#National Tobacco Control

[townpostin]

Training Program on Tobacco Control in Jamshedpur Civil Surgeon Office

Training program under National Tobacco Control Program emphasizes awareness and enforcement. A training program under the National Tobacco Control Program was held at the Civil Surgeon Office auditorium on Saturday, with three MPWs from each block participating. JAMSHEDPUR – A training program under the National Tobacco Control Program was conducted at the Civil Surgeon Office auditorium on…

[nourishnest]

Cracking the Code on NCDs: The Common Killer Explained

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are often referred to as the silent or quiet threat, as they do not always have immediate and obvious symptoms. However, these diseases are responsible for a large number of deaths worldwide, making them a common killer. In this blog post, we will delve into the world of NCDs and provide tips on how to avoid falling victim to these deadly illnesses. By cracking the code on NCDs, we can better understand and prevent this common killer from taking more lives.

Understanding Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs): A Primer

Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) are a growing concern in the world of healthcare. Unlike infectious diseases, NCDs are chronic and long-lasting, with no easy cure. These diseases, which include conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, are often caused by lifestyle factors such as smoking, poor diet, and lack of physical activity.

Understanding NCDs is essential in order to tackle this silent threat effectively. By learning about the risk factors and prevalence of these diseases, we can take steps towards prevention and control. Furthermore, understanding the impact of NCDs on global health allows us to advocate for policy changes and implement strategies to combat this common killer.

In the next sections, we will delve deeper into the world of NCDs, uncovering the hidden epidemic, identifying key risk factors, and exploring crucial steps towards prevention. Together, we can crack the code on NCDs and work towards a healthier future.

The Hidden Epidemic: Exploring the Quiet Threat of NCDs

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) pose a hidden epidemic, silently taking lives across the globe. The danger lies in their deceptive nature, as they often don't display immediate symptoms, leading many to overlook their severity. This silent threat encompasses a range of chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, which are responsible for a significant number of deaths worldwide.

NCDs are fuelled by unhealthy lifestyle choices such as smoking, poor diet, and lack of physical activity. These risk factors, combined with a lack of awareness and early detection, make NCDs a major health concern. Understanding the hidden epidemic of NCDs is crucial in order to effectively combat them and prevent further damage.

In the following sections, we will dive deeper into the impact of NCDs, explore key risk factors, and discuss vital steps towards prevention and control. By shedding light on this quiet threat, we can work towards a healthier future for all.

Identifying Key Risk Factors and Prevalence

To effectively combat non-communicable diseases (NCDs), it is crucial to identify the key risk factors and understand their prevalence. These risk factors include smoking, poor diet, lack of physical activity, excessive alcohol consumption, and obesity. By examining the prevalence of these risk factors, we can better understand the extent of the problem and tailor prevention strategies accordingly.

Unfortunately, the prevalence of NCD risk factors is alarmingly high worldwide. For example, smoking remains a major risk factor for NCDs, with approximately 7 million deaths attributed to tobacco use each year. Additionally, unhealthy diets high in processed foods and sugar contribute to the rise in NCDs, especially in urban areas.

By identifying and addressing these key risk factors, we can take significant steps towards reducing the burden of NCDs and promoting a healthier society for all.

Unravelling the Impact of NCDs on Global Health

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have a profound impact on global health, affecting individuals, families, and entire communities. These diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, are responsible for a significant number of deaths worldwide. The impact of NCDs goes beyond the physical toll, affecting mental and emotional well-being, and placing a burden on healthcare systems.

NCDs not only affect individuals but also have wider societal and economic consequences. The cost of treating NCDs is high, placing a strain on healthcare resources and limiting funding for other crucial areas. Furthermore, NCDs can hinder economic development by reducing productivity and increasing healthcare costs.

By unravelling the impact of NCDs on global health, we can advocate for increased awareness, policy changes, and resource allocation to effectively combat this common killer. Together, we can work towards a healthier future and reduce the burden of NCDs on individuals and communities worldwide.

Promoting Awareness and Early Detection

Promoting awareness and early detection is crucial in the fight against non-communicable diseases (NCDs). By educating individuals and communities about the risks and symptoms associated with NCDs, we can empower them to take proactive steps towards prevention and control. Simple actions such as regular health check-ups, self-examinations, and screenings can make a significant difference in early detection, leading to timely treatment and improved outcomes.

Additionally, raising awareness about the importance of adopting a healthy lifestyle, including regular exercise, a balanced diet, and tobacco cessation, can help reduce the risk of developing NCDs. It is essential to utilise various communication channels, such as social media, community outreach programmes, and healthcare campaigns, to reach a wide audience and promote the message of early detection and prevention. Together, we can empower individuals to take charge of their health and create a society that prioritises well-being

Crucial Steps Towards Prevention and Control

Now that we have a better understanding of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and their impact, it's time to explore crucial steps towards prevention and control. Prevention is always better than cure, and when it comes to NCDs, it couldn't be more true. Here are some key steps you can take to protect yourself and your loved ones from falling victim to these silent killers.

Firstly, adopt a healthy lifestyle. This means incorporating regular exercise into your routine, maintaining a balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables, and avoiding harmful habits like smoking and excessive alcohol consumption. By making these simple changes, you can significantly reduce your risk of developing NCDs.

Secondly, prioritise regular health check-ups and screenings. Early detection is key to successful treatment, so make sure to visit your healthcare provider regularly for routine check-ups and screenings. This can help detect any potential health issues early on and allow for timely intervention.

Lastly, raise awareness and educate others. Share your knowledge about NCDs with your friends, family, and community. By spreading awareness, you can help others make informed decisions about their health and take proactive steps towards prevention.

By following these crucial steps, we can take control of our health and work towards a future where NCDs are no longer a common killer. Remember, small changes can make a big difference. Start today and protect yourself and your loved ones from the silent threat of NCDs

The Way Forward: Policy Implications and Strategies for Combating NCDs

Moving forwards, addressing the challenge of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) requires a comprehensive approach involving policy implications and strategies for prevention and control. Firstly, governments need to prioritise NCDs on their agendas and allocate resources towards prevention, early detection, and treatment. This includes implementing policies to reduce tobacco and alcohol consumption, promoting healthier diets and physical activity, and ensuring access to affordable healthcare.

In addition, collaborations between governments, healthcare professionals, and community organisations are crucial. This involves establishing public health campaigns to raise awareness about NCDs, creating supportive environments for healthy behaviours, and providing education and resources to individuals and communities.

Furthermore, fostering partnerships with the private sector and engaging industries in creating healthier products and environments can also contribute to combating NCDs. By implementing these policy implications and strategies, we can work towards a future where NCDs no longer claim countless lives and where everyone has the opportunity to live a healthier and happier life.

[olderthannetfic]

Did Americans really not know smoking caused lung damage until the 1980's? I've gotten several comments to that effect on a fic of mine, but, um. While the story is set in 1940's USA, over here in Britain we've had doctors linking smoking cigarettes to lung cancer as far back as the 1690's that I could find (albeit they don't say 'cancer', but describe cancer symptoms). It was never a totally foreign, unknown idea no one could ever have imagined. And I love dunking on the US as much as anyone, but... it's just so obvious I can't imagine no one in the US ever put two and two together? Even when I was 4, I understood the reason my mum's father was out of breath and coughed all the time was that he smoked because I understood, without being told, that inhaling something yucky yucked you up inside.

I'm aware you as a nation have some dumbasses amongst you but surely the majority were not so stupid that it took until the 1980's for anyone to go, "I think inhaling smoke is bad for you"?

--

My grandmother forced my grandfather to give up his pipe decades before the general public had their faces rubbed in news stories about the dangers. My mom's not around anymore to ask, but I think this must have been either in the 50s when the definitive study came out or in the 60s when the surgeon general wrote about it.

It's not that the info wasn't out there so much as that US tobacco companies spent millions running propaganda campaigns to confuse and delude the public. By the 1980s, people managed to debunk these. In the mid-century, they were heavily muddying the waters.

Here's the first reasonable-looking link I found with some info about this kind of thing: The history of the discovery of the cigarette–lung cancer link: evidentiary traditions, corporate denial, global toll.

I gather this is the Tobacco Control journal, which seems like a reputable source.

