Karen Wants The Orcas In Charge
@riceboilsover.bsky.social
#TeamOrca. I live in the woods. Book collector. Former sociologist. Plant nerd. Fan of squirrels.
#MaskUp because why would you want to be sick?
#COVIDisNotOver and #COVIDisNotMild
(she/her)
#MaskUp because why would you want to be sick?
#COVIDisNotOver and #COVIDisNotMild
(she/her)
Reposted by Karen Wants The Orcas In Charge
Most discussions about “misinformation” treat the problem as if people simply don’t have good enough critical-thinking skills. It sounds intuitive, but it’s not entirely accurate. The problem isn’t just individual ignorance, it’s the structure of the information environment people are placed into.
Finland has emerged as a global leader in countering “fake news”. Here's how they've done it
Teaching when to trust
As fake news accelerates, we need to teach our children how to think critically. Finnish schools are leading the charge
newhumanist.org.uk
December 7, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Most discussions about “misinformation” treat the problem as if people simply don’t have good enough critical-thinking skills. It sounds intuitive, but it’s not entirely accurate. The problem isn’t just individual ignorance, it’s the structure of the information environment people are placed into.
Reposted by Karen Wants The Orcas In Charge
The real task isn’t “teaching people to spot misinformation.” It’s rebuilding conditions where verification, deliberation and accountability are possible. Critical thinking only works when the world around it gives those skills a place to take root.
December 7, 2025 at 2:18 PM
The real task isn’t “teaching people to spot misinformation.” It’s rebuilding conditions where verification, deliberation and accountability are possible. Critical thinking only works when the world around it gives those skills a place to take root.
Reposted by Karen Wants The Orcas In Charge
Our digital systems reward belonging over accuracy, with people gaining status by aligning with their group, not by checking facts. Once beliefs become tied to identity, more media literacy won’t shift behaviour, the social rewards run against work against it.
December 7, 2025 at 2:17 PM
Our digital systems reward belonging over accuracy, with people gaining status by aligning with their group, not by checking facts. Once beliefs become tied to identity, more media literacy won’t shift behaviour, the social rewards run against work against it.
Reposted by Karen Wants The Orcas In Charge
Having finished a book tracing US migration & citizenship from the colonial period to 1888, the lesson people are missing today from history is: 1) Without legal citizenship, all kinds of discrimination can be done to you & w/ no due process/equal protection. This is the very reason why the 14th 1/
Here is the question presented. It's a relatively clean vehicle for the Supreme Court to finally decide whether it is lawful for the president to deny birthright citizenship to the children of immigrants. www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/25...
December 7, 2025 at 1:04 PM
Having finished a book tracing US migration & citizenship from the colonial period to 1888, the lesson people are missing today from history is: 1) Without legal citizenship, all kinds of discrimination can be done to you & w/ no due process/equal protection. This is the very reason why the 14th 1/
Reposted by Karen Wants The Orcas In Charge
* There is no such thing as "just a flu". Viral infections are bad for us.
* Viruses are variable. Non-evolutionary, typological thinking does not work.
* Viruses evolve. They don't automatically get milder. More infections means more evolution.
3/
* Viruses are variable. Non-evolutionary, typological thinking does not work.
* Viruses evolve. They don't automatically get milder. More infections means more evolution.
3/
December 7, 2025 at 1:15 PM
* There is no such thing as "just a flu". Viral infections are bad for us.
* Viruses are variable. Non-evolutionary, typological thinking does not work.
* Viruses evolve. They don't automatically get milder. More infections means more evolution.
3/
* Viruses are variable. Non-evolutionary, typological thinking does not work.
* Viruses evolve. They don't automatically get milder. More infections means more evolution.
3/
Reposted by Karen Wants The Orcas In Charge
* The immune system is not like a muscle and immunity debt is bullshit.
* There are various ways that repeated COVID infections could be causing short- and/or longer-term immunity theft, making people more vulnerable to other infections.
2/
* There are various ways that repeated COVID infections could be causing short- and/or longer-term immunity theft, making people more vulnerable to other infections.
2/
December 7, 2025 at 1:15 PM
* The immune system is not like a muscle and immunity debt is bullshit.
* There are various ways that repeated COVID infections could be causing short- and/or longer-term immunity theft, making people more vulnerable to other infections.
