minimal. Less than 0.3% of abortion patients experience a complication that requires hospitalization.

Abortions performed in the first trimester pose virtually no long-term risk of problems such as infertility, ectopic pregnancy, spontaneous abortion (miscarriage) or birth defect, and little or no risk of preterm or low-birth-weight deliveries.

Following exhaustive reviews, the U.S. and British governments have concluded that there is no association between abortion and breast cancer. There is also no indication that abortion is a risk factor for other cancers.

The risk of death associated with abortion increases with the length of pregnancy, from one death for every one million abortions at or before eight weeks to one per 29,000 at 16-20 weeks, and one per 11,000 at 21 or more weeks. The latter numbers have decreased significantly over the past 10 years due to advancement in abortion surgical procedure techniques and the new medications used to terminate pregnancy.

58% of abortion patients say they would have liked to have had their abortion earlier. Nearly 60% of women who experienced a delay in obtaining an abortion cite the reasons were the time it took to make arrangements and raise money.

Unfortunately, teens are more likely than older women to delay having an abortion until 15 weeks of pregnancy, when the medical risks associated with abortion are significantly higher.

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brajeshupadhyay · 4 years

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Coronavirus Outbreak: India must develop lockdown playbook that prioritises all lives, building long-term resilience

I have spent the last few weeks rereading material on the multiple famines that have hit India. We lost millions to the 1876 famine, millions more in the famines that followed, upwards of 12 million to the 1918 pandemic.

As of 25 April, we have lost 800+ lives to Covid-19.

While in no way diminishing this tragedy, life will go on after the coronavirus outbreak.

Also, looking at the way other coronavirus and other flus have behaved, we should expect Covid-19 to return in the winter.

Above figure: Seasonality of Flu

Given that a vaccine is unlikely to be available by that time, we need an India playbook. A playbook that does not duplicate the lockdown choices of older, developed, more formal economies. What do I mean by this?

All of us heard the phone message on coronavirus. We have a dashboard highlighting every case and every death for Covid-19.

We do not have a dashboard for hunger.

We do not have online dashboards for daily city wise cases and deaths for TB or dengue.

A textile industry survey covering over 300 companies providing hundreds of thousands of jobs showed that nearly half of the companies did not have cash in April to pay wages.

Above figure: Industry survey covering 319 companies.

Companies are uncertain about demand in the face of silence and cancelled export orders. Every passing day sees enterprise death or enterprise comas. We do not have an online dashboard for those. The rising NPAs do not have a nifty, colour-coded crowd-sourced online dashboard.

Which means, we are acting on selective facts. We are succumbing to an acute case of selective dashboardism. At some level, we are comparing a rapid, horrific death by virus to a prolonged death-by-a thousand cuts life from a lockdown. To our all-too-human minds, the former is unacceptable, while the latter is. This lockdown is saving lives — no doubt about it. But it is hurting lives too.

Of particular concern is the lapse of measles and other childhood vaccinations in some parts of the country. Measles is a deadly disease, that used to fill wards and wards in the hospital before widespread vaccinations took root. The current lockdown to combat this coronavirus is placing 117 million children at risk because of a break in the vaccination. In developed economies, a lockdown is a choice between economy vs life. In India, a lockdown translates into a choice of life vs life. Only our selective dashboardism hides this from us.

So how does life go on?

Now

On an immediate basis, there are a couple of advantages we have that we may not be exploiting. One is our younger population. For this we need reliable antibody tests — something which is within our capability to develop. Second is our climate, or specifically our micro-climate.

The seasonality of this virus may have something to do with effect of heat and humidity. Studies on the SARS virus (SARS-Co-V), show that the virus was vulnerable to both heat and humidity, and especially so to a combination thereof.

Above figure: Infectivity of SARS Coronavirus (105/10 μL) to different temperatures at (a) >95% relative humidity, (b) >80–89%. Chan et al 2011

This could imply that the infectivity is significantly lower outdoors than in air conditioned environments. If India can get meaningful studies going on this, they could drive micro-climate based distancing and operational norms, not just a blanket lockdown.

Long term

With so much clamouring for government money, sooner or later, government will begin to spend. There are other moving pieces, and we need to recognise that we have a once in a lifetime chance to reset to a more resilient India.

Supply Chain realignment, Investor preferences and Losses —

A lot of people have been hurt by Covid-19. Human psychology demands a villain. China’s handling of the wet markets before and since and its opacity of data have been held against it. Japan has already announced billions in incentives to reshore manufacturing or move it away from China. This may be repeated by other countries.

