#<- the virus just happens to have a VERY specific fashion test

[jumjum-crafts]

We as a fandom forgot about ILY.COLIN too quickly

Non-corrected ver undercut

This is the first piece I've placed lots of efforts into in a while!! Feel free to zoom in, tumblr tends to eat the quality :]

[barnesbabee]

Edge Of Glory || C.J

Pairing: Choi Jongho x Reader

Genre: Smut, Fluff, Angst

Words: Idk but from the top of my head I’d bet on 3126 words

Pieces of lyrics from the song are written in bold

⚠ drug abuse, mentions of physical/psychological abuse (not from the idol), mentions of death and suicide, dystopian!au ⚠

Warning: There are disturbing/ scenes described. Read at your own risk.

ᴀᴛᴇᴇᴢ x ʟᴀᴅʏ ɢᴀɢᴀ ᴄᴏɴᴄᴇᴘᴛ ꜱᴇʀɪᴇꜱ || ᴘ4

ʙᴀꜱᴇᴅ ᴏꜰꜰ ᴇᴅɢᴇ ᴏꜰ ɢʟᴏʀʏ ᴍᴠ

 A worldwide pandemic took all nations by surprise, one worse than any century had ever experienced, one that all safety precautions, medicine and technology couldn’t fight. It came down onto the whole world like a train and the population decreased greatly, along with all of the resources. 

   Hazmats became the trending fashion and hospitals became the new hotels. Everything was at max capacity, and the bodies of deceased people piled up on the streets. Pale corpses that looked like they had been drained of all of their blood laid against the walls, on top of each other, or sprawled on the road. It was every man for themselves, and chaos dominated.

    You were a little relieved, however. Your parents wouldn’t allow you to leave the house for safety, but every time you looked out of the window every deceased person seemed to be of age, more specifically, a mature adult. Mostly people from their thirties on. 

    Maybe it didn’t affect younger people? Maybe their immune system was good enough to fight the disease? 

   You had many doubts, but not enough answers. No one had answers, and suddenly everyone had a God. When nurses and doctors fled, when the news disappeared and it all stopped being transmitted, everyone started praying, ironically.

    Your parents were jittery and nervous all the time, but that was a normal reaction, they had seen and experienced the outside world. You felt safe in their presence, although seeing them come in the house in the yellow suits kind of scared you.

    Months were spent in this routine, and all seemed normal (within the limits). One day, however, you were woken up by loud banging on the front door. You immediately stood up from bed, a little dizzy from the sudden movement, and wobbled over to your door. You pressed your ear against the wooden door to hear whatever went on downstairs. You had never gotten visitors…

    You heard the downstairs door creak open and a male, harsh, demanding voice spoke.

    “Any kids in?” He simply asked.

   “N-no, Sir. We’ve never been able to have kids.”

    You frowned at the shaky voice. They did have a kid though... 

    The nervousness in your mom’s voice, the violent man’s tone, and the lie immediately raised a red flag for you. You became uncertain and shaky. Who was he!?

     You prepared for the worst. You shoved a couple things in a backpack, the absolute necessary, and opened your bedroom’s window as quietly as possible. You looked down at the previously green grass outside. It was far. If you had to jump you were gonna hurt yourself, so you just prayed that they’d leave.

     “Surely you wouldn’t mind us looking around then?” 

    Your eyes widened, and you immediately took this as your cue. You put on the black gas mask your parents had given you in case of emergency and sat by the window pane.

    “What? B-but I told you we don’t have-”

    “Ma’am please step off or you’ll be taken.” He rudely interrupted your mother.

    You heard heavy footsteps echo throughout the house, and without a second thought jumped off. You pursed your lips together to prevent the scream from escaping past your lips as you landed on your side, on top of a couple of rocks. 

   You got up as quickly as you fell down and ran. You ran as fast as you could, always holding your aching side. 

    You had no idea where you were wandering, you had no idea what was safe or not, and you had no idea what was happening, but you ran anyways.

  It had been four days. You had seen some people running around and looting stores, you had seen some people in suits patrolling, and you had seen huge tanks taking over the city. You always felt the floor shake when one of them approached, so it was easy to hide. You wondered what they were for, but then again your imagination had run short.

  You hadn’t found a place you deemed safe yet. You’d sleep in hidden street corners and stolen from beaten-up shops to survive, but you were becoming tired and desperate. Hope died very quickly in a place like that, and every morning it was hard not to give up.

  After the longest days of your life, you decided to risk it. You went into the only part in town you hadn’t scavaged. It was previously known for illegal activity and for being generally very shady. Strangely, it was the most familiar part of town. It was dark, cold and scary, just like before.  

  You walked warily, looking the torn-apart buildings 'from head to toe’. Most of them were locked up, or too damaged to even enter, but a particular building caught your attention. The windows were sealed, but the door had a chain that had been broken. You approached it and carefully removed the chain. The metal door creaked against the floor and made an ugly noise. You closed it just as slowly and carefully inspected the bottom floor with the poor flashlight you had found in a hardware store. 

   It was clean.

  You moved upwards, and all of the floors were clear of corpses. A sense happiness and relief washed over you, as you might had just found a place to stick around in. 

  As you reached the floor just below the rooftop, your eyes glistened and your face lit up. 

  A mattress with a couple of blankets laid against the wall. There were unopened cans of food organized near the window, that gave you a perfect view of the safe and unsafe areas. As you were about to inspect the food and the expire date on them, someone spoke behind you.

  “Hello?”

 You jumped at the voice. You spun around quickly and held the turned-off flashlight close to your chest. Your eyes were widened and you were frozen in place. The male in front of you, on the other hand, was relaxed yet confused.

  He had a long dark fringe covering his eyes, and his skin was very pale. 

  “W-who are you?” You asked, trying your best not to stutter out the whole sentence.

   The man looked at you as if you were stupid.

   “I’m the person living here?... The owner of this five-star suite, actually.”

   Your face fell a little at his statement and he chuckled. 

  “What? Did you think you had hit the jackpot and just found a perfect place waiting for you?”

   You averted your gaze and blushed slightly in embarrassment at how stupid your thoughts sounded when said out loud. Neither of you said anything. You could immediately tell that there was a big contrast between your personalities: while you stood there, stiff and nervous, he was relaxed and staring at you with a mocking glare. You were a little confused as to why the male wasn’t freaking out over a random person walking in where he lived and trying to claim it. It was suspicious…

    The man looked at the mattress on the floor, then at the cans.

    “Wanna share?”

    You were taken aback by the question. Why would he willingly share what he had? Why would he willingly spare half of the very scarce resources he possessed? 

    “Why?” You quietly asked.

    The man understood your confusion, most people would shoo others away and refuse to even let them come close to whatever they had gathered. 

    He walked over to the mattress and sat down with a groan. The stranger took a very poorly joint up to his mouth and took a hit, then puffing out the smoke and creating a small cloud between the two of you. He opened his mouth to say something but was immediately cut off.

   “We’re in the middle of an apocalypse and you’re getting high!?”

   It wasn’t like you to stress over something so little, but the near-death experiences, the fear and all the running away had transformed you into a shell of your former self.

   “It’s… It’s not an apocalypse.”

   You furrowed your brows and cocked your head. How would he know what all this was anyway?

    “Well it’s kinda- Can you fucking sit down or something you’re stressing me out, standing there holding that flashlight like I’m gonna try to murder you.”

    The statement stole a chuckle out of you and you sat down on the floor in front of him.

    “To put it shortly, this pandemic is a war gone wrong.”

    There was a long silence, as he let you process the tiny bit of the puzzle he had just told you. It was understandable that you didn’t know what was going on, no one really did know but the ones that had been exposed to the government’s horrors.

    “This… virus. It wasn’t someone’s carelessness or a lab security breach, it was a biological war that went to shit. A country unbeknownst to everyone apparently sent out a virus to wipe out Japan and Korea, it was speculated inside the borders that it was because of the lucrative rise and some countries were losing their economic powers over a lot of major cities. But it spiraled out of control and everyone is slowly dying. It’s much worse than anything anyone had ever seen, and in a panic, the government started doing what they call ‘recruitment of the younger generation’. Don’t let the name fool you, we were taken against our will…”

    “We? You were there?”

    Jongho sighed, his voice dropped considerably and suddenly the weed tasted odd. He threw away the joint and rested his head against the wall. Guilt and shame filled his body, and he wasn’t able to look you in the eye as he explained what went on in the place he had been confined in.

    “I was… taken. From the house I was in. They take only young people who are healthy and capable. No disabilities inside those walls, only the ones they deem good enough to procreate and rebuild our country. We… We are forced to work, they do tests on us, they treat us like lab rats and the boys… The boys are forced to impregnate girls.” His voice cracked at that, clearly hitting a deep scar. His chest began to rise and fall quickly.

    You became suddenly sad and worried for the stranger. Your face contorted in a pitiful look and you approached him, patting his thigh for him to know he had your support.

    “It’s okay, you don’t need to tell any more…”

    The male glanced at the joint he had thrown away and regretted doing so. He really wished he had something that made the conversation easier.

     “No, the more people know, the easier it will be to destroy this whole shit. Letting the world die is better than what they’re doing to us. I was… forced to make girls pregnant. I- I don’t even know their names. I don’t even know who they are, they push you into a room and they watch you, to make sure you do things right. When people refuse to do so, there’s a punishment. But I was always too scared of it so I just followed the rules. In a couple of months I’ll have… I’ll have a children in there. A son, who knows maybe a daughter… And they’ll be forced to do exactly what I ran away from. Fuck I’m a monster!” 

   The male hit his head against the wall, hard. His eyes were tightly shut (certainly not hurt from the bang against the wall, but from something much deeper) and tears threatened to fall.

    The psychological side clearly was much worse than any physical work they were forced to do.

    “Hey, hey it’s okay. You didn’t do that because you wanted to, right? You did it because you were forced. If those kids are as smart as you surely they’ll get out too.”

   He scoffed and turned his head to look at you.

   “I got out because I was lucky. I was done with life, I didn’t want to be there anymore. But because the suicide rate was crazy high inside those walls everyone was always watching. I knew a guy though, he managed to pass around drugs and my plan was to overdose… But when the time came I always pussied out. As time went by and I kept consuming I became thinner, paler, weaker… I looked like I was about to die and they didn’t understand why, but at some point they stopped wanting me there, they deemed I was unfit. They cut off my food and water, they left me to die in a room. I was lucky because I passed out. They thought I was dead and threw me over the border. I woke up in a pile of dead bodies, bathing in blood, dirt, puke, and God knows what else. I could barely move, but I dragged myself out of the corpses and tried to survive the best I could.”

    You couldn’t believe your ears. You wanted to say something, but what was there to be said? ‘It’s going to be okay’? You both knew it was a lie… There was nothing to be said and all you could do was greet his lengthy life-story of the past couple months with silence.

    “That’s why I smoke weed. Y’know… kinda takes me out and makes me forget everything’s gone to shit, drowns out the worst in my head.”

    You nodded, a little uncomfortable yet understanding his position.

    Luckily, Jongho who had been through Hell and come back, was great at shooing away the awkwardness.

   “Now that you know about my kids, I’m Jongho by the way.”

   “I-I’m Y/N.” You introduced yourself, a little shocked at the way he was fine with joking about it.

    “Well Y/N, buckle up. We’re in a warzone now, it’s the end of the world. There ain’t a reason you and me should be alone.”

  You and Jongho sat at the top of the building. The sun was going down and you sat on his lap. His arms were around your body, holding your hands as he tried to teach you how to properly roll the thin paper. 

    “Y/N! We don’t have infinite weed! Stop messing this up!”

    “I- Are you joking, Jongho!? You pushed this mess onto my hands because you wanted to have a reason to have me on your lap!”

    You stood up (faking anger toward him) and walked up to the edge of the building, dancing and prancing around. 

    Jongho laughed at your cuteness and threw away the very much ruined romantic joint he tried to do with you. He walked over to you and placed his hands on your hips.

     “I won’t get high tonight but at least I was happy.” 

    You looked at him, surprised at the sweet comment. The sunlight gave his skin a golden tone and the slight wind blew his hair back. He smiled at the big eyes you were giving him, and chuckled upon realizing how little it had taken to make you speechless.

     “What?” He asked, as you wouldn’t stop staring.

    You giggled and placed your hands on his biceps, subconsciously playing with them.

    “Nothing it’s just… I didn’t know you could be cute.”

    Jongho faked a shocked expression, never breaking eye contact.

     “Excuse me! I can be adorable!”

     You scoffed and slapped his chest.

    “You’ve been cute to me like, two times.”

     “Two?” He asked, not remembering what the first had been.

     Your eyes drifted away and you blushed slightly. 

     “Well, you let me stay with you… That was really sweet, thank you.”

     Jongho lifted your chin with his index finger, making you look at him.

     “And I’m glad I did.”

     There was a small, comfortable silence before you spoke.

      “Why is that?”

      You were eager for the answer. Jongho was unpredictable, you never knew what to expect of him, so you looked deep into his eyes as you awaited a response. 

     Jongho looked away, before looking back at you and pressing his lips against yours, for a kiss that lasted no longer than a second.

     “Because I like you.”

    It was incredulous. You expected him to say that, but it was so… unexpected. You opened your mouth to speak, but he cut you off as per usual.

     “And I know, I know it’s been like two weeks, but it’s hard not to fall for someone like you once you spend every second of every day with them.”

     You blushed slightly and hit his chest.

     “Plus, you’re one of the most beautiful women out there.” He said as he caressed your cheek lovingly.

     “Jongho, who knew you could be so sweet…”

     “I know, right? But then again, everyone is dying and there’s like, a dozen women out there so you don’t have much competition.”

     You two laughed, and before you could hit him, Jongho ran away and ran downstairs. Once you found him, you tackled him onto the mattress, but of course he won over you, and began tickling you all over. He’d only stop when you begged and were almost crying. 

   You looked into each other’s eyes. The dim light coming from the windows setting a lewd mood. Once you had regained your breath, you grabbed the back of his head and kissed him. The kiss lasted a little longer than the previous one, slightly losing its innocence. 

  You had never gone beyond kissing with anybody, so you were surprised at yourself when you deepened the kiss and rolled your hips against his, you didn’t hate it however. You wanted to continue. The world was ending and you were making out with the hottest man you’d ever been with on a mattress, so if there was a perfect timing, that was it.

   You moaned onto the kiss, signaling that you wanted more, but Jongho pulled away rapidly and looked away, a little embarrassed.

    “Jongho? Did I do something wrong I-I’m sorry I had never done that before and I-”

    “You were fine Y/N, don’t worry… It’s just that. Those things I did… Those girls, it wasn’t that long ago. I don’t think I’m comfortable, I’m sorry, love.”

     You felt bad for making him feel like he had to apologize for his feelings. You started to panic, but you had to calm yourself down in order to make Jongho feel comfortable. 

     You placed a hand on his cheek and kissed his forehead.

     “It’s okay Jongho, I don’t mind waiting. I’ll wait for you a million years, even when we’re both old and looking like raisins, I promise I’ll still want you.”

      The male giggled, showing the gummy smile you loved oh so much, and buried his face in the crook of your neck.

     “I got so lucky… You’re all I need.”

   You woke up with Jongho shaking you and calling for your name. You immediately shot awake and sat on the mattress you called a bed. 

     Your boyfriend threw his heavy mask onto a corner, grabbed both of your cheeks and kissed you passionately. His eyes were teary and puffy. His whole face was red and his coal-coloured hair was stuck to his forehead. You furrowed at the way his hands were shaking as he held you.

     “Jongho?” You asked, a little nervous.

     “Yes, darling?” He questioned. 

