Additions: if your viral load is suppressed by medication to the point it’s undetectable, it’s considered untransmittable, even without condoms. Children with HIV+ carriers are usually given medication when they’re born, to make sure anyof the virus doesn’t take hold (which we also do to adults who fear they’ve been exposed, it’s called PEP ((Post Exposure Prophylaxis)), which is a month of medication and must be started within 72 hours of exposure).
(There’s also PreP - Pre Exposure Prophylaxis, which is taking medication if you feel you are at risk of being exposed to HIV, whether through sexual partners or sharing injection needles)
This is why we need universal free healthcare - so people can go on and have happy, healthy lives despite the HIV diagnosis. Nobody should die or live in fear when the treatment is so damn simple and effective.
HIV is not as deadly as it once was in the 1980s-1990s.
There’s been a lot of progress in this. So long as you’re taking your medications (anti-retrovirals), it’s essentially become another chronic disease like diabetes or COPD etc. HIV patients nowadays are living into their 60s and 70s and are more likely to die of cardiovascular disease rather than opportunistic infections or AIDS defining illnesses.
If the HIV viral load is undetectable, then your CD4 counts (your white cells that are affected by the virus) should normalise. Such that you’re no different to the general population when it comes to infection risk.
Yes, we should all still be precautious, but it’s no longer a death sentence.
Stigma remains because of how it is transmitted.
We need to share this information as widely as possible.
Silencestill Equals Death.
[image description: a widely smiling black woman hugs a black man and their two children, who are also smiling widely. The woman holds a sign reading “HIV+” and the man and the children hold signs reading “HIV-”. This image is on a tweet by bucci jenkins @/Glorico who says “bruh what”.
There are 2 replies to that tweet, by GEM @/Rozthecreator reading “the woman is hiv positive, she takes her meds which makes her count low, she can’t pass it off to her husband which makes her still able to live her normal life and reproduce. The stigmas of hiv has to stop, and as Blacks especially we have to educate each other.”
The next reply is by t a y l o r @/G14_Classified_, reading “people on this app talk about sex 24/7 but are completely ignorant when it comes to stds and how they can/can’t be contracted. Yikes”.
Thinking about how a year ago I was interviewed by a very popular radio show about my long COVID symptoms (I was over a year into experiencing them). They ended up not using my story because “it was too sad” and “I didn’t recover like other people”. They told me to contact them when I had recovered to potentially share my story in the future. I wrote back and told them that most people with long COVID will never recover, and that they weren’t accurately reporting on how COVID affects people. They never replied.
A year later and my symptoms still haven’t improved at all. Anyways, here’s your reminder that the COVID reporting you’re reading (at least in the U.S.) is probably not accurate and is not actually reflecting the suffering of real people.
why is it not more wellknown that women can have an actual literal disorder that not rarely makes them literally suicidal for up to 10 days every month before their period lmao like… teach this in class? it’s not a joke?
Wait what??
hereherehere (there’s more sites saying the same thing)
it’s called PMDD (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder) and it’s basically PMS but make it Super Hardcore, it’s a hormonal disorder and to my knowledge they’re not exactly sure what causes it - there’s theories tho - but there seems to be little research on it anyway. As I said it’s similar to PMS in terms of symptoms [mood swings, lethargy, cramps, changed sleeping pattern, libido, appetite] but the symptoms get so severe that they are interfering with your daily life and impacting it negatively. Especially in terms of psychological symptoms, while it doesn’t go that far for everyone who has it and also not every month, a lot of the people who experience it are sent into a severe depressive episode beause of it and it’s really not rare at all for them to experience legitimate suicidal thoughts that go away the second they get their period (or up to two days in from what I’ve read).
I’ve read different claims on how many people it affects, some sources say 5%, others 8%, others say 2% so I don’t know about that, but menstruating people need to know this lmao. Not knowing that your suicidality is caused by a literal physical disorder that you have can be so dangerous, especially when you already struggle with such issues anyway or are trying to recover from mental illness and don’t realize that your “relapses” are symptoms of an actual disorder.
also I originally said women but of course this applies to menstruating trans men and nb folks too.
I’ll reblog this every time I see it because YUP
the amount of times me or friends are having a Seriously Bad Time and then a few days later be like “oh, i just got my period, everything makes sense now” and like, let out this huge sigh of releif because it means you’re not relapsing and it will go away soon…
This is about to be a long ass rant so ♀️ this is your warning but I felt this needed to be said.
