I have a passion to help &  educate other trans athletes about their own bodies. I suffer many adverse health conditions from not understanding my own post surgery endocrine system early enough before it had damaged my health.
1-

This article shows the consequences to health when trans girls experience low T. This is important to educate everyone because in this conversation those against us compare men's performance versus women.
2-


This article also shows trans girls have very different endocrine systems to a healthy male and as such they should not be compared to men when talking about sports

The only comparison you can make between a trans female athlete and a male would be to compare the trans girl to a male that has either been surgically or chemically sterilized.
4-

You won't even find men competing in elite sports in this health state without being prescribed T replacement therapy which is not available to a trans woman like me in sports.
5-

How significant were @vonderleyen's remarks to the European Parliament this morning?

One senior EU diplomat says takes note in particular of her opening words. "Frankly, I cannot tell you today if in the end there will be a deal."

2/ That this sentiment is being expressed by the European Commission President on Nov 25 with just over a month to Jan 1, is significant. In Brussels there are only two questions: will there be enough time to ratify any deal? Is @BorisJohnson prepared to take a big political step

3/ Yes, it takes two to tango, etc. But it's clear from Von der Leyen's comments that the EU is going to stand firm on the level playing field issue.

4/ “We are ready to be creative but we are not ready to put into question the integrity of the single market, the main safeguard of European prosperity and wealth" she told the EP.

5/ She repeated the demand for "robust mechanisms" to ensure competition is free and fair over time - ie, going back to the language of the Political Declaration. Also, the need "maintain common high standards now and in the future”. That's the "ratchet" or "evolution" clause

Time once again to demonstrate that "presidents have no mandate to wield power after close elections" is a scam directed solely and entirely at Republicans. By any objective standard, Biden has less of a "mandate" than anyone in memory, but no one in the media will say that.

The "mandate" narrative is silly as a matter of constitutional law. Nowhere is it written that a president's authority is diminished if the election was close, or people who didn't vote for him think his victory was illegitimate. But that's all we heard for years after Trump won.

Of course, not a single such complaint will be leveled at Biden. No one in the political/media class will insist he has an asterisk after his name and should be prevented from exercising the full powers of office, and then some.

Biden won't have to worry about "resistance" bureaucrats sabotaging his administration from Minute One or crazy Hawaiian judges stalling his policy agenda. If anyone tries it, the media will absolutely savage them, instead of cheering them on. Their very lives would be in danger.

As a matter of politics, it's fair enough to suggest that policies should be crafted with due recognition for the feelings of the opposition, and if the election was razor-close, extra care should be taken to recognize the divided electorate.

Top 10 Crusader Kings III patch notes, that could just as well act as advices about life in general:

10. ‘No Beard’ is now the top option in the barbershop

9. You now get a toast when you change your primary title

8. Characters are no longer angry at their new friends

7. People will now be a bit miffed if you raid them

1/ Today’s Spending Review delivers on the priorities of the British people.

This thread covers 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 from Departments across Government. #SR20

2/ This Spending Review delivers a historically high @UKHomeOffice budget which will help them to keep people safe and deliver new border and immigration arrangements. #SR20

3/ We’re providing over £76 billion for @educationgovuk to meet the government’s commitment to level up education standards across the country and drive economic growth through improving the skills pipeline; levelling up productivity and supporting people into work. #SR20

4/ We will enable @DWP to deliver efficient frontline services and ensure that support is targeted where it's needed most.

The new 3-year long £2.9 billion Restart programme will provide intensive, tailored support to over 1million unemployed people and help them find work #SR20

5/ @DCMS will increase economic growth and productivity through improved digital connectivity and data infrastructure.

We'll grow and evolve our sectors particularly those most affected by Covid-19 which include culture, sport, civil society and the creative industries. #SR20

Conservatives love to complain that everyone is against them: professors, journalists, intelligence officers, social media companies, and so on.

I used to as well until I considered that maybe having problems with everyone else isn't their fault, it's yours.