     His voice was as shaky as his hands, and anxiety started building up in the pit of his stomach.

     “What’s wrong?”

    His jittery eyes took in all of your features before smiling nervously.

    “Nothing baby!”

    He kissed your cheeks, your forehead, your nose, and finished up with a long kiss on your lips.

    Suddenly, the ground shook. Once, twice… Jongho tried to block the window with his broad back, but you could still see the shiny, shooting star-like object coming down from the sky and colliding with the ground. A loud sound echoed in the air and the ground shook once more before you saw a mushroom-like explosion in the distance.

    You couldn’t hold back the tears as panic immediately enveloped you.

    “J-Jongho what- what’s going on!?” You asked, your voice rising for the first time in months.

    Your boyfriend looked at you with teary eyes and held your face in a way that you couldn’t look at the window.

     “Nothing, doll. Everything is fine, we’re gonna be okay.”

    Jongho hugged you tightly. You quickly wrapped your arms around him and held him as close as possible, as your brain put two and two together.

    The two of you pulled away and looked into each other’s eyes.

   “I love you.” He whispered.

    And, before you could reply, he pressed his lips to yours, in what you both knew to be your last kiss. So you didn’t pull away. And when the sky fell down, and when the blasting got closer to you, you still didn’t pull away.

    And so when everything went black, neither of you noticed, because your eyes were still closed, and you were still holding each other as if the world wasn’t ending, and you were the only thins that mattered to each other.

    Your forever wasn’t long, but as you held each other and tears streamed down your faces, you knew that it had been a good forever.

[creek-cryptid-deluxe]

This needs to be addressed:

I'm on reddit regularly. Today I saw something as I was scrolling that deeply disturbed me & I feel needs to be addressed.

For those not familiar with reddit's format, let me explain. The website is basically a host to multiple forum style 'subreddits' that are based around various interests where you can post photos, videos, gifs, links to websites, links to articles, or just good old fashioned text.

Some subreddits are very broad (r/aww is pictures, videos, & gifs that are adorable & make you say "awww") & some are extremely niche (r/picturesofiansleeping was created by a dude where he just posted random pictures of his roommate, Ian, sleeping because the dude could fall asleep anywhere). Each subreddit is it's own community with its own culture & rules, while also being a part of the reddit community as a whole & abiding by its overall culture & rules.

Below is a screenshot (with the username redacted) from a post in the Ehlers-Danlos subreddit, which I scroll through from time to time just to see what's there, but not regularly because the overarching culture there is not one I want to be a part of (& what I'm about to show you here is a perfect example of why).

So a photo of Joaquin Phoenix filming a scene for the movie Joker is making the rounds with the caption above it, stating that he dislocated his knee filming that scene (not written is that he continued to film after the dislocation) & demanding he be given the golden globe. Given the quality of that performance, even prior to knowing about his knee, I agree that he should have a golden globe for it.

What I take issue with is the fact that that was posted to r/ehlersdanlos with the title "My knee dislocates 5-20 times a day. Where's my reward?"

So let's chat about why this is ABSOLUTELY unacceptable, despite the fact that I see similar sentiments throughout the chronic illness communities.

First of all, this person is 100% exaggerating. I'm not one to doubt anyone's claims regarding their health but as someone who has had knee dislocations since I was quite small, it's not feasible. Subluxed knee 5-20 times a day? Eh, still not really believable. 5-10 subluxations? Sure, maybe. But no way is this person having 5-20 full knee dislocations in a 24 hr period.

Exaggerating like this actually really hurts credibility & not just for them as an individual. I'd be will to bet that if they are stretching the truth that casually in an inconsequential post online, that they do it in real life to medical staff as well. If the medical professionals that we all rely on for care hear enough exaggerations from specific demographic groups (say... women under 25 with an EDS diagnosis), then eventually when they see a patient that fits that criteria, there will be an unconscious bias & assumption of exaggeration. Then it hurts the chronically ill community as a whole.

Second, this person is minimizing & invalidating Mr. Phoenix's (i spelled his first name once & was quote proud, but it is not happening again) injury simply because... why? Because he is able bodied? Because the poster is chronically ill? Those things don't cancel each other out. This is the bit I see FAR too often.

There is this weird line of thinking that is prevalent in the chronic illness community where some chronically ill people think that because other people aren't chronically ill, any illness, pain, or injury they go through isn't as valid as their's is. Lemme just hop up on my soapbox here to say...

📢 THAT LINE OF THINKING IS FUCKING BULLSHIT📢

I've seen it first hand via my aunt. She is diagnosed with fibromyalgia. She has all the hallmarks of EDS, but despite me getting diagnosed & telling her she needs testing, she is weirdly attached to her current diagnosis. Any time my cousin (who is 3 yrs younger than me) is sick or hurting, my aunt says something about how much worse she feels. Cousin says she has a headache? Aunt: "Now you know what I deal with 24/7." Cousin has a stomach virus & can't stop puking? Aunt: "That's literally my life 4 out of 7 days of the week."

When The Spawn was in middle school, right after I had started to trend downward health wise, I noticed her wincing & holding her head a lot. I asked what was up & she said she had a headache & it had been hanging around for 3 days now. I asked why she didn't tell me sooner so I could help & she told me that she knew it was minor compared to what I deal with, so she didn't feel right bringing it up.

I immediately sat her down & had a long talk explaining that just because I am dealing with the dumpster fire I was given does not at any time mean that whatever she is going through isn't every bit as important, painful, or difficult for her & that at no time do i want her to have to handle it alone. I made sure she knew that no matter what was going on with me, I am here for her because what she is going through is important & valid. I've only had to have that talk 2 more times with her.

I've had to have a version of this talk with a few friends & my dad, as well. I'll see my dad wince or hear him do what I call "The Dad Huff" & I'll ask what's up. Dad: "I know I shouldn't complain to you because it's nothing compared to what you deal with but..." BRO i am EXACTLY who you should complain to. I know tricks that could help with a myriad of physical ailments PLUS i have a whole ass Walgreens in my bathroom.

My point is that as a whole, chronically ill people need to stop invalidating healthy, able bodied people's illnesses or injuries. PERIOD. It's not a fucking suffering competition. What? You think if you keep invalidating healthy people & boasting about how much more sick or more injured you are that at some point a guy is going to leap out of the bushes & hand you a gold medal & a giant check for suffering the most?

No.

Also, you'd think if someone was suffering that much, in that much pain, was that ill, that they wouldn't want anyone else to feel even close to the way they do & would be happy to help or be genuinely distressed/concerned for the other person's wellbeing.

So fuck off because people who do this shit just sound like they lack empathy, compassion, and other generally human qualities which implies they have no fucking soul.

Just be supportive of one another, able bodied, disabled, chronically ill, chronically healthy, or whatever. Just be kind to people. Fuck.

[doctormike]

Loss of Smell and Taste after COVID-19 Infection

Dear Families and Friends, There has been a lot in the news lately about a loss of the sense of smell during and after cases of COVID-19, especially in younger patients.  I was recently featured on a television news segment about this problem, and I have seen kids with this in my practice.  Since I got a lot of good feedback on my previous emails about COVID-19 testing and the serious inflammatory condition in children linked to the pandemic, I thought that I would update you all about how this happens, and what can be done.  

Smell and taste have always been neglected in the world of medical science.  There is a good deal of research done about the eyes and the ears; many resources and adaptive technologies are available for people with visual or hearing impairment.  But problems with the senses of smell and taste (which are closely linked) can be very disturbing, causing serious quality-of-life issues.  Not only can smell and taste problems interfere with our enjoyment of eating, they can be dangerous.  These senses evolved to protect us; people with these issues are at risk since they can’t easily detect smoke, fumes or spoiled food. We are starting to understand that, just like many other viruses, the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 can lead to olfactory dysfunction (OD).  This is a loss of the ability to smell, or a change in how familiar substances smell.  And this, as we will see, can cause problems with taste as well.

OD can be one of the earliest signs of COVID-19.  Less commonly, it can be a lingering symptom that arrives later in the course of an illness, and it can last for some time after recovery.  There is some evidence that patients with smell disturbances do better overall and are less likely to have a life threatening course of the illness.  Results vary with different population groups, but it seems that more than half of people with COVID-19 experience an alteration in their ability to smell. Of course, no one has any long term experience with this disease, so much of what we do to treat OD and to give a prognosis is based on our experience with other infections.  But still, early research suggests that this condition can be managed in a similar fashion.  Keep in mind that if you or your child suddenly lose your sense of smell, that might be an early (or the only) sign of COVID-19.  Contact your primary care doctor about the need for diagnostic testing, but in the interim self isolation would be appropriate. I think that it’s important to discuss some basic anatomy and terms here.  There are a number of processes that are often lumped together in this area, but which are very different.

Olfaction (smell): This is the sense that responds to odor molecules (odorants) in the air that flows through the nose.  Typical odor molecules come from things like cinnamon, lavender or cloves.  The molecules flow through the nasal airway (from the nostrils or the mouth) and interact with the olfactory nerve endings (the first cranial nerve), embedded in the lining of the roof of the nose.  This generates signals that are carried out of the nose into structures on the underside of the brain - the olfactory bulb and tract.  From there, the signals go into the brain, which then recognizes familiar scents.

Gustation (taste):  This is the sense that responds to chemicals that touch various parts of the  mouth.  There are five types of taste - sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami (savory).  The sense organs are taste buds, and they also send signals to the brain through cranial nerves.  There are a number of nerve systems that carry these signals, but the main ones supplying the front of the tongue travel to the brain in the facial nerve (the seventh cranial nerve).

Chemesthesis:  This is often confused with taste and smell.  Like them, it is a signal transmitted by nerves to the brain from chemicals in the mouth or nose.  But it isn’t olfaction or gustation, it’s a type of touch sensation, picked up by structures similar to pain receptors.  This involves different types of chemicals than those that trigger the taste and smell systems.  For example, in the mouth they are triggered by capsaicin (from chili peppers) or menthol.  In the nose, ammonia would cause this response.  This is an important system to protect against toxins and other irritating environmental chemicals.  These impulses are primarily carried by the trigeminal nerve (the fifth cranial nerve).

Flavor:  This is what you get when the brain combines the information from the olfaction, gustation and chemesthesis systems above, along with other touch sensations in the mouth (texture) to result in a recognizable sensation associated with specific foods.  It is also why people will report problems tasting their food when they lose their sense of smell - there is nothing wrong with the taste buds, but the brain can’t put everything together without all of the information.  

Anosmia:  The lack of smell, and a type of OD.  Patients with anosmia don’t smell odorants at all, although they will respond to things like ammonia (which, as we discussed, is not really a smell response at high concentrations).  Sometimes the word “hyposmia” is used to indicate a reduced but not completely absent sense of smell.

Parosmia:  A distorted sense of smell, and another type of OD.  In many cases of parosmia, normal food can smell and taste bad enough to cause nausea.

Phantosmia:  Smelling things that aren’t there, also known as olfactory hallucination.  This is more commonly associated with neurological conditions like seizures or Parkinson’s disease, head trauma, or less commonly, sinusitis.

So what actually causes OD?  Loss of smell can be caused by blockage of airflow through the nose (“conductive” OD), or by damage to the olfactory bulb, or nerves themselves (“sensorineural” OD).  Interestingly, the same terms are used to distinguish between the types of hearing loss. Conductive OD would be what you experience with a bad cold, allergies or sinusitis.  The nose is so stuffed up that there isn't enough airflow for odor molecules to make it through the nose to be smelled.  Sensorineural OD can be congenital, related to trauma or to a neurological process.  In this context it would be the result of a viral infection.  This is a well known symptom with many viruses, and it seems to be common in COVID-19, as mentioned above. Recent research suggests that in COVID-19, it is not the olfactory nerves themselves that are damaged by the virus, but the cells that surround and support them high up in the roof of the nose, in a small area known as the olfactory cleft.  So while technically this is a type of localized obstruction, interfering with the function of the nerves, these patients don't have swelling and blockage of the rest of the nasal airway, and they don't complain of a stuffy nose.  But because of injury to the supporting cells, the neurons may not be able to do their job transmitting odor information to the brain.

Conductive OD is treated in a similar manner to otters types of nasal obstruction - a diagnosis is made (allergies, sinusitis, etc..) and then specific medical or surgical treatment can be offered to improve the nasal airflow, which should also improve smell and taste.  The sensorineural OD that follows COVID-19 would not necessarily respond to these measures.  Fortunately, there is a lot of turnover of the tissue in the olfactory cleft - it is one of the areas in the body where nerve cells regenerate regularly and quickly.  This is what make the prognosis for post viral OD fairly good.

With other viruses, recovery from OD may be quick (weeks), or it may linger for months or years.  Of course, we don't know how long post-COVID OD will last, but most patients who recover do so in a relatively short time.  There are still a few patients who - five months into the pandemic - still haven't recovered from this, but it will be years before we have good long-term data about this condition.  During recovery, the sense of smell may vary from day to day.  This can be frustrating, but there are some things that you can do to help improve the chances of recovering normal smell and taste. 

One of the best online resources that I have found for people with OD is abscent.org, the website of a patient support organization based in the UK.  While they provide information about many types of OD, they have a lot of material specific to COVID-19 associated smell and taste issues.  Their instructions for olfactory training (OT) are particularly helpful.  

OT is a way of rehabilitating patients with post-viral sensorineural OD.  Familiar odorants are presented on a regular basis, twice a day, for several months.  It is important to keep notes of your progress, which helps with the recovery process.  You can make the kits to do OT yourself, or you can buy premade kits online.  This is something that you can do on your own, without the need for a special therapist.  It is important to find a quiet space and time without distractions, and to realize that improvement will not happen overnight.  Don’t get discouraged when starting out.  Mental visualization is important as well, so when practicing with each odorant, try to keep the source of that smell in mind, to help re-establish the nerve and brain pathways that let you recognize a certain scent accurately.

While there isn’t much evidence to support medical therapy in other forms of post-viral sensorineural OD, some success has been seen with vitamin A applied to the nose or omega-3 dietary supplements (which may help the nerve pathways regrow). Omega-3 also has some anti-inflammatory properties, which could limit injury to the cells of the olfactory cleft  Of course, we still don’t know if these are effective with COVID-19 related OD, but it stands to reason that they might help if the mechanism of injury is similar, and there aren’t many risks to their use.  It’s hard to give an overall prognosis, but information from pre-COVID research suggests that at least 2/3 of these patients get some recovery, even without treatment.  Steroids are occasionally used for nasal conditions, but they are not recommended in this case, because of concerns about suppressing the immune system during infection with a potentially deadly virus.

So if your child has suffered a loss or change in smell or taste after an infection, I would be happy to see them to ensure that there is no nasal obstruction contributing to the problem.  Following that, smell training and the supplements mentioned above provide an excellent chance of recovery.  Just remember, if this happens to you, be especially sure that your smoke detectors are working and check the expiration dates on your food carefully!

I hope that you are all managing the stresses of this time.  While the COVID-19 rates in the New York area have decreased considerably, we are watching outbreaks elsewhere in the country and trying to keep the medical and financial impact of the pandemic to a minimum.  As our state governments move towards a phased recovery, be patient, and remember that it is important to monitor the data every day, and change policies accordingly.  There is nothing wrong with making a call one day and walking it back the next.  That isn’t hypocrisy or inconsistency, it’s governance based on ever changing information.  Remember, this is a brand new virus that we are learning more and more about every day.

