#and several problems that comes with not having access to say utilities or the police force and also passports and so on

[abandonedcyberpunkspidermech]

Character Bio: Peni Parker (SP//dr)

Name: Peni Parker

Hero Alias: SP//dr

Bio:

Let’s do this one last time.

Peni Parker was born on October 15th, 3132, to Richard Parker, the first SP//dr, and New York City chief of police Yuriko Watanabe, the latter of whom died shortly after giving birth. Being the daughter of SP//dr, and all that came with it, defines her life. From a young age, Peni had little opportunity to actually bond with her father. He made sure she was well-fed, had a roof over her head, and fixed her boo-boos, but he was always too busy defending the city to really BE with her. Part of why the kid got into robotics and science was to try to bond with her dad, to give them something to talk about. School has never been an issue for her, with her regularly acing her classes. As the daughter of a celebrity (most superheroes are idolized in this world, and SP//dr, New York City’s finest outside the police, is no exception), she always attended private schools with enough protection to make villains think twice about trying to attack her to get to SP//dr. There’s also the fact that most people only want to befriend her for the clout, but that’s a story for another day. She isn’t necessarily friendless, though. One of her closest friends is Harry Osborn, son of Norman Osborn, CEO of Oscorp and one of her father’s bosses in the SP//dr program. The two of them hung out a lot as kids due to their fathers’ setting them up on playdates while they were busy with Oscorp and SP//dr, and they have been friends ever since. All in all, Peni leads a fairly normal life. However, things change at the ripe age of 9 years old.

Richard Parker was a hero. The guy who was bit by a spider and became the one and only SP//dr. The hero who saved the city again and again. The man who, no matter how many times he got hit, always got back up. But after one too many battles with one Doctor Otto Octavius, he didn’t. Couldn’t. Just like that, the man she wanted so badly to be with was gone, and with him, her world shattered. To say she was heartbroken would be an understatement. The next morning, still raw with grieving, Peni moves in with her aunt and uncle, fellow SP//dr program employees May and Benjamin Parker, but not before they introduce her to a certain opportunity. As it turns out, Peni had the right genetic material to be able to pilot SP//dr, just like her father. And so, May and Ben inform Peni that she’s the only suitable replacement for her father as the pilot. Basically, they tell her “Let this spider bite you and get in the robot, Peni”. In spite of knowing how dangerous it is, how massive the responsibility is, and how great a legacy she’ll need to uphold, she accepts. She lets the spider bite her, forming a psychic link with it and gaining a supportive friend in the process. But there’s one problem: She is nine, and thus has no idea how to actually fight or be a hero. After a few months of training under the tutelage of SHIELD and Daredevil, a friend of her father, and connecting with the other heroes based in New York City, she finally takes the leap of faith and starts her life as SP//dr, the hero of New York City.

Abilities:

Psychic Link: The spider bite granted Peni a psychic link with her spider by essentially setting up a wireless connection between their brains. What this means is that the two have access to one another's brains, including senses, thoughts, memories, emotions, and instincts. However, this isn’t always a good thing. While it does allow the two to share experiences, it also has possible consequences such as sensory overload and mental contamination.

Psychically-Operated Mech: SP//dr, the mech, exists on the bleeding edge of mech control systems. How it works is that the spider is half of the mech’s CPU, and a human pilot can link with the spider and become the other half. For Peni, this means that she can control it in tandem with her spider like it was her own body, with all the relatively enhanced agility and dexterity that entails and few of the harmful side effects normally associated with using brain-computer interfacing to control extra body parts. However, like the psychic link, this comes with consequences, such as mental contamination, sensory overload, and the sensation of damage. With the ability to move the mech like a body comes the ability to use the mech’s senses like her own, which extends to feeling damage like physical injuries. The mech’s armor and coding reduce the sensory data her brain receives, but she still feels pain when hit.

Physical Strength: The mech is capable of lifting and moving approximately 45000 kilograms of mass without risk of critically damaging itself. However, both pilots hold back to preserve the mech’s internals and to avoid collateral damage, such as undue property destruction, injury, or death. Without restraint, the max lifting capacity of the mech has been measured between 60000 and 70000 kilograms.

Webs: SP//dr is capable of shooting webs composed of fluid that solidifies into an adhesive solid in the presence of atmospheric conditions. These webs serve a variety of functions, including but not limited to the mech’s famous web-swinging, incapacitating enemies, and grabbing objects from afar. SP//dr can utilize a variety of varieties of web fluid (with different chemical compositions) for a variety of functions, such as electrocution, bandaging, and temporary welding. However, most webbing breaks down within an hour, the only exceptions being designed to last longer.

Adhesive Limbs: The hands and feet of the SP//dr mech are designed with microscopic, artificial “hairs” that allow the mech to adhere to objects by use of van der Waals interactions.

Magnetic Suspension: SP//dr is equipped with a magnetic suspension system enabling it to manipulate its limbs (as many as eight limbs composed of two or three segments) in ways that would be impossible with a conventional articulation system. However, this does come at the cost of increased power consumption, and the limbs are paralyzed without power.

LCD Screen: SP//dr’s cockpit is headed by a screen with an LCD display allowing the mech to display emoticons to show emotions, messages, visual aids, or other images. However, the screen is more fragile than the rest of the hull.

Hull Durability and Armor: The chassis and limbs of SP//dr are durable and well-armored enough for the mech and pilot to be able to walk away from being struck with a bus without losing function.

Miscellaneous Gadgets: Depending on the need, SP//dr can be outfitted with a variety of tools, such as scanners, enhanced sensors, saws, welding torches, fire extinguishers, and weaponry.

Neurogenetic Technology Compatibility: Peni Parker has the correct set of genes to be able to interface with SP//dr (and other technology by proxy) given the proper apparatus. The effects, in addition to operating SP//dr, consist primarily of limited neural hacking ability and enhanced thinking speed (mostly subconscious), memory backup, as well as other general abilities usually granted by neural cybernetics. Oscorp scientists have noted a similarity to a cyberbrain, except entirely organic.

Spider-Sense: One of the few superpowers not entirely dependent on a giant robot, Peni Parker, the spider, and the robot all have a Spider-Sense. It functions as a general danger sense, allowing them to sense dangers other senses can’t detect and avoid them almost autonomically. It can also detect other Spider-People. However, scientists have noted that the sense sometimes acts in complete defiance of scientific possibility.

Intelligence: Even as a child, Peni Parker was a genius, having been one of the brightest kids in her school, a trait that will only grow with age. However, she isn’t a “Renaissance woman”. She specializes in STEM subjects, most specifically robotics and computers, but would be nowhere near as competent with Shakespeare (unfortunately, still taught in schools) or ancient history. She’s also trilingual, with fluency in English and Japanese and some knowledge of Braille.

Fighting Skills: As part of her training to pilot SP//dr, Peni learned fighting skills to enable her to better fight villains. This included boxing, self-defense, martial arts, firearms training, general combat skills, and enhanced physical condition. Aside from “anime moments”, she isn’t superhuman though, merely an athletic baseline human.

Emergency Response Skills: As another part of her training, Peni received training in responding to a general assortment of emergency situations she’d face during her career as SP//dr, including fire rescue, first aid, and water rescue.

Weaknesses:

Peppermint: Spiders hate peppermint, Peni’s spider is no exception, and the psychic link means that Peni shares that resentment. A sufficient dose of peppermint around an area will make SP//dr run from it, at least temporarily.

Vibrations: One of a spider’s most powerful senses is its ability to detect vibrations. This hypersensitivity can also serve as a weakness, as the psychic link means that if the spider senses a particularly strong vibration (or the mech does through onboard sensors), the feedback would be paralyzing. The effect is like a loud guitar riff being played on an amplifier turned to 11 directly attached to both of one’s ears.

Pesticides: Any pesticides that would affect an arachnid would affect SP//dr, so if the spider gets exposed to (or detects through onboard sensors) any of several pesticides, the mech will flee the area as soon as possible to allow itself to stave off the effects of the pesticide. Onboard filtration systems would and do nullify this weakness, however.

Power Grid:

Intelligence: 3 (Grows to 5)

Strength: 2 (5 in mech)

Speed: 2 (3 in mech)

Durability: 2 (5 in mech)

Energy Projection: 1 (2-3 with specific mech weapons)

Fighting Skills: 1 (Grows to 4)

Additional Trivia:

Ideal English VA: Kimiko Glenn

Ideal Japanese Seiyuu: Rie Takahashi

Peni Parker is a vegetarian (like in the comics). This is due to her finding it weird to eat other animals after psychically linking with SP//dr. Similarly, she has an aversion to any animal products requiring killing the animals. Except for insects for reasons most likely related to the psychic link.

As a consequence of being psychically linked to a spider, Peni is one of the more “spidery” Spider-Heros/Spider-Totems/Spider-People. This means that she has a few additional miscellaneous traits only actual spiders would have.

I’m aware of the Web of Life and Destiny and the supernatural aspect of Spider-Totem powers. Thus, I’m going to leave the balance of technological/scientific power origin versus mystical power origin for you to find out.

The SP//dr program has multiple mechs for various situations. The abilities above mostly refer to the primary mech (The same as ITSV), although some things could change with in-universe time and upgrades.

Peni and her spider use “SP//dr” to refer to the spider, the mech, their hero identity, and the program of which they are a part. Due to the psychic link, they always know what they mean.

I don’t have a section on her personality because that would change a LOT in-universe. She goes through a lot, both good and bad. SP//dr stays a supportive friend though.

The SP//dr program is run by Oscorp under the supervision and oversight of SHIELD and the Commission on Superhuman Activities.

In case you’re wondering, I use “neurogenetic” instead of “psychogenetic” because psychogenetics, the word her comic uses, is actually another world for behavioral genetics, the study of how genes influence behavior. Neurogenetics, however, is the study of how genes affect the function of the nervous system. Thus, considering SP//dr’s control mechanism, “neurogenetics” is a more accurate word.

Also, I apologize for any formatting flubs. I copy pasted this from a Google Doc.

[bedazzlecat]

My ideal #TheSims5 would be...

Create a World is base game included. It has fail safes and error guards to prevent causing problems with routing. You can shape the landscape with mountains, trees, rocks, bushes, landmarks, etc, and be able to place as many lots as you need. Would require a better program that Sims 3 CAW.

It comes with 3 basic built worlds like Sims 4

It's completely open world like Sims 3

Cars and boats and other vehicles are DLC options. If there are horses, we should be able to buy a wagon or carriage.