This is the first time I have heard of PMDD. As a nearly 22 year old female who had to take a health class 7 - yes you read that correctly - 7 times (NYC likes to have health / sex ed in both science and PE classes at least where I went to middle/high school so 2x a year for 7th, 8th and 9th grade (with the PE classes being all female / FOCUSED ON THE FEMALE SIDE OF SEX ED TAUGHT BY FEMALE GYM TEACHERS / SPECIALIZED FEMALE INSTRUCTORS BROUGHT IN WHERE THEIR LITERAL JOB IS TO TEACH SEX ED TO TEENAGE GIRLS!!!) plus once in 10th after moving) I am appalled (but not surprised) by the public education system in the U.S especially considering that the two states - especially NY - where I had to take sex ed were considered “progressive” with their education. I don’t even want to think about what abstienance only states are not teaching ♀️.
There are so many things that I should not have had to learn about my body on my own - and that I am still apparently learning. The U.S education system has failed every single female (or trans male) student that has not been taught about THIS and other COMMON disorders or syndromes that biology tries to fuck us over with. I didn’t know what PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) was until I was 16, almost 17, and my endo diagnosed me. I thought that being in pain while BREATHING while on your period was normal. I thought that bleeding heavily (start to finish) for 10 (sometimes 10+) days was normal. Or having periods where I would sometimes go through 2 or 3 OVERNIGHT pads in as many hours was normal. I knew that not getting my period every month (sometimes not for 3 or 4) was not normal but I was relieved given how horrific my periods always were. It wasn’t until I found out that not shedding your unterine lining monthly increased your risk of cancer (also not taught to me in sex ed but by my endo) that I realized not getting my period was not something to be relieved by.
The fact that this is another fairly common thing that women have that is also not taught as part of sex ed baffles me. What I was taught in sex ed? Some women have longer cycles than others and some experience more pain during their cycles than others do. So I thought that my terrible periods were normal - that it was just something to deal with because it was the way it was. It wasn’t until I was put on birth control to regulate my periods that I started having “normal ones” (still heavy and painful cramping but no where near as hellish as they were before). The fact that I went YEARS of experiencing periods that were so awful that I would go throughout my day trying to move my body as little as possible or not breathe too deeply so I wouldn’t be moving my core muscles at times because I didn’t know that that was something I should be telling my doctors or my mom is not ok. A 12 year old girl should not be telling herself to ‘suck it up’ and finish getting ready because it’s ‘just my period’ and that it’s not an excuse my parents will let me stay home from school from.
And now, at 21, you’re going to tell me that PMDD exsists? That there is a reason my depression seems to exacerbated before my period? Uh, uh. Not cool sex ed, super Not. Cool. I’m sure there’s also a reason I feel downright homicidal during my period as well but I do know why? No, I do not. But I am a reasonable enough person to realize that becoming an irrantional level of irritated by hearing someone else breathing (quietly) is probably not great. Or being annoyed by feeling another human’s presence in the same house - not even the same room - where they are in no way, shape or form trying to interact with me and minding their own goddamn business is, again, not great. Can we please for the love of all that is holy start teaching girls, and boys, about common health issues that can arise (environmentally AND biologically) within their reproductive systems beyond STD/STIs or the consequences of failed contraception??? Jesus Christ ♀️. Thanks for coming to my pissed off Ted Talk.
When you boost office productivity you also boost the empowerment, confidence and well-being of your team. But how can that be? Hannah Thomas explains.
In today’s competitive market, every company is doing their best to be as productive as possible. And it’s no news that your employees play the biggest part in this task.
It’s not easy to stay motivated and productive in an inadequate…
Workplace human error is a component of most businesses. Whilst some of these mistakes may be harmless, others could be costly both to your finances and to your reputation.
Because humans aren’t like machines, there’s no easy to fix to workplace human error. However there are things you can do to reduce it and make it less harmful.
Here are just a few tricks to help you reduce workplace human…
While I’m osmosing weather safety advice from the tornado warning stream:
If you’re in the path of tornado weather, don’t get caught undressed and barefoot. While you’re taking shelter, get dressed and put your shoes on in case you end up getting hit and having glass and other sharp debris to walk through.
I was suddenly reminded of the day my crew were supposed to survey across an area that included a paddock where a huge bull of unknown temper was corralled. A couple of our shovel probes needed to be dug inside the paddock. We contacted the project manager to explain the situation, and he told us, “Dig fast.” He was later promoted to safety manager for the company.
(we skipped the probes and faked the paperwork. I know it sounds strange, but I value my life at more than $11.75/hr.)
All the local galleries are full of artists that they were showing last year, my kickstarter to get full scale prints made did not get funded (really bad timing). I’ll eventually be releasing a small art book containing all of these, I hope. I had wanted to show them as a group but I do not think I’ll be able to do that. so,
here are the originals I’ll be selling. There will be a second post with purchase links on the day, and you’ll be able to message me to purchase as well. Full sized prints will eventually be available but I don’t have a date for that.
