#UK Disorder 2024

[tmarshconnors]

UK Disorder 2024

In the summer of 2024, United Kingdom erupted in riots that spread from major cities to small towns, shaking the nation to its core. While the spark for these disturbances might have been immediate grievances, the tinderbox had been building for years. These riots are a symptom of deeper issues that have been ignored for too long. Understanding and addressing these underlying causes is essential if we are to move forward as a society.

For years, many people in United Kingdom have voiced concerns about immigration policies and border control.

There is a perception among a significant portion of the population that the government has not done enough to secure the borders, leading to economic strain, cultural tensions, and a feeling of being unheard. This sentiment has been simmering, with communities feeling increasingly marginalised and ignored by those in power.

Successive governments have often promised to tackle these issues but have failed to take substantial action. Instead, they have been accused of playing lip service, making grand promises during election campaigns and then delivering little in the way of real change once in office. This cycle of unfulfilled promises has eroded trust in political leaders and institutions, creating a sense of disillusionment and frustration among the populace.

Another significant factor contributing to the unrest is the perceived inequality in policing. There have been numerous reports and accusations of discrimination within the police force, with officers treating people differently based on their skin colour, background, or nationality. This has fostered a sense of injustice and alienation, particularly among minority communities.

The police are supposed to be protectors of all citizens, yet when certain groups feel targeted or unfairly treated, it undermines the very foundation of trust that law enforcement relies upon. Reforming the police to ensure equal treatment for all is not just a matter of justice but a necessary step towards rebuilding trust and community cohesion.

A Path Forward

To move beyond the riots and address the root causes of this unrest, several steps need to be taken:

Listening to the People: The government must genuinely listen to the concerns of its citizens about immigration and border control. This doesn't mean giving in to xenophobia but rather addressing legitimate concerns about resources, integration, and national security in a balanced and fair manner.

Realistic and Effective Policies: Rather than making empty promises, the government needs to implement realistic and effective policies that can make a tangible difference. This includes investing in border security, streamlining immigration processes, and ensuring that newcomers are supported in integrating into society.

Police Reform: Comprehensive police reform is essential to ensure that all citizens are treated equally under the law. This involves training officers in cultural sensitivity, holding them accountable for discriminatory actions, and fostering a police culture that values equality and justice.

Community Engagement: Building bridges between different communities is crucial. This can be achieved through dialogue, community projects, and initiatives that promote understanding and cooperation between diverse groups.

The riots of 2024 are a wake-up call for United Kingdom. They are a manifestation of deep-seated issues that have been ignored for too long. Addressing these problems requires more than quick fixes or political rhetoric; it demands genuine engagement, realistic policy-making, and a commitment to justice and equality.

Only by taking these steps can we hope to heal the divisions within our society and move forward together. Want to see real change? I strongly encourage each and every one of us to vote for the “Reform Party” it is the only way can get the change we all want. 

[alpha-mag-media]

WWE superstar, 32, diagnosed with rare immune disorder after weeks out of action | S3544KG | 2024-01-03 05:08:01 | January 03, 2024 at 06:08AM

WWE superstar, 32, diagnosed with rare immune disorder after weeks out of action | S3544KG | 2024-01-03 05:08:01 Read More … Check full articles at Source: ALPHA MAG

[covid-safer-hotties]

Long COVID patients have similar brain activity to those with dementia, UK researchers find - Published Sept 10, 2024

By: Kendall Staton

Some patients with COVID see similar brain changes to people with such neurodegenerative disorders as Alzheimer’s, according to University of Kentucky researchers.

As the COVID pandemic raged across the world in 2020, researchers came together to start better understanding the new disease. At UK, Yang Jiang, a professor in the Department of Behavioral Science, led a study digging into the long-term effects of the virus.

“We’re together trying to understand how the COVID virus goes from getting into the nose and the lung, to somehow affecting the heart and the brain,” she said.

“We think there may be a long COVID, which we still don’t totally understand. It’s likely a risk factor for other neurodegenerative diseases.”

Looking at the effects of long COVID, Jiang sought help from the UK Sanders Brown Center on Aging to better understand the lingering mental effects of the virus.

“They understand some of the neuroinflammatory processes and how oxygen and blood will go through the blood brain barrier and interact with the virus, and how that alters brain functions,” she said. “So we began to sort of put two sides of evidence together.”

Chris Norris, a professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences and researcher at the Sanders Brown Center, said they were able to find brain cells, called astrocytes, in people diagnosed with COVID reacting similarly to brain cells of people with neurodecline.

“(Astrocytes) regulate blood flow to the brain, they regulate the shuttling of metabolites from the blood to the neurons, they support synaptic connections in the brain. When astrocytes become reactive and inflamed, like they do in COVID, all of those things – the metabolism, the blood flow, the synaptic communication – are adversely affected,” he said.

Those same cells also affect blood flow. Alzheimer’s patients and long COVID patients could both experience decreased blood flow in the brain, said Bob Simpol, an assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences and researcher at the Sanders Brown institute.

He called COVID a “risk factor” that could contribute to long-term cognitive impairment or neurodegeneration.

People experiencing inflammation of astrocytes will see symptoms like brain fog, lapses in memory or forgetting the name of common items. Norris said these symptoms go beyond misplacing your keys, to something more serious – like forgetting you had your keys to begin with.

The research also showed that the brains of people with long COVID had similar electroencephalography (EEG) patterns to people with dementia.

Jiang said EEG’s measure “brain age” by looking at the activity of brain waves.

“Our brain is active all the time, even when you’re resting and when you sleep. EEG can capture the synchronized neural activity at the scalp. So what we observed, in COVID-19 patients, is the same pattern we see in dementia patients, which is the brain literally slows down,” Jiang said.

A COVID diagnosis does not mean you have dementia. Instead, people who have been diagnosed with COVID should have their brain function checked regularly, to catch signs of deterioration early and promote intervention.

With early intervention, 40-60% of neurodegeneration symptoms are reversible, Jiang said. With this research, the team is pushing for patients who have had a COVID diagnosis to get regular neurological check-ups.

“You can now look at brain function pretty easily and non invasively with EEG, just as easily as taking your blood pressure or listening to your lungs,” Norris said.

“After your symptomatic, it may be a good idea to have your brain activity assessed.”

[batboyblog]

Things Biden and the Democrats did, this week #17

May 3-10 2024

Vice President Harris announced 5.5 billion dollars to build affordable housing and address homelessness. The grants will go to 1,200 communities across all 50 states, DC and Puerto Rico. 1.3 billion will go to HUD's HOME program which builds, buys, and rehabs affordable housing for rent or ownership. 3.3 billion is headed to Community Development Block Grants which supports housing as well as homeless services, and expanding economic opportunities. Remaining funds focus on building housing for extremely low- and very low-income households, Housing for people struggling with HIV/AIDS, transitional housing for those with substance-use disorder, and money to support homeless shelters and homeless prevention programs.

At the 3rd meeting of the Los Angeles Declaration group in Guatemala Security of State Blinken announced $578 million in new US aid to Latin America. The Los Angeles Declaration is a partnership between the US and 20 other nations in the Americas to address immigration, combat human trafficking, and support economic development and improved quality of life for people in poor nations in the Americas. The bulk of the aid, over $400 million will go to humanitarian assistance to the Venezuelan people. Inside of Venezuela over 7 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance due to decades of political and economic instability. Over 7 million more have been forced to flee the country and live in poverty across the Americas. The aid will help Venezuelans both inside and outside of Venezuela.

