Get out there and walk doors if you can. Even an introvert like me can do it. It doesn't really require any special training. Find your candidate and look up how to help.
A lot of our 'process' is dominated by wealthy people who benefit from the status quo (or think they do). I wrote up this housing hearing I went to, and I wish more people could experience something like it to understand the problem:
You're truly doing the lord's work, as they used to say. I think one of the main struggles we have is awareness for movement work and rarely do people blog about their experiences in a public way. If most people actually advocated like you did, we'd live in a much better world.
Thanks to Governor Kotek, Oregon passed a bit of housing reform in 2025 that lets you build 'middle housing' despite anything an HOA says. I was really happy to go to Salem (Oregon's capital) to speak in favor of that.
I am 51, and about every other time I go to the dentist (same one!), he says, "you might want to think about having your wisdom teeth removed; they're only going to cause you problems."
The difference is that when I was 18, at my last pediatric dentist appointment, I was told, "keep them clean, and they'll be fine the rest of your life."
The issue with extracting teeth is that once you extract one teeth, rest of them loosens up, so better "have problems for the rest of your life" with all teeth, than different problems that comes when you have no teeth...
I'm in my 40s and most dentist office I've walked into in the last 20 years has given me "two years at most before they need to come out!!!". Last year I did end up needing only one of them to come out because of pain to the tooth next to it. The other 3 are still fine.
I can actually tell which dental office is scammy vs genuine based on their remarks on the wisdom teeth. The more adamant they are about the removal, the less trustworthy.
Oiy you people are boring. The US will remain a world power just due to its geographical position. It owns the Americas economically and militarily. This is something no other country in the world is close to capable of doing.
What a bunch of sophomoric blather. "Politics" is just how large groups of humans organize themselves. It can be done well or done poorly. It can be done with a thought to the most vulnerable, where minorities have rights and where it's not simply mob rule.
"Politics" is how we decide whether or not to protect certain aspects of the natural world from exploitation, and how much. Or how much to help people who can't make their own way in the world for whatever reason (illness, age, whatever).
On a whim, I did EMT-B training a few years ago. Part of that course is a responder-level CPR cert. Through muscle memory, one of my fellow students jumped on scene during the evaluation, and the first thing she did was instruct a bystander to "Call 911!"
That's what they taught us in Boy Scouts. Very first step is to get help.
Have someone call 911 (or whatever number in your country) immediately. If nobody is nearby start yelling.
Only one time in my life have I had to perform CPR (was already too late) but it is amazing how much of what I learned when I was 11 years old stuck with me.
Get help, check airway for obstructions...etc. Most importantly...take a CPR class sometime in your life and do what they say. The "ABC" of airway, breathing, circulation they taught us may not be current advice.
Sidenote: Don't be too hard on yourself if you don't save a life...even the pros say unless the patient is young/healthy you likely won't.
Edit: The feeling when the pros actually show up (in the case where I was doing CPR within minutes) is one of the biggest reliefs I have had in my life. Even knowing CPR...you feel helpless until they show up. And once they do, ask immediately if they need you. If not...get out of the way.
Some experts believe that some situations may see better outcomes if circulation is prioritized over respiration. Most experts agree that it is still best to teach ABC.
(CPR instructor, paramedic, instructor) - all outcomes are better with CAB. Circulation first, or only.
Two main reasons: 1: blood can remain somewhat perfused with oxygen for about 8 minutes - but needs to circulate, 2: as a rough rule of thumb, your chance of survival goes down about 10% for every minute that you need compressions but aren't getting them.
> Even knowing CPR...you feel helpless until they show up. And once they do, ask immediately if they need you. If not...get out of the way.
As a paramedic, the first thing we did on scene if we didn't arrive with the cavalry (our standard dispatch for CPR was 2 BLS units, i.e. 4-8 EMTs, an ALS unit, i.e. 1-2 paramedics) is "Hey, keep going, we'll coach you, while we get set up", because if you're doing solid compressions, great, that means we can do the things you can't (get vascular access, establish an advanced airway, rhythm, etc.)
> The "ABC" of airway, breathing, circulation they taught us may not be current advice.
The version taught in Australian first aid classes is DRSABCD: check for (D)anger, check for patient (R)esponse, (S)end for help, (A)irway, (B)reathing, (C)irculation.
Part of the reason they teach "ABC" is it is simple and easy to remember, especially in an emergency. I've reread DRSABCD a dozen times now and I guarantee I will have forgotten it in a few minutes. Case in point, you missed (D)efibrillation...
I was taught "point at someone and tell them 'you, specifically, call 911'" but I like touch a lot better. Makes more sense for getting someone to actually do it.
Touching someone when asking them to do something is a well known psychological trick. It immediately increases intimacy, which makes the person more likely to do what you ask. Though it can also backfire if the person is particularly sensitive and finds the intimacy uncomfortable.
I've found "You, what's your name? Steven? Steven, can you call 911 right now?" to be very effective. It breaks the ice with a very easy task. It can also help later when you need to need to find, describe, follow up with, or thank the person.
Yeah, I cannot imagine seeing people in pain and suffering and even dying on a regular basis. Nope nope nope. I mean, I am extremely grateful for the people who can handle that, but I'm not cut out for it.
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