2/
* There are various ways that repeated COVID infections could be causing short- and/or longer-term immunity theft, making people more vulnerable to other infections.
2/
Reposted by Karen Wants The Orcas In Charge
Reminders, as public health officials warn of a very bad flu season:
🧵
* Washing hands is not a strategy for a respiratory virus. N95s, ventilation, air filtration -- especially in hospitals.
* We should have been cleaning indoor air with the same effort we put into cleaning drinking water.
1/
🧵
* Washing hands is not a strategy for a respiratory virus. N95s, ventilation, air filtration -- especially in hospitals.
* We should have been cleaning indoor air with the same effort we put into cleaning drinking water.
1/
December 7, 2025 at 1:15 PM
Reminders, as public health officials warn of a very bad flu season:
🧵
* Washing hands is not a strategy for a respiratory virus. N95s, ventilation, air filtration -- especially in hospitals.
* We should have been cleaning indoor air with the same effort we put into cleaning drinking water.
1/
🧵
* Washing hands is not a strategy for a respiratory virus. N95s, ventilation, air filtration -- especially in hospitals.
* We should have been cleaning indoor air with the same effort we put into cleaning drinking water.
1/
Absolutely not.
Is anyone allowed to show up at your house unannounced?
December 7, 2025 at 3:39 AM
Absolutely not.
I am that weirdo who was out planting bulbs despite 10” of snow on the ground because it was 27 degrees out, sunny, the ground wasn’t frozen yet, and they weren’t gonna survive the winter in my basement.
Hopefully tonight’s snowfall will hide what I’ve done from the squirrels 😅
Hopefully tonight’s snowfall will hide what I’ve done from the squirrels 😅
December 7, 2025 at 3:24 AM
I am that weirdo who was out planting bulbs despite 10” of snow on the ground because it was 27 degrees out, sunny, the ground wasn’t frozen yet, and they weren’t gonna survive the winter in my basement.
Hopefully tonight’s snowfall will hide what I’ve done from the squirrels 😅
Hopefully tonight’s snowfall will hide what I’ve done from the squirrels 😅
Reposted by Karen Wants The Orcas In Charge
Reposted by Karen Wants The Orcas In Charge
The flip-side: My son (m16) just left for a friend's (f17) house party & will be the only N95 there
No ventilation or testing
Because nobody sees the risk
He'll have to step out early
Will say it's to keep me safe
How is that fair?
This wouldn't be so hard if public health did it's FUCKING JOB
No ventilation or testing
Because nobody sees the risk
He'll have to step out early
Will say it's to keep me safe
How is that fair?
This wouldn't be so hard if public health did it's FUCKING JOB
If you live with someone who has long Covid or a post-viral illness & you’re doing a weekly circuit of maskless bars, restaurants & concerts, you're not "living your life." You're sacrificing theirs
December 6, 2025 at 12:05 AM
The flip-side: My son (m16) just left for a friend's (f17) house party & will be the only N95 there
No ventilation or testing
Because nobody sees the risk
He'll have to step out early
Will say it's to keep me safe
How is that fair?
This wouldn't be so hard if public health did it's FUCKING JOB
No ventilation or testing
Because nobody sees the risk
He'll have to step out early
Will say it's to keep me safe
How is that fair?
This wouldn't be so hard if public health did it's FUCKING JOB
Reposted by Karen Wants The Orcas In Charge
If you live with someone who has long Covid or a post-viral illness & you’re doing a weekly circuit of maskless bars, restaurants & concerts, you're not "living your life." You're sacrificing theirs
December 5, 2025 at 4:39 PM
If you live with someone who has long Covid or a post-viral illness & you’re doing a weekly circuit of maskless bars, restaurants & concerts, you're not "living your life." You're sacrificing theirs
Reposted by Karen Wants The Orcas In Charge
NHS England: “It will not be possible to halt the spread of a new pandemic virus, and it would be a waste of public health resources and capacity to attempt to do so.”
This has got to be one of the most 🤯 things I’ve ever seen written down in an official document.
This has got to be one of the most 🤯 things I’ve ever seen written down in an official document.
December 5, 2025 at 12:55 PM
NHS England: “It will not be possible to halt the spread of a new pandemic virus, and it would be a waste of public health resources and capacity to attempt to do so.”
