I don't know how people can complain that there are no positive role models for masculinity on tv when this man exists

Fellow #MCAS friends, do you perceive an intensification of cosmetic scents in the past year or two? It seems not that people are wearing more scent or using more scented products but that the products themselves are more strongly scented, even just hand soap that previously was more muted.

When I was diagnosed with ME/CFS it was still the era of people calling it yuppy flu, perhaps because it was so hard to get a diagnosis and only those with deep pockets were taken seriously. I see this assumption repeating with long COVID, that it is a made up term for rich kids to be lazy. Not true

For my hero of 2025 at @motherjones.com, I wrote about the late great disabled disability justice oracle Alice Wong, including her work with Disability Visibility Project, Crips for eSims for Gaza, and #CripTheVote. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

Another great article from @juliametraux.bsky.social. I think, when people (including @jamellebouie.net) get weird about masks or requests to mask, it says that they have not done the work of hanging out with the great diversity of disabled people and really listening to them about accessibility.

At urgent care today I saw in the wild a couple, the wife had a mask on and the husband at first glance did not, until it became clear he had the ear loops on but the mask was above his eyes almost on the very top of his head. No judgement, just confusion.

Folks need to examine philosophically why it is that—in the span of just a couple of years—the leaders of the American Democratic, Canadian Liberal & British Labour Parties have all gone all in on assisred suicide (while making healthcsre harder to attain) www.cityandstateny.com/policy/2025/...

"Arnulfo" shares, "At this time of year it is very difficult to do this work. We work in freezing temps. On rainy days the ladders get very slippery. The work required to prune apple trees is very demanding and the low piece rate we make doesn't cover our expenses." #WeFeedYou

It really gets me down that every time I pick up a City Magazine there are so few non-white faces that if you came from out of town and picked it up you'd think Rochester had regressed 100 years. This time I got to page 40, and even then it's an ad.

How shameful that at a time when political attention is so needed to deal with rising fascism, climate chaos, the continuing affects of the pandemic etc, the UK government has wasted funding and energy meddling in the WI and girl guides membership guidelines.

It always takes me by surprise that people genuinely seem to believe that the pandemic "lockdown" was somehow worse for them than it was for people on ventilators in the hospital, or for hospital staff, or for essential workers who got sick and have Long covid or other lasting effects.

📢 😷Demonstrations for post-acute infection syndromes including Long COVID, Lyme, and myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) took place today in The Hague, Netherlands. Organizers are calling for recognition of people with these diseases, better care, appropriate policy, and long term funding of research.

"Justo" is harvesting lettuce in Madera County CA. He labors 6 days a week, working 8-10 hrs shifts. "It's hard repetitive work. We have to be bent over all the time. We cut the lettuce clean off the extra leaves bag it and put it in a box. I earn minimum wage." #WeFeedYou

One more controversial transatlantic pie thought. In terms of full-sized pie, a savoury pie makes so much more sense, because they are filling and can contain all the food groups and nutrients. To have pie as dessert is so disappointing because it's too much after a heavy meal.

This may be offensive but the mince pie is so much better than the US pies in terms of utility. For example, you've been out carol singing and you're chilly and hungry and, lo, there's a mince pie: filling, small, sweet. Or you've sat through a lovely children's concert and voila, a mince pie!

As you’re preparing for your Thanksgiving meal, remember the skilled work it took to get that food to your grocery store. Tell us your favorite Thanksgiving dish, and we can share some of what we know about the work behind the ingredients.

Conservation and clean energy are issues about which the whole political spectrum in the UK agree. This should be front page news across the board: 43% of the UK's energy needs (3/4 of all homes) was met by wind power last week. www.energylivenews.com?p=357628

It's funny because before I got Covid, I was running 12 miles a week, and then it took years to be able to do any significant exercise at all (during which time I gained weight, making it even harder to bounce back)

"Her radicalism was nowhere more apparent than in her commitment to a free Palestine and her understanding of Palestinian liberation and the liberation of all people struggling to survive war, occupation, colonization and genocide as at the heart of disability justice." substack.com/home/post/p-...

This is a soothing thread for those of us who feel heartbroken today.

Today is World Homeless Day, and after years reporting on this crisis, I'll just say: homelessness is neither inevitable nor intractable. It's the result of choices—political, economic, moral—that can be unmade. And this: how we treat the unhoused is a bellwether for the violence we will tolerate.

What I wish people understood is the way that the condition is framed by doctors and "experts" shapes the way family and friends respond, meaning that not only do you suddenly lose your health but also your community. You spend precious energy trying to convince people you're still human.