I was reminded of that realization when I read this important NYT article about how Facebook keeps weakening news source quality controls because conservative content gets disproportionately effected by them.

Unfortunately, this great piece of reporting by @MikeIsaac, @sheeraf, & @kevinroose didn't mention the greatest challenge in AI news signal processing: Humans can barely separate conservative & far-right content. Which means computers can't either.

This techno-semiotic conundrum originates from the fact that in the US, because there is no moderate conservative tradition, the gravitational center of the right is far removed from the political center.

More plainly, this means that almost all the energy and organizing on the right exists on the far right.

This is not the case on the US left where there is a strong moderate tradition capable of organization and force projection. Ask Bernie Sanders if you disbelieve.

I'm under no illusions. @JoeBiden and his team will make mistakes. But they will try to do right. And here's what they won't do:
--Betray the country to a sworn enemy
--Try to undermine the international system
--Put children in cages
--Promote white supremacists & racism

--Seek to undermine our democracy
--Work to undermine the rule of law
--Be corrupt
--Commit crimes
--Obstruct justice
--Destroy our environment

--Use force against peaceful protestors
--Embrace dictators and kleptocrats worldwide
--Promote misogyny (and commit rape and sexual abuse)
--Attack or seek to blackmail our allies
--Lie...and lie constantly...lie more than 20,000 times

--Deny science or history
--Let hundreds of thousands die to protect their political fortunes
--Send the nation into the worst economic and public health crisis in a hundred years
--Go AWOL at the moment that crisis is peaking

--Turn their backs on suffering Americans
--Serve the richest Americans at the expense of the poorest
--Promote division and hatred
--Be the worst administration in American history

Tips From 15 Newsletter Writers On How To Build Your Own

A group of newsletter authors with a combined audience of hundreds of thousands shares advice on writing, promoting, and community

Full post at the link; read on for

Credits to the team for putting this together:

@lennysan @nbashaw @nbt @JayCoDon @thatguyBG @ataussig @SarahNoeckel @sariazout @ljin18 @sidharthajha @DruRly @Kantrowitz @TurnerNovak @iankar_ @bradwolverton

2/18

Do awesome work:

“Above all else, it’s all about your content. If it’s valuable, people will read it and share it. Produce great content, consistently, and your audience will grow.” @lennysan

3/18

Do awesome work:

"When someone subscribes to your newsletter, you enter into a contractual obligation with your readers. Your #1 job is to honor your readers’ time and write like nobody wants to read your sh*t” @sariazout

4/18

Do awesome work:

"Write something that is 10x better than anything else out there on this topic. If it doesn’t meet this bar, don’t publish.” @ljin18

5/18

New: The Trump campaign filed a three-page letter in the 3rd Circuit this morning requesting oral argument in its big case trying to undo Biden's win in PA: https://t.co/oSOEc27he8

There is a lot to unpack here, too much for one tweet, so bear with me

The 3rd Circuit doesn't let lawyers who aren't members of the court's bar to appear unless they're pro bono. Trump's legal team still asks to let Rudy Giuliani argue, saying he hasn't been able to get the "necessary certifications due to Covid-19 complications"

Trump's lawyers write that given how many people voted for him, the claims "should be heard on the merits" — but recall this case is not up on appeal about the merits. The campaign is asking for emergency review of the judge denying its request to file a 2nd amended complaint

They contend oral argument would be helpful to address issues raised by PA, the DNC, and other parties in briefs filed yesterday, which they then touch on in a set of footnotes

The first footnote argues there was no undue delay in filing the 2nd amended complaint b/c given the shifting makeup of the campaign's legal team, there was "confusion" that led to the filing of the 1st amended complaint, which removed sections and a number of counts

Amid all the announcements today, it's easy to overlook that the OBR has updated its scenario on a no-deal Brexit. It exposes an undeniably hard reality for the Govt that claims that the UK would "prosper mightily" under no-deal next year.

(Short thread)

1. Key chart: a no-deal/WTO/Australia-style Brexit would delay the point at which econ output regains its pre-virus peak by "almost a year to the third quarter of 2023."