It comes with cats and dogs do start with and you can have DLC to add other animals if you want them. And if you want wild animals (to wander your world or to live in a preserve) this should be an option too. You should be able to choose only the items you need for your style of play.

Hunting should be an option. I don't even care if it's a rabbit hole like the bear hunt in sims medieval. I like there were steaks in Sims 3. Not everything has to be cute in the Sims .

Some grit and hardship without dying from embarrassment from peeing your pants like a toddler is required. Give the sims some dignity. Hypothermia? Fine. Drowning when you're so tired you pass out? Fine. Laughing yourself to death, stupid.

Gardening plants should have unique meshes that look like real plants. Dragon fruit does not grow on a bush and corn doesn't grow on a vine. I want to utilize all of my ingredients in something. It took several packs before I had a use for bluebells in my game other than simoleons. That's not acceptable.

Off the grid options should exist in base game. Roughing it in all forms should be base game. People love rags to riches challenges. Being poor should be base game, not take 10 packs to get a bush to pee in, an option to make candles, and live off the grid. Mansions should take 10 expansions. Cities should take 10 expansions Capitalism should take 10 expansions.

The ability to make swimmable water features that are not pools, like lakes, rivers, and waterfalls.

Lots of DIY activities for the sims, especially survival related. The woodworking table was good but it had so few items. The eco fabrication thingy was cool but big klunky machines is what I hate about sims 4. Like the telescope and microscope.

Population control. If I want an uninhabited island, I should be able to have one without mods.

Cars are DLC options on an individual basis. Otherwise you have to take public transportation. I hate yellow cabs in sims 3. A public bus, train, or subway. A transportation career should be an option.

There's like 10 different cars in sims 3 I didn't use because I prefer horses, broomsticks, boats, and motorcycles and the occasional cc car. It really bloats the game to have so much unusable stuff. Maybe an option to hide objects you don't use.

Variety in community lot types.

I love the lot traits in Sims 4.

I love the changing lot types like the seasonal community lot in sims 3 and the eco living community lot. More of that!

Sims should be able to join a religion as in sims medieval. Custom religions would be interesting, which would influence sim behaviors and feelings.

Babies grow into toddlers, grow into children, grow into tweens, grow into teens grow into young adults, adult, middle age, and elderly. Ghosts are optional.

Supernatural/occult sims should be DLC on an individual basis. If I want witches and ghosts but not aliens, it should be so.

Time periods in history can be adjusted in options. It limits what sort of items you can use or clothing.

Be able to change colors and textures like in sims 3.

Bunk beds are base game.

Weather should be base game.

Illness, injuries, and cures should be base game.

Individual adventure options should be DLC. Individual careers should be DLC.

So say I have base game, my sims can take plant remedies to get better, which requires a skill, but to get "better care" you have to buy the hospital expansion that comes with the career, but also can be adjusted to some kind of economic heathcare system that you can choose. Taxes vs deductables.

User created custom content can be part of the game. People can get paid and EA can get paid for making crazy good custom content.

Self employment should be base game.

I don't want to sell on plopsy. I did like selling on the market tables on sims 4 but it doesn't always work the way I want it too.

Risky and autonomous woohoo should be a thing as should birth control without an expansion. Like even, say my sim can eat a plant and have all the woohoo she wants without pregnancy. Moodlets can be like a honey moon period, or there could be conversational based moodlets. A couple could have a conversation to "try for baby" and they get autonomous action moodlets to encourage this behavior until pregnancy is achieved. A "fertility treatment" should be a temporary moodlet from a hospital, not a trait.

Recycling should be base game. Especially breaking down recycled materials such as metals, glass, and plastic for home building materials or diy materials (like bits and pieces from sims 4 eco lifestyle)

Lots of slots for clutter. I don't like having to cheat to place objects closer together or on top of a shelf.

Wall height adjustment to any size. Auto roofs, custom roofs curved roofs, different textures. stairs of all types including spirals and ladders included in base game. Free window and door placement. Clear roofs, clear floor tiles should be available if wanted. Ceiling tiles should be a thing.

Have a full range of gender expression and sexual characteristics.

Hide /unhide mailbox to have bills and items automatically delivered to your inventory. The ability to auto pay,

Cell phone should have an option to turn it off. Turn it on, get lots of calls, invites, opportunities, etc. That's fine. But the Sim gods give and take away when it's their game.

Consequences to your actions. Don't have a criminal career without crime and punishment in the world. And yes this should be a playable career.

Don't have fires without firefighters ever again.

Have the option to turn off public services like police and fire department if desired.

I hate rabbit hole careers but some people prefer them. Jobs should have all have rabbit holes and all have options to follow to work. Even school.

Pristine graphics.

A meaningful emotional/mood/trait system.

Favorites: music, color, genre (movies and books), food.

Custom music could tie in with a service like spotify.

Game music (build/buy, maps, and loading screens) is obnoxious. I like how in sims 4 you can turn it off.

I understand fish go bad but don't let me forget to put thing in my fridge. Store all harvestable and fish at once in a fridge.

Little pop ups that tell you about a book the sim is reading would be a nice touch. You should be able to buy books your sims wrote and edit these text pop ups so that they can be shared with the gallery.

Speaking of the gallery, there should be a Sims 5 gallery.

There should also be a virtual real time sims online community. Add friends and visit each other's houses, world, etc. Your sims social media account is on there too. You can share what your sim is doing with their blog posts, followers, videos, etc. Subscribe and let your sim watch them on any screen in the house or get updates on what they are doing or if they're throwing a party which you can be invited to or hear about later. It's all built into the game seamlessly. (I know. But... This is my fantasy sims game!)

I love what they did with the inventory in sims 4 with one of the updates. Keep that.

Every expansion should come with a world. And the builds should be worth buying the world. Otherwise give us the power to create and share our own so that people who can't build or don't want to spend the time can have access to quality creative content.

I know I'm kind of all over the place but this is the kind of game I want.

[newstfionline]

Friday, November 13, 2020

A thought experiment (Washington Post) The political scientist Brendan Nyhan has often responded to events by asking a question: What would you say if you saw it in another country? Imagine that a president of another country lost an election and refused to concede defeat. Instead, he lied about the vote count. He then filed lawsuits to have ballots thrown out, put pressure on other officials to back him up and used the power of government to prevent a transition of power from starting. How would you describe this behavior? It’s certainly anti-democratic. It is an attempt to overrule the will of the people, ignore a country’s laws and illegitimately grab political power. President Trump’s efforts will probably fail, but they are unlike anything that living Americans have experienced. “What we have seen in the last week from the president more closely resembles the tactics of the kind of authoritarian leaders we follow,” Michael Abramowitz, the president of Freedom House, which tracks democracy, told The Times. “I never would have imagined seeing something like this in America.”

Biden’s Policy Agenda Rests Heavily on Senate Outcome (NYT) President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s transition team is preparing multiple sets of policy proposals for the economy, health care, climate change and other domestic issues, including the ambitious agenda Mr. Biden laid out in his winning campaign, while acknowledging it may have to be pared back in recognition of divided government. Where the incoming administration lands depends heavily on two Senate runoffs in Georgia in early January. If Democrats win both races, close aides to Mr. Biden and economists who helped advise his campaign say the president-elect will try to push through a large stimulus plan for the flagging economic recovery—most likely along the lines of the $2.2 trillion that House Democrats approved this fall. His stimulus plan under such a scenario would include hundreds of billions of dollars for state and local governments that have lost tax revenue amid the pandemic recession, extended unemployment benefits for people who lost jobs during the crisis and a new round of aid for small businesses. A narrow majority in the Senate would also give Mr. Biden the chance to push through his proposed tax increases on corporations and the rich—tax hikes that would be used to fund the president-elect’s more ambitious plans like rebuilding roads and bridges, speeding the transition to a carbon-free energy sector and helping Americans afford health care. But if Republicans win even one of the Georgia seats, Mr. Biden will most likely need to settle for a wave of executive actions that would bring more incremental progress toward his policy goals, while trying to cut compromise deals with Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader.

Millions Face Loss of Jobless Aid: ‘Without It, I’m Dead in the Water’ (NYT) Two critical unemployment programs are set to expire at the end of the year, potentially leaving millions of Americans vulnerable to eviction and hunger and threatening to short-circuit an economic recovery that has already lost momentum. As many as 13 million people are receiving payments under the programs, which Congress created last spring to expand and extend the regular unemployment system during the coronavirus pandemic. Leaders of both major parties have expressed support for renewing the programs in some form, but Congress has been unable to reach a deal to do so. It remains unclear how the results of last week’s election will affect prospects for an agreement. That means that for now at least, people like Randy Williams must prepare for the possibility that they are weeks away from losing their only income. Mr. Williams, 56, lost his job as a manager at a Memphis-area Cracker Barrel in the first weeks of the pandemic. His state jobless benefits ran out last month, leaving him to rely on a 13-week extension under the federal Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation program, which ends in late December. Already, Mr. Williams is struggling to get by on his $275 weekly benefit check, the maximum allowed in Tennessee. He has fallen behind on rent, racked up thousands of dollars in credit card debt and turned to a food pantry run by a church. Even with the benefits, “I may have got behind on this or that, robbing Peter to pay Paul this month,” he said. “But without it, I’m dead in the water.”

Hospitals brace for problems (Washington Post) The number of new daily coronavirus cases in the United States jumped from 104,000 a week earlier to more than 145,000 yesterday, an all-time high. Nearly every metric is trending in the wrong direction, prompting states to add new restrictions and hospitals to prepare for a potentially dark future. “We’re at a fairly critical juncture,” said Dave Dillon, a spokesman for the Missouri Hospital Association. The day will soon come when hospital staffing will fall below standards that are normally required, he said.

Police crackdown rocks top Mexican tourist resort (AFP) Images of terrified protesters fleeing police and gunfire have shaken one of Mexico’s top beach resorts and dealt another blow to a tourism industry already reeling from the coronavirus pandemic. The crackdown on Monday in front of Cancun city hall, where hundreds were demonstrating against the murder of a local woman, sparked national outcry and protests in Mexico City. Three people were injured when police fired in the air for several minutes and chased the mostly female demonstrators through a budget hotel district after property was vandalized. Live fire by police against protesters is unprecedented in Cancun and rare across Mexico, where security forces usually limit themselves to using shields and sometimes pepper spray. It was criticized by authorities at the regional and national level, cost the local police chief his job and led to the suspension of Quintana Roo’s head of security.

