#Notable Deaths in July 2024

[gone2soon-rip]

BOB NEWHART (1929-Died July 18th 2024,at 94) American comedian and actor. He was known for his deadpan and stammering delivery style. Beginning as a stand-up comedian, he transitioned his career to acting in television. He received numerous accolades, including three Grammy Awards, an Emmy Award, and a Golden Globe Award. He received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2002.

Newhart came to prominence in 1960 when his record album of comedic monologues, The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart, became a bestseller and reached number one on the Billboard pop album chart; it remains the 20th-best-selling comedy album in history.The follow-up album, The Button-Down Mind Strikes Back!, was also a success, and the two albums held the Billboard number one and number two spots simultaneously.

Newhart hosted a short lived NBC variety show entitled The Bob Newhart Show (1961) before starring as Chicago psychologist Robert Hartley on The Bob Newhart Show from 1972 to 1978 and then as Vermont innkeeper Dick Loudon on series Newhart from 1982 to 1990. He also had two short-lived sitcoms in the 1990s, Bob and George and Leo. Newhart acted in films such as Catch-22 (1970), Cold Turkey (1971), In & Out (1997), and Elf (2003). He also voiced Bernard in the Disney animated films The Rescuers (1977) and The Rescuers Down Under (1990). Newhart played Professor Proton on the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory from 2013 to 2018, for which he received his first Primetime Emmy Award. Bob Newhart - Wikipedia

[covid-safer-hotties]

Nasal COVID-19 vaccine halts transmission - Published July 31, 2024

Study in hamsters indicates vaccines targeting nose, mouth may be key to controlling spread of respiratory infections

A nasal COVID-19 vaccine blocks transmission of the virus, according to an animal study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The findings suggest that vaccines delivered directly to the nose or mouth could play a critical role in containing the spread of respiratory infections.

The lightning-fast development of COVID-19 vaccines just months after the virus appeared was a triumph of modern science and saved millions of lives. But for all the good they did in reducing illnesses and deaths, the shots were unable to end the pandemic because of one notable weakness: They couldn’t stop the spread of the virus.

A new study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis indicates that next-generation vaccines that target the virus’s points of entry — the nose and mouth — may be able to do what traditional shots cannot: contain the spread of respiratory infections and prevent transmission. Using a nasal COVID-19 vaccine based on Washington University technology, approved for use in India and licensed to Ocugen for further development in the U.S., the researchers showed that vaccinated hamsters that developed infections did not pass the virus on to others, breaking the cycle of transmission. In contrast, an approved COVID-19 vaccine that is injected failed to prevent the spread of the virus.

The findings, published July 31 in Science Advances, provide further evidence that so-called mucosal vaccines sprayed into the nose or dropped into the mouth may be the key to controlling respiratory infections such as influenza and COVID-19 that continue to circulate and cause significant illness and death.

“To prevent transmission, you need to keep the amount of virus in the upper airways low,” said senior author Jacco Boon, PhD, a professor of medicine, of molecular microbiology and of pathology & immunology. “The less virus that is there to begin with, the less likely you are to infect someone else if you cough or sneeze or even just breathe on them. This study shows that mucosal vaccines are superior to injected vaccines in terms of limiting viral replication in the upper airways and preventing spread to the next individual. In an epidemic or pandemic situation, this is the kind of vaccine you’re going to want.”

Developing vaccines that can control virus levels in the nose has proven challenging. Viruses such as influenza virus, SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) multiply rapidly in the nose and spread from person to person within a few days of initial exposure. Traditional injectable vaccines generate immune responses that can take a week to build to full strength and are much less potent in the nose than in the bloodstream, leaving the nose relatively unprotected against a fast-multiplying, fast-spreading virus.

In principle, a vaccine sprayed or dropped directly into the nose or mouth could limit viral reproduction and thereby reduce transmission by eliciting an immune response right where it’s needed most. But gathering evidence that mucosal vaccines actually do reduce transmission has proven tricky. Animal models of transmission are not well-established, and tracking person-to-person transmission is fiendishly complicated, given the number and variety of encounters a typical person has on any given day.

For this study, Boon and colleagues developed and validated a model for community transmission using hamsters and then used it to assess the effect of mucosal vaccination on the spread of SARS-CoV-2. (Unlike mice, hamsters are naturally susceptible to infection with SARS-CoV-2, making them the ideal laboratory animals for a transmission study.)

The researchers immunized groups of hamsters with laboratory versions of approved COVID-19 vaccines: the nasal iNCOVACC used in India or the injected Pfizer vaccine. For comparison, some hamsters were not immunized. After giving the vaccinated hamsters a few weeks for their immune responses to fully mature, the researchers infected other hamsters with SARS-CoV-2 and then placed the immunized hamsters with the infected hamsters for eight hours. This first step of the experiment mimics the experience of vaccinated people who are exposed to a person with COVID-19.

After spending eight hours rubbing shoulders with infected hamsters, most of the vaccinated animals became infected. Virus was found in the noses and lungs of 12 of 14 (86%) hamsters that had received the nasal vaccine, and 15 of 16 (94%) hamsters that had received the injected vaccine. Importantly, while most animals in both groups were infected, they weren’t infected to the same degree. Hamsters that had been nasally immunized had virus levels in the airways 100 to 100,000 times lower than those that had received the shot or had not been vaccinated. The study did not assess the animals’ health, but previous studies have shown that both vaccines reduce the likelihood of severe illness and death from COVID-19.

The second step of the experiment yielded even more striking results. The researchers took vaccinated hamsters that subsequently developed infections and placed them with healthy vaccinated and unvaccinated hamsters for eight hours to model transmission of virus from a vaccinated person to others.

None of the hamsters that were exposed to nasally vaccinated hamsters became infected, regardless of whether the recipient hamster had been vaccinated or not. In contrast, roughly half of the hamsters that were exposed to hamsters vaccinated by injection became infected — again, regardless of the recipient’s immunization status. In other words, vaccination through the nose — but not by injection — broke the cycle of transmission.

These data, Boon said, could be important as the world prepares for the possibility that avian influenza, currently causing an outbreak in dairy cows, might adapt to humans and trigger a flu epidemic. An injectable vaccine for avian influenza already exists, and a team of researchers at Washington University is working toward a nasal vaccine for avian influenza. That team includes Boon and co-author Michael S. Diamond, MD, PhD, the Herbert S. Gasser Professor of Medicine and one of the inventors of the nasal vaccine technology used in this paper.

“Mucosal vaccines are the future of vaccines for respiratory infections,” Boon said. “Historically, developing such vaccines has been challenging. There’s still so much we don’t know about the kind of immune response we need and how to elicit it. I think we’re going to see a lot of very exciting research in the next few years that could lead to big improvements in vaccines for respiratory infections.”

Study linked in the first link!

[mydaddywiki]

Robert Kraft

Physique: Average Build Height: 5’ 7" (1.7 m)

Robert Kenneth Kraft (born June 5, 1941) is an American billionaire businessman. He is the founder, chairman and CEO of the Kraft Group, a diversified holding company with assets in paper and packaging, sports and entertainment, real estate development, and a private equity portfolio. He is internationally recognized as the owner of the six-time Super Bowl winning NFL franchise, the New England Patriots. He also owns the New England Revolution of MLS, which he founded in 1996, and the esport-based Boston Uprising, which Kraft founded in 2017. As of July 2024, he has an estimated net worth of US$11.1 billion according to Forbes.

Born in Brookline, MA, after earning a bachelor’s degree (1963) at Columbia University and an M.B.A. (1965) at Harvard Business School, Kraft went to work at Rand-Whitney, a manufacturer of paper packaging that was controlled by his father-in-law, Jacob Hiatt. Kraft bought out half of Hiatt’s interest in 1968 and took complete control in 1972. In 1972 he founded International Forest Products to trade in wood, pulp, and paper products. He created the Kraft Group in 1998 as a holding company for Rand-Whitney, International Forest Products, and his family’s other interests, most notably in the field of sports.

Kraft’s first sports-related venture was the Boston Lobsters, a team in Billie Jean King’s World Team Tennis (WTT) league. He acquired the New England Patriots in January 1994, paying $172 million, the highest price for an NFL team up to that time. In 2000 Kraft hired Bill Belichick as head coach, and the move helped transform the Patriots into one of the NFL’s dominant teams, winning six Super Bowls (2002, 2004, 2005, 2015, 2017, and 2019). In 1996 Kraft and his family also founded the New England Revolution, which played in the Major League Soccer league.

Lets see… twice married, Kraft married Myra Nathalie Hiatt in 1963 and together the couple had four sons: Jonathan A. Kraft, Daniel A. Kraft, Joshua M. Kraft, and David H. Kraft. She died on July 20, 2011, of ovarian cancer, at the age of 68. In June 2012, Kraft began dating actress Ricki Noel Lander, who was 38 years his junior, later breaking up in 2018. In 2019, Kraft was charged with two counts of soliciting prostitution, but the charges were dropped the following year. In 2022, Kraft married his partner, Dana Blumberg.

