#News articles

[long-anti-covid]

article date: July 26, 2024

"Historically, when we're talking about COVID vaccines, we're talking about boosters that would happen at some time post your previous vaccine," said Dr. John Brownstein, an epidemiologist and chief innovation officer at Boston Children's Hospital and an ABC News contributor. "Now we're targeting annual vaccines for COVID-19 that is similar to flu. It's a reformulation based on what's circulating, and this is why we're talking about an annual campaign rather than a booster," he continued.

[psychicbluebirdmiracle]

‘Coyote Vs. Acme’: With Pic’s Fate In Limbo At Warners, Phil Lord Observes, “How Funny It Would Be For This To End With A Congressional Hearing”

Oh my gosh it actually would tho can yall imagine XD

[innocent-diamond-2090110]

https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2024-06-11/live-action-cells-at-work-film-teaser-unveils-main-cast-december-debut/.211787

I'm not sure if a live action of this is a good idea...

After seeing the entire transport system from the trailer, I literally thought of "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" (cue Joshua's codeswitching) & "Magic School Bus". Red Blood Cell's styling looks great! White Blood Cell's face still looks very pale in live action form. (Something about extremely white makeup gives me anxiety... like have you seen some of JxW's recent concept photos?) But here are other things to think about:

I NEED ANOTHER TRAILER JUST DEDICATED TO THE PLATELET KIDS! I counted at least 10 child actors in the cameo. Look at them runnning around & having fun like they're in Disneyland! XD

Speaking of Disneyland, these buildings don't look like your typical buildings. I wonder where this whole movie was filmed. CGI will be an absolute necessity (especially for the explosions & outer-space shots).

I'm pretty sure the outfits will cost at least a third of the budget. Not only do you have to duplicate the same uniform for all members of cell type or body part, but the "enemies" (especially the nastier bacteria) have weird appendages. Now they make me think of all the aliens from various Ultraman seasons. @_@

I need to know who will portray Macrophage & NK Cell (watch the girl power intensify—IYKYK).

[jackdawsfavorite]

Brainless animal appears able to learn from experience. The things we think we know.

[woo-sustainability]

For some reason I can’t reblog this post??? OP doesn’t have me blocked, the person I’m trying to reblog it from doesn’t have me blocked, I just. Can’t reblog this post. But my friends can. My main can. It’s just a me problem.

First link: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/no-buc-ees-in-mebane?source=direct_link&

Second link: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/mebane-mayor-provides-buc-ee-s-update/ar-BB1pZPGR

Third link: https://7directionsofservice.com/

And here’s a link to the post from OP

[americanivoryblog]

Election 2024 - The American Dream Is Being Lost; Even Among Our Own Citizens

I'm an independent. I've thought about my vote this year and I don't know if I will.

Trump:

-Good for economics/money (Whether you like him or not, he knows how money works)

-He's good for peace among nations and international affairs….he understands America's value/brand.

-Trump is Pro-Life. But, under the circumstances, if the woman is raped or the mother or the child is going to have complications; I do believe the woman has a choice.

But, I'm for legal immigration and I'm against not allowing honest human beings across the world to use America as a refuge away from danger; a safe haven.

I also disagree with the dissolution of Social Security. America's population is stagnant. The population isn't increasing enough equal to the money made by individuals to say people don't need it. And the population isn't decreasing enough to not afford it.

The States in America have enough tax money and profits from gambling alone to afford it. And If people need help with finances until they get themselves on their feet, they should get it. If they need a break from life while dealing with mental health issues, they should get financial help.

If people go through the process for financial help legally and honestly without abusing the system they should get it.

The American Dream ironically due to the direction of penalizing Capitalism and a decline in societal values, morals and selection of who should be rich and who doesn't deserve it is putting the American Dream at risk....which leads me to Biden.

Biden:

-I don't like the path he is setting for people, their futures, their families, education and peace - both within American Communities and Internationally.

-I'm completely against his new proposal of increasing the Capital Gains Tax. If people find a way to financial freedom. Allow it. The Capital Gain Tax is fine the way it is. He's determining who doesn't deserve the American Dream and if they get it, penalize them.