The broad strokes seem to be that few people, including in the UK, would have known anything until the late 19thC. From there to the 1930s, evidence was growing steadily as scientists researched a possible link. In the 40s and 50s pretty definitive evidence came out in multiple countries. In the 50s-70s, US companies did junk science as propaganda. In the 80s and 90s, the US swung hard towards seeing cigarettes as dangerous, dirty, and gross.

I remember this cultural change during my childhood. It was massive.

So yes, unfortunately, your 1940s American characters probably wouldn't know that smoking caused lung cancer. Lung damage? Maybe. Like you say, a lot of people could just apply basic logic and observation for that one.

I'm not sure whether they'd be more likely to have no clue or whether they'd know that someone thought it was bad, but they'd think those people were paranoid.

So yes, someone put two and two together, but it could still be OOC for your particular characters. I think it very much depends who they are and exactly how you presented things in your fic.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Hello! I've been enjoying your writing references and notes, thank you for sharing! I was wondering, do you have any for something set during the Civil War? I've been sitting on the idea of writing a short story inspired by Little Women and I want to do it some justice at least. I would be happy with whatever you can offer <3

Writing Notes: The American Civil War

A four-year war (1861–65) between the United States and 11 Southern states that seceded from the Union and formed the Confederate States of America.

The two sides fought over the enslavement of African Americans and the rights of individual states.

The economy of the South relied on enslaving Black people to work on plantations of cotton and tobacco, while in the industrialized North, public opinion was in favor of ending slavery.

The war ended in 1865 with a Union victory.

THE UNION AND THE CONFEDERACY

By February 1861, 7 southern states (South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas) had broken away from the rest of the US.

On 4 February, they agreed to form a separate government, the Confederate States of America.

The first shots of the war were fired at Fort Sumter in South Carolina on 12 April, and within 3 months, Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee had joined the Confederates.

23 states remained in the Union, including the slave-owning “border states”.

NEW TECHNOLOGY

The US Civil War was one of the first industrial wars in history, making use of modern technologies developed during the course of the 19th century. The war was fought across a wide area, so railways were critically important in carrying troops and supplies to where they were needed on the front lines. Generals were able to communicate with each other by telegraph.

Weapons. Fast-firing repeating rifles, such as the Spencer rifle, were used for the first time in the Civil War. The widely used “Napoleon” field gun could hit a target up to 1,600 m (5,250 ft) away. Also developed at this time was the Gatling gun, an early machine gun.

Ironclad battleships. Steam-powered battleships protected by iron or steel plates were known as ironclads. The first-ever battle between ironclads was fought in the Civil War in 1862, on the James River estuary in Virginia.

Modern Communications. In the Civil War, railroads moved troops around, aerial balloons spied across enemy lines, and the telegraph (above) sent and received instant information. Its receiver machine recorded messages on paper tape in Morse code, which uses dots and dashes to represent numbers and letters of the alphabet.

WAR PHOTOGRAPHY

The Civil War was one of the first conflicts to be extensively photographed. Dozens of photographers toured the battlefields, and their stark images of soldiers, dead and alive, brought shocking scenes of the war to the public around the world.

A Continental War. Most of the fighting in the war took place in Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania in the east. There were also battles in Kentucky and Tennessee in the west and down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. In 1864, General William T. Sherman (above) conducted a major campaign in Georgia and the Carolinas.

TIMELINE

A nation divided. When 7 US states seceded (broke away) from the Union to form the Confederacy, President Lincoln refused to recognize the new government, and called on them to rejoin the Union. The Confederates refused, and tried to gain control of federal forts in the south. The stage was set for a bloody war that would last for the next 4 years.

12 April, 1861: Fort Sumter attacked. Confederate troops under Brigadier General Beauregard fired on Union soldiers who were guarding Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina. These were the first shots to be fired in the Civil War.

17 September, 1862: Battle of Antietam. The bloodiest day of fighting in the entire war took place at the Battle of Antietam, in which nearly 23,000 soldiers were wounded or killed. The Union army suffered the most casualties, but managed to halt the advance of General Robert E. Lee’s Confederate forces into the Union state of Maryland. The next day Lee was allowed to lead his shattered army back to Virginia.

13 December, 1862: Confederate victory. Fortune swung back to the Confederate side at the Battle of Fredericksburg, in Virginia. General Burnside, newly appointed by Lincoln to command the Union army, led 120,000 troops to attack a Confederate force of 80,000 – by far the largest number of men to meet in any conflict of the Civil War. Burnside was decisively defeated – a victory that gave fresh hope to the Confederates and led to complaints that the Union’s generals were doing a bad job.

1 January, 1863: All slaves to be free. President Lincoln gave new purpose and direction to the war by issuing the Emancipation Proclamation. This was an order freeing all slaves in the Confederate states. Of course, this could not happen until the Union had won the war against the Confederates, but his words would eventually lead to the freeing of millions of African American slaves.

3 March, 1863: First African-American regiment. The first official regiment of African-American soldiers, the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, was formed to fight in the Union army.

4 July, 1863: Vicksburg captured. Union troops captured the Confederate fortress of Vicksburg, on the Mississippi River, after a 2-month siege. It was a major turning point in the war, coming a day after the Union victory at Gettysburg. The Union now controlled the length of the Mississippi River, dividing Louisiana, Texas, and Arkansas from the rest of the Confederate states, and cutting off supplies.

15 November, 1864: March to the Sea. The capture of Atlanta in Georgia by Union General William T. Sherman in September was a heavy blow to the Confederates. Although deep inside enemy territory, Sherman decided to march his army all the way from Atlanta to the coast at Savannah. He ordered his men to live off the land and destroy farms and factories on their way. This brutal “scorched earth” policy inflicted lasting damage.

9 April, 1865: Lee surrenders to Grant. The Confederate capital of Richmond, in Virginia, fell on 3 April. The Virginian Confederate army was exhausted. To avoid further losses, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House in Virginia. By May, all the Confederate armies had stopped fighting. The war was finally over.

14 April, 1865: Assassination of Lincoln. President Lincoln was shot while attending a play at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, DC. He died the next morning. A funeral train took 14 days to transport his body back for burial in his hometown of Springfield, in Illinois.

The Battle of Gettysburg. The most famous battle of the Civil War was fought over three days, from 1 to 3 July 1863, around the small town of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania. The Confederates attacked, confident they would win, but the Union army did not give way and eventually won. The battle had the heaviest casualties in the war. An estimated 51,000 soldiers were killed, wounded, or listed as missing. Four months after the battle, President Lincoln visited the site and delivered a famous speech known as the Gettysburg Address. In it, he said that the US was “dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal”.

The Abolition of Slavery. On September 22, 1862, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed all enslaved people in the Confederacy from January 1, 1863. In 1865 Congress passed the 13th Amendment (law change) to the US Constitution, making slavery illegal across the soon-to-be reunited country.

RECONSTRUCTION

African Americans Voting in Richmond in Virginia, 1871

The slow process of rebuilding the economy of the south, left in ruins after the war, is known as Reconstruction. Before rejoining the US, each state of the Confederacy had to agree to amendments to the US Constitution – the supreme law of the nation – that ended slavery, granted citizenship to African Americans, and gave the vote to all male citizens.

Reconstruction ended in 1877, and many southern state governments immediately reversed the new rights given to African Americans, making it hard for them to vote, go to school, or find paid work. They introduced laws that legalized discrimination against Black people that remained in place for almost a century.

Below are objects that serve as evidence of the turmoil leading up to the election and the events that happened immediately after.

Below are objects that show how the Union and the Confederacy dealt with money problems, while also exploring what was considered money then and who produced it.

The objects below belonged to the men and boys who fought on the front lines for both Confederate and Union forces. They represent what soldiers wore, what they ate, how they coped, and what they held dear to them. These items, more often than not, were the only possessions soldiers kept while enlisted; on many are personal touches added by the owner.

Below are a few objects used as weapons by both Confederate and Union armies.

Below are a few objects used by or presented to the leaders of Union and Confederate forces.

For many Americans, both civilian and military, who lived through the conflict, the Civil War was the monumental event of their lifetime. They collected relics as they adjusted to the immediate consequences of the war. The nation grappled with the residual effects of the Civil War for more than a century. Below are objects that evoked different memories from the war.

Sources: 1 2 3 4 5 ⚜ More: Notes & References

It's nice to hear this, thanks so much! <3 Hope these notes help as quick references. Further research might be needed if you're planning to write something more detailed.