Even as we move back to a more “normal” existence, as we move towards socialization and outdoor meals, we need to do this safely.  As the playgrounds and beaches reopen, we are all responsible for keeping the trends moving in the right direction.  That means hand hygiene, mask use when indoors and/or near others, and applying the principals of social distancing when appropriate.  There is no book that tells us exactly what to do in every conceivable situation, and we all are struggling to find the right balance between safety and the need for human contact.  Each of us providing in-person services has come up with strategies to keep the risks to an acceptable level.

Yes, the safest thing to do is for everyone to stay in strict isolation until there is a vaccine, but it’s pretty clear that we aren’t going to do that for a number of reasons.  All we can do is to make smart, informed decisions based on the best data and expert opinions that we have.  Listen with an open mind.  Give people the benefit of the doubt.

And always be there for each other, no matter how socially distant you are.

Best, Michael Rothschild, MD

[blackpinkfanpage3-blog]

Blackpink Became the Biggest K-Pop Female Band in the World

Blackpink fan page

It is very taken just four several years for Blackpink to become most significant girl bands in the world, having members Jennie, Jisoo, Rosé, and Lisa continuing to be able to smash new records along with forge new ground. These folks were the first K-pop girl class to play at Coachella in order to reach 1 billion Dailymotion views-now they’re the most-subscribed-to music group on the platform, as 2019, they broke several Guinness World Records together with the single “Kill This Like, ” which has had in excess of 312 million plays in Spotify and over 824 , 000, 000 YouTube views, a mere tiny proportion of the quartet’s billions of revenues, downloads, views, and admirers. That same year in addition, they undertook the most financially productive concert tour by a Korean language female group. They’re front-row fixtures at runway demonstrates and the faces of brilliant brands, including Chanel, The puma company, Louis Vuitton, and Dior. Or any this with just a few songs in their repertoire.

Blackpink fan page

Currently, as they prepare to release their particular latest album in Summer, it may be time to ask: The way on earth did they do the item?

Excitement prior to Blackpink’s July 2016 debut had meant to a fever pitch, when they were the first girl set in seven years beyond YG Entertainment (home for you to K-pop legends Big Fuck, 2NE1 and formerly, Psy). There were big shoes to help fill: The reign with the trailblazing four-member girl team 2NE1 was over, in addition to Blackpink was expected to resuscitate the bold EDM go crazy sound they’d embodied. All their debut, Square One, ended up being an overnight smash, the particular insistent build of “Whistle” and cocky chorus about “Boombayah” making for a small but thrilling introduction.

With November 2016, their secondly single album, Square A couple, featured a pop banger (“Playing With Fire”), a acoustic version of “Whistle, ” and “Stay, ” a country-influenced track that will allowed them to spread their very own vocal wings away from all their “girl crush” concept (K-pop vernacular for a fiery search and sound that’s shown immensely popular with international audiences).

Though they were dubbed “the new 2NE1” during their novice days, some of their first hearings on Korean variety indicates bring into focus but not only Blackpink’s chaotically entertaining reputation but the determination to create their own identities. Vocalist Jisoo has become a face for magnificence brands Kiss Me as well as Dior; rapper and performer Jennie has branched available as a soloist and a powerful influencer; New Zealand-born Rosé’s particular vocal sound has found her on hits with regard to G-Dragon; and Thailand-born artist and dancer Lisa is a most-followed K-pop star with Instagram.

Then, and now, many people recognize the need for each other to carry out the group alchemy here is endeared them to millions. “I don’t think a specific new member should do more dancing as well as one member does considerably more singing. I think Blackpink’s relaxation is complete because of each one person’s energy, ” Jennie told Vogue Korea prior this year.

The long-standing imaginative and prescient vision of K-pop as a blinged-out, ultra-slick fantasy world is made by three labels: YG Entertainment, JYP Entertainment, and also SM Entertainment. YG is acknowledged for maximalist visuals and a hefty, club-friendly sound devised by simply in-house writer-producer Teddy Park your car, the man behind some of K-pop’s biggest, hookiest hits. With Blackpink’s 2018 “Ddu-du Ddu-du” (“DDDD” for short), these elements aligned to produce the irresistible pop package.

Achievements lay in the catchy se?alar refrain, the memorable finger-gun dance, and a gloriously increased video, but also in Blackpink themselves as aspirational yet emulatable, aesthetically fierce and not intimidating, killer onstage nevertheless adorable off it. Often the four-track EP, Square Upwards, would go platinum in Sth Korea, “DDDD” would arrive at gold in the U. S i9000., becoming their first billion-view video, and “Kill That Love” would make them typically the first-ever Korean girl party to enter the U. E. singles chart.

These milestones came via a fandom in which had grown rapidly due to the fact late 2016, but which will had to wait eight several months for 2017’s single “As If It’s Your Continue, ” then an entire calendar year for its follow-up, Square Right up. One release per year used to be standard in K-pop, if there were fewer groups dealing with for a share of a modest domestic market. Groups currently average two or three releases (known as “comebacks”) a year in a very bid to grow and maintain fandoms, but YG Entertainment, considered one of South Korea’s oldest K-pop agencies, remains unapologetically invested in less is more.

It’s not really a huge fail-safe plan-it draws continual fan criticism, petitions, along with boycott threats-but the old-school approach, in an era connected with oversaturation and instant prime, has created heightened desire in addition to demand. It’s turned just about every comeback into a global affair and has funneled the fandom’s streaming power into the types of headline-making, spreadsheet-melting numbers that contain seduced many a point executive.

Like many profitable musicians, Blackpink understands the capability in marrying the oceans of music and manner. Their innate understanding of model has made them hot residence, with the girls now front-row fixtures at Fashion 1 week. In September 2019, Jisoo popped over to London regarding Burberry, while Rosé wowed at Saint Laurent (and was also asked by means of Anthony Vaccarello to be it has the brand ambassador). Meanwhile, Jennie found herself next to Cardi B at Chanel, intended for whom she is a brand ambassadress.

In February 2020, Lisa-currently a muse for Hedi Slimane’s Celine-took a trip to Hong kong for Prada’s fall 2020 show, and just this week, placed a #WFH look to seducre her Instagram account (high-waisted light-wash denim, a Celine button-down shirt, and Bottega Veneta’s latest envelope clutch) this garnered more than 5 zillion likes.

Given their tested selling power-magazines have claimed needing to print quadruple reports to supply demand; their adventures sell out in seconds-the romance between the band and fashion’s leading houses will longer continue to flourish.

Blackpink seemed to be signed to U. Nasiums. -based Interscope Records at the end of 2018, a direct play for any American market and something not any South Korean girl class had tried since Girls’ Generation in 2012. Even with their skill and practical experience, Blackpink’s awkward, lackluster January 2019 performances on Hello America and The Late Indicate With Stephen Colbert ended up widely panned. But in the front of a vast, mostly K-pop-unaware audience at Coachella, often the universality of the group’s sounds bloomed, earning rave critiques. A high point was the great “Kill This Love, ” the title single from their completely new EP.

It’s rare the fact that members aren’t busy, regardless if there isn’t a let go to promote. They often turn to Instagram to communicate with their blended 128 million followers (including the main Blackpink account), and get focused on solidifying their A-list status as fashion building (such as Jennie’s new collaboration with luxury glasses brand Gentle Monster), marketplace mentors, and accidental virus-like queens (Lisa’s stint for the survival show Youth To you and her performance videos that became a Made it happen Work? meme).

And finally, 1 year after their last file, the wait is almost over. There are the forthcoming Lady Gaga relationship, “Sour Candy, ” for a laugh album Chromatica, and a July comeback from the band themselves. Could Blackpink eventually as the first K-pop girl set to break through in the West? An opportunity is there for the taking, although that means new successes need to be capitalized upon and previous strategies reexamined and polished. Now might be the time to get Blackpink to really be the emerging trend.

[the-expatriate]

[Mobile Specified Verses Page! - Updated]

[Specific Verses]

Pari can be placed within almost any setting, usually what works best with the person she’ll be interacting with. However, there are a few instances where in which this be specified. Again, please specify if you’d like a particular verse if one of these takes your fancy, or I’ll just go with the default one which leaves it open to interpretation.

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Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap:  An Alternative Placement. This particular period of time takes place a few years later. Pari has established herself as a bonafide Information Broker, who often takes on freelance assignments for a price. She often works alongside DL (https://pink-haired-chronicles.tumblr.com/), and she is known to travel far and wide for her clients. In some cases, she is hired permanently by some..

Note: Any interactions pertaining to Pari in the Borderlands Universe are held in this above AU.

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Of Measures and Pints: Pari’s standard placement. Where she broke free of her old life and disappeared. Starting again in a quiet little place, in a rowdy as hell bar. That isn’t to say that she doesn’t rely on her old skills from time to time..

Most interactions take place during this period, but the exact placement of where she lives and works can be adjusted to meet the other muse’s verses and such.

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Then I Punched a Dragon in the Face!: Pari’s Elder Scrolls Verse, mainly being held in Skyrim.

A journeying Imperial Sellsword who doesn’t particularly belong to any group and who attempted to try and cross the border back into Cyrodiil. Pari has no standing on the conflict between the Empire and the Stormcloaks, instead just trying her best to not get killed and by making a decent amount of coin.

Originally hailing from the coastal city of Anvil in Cyrodiil, Pari in her teens was enlisted in the Imperial Army during the Great war. However after returning home to Anvil only to find it in ruin, she decided to roam the lands of Tamriel doing what she did best. Essentially being a mercenary for hire..

Until she learned that she was actually very skilled in the art of thievery. And after a rather eventful induction into the Riften Thieves Guild, Pari eventually worked her way up through conspiracy solving and is now part of the secret inner circle known as the Nightingales.

That doesn’t mean she hasn’t stopped wandering however..

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Wizardry, Witchcraft and Hiding in Plain Sight: Pari’s JK Rowling’s Wizarding World Verse. In this particular verse, Pari is Muggle-Born, hailed from a non-magic parentage. She was however raised by her grandparents who ran an independent potions store. Of course, one can only keep their secret of being from a certain lineage a secret for so long. And on having that discovered by a former partner who loathed the idea of someone being less then a ‘Pure-Blood’ in their presence, Pari vanished into obscurity only to end up working at the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade, not too far from where she spent some of her happiest years honing her skills. A former Hufflepuff, and still very proud where she came from, she’s often having a bit of banter with the patrons at the pub. She is also rather adept at potion brewing too..

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Putting the ‘Sin’ in Casino: Essentially what happens when an information broker with no direction takes on a random job which brings her all the way out to a place where things aren’t always what they seem. Las Vegas! A place where fortunes can be made and lost in the blink of an eye, and where lives can change in ways that no one can anticipate.. and in the neon lights, even the darkness can take hold.

[Please note, this particular verse may contain some themes of a demonic nature so if that’s not your thing, you’re welcome to blacklist this tag: putting the sin in casino: vegas verse ]

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Gaian Misadventures: Pari’s FFVII Verse. Currently working as a barkeep in Costa del Sol, Pari spends a lot of her time in the tourist trap. However, given the course of events brewing, it’s only a matter of time before life in Costa del Sol will change in turn. Even causing Pari to start going further afield..

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End of the World: Pari’s Fallout Verse, which can be specified to start off in the timeline of Fallout 3, Fallout New Vegas or Fallout 4.

Three: After having to leave Vault 101 in search of a missing relative many years previously and the misadventures that had followed, Pari is still roaming the Capital Wasteland. Somehow managing to survive and still desperately trying to prove that being born and raised in a vault has no standing on how a person adapts.

New Vegas: Being a Courier was never easy. Even moreso when one is ambushed and left for dead while having said package removed from them. After a spell of recovery in Goodsprings, our plucky Courier sets off to find the people who had left a bullet in her head and to settle the score.. as well as retrieve the package that was taken from her.  

Four: Pari thought that being admitted into Vault 111 would be the key to survival for herself and her family. However, that was not the case as she and her family were cryogenically frozen! Years later, she is awoken and after having to witness her spouse being ruthlessly murdered and her child being taken from her, she’s put back into cryostasis. What’s a lady to do on waking up years later? Simple. Get even. However being something of a woman out of time is a little more testing than she hoped..

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Anomaly Solving Anomaly: Pari’s Dragonball Xenoverse Verse, predominantly based in the setting of the second game. An Earthling Time Patroller based in Conton City, Pari is continuously trying to protect the timelines from any perceivable threats.. it’s something of an exciting challenge.

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Dead and Out of this World: Pari’s Vampiric Verse. After being made into a vampire almost two hundred years previously and still looking like a fresh faced lady in her early thirties, Pari is.. somewhat trying her best to adapt to the more modern age. The hair may have been cut and changed, the fashion more up to speed but some old habits die ridiculously hard. And modernity is something that our vampiric lady is trying her best to adapt to.

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Stand and Deliver: Pari’s JJBA Verse. This verse begins a good few years after Pari’s break with her ex, Robert and he in turn is linked in a chain of events which have led to this point.

One could agree that they are in fact bizarre.

While in the company of Robert Kinsley, it wasn’t entirely uncommon for him to collect ancient and unusual artefacts. One of the more noted ones being a rather unusual bow and arrow. Neither Pari nor Robert knew of its purpose.

.. Until the moment came where in which Robert fired the arrow at Pari as she tried to get away from him after their final and extremely tempestuous fight.

Everything in her world went dark, and she found herself succumbing to the arrow fired into her. However, she kept trying to rouse herself. On eventually opening her eyes, she realised something.

Not only had Pari survived the shot but was faced with a very unusual apparition. The room she was in had been filled with a kind of fog, thick enough to not only obscure her movements so that she could try and make a break for it, but also confusing Robert because of its effects.

The apparition seemed to vaguely resemble a human in the thick smog, and it seemed to be driven along with her need to live. To survive.

Thankfully Pari had managed to get away from Robert with the help of her newly acquired apparition, and from then on has been trying to learn more about what it is and why in times of mental focus, it keeps appearing. And why she is currently at the point of being able to run into reflective spaces nearby only to reappear in adjacent surfaces due to what she only knows as a very confusing and yet somewhat helpful ‘ghost’, who she knows very little about aside from the fact that they are inexplicably bound.

A truly bizarre chain of events indeed.

{Please note that I have yet to figure out where on the JJBA timeline I plan on putting this verse, but as it’s dealing with the nature of Stands, it’s safe to say that it’s definitely set somewhere along Stardust Crusaders and Diamond is Unbreakable. I have only just started watching Diamond is Unbreakable however, so this verse may be subject to being edited much later on.}

About Pari’s Stand:

Stand Name:『 Smoke + Mirrors』

Stand User: 『Pari Vass』

Namesake: Album/Song Name name by Imagine Dragons

Appearance: A grey/silver gaseous humanoid figure when summoned, naturally very obscured regardless of surrounding environment. On closer inspection, the figure somewhat resembles a broken mirror. Fragmented, but not tangible.

Stand Ability: Can grant the user the ability to evade any potential hazardous situation, but only if there is some form of reflective surface close at hand. The user can, with this stand, basically run into the reflective surface and be shifted somewhere else. At present, it only will work for the nearest reflective area where in which the user will re-emerge. If such a surface isn’t available, Smoke + Mirrors essentially acts akin to a smoke grenade. As time passes, the stand’s abilities may evolve..

Stand Stats at present:

Power - E

Speed - C

Range - D

Durability - C

Precision - B

Potential - B

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City of the Dead: Resident Evil Verse

This particular verse is set between Resident Evil 2 and 3, and as such, Pari is making some sort of attempt to escape from Raccoon City. Will she somehow manage it? Will she succumb to the T-Virus and join the infected populous? Let’s find out.

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The Wandering Hunter: Legacy of Kain Verse

Pari’s place in this particular verse depends on which part of the timeline is in writing. However, the premise is the same. Pari is one of Nosgoth’s Vampire Hunters, but occasionally tends to go it alone and leave the human settlements to pursue a target. Perhaps not as crossbow trigger happy as some of her counterparts, this attitude of hers may lead to her undoing..

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Lady Strange: BPRD Verse

Pari in this verse is a new recruit to the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defence, after a rather messy incident involving her psychokinetic abilities and having to make some effort to try to use her abilities for a better purpose by order of the British Government. Of course, she doesn’t quite know what she’s letting herself in for yet, as our telekinetic will find out..

[ylwgalaxy]

diaries of an unknown rockstar - press play

Diaries of an Unknown Rockstar.

PRESS PLAY

Pt.1

It is funny the way we dream. One day is ecstasy, the other frustration, or just working your ass off to get there. I guess maybe those are the three moods of a dreamer. Now, at 24 years old, I look back to the younger me and understand the feeling of not fitting in the models of society in a certain way.

You grow up listening, "you need to study to get in a good college, and after that, you'll have at least half of the way guaranteed. A great job, you will probably get to buy a house, build a new family." I quite never understood this model.

To begin with, I have never appropriately studied, and I still don't get how the teachers let me pass all those years. Maybe I was funny, and my friends said I was dedicated when the rope was tight in my neck.

When I got to college, I thought that all of my school's frustrations would be gone because I was coursing something I felt I wanted since I was seven, and life would get way better. I won't lie, It was terrific. I evolved a lot as a human being, but comparison and the feeling of never doing something extraordinary or good enough haunted me all of those four years.

During college, I started working, and my first real job was as an intern in a small female fashion brand. The job was being The Owner's right arm and helping her with everything possible. It was a massive growth in adult life and a considerable experience understanding the fashion industry and what happens behind product development. But guess what? Two months later, I got fired because I said I did the work, but in fact, I didn't. I didn't because I have slept, and she caught my foolish and childish lie. Yes, sleeping and lying about it got me fired.

Going home knowing that the reason why I got fired was 100% my fault was painful and worse of all, I mistreated myself a lot because I had sleeping problems, which soon I found out that this was self-defense that my body and mind created for me to deal (in a way) with my emotions.

Anyway, I kept going. I was far away from the best student in class, but I was good, creative, and still wanted to be a big employee, work in a big company, grow in the company, and be the most significant model I could ever be. I manage to achieve some parts of this sequence.

In my last year of college (2018), I got into an internship program in one of the biggest Fashion Companies in the country. I was thrilled. I managed to be the chosen one among thousands of applicants. That was Christmas for my ego! And I will never forget the day of the final interview. I fell in love with the company and came home saying, "Oh, I want to work here so bad!"

So I did, and I have learned a lot. I managed to work in the most prominent teams of the company, know outstanding professionals and people that I will forever carry. I became an assistant. Then I just noticed that I hated what I did.

I was a robot. I did the same things every day (very dull things, if you don't know what a tech pack or licensing submissions are, consider yourself lucky), those things were things that I knew I would have to do for a long time if I wanted to keep on in the company and grow. But voices in my head were always screaming: "Is this worth it?" "Is this what you want?" and the answer was always " I don't know."

I didn't know much about myself, but I knew that I loved to draw, create, start new ideas and projects that mattered. Still, most of all, I loved coming home and playing my guitar and write about feelings, and I noticed that this part of me was fading away as I was getting lost in myself and my unknown purpose.

So one day, I woke up and started looking for music production courses. I sent a message to an old Singing Teacher of mine where he said he had a friend who had a studio and wanted to start giving music production classes, so he passed me the contact. So I talked with the guy, which name was Gustavo.

Gustavo answered me quickly and graciously and invited me to come to the studio, which I thought was a garage with few things. But as I got there and sat in the controlling room where he edited and produced music, I fell in love, not the same feeling from the time I got into the company. I felt something beyond it, something that I never felt before. I felt connected. I kept asking myself mentally: "WTF are you doing that you are not here?!"

As I talked to Gustavo and said, "Hey man, I want to know how to produce!!!!!" and he looked at me in an icy and severe way, asking: "ok, what do you know about music?". Have you ever had that moment when you think you know a lot, but you don't? That was the moment for me. I play the guitar since I was 11. I knew theories like the Pentatonic and Diatonic scale and major and minor chord progressions, which I thought was enough. How naive was I? A lot.

As I enrolled in a short Ableton live program, I could understand a little bit of electronic music production and that good music production required time, practice, and many studies. Which at that moment, I was not that committed to doing so.

2020 came out, and I was still working like a robot, but at least I had amazing people by my side and was sometimes making music. Also, I was planning to go to England by the beginning of September to course a Master in Illustration at Camberwell College of arts. I had applied and passed my IELTS tests. Everything was going ok, until the one and only: Corona Virus.

What I (and everybody) thought was going to be 15 days is still lasting. One year and a half, I passed through the most significant change in my life (not just me, I believe). When it all started, I was just comfortable with everything, my job, my life, where I was going when everything pass, but it came to a point where I couldn't stand looking at my computer.

Every move, word, e-mail was torture. I was working thousands of hours, and most of the time, I procrastinated because I didn't want to do it. The worst of all was that my work wasn't good, and I knew it. I knew that I was delivering wasn't my best because I wasn't willing to do my best anymore. I lost the energy or the meaning behind that job.

During this turbulent relationship between me and my job, I watched videos on youtube, and one specific video calls out to me. It was an effortless and small live performance of MGK in February 2016 at a CD Store. It is a video where you have just Colson (MGK) and three guys from his crew playing for some people, but the way he was committed to his music and expressing himself lighted up my mind, making me think: I want to do this.

So I made up the decision, I want to be an artist, I want to make music this is my dream, but at the same time all the bad voices in my head were like: " You won't make it, it is impossible to live with that, what will your parents say? They can't afford to pay for your failures anymore. They won't help you." So I planned until I was brave enough to do so.

August 21st, 2020 I've quit my job, sold my car - which was the only thing I had in my name - and put the plan in action. The plan was to save the money to move to England by March 2021 and pursue my music career. Guess what happened? No, it didn't go like planned, I am not in England or very close to going, and yes, I went out of money, but I have started my career on the right foot in a very odd way.

So summing up, I was not a good student, but I manage to pass one of the most significant Art Colleges in my country. I worked in one of the biggest companies, but I was following a pattern that I never understood in the end.

The fact is: I am still figuring out life, and what I see is that there is no formula and the only thing guaranteed is the air you breathe to live. In 2020 I dug up my biggest dream, and I am not giving up. The main goal: Create music/art and Be a Rockstar.

People say we should write our own stories, so I'll be here writing mine.

This is the Diaries of an Unknown Rockstar, so press play.

Thank you for being here.

Ella YLW

[keywestlou]

HOLOCAUST REVIVED

Hitler had his Jews. The world swore it would never happen again. Unfortunately, it has happened somewhere many times since World War II.

Always an authoritarian despot.

China’s bad guy is Xi. Germany’s Jews of yesterday are China’s Uyghur Muslims of today. The Chinese have disliked and disapproved of the group for years.

In February 2016, I wrote as part of a blog China’s involvement in human organ sales. Big time!

Most of the organs being sold by China were removed from the live bodies of Uyghur Muslims. Generally anesthesia not used. Most died on the operating table while the removal was being done. Their bodies thrown into incinerators. Those still living were thrown with the already dead into the incinerators.

Gruesome!

In yesterday’s blog, I referred to Chinese organ harvesting. Actually merely in passing.

This morning an article concerning China’s treatment of Uyghur Muslims. Totally incidental.

A Chinese official appeared on a sunday morning BBC news program. He was shown a video taken one year ago in China at a railroad station. The scene terrifying.

A huge group of Uyghur Muslims could be seen kneeling, handcuffed, blindfolded and heads shaved. They were waiting to be put on a train and taken to “reeducation camps” or “detention centers.”

Most to be murdered in one fashion or another. Simple execution or organ removal.

Shades of the Holocaust!

Secret police in Portland. Trump’s military. Different from Hitler’s Gestapo.

A comment to yesterday’s blog made an astute observation. Those in Germany at least knew who was arresting them.  In Portland, not.

Coronavirus is spreading like wildfire world wide. Especially in the U.S.

The U.S. has 4.5 percent of the world’s population and more than 25 percent of the world’s coronavirus cases.

Since the first U.S. coronavirus death in February, 1,000 people a day have died. U.S. deaths now exceed 140,000.

The U.S. leads the world in number of cases and deaths. Not a record to be proud of.

The nearest competitor to the U.S. re deaths is Brazil. The U.S. has more than two times the number of deaths than Brazil.

Florida a disaster. I write of Florida specifically since it is the State of my residence.

Florida has had 10,000 plus new coronavirus cases for 5 consecutive days.

Forty five Florida counties have no more ICU beds. All occupied. Monroe County my home has 9 ICU beds. All occupied.

Numbers reveal the problem better. Florida has 6,252 ICU beds. Presently occupied, 5,035. A mere 19 percent of ICU beds left available at a time when Florida’s number of cases is spiraling upward.

Unquestionably, Trump is the blame for the bad situation the U.S. is in. He refused to acknowledge the seriousness of the virus and provided only minimal assistance.

Trump is not done in failing to do what should be done.

A new coronavirus relief bill is before Congress. Supposedly this week is the one where Congress will do what ever it considers right and then send it onto the President.

Trump wants to remove remove significant funding from the CDC and NIH. He also wants to remove ALL funding for testing and contact testing. Zero funding!

He’s crazy! Inept and incompetent! Fails to understand the needs of the people. Hurts way more than he helps in every respect.

Finally, the Trump/Fauci relationship continues to deteriorate. Trump says, Fauci is an “alarmist.” He seeks to destroy Fauci because not only does he speak truth, but he speaks truth to power. Something very few do today.

Two unusual occurrences reported this past week. Babies born with coronavirus. Not supposed to happen. A surprise.

One was a baby born in India. When doctors became aware of the fetus’ coronavirus condition, a premature caesarian was done at 36 weeks. The baby has recovered and is doing well.

The other involves triplets born in Mexico. Two have recovered. The third continues to have breathing problems and remains on a respirator.

The affluent in our country do not seem to want to help the less than affluent as they once did. The issue unemployment benefits.

The number of unemployed bcause of coronavirus is astronomical. In the first stimulus package, the unemployed received $600 a week in addition to their unemployment check. The program ends this week.

The Republican Senate wants that number dropped $200-400.

Will hurt big time. A drop in the bucket. $600 was a help. Made being unemployed less hurtful. It costs money to feed a family, pay rent, etc. Something Trump and his Republican cohorts do not understand because being poor not part of their lifestyle.

Those receiving stimulus assistance require every penny.

Protests and demonstrations becoming commonplace. All over the U.S. Seattle and Portland still in the news. New York City entered big time this past weekend.

People are not happy campers. Those participating and those not. Our country is screwed up. The people have had it. Whether the protesters are right or wrong is immaterial. The end of the line has been reached. They want to shout out what they deem to be the wrongs that have accumulated in our society.

Trump no help in putting out the fires. He continually fuels them.

A history of adverse policing contributing to the protests.

“Secret police” in Portland no help.

The U.S. not the only country having protest demonstrations. Russia, too.

Russia periodically has them. We do not hear either because the Russians keep it quiet or the U.S. media opts not to tell us.

Recognize that Putin has not been in a secure position for at least 5 years. Russia has economic problems. Coronavirus ones also. Russian young are maturing and do not agree with their elders as how things should be done. Putin an “elder.”

Recently, a demonstration occurred in a Russian government entity called Khabarovsk. Involved was an election for governor. Sergi Furgal won. Long a Putin adversary.

He was arrested soon after his election for multiple murders that occurred some time ago. His arrest 2 months ago. Following the arrest, he was immediately flown to Moscow.

He has been in jail the entire 2 months.

The people of his area are upset. Apparently Furgal is respected and liked. The citizenry believe his arrest based on phony charges. They want him released. Before he is killed!

The key to this Russian story is that the demonstrations have occurred several times and the numbers protesting. Each time, tens of thousands.

Trump is not the only one having problems.

A without thinking act of heroism. An off-duty Florida police officer jumped in the water and pulled a boy away from a passing shark.

Cocoa Beach Officer Adrian Kosicki was was walking the beach with his wife. He saw a 10 year old boy boogie-boarding. At the same time, he saw a shark approaching the boy.

Kosicki ran into the shallows off shore. People yelling “shark” as he ran. He grabbed the boy and dragged him through the surf to shore. The shark was “dangerously close” as he rescued the 10 year old.

Witnesses and a video someone took indicate the shark was “within just feet of them.”

God bless Kosicki. There are some good cops.

Last but not least, my Happy Birthday greetings to Lynda Frechette. Thirty going on 29. She and husband Bob the best of the best. I treasure their friendship.

Enjoy your day!

    HOLOCAUST REVIVED was originally published on Key West Lou

[berlinaura]

The preparations for March have begun! I have booked a trip to Zagreb-Lubljana-Venice! I am also in the process of booking some more. I was thinking of going to Athens but I’ll see what’s gonna happen. Also, 2 more days until Scotland! I am so relieved right now because the exam week was last week and looks like I am going to pass all courses (4/5 are already passed, I still need to wait for the result from the last one)

I have been out with friends every weekend now the past 2 months I think. Somehow we just always end up at Que Pasa... One Tuesday I had a movie date and went to see Knives Out which was actually really good movie! The trailer did not do it any justice. I always get asked whether the movies here are all dubbed. Most of them are but there are also options for non-dubbed versions so watching movies in original language is no problem as long as you make sure beforehand which version it is going to be :)

On Valentine’s day we went on a sushi date and then just stayed in with drinks. This was the first time I celebrated Valentine’s day on a non-platonic way. 

This week my parents visited Berlin. I had the most intensive study period because of exams but I managed to see them on three days. We visited the most common touristic places like Brandenburg gate, Reichstag and the holocaust memorial. The next day we went to the natural history museum of Berlin. The dinosaurs were impressive! One room was full of jars filled with sea creatures and that place was too much for me. That looked like a place straight from my nightmares :/ Afterwards we went to the oldest block in Berlin, Nikolaiviertel, for “a coffee” but ended up in a traditional pub and had beers and bratwurst. Third day I joined them for their hotel breakfast and got to eat something else than dry toast :D After my exam I met up with them again and we went bowling. This was the same place as I visited in early fall but I forgot how old fashioned the place was. The screens were straight from the 80s, showed false scores and the machinery used for clearing out pins jammed basically every minute. No wonder the place got a rating for 2 stars, lol. For an occasional amateur bowling this place is suitable I think.  

My exams went well. The oral exam I had could have gone better. We were assigned 10 minutes and I felt like I was in a job interview. We had pre-written questions but the teacher didn’t let me answer my answer to the end because he was already bombing me with additional questions. I despise oral exams compared to written ones because I crave for a paper and pen to organize my thoughts. I felt like I didn’t have any time to think what I was going to say. Additionally, the teacher asked super vague questions such as “and how does this relate to the framework of the lecture...?” I started thinking which framework he was referring to because that word had been used to address like 5 different things. Then he asked a more specific question to “help me out” and I knew all of the answers. His feedback afterwards was “I wished you had guided the conversation more, I felt like I had to continuously ask you things for you to say the right things!”  well no shit! 

After the exam they asked me whether I preferred working in group 1 or group 2 (we had to group works in this course and different groups each time). When i said I preferred group 2, they were BAFFLED. “Really!? Even though the first group was so much better”. I said “I evaluate my experience through the group dynamics and fair allocation of work, not based on the final grade” and they were speechless, lol. Also, they used such a long time justifying the grade (which was 1,7 going in to the category “good”) and weren’t interested in my overall experience of the course. Rather than asking if I found the course useful etc, they asked me if I am satisfied with the grade and if I feel like it was fair. I mentioned that I am really in that point where I have no energy for stressing over grades and I am here to learn rather than polish up grades. I said that the course was interesting and I feel like I had been learning a lot of new things, which is totally true, I liked the course very much! I also said the grade is going to be “pass” for me in any case so to begin with, I attended the courses for my own learning and not for the grade. This concept seemed to be hard for them to grasp.

I have noticed this as a big difference in my home university and TU Berlin. Here, people seem to obsess way more about grades. Even the teachers are grade-oriented. I don’t understand how people survive in a system like this, especially when the written tests are 60-75 mins and TENS of pages long. The environment of actually learning rather than proving memorizing skills is something that I will definitely appreciate better when getting back. 

Last Friday, after my last exam I threw a WG party! We were supposed to play board games but since ONE of us had something against Monopoly, we played Exploding Kittens as well as normal card games and beer pong. I taught “Hitler” (which we translated to “Stalin” to be more acceptable) and “Fuck the dealer”. We tried our best to drink all of my leftover booze but there’s still some left! After opening up about our lives, playing the coin game, doing worm dance, sharing our sex preferences, clearing out what is wrong with Whisky sours and Pewdiepie’s accent, making drunk calls for friends and drawing each others, we did NOT follow the original plan of going to a pub and headed home. It was a successful night! I left my phone home though as we left to the night and worried everybody for the next day while I was just peacefully chilling and watching movies.

* a month passes by *

Okay so I don’t even know where to start. I am currently in Finland and my exchange year is over. I passed all exams but I left a lot of erasmus stuff unfinished as I had to leave Berlin due to Corona virus. 

In the end of February we did the trip to Scotland. First we flew to Edinburgh from where we took a bus to Glasgow. This place was super cozy but also very cold. The trip was extremely relaxing. We drank beer and coffee, visited some sights and ate the best pizza I’ve ever tasted in my life. I also took the first Uber trip of my life. After 2 days we took a bus to Stirling, a random small town in Scotland. We wanted to spend the day there because we wanted to see a real Scottish castle. Stirling was the best getaway vacation where you can just relax in old fashioned boutiques and cafes and listen to birds. We walked up to the castle but didn’t enter because it cost 16 pounds each “:D”. After a few hours we continued our journey with a train to Edinburgh where we spent 2 more days. 

Honestly, I enjoyed Edinburgh a bit more than Glasgow. Our hostel was in a perfect location, about 200m away from the Edinburgh castle. We visited the castle (from the outside, again), went to movies to see “Jojo Rabbit”, drank beer and played board games in pubs. One day we were supposed to go shopping but decided to climb up the extinct volcano, Arthur’s seat. The road was super muddy but a lot of people seemed to be climbing up there, even in late February. Some dude gave us a snarky “Starbucks is over there” comment on top of it because my friend expressed her concerns getting down the muddy hill because it started raining... This quickly became our go-to line to say whenever we saw a Starbucks in the city. 

After this trip I had 2 days in Berlin which I used for doing laundry and chilling. Then I headed to Zagreb, Croatia. This time I was traveling by myself so I engaged with the activities my hostel had to offer. The hostel choice was superb! They had just the kind of common room and activities I was looking for. We sang karaoke, played beer pong and just chatted in the common room. I don’t think I’ve never felt so young, wild and free than then, lol. I used one day basically for shopping at the mall and walking there. I ended up buying tights and an overall badge. 

After 2 days in Zagreb I took a Flixbus to the neighbor country, Slovenia. Ljubljana surprised me positively. I had no expectations whatsoever but this city was beautiful and lively! I think I could have spent one more day in Ljubljana. I climbed up to the Ljubljana castle at night and watched the city which seemed HUGE from up there. There were city lights as far as I could see, yet the city has under 300 000 residents. The prices were also super cheap. 

The next day I went shopping again and.. BOUGHT TIGHTS. There is this shop that only sells tights and socks. As I had been buying a bunch of skirts from Berlin, I felt a need to buy a few pairs of special tights so I did. The room in my backpack was limited so I also had to consider my buying urges a bit more than usually. Of course I also bought a badge from Ljubljana, too. In the afternoon I took a bus to Bled, a city in North-West Slovenia. This bus trip took around 1,5 hours and I was so confused because it was a mixture of tourists and pre-teens coming from school. There was no board that announced the stops so I tried looking at signs to know when to get off. Eventually I got off at the Bled lake which was one of the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen. I read that a lot of people get married in these surroundings and no wonder! 

I walked around the lake, taking pictures from time to time and enjoying the view of the lake, alps and a beautiful castle in a small island in the middle of the lake. After I left Bled, the cloudy sky cleared up to a beautiful sunset with a few pink clouds and I just could get my eyes off the mountains. The teens in the bus didn’t seem to appreciate their surroundings but I guess that’s just the way it goes.

The next day I was supposed to take the bus to Venice, but due to corona outbreak I adjusted my trip and took the bus to Vienna instead. I was in the Flixbus for 4 hours but the time flew by. I think I want to make another trip like these because honestly, Flixbuses are so cheap, yet they are modern and traveling through small European countries goes by so quickly. It also allows me to look at the views or Netflix, eat snacks and get fresh air in breaks. From Vienna I flew to Berlin, though. I was surprised I found a flight for 20 euros because I booked it so late. 

I was supposed to spend 4 days in Berlin before going to Munich with my sister but the corona situation got so much worse that I decided to wrap up my school stuff (which I couldn’t because my school closed its doors and I didn’t get an answer from a professor that I needed a signature from). I moved my flight from the end of the month and flew to Finland feeling fucking depressed. The overall atmosphere in the whole Europe (and world) is now melancholic, chaotic and uncertain. At first I was feeling annoyed because of my canceled Munich and Athens trips but then I started panicking if I’d even get back to Finland so now I am glad I got home safe. I am spending the next 1,5 weeks in quarantine - I got home just in time before 

This whole month has been hectic and I am going through a lot of positive and negative feelings at the moment. I’m gonna make one more post after I have gathered my thoughts.

[fitnesshealthyoga-blog]

New Post has been published on https://fitnesshealthyoga.com/scientists-feel-chill-of-crackdown-on-fetal-tissue-research/

Scientists feel chill of crackdown on fetal tissue research

WASHINGTON — To save babies from brain-damaging birth defects, University of Pittsburgh scientist Carolyn Coyne studies placentas from fetuses that otherwise would be discarded — and she’s worried this kind of research is headed for the chopping block.

The Trump administration is cracking down on fetal tissue research , with new hurdles for government-funded scientists around the country who call the special cells vital for fighting a range of health threats. Already, the administration has shut down one university’s work using fetal tissue to test HIV treatments, and is ending other fetal tissue research at the National Institutes of Health.

“I knew this was something that’s going to trickle down to the rest of us,” said Coyne. She uses the placenta, which people may not think of as fetal tissue but technically is classified as such because the fetus produced it, to study how viruses such as Zika get past that protective barrier early in pregnancy.

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“It seems to me what we’re moving toward is a ban,” she added. If so, when it comes to unraveling what happens in pregnancy and fetal development, “we’re going to stay ignorant to a lot of things.”

Different types of tissue left over from elective abortions have been used in scientific research for decades, and the work has been credited with leading to lifesaving vaccines and other advances. Under orders from President Donald Trump, the Health and Human Services Department abruptly announced on Wednesday the new restrictions on taxpayer-funded research, but not privately funded work.

Aside from the cancellation of an HIV-related project at the University of California, San Francisco, university-led projects that are funded by the NIH — estimated to be fewer than 200 — aren’t affected right away.

But as researchers seek to renew their funding or propose new studies, HHS said it will have to pass an extra layer of review, beyond today’s strict scientific scrutiny. Each project will have a federal ethics board appointed to recommend whether NIH should grant the money.

HHS hasn’t offered details but under the law authorizing the review process, that board must include not just biomedical experts but a theologian, and the nation’s health secretary can overrule its advice.

“I predict over time we will see a slow and steady elimination of federal funding for research that uses fetal tissue, regardless of how necessary it is,” said University of Wisconsin law professor Alta Charo, a nationally recognized bioethics expert.

Necessity is the crux of a fierce debate between abortion foes and scientists about whether there are alternatives to fetal tissue for research.

Zika offers a glimpse at the difficulty. Somehow, the Zika virus can sneak from the mother’s bloodstream across the placenta, which protects and nourishes the fetus, and target the fetus’ brain. It’s something researchers hope to learn to block.

Studying the placentas of small animals or even monkeys isn’t a substitute because they differ from the human organ, said Emory University researcher Mehul Suthar. For example, the specific type of placental cell where Zika can lurk in humans isn’t thought to be present in mouse placentas.

And because the placenta continually changes as the fetus that created it grows, first-trimester tissue may show a very different vulnerability than a placenta that’s expelled during full-term birth, when it’s no longer defined as fetal tissue but as medical waste.

Suthar recently submitted a new grant application to study first- and second-trimester placental tissue, and is worried about its fate under the still uncertain ethics provision.

It “sounds a bit murky as to what the impact could be,” he said. It could be small, “or it could be an outright ban on what we’re doing.”

Anti-abortion groups argue there are alternatives, such as stem cells, growing organ-like clumps of cells in lab dishes, or using tissue taken from newborns as they have heart surgery.

Indeed, NIH is funding a $20 million program to research alternatives to fetal tissue and to prove whether they work as well.

“Taxpayer funding ought to go to promote alternatives that are already being used in the production of treatments, vaccines and medicines, and to expand approaches that do not depend on the destruction of unborn children,” said Mallory Quigley of the Susan B. Anthony List, which works to elect anti-abortion candidates to public office.

But dozens of medical and science organizations have told HHS there is no substitute for fetal tissue in studying certain — not all — health disorders, such as HIV, Zika, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, spinal cord injury, and a variety of eye diseases.

To Pittsburgh’s Coyne, part of the political debate is a “completely unsubstantiated belief that not allowing research and science is going to prevent or stop abortions, which is not the case.”

Medical research using fetal tissue won’t stop but will move to other countries, said Charo, who advised the Obama administration. The United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore and China are among the countries using fetal tissue to seek breakthroughs.

“Other countries work with this in a regulated fashion and they will continue to outstrip us,” she said. “We have allowed patients’ interests to become collateral damage in the abortion wars.”

— Lauran Neergaard, Malcolm Ritter, and Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar

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[lucid-illegal-vibes]

Great understanding and extra income with routine maintenance of cell equipment

Be certain that you restart your mobile phones just about every occasionally so that you will get rid in the memory that is certainly saved from packages like Twitter and Facebook. This tends to make it easier to mobile phone to conduct into the most effective of its ability in case you try this once every single couple days.

When purchasing a cell mobile phone, look at the options you actually need. Phones present quite a bit of attributes in today's industry, together with Online obtain, cameras as well as skill to perform many apps. Although most of these capabilities are nice, it would not be truly worth paying for the most costly telephone in the event you won't rely on them. Think carefully before making your final selection. 

In some cases signing a longer phrase deal is worthwhile to receive the cellular phone you need. Some providers will supply the top prices for anyone who is prepared to sign on for their services for your 12 months or two. Just ensure that you might be prepared to commit to the deal, because ending the time period early can value lots in penalties. 

Test to restrict the quantity of video that you look at more than the world wide web during the program on the working day. Movie will wipe out your GB allowance because it is frequently streaming and needs a lot of knowledge to run. Should you be seeing YouTube films usually during the day, you could possibly choose to go with limitless facts.

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Each several days restart your cell mobile phone, specially if it's a sensible telephone. You could not comprehend it, but you might be carrying all over a miniature pc in your pocket. These computer systems eat up memory after a while, which can cause inadequate functionality. All you must do is restart your mobile telephone to obtain memory back again into participate in. 

To extend the battery existence of the cellphone, ensure that applications aren't working from the track record in the slightest degree moments. Some applications will proceed to run except if you disable them, which can drain your battery swiftly. Check out your options to determine whatever you need to have to do in an effort to flip these apps off and make your battery past for a longer period. 

Were you aware that the battery within your mobile mobile phone has some reserved electrical power? For those who discover that your cell cellphone battery is dead, and you have no way to demand it, enter the USSD "*3370#". You might see up to a 50% increase in ability. This reserve electrical power will demand another time you cost your cellphone.

When getting your cellphone, make sure to take into consideration bundles. Several providers supply them, and they can contain points similar to a scenario or simply a vehicle charger. It is actually typically inexpensive to obtain all these products in the bundle than to acquire them independently, and there is a excellent opportunity you might want several of the equipment. 

Really don't experience the need to spend the extra funds on a cell cellular phone display screen protector. Today's cellular phones are created from scratch resistant glass. This glass is so powerful that even keys would not scratch it when they are beside a phone in the pocket. That screen protector is probably going squandered revenue. 

Take into consideration obtaining a utilized cell phone if you are looking to improve just before your agreement permits you to definitely. This can be generally more affordable than purchasing new, and you won't be locked in to some specific agreement time period. Just make sure your company supports the cellular phone you wish to invest in, and that it is possible to simply increase it in your approach. 

Don't down load any applications unless of course you recognize these are from the dependable resource. Any individual could make an application and provide it. At times, you can find trackers or other undesired matters within them. Understanding that the individual or corporation is reputable will cut down the possibility of you obtaining a virus or tracker with your mobile phone.

Do not fail to remember to turn off your good phone each once as well as a although. You wouldn't just leave your house laptop on all the time without an occasional restart. Clever telephones tend to be more complex than phones of the past. With all their applications and numerous systems, they have to be restarted now and again.

If you personal a smartphone, you probably use it rather regularly each day. Nevertheless, remember to turn it off every once in a while. Smartphones are only like pcs. Restarting them can help keep memory cost-free as well as machine jogging at its greatest. You must discover a substantial distinction while in the way your smartphone functions just by turning it off a number of occasions a week.

Would you discover your cell phone battery dying incredibly quickly? If that is so, it might be that you will be getting a weak signal. Surprisingly, a weak signal can drain a battery. While you are not using your cellular phone, usually do not store it where you do not have a very signal, these being a drawer or closet.

Be really careful concerning extended warranties. These added charges are typically just that and almost nothing more. If a cell phone will almost certainly fail, it commonly takes place in the 1st year which is ordinarily included via the essential guarantee. As well as, many of us go with new mobile devices each year, hence the extended guarantee is then definitely not truly worth your time and efforts. 

Debrand your mobile phone should you choose to increase the memory that you've got. This means that you'll remove all the themes, logos and images on the corporation that it relates to, that can present you with much more ability to get ringtones and pictures from other providers of mobile cell phone company.

When you would like to hear new music on your own cell phone, you could possibly want to put in a cloud storage software. This fashion, it can save you your favorites to it without having using the memory inside your phone. You may as well make this happen with images. In addition, it keeps your tunes and images secure if a little something transpires in your cellphone.

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Look at obtaining the insurance policies in your mobile telephone. This could certainly save you funds while in the extensive run. If your phone is damaged, stolen or in any way destroyed, you will no longer be capable of utilize it for most conditions. This can require you to definitely acquire a different telephone, which can value hundreds. Insurance policy allows you to invest in a completely new cellular phone for just a discounted rate, which may be effectively worth the monthly financial commitment.

[sugarypixel]

answered 100 random questions because i just felt like ranting i guess.

1.  if you could pierce somewhere other than your ears, where would it be? I always thought eyebrow piercings were cool.

2. if you could be in a movie franchise (already made or a book that should be made into a movie), which would it be? Does Pokemon count? Because Pokemon.

