#its in swedish and id only catch a word or two AS IS but the audio is so GARBLED im just....having an out of body episode

[batsinurbelfrey]

why is Erik IG streaming from his bed at 1am pst with like the worlds worst hotel wifi

#erik karlsson #its in swedish and id only catch a word or two AS IS but the audio is so GARBLED im just....having an out of body episode

[jxdedfeelings]

News That Bruise

They’d been dating for a month now. Well, somewhere along the lines of a month. He hadn’t exactly kept count, though with how fixated he was on the entire relationship it was almost a surprise he hadn’t logged every day.

Every hour.

Every second.

It was inevitable for Felix to catch wind of the news, especially with how Jack entrusted the Swede with any information whatsoever. Ranging from a silly meme he’d come across on Reddit or something far too personal that he would’ve easily kept to himself. Ever since the two had grown closer, Jack had found relief in being able to share such burdening troubles. Particularly since the two lived so close to each other.

That was definitely a plus.

Felix as always had listened to the male, nodding occasionally when Jack had glanced up to see if he had grown bored of the topic, or uncomfortable with the raised discussion. But not once had Felix ever requested for a change or showed a look of disinterest. Not a single time.

He was such a good friend.

His best friend.

But that was all he was. All he’d ever be. Jack had made certain of that.

It was a lazy morning and Felix was trudging down the stairs in some baggy clothing with Edgar following not far behind. They’d made their way to the kitchen soon enough, and in a few seconds, he’d prepped his pot and gathered his usual ceramic mug for a nice cup of a well – deserved ol’ joe. That’s how Jack had referred to it sometimes. Was that in one of his videos of one of their café meetups? He’d forgotten, but nevertheless, the warm beverage brought the Irishman to his mind.

He scarfed down the eggs he’d fried alongside sips of the coffee he’d made, responding to the meal with a satisfied hum upon finishing. An hour or two had passed by then, and now it was time to get to the grind.

That was until a vibration caught his attention.

His phone was stationed on the armrest, minding its own business, then with a slow swipe, Felix had retrieved the device. Flipping his leather case open, eyes glossed over the notification. A small smile tweaked up as he spied the name.

Quickly he inputted his passcode and was greeted to the usual pleasantry.

Jack: Hey hey

Felix chuckled before rolling his eyes. A few taps later and his own exchange was sent.

Felix:  Hi hi

A second passed before the next message popped up.

Jack: I’ve got news!

Felix’s brow arched and lips pursed in puzzlement, curious as to the implications.

Felix: Oh?

Jack: Can I call?

Felix: Yeah sure

Jack: :D

A smile stretched across his profile upon seeing the last line. Jack was such a goof.

He loved it.

He’d placed his phone to his ear, waiting for the bubble of excitement to burst and for the Irish accent to permeate throughout his drums. Then Jack was there, and he smiled again.

“Heya Felix!”

“Sup Jack.”

There was an obvious contrast between the two personalities as soon as the Swedish male had parted his lips, though Felix had always been calm and collected, not entirely apathetic or anything but just relaxed. That wasn’t to say Jack wasn’t either if anything the withheld information was eating away at him, and he couldn’t help but be energetic when it came to delivering it.

“Alright, I’ll cut to the chase, not gonna beat around the bush or anythin’ like that.”

“Go on…”

Felix could feel how Jack had cracked a smile through the phone. His enthusiasm was contagious as well, for the blonde’s smile had spread into a grin, growing wider by the second.

“So basically… I’m seeing someone!”

There was a pause. His heart had skipped a beat, and his face froze. All colour had drained from him and a frown wove itself across, not even having been registered by the male. It was all instinctual. All involuntary.

For a lack of better words, he was crushed.

It didn’t help when he learned who the partner was.

“That’s… that’s great Jack!” Felix tried, tried his best, tried his damnedest to sound happy for Jack. But it came out sounding more like he’d just learned that his dog had been run over.

Jack could tell. He wasn’t an idiot.

“Hey, you ok?”

Felix had leaned forward, rested his elbow on his knee and pinched the bridge of his nose. A sigh surfaced and his body tensed. Thank god phones couldn’t communicate body language.

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine. I just… I only woke up a second ago dude.” Cue a light-hearted chuckle. “This is all of a sudden I’m still trying to process it all.”

“Oh shit yeah.” Jack laughed, laughed with that carefree and genuine tone that was unique to only him. A special laugh. “Sorry about that, I sometimes forget there are people out there who actually have a sleep schedule.”

“You should give it a go, instead of complaining about your dark circles all the time.”

“Shut the fuck up.”

“Hey, it really helps with your complexion! My skin is flaaawless.”

Jack broke out with a giggle then shot back an exclamation. It was obvious he was grinning. 

“I sleep!”

“Minecraft doesn’t count.”

