Shaula Evans

"The Torment Nexus does unspeakable harm to other people and the planet, but it solves a problem for me, so if you don't like it you're oppressing me."

RE: https://zirk.us/@ShaulaEvans/117197034208580662 The effect of this year's el Niño on weather will wreak havoc on election campaigns; you can't send volunteers door to door in hazardous weather. Campaigns will need to pivot to phone banking to close that gap. You can make anonymized calls from home via phone bank apps (if you're a phone person). You can make a difference in local campaigns. If you want to help, contact them asap. More info on getting involved in the thread below. #Elections #GOTV #Volunteering #PhoneBank

Thank you to everyone who posts about the things you actively do to contribute to your community's public health and resilience. It normalizes these actions in a way that makes it easier for others to take the same steps. You also restore my faith in humanity, which goes a long way. Thank you for helping all of us and for feeding my heart.

I'd love to know from book fans on Fedi, who are the really hot contemporary noir novel writers who you love? Especially noir thrillers (vs mysteries), and extra especially from Ireland?

• noir writers, expec. thrillers
• Irish noir writers
• novel writers (vs other media)
• contemporary (publishing within last 5 years)
• popular and successful

*Based on specs for a particular project. Ta.

@bookstodon@fedigroups.social

#Bookstodon #AskFedi #IrishWriters #Noir #FictionNoir

If you are in the US and you care about the midterm election outcomes, the time to get involved is now. This cycle's results will largely be determined (on one level) by GOTV, aka Get Out the Vote. I used to work professionally in US politics. Here's a short thread about how GOTV works, and how you can get involved. 1/n #FieldWork #FieldOperations #Elections #CampaignsAndElections #ElectionCampaigns #USPol

RE: https://infosec.exchange/@david_chisnall/117325070805383038 Inspired by David, I'd like to know about a word you'd like to upgrade with a better loanword from another language because you like it better. I vote for Japanese "gomi" to replace English "garbage", because gomi is such a bouncy, joyful word. #Language #Loanwords What about you?

Extremely promising research! A single-dose amber codon carrying live attenuated vaccine elicits pan-sarbecovirus immunity and blocks SARS-CoV-2 transmission 'Furthermore, vaccinated and subsequently challenged cohorts failed to transmit the virus to naïve animals, demonstrating a *complete block of onward transmission*' https://www.nature.com/articles/s41541-026-01540-7 #Covid #Covid19 #PublicHealth

Truly one of the greatest obstacles to chores like taking out the trash is that they require putting on pants.

If you purchased a Levoit-branded Core or EverestAir air purifier and/or replacement filter with “True HEPA,” “HEPA,” and/or “H13” language in the United States between August 29, 2019 and August 4, 2023, you may be entitled to an award from a class action settlement. https://lapsettlement.com/ #Levoit #ClassActionSuit #AirPurifiers #AirQuality #Filtration #HEPA

@oheso@ieji.de "Cellular" is truly difficult to impossible to pronounce clearly, unless you're making a concerted effort to articulate each syllable. It's fairly disastrous as words go. Keitai is a great improvement!

Last night as I was washing some dishes I caught myself singing "Scrubby Little Brush!" to the tune of the "Funky Little Shack" line in the B-52's Love Shack. 😅

I was looking for #cyclospora outbreak updates, and came across a breathless piece about a public health conference where everyone was eating salads because they aren't bothered so we should all eat lettuce for capitalism and... ...after years of public health professionals,HCWs, epidemiologists, virologists, and other related science experts attending conferences in the pandemic without wearing masks, let's just say this new article did not achieve its intended affect.

Oh, dearest language learners, if you are tackling learning the genders of nouns in a new language, please start by understanding that "gender" in this case is used as the linguistic term for different *categories* of words. Linguistic gender and social gender are not the same. Linguistic gender is based on conventions of spelling and etymology for the most part (hence the changes from one language to another), is not random, & can be learned systematically. You're welcome. 1/n #Language

A question I often ask myself.

I'll say this about the Fediverse: at least the company in this particular hand-basket is top tier.

@Furthering@convo.casa If I don't have something specific to say to a short voice note in a long, ongoing conversation, I'll usually respond with an emoji. That means that the sender and I both know that I've listened to it, the sender feels heard, and I don't lose my place.