[whencyclopedia]

George Washington in the French and Indian War

The life and career of George Washington (1732-1799) were largely impacted by the French and Indian War (1754-1763). An officer of the Virginia Regiment, Washington's actions at the Battle of Fort Necessity and the Braddock Expedition helped escalate hostilities between Britain and France. His exploits in the war would help lead to his appointment as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army.

Colonel George Washington in the Uniform of the Virginia Regiment

Charles Willson Peale (Public Domain)

Background

In the early 1750s, tensions between the colonial empires of Great Britain and France were once again on the rise. The Ohio River Valley, though under the nominal control of the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy, had been claimed by both empires; indeed, British and French traders had long been operating in the region, trying to establish commercial relations with local Native Americans. The British colony of Virginia, whose colonial charter asserted that its western border stretched all the way to the Pacific Ocean, was particularly interested in the Ohio Country. Virginia's economy was heavily reliant on the production of tobacco, which tended to exhaust the soil; to maintain economic growth Virginia had to acquire new, fertile lands for farming, of which the Ohio Country had in abundance. As early as 1745, Virginia's House of Burgesses began issuing land grants in the Ohio Country to land speculation companies, including the Ohio Company, which represented the financial interests of prominent Virginian investors. This unnerved the French, who wanted control of the Ohio Country both to deny the westward expansion of the British colonies and to maintain a connection between their own colonies of New France (Canada) and Louisiana.

In response to Virginia's encroachments into the territory, the French constructed three forts at the forks of the Ohio River. To Lieutenant Governor Robert Dinwiddie of Virginia, this was an unacceptable provocation; Dinwiddie was an investor in the Ohio Company, giving him a personal as well as a political incentive to want the French out of the Ohio territory as soon as possible. In 1753, he decided to send an envoy to demand that the French remove themselves from the Ohio. The man Dinwiddie decided to send for this crucial diplomatic mission may not have been the obvious choice – George Washington, a recently commissioned major in the Virginia militia, was only 21 years old, with little formal education and no knowledge of the French language. But what he lacked in experience, he made up for in ambition; Washington was hoping that a successful mission would advance his budding military career and earn him a commission in the regular army. Washington also had a connection to the Ohio Company – his recently deceased half-brother, Lawrence, was one of the first investors – which was likely another reason Dinwiddie chose him. On 1 November 1753, Washington left Virginia's capital of Williamsburg bearing a letter from the governor. It was a mission that would change his life and shape the history of North America.

Continue reading...

[dailyanarchistposts]

J.4.6 What are implications of anti-government and anti-big business feelings?

Public opinion polls show increasing feelings of disappointment and lack of confidence in governments and big business.

Some of the feelings of disappointment with government can be blamed on the anti-big-government rhetoric of conservatives and right-wing populists. Of course the Right would never dream of really dismantling the state, as is evident from the fact that government was as bureaucratic and expensive under “conservative” administrations. So this “decentralist” element of right-wing rhetoric is a con (and quickly jettisoned as required by the capitalist class). The “anti-Government” rhetoric is combined with the pro-business, pro-private tyranny, racist, anti-feminist, and homophobic hogwash disseminated by right-wing radio and TV propagandists and the business-backed media which shows that capitalism is not genuinely anti-authoritarian (nor could it ever be), as a social system based on liberty must entail.

When a right-wing politician, economist or business “leader” argues that the government is too big, they are rarely thinking of the same government functions you are. You may be thinking of subsidies for tobacco farmers or defence firms; they are thinking about pollution controls. You may be thinking of reforming welfare for the better; their idea is to dismantle the welfare state (for working class people). Moreover, with their support for “family values”, “wholesome” television, bans on abortion and so on, their victory would see an increased level of government intrusion in many personal spheres as well as increased state support for the power of the boss over the worker and the landlord over the tenant.

If you look at what the Right has done and is doing, rather than what it is saying, you quickly see the ridiculous of claims of right-wing “libertarianism” (as well as who is really in charge). Obstructing pollution and health regulations; defunding product safety laws; opening national parks to logging and mining, or closing them entirely; reducing taxes for the rich; eliminating the capital gains tax; allowing companies to fire striking workers; making it easier for big telecommunications companies to dominate the media; limiting companies’ liability for unsafe products — the objective here is obviously to help big business and the wealthy do what they want without government interference, helping the rich get richer and increasing “freedom” for private power combined with a state whose sole role is to protect that “liberty.”

Such right-wing tendencies do not have anarchistic elements. The “anti-government” propaganda of big business is hardly anarchistic. What anarchists try to do is point out the hypocritical and contradictory nature of such rhetoric. The arguments against big government are equally applicable to business. If people are capable of making their own decisions, then why should this capability be denied in the workplace? As Noam Chomsky points out, while there is a “leave it alone” and “do your own thing” current within society, it in fact “tells you that the propaganda system is working full-time, because there is no such ideology in the US. Business, for example, doesn’t believe it. It has always insisted upon a powerful interventionist state to support its interests — still does and always has — back to the origins of American society. There’s nothing individualistic about corporations. Those are big conglomerate institutions, essentially totalitarian in character, but hardly individualistic. Within them you’re a cog in a big machine. There are few institutions in human society that have such strict hierarchy and top-down control as a business organisation. Nothing there about ‘Don’t tread on me.’ You’re being tread on all the time. The point of the ideology is to try to get other people, outside of the sectors of co-ordinated power, to fail to associate and enter into decision-making in the political arena themselves. The point is to atomise everyone else while leaving powerful sectors integrated and highly organised and of course dominating resources.” He goes on to note that there is “a streak of independence and individuality in American culture which I think is a very good thing. This ‘Don’t tread on me’ feeling is in many respects a healthy one. It’s healthy up to the point where it atomises and keeps you from working together with other people. So it’s got its healthy side and its negative side. It’s the negative side that’s emphasised naturally in the propaganda and indoctrination.” [Keeping the Rabble in Line, pp. 279–80]

As opinion polls show, most people direct their dislike and distrust of institutions equally to Big Business, which shows that people are not stupid. Unfortunately, as Goebbels was well aware, tell a lie often enough and people start to believe it. Given the funds available to big business, its influence in the media, its backing of “think-tanks,” the use of Public Relations companies, the support of economic “science,” its extensive advertising and so on, it says a lot for the common sense of people that so many see big business for what it is. You simply cannot fool all the people all of the time!

However, these feelings can easily be turned into cynicism as well as a hopelessness that things can change for the better and that you cannot help change society. Or, even worse, they can be twisted into support for right, authoritarian, populism. The job for anarchists is to combat this and help point the healthy distrust people have for government and business towards a real solution to society’s problems, namely a decentralised, self-managed anarchist society.

[ralfmaximus]

Here's the complete list of DHS flagged search terms. Don't use any of these on social media to avoid having the 3-letter agencies express interest in your activities!

DHS & Other Agencies

Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

Coast Guard (USCG)

Customs and Border Protection (CBP)

Border Patrol

Secret Service (USSS)

National Operations Center (NOC)

Homeland Defense

Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Agent

Task Force

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

Fusion Center

Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA)

Secure Border Initiative (SBI)

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF)

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS)

Federal Air Marshal Service (FAMS)

Transportation Security Administration (TSA)

Air Marshal

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

National Guard

Red Cross

United Nations (UN)

Domestic Security

Assassination

Attack

Domestic security

Drill

Exercise

Cops

Law enforcement

Authorities

Disaster assistance

Disaster management

DNDO (Domestic Nuclear Detection Office)

National preparedness

Mitigation

Prevention

Response

Recovery

Dirty Bomb

Domestic nuclear detection

Emergency management

Emergency response

First responder

Homeland security

Maritime domain awareness (MDA)

National preparedness initiative

Militia

Shooting

Shots fired

Evacuation

Deaths

Hostage

Explosion (explosive)

Police

Disaster medical assistance team (DMAT)

Organized crime

Gangs

National security

State of emergency

Security

Breach

Threat

Standoff

SWAT

Screening

Lockdown

Bomb (squad or threat)

Crash

Looting

Riot

Emergency Landing

Pipe bomb

Incident

Facility

HAZMAT & Nuclear

Hazmat

Nuclear

Chemical Spill

Suspicious package/device

Toxic

National laboratory

Nuclear facility

Nuclear threat

Cloud

Plume

Radiation

Radioactive

Leak

Biological infection (or event)

Chemical

Chemical burn

Biological

Epidemic

Hazardous

Hazardous material incident

Industrial spill

Infection

Powder (white)