Evo Morales makes gleeful return to town he fled (Guardian) Tens of thousands of jubilant followers have welcomed Evo Morales back to the coca-growing region from which he fled into exile exactly one year ago after what they branded a racist rightwing coup. “Evo, Evo, Evo,” chanted the people who had travelled from all over Bolivia to witness their leader’s triumphant return home in the jungle-flanked town of Chimoré. Bolivia’s first indigenous president resigned and abandoned the South American country on 11 November 2019, making his escape on a Mexican air force jet that whisked him out of Chimoré’s airport. Morales decided to bolt when security forces withdrew their support after later questioned claims of electoral fraud in the presidential election sparked street protests and deadly unrest. But on Wednesday, two days after re-entering Bolivia at the start of an emotional, politically-charged homecoming, he made a gleeful return to the same town—to a rapturous reception.

Italian hospitals face breaking point in fall virus surge (AP) Dr. Luca Cabrini was certain his hospital in the heart of Lombardy’s lake district would reach its breaking point caring for 300 COVID-19 patients. So far, virus patients fill 500 beds and counting. Italy, which shocked the world and itself when hospitals in the wealthy north were overwhelmed with coronavirus cases last spring, is again facing a systemic crisis, as confirmed positives pass the symbolic threshold of 1 million. “We are very close to not keeping up. I cannot say when we will reach the limit, but that day is not far off,” said Cabrini, who runs the intensive care ward at Varese’s Circolo hospital, the largest in the province of 1 million people northwest of Milan. The Italian doctors federation called this week for a nationwide lockdown to forestall a collapse of the medical system, marked by the closure of non-emergency procedures. The government is facing tougher criticism than in the spring, when the health crisis was met with an outpouring of solidarity. As of Wednesday, 52% of Italy’s hospital beds were occupied by COVID-19 patients, above the 40% warning threshold set by the Health Ministry. Nine of Italy’s 21 regions and autonomous provinces are already securely in the red-alert zone, above 50% virus occupancy, with Lombardy at 75%, Piedmont at 92% and South Tyrol at an astonishing 99%.

Azerbaijan’s drones owned the battlefield in Nagorno-Karabakh (Washington Post) The drone’s-eye view over Nagorno-Karabakh defined much of the six-week war in the mountainous enclave within Azerbaijan: The video first showed soldiers below in trenches, then came blasts and smoke, then nothing. Drone strikes—targeting Armenian and Nagorno-Karabakh soldiers and destroying tanks, artillery and air defense systems—provided a huge advantage for Azerbaijan in the 44-day war and offered the clearest evidence yet of how battlefields are being transformed by unmanned attack drones rolling off assembly lines around the world. The expanding array of relatively low-cost drones can offer countries air power at a fraction of the cost of maintaining a traditional air force. The situation in Nagorno-Karabakh also underscored how drones can suddenly shift a long-standing conflict and leave ground forces highly exposed. “Drones offer small countries very cheap access to tactical aviation and precision guided weapons, enabling them to destroy an opponent’s much-costlier equipment such as tanks and air defense systems,” said Michael Kofman, military analyst and director of Russia studies at CNA, a defense think tank in Arlington, Va. “An air force is a very expensive thing,” he added. “And they permit the utility of air power to smaller, much poorer nations.”

Wolf sentinels (Foreign Policy) The Japanese town of Takikawa on the northern island of Hokkaido has found a novel solution to its growing bear problem: wolf robots. More like mechanized scarecrows, the fake wolves come equipped with loudspeakers producing wolf howls once bears come within range. Sightings of bears in Japan are at their highest levels in five years, and two fatal bear attacks have already taken place in 2020. Takikawa officials say they have not encountered any more bears since the lupine sentinels were deployed.

Biden vows to defend Japan as China asserts power in Asia (Washington Post) As China flexes its muscles, President-elect Joe Biden is offering assurances to America’s top allies in the Asia-Pacific region that he’s not going to be a soft touch. Biden spoke with the leaders of Australia, Japan and South Korea on Wednesday night in Washington, underlining in each call his commitment to “strengthen” their bilateral alliance. “The president-elect underscored his deep commitment to the defense of Japan and U.S. commitments under Article 5,” Biden’s team said, referring to the two countries’ joint security treaty that commits the United States to respond to any attack on Japan. Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga went further, saying that Biden had given “a commitment” that Article 5 would cover an attack on the Senkaku islands, a chain of five rocky outcrops administered by Japan but claimed by China, which calls them Diaoyu. With the world struggling to contain the coronavirus pandemic, and the United States distracted by its marathon electoral process, China has been seizing the moment to assert itself. On Wednesday, China dramatically intensified its clampdown on Hong Kong, a subject of bitter dispute between Beijing and Washington. Chinese coast guard ships, meanwhile, have been ratcheting up the pressure around the Senkaku islands, appearing in the nearby waters almost every day this year, more than ever before.

Typhoon Vamco batters the Philippines, leaving millions without power (Washington Post) A week and a half after suffering a deadly hit from a super typhoon, another storm battered the Philippines overnight into Thursday, cutting power to millions and leaving at least one person dead and countless others stranded. Typhoon Vamco, the equivalent of a Category 2 hurricane, struck the northern island of Luzon, the third typhoon and fifth tropical cyclone to affect the Philippines in less than three weeks. Super Typhoon Goni narrowly sidestepped the capital region of more than 12 million this month, but Vamco brought rain and winds of up to 105 mph Wednesday night into Thursday. On Thursday, houses were submerged and Filipinos were stranded on rooftops. The hashtag #RescuePH trended on social media, with people posting their whereabouts and contact details, begging for help. Many were stranded with the elderly, children and pets. Some were rescued on rubber life boats; in one video, a child was floated out in a basin. The Manila Electric Company said almost two million households—a fifth of its base—were still without electricity at midday Thursday.

In ruins, Syria marks 50 years of Assad family rule (AP) On Nov. 13, 1970, a young air force officer from the coastal hills of Syria launched a bloodless coup. It was the latest in a succession of military takeovers since independence from France in 1946, and there was no reason to think it would be the last. Yet 50 years later, Hafez Assad’s family still rules Syria. The country is in ruins from a decade of civil war that killed a half million people, displaced half the population and wiped out the economy. Entire regions are lost from government control. But Hafez’s son, Bashar Assad, has an unquestioned grip on what remains. It wasn’t clear whether the government intended to mark the 50-year milestone this year. While the anniversary has been marked with fanfare in previous years, it has been a more subdued celebration during the war. “There can be no doubt that 50 years of Assad family rule ... has left the country what can only be described as broken, failed and almost forgotten,” said Neil Quilliam, an associate fellow at Chatham House’s Middle East and North Africa program.

Trump may be headed out the door, but Saudi Arabia’s global enablers remain (Washington Post) In November 2017, Jamal Khashoggi told me “In Saudi Arabia, we cannot choose our leaders. We can only hope they get it right.” Less than a year later, the Post contributing columnist would be murdered by agents of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a leader he did not choose. Throughout his bloodstained rise to and consolidation of power, MBS, as the crown prince is generally known, placed his hopes in President Trump and Jared Kushner. Trump and Kushner, almost from the very beginning of the Trump administration, signaled that Saudi Arabia would be given extra special treatment. “We put our man on top,” Trump reportedly bragged when Mohammed bin Salman became crown prince after wrenching power from his older cousin in 2017. Saudi Arabia was the first country that the then-freshly elected and notoriously travel-averse Trump flew to early in 2017, to an extravagant fete put on by the regime, which is said to have spent as much as $68 million on the summit. MBS would go on to say, “Trump was the right person at the right time” for Saudi Arabia. The Saudi and Emirati governments reportedly offered the Trump campaign help to win the 2016 election, according to the New York Times. In 2018, MBS reportedly bragged that he had Kushner “in his pocket,” according to the Intercept. While Trump has been in office, Saudi Arabia has arrested influential personalities and activists, including women’s rights advocates. It also tried to pursue an impulsive war against Qatar, and imposed a blockade on the country. Kushner reportedly gave advice to Mohammed bin Salman on how to weather the storm after Jamal’s gruesome murder, and Trump later bragged to Bob Woodward about shielding MBS from congressional scrutiny.

Jamal’s assassination was personal and devastating. But the entire country of Yemen has been bludgeoned by Saudi Arabia and its partners in the gulf coalition that has orchestrated airstrikes against it since 2015. The United States has been one of the main suppliers of bombs to the Saudis in a quagmire of a blood-soaked and unwinnable war; some 13,500 Yemeni civilians have died from targeted attacks. Even after Jamal’s murder, when mounting political pressure was aimed at the United States to stop arming the Saudis, the Trump administration not only refused to budge but also Trump himself used the arms deals and the price of oil as a reason to justify continuing to engage with the Saudis. The situation is so bad that U.S. officials are reportedly now worried that they could face prosecution for war crimes for continuing to sell arms to the Saudis despite the mounting body count. But Trump is not the only enabler of Saudi Arabia. The focus on Trump, ironically, seems to glide over the fact that the Group of 20 countries have largely gone on with business as usual with Saudi Arabia. And as long as the international community continues to turn a blind eye to Saudi Arabia’s worst impulses, the so-called guardians of the liberal world order have blood on their hands, too.

Ethiopia claims ‘liberation’ of west Tigray, humanitarian crisis looms (Reuters) Ethiopia’s military has defeated local forces in the west of Tigray state, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said on Thursday, accusing his foes of atrocities during a week of fighting that threatens to destabilise the Horn of Africa. Air strikes and ground combat have killed hundreds, sent refugees flooding into Sudan, stirred Ethiopia’s ethnic divisions and raised questions over the credentials of Abiy, Africa’s youngest leader who won a Nobel Peace Prize in 2019. With communications down, transport blocked and media barred, independent verification of the status of the conflict was impossible. There was no immediate response from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which rules the mountainous northern state of more than 5 million people. More than 10,000 Ethiopian refugees have crossed into Sudan since fighting started and aid agencies say the situation in Tigray is becoming dire. Even before the conflict, 600,000 people there were reliant on food aid. The United Nations’ Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said aid agencies were unable to restock food, health and other emergency supplies due to lack of access.

[i-dreamed-i-had-a-son]

Tony, Steve, Clark, and Bruce: A Cross-Universe Comparison

I saw a post that, in my opinion, unfairly compared Tony Stark and Bruce Wayne, and this inspired me to write a comparison of the four characters listed in the title above. I believe many people misunderstand a lot of what these characters believe and stand for, so I want to express what I find their stances and motives to be in relation to each other.

