Rebecca Johnson Bista
@rebeccaji.bsky.social
Writer, artist, researcher, editor, carer, cat lover, slug slaughterer, bird whisperer, coast-dweller, Islamophile, lost soul and many other things. Interested in narratives of illness, especially ME/CFS, Covid and other traumas. Fascism-free zone.
Something to look up
6/
May is #MyalgicEncephalomyelitis (ME) Awareness Month.
You can help by reposting +/or liking this video. It's a preview of a documentary, formerly called "Blue Ribbon" (now called The Forgotten Plague) (3 mins 5 secs)
youtu.be/y69PqwZoUws
Day 6 #MEcfs #CFS
May is #MyalgicEncephalomyelitis (ME) Awareness Month.
You can help by reposting +/or liking this video. It's a preview of a documentary, formerly called "Blue Ribbon" (now called The Forgotten Plague) (3 mins 5 secs)
youtu.be/y69PqwZoUws
Day 6 #MEcfs #CFS
The Blue Ribbon: Sneak Peek
YouTube video by Nicole Castillo
youtu.be
May 7, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Something to look up
it’s all I know about Girl Scouts in the USA. Girl Scouts AKA Girl Guides here, are UK-based, invented by Lord Baden Powell and his sister Agnes in the early 1900s, then spread around the world. so I know a bit about Guiding in the UK, and was one once. Bake sales are not a major part of UK Guides.
April 5, 2025 at 7:55 AM
it’s all I know about Girl Scouts in the USA. Girl Scouts AKA Girl Guides here, are UK-based, invented by Lord Baden Powell and his sister Agnes in the early 1900s, then spread around the world. so I know a bit about Guiding in the UK, and was one once. Bake sales are not a major part of UK Guides.
Reposted by Rebecca Johnson Bista
Reposted by Rebecca Johnson Bista
Global News: 'Vancouver rally raising awareness around long COVID'
'A small demonstration in Downtown Vancouver shedding light on a condition that is not yet fully understood. Millions of Canadians suffer from symptoms of long COVID..that can be debilitating'
globalnews.ca/video/110839...
'A small demonstration in Downtown Vancouver shedding light on a condition that is not yet fully understood. Millions of Canadians suffer from symptoms of long COVID..that can be debilitating'
globalnews.ca/video/110839...
Vancouver rally raising awareness around long COVID | Watch News Videos Online
Watch Vancouver rally raising awareness around long COVID Video Online, on GlobalNews.ca
globalnews.ca
March 16, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Global News: 'Vancouver rally raising awareness around long COVID'
'A small demonstration in Downtown Vancouver shedding light on a condition that is not yet fully understood. Millions of Canadians suffer from symptoms of long COVID..that can be debilitating'
globalnews.ca/video/110839...
'A small demonstration in Downtown Vancouver shedding light on a condition that is not yet fully understood. Millions of Canadians suffer from symptoms of long COVID..that can be debilitating'
globalnews.ca/video/110839...
Reposted by Rebecca Johnson Bista
"We’re in the midst of an authoritarian takeover of the U.S. government.... Our problem in part is a failure of imagination. We cannot get ourselves to see how this is going to unfold in its most frightening versions."
--Lee Bollinger, former president of Columbia University.
--Lee Bollinger, former president of Columbia University.
March 17, 2025 at 2:48 AM
"We’re in the midst of an authoritarian takeover of the U.S. government.... Our problem in part is a failure of imagination. We cannot get ourselves to see how this is going to unfold in its most frightening versions."
--Lee Bollinger, former president of Columbia University.
--Lee Bollinger, former president of Columbia University.
Reposted by Rebecca Johnson Bista
KSDK: “COVID-19 turns 5 this year, but it's far from being gone”
"Right now we think that there are more people living with long covid than realize it," Cheng said
www.ksdk.com/article/news...
"Right now we think that there are more people living with long covid than realize it," Cheng said
www.ksdk.com/article/news...
COVID-19 turns 5 this year, but it's far from being gone
For some, it's not much different than dealing with a cold or flu. But for others, COVID completely upended their lives.
www.ksdk.com
March 1, 2025 at 4:55 AM
KSDK: “COVID-19 turns 5 this year, but it's far from being gone”
"Right now we think that there are more people living with long covid than realize it," Cheng said
www.ksdk.com/article/news...