-I'm against his social-class warfare he's creating; in a way which determines who does deserve the American Dream vs. if they get the American Dream, penalize them.

-I'm against him not holding colleges accountable and liable for not helping ALL students of race, religion and politics to get a job in the field they studied.

-I'm against him not holding colleges accountable and allowing college's to allow students and people not of the campus or enrolled at the college to protest on matters that they are completely not only un-educated about; but matters that are encouraging division and enticing violence. This breaks the law of peaceful protests, especially if it is intentional to get or encourage a violent reaction. In the end, taking the luxury of our Freedoms for granted.

It should not be wrong to support your country with an American Flag or frowned upon. The Freedoms this country was founded on, has not been at risk of invasion in over 100 years, the closest anyone has come is Pearl Harbor and 9/11. 2 events on 2 days....there hasn't been years of risk of invasion like most countries in the world.

-He's terrible with foreign affairs.

-He refuses to take a strong position on anything. He can't take a stand and call what is yellow is yellow and what is purple is purple.

On both sides, there is too much allowance for generalizations among people, race, religion, populations, social classes, politics, governance and nations. For example, just because I'm white, doesn't mean I like every white person; if I'm treated poorly by someone, am I supposed to like them? So the thinking and reasoning of just because I'm white, I like every white person is a generalization. And a historical example, yet an extreme example - just because Germany was ran by Nazi's doesn't mean there were no German citizens who were against the Nazi's. There were Germans who wanted out; and if they went against the Nazi party they were murdered.

It's an extreme example, but my point is - You can't generalize people, race, religion, populations, social classes, politics, governance and nations.

(Note: What astonishes me with these college kids who claim to be Hamas supporters; if they showed support for Hamas in Hamas controlled territories/sanctions, but Hamas found out they're American. There's a high chance they'd be murdered or held hostage - for just being an American.

There is some dis-connect with these "Pro-Palestinian" supporters at these college campus' not understanding, that they are representing Hamas in these protests.

And I'm certain that these protestors don't recognize, that there are most likely Palestinians who do not want to be associated with Hamas.

This is the misunderstood pro-active movement being a vehicle for a generalization.)

Generalizations are dangerous; the entire point of disagreement is to come to a sound conclusion and decision. And this country, we have lacked that for decades. The constitution and amendments were based on disagreement to come to a sound conclusion. Laws in which we still live by, that were made based off the Mayflower Compact; the first governance order in America to allow peace is still supposed to be upheld.

There are different factions among people, race, religion, populations, social classes, politics, governance and nations.….and if people aren't educated to understand factions and operations to have disagreements with the goal of a sound conclusion….You will NEVER get a unified nation….It will always be division….even to its form into government as saying well they're Republican or they're Democrat…..no, you can't generalize like that….there are Far Right, Far Lefts, Right, Lefts and Moderates in each and believe it or not there are Rights, Lefts and Moderates who do agree on things and want to make sound decisions; but what does the media cover and promote?

The generalization of division simply made as Republican vs. Democrat.

It's absolutely ridiculous and completely uneducated.

America is the place of refuge, the melting pot. An idea and dream to not only be safe, but a land of opportunity. That is being lost. The American dream, even among our own nation and home grown citizens is being lost. The sense of ownership especially with land and homes; the ownership to be part of the American dream is disappearing. Especially when people can't afford homes and land anymore.

And the media, whether left, right or moderate outlets refuse to educate the people about anything and continually allow generalizations to encourage decision making.

It is all re-active reporting with an agenda "that appears" to encourage pro-active decision making for the future, thus making people feel they are making a difference while it is simply re-active reporting with an agenda to create the upcoming future.

People don't realize, that the media is simply pre-programmed. Do not think for one second that the media (whether left, right or moderate) hasn't planned the programming for future reporting ahead of time for that week or even, maybe that month. Literally in the guide of your cable television; you can see each outlet now labeling their shows as Episode 1, 2 and so on.

And all the while the journalism is absolutely terrible; simply just keywords to keep a viewer watching while reporting limited information for a controlled perspective without giving the audience truth among both sides to allow the viewer the free will to make their own decision and come to their own conclusion.