Paintings from Quarantine, a series, 2020
all are watercolor paintings. charging by size and scope…
12×16″ are 150$
18×24″ are 500$
22×30″ are 900$
36×50″ are 1500$
shipping to US/CAN included: all will be rolled for shipping, unframed. I’ll ship any country, but will have to calculate for anywhere but US/CAN. rush shipping on request at cost.
no. 1 – Milan (quarantine paintings, 2020) watercolor, oil, gesso on arches paper, 18×24″ dedicated for Dr. Marcelo Natali 1963-3/25/20 “We certainly weren’t prepared to face such a situation. Especially those of our generation, that of the post-antibiotic era, who grew up thinking that a pill against the disease was enough.”
no. 2 – Northwestern United States (quarantine paintings, 2020) watercolor, oil, gesso on arches paper, 18×24″ dedicated for Dr. Stephen M. Schwartz (January 1, 1942 – March 17, 2020) “There is no way to summarize a person as complex as Steve, but I’ll say this: I have never met a person with a finer mind, a greater passion for ideas, or who had a greater love for science,” Dr. Chuck Murry “This beer virus I call it — they call it a coronavirus, I call it a beer virus — how do you like that?” Rep. Don Young
no. 3 – Iran (quarantine paintings, 2020) watercolor, oil, gesso on arches paper, 18×24″ dedicated for Dr. Shirin Rouhani (unknown- 3/19/20) “She treated patients at Masih Daneshvari Hospital in Tehran while receiving IV therapy, because there were not enough doctors. Hospitals are faced with a lack of protective gear including medical gowns, N95 masks, gloves, and disinfectants.” -Javad Tavakoli ” Tell medècin sans frontiers that we do not need hospitals established by foreigners”. -Health Minister, Alireza Vahhabzadeh.
no. 17 (final) – New Orleans, LA, USA (quarantine paintings, 2020) watercolor, oil, gesso on arches paper, 18×24″ dedicated for Ronald Lewis 7/17/1951-3/20/2020 “Right here in the Ninth Ward was where our people chased the American dream.” ~ Ronald Lewis “The federal government rose to the challenge and this is a great success story and I think that that’s really what needs to be told.” ~Jared Kutchner
no. 4 – Rikers Island, New York (quarantine paintings, 2020) watercolor, oil, gesso on arches paper, 18×24″ dedicated to Michael Tyson, 53 “Incredible anxiety and fear. You cannot implement effective social distancing in a room that sleeps forty men. You cannot implement effective social distancing when those forty men are using two or three sinks and one of them may be broken. You cannot implement effective social distancing when the staff interacts with all of them and has to touch all of them in the course of a day. They know that better than I know that. So when I was talking to them, I was sort of feebly saying, “We want to try to encourage people to be even more diligent about hand-washing, etc., etc.” They were, like, “O.K., we don’t have our own cleaning supplies.” They can’t wipe down their own surfaces. They have to wait for someone to come in and do that for them.” “The largest category of people in city jails are those awaiting trial — people who have not been charged but not convicted. In the ordinary course of events, getting someone in this position out of jail requires an application made in court before a judge.” -Dr. Bedard New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Monday that the state had found a way to counteract price gouging on hand sanitizer amid the COVID-19 outbreak: by deploying cheap prison labor. Incarcerated people will be producing the disinfectant… “This is a superior product to products now on the market,” Cuomo said in a briefing, adding that the state’s sanitizer has a “very nice floral bouquet” that includes hints of lilac, tulip, and hydrangea.