Gas

Spillover

Anthrax

Blister agent

Exposure

Burn

Nerve agent

Ricin

Sarin

North Korea

Health Concern + H1N1

Outbreak

Contamination

Exposure

Virus

Evacuation

Bacteria

Recall

Ebola

Food Poisoning

Foot and Mouth (FMD)

H5N1

Avian

Flu

Salmonella

Small Pox

Plague

Human to human

Human to ANIMAL

Influenza

Center for Disease Control (CDC)

Drug Administration (FDA)

Public Health

Toxic

Agro Terror

Tuberculosis (TB)

Agriculture

Listeria

Symptoms

Mutation

Resistant

Antiviral

Wave

Pandemic

Infection

Water/air borne

Sick

Swine

Pork

Strain

Quarantine

H1N1

Vaccine

Tamiflu

Norvo Virus

Epidemic

World Health Organization (WHO and components)

Viral Hemorrhagic Fever

E. Coli

Infrastructure Security

Infrastructure security

Airport

CIKR (Critical Infrastructure & Key Resources)

AMTRAK

Collapse

Computer infrastructure

Communications infrastructure

Telecommunications

Critical infrastructure

National infrastructure

Metro

WMATA

Airplane (and derivatives)

Chemical fire

Subway

BART

MARTA

Port Authority

NBIC (National Biosurveillance Integration Center)

Transportation security

Grid

Power

Smart

Body scanner

Electric

Failure or outage

Black out

Brown out

Port

Dock

Bridge

Canceled

Delays

Service disruption

Power lines

Southwest Border Violence

Drug cartel

Violence

Gang

Drug

Narcotics

Cocaine

Marijuana

Heroin

Border

Mexico

Cartel

Southwest

Juarez

Sinaloa

Tijuana

Torreon

Yuma

Tucson

Decapitated

U.S. Consulate

Consular

El Paso

Fort Hancock

San Diego

Ciudad Juarez

Nogales

Sonora

Colombia

Mara salvatrucha

MS13 or MS-13

Drug war

Mexican army

Methamphetamine

Cartel de Golfo

Gulf Cartel

La Familia

Reynose

Nuevo Leon

Narcos

Narco banners (Spanish equivalents)

Los Zetas

Shootout

Execution

Gunfight

Trafficking

Kidnap

Calderon

Reyosa

Bust

Tamaulipas

Meth Lab

Drug trade

Illegal immigrants

Smuggling (smugglers)

Matamoros

Michoacana

Guzman

Arellano-Felix

Beltran-Leyva

Barrio Azteca

Artistics Assassins

Mexicles

New Federation

Terrorism

Terrorism

Al Queda (all spellings)

Terror

Attack

Iraq

Afghanistan

Iran

Pakistan

Agro

Environmental terrorist

Eco terrorism

Conventional weapon

Target

Weapons grade

Dirty bomb

Enriched

Nuclear

Chemical weapon

Biological weapon

Ammonium nitrate

Improvised explosive device

IED (Improvised Explosive Device)

Abu Sayyaf

Hamas

FARC (Armed Revolutionary Forces Colombia)

IRA (Irish Republican Army)

ETA (Euskadi ta Askatasuna)

Basque Separatists

Hezbollah

Tamil Tiger

PLF (Palestine Liberation Front)

PLO (Palestine Libration Organization)

Car bomb

Jihad

Taliban

Weapons cache

Suicide bomber

Suicide attack

Suspicious substance

AQAP (Al Qaeda Arabian Peninsula)

AQIM (Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb)

TTP (Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan)

Yemen

Pirates

Extremism

Somalia

Nigeria

Radicals

Al-Shabaab

Home grown

Plot

Nationalist

Recruitment

Fundamentalism

Islamist

Weather/Disaster/Emergency

Emergency

Hurricane

Tornado

Twister

Tsunami

Earthquake

Tremor

Flood

Storm

Crest

Temblor

Extreme weather

Forest fire

Brush fire

Ice

Stranded/Stuck

Help

Hail

Wildfire

Tsunami Warning Center

Magnitude

Avalanche

Typhoon

Shelter-in-place

Disaster

Snow

Blizzard

Sleet

Mud slide or Mudslide

Erosion

Power outage

Brown out

Warning

Watch

Lightening

Aid

Relief

Closure

Interstate

Burst

Emergency Broadcast System

Cyber Security

Cyber security

Botnet

DDOS (dedicated denial of service)

Denial of service

Malware

Virus

Trojan

Keylogger

Cyber Command

2600

Spammer

Phishing

Rootkit

Phreaking

Cain and abel

Brute forcing

Mysql injection

Cyber attack

Cyber terror

Hacker

China

Conficker

Worm

Scammers

Social media

SOCIAL MEDIA?!

[odinsblog]

Billionaire fossil fuel mogul David Koch died August 23, 2019. Though he will rightfully be remembered for his role in the destruction of the earth, David Koch’s influence went far beyond climate denial. Ronald Reagan may have uttered the famous words, “Government is not the solution to our problem, government is the problem” back in 1981—but it was David Koch, along with his elder brother Charles and a cabal of other ultrarich individuals, who truly reframed the popular view of government. Once a democratic tool used to shape the country’s future, government became seen as something intrusive and inefficient—indeed, something to be feared.

“While Charles was the mastermind of the social reengineering of the America he envisioned,” said Lisa Graves, co-director of the corporate watchdog group Documented, “David was an enthusiastic lieutenant.”

David Koch was particularly instrumental in legitimizing anti-government ideology—one the GOP now holds as gospel. In 1980, the younger Koch ran as the vice-presidential nominee for the nascent Libertarian Party. And a newly unearthed document shows Koch personally donated more than $2 million to the party—an astounding amount for the time—to promote the Ed Clark–David Koch ticket.

“Few people realize that the anti-American government antecedent to the Tea Party was fomented in the late ’70s with money from Charles and David Koch,” Graves continued. “The Libertarian Party, fueled in part with David’s wealth, pushed hard on the idea that government was the problem and the free market was the solution to everything.”

In fact, according to Graves, “The Koch-funded Libertarian Party helped spur on Ronald Reagan’s anti-government, free-market-solves-all agenda as president.”

Even by contemporary standards, the 1980 Libertarian Party platform was extreme. It called for the abolition of a wide swath of federal agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration, the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Bureau of Land Management, the Federal Election Commission, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, the Federal Trade Commission, and “all government agencies concerned with transportation.” It railed against campaign finance and consumer protection laws, the Occupational Safety and Health Act, any regulations of the firearm industry (including tear gas), and government intervention in labor negotiations. And the platform demanded the repeal of all taxation, and sought amnesty for those convicted of tax “resistance.”

Koch and his libertarian allies moreover advocated for the repeal of Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and other social programs. They wanted to abolish federally mandated speed limits. They opposed occupational licensure, antitrust laws, labor laws protecting women and children, and “all controls on wages, prices, rents, profits, production, and interest rates.” And in true libertarian fashion, the platform urged the privatization of all schools (with an end to compulsory education laws), the railroad system, public roads and the national highway system, inland waterways, water distribution systems, public lands, and dam sites.

The Libertarian Party never made much of a splash in the election—though it did garner almost 12 percent of the vote in Alaska—but doing so was never the point. Rather, the Kochs were engaged in a long-term effort to normalize the aforementioned ideas and mainstream them into American politics.

(continue reading)

[seekerofeden]

Meet Eden's overseer

BASICS Name: Tom Riddle Age: Twenty-six Nationality: British Sexuality: Heterosexual VISAGE Height: 183 cm (6') Build: Lean Muscular, Slender Scent: Old Parchment, cardamom, leather, musk, mint Scars/Tattoos/Others: Not Applicable Appearance: Dark hair, piercing blue eyes. Pale complexion with sharp features. Often seen wearing impeccably tailored suits that further enhance his commanding presence. PERSONA MBTI Type: INTJ-T Vices: Arrogant, Manipulative, Narcissistic, Power-Hungry, Ruthless Virtues: Ambitious, Charismatic, Intelligent, Leadership, Strategic Likes: control, tobacco, dark magic, knowledge, subjugation Dislikes: weakness, failure, sentimentality Skills: Mastery of Dark Arts, Persuasive Speaking BACKGROUND Lineage: Half-blood Family: Merope Gaunt, Tom Riddle Sr., Mattheo Riddle, Devora Riddle History: Raised in an orphanage with no knowledge of his magical heritage until he received a visit from Albus Dumbledore. Tom Riddle attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he was sorted into Slytherin House and quickly rose to prominence as a top student. He became obsessed with the idea of immortality and delved into the Dark Arts. He seeks to establish pureblood supremacy and eradicate those he deemed unworthy, following Salazar Slytherin's ideals.

[cliff-montgomery]

The Thorny Problem of Straw Purchases in U.S. Gun Law

by Cliff Montgomery - Feb. 15th, 2024

Yesterday’s mass shooting at a parade intended to celebrate the Kansas City Chiefs’ recent Super Bowl victory over the San Francisco 49s once again reminds us of the need for serious gun laws and gun law reform.

On February 9th, two short reviews on current federal gun laws were released by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). The CRS refers to itself as a “ non-partisan shared staff to congressional committees and Members of Congress.” In short, it prepares concise, easy-to understand reports on matters of the moment to members of the U.S. and their affiliated staff members.

We will cover those two short studies for our readers. Tonight, we look at the report Gun Control: Straw Purchase and Gun Trafficking Provisions in Public Law 117-159, better known as the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.

Straw purchases are defined by the study as “illegal firearms transactions in which a person serves as a middleman by posing as the transferee, but is actually acquiring the firearm for another person.”

Below, we offer readers most of the central statements found in the CRS report:

“On June 25, 2022, President Joe Biden signed into law the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA; S. 2938; P.L. 117-159). This law includes the Stop Illegal Trafficking in Firearms Act, provisions of which amend the Gun Control Act of 1968 (GCA, 18 U.S.C. §§921 et seq.) to more explicitly prohibit straw purchases and illegal gun trafficking. Related provisions expand federal law enforcement investigative authorities.

Federal Firearms Law

“The GCA is the principal statute regulating interstate firearms commerce in the United States. The purpose of the GCA is to assist federal, state, and local law enforcement in ongoing efforts to reduce violent crime.

“Congress constructed the GCA to allow state and local governments to regulate firearms more strictly within their own borders, so long as state law does not conflict with federal law or violate constitutional provisions.

“Hence, one condition of a federal firearms license for gun dealers, which permits the holder to engage in interstate firearms commerce, is that the licensee must comply with both federal and state law.

“Also, under the GCA there are several classes of persons prohibited from shipping, transporting, receiving, or possessing firearms or ammunition (e.g., convicted felons, fugitives, unlawful drug users). It was and remains unlawful under the GCA for any person to transfer knowingly a firearm or ammunition to a prohibited person (18 U.S.C. §922(d)). Violations are punishable by up to 10 years’ imprisonment.

“The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is the principal agency that administers and enforces the GCA, as well as the 1934 National Firearms Act (NFA, 26 U.S.C. §§5801 et seq.).

“The NFA further regulates certain firearms deemed to be especially dangerous (e.g., machine guns, short-barreled shotguns) by taxing all aspects of the making and transfer of such weapons and requiring their registration with the Attorney General.

Straw Purchase Provision

“Straw purchases are illegal firearms transactions in which a person serves as a middleman by posing as the transferee, but is actually acquiring the firearm for another person.

“As discussed below, straw purchases are unlawful under two existing laws. Prosecutions under those provisions have been characterized by some as mere paperwork violations and, hence, inadequate in terms of deterring unlawful gun trafficking.

“P.L. 117-159 amends the GCA with a new provision, 18 U.S.C. §932, to prohibit any person from knowingly purchasing or conspiring to purchase any firearm for, on behalf of, or at the request or demand of any other persons if the purchaser knows or has reasonable cause to believe that the actual buyer

is a person prohibited from being transferred a firearm under 18 U.S.C. §922(d);

plans to use, carry, possess, or sell (dispose of) the firearm(s) in furtherance of a felony, federal crime of terrorism, or drug trafficking crime; or

plans to sell or otherwise dispose of the firearm(s) to a person who would meet any of the conditions described above.

“Violations are punishable by a fine and up to 15 years’ imprisonment. Violations made by a person knowing or having reasonable cause to believe that any firearm involved will be used to commit a felony, federal crime of terrorism, or drug trafficking crime are punishable by a fine and up to 25 years’ imprisonment.

Gun Trafficking Provision

“Gun trafficking entails the movement or diversion of firearms from legal to illegal channels of commerce in violation of the GCA. P.L. 117-159 amends the GCA with a new provision, 18 U.S.C. §933, to prohibit any person from shipping, transporting, causing to be shipped or transported, or otherwise disposing of any firearm to another person with the knowledge or reasonable cause to believe that the transferee’s use, carrying, or possession would constitute a felony.

“It would also prohibit the receipt of such firearm if the transferee knows or has reasonable cause to believe that receiving it would constitute a felony. Attempts and conspiracies to violate these provisions are proscribed as well. Violations are punishable by a fine and up to 15 years’ imprisonment. […]

GCA Interstate Transfer Prohibitions

“The GCA generally prohibits anyone who is not a Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) from acquiring a firearm from an out-of-state source. [But] Interstate transfers among unlicensed persons may be facilitated through an FFL in the state where the transferee resides. […]

GCA Record-keeping and Straw Purchases

“Under the GCA (18 U.S.C. §926), Congress authorized a decentralized system of record-keeping allowing ATF to trace a firearm’s chain of commerce, from manufacturer or importer to dealer, and to the first retail purchaser of record. FFLs must maintain certain records, including ATF Forms 4473, on transfers to non-FFLs as well as a parallel acquisition/disposition log.

“As part of a firearms transaction, both the FFL and purchaser must truthfully fill out and sign the ATF Form 4473. The FFL must verify the purchaser’s name, date of birth, and other information by examining government-issued identification (e.g., driver’s license). The purchaser attests on Form 4473 that he or she is not a prohibited person and is the actual transferee/buyer. […]

“[However,] straw purchases are not easily detected because they only become apparent when the straw purchase is revealed by a subsequent transfer to a prohibited person.

Other GCA Gun Trafficking Prohibitions

“According to ATF, gun trafficking often entails an unlawful flow of firearms from jurisdictions with less restrictive firearms laws to jurisdictions with more restrictive firearms laws, both domestically and internationally.

“Such unlawful activities can include, but are not limited to, the following:

straw purchasers or straw purchasing rings in violation of the provisions described above;

persons engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license in violation of 18 U.S.C. §921(a)(1)(A), punishable by up to 5 years’ imprisonment;

corrupt FFLs dealing off-the-books in an attempt to escape federal regulation in violation of 18 U.S.C. §922(b)(5), punishable by up to 5 years’ imprisonment; and

trafficking in stolen firearms in violation of 18 U.S.C. §922(j), punishable by up to 10 years’ imprisonment.

“Under current law, offenders could potentially be charged with multiple offenses under both the preexisting GCA provisions such as those discussed above and 18 U.S.C. §§932 and 933.

“Since P.L. 117-159 went into effect on October 31, 2023, 250 defendants have been charged with gun trafficking, including 80 charged with violating the law’s straw purchase provision.

“In January 2024, the National Shooting Sports Foundation—an industry trade group for the firearms industry—noted that the ATF has yet to implement two parts of P.L. 117-159: ‘Firearm Handler Background Checks’ (FHCs) and instant point-of-sale background checks when an FFL buys from a private individual.

“The former would allow FFLs to use the NICS to background check FFL employees and has been in regulatory review since September 26, 2023. The latter would allow FFLs to instantly identify if a weapon is stolen at the point of sale by authorizing importers, manufacturers, and dealers of firearms to access records of stolen firearms in the National Crime Information Center; it has been in the interim final rule stage since May 17, 2023.”

[beguines]

When the CIO was formed, Lewis and the mineworkers gave mixed support to more radical segments of the labor movement, but in the end often undermined them. Lewis was, of course, less narrow-​minded at times than his more ideologically conservative colleagues, and gave early support to the CP-​led United Cannery, Agricultural, Packing and Allied Workers of America (UCAPAWA) and the United Electrical Workers (UE). At other times, however, he helped destroy more radical forces. The woodworkers, under their early left-​wing leadership, wanted to organize Black and white southern woodworkers, which would have given a tremendous boost to labor/​civil rights activism in the South. As we shall see, this was eminently possible. Lewis, however, presided over the first anti-​communist purge in 1938–​39, sending in his operatives to support a right wing, which not only did not want to organize the South, but which even liberal/​right CIO leaders came to view as totally provincial and incompetent. The same scenario almost played out in meat slaughtering and packing. In steel, Lewis and Murray used the Communists, especially their Black organizers, to organize the industry, then eliminated all democracy, leaving the union under the firm control of the anti-​democratic, unimaginative, racially oppressive Philip Murray. There were other possibilities that a more radical mineworkers' union might have pursued. It could have sought broader alliances with the Trotskyist-​led insurgency in the teamsters and strengthened rather than tried to eclipse the power of the West Coast longshoremen. Had they had been willing to force a direct confrontation within the CIO, they could have pushed for a militant campaign among southern textile workers in 1937, when the possibilities for organizing the industry looked real, rather than letting the Hillman-​led Textile Workers Organizing Committee pursue its self-​defeating Gompers-​esque approach.

As the structural power of the union declined, especially in the 1950s, miners might have allied more closely with the radical wing of the labor movement. Interestingly, at times Lewis was not averse to this, as his support of UAW Local 600 suggests, as did his overtures to the United Electrical Workers (UE) and the Food, Tobacco, Agricultural, and Allied Workers (FTA) in 1947 to call a joint general strike against Taft-​Hartley. The UMWA's refusal to sign the Taft-​Hartley anti-​communist affidavits did in the beginning lead Lewis to explore alliances with the CP-​led UE and FTA. Lewis and the union might have taken a more aggressive stance on saving the jobs of Black miners, especially in West Virginia, as mechanization all but eliminated them from the industry. Although the ILWA on the West Coast largely capitulated to employers on the issue of jobs as the companies switched to containerization, the ILWA did not do so at the expense of Black and Latino workers. The example of the United Packinghouse Workers Union, which transformed itself both internally and externally into a militant civil rights organization, could have been followed. Lewis, a vocal advocate of civil rights, leading the union to be active in the CP-​influenced National Negro Congress during the late 1930s and early 1940s, might have joined with or even transformed the National Negro Labor Alliance of the 1950s in pursuing such aims. Broader associational power during the 1950s might well have aided the mineworkers in their own struggles.

Michael Goldfield, The Southern Key: Class, Race, and Radicalism in the 1930s and 1940s

[ausetkmt]

Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us

Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us

In the spring of 1999 the heads of the world's largest processed food companies, from Coca-Cola to Nabisco, gathered at Pillsbury headquarters in Minneapolis for a secret meeting. On the agenda: the emerging epidemic of obesity, and what to do about it.

Increasingly, the salt, sugar, and fat laden foods these companies produced were being linked to obesity, and a concerned Kraft executive took the stage to issue a warning: There would be a day of reckoning unless changes were made.

This executive then launched into a damning PowerPoint presentation, 114 slides in all, making the case that processed food companies could not afford to sit by, idle, as children grew sick and class-action lawyers lurked. To deny the problem, he said, is to court disaster.

When he was done, the most powerful person in the room, the CEO of General Mills, stood up to speak, clearly annoyed. And by the time he sat down, the meeting was over. Since that day, with the industry in pursuit of its win-at-all-costs strategy, the situation has only grown more dire.

Every year, the average American eats thirty-three pounds of cheese (triple what we ate in 1970) and seventy pounds of sugar (about twenty-two teaspoons a day). We ingest 8,500 milligrams of salt a day, double the recommended amount, and almost none of that comes from the shakers on our table. It comes from processed food. It is no wonder, then, that one in three adults, and one in five kids, is clinically obese.

It is no wonder that twenty-six million Americans have diabetes. The processed food industry in the U.S. accounts for $1 trillion a year in sales, and the total economic cost of this health crisis is approaching $300 billion a year. In this book the author explores his theory that the food industry has used these three essential ingredients to control much of the world's diet.

He traces the rise of the processed food industry and how addictive salt, sugar, and fat have enabled its dominance in the past half century, revealing deliberate corporate practices behind current trends in obesity, diabetes, and other health challenges. Features examples from some of the most recognizable and profitable companies and brands of the last half century, including Kraft, Coca-Cola, Lunchables, Kellogg, Frito-Lay, Nestlé, Oreos, Cargill, Capri Sun, and many more.

Every year, the average American eats thirty-three pounds of cheese and seventy pounds of sugar. Every day, we ingest 8,500 milligrams of salt, double the recommended amount, almost none of which comes from the shakers on our table.

It comes from processed food, an industry that hauls in $1 trillion in annual sales. In Salt Sugar Fat, Pulitzer Prize–winning investigative reporter Michael Moss shows how we ended up here. Featuring examples from Kraft, Coca-Cola, Lunchables, Frito-Lay, Nestlé, Oreos, Capri Sun, and many more, Moss’s explosive, empowering narrative is grounded in meticulous, eye-opening research. He takes us into labs where scientists calculate the “bliss point” of sugary beverages, unearths marketing techniques taken straight from tobacco company playbooks, and talks to concerned insiders who make startling confessions. Just as millions of “heavy users” are addicted to salt, sugar, and fat, so too are the companies that peddle them. You will never look at a nutrition label the same way again. Praise for Salt Sugar Fat “[Michael] Moss has written a Fast Food Nation for the processed food industry. Burrowing deep inside the big food manufacturers, he discovered how junk food is formulated to make us eat more of it and, he argues persuasively, actually to addict us.”—Michael Pollan “If you had any doubt as to the food industry’s complicity in our obesity epidemic, it will evaporate when you read this book.”—The Washington Post “Vital reading for the discerning food consumer.”—The Wall Street Journal “The chilling story of how the food giants have seduced everyone in this country . . . Michael Moss understands a vital and terrifying truth: that we are not just eating fast food when we succumb to the siren song of sugar, fat, and salt. We are fundamentally changing our lives—and the world around us.”—Alice Waters “Propulsively written [and] persuasively argued . . . an exactingly researched, deeply reported work of advocacy journalism.”—The Boston Globe

“A remarkable accomplishment.”—The New York Times Book Review

[365sylviaplath]

In Memoriam: Pluto in Capricorn

Y'all Mind if I Go Listicle on This One

setting the scene- pluto first entered capricorn on january 25th, 2008. retrograde sent it back to sagittarius for a few months over the summer (6/14/08 - 11/25/08) and 11/26/08 and beyond, it's been pluto in capricorn. pluto is currently in its final degree of capricorn. we had brief previews of pluto in aquarius (3/23/23 - 6/11/23 and 1/20/24 - 9/1/24), and from the afternoon of 11/19/24 forward, we will be in pluto in aquarius until 2043.

a sampler of news headlines from january/early february 2008:

"Stock markets around the world plunge amid growing fears of a U.S. recession, fueled by the 2007 subprime mortgage financial crisis."

"U.S. President George W. Bush says Israel must return to its pre-1967 borders to enable the establishment of a Palestinian state."

"Israel blocks fuel to the Gaza City power plant, causing a citywide blackout."

"George W. Bush delivers his final State of the Union Address as President of the United States"

"President Vladimir Putin says Russia would target its missiles at Ukraine if it threatened Russia's national security."

"The U.S. Department of Agriculture stands down two employees as part of its investigation of the biggest meat recall in United States history."

"WHO declares global tobacco control efforts and an approach to avoid tens of millions of premature deaths by the middle of this century."

"Bird flu cases in poultry spread in India, as the H5N1 virus infects seven districts in the state of West Bengal."

"Writers Guild of America strike (2007–present): Hollywood writers reach tentative agreement with the major movie studios."

in summary- end of Bush presidency, 2008 election, bird flu, attempts at nicotine control, war against Palestinians, imminent economic collapse, Russia/Ukraine, hollywood on strike, recalled meat, also several countries trying to get YouTube outlawed. imagine!

Wow crazy! What's Pluto's deal?

what does it mean for pluto to be in capricorn? pluto is the planet of transformation, destruction, rebirth, hidden truths, generational/societal shifts, and it's currently in capricorn, the sign of practicality, hard work/professional ambition, and leadership. capricorn, the zodiac's father figure. the merger of the two means slow-moving and long-lasting change in life/career path, family/societal structures (i.e patriarchy), financial systems, so on. pretty telling that we started this transit with a global financial crisis and now we're......here! posts circulate periodically about empires lasting ~250 years, which is about as long as it takes for a pluto return. if we're taking the US to have been "born" on 7/4/1776, the US' natal pluto placement is capricorn! never in the history of the US has pluto been back into its birth sign of capricorn until 2008. this placement means the US's foundation is one of these qualities listed above- built on patriarchy, conservatism, so on. this pluto return was technically in 2022 (around 27 degrees capricorn) and the effects could be felt +/- a few years on each side, since pluto moves so slowly. i think most would say the US (as we've known it) has been forced to confront the ugly sides of its foundations since 2020!

anyway, on with the pop culture highlight reel for pluto in capricorn. remembering the themes i described above (conservative/family values, patriarchy, financial systems, etc), let us look back.....