In the upside scenario, this cross-over point could be at the start of 2022; in the downside, in 2025. Grim.

2. Next year, a no deal Brexit would reduce real GDP by around a further 2% - as a result of immediate disruption to the border and uncertainty facing businesses. That's on top of the Covid-related contraction.

3. While there's some short-term border disruption, most of the costs come in the medium term: from lost employment; productivity losses; lower business investment.

Exactly the opposite of what the Chancellor said to @AndrewMarr9 on Sunday.

4. Underneath these numbers, output would fall *below* the Covid levels for several key sectors: Manufacturing, professional services, financial services, retail, energy.

All trade intensive sectors that have been spared the same drop in output as the non-tradables this year.

1/ We must stop Republicans from helping Trump “poison the wells“ and “salt the fields“ of America.

2/ Donald Trump‘s treason extends far beyond his efforts to damage Americans belief in our form of government, our elected democratic republic, that Trump’s oligarch buddies in Saudi Arabia, Russia and China also regularly disparage.

3/ Trump’s also actively damaging the ability of the incoming Biden administration to aid Americans during the Trump Depression, and to get the virus in check. In this, he has help from Steve Mnuchin and Mitch McConnell.

4/ While McConnell refuses to even allow a conversation in the Senate about the HEROS Act that already passed the House and would put money in unemployed Americans’ pockets, Mnuchin wants the Fed to return the CARES Act money that they’re leveraging to sustain the stock market.

5/ As Senator Ron Wyden said, “As the economy backslides amid skyrocketing Covid-19 cases, Secretary Mnuchin is engaged in economic sabotage, and trying to tie the Biden administration's hands.”

I need one of these networks to make @AuthorBJackson’s “The Ties That Bind” into a movie.

The book takes us through college @HowardU in the 60’s, the Vietnam War, the Black Panther movement — with mystic undertones, classism and a twist at the end ...[Thread ⬇️]

that makes you believe in LOVE. Funny thing about this book is I found it at the airport, abt 10 years ago now, and I’ve read it at least 10 times. It’s exceptional, and it’s needs to be a movie. So, casted it. @ava or @LenaWaithe — y’all should make this happen lol ⬇️

Randolph: @_Brandon_Bell
Jenna: @KekePalmer
Ellie: @iamtikasumpter
Leigh: @DomiNqueP
Ross: @TyLepley
Noah: @MehcadBrooks
Angela: @BiancaLawson
Grandmother Fuller: @msdebbieallen
Gramma Mattie: @PhyliciaRashad
@strongblacklead — that’s a CAST. Lol, more abt the book ⬇️

Randolph Fuller (@_Brandon_Bell ) comes from a family of prominent lawyers on the paternal side and from the Gullah people on the maternal side. Jenna Haywood (@KekePalmer) is considered too dark by the Fullers and did not have any “prestige” behind her name ⬇️

These differences between the two did not matter they loved each other, but to Grandmother Julia Fuller (@msdebbieallen) it was a disgrace. Jenna and Randolph were in love and planned to be together for the rest of their lives. However, an obsessed Angela (@BiancaLawson) ⬇️

A belief I feel has developed on the left, at least the segments I see online, is that belief in collective, socialist solutions must therefore mean that any attempt at personal development, self-improvement and improvement of interpersonal relations is vanity and neoliberalism.

...or even more extreme, counterrevolutionary. The idea becomes then that all solutions must then come from things that sound communal or systemic. Even too much introspection is counterrevolution. Which is why I think I once saw a class reductionist call meditation neoliberal

Even discussions about mental health instead of being about which type best provides you self-love and self-awareness and self-esteem and nourishes you spiritually, focus more on making sure insurance gives you optimal access and you can get necessary medications

I think this blind spot of treating introspection and personal and interpersonal improvement s selfish exercises in vanity and neoliberal has several results. One is that all communication has to remain irony poisoned and detached unless discussing systemic issues

For the ones who do discuss personal issues in earnest, they feel obligated to do it in a way that tries to couch them in language of systemic change, radicalism and mutual aid in ways that ends up muddying the waters, disguising the personal issues and rendering it ridiculous...

