They don't mean immune escape. It's either an unclear joke or pseudoscientific bullshit based on a lack of knowledge around the immune system and diseases.

But the reality I see is that they are very easily manipulated by unregulated media like TikTok and would vote for the same extreme right wing party as old people. Surveys here in Germany are a bit disturbing…

The same argument can be made for people of any age.

Can’t we instead take away voting rights from old people? Also kinda wrong.

The same can also be applied to younger people.

Personally, I prefer to err on the side of including them. It's unjust that we can take advantage of them in so many ways as a teen but they can't participate in the political system that decides how they can be taken advantage of (work, school, taxes, military, etc.) I know I hated it at that age and as a general rule, I've tried not to repeat the same things the adults in my life did that pissed me off when I was a kid. It's not a perfect approach, but it's been the correct approach to avoid the problems it caused when I was growing up from being repeated more often than not.

The only way to do right by them is to give them the right. If you are worried about them being manipulated too easily, education is a good fix.

And as a conflicting anecdote, my 16 year old is very interested in politics and very much wants to have a say in their own life, just like I did at that age. Are they the most informed individual? Hell no. Are they more informed than some adults? Hell yes.

Younger people may be susceptible to their lack of experience, but they are also more likely to bring new ideas to the table because they are less invested in the status quo. If they have the capacity to make informed decisions, they should have the right to self determination and participation in our political systems.

What you say about your kid doesn't sound like an inability to process these concepts, just a lack of interest. Do you talk to your kid about politics and if so, how? I've found I've made a lot of progress by talking to teens about current events and asking them what they think. They won't care about every topic, but I guarantee there is something that will peak their interest and typically topics related to adults imposing their beliefs on kids will get teens to talk, even if it's just related to school. It's important that you get them talking about their beliefs, not just telling them yours, because they won't want to talk to you unless they feel like you will treat them as a peer.

You don't need to agree with their beliefs, just listen and not talk down to them. Ask follow-up questions that can turn into wider conversations. Help try to explain what is going on and the context surrounding it if needed. You can absolutely share your views, but it's usually best to talk about what's going on/being discussed, asking their thoughts, and then following with yours. If you talk down to a kid, they will shut down or fight back (and also shut down). They need the same respect adults crave. They'll also eventually disagree with you just like adults.

It varies by person, but I've found kids tend to start getting interested around 13-14 if you take this approach and then will really come into their own in terms of beliefs by 16. Kids have a LOT they are concerned about in the world today even without this. It causes many of them significant anxiety because they feel powerless. If you have success getting them interested, 16 (or after a few years of observing and talking about current events, history, and politics) is a good age to talk about analyzing the events.

If you're into Marxism, it's a great time to start teaching and practicing dialectical materialism so they can figure out for themselves why the world is the way it is on their own.

I know there can be differences with ASD, but I have a few cousins who are 15-20 years younger than me with ASD and have found the same applied for them. Details of the conversation, finding something that gets them invested in the topics, and explanations you give them may vary, but the basic approach doesn't change and this varies by person regardless of any condition.

This is just a random reply, but if it's something you want to be able to talk to her about, I hope this helps you be able to do that in a way that expands your relationship as they grow older. I know I wish I could have talked to my parents about politics and the world the same way I do with my kids when I was a kid.

I totally agree. This seems like an "uh, oh, we fucked up. How do we reverse this?" kind of decision after posting their polling results on Twitter.

https://teamster.org/2024/09/teamsters-no-endorsement-for-u-s-president/

And the skewed power dynamic.

I'll trade you the communal toothbrush for this joke.

You can always buy a rice cooker but I think it's good to learn how to cook without specific instruments, it also cuts down clutter in the kitchen.

I take a similar approach, but wanted something better for rice, so I bought an aluminum pot with a ceramic coating on the inside as an alternative to a rice cooker. Does a great job with rice and can be used for many other things as it is a normal pot/dutch oven.

I wish this quote more frequently included the additional context when it is used, mostly for the sake of those who have never read Mao and those who are not familiar with Marxism.

Or they'd be confused and copy them while screaming, "competition breeds innovation!"

The wonderful thing about patriarchy is that it circles back around and slaps men too.

Very big difference in play styles, but DSP is also a fun game.

my former manager who wanted projects estimated in minutes.

That wasn't a manager, that was a demon.

This is the type of thing I come here for.

If it feels wrong, it's wrong.

I would venture to say this is the best advice you can give in terms of treatment for just about any condition. Listen to your body.

Good advice.

An additional substitute for consideration is Intuniv (guanfacine, different doses are used for treating hypertension). This is also a good candidate for combining with a lower dose of methylphenidate if one of these substitutes is not effective enough to replace the normal ADHD stimulants.