no. 5 – Los Angeles, Mercy (quarantine paintings, 2020) watercolor, oil, gesso on arches paper, 18×24″ dedicated for Francisco Garcia “There’s a very limited supply, it’s a scary situation. Just going to work, driving to work, you’re worried you’re going to get something. It’s changing by the hour and by the day.” S. Beltran, ER nurse . “This week the State Department has facilitated the transportation of nearly 17.8 tons of donated medical supplies to the Chinese people, including masks, gowns, gauze, respirators, and other vital materials.” -Mike Pompeo, Feb 7 2020
no. 6 – Wuhan (quarantine paintings, 2020) watercolor, oil, gesso on arches paper, 18×24″ dedicated for Dr. Li Wenliang (1986-2/7/2020) “I think there should be more than one voice in a healthy society, and I don’t approve of using public power for excessive interference.” -Dr. Li Wenliang “Now, the Democrats are politicising the coronavirus… this is their new hoax.” -Donald Trump “Trump has botched the response to coronavirus pandemic…classifying deliberations makes it harder for health experts in government without security clearances to be in key meetings. This is unprecedented, unnecessary, and damages our ability to respond to the pandemic.” -Gregg Gonsalves, a Yale epidemiologist “You, Dr. Li Wenliang, have been making false comments on the Internet, and will sign a letter of admonishment.” -Police from the Wuhan Public Security Bureau, Jan 3 2020
no. 7 – Madrid (quarantine paintings, 2020) watercolor, oil, gesso on arches paper, 18×24″ dedicated for Dr. Isabel Munoz ( 1961 -3/24/2020) “Her only obsession was not to infect anybody.” -Jesus Munoz “Even if we all get sick, I’d rather die than kill the country.” -Glenn Beck
no. 8 – Johannesburg (quarantine paintings, 2020) watercolor, oil, gesso on arches paper, 18×24″ dedicated for Simon (unknown) “They put us here and now we are close to one another. This is why we will be vulnerable to catching Corona. Our government has failed us,” Simon, homeless man moved by police to stadium from the street. “The lockdown has caused problems, but it is a necessary thing that South Africa had to do,” -Maider Mavi, Mozambique Health Ministry. “Anyone showing symptoms who goes to a state hospital will have their COVID-19 test for free.” “The goal here is to keep Covid out of this community,” says Sasha Lalla, a leader at COSUP, a city-supported substance abuse program. “I think then we will be seeing a situation where people with compromised immune systems are not just at risk of Covid-19, they are at risk of death. We have a responsibility to keep our most vulnerable safe,” he said. “One case here, it would be like wildfire.”
no. 9 – New York City (quarantine paintings, 2020) watercolor, oil, gesso on arches paper, 18×24″ dedicated for Father Antonio Checo May 6, 1952-April 1, 2020 “Words cannot describe the sadness and hurt as well as the frustrations that this pandemic has brought about to our daily lives here and across the city…Effective today, all Episcopal churches have been ordered closed until May 17, 2020…we as your clergy are still accessible via phone as your pastors in these times. And since we cannot gather as a community until May, we want to begin to periodically send you the weekly bible readings as that you can use for private prayer worship. …take an hour each day to pray these prayers remembering those who have died because of this pandemic, as well as those who are sick and those “essential” workers on the frontlines who ensure we as citizens have access to life sustaining resources for day to day living. We ask for the blessing of peace and hope to you all, and that all are safe in this time of uncertainty and anxiety.” Rev. Antonio Checo and Rev. Jason Moskal, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church “We brought in 13 machines that basically kill every virus in the place, and uh, if somebody walks through the door it’s like, it kills everything on them. If they sneeze, it shoots it down at like 100 mph. It’ll neutralize it in split seconds. We have the most sterile building in, I don’t know, all of America.” -Rodney Howard-Browne, River Tampa Bay Megachurch
no. 10 – Tokyo (quarantine paintings, 2020) watercolor, oil, gesso on arches paper, 18×24″ dedicated for Ken Shimura (20 February 1950 – 29 March 2020) “I never feared getting an infection myself,” he said, because he knows “how infection control should be done.” But aboard the Diamond Princess, “I was so scared of getting COVID-19.” “The cruise ship was completely inadequate in terms of the infection control.” -Kentaro Iwata, who has dealt with infectious outbreaks, including Ebola, cholera and SARS, for more than 20 years. “I’m choosing not to do it.” -donald trump, on masks
no. 12 – Washington, DC (quarantine paintings, 2020) watercolor, oil, gesso on arches paper, 18×24″ dedicated for Rabbi Romi Cohn Holocaust survivor March 10, 1929-March 24, 2020 “The crisis caused by the coronavirus may be the time to consider a universal basic wage.” -Pope Francis “God will shield us from all harm and sickness. We are not afraid. We are called by God to stand against the Antichrist creeping into America’s borders.” -Tony Spell3
