Always ready to crash and burn

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1. Crows understand the concept of gifts.

There’s a little girl who started feeding the murder by her house and they started bringing her trinkets (cool pebbles, coins, shiny things, bleached animal bones, etc) as a thank you. 

2. Crows remember who has been kind to them and tell other crows about the nice humans.

There are various examples of people who have helped crows and the crows not only come back to say hi, but also bring friends who need help over for the nice human to help.

3. Crows are the only other animal known to make tools in order to make another tool.

4. Crows have been proven to have a sense of self

If you mark them with a coloured dot that they can see and then show them their reflection in a mirror they soon realize that the reflection is them and not another crow.

5. Crows have regional dialects and accents.

They are also able to copy each other’s dialects and accents to fit in if they move to an area where the accent is different.

6. Crows regularly visit their parents after leaving the nest.

it’s HIGHLY contagious, as a matter of fact it’s more than two times more contagious than the flu;

its incubation period is 14 days, which means you could be already infected and only start to show symptoms in two weeks which, in turn, means that you have two full weeks time to infect everyone you come in contact with;

we don’t have a vaccine or specific treatment yet;

it is potentially mortal for older people, people with pre-existing conditions, and immunocompromised people BUT it’s also very dangerous for everyone else too–a lot of younger people have died;

it attacks the lungs, which means a lot of patients will need respiratory aid, which means hospitals get full really fast and if there’s a shortage of machineries (which, there is), doctors might even have to choose to save a patient over another;

that 2% fatality rate is not confirmed, it was an initial hypothesis. if you look at the numbers of Italy the percentage is much higher. as of right now the number of infected in Italy is 12462, the number of victims is 827: now i’m no mathematician, but i’m pretty sure that’s more like 6,6%; (while i’m on the subject, you may want to double check how your country is counting victims: a lot of countries are only counting people who died OF coronavirus, while the more accurate way of counting would be to consider those who died WITH coronavirus);

a lot of countries aren’t even testing properly yet, which means the numbers are highly debatable.

we all initially underestimated the situation here in Italy and now look at us. we’re all stuck at home–we can’t leave unless strictly necessary. no school, no uni, no cinema, no theatre, no weddings, no funerals. we’re queuing to enter supermarkets and pharmacies. our hospitals are full and our doctors are exhausted. we’re all doing this not because we’re overly dramatic or something, we’re doing this because it’s the only way to prevent the virus from spreading (as the news from Wuhan show) and therefore to safeguard everyone and keep the hospitals going.  

COVID-19, specifically the new coronavirus responsible for this mass panic, is equally as contagious as influenza, in that it’s transmitted by droplet and fomites, meaning the SAME precautions are required for both [x]

The word you’re looking for is ‘fatal’, not ‘mortal’. 

Influenza is contagious within the first few days of an individual becoming sick, however can be transmittable up to 7-10 days afterwards. This means Influenza can spread faster than COVID-19 [x]

The prevention for both diseases is the same: cough etiquette, good hand hygiene and containment if unwell. The treatment is the same: rest, symptomatic management, and supportive measures in the case of severe disease. 

Death toll: the overall mortality rate for COVID-19 is 3.4% [x]. As of posting, it’s March 12, so that number is likely to change with each day that the situation evolves. It’s likely we will see the number decrease as the virus spreads and the ratio of recovered people to people who have died evolves. This number is highly changeable and it’s impossible to provide an accurate reflection of it given the rapidly changing nature of the knowledge we have.

Of these deaths, 14% have been people over the age of 80 (reflecting comorbidities such as lung or heart disease), as opposed to 0.4 of 40-50′s and 0.2% in people aged 10-39. So no, not ‘a lot of young people have died’. [x] Only one known case of someone under the age of 19 has died in China [x].

By comparison, this flu season, 136 paediatric patients have died with influenza associated pneumonia in the USA alone [x]. Influenza is far less discriminatory in who it infects and who is susceptible to severe illness, with several. strains targeting young, healthy and otherwise fit individuals in particular. 