He smirked smugly with that remark and Jack only confirmed his snide success as a long, dragged groan delighted his ears. 

“Felix I swear-“

For a second Jack’s outburst had been a thing of the past, and the two had participated in their usual exchange of bullfuckery. But that could only last for so long.

Life just had other plans.

So did Felix’s curiousity.

“So, who’s the lucky girl?”

He could feel his heartstrings been tugged, the cords pulled apart, stretching and stretching until…

“He, actually.”

“Oh?”

A beat.

“Yeah, it’s… well, promise you won’t make fun.”

“I swear.”

A beat.

“I’m seeing Mark!”

“Ah…”

Snap.

“Yeah, yeah Septiplier is real, who would’ve thought?”

“Well, your fans are gonna go insane.”

So would he.

“Ah well, we’re not gonna announce it or anything yet, it’s only been a few weeks anyways.”

A few weeks? Admittedly, it hurt that Jack hadn’t spoken of it sooner, but Felix could… overlook it.

“Well, I’m happy for you man.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“Felix you’re such a good friend. God, I’m so glad I could tell you.”

“Me too Jack, me too.”

“Well, I gotta run now but let’s collab later? Play some Minecraft or somethin’?”

“You bet.”

“Hell yeah.”

For a brief second, there was silence. It almost felt like Jack was sitting there beside him, smiling that bright smile of his that never ceased to light up a room. One that always made his heart flutter.

But now it just made his organ crumble. Crushed like sawdust.

The mere image gnawed away at him.

His chirpy voice finally broke the bleak atmosphere.

Felix didn’t smile.

“Uh, see ya later Felix!”

“Bye Jack.”

Hesitation crackled on the other end, and it wasn't hard to recognise how the other's brows had furrowed, donning a worrisome expression. They'd spent enough time together that even a phone call couldn't prevent them from reading one another. 

“You sure you’re ok?”

Felix inhaled deeply, reminding himself to keep steady. Keep his composure. 

Be happy for your friend.

“I’m fine dude, don’t worry.”

That sounded more or less persuading, but it seemed Jack had believed the fib. Good. 

“Alright, alright. Can’t help it sometimes.”

“You’re such a dork.”

“Oh, fuck off.”

Felix sniggered. He loved setting off the Irishman, and he knew Jack loved it too. 

He only hoped that it hadn't been too pronounced. Maybe the YouTuber would've heard the crack in his voice, the slight break. An indicator of tearing up. 

“See ya, Jack.”

“Byeee!”

The disconnected dial tone wavered in his ears for a few moments. He sat with the device still pressed against his ear then eventually brought it away before placing it back on the arm beside him. Both hands moved to cradle his head whilst elbows propped on both knees for support. A bitter groan emerged as he rested in his lap, screwing eyes shut as the inner turmoil began to blossom.

It was going to be a long day.

His phone buzzed again. Cursing under his breath, he slowly drew his attention towards the moving piece of technology. With yet another careless snag, he took the phone and stared through bleary blues at the caller ID.

Oh god.

It was Mark.

#jelix #my fic #drabble #angst #heartbreak

[sentrava]

Island-Hopping in West Sweden: The Rugged Weather Islands

I’ve never been a cold-weather type of gal. I would be fine with 80 degrees year-round. And thus, I never really understood the allure of islands in New England, other than three months out of the year during those balmy summer days and nights when the weather was passable. And then I visited the Swedish islands, and I got it.

There’s a different type of magic that inhabits the rocky shores of such archipelagos.

Now, the entire coast of West Sweden is dubbed the “sun coast” because it allegedly gets the most hours of sunlight of any part of the country, so while it may be cooler than I’m used to, it’s also typically awash in sunlight (“typically” being the operative word).

During our week in Sweden, the normally temperate climate was unusually gray and wet, but that was fine by us—I’d packed my Wellies, my favorite rain jacket and other waterproof gear and was ready for the unknown.

The Weather Islands, or Väderöarna in Swedish, is a cluster of 365 isles, only one of which is inhabited by a guesthouse and its employees. The ferry ride departed from just south of Fjällbacka in Hamburgsund, so we gave ourselves an extra hour or two to hit up a few of the other coastal towns like Smögen along the way.

Once in Hamburgsund, the ferry process was easy. We parked at the restaurant, loaded up our bags, boarded the catamaran-style boat and motored out for 40 minutes to Väderöarna.

Once there, it was lunchtime, so we held off checking in as we tucked into a Swedish feast. I’m not usually a huge fish fan, but man, the Swedes do it right. We had what they called a “fish burger” but was really some sort of fish casserole with cod, cheese, butter and all sorts of other delicious accoutrements. You guys, the Swedes eat dill on everything, and I absolutely love it.