Supply chain changes are expensive. Plants have to be built. Machineries shifted. Links broken and reconnected. This is such a pain, that companies will do it very rarely, perhaps once-in-a-lifetime. “Not China” is only one of the parameters. An increasingly important factor companies are considering is climate risk. When considering an Indian site, companies will ask: Is a unit vulnerable to floods or drought?

The 2011 Thai floods cost the global auto industry more than $46 billion. The Chennai floods costs thousands of crores to supply chains and exposed the vulnerability of the factories. The Chennai water crisis saw water enter the income statement of a company for the first time. Water scarcity can lead to loss of revenue as well. A WRI study showed that many of India’s thermal power plants lost a combined revenue exceeding $1 billion because of water shortage.

Also, consider that investors, such as Blackrock who manage trillions of dollars, are requiring water and climate disclosures. Poor scores don’t make for attractive investments.

Covid-19 has and will cost the world economy in trillions. So do climate and water risks, over a decade. And climate and water damages will recur and increase as the years go by.

When spending, we might as well spend it on assets that will see us stronger over the short and medium term future. To move up supply chain attractiveness, to become more attractive to investors, to prevent future losses, we must build climate and water resilience. Something to keep in mind, while thinking of what to stimulate and what to subsidise.

Changing customer preferences —

All of us have been enchanted by the birdsong and the bird visitors over the past weeks. Dolphins have been seen near Kolkata. Multiple CEOs and thought leaders have opined that this virus will usher in a change to sustainable living, because people, having experienced clear air and water, will want it to stay that way.

Perhaps. Perhaps not.

Above figure: Visiting Kingfisher, watercolours by A&P.

Humans have a remarkable capacity to psychologically adapt to circumstances. Just as we admire the bird song and starry skies, we may as soon get re-accustomed to honks and cloudy skies. The virus has certainly revealed the awesome power of Nature. But memories tend to be short, and human response unpredictable. I’m not sure if the virus can make us respect planetary boundaries. Witness China’s reopening of its wet markets.

On a more encouraging note, companies, schools and universities have realised that working or learning from-home can work just as well for several functions, cost less and have lower climate footprint. If this sustains, we have a potentially greener and lower cost way to reimagine businesses. With luck, we might even improve female workforce participation.

Marketing guru Philip Kotler believes this pandemic may make people consume less. This, he says, builds on other growing trends, such as minimalism, cutting-clutter, climate action and the circular economy. That will have a meaningful impact on companies. While planning to survive over the next few months, keep some mindspace for the next few years. Parts of India’s start up economy are on a ventilator, with clamour for fiscal support. Is this an opportunity for the government and investors to double down on start-ups that can help build resilience over the medium term? Towards better health? Towards greener jobs and localised services? Towards building climate and water resilience?

Why not give the milk to the worthy child, one who will keep the family in good stead in times to come, rather than one crying the loudest?

The writer is the founder of the Sundaram Climate Institute, cleantech angel investor and author of The Climate Solution — India's Climate Crisis and What We Can Do About It published by Hachette. Follow her work on her website; on Twitter; or write to her at [email protected].

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gordonwilliamsweb · 4 years

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No Shield From X-Rays: How Science Is Rethinking Lead Aprons

CHICAGO — Patients have come to expect a technician to drape their torsos with a heavy lead apron when they get an X-ray, but new thinking among radiologists and medical physicists is upending the decades-old practice of shielding patients from radiation.

Some hospitals are ditching the ritual of covering reproductive organs and fetuses during imaging exams after prominent medical and scientific groups have said it’s a feel-good measure that can impair the quality of diagnostic tests and sometimes inadvertently increase a patient’s radiation exposure.

The about-face is intended to improve care, but it will require a major effort to reassure regulators, health care workers and the public that it’s better not to shield.

Fear of radiation is entrenched in the collective psyche, and many people are surprised to learn that shielding can cause problems. The movement also has yet to gain much traction among dentists, whose offices perform more than half of all X-rays.

“There’s this big psychological component, not only with patients but with staff,” said Rebecca Marsh, a medical physicist at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, Colorado, who spoke about shielding at a December forum here at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America. “How do you approach something that is so deeply ingrained in the minds of the health care community and the minds of patients?”

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Covering testicles and ovaries during X-rays has been recommended since the 1950s, when studies in fruit flies prompted concern that radiation might damage human DNA and cause birth defects. Only in the past decade did radiology professionals start to reassess the practice, based on changes in imaging technology and a better understanding of radiation’s effects.

Lead shields are difficult to position accurately, so they often miss the target area they are supposed to protect. Even when in the right place, they can inadvertently obscure areas of the body a doctor needs to see — the location of a swallowed object, say — resulting in a need to repeat the imaging process, according to the American Association of Physicists in Medicine, which represents physicists who work in hospitals.