Doctors never choose to save one life over another. If they do, they should not be a doctor, and you have a lawsuit on your hands. If a hospital is overwhelmed with equipment shortages, they will find a way to treat the patient anyway. My hospital for example has the capacity to look after up to five patients requiring intubation (a machine doing the breathing for you). In the case where we have had people needing ICU  and our ICU is full (which has happened the last few flu seasons), we have treated the patient anyway in the ER and then transferred the patient to a hospital capable of continuing their care. I’m so gobsmacked that you’d even make a remark like this that I’m honestly wondering whether or not i should be offended. 

As of march 10, over 66 thousand people have recovered from the disease. That is more than half of those infected. 

I understand being afraid and uncertain because this is a new virus and the response to it is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before with other pandemics (Hello SARS, hello MERS, hello Swine Flu, hello HIV/AIDS! A few notable mentions since the 00′s). But for everyone using this website, the OP of the tweet posted is right: you probably won’t die from it. At most, you’ll feel like you’ve had the worst cold of your entire life and be stuck in bed for a few days. 

Take precautions! Wash your hands! Isolate yourself for 14 days if you’ve been in contact with someone who has the virus. 

But please stop spreading misinformation about the virus because it is doing NO one any favours and it is only contributing to irrational fear that is putting MORE burden on health systems that are already struggling enough.

it’s HIGHLY contagious, as a matter of fact it’s more than two times more contagious than the flu;

its incubation period is 14 days, which means you could be already infected and only start to show symptoms in two weeks which, in turn, means that you have two full weeks time to infect everyone you come in contact with;

we don’t have a vaccine or specific treatment yet;

it is potentially mortal for older people, people with pre-existing conditions, and immunocompromised people BUT it’s also very dangerous for everyone else too–a lot of younger people have died;

it attacks the lungs, which means a lot of patients will need respiratory aid, which means hospitals get full really fast and if there’s a shortage of machineries (which, there is), doctors might even have to choose to save a patient over another;

that 2% fatality rate is not confirmed, it was an initial hypothesis. if you look at the numbers of Italy the percentage is much higher. as of right now the number of infected in Italy is 12462, the number of victims is 827: now i’m no mathematician, but i’m pretty sure that’s more like 6,6%; (while i’m on the subject, you may want to double check how your country is counting victims: a lot of countries are only counting people who died OF coronavirus, while the more accurate way of counting would be to consider those who died WITH coronavirus);

a lot of countries aren’t even testing properly yet, which means the numbers are highly debatable.

we all initially underestimated the situation here in Italy and now look at us. we’re all stuck at home–we can’t leave unless strictly necessary. no school, no uni, no cinema, no theatre, no weddings, no funerals. we’re queuing to enter supermarkets and pharmacies. our hospitals are full and our doctors are exhausted. we’re all doing this not because we’re overly dramatic or something, we’re doing this because it’s the only way to prevent the virus from spreading (as the news from Wuhan show) and therefore to safeguard everyone and keep the hospitals going.  

COVID-19, specifically the new coronavirus responsible for this mass panic, is equally as contagious as influenza, in that it’s transmitted by droplet and fomites, meaning the SAME precautions are required for both [x]

The word you’re looking for is ‘fatal’, not ‘mortal’. 

Influenza is contagious within the first few days of an individual becoming sick, however can be transmittable up to 7-10 days afterwards. This means Influenza can spread faster than COVID-19 [x]

The prevention for both diseases is the same: cough etiquette, good hand hygiene and containment if unwell. The treatment is the same: rest, symptomatic management, and supportive measures in the case of severe disease. 

Death toll: the overall mortality rate for COVID-19 is 3.4% [x]. As of posting, it’s March 12, so that number is likely to change with each day that the situation evolves. It’s likely we will see the number decrease as the virus spreads and the ratio of recovered people to people who have died evolves. This number is highly changeable and it’s impossible to provide an accurate reflection of it given the rapidly changing nature of the knowledge we have.

Of these deaths, 14% have been people over the age of 80 (reflecting comorbidities such as lung or heart disease), as opposed to 0.4 of 40-50′s and 0.2% in people aged 10-39. So no, not ‘a lot of young people have died’. [x] Only one known case of someone under the age of 19 has died in China [x].

By comparison, this flu season, 136 paediatric patients have died with influenza associated pneumonia in the USA alone [x]. Influenza is far less discriminatory in who it infects and who is susceptible to severe illness, with several. strains targeting young, healthy and otherwise fit individuals in particular. 