As a note, the interpretations of these characters have varied widely, given the multitude of comic book authors and the somewhat differing portrayals on screen. For this analysis, I will be focusing mostly on the film interpretations, as they are better known, with the exception of Superman; this is because on screen, he is intended to be a reimagining of the character. In order to stay true to his nature, I will mostly be using the Superman developed in the comics (particularly the one presented in the Dark Knight Returns).

On the surface, Tony Stark and Bruce Wayne appear to be two fairly similar characters. Both experienced traumatic youths, including the sudden deaths (which were both murders) of their parents. Both Tony and Bruce are incredibly wealthy and intelligent, with almost unlimited technical resources making up for their non-superhuman physical abilities. These two characters, however, are actually closer to opposites than doubles.

In actuality, these characters are each more similar to the other's counterpart: Tony tends more towards Superman's more conformist vision for the world, having gone from a rogue, or individualist, to someone who recognizes his own potential for ignorance and damage and decides he needs to be held accountable. It is Steve Rogers, not Tony Stark, who is the MCU counterpart of Batman.

Steve had initially, at least on a surface level, been portrayed as the ultimate conformist: he gave his life to the army, in order to become a medical experiment who fought and acted at the behest of his country. But in actuality, he maintained his individualistic and rebellious spirit, growing further into that attitude as the franchise progressed. This is why, by Infinity War, Steve has embraced his Nomad identity, fully shirking any responsibility to the larger government, and instead, seeking after his own goals.

This individualist attitude is encapuslated best in Endgame, where Steve says to a high-ranking government official: "I'm not asking for forgiveness. And I'm done asking for permission." This implies that he had, at some point, asked for permission in the first place, but this is not the case. When the Accords were introduced, Steve spoke out against them, refused to compromise, and essentially fled, becoming a rebel and fugitive in the process. Any time an authority, government or not, gives him an order he doesn't agree with, he dismisses it outright.

These actions and attitudes are mirrored almost exactly by Bruce, who not only appoints himself sole arbiter of right and wrong by enforcing his vigilante justice, but also avoids police detainment and other efforts to force him to comply with the law. The law is not sufficient for his purposes, so he does not abide by it. He has no problem with allowing himself unchecked power; for example, in the Dark Knight, he constructs a surveillance system that invades the privacy of every citizen of Gotham to find the Joker. Although he does destroy it, to him, the ends justify the means. He does not believe there is anything wrong with allowing a decision of such magnitude to be left solely in his hands, and in fact, he would not want anyone else to interfere, even a government. He firmly believes he knows what is best--and he intends to plant himself like a tree and say to the government, "No, you move."

Bruce is much more cynical about humanity than Steve, which is understandable, and offers insight into their differing ways of acting on their similar beliefs. Steve was raised in poverty and was bullied, but experienced minimal trauma in his youth, whereas Bruce was traumatized at a young age. Despite having privilege as a child, Bruce was darkened by his trauma, making him use his position of power in decidedly more violent ways than Steve, who was able to grow into a position of power without the scarrings of a traumatic youth. This is what causes the apparent difference between them--on the surface, no one would call Bruce and Steve similar, as Steve is viewed as a "good" character, and Bruce as morally grey at best. Ultimately, however, they act similarly: Bruce uses his troubled past as a justification for inflicting his own form of justice on those he deems criminals, and Steve uses his supposed moral high standing to do the same thing. Both of them also view the advantages they have over average humans as indicative that they are supposed to take action--but, because of their superiority, this action is taken on their own terms. It is similar to the theory of the Superior Man in Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel Crime and Punishment. The Superior Man, expresses the main character, would not be bound by the laws of society. He could break and form them as he pleased, as they only exist to keep the average members of the populace in check. Much of the same attitude is presented by Steve and Bruce, who, as stated, use their physical advantages as an excuse to do whatever they deem "necessary". Because of this the two characters, although they express their idealogies in different ways, share many of the same views.

Another cause of the difference in public interpretation of their characters is that the narrative justifies Steve's decisions at every turn, but Bruce has more of a penalty to pay for his actions. Ultimately, Bruce is also justified by the narrative: he gets a happy ending in the Dark Knight trilogy, at least. (As an aside, this is perhaps a commentary on how in the end, the rich are able to get away with anything, and can do whatever they please with no real consequence. Although I will not make a statement on the veracity of such a claim, it is nevertheless a possibility that the films endeavored to make a pint about it.) Bruce does, however, have to face some costs for his decisions. He is driven into hiding for eight years after taking the blame for Harvey Dent's death, which was caused by a chain of events in which he--and his occasionally selfish decisions--played a major role. Additionally, in the comics, Batman lost several of his companions, with Dick Grayson giving up the role of Robin, and Jason Todd dying because of Batman's oversights. This distinct cost to his actions results in him appearing to be less of a morally good character; in the perception of the audience, if Bruce really made the right decision, would it not then have resulted in victory? It is a firmly entrenched idea, in America in particular, that good will always triumph over evil--and so, if there is any element of good that does not unequivocally triumph, it must not have been purely good.

The similarity between Steve and Superman comes from their acheiving this ideal, this unequivocal goodness, but it is not present in Batman, leading many to wrongly think that Steve and Superman are birds of a feather; in fact, Tony is much more similar to the do-gooder Superman, who feels compelled to utilize his assets and abilities to help the common people. Tony likewise focuses much more on helping others than on correcting injustice as Bruce and Steve do. This is the ultimate distinction between the four characters: whereas Bruce and Steve believe it is their moral duty to correct the injustices they perceive--confrontational heroics--Tony and Clark see their abilities as an opportunity to help others--supplemental heroics.

In other words, Tony and Clark recognize it is not their role to define what is good or bad on an ultimate scale, and instead step in and offers aid in the areas in which they know it is needed. For example, Tony provides scholarships for underfunded college students in order to help them pursue their dreams. He contributes on a larger scale with his technology, allowing much public access to his inventions, such as BARF, that would be good for the common welfare. In this way, he contributes a lot of good without creating his own definition of good; instead, he does what the public perceives as good, just as Clark does when he saves people from accidents or other catastrophes.

Tony often fights, however, to keep the weaponized side of his inventions--namely, the Iron Man suits--private. This is because he had previously been involved with the government in the weapons business, and realized that there was no accountability there, neither for him nor for the government. Countless people died, and there was nothing to keep the people involved in check. Thus, his position on individualism versus conforming to the government depends on each party being kept accountable by the other; he will submit to governm ent authority, as it makes him liable to some higher power and prevents him from making potentially world-altering decisions on his own, but he also maintains enough control that he can exert pressure on the government in return if they begin to grow too large.

This seems to cause him to differ some from Superman, who does not keep the government in check; this is because of a difference in situation. Ultimately, because Superman is so powerful, the government could not actually keep him in check, and so he voluntarily submits to their authority as a way to keep himself accountable. He knows full well that if the government were to "step out of line", he would certainly be able to subdue them, but he recognizes the old adage that "absolute power corrupts absolutely," and does not want to take that chance.

Superman realizes, just as Tony does, that it is not his right to determine what is right or wrong since he is just one man. Unlike Tony, however, Clark is powerful enough to exert his will over everyone. To prevent himself from acting on this temptation, he submits himself to human authority. Thus, Tony and Clark have very similar idealogies: neither fully relinquish autonomy, but prioritize accountability over the freedom to do whatever they would like, because both have seen the consequences of unchecked power.

As a slight aside, this surrendering of control develops to become the source of the conflict between Batman and Superman in the Dark Knight Returns, the comic which not only revitalized the comics industry but also inspired Batman vs. Superman. In this comic, Superman has almost completely relinquished autonomy to the government, and Bruce has become the ultimate symbol of resistance, inspiring violent gangs to assert their forms of justice on the streets. The conflict between the two of them is ultimately reduced to a conflict between their two opposing ideals: conformism and individualism. This also provides great examples to illustrate the difference between confrontational and supplemental heroics: in the comic, Superman sacrifices himself to divert a nuclear missile from its target city, nearly dying in the process; Bruce emerges from retirement to become Batman again, because he believes the condition of society has gotten out of hand and needs him to correct it. He, too, nearly dies in the process of doing so. Ultimately, both survive and go on to continue striving towards their various ideals, allowing each other to function without interference. This is supposed to represent how there is a place for both approaches, and neither is necessarily right or wrong; rather, they balance each other out.

In the end then, it is clear that despite their superficial similarities, the characters commonly related to each other are in fact very different on an ideological level. The reason the pairs (Tony and Steve, and Bruce and Clark) work so well in the same franchise is because they serve as foils and complements to each other: one member demonstrates confrontational heroism and individualism, and the other in turn demonstrates supplemental heroism and conformism. They represent the ongoing battle in the real world between differing beliefs and ideals, and it is precisely this conflict that makes their interactions interesting to observe--whether on screen, or on the page.

[infrastructuralist]

Collectivizations: The Trams of Revolutionary Barcelona

If you’ve ever taken a look into collectivization, or leftism in general, you’ve probably come across this image in some shape or form. It’s a tram operating under the control of the Spanish Confederación Nacional del Trabajo, or National Confederation of Labor.

Often, this image is posted without very much context. It's presented as a curiosity, or as the main component of an antifascist multi-track drifting meme. But, to those who were there – and those who listened to their tales – this image speaks to the spirit of a revolution.

[Photo of a tramway and street in front of Estacion de Francia, 1930’s]

The modern city is a complicated organism, requiring a robust circulatory system to keep itself alive. Nowhere was this more true than the Barcelona of the early 20th century. With the city cresting just over a million people¹, they needed a solution to get people where they needed to go with speed and efficiency. Here, public transit truly shined.

Barcelona boasted healthy taxi and bus services, two underground metro lines, and even two funicular railways. These, though, all paled in scale and importance to the tramways. Sixty routes darted across the city and its suburbs, carting thousands of people a day to and from its beating heart.

The Belgian financiers of the General Tramways Company, however, had no real stake in the wellbeing of their Catalan workers or customers. They desired only to please the pockets of themselves and their shareholders, and the system suffered greatly for it.

The city’s streets were littered with haphazardly placed power boxes and suspension poles for the overhead electrical wire. The tracks curved around these obstacles to compensate, but the sharp turns strained the poorly-maintained tracks and trams to their breaking point, causing many derailments and collisions. Nearly every tram in the fleet was in some state of disrepair, and many were inoperable – and the garages did not have the ability to fix them.

You see, one of the core problems of the GTC’s model was that the company used too many dissimilar models of tram cabs, most of which were imported. The mechanics, who already had limited access to tools, simply did not have the equipment to perform most critical services to the trams. They had to rely on importing pre-built spare parts that, often, were of such low quality they caused more problems than they solved.