no. 15 – Paris (quarantine paintings, 2020) watercolor, oil, gesso on arches paper, 18×24″ dedicated for Dr. John F. Murray pulmonologist June 8, 1927 – March 24, 2020 “In all his dealings in the ICU, John treated every person with respect and held them to high standards, whether it was the intern just starting in the ICU or the fellow who was a much more senior trainee, or the nurses or the therapists. Everybody had something to offer and was treated as a member of this team.” -Courtney Broaddus “You have to do what’s best for your business.” -Wayne Hoffman
Calling in the Forces, Sunflowers 22×30″ watercolor
Skating in New York City watercolor, 22×30″
The Observers (Germany) watercolor on arches, 12×16″
no. 13 – Atlanta (quarantine paintings, 2020) watercolor, oil, gesso on arches paper, 18×24″ dedicated for Rushia Johnson Stephens music teacher 1954-2020 “Given our population density, high rate of asthma, and various underlying health conditions found within our city’s populations, I am issuing a Stay at Home Order for Atlantans.” -Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms “adding a public option to Obamacare is the best way to lower costs and cover everyone. 160 million people like their private insurance.” -Joe Biden
SOLD:
no. 11 – The Bronx (quarantine paintings, 2020) watercolor, oil, gesso on arches paper, 18×24″ dedicated for Rakkhon Kim, a member of Branch 36 in New York City 1970-March 25,2020 “It is not an exaggeration to say that our men and women in the Postal Service, who were already performing one of the most important jobs in America, are now literally putting their own lives on the line to deliver the food, medicine, and essential supplies that hundreds of millions of Americans depend on every single day during this pandemic.” -Senator Bernard Sanders “It’s been losing billions of dollars a year for many, many years… this is the new one, I’m now the demise of the Postal Service. I’ll tell you who’s the demise of the Postal Service, are these internet companies that give their stuff to the Postal Service…They drop everything in the post office and they say, ‘You deliver it.’ “ -president Donald Trump
no. 14 – Lansing (quarantine paintings, 2020) watercolor, oil, gesso on arches paper, 18×24″ dedicated for Lisa Ewald nurse 1966-2020 “COVID-19 has impacted the lives of so many citizens throughout the state of Michigan, and even more pronounced in the city of Detroit, as we are the fastest growing city nationally with casualties related to this deadly disease.” -Rep. Sherry Gay-Dagnogo “LIBERATE MICHIGAN!” -Donald Trump
no. 6 – Wuhan (quarantine paintings, 2020) watercolor, oil, gesso on arches paper, 18×24″ dedicated for Dr. Li Wenliang (1986-2/7/2020) “I think there should be more than one voice in a healthy society, and I don’t approve of using public power for excessive interference.” -Dr. Li Wenliang “Now, the Democrats are politicising the coronavirus… this is their new hoax.” -Donald Trump “Trump has botched the response to coronavirus pandemic…classifying deliberations makes it harder for health experts in government without security clearances to be in key meetings. This is unprecedented, unnecessary, and damages our ability to respond to the pandemic.” -Gregg Gonsalves, a Yale epidemiologist “You, Dr. Li Wenliang, have been making false comments on the Internet, and will sign a letter of admonishment.” -Police from the Wuhan Public Security Bureau, Jan 3 2020
the pain started two hours after I chopped and scraped the seeds out of what tasted like VERY mild jalapenos. I figured they were so mild, they wouldn’t burn.
I took a huge bite, it was sweet like a bell pepper. BETRAYAL
NO. no no no no no no no no no no no no no.
I worked with 3lbs of them, and that was more than enough.
all of the suggestions you will find online, only work if you catch the capsaicin oil BEFORE it starts burning! if it’s in the surface, just starting to hurt. if you catch it quickly, you can try
rub oil into your hands, deeply, and let it sit
wash with blue dawn dish soap or other grease cutting soap, in the hottest water you can stand
repeat at least 3 times
Me though? I didn’t start to treat this until hours later and by then it was too late for the home remedies. For washing. That oil was absorbed- under the skin, not on it. You can’t wash it off.
I tried every single thing online that I could find. Vinegar soak. Olive oil/hot water washing. Mustard. Baking soda. Maalox. Bleach cleaner. Milk. Alcohol. Yogurt. Stainless steel. Salt. Milk soak. Aloe. Lemon juice. A lemon. An onion. Butter. Crisco. Sugar.
After several dozen ridiculous attempts, I realized that it was too late to do that shit.
Icepack, pain relief. that’s it. once it’s been a few hours, that’s all you can do.
1. wash your hands as well as you can, cold water feels nice. oil-reducing soap is good I guess.
2. apply blue gel, lidocaine, or anbesol/orajel to the entire affected area. allow it to absorb.
3. once it’s dried, apply a thin layer of any beeswax based/oily salve to hold the lidocaine to the skin surface. this will increase the time it lasts.
4. take a damn pain pill. I took ibuprofen. I might go on up to a codeine pill if it goes back to the pain I was at earlier- easily an 8/10! right now it’s just tenderness, and a Tylenol or Ibuprofen is enough.
5. take an antihistamine. Benadryl is best, Claritin works. this keeps inflammation down a little- your skin won’t be so red and irritated.