The Department of Energy lead an effort to get the G7 to agree to phase out coal by the early 2030s. The G7 is a collection of the 7 largest Industrial economies on Earth, the US, the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and Italy. To avoid catastrophic climate change the International Energy Agency believes coal needs to be phased out by 2035. However this has been a sticking point with the G7 since 1/3rd of Japan and 1/4th of Germany's energy comes from Coal. This agreement to phase out represents a major breakthrough and the US plans to press for even wider agreement on the issue at the G20 meeting in November.

President Biden announced a major investment deal in Racine, Wisconsin, site of the failed Trump Foxconn deal. In 2018 then President Trump visited Racine and declared the planned Foxconn plant "the eighth wonder of the world.". However the promised 13,000 jobs never materialized and the Taiwan based Foxconn after bulldozing 100s of homes and farms decided not to build. President Biden inked a deal with Microsoft for the land formally given to Foxconn which will bring 2,000 new jobs to Racine to help replace the 1,000 job losses during Trump's Presidency in the community.

200 tribal governments and the US territories of American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, published climate action plans. The plans were paid for by the Biden Administration as part of a 5 billion dollar Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program. The federal government is supporting all 50 states, territories, DC, and tribal governments to draft climate action plans, which will be used to apply for more than 4 billion dollars in grants to help turn plans into reality

As part of marking Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day), the Biden Administration announced a number of action aimed at combating antisemitism and supporting the Jewish Community. This included $400 million in new funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program. The Program has supported Synagogues and Jewish Community Centers with security improvements like bullet proof windows and trainings for staff in how to handle active shooter and hostage situations. The Department of Education issued guidance to all schools districts and federally funded colleges stressing that antisemitism is banned under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. These actions come as part of the Biden Administration's National Strategy To Counter Antisemitism, the first ever national strategy addressing the issue by any Administration.

USAID announced $220 million in additional humanitarian aid to Yemen. This new funding will bring US aid to Yemen over the last 10 years to nearly $6 billion. Currently 18 million Yemenis are estimated as needing humanitarian assistance, 9 million of them children, and the UN believes nearly 14 million face imminent risk of famine. The US remains the single largest donor nation to humanitarian relief in Yemen.

The Department of Interior announced nearly $150 million to help communities fight drought. The funds will support 42 projects across 10 western states. This is part of the President's $8.3 billion dollar investment in the nations water infrastructure over the next 5 five years.

[carrottheluvmachine]

Help me move to Scotland to be with the one I love

Hello, my name is Colie and I'm trying to raise the money needed to be able to apply for a partner visa to go and live with my girlfriend in Scotland.

3 years ago, my life was in a hellish place. My step-dad, the greatest person I have ever known, was diagnosed with cancer and put on hospice care. He took me in when I had to leave my old life behind me; when I lost my home in New York and had no where else to turn to. He accepted my 3 elderly cats and cared for them like they were his own. Although he came into my life late, he acted as a father and a friend to me.

In August of 2021, right as my step-dad was diagnosed, I met the love of my life. I wasn't looking for love. I was searching for a writing partner and she came along. 2 weeks later, I told her I thought I might be in love with her, and to my surprise she said she felt the same way.

Steph was there for me as my step-dad grew weaker and weaker. She was the first person I told the morning when he passed away. I helped my mother care for him in his last days. I listened obsessively at the wall between our bedrooms for his last breaths. To this day, I still refuse to go into the spare bedroom where he passed away. I am traumatized, I am broken, but to Steph I am so much more. She was there for me to lean on whenever I needed her. She cheered me up with her silly puns. She made me smile and she reassured me that I was worth loving.

My life has never been easy, but the easiest thing in it has always been Steph. I knew right away that I loved her. I admired her from the first moment I met her. She stuck by my side despite my disabilities, despite my losses, despite my will to end it all.

I have severe anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder. Because of this, it has never been easy for me to keep down a job. Because I have never been able to hold down a job, I have been living off the good graces of others and cannot afford therapy. Only recently did I find a way to receive remote therapy and I'm working to improve myself.

I have lived a sheltered life since moving down here to Florida. I lost everything I ever knew in New York. I have seen family members only a handful of times in the past 11 years, and I haven't visited any of my friends since. I have lost touch with the people I called my friends back home, and I haven't been able to make new friends down here.

It's a different world here, and I am very fearful as a gay person in a red state. I do not tell anyone that I'm gay because I fear for my life here. Especially after the 2024 election results.

I have become a recluse who has nothing but her online friends, her mother, and her cats. The one shining light in all of my life has been Steph. We were able to meet in the summer of 2023 and I flew to Scotland to be with her. For the first time in my life, I was living and doing what I wanted to do. I was happy. I smiled every single day. I was traveling outside and seeing things I've never seen before, all with the person I loved most in the world. At the end of my trip, Steph turned to me and said "So, what do you think about living here?" and I swear to you, I've never smiled brighter.

The reason I have started this campaign is because of the financial requirements to obtain a visa to move to the UK. The financial requirement is £29k, which is roughly $37k USD. Steph just graduated from university with a degree in screenwriting, but she has yet to find a job in her field. For the time being, she's working in childcare, which she also has a degree in, but it does not make the kind of money needed to sponsor me for a visa.

Our choices were either to make the 29k annually, or to have 31k in savings (equating roughly to 39k USD) so that I could apply for a visa stay support both of us for 2 years before I would have to apply again. Unfortunately, the income earned cannot be combined with any savings to meet the financial requirement. The requirement also does not allow me to contribute with a US income, as the person who is responsible for sponsoring me has to be the one earning the money because I won't be able to work in the UK until I have a spouse visa.

It is incredibly difficult not seeing the one you love day in and day out. My life has never been easy, as I said before, but I feel as if it has been put on pause ever since I was forced out of my home to come and live in Florida. I haven't been living, I have been surviving.

I want to live again, and I want to live with the girl I love.

Please, if you can, donate. Even if it's just a dollar, anything helps. Please help my dreams come true.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

~Colie

Link to gofundme

If you could reblog this post, I would greatly appreciate it!

[melodygatesauthor]

Feeling You Can't Fight - Chapter Three

Not Beta Read - Masterlist - Pride Event Fic 🏳️‍🌈

Written for the @flightlessangelwings pride event - (Yes this was written for the 2023 pride event and I'm trying to finish it before pride 2024 I'M SORRY).

Summary (Entire Fic Summary)

After replacing the loathsome former staff manager of the National Art Gallery in London, you find yourself all too interested in one of your employees in particular. Manager and employee relationships aren't allowed, and even if they were, you aren't sure if the nervous gift shoppist would be interested in you anyway. There's only one way to find out...

Reader Inclusivity

Reader is not race coded, is a cis man, taller than MK by a few inches, British, ex military, has a big peen

Tags/Warnings (for entire series)

NSFW, writer is NOT from the UK so please be gentle, I did my best with UK terms and such, smut, anal sex, oral sex, anal creampies, cum eating, cum swallowing, rough sex, Marc has DID, reader has mild PTSD, PTSD symptoms, trauma responses, semi-public sex, praise kink, fluff, comfort, angst, romance, love, forbidden relationship (boss and employee), minor physical violence.

Word Count: 3.1k

“Wait love wait!”

The entire demeanor of the man in front of you changed into the sweet, caring man that you were smitten with. You let go of him, stepping back and looking down at him with a furrowed brow. You felt your heart racing as your fight or flight kicked in. Steven looked nervous as he stepped forward, pressing his palm to your broad chest.