Additionally, the trams operated on a fare zoning system with rates that varied depending on which part of the city you were headed to, as well as the time of day. Working-class neighborhoods were hurt most by this, almost entirely priced out of being able to ride.

The workers of the tramways, most of which lived in those neighborhoods, would often find themselves in that situation. Their jobs were thankless, dirty, and dangerous – and they couldn’t even afford to ride their own trams.

Soon, they sought to unionize – something the GTC’s management refused to abide.

[Photo of militia personnel riding on a truck with “CNT” and “F.A.I.” painted on its side, 1936?]

From ‘33 to ‘36, the workforce and management of Barcelona’s tramways were locked in bitter conflict. Workers attempting to organize faced harsh retaliation, often becoming victims of targeted harassment and violence. Strikes were met with severe police repression and waves of scabs.

Despite their best efforts though, management would not succeed. Of their 7,000 employees, 6,500 would become dues-paying members of the CNT.

A final strike, the bloodiest and most costly of the entire affair, would occur in 1936. A months-long battle raged in the streets during the first half of the year, ended only by the fascist coup on July 19th and the proletarian revolution that followed. Fighting transformed the city into a battlefield that week, but come the 24th the smoke hanging over the city finally began to clear.

After victory was assured and the revolutionary government took root, people returned to work. Upon their arrival, though, they found their former management had vanished, taking the company’s coffers with them.

This economic sabotage, along with the post-battle destruction of the city’s already disheveled street infrastructure, made the prospect of rebuilding seem almost impossible.

With management gone, though, the keys to the castle were up for grabs – and the workers of Barcelona were ready to seize them.

[Photo of union workers painting a slogan onto the side of a collectivized tram, 1936-9?]

Immediately, the disparate companies that had made up the city’s public transit network were impounded, and their assets were expropriated to the CNT. The metro, bus, and tram services collected under their respective unions, and their committees gathered to assess the situation.

Despite the city still being in shambles, it was decided that returning the tramways to full working order was critical. Getting the economy up and running again required freedom of movement – something that, due to wartime restrictions on automobile travel, would be almost impossible without tram service. A general call was issued over the radio for all available engineers, technicians, and manual workers to assemble for the job.

In a mere three days, the people of Barcelona watched the first trams return to active service. In five, 700 newly-serviced trams², painted in the colors of the revolution, were operating throughout the city.

It was a herculean feat, only possible due to the industrial syndication of the CNT and its sister unions. A bunch of disparate trades and organized workplaces would, on their own, be a cacophony of disorganized rabble – but beneath the single banner of the syndicate, they meshed like the gears of a well-timed clock. Gaston Leval, combatant and historian of the Spanish revolution, had this to say on the subject:

[Image of a quote from Collectives discussing the high levels of organization within the industrial syndicate]

Cohesion and the free flow of ideas were ideals baked into the very fabric of the unions. No important decision could be made without the consultation and agreement of all workers involved. Not one voice was discounted, no matter who it came from.

[Photo of a collectivized tram with a graphic painted on its side, depicting stylized workers piercing a swastika with an arrow containing the words “TODOS CONTRA EL FASCISMO” (“All against fascism”), 1936-9?]

It wasn’t enough, though, to put the freshly-oiled and painted trams back on the tracks. No, the transport union had ambitions, and they set to work on fulfilling them immediately.

One of the first things they tackled were the electrical problems. The junction boxes and power poles in the middle of the road were not only interfering with the free flow of traffic, but were also a safety hazard. This was a job for the city's electrical utility union, and they solved the problem with ease. They relocated the boxes and poles to the sidewalk, and built new crosspans extending over the street to suspend the cables.

With the streets freed up, they could now focus on improving the rail infrastructure itself. Fully-electric, automated signals were added, and the city’s serpentine tracks were straightened and relaid – much to the relief of motorists and tram operators alike.

The sorry state of the garages was another hurdle. A lack of tools and parts left mechanics incapable of repairing the city’s fleet of trams. In response, the committee requisitioned the funds to buy state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment to bring things back to working order. This allowed the workers to service and refit the fleet, and rebuild the inoperable cabs. Quality spares were also produced en mass, reducing their reliance on imported parts from 85% down to an impressive 10%.

Of course, they weren’t content to stop there. The fleet was comprised of eight different models of cab, all of which came from separate companies with their own proprietary designs. A new model was needed, so they designed one made from local materials with local hands, with ease of assembly and care in mind. They began to introduce these new workhorses to the tramways, with the eventual goal of replacing the entire fleet.

Fares were also reduced – by half.

Rates that once went as high as .40 peseta fell to a flat rate of .20, something that would have been unthinkable under profit-driven management.

Throughout it all, the workers of the syndicate saw the quality of their lives dramatically increase. The transport union gained a healthcare and insurance program, as well as significant pay raises. Before the revolution, ‘peones’, or laborers, made only eight pesetas per day. Traffic controllers received 10, and engineers got 12. Afterward, though, wages were adjusted. Laborers began to earn 15 pesetas per day, while all skilled workers earned 16 – an average increase of about 61% across the board.

These massive improvements weren’t cheap, though. How did the tramways’ bottom line fare throughout all this?

[Image depicts a chart of the tramways’ total monthly income from September through December in 1935 and 1936, shown in 1936 peseta and 2019 euro values. A significant increase in profitability is shown after the collectivization of the service] ³

As it turns out, they were farther in the black under the new collectivized ownership! In September alone, they were up a full 300,000 pesetas over the pre-revolutionary system.

The system had to sustain lowered fares, increased labor costs, a shift to local manufacturing, and a 150% increase in the price of raw materials due to blockade. Yet, in spite of this, profits from the tramways increased by, on average, 12% per month.

It’s only when looking at these figures that one can see the true impact of the capitalist managerial class. The salary of the GTC’s old director alone clocked in at 132,000 pesetas per year (around 300,000 euros today). Factor in the lavish expenditures on corporate offices and highbrow events, and the waste totaled in the millions. Under worker-ownership, the syndicate cut the dead weight of bloated salaries and unnecessary expenses, allowing the tramways to grow and flourish.

Even after paying their massive overhead costs and continuing their ambitious expansion projects, the new tramways were capable of sustaining the entire city’s public transit on their own. There was even enough left over to donate large sums towards the war effort!

Some have argued that this spike in profit was actually due to wartime jobs and restrictions on automobile travel. These did, in fact, contribute heavily to the 62% increase in ridership in the first year of worker-managed service.

This is true... but only in part. Bear in mind that this profit margin is the system operating under enormous economic stress. They were rebuilding a city damaged by war, and revamping massive portions of their infrastructure. These investments were already paying off, but had the city been given the chance to return to a peacetime economy, the tramways likely would have blossomed into an outstandingly successful public institution.

[Photo of transit union workers in front of a collectivized tram, 1936-9?]

At the heart of revolutionary class struggle is the promise of a better tomorrow. It’s what drives us to pick up the torch and carry on the good fight of making that promise a reality.

Often, though, we aren't sure what that tomorrow would look like. We picture the revolution as a single, continuous battle, filled with glamour and glory. In truth, most of the work in a post-revolutionary society is of the most mundane and pedestrian variety.

Perhaps a bunch of trolley workers expropriating their bosses’ equipment and revamping their city’s rapid transit isn’t going to get its own chapter in the history books. But its only through these radical acts of creativity, community, and compassion that we truly build a better world.

¹ I’ve left this figure vague as I don’t really have a true source for the population of barcelona in the 1930′s. The best I could find at the time of writing is this uncited graph on a, frankly speaking, Pretty Sketchy website. If I come across a better source, I will update this accordingly.

² This figure is particularly impressive, considering the number of trams operating prior to the revolution hovered just below 600.

³ Original figures taken from Collectives, conversion and inflation adjustment to euros (rounded to the nearest whole number) made using measuringworth.com’s Spanish currency calculator.

Information derived from Collectivizations: The Constructive Achievements of the Spanish Revolution. Essays, Documents, and Reports by Augustin Souchy and Paul Folgare, The CNT In The Spanish Revolution by José Peirats, Collectives in the Spanish Revolution by Gaston Leval, Free Women of Spain: Anarchism and the Struggle for the Emancipation of Women by Martha A. Ackelsberg, The Collectivized CNT Taxis published by La Révolution Espagnole, Worker Management of the Barcelona Public Transit System, 1936-1939 by Tom Wetzel, and The Evolving Urban Form: Barcelona by Wendell Cox

Photos used from hippostcard.com, libcom.org, and anarchismus.at

Editorial assistance courtesy of John L. Moore

[hellzyeahthewebwieldingavenger]

Spider-Man: Carnage in New York Thoughts

I’d actually recommend checking this out!

 I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect out of this novel. Carnage is such a simplistic character that a whole novel about him as the main antagonist was something I wasn’t sure could work. And yet for the most part it did.

 Because this a story most people aren’t going to have easy access to I’m copying in the plot synopsis as provided by the marvel.wiki:

  Dr. Eric Catrall flees carrying a briefcase containing a vial of "trigger" serum - a chemical compound that induces violent insanity in anyone exposed to even trace amounts. Pursued by a pair of FBI agents, he's cornered in an alley but is rescued by Spider-Man - who had been on his way home from attempting to spy on a local mobster.

Spider-Man returns home to his wife, Mary Jane, and tells her about his altercation with the feds. Their conversation is interrupted by the arrival of Aunt May, who tells Peter that she is three months behind on her payments for her house and that unless she makes the payment the following day it will be repossessed. Despite himself and MJ not being financially well-off themselves, Peter promises to help May any way he can, and agrees to accompany her to the bank.

At the supervillain prison known as the Vault, rookie Guardsman Craig Lynch taunts Cletus Kasady. The serial killer responds by unleashing his symbiote and transforming into Carnage, terrifying Lynch.

Going to the Daily Bugle Building to investigate Catrall the following day, Peter listens to J. Jonah Jameson and Robbie Robertson discuss the Bugle financing the "Feed 'Em All" event - an initiative to feed the homeless - about to take place in Central Park. On his way out, Ben Urich informs him that Cletus Kasady is being brought back to New York, where an experiment is going to be performed to separate him from his symbiote and kill it.

At a diner, Eric Catrall orders breakfast and overhears the news regarding Carnage, realizing the experiment could potentially render the trigger serum inert. He is cornered by the two FBI agents, but the owner of the diner confronts them with a shotgun and lets Eric flee.

As the Guardsmen fortify a derelict highschool in Brooklyn in order to prepare for the experiment, Spider-Man travels to the school in case Carnage manages to break free, feeling responsible for the monster's very existence due to having brought the Venom symbiote to Earth. As the experiment begins, Eric Catrall infiltrates the building by pretending to be one of the employees and then tosses the briefcase containing the trigger serum into the blast. This shorts out Carnage's containment unit and Spider-Man intervenes and fights Carnage before the Guardsmen open fire with their flamethrowers and sonic cannons. When the smoke clears, Carnage has escaped, and Eric Catrall is gone.

Catrall is eventually found by the police, having been intimidated by Carnage into revealing what the trigger serum is capable of. On the verge of a nervous breakdown, Catrall tells Spider-Man that he'd accidentally invented the trigger serum while working at the Lifestream Technologies tech firm, but after realizing the CIA intended to weaponize it he destroyed his notes and stole the only sample. Tearfully apologizes to Spider-Man, Catrall begs him to stop Carnage. Panicking about Carnage having escaped and being in possession of the trigger serum, Peter almost forgets his promise to help Aunt May, forcing Mary Jane to step in and cover for him. On the day of the Feed 'Em All, Carnage attacks a penthouse party just outside Central Park and slaughters several of the guests, declaring his intent to poison the food being served with the trigger serum. The gory aftermath is caught on one of the cameras filming the event. Seeing Carnage has Catrall's briefcase, Peter sets out to stop him.

Seeing the news coverage, Dr. Catrall - on the verge of a breakdown - attempts to escape police custody to stop Carnage and is fatally shot, dying peacefully as he decides to leave everything to Spider-Man. Spider-Man arrives in time to save one of the party guests from being thrown to his death, mocking Carnage about how poorly thought-out his plan is, since no-one would be stupid enough to eat food he'd openly tampered with. Carnage decides to massacre the assembled people the old fashioned way, attacking Spider-Man; but is defeated when Spider-Man electrocutes him, forcing the symbiote to recede into Cletus' body.

After Cletus is arrested and returned to the Vault, MJ commiserates with Peter over Dr. Catrall's death and Aunt May reveals she traded her wedding ring to pay off her debts. To prevent the trigger serum from falling into the wrong hands again, Spider-Man travels to Four Freedoms Plaza and turns it over to Mister Fantastic, who promises to find a way to safely dispose of it.

  I want to first of all talk about a few of the things that don’t work about this story as there aren’t that many.

The least of these is that Spider-Man’s defeat of Carnage was somewhat underwhelming. In part this is due electrocutions at best slowing Carnage down a bit and nothing more, a fact seen in ASM #363, the culmination of his debut arc.

However more significantly its the fact that, whilst far from a dues ex machina, in a novel surely the resolution to the central conflict should come from an element pre-established earlier in the novel. Sure, access to high dosages of electricity is perfectly plausible in New York city, but it seems something more satisfying as the resolution of a comic book storyline (particularly a done-in-one) as opposed to an entire novel.

A more significant critique pertains to Mary Jane.

MJ in this novel is at an odd crossroads with the writing.

It’s not so much WHAT she does or even how the story utilizes her but rather the presentation of her in the role.

I’ve no problem with MJ and Peter being in love, talking lovingly to one another, having sex or MJ worrying about him.

It’s hard to put into words but...well actually the words are exactly the problem. The prose used to describe MJ, her and Peter’s feelings for one another, her dialogue for me at least went a step too far into overidealization. It went into ‘isn’t it awesome Spider-Man has this sexy, loyal wife whom he has regular sex with’. I mean the last few lines of the novel pretty much leave you off with the fact that Peter got laid. And I use that term particularly. It’s not ‘Peter AND MJ had sex’. It’s ‘Peter got his way’, which sounds inadvertently sinister out of context, but what I mean is that the story places the emphasis upon Peter’s gratification over the fact that he gets to have sex with MJ, rather than being more equitable I guess. I don’t even mean the story was OBLIGED to have such a final line give balance to both characters, just like...more balance maybe.

I dunno, maybe this is just a me problem as I wasn’t fond of the presentation of the romance stuff in the Darkest Hours either.

I guess what I’m after is for them to reign in prose wherein poetic praise it heaped upon MJ, either in her looks or in her personality, in the context of how that makes her such a wonderful wife. Maybe communicate those sentiments but be more subtle and restrained about it. Again, maybe that’s just a me thing and I’m using comic book Spider-Man as too much of a framework for reference.

This isn’t to say Peter Parker’s Perfect Wife is ALL MJ amounts to in this novel. They do give her flaws in regards to feeling bummed about being out of work and have her ultimately resolve the B-plot. She does this by pawning her wedding ring in order to save Aunt May’s house. On the one hand, this does rather play into MJ as the perfect idealized wife, but on the other hand she’d have gone out of her way to help Aunt May regardless.

Speaking of that B-plot, I’ve got some mixed feelings regarding it. In an ongoing kinda sorta soap opera like Spider-Man having subplots ticking along is just fine, and they do not HAVE to reconnect to the main plot necessarily. But I feel in a self-contained novel subplots should either play into the resolution of the main plot or vice versa, or at the very least a character shift should result from one or the other that then plays into the main plot/subplot.

Here though, whilst homelessness is a plot element of the story and Aunt May is literally going to lose her home, it’s presence in the novel serves to at worst pad it out, and at best feels kind of....mandatory.

Like in a Spider-Man novel set in this time period, you’d expect MJ and/or Aunt May to show up and for there to be normal life drama for Peter to deal with alongside his Spidey life, drama that is probably negatively impacted by being Spider-Man.

And if this was like an annual, a one shot, or even a 2-3 part arc of ASM, that’d be fine. Here though in a novel...ehhhhhh...The kindest interpretation is that it exists to give MJ something to do but really the story could’ve been tweaked to give her something else to do (say have May work at the shindig for the homeless people*) or you could’ve omitted MJ and May entirely and supplanted their scenes with more development for Carnage, Peter or Doctor Catrall.

It’s not BAD per se, but it is a weakness. Compare and contrast to the Darkest Hours novel wherein the subplot regarding MJ learning to drive wound up being integral to the defeat of the villains.

Now I do not want to give the impression this novel is bad. It isn’t on balance.

In the grand scheme of things it’s a fun, not too long, Spidey adventure.

I’ll not talk too much regarding the audio nature of this production beyond saying that the narrator of choice was a huge improvement over the narrator of the Darkest Hours and particularly shone in the role of Carnage.

Speaking of Carnage, I spoke up top about how it’d be tricky to make him support a whole novel to himself, even one of this size.

But the story knew what they were dealing with, likely because Carnage’s co-creator David Michelinie provided an outline for the story and thus knew with Carnage less in more.

Indeed there are a grand total of just 4 scenes featuring Carnage at all in the whole novel. His introductory scene, the scene where he escapes, the scene where he ambushes the cocktail party and the final showdown.

It’s nicely succinct. One scene to set him up. One scene to let him out. One scene of him doing what he loves and one scene where he is stopped.

By making the Doctor Catrall storyline in-essence the main story for the first half of the story and then having Carnage basically hijack it thereafter, it allows the novel to organically have a full three act story without overusing Carnage. Catrall’s trigger serum is also a thematically appropriate plot device in a Carnage storyline as it in essence is a shortcut to achieving the world of violent chaos he longs for.

Not only is Carnage used well in the plot but he’s also well characterized. Perhaps due to the narrator’s vocal performance, Carnage genuinely feels scary in this novel, no more so than in his opening scene. Whilst obviously written long before this storyline, it’s reminiscent to me of his presentation in Absolute Carnage, where he is a pure horror monster through and through.

I don’t really have much else to say about this novel.

It’s not got as much meat to it (in any sense) as Darkest Hours did, but that doesn’t make it a bad read.

If you like Carnage and want a nice simple story of him being bad and Spidey stopping him, pick this up.

*I know when this novel was published Aunt May had yet to be associated with FEAST, but the reason everyone loved that direction for her was because it made the utmost sense. Having May work at the shindig would’ve better tied the plotlines together, amped up the personal stakes and spoken to who May as a person is. This is an elderly woman who’s willing to help the homeless even as she herself is at risk of losing her own home.

[hooper37parsons-blog]

10 essential methods into in GTA V

Don't stress, it's all right, there's nothing wrong with consulting a guide or two to enhance a game you've been stuck in. There is no greater method than just another when it comes to putting yourself"in charge" of GrandTheftAuto, since it is but one of those sagas which allows one to perform in several million and one means. Yet there are always a number of factors you are able to execute on your sport that may help you perform much greater. With these ten tips to improve the stream of one's own game in the tremendously varied GTA V, you'll learn the fundamentals of the match in virtually no time in any way, as well as discover an approach or plan which can allow you to obtain every thing rolling even more effortlessly. Don't be scared to get taken away with whatever you're able to do in GTA V as using every mining you will discover something really invaluable.