This has got to be one of the most 🤯 things I’ve ever seen written down in an official document.
This has got to be one of the most 🤯 things I’ve ever seen written down in an official document.
Reposted by Karen Wants The Orcas In Charge
public health advice to “cough in your elbow & wash your hand frequently” is the reason why hospitals & care homes have flu & covid outbreaks, when this is preventable
December 6, 2025 at 11:09 AM
public health advice to “cough in your elbow & wash your hand frequently” is the reason why hospitals & care homes have flu & covid outbreaks, when this is preventable
Reposted by Karen Wants The Orcas In Charge
Flu is airborne, Covid is airborne, & clean air prevents the spread
Ventilation & masking are very effective protections - yet these simple scientific measure are *still* not advised or adopted by health services in Ireland 😷
Ventilation & masking are very effective protections - yet these simple scientific measure are *still* not advised or adopted by health services in Ireland 😷
‘Challenging’ winter flu season expected to spike early around Christmas
‘Challenging’ winter flu season expected to spike early around Christmas
There could be between 750 and 1,500 hospitalisations from Christmas week, HSE says
www.irishtimes.com
December 6, 2025 at 11:06 AM
Flu is airborne, Covid is airborne, & clean air prevents the spread
Ventilation & masking are very effective protections - yet these simple scientific measure are *still* not advised or adopted by health services in Ireland 😷
Ventilation & masking are very effective protections - yet these simple scientific measure are *still* not advised or adopted by health services in Ireland 😷
Reposted by Karen Wants The Orcas In Charge
Sigh. Pandemic, nearly year seven, no one understands how anything works.
When most people say "during Covid" they mean "when we did infection control in schools".
"Not controlling the spread of disease at all" results in more illness than "doing something to control the spread of disease".
So of course it's "worse than Covid".
#CovidIsNotOver
"Not controlling the spread of disease at all" results in more illness than "doing something to control the spread of disease".
So of course it's "worse than Covid".
#CovidIsNotOver
December 6, 2025 at 5:38 AM
Sigh. Pandemic, nearly year seven, no one understands how anything works.
Reposted by Karen Wants The Orcas In Charge
microsoft promised to "empower every user" and google to "revolutionise knowledge and technological innovation" but in reality what they have given us is an invasive surveillance dystopian nightmare hard to escape
www.forbes.com/sites/zakdof...
www.forbes.com/sites/zakdof...
Microsoft Teams Starts Telling Your Boss Where You Are—Now Just 8 Weeks Away
Microsoft confirms start date for new Teams update — no more hiding places.
www.forbes.com
December 6, 2025 at 10:55 AM
microsoft promised to "empower every user" and google to "revolutionise knowledge and technological innovation" but in reality what they have given us is an invasive surveillance dystopian nightmare hard to escape
www.forbes.com/sites/zakdof...
www.forbes.com/sites/zakdof...
Reposted by Karen Wants The Orcas In Charge
We’re entering a new era of childhood mortality & disability, & almost no one will care bc they’ll just get used to “the new normal” within a few years. They’ll ignore the harm.
How do I know? Because that’s exactly how it went w/COVID, which is the 2nd largest threat to childhood health rn.
How do I know? Because that’s exactly how it went w/COVID, which is the 2nd largest threat to childhood health rn.
Breaking: After contentious debates and three failed attempts at a vote, a federal vaccine committee decided on Friday to end the decades-long recommendation that all newborns be immunized at birth against hepatitis B.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/h...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/h...
An End to Hepatitis B Shots for All Newborns
www.nytimes.com
December 5, 2025 at 4:57 PM
We’re entering a new era of childhood mortality & disability, & almost no one will care bc they’ll just get used to “the new normal” within a few years. They’ll ignore the harm.
How do I know? Because that’s exactly how it went w/COVID, which is the 2nd largest threat to childhood health rn.
How do I know? Because that’s exactly how it went w/COVID, which is the 2nd largest threat to childhood health rn.
Reposted by Karen Wants The Orcas In Charge
Long #COVID takes $1 trillion global economic toll each year, analysis suggests
Study looks at COVID’s impact on national economies, healthcare systems, labor markets, and quality of life.
www.cidrap.umn.edu/c...
