mintsparrow

[mintsparrow]

was behind a truck today with a bumper sticker that said "JESUS CAN HELP YOU" and in my head i was like 🙄 ok but then i saw a second, handmade sign on the side of the truck that said "taskrabbit: call jesus torres" and his phone number

[mintsparrow]

Reblog to give a trans woman an embrace so warm and loving that you feel her shoulders drop and her body finally relax a little

[mintsparrow]

I trust you, friend.

[mintsparrow]

I love how McBride & Co represent the relationship to masculinity and anger in The Righteous Gemstones. Eli's anger is felt in his presence and the way people around him react to him. His sons flinch when he raises a hand. His voice booms across Sunday Lunch and everyone quiets. He knows he has a reputation for strength, so when he is taunted for being old and losing his grip, he doubles down on pain and punishment. His anger is the only tool he knows how to use when he feels like he's losing control. Jesse's anger is explosive and clumsy; it's the first emotion he turns to when he's hurt and vulnerable, and it overflows and bubbles over destructively. He puffs his chest, struts in front of his friends, degrades others, exudes a desire for violence... but it's interesting to me that he uses others to get what he wants. He sends his friends after his rivals, teaches BJ how to box... but he doesn't step in himself. Jesse's anger is a weapon, but he's not able to wield it in the same way his father wields it. Kelvin's anger is caustic and piercing; he lashes out verbally, roots out insecurities and needles at them. He tells Keefe that he doesn't need him, he constantly reminds Jesse that his kids don't respect him, and he writes Judy off as unimportant - all things that they fear the most. His anger is a shield, the thing he puts up every time he feels fear or insecurity.

BJ's anger is often ignored or lampooned, by both Judy and her brothers, even though he's usually angry on her behalf. He's written off as a joke; but when he has to confront Stephen, his anger is recognized and validated. I think it's interesting that BJ fights his own battles where Jesse won't. I also think it's interesting that his quiet "I hope you like me now" to Judy hits so much harder than the bloody brawl that precedes it. And his anger in S4 feels like such a big shift for him: he refuses to be sidelined, and allows himself to be selfish. He's going through pain that he's never felt before; he doesn't have a "normal" while he's injured, so his feelings manifest as anger.

Baby Billy's anger feels... fermented. Soured. He's been holding onto a grudge ever since Eli took away Aimee-Leigh, and he seems bitter about how much he's lost, ruined, or burned in his attempt to get somewhere close to Eli's success. His anger feels like an old wound that he won't stop nursing. His anger turns him into a villain.

Gideon's anger is big and then almost entirely vanishes. S1 hangs on the actions of his anger; the disappointment in his dad and the frustration that comes from a family that doesn't support his dreams. His response is easily the most destructive to the entire family. But in subsequent seasons it feels like Gideon is constantly holding back; he deflects insults from his family rather than lashing back. When we do see his anger it's when his family is in danger - when the cycle ninjas go after Eli, or Peter & his militia kidnap the siblings. Unlike Jesse, Gideon's able to follow through on his threats. Unlike BJ, Gideon's taken seriously. Unlike Eli, his anger isn't his only tool; it's often his last resort.

And then there's Keefe.

Keefe feels unique to me, because of his lack of anger. I think we only see Keefe get angry once; when he walks in on Kelvin and Taryn. Unlike a lot of the other characters on the show, Keefe is more likely to feel fear or sadness, and he's not afraid to show any of those feelings. He's visibly crying when he's driving away from Kelvin's house in S1, and he's the only one at the lake house who's willing to admit that he was the one who made a mistake. (I'm still not over Kelvin's face when Keefe says he overstepped his bounds).

The one time Keefe is angry, he's reacting out of surprise and jealousy, and Kelvin seems to clock it pretty quickly. Keefe's not loud, he doesn't threaten, not even when Kelvin calls his rocking chair stupid. He sulks, does a cartwheel, and removes himself from the situation. It's interesting to me that when Keefe shows anger, it's in response to an emotion that he's not allowed to show - love.

All of the different ways the show uses anger feels like different facets of how a man's anger is usually the only way he is allowed to show emotion, and I think it's really interesting that Danny McBride & co were able to use all of these different men to showcase how their anger was actually jealousy, fear, sadness, and other vulnerabilities.

[mintsparrow]

https://www.ctvnews.ca/video/2025/05/06/ctv-national-news-danielle-smith-doubles-down-on-allowing-separation-referendum/

[mintsparrow]

I love when there's characters that are pair bonded and you know that wherever one of them is the other is also gonna be there.

[mintsparrow]

Inspired by @gfbillpotts post

[mintsparrow]

if i had two dollars for every time a comonwealth country's federal election ousted the opposition leader from their position and their electorate seat in 2025, i'd have two dollars, which isnt a lot, but it's weird it happened twice right?

[mintsparrow]

Here we go! Season 4 swear counts!

So the final result from all seasons:

Wow Jesse.

But most importantly!