Kraft proves two theories of mine. First: He as more than two children, so my loves to fuck theory applies. Second: If a man who was married for a long time (over 45 years) and loses his wife by divorce or in this case, death. Would go CRAZY for some new strange. He’s fucking a twenty something model/wanna be actress, getting blow jobs at cheap massage parlors and hanging around rappers. Strippers/groupies anyone. And included in all that, experimenting in man on man sex. Allegedly. Allegedly. But you can’t tell me he hasn’t had his dick sucked by a man.

Career Highlights and Awards 6× Super Bowl champion (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, XLIX, LI, LIII) George Halas Award (2012) Theodore Roosevelt Award (2006) U.S. Open Cup (2007)

[political-us]

During Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, a significant portion of his funding came from super PACs and corporate donors. Super PACs, or “independent expenditure-only political committees,” can raise unlimited funds from individuals, corporations, and other entities to advocate for or against political candidates, provided they do not coordinate directly with the campaigns.

Key Super PACs Supporting Trump:

• Make America Great Again Inc. (MAGA Inc.): Established in September 2022, MAGA Inc. served as a primary super PAC supporting Trump’s campaign. It received substantial contributions from prominent donors, including billionaire Timothy Mellon, who donated $50 million in May 2024 and an additional $50 million in July 2024. Other notable contributors included Diane Hendricks ($10 million) and Howard Lutnick and Paul Singer, each donating $5 million. 

• Preserve America PAC: This super PAC was revived in 2024 by Miriam Adelson, following the death of her husband, Sheldon Adelson. Miriam Adelson made multiple contributions totaling $95 million between July and September 2024. Preserve America PAC was active in producing advertisements targeting Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, especially in key swing states. 

• America PAC: Founded by Elon Musk, America PAC spent approximately $200 million to support Trump’s re-election efforts. The super PAC focused on mobilizing low-propensity and first-time voters, significantly impacting turnout in crucial battleground states. 

Corporate Contributions:

While direct corporate contributions to individual campaigns are prohibited, corporations can donate to super PACs. In the 2024 election cycle, several major corporations and CEOs contributed to pro-Trump super PACs and inauguration funds. Notably, Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, was among those who made significant donations to support Trump’s inauguration and future presidential library, contributing to the $150 million raised for the inauguration. 

Overall Impact:

The infusion of funds from super PACs and corporate donors played a pivotal role in bolstering Trump’s 2024 campaign, enabling extensive advertising, outreach, and mobilization efforts. This financial support underscores the significant influence of wealthy individuals and corporations in shaping modern U.S. electoral politics.

[mythauragame]

Development Update - June 2024

Hello everyone! Our June development wraps up the first half of 2024, and we're cruising along with work on some pretty substantial gameplay features. We're excited to discuss one of them today: Elite Enemies, who will pose a greater challenge to your Beasts--and those who defeat them will find themselves with greater rewards because of it, too.

We also discuss some other strategic gameplay elements, reveal the Summer 2024 quarterly Ko-fi rewards, show off some beautiful new sponsored content, and more!

Elite Enemies

During your adventure in wild areas, you may encounter Elite Enemies. These foes resemble their regular counterparts but boast more health, are 20% larger, and possess special modifying keywords like "Shielded," "Quick," or "Armored." For example, a Quick Armored Breezetail would have increased speed and have armor when encountered. The keywords are assigned randomly, and as the difficulty of the wild area scales, the number of keywords an Elite Enemy can have increases. Notably, when an Elite Enemy is tamed into a companion, it retains its increased size. Elite enemies also have an increased chance of spawning as its Radiant coloration.

Temporary Health

Certain moves in battle can grant temporary health. This temporary health is consumed first before any damage impacts the battler's actual health, offering an additional layer of protection during combat.

Shield & Armor

Some moves can grant a Shield in battle, which absorbs Projection type damage and must be depleted before health is affected. However, Combat damage bypasses the Shield and impacts health directly. Conversely, Armor absorbs Combat damage, while Projection damage bypasses the Armor and impacts health directly. This distinction between Shield and Armor introduces strategic depth, allowing players to tailor their defenses based on the type of incoming damage.

Summer Quarter (2024) Concepts

It’s the first day of Summer Quarter 2024, which means we’ve got new Quarterly Rewards for Sponsors to vote on on our Ko-fi page!

Which concepts would you like to see made into official site items? Sponsors of Bronze level or higher have a vote in deciding. Please check out the Companion post and the Glamour post on Ko-fi to cast your vote for the winning concepts!

Votes must be posted by July 27, 2024 at 11:59pm PST in order to be considered.

All Spring 2024 Rewards are now listed in our Ko-fi Shop for individual purchase for all Sponsor levels at $5 USD flat rate per unit. As a reminder, please remember that no more than 3 units of any given item can be purchased. If you purchase more than 3 units of any given item, your entire purchase will be refunded and you will need to place your order again, this time with no more than 3 units of any given item.

Spring 2024 Glamour: Chinoiserie

Spring 2024 Companion: Gossamer Campanula

Spring 2024 Solid Gold Glamour: Unicorn (Young)

Ko-fi Sponsored Items

More Inkminks!

Sponsored by: Potats

Wild Inkmink

Albino Inkmink

Prismatic Inkmink

Celestial Inkmink

Baneful Somnowl

Sponsored by: Kettle

Mythauran Astrology: July

The month of July is referred to as Frostcrown's Flame in Dragon culture, representing the first month where the sunlight begins to wane--calling upon the legend that when the first Dragons almost froze to death in the Spine of Ere, a massive Frostcrown Phoenix led them to a volcanic cave, thereby saving their lives. This month is associated with the constellation of the Magistrate and the pyrite stone.

Those born under the sign of the Magistrate are known for their unwavering commitment (to themselves, their jobs, their cause, their loved ones) and a tireless work ethic. Like a dedicated ruler presiding over their kingdom, individuals influenced by the Magistrate take on responsibilities with a sense of duty and precision.

At their best, Magistrates are diligent, organized, and dutiful. At their worst, they can be defensive, uncooperative, and prone to indignation.

Custom Color Contest Reminder

In honor of the new color change that we made to a Beast's tongue/mouth, we're opening another Custom Color Contest. We want to offer the opportunity for you to make a permanent impact on Mythaura's color wheel!

This contest is free to enter, and only has the following parameters:

Only one entry allowed

Fill out Google Form by Friday, August 23, 2024 at 11:59pm PST

The dev team will reach out to the winner on September 1 to begin the color design process. Winner will have until September 23, 2024 to complete their color design. Please feel free to use our PSD file, if you'd like!

Winner will also receive 3x copies of the Empemeral Ink that matches their color's base hue (Red, Orange, Yellow, Blue, Green, or Violet).

We're so excited to see what you come up with!

Feel free to re-enter colors you submitted for the previous Custom Color Contest!

Mythaura V0.29.1

Refactoring and restructuring was done allowing for the removal of redundant code.

Adds critical endpoint to allow users to spend stat points when creating their first beast.

Creates a service to handle skill's effects on abilities while in battle and adds the ability to handle 10 varieties of skill.

Adds support for Element Mastery in skill trees.

Adds support for both abilities and skills to add Temporary Health, Shield, and Armor.

Fixed a live-and-broken issue with the shadow assets on adult Dragons, Unicorns, Griffins, and Perytons, making it so they can be used as party leaders without breaking Wild Areas.

Thank You!

Thanks for sticking through to the end of the post, we always look forward to sharing our month's work with all of you--thank you for taking the time to read. We'll see you around the Discord!