Shields can also cause automatic exposure controls on an X-ray machine to increase radiation to all parts of the body being examined in an effort to “see through” the lead.

Moreover, shielding doesn’t protect against the greatest radiation effect: “scatter,” which occurs when radiation ricochets inside the body, including under the shield, and eventually deposits its energy in tissues.

Still, Dr. Cynthia Rigsby, a radiologist at Chicago’s Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital, called the move away from shielding a “pretty substantial” change. “I don’t think it’s going to happen overnight,” she added.

Sweeping Shift

In April, the physicists’ association recommended that shielding of patients be “discontinued as routine practice.” Its statement was endorsed by several groups, including the American College of Radiology and the Image Gently Alliance, which promotes safe pediatric imaging.

Around the same time, the Food and Drug Administration proposed removing from the federal code a 1970s recommendation to use shielding. A final rule is expected in September.

In the coming year, the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements, which gives guidance to regulatory bodies, is expected to release a statement supporting a halt to patient shielding.

However, experts continue to recommend that health care workers in the imaging area protect themselves with leaded barriers as a matter of occupational safety.

Groups in Canada and Australia have endorsed the change, and a movement to abandon lead shields is underway in Great Britain, according to Marsh.

Marsh, who’s helping direct the educational effort, said perhaps a dozen U.S. hospitals have changed their official policies, but “most hospitals are starting to have the conversation.”

Chicago’s Lurie hospital is launching an “Abandon the Shield” campaign to educate staff, patients and caregivers before it stops shielding across the organization this spring, Rigsby said. Shielding is used for most of the 70,000 X-ray procedures performed annually at Lurie in a variety of settings, from orthopedics to the emergency department.

A few miles away, at the University of Chicago Medicine hospitals, the recommendation to stop shielding “came as kind of a shock,” said Dr. Kate Feinstein, chief of pediatric radiology.

Feinstein said it seems contrary to what radiology professionals are taught, and she’s uncertain how it applies to her department, which already takes steps to reduce the chance that a shield will interfere with an exam. “We apply our shields correctly, and our technologists are incredibly well trained,” she said.

Nevertheless, Feinstein said, her department is weighing a halt to routine shielding.

Some hospitals are concerned about violating state regulations. As of last spring, at least 46 states, including Illinois, required shielding of reproductive organs if they are close to the area being examined, unless shielding would interfere with the diagnostic quality of the exam, according to the medical physicists’ association.

Some states are revising their regulations. In some cases, hospitals have applied for waivers or sidestepped state rules by taking the stance that a shield has the potential to affect diagnostic quality anytime it is used, Marsh said.

No Evidence Of Benefit

The amount of radiation needed for an X-ray is about one-twentieth of what it was in the 1950s, and scientists have found no measurable harm to ovaries and testicles of patients from radiation exposure that comes from diagnostic imaging after decades of looking at data.

“What we know now is that there is likely no [hereditary] risk at all,” said Dr. Donald Frush, a radiologist at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford in Palo Alto, California, who chairs the Image Gently Alliance.

There’s also no evidence that fetuses are harmed by even a relatively high amount of radiation exposure, such as that from a CT scan of the abdomen, Marsh said.

Nevertheless, some patients may insist on shielding. The physicists’ group suggested that when hospitals craft their policies they consider that shielding may “calm and comfort.”

“I don’t think any of us are advocating to never use it,” Frush said.

A Need For Outreach

Public confusion might develop if dentists continue to shield while hospitals don’t. An estimated 275 million medical X-ray exams were performed in the U.S. in 2016, but 320 million dental X-rays were done.

Mahadevappa Mahesh, the chief physicist at Johns Hopkins Hospital, said there’s been less outreach to dentists on the topic. “It’s high time we bring them into the discussion,” he said.

The American Dental Association states abdominal shielding “may not be necessary” but has continued to recommend using lead collars to shield the thyroid “whenever possible.”

But Mahesh, who’s on the board of the physicists’ association, cautioned that lead collars to protect the thyroid may not be helpful and could obscure images taken by newer 3D dental imaging machines.

Contacted for a response, the dental association said its guidance on shielding is under review.

Technologists especially will need support in educating patients and families “so they are not feeling like they are walking into a disastrous conversation,” said Marsh, the medical physicist.

She is doing her part. At the radiology conference, Marsh strummed a banjo and sang her version of the Woody Guthrie ballad “So Long, It’s Been Good to Know Yuh,” with lyrics like: “To get rid of shielding at first may seem strange, but the time is upon us to embrace this change.”

No Shield From X-Rays: How Science Is Rethinking Lead Aprons published first on https://nootropicspowdersupplier.tumblr.com/

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