TLDR: Expect the process to take a long time and to cycle through many drugs. Avoid MAOIs with Vyvanse (with few exceptions), try to vary your drug class instead of taking multiples of very similar drugs until you start to find something that works, then focus on finding one within the class that is most effective and has the least side effects that are most tolerable. A little bit of reading goes a long way toward understanding what you are taking before you start taking it. Drugs.com is a good place to start unless you like scientific literature. Seek out therapy during this process because it's discouraging. Check out dialectical behavioral therapy.

The long-winded, ranty version:

Don't expect a miracle with the SSRIs or anything similar. They feel pretty hand-wavy compared to most meds due to the nature of psychological symptom monitoring and how life can interfere with this. It is no exaggeration to say this is a game of guess and check. This process takes forever and sucks.

You may be offered a pharmacogenetics test to help guide this process. Get it if you want it and if it won't cost you a bunch, but quite frankly, the diagnostic use of these tests is fairly immature and doesn't seem particularly useful at the current time. I suspect it will improve in the future, but it's a waste of money currently IMO and I'm someone who thinks pharmacogenetics are cool.

There are a lot of SSRIs, SNRIs and SSBULLSHITS out there. I suggest that while playing the guess and check game, you try to spread the focus around to drugs that are dissimilar. Different classes, ones that act on mechanisms that aRe relatively different rather than ones that are similar. Providers like to go down the cu king list and be like "sertealine, venlafaxine, fluoxitine, Trintellix, escitalopram, mirteazapine, blah blah blah" and they are all relatively similar.

Try an SSRI, try bupropion XR, try a mood stabilizer like lamotrigine (if you do this one, you need to titrate up slowly as it can cause severe allergic reactions if you jump in quickly), then try a low dose of lithium (<=400mg). This is in no particular order. If you are willing, try a tricyclic antidepressant (old-school, normally not used anymore because they make you drowsy. Low doses of amitriptyline are fucking great for sleep granted that you never ever ever miss a dose and you ignore the first week on and first week off).

There are MAO inhibitors too, but this is one I would suggest avoiding and you will likely see suggestions for that everywhere. Aside from everyone needing a little Mao in their lives, MAO inhibitors tend to require some dietary restrictions and lead to heart and blood pressure problems when combined with amphetamines (Adderall, Vyvanse). It is possible the combination could work with the addition of a blood pressure medication, but I'd try it as a last resort. Too many things to worry about, too many life changes, additional medications and higher risk.

I'm diagnosed with ADHD, MDD, and experience seasonal affect. These have been persistent for over 20 years. The only medication that has ever helped with symptoms of either is amphetamines and I prefer lisdexamfetamine (Vyvanse) because it has all the benefits of Adderall with none of the side effects. The only downside is if your supply gets cut off suddenly, and I find that I have 2 weeks of withdrawal symptoms with the majority taking place from days 2 to 4 after my last dose. There's a 3-5 day period where I have side effects while getting back on it with the majority of side effects (increased resting heart rate in particular) take place over day 1 and 2 of being back on my dose. For reference, I use 50-70 mg, the only difference being how long the effects last.

I've tried just about every SSRI, SNRI, and similar. The only one that I can remember not trying is vilazodone. I've taken mood stabilizers, bupropion, tricyclics, weed, and booze. None of these helped with depression. I tried high doses of vitamin D despite this being the biggest fucking cop-out a provider can give for any type of persistent depression. If you encounter this pointedly ask them if they really think a change in vitamin D is going to have a significant effect on your depression. A small one, some relief for seasonal affect, I can give them those, but if they refuse to try something else until you go with a high dose of vitamin D, they aren't serious about your treatment. I know there is scientific evidence for it, but I've always found that the providers who lean into this early aren't team players and should be dropped for a different provider quickly.

I haven't tried lithium or MAOIs at this time and am currently considering just coping with being depressed constantly again while not taking drugs that do nothing for me. I'll let my therapist be the voice of reason.

My work is in pharmaceutical R&D, but not specifically with antidepressants. The field I'm in is small enough that I prefer not to associate it with my account, but my background gives me enough confidence to inform myself on these and similar drugs through the literature. Some of what I deal with is drug interactions and delivery, so this is close enough to home.

I find that despite working with these drugs daily, most medical providers do not look into this with much depth, so it's pretty easy to get ahead of their specific knowledge on drugs just by reading a little. One example is the interaction between amphetamines and some antidepressants that you mentioned. This isn't meant to disparage medical workers, there's just a shit-ton of drugs out there and they need to cover a wide field of knowledge.