6. do not touch your eyes, genitals, mouth. don’t touch other people’s sensitive bits. you have to wait until your hands have used the capsaicin up- according to a paper I read that can take up to 24 hours. so be cautious during this time.
7.you can put on nitrile gloves if you like. I found they made the lidocaine wear off faster (maybe due to the warmth)
8. avoid touching ANYTHING warm/hot, and ANYTHING with capsaicin in it (even a sweet bell pepper!) for a few days. your nerve endings need to heal, your body needs to process that capsaicin. give it time.
I must have put a hundred condiments and unguents and cleaning supplies on my hands tonight. I spent hours trying.
just treat the pain, don’t reexpose your hands to heat or the chemical that hurt you. and don’t touch your eyes!!! OR YOUR JUNK. I MEAN IT.
“I don’t get it why would they want to support this guy”
“why fight with science do they want to die”
“does he WANT to kill his voter base”
“I don’t understand why they are so hyped on people who stand for the opposite of what they say they care about, I thought they were ‘conservative'”
“what’s the big deal about a mask”
I AM HERE TO EXPLAIN IT TO YOU. IF YOU ARE CONFUSED BY RIGHT-WING AND ALT-RIGHT BEHAVIOR, IN THIS MOMENT, I CAN EXPLAIN.
“Busting the Line, Nebraska” 22×30″, watercolor
They are NOT telling you how they really feel. They are LYING about their motivations. They do NOT think a million deaths would be a bad thing and they do NOT think the current pandemic is a hoax. They know it’s real.
They’re in a destructive cult. ADeath Cult.
They not only want to die (their cyanide happens to be covid 19) but they want to take as many others down as possible. They’re deep in a cult, a real cult.
It’s got a lot in common with both Pol Pot (anti science/anti knowledge) and Aum Shinrinkyo (“truthers”, trying to start the end times) cults. Since it’s American, there’s a lot more dominionist/prosperity gospel Bible thumping mixed into it, including the End Times being a good thing, punishment of their opponents, having twelve kids to make a ‘god army’, all that.
But the underlying principles of Death Cults are always the same.
Anything they’re saying as “reasons” for this stuff, is purely a cover story for their actual purpose. They are not having a debate with you. They are not “presenting evidence”, playing devil’s advocate, trying to find answers, whatever way you are giving them a pass- you’re wrong about it. You are reading them wrong, which is their goal. They want to spew propaganda, and every time you reply to their shit in good faith, you’re letting them do it.
You enjoy a good conspiracy, right? This one isn’t even hidden. Barely. They’re barely trying to hide it anymore.
Actually, the same reason you enjoy a good conspiracy, is the reason they got sucked into this cult, some of them. A feeling that you know more than other people, that you’re on the inside, that you are right and others are blind, a sense of belonging, feeling like you are “making a difference”. These are natural human urges, and cults use them to snare people. (we can’t ignore the racist/sexist aspects of this cult in particular, but ANY cult will appeal to these other urges-even for intelligent people)
What is an acceptable number of people to kill? For what goal? Even the goals they have, do not make sense: unless you know they are in a Death Cult and
the first series were all 18×24″ these are larger, 22×30″. looser.
more emotional. I had a difficult time working on the first series, with a lot of stops and starts. I’ve added the last few to that post.
The world is in a flux, a liminal moment. These are times when creating anything is difficult for me. I feel that collective unease, hope, fear, pain, anticipation. And I have all those feelings. It can get overwhelming.
I’ve never been good at actually starving- in times when I’m suffering, broke, afraid, it’s harder for me to do any work at all, let alone anything I feel is any good. Hard times make hard art, for me.
Yet here I am, trying. I’ve applied for every grant I can find and not gotten one. No SBA, or anything. I did get a stimulus check- that’s about what I earn a week, and I’m still paying off bills related to being a cancer caregiver for a year (I was off work up until last fall). It didn’t stretch far. I guess we’ll see if that stuff changes for me. Regardless, these won’t be for sale for a little while. I’ll probably do a print run. I’ll try to show them. I don’t know what gallery will have them though.
Lucky me, I’ll not be homeless, unless illness strikes us again. I’m in fear of that.
I’m in fear. I’ll admit it. I don’t understand how anyone can not be, on some level. Whether admitted or not- I can feel your fear all around. The aggression in the air, the sadness, and the fear underlying it.
I feel it, you feel it, everyone is feeling it. Some will lie- but fear isn’t weakness. You’ve got to just feel it. Let it be there. Don’t panic, of course- or panic in controlled ways, I guess. But be cautious. Fear is how our natural bodies tell us there is danger, and listening to our intuition and being cautious isn’t a bad thing. Living despite fear, the name for that is bravery. You are brave.