"Right now we think that there are more people living with long covid than realize it," Cheng said
www.ksdk.com/article/news...
Reposted by Rebecca Johnson Bista
Good journalism, unlike academic writing, “often emerges from the convergence of disagreement and befuddlement,” Joshua Rothman writes. In a new Weekend Essay, he reflects on his turn to reporting.
An Academic’s Journey Toward Reporting
I was used to a disembodied way of working: identify a philosophical problem, then study it. What could spending time with a philosopher teach me about his ideas?
www.newyorker.com
February 15, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Good journalism, unlike academic writing, “often emerges from the convergence of disagreement and befuddlement,” Joshua Rothman writes. In a new Weekend Essay, he reflects on his turn to reporting.
Chaos being unleashed
Urgent CDC Data on Influenza and Bird Flu Go Missing as Outbreaks Escalate www.scientificamerican.com/article/urge...
Urgent CDC Data on Influenza and Bird Flu Go Missing as Outbreaks Escalate
Delays in CDC analyses of infectious disease threats and agency silence will harm Americans, doctors and public health experts warn
www.scientificamerican.com
February 15, 2025 at 11:18 PM
Chaos being unleashed
Beware of flu
CDC said that it now classified the #flu season as high severity for all age-groups for the first time since the 2017-18 season.
Over the past 2 weeks, flu deaths have outpaced fatalities from #COVID and now make up 2.6% of all deaths for the most recent week, compared to 1.5% for COVID.
Over the past 2 weeks, flu deaths have outpaced fatalities from #COVID and now make up 2.6% of all deaths for the most recent week, compared to 1.5% for COVID.
US flu reaches high severity status as deaths outpace COVID
www.cidrap.umn.edu
February 15, 2025 at 11:17 PM
Beware of flu
Reposted by Rebecca Johnson Bista
They are gutting NIH like a fish. www.splinter.com/the-unhinged...
The Unhinged Axe Falls on the National Cancer Institute and the Rest of NIH
Splinter is your home for news and opinions that challenge power in our political and economic system that's becoming more unhinged each and every day.
www.splinter.com
February 15, 2025 at 3:51 AM
They are gutting NIH like a fish. www.splinter.com/the-unhinged...
Reposted by Rebecca Johnson Bista
Betrayal is betrayal. I always thought better of America.
Despite U.S. insistence, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy refused to sign a draft agreement to hand over half of his country’s rare earth minerals to American companies in exchange for military support, according to two people familiar with the negotiations
www.politico.eu/article/us-d...
www.politico.eu/article/us-d...
Ukraine balks at signing Trump deal to hand over its mineral wealth
The U.S. and Ukraine are back-and-forthing on a deal to exploit Kyiv’s rare earths in return for Washington’s support.
www.politico.eu
February 15, 2025 at 6:01 PM
Betrayal is betrayal. I always thought better of America.
Reposted by Rebecca Johnson Bista
“Love is a great privilege. Real #love, which is very rare, enriches the lives of the men and women who experience it.” —Simone de Beauvoir #simonedebeauvoir #lovers #paris #france
February 15, 2025 at 6:39 PM
“Love is a great privilege. Real #love, which is very rare, enriches the lives of the men and women who experience it.” —Simone de Beauvoir #simonedebeauvoir #lovers #paris #france
Reposted by Rebecca Johnson Bista
Reposted by Rebecca Johnson Bista
The measles outbreak in Texas is reminding me of the public letter Roald Dahl wrote about losing his daughter to measles in 1962, just before the vaccine was publicly available.
February 15, 2025 at 5:49 PM
The measles outbreak in Texas is reminding me of the public letter Roald Dahl wrote about losing his daughter to measles in 1962, just before the vaccine was publicly available.
Reposted by Rebecca Johnson Bista
Reposted by Rebecca Johnson Bista
NBC Washington: '‘Taking away years of experience': NIH probationary employees fired Friday'
'Scientists and medical researchers being let go by President Trump’s administration walked out of the gates of the NIH..appearing shaken, some in tears..'
www.nbcwashington.com/news/preside...
'Scientists and medical researchers being let go by President Trump’s administration walked out of the gates of the NIH..appearing shaken, some in tears..'
www.nbcwashington.com/news/preside...