My journey may not be very inspiring, perhaps because it's not over, but you should understand that searching for an effective antidepressant is a roll of the dice and can take a lot of time and frustration unless you get lucky and find one that works for you quickly. It can take years and you may not find any relief this season, so be patient and seek additional relief such as therapy. I know cognitive behavior therapy is in vogue, but have you heard of dialectical behavioral therapy? It includes some of the CBT strategies, but it's similar to dialectical philosophy, which us Marxists drool over..give it a try and good luck!

Edit: I missed that you mentioned this in your original post. Nevermind!

Big drug mixture warning: be careful mixing Vyvanse/Adderall and fluoxitine/Prozac. Fluoxitine can end up making the effects of amphetamines stronger than normal, even for Vyvanse.

Normally, because Vyvanse is a pro-drug that requires enzymatic degradation to become active, the only effect a higher dose will have is a longer effect. Fluoxitine affects interactions with the active drug and how long it is in your system, overriding the pro-drug effect. This can lead to (likely minor) overdose effects. You'll be able to tell if this is happening because you'll get similar side effects as are often experienced with Adderall that you normally don't experience on Vyvanse. Think of the ones normally associated with Adderall IR.

This doesn't mean they can't be mixed, just that you should watch how you react to the doses of each when mixing. You may find that you need to reduce your dose of Vyvanse if you go to a high enough dose of fluoxitine.

...maximize profit per worker executive.

Democrats have been milking the abortion rights issue to get votes for decades. If they really gave a shit, they would have codified it.

"...but it's complicated." No. It. Fucking. Isn't.

If this was a priority they really cared about they would have acted on it decisively long ago. It's just a fucking carrot to dangle in front of us. If they were complete chucklefucks, this wouldn't even be an issue today.

I'm just so fucking tired of liberal apologia for this shit. Like, go lick your chosen fascist's boots, I'm done trying to help you out of this abusive relationship.

Have you checked out Soviet Republic: Workers and Resources? Similar to many of these games, and it can go from relatively easy with unlimited resources to ridiculously hard, realistic construction mode where you have to provide all realistic services including heating and waste. You may find it interesting if you like factory/supply line games.

A few years ago, the cargo trains stopped running on a few of the tracks that go through one of our bigger cities and down into many smaller ones nearby. It would be really helpful to put a passenger line going down these tracks. There are ridiculous waves of traffic throughout this area and it's quite a dangerous road due to the speed and volume of cars, particularly in the winter. Much of this could be relieved by a passenger train and the tracks are already there!

In the last two years, every city has paved over these railway crossings. I guess all we get is cars.

Despite calling Bernie out for at least some of his shit, I do think he has generally been one of the better Democrat senators in terms of progressive domestic policies. I wonder now if anyone actually can climb to that political level without being corrupted or rejected and black-listed by the system.

I used to support the Democrats and him in particular. It was demoralizing to see how he supported the DNC after his 2016 and 2020 campaigns, but I think there are lessons we can learn from his career. For me, he represents a good example of how operating in good faith within the existing US political system as a path to major reform is not a viable strategy (Jill Stein as well), but that you need to build organizations outside of this structure to seize political power and force the change that the system resists. Unions and other community organizations. The attempt at a general strike led by the UAW in 2028 for example.

I don't believe this will fundamentally change any systems within the US, nothing short of revolution would achieve this, but I think it is an opportunity to improve lives. It's a chance to show people not only that they have power, but how to build the power to fight for themselves.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I'm tired of putting my faith in these people when, you're right, it feels like they've given up all pretense and dropped the bar on the floor. All they've ever done is disappoint me. Working and learning from socialist and labor organizations has given me hope again that there is a path to change.

Look at the differences between how they treat Stalin and Christopher Columbus in terms of Genocide.

Stalin: "Stalin was a accused of genocide, but it's hard to pin a number in him because he didn't kill them directly."

Columbus: "Yeah, he's been accused of genocide, but there are also many historians who disagree with this assessment."

Ok, where is Saddam?

2025 prediction: "Stalin was a revisionist."

These people have no understanding of the history of Haiti at all, the most they'll tell you (if they remember anything) is that Christopher Columbus did bad things there like slavery and killing people. They usually can't tell any details beyond this.

The only history they know and care about (if any at all) is 1776, Founding Fathers Fuckheads, the existence of Columbus and Cortez, and the watered-down story of the English pilgrims that completely erases the history of the indigenous people of the Americas. They have been raised without this knowledge and learning the reality of the history of the US is not just an inconvenient truth, but an existential threat to the morality, freedom, and righteousness they think the US stands for and which they have built their personal identity upon.

I don't blame the individuals for how they were raised, but this widespread ignorance is unforgivable. Nearly everyone in the US is in desperate need of reeducation because the first round purposely left out, revised, or treated immense suffering with the cold detachment of only teaching the number who died.