There are so many things about moving into a management or leadership role that, on paper, are simple when, in reality, are really freaking hard.

Here’s a short list of simple things that are really hard to do well.

1. Define and measure what good performance looks like.

There are best practices and there are times to throw out the rules. Establishing those fences takes time and a lot of energy.

2. Teach others what you know.

Teaching is very different than showing. “Do this” is not an effective mode of teaching. Teaching includes providing space to practice new skills without recourse.

3. Knowing when to provide space and when to step in when an individual or team is struggling.

The learning process and sponsoring others requires both. It can be such a grey area and is very much dependent on the individual you’re working with.

4. Sharing enough of the bigger picture while ensuring you don’t share too much.

Providing context is great. Using your team as your therapy session is not so great.

Trump MUST attend #Biden Inauguration: A Thread

There are rumors swirling that Donald #Trump, the outgoing US President, will not attend the inauguration of President-Elect Joe Biden & Vice President-Elect #KamalaHarris.

1/

I pray these rumors are false.

Yes, we all know Trump lost by more than 6,000,000 votes and 4%. Despite his legal vomiting and protests to the contrary, he knows it as well.

2/

We know that Trump is a malignant narcissist who cannot face defeat.

And we know that his presidency was never about serving nor leading the American people, but to enrich himself, his children, his cronies, and his sycophants.

3/

Trump is likely the sorest loser in the history of the presidency.

All this is true.

And.

Trump MUST attend the BidenHarris inauguration. Why?

4/

I. American democracy is a covenant of trust and respect. Our institutions are strong because we the people give them power. Trump’s absence would be a violation of that trust. Every Republican official MUST call upon Trump to attend.

5/

Lindy Effect 101

With Bitcoin's return to the spotlight, debates on its long-term viability are raging. Its proponents contend @nntaleb's Lindy Effect says the technology is here to stay.

But what is the "Lindy Effect" and how does it work?

Here's Lindy Effect 101!

👇👇👇

1/ First, a few definitions.

The Lindy Effect is a theory that the future life expectancy of specific non-perishable items, like a technology or idea, is proportional to their age.

Put simply, the longer it has already lasted, the higher the likelihood it will continue to last.

2/ The term "Lindy effect" is a reference to Lindy's, a New York deli frequented by comedians in the 1960s.

While author Albert Goldman used the term "Lindy's Law" in a 1964 article, it was mathematician Benoit Mandlebrot who moved the dialogue towards the current definition.

3/ In his book, entitled The Fractal Geometry of Nature, Mandlebrot commented that the more stage appearances a Lindy's comedian made, the more future appearances he could be predicted to make.

The longer he lasted, the longer he would continue to last.

4/ @nntaleb built upon Mandelbrot's work, formally coining the term "Lindy Effect" in his book, Antifragile.

He noted the Lindy Effect with books - the longer a book has been in print, the longer it is likely to survive.

With no natural upper bound, power laws come into play.

Travelogue: Of Abacha, Okpa & Other Things I Saw On A Road Trip From Anambra To Enugu

I believe two things give people great exposure- reading and travelling. I love both. Anytime I get into a new or unfamiliar environment, I like to explore the place.

I make friends with people in that environment- especially cab drivers. I met Somto and he was just perfect for me. He knows the road but even more, he knows the interesting places and is a good conversationalist.

I jumped into his vehicle and off we went from Agulu where I stayed. Agulu has the best hotel I have stayed so far in this country. I'm not saying this lightly at all. The Golden Tulip Hotel in Agulu owned by the Anambra State Government is a masterpiece of hospitality.

Located on the banks of Agulu Lake, the landscape is a beauty to behold. If you love nature like me, you don't need to go any further. Just looking at the hills and the lake will give you immense pleasure. The view from my room was simply breathtaking.

That hotel is a piece of hidden treasure. It's a beautiful getaway from the hustle and bustle of Lagos. The hotel was formally commissioned in January this year though operations started last September.