[mintsparrow]

"Tim Friede’s YouTube channel is home to a collection of videos depicting the Wisconsin-native truck mechanic subjecting himself to purposeful snake bites, blood slowly dripping down his arms.

For the past 20 years, Friede has been one of the most notorious “unconventional” medical researchers, undergoing over 200 bites from the world’s deadliest snakes — and more than four times as many — 850 — venomous injections. 

He did it all in the name of science.

According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 100,000 people are killed by snake bites each year, with countless more being disabled by the venom of the deadly reptiles. 

While life-saving anti-venom is available, very few countries actually have the capacity to produce it properly, given that most bites occur in remote and rural areas, and anti-venom requires arduous sourcing and accuracy. 

But Friede’s blood is now full of antibodies, following decades of strategic exposure to the neurotoxins of mambas, cobras, and other lethal slithering critters.

His blood is now the source material researchers are using to develop an anti-venom capable of neutralizing a broad spectrum of snake bites...

Friede started this hobby — which he is indeed adamant no one else tries at home — out of sheer curiosity in childhood. After playing with harmless garter snakes in his youth, he began keeping more dangerous species of snakes as pets. At one point, he had 60 of them in his home basement.

In 1999, he began extracting venom from his snakes, drying it, diluting it, and injecting himself with tiny doses — keeping meticulous records as he went.

He had one major hospitalization in 2001, when he was paralyzed and in a coma for four days. But instead of giving up, he doubled down. 

“In hindsight, I’m glad it happened,” Friede told The Times. “I never made another mistake.”

Jacob Glanville, an immunologist and founder of biotech company Centivax, stumbled on Friede’s videos.

Now, Friede is the director of herpetology at Centivax and serves as something of a “human lab” to Glanville.

“For a period of nearly 18 years, [Tim] had undertaken hundreds of bites and self-immunizations with escalating doses from 16 species of very lethal snakes that would normally a kill a horse,” Glanville told The Guardian.

“It blew my mind. I contacted him because I thought if anyone in the world has these properly neutralizing antibodies, it’s him.”

To develop the new anti-venom, Glanville and his fellow researchers identified 19 of the world’s deadliest snakes — in the elapid family — which kill their prey by injecting neurotoxins into their bloodstream, paralyzing muscles (including the big, important ones, like the heart and lungs).

The trouble is, each species in the elapid family has a slightly different toxin, meaning they would each require their own anti-venom.

But Friede’s blood contains certain fragments of each of these toxins; protein molecules seen across the various species. Because of his decades of service to science, his blood also contains the antibodies required to neutralize these toxins, preventing them from sticking to human cells and causing harm.

Combining the antibodies LNX-D09, SNX-B03, and a small molecule called varespladib that inhibits venom toxins, Centivax has successfully created a treatment effective against the entire range of 19 species’ toxins.

Their work, which was recently published in the journal Cell, will soon be tested outside of the lab. 

Trials will start with using the serum to treat dogs admitted to Australian veterinary clinics for snake bites. Assuming that goes well, the next step will be to administer human tests.

Researchers also believe that because the serum stems from a human, this should also lower the risk of allergic reactions when being administered to other people. 

“The final product would be a single, pan-anti-venom cocktail,” Professor Peter Kwong of Columbia University, a senior author of the study, told The Times.

Or, he added, they could make two: “One that is for the elapids, and another that is for the viperids, because some areas of the world only have one or the other.”

As for Friede, he maintains his affinity for snakes, though his last bite was in November 2018, when he said “enough is enough,” according to The New York Times.

By then, he had certainly done enough. His pursuit of immunity could feasibly save countless lives.

“I’m really proud that I can do something in life for humanity,” Friede told The New York Times, “to make a difference for people that are 8,000 miles away, that I’m never going to meet, never going to talk to, never going to see, probably.”

-via GoodGoodGood, May 2, 2025

[mintsparrow]

“whatever the fuck these two characters had going on” is a vastly underrated character dynamic

[mintsparrow]

there’s something so personal about a relationship where one guy has absolutely no clue he’s domming and the other guy is fully aware and super into it bc he worships him and lets it happen for like 3 years until the first guy finally realizes he’s gay. and then they get together and continue this bizzare dynamic

[mintsparrow]

here's what I've learned to never pay full price for, because people are giving these items away for free or almost free on Craigslist, Nextdoor, Facebook, at Goodwill, and on eBay (which has a local pickup section) in every sufficiently populated location in the USA.

cost of acquiring these items ranges from "carrying it home from the sidewalk" to "getting a friend with a car to help you pick it up" which is the same amount of effort as going to IKEA for worse quality that costs more, with the notable exception of it being a pain in the ass to coordinate with craigslist sellers, and you often have to wait and watch for what you want to actually show up. it took me about a year to find an acceptable gamer chair left out on the sidewalk, for example. but they cost $100+ new, so I chose to wait.

a lot of this stuff is the kind of thing you don't necessarily intend to keep, just to use in transitional housing or until you can afford a better one.

