This Thing

If neurotic ramblings and incessant photos of dogs are your thing well, I've got both in spades.

[yars]

[supersexyawesomeness]

[lowkeyed1]

[hobnob-69]

Eat ur pudding please

[rkieru]

The accuracy though...

[i-want-spankings-deactivated201]

[i-want-spankings-deactivated201]

This is possibly the coolest video I’ve ever taken.

[mygirlsaremollymarylucy]

wow I love this!!

[pissed-wav]

This is so good for my anxiety

[uniofadifferentcolor]

I’ve reblogged this so many times

[weavemama]

FAFSA is so fucking greedy and inconsiderate of students who just want to get an affordable education

[bewitchedbetwix]

Damn right they are. The whole system is a scam!

[rkieru]

I applied for University in my 20s and had to file all this extra paperwork to essentially establish that my parents were not financially capable of assisting me and their income should not factor into my loan eligibility.

As a 20 year old.

Living on my own.

Because otherwise their income would have somehow magically still been used against me; an independent adult entering college.

[yslgirl-deactivated20180528]

View this post on Instagram

[rkieru]

It is a sign of how cynical I’ve become that during this short but serene video I anxiously awaited something scary like a giant shark or something to jump at my face.

[urbanoutfucks]

“your full name without an E,F,R,S,K,I,M,L,C,A,Y,N”

[elegantlycomplex-deactivated201]

duto dwd bk

[satyr-puppy-deactivated20181214]

o tho o

[poppers-milkshake-deactivated20]

D ______ Bu

[bolinbender]

Ut htoph oux

[rkieru]

Obt ___ Pb

... this completely destroyed my middle name ;_;

[rkieru]

Thought dump on the Alexandria, VA shooting.

I have so many thoughts on this tragedy ranging from the expected to the cynical... to just being numb.  So congratulations Tumblr you get to be the place I tuck my word vomit.

My initial reaction

Was pretty awful... I’m an American and it’s only the sixth month of 2017 and this shooting was something like Mass Shooting Event #155.  And each one is horrifying and each one is numbing.

So my initial response was glib and cynical.  So many members of the Republican Party oppose any form of gun legislation.  So many of them receive financial support from the NRA and vote on bills to make it easier and faster to buy guns, to buy assault rifles.

These are the people who failed to act after Gabby Giffords was shot.  Who at every mass shooting event cry out against discussing gun legislation.  Who have even more radical party members who believe that many of these shootings were faked.

It’s easy to vilify that and look at it and say “Oh, well someone finally shot them.  Maybe now they’ll care.” which was, sadly, my first reaction.

My second reaction

Was fear for my political affiliations.  This was a progressive liberal running around shooting people after, allegedly, confirming their party affiliation.  You can’t really create a more perfect scenario for galvanizing your base against something.

So I feared backlash.  Republicans dominating the news vilifying Democrats as radicalizing their own base.  Which is... sadly... happening.

The rational thought process begins.

What should be the takeaway here, but took me a full day to really process:

Radicalization isn’t limited to any one party affiliation or religious belief.  It can happen to any subset of people.  What matters is that it not be encouraged.  Our political discourse in this country is beyond the extreme.  We paint the opposition as literal devils.  Conservatives are hell-bent on enslaving the poor and letting them die.  Liberals are hell-bent on stealing your hard-earned money and handing it out to the lazy.

We decry this type of radicalization outside our borders, and yet we are creating an atmosphere that fosters this very type of zealotry.

Our words and our actions matter, especially when we are in positions of authority over others.  When a politician goes on camera and vilifies his or her opponent, they are dehumanizing that person and that persons affiliations.  They are making it easier for a person with an undiagnosed or untreated mental illness to take that hyperbole and use it as justification for horrific action.

As Chuck Todd said on MSNBC:

We are all to blame. This toxic stew that passes for political discourse seems beyond repair in the current moment. Just look at social media. For too long, our collective politics has demonized the other side for caustic behavior while rationalizing that same behavior when it comes from someone who shares their politics.

And that’s the crux.  You cannot point the finger at one group crying out “This is wrong!” while condoning similar actions within your own.  Everyone needs to hold everyone else accountable.

[yahooentertainment]

lmao😂/smh🙄

[freedomjusticewarrior]

Eli Bosnick had the best response to this ridiculousness.

“If I gave you a bowl of skittles and three of them were poison would you still eat them?”

“Are the other skittles human lives?”

“What?”

“Like. Is there a good chance. A really good chance. I would be saving someone from a war zone and probably their life if I ate a skittle?”

“Well sure. But the point-”

“I would eat the skittles.”

“Ok-well the point is-”

“I would GORGE myself on skittles. I would eat every single fucking skittle I could find. I would STUFF myself with skittles. And when I found the poison skittle and died I would make sure to leave behind a legacy of children and of friends who also ate skittle after skittle until there were no skittles to be eaten. And each person who found the poison skittle we would weep for. We would weep for their loss, for their sacrifice, and for the fact that they did not let themselves succumb to fear but made the world a better place by eating skittles.

Because your REAL question…the one you hid behind a shitty little inaccurate, insensitive, dehumanizing racist little candy metaphor is, IS MY LIFE MORE IMPORTANT THAN THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS OF MEN, WOMEN, AND TERRIFIED CHILDREN…

… and what kind of monster would think the answer to that question… is yes?”

[afriblaq]

[imthehomoyourmomwarnedyouabout]

👏🏻👏🏻

[rkieru]

STAY WOKE FOLKS!!

This person doesn’t know shit about how TV ratings are calculated.  Unless you are a Neilson Family your individual viewing habits on over-the-air or cable television aren’t monitored in any fashion.

Keep your TV off if you’re not planning on watching anything and remember- it’s bullshit fake news like this that helped put us here in the first place.

[rkieru]

As seen at Subzero Ice cream in Siesta Keys

[psyducked]

[damnitrj]

My home state in one sentence.

[rkieru]

http://www.snopes.com/meth-lab-explosion-gas/

Florida is home to a lot of crazy, and a surprising mount of “are you fucking kidding me!?” levels of stupid.  Fortunately this article is false.

[lordendsavior]

It’s been 3 years and it’s still one of my favourite moments in British television of this decade. Ladies and gentlemen, Jack Whitehall and James Corden (from The Big Fat Quiz of the Year 2012)

[mayasmamauncensored]

[damnitrj]

Goddamn it, he’s right.

[rkieru]

What happened to Rice is a tragedy and I would hate for my words to be misconstrued as supporting the actions of the police.  With that in mind, let me clarify what Hayes is doing here.

Yes, Ohio is an Open Carry State; but there are limitations:

You must be at least 18 years of age.

The weapon must be holstered but in plain sight and clearly visible.

According to the 911 report Rice was ‘pointing it at everybody’.  Rice looked older than his 12-years, but not 18.  Open Carry laws did not and do not apply to this case.  

Let me reiterate; what happened to Rice was beyond horrid.  The police rushed into a situation and failed at any attempts to assess and react responsibly.  Those officers murdered a child. Full stop.

But again, Open Carry would not apply based on a 911 call of a person brandishing a firearm.  Hayes is trying to redirect the conversation in a misleading and misinformed manner.

[micdotcom]

Watch: George Takei has a vital message for those misusing and misremembering Japanese internment.

[heckifiknowcomics]

Sometimes it’s hard to be direct.

[starwarsgraphictee]

Me

[rkieru]

PSA: Common Truvada Myths

So the GSRM community seems to be somewhat divided on the benefits of Truvada.  I thought I would post some of the common misconceptions / myths of Truvada so that people can make a more informed decision with their sexual health.

Truvada is 99% effective at preventing HIV

It sounds too good to be true, and that’s because technically, it is.  The percentage reached in this study is a statistical estimate based on some reasonable assumptions; primarily that the patient takes the pill every day without fail, and at the same time every day.  Most people aren’t going to hit both of those marks so the actual efficacy will vary, with some studies putting the efficacy down around 90%.  90% is still good, but below safe condom usage.

I can bareback while on Truvada

I mean technically yes, that’s something that you are able to choose, but not even the pills manufacturer recommends such an action.  Truvada has been shown effective against one form of HIV; HIV-1.  While HIV-1 is the most common form of HIV in the United States it is not the only strain.  There are also mutations of HIV that have been shown resistant to Truvada (as well as other forms of antiretroviral therapies).

Truvada only prevents HIV-1 infection.  There are a plethora of other communicable infections you can acquire during intercourse, many of which have no cure.

PrEP Truvada is different from HIV+ Truvada

Sorry Charlie... the dosage you take is the same regardless of why you’re taking it: one tablet (containing 200 mg of emtricitabine and 300 mg of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) once daily taken orally with or without food.

There are no negative side effects of PrEP Truvada

You are taking the same dosage as an HIV+ patient. While your risk of developing side effects may vary, the list of potential side effects does not.  As a cautionary note, here are the serious side effects of Truvada.

Too much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious medical emergency. Symptoms of lactic acidosis include weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, nausea, vomiting, stomach-area pain, cold or blue hands and feet, feeling dizzy or lightheaded, and/or fast or abnormal heartbeats.

Serious liver problems. Your liver may become large and tender, and you may develop fat in your liver. Symptoms of liver problems include your skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, and/or stomach-area pain.

You may be more likely to get lactic acidosis or serious liver problems if you are female, very overweight (obese), or have been taking TRUVADA for a long time. In some cases, these serious conditions have led to death. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any symptoms of these conditions.

Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. If you also have HBV and take TRUVADA, your hepatitis may become worse if you stop taking TRUVADA. Do not stop taking TRUVADA without first talking to your healthcare provider. If your healthcare provider tells you to stop taking TRUVADA, they will need to watch you closely for several months to monitor your health. TRUVADA is not approved for the treatment of HBV.

PrEP users are statistically less likely to develop these serious side effects by virtue of their having healthy immune systems as well as their not being on other liver-damaging medications.  That being said, the risk of serious side effects does increase with prolonged use, whether you are a PrEP user or taking this to manage your HIV status.

------------------------------------

None of this means you shouldn’t take Truvada, or that Truvada is a bad or unsafe drug.  But some members of our community discuss Truvada like a magic pill to eradicate HIV when it’s hardly that simple.  

If you are questioning whether Truvada is the right choice for you I would strongly urge you to make an appointment with an HIV specialist to discuss the risk vs. benefits of starting Truvada.

[saywhat-politics]

This is why healthcare and capitalism don’t mix.

[rkieru]

Daraprim is not “AIDS medicine”.

Daraprim is used to treat malaria and a parasitic infection called toxoplasmosis.  Toxoplasmosis can be fatal in people with weakened or compromised immune systems.  That includes the elderly, newborns, and yes people with autoimmune disorders like HIV/AIDS.

Calling Daraprim “AIDS” medicine is like claiming Tylenol is a medicine for Brain Cancer because you happen to have brain cancer and have a headache and took some tylenol to alleviate your pain.

There is no legitimate reason for the dramatic price hike Turning Pharmaceuticals has enacted, but the dialogue around this being a drug for AIDS is extremely misleading and the authors who have pushed that angle should be ashamed of their poor skills in journalism.