[nonintegrity]

park daehyun | 24 july 1995 | midas male soloist 1

hello! i'm super excited to be on the dash with everyone. i'm aire as in buenos aires, 24 years old, she/her pronouns. it's been a while since i've rp'd so i of course didn't have my intro ready, but here is a mobile navigation for you as well as a brief intro to park daehyun! alignment chaotic evil, zodiac sign leo, enneagram 8w7, mbti entj. he's a real piece of work, and i hope you enjoy writing with him as much as i enjoyed writing for him! please feel free to message me for plotting, or ask for my discord!

profile / bio / career / wanted

history

tw: death

park daehyun was born in brooklyn, new york in 1995. he comes from a wealthy and dysfunctional family.

he learned from a young age that a mask is important not to be taken advantage of. along the line, he became a cold and calculating person, all hiding behind a mask of warmth and friendliness. singing, dancing, piano, and language were all tools in his arsenal, and eventually became useful later on in his idol career.

he had a nanny whom he admired for her stoicism and strong presence. however, when she died, she admitted that she'd always hated him.

daehyun's insides shut down at this, whereas his outsides became more the mask that he'd always put on: inviting, mature, sensitive, and generous. he began lashing out in subtle ways: sabotaging his parents' dinner parties, wreaking havoc at charity benefits, etc., all while managing to gaslight gatekeep girlboss his way out of it. this started to become the only way he could feel anything.

his parents grew uncomfortable at how disarmingly polarizing he seemed within himself, so they sent him off to live in korea with his grandparents. they felt the same, and sent him off to a boarding school for performing arts, where he was scouted by midas.

he refined the act even more, growing twisted and cruel on the inside, all while remaining an angel on the outside. he debuted as a soloist in 2016 with a soft, sweet sound that cemented his public image as the perfect, sensitive boyfriend. behind the scenes, he has a sadistic streak, and this is more or less the only way he can ever feel anything. otherwise, he's just acting.

he's focused on philanthropy since 2018 to keep the image going, though he has started to grow actually fond of it.

some of his notable work includes don't go insane, squid game, and what's wrong with secretary kim.

in 2024, his nanny's son invited him for coffee, and daehyun was rattled at how genuine and kind the guy was. since then, daehyun's been having a snowballing existential crisis and is desperately trying to claw his way into being better. but old habits die hard, and every time he feels an emotion, he wants to crawl out of his own skin.

misc.

i'm heavily leaning daehyun's character development toward the growing disgust he's been feeling at himself for being a soulless, emotionless husk of a person. very, very much inspired by eleanor from the good place!

there are very few people daehyun genuinely cares about, and fewer still who actually know what he's truly like. i'm interested in connections with these kinds of people, and seeing how his connections with others help him grow as a person.

daehyun's started leaning into a darker sound since 2023, much to the surprise of the general public. his existential crisis has been building up more or less since he started getting into philanthropy, and really exploded when he felt the genuine kindness of a stranger.

he has a bernese mountain dog named maple. he got her as a puppy after falling in love with her at a volunteer event for the humane society. he also wrote a song, “your dog loves you,” for her, and cobbled a music video together with clips of her from his phone.

he also has a kitten, the newest edition to his family, a siamese named kiwi. he snuck her onto set to bottle feed her during the filming of squid game season 2.

he's surprisingly great with kids and animals, but thinks that everybody else in the world is a total manipulative nefarious snake.

[orthodoxydaily]

Saints&Reading: Tuesday, August 6, 2024

july 14_august 6

THE HOLY MARTYRS NOBLEBORN PRINCES BORIS AND GLEB, IN HOLY BAPTISM – ROMAN AND DAVID (+ 1015)

Via St Elizabeth Convent

On 15 May, we commemorate at our churches the venerable princes Boris and Gleb, slain in 1015. They were the first saints of the Russian saints. An ancient chronicler thus describes the nature of their exploit: "They allowed themselves to be murdered by their older brother Svyatopolk vying for the princely throne. They suffered, but did not lay their hand on their brother, earning themselves the crown of eternal glory." They died but did not take upon themselves an act of fratricide. They acted with remarkable humility and obedience to their father, Great Prince Vladimir, from whom their older brother Svyatopolk inherited the throne.

Indirectly, they obeyed the commandment of our Lord: “Honour your father and your mother” (Exodus 20, 12). Shortly before his martyrdom, Boris said: "I will not raise my hand to my older brother: my father is dead, so I will honour him as my father." He continues: "If he, my brother Svyatopolk sheds my blood and dares to slay me, so I will be a martyr before my Lord. I will not resist, for the Lord says: “God opposes the proud but shows favour to the humble.” (1 Peter 5:5). Boris and his brother Gleb did not shed the blood of their older brother for the sake of worldly glory, power or other finite gains. They both likened themselves to Christ, emulating His meekness and humility, and earned glory in heaven. They chose not to hold on to their life on this earth at any cost, but to live in eternity, and become an example for Christians of all generations.

Passion-bearers are righteous Christians who faced their death in a Christ-like manner. Saint Andrey Bogolubsky, Prince Mikhail of Tver and Tsarevich Dmitry of Uglich are some other notable examples of Russian passion-bearers. The last Russian Tsar Nicholas II was also glorified by the Russian Church as a passion bearer. Their virtue was not in dying without guilt, but in facing their killers with dignity, serenity and calm, and submitting themselves unreservedly to God's Holy and Righteous will. They died as Christ did on the Cross. He had all the means to stop his execution, but He took death from His killers.

God's truth and His eternal justice do not rule out the use of force on earth. When Yaroslav - later named the wise and glorified by the Church - went to war with the murderous Svyatopolk to bring him his rightful retribution, he was also obeying the will of God. He received glory in heaven for doing so. God wills some to become passion-bearers, but it is not His will that evil would reign in our world. Evil-doers must know that they may begin to pay for their deeds in this life, even before they are condemned to eternal torment in hell.

Hieromonk Silouan (Mezhinsky) of Optina Pustyn

Astrakhan (1667) VENERABLE BOGOLEP CHILD SCHEMAMONK OF BLACK RAVINE NEAR ASTRAKHAN (1667)

The Child Schemamonk Bogolep was the son of a Moscow nobleman Iakov Lukich Ushakov and his wife Katherine. He was born in 1660 at Moscow. At Baptism they gave him the name Boris, in honor of the holy Passion-Bearer Boris (July 24).

Ushakov was appointed voevoda (military-commander) in the city of Chernyi Yar (Black Ravine), situated 250 versts from Astrakhan. He was known for his integrity. From infancy Boris displayed unusual traits. On Wednesdays and Fridays he would not drink milk from his mother’s breasts. When the bells pealed at the church, he began to cry, and became quiet only when they brought him into the church. When they did not take the infant to church, he cried all day and ate nothing.

In 1662 a deadly pestilence spread about in Russia. The child fell ill, and the pestilence afflicted him in the legs. He became lame, but continued to walk to church. The parents prayed for the health of their son and they tried everything in their power to heal him. But no sooner had the one illness gone, than upon his face there appeared another, called scales.

Once during his illness the child saw a wandering monk who visited at their home. The angelic garb so impressed the child, that he began to implore his parents to sew him such clothing and permit him to receive monastic tonsure. The holy child proclaimed: “You will see for yourselves, when you tonsure and grant me the angelic garb, I shall be well.” The parents consented. The child was invested in the schema with the name Bogolep (the Russian version of the Greek name Theoleptos, meaning “similar to God”).

On the next day the child schemamonk was completely healthy, his face was clear and there remained no trace of the illness. But on the third day there was a new illness, he developed a fever, and it struck down the child. He died on August 1, 1667 and was buried at the left wall of the wooden Black Ravine church in honor of the Resurrection of Christ. (This church was built after a great fire in Black Ravine, on July 24, 1652 the Feast of Saint Boris). A chapel was built over the grave of the child.

The Life of the holy Schemamonk Bogolep was compiled under a vow by the Black Ravine merchant Savva Tatarinov during the years 1731-1732.

Icons of the saint, with the Troparion and Kontakion to him, were widely dispersed throughout the Astrakhan region.

In 1750 on the place of the wooden church a stone church was built with a side-altar in honor of the holy Martyr John the Warrior. The grave of the holy schemamonk was enclosed in this side altar.

The bank of the river, where the church of the Resurrection of Christ stood, was constantly eroding. By the mid-nineteenth century the structure of the church was threatened, and they removed all the holy things from it. For a long time the people of Black Ravine did not remove the chief holy object: the grave of the holy schemamonk. Finally, in 1851 when the water had already approached 4 ft. 8 inches, the people petitioned the Most Holy Synod with a request to transfer the holy relics of the Schemamonk Bogolep, and they received permission for this. The small child’s coffin was laid bare, but just when the city head took it into his hands, it slid out of his hands and disappeared into the waters of the Volga.

This disappearance of the relics just at the opening of the grave was accepted as the Will of God, since the holy child had repeatedly appeared to many either in sleep, or awake while walking along the river bank, or coming down the hill. He consoled them, promising that he would be present spiritually with believers.

The simple life of the holy Schemamonk Bogolep, full of the mysteries of God, illustrates the words of the Savior concerning children: “Let the children come unto Me and forbid them not, for of such is the Kingdom of God. Truly I say to you, whosoever shall not receive the Kingdom of God as a little child, shall not enter therein. And He took them up in His arms, put His hands upon them, and blessed them” (Mark 10: 14-16).

We pray to Saint Bogolep for children, and also for protection against lightning.

Source: Orthodox Church in America_OCA

1 CORINTHIANS 6:20-7:12

20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

1 Now concerning the things of which you wrote to me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. 2 Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. 3 Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband. 4 The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. 5 Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 6 But I say this as a concession, not as a commandment. 7 For I wish that all men were even as I myself. But each one has his own gift from God, one in this manner and another in that. 8 But I say to the unmarried and to the widows: It is good for them if they remain even as I am; 9 but if they cannot exercise self-control, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion. 10 Now to the married I command, yet not I but the Lord: A wife is not to depart from her husband. 11 But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife. 12 But to the rest I, not the Lord, say: If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her.

MATTHEW 14:1-13

1 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus 2 and said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him." 3 For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife. 4 Because John had said to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her." 5 And although he wanted to put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet. 6 But when Herod's birthday was celebrated, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod. 7 Therefore he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. 8 So she, having been prompted by her mother, said, "Give me John the Baptist's head here on a platter." 9 And the king was sorry; nevertheless, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he commanded it to be given to her. 10 So he sent and had John beheaded in prison. 11 And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. 12 Then his disciples came and took away the body and buried it, and went and told Jesus. 13 When Jesus heard it, He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself. But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Sam Levine at The Guardian:

The Gateway Pundit, the far-right news website that played a critical role in spreading false information about the 2020 election, has settled a defamation lawsuit with Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, two Georgia election workers it falsely accused of wrongdoing. Notice of the settlement was filed in circuit court in Missouri, where Freeman and Moss had sued the site for defamation. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed in the filing. Nearly 20 articles that Freeman and Moss said had falsely accused them of wrongdoing were no longer available on The Gateway Pundit’s website as of Thursday afternoon, according to a Guardian review.

“The dispute between the parties has been resolved to the mutual satisfaction of the parties through a fair and reasonable settlement,” the legal team for Moss and Freeman said in a statement. Attorneys for the Gateway Pundit did not immediately return a request for comment. After the 2020 election, the Gateway Pundit published a series of stories amplifying a misleading video that showed Freeman and Moss counting ballots. The site pushed the false claim that the two women were committing fraud and counting illegal ballots after counting had ended for the night. The Gateway Pundit was the first news outlet to identify Freeman and later identified Moss, who have been cleared of all wrongdoing.

Even after Georgia election officials debunked the video, the site continued to publish numerous articles falsely accusing Moss and Freeman of fraud. Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s lawyer, also attacked the two women publicly. A Washington DC jury ordered Giuliani to pay nearly $150m to the two women last year for libel, a decision the former New York mayor is appealing. At the trial, Giuliani’s lawyer at one point accused the Gateway Pundit of being the basis of the false claims about the two women. The two women faced vicious harassment, including death threats, and fled their homes and went into hiding after people showed up unannounced at Freeman’s home. Moss’s son received death threats on his phone and fell behind in school. Freeman testified last year that she had nowhere to live. Moss testified to the committee investigating the January 6 attack in 2022, but has otherwise not spoken much publicly.

“I was terrorized,” Freeman said during a trial in Washington DC last year. “I’d rather stay in my car and be homeless rather than put that on someone else.” The site’s founder, Jim Hoft, had refused to concede that the site said anything false about the women, even though the state quickly debunked accusations of wrongdoing and a longer investigation formally cleared them. Hoft and his twin brother, Joe, also a contributor, held a press conference in Milwaukee during the Republican national convention in July and repeated many of the false claims about Freeman and Moss. The settlement with the Gateway Pundit is notable because of the influential role the site plays in spreading misinformation. One recent analysis by the group Advance Democracy found that the site is continuing to spread false information about voting and seed the idea that the 2024 election could be stolen.

Right-wing disinformation blog The Gateway Pundit reaches a settlement with Ruby Freeman and Wandrea Moss, two Georgia election workers that it defamed in service of the Big Lie in the aftermath of the 2020 elections.

[uncontrolledfission]

The Perseus Constellation

Post #17 in Physics and Astronomy, 03/02/2024

Welcome back,

In spirit of the Percy Jackson series’ first season coming to an end, I figured it was time to share some knowledge about a very famous constellation that you may or may not have heard of, named the Perseus constellation. 

First, it may be appropriate to explain the story of Perseus, the mythical hero. I say this because a lot of the foundations of mathematics and metaphysics come from the work of Greek mathematicians and philosophers, so to explain some of his story is the least I can do to give it some justice.

Perseus, the Greek hero

The King Acrisius of Argos, disappointed in the fact that he didn’t have a son, consulted the Oracle at Delphi. He was warned that he’d be killed by his own grandson, and in fear of his own life, he imprisoned his only daughter, Danaë, in the courtyard of his palace. Despite this, she found herself with child eventually, as a result of Zeus himself falling in love with her. Deciding to visit her in the form of golden rain, she fell pregnant, eventually birthing a baby boy whom she named Perseus.

His most famous story, perhaps, may be the fact he was the one to slay Medusa. Polydectes, the ruler of the island of Seriphos, came to fall in love with Danaë. Perseus deemed him unfit for his mother, and, angry, Polydectes schemed to have Perseus sent away. In short, Perseus didn’t bring the correct gift to a large banquet held by Polydectes, so the former asked him to name any gift, and he’d bring it. The gift named was no other than the head of Medusa.

With the help of Zeus, Hermes, and Athena following a prayer to the gods (or the Hesperides in other versions), he was gifted with various items to help in his quest, like a pair of winged sandals, Hades’ helm of darkness, and Athena’s polished shield. With Athena’s guidance, Perseus was able to slay Medusa and take her head with him in a knapsack.

The final detail in Perseus’ story I find worthy of mention is his marriage. 

Queen Cassiopeia of Aethiopia had once boasted that her daughter, Andromeda, was more beautiful than the Nereids (sea nymphs). This drew the vengeance of Poseidon, who set a upon the land a sea serpent.

Andromeda was tied to a rock on the shore, but Perseus was quick to come along and slay Cetus, the serpent, using the harp given to him by Hermes. Perseus and Andromeda were married soon after, and following her death, Athena hung her among the Perseus and Cassiopeia constellations in the sky.

How romantic.

Perseus’ location, surroundings, and features

Of all the constellations in the sky, Perseus is the 24th largest, occupying an area of approximately 615 square degrees. It’s within the first quadrant of the northern hemisphere, and its neighbouring constellations are Andromeda, as aforementioned, Aries, Cassiopeia, Taurus, and Triangulum. 

There are also two meteor showers associated with Perseus, the Perseids (which should be visible in July-August of this year), and the September Perseids. 

The International Astronomical Union approved of eight names for eight stars within the constellation. They are: Algol, Atik, Berehinya, Menkib, Miram, Mirfak, Misam, and Muspelheim. 

Finding Perseus

Here’s the image from earlier again. Though you may only be seeing a cluster of stars at first, you’ll quickly realise there are some distinct shapes within this, shapes you’ll recognise across all images of the constellation. This image is a ground image found on the Hubble website.

Most notably within the constellation is the shape of a tilted stickman poised to strike, at least that’s how I’m seeing it. 

You can find the full-size image here—it’s beautiful, I couldn’t show it here, since the file size is too large. 

[houseofbrat]

12 JULY 2024: William plays polo at a charity match. Kate and the children do not attend.

William confirms he will attend the Euro final on Sunday, 14 July 2024.

13 JULY 2024: Kate confirms she will attend the men's final at Wimbledon.

14 JULY 2024: Kate attends the Wimbledon men's final with Charlotte and Pippa.

William attends the Euro final with George to watch England lose to Spain.

15 JULY 2024: Katie Nicholl, Vanity Fair, "Kate Middleton Is Now “On Summer Break” After Wimbledon Appearance" [archive link]

Kate Middleton’s appearance at Wimbledon on Sunday delighted tennis and royal fans, but it may be some time before we see Kate in public again. According to royal sources, Prince William and Princess Kate are planning to spend most of the summer “below the radar” at their Norfolk bolthole now that Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis are out of school and Kate continues her course of preventative chemotherapy. While Kensington Palace would not give details on the family’s plans for the summer, a royal source confirmed that the Wales family are now “on summer break.” Sources close to the family say that although they will not be traveling abroad this summer while Kate undergoes treatment, they are excited to visit King Charles and Queen Camilla in Scotland next month. Sunday’s appearance at Wimbledon is likely to be Kate’s last official engagement until later this year.

16 JULY 2024: Will & Kate are looking to hire a new Assistant Private Secretary that can speak "conversational Welsh." [archive link]

Although the new hire would be responsible for Prince William and Catherine's public engagements in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, the future King and Queen want their new Assistant Private Secretary to specifically focus on Wales and believe it is "essential" that they speak conversational Welsh. [...] Almost two years after taking on their Wales titles, and after a testing year so far with The Princess' major abdominal surgery and cancer diagnosis, it appears Prince William and Catherine are driving forward with their plans, seeking "specific expertise on Welsh communities, affairs, government, and business". Handled by the largest executive search firm in the United Kingdom, Odgers Berndtson has posted a job advert for an Assistant Private Secretary ("APS"), Wales & UK on behalf of Kensington Palace.

18 JULY 2024: The attempted Donald Trump assassin had searched for images of Kate according to investigation.

23 JULY 2024: William announces more patronages. Kate does not announce any new patronages.

24 JULY 2024: Victoria Ward, The Telegraph, "Prince William refuses to reveal how much tax he pays." [archive link]

The Prince of Wales has chosen not to reveal how much tax he pays on the private income he receives from his vast property portfolio, marking a notable change in approach from when his father was heir to the throne. Prince William’s Duchy of Cornwall estate, the billion-pound business empire he inherited on the death of his grandmother, Elizabeth II, generated profits of £23.6 million in the last financial year. He is understood to pay income tax on the full amount, less household costs, which have also not been disclosed.