Does anyone on Fedi have experience with buying a couch in the last two years from Anabei.com with their new, firmer Memorix cushions? I'm looking for something PFAS-free and washable, that's as toxin-free as possible and also fits my budget. I'm small (and alone/no pets)l, firm cushions are good, lightweight it good. #Anabei looks good on paper, online reviews are mixed (and generally on the older version of the product). *Not* looking for alternatives. Ta. #AskFedi

About food support: well-fed volunteers are happy, high performing volunteers. Good food makes a huge difference. Food donations also (generally) count as "in-kind contributions" to a campaign, meaning they show up in the campaign's finance reports, which helps with PR, etc. (I'm not going to get into details of in-kind contributions in this thread or litigate edge cases.) 7/n

I'm coming to realize that in this time of trauma and our current workplace conditions (now there's a Venn diagram), one of my best and probably most under-valued job skills is that I am a great, active, engaged, caring mentor. We're going to need all hands on deck to get the people coming after us through this.

If you are in the US, and you are making an effort to order things online from Canada before the new tariffs go into effect, I'd love to know what you're stocking up on and which vendors and products you recommend. Shop links are welcome! 🍁 #Canada #Tariffs #BuyCanadian #AskFedi

@JessTheUnstill@infosec.exchange I will sometimes put someone on a temporary, time-limited mute when I'm overwhelmed. I hope that's what's going on here.

I'm looking for US cyclosporia outbreak updates, and it looks like Taylor Farms iceberg lettuce may *not* be the culprit: "The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on ‌Sunday that laboratory experts re-reviewed sample results ​in the Taylor Farms ​cyclospora investigation and concluded the finding ​should be considered ⁠a ⁠false ‌positive." Are we any closet to knowing what is and is not safe to eat? https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/cyclospora-false-positive-taylor-farms-9.7276107 #FoodSafety #Cyclospora #Cyclosporiasis #PublicHealth

I'm looking around for a UPS with good runtime as backup power for my modem in power outages; i.e., not 23 minutes, but several hours.

It's frustrating trying to read through fake reviews and AI slop.

#DuckDuckFedi, I would love recomendations from people who know what they're talking about for A) brands & models or B) reliable info sources/reviews for a UPS suitable for a modem with 7+ hours runtime (my current standard to beat). Thank you.

#AskFedi #UPS #BackupPower #DisasterPrep

The best Cyclospora information I've found so far comes from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services:

Cook when possible. Heating food to 158 F (70 C) or higher kills cyclospora.

https://www.michigan.gov/mdhhs/inside-mdhhs/newsroom/2026/07/13/cyclo-3

2/n

Election day operations alone require huge numbers of volunteers. In addition to phone bankers, canvassers, and ride to the polls drivers, campaigns need office staff answering inbound calls, food support for volunteers, people to house interns & volunteers from out of state, etc. It's a massive operation. It takes time to organize and coordinate all of that. The earlier you can volunteer, the better. 6/n

Persuasion starts early in the campaign. Candidates and campaigns (including volunteers) with local voters, ideally one-on-one (e.g., through canvassing [door-knocking]), to convince persuadable voters to support the candidate. These activities are already targeted, based on data like state party voting records. The more direct the contact method, the more effective (e.g., face-to-face, vs mail or broadcast). 10/n

"Visibility" activiities like big highway signs and yard signs (the bane of every campaign) are a low key part of persuasion activities, too. They aren't all that effective generally, but campaigns do them because they've always done them. They also can have a positive impact on your candidate's morale (that's important), and sometimes be demoralizing for your opponent. (Sun Tzu likely has something relevant to say here.) Distributing and posting signs also takes volunteers. 11/n

@Tarnport@mastodon.green Credit to my mom: my knowledge of music (far) before my time is probably due in part to the fact that she is an amazing singer and she used to sing everything, all the time, around the house. The first version of a lot of songs that I know is my mom singing it. I wonder if families with singers/musicians often have a different relationship to the time boundaries around music. #Music

@Tarnport@mastodon.green For me, the past has never been alien or unfathomable, it's simply a trove of treasures to discover and enjoy.

@Tarnport@mastodon.green As a Timeless International Woman of Mystery, my experience is different! I know the music of my parents' & grandparents' generations. I know the lyrics to songs going back to Music Hall hits in the late 1800s. I know all the hit songs of WWI & WWII. I have musician friends & listen to music that is right now that no one has heard of. I get great music recs from friends all over the world. I tastes are expansive, I love discovering new things, & I have never felt yoked to an era.

'Our ability to smell is linked to brain health, and losing this sense is often one of the first signs of neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. About 85 percent of people with early-stage Alzheimer’s have problems smelling'. https://wapo.st/4fLVSkb *I don't have a guest link, I am looking for one, if you have one please share. #PublicHealth #Health #BrainHealth #Dementia #NeurogenerativeDisorders #Alzheimers #Parkinsons #Covid19

Questions for people who control their environmental temperatures with heat pumps (and only people with first-hand experience):

1. What is the optimal operating temperature range for your heat pump? (I.e., lowest temp it operates in efficiently for heating, highest temp for cooling)

2. When you can't use it because temperatures are outside that range, what do you use a back-up heating and cooling alternatives?

#HeatPump #Heating #Cooling #HVAC

The Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) of the University of Chicago calculates how much longer you would live if you breathed healthy air. You can enter your location and see how much it affects your life. https://aqli.epic.uchicago.edu/ #AirQuality #AirPollution #Longevity #Health #PublicHealth

@faithisleaping@anarres.family This calls for some Nancy Kwan! ❤️ https://youtu.be/8JigBfoDtzY?t=42

@farah@beige.party Whom amongst us has not been Ides of Marched by errant underwire?

@Em0nM4stodon@infosec.exchange If you start one, I'm applying.

@__dreamwalker__@infosec.exchange Welcome! By posting an introduction, you're already off to a good start. A great next step is to follow @FediTips@social.growyourown.services for excellent, step-by-step advice on how things work here. You can also dig in at your own pace at the website linked in their bio. There are some good people here. Best wishes on making a good home in Fedi.

@Holberg@mstdn.social You are reminding me of the American guy I worked with in Japan who was about 5'7". He bought a ton of clothes because he was so excited to fit an XL size for the first time in his life. I'm glad at least that it brought him joy.

I have questions for people who have a breadmaker machine they use to make gluten-free bread specifically:

1. Does your machine make good gluten-free bread?

2. How often do you actually use it? How did you get into a routine with it?

3. If you have a machine that is PFAS / Teflon / PTFE-free (i.e, with a steel or ceramic insert) that you like, I'd love to know the brand!

Replies from gluten-free bakers only please. Ta!

#Food #GlutenFree #Baking #KitchenAppliances #AskFedi

@EdwinG@mstdn.moimeme.ca Are tornadoes part of the standard historical weather patterns in the Laurentiens, or is this a new development? (If you happen to know)

More on food: if you have a restaurant or business that can donate food to a campaign, it can make a huge positive impact. I once worked a campaign supported by a local bakery that dropped off their day-old bake goods at the end of their business day. We had the happiest volunteers on earth. Campaigns especially need food for election day and GOTV weekend (leading up to E-day) but also as soon as they hit high gear in September. 8/n

Field operations run on volunteer efforts. They take bodies, not money. They are the most effective part of modern election campaigns. They are unpopular in some circles because political consultants don't make money off them (vs sending yet another mail piece to the whole district). The best, most effective, proven way that grassroots campaigns win when they can't outspend their opponents is with good field ops. (Don't believe me? Look it up.) 13/n

@aliceamour@beige.party I hope it's a game about physiotherapy.

If campaigns spend election day nudging their supporters to vote, how do they know who to nudge?

This is a two-part project at the heart of field operations.

1. Persuasion

2. Identification

9/n

You want to get involved: how do you do it?

It depends on your local political organization.

• Contact directly a campaign you want to support.

• Contact your ward or precinct or county political party organization. Or the state party.

Email or use their web form; if they don't reply in a few days, follow up by phone. Keep trying until you make the connection you need. (Please!)

16/n

I am seeing conjecture about how political changes and changes with the US postal service may affect early voting and voting by mail in the 2026 elections. I do not wish to discuss that (and want it out of my mentions -- start your own posts, please). But I will say this: in an election when other forms of voting may be less effective, in-person voting & GOTV become even more important. 15/n

@GroupNebula563@mastodon.social To be fair, I wish it was 3 am on January 7th 2013.

Closer to the election date, campaign field operations change focus from persuasion to identification. In order to target the right voters for GOTV on election day, you need to know who your supporters are. This is mainly done through phone banks (corporate or volunteer), and canvassing (by candidate, their proxies like family members, and volunteers). Persuasion & identification are HUGE projects that require vast numbers of people. 12/n

If you want to make a difference in you local elections, what does this mean for you? Campaigns need volunteers, starting now, and there are all kinds of ways to help. You can help in person or remotely; on the street or indoors; you can give time, in-kind contributions, or money. (Your time & effort are probably most helpful.) 14/n