quote:

Once symptoms appear, the result is virtually always death, regardless of treatment. The time period between contracting the disease and the start of symptoms is usually one to three months but can vary from less than one week to more than one year

wolfs posted:

what’s a good bike light?

can I just buy a little high candela flashlight and put it in a handlebar mount then pocket the light?

quote:

Rabies is scary.

Rabies. It's exceptionally common, but people just don't run into the animals that carry it often. Skunks especially, and bats.

Let me paint you a picture.

You go camping, and at midday you decide to take a nap in a nice little hammock. While sleeping, a tiny brown bat, in the "rage" stages of infection is fidgeting in broad daylight, uncomfortable, and thirsty (due to the hydrophobia) and you snort, startling him. He goes into attack mode.

Except you're asleep, and he's a little brown bat, so weighs around 6 grams. You don't even feel him land on your bare knee, and he starts to bite. His teeth are tiny. Hardly enough to even break the skin, but he does manage to give you the equivalent of a tiny scrape that goes completely unnoticed.

Rabies does not travel in your blood. In fact, a blood test won't even tell you if you've got it. (Antibody tests may be done, but are useless if you've ever been vaccinated.)

You wake up, none the wiser. If you notice anything at the bite site at all, you assume you just lightly scraped it on something.

The bomb has been lit, and your nervous system is the wick. The rabies will multiply along your nervous system, doing virtually no damage, and completely undetectable. You literally have NO symptoms.

It may be four days, it may be a year, but the camping trip is most likely long forgotten. Then one day your back starts to ache... Or maybe you get a slight headache?

At this point, you're already dead. There is no cure.

(The sole caveat to this is the Milwaukee Protocol, which leaves most patients dead anyway, and the survivors mentally disabled, and is seldom done).

There's no treatment. It has a 100% kill rate.

Absorb that. Not a single other virus on the planet has a 100% kill rate. Only rabies. And once you're symptomatic, it's over. You're dead.

So what does that look like?

Your headache turns into a fever, and a general feeling of being unwell. You're fidgety. Uncomfortable. And scared. As the virus that has taken its time getting into your brain finds a vast network of nerve endings, it begins to rapidly reproduce, starting at the base of your brain... Where your "pons" is located. This is the part of the brain that controls communication between the rest of the brain and body, as well as sleep cycles.

Next you become anxious. You still think you have only a mild fever, but suddenly you find yourself becoming scared, even horrified, and it doesn't occur to you that you don't know why. This is because the rabies is chewing up your amygdala.

As your cerebellum becomes hot with the virus, you begin to lose muscle coordination, and balance. You think maybe it's a good idea to go to the doctor now, but assuming a doctor is smart enough to even run the tests necessary in the few days you have left on the planet, odds are they'll only be able to tell your loved ones what you died of later.

You're twitchy, shaking, and scared. You have the normal fear of not knowing what's going on, but with the virus really loving the amygdala this is amplified a hundred fold. It's around this time the hydrophobia starts.

You're horribly thirsty, you just want water. But you can't drink. Every time you do, your throat clamps shut and you vomit. This has become a legitimate, active fear of water. You're thirsty, but looking at a glass of water begins to make you gag, and shy back in fear. The contradiction is hard for your hot brain to see at this point. By now, the doctors will have to put you on IVs to keep you hydrated, but even that's futile. You were dead the second you had a headache.

You begin hearing things, or not hearing at all as your thalamus goes. You taste sounds, you see smells, everything starts feeling like the most horrifying acid trip anyone has ever been on. With your hippocampus long under attack, you're having trouble remembering things, especially family.

You're alone, hallucinating, thirsty, confused, and absolutely, undeniably terrified. Everything scares the literal poo poo out of you at this point. These strange people in lab coats. These strange people standing around your bed crying, who keep trying to get you "drink something" and crying. And it's only been about a week since that little headache that you've completely forgotten. Time means nothing to you anymore. Funny enough, you now know how the bat felt when he bit you.

Eventually, you slip into the "dumb rabies" phase. Your brain has started the process of shutting down. Too much of it has been turned to liquid virus. Your face droops. You drool. You're all but unaware of what's around you. A sudden noise or light might startle you, but for the most part, it's all you can do to just stare at the ground. You haven't really slept for about 72 hours.

Then you die. Always, you die.

And there's not one... loving... thing... anyone can do for you.

Then there's the question of what to do with your corpse. I mean, sure, burying it is the right thing to do. But the loving virus can survive in a corpse for years. You could kill every rabid animal on the planet today, and if two years from now, some moist, preserved, rotten hunk of used-to-be brain gets eaten by an animal, it starts all over.

So yeah, rabies scares the poo poo out of me. And it's loving EVERYWHERE. (Source: Spent a lot of time working with rabies. Would still get my vaccinations if I could afford them.)

Platystemon posted:

This post about rabies is a classic.

gradenko_2000 posted:

the thing that really got to me (though I played it cool at the time) was my cousin describing that once you were found to be symptomatic, you'd be restrained and isolated, but you couldn't be sedated or euthanized or otherwise cared for because you might bite someone and infect them with rabies in turn, so you'd just be locked away until you die (in a horrifying fashion, as the post describes)

Nitrousoxide posted:

And this is why you should drive rather than bike. Don't want to get bit by a rabies infected bat while cycling

webcams for christ posted:

yeah if you're biking at night around other cyclists often, it's best to buy STvZO-compliant bike lights so you aren't a nuisance to cyclists/peds. but if you're only biking around cars, the brighter the better. your taillight should definitely be red if you're macgyvering anything

Smythe posted:

the holidays make people insane. its badass

Cup Runneth Over posted:

people are just insane I think. extremely aggressive confrontational society

www.epa.gov posted:

SAN FRANCISCO (December 18, 2023) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has entered into settlements with nine companies or individuals regarding claims of violation of the Clean Air Act. The companies and individuals, all based in California or Hawaii, violated the legal ban on importing into the U.S. any motor vehicle, motor vehicle engine, nonroad engine or equipment that does not conform to EPA emission standards and requirements. Uncertified vehicles and engines can emit harmful air pollutants at 30% or more above allowable standards.

"The illegal importing of vehicles and engines circumvents controls put in place to protect us all – and our environment -- from hazardous air pollution,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. "These settlements will serve to prevent pollution from unlawful vehicles and engines, helping to improve air quality and prevent asthma and other respiratory and health harms.”

Since 2008, there has been a steady flow of illegally imported uncertified motorcycles, equipment containing small gasoline-powered engines (e.g., generators, mowers, chainsaws, etc.), and recreational vehicles. EPA is working with U.S. Customs to stop such illegal vehicles and engines at ports of entry and require exportation or destruction.

The EPA’s expedited settlement agreement (ESA) policy for the Clean Air Act Vehicle and Engine Import program is an efficient, standardized process to resolve violations by first-time violators in matters with lower penalties.

Details of the nine agreements:

1 On June 27, 2023, EPA ratified an ESA with PACCAR Inc. for importing one heavy-duty diesel engine at the Port of Calexico, located on the US-Mexico border. The company paid a penalty of $4,545 and, as required, returned the uncertified engine to Mexico. This enforcement initiative was funded by a US-Mexico-Canada Agreement grant to prevent illegal imports from entering the United States through the Southern Border. 

2 On June 27, 2023, EPA ratified an ESA with Dar-Yih David Wu, Shenzhen Senlinyun Technology Co. Ltd. for importing 50 gasoline sweepers at the Port of Los Angeles. The company paid a $2,500 penalty and, as required, exported the uncertified equipment to a country other than Canada or Mexico.

3 On July 21, 2023, EPA ratified an ESA with One Dreamworks Inc. for importing 480 chainsaws and 30 hedge trimmers at the Port of Los Angeles. The company paid a penalty of $8,018 and, as required, destroyed the uncertified equipment.

4 On August 15, 2023, EPA ratified an ESA with E-Speed Inc. for importing 40 dirt bikes at the Port of Los Angeles. E-Speed paid a penalty of $3,200 and, as required, destroyed the uncertified equipment.

5 On September 19, 2023, EPA ratified an ESA with Golden Dragon Farm Inc. for importing one piece of diesel-powered farming equipment at the Port of Honolulu. The company paid a penalty of $800 and forfeited the equipment to U.S. Customs and Border Protection for destruction.

6 On September 25, 2023, EPA ratified an ESA with Springbrook SGC LLC for importing two highway vehicles at the Port of Los Angeles. The company paid a penalty of $300 and, as required, destroyed the uncertified vehicles.

7 On October 31, 2023, EPA ratified an ESA with Eddie Hardister for importing one gasoline plate vibrating machine engine at the Port of Honolulu. Eddie Hardister paid a penalty of $140 and forfeited the engine to U.S. Customs and Border Protection for destruction.

8 On November 1, 2023, EPA ratified an ESA with KCK Builders LLC for importing one gasoline forklift at the Port of Honolulu. The company paid a penalty of $2,860 and forfeited the engine to U.S Customs and Border Protection.

9 On November 1, 2023, EPA ratified an ESA with Pro Motion Racing Productions Inc. for importing 92 gasoline engines intended to be used in uncertified, ridable scooters into the Port of Los Angeles. The company paid a penalty of $2,583 and U.S. Customs and Border Protection facilitated the re-export of the engines.

The denial of entry into the United States of these uncertified engines resulted in the prevention of 21,495 pounds of hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides, 736 pounds of particulate matter, and 51,139 pounds of carbon monoxide. Hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxide react with other chemicals in the air to form both particulate matter and ozone, and can aggravate respiratory diseases, particularly asthma.

Grassy Knowles posted:

Grassy Knowles posted:

i am all activated after getting yelled at to ‘look both ways’ and slow-rolled when this rear end in a top hat had a stop sign. it was a busy intersection so I got in the middle of it to stop 11 cars and chastise him while pointing my cane and yelling ‘it’s a loving stop sign idiot. get the gently caress out the car if you wanna talk to the disabled woman about it.’ and then just repeating ‘get the gently caress out the car or drive away.’ when he tried to say anything.

hate having to stop everyone and make a scene to have an audience just to make sure I don’t get followed home for crossing the street in the crosswalk.

Mauser posted:

gently caress them cars

WHO posted:

Dogs are the main source of human rabies deaths, contributing up to 99% of all rabies transmissions to humans. Rabies can be prevented through vaccination of dogs and prevention of dog bites.

BONGHITZ posted:

BONGHITZ posted:

Grassy Knowles posted:

I'm going to take a bus today

mawarannahr posted:

Carsbad, California. Home of Tony Walk

quote:

bicyclists never ever stop at stop signs!!!!!!! I live at the corner of X St* and Y St, and all day long bicyclists just ignore the stop sign and keep riding!!!

quote:

Was that you I saw yesterday driving a car directly into a man and his dog crossing in a marked crosswalk at that exact intersection?

Greg12 posted:

I got banned from NextDoor because I replied to

with

*low-car bicycle route parallel to two high-car-speed, high-car-volume roads

quote:

According to Bhatt, the new rules will make streets safer for pedestrians through “stronger language on crosswalk markings, traffic signals and sidewalk detours and closures,” and more audible information devices for visually impaired pedestrians. Bicycle safety measures include turn boxes at intersections and traffic lights that encourage separation between cars and bikes.