26 JULY 2024: Robert Jobson's book excerpt in The Daily Mail, "How the Queen and Charles clashed with William after he refused to stop flying his young family around Britain in his helicopter." [archive link]

One courtier explained: 'The King's relationship with both his sons has been difficult over the years. Even now he is King, with the Prince of Wales, there can be differences of opinion and tensions. Of course, they love each other, but they clash, and sometimes William needs handling with kid gloves.' Another courtier confirmed: 'You have to check first which way the wind is blowing with the prince. They don't see eye to eye on several issues, but why should they? [Prince William's] moment in the top job will come — perhaps he would do well to remember it is not yet. This is His Majesty's time.' When he loses his temper, William is a bit of a shouter — and his father tends to give as good as he gets. The difference these days is that their arguments usually blow over quite quickly. One recent source of disagreement is William's stubborn refusal to take his father's advice on safeguarding the succession. Earlier this year, the King had raised concerns with his son about the wisdom of William using his helicopter to fly his entire family around the country.

27 JULY 2024: People magazine (US), "Prince William and King Charles Clashed Over Use of Helicopter for Kate Middleton and Their Children, New Book Claims". [archive link]

According to Robert Jobson's soon-to-be-released biography, Catherine, The Princess of Wales, the King, 75, “raised concerns” with William, 42, over his helicopter use with Kate Middleton and their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, that sparked a tense disagreement between the pair.  In an excerpt from Jobson’s book, per The Daily Mail, King Charles brought up his worries on the matter after coming to terms with his mortality following his cancer diagnosis, which was announced in February. The King even presented experienced pilot William with “a formal document acknowledging the risks involved and taking full responsibility for his actions” amid their dispute, the new book claims.   Charles’ concerns echoed that of his late mother Queen Elizabeth, who previously requested William not fly with his family on a helicopter from Kensington Palace to his former residence of Anmer Hall in Norfolk, which is a 115-mile journey, according to Robson.  [...] It is also understood that the palace has fully evaluated the risk of the family flying together, compared with implementing a policy where separate travel assets are provided for one or more members of The Prince and Princess of Wales’ family.

30 JULY 2024: The Prince's Trust announces the date for its annual Christmas Carol concert, 09 December 2024.

Hilary Rose, The Times, posts an article about William van Cutsem, friend of Prince William and recently appointed as an adviser to the Duchy of Cornwall. [archive link]

The Earthshot Prize tweets about their third annual Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit, which mentions no commitment by William to attend.

03 AUGUST 2024: Daily Mail's Natasha Livingstone

07 AUGUST 2024: Tom Sykes, The Daily Beast, "Princess Kate Will Focus on Her Kids After ‘Brush With Mortality’: Sources" [archive link]

It is thought the smaller Wales family are unlikely to travel this year to Tresco, a small island off the coast of Cornwall, where they have often spent summer holidays. However, The Daily Beast has been told that the couple are aiming to be in Balmoral either for the opening of the grouse-shooting season on Aug. 12 or shortly thereafter. William and Kate both shoot. One friend of the couple told The Daily Beast: “Kate has been exceptionally open and honest about her health. Making two appearances before the summer break, at Wimbledon and Trooping the Colour, was a clear signal that she is doing well. That is what we are hearing privately as well—it’s not over but there is lots of optimism, lots of positivity.” [...] Another source, a Buckingham Palace insider, said they understood there was no sense that Kate was expected to be back on duty for the traditionally busy period of royal engagements that kicks off in the first week of September and runs through to Christmas.

11 AUGUST 2024: William & Kate appear for less than ten seconds in a video message for Team GB with multiple celebrity appearances, after the end of the Olympics.

13 AUGUST 2024: Lucie Heath writes about the Duchy of Cornwall.

The Duchy of Cornwall’s largest single landholding is 27,300 hectares on Dartmoor, which accounts for approximately one third of the National Park. Last year the Government published an independent review of Dartmoor, which concluded the landscape was “not in a good state”. Dr Alexander Lees, a biodiversity expert at Manchester Metropolitan University, said the Duchy of Cornwall has a big part to play in turning things around at Dartmoor and other sites it owns. “As one of Britain’s biggest landowners, the Duchy of Cornwall is in a position of strength to combat the entwined biodiversity and climate crises. However, massive additional investment in conservation is needed across these landholdings,” he said. Dr Lee said: “clearly there is a need to generate income to leverage restoration and rewilding across the estate”, but added it is “questionable” that some of this income comes from a car dealership when the Duchy has promoted reduced car use through its flagship Poundbury housing estate in Dorset.

14 AUGUST 2024: Rebecca English, Daily Mail, "Why Kate's year has been tougher than anyone realises - and why she's starting to glow again." [archive link]

What most will not appreciate is that Catherine had actually been unwell for some time in the run up to her initial abdominal surgery in January (further details of which have not been made public yet by Kensington Palace). It was only after that ‘planned’ operation, of course, which left her in hospital for two weeks, that her cancer was discovered.

The Daily Beast rehashes the "exclusives" from the Daily Mail.

16 AUGUST 2024: Dan Wootton reiterates that Kate may "NEVER" return to full-time royal duties.

Tusk Trust CEO says William wants to introduce his children to Africa.

"He is very knowledgeable and passionate about conservation and the environment,” Mayhew said. “He has a particular love for Africa. He has been incredibly supportive as our patron and proactive in supporting us. We find ourselves incredibly lucky.” Mayhew plans to meet up with Prince William in Cape Town, South Africa, when the Prince of Wales hosts the fourth annual Earthshot Prize Awards there in November. Soon enough, the Prince of Wales will want to introduce his three children — Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis — to the continent, Mayhew said. “I think it won’t be long before, you know, he will want to introduce them to Africa,” he said.

17 AUGUST 2024: Natasha Anderson, Daily Mail, reports on how Will, Kate, George, Charlotte, and Louis, spent the day at a large Nerf battle. [archive link]

The Royal family had a bit of a rumble last weekend as the Prince and Princess of Wales faced off against their children in a Nerf battle. Prince George, 11, Princes Charlotte, nine, and six-year-old Prince Louis joined in the festivities at the Gone Wild Festival at Holkham Hall, Norfolk for a high-intensity Nerf war with toy guns and smoke bombs. Excitable and 'unforgettable' Louis ran around yelling 'Nerf or nothing, let's do this!', according to Norfolk Nerf Parties boss Georgina Barron. The Princess of Wales, who has been battling cancer, even 'grabbed a Nerf gun, ran around, and played stuck in the mud with her kids', Ms Barron added, noting that hosting the family was the 'biggest honour' and 'unforgettable'. Ms Barron said the royals, who were not photographed at the event, had wanted to enjoy a 'wholesome family day like any other normal family'. Kensington Palace has been approached for comment. 

19 AUGUST 2024: People magazine (US), story about who's who in the Middleton family.

The Mirror, "Kate Middleton's 'tough' side and unlikely inspiration for 'ambitious' plans" [archive link]

The Princess of Wales has rapidly ascended the Royal ranks, becoming a favourite among the Royal Family due to her sense of humour and evident respect for her role. Even during her cancer treatment, she has displayed nothing but strength and determination. Kate, once shy and reserved, has transformed into a confident, playful, and occasionally assertive figure, commanding as much public respect as King Charles or Prince William could ever wish for. This trust that the King places in his "darling daughter-in-law" reportedly leads to her frequently being asked for her opinion due to her relatability.

20 AUGUST 2024: "Princess Charlotte, Lady Louise and the Duchess of Edinburgh go on special trip" [archive link]

Princess Charlotte, Lady Louise and Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh went on a special shopping trip in London, according to a source. Charlotte has a good relationship with her great-aunt and the two royals were joined by Sophie's daughter Louise during a trip to Chelsea. The royals headed to the Peter Jones store on King's Road which is said to be one of Charlotte's favourite stores. A source told The Sun: "There is a really warm connection between Sophie and her great-niece, which is very touching."

21 AUGUST 2024: Tom Sykes, The Daily Beast, "Princes William and Harry May Only Reunite at King Charles’ Funeral: Source" [archive link]

Asked about the reports that Harry would not be invited to William’s coronation, the source said: “I believe it 100 percent. Why would William and Kate want all the distraction and circus that his presence would bring? I suspect that William will see Harry one more time in his life in the flesh—at their father’s funeral.” A former Buckingham Palace staffer told The Daily Beast: “Planning for William’s coronation is well underway, and as I understand it there are no plans to invite Harry. It’s hardly surprising when you look at how poisoned the well has become.”

US Weekly (USA) has cover story on William & Camilla, with sourcing from Christopher Andersen's book.

