esm's recent activity
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Comment on Non-fiction books about mentally surviving a far right regime in ~books
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Comment on American Red Cross national blood inventory plummets 25% in July - declares emergency blood shortage in ~health
esm Link ParentThank you for donating, and especially for continuing to consider doing so even after your experiences. You might be a good match for donating platelets: there is almost no fluid loss, so you...Thank you for donating, and especially for continuing to consider doing so even after your experiences. You might be a good match for donating platelets: there is almost no fluid loss, so you leave the center with all your red blood cells and maybe even a little more fluid than when you came in, because as part of the process they feed you a little saline. Your body will typically replenish platelets within 24 hours.
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Comment on American Red Cross national blood inventory plummets 25% in July - declares emergency blood shortage in ~health
esm LinkI'm a regular platelet donor, been so for almost forty years, and I've noticed the increasingly panicky tone of donation pleas the past few months. They're asking me to shift to every-three-week...- Exemplary
I'm a regular platelet donor, been so for almost forty years, and I've noticed the increasingly panicky tone of donation pleas the past few months. They're asking me to shift to every-three-week schedule instead of 4. Yesterday was my day, and I asked what was going on: “our donors are aging out.” Go on disqualifying medications, or lose vein integrity, or, well, that other thing that happens to us after a rich long life. And it seems younger people aren't getting the donating bug. [Editor: please fix poor choice of words there] so there's a smaller pool.
Are you a young person? Would you consider developing a new lifelong habit, one with the potential of saving lives (although you will never get to actually find out)? Please contact your local blood bank.
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Comment on Non-fictional books about getting to know emotions? in ~books
esm LinkHow Emotions Are Made was really, really thought-provoking when I first read it six years ago. Author Lisa Feldman Barrett is a respected researcher in neuroscience and psychology. Her pet thesis...How Emotions Are Made was really, really thought-provoking when I first read it six years ago. Author Lisa Feldman Barrett is a respected researcher in neuroscience and psychology. Her pet thesis IIRC is that fine-grained emotions are a cultural construct, useful but not universal.
I just noticed she has a more recent book, Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain, which at 192 pages might fit your requested length.
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Comment on Feeling lost with mental health treatment in ~health.mental
esm Link ParentThirding. I too followed the psilocybin research for some years, took my first deep trip in 2014, and it changed me for the sooooo much better. Effects last 1-2 years for me, so every year or two...Thirding. I too followed the psilocybin research for some years, took my first deep trip in 2014, and it changed me for the sooooo much better. Effects last 1-2 years for me, so every year or two I reserve a day, find a trusted friend to sit with me, and reset. (Sitting is important. I do so as well for friends I love). But of course YMMV, be careful, be safe, be respectful, and do not even try if you have a family history of schizophrenia.
Howsoever you proceed, I wish you comfort and peace.
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Comment on I donated platelets for the first time! in ~health
esm LinkCongratulations, and thank you! So many people are intimidated by platelets. Your courage and patience are much appreciated. I'll reiterate what @teaearlgraycold said: ask your donor center if...Congratulations, and thank you! So many people are intimidated by platelets. Your courage and patience are much appreciated.
I'll reiterate what @teaearlgraycold said: ask your donor center if they have Trima or other one-arm machines. When I started donating platelets in the 1980s it was a two-arm process, and I got very good at scratching my nose with my knee—a talent that has not come in as handy in life as I had expected it to. In 1994 I moved to New Mexico, where they have one-arm machines, and the difference is huge: I can read. I can take sips of water. I can (when absolutely necessary) reply to a text from a friend. As a regular donor (every 3-4 weeks for um a lot of years) having that arm free for two hours makes a huge difference. You certainly made the best of your enforced period of mindfulness, though!
Thank you again. What you're giving is priceless.
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Comment on Tell me about your weird religious beliefs in ~humanities
esm LinkI believe in, and try to live my life by, these seven tenets: I One should strive to act with compassion and empathy toward all creatures in accordance with reason. II The struggle for justice is...I believe in, and try to live my life by, these seven tenets:
IOne should strive to act with compassion and empathy toward all creatures in accordance with reason.IIThe struggle for justice is an ongoing and necessary pursuit that should prevail over laws and institutions.IIIOne’s body is inviolable, subject to one’s own will alone.IVThe freedoms of others should be respected, including the freedom to offend. To willfully and unjustly encroach upon the freedoms of another is to forgo one's own.VBeliefs should conform to one's best scientific understanding of the world. One should take care never to distort scientific facts to fit one's beliefs.VIPeople are fallible. If one makes a mistake, one should do one's best to rectify it and resolve any harm that might have been caused.VIIEvery tenet is a guiding principle designed to inspire nobility in action and thought. The spirit of compassion, wisdom, and justice should always prevail over the written or spoken word.
Essay, not book: The Power of the Powerless by Václav Havel is quite beautiful. The full text is freely available online.