Study looks at COVID’s impact on national economies, healthcare systems, labor markets, and quality of life.
www.cidrap.umn.edu/c...
November 24, 2025 at 9:04 PM
Long #COVID takes $1 trillion global economic toll each year, analysis suggests
Study looks at COVID’s impact on national economies, healthcare systems, labor markets, and quality of life.
www.cidrap.umn.edu/c...
Study looks at COVID’s impact on national economies, healthcare systems, labor markets, and quality of life.
www.cidrap.umn.edu/c...
Reposted by Karen Wants The Orcas In Charge
Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital studied 18 fetuses from women infected with COVID-19 and found SARS-CoV-2 in at least 32 fetal organs, including thymus, thyroid, and intestine.
The virus triggered immune imbalance and DNA damage.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
The virus triggered immune imbalance and DNA damage.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Presence of SARS-CoV-2 in fetal organs via intraamniotic infection - Nature Communications
Infection with SARS-CoV-2 during pregnancy may result in maternal and fetal complications. Here, the authors analyze 18 fetuses following maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection and identify distribution in fet...
www.nature.com
November 21, 2025 at 7:11 PM
Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital studied 18 fetuses from women infected with COVID-19 and found SARS-CoV-2 in at least 32 fetal organs, including thymus, thyroid, and intestine.
The virus triggered immune imbalance and DNA damage.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
The virus triggered immune imbalance and DNA damage.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Karen Wants The Orcas In Charge
When most people say "during Covid" they mean "when we did infection control in schools".
"Not controlling the spread of disease at all" results in more illness than "doing something to control the spread of disease".
So of course it's "worse than Covid".
#CovidIsNotOver
"Not controlling the spread of disease at all" results in more illness than "doing something to control the spread of disease".
So of course it's "worse than Covid".
#CovidIsNotOver
December 5, 2025 at 10:39 PM
When most people say "during Covid" they mean "when we did infection control in schools".
"Not controlling the spread of disease at all" results in more illness than "doing something to control the spread of disease".
So of course it's "worse than Covid".
#CovidIsNotOver
"Not controlling the spread of disease at all" results in more illness than "doing something to control the spread of disease".
So of course it's "worse than Covid".
#CovidIsNotOver
Reposted by Karen Wants The Orcas In Charge
Oh damn, Pantone can paint a room but can’t read one
December 4, 2025 at 10:25 PM
Oh damn, Pantone can paint a room but can’t read one
Reposted by Karen Wants The Orcas In Charge
@npr it’s not a principle. It is a constitutional guarantee.
The Supreme Court will ultimately decide whether to uphold the longstanding principle that grants citizenship to the children of non-citizens born in the U.S., following a legal challenge by the Trump administration. n.pr/48E1oko
Supreme Court agrees to hear arguments in birthright citizenship challenge
The Supreme Court will ultimately decide whether to uphold the longstanding principle that grants citizenship to the children of non-citizens born in the U.S., following a legal challenge by the Trump administration.
n.pr
December 5, 2025 at 8:10 PM
@npr it’s not a principle. It is a constitutional guarantee.
Reposted by Karen Wants The Orcas In Charge
“More changes to vaccine policy are likely follow in the next months, as the committee goes on to review all childhood immunizations. The meeting’s presenters and at least some of the panelists are known for their anti-vaccine views and are close associates of Mr. Kennedy.”
So, again:
So, again:
It’s been more than a year since I started telling everyone RFK Jr doesn’t have to say “I’m banning vaccines” to effectively ban vaccines. It’s also been more than a year since I started my vax-a-palooza, to get up to date on every jab I might need in the next five years. Now it’s time to boost.
“Taken together, the moves suggest that Mr. Kennedy will reach far into the details of vaccine development, an effort likely informed by his decades as one of the nation’s most vocal critics of immunization oversight.”
“Informed”… maybe you mean “biased?”
“Informed”… maybe you mean “biased?”
December 5, 2025 at 4:19 PM
“More changes to vaccine policy are likely follow in the next months, as the committee goes on to review all childhood immunizations. The meeting’s presenters and at least some of the panelists are known for their anti-vaccine views and are close associates of Mr. Kennedy.”
So, again:
So, again: