free information is the downfall of dictators

Skeptic, they/them.This blog is a cafe in which to read, write, and chatter. Polisci studyblr?

[skeptomai-krino]

Studyblr Intro Post

Realizing I’ve never made one of these, even though I’ve been adjacent to the community for a while, so... hi!

skeptomai-krino was originally intended to be a sort of free news and analysis platform, but while I still make those posts from time to time, the other editors have all dropped off the face of the earth or quit, and I don’t often have the spoons to write super long informative articles by myself.

About Me

I’m a queer and multiply disabled university student. You can refer to me by any derivative of our username, though usually it’s Skeptic. I use they/them and it/its pronouns primarily, but most neos are cool as well! I do have a dog, and my birthday is December 19th.

I’m Posting...

Articles written by myself, as well as motivation and aesthetic posts, however, my original aesthetic posts are of course limited with my disabilities. I cannot make notes that are neat and pretty like you will see with other studyblrs, and I firmly believe that perfect and beautiful notes should not be the norm.

I’m Studying...

Norwegian, psychology, US political science, environmental science, and computer science.This blog is mostly about PoliSci and EnSci though!

Boundaries

I do not block anyone (except porn bots) on this account. Feel free to vent, ask for advice, send prompts, etc. However, I do request you refrain from sending me NSFW.

Tag System

Original posts are under #Skeptic Writes, especially articles. Some older articles may have escaped this system, but I am currently working on fixing that.

[guerrillatech]

[mamoru]

stop going to doctors that call you a liar. nearly all physically chronically ill patients get called liars or told it is all in their head at some point, and doctors are a huge part of that. your doctor calling you a liar does not mean you do not have your symptoms, it means your doctor just fucking sucks. doctors are not obligated to believe you, and you are also not obligated to go to doctors who do not believe you. stop paying them money to humiliate you. stop going to doctors who do not believe you.

ko-fi

[anarchopuppy]

Just found out that the dietary calorie is still measured by burning food in a "bomb calorimeter" and then measuring the heat produced. There's no solid evidence that this method is at all equivalent to how our bodies process food (an entirely different chemical process from combustion), the accuracy of this system has been disputed for as long as it's existed, and there are no available alternatives

There are 4800 calories in a kilogram of dry sawdust even though wood is completely indigestible to humans, because calories don't measure nutritional value, just how well something burns

Nutritional "science" is pure bullshit

[queeranarchism]

A good primer on this topic is the Maintenance Phase podcast episode ‘The Trouble with Calories’: https://maintenancephase.buzzsprout.com/1411126/10671811

Prefer reading? The sources list for that episode is full of goodies:

History of the Calorie in Nutrition

Caloric Equivalents of Gained or Lost Weight

The Foreign Policy of the Calorie

Why the most popular rule of weight loss is completely wrong

The energy balance model of obesity: beyond calories in, calories out

“Calories in, calories out” and macronutrient intake

Calories on food packets are wrong—it’s time to change that

Why Does the FDA Recommend 2,000 Calories Per Day?

Who Actually Needs a 2,000 Calorie a Day Diet?

The Nutrition Facts Label: Its History and Updates

It doesn’t stop there though, almost everything we think we know about nutrition is kind of bullshit.

You need 2000-2500 calories a day? There’s no evidence to support that claim. It’s fully a made up number.

Calories in - calories out = weight gain or loss’? Absolute bullshit. No credible scientist believes this anymore. Your body compensates for dieting in like a billion ways to the point where reducing calorie intake often results in long term weight gain.

2 liters of water per day? Again: a made up number. ZERO evidence.

The BMI? Not remotely based on science. Absolute bullshit.

Being ‘overweight’ or ‘obese’ is bad for you? Heavily disputed for all but the highest weight categories.

And of course: there is no evidence based way to lose weight and keep it off. The idea that people can decide to be thinner if not supported by evidence. Almost every study shows that almost all humans just keep returning to their set weight again and again.

Vitamin supplements? We still don’t really know why they sometimes work and sometimes don’t. Your body seems to decide whether to absorb them pretty much on a whim.

It all falls apart the moment you go looking for evidence. It’s such a sham.

[action]

Take action for the planet 🌏

Million of Americans are fleeing their homes because of extreme weather

"It's very emotional to watch your house taken down," a Florida boat captain said after a hurricane leveled his home.

"Weird" weather is sweeping the country this week. Millions of Americans had to flee their homes last year due to extreme weather.

What will you do to help the planet today?

🌏 Donate to Green Peace

🚲 Ride your bike to work

🥦 Eat more veg

[mysharona1987]

[alivehouse]

had someone ask me like “why are you guys unionizing? just cuz?” and it threw me so bad i didnt even know how to answer

[alivehouse]

[rlyehtaxidermist]

[andyridgeley]

me everyday

[ohk4te]

may your coffee be hot and your bookshelf a divine mess and your outfit good

[politijohn]

Source

Source

It’s almost as if “reform” was never enough

[sparksinthenight]

We need to rethink our whole approach to law enforcement. Law enforcement should be non-violent, made of, by and for the community, accountable to the public, based on restorative justice, and overseen by the community. We don’t need the police, we can have something better.

[queeranarchism]

So the latest shitty JKR transphobia news is that she donated to fight Scottish independence over trans rights.

and the overwhelming 99% reaction that I’ve seen on Tumblr isn’t to inform each other how to fight for trans rights in Scotland, or how to fight terfs, or to doxx JKR and the main people who get rich selling her products, or to share a terf block list, or a list of trans causes in Scotland to donate to, or to call publishers to pressure them to drop her books and games, or just to tell trans people that they are loved and to offer a space to listen to their pain.

nope, 99% is about very angrily telling people not to buy or pirate that game.

And while I sort of agree with the general sentiment of that advice if it were part of a broader politics… at present this is a parody of activism. Responses to JKR’s bullshit have turned so completely inwards, so entirely focused on policing the behavior of our own community, that it has reached the point of ridiculousness, passivity and self-destruction.

We have to do better. Trans people deserve better.

[queeranarchism]

You actually want to harm the sales of JKR products? Expand your reach. Spam review websites. Print stickers that say ‘this product supports antisemitism and transphobia’ and secretly put them on every book and piece of merch in shops. Think of new and creative ways to reach people outside your own bubble. Innovate. 

And whatever you do, please don’t give the impression that a boycott is the only thing allies have to do or the only thing activists can do. There are so many more ways to fight bigots and those who make money helping them.

[gayvampyr]

[vampilllia]

real one

[erbiumspectrum]

7 January 2023

Preparing for next week's math test. The workload is a bit daunting but I got this! ✨

[er-cryptid]

[politijohn]

Source

Another manufactured crisis? I’m shocked! /s

[beesandwasps]

Be more specific; that should read “Another manufactured crisis to distract public attention from price-gouging by corporations?”

[snorlaxatives]

happy annoy squidward day

[nerdyteaparty]

[chchchcheckitouttt]

Actually, Annoy Squidward Day is January 15th. Although the calendar doesn’t have the month written on it, if you continue to watch the episode, they’re competing for January’s Employee of the Month.

[oddmoderator]

I’ve been waiting all year to reblog this