1. printers of any kind. basic office inkjets are free. ink is easily refillable or has generic ink cartridges way cheaper than brand name for any inkjet up to about 2015, not sure how difficult the newer smart printers are to hack but there's no reason to own a newer one because printing technology has not improved since about 2005. you want a color laser for making zines and wheatpastes? it's on Craigslist RN and someone's mom is desperate to get rid of it

2. bedframes

3. desks

4. tables

5. chairs

6. bookshelves, nice oak bookshelves that don't bend like al dente spaghetti when you put books on them, are rotting on sidewalks rn because they didn't fit in someone's house. go get them

7. scanners. I find a working scanner by a dumpster at least once a quarter, and I don't pick them up because I already have one that I picked up from a dumpster years ago

8. hot tubs. everyone thinks they want a hot tub and that the maintenance and upkeep will be worth it, and they are wrong. Craigslist.

9. sofas, with the caveat that if you are in a bedbug region like New York State you need to be very confident in your bedbug screening skills

10. quality leather shoes. these last forever and are expensive new. eBay is best for these

11. plates, glassware, silverware. all of these are able to be sterilized to whatever standard you feel comfortable with but if you eat in restaurants you've already put a fork in your mouth that hundreds of people have drooled on so try not to fool yourself

12. televisions and computer monitors

13. houseplants. similar to the bedbug warning above, you need to screen these for pests like fungus gnats and mealybugs

14. dressers, wardrobes, china hutches, cabinets, chests of drawers, etc

15. mirrors

16. clothes hangers

17. moving boxes

18. mattresses to a certain extent. I don't like secondhand used mattresses but unstained, unused mattresses are surprisingly common, especially since the foam mail order mattress boom started and people keep getting told by the mattress companies to just get rid of/keep any mattresses they want to return for flaws or wrong sizes or whatever. bedbug warning on this obviously

19. sheets and towels. you gotta launder them obviously

20. basic clothing, especially for kids. normie type clothing is so numerous people often just throw them away because they can't get anyone to take them

21. kitchenware like cooking utensils and pots n pans. don't use chipped or scratched Teflon/nonstick if you can help it. everyone needs one basic steel chef knife, which can be sharpened and maintained indefinitely. people throw these away CONSTANTLY

22. household consumables like laundry soap and dish soap. people often accidentally buy the wrong brand, scent, or develop allergies and want to get rid of extra

23. pet supplies like collars, leashes, dog crates, litter boxes, litter itself, dog beds, toys, carriers, etc

24. medical equipment of all kinds. people who take care of all kinds of patients end up with tons of leftover, sealed, miscellaneous stuff when that person recovers or dies, and they often give it away. adult diapers, hospital beds, IV stands, crutches, walkers, wheelchairs, fracture boots and splints, knee braces, canes, catheter packs, ice packs, heat packs, sterile paper sheeting, gauze, slings, over-the-door stretching and rehab pulleys, mattress protectors, etc

25. washers and dryers, both the basic household cube type and the small twin tub or rock tumbler type. people upgrade these when the old ones are still working, just squeaky or a little weird or sometimes just old

26. vacuum cleaners. secondhand ones are sort of icky but you can get rid of the ickiness by wiping them down with a rag and isopropyl alcohol inside and out. use an exacto or utility knife to slice off the hair and string wrapped around the roller. buy a new filter on Amazon. people throw away vacuums that work perfectly all the time because they don't actually know how to clean them out or do maintenance. bedbug and pet hair warning obviously

27. microwaves

28. refrigerators

30. lamps

31. any kind of exercise equipment including stationary bikes, ellipticals and weights/weight benches

32. any kind of piano. there's a grand on my local Craigslist for free rn

33. scrap wood and lumber

34. pallets

35. wood shipping crates

36. newborn, toddler and baby equipment like breast milk pumps and storage, bottles, bottle racks, diapers, etc. anything a little guy will grow out of fast will end up being given away

37. air conditioners, humidifiers and dehumidifiers. these will be most numerous during their respective off seasons

list updated 2/13/24 based on recent Craigslist trawling

38. jars, both canning type jars and clean food jars like from pickled or jelly bought at the store

39. rugs. most of my rugs are sidewalk finds. rugs will almost always be dirty. a decent consumer grade rug cleaner costs under $100, it's cheaper to just buy one if you have the space to store it. flushing the scavenged rug with soap, hot water, vinegar, alcohol, etc will clean almost anything but huge bedbug and allergen warning on this item

[mintsparrow]

"Punishment works!!!" We're drowning in three to four generations of people so pants-shittingly terrified of ever being wrong that half of everyone has constructed a worldview wherein they never even consider the possibility that they could be wrong and the other half behaves like one wrong move will make anything or anyone explode violently into a million irreperable pieces. I don't think it works guys

[mintsparrow]

yeah i'll be your dog but this is a professional relationship first and foremost. I mean we can have sex too but

[mintsparrow]

[mintsparrow]

a little clip from the finale of TRG is shown at the end!