We're stupid, but at least we're honest about it. They're stupid, but at least they have the decency to not act like it out in broad daylight.

Wrong comparison. People from the US are stupid and proud of it. There's nothing honest coming from the US except bombs.

You forgot the anti-vaccine campaign they ran in countries near China saying their vaccine contained pig parts. Not the US state dept's first anti-vax campaign btw.

US vaccines were made available first and foremost to Western citizens, and only then were made available to purchase. China released their vaccine worldwide, so countries without a vaccine program had access earlier and cheaper than they could acquire vaccines from the US. Their anti-vax campaign was meant to prevent other countries from accepting China's offer, thus preventing goodwill towards China, protecting the profits of US companies, and leading to the deaths of millions who could have been saved in "US Allied" countries such as the Philippines.

If you were going to buy into one of these two conspiracy theories, first you should have some actual evidence, and then you should look at the behavior of these countries and ask yourself: which behavior is more consistent with releasing a virus that could act as an economic weapon meant to shut-down a country, but not kill everyone?

This thread brought to you by Western Imperialism™.

Seeing this allowed on mander.xyz is deeply disappointing.

The US is the only country that has ever used nuclear weapons on civillians, so them using biological weapons on civillians would not be a big moral barrier for them or a big stretch to think about.

That's such a small stretch that it's actually a confirmed fact that the US has repeatedly used chemical and biological warfare. Korea and Vietnam are merely two easy examples.

I'm pretty sure that much of the most progressive stuff in The New Deal were concessions made to labor unions. FDR didn't do it from the kindness of his heart.

And for even juicier chicken, directly inject cranberry juice using a needle and syringe. You can use other juices, but IMO, cranberry goes best with chicken.

For outrageously juicy chicken, sous vide to 155-160F directly in cranberry juice (no vacuum bag). This may bring the chicken beyond many people's juicy limits, so I suggest trying the other two recipes first to gauge your personally acceptable limit of juiciness.

Citations needed or all citations point to unreliable sources (Adrian Zenz).

Stop giving a shit about those limitations. Stop posing the question and expecting others to fix it for you. Leaded fuel is a much bigger problem than the cost of replacing or retrofitting those planes and if people don't have an incentive to change, they won't.

At the government level:

Subsidize the cost of retrofitting, set a hard deadline for no more leaded fuel, tax that fuel ridiculously starting yesterday...seriously, just invest in actual solutions instead of shrugging your fucking shoulders and saying, "but it'll cost too much."

Money ain't shit compared to public health. Give the problem a reason and the means to be solved. It really isn't that hard unless your government only cares about profits, not about improving the lives of its citizens.

Community level:

If this is your case, it'll be harder, but you need to create circumstances where either the government's or those continuing to use and produce leaded gas are punished for doing so. This is only possible through mass organizing. One of the simplest versions of this is through forming consumer unions. An even simpler method is to burn all of those little fucking planes down and burn every new one that pops up. Make it too expensive for people to buy and insurers to cover.

I think you can see where I reached the limits of my patience in writing this comment. I joke, but it is an effective means and should probably be The last resort. The point is nothing will change unless you take direct action which will involve organizing people who are affected by this problem to invoke positive change. Alone you are weak, together you are powerful. Power is what allows you to change the world.

Receives email invite to cyber security training

Email: "RSVP for Meeting"

Looks around suspiciously, then selects NO

For real though, I don't do this...often. I'd laugh if I ended up getting signed up for one of these though. My institution isn't that advanced on their IT front yet.

Counter-point:

There are also many widely accepted beliefs in the scientific community that are based on misinterpreted data/results published by others, unconfirmed, and out-dated beliefs. I agree with you, but I also think we too quickly dismiss those who question the paradigm and many in translational/translated fields (like medicine) continue operating on out-dated beliefs because they don't want to or don't have the time to keep up with current research.

Case in point: the justification for 6-foot spacing at the beginning of the COVID pandemic. Particles do not magically drop off after a few feet, this was justified in medical textbooks based on a misinterpretation of a particle physicist's publication. Another example: many organic chemistry classes still teach that FTIR is a qualitative method only despite many examples of FTIR quantitation and the widespread adoption of this method throughout companies that produce instruments and analysis software.

We should encourage trying to disprove that which we think is true and unquestionable so that we can fix our past mistakes and better inform our future work.

My group abuses this word and I fucking despise it. Every manuscript I see has "novel" in it, I call out unless it actually is displaying novelty in that context.

You can’t blame the electoral system for being ineffective if you don’t use it right.

My favorite quote from the exchange. We should just rig the elections like the GOP and DNC. Then we can go around and blame all the other countries for running sham elections. First target: Vuvuzelia.

I like to click on phishing links and send them messages in the password section. Hopfully they find it entertaining.