3. what are your feelings on bangs? Bro I absolutely adore bangs, they are so cute.

4. what is your favorite blanket material? Anything super plush and soft.

5. who is the last person you were mad at? My parents.

6. if you had to be sent up into space or into the depths of the ocean, where would you choose? Spaaaaaace.

7. if you acquired an island, what would you name it? I already have an island and its name is Sugarpeach.

8. are you afraid of death? why or why not? Of course I am, I don’t want to die because I don’t know what’s waiting on the other side and because there are way too many things I want to do before then.

9. what astrological sign do you think you should be? Uhh I’m pretty sure I’m an accurate Sagittarius. Even the symbol speaks to me.

10. who is the worst person you have ever dated? I’ve never dated anyone because I have a hard time feeling romantic attraction to anyone.

11. if you could remake one movie the way you think it should’ve been made, which movie would you choose? Omg easiest question ever, Avengers Endgame.

12. if you had to be a teletubby, which one would you be? Bro Po all the way.

13. what are your feelings on caillou? Caillou is a good boi.

14. what is a custom/activity/experience/etc from another culture that you wish would be in your culture? Living with your family till you get married and it being seen as normal.

15. if you could choose where you were born, where would you want it to be? I guess anywhere that’s not the US cuz it seriously sucks here.

16. if someone told you they could tell you the truth about god/religion/higher powers/the universe/the meaning of life/what happens after death, would you want to know? YES.

17. what is your favorite part of your nighttime routine? sleep doesn’t count. Snuggling up and getting all cozy and warm.

18. what is your favorite form of exercise? I like swimming. Dancing is fun too.

19. what is one current trend that you hate? Conservatives refusing to wear masks and pretending like the virus is over just because they want it to be.

20. what is a trend that died that you would bring back? Can we please just bring back Vine?

21. what era of fashion do you wish to bring back? Absolutely the medieval era. I want people to wear full armor, capes, long hooded robes, flowing gowns, and the like again.

22. what is one movie or tv show that everyone loves that you hate? Uhhh basically any of those adult swim cartoons that use puppet animation. The humor is often racist/homophobic/sexist/etc. and the animation/art style looks ugly and uninspiring.

23. what is a question you have always wanted to ask but haven’t? why haven’t you asked it? I guess I want to ask my parents why they focus so much on the homosexuals being a “sin” and not all of the other way worse sins. I haven’t asked it because I’m afraid of getting disowned by them if they realized I was gay.

24. did you have a teacher growing up that helped you through a difficult time? who were they? Uhhh not really? But I really loved my 7th grade science teacher, he was fun. I can’t really think of any hard times I’ve had to go through but I think my first math help teacher in high school was really kind and caring.

25. think of a paper you have written sometime in your education. what was the topic? I once wrote about the over-sexualization of women in media in my junior year.

26. do you believe in universal healthcare? discuss. Of course I do, it just seems like a no brainer to want to help other people via taxes/socialism. Idk why some people act like it’s the worst possible thing that could happen. Like, capitalism already exists bro.

27. what is one song that makes you feel like love is real? It’s not a romantic type of love but Song of Hope by Crush 40 was written for Japan after their horrific tsunami. It feels like a very loving song and makes me believe that some people truly do care. Buuut romantic wise, Guide You Home from Spyro DotD sounds pretty romantic to me. And for familial love, I Want to Know from Kill la Kill sounds quite loving and precious.

28. what is one song that makes you feel like you’re dancing in a meadow with the sun shining on your skin? THE HILLS ARE ALIIIIIIIVE WITH THE SOUND OF MUUUUSIIIIIIC~ (literally what other song could you possibly think of when asked this question)

29. what is one song that makes you believe that things will get better? Uhhh first song that came to mind was News 39 by MitchieM (or Hatsune Miku), it basically just talks about happy things in the news as opposed to all the depressing stuff we’ve been seeing lately.

30. have you met any celebrities? if so, who? All the celebs I’ve met have been from cons, there’s quite a lot but the ones most important to me would be: Masakazu Morita (JP voice of Ichigo from Bleach and Barnaby from Tiger&Bunny), basically the most influential VA of my life Johnny Yong Bosh (ENG voice of Ichigo from Bleach), Dante Basco (Zuko from Avatar), Janet Varney (Korra from Avatar), Anthony Mackie (Falcon from Avengers), and my main female celeb crush Lana Parrilla (Regina from OUAT). Also do music artists at their concerts count? Because deadass Mystery Skulls.

31. you’re being forced to move out of your country. you must choose another one to move to, and you may never leave it, even for vacation. what country do you choose? bonus points if you answer the city. Anywhere where there’s a competent leader that’s not a rapist, decent laws (like the freedom to marry regardless of gender, a ban on guns, etc.), free healthcare/college, and maybe doesn’t have a history of genocide? Does a place like this exist? Because I will move there.

32. do you believe in the death penalty? discuss. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmaybe if there’s significant evidence that they purposefully and gladly murdered many innocent people and show no remorse whatsoever??

33. what do you think happens after you die? Bro I got no clue. But I had an interesting thought once that maybe when you die, you actually wake up and continue your life like normal, just not on the same plane of existence as Earth is, but it seems so real that you don’t even notice it.

34. name someone you love. My best friend.

35. name someone you like, but don’t necessarily love. Uhhh my former project coordinator at work?

36. how many soulmates do you think a person has? Probably an infinite amount lol.

37. what would you say was your sexual awakening? Finding hentai on the internet when I was in like 4th grade lol. But if you’re talking about my sexual orientation, I sorta first realized that gay/lesbian couples were a thing in 7th grade. Then in high school I realized I was pan and demi-romantic. That was when it made so much sense that I loved courting all the beautiful ladies in Harvest Moon A Wonderful Life when I was young dhjsskjssjsjsjs.

38. is love always worth it? discuss. This is pretty vague but yeah I’d like to think so. Sometimes people will betray you anyway though so it’s best to be picky about who you open up your heart to.

39. pick up your phone. look at the text you sent closest to an hour ago. what was it? It was “Ehhhhh” to my mom lol. I was feeling sick to my stomach.

40. do you believe in magical beings? discuss. Bro I am agnostic. So yes I believe in the possibility and I believe in there not being a possibility.

41. what time of the day do you feel most at peace with yourself? Well I like it when it’s between afternoon and evening and I take a nap. But I also feel at peace outside in nature on a sunny day. Or just seeing the sunrise.

42. choose one song. now choose someone else to sing it. what’s the song, and who is the new singer of said song? why? I’d be down for Emi Evans singing literally any song because I’m pretty positive she’s actually an angel with that gorgeous voice of hers.

43. have you ever cheated? on a person, on a test, in a game? why or why not? On a test and in a game, yeah. Why on a test? Because I hate the American school system. It’s cruel and evil and as a whole it disgusts me. Why on a game? Uhhh because I can? Lol, why not. Let me get all them rings to buy chao eggs in SA2B. (I’m talking about like single player video games btw, I wouldn’t cheat in anything multiplayer unless I was like 10 stealing money in Monopoly lmao.)

44. what is an impulsive decision you have made that you don’t regret? Mmmm my job at Nintendo? I don’t ever regret confessing my feelings either.

45. if you were given the opportunity to completely start your life over from the beginning with everything prior and up until your birth remaining the same, would you? Nah.

46. how do you feel about greek life in colleges? You mean like frats and stuff? Uhh to be honest I usually only ever hear bad things about them lol.

47. what is an aspect or event in history that you were obsessed with as a child? Never was too obsessed with history growing up I feel like. It all kinda sucked to learn about because America’s history sucks. I don’t mind learning about other countries’/cultures’ history though.

48. what would your wardrobe look like if you weren’t so afraid of being who you want to be? It’d probably be full of capes and full armor and long beautiful gowns and hooded robes and a bunch of hella gay stuff. I also just wanna wear rainbows and holographic stuff and lolita fashion, etc...

49. describe your ideal town to live in. Somewhere surrounded by nature I suppose.

50. what age are you scared to be? alternatively, what age were you most scared to be in the past? Uhhh like 80? Lol.

51. do you have a secret you want to share? be as vague or specific as you want. get it out. if you want. That I WANT to share? Seems unlikely. And the secrets that I want to share have most likely already been shared. A funny one I like to share is that I used to play ACWW under the covers at night when I was supposed to be sleeping. I told my mom that the other day and it was really funny lol.

52. do billionaires work harder than other people? discuss. Hell no.

53. if you had the means to start a charity, what would it be a charity for? Literally anyone anywhere who doesn’t have clean water. EVERYONE should have clean water.

54. what is your favorite hairstyle for yourself? Bangs down, hair long and poofy and wavy, with small pieces of hair on either side of my face pulled back into a tiny ponytail. Bonus points if I have little baby curls popping out from underneath, which I naturally do most of the time. I wish I had the energy to curl my hair more often.

55. what is your favorite memory from being 13 years old? This is when I was in 7th grade. Ironically that was my fave year of school. I was first introduced to anime, vocaloid, cosplay, cons, and really it’s just when I first got into music forreal. Some hilarious memories I have is my friend and I ditching class to go hang out with IT who couldn’t care less that we were there. We drew on their whiteboard and talked to them about nerd things since they were also nerds.

56. what is a movie that shaped who you were as a person at a young age? Omg, Thor lol. Pretty self explanatory if you know me well.

57. which us state would you erase if you could? LOL um... Let’s just go back to the source of the problem and erase D.C.

58. what is a skill you theoretically want to learn but probably never will? Aaaaaa I really want to be fluent in more than one language. I like to think I’ll at least learn how to play the guitar someday >_>

59. what is an obscure language you want to speak? Obscure? Hmm... Latin? Gaelic? And it’s not a real language but I wish I could speak the Chaos language from Nier ehehe.

60. you are put in a dangerous situation where you have to fend for yourself. what is your weapon of choice? why? Uhhh taser? I don’t want to kill anyone but I want to be able to immobilize them for long enough for me to be able to make an escape.

61. what is a place you choose not to go to anymore? why? School in general. I always hated going to school. Pretty much all of the nightmares I have are based in school.

62. do you think you’re living a fake life/putting on a facade/lying to people about who you really are? why or why not? When I’m at home, absolutely. My conservative parents don’t know I’m pan, a democrat, and agnostic. It’s painful to pretend I’m not any of those things.

63. what is the color that defines your life? why? I just wanna say pink because it’s my fave color lol.

64. you have the opportunity to go to an exclusive celebrity event. which one is it? (award shows, premieres, parties, etc) A premiere of one of my fave movie series would be fun (I only ever leave my house to go to movies anyway lmao). Avengers maybe? But Chris Pine wya?

65. you can bring back one person from the dead, but you must choose someone to die in their place. who are the two people you are choosing? I don’t really have any people close to me who have died so (aside from my cat Coonie but idk if that counts), I guess I’d pick Anton Yelchin to come back to life because his life was cut way too short. Donald Trump can BITE THE DUST. Pence can too lol.

66. what is your favorite fun fact that people don’t really know? Zero Escape has the best story ever. Hm? Wym that’s not a fact?

67. pick up the nearest reading material to you (book/magazine/paper/etc). what is the first line of that reading material? “Boys, help your sister to her room and call the medic.” from TLOK RotE Part 3 because I’m predictable.

68. if you had to choose a sport to play professionally, which one would you choose? Dancing is fun.

69. what is the worst way someone has betrayed you? Hah, easy one. Three of my closest friends all decided they didn’t wanna be my friend anymore in the same year and all blocked me without even trying to discuss the reason why with me. It’s fine though because the following year Spyro Reiginited was announced/released :) Spyro>>>>Humans

70. what do you do to unwind/cool down when you’re upset? Listen. To. Music.

71. what is the color scheme of your favorite sunrise or sunset? Various tones of pink~

72. what is a beauty product you swear by? Uhhh I’m not really good with this type of thing, but I always use Almay’s black liquid liner.

73. how do you feel about plastic surgery? discuss. Do it if you want, idc man. But I’m telling you right now your imperfections are what make you beautiful.

74. if you could get plastic surgery, would you? what would you change? Nah. I don’t want to feel unrecognizable by me.

75. cotton balls or cotton rounds? What the hell is a cotton round?

76. what is your favorite animal product? Uhhh milk? Dairy gives us pretty awesome things. I still like fruit better, though. And I’m not really a meat person.

77. what is one job that isn’t really around anymore that you would want to do? Human alarm clock sounds hilarious, I want to walk around waking people up by throwing shit at their houses.

78. if you lived in 1550, what would your life be like? make a character for yourself, but be honest about what it would actually be like. Is this like victorian era? Cuz I’d probably be too lazy to dress up in dresses and wear corsets all the time. I guess I’d draw a lot. Write a lot. Sleep a lot.

79. if you had to attend school in another country, which country would you choose? Mmm maybe Italy. Or Japan.

80. what will be/was the color scheme of your wedding? PINK and white.

81. is there something you have a really strong opinion about for basically no reason? what is it? Honestly just Sonic in general. I have MANY strong opinions. Positive and negative.

82. who is a person you would fight to the death for under any circumstances? My best friend.

83. what would you do if you were in the hunger games? be honest. Uhhh hide up in trees and wait for everyone else to kill each other lol.

84. what time do you think everyone should wake up? I’m personally not productive at all in the mornings, so any time past like 12pm lol.

85. what is your favorite type of nut? if you’re allergic to nuts, sorry. Cashews. Pistachios good too.

86. what is your favorite part of your hometown? The forest in general. I wanna live in a forest, but like without all the wild animals and bugs, thanks.

87. you must get rid of one of your electronic items. you have no choice. which one do you sacrifice? Lol I have plenty I need to get rid of, how about all the old earbuds I have laying around.

88. what is a conspiracy theory that you genuinely believe in? make it interesting please. Omg I love conspiracy theories so much. Zero Escape taught me so many and explained them through science and made them seem totally believable (please play Zero Escape). Morphogenetic field theory is pretty cool. Basically it’s an invisible field where you can transfer thoughts to another person. There have been experiments that prove it (people ask group A what is the picture of that they show them, none of them guess right. The people tell group A it is of a dog. Then they ask group B the same question and they all answer dog. So group A sent their thoughts to group B through the morphogenetic field.) so idk I wouldn’t be surprised if it was real. Also the many-worlds interpretation. Basically it’s about how there are many timelines and parallel worlds that exist. But I guess something basic that I totally believe in is alien life. There is literally no way there isn’t another lifeform out there in the ever expanding universe. Also 9/11 was totally all done by the US to start a war to make money.

89. what is the first memory you have of oppression/discrimination? it doesn’t have to be about yourself. There was a mentally disabled kid in our class in elementary school and people bullied him all the time. I remember one time I got paired up with him in a project and everyone started laughing and I got so pissed I yelled at the whole class for being dicks to him. Also just in general the R word used to be used really often. Luckily my generation grew up being taught to never ever use that word.

90. what is one song from the 80s that still goes so hard? Technically it’s late 70s but September by Earth, Wind, & Fire ROCKS.

91. what is a lyric that you hate? why do you hate it? There’s a song I really like that has a pretty homophobic/sexist line in it that bothers me really bad. But THE SONG SOUNDS SO GOOD AUGHHHH. The line is, “if you can’t be a man suck a fuckin’ dick”. Song is Mature Opinion (ironic I know) by Kenichiro Nishihara (but he just made the background music, the rapper is a different person). It’s so annoying because it’s exactly the type of sound I ADORE...I usually skip the line on purpose anyway.

92. name 3 books you were forced to read in school. The Bean Trees, Catcher in the Rye, and The Great Gatsby.

93. how do you keep track of events/deadlines? calendar? agenda? your brain? My phone’s calendar.