This is not journalism. This is not un-biased reporting. Honestly, it should be illegal.

And I truly believe, if the media took the initiative to recognize this. People would be empowered to attempt to be unified, rather than being empowered by differences.

Media outlets focusing on Trump's trial as a priority while ignoring real conversation American's should be having and being aware of true issues that effect the future without an un-biased opinion should be a priority. America is going to enter a fragile state.

There is no pro-active reporting without agendas. The Daily Show worked in the early 2000's to make jokes of political ridiculousness; it was popular and worked then....And tension in America is so tight, the jokes are out.

I just read an article on Jerry Seinfeld and within so many words, due to the current state - it is hard to be a comedian...people need comedy. But, tensions are too high and everything is offensive.

So, whether its the media or the politicians. You just can't generalize everything. Life is complicated, but you have to call the color what it is.

I'm not defending anyone who comes to your yard sees the dandelions there yellow, believes that your dandelions are purple while they're in your yard trying to convince you the dandelions are purple....when they're yellow.

I can't get behind that.

[brazilspill]

The racist bigoted way the first-world press talks about American school shootings

They often say that "the US has more school shootings than any first-world country" implying that third-world countries are rife with school shootings.

The US has more school shootings than ANY country.

Between January 2009 to May 2018 you know what the highest number of school shootings in a third-world country (Mexico) was?

8.

You know what the US number of school shootings in the same timeframe was?

288.

The 19 countries with the highest number of school shootings are almost evenly split between first-world countries and third-world countries, with the first-world countries actually being the higher number.

(Brazil had 2 school shootings, btw; same as Canada and France)

[bumblee-stumblee]

https://esrt.press/actualidad/446992-cuatro-hombres-drogan-esposas-intercambiarlas

Please help me share, I'm sorry it's in Spanish I could not find an article on the case in English.

No prob Anon.

4 men plead guilty to conspiring to rape drugged wives after exchanging wife-sharing fantasies

Lydia Lam

31 Oct 2022 05:15PM (Updated: 31 Oct 2022 08:44PM)

SINGAPORE: Four men who met on an online forum and discussed wife-sharing fantasies later put their plans into action by raping their accomplices’ drugged wives.

One woman was raped multiple times over at least seven years by different men while she was unconscious. This was while she was blindfolded and drugged by her own husband.

The case came to light when this woman discovered images of herself naked in a chat on her husband’s phone.

The four men, who cannot be named due to gag orders imposed by the court, pleaded guilty on Monday (Oct 31) to two charges each of conspiracy to rape, with various other charges taken into consideration. They are: K, L, M and N.

K, 44, was married with no children and was working in business development at the time of the offences. L, 52, was a business development manager and had three children with his wife at the time.

M, 45, was a company director at the time. He had three children with his ex-wife and lived with her at the time, even though he had remarried. N, 37, was a food deliveryman at the time and is the only one of the four who was single.

The main accomplice linked to their cases is a fifth man - J, a 41-year-old who married his wife in 2008. They have four children together.

MET ONLINE, DISCUSSED WIFE-SHARING FANTASIES

The court heard that the men met their respective accomplices online as early as 2010, on the forum Sammyboy and other platforms for wife-sharing fantasies.

The court heard that the men discussed various wife-sharing fantasies, exchanged details of their sex lives and would share explicit images and footage.

J previously tried to show his wife pornographic videos to check if she would be willing to engage in a threesome.

His wife scolded him and told him that he was crazy, so he knew she was against the idea.

After this, he allegedly hatched a plan to sedate his wife for other men to have sex with her.

J got to know K on Sammyboy between 2010 and 2011. They agreed to use a sedative to sedate their wives, so that other men could rape them. After doing some research, they settled on a specific drug which they understood could make someone unconscious.

Using the drug that he had obtained from J, K spiked his wife's alcohol sometime before 2012. He blindfolded his wife after she fell unconscious and told J to come over.

J then raped K's wife while K watched and took photos. They did this again on a second occasion in 2012.

In February 2013, J's wife said she was feeling sick, and J took this chance to give her the drug before letting K rape his wife.

J installed a closed-circuit television camera in his bedroom to livestream images of his wife in the nude, as well as to showcase his sexual activities.