Doctors never choose to save one life over another. If they do, they should not be a doctor, and you have a lawsuit on your hands. If a hospital is overwhelmed with equipment shortages, they will find a way to treat the patient anyway. My hospital for example has the capacity to look after up to five patients requiring intubation (a machine doing the breathing for you). In the case where we have had people needing ICU  and our ICU is full (which has happened the last few flu seasons), we have treated the patient anyway in the ER and then transferred the patient to a hospital capable of continuing their care. I’m so gobsmacked that you’d even make a remark like this that I’m honestly wondering whether or not i should be offended. 

As of march 10, over 66 thousand people have recovered from the disease. That is more than half of those infected. 

I understand being afraid and uncertain because this is a new virus and the response to it is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before with other pandemics (Hello SARS, hello MERS, hello Swine Flu, hello HIV/AIDS! A few notable mentions since the 00′s). But for everyone using this website, the OP of the tweet posted is right: you probably won’t die from it. At most, you’ll feel like you’ve had the worst cold of your entire life and be stuck in bed for a few days. 

Take precautions! Wash your hands! Isolate yourself for 14 days if you’ve been in contact with someone who has the virus. 

But please stop spreading misinformation about the virus because it is doing NO one any favours and it is only contributing to irrational fear that is putting MORE burden on health systems that are already struggling enough.

Hairdresser: pretty simple

Me: this is chemistry

Me: apprentice

Hairdresser: do you know why formaldehyde is used in clothing?

Me: I didn’t know that was a thing

Hairdresser: I think it’s due to the preserving qualities? But I don’t think that’s right.

Me: It’s not just a preservative, it’s also a disinfectant ‘cause it destroys bacteria as well as their food supply. It’s also a dehydrator. 

Hairdresser: why not just use alcohol?

Me: good question. Formaldehyde is super cheap, so probably to cut costs

Hairdresser: is it really a carcinogen? 

Me: yeah

Hairdresser: while still in school?

Me: well we work in the funeral homes so we have uuuuh … experience with cases

Hairdresser: you can just say bodies it’s fine 

Me: yeah so we don’t do autopsies it’s one of my pet peeves

Hairdresser: what if someone wakes up while you’re embalming them?

Me: there’s a huge difference between a living body and a dead one

second hairdresser: I think we should add more toner, but yeah I think rigor mortis would make it pretty obvious

Me: that and being in a fridge for a few days you will be dead by the time you get to us

OH! I KNOW THE ANSWER TO THIS!

There’s a WIRED article that explains the history behind this practice. 

Basically, this guy named Jeffrey Mitchell had a traumatic experience, then after months of PTSD, he told a confidant about the event that traumatized him. Retelling the event to a confidant was so cathartic for Mitchell that his PTSD went away after. He did a bunch of research to see if his personal experience of catharsis and relief could be replicated in other people suffering from PTSD. Years later he published a paper proposing a formalized psychiatric treatment revolving around this idea that expressing a traumatic experience helps relieve it. The paper was so influential that the whole psychiatric community adopted “critical incident stress debriefing” (CISD) as a standard treatment for PTSD.

Unfortunately … it’s bullshit.

Not only does the CISD treatment program Mitchell came up with not help the majority of patients who try it, but it actually makes PTSD worse in the majority of patients who try it.

The WIRED article explains why:

CISD misapprehends how memory works…. Once a memory is formed, we assume that it will stay the same. This, in fact, is why we trust our recollections. They feel like indelible portraits of the past.

None of this is true. In the past decade, scientists have come to realize that our memories are not inert packets of data and they don’t remain constant. 

…the very act of remembering changes the memory itself. New research is showing that every time we recall an event, the structure of that memory in the brain is altered in light of the present moment, warped by our current feelings and knowledge. 

Basically, Mitchell waited until he had some emotional distance before trying to recall the memory, and he had full control of the situation. It was fully his decision. Nobody was pressuring him to talk about it. So he felt safe. Thinking about the memory from a place of safety allowed his brain to re-contextualize the memory as harmless.

Conversely, pressuring a patient to recall a traumatic memory, particularly when it’s still fresh in their minds, makes the patient feel very unsafe. Recalling a bad memory in this unsafe context only serves to re-traumatize the patient.