Masks. A short thread. In June last year my GP advised me that wearing a mask even for a short space of time would be harmful for me on two fronts. One - I have painful rosacea on my face. It’s a horrible condition and it’s lifelong. I can at times look scary!

Putting on a mask simply makes it worse. Two - I have hypertension. Manageable and controlled. GP also advises that mask wearing even for short periods can raise cortisol levels and make them dangerous to me.
On that basis and given the dreadful treatment us non-maskers have to suffer and to appease the abusers I have three times asked my GP to issue me with a letter relating to my conditions.
On each occasion she has said that there is no need. Whilst she won’t admit it straight up, all conversations suggest she’s been told not to. I happen to agree that no-one should need to reveal their medical history to anyone other than medical professionals responsible for me.
I’ve researched mask wearing in relation to what they are supposed to be used for ref *Covid* - I’m no thicko - I prepare risk assessments (and I’m qualified to do so) every day (or did) - and the evidence *for* is weak. Very weak.
I have no issue if people choose to wear one. I have a big issue with compulsion especially given all the conflicts about effectiveness. Masks are a crude device and there’s no reason, none, to make covering your face mandatory.
At best they are placebos and on a different scale they are dehumanising and scary. For people with physical difficulties it’s hard enough; for those of us who suffer anxiety & other hidden illnesses it must be terrible.
My son who before developing a bacterial infection on his mouth was forced to wear a mask for 6/7 hours per day nearly lost his job because he became ill with masking up. His employer - a govt agency - had to be reminded of the exemptions, several times, before relenting.
Mask wearing is an utter absurdity in the context of effectiveness. Wear one standing in a queue in a coffee shop but take it off whilst sitting down; mask up when walking to the toilet in a pub. Eh? Is it just me who thinks this is totally nuts?
The compulsory nature of the mask has also enabled people to be downright nasty and judgemental. It’s the worst by-product of the *rule* to muzzle up. The shaming has been relentless and religiously applied by the virtuous.
Regardless of my conditions, I abhor the mask and it truly does cause anxiety. Despite its obvious flaws, long live my birth face!

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Public Health Scholarships

This may help for those considering MS/PhD in Public Health

1. The Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree in Public Health in Disasters
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2. Afya Bora Global Health

3. Carl Duisberg Scholarships

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4. Commonwealth Scholarships for Developing Countries

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5. Fellowships in Public Health & Tropical

6. Fellowships to Promote Mental Health Journalism

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7. 2021-22 Jeroen Ensink Memorial Fund

8. Paul S. Lietman Global Travel Grant for Residents & Fellows

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9. Global Health Internships and Funding

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10. Kofi Annan Global Health Leadership

11. MA in European Public Health

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12. MSc in Public Health Scholarships - Maastricht University,
Some thoughts on this: Firstly, it might be personal preference, but I am not keen on this kind of campaign as I feel like it trivialises cancer. Sometimes the serious message gets lost because people are sharing pics of cats or whatever and the important context is gone.


More importantly, the statistic being used in the campaign is misleading. It says 57% of women put off cervical screening if they can't get waxed. But on further investigation, that's not accurate.

The page here goes on to say "57% of women who regularly have their pubic hair professionally removed would put off attending their cervical screening appointment if they hadn’t been able to visit a beauty salon."

So the 57% represents a concern not across the whole population of women, but only those who regularly get waxed. So how big of an issue is this across the whole population? And what else is stopping people getting smears?

I think campaigns for cancer screening are really tricky because there is so much nuance that often doesn't fit into a catchy headline or hashtag. It's certainly not easy and is part of a bigger conversation.

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This is NONSENSE. The people who take photos with their books on instagram are known to be voracious readers who graciously take time to review books and recommend them to their followers. Part of their medium is to take elaborate, beautiful photos of books. Die mad, Guardian.


THEY DO READ THEM, YOU JUDGY, RACOON-PICKED TRASH BIN


If you come for Bookstagram, i will fight you.

In appreciation, here are some of my favourite bookstagrams of my books: (photos by lit_nerd37, mybookacademy, bookswrotemystory, and scorpio_books)