K also had a webcam in his bedroom for livestreaming purposes. After watching, the men would sometimes commend each other on putting on a "nice show", prosecutors said.

After their crimes, the two men shared images of the rape and sexual assault and "continued to reminisce" about what they did, the prosecutors said.

J'S WIFE DISCOVERS CRIMES

The chats between the men resulted in J's wife discovering the crimes in January 2020.

J was sleeping then when his wife noticed that his phone was playing a video. She picked it up and chanced on his Skype chat with K.

In the messages, she saw explicit images of herself and as she scrolled down the messages, she discovered that the men had been exchanging their wives for sex.

Shocked, J's wife slapped him awake. He deleted the incriminating chats and took his wife to K's home at her request. During the confrontation, K admitted having sex with J's wife while she was unconscious.

K also admitted to making his own wife unconscious for J to have sex with her. J's wife lodged a police report on Jan 2, 2020. Incriminating photos and videos seized from both men led to the identification of other accomplices.

INCRIMINATING CHATS BETWEEN J AND K

In their chats, K told J that K's wife was "always yours" and said it would be nice if J could "manage to knock (her) up".

J and K also spoke of plans to get their wives to be raped and impregnated by other men, the court heard.

An excerpt from their Skype chats was read out in court. J wrote to K in April 2015, saying that women like their wives, "no matter how smart they think themselves are", will eventually get "outsmart by her man".

J also referred to their wives in crude language and said he bet both their wives still thought they were "chaste and loyal".

On top of these incidents, K also took explicit photos of his wife in various states of nudity in public places. He shared the images with other people including J and L and maintained a blog from 2010 to 2018 where he published the explicit images.

After his arrest, K was examined at the Institute of Mental Health and diagnosed with voyeuristic disorder. However, he was fully aware of the nature of his illegal acts, the court heard.

L AND THE OTHER CASES

Another man in the group of four - L - first got to know K online around 2010 to 2011. L became acquainted with J after arranging to provide some sleeping pills.

They later began sharing their wife-sharing fantasies and would meet several times for drinks. J's wife also went along.

In 2013, J sedated his wife with a drug before asking L to come over. While the children and helper were asleep, L raped the wife as J recorded the act.

L became acquainted with another co-accused, P, in 2010 and became close in 2015 as colleagues. They also began talking about wife-sharing.

While having drinks with his wife in August 2017, L drugged her before telling P that his wife was "ready". While his children and maid were sleeping in another room, L initially asked P to come over to watch them.

But when L was unable to perform the act, he asked P to rape his wife.

L's wife regained consciousness and realised someone other than her husband was attempting sex with her.

She later insisted that both L and P write confession letters, and they did. P was sentenced for his involvement in January.

M AND HIS EX-WIFE

M lived with his ex-wife and their three children in his mother-in-law's flat, even though he had remarried in 2011.

M met J on Sammyboy around 2010 and later expressed interest in having sex with J's wife.

In 2010, when J's wife told him that she was feeling sick, he took this chance to give her a drug, pretending it was medicine. His wife trusted him and took the drug.

When she was unconscious, J called M over and M raped his wife.

In August 2018, M told his ex-wife that they would visit J for networking purposes, claiming they were in the same industry.

They went to J's master bedroom, where J offered them both drinks. He had spiked the ex-wife's drink. She became drowsy and began slurring in her speech.

J then molested her and raped her.

The fourth man, N, was a food deliveryman who lived with his father and was single. He would meet J at coffee shops to discuss the "perverse sexual fantasy" of wife-sharing, the prosecutors said.

He raped J's wife between 2017 and 2018 after J drugged her.

UNPRECEDENTED, ABOMINABLE CASE: PROSECUTION

The prosecutors called the cases "unprecedented" and "abominable".

The three prosecutors who handled the cases called for between 19 and 23 years' jail and 24 strokes of the cane for K and M. They asked for between 11 and 16.5 years' jail for L, with another six months' jail in lieu of caning.

They will be asking for between 17 and 21 years' jail and 24 strokes of the cane for N, who had no partner.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Gail Wong said the facts of the cases are unprecedented and involve "a gross betrayal of trust by husbands conspiring with other men against their partners".