“D-darling I…well…we have something we want to share with you and I thought that if we’re getting more serious then…no time like the present yeah?”

“Steven…what’s going on?” You were trying not to express your irritation with him, but your balled fists gave you away.

“M’gonna let Marc tell you everything but you have to promise not to hurt him, yeah?” Steven looked up at you, brows turned up and knitted together as he awaited your answer.

He gulped, rubbing your clothed pecks with his hand, smoothing out the wrinkles in your button-down. He tried smiling at you, biting his bottom lip. You didn’t like making Steven so frightened so you let out a deep exhale. If he wasn’t scared or in danger, then you didn’t need to be so on edge. You nodded slowly.

Steven let out a deep breath, “right then, gonna let him out now.”

You watched in awe as Steven’s eyes rolled back in his head and then his body changed again. He stood a little taller, and his expression appeared a little darker. The man breathed deeply, looking up at you before pulling his hand off your body as though he’d been burned. He averted his gaze. You could’ve sworn you saw his cheeks get a little more rosy.

“What the fuck is happenin’?” You asked in a serious tone.

“Look, I told Steven you weren’t ready for this conversation but he insisted we have it so…here we are. He said it was gettin’ serious with you and he didn’t want any more secrets between you two,” he cleared his throat nervously, “my name is Marc Spector.” The man shrugged, “I guess the easiest way to tell you is to just get it out there so…I have an identity disorder as a result of my childhood trauma.”

You both stood silently for a moment while you absorbed the information. You recalled your time in the British Armed Forces, and some of the horrific things you’d seen. Trauma caused the brain to do amazing things; Things that were difficult to explain sometimes. You understood trauma well. You looked at Marc’s face, seeing the seriousness behind his eyes. This wasn’t a game. This wasn’t some guy trying to mess with you, or pull a fast one on you. This was a man who had been through something horrible, or several horrible things, and it caused his mind to tear at the seams.

You nodded in understanding, “alright, yeah, I don’t know everything there is to know about identity disorders but, I’ve got some mental issues of my own mate, keep goin’.”

Marc nodded and exhaled in relief, “well, my…our mom…”

You put a hand on Marc’s shoulder, “s’fine, you don’t have to explain it t’me.”

“I…Steven, wants me to, he wants you to know, and he’s right…I need to be the one to tell you, because I’m the one who was there.” He looked away from you and at the floor, “our mom used to beat me, she hated me.”

You squeezed Marc’s shoulder gently. His head jolted up, glossed eyes meeting with yours. He shook his head, as though he were begging you not to make him continue.

“I meant what I said, and I’m talkin’ to Steven too…you don’t have to explain this t’me. I understand.”

“Fuck,” Marc said, turning away from you and covering his face in his hands.

I was awkward as hell to stand there while Marc cried, but you were glad he was getting it off his chest. You wondered if he’d ever shared this with anyone, or if it was only you. Either way, you knew he wasn’t sharing for his own sake, but instead for Steven’s, and you could respect that. When you look back now, you think that on the same day you met Marc, was the day you fell in love with him too, but you didn’t realize it yet.

“There’s another one too,” Marc looked at the water glass on the table.“Steven, I have to tell him.” You watched the - from your perspective - one sided conversation between Marc and Steven. “You didn’t want to keep this a secret but you want to keep him a secret? St–” Marc grumbled and then looked at you, “I’m telling you, even though Steven doesn’t want me to.”

“Tellin’ me what?”

“Jake is the third one of us. You may never meet him, but he’s here nonetheless,” Marc let out a sharp exhale, “We don’t really see him much either, but…the three of us get along…kinda.”

“Well, if he’s part of Steven’s life, then I look forward to meeting him,” you gave Marc a kind smirk.

You watched Marc’s entire body language change. It wasn’t like before when he switched from Steven to himself, but instead, it looked like his entire body relaxed with your reassurance. Marc looked like he might collapse and start crying again right then and there. You wondered when the last time he’d talked to someone about this was…if he’d ever talked to someone about this.

“Damn. That was…easier than I thought. You took that surprisingly well,” he said, giving you a tight lipped smirk.

“Had a boatload of therapy,” you shrugged, “I learnt long ago that you can’t really tell how the mind is gonna deal with trauma.” You thought now was as good a time as any to change the subject, seeing that Marc was getting uncomfortable again. “So are you…do you like…” you pointed to yourself. Of course you would hop from one uncomfortable topic to another.

Marc’s eyes shot wide once he realized what you were suggesting, “no, no, I like women, one hundred percent.”

Marc crossed his arms and cleared his throat nervously.

“But this, Steven and me, that doesn’t bother you?” You asked.

“Oh, oh, no. Steven’s happy, and the way I see it, that’s the only thing that matters,” Marc’s lips managed to curl into a smirk.

You could tell he cared about Steven, and so the two of you had that much in common, but that wasn’t the last time you saw Marc. You saw him again when you and Steven got into your first argument. It wasn’t anything serious, but it seemed to upset Steven enough to force him into the headspace.

The argument was stupid, and if you were being honest, it was a little funny. Steven walked into your office one afternoon, closing the door behind himself. He was stammering, as he often did when he was thinking about what he wanted to say faster than the words could come out. You chuckled, standing up and walking over to him, cupping his face.

“S’alright love, just tell me what’s wrong,” you brushed your thumb over his stubbled cheek.

“Gettin’ fed up with Linda not pickin’ up her mess in the break room,” Steven groaned, “I know s’not a big deal, not really, but I told her three times to pick up after herself and she still acts like a right slob.”

“Steven, that’s not really somethin’ I deal with,” you said as he huffed out a frustrated breath.

“I know, sometimes I just want to complain a bit, yeah?”

“C’mere,” you said, motioning with your finger.

He walked back over to you and pressed his face into your chest, “I’m irritated.”

You wrapped your arms around him, “I know darling,” you pushed him back at arm’s length, but I know something that might help.”

Steven had joked about wanting to blow you under your desk, but he’d never actually done it yet. In fact, he hadn’t blown you before at all. He acted like you were doing him a favor when you sat down in your big office chair with your legs spread out and his face between them. The way his eyes went wide with excitement and he started drooling you would’ve thought he was the one getting a blowjob.

He looked hungry, fumbling with the button and then the zipper of your pants as he released your cock from its confines. He always - always - made a comment about how big you were. His eyes crossed as your dick lined up between them, and he seemed breathless despite not yet having done anything at all.

“Steven, darling, might be too big f’you to fit in your mouth, it’s alright if you don’t want to.”

He looked up at you, putting a hand on either of your thighs.

“I want to,” he said softly.

Steven licked a stripe up your length, forcing your cock to twitch in response. You grabbed the arms of your chair as he repeated the gesture. You bucked your hips upward involuntarily. Steven giggled and looked up at you.

“Ooh, needy…” He wrapped his fingers around your girth, pumping up and down slowly, “you’re a bit leaky too love.”

“Are you gonna keep teasin’ me, or are you gonna be a good boy and take this thing like you were made to?” You asked, raising an eyebrow.

Steven nodded with a shaky breath, smile fading at your words. You felt bad being so verbally rough with him sometimes, but you knew he enjoyed it. Whenever the two of you were in bed together it was like flipping a switch, making him hard in an instant. You slid down further in your chair, moving one of your hands to the back of his curly head.