23 AUGUST 2024: People magazine (US), "Prince William's Return to Work Plans Revealed After Summer Break with Kate Middleton and Their Kids" [archive link]

On Aug. 22, Kensington Palace announced that the Prince of Wales, 42, will visit the Homelessness: Reframed exhibit at the Saatchi Gallery in London on Sept. 5. The display highlights the complexities of homelessness across the U.K. and offers the public an opportunity to better understand the stories of individuals who have been affected. Homelessness: Reframed is a collaboration between Prince William's Homewards program, which he launched with the Royal Foundation in June 2023 to help end homelessness for good, the Saatchi Gallery and the Eleven Eleven Foundation. The presentation opened on Aug. 7, and Prince William will visit before it closes on Sept. 20.

25 AUGUST 2024: Kate seen in a car on the way to church 'at Crathie Kirk, Balmoral, Scotland.

Daily Mail, "Inside Kate's slow and steady return to public life: How the Princess of Wales has won over the nation's hearts with appearances at Trooping the Colour, Wimbledon and Crathie Kirk following cancer diagnosis" [archive link]

Her appearance had been in doubt after she missed the final Trooping rehearsal the weekend prior to the celebration, with confirmation that she would attend only given at 6pm the evening before.  [...] And now, Kate has been seen in public for the third time since revealing that she has cancer - just two weeks after her video message praising Team GB.  The royal appeared in high spirits as she was pictured arriving for Sunday service with her husband William at Crathie Kirk today.  William drove the car, smiling as he chatted with his wife and opting for a navy blue suit for the occasion.  The Princess sported the same hat she donned last year for a Sunday church service, when she donned a beige tartan Marlborough trench coat from Holland Cooper with  dark brown wool felt fedora with feathers.

28 AUGUST 2024: The Daily Mail's royal editor, Rebecca English, confirms that William "never planned to" attend the Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit in September 2024.

29 AUGUST 2024: Matt Wilkinson, The Sun, reports that both William and Harry attended their uncle's funeral in Norfolk, "Warring Prince William and Harry REUNITE at their uncle’s funeral after Duke of Sussex makes secret dash to UK" [archive link]

The Duke of Sussex, 39, flew from his US home to join his brother, 42, at the service for Lord Robert Fellowes. A local in Snettisham, Norfolk, said: “We never saw them speak to each other and they kept their distance.” The princes both “discreetly” attended the funeral for Lord Fellowes — who was their mother Diana’s brother-in-law. They were said to have kept their distance from each other and sat at the back of the church. Sources close to US-based Harry had previously claimed he would not attend. But a close family friend said they were “very happy to confirm both princes were there”. Another source told how they only saw them at the end of the service at St Mary’s Church. They said: “I didn’t know they were there. They arrived very discreetly.” One local said: “William and Harry were both there but we never saw them speak to each other and they were keeping their distance.”

TIMELINE:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

[gone2soon-rip]

SHANNEN DOHERTY (1971-Died July 13th 2024,at 53.Breast cancer).American actress. She was known for her many roles in television and film, including her role as Jenny Wilder in Little House on the Prairie (1982–1983); Maggie Malene in Girls Just Want to Have Fun (1985); Kris Witherspoon in Our House (1986–1988); Heather Duke in Heathers (1989); Brenda Walsh in Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990–1994), 90210 (2008–2009) and BH90210 (2019); Prue Halliwell in Charmed (1998–2001); and Dobbs in Fortress (2021).Shannen Doherty - Wikipedia

[covid-safer-hotties]

The US is experiencing its largest summer Covid wave in at least two years - Published Aug 16, 2024

It may be time to dust off the face masks and air purifiers.

The US is in the midst of a significant Covid-19 wave, with viral activity levels in wastewater the highest they’ve been for a summer surge since July 2022, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s wastewater dashboard.

The CDC’s measure of national Covid viral activity in wastewater rose to 8.82 on August 10 – falling shy of a peak of 9.56 in July 2022. The CDC says the most recent data is incomplete and may change. Before it started rising again in May, it was at 1.36.

“Currently, the COVID-19 wastewater viral activity level is very high nationally, with the highest levels in the Western US region,” Dr. Jonathan Yoder, deputy director of the CDC’s Wastewater Surveillance Program, said in an email. “This year’s COVID-19 wave is coming earlier than last year, which occurred in late August/early September.”

Emergency room visits, hospitalizations and deaths are also ticking up, although not to the same extent as infections, according to the CDC’s Covid dashboard. As of the end of July, the CDC’s dashboard shows about 4 are being hospitalized for Covid for every 100,000 people in a given area, up from a low in May of about one Covid hospitalization for every 100,000 people – the lowest level since the pandemic began.

The CDC’s wastewater data closely aligns with what they’re seeing at the nationwide WastewaterSCAN network, too.

“This is a very significant surge. The levels are very high. They’re the highest we’ve ever seen during a summer wave,” said Dr. Marlene Wolfe, an assistant professor of environmental health and public health at Emory University and a program director for WastewaterSCAN. “We’re detecting SARS-CoV-2 in 100 percent of our samples across the country right now.”

WastewaterSCAN also began monitoring in early 2022 and the number of sites that it monitors has changed over time.

“Despite these changes, it’s notable that levels right now for WastewaterSCAN are much higher than previous summer peaks and yet still below the average concentrations at the height of the winter peaks in 2023, 2022, and 2021,” said Dr. Alexandria Boehm, professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford University and program director for WastewaterSCAN.

Health officials no longer track the coronavirus as closely as they did during the public health emergency, and there are no longer reliable estimates of daily or weekly new infections in the US. Instead, the nation is largely relying on wastewater levels to follow numbers of new cases.

Wolfe says the amount of virus in wastewater doesn’t precisely correlate to numbers of infections. That’s because there are a host of things that can influence how much virus is in wastewater – including how much water is flowing through the sewage system when sampling takes place, as well as how much virus people may be shedding with a given variant. Despite these variables, she says sampling over time has shown there is a strong relationship between the number of people infected in a given area and the amount of virus in local wastewater.

“We can’t say exactly how many more cases that may be compared to previous years, because some of those changes might have happened in the virus in the areas that we’re measuring,” she said.

The rise in cases is being driven by waning immunity in the population and a trio of new variants that have drifted enough from their parent virus, JN.1, to escape the ability of our antibodies to quickly neutralize them.

Cases are also climbing just as children head back to classrooms in many parts of the US, giving the infection plenty of opportunity to spread.

It’s not clear when this surge will peak and start to taper off.

“Here in Houston, Texas, wastewater numbers are still high and not declining. They have reached a plateau at a high level for several weeks,” said Dr. Peter Hotez, an infectious disease expert who is director of the Center for Vaccine Development at Texas Children’s Hospital.

The surge of cases has also come ahead of the availability of an updated Covid-19 vaccine designed to better protect against the new variants, which could help slow the spread of the virus.

“It’s a bit disappointing that these are not available now, as Covid is surging,” Hotez said.

The US Food and Drug Administration has not yet approved the latest tweaks to the Covid-19 vaccines, but experts say they’ve heard that updated shots from Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax should be ready in the coming weeks.

In June, the FDA, following its normal process of reevaluating the need for changes to the Covid vaccines, directed manufacturers to update their shots for the fall to better match the variants that were making people sick.

“We keep hearing rumors that it will be here by the end of September, so we shouldn’t have to wait too long,” said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University.

The best thing people can do as far as their own personal risk is to get that vaccine when it does become available, Hotez said.

“Next, of course, is a good N95 or KN95 mask when you are in crowded indoor areas,” Hotez said, and seek out the antiviral medication Paxlovid if you test positive. For that reason, it’s also a good idea to stock up on Covid-19 tests to identify whether any coughs or runny noses are being caused by the coronavirus.

[okayto]

Mini-Reviews: Game Demos I Have Played Lately

Vampire Therapist

Guide vampires through centuries of emotional baggage, decades of delusions and the odd bout of self-loathing with real cognitive behavioral therapy concepts and become a Vampire Therapist! Even vampires need a shoulder to cry on when a neck to bite just won’t do.

This visual novel is fun, humorous, and also contains actual cognitive behavioral therapy concepts. Protagonist Sam, a vampire turned during the age of the Wild West, realized that vampires have a tendency to some defeatist or self-destructive thought patterns, and has reached out to an ancient compatriot to better learn how he can help other vampires. I'm no therapist, but the concepts portrayed in the game seem fairly basic—basic concepts that let the player and characters identify surface-level things and move the story along, without going deep enough to mess up or portray ~woo~ (beyond the inherent woo of, y'know, vampires). (I recommended it to my professional counselor sibling, so I'll be interested to find out if they agree with my impression.)

The demo lets you play through your first two clients. That, combined with the opening story that sees Sam getting to Germany to meet the ancient vampire who'll train him (and meeting some other characters along the way), gives you enough to decide if you'd like to try the full game. It doesn't end on a cliffhanger, but it definitely left me wanting more.