"When a woman enters into marriage, she entrusts herself to her husband: She trusts that the man she sleeps beside will not harm her every night as she sleeps, she trusts that in sickness, the father of her children will not poison her with drugs passed off as medicine, she trusts that her husband will keep private their most intimate sexual moments together," she said of K's case.

K is represented by lawyers Mr Wilson Yeo and Mr Ang Boon Yaw, while L is represented by Mr Chua Hock Lu. M is defended by lawyer Mr Suang Wijaya and Ms Sophia Ng, while N is represented by lawyers Mr Shashi Nathan, Ms Laura Yeo and Mr Jeremy Pereira.

Mr Yeo asked for 17 to 18 years' jail and 24 strokes of the cane for his client K.

He said there was "absolutely no excuse or reason for the crimes our client has committed", saying they were not only serious crimes, but also crimes committed against the "one person he loves the most".

However his client has admitted that he has "a serious problem" and is "not only remorseful but ashamed about it" and accepts that he cannot go unpunished and reaps what he sows, said Mr Yeo.

Mr Chua, who defended L, said his client is remorseful and penned his remorse since 2017, clearly incriminating himself when he wrote the letter of confession.

He said his client "maintains a good relationship" with his wife now and looks forward to returning home. He asked for no imprisonment in lieu of caning for L, who is above 50 and cannot be caned.

Lawyer Mr Suang Wijaya, who acted for M, said the drugging of M's ex-wife was done by J. He asked for not more than 18 years' jail, comparing the case with another similar past case which drew more than 19 years' jail.

The judge adjourned the cases to a later date, as the court was still in session at 6.15pm. Lawyers for N had not yet begun their mitigation, and the case was adjourned for them to mitigate, as well as for any replies from the prosecution.

There are a total of 7 men involved in this series of cases: J, K, L, M, N, O and P.

The cases for J and O are pending

_________________________________

The original article anon supplied in Spanish

[arianatwycross]

For Jily Week 2023, I have conjured up a little fic that starts off with a dash of angst!

Headlines

James is a famous musican, on a once in a lifetime world tour. Lily is the girl he left behind to pursue it. Except they were only just friends, weren't they?

[booloocrew-blog]

The beauty of matching news articles

[psychicbluebirdmiracle]

Why Deleting and Destroying Finished Movies Like Coyote vs Acme Should Be a Crime | MZS | Roger Ebert

I love how absolutely brutal this author is towards hbo max🥲

[innocent-diamond-2090110]

Hey! Any updates on if your replacement laptop battery met your standards? And take a look at this!

https://newatlas.com/laptops/sightful-spacetop-g1/

Hi there! Unfortunately, the battery only gave me at most 1 additional hour of battery life, so I ended up buying a new 2-in-1 laptop instead. As for the AR laptop, I think it'll be useful for a specific subset of people. (Sword Art Online, anyone?) I'm personally not at that stage yet because since I'm not in front of a computer all day at home or at work. Otherwise, give the company more time to improve based on constructive criticism!

(How exactly will bespectacled people wear the AR goggles over their prescription eyeglasses? First person to mind was Wonwoo. XD)

[jackdawsfavorite]

On Symbolic vs Factual Beliefs

“The Truthers, in short, maintained that the government had gone to extreme measures, including killing thousands of its own citizens, in order to carry out and cover up a conspiracy. And yet the same Truthers advertised the conference online and met in a place where they could easily be surveilled. Speakers’ names were posted on the Internet along with videos, photographs, and short bios. The organizers created a publicly accessible forum to discuss next steps, and a couple of attendees spoke to a reporter from the Times, despite the mainstream media’s ostensible complicity in the coverup. By the logic of their own theories, the Truthers were setting themselves up for assassination.

“Their behavior demonstrates a paradox of belief. Action is supposed to follow belief, and yet beliefs, even fervently espoused ones, sometimes exist in their own cognitive cage, with little influence over behavior.”

[thingsreadinthedark]

Such a great read!

I’m excited about the return of Ms Naomi Osaka! Fun times ahead for the champion! 🏆

[voice-of-illogical-sense]