Pluto in Capricorn - Pop Culture Notables

(a non-exhaustive list, prioritizing my Most Memorable. Forgetting stuff is inevitable but this is a hell of a list)

- a moodboard for visual accompaniment - please support me getting into Pinterest

MOVIES:

Avatar, the Twilight series, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Moonlight, Inception, Get Out, La La Land, Zero Dark Thirty, The Social Network, The Blind Side, Ex Machina, The Wolf of Wall Street, the Fifty Shades series, Black Swan, all of the Jennifer Lawrence x Bradley Cooper movies, The Help, High School Musical 3, the Minions franchise, John Krasinski war hero arc, Interstellar, every single Marvel movie (minus the first 3 Spiderman movies, those were pluto in Sag), Frozen, The Dark Knight, Zootopia, the last 3 Harry Potter movies, Hunger Games series, Lady Bird, Call Me By Your Name, Parasite, Hereditary, the Hangover movies, 21 Jump Street series, Step Brothers, Project X, Bridesmaids, A Star is Born, Crazy Rich Asians, the Magic Mike series, Hidden Figures, the To All The Boys movies, Easy A, the Kick-Ass series (important to the Aaron Taylor Johnson fans)

TV:

indulge me as i go in depth on this....

Reality TV continues to expand after the early 2000s boom (a direct product of the writers strike)- Jersey Shore, RuPaul's Drag Race, every Real Housewives city after the original (Orange County), Are You The One, Love Island, Love is Blind/dating shows on streaming services, the rise of Nick Lachey -hosted competition/reality shows, the Love & Hip Hop franchise, Vanderpump Rules, Shark Tank, Basketball Wives, MasterChef, grandfathering in Keeping up with the Kardashians (first aired months before pluto into cap), Below Deck, Dance Moms, Impractical Jokers, Chopped MTV - Teen Wolf, Awkward, Girl Code/Guy Code, 16 and Pregnant, Teen Mom, Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory, Silent Library, Skins, Ridiculousness, Catfish Huge Cartoon Network moment- Adventure Time, Regular Show, The Amazing World of Gumball, Chowder, Steven Universe, the Total Drama series (grandfathered in from pluto in sag) Disney & Nickelodeon - Shake It Up, Sonny with a Chance, Phineas and Ferb, Wizards of Waverly Place, Good Luck Charlie, The Suite Life on Deck, Victorious, Big Time Rush, True Jackson VP, iCarly (grandfathered in from pluto in sag) Revivals - Cribs, Punk'd, Fear Factor, Twin Peaks, The X-Files, Fuller House, Rush Hour tv series, Girl Meets World, iCarly, Queer Eye, Sex and the City: And Just Like That, That 90's Show, Arrested Development, Fraiser, Futurama, The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, Rugrats More shows I want to mention but didn't want to categorize- Modern Family, Parenthood, The Vampire Diaries, Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Community, Game of Thrones, American Ninja Warrior, Cake Boss, Lena Dunham's GIRLS, Broad City, The Walking Dead, Downton Abbey, Pretty Little Liars, The Great British Bake Off, Storage Wars, Glee, Sherlock, Tosh.0, South Park, Supernatural (grandfathered in from pluto in sag)

MUSIC:

i have spoken for so long about television that i will just direct the audience to this Spotify playlist of vetted pluto in capricorn hits (thank you to this playlist creator) - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5XALIurWS8TuF6kk8bj438?si=4cd575cfa9564201

MISC/EVENTS:

the transition from myspace to facebook, majorrrrr social media takeover- instagram, tiktok, twitter, tumblr, vine, snapchat, yikyak, reddit, BeReal, skype/oovoo, so on - all either founded or gained traction, social media becomes a career, Amazon buys Whole Foods, Occupy Wall Street, gay marriage legalized, the entire Obama presidency, rise of Donald Trump's political career and presidency, #MeToo movement, "incels", formation of BLM, Colin Kaepernick takes a knee during NFL national anthem and causes nationwide outrage, Nationwide 2020 BLM protests and marches, increased visibility on police brutality (w/ the rise of social media, body cam requirements, etc), more anti-racist organizations and coalitions created across racial groups following the creation of BLM and 2020 racial unrest, strengthening of the alt-right pipeline and supporting right-wing sycophants/"influencers", Joe Rogan podcast, Pokemon GO to the polls, both Prince William and Prince Harry's royal weddings, Tiger Woods cheating scandal, rise of bizarre celebrity sexting scandals (notably: many celebs with capricorn placements), Jonas Brothers purity rings, Gisele Bündchen & Tom Brady's first baby (NOTE: PLUTO IS CHANGING SIGNS AND GISELE IS CURRENTLY PREGNANT AGAIN W/ HER NEW MAN'S BABY), formation of Odd Future, Lady Gaga's meat dress, Beyoncé's children, Kim Kardashian's 72-day marriage, Bieber Fever, Bangerz era Miley Cyrus, Summer 2016, Hot Girl Summer, One Direction/boyband takeover, Charlie Sheen's hashtag winning moment, Caitlyn Jenner tell-all, Bobby Shmurda’s arrest, Free Britney, Ben Affleck x JLo notably first happened right before pluto in cap and they got back together right at the tail end of pluto in cap, the infamous white and gold or blue and black dress, the term Girlboss, the Ice Bucket Challenge, Hamilton, the rise of fanfiction, the rise of Buzzfeed and listicle journalism, Fyre Festival scam, Fenty Beauty launched, growing concerns about the electric grid, the rise of streaming services, the iPhone absolutely dominates the cell phone market and we all have supercomputers on us 24/7, e-cigs and vapes more commercially available in response to anti-cigarette campaigns, the iPad, Angry Birds/Candy Crush and the affiliates, COVID, rise of remote work, "Adele Dazeem", David Cook winning American Idol over David Archuleta (see: title photo for this post), self driving cars, new wave of the opioid overdose epidemic, AI takeover

See also: Fall Out Boy's version of Billy Joel's We Didn't Start the Fire - has a handful of pre-pluto in cap events but close enough

NOTABLE CELEBRITY DEATHS:

Michael Jackson, Brittany Murphy, Heath Ledger, Prince, Christina Grimmie, Cameron Boyce, Amy Winehouse, Aretha Franklin, Steve Jobs, George Michael, Whitney Houston, Chadwick Boseman, David Bowie, Toni Morrison, Carrie Fisher, Donna Summer, Nelson Mandela, Cory Monteith, Naya Rivera, Robin Williams, bell hooks, Anthony Bourdain, Pop Smoke, Mac Miller, Nipsey Hussle, James Gandolfini, Paul Walker, Alexander McQueen, Chester Bennington, Virgil Abloh, Lil Peep, Avicii, Joan Rivers, XXXTentacion, George HW and Barbara Bush, John McCain, Nancy Reagan, Hugh Hefner, Dick Clark, Margaret Thatcher, Queen Elizabeth II, Henry Kissinger

we exit this crazy transit having had:

a deep exploration of werewolf/vampire stories (often, allegories for capitalism)

the rise of reality tv through unfair conditions for tv workers

more copaganda in direct response to increased organizing around police brutality

a film industry dominated by military-funded superhero movies

popularization of Girlbossing alongside the destruction of labor rights

the rise of social media and its monetization

cigarettes reinventing themselves and then the OGs making a comeback

a considerable embrace of ""traditional"" values

a slow decay of the concept of celebrity

numerous financial crises and major changes to the workforce

everyone now has to have a smartphone and thus, the ability to work 24/7 from anywhere

the highest measured period of unemployment in several decades (spring 2020)

a very bootstrappy approach to global pandemic response

AI becoming increasingly popular- especially since the first dip of pluto into aquarius

and now, a fresh resurgence of 2024 Cougar movies (The Idea of You, A Family Affair, Lonely Planet and very soon, Babygirl).

What a ride. Onto the next era….