I feel also a great protective kindness. Most people, MOST people, want to help each other. We all want to be helpful, useful, good to each other. We are not only afraid for ourselves. Those who don’t care are a minority-loud, but small. Fuck em.
This is the most reassuring thing I know, right now. I’m holding to it. I hope you can too.
It seems increasingly likely as the days go by that Russia may deploy poison gas in its invasion of Ukraine. They have already released a fake video in which Polish-speaking terrorists supposedly attack large chlorine tanks to blow them up. They may commit a false-flag operation.
I am not an expert on poison gas but as a World War One historian I’ve amassed a certain amount of knowledge about chemical warfare. I don’t know which chemical agents the Russians may use, so I’ll just talk about what I know. I can’t do much for Ukraine but maybe, just maybe, these tips may help someone if they end up in the horrifying situation of a gas attack.
Some general tips:
- Gas is about twice as heavy as air. This means it sinks. If gas is coming toward you, try to get to the closest high ground. Climb on top of a car, climb a tree, go to the top floor, whatever might get you above the drift of gas. After the gas has passed, avoid any low-lying areas or craters from shelling, as the gas may linger there for awhile. Obviously, it is best to be upwind of the gas in the first place, but of course this is not always possible.
- Do not try to outrun the gas. Gas is usually released when the wind is strong and steady. Not only will you end up remaining in the gas cloud for a longer amount of time as it keeps pace with you, but you will end up breathing hard and inhaling more gas. Instead, put your back to the direction the gas is coming from and tuck your head down toward your chest. Use your arms to shelter your face and squeeze your eyes tightly shut. If you have a sweater or blanket, drape it over your head. It won’t keep the gas out entirely but it can help minimize the damage. Breathe in and out through your nose and, if possible, try to silently recite a simple phrase, prayer, song lyrics, whatever that will help you keep your breaths steady and shallow.
- Gas can stick to you. After an attack, wash as soon as is possible and change your clothes. Do not touch your eyes. You may have tears streaming from your eyes and snot coming from your nose but don’t wipe your face until your hands are washed and you know whatever tissue you’re using is clean. Keep children from rubbing at their eyes.
- Do not drink or eat anything that was left out during a gas attack. It could cause severe damage to your stomach. If you have anything like soda or soup cans that may have been exposed, be sure to wash them off before opening.
- Pets can often be protected in the same way as people, including dogs, horses and rabbits. I don’t know for certain, but probably cats, rats and other mammals. No idea about things like reptiles and birds, sorry, but it might be worth a shot.
- Make your way to a hospital if possible. Many kinds of gas have side effects that only manifest later and can be deadly. Let them know that you have come in contact with poison gas and describe anything you can about the gas (color, smell, etc.). If you can’t make it to a hospital, let the people around you know that you may develop symptoms within the next 24-48 hours. Sleep propped up to help your breathing and try to avoid any stress on your lungs such as dust or running.
Chlorine:
- Chlorine gas is a pale green and smells like bleach or swimming pools. When it comes into contact with water, it becomes hydrochloric acid, AKA battery acid. It destroys eye and lung tissue, causing death or disability. Fortunately, you can cause this reaction to happen before it reaches your lungs.
- If you see chlorine gas approaching, soak a piece of fabric such as your t-shirt in water and hold it over your mouth, nose and, if possible, your eyes. After the attack, immediately dispose of the fabric as it will be full of acid and could burn you.
- If you don’t have any water available, use something with a high water content, such as juice or soda. As a last resort, urine will also work.
- As soon as you can, wash your hands well and rinse out your eyes as many times as you can. If you think the gas may have come in contact with sweaty parts of your body (such as under your arms) wash those areas thoroughly too. Even a wet wipe or a piece of tissue dunked in soda is better than not cleaning the skin.
Phosgene:
- Phosgene is colorless and smells of old hay but only at extremely high concentrations, otherwise it has no odor. When inhaled, it damages the way your lungs transfer oxygen to the blood, causing suffocation.
- When first encountered, it causes pain in the eyes, excessive tear production and temporary blindness. This will eventually fade, but more serious effects can result.
- Within the next 48 hours, many who are exposed to phosgene will have their lungs slowly fill with fluid or will develop serious pneumonia. Individuals with chronic breathing conditions will be especially affected. It is important to set out for a hospital as soon as possible especially if there may be a long wait.
Mustard:
- Mustard Gas can be colorless but is usually mustard colored. It smells spicy, like mustard or garlic. Mustard Gas settles on the skin, soaking into it. It then burns its way back out, causing chemical burns and massive blisters full of the liquid form of the gas.