He licked up your length again before taking the head in his mouth. You shuddered seeing Steven’s lips stretched around your fat dick. It seemed like he really was made to take it, sliding over the length as though his gag reflex was nonexistent. You exhaled sharply, feeling the way his tongue rolled over the underside of your shaft.

“Oh god Steven, takin’ me so well love, that’s it, just like t-that,” you pushed him down over you even more, “you tap my knee if it’s too much darling, don’t wanna hurt you.”

You felt his throat contract around you. There was still more to go, and you wanted nothing more than to see your entire dick disappear inside his precious mouth. You brushed a thumb over his cheek.

“Relax your throat, Steven, open up f’me,” you felt his muscles relax and you were able to push in further. “That’s it, that’s my good boy.”

Steven moaned over your length as he started bobbing his head in a delicious rhythm. He took one hand off your thighs and you heard the clank of his belt while he started freeing his own cock. The sound of him jerking himself could just barely be heard over the sound of him choking on your dick.

He looked up at you with affectionate and tear glossed eyes when you carded your hand through his hair. You bit your bottom lip and started rolling your hips slowly forward into his mouth, brushing your pubes against his nose as he took every single inch you had to offer.

“Steven, you sure you’ve never done this before?” Your entire body trembled, “s-so good…”

You heard the distinct sound of footsteps approaching the door. You both froze.

“Steven, you locked the door, yeah?”

Steven, in fact, hadn’t locked the door.

Steven made himself as hidden as he could in the space under your desk, where the intruder wouldn’t be able to see him. You rolled up as close as you could get without crushing him in there. John, your boss, walked in, smiling big. He stepped over, putting a hand on the varnished surface of the desk, leaning in to talk to you.

“Hey! Just stoppin’ in to tell you I think you’re doin’ great, and those reports you sent me yesterday…perfect.” He patted your shoulder and you jumped in response.

You felt Steven between your legs trying to put your cock back in your pants, but struggling given its current…state. You were close before while he had it buried in his throat, and that hadn’t changed in the seconds that had gone by. You were still close, and him moving it around wasn’t helping that issue. You kept your eyes on John, but tried like hell to push Steven’s hands and face away from you, but to no avail.

“Well I’m…oh…” you cleared your throat, “I’m glad you l-liked them.”

Steven didn’t get the hint, he was still sliding his hand over your length, trying to get it back inside your boxers. You couldn’t try very hard to stop him, or it would be obvious you were trying to do something under your desk, so you stopped trying, and just hoped that John would leave before…oh god.

You slammed your hand on the desk, “f-fuck!”

To John, you must’ve looked insane, like you were staring at him wide-eyed and shouting for no apparent reason. To you and Steven, you were coming, hot ropes of your spend hitting your boyfriend in the face under the desk. You managed to keep yourself from saying anything too telling, and you kept your breathing level…as level as you could.

“Fuck I forgot to sign the agreement for the…the uhhh–”

“Oh! For the new display going into the Ancient Egypt section of course! I’ll go get that right now!” John chuckled, “glad you remembered that, I’ll be right back.”

As he walked out, you rolled back in your chair to see Steven’s pretty face covered in globs of your spend. He looked pissed off, crawling out from under the desk and grabbing a few tissues from your desk to clean himself off.

“Darling, what’s wrong? You’re the one who–”

“You…did this…all over my face!”

“Love, I couldn’t help it, you kept touchin’ me and–”

“And,” he held a finger up, “and you could’ve locked the door before havin’ me do that in the first place!”

“Steven, you could’ve locked the door yourself when you walked–”

“I wasn’t plannin’ to come in here and do somethin’ like that now was I?”

You could see the embarrassment in his flush cheeks. He seemed exasperated, chest rising and falling with every heavy breath. He wasn’t really mad at you, but you doubted you’d be getting another ‘under the desk’ blow job any time soon.

“Now your boss knows what we were doin’ and he’s gonna make you fire me and maybe he’ll even fire you and–”

“Stop…” you cupped his cheeks and kissed his forehead.

“No!” he pushed you off of him, “no, m’not gonna let you just kiss this one away. We could’ve been caught, you’re reckless and this isn’t like me at all! I don’t do things like this!” Steven stormed out of your office, passing John on his way out.

That was it…that was the argument.

You supposed that with Steven never having really been in a relationship before, an argument with his first ever significant other could be upsetting, despite it being such a silly thing to argue over. Taking that into consideration, you decided to tread lightly when you got home, toeing off your shoes in the entryway of his flat when you arrived almost silently. That’s when you noticed that Marc was there, not Steven.

“Hey,” he said, tipping back the beer in his hand and then holding it up, “want one?”

You shook your head, “no thanks.”

It was like Steven had a roommate. At least…that’s how it felt. Marc was the more stern one, like he was the polar opposite of Steven, but you didn’t mind. You liked the company regardless. Marc was a good guy, you could just tell. After a couple of minutes talking about the weather, the two of you managed to get into something more serious. 

“You said you’ve been to therapy? Mind if I ask what for?” Marc took another swig of his beer.

“Uh, PTSD, spent a few years in the British Armed Forces and then got myself honorably discharged after…” you sniffed out a laugh, “maybe I will take that drink after all.”

After a few drinks, you and Marc were trading war stories and with it, your tales of trauma. You wondered how long it was going to take him to open up to you about why and how Steven came to be, but there Marc was, letting down his always stoic demeanor in order to open himself up to you.

He cried, and you opened your arms to him.

“No, no I told you I’m not…that’s not my thing…”

You laughed, “s’not a ‘thing’ to hug someone when they’re sad, Marc. C’mere…”

You tugged his jacket and pulled his rigid frame into your arms, wrapping them around him tightly. At first he was stiff, still mumbling some protests, but then you felt him exhale, like his entire body were a balloon being emptied of the air inside of it. That’s when the heavier sobs came, tears spilling out of his eyes and onto your forearm.

“Steven is so good, and sometimes I think it would just be best if I don’t ever come out. Sometimes I think that the world would be a better place without me in it,” he said between heavy cries. He looked up at you, “Steven could be happy, and be with you all the time and–”

“Steven would miss you, Marc,” you looked into his eyes, seeing the pain he felt just made you want to hold him closer, but you knew that would only make it more awkward.

You didn’t have to worry about feeling awkward though, because he leaned up and slotted his lips over yours all on his own. You pulled back in surprise, wondering if he did that by mistake or not, or if Steven had decided to come back when you didn’ notice.

“S-Steven?” You asked, looking between his eyes rapidly.

He shook his head, “no, still me,” he said breathlessly, looking down at your mouth before pulling you in again.

You smiled against his lips, “how unexpected.”

Moon Knight Masterlist

Main Masterlist

[gentlebeardsbarngrill]

03/05/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; Samba Schutte BTS; Extended Battle Jacket Scene; Alex Sherman and his Butt; Rhys Darby; UK Crew Billboard Meetup; Watch Party Reminders; Fan Spotlight/Podcasts; Love Notes; Daily Darby/Tonight's Taika;

= Samba BTS Explosion =

Most of you have probably seen it by now, but Samba posted the longer version of the Battle Jacket scene that Ruibo mentioned yesterday in the WJW interview.

= Alex Sherman =

Samba also gave us some more BTS Videos, but tumblr won't let me upload more than one video at a time per post, so here they are on separate posts:

Alex Sherman BTS Part 1: Buttox Guy

Alex Sherman BTS Part 2: Buttox Guy and Arm Guy

BTS OFMD Extras

== Rhys Darby ==

Well with no context, my only thought is maybe Rhys is going to be playing Dungeons of Eternity next on his youtube channel! I guess we'll see.