[berlinauslander]

In 1962, Gisèle Halimi, a French lawyer for several Algerians who had been brutally raped and tortured in prison, wrote in exasperation, "The words were the same stale clichés: ever since torture had been used in Algeria there had always been the same words, the same expression of indigna-tion, the same signatures to public protests, the same promises. This automatic routine had not abolished one set of electrodes or water-hoses; nor had it in any remotely effective way curbed the power of those who used them." Simone de Beauvoir, writing on the same subject, concurred: "To protest in the name of morality against 'excesses' or 'abuses' is an error which hints at active complicity. There are no 'abuses' or 'excesses' here, simply an all-pervasive system."24

Her point was that the occupation could not be done humanely; there is no humane way to rule people against their will. There are two choices, Beauvoir wrote: accept occupation and all the methods required for its en-forcement, "or else you reject, not merely certain specific practices, but the greater aim which sanctions them, and for which they are essential." The same stark choice is available in Iraq and Israel/Palestine today, and it was the only option in the Southern Cone in the seventies. Just as there is no kind, gentle way to occupy people against their determined will, there is no peaceful way to take away from millions of citizens what they need to live with dignity —which is what the Chicago Boys were determined to do. Robbery, whether of land or a way of life, requires force or at least its credible threat; it's why thieves carry guns, and often use them. Torture is sickening, but it is often a highly rational way to achieve a specific goal; indeed, it may be the only way to achieve those goals. Which raises the deeper question, one that so many were incapable of asking at the time in Latin America. Is neoliberalism an inherently violent ideology, and is there something about its goas that demands this cycle of brutal political cleansing, followed by human rights cleanup operations?

One of the most moving testimonies on this question comes from Sergio Tomasella, a tobacco farmer and secretary-general of Argentina's Agrarian Leagues, who was tortured and imprisoned for five years, as were his wife and many friends and family members.* In May 1990, Tomasella took the overnight bus to Buenos Aires from the rural province of Corrientes in order to add his voice to the Argentine Tribunal against Impunity, which was hearing testimony on human rights abuses during the dictatorship.

Tomasella's testimony was different from the others. He stood before the urban audience in his farming clothes and work boots and explained that he was the casualty of a long war, one between poor peasants who wanted pieces of land to form cooperatives and the all-powerful ranchers who owned half the land in his province. "The line is continuous —those who took the land from the Indians continue to oppress us with their feudal structures." He insisted that the abuse he and his fellow members of the Agrarian Leagues suffered could not be isolated from the huge economic interests served by the breaking of their bodies and destruction of their activist net-works. So instead of naming the soldiers who abused him, he chose to name the corporations, both foreign and national, that profit from Argentina's continued economic dependence. "Foreign monopolies impose crops on us, they impose chemicals that pollute our earth, impose technology and ideol-ogy. All this through the oligarchy which owns the land and controls the pol-itics. But we must remember —the oligarchy is also controlled, by the very same monopolies, the very same Ford Motors, Monsanto, Philip Morris. It's the structure we have to change. This is what I have come to denounce.

That's all.".

The auditorium erupted in applause. Tomasella concluded his testimony with these words: "I believe that truth and justice will eventually triumph. It will take generations. If I am to die in this fight, then so be it. But one day we will triumph. In the meantime, I know who the enemy is, and the enemy knows who I am, too.'

The Chicago Boys' first adventure in the seventies should have served as a warning to humanity: theirs are dangerous ideas. By failing to hold the ideology accountable for the crimes committed in its first laboratory, this subculture of unrepentant ideologues was given immunity, freed to scour the world for its next conquest. These days, we are once again living in an era of corporatist massacres, with countries suffering tremendous military violence alongside organized attempts to remake them into model "free market" economies; disappearances and torture are back with a vengeance. And once again the goals of building free markets, and the need for such brutality, are treated as entirely unrelated.

[exam-ao3]

I am a Nightmare and You are a Miracle Like it or Not Bob Moses Occupied The Radio Dept. Nocturne Blanco White Morning After Ariel Pink If I Had a Heart Fever Ray Beautiful Hell Adna Rising Urge Royksopp The Possession TrevorSomething Gods In Heat TOBACCO The Archers Bows Have Been Broken Brand New Tear You Apart She Wants Revenge We've Been Had The Walkmen Gunshot Lykke Li The Spoils Massive Attack Dead Weight PVRIS Sober Tool Control Broken Bells Mephisto Queen Bee Pharaohs SBTRKR & Roses Gabor Deadly Valentine Charlotte Gainsbourg I'm Not Your Dog Baxter Dury Cocoa Hoofs Glass Animals Walking in the Air Aurora Found You Django Django In a Black Out Hamilton Leithauser & Rostam Reptilia The Strokes Tom Sawyer RUSH Hot Blooded New Constellations Don't Swallow the Cap The National All the World Fauxliage The Boxer Editors Razor (Live) Foo Fighters Little Dark Age MGMT Monster (Under My Bed) Call Me Karizma Hanging Around Cardigans Demon Road Yeasayer Atom Bomb Fluke Blind Valentine Metric Emotional Haircut LCD Soundsystem Hey Pretty Poe L'enfer Stromae One of Your Girls Troye Sivan Feel Nothing HEALTH Run Run Blood Phantogram Slow Hands Interpol Song to the Siren This Mortal Coil Human Sevdaliza LA (Ft. Westerman) Amen Dunes Heaven Beside You Alice in Chains I am the Highway Audioslave I Wanna Be Adored Stone Roses Father Lucifer Tori Amos Spanish Sahara Foals These Precious Things Bottom of the Deep Blue Sea Missio Atticus in the Desert Kishi Bashi Shines Black Dresses and Purity Ring Cannibal Coast Aural Vampire Kemuri Mondo Grosso Blackbird Fat Freddy's Drop Devil I Know Allie X (slowed) Habits of My Heart James Young NFWMB Hozier (pitched up) You'll Find a Way Santigold De Mis Pasos (Live) Julieta Venegas Between the Bars Elliot Smith Palo Santo Olly Alexandro Around My Neck FINNEAS Loving the Animal Superet You and Whose Army? Radiohead Rake It In Imogen Heap Brave New World Kalandra Slow Song The Knocks Spent the Day in Bed Morrissey Send the Pain On Chrome Sparks Jezebel Iron & Wine Huntress Svava The Lightening Strike Snow Patrol Do You Feel It? Chaos Chaos Euclid Sleep Token Night Ludovico Einaudi Time Hans Zimmer Pacific Coast Highway Fukkk Off

A fandom friend on here has chided me to make this a youtube playlist so I'm working on that. Without doxxing myself, I used to work something to do with music professionally so you may be surprised to find these songs are okay. Still much like Obata used to be pretty seriously concerned he'd be forever cursed for drawing the shinigami - I'm afraid I'll be eternally cursed for drawing inspiration from talented artists to work on any part of my silly fanfiction.

[beardedmrbean]

The high price of tobacco in Gaza has given rise to a cigarette smuggling industry that now threatens United Nations aid convoys, according to a new report from the Wall Street Journal.

Cigarettes can cost as much as $25 each in the war-torn region, and gangs have found ways to smuggle them in as contraband alongside aid deliveries. One group of Palestinian men demanded entry to a U.N. warehouse last week to secure a stash of cigarettes they knew was inside, according to the Journal.

The smuggling operation only enhances the dangers for aid convoys operating in Gaza, which have already faced mobs of Palestinians stopping them in their tracks.

Demand for cigarettes skyrocketed in early May when Israeli forces seized control of the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt. They closed the border to virtually all trade, cutting off a previously steady flow of tobacco products into Gaza.

Opportunists then began smuggling the product into the region via the aid packages coming in to United Nations facilities from all over the world.

The danger has contributed to aid groups' refusal to make deliveries beyond the Gaza border. Over 1,000 truckloads worth of aid are still sitting just within Gazan territory at the Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel, according to the Journal.

"This is threatening to undermine everything we’re trying to do," a U.N. official told the outlet.

President Biden's administration sought to facilitate aid delivery by constructing a temporary pier on the Gaza coast last month. The effort soon met disaster, however, as weather rendered it unusable in a matter of days.

The U.N. also announced on June 10 that it would halt food distribution at the pier due to security concerns. The U.S. spent roughly $320 million on building the structure.

Rocket attacks struck two warehouses holding aid delivered to the pier in early June, contributing to the pause in delivery. The Biden administration has said it is committed to the maintenance of the pier moving forward.