94. what is the first book that made you cry that comes to mind? Probably some LGBT romance manga lol.

95. if you had to give a seminar about something, what would it be about? I am NO expert (I don’t think any artist considers themselves an expert honestly) but I wouldn’t mind helping new artists out. I also always liked critiquing people’s essays/stories in school.

96. how do you feel about your mother? I love my mom and I appreciate that she at least tries to be considerate of my feelings on certain political topics. She is slightly more open than my dad is about that stuff. She used to be a lost worse growing up with her anger issues, but she’s getting better. It worries the HELL out of me that she thinks being bisexual is worse than being gay or lesbian. It makes me not want to ever come out to her about my pansexuality (I’ve resolved years ago that I’d tell my parents if I ever got into a serious relationship with someone who is not a straight cis boy lol). I appreciate that my mom listens and shows interest in some of my hobbies I talk to her about. I wish she’d open up to more genres of music. I love how much she loves and cares for me, I’m pretty sure I’m her best friend. I’ll always be there for my mom when she’s grieving. The way she chews with her mouth open and talks with food in her mouth drives me up the fucking wall. I know my mom worries about me and my mental health and I am grateful for that. I love it when my mom plays the piano music I request her to play. I love it when she actually likes certain songs I listen to. I wish she’d play video games with me lol. I wish she’d care less about swearing and cleavage. I appreciate that despite growing up in an incredibly strict Christian household (literally her dad was the principal of the Christian private school they went to) she gave me a more freeing childhood and went way easier on me than her parents did on her. I wish she’d love animation and action movies more. I love how she’s always willing to help me with making my cosplay. I love doting over our cat together. Idk, I have a lot of feelings about my mom lol.

97. is makeup an art form? discuss. Without question. You’re literally painting on your face, what more is there to say.

98. what kind of videos do you primarily watch on youtube? I love watching Vinesauce play games lol, especially corruptions.

99. what is the scent of your deodorant? “Powder fresh”.

100. at what age do you hope you die? At whatever age has me feeling like dying has more benefits than being alive.

[fact2know-com]

A lockdown is stringent and strange; can not final perpetually: Dr Soumya Swaminathan, Chief Scientist, WHO

CHENNAI: Dr Sowmya Swaminathan, leader scientist of the World Health Organisation has known as for native answers in coping with the Covid-19 pandemic and stated {that a} one-size-fits-all way won’t paintings in one of these numerous nation reminiscent of India.

“Lockdowns will lead to enormous collateral effects,” Swaminathan, stated on Saturday whilst talking at a panel dialogue on ‘Covid-19: From lockdown to the lengthy haul’ organised through the Chennai International Centre.

This comes an afternoon after the Central executive prolonged the lockdown within the nation through any other two weeks.

Dr Swaminathan stated mortality because of different illnesses may cross up considerably whilst additionally announcing that the socio-economic affect of those lockdowns might be super. She wired the need for India to come back out with our personal fashion to handle the pandemic as a one-size-fits-all way won’t paintings in one of these numerous nation.

“A lockdown is a very stringent and unusual mechanism that cannot last forever,” she stated. “The next steps should be risk assessment and finding local solutions.”

The Tamil Nadu Health Secretary Dr Beela Rajesh concurred.

“Zoning and containment worked very well in some of the rural areas,” she stated. “It is time to shift (to a new strategy). We have to strike a balance and need to get the economy moving as well.”

Tamil Nadu reported 231 new circumstances of Coronavirus on Saturday. Of those, 174 circumstances had been from Chennai which has turn into a hotbed for the unfold of the virus and has been declared a ‘crimson zone.’ The State has reported 29 deaths and a complete of 1341 recoveries to this point.

Dr Swaminathan emphasized the significance of neighborhood participation while announcing that the problem could be to make sure other folks wore mask, self-reported or even controlled to stay stigma at bay. Coercion would no longer lend a hand and he or she stated and not using a concerted effort, she didn’t see towns getting out of being ‘crimson zones.’

“We need a combination of strategies,” she stated. “We need to make sure infections and mortality is kept at a reasonable level so that it does not overwhelm the healthcare system. The goal is not eradication… The goal should not be to get to 0 (cases) but get to a point where you can manage.”

Dr Swaminathan stated it used to be as much as the federal government to instill religion that if one self-reports, they are going to no longer cross hungry. She stated that if day by day salary staff file signs or assessments sure, it used to be as much as the federal government to guarantee them that they are going to no longer starve.

She stated the growth of checking out used to be a need whilst additionally announcing that if one had been to be ‘actually positive’ we might get a vaccine for Covid-19 in 9-12 months. And additional identified that this could then result in the query of whom will have to be given the vaccine. She stated it might most certainly cross to well being staff first and that administering billions of doses would most certainly take us to 2022-23 in which time a big inhabitants of the prone could be lined. Till then, she stated it used to be as much as each and every executive to ‘interrogate their information.’

“There should be at least 1 per 1000 tests per week,” she stated. “Governments can also monitor what is happening by screening ILI and SARE patients. When less than 5% of such patients test positive for Covid-19, that is an indication that Covid-19 is not going to go out of control.”

When puzzled about herd immunity, she stated it used to be we need to forestall speaking about herd immunity until we get a vaccine. She stated the 3 nations that experience controlled the Covid-19 scenario smartly come with Taiwan, South Korea and Germany. However, she stated in India the method would want to be other and could be State-specific.

Prof Okay Vijay Raghavan, Principal Scientific Advisor, Government of India stated the lesson for India at the production facet is for us to take a look at being a foundational production hub quite than an meeting superpower.

“As we come out of this, the economic superpowers are going to move manufacturing locally,” he stated. “India must preemptively have strategies so that design and manufacturing can take place.”

Prof Brahmar Mukherjee, Prof of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, University of Michigan spoke about how that is going to be the brand new commonplace and that persons are going to must put on mask and must practice social distancing and disinfect steadily. However, she stated that quickly the query of prioritising will arise with regards to who will have to get the vaccine, when it’s advanced.

“Just like testing where we are asking ‘who should we test more often,’ we will probably will have the same thing for vaccines,” she stated. “We will have ‘risk stratification’ where people with comorbidities and frontline workers will have to get it.”

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[kadobeclothing]

Elie Saab on confinement as an opportunity to organize thought; reduce anger and tame egos

Few countries are going through as much a crisis as Lebanon right now, even if the country has been relatively unscathed by the Covid-19 in comparison to Western Europe. FashionNetwork.com caught up with the country’s most famous designer, the Phoenician couturier Elie Saab, to discuss the impact of the pandemic. And how his couture house is handling the enormous disruption caused by Covid-19. Elie Saab’s headquarters in Beirut, Lebanon – Elie Saab  Though he always shows haute couture and ready-to-wear in Paris, Saab’s hometown is Beirut, which has been the center of enormous political activity this spring. This week, Lebanon’s lawmakers donned face masks to meet inside a cavernous Beirut theatre – in order to observe social distancing – the place sprayed with disinfectant as they entered. Outside, anti-government protestors paraded around in hundreds of cars – again, to maintain social distancing. Remarkably, throughout Lebanon’s long years of civil war and often chaotic conflict, Saab and his three sons have managed to build one of fashion’s most distinctive houses, develop a unique aesthetic and dress an Oscar winner. So, we caught up with Saab for his particular take on the current crisis, and what we can all potentially learn from this dark moment in world history. As well as how he sees the before and after Covid-19, both very different to him. And why, to Saab, this period can be one of personal fulfillment; and an opportunity to organize one’s thoughts; reduce anger and tame ego.A look from Elie Saab’s Fall/Winter 2020 collection – Elie Saab   FashionNetwork.com: Where are you now? With your family?Elie Saab: I’m in Lebanon with my wife Claudine. We spend our time between the house in Beirut and our house in the mountains in Faqra. Elie Jr and Celio are also in Lebanon but Michel is still in Switzerland.  FN: How is the situation in the Lebanon?ES: Unfortunately, the situation in Lebanon is not very favorable. For a while now, we have been living in a fairly fragile and agitated economic and social context and this virus has made the situation even worse.  FN: How are all your team?ES: Everyone is fine. We had taken the necessary measures to ensure the safety of our teams.However, we are starting to set our goals by looking to the future, considering that this pandemic has become more contained and controlled.The teams are working on a suitable tactic and a more suitable strategy for the long term that will be applied immediately.  FN: How has all this pandemic affected your creative ideas? ES: Honestly, I consider that this pause has generated certain positive consequences. I had never had the time or the opportune occasion to put my ideas in order, to reflect amply, to see things from another angle and in a more serene way. This confinement is an important period of reflection and contemplation. I continue to feed my creativity on a daily basis, I let myself be inspired by everything around me. FN: When was the moment when you first realized how serious this all was?ES: We were living in an express world where everyone was caught up with their agenda between incessant travel and consecutive events. Now, suddenly, the whole planet is in confinement, the world economy is affected, so we understand that the situation is out of the ordinary. Nature, whether one likes it or not, is stronger than we humans. What we have just experienced will not be able to reproduce easily. It may be tens of generations more before we face a similar test that will change our perception, be it personal or professional. I hope that everyone will take advantage of this situation to build a better, healthier, more balanced, simpler, and above all more humane future.  FN: Has anyone you know personally been affected?ES: This virus has unfortunately affected a large number of people around the world. To see that there is a large number of deaths really pains me …Like everyone else, I know friends who have been mildly affected by the virus or their family members. But I believe education and awareness about the virus now will help contain the spread so that we can get by as quickly and as best as possible.  FN: How will fashion change after Covid-19?ES: Fashion as well as the world will no longer be the same. We will refer to before and after Covid-19. Many things will change. I was convinced that a change would take place sooner or later because the cycle was no longer human. But I never thought that in our time, a pandemic would mobilize the planet to this point. The pace in our industry had become insane, robotic: we were working on several collections at the same time, so we lost the pleasure of savoring each one. We were under continuous pressure, we lost the joy of living and enjoying human relationships, as well as listening to others. Due to the speed and the sequence that we lived, simplicity lost its value, merits had become less and less appreciated. The calendar we were following was crazy and barely gave us time to catch our breath. Even the customers were bombarded by the novelties on the market. The consumption of the products became irrational and it was rather an endless race. We have to start again on the basis of favoring quality over quantity, creating brand-specific experiences, giving back the product’s own value so that it remains timeless. I really believe that today, we are moving to a new chapter that will give us the chance to set the record straight.A look from Elie Saab’s Fall/Winter 2020 collection – FashionNetwork.com  FN: How will the world change after Covid-19?ES: Our daily life will also change. We got into the habit of connecting remotely, working remotely, finding opportunities and looking for reliable solutions. We have developed our adaptability. We have realized that we can do things without being on-site by ensuring good remote management. Everything can be done online and this gives greater importance to technology. This phase remains very exceptional, as everything will gradually resume to regain its place – as it should. Excess remains the boredom of mankind and everything must be well-balanced to give a better meaning to humanity. Earth, too, had to breathe differently, with less pollution! It was really a click that brought us back to true and simple values. I am optimistic, I welcome this situation positively as a way to redefine our aspirations, our needs, our expectations. This period gave me a certain feeling of gratitude. I consider it as an experience of personal fulfillment to assess the details that surround us. I really hope that many people have had the chance to organize their thoughts during this time to reduce their anger and tame their ego. Some had lost their bearings before, and now is the time to raise the bar and return to simplicity and authenticity.  FN: As an industry of incessant travel, where the shows went on last month even as the pandemic raged in China, does fashion bear any of the blame?FN: Fashion Week may have accelerated the spread of the virus, but there were also other sporting events, conferences, etc. taking place around the world. Meetings and trips are not just for visiting fashion capitals and attending fashion shows. The spread of this virus has no borders or barriers. I especially do not want to associate this virus with the Fashion Month period because fashion represents beauty and elegance, Fashion Week evokes conviviality, and I insist that it symbolizes such, and that, forever.  FN: Many people have talked about a reset button – do you think that is the case?ES: Of course, the entire planet is on hiatus and it takes a “reset button” to restart it. Yet, you must be very careful when restarting the machine. We must ensure that we will take over the reins with skill, by emphasizing quality, in all of these aspects. We cannot ignore this phase that we have lived and re-launch lightly as if nothing had happened. This initialization button should trigger a promising start. I can’t stop thinking about it, and I’m in the midst of organizing myself to pass this course at best. FN: Others have noted that influencers have gone very quiet. Do you think that their influence will wane?ES: I have a belief that you cannot cross out something that has existed for a certain period of time. Influencers marked their territory: some were influential and were able to create an identity, others lesser so, and this will also be the case in the future. These influencers are above all a source of inspiration for the millennia and I hope that they will evolve in the right direction. FN: What will we keep from this period and what will we discard?ES: Personally, I will keep my character that you know well: simple, human, courteous and insightful, so as to not complicate matters. I will get rid of everything that could harm the quality of life that I will begin again, and take more pleasure around human relationships. My initial intuition had never deceived me, and today, I am even more convinced that you have to be well-surrounded to give more to the world.I have always gone forward with hope, and learned to overcome obstacles by determining the essentials, what inspires me – and this will further strengthen my conviction. FN: Do you still expect to come to Paris and shows in September?ES: Paris is my second city, and I can’t wait to come back to start again fully. I hope that this industry will recover in the best conditions possible, and that we will all be united to create subtly.  

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[faithfulnews]

This journalist did her job: Now she hopes that it didn't expose her to COVID-19

Normal 2020 fashion. Reporting now, article online @ExpressNews soon! pic.twitter.com/btHbHKPTLT

— Silvia Foster-Frau (@SilviaElenaFF) April 5, 2020

Silvia Foster-Frau did her job.

The 27-year-old San Antonio Express-News reporter hopes her dedication to her profession didn’t expose her to COVID-19.

For more than two years, Foster-Frau has produced sensitive, nuanced coverage of the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Texas — site of a Nov. 5, 2017, mass shooting in which 26 people died and 20 were wounded.

Her journalistic prowess has earned her honors such as Texas AP Star Reporter of the Year in the biggest newspaper category and the national Cornell Award for religion reporting excellence at mid-sized newspapers.

On Sunday, Foster-Frau returned to the rural area southeast of San Antonio to report on the Baptist church continuing to meet, “despite the potential danger posed by the novel coronavirus” — as she put it in her story.

Her news article was excellent. No surprise there. Equally impressive were the compelling images captured by Express-News photographer Josie Norris.

But given the concerns over the possible spread of COVID-19, I wondered about the decision to send journalists into an assembly with 40 worshipers, none of them wearing masks, according to the newspaper’s story.

Foster-Frau was kind enough to talk with me about her experience. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Bobby Ross Jr.: You developed some really good relationships with people involved in the massacre and have excelled at covering that. Can you tell me a little about that?

Silvia Foster-Frau: Yeah, I grew really close to them. I never had an experience quite like that. I never would have met those people if not for what happened.

For me, being the one covering it, I got really close to these people I was covering, and it brought up a lot of questions I hadn’t had to deal with about journalism and ethics. It was unlike anything I’ve experienced before, and it definitely changed me as a person.

I wasn’t like, “Oh, I learned a lot on the job.” It was actually very transformative personally. I’m really grateful for that.

Ross: In any specific way?

Foster-Frau: I guess for one, I learned a lot about grace and recovering from it, and how people do that, and what helps and doesn’t help. Fortunately, intense grief isn’t something I’ve had to grapple with. Personally, kind of experiencing that almost vicariously with them really changed me. It made me a lot more sensitive. I think I developed there in ways I wouldn’t have had otherwise.