Demo Playtime: Took me about 1.5 hours

Release Date: July 2024 (demo still available as of post date)

Find It: Steam, GOG

Do Not Buy This Game

Are you really reading this to find out more? ...FINE! If you DO buy this game, expect me to narrate in your ear for around 2 hours about your poor life choices, all while I'll try to create something resembling a game for you to walk around in.

This seems like it would be incredibly appealing to people who like The Stanley Parable, a game that mostly involves walking around an eerily-empty building while a sarcastic narrator repeatedly breaks the fourth wall, because this game also involves walking around a mostly-empty space while a nervous narrator repeatedly breaks the fourth wall. I really, really liked the narrator, and found myself wishing there was a way to respond. Or make friends. (Talk to me, narrator! Tell me why you don't want me to proceed! Play a game with me!) The phrase "comedy walking sim" wouldn't have sounded interesting before, but now that I've played it, I'm eagerly awaiting more. The game has a solo developer, so it seems slow-going, but he did update just a few months ago confirming it's still being worked on.

Demo Playtime: About 20 minutes

Release Date: TBD/Unknown

Find It: Steam

The Rise of the Golden Idol

Uncover the truth behind 20 strange cases of crime, death and depravity in the 1970s. The world has changed dramatically - the sins of humanity have not.

This point-and-click detective game has you initially investigating two unrelated crime scenes, discovering clues and keywords to make deductions by correctly filling-in-the-blank, before a third scenario shows that the scenes are connected and there may be a deeper conspiracy.

I've never played another game that works this way: when you investigate a scene, you discovered keywords (such as names, locations, and actions) that are put into a word bank; to solve things you must put the correct words from that bank into the correct spots. Intriguing! I did need to check guides a couple times, but I am notably bad at deductive games (as noted in previous game reviews), so I can't say that means this is actually difficult.

This is listed as the sequel to The Case of the Golden Idol (demo also available; I haven't played it), but at least as far as the demo goes, there wasn't anything in this game that was confusing or seemed to lack context.

Demo Playtime: ~60-90 minutes

Release Date: November 2024 (demo still available as of post date)

Find It: Steam (demo and game); game without demo available available on PlayStation, Switch, Xbox, and iOS/Andriod mobile via Netflix.

Blue Prince

Welcome to Mt. Holly, where every dawn unveils a new mystery. Navigate through shifting corridors and ever-changing chambers in this genre-defying strategy puzzle adventure. But will your unpredictable path lead you to the rumored Room 46?

A strange, shifting house, and you're trying to get from one end to the other. You have a limited number of times you can pass through rooms, and you choose which rooms appear from a limited selection every time you open a new door. Within you limits, can you uncover secrets, collect items, and find a path to the final room?

This is fascinating, and it was easy to forget I was playing a demo as I spent hours trying to navigate through the house. You won't get lost—you have a map showing all current rooms—but trying to balance the limited number of rooms I could go through with options, like "should the next room be this bedroom that replenishes me, but has not other doors? Or this room that costs gold to create, but has two more doors I could leave through, potentially helping me avoid a dead-end? Part escape room, part mystery, part luck of the draw[ing room], this has a small but dedicated fanbase already, and it's easy to see why.

Demo Playtime: 6 hours and counting

Release Date: "Spring 2025" (demo still available as of post; online comments indicate it has bounced between available and unavailable in the past year)

Find It: Steam

If you’re interested in a game described above, it may also be available in other formats or platforms than what I played. If you liked this post, click my “reviews” or “video games” tags below or search on my blog to find more.

[cleolinda]

Weekend links, April 28, 2024

My posts

I spent the first half of the week struggling through (well-medicated) mania and the second half currently with a sinus infection! I’m not enjoying it! Not either one! 

Reblogs of interest

Pro-Gaza protests at universities in the U.S.: a solidarity Passover seder and an accidental Pulitzer photo

Canada Agrees 200 Islands Belong to the Indigenous Haida Nation

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The Hot Vintage Lady Polls continue to go for the throat. I felt so bad about Dorothy Dandridge that I started posting and reblogging propaganda for her, but Ava Gardner, my beloved, went through anyway. Backing her felt like a wish on a monkey’s paw ("Not like this!!"). (See all poll results here.) I tremble to think what round 5 will look like. Like, there’s a point when your girl is gonna come up against a Hepburn, you know?

Notably gone this week: Judy Garland, Julie Andrews, Lupe Vélez, Irene Papas (who took out Vivien Leigh in the previous round), Gene Tierney, Barbara Stanwyck, Lena Horne, Jean Seberg, Anita Ekberg, Angela Lansbury, and Cyd Charisse. Like I keep saying, everybody loses. Everybody but one. Round 5 will start May 1st. 

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Hozier Watch 2024: His first U.S. #1, which he’s now playing at shows! The first U.S. #1 for an Irish artist in 34 years! What?? you cry. Did “Take Me to Church” not do that ten years ago? Well, I went and looked it up: No. That was the “Blank Space” era. Say no more. 

Speaking of Taylor Swift—Paste Magazine went IN on the new album and got threats as a result. Meanwhile, Taylor’s fans are harassing the ex-boyfriend who did nothing wrong (as opposed to the racist one) because her PR is egging them on. I’ll admit: even though I’m not a fan, I found the Paste review to be overlong and not focused enough on the actual songs, proportionally. But that post about the PR saga is everything I miss about Fandom Wank. 

(“My rival dresses to display her legs, and her shoes are of an alluring fashion”)

Meanwhile, the Watcher guys issued the best apology possible, although it was still excruciating to watch. (Background.) They will remain on YouTube while introducing the streaming service. As a Patreon member, I haven’t asked for my free subscription code yet, but I’m going to. Some fans forgave them pretty easily; others have walked away. I’m curious to see if this affects the mood of anything new they film, since a segment of the fandom got really, really ugly about it. Mostly it just felt sad all around. 

Meanwhile, in Alabama: nobody wants to measure the feral hog.

Turns out Death Note had a good reason to concoct “American” names like “Bobson Dugnutt.” Also, I somehow had two posts tagged “death note” this week and I don’t even go here.

The worst brownies ever created and what Tumblr has to say about them

“You roll up to the Wizard Battle and your opponent takes out his spellbook but it’s just one of these”

I know that Loki is not Odin’s son in actual Norse mythology, but the bredlik is amazing.

TIL that Florence and Ravenna are still feuding over Dante’s remains

Maybe haunted dolls cost extra

Chorses

Video

Branch manager

Senior branch manager

“Free serotonin from Honey the Italian greyhound”

Sola learned to show love from her humans

I have seen many of jauncydev’s videos about dog personalities, but I have never seen him commit quite this hard before

I like tie-dye videos anyway, but this one is sick as hell

The sacred videos: you are not prepared for this police sketch, and neither is this news anchor

The sacred texts

Kick his ass, baby. I got yo flower.

Gold Star, You Tried: A compilation

A personal favorite: “mayhaps I TWIMST aroumd”

The origin of “By Talos this can’t be happening”

Personal tags of the week

Seasonally: cherry blossom. Also, art: an old standby, but it was really good, and also, I’m sick.

[xtruss]

The Bombshell Political Report So Shocking A U.S. President Tried To Pretend It Didn't Exist! LBJ Tried To Torpedo The Official Kerner Commission Record. Instead It Became A Bestseller

— May 10, 2024 | Jelani Cobb

President Lyndon Baines Johnson listens during a meeting in the White House Cabinet Room, March 26, 1968. LBJ Presidential Library.

When President Lyndon Baines Johnson created the [Kerner] commission in July 1967 it was tasked with understanding what had happened up to that moment. Nearly two dozen uprisings or, in the antiseptic language of the report, “civil disorders,” had occurred between 1964 and 1967, with the largest and most destructive taking place in the Watts neighborhood in Los Angeles over the course of five days in August 1965.

Kerner has endured not simply for its prescience but also for the breadth of its analysis of the moment when it was conceived. The National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, which became more commonly known as the Kerner Commission—a reference to then-governor of Illinois Otto Kerner, who served as its chairman—was created by President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Executive Order 11365 on July 28, 1967. The order was issued as entire stretches of the city of Detroit lay smoldering.

On July 23, 1967, a police raid on an after-hours bar in Detroit sparked an explosion in which residents hurled rocks and bottles at police and culminated in a nearly week-long uprising marked by arson, looting, and forty-three deaths. Just eleven days earlier, the city of Newark had detonated following the assault on John Smith, a Black cab driver, by white police officers. The reactions in the community were immediate and incendiary. In the chaos of social retribution that ensued, twenty-six people were killed and hundreds more injured, while the city sustained an estimated ten million dollars in damage.

Newark and Detroit were just the most notable of more than two dozen American cities that ignited in revolts in that summer of 1967. It appeared as though a valve of the city reservoir had been opened. An apocalyptic fury, the response to decades of discriminatory policy and centuries of racial exploitation, suddenly spewed out in American cities.