- Once the gas has passed, discard all of your clothing, every piece of it. It doesn’t matter how many layers you have, It will be soaked in the chemical down to skin level. Cut shirts away from your skin so you don’t drag it across your face and eyes. Do not let anyone touch it or they will be burnt by the gas as well. Place it in a sturdy plastic container with a lid if you can. Do NOT bury it, as mustard gas can remain unaffected underground for years.
- Wash yourself as you have never washed yourself before. Time is critical. As soon as the gas comes in contact with your skin, it begins soaking in. If multiple people have been gassed, pile everyone into the same shower, don’t take turns. Use warm water and soap and systematically go over your entire body. Mustard gas especially affects mucous membranes and damp areas, so focus on armpits, groin, back of the knees, eyelids, buttcrack, under the breasts, and under any folds of fat you may have. The labia and the areas where the penis and testicles touch each other and surrounding skin should be focused on. Also pay attention to where you might have been damp before you took your clothes off, such as waistbands or bra straps.
- If you do not have access to water, find some (clean) clay cat litter. Cat litter usually has bentonite clay in it which is used to soak up toxins. It will help neutralize the gas. Follow the above procedure, only using handfuls of the litter.
- Burns and blisters will begin to appear anywhere between 2 to 48 hours. Get to a hospital as soon as possible so they can decontaminate you more thoroughly. If decontamination procedures are followed, death is unlikely, but massive scarring, pain and other health problems such as infection can occur. Do NOT think that because you don’t see or feel anything that you are okay.
- The skin may itch fiercely. Do NOT scratch at it as it means a 2nd or 3rd degree burn may be forming there, you would be making it worse. Sit on your hands if you have to. Assume that a burn may appear in that area. Unless the skin is broken, rub more cat litter on it and then gently coat the area in vaseline.
- If you cannot reach a hospital, gently apply Vaseline where you see the burns emerging, especially the eyelids or they will stick together. Treat the burns like you would a heat burn, using petroleum based ointments to keep gauze from sticking. As burns develop, the intense pain means that the person usually can’t stand any form of clothing on them, so try to make sure you’re in a space that has some form of heat and privacy.
- When blisters form, poke them lightly with a pin and drain them. Make sure that the fluid inside does not touch the person’s skin, your skin or any blankets etc that are remaining with the person. The fluid inside is the liquid form of the gas coming back out and it can cause the same burns on your hands as it caused on the patient. Keep the liquid in something like a plastic jug until someone can tell you how to get rid of it.
Sarin:
As a heads up, I know less about Sarin than the others.
- Sarin is colorless and odorless. Like Mustard Gas, in addition to being dangerous to inhale, it soaks into the skin. It damages the human nervous system, making it extremely deadly. Even the tiniest amount of Sarin can be lethal, so treat even the smallest exposure to the gas very seriously. Also like mustard gas it remains on the clothes, which need to be carefully disposed of and not touched. Cut them away from the person.
- A person affected by Sarin may first show classic gas symptoms: tearing, coughing, eyes burning. After this, the person may not act like themselves, twitching, drooling, sweating and speaking nonsense. They may not be able to control their legs, bowels or basic body movements and their heart rate may be altered.
- Sarin may puddle visibly on the skin. Wipe these drops off before they can soak in. Do not touch the liquid yourself. Wash the person with 1% bleach solution (meaning about 1 oz bleach to a gallon of water). Use gloves. Then use cat litter to try to soak up any remaining gas. Get the person to the hospital as soon as possible.
- Atropine has been used to treat Sarin in the past; if the exposed person is being treated by someone not used to dealing with this kind of gas, you could suggest this to them. (Note: I am not a doctor, I am only stating that you could bring up the subject, I’m not prescribing it.)
I may add to this if I think of anything else. If you know more tips about poison gas, feel free to add to this or contact me. I want this to reach as many people as possible, so please signal boost this even if it isn’t related to your blog. I only speak English fluently, so if someone could please translate this into Ukrainian (or any other language for that matter) I would deeply appreciate it. This guide is not restricted to the situation in Ukraine and can be shared with anyone in the world who may face this. I’d like a little credit, but feel free to post this on other websites where it might better reach the target audience, such as Ukrainian social media, twitter, etc. I may be in error somewhere in these tips but I wrote them out of a sincere desire to help so don’t be jackass if you want to correct me.
Stay safe everyone. #IStandWithUkraine
-Alan
This may not be aesthetic but it could save lives which is much more important.
Health and safety posters designed by Thomas Eckersley, issued by the Ministry of Labour and National Service and produced by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents during the Second World War.