1. Take cover You will think that this council is autonomous crap, but however, you're very wrong. Unless you would like to wind up with increased lead in the human body than the Scarface prota, putting your self under pay will probably get you a lot more efficient than defending your health. In this manner, placing yourself at safekeeping avoids being taken and, from the way, offers time to consider a very good strategy to finish your enemies off. Listen for me, try to move and shield yourself as far as possible on such occasions. 2. Always Shoot for your head Obviously say, the utmost effective way to complete off your worst enemies, even the most powerful. A shot inside this region may require a lot more energy than usual, also could save a lot of head aches, particularly with competitions who utilize more powerful armor-like the strongest policemen. Using head shots is incredibly successful - take to this! 3. Prevent airports by simply building a hangar Since you might be most likely to be on the list of their most wanted in any time (that isn't so difficult at all) it is best to prevent airports at all costs if you do not wish to mount a totally unnecessary pursuit. So the wise point to do is always to commit your own income in establishing a hangar. What good will this can you? This will prevent you from having to go through stressed and dangerous situations for you and also your hard earned money, letting you access to a lot of the airspace without a problem. 4. Relax and Take Pleasure in As I said before, doing other things like completing side-quests permit one to learn more about the foundation of this match, and certainly will boost the level of your personality that will translate to improved fighting abilities. Doing Yoga will improve your skills, also playing golf or tennis can assist you to get back energy. As if that weren't adequate, all these tasks make it feasible that you detach in the chaos and delinquency, that you are going to love more than you might imagine. 5. Update your firearms into the limit It really is no secret the greater your degree of your firearms, the more effective they'll maintain beat. So, my suggestion is that you prioritize their advancement before anything else, so as this may allow you to go throughout the stages of shooting with much more ease. Only speak to Ammu-Nation to improve your weapon functionality, precision and firepower. 6. "Hire" a dog for collectibles Back in GTA V there is certainly an massive amount of collectibles to find, for example portions of the UFO along with different trendy items. As you can imagine, these"treasures" won't necessarily be in plain sight therefore that it can allow one to own a dog just like Chop as a ally. How to receive it? Just download an application named iFruit (free) and pick the alternative for Chop to track and search. And that you really don't need to fret anymore, that takes care of all everything. 7. Land because possible Driving in GTA V is still among the craziest and many energizing adventures in game play. After you go along with your car or truck at full speed and you also need to earn a jump it is imperative that you believe about exactly how you're going to get back to your bottom. The ideal is the fact that you just make a landing as clean as possible, avoiding additional injury to eventually turn into sink of money. Thus, flip your motor vehicle slightly using the left analog stick and soon you empiles it for a perfect warrior. 8. Do not overlook the secondary driving Digital Camera This digital camera is very beneficial in chases, because it makes it possible for one to find the place where the persecuted man will be going, but it can also be quite a double-edged S-word if abused. Why? Because you may not find the road and also you will not understand where to operate a vehicle, which may maximize the chances that you'll have collisions with civilians or from wall, only getting the target farther from you. Make use of this camera short bursts just if absolutely essential. 9. Help the Others Fully being a good Samaritan consistently includes its own reward; yes, too in GTA V. That is especially true for most secondary assignments in that, despite the simple fact which he may be an excellent Samaritan, he's always honored. 10. Get ready to the persecutions At any time you commit an offence that you understand will activate a police pursuit, or a more problem that can place your bodily integrity at risk, you have to be ready for whatever will come your own way. Never wander round the spectacle of the crime, or else you're going to be brand new and secure cannonfodder, and, most importantly, prepare your assaults nicely simply because then are you going to get away with it. Possessing an extremely entertaining game Without a doubt, with these 10 hints you is likely to get your match far more profitable and that means you may get all the juice out of a name that offers you a lot for almost no. Keep in mind that GTA V rewards the adventuresome and those who are not afraid to take to out new or distinct things. Doing a single factor or some other can have unexpected positive (or bad ) impacts in the own gameplay, so do not neglect to stay alert. Here is a great article about GTA online accounts for PS4

[nikki-reuclife]

medical marijuana card california

However this step-by-step guide outlines what steps you must take in order to get medical marijuana in New Jersey. There may come a time when New Jersey does acknowledge that marijuana is a secure and efficient remedy for a large variety of psychological disorders. A medical marijuana card offers for the use of marijuana for quite a lot of illnesses and afflictions, providing some relief to lengthy-suffering individuals. There are numerous benefits which might be enjoyed when you might have a legally issued Santa Monica medical marijuana card in your possession. Since you’re ready to acquire medical cannabis in Naples, Florida, it’s essential that you play the game properly. Hollywood Easy Clinic and Medical Marijuana Card Doctors Online have areas in California, Florida, and New York. Chelsea Handler got her very own medical marijuana card. The states which have legalized medical marijuana are not attracting crime or bringing in hoards of questionable characters.

Never let any unchosen medical marijuana doctor evaluate you, in particular in case you're feeling harsh signs and signs. It's unconscionable to let these people die without it because of bureaucratic foot-dragging or overly-cautious government restrictions. This card will let you buy medicines for your treatment. Since your medical marijuana card expires after one 12 months, you have to undergo the identical course of each year to renew it. Put on your headphones and provides Medical Marijuana Card a listen and get ready rejoice the joy of this unbelievable plant and, problems aside, the joy of progress towards ending prohibition! If they inform you "Yes, we truly do," simply cross it out of your checklist, because licensed marijuana card service would by no means provide over-the-cellphone suggestion. The only means that you will get your marijuana card on this metropolis legally is by first seeing Temecula medical marijuana docs and getting a written recommendation to take action.

Every seven months it is advisable to renew your Registry Identification Card with the State of Florida. Lately, due to the rising success of medical marijuana contained in the USA, loads of marijuana card registration suppliers have been opened. As of December 2017, the legalization of medical marijuana has prolonged to 29 states and the District of Columbia. The dollar amounts only mirror primary fees imposed by the state and do not embody the Medical doctors examination, or any extra fees associated with acquiring your Medical Marijuana licensing. In the event that they deem the affected person a candidate, they should signal a detailed doctor recommendation for a medicinal cannabis card, sign it and submit it to the state well being division for approval. A doctor’s advice is a certificate from a doctor recommending the usage of medical marijuana to treat a patient’s qualifying illness. Starting New Year’s Day, adults no longer will need a doctor’s recommendation to legally buy marijuana in California.

It is regulated by Proposition 215, which can also be known because the Compassionate Use Act of 1996. Over the previous few years, California was joined by several other states which have legalized medical marijuana. Veriheal is a medical cannabis community that helps on a regular basis individuals discover MMJ doctors that can advocate them for medicinal marijuana remedy and get certified inside their state to make use of cannabis legally. As soon as that is complete, you’ll be ready to have your “tele-consultation” with an accepted on-line cannabis physician. Medical cannabis is another time period for medical marijuana. Each medical marijuana and medical marijuana cards are granted to patients who undergo from various kinds of sickness, diseases, debilitating conditions or chronic pain/symptoms that aren't eased by high-dosage opiates. These types of data are almost usually helpful for first-timers who need to try a product or establishments similar to a medicinal marijuana dispensary. If you imagine your medical situation(s) qualifies for a Medical Marijuana card, talk about your symptoms and condition with your doctor. Let’s give the doctor the advantage of the doubt and say he does full history and a full physical examination and a review of data, and then he decides that that is the perfect remedy,” Berland says. Learn When to Let Medical Marijuana Attorneys Handle Your Case A migraine is a chronic headache that is primarily a result of the spasm and narrowing of microscopic blood vessels which carries blood to the brain. The headache is severe and debilitating which enable it to occur from once a year or as frequently as 4x every week. It is seen as nausea, vomiting, light sensitivity, aura but a majority of of most by the throbbing pain one or each side of the head. Several factors are already defined as triggers for any migraine attack such as stress, anger, caffeine, nicotine and hormonal imbalance. A few preclinical studies an incident reports investigating the application of medical cannabis to regulate the the signs of dystonia, primarily these twisting and repetitive movements or abnormal postures are actually obtainable in recently published scientific literature. The July issue of The Journal of Pain and Symptom Management carries a 2002 research study that reports a vast improvement in the the signs of dystonia from a 42 years old patient struggling with chronic pain smoked medicinal marijuana. It was reported by investigators and medical researchers that the pain score (subjectively) dropped from your high 9 to nothing (considering a 0-10 analog visual scale of pain) as soon as the patient inhaled MMJ. Additionally, this issue would not need additional analgesic medication for the next forty eight hours.

Think of these cards as state issued IDs which might be very assessed and regulated with the Health Department in every 15 states plus DC where medicinal marijuana cards are actually legally approved by voters. States need to closely track the patients, doctors and dispensaries which are an element of these "medical cannabis programs." In order to effectively accomplish that, they've got created an ID card system, where patients who happen to be approved by doctors for the programs are issued state IDs that permit the crooks to legally use how to get a medical cannabis card the medicine and access dispensaries where they could purchase it. This helps to control the industry.

Patients may also be given teaching through the marijuana clinics inside proper technique drug, with all the suggestion of utilizing a recognized dispensary instead of getting the street version of marijuana, mainly because it can contain other illicit drugs or chemicals are detrimental towards the patients' mental and physical health. Since marijuana is a controlled substance, patients must carry their prescription identification card using them all the time to be able to advise police along with emergency medical personnel of these using medicinal marijuana or THC pills within their medical treatment so that you can prevent misunderstandings or errors in emergency medical therapy. Some research shows that THC (the main component of marijuana) has some pain reduction activity in cancer patients. Cancer patients would fall under the chronic pain category in fact, but technically most legal states have a separate category for cancer being a reason for usage. There have been multiple studies showing that medical cannabis works for chronic painful conditions for example cancer, and not for acute painful situations for example as an example severe sunburn.

[nationaldvam]

5 Takeaways & Lessons Learned at Facing Race 2018 a National Conference by Race Forward & Center for Social Inclusion

by Justine Robillard, Creative Media Specialist for the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence

National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (NRCDV) is devoted to continual learning and education around racial justice as a core element of our gender and social justice work. We refer to this collective journey as our Racial Justice Initiative. For our organization, this means that our staff and board at all levels are dedicated to investing in racial equity and bringing it to the front and center of our work. This November, it also meant that several of my colleagues and I were able to attend the #FacingRace 2018 Conference.

As a first time attendee I was overwhelmed with the sense that we (our organization & our movement) are part of something much larger. You see, as anti-violence advocates, we speak of “intersectionality” and “bridging gaps” and working with “sister” movements. At this conference we had the privilege of seeing first-hand the intersectional approach Race Forward takes when addressing social justice inequities. We were able to experience the coming together of sister movements, embracing their unique values and perspectives in a way that enhanced and moved conversations forward.

Tarana Burke stated that sexual violence intersects with all justice work: prison abolishment, police reform, economic justice, community health, housing, and homelessness. “Sexual violence is a racial justice issue, economic justice issue, community health issue, police brutality issue, LGBTQ issue, human rights issue.”

In the closing plenary Is America Possible? Building a Multiracial Democracy in an Era of Division, panelists explored steps for moving forward and taking the energy, bold truths and raw facts from this conference to empower our lives and our movements in a realistic change-making way.

“Alignment; let’s be smart. Let’s have a strategy and work together across differences.” - Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson

What does this mean for advocates working in their respective movements? We’ve highlighted just a few of the many take-aways from Facing Race that resonated with NRCDV team members who attended the conference.

1. Honor your ancestors & the space you are in. 2. Reimagine a World 3. The Power of Stories 4. Unjust, Not Unfortunate 5. Be Rigorous!  

1. Honor your ancestors & the space you are in.

“We are the children of the ones who did not die; We are the children of the people who can fly; We are the children of the ones who persevered; We are fearless, we are strong, and we’re ready to carry on.”        - Song led by Wendy Moore-O’Neal, Conference Weaver

Honoring the story of the space you are walking into, as well as the history and culture that you, yourself and your ancestors bring is exceedingly important. This serves not only to ground you in the culture and communities you are working with and for, but also to break down walls that you or others in the room may put up when entering a workspace. This is also an opportunity to acknowledge the history and voices of those who have come before you.