== Taika Waititi Kudoboard!==

Several lovely crew-mates have been putting together a Kudosboard for our dear Taika Waititi!

Please add your kind words, well wishes, thanks, or other positive thoughts for Taika! We will share the link with him on Wednesday, March 13.

Please note that this board is moderated and inappropriate comments will be removed immediately.

https://ofmdlove.kudoboard.com/boards/Mi5DxyBL#view

== UK Crew ==

The UK Billboard has been scheduled for 11 Mar!

Tumblr / Instagram / Twitter

== Watch Party Reminders ==

= A League Of Their Own =

Tomorrow the 6th is ALOTO Episodes 4-5, and then OFMD 4-5 Time: 1-4PM EST/6-9PM GMT Where: You can watch ALOTO on Amazon Prime

Watch Party Hashtags:

OurFlagMeansBaseball, 

SaveOFMD 

SaveALOTO to join the event!

= Mar 4 - Mar 8: Wrecked Season 1 =

Don't have access? DM @iamadequate1 on Twitter or Tumblr

Season 1 watch from March 4th to March 8th. 

Season 2 watch from March 11th to March 15th. 

Season 3 watch from March 18th to March 22nd.

Times will be 10pm GMT / 5pm EST / 4pm CST / 2pm PST. Watch two episodes per day. Episodes are 21-22 minutes each. Use the following Saturday for the tags/watch if interested but not able to make this time.

Hashtags: 

#WreckedPirates

#SaveOFMD

#RhysDarbyFaction

== Fan Spotlight ==

= Never Left Podcast =

Never Left Artwork by Amy Gleason

Episode 007 Beautiful Princess Disorder (Part 1)

Our lovely crew-mates over at the Never Left Podcast are delving into BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder or Beautiful Princess Disorder) and how it relates to Edward Teach. Very interesting and kind discussion of BPD and it's coming in multiple parts. I'm so happy that we have a safe-space-ship to discuss this.

Never Left Podcast Linktr.ee

= Cast Cards =

Today's new Trading Card is Will Arnett! Thank you @melvisik for giving us more and more to collect!

== WB is removing stuff from Etsy ==

FYI to all you sellers out there on Etsy. Thanks @ofmdfanpage for this info.

== Love Notes ==

Hey Lovelies. It's that time again to take a moment for yourself, and do a quick self-care check.

First: Have you had any water lately? Anything to eat?

Whatever you're doing, take a minute to get yourself a glass of water, maybe a small snack, the rest will be there when you get back. I know it feels like you absolutely CANNOT stop what you're doing, or you won't get back to it, but I promise you, unless what you're doing is literally life-saving (like open-heart surgery) or you're in the middle of driving a bus full of people, it can wait a couple minutes.

I know you're strong enough to push through and keep going, but you deserve a break. You deserve a minute or two to yourself.

Second: Time to take a deep breath.

Remember to hold it just for a second or two and take your time breathing it out.

In through the nose, out through the mouth.

Great job :)

Today I was reminded of a short meditation poem by Thich Nhat Hanh on breathing that used to help me get through rough days and I wanted to share it with you-- with each line, breathe in and out slowly. Here's more on it if you're interested: Meditation Poem

In, Out Deep, Slow Calm, Ease Smile, Release Present Moment, Wonderful Moment

Right now, you're the wonderful, present being. You're alive, you're breathing, and you're kicking ass. It's fucking tough out there sometimes, and it's okay to struggle, just don't ever forget how incredibly unique and wonderful you are.

Infinite numbers of events, random meetings, and stars colliding led up to the imperfect, glorious you, and you're still here, shining with us (whether dim or bright tonight).

Love you crew. Whatever challenges you're facing, know we're here for you. Reach out if you need us <3

== Daily Darby / Tonight's Taika ==

Tonight's theme is THAT STASH.

Taika Src: @skux-life Rhys Srs: @fandomsmeantheworldtome

[skeletal-r3xie]

My story:

Hi, this is the story of my eddie Sheeran (😭) and how I got here right now.

I had a lot of trauma when I was a child, which I won’t get into right now, but the thoughts started when I was about 11. It was never serious, I’d exercise for like 2 days and then be like nah fuck this I want a burger 🤪 lmao.

I started engaging in the behaviours of it when I was 14, in 2019. Again, it was never something I was able to stick with, and I’d be over it within a few days. 2020 was a weird year for me, with the lockdown, I was determined to finally do it, that was also the year I did my longest fast of 6 days (never again😮‍💨). But it was a year of constant binging and starving, I saw zero progress. I didn’t know myself, what I could or couldn’t handle. I thought I could just eat max 500 cals every day and it would be sustainable (it wasn’t lmao), it always ended in a binge.

Then began 2021, the worst year of my life for all my mental illnesses. I was in an abusive relationship at this point, bullied by people, and I felt completely alone. And this was when my personal worst relapse began. I was at my HW of 58-60kgs, and at first, it began as a regular diet (August 2021), and then towards late September that year, I knew it wasn’t just a regular diet when I began restricting heavily again, and exercising daily. I lost 10-12kgs, and was 48kgs by the end of October 2021. I felt amazing, I felt so powerful and happy that I was finally, after all these years, I was getting somewhere. Yep well those feelings were wiped away real quick the following November, which was again, a month of constant binging and starving. It was awful, I felt like I had lost complete control, like it was someone possessing my body and making me eat all those pizza’s, when it wasn’t, it was all me, and only me. December that month was good again, I got back to 48kgs, and then went on a 3 day fast the days before Christmas, when I knew I was going to have to eat food.

Christmas fucked it up for me, and I tried to get back to it for 3 weeks, but in January 2022, I decided I was sick of this disorder, and tried to recover for good.

And I did, 3 years of no restricting, no thoughts, nothing, it was nice.

I got diagnosed with ADHD later that year in December 2022, and was put on elvanse (relevant later on).

Fast forward to jan 2024, and I got my first job at a fast food place (ironic much?), and I hated it, I was treated awfully by managers and co-workers. For context, there was an ADHD med shortage in the UK from August 2023, till march 2024, in this time period I had gained a lot of weight and was back to my SW of 58kgs, I then lost a bit of it again once I got my meds back, and this one girl noticed, and she would non stop brag and brag and brag about how she had lost 3 stone, her pants didn’t fit her anymore, and she was losing lots of weight. This triggered me, but I was recovered at this point, so I just left the job and went to find a new one.

And here we are now. So what triggered me so badly for me to turn back to it after 3 whole years? One of my managers in my new workplace. My new workplace is so so much better, the co workers are wonderful, friendly people. But I’m getting micromanaged by one of my managers, I won’t go into the details, but it’s really fucking infuriating. And because I have severe social anxiety irl, I didn’t want to mention it to him, so I turned back to Ana as a way of regaining my lost control in that workplace. I’m over the situation now, but I can’t stop, I don’t want to stop, I love feeling like this, and I think I’ll be like this for the rest of my life.

That’s my story, I’m sorry for how long this, I tried to shorten it as much as I could, thank you for reading lovelies!! <3

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Gabriella Swerling

Published: Mar 21, 2024

An NHS Trust is investigating accusations that pro-Palestine nurses denied a nine-year-old Jewish boy care.

Elliott Smus, who is based in Tel Aviv, Israel, wrote on LinkedIn on Wednesday about an alleged incident at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital involving his young nephew, who suffers from a rare blood disorder.

Mr Smus said that his nephew, who has suffered with his condition for most of his life, requires a blood transfusion every month or two, spending up to days in hospital for treatment.

He said that his nephew is from a religious Jewish family and wears a kippah and tzitzit, clothing typically worn by orthodox Jewish males.

But he claimed that the child was “kicked out of his bay” by nurses wearing “Free Palestine” badges and forced “to lie on the floor with a canula in”.

As a result, Mr Smus said that his nephew is now scared that if he wears clothing that identifies him as visibly Jewish, he will not receive treatment.

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust has launched an investigation.

Incident was ‘horrendous’

Countdown presenter Rachel Riley, who is Jewish, described the alleged incident as “horrendous” and called on Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, and the NHS to investigate “with urgency”.

Mr Smus, who has been contacted for comment, said on social media: “As a religious Jewish family, my nephew wears his black kippah (yamulka, religious hat whatever you want to call it) and his tzitzit proudly.

“Not today. Why you ask? The nurses (NHS employees) are all walking around wearing “Free Palestine” pins and he was scared.

“Beyond that, the last few times he went in he was denied correct medical care by the same couple of nurses every time.

“This culminated the last time he went in, when my visibly Jewish nine-year-old nephew, with an autoimmune blood disease was kicked out of his bay by one of the nurses who was covered in pro-Palestine badges and stickers, and had to lie on the floor with a canula in.

“Now the damage is done and my proudly Jewish nephew (and his parents) is scared to not get treatment if he wears his kippah and tzitzit.

“Coincidentally, today when not visibly Jewish, he received quick care. Also worth noting, prior to the conflict he received excellent care.

“It is terrifying to be a Jew in the world again.”

Anti-Semitism at all-time high

The Community Security Trust, which records anti-Semitic incidents in the UK, said that anti-Semitism hit an all-time high in 2023 in an “explosion of hatred” following the Hamas terror attacks on Israel.

The charity said the surge in anti-Jewish attacks, threats and abuse amounted to a “celebration” of Hamas’s Oct 7 massacre by anti-Semites whose own hatred was fuelled by the brutality of the attacks.

Its annual report said that there were 4,103 anti-Semitic incidents in the UK in 2023, nearly double the previous record in 2021, covering all types of “hate” against Jewish people.

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are aware of images and very serious claims which are circulating on social media.

“We are rapidly investigating these to establish the situation and are discussing them with the family involved. Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital is committed to providing high-quality care to all patients.”

Mr Burnham said: “I have seen the troubling reports shared on social media and have asked the Royal Children’s Hospital to launch an urgent investigation. No one should feel treated differently in our hospitals because of their race or religion. I’ve asked the hospital management to provide regular updates as they gather the facts.”

==

The "be kind" "right side of history."

Let's put aside for a moment that it's unethical for medical professionals to be wearing political paraphernalia of any variety.

Whether or not the accusation is true, literally nobody doubts that people who are pro-Hamas and support Islamic terrorism are completely capable of this kind of atrocity.

[magz]

"Huge Alzheimer's breakthrough as scientists say new jab could 'transform' lives"

Article Date: March 30, 2024.

Beginning Article Excerpt:

"A revolutionary jab, which is designed to remove toxic proteins from the brain before they cause the damage leading to the most common form of dementia, is undergoing trials on patients in the early stages of the disease.

Once through clinical trials scientists say it could be widely available within five years, preventing future generations from the misery of being struck down by Alzheimer's or seeing loved ones slowly diminish.

[...]

Studies of the vaccine to prevent the degenerative brain disorder are being carried out in five centres across the UK, including at Oxford and Cambridge universities, as well as centres in Europe and the US. The UK trials are backed by the government's National Institute for Health and Care Research. The first results will be presented at a conference in Philadelphia in the US in July, where experts will show images of brain scans showing the effect of the new vaccine on the brain. [...]

The new vaccine aims to stop this damage before it is caused and seems to have only mild side effects."

[bpod-bpod]

Taf1 Made Easier

Knocking out a gene called Taf1 in mice is lethal for males at early embryo stage while females with one knocked out copy of the gene show weight gain and impaired movement – insight and a new tool for investigating the disorders caused by TAF1 mutation in humans

Read the published research article here

Image from work by Elisa M. Crombie and Andrea J. Korecki, and colleagues

Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK; Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics at BC Children's Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Published in Disease Models & Mechanisms, July 2024

You can also follow BPoD on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook

[mariacallous]

Russia and “other bad guys” will try to exploit a Donald Trump US election loss if he attempts to “play dirty” and contest the result, intelligence and diplomatic sources have warned.

Current and former diplomats and US and UK intelligence insiders told i that they believe enemies of the West will try to take advantage of the situation if the Republican candidate loses but refuses to concede to Vice-President Kamala Harris.

They are warning that hostile state actors will spread disinformation and whip up disorder.

An American intelligence source said: “It is safe to say in this environment there are plans to anticipate how our adversaries may try to exploit this opportunity.”

A British source said that Russia could use disinformation campaigns to encourage “militant action” among Trump’s supporters if he loses in the election, which is believed to be on a knife-edge.

When he lost to President Joe Biden in 2020, Trump made baseless claims that the election had been stolen from him through widespread voter fraud.

He was later accused of whipping up the insurrection at the US Capitol on 6 January 2021, when his supporters stormed Congress in a bid to stop the counting of Electoral College votes to formalise Biden’s victory.

Trump is facing a federal prosecution for allegedly conspiring to overturn that election defeat, along with criminal charges in Georgia for allegedly conspiring to change the result in that state.

On Thursday, he repeated the false claims about fraud during the last Presidential election, saying “bad, bad things” stopped him winning in 2020, and that he will prevail next week “if we can keep that cheating down”.

While Trump is the favourite in the betting markets, the gap between the Republicans and Democrats in key battleground states remains within the margin of error, making the final outcome still too close to call.

A tight result either way could see the losing side raising legal objections.

Trump’s previous form and utterances on the campaign trail have sparked particular concerns that if he loses, he will bitterly contest the outcome, plunging the US into political chaos that could be exploited by the West’s enemies.

A senior former British diplomat told i: “Trump has said the only result he is going to accept is one if he wins.

“So what bothers me is whether there is a narrowish victory for Kamala Harris and we end up with a crisis of democracy because Trump won’t accept.

“You end up not only with the usual lame duck period between the election and the inauguration day, but you have several months when America is off the stage and unable to do anything.

“The trouble with that scenario is that bad guys may well decide that’s a good moment for them to do whatever it is they would not otherwise do if America is up and running and fully loaded to deal with a crisis.

“If Trump wins fair and square, well we know what we’re dealing with. But what bothers me is if he doesn’t and then he plays dirty like he did last time.

“Quite apart from it being a bad example for American democracy, it …opens the door for other guys to take advantage of it.”

The UK intelligence source said that adversaries such as Russia would “seize the opportunity” if Trump were to lose to “invoke militant action” among the Republican candidate’s supporters.

The Kremlin has been accused of meddling in US elections in the past, most notably in 2016, when Hillary Clinton, despite having the largest popular vote total in history after Barack Obama in 2008, lost to Trump due to the electoral college system.

Last month, a group of American right-wing influencers said they had been deceived by Russian media executives after the US Department of Justice released an indictment charging Moscow with interfering in the 2024 election.