How much energy and water was redirected from parched land, blighted because of climate change? Al is less useful to us than water and fuel, resources it gobbles up at an untenable rate. We do not need to care for AI, we need to recognize it as a threat to life.

You can do everything “right” and still become disabled. You can do everything “right” and have a child who is disabled. There is nothing wrong with being disabled, and if more of us approached disability with compassion, understanding, and advocacy instead of fear, the world would be better.

If you're looking for a church home, check out the intention church - 4pm EST on zoom.

For #choirs looking for autumnal music, I have a simple four part unaccompanied meditation on November Skies: drive.google.com/file/d/1XZEJ...

How could you trust the UK's ability to remain conservative around AD when at the beginning of the pandemic no less than the prime minister made it clear he was willing to sacrifice the elderly and infirm so that the able-bodied could have more freedom. And this rhetoric has since grown.

A hummingbird visits the garden on one day each year. Yesterday was the day. I was standing outside and I saw it fly down and go to every remaining lavender flower. The iridescent feathers on its back flashed as it flew around the plant about two feet away from me. A huge blessing in our tiny yard.

Fascinated that In Our Time is one of the BBC’s most popular podcasts among under 35s. The young people demand three academics and a peer discussing Demosthenes, apparently. And they’re right to do so.

I saw a great golden digger wasp in my teenie tiny yard today. The purple aster and brown eyed susans were covered in all kinds of pollinators and this huge gorgeous orange-legged wasp lazily swooped and fell among the yellow flowers. Very pleasing.

I will die on this hill: it isn’t hard to say “at the height of the pandemic” or “at the start of COVID” during a podcast interview. Producers, hosts, don’t let your guests say “during COVID” like this thing is over. Correct them. Ask them to say the sentence again. This is your job.

Though it is extremely reductive, unprecedented inequality is a primary driving factor.

You know when you just need some good news. Low cost therapy that can bring relief to some sleep apnea patients! www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

If you're in SF please go see this. Disabled voices have not been amplified, and, in fact, seem to have been suppressed, in discussions of AD. The impact of AD legislation that fails to take into account disabled voices is truly terrifying.

Next Sunday, I'll be moderating a panel at the Roxie in SF following the screening of Life After, a documentary that explores the topic of assisted suicide and disability. You can buy tickets here. roxie.com/film/life-af...

#longcovid parents (and parents of vulnerable kids) we need a Moms Demand Action type campaign in communities and schools to educate families about the risk and prevalence of long covid/other risks of unmitigated covid. If Violet Affleck has the courage to speak out, so can we.

Welp

Between 1983 and 1992, the Blood Sisters hosted 12 blood drives, demonstrating sustained commitment for nearly a decade. ⤵️

How could anyone feel any pride in the UK when this man has had such poor support for manageable-with-the-right-help neurological condition that he's decided to end his life? It makes me sick that people would consider funding AD at this point of failure of community and health care.

Harm reduction is much better than letting it rip. Consider: long covid has now surpassed asthma as the most common chronic illness in children. If you can wear a surgical mask whenever you are indoors with people not of your household you can be part of the solution.

It's hot.

There is currently an NWS flash flood warning in effect for all five boroughs of NYC. But no City agency has posted it on this platform. Please help spread the word. “If you live in a basement apartment or low-lying area, be ready to move to higher ground.”

For my EU and UK people trying to ride this out, hearing the trope that a/c is an environmental atrocity: a/c uses less power than your house heating system and you wouldn't think twice about putting on the heat when it gets below freezing. When temperatures are dangerous, you need a/c.

I planted a pollinator garden in my tiny backyard hoping for bees and butterflies and I got wasps and chipmunks... So so many wasps: yellow jackets, mud daubers, the beautiful blue ones. The chipmunks are highly entertaining for my cat, who watches them from inside like cat TV.

Can’t wait for this inhaled Covid-19 vaccine. It actually prevents Covid. Made in Canada too! 🇨🇦 brighterworld.mcmaster.ca/articles/pro...

GoFundMe has set up a page for the Texan flood victims. Each campaign has been verified by the company's Trust & Safety experts, which means you know your money is going directly to families. Please consider donating if you can. Their stories are heartbreaking. www.gofundme.com/c/act/flood-...

This disability pride month please get acquainted with: @imanibarbarin.bsky.social @sfdirewolf.bsky.social @juliadoubleday.bsky.social Amazing writers and advocates who make it easy for you to learn about disability justice and how it relates to everything, everywhere, including you.