And then, apart from that, I feel like the people at the Springs are people who are not necessarily media-friendly folks. I guess learning more about their culture — rural Texan culture — and finding something in common with them was really special, even if you feel like you come from different worlds.

"Knowing vulnerability, choosing to celebrate." Front page of today's @ExpressNews by @SilviaElenaFF. https://t.co/Sf8TJ2yMZb #SutherlandSprings pic.twitter.com/DjqdisIV3M

— Bobby Ross Jr. (@bobbyross) November 5, 2018

Ross: They learned they could trust you, I think. 

Foster-Frau: Yeah, I think they learned that. I was very transparent from the beginning about my mission.

I was always trying to explain that it was our public service mission to tell their stories so people could understand what they’re going through and maybe make changes in their lives and advocate for others in the future based on what they learned in their stories. I think that resonated with them. We were on the same page about what the mission was most of the time.

Ross: Tell me about your story Sunday. I’m intrigued that they’re still meeting given some of the warnings that are out there. And also, that you went and covered it in person. How did you find out that was happening? And what was your thought process in deciding how to cover it?

Foster-Frau: I knew something was going on because we’re all Facebook friends now. I saw the pastor and his wife and other members of the congregation, too, posting pretty outspokenly about how church is an essential service. They were definitely getting blowback online, too, which is why they felt more compelled to be vocal about it on social media.

As the threat of the virus became more real here, and more and more restrictions were being imposed statewide and in San Antonio, their position didn’t let up. They’ve livestreamed church services for a while now, so every once in a while I’ll tune in because I’m used to going to church with them now.

So I noticed a pretty sizable crowd on their livestream. That’s when I started to think there was a story there. It was a few days later when Gov. Greg Abbott kind of clarified the church exemption (to his “stay at home” order limiting business activity and social interaction). It seemed like there was a point of contention in Texas with whether or not churches were essential.

I decided I needed to go down there to report on it. I felt like I needed to be there to at least understand the different layers of protection. It’s hard — you can’t tell totally from the livestream if everyone has face masks or if anyone has gloves on. Sometimes it’s hard to tell depth, how far apart they are. So a photographer and I went down.

Ross: Were you wearing a mask?

Foster-Frau: I had a scarf. I planned on wearing it. And then one of the congregants, as I was walking in, I kind of put it up, and he said, “Are you planning on stealing something here, or are you planning on robbing this church?”

So I was like, “OK, here we go.” I ended up, and I’m not sure if I’m proud of this decision, but I ended up just keeping it up around my neck and not putting it on. In retrospect, I probably should have still kept it on. 

Ross: In some ways, you’re as exposed as the rest of the congregation if anyone happened to have the virus? 

Foster-Frau: I would say so. I tried to hang back during the service. But even afterward, I’m interviewing them, so you’re going up and talking to them. A woman hugged me without me even having a second to react.

There was just one fun moment at the end, too, where I was about to leave, and I was talking to this woman, and I put up my elbow, and she said, “Oh, no, still give me a hug.” And I just looked at her and just kept walking away, like, “OK, bye.”

Ross: What is it about journalists that we put ourselves in those situations, and the story is so important, even in a case like this where it could be a bad thing to catch a virus like that? 

Foster-Frau: I was anxious going down there for that reason. But it felt important to me that people understood what was going on there, and I thought it was a story that was very revealing and just interesting psychologically about how people are coping with this unprecedented time.

I feel very lucky in a lot of ways. I still have a job. I have health insurance. I have people I know will take care of me if I get sick. So, in that way, I try to put things in perspective.

I think journalists, we end up talking to people who are a lot less fortunate than us. Not that journalists have it all. We aren’t doing super great these days. But I just always keep that in mind, so when I go up for these stories, I’m like, “OK, I’m putting myself at risk, but there are people every day who put themselves at more risk and don’t have a choice about it.”

That’s the mentality. I don’t know. Maybe it was foolish. [End of interview]

• • •

I appreciate Foster-Frau’s self-reflection. I remain one of her biggest fans.

When I was younger, I ignored a tornado warning to drive to a hospital and interview survivors of the May 1999 Oklahoma twisters that claimed 44 lives.

Two decades later, I’d like to think I’m older and wiser and would take cover rather than risk my life in the storm.

Power Up: The Week’s Big Questions

1. How can newsrooms cover the coronavirus pandemic AND protect journalists?: I shared a little of Silvia Foster-Frau’s experience with Kelly McBride, the Poynter Institute’s senior vice president and chair of its Craig Newmark Center for Ethics and Leadership.

The media ethics expert offered this advice: “Journalists are known for their courage. For running toward big stories while others run away. But deliberately putting yourself at risk to cover a COVID-19 story doesn't make any sense, because there are so many alternatives. In this case, she could have asked congregants to FaceTime her during the service, take pictures for her. She could have stayed outside. ... The problem with putting yourself at risk with this virus is that you put everyone else that you come in contact at a higher risk.”

I also reached out to Marc Duvoisin, editor and vice president of the San Antonio Express-News.

Here’s what he told me:

To protect our journalists from COVID-19, almost everyone in the newsroom is working remotely. Hardly anyone goes to the newsroom anymore. I have been working from home for the past three weeks, and so have nearly all the department heads and other staff members.

My guidance to reporters is to report remotely to the extent possible — via Skype, Zoom, FaceTime, etc. — and, when they must go to the scene of a story, to observe social-distancing rules and stay at least 6 feet away from others.

We have distributed hand sanitizer and masks to reporters, although supplies sometimes run out.

Photographers, who by the nature of their work have to be out in the world, have been given masks, sanitizer and sanitary gloves.

No one on our staff has tested positive for the virus or gotten sick from it that we know of.

Silvia tells me that when she went to Sutherland Springs to report on the Sunday in-person worship service at First Baptist, she wore a scarf as a face mask, brought along and used hand sanitizer and tried to maintain proper social distancing, although it was difficult at times.

The photographer, Josie Norris, wore a mask and kept her distance from people.

Covering the coronavirus crisis presents great challenges to journalists, including how to witness and record events without exposing oneself to infection. My guidance to Express-News journalists has been to put their personal safety first, always — to report remotely whenever possible and observe strict social distancing when they have to go out in the world. No story is worth getting sick for.

I appreciate Duvoisin taking time to respond to my question.

2. Speaking of houses of worship still meeting during the COVID-19 threat, are news organizations putting too much emphasis on them?: That media coverage question has emerged, somewhat predictably, as noted in a post by GetReligion’s Terry Mattingly.

Mattingly’s main point: The few churches refusing to socially isolate is a legitimate story, but so is the massive move to online worship by the overwhelming majority of faith groups nationally.

“(I)f this is still happening in areas that have had outbreaks, it's a serious, serious issue,” Washington Post religion writer Sarah Pulliam Bailey tweeted concerning the tiny minority of churches still assembling. “It's not just a ‘one church’ thing. The reporting is deeply important.”

Religion News Service’s Jack Jenkins suggested: “(T)he rationale for the media attention is pretty straightforward: it doesn’t take a ton of gatherings to infect an entire community.”

Continue reading “This Journalist Did Her Job: She Hopes It Didn't Expose Her To COVID-19,” by Bobby Ross, Jr., at Religion Unplugged.

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[faizrashis1995]

How Big Data and Automation Keep Malwarebytes Ahead of the Bad Guys

Darren Chinen: Our CEO and founder, Marcin Kleczynski, was 14 years old, playing video games, and caught a virus on his computer, didn’t want to tell his parents about it, and he went searching on the Internet for some people that could help him clean his machine. And so, at the ripe old age of 14, with the help of some people he now calls heroes who are actually still working at this company, he was able to write his first Malwarebytes program, and that kind of evolved. And eventually, by the time he was 18 years old, he was able to found Malwarebytes.

 And really, our mission has stayed the same from the very beginning. We absolutely can’t stand malware. We imagine a world without malware. And what I think is the best thing about what we do is we always talk about — our goal is to put ourselves out of business. There’s no malware in the world, there’s no reason to be in existence anymore.

 Joe: Could you maybe give us a little bit of a description about the role of that team within Malwarebytes?

 Darren: I lead three separate teams here. The first team is the team that actually does the website, what we call the “dub-dub-dub team.” I have an infrastructure team. And the team that we’ll kind of double-click on today is the data science and engineering team. And that team really handles all of the big data. We have some anonymous telemetry streams coming in that pours out all kinds of IOT data. Think of it as sensors all around the world. And they also do some of the data science and AI as well.

 Joe: One of things I think, certainly most people don’t draw a connection — certainly not immediately — between malware and malware detection and big data. Can you talk about how Malwarebytes is leveraging the power of the data that you’re collecting?

 Darren: Marcin, our CEO and founder — had this vision of everyone has a right to a malware-free existence. He’s been giving out our product for free — even to this day, you can download it for free. And one of the things that we do is we collect anonymous data that act as sort of sensors out there for us to understand the landscape of what’s happening in the world and where are attacks happening.

 It’s really interesting because, Joe, if you were to look at some of the telemetry years ago, the world of malware was evolving at maybe a monthly, or sort of a slower than monthly pace. And today, sort of with modern technologies that help software engineering, things like CI/CD (continuous integration and delivery), the world of malware is literally changing by the hour.

 So, it’s very, very, very important that we’re able to collect and harvest and mine all of this data in an efficient manner so that we can understand the landscape, and our company and our systems can adjust appropriately to combat malware as it’s involving on literally and intra-day basis.

 Joe: It’s really interesting to think about how malware creators are using agile software methodologies to deliver malware more quickly.

 Darren: The world-class software engineering organizations, unfortunately — the television shows you see with guys in dark rooms and sunglasses and a big bag of Doritos next to their desk is — that’s probably far from the truth. These are very, very sophisticated software engineering shops that are in business because there is a path to cash, and they’re making money off of things like ransomware. So, absolutely, for them, it makes sense to stay on leveraging the most cutting-edge technologies. And really, to fight the war against malware, we have to be as good as or better than whatever they’re doing.

 Joe: Recently I heard you talk about how your team is not just using AI and machine learning, which again, I think so far, our conversation has been chock full of things that are really top of mind for everybody. But, not only are you leveraging these cutting-edge technologies and approaches to building, I guess, malware detection, but to be able to do it at scale and to industrialize that. Can you elaborate on that and maybe share with our listeners how you’re doing that?

 Darren: AI is one type of technique, a very effective technique that we use. And we use it both in our endpoint technology as well as — our behavioral EPR technology is coming out with an AI engine as well, and we’ve been testing that.

 One of the things that we recognize is that we can build sort of anomaly detectors with AI. AI is actually decently good as anomaly detectors, as long as you can narrow the problem set. And one of the problems with machine learning is that it’s a machine, right? So, if you think about machines in general, they’re very good at specific tasks and specific problems.

 When you walk into your kitchen, you have a machine that is called a toaster, and all it does is toast, right? And you have another machine called a waffle maker that only does the waffles, and you have another machine that’s called a blender, and it just does blending. Why isn’t there one machine — or the Jetsons’ robot, right? — that actually does everything? The answer is because machines are good at very specific tasks. It’s actually really, really, really difficult to build machines that sort of generically do everything in the sense that a human can.

 When you’re trying to figure out if a machine is infected, you have to look at the behaviors of that machine, or that’s one of the techniques that you can use. Now, the problem is that the way people use machines or PCs today is wildly different. You can imagine a salesperson uses their machine in a much different way than a marketing person, and the person who really messes up their machine is probably an engineer or a DevOps guy, right?

 And so, if I try and figure out what is anomalous behavior, and I’m just looking at the machine logs of the activity of what’s happening on these machines — if I’m not doing this correctly or if I’m not careful, I’m going to either be too sensitive, and everything that the engineer and the DevOps guy does, I’m going to think, oh my gosh, these guys are infected with malware, or I’m not going to be sensitive enough, and I’m going to think that the engineer and the DevOps guy is normal behavior. And when the sales guy is experiencing the hack, I won’t recognize it, because it will look just like an engineer.

 So, it’s a signal to noise problem, and that is sort of one of the key things that we have to cover in the world of malware detection. We have to improve the tradeoffs between wanting to do a good job at detecting malware, but also not making a mistake. We call that a false positive. And if you’re in the security industry, a false positive is what we jokingly call an extinction event. It’s one of those things that can put you out of business. So, we have to very careful about getting good detections, but also not making catastrophic mistakes.

 Joe: What kind of technology are you using, what’s your architecture like? Some of the things that help you avoid false positives and to identify it from that signal that you’re seeing and separating it from the noise of normal activity?

 Darren: Well, I think there’s a couple of phases to this. The first one is how you harvest the data. So, there’s a lot of different types of data that are coming in. So, we have this IOT type of data, what we call telemetry data, and that data really just gets a public-facing API. We quickly push that data into stream processing — we use Kafka and Kafka Streams. And then we’re able to process that data, and then we leverage everything in a public cloud, so we can leverage existing cloud services like AWS and some of the things that they have, like S3 and ephemeral processing to process that large amount of data.

 There are other types of data that come in as well, and data that we need to harvest from external APIs. And for that, we use sort of a Java framework that can go out there and harvest data from some of the APIs that we need to get to, to enrich a lot of that data with some of the other — I would call it more transactional type of data. We do some caching that happens in Redis. And then, basically, our goal is to provide a platform for the data scientists to actually go do their work.

 Joe: It sounds like you are describing a lot of different processes, like training models and things that have to be done in a repetitive kind of fashion. That sounds like this other sort of periodic, maybe long-term orchestration kind of tasks that have to be done. Is that right? Can you maybe talk a little bit about that component of the engineering and the delivery process?

 Darren: It’s a piece of AI that’s, I think, overlooked by a lot of people. What happens is, scientists come up with this model and it works. And then when they throw it over the fence, it works perfectly fine. But over time these models, the underlying data changes and the prediction accuracy goes down. And so, you’ll find data scientists sort of looking over their shoulder, and then they have to say, “Oh my gosh, my accuracy’s not as good.” And then what they do is they have to go retrain their model manually and give another model and it’s a big deploy.

 We found that process is something that we can automate. And it’s about keeping our production AI environment up and running smoothly and constantly making good predictions based on the ever-changing data. The analogy, right, is if I built an AI model around celebrity detecting, and I fed it all the celebrities — let’s say we’re in a time machine and we’re back in 1990. And I fed all the celebrities from 1990 into the model and it trained on it, it would make good predictions in 1990.

 But fast forward to today in 2019, if I try to run that exact same model without feeding any new data, it couldn’t accurately predict anything, right? So, it’s very important that you take as good or better care of your production AI deployments and the ever-changing data under there as you do with taking care of sort of building your data science labs.

 Joe: Can you talk a little about maybe specifically what tools and what components help you achieve that level of automation to make sure that your models are operating properly?

 Darren: Control-M has helped us to orchestrate everything beautifully. We’ve been using Control-M, too, for all the big data. We also use Control-M on Snowflake for some of the structured data. And it really beautifully coordinates all of our ETL processing, the batch processing, all of the ingest, sort of what we call the pre-feature builds. And then what it does is — we actually take all of our AM models, and what we try to do is get them scheduled, and if it can be done in a container, we’ll definitely do it in a container.

 Otherwise, what it will do is it will kick off a job on Spark, and once that model is retrained, it’s tested, it goes through an approval process where we take a look at the confusion matrix to make sure that the accuracy has, in fact, improved with the new training, and then there’s a process to actually promote that improved model into production. So, that’s something that’s pretty much handled — the backbone of that is pretty much handled by Control-M and that whole orchestration and the scheduling of all of that. That’s all done in an automated fashion.[Source]-https://www.bmc.com/blogs/how-big-data-and-automation-keep-malwarebytes-ahead-of-the-bad-guys/

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