After lunch, we took our bags to our cozy cabin. It’s on the small side with no frills (i.e. no TV or other electronics), but it was perfectly peaceful for us. We had a rest and then met the resident fishermen at the dock for a “seafood safari” as they called it. Essentially, we were tagging along on the afternoon’s food-sourcing mission of crab and crayfish for that night’s dinner.

Now, you all know I usually get painfully seasick the second I step onto a boat, and though the weather may have looked rough, the seas were completely smooth. No meds and no sickness—I was so relieved, as the anxiety of being stuck out at sea while sick usually consumes my every thought.

The fishermen have six spots where they keep their traps, and we checked a couple of them as they hauled up their bounty. It only took a half an hour or so, then we were speeding back to the island so they could boil up their catch.

While they cooked, we spent the afternoon soaking in the hot tub, which overlooked the ocean and was pumped full of saltwater straight from the source, as the rain sprinkled down on top of us.

That evening, we had a full-on feast of every type of seafood imaginable, far more than the two of us could eat, then went to bed early, because what else do you do on a quiet island with no technology or nightlife? It was exactly what both of us craved.

We had planned to hike around the island a bit the following morning, but it rained, so we spent some time writing in the main house, had breakfast, then took the midday ferry back to the mainland to continue on our Swedish island-hopping adventures.

Getting to the Weather Islands

A ferry departs Hamburgsund one to two times daily. You can take the morning ferry and stay the night, or simply stick around for the afternoon and a meal before returning to the mainland.

What It Costs to Vacation in the Swedish Islands

In fall, winter and spring, you can do the same overnight package we did—ferry ride, lunch, hot tub and sauna access, dinner, one-night stay, breakfast, ferry ride back—for 1995 SEK (or $245) a person.

What to Pack for Sweden

Even if you’re going during summer months, take a jacket (preferably brightly-colored) and also a pair of rain boots and a compact umbrella. The weather can turn on a dime. Here are a few of my favorite rainy weather items:

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Island-Hopping in West Sweden: The Rugged Weather Islands published first on http://ift.tt/2gOZF1v

[lb492mediaknowledgepower]

HPV and “I love me”

Journal #5- Chelsea Zielinski

Linden looks at the HPV vaccine campaigns in Sweden. HPV is not a vaccine that is highly effective as Linden states it is only preventative in 70% of cases. Yet Sweden pushes the “I love me” campaign to push its public into obtaining this vaccine. Sweden’s health care is one that is completely different in comparison to the health care policies in place in the United States. Sweden believes that health care should be equal for all and all should have good health care. This welfare based health care system has led to many policies changing in the health care. In terms of HPV there are two options for vaccines, Gardasil, which also prevents genital warts, and Ceravarix, a cheaper method. 

The Swedish government originally nationally purchased the cheaper option which in term led to Gardasil filing a lawsuit because the company felt the contract covered to long of period in which id relevant to contractual regulation. Gardasil’s price was lowered for the national procurement and that it was a more positive gain for the health effects for a more expensive vaccine. Yet the scientific data that was used to show these positive health effects were questionable. Which led to people causing a fuss over it leading to the possible harming of girls lives, as they have to wait to receive the Gardasil vaccination. Forcing a catchup vaccine to be created, yet these catch up vaccines for the most part have to be administered by a vaccinator whom is separate from the vaccination program. These catch up vaccines had to be informed to the public and thus the “I love me” campaign was born. Linden explores how social media as a platform to spread this information can be used to spread misinformation and give rise to the anti-vaccine movement. 

The HPV vaccination is a gendered vaccination that is girl centered and can lead to the idea of getting this vaccination for the future and practicing good moral, as it is a taboo to be sexually active before marriage for some. Some fear that giving this vaccine to young girls will lead to sexual promiscuity at an early age, as they are more protected against cervical cancer and genital warts. The “ I love me” campaign pressure girls to take care of themselves and that they should do this for themselves and tells them to get this vaccine now in articles and on Facebook is a way of self-empowerment.  The Facebook campaign stresses how girls behave and act at young ages, but also shows how they should get vaccinated together to show friendship-love rather than intimate partner. The images of this campaign speak nothing of cervical cancer and/or genital warts, making the ads used a promotion of a belief in the backbone of the moral of Swedish culture.

The basis for these ads should be how to prevent something is self-care, as the ads in America against smoking are with the various cancer pity patient are. To me these ads do nothing more than tell the story of how health care can be presented in a moral and not in a science driven path. The reasoning behind such is simple, politics. They do not want to scare off little girls and offend someone, so they make it frilly and feminine. They make it as though this vaccine will help you take care of yourself but, not how this vaccine is a form of self-care. They should have said take care of yourself from the possibility of cervical cancer. How hard would it have been for them to add the words cervical cancer to the various ads? Not very hard.

Question 1.  How does STS fit in this example of the HPV vaccine, is it due to the ads being on social media?

Question 2. How you think the ads for the HPV vaccine could have been improved?