The indictment accused the Russian state broadcaster RT of paying a US firm $10m (£7.6m) to “create and distribute content to US audiences with hidden Russian government messaging”.

The UK intelligence source said a period of instability following a possible Trump loss would see Russia attempt to “enforce its western right-wing influence” using disinformation campaigns in a move which would cause “maximum distraction” to wider geopolitical issues, such as the war in Ukraine.

Along with Russia, other adversaries that may seek to capitalise on the US taking its eye of the international stage could include Iran and North Korea, as well as non-state terrorist groups.

Lord Ricketts, a former permanent secretary of the Foreign Office and ex-national security adviser, told i that there was “of course” a risk that Trump will be “just as bad a loser this time” if Vice-President Kamala Harris triumphs.

“Even worse – he’d hate losing to a woman,” he said.

Lord Ricketts said that while US law enforcement agencies would likely be more ready for potential unrest than in 2021, militant supporters of the Republican candidate “might be better prepared” too.

He added: “It will be a dangerous time, because this is his last shot. He’s not going to run again four years after this, so if he’s lost, he will be an extremely bad loser.”

A serving diplomatic source said it was “not impossible” there could even be violence on polling day.

“There are lots of people who are facilitating the elections who are worried about risks to them and to polling stations,” they told i. However, the source added these were “limited” and “very localised” concerns.

Sir Keir Starmer’s government has been careful not to comment on the race for the White House, particularly after Trump’s team accused Labour of “blatant foreign interference” in relation to party activists campaigning for Vice-President Harris.

However, a Whitehall source told i that preparations were taking place in government for what might happen in the election, with officials “working through a range of scenarios”.

While it is possible that the result of the election might be confirmed by the morning of 6 November, recent history and the closeness of the contest suggests it could take a few days for every state’s votes to be reported.

After election night, the outcome may remain unresolved if the race is too close to call in key battleground states or if significant numbers of absentee and mail-in ballots remain uncounted. In 2020, it took nearly four days for all votes across the country to be counted, eventually declaring Joe Biden the winner with 306 electoral college votes and 81,283,501 popular votes to Trump’s 74,223,975.

[covid-safer-hotties]

Alzheimer's-like brain changes found in long COVID patients - Published Sept 2, 2024

New research from the University of Kentucky's Sanders-Brown Center on Aging shows compelling evidence that the cognitive impairments observed in long COVID patients share striking similarities with those seen in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

The study, published in Alzheimer's & Dementia, highlights a potential commonality in brain disorders across these conditions that could pave the way for new avenues in research and treatment.

The study was a global effort, and brought together experts from various fields of neuroscience. Researchers at the UK College of Medicine led the study, including Yang Jiang, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Behavioral Science; Chris Norris, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences; and Bob Sompol, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences. Their work focuses on electrophysiology, neuroinflammation, astrocytes and synaptic functions.

"This project benefited greatly from interdisciplinary collaboration," Jiang said. "We had input from experts, associated with the Alzheimer's Association International Society to Advance Alzheimer's Research and Treatment (ISTAART), across six countries, including the U.S., Turkey, Ireland, Italy, Argentina and Chile."

Jiang and the collaborative team focused their work on understanding the "brain fog" that many COVID-19 survivors experience, even months after recovering from the virus. This fog includes memory problems, confusion and difficulty concentrating. According to Jiang, "The slowing and abnormality of intrinsic brain activity in COVID-19 patients resemble those seen in Alzheimer's and related dementias."

This research sheds light on the connection between the two conditions, suggesting that they may share underlying biological mechanisms. Both long COVID and Alzheimer's disease involve neuroinflammation, the activation of brain support cells known as astrocytes and abnormal brain activity. These factors can lead to significant cognitive impairments, making it difficult for patients to think clearly or remember information.

The idea that COVID-19 could lead to Alzheimer's-like brain changes is a significant development.

"People don't usually connect COVID-19 with Alzheimer's disease," Jiang said. "But our review of emerging evidence suggests otherwise."

The research reveals that the cognitive issues caused by COVID-19 reflect similar underlying brain changes as those in dementia. The study's insights emphasize the importance of regular brain function check-ups for these populations, particularly through the use of affordable and accessible tools like electroencephalography (EEG).

The study not only highlights the shared traits between long COVID and Alzheimer's, but also points to the importance of further research.

"The new insight opens avenues for future research and clinical practice, particularly in studying brain oscillations related to neural biomarkers of mild cognitive impairment in people with long COVID," said Jiang.

One of the key findings is the role of astrocytes—support cells in the brain that have not been as thoroughly studied as neurons. The research suggests that damage or activation of these cells by COVID-19 can cause synaptic dysfunctions, leading to the abnormal brain activity observed in both conditions. This discovery is significant because it may help explain why EEG patterns in COVID-19 patients resemble those seen in the early stages of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's.

Researchers believe this work could have a direct impact on patient care. They are advocating for routine EEG exams to detect early brain changes in both COVID-19 survivors and those at risk for cognitive decline.

"EEG patterns in COVID-19 patients resemble those seen in early neurodegenerative diseases," said Norris.

"These similarities may be due to shared issues such as brain inflammation, astrocyte activity, low oxygen levels and blood vessel damage," said Sompol.

By detecting these changes early, health care providers could potentially identify at-risk individuals sooner and implement interventions to prevent or slow the progression of cognitive decline.

As research continues, the team is particularly interested in how EEG monitoring can predict long-term outcomes in COVID-19 patients and assess the effectiveness of treatments aimed at preventing cognitive decline.

More information: Yang Jiang et al, Parallel electrophysiological abnormalities due to COVID‐19 infection and to Alzheimer's disease and related dementia, Alzheimer's & Dementia (2024). DOI: 10.1002/alz.14089

alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/alz.14089

[saintmeghanmarkle]

Aspen Institute - Katie Couric &amp; Just Harry. SXSW - Katie Couric &amp; Megsy Markle by u/Snowball995

Aspen Institute - Katie Couric & Just Harry. SXSW - Katie Couric & Megsy Markle Katie Couric is on the Board of Trustees of the Aspen Institute. She's also a Co-Chair on the "Commission for Information Disorder." Just Harry is a member on that commission. In the picture of the members, Katie is standing right in front of Just Harry. Is it a coincidence that Megsy Markle is on the same panel Katie Couric is on at SXSW? Or is this yet another instance where the man in her life, in this case Just Harry, uses his connections to get her a gig? ---- Hard to say. This self-proclaimed women's champion who (rather laughingly) uses her UK title by marriage to define herself in all the press releases for the panel, "Breaking Barriers, Shaping Narratives: How Women Lead." ---- The irony.SXSW did end up turning off their comments on their Instagram post of the panel with Megsy. ​ post link: https://ift.tt/ZbzighA author: Snowball995 submitted: March 06, 2024 at 08:17PM via SaintMeghanMarkle on Reddit

[stuff-diary]

Heartstopper (Season 3)

TV Shows/Dramas watched in 2024

Heartstopper (Season 3, 2024, UK)

Director: Andy Newbery

Creator & Writer: Alice Oseman (based on her own graphic novel)

Mini-review:

And that's another great season. As I said on my review for the previous one, Hearstopper feels like nothing short of a queer miracle. I can't think of many other shows that can have me burst out crying over the simplest scenes and conversations. This season delves deeper into some of the show's darker themes and topics, but Alice Oseman handles everything with the beautiful sensitivity and gentleness she's become known for. In particular, her portrayal of mental illness and eating disorders remains one of the best and most enriching I've ever seen, just like it was when she wrote this part of the comic. And really, I love that the show gives her a chance to flesh out the entire cast. In fact, this season's true stars were Elle and Tao for me (but the rest had fantastic storylines as well). I really can't wait to see how Alice wraps this story up, both in comic and TV form.