Johnson charged the eleven-member Kerner panel with answering three questions: “What happened? Why did it happen? What can be done to prevent it from happening again and again?” These were Johnson’s precise words. Addressing these questions, however, would mean answering dozens of subsidiary questions the roots of which lay deeply tangled in American history and public policy.

The members themselves represented a cross section, albeit not a representative one, of domestic interests. Chaired by Kerner, the second-term Democratic governor of Illinois, the commission included two of his fellow Democratic elected officials, Congressman James Corman, the fourth-term representative of California’s twenty-second district, and freshman senator Fred R. Harris of Oklahoma. They were joined by three Republicans, New York City mayor John V. Lindsay, Rep. William M. McCulloch of Ohio’s fourth district, and Edward Brooke, the freshman Massachusetts lawmaker and the sole African American serving in the United States Senate at the time.

By current standards the commission was overwhelmingly white (nine of the eleven members) and male (ten of eleven). Katherine Peden, the commerce secretary of Kentucky, was the sole female commission member. Roy Wilkins, the political moderate and executive director of the NAACP, joined Brooke as the only Black people at the table. In addition, I. W. Abel, president of the United Steelworkers of America, represented labor in the proceedings, and Herbert Jenkins, the police chief of Atlanta, Georgia, represented law enforcement. Charles Thornton, the CEO of Litton Industries, spoke for the manufacturing sector.

President Lyndon Johnson (seated, center) shakes hands with members of the Kerner Commission. July 29, 1967. White House Photo Office Collection, LBJ Presidential Library.

What differentiated the Kerner Commission from the outset was the historical scope of the investigations: the members were not seeking to understand a singular incident of disorder, but the phenomenon of rioting itself. Despite the heterogeneity of interests, if not the bipartisan backgrounds, of the members, the concluding report spoke with a strikingly unified voice about the problems that the various committee participants sought to understand. And that voice was an unabashedly integrationist one. Their most immediate and salient observation was that, even though the police had been involved in these most volatile incidents, American cities were not simply facing a crisis of policing. Rather, police were simply the spear’s tip of much broader systemic and institutional failures.

[T]he Kerner Report noted that the “problem” had been, first and foremost, inaccurately diagnosed. The so-called Negro problem was, in fact, a white problem. Or, as the report noted in one of the oft-quoted sections of the summary, “What white Americans have never fully understood—but what the Negro can never forget—is that white society is deeply implicated in the ghetto. White institutions created it, white institutions maintain it, and white society condones it.”

In a best-case scenario, Kerner would have become a kind of guidebook for the War on Poverty policies then being enacted by the Johnson administration. In more practical terms, the commission recommended new community-based guidelines covering how police needed to interact with citizens of “the ghetto,” as Black communities were dubiously classified in the report. It devoted an entire chapter to the ways in which justice should be administered in the course of riots; it suggested a national network of neighborhood task forces, local institutions that could bypass the bureaucracy and red tape of city administration and head off problems before they erupted into crises. It suggested “neighborhood service centers” to connect residents of these communities with job placement and other forms of assistance and proposed expanded municipal employment as a means of diminishing chronically high unemployment in these areas.

Perceptively, its members suggested that the monochromatically white news media that reported on these uprisings was also a symptom of the bigger problem. That social upheaval that had been created by overwhelmingly white institutions and maintained by said white institutions was then investigated and reported upon by yet another overwhelmingly white institution constituted, in their assessment, a racial conflict of interest. They closed with a raft of specific recommendations for housing, employment, welfare, and education. Kerner was possibly a victim of its own meticulousness. The report brims with suggestions. One reason why its proposals were not realized might be that it simply made too many of them.

The commission could not have known when it released its findings in March 1968 that it was issuing a preface, not a postscript. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated the following month, and more than one hundred American cities exploded into just the type of violence that the Kerner Commission had sought to understand if not prevent. [T]he Report was fated, from the moment it reached shelves, to operate more crucially as a forecast than a review. “Our Nation,” it warned in 1968, “is moving toward two societies, one black, one white—separate and unequal.”

— Excerpted From "Introduction" By Jelani Cobb, From The Essential Kerner Commission Report, Edited By Jelani Cobb, With Matthew Guariglia.

[business-market-insights]

North America Colorectal Cancer Diagnostics Market Trends, Size, Segment and Growth by Forecast to 2030

North America Colorectal Cancer Diagnostics Market Overview and Insights

The North America colorectal cancer diagnostics market was valued at US$ 4,315.86 million in 2023 and is projected to reach US$ 6,621.26 million by 2028, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.9% from 2023 to 2028.

Market Drivers: Product Innovations and AI Integration

The launch of new diagnostic products and technological advancements significantly contribute to market growth. Key industry players are continuously innovating to enhance colorectal cancer detection and diagnosis.

AI-Assisted Colonoscopy: In July 2022, US Digestive Health (USDH) introduced AI-powered colonoscopy screenings with Genious Intelligent GI endoscopy modules. This technology enhances the detection of hard-to-spot polyps, improving early cancer diagnosis.

AI-Enabled Endoscopic Solutions: In September 2020, Olympus Corporation launched ENDO-AID, an AI-driven platform featuring the ENDO-AID CADe application, which enables real-time detection of suspicious lesions during colonoscopies.

These advancements help reduce colorectal cancer-related morbidity by enhancing screening accuracy and early detection. 𝐃𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝 𝐏𝐃𝐅 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐞 - https://www.businessmarketinsights.com/sample/BMIRE00028834

Market Landscape and Colorectal Cancer Prevalence

North America remains a significant market for colorectal cancer diagnostics due to high disease prevalence and advanced healthcare infrastructure.

In 2023, an estimated 153,020 adults in the US were diagnosed with colorectal cancer, comprising 106,970 new cases of colon cancer and 46,050 cases of rectal cancer.

Mortality Rates: Approximately 52,550 deaths were projected due to colorectal cancer in the US in 2023.

The incidence of colorectal cancer is increasing among younger adults, despite being historically prevalent in older populations.

Five-Year Survival Rate: According to the American Cancer Society, the five-year survival rate for localized colon cancer is 91%, and for localized rectal cancer, it is 90%. North America Colorectal Cancer Diagnostics Market Report

Report Attribute

Details

Market Size (2023)

US$ 4,315.86 Million

Market Size (2028)

US$ 6,621.26 Million

CAGR (2023 - 2028)

8.9%

Historical Data

2021-2022

Forecast Period

2024-2028

Segments Covered

By Modality: Imaging Tests, Stool-Based Tests By End User: Hospitals, Diagnostic Laboratories, Cancer Research Institutes

Regions & Countries Covered

North America (US, Canada, Mexico)

Market Leaders & Key Companies

Bruker Corp, Clinical Genomics Technologies Pty Ltd, EDP Biotech Corp, Eiken Chemical Co., Ltd., Epigenomics AG, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Illumina Inc, Medtronic Plc, Quest Diagnostics Inc, Siemens Healthineers AG

Government Initiatives and Screening Guidelines

Government support and research funding play a crucial role in colorectal cancer diagnostics. Notable initiatives include:

The US Preventive Services Task Force (2021) revised screening recommendations, lowering the starting age for colorectal cancer screening from 50 to 45 to increase early detection.

The Colorectal Cancer Alliance has invested US$ 1.1 million in research grants to fund innovative colorectal cancer research.

Market Segmentation

By Modality:

Imaging Tests (largest segment in 2023):

Colonoscopy

CT Colonography

Flexible Sigmoidoscopy

Capsule Endoscopy

Others

Stool-Based Tests:

Fecal Immunochemical Test (FIT)

Guaiac-Based Fecal Occult Blood Test (gFOBT)

Stool DNA Test

By End User:

Hospitals (largest share in 2023)

Diagnostic Laboratories

Cancer Research Institutes

Others

By Country:

United States (largest market share in 2023)

Canada

Mexico

Competitive Landscape

Several key players drive the North America colorectal cancer diagnostics market, including:

Medtronic Plc

Illumina Inc

Clinical Genomics Technologies Pty Ltd

EDP Biotech Corp

Epigenomics AG

F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd

Quest Diagnostics Inc

Siemens Healthineers AG

Bruker Corp

Eiken Chemical Co., Ltd.

Strategic Insights and Future Trends

Understanding regional market dynamics, economic conditions, and consumer behavior is essential for market expansion. Businesses must leverage strategic insights to:

Identify untapped market segments.

Anticipate shifts in diagnostic technology.

Develop unique value propositions.

Optimize resource allocation and marketing efforts.

With continuous advancements in colorectal cancer diagnostics and strong government backing, the North America market is poised for sustained growth through 2028. About Us:

Business Market Insights is a market research platform that provides subscription service for industry and company reports. Our research team has extensive professional expertise in domains such as Electronics & Semiconductor; Aerospace & Défense; Automotive & Transportation; Energy & Power; Healthcare; Manufacturing & Construction; Food & Beverages; Chemicals & Materials; and Technology, Media, & Telecommunications Author’s Bio: Akshay Senior Market Research Expert at Business Market Insights