‘Taking away years of experience': NIH probationary employees fired Friday
Scientists and medical researchers being let go by President Donald Trump’s administration walked out of the gates of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, Friday afternoon appearin...
www.nbcwashington.com
February 15, 2025 at 8:15 PM
NBC Washington: '‘Taking away years of experience': NIH probationary employees fired Friday'
'Scientists and medical researchers being let go by President Trump’s administration walked out of the gates of the NIH..appearing shaken, some in tears..'
www.nbcwashington.com/news/preside...
'Scientists and medical researchers being let go by President Trump’s administration walked out of the gates of the NIH..appearing shaken, some in tears..'
www.nbcwashington.com/news/preside...
Reposted by Rebecca Johnson Bista
February 15, 2025 at 9:03 PM
Reposted by Rebecca Johnson Bista
February 15, 2025 at 8:53 PM
Reposted by Rebecca Johnson Bista
Call your R reps. If you have a regional accent, make the most of it. Tell them you didn't vote for CANCER and ask them what the hell they're gonna do to stop Musk and Trump. reps.fyi
Now under Trump, the NIH says it is cutting ~$9 billion in federal research grants supporting medical research ranging from cancer to Alzheimer's diseases.
“I think it’s going to destroy research universities in the short term, and I don’t know after that." www.nytimes.com/2025/02/07/u...
“I think it’s going to destroy research universities in the short term, and I don’t know after that." www.nytimes.com/2025/02/07/u...
Deep Cuts to Medical Research Funds Could Hobble University Budgets
Grants from the National Institutes of Health come with additional money for overhead. Proposed funding cuts would leave colleges with large budget gaps.
www.nytimes.com
February 8, 2025 at 1:53 PM
Call your R reps. If you have a regional accent, make the most of it. Tell them you didn't vote for CANCER and ask them what the hell they're gonna do to stop Musk and Trump. reps.fyi
Think we’re immune?
February 9, 2025 at 8:10 AM
Think we’re immune?
Reposted by Rebecca Johnson Bista
👀 posted by @jlerollblues.bsky.social on Twitter 30mins ago:
"From SARS-CoV-2 on substack: H5N1 Bird Flu Is About to Go Global.
The D1.1 strain of H5N1 in Nevada has acquired the PB2 D701N mutation, allowing it to adapt to mammals."
OP: x.com/jlerollblues...
"From SARS-CoV-2 on substack: H5N1 Bird Flu Is About to Go Global.
The D1.1 strain of H5N1 in Nevada has acquired the PB2 D701N mutation, allowing it to adapt to mammals."
OP: x.com/jlerollblues...
February 9, 2025 at 1:54 AM
👀 posted by @jlerollblues.bsky.social on Twitter 30mins ago:
"From SARS-CoV-2 on substack: H5N1 Bird Flu Is About to Go Global.
The D1.1 strain of H5N1 in Nevada has acquired the PB2 D701N mutation, allowing it to adapt to mammals."
OP: x.com/jlerollblues...
"From SARS-CoV-2 on substack: H5N1 Bird Flu Is About to Go Global.
The D1.1 strain of H5N1 in Nevada has acquired the PB2 D701N mutation, allowing it to adapt to mammals."
OP: x.com/jlerollblues...
Reposted by Rebecca Johnson Bista
Trials abandoned due to the stop-work order on USAID-funded research:
February 6, 2025 at 8:21 PM
Trials abandoned due to the stop-work order on USAID-funded research:
USAID friends… what’s happening to you?
NEW: USAID source says staff are scrambling to save archived copies of US regulations before they're gone & are being actively locked out of systems, including a publicly available database of USAID documents.
WIRED has built software to systematically check the status of 1,374 government domains.
WIRED has built software to systematically check the status of 1,374 government domains.
US Government Websites Are Disappearing in Real Time
A growing number of US government websites have gone offline as of Saturday, including several related to USAID and others focused on youth programs, Africa, and more.
www.wired.com
February 2, 2025 at 2:51 PM
USAID friends… what’s happening to you?
Great plan. What could possibly go wrong?
we are so cooked* as a country https://futurism.com/openai-signs-deal-us-government-nuclear-weapon-security
*possibly literally, by nuclear bombs
*possibly literally, by nuclear bombs
OpenAI Strikes Deal With US Government to Use Its AI for Nuclear Weapon Security
OpenAI has announced that the US National Laboratories will use its deeply flawed AI models to help with "nuclear security."
futurism.com
February 2, 2025 at 2:48 PM
Great plan. What could possibly go wrong?