[gentlebeardsbarngrill]

03/19/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; Rhys Darby; Cryptid Factor; World Exclusive; Rosie; Kristian; Vico; SaveOFMDCrew billboard results; Watch Parties; Newark Newark; Wrecked; Adopt Our Crew Rhys Radness; Fan Spotlight; Podcasts; Radio; Cast Cards; Trends; Articles; Uproar; Love Notes + 1; Daily Darby Tonight's Taika

= Rhys Darby =

Cryptid factor - World Exclusive

So Rhys, Dan, and Buttons revealed never before seen footage by Tchie Kellys from back in 2018 of the Lochness Cryptid!

You can see footage on their Patreon (the full 2hr+ episode)

Edited version of the podcast on Spotify

Short version on Youtube

And of course Rosie's gotta pop in with some snark, I love that woman.

= Kristian Nairn =

Episode 065 of Kristian's music show Spektrum is up on Mixcloud! Mixcloud Link

= Vico Ortiz =

Lots of footage of Vico posted today! I couldnt get the videos to download for some reason-- find them here on their instagram.

Source: Vico Ortiz Instagram

== Stretch Goal Billboard Survey Results ==

The Final Stretch Goal Survey is in...

Hey, crew! The results from the survey on the final stage of our London Ads campaign are in. 🗳️ Almost 94% voted to split the remaining funds between the three billboard fundraiser charities: Mermaids UK, RainbowYOUTH (AoNZ), and Point Foundation (US). 🧜‍♂️🌈

Read the rest here

== Watch Parties ==

= Newark, Newark =

When: Saturday 23rd March @ 7 pm GMT / 3pm EST / 12 pm PST Where: BBC iPlayer, Now TV

Hosted by @lamentus1

Extra Note: The Rhys Darby Faction Discord will be streaming it as well at 5pm GMT / 1 pm EST / 12 pm PST

​Watch Party Hashtags:

#NewarkThePlank

#OurFlagMeansDeath

== Wrecked ==

Season 3 watch from March 18th to March 22nd. 

Times will be 10pm GMT / 5pm EST / 4pm CST / 2pm PST. Watch two episodes per day. Episodes are 21-22 minutes each. Use the following Saturday for the tags/watch if interested but not able to make this time.

Hashtags: 

#WreckedPirates

#SaveOFMD

#RhysDarbyFaction

== Adopt Our Crew Rhys Radness ==

Another day of the Rhys Radness brackets by @adoptourcrew on twitter! Some tough decisions to be made.

Yesterday Jemaine decided to share the Steve vs Murray vote! Sorry Jemaine! Steve won out.

Today Luke Higginson (Writer, Director, and Editor of 'Relax I'm From The Future' ) also tried to campaign for Casper!!

Then even @bluefox_enterainment (the distributor of Relax I'm From The Future and Uproar!) also campaigned for Casper! We'll see what happens tonight!

== Fan Spotlight ==

Never Left - Podcast

Another episode of Never Left - an Our Flag Means Death Podcast is out! -- featuring one of our lovely #RhysDarbyFaction members, @TazManiaZania! Part 2 to Beautiful Princess Disorder.

Our Flag Means Fanfiction - Podcast

Our lovely friends over at @OurFlagMeansFanficion have another episode out! 'For this week’s episode, LoopyDangerFrog, also known as Katie, has granted us permission to share her narration of The Thoroughly and Entirely (Im)Proper Cuddling of Edward Teach by queenbee42. Katie’s narration is just SO GOOD. The emotion. The feeling… This is why she’s one of the best narrators out there.' - @OurFlagMeansFanfiction

= Amanda Beezer =

Tomorrow, our crewmate Amanda (Beezer Bee) will be chatting about #OurFlagMeansDeath on a local radio station 88.9 FM WMCX (March 20) at 2:30pm EST/6pm GMT! Check out Her Twitter for more info! You can listen here: https://www.radio.net/s/wmcx

= Cast Cards =

Our crewmate @melvisik is really hitting all the cast members! Today is Tim Heidecker aka Doug!

== Trends ==

Thank you @indarltonitrust on twitter for catching this!

== Articles ==

Really wonderful article that actually talks a bit about being on set with OFMD. Please give it a read!

= Uproar =

Your requests are working (maybe? Idk if they were gonna do this anyway, but I'm claiming it as us, whatever)! Sounds like there are some additional locations coming soon 👀

== YouWear50Well ==

Early reminder! The 21st is Rhys' Birthday! Since it'll be the 21st for some crew members earlier than others, @yronnia was kind enough to give us information early regarding the 50th birthday news!Please be sure to Post your birthday wishes to Rhys and show him your appreciation! Send your fanart and other creations using #YouWear50Well. Please Note: Please do not tag Rhys repeatedly! He's going to be getting a lot of notifications. Even just having notifications under #YouWear50Well will help keep everything visible :)

== Kudoboards closing soon =

Last chance! Thank you to @sharpenyersword on Twitter for setting up ALL THE KUDOBOARDS! Rhys' birthday kudoboard will close on the 20th, the rest will close on the 22nd. 

Go send the cast and crew some love folks!

Rhys Darby's Birthday

David Jenkins

Nathan Foad

Con O'Neill

Ruibo Qian

Leslie F*cking Jones!

Matthew Maher

Vico Ortiz

Samson Kayo

Alex "Ass Tonight" Sherman!

David Fane

Kristian "Wee John Wednesdays" Nairn!

Samba "BTS and Baking King" Schutte!

Fellow OFMD Fan Crew!

= Love Notes =

Hey Lovelies. Been a lot of excitement today, certainly a lot going on! Rhys' birthday week, actual footage of something in Lochness, podcasts, billboards and movies, oh my! I know some of us are struggling a bit with some personal stuff, it's a hard time out there. It hits harder too when you get all this fun dopamine from the internet, then you turn around and look back at normal life and things are tough. Remember to be kind to yourself lovelies. Things aren't always going to go the way you plan or want. It's okay if you can't get out of bed today. It's okay if you scroll on your phone and get your dopamine from goofy ass pictures of celebrities. It's okay if you get up and you brush your teeth, but just can't make your breakfast. Eat something simple. Drink some water, lay down for a while. Little things build to big things. If you can't do laundry today because you don't have the spoons/motivation, then don't do laundry today. Just remember to change your underwear if you have some clean ones cause you don't wanna get a UTI. If all you can do today is exist, you're doing great. You're doing better than great, you're fantastic. Tomorrow you can do a little bit more, or a little less, depending on what you need. Just be kind to yourself and give yourself grace; the world is hard enough as it is, you don't need to beat yourself up for struggling with very real issues. Thank you all for making the past few weeks tolerable, I appreciate that so much. It's keeping my brain chemistry in a spot that's healthier than is used to be. I hope you all know just how wonderful you truly are, and that me and the rest of the crew are rooting for you every day. We're here, we love you <3 Stay well.

= Love Notes Cont'd =

= Daily Darby / Tonight's Taika =

Tonight's theme is these two being goofy MFs.

Darby Courtesy of @kiwistede

Taika Courtesy of I don't actually know I'm sorry (I found it in my taika folder and normally I name them but this didnt have one)! Please claim it!