“Recognizing the power of Truth telling. We won't get to justice until we can actually tell the truth about our history” - Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson

So, what does this look like?

Race Forward was intentional about honoring the land we were on, those who walked it before us, and those who walk it today. They did so through community agreements, and showcasing the rich history of Detroit, especially its indigenous populations. They brought leaders such as Grace and Jimmy Boggs, the water warriors of Michigan’s water crisis, and labor rights activists to the forefront and made space for Detroit's leaders in arts and music.

2. Reimagine a World

Throughout the conference many speakers challenged us to not only reimagine the world around us, but how you are going to be present. They challenged us to reimagine new systems, such as public goods and services; reimagine how we utilize our land and natural resources; reimagine how we value labor, and where we put our financial resources. Reimagine democracy. Reimagine your own body. What would your body be shaped like without oppression or exploitation? How would you look and how would you move? What would it look like if you shared this vision of yourself with the world? It was extremely challenging to envision ourselves and our systems in ways that are different from what we currently have, but it is this radical reimagining that has the ability to create major impactful change.

“Creating the condition for people to feel free to imagine a world with new possibilities.” - Bree Newsome

3. The Power of Stories

At Facing Race a few of us were able to attend FRED Talks (Facing Race, Elevating Democracy) featuring stories, strategies, and lived experiences of advocates and leaders from communities most impacted by societal oppressions. These stories remind us not only that our work is not yet done, but the importance of engaging with our sister movements, continual open dialoge, and the power of sharing our stories. Every story holds a different perspective or lens. It is through these perspectives that new lessons, barriers, and learning moments are revealed, and from which more comprehensive and innovative solutions can be found.

Let me put it another way. Say we’re playing “Escape the [social inequity] Room.” Every story holds a different perspective and each perspective holds a different key. If we do not share, listen, learn and respect the stories of our siblings fighting for justice, we are aimlessly trying to “escape the room” without access to all the keys to open the locks.

4. Unjust, Not Unfortunate

“When we leave people at unfortunate, not at unjust, we aren't addressing the systems of oppression. We aren't holding institutions accountable or pushing them to do better. We aren't pushing for real change.” – Adrienne Maree Brown

As advocates, we fight injustice daily. The injustices we face have become so normalized by society that systemic oppression is often labeled as merely ”unfortunate.”

Adrienne Maree Brown reminded us that when we label struggles caused by poverty, racism, and homophobia as unfortunate, and not unjust, we are removing ourselves from the humanity of these situations. If a situation is unfortunate, like a scrape or cut, we address it with Band-Aid solutions, because unfortunate problems may heal or resolve themselves in time. We need to be bold and acknowledge when things are more than just unfortunate. It’s unjust to listen to lived experiences and not offer a path to healing and change.

Justice requires movement; it requires systemic change; it requires acknowledgement; and it requires more than a Band-Aid. An unjust situation may require stitches, surgery, the setting of bones, or even the re-breaking of bones to then be set right. Justice is messy and hard it requires real change.

5. Be Rigorous!

Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson reminds us to "Study. Be disciplined and rigorous in what's happening now and what has happened in history. Do work. And evaluate and grow as you continue to work.”

Advocacy is hard and sometimes draining, and self-care is important, but we cannot stop! We must be rigorous in our study and learning and rigorous in the inclusion of others and their unique perspectives, because they are valuable not because they are a statistic. We must be rigorous in uncovering and acknowledging the hidden histories of our nation and oppressed peoples, and rigorous in developing our own work and growth. We must be rigorous in evaluating our progress, learning from our failures and continuing to get back up, and rigorous in helping one another get back up and into the race.

“Let’s roll together. Solidarity is a practice. You have to do it… There are opportunities to build solidarity in our shared fate. If you come for one of us, you come for all of us… We need revolutionary strategies. Let’s use our visionary muscles.” - Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson

These takeaways by no means reflect all the wisdom we gathered in this space. With well over 100 workshops, not including plenaries, planned Race Flicks, Racial Justice Reads, and social events, this conference was packed full of learning for everyone at every level of racial justice work. Check out our December TAQ (Technical Assistance Question of the Month) on VAWnet, where Ivonne Ortiz speaks to her experience attending the Race Forward conference as a woman of color and addresses the question “As a woman of color; how can I find my place in the domestic violence movement?”

Learn more about how you can put these awesome ideas into practice! Some ideas to get you started: • PreventIPV, Tools for Social Change: https://preventipv.org/ • MEV’s Resource Library: https://www.movetoendviolence.org/resources/ • Race Forward’s research https://www.raceforward.org/research • Race Forward’s news outlet, Colorlines: https://www.colorlines.com/ • December TAQ: We exist! As a woman of color; how can I find my place in the domestic violence movement?

[shirlleycoyle]

New Data Says More Communities Built Their Own Broadband Because of COVID

Frustrated by inferior service from powerful telecom giants, new data suggests more than a thousand U.S. communities have now built their own broadband networks. While the trend has been accelerating for years, experts say it took off during a pandemic that painfully demonstrated the country’s need for better, faster, and more affordable broadband.

The Institute For Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) maintains a database and interactive map tracking community owned and operated broadband networks. Such networks take many forms, whether it’s a broadband network built on the back of a local power utility, a local government-run ISP built from scratch, or a locally-owned cooperative.

ILSR told Motherboard that its latest data shows that 83 municipal networks now deliver publicly-owned fiber across 148 communities, up from 63 such networks early last year. Fifty-seven communities now operate their own cable broadband network, 600 networks are built on the back of local governments, and hundreds more are regional cooperatives.

“We have seen a pretty dramatic jump since we last compiled the numbers and attribute that to networks recently being finished that were in construction for multiple years,” said ILSR’s Christopher Mitchell, who pointed to freshly-completed network builds in states like Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine.

Harvard studies have shown such networks routinely provide faster, cheaper service than dominant ISPs like AT&T, Comcast, Charter, and Verizon. What’s more, revenues generated from local networks usually stay in the local community, and locally-owned ISPs tend to be more accountable to the public because employees often live in the communities they serve.

While not a silver bullet for all U.S. broadband woes, community broadband also prods entrenched regional monopolies to expand access, boost speeds and lower prices. Comcast, for example, refused to deliver fiber broadband to Chattanooga, Tennessee until a popular local community ISP—which Comcast had attempted to sue out of existence—did so first.

“With the interest we are seeing today, we would not be surprised to see the number of citywide municipal fiber networks double in the next 5 years,” Mitchell said.

U.S. broadband is a market and government failure 25 years in the making, and community broadband is the grass roots response. Efforts to measure the scope of this failure have only recently started to come into sharper focus as the government finally improves its historically inaccurate broadband availability maps.

Last June, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) released a new map tracking both median broadband speeds and affordability. The areas in red represent locations where broadband speeds routinely fall below the FCC’s base definition of broadband, currently a pathetic 25 Mbps downstream, 3 Mbps up.

Looking more closely, one state stood out: North Dakota.

What did North Dakota do differently? Tired of substandard service from the regional phone monopoly, local companies and cooperatives bonded together to purchase 68 rural telephone exchanges in the 90s. With those assets they steadily deployed gigabit fiber across much of the state, and now offer faster service at prices frequently lower than most parts of the U.S.

As a result, more than three quarters of rural North Dakotans have access to fiber broadband, compared to roughly 20 percent of rural residents nationwide. In many parts of the country, regional phone companies have all but given up on upgrading or repairing their aging DSL lines, often because it’s not profitable enough, quickly enough for Wall Street.

Motivated by this apathy, Mitchell noted there’s now 330 U.S. communities served by rural electric cooperatives, 220 of which are providing fiber broadband to part or all of their footprints. Another 10 communities are served by direct broadband cooperatives—numbers Mitchell said are likely higher because they haven’t finished compiling 2021 data.

Unnerved by the trend, U.S. broadband giants have spent decades lobbying for state barriers to community broadband. According to a new report released by the Coalition for Local Internet Choice (CLIC), 20 states have passed laws limiting community broadband, frequently ghost written by regional telecom monopolies hoping to avoid having to try harder.

Mitchell and ILSR peg the total number of such bills as closer to 17, after Arkansas and Washington loosened their restrictions earlier this year. Both Mitchell and CLIC President Jim Baller told Motherboard that Covid—and the way the pandemic dramatically highlighted the importance of affordable, reliable broadband—lit a fire under the entire movement.

“When the COVID pandemic shut down our workplaces, schools, and settings for social interaction, it opened the eyes of millions of Americans to the critical importance of affordable access to the Internet,” Baller said. “Congress and many states have responded with funding for initiatives to ensure that no Americans are left behind in obtaining access to at least a minimum level of broadband Internet access.”

But while the $65 billion broadband component of the U.S. infrastructure bill originally proposed directly financing community broadband networks, that support was an early casualty of “bipartisan negotiations” and concessions that favored the telecom lobby.

ILSR data suggests that simply throwing more government subsidies at the problem historically hasn't worked well. That’s because the primary cause of spotty broadband often isn’t technical limitations or even money—it’s regional monopolization and the state and federal corruption that protects it. Mitchell’s group estimates that 83 million Americans live under a broadband monopoly, usually Comcast.

The telecom industry lobbies relentlessly to maintain this status quo, convincing lawmakers to ignore the problem while whittling down the authority of the country’s top telecom regulators. With neither competition nor competent regulatory oversight to police the industry, Americans consistently pay more money for slower speeds than many developed nations.

That’s assuming they can get broadband at all. The FCC claims 14.5 million Americans still lack access to broadband, but inaccurate mapping means the number is likely significantly higher.

One report by broadband tracking firm BroadbandNow estimates the number is closer to 42 million, three times worse than government estimates. Another new report by real estate data analytics company Lightbox estimates that 60 million Americans lack access. Several experts have told Motherboard the real total likely lies somewhere around thirty million, but the fact we don’t actually know the scope of the problem we’re trying to fix speaks volumes.

Mitchell says that while Covid has definitely sparked renewed interest in fixing U.S. broadband, it’s the continued frustration at market failure and government inaction that truly fuels the rise of community broadband networks.

“The simple fact is that the federal and state governments are doing almost nothing to help people who have a broadband service available that partially meets their needs but abuses them with regular price hikes, spotty reliability, and poor customer service,” he said. “Local governments will continue to step in to build better networks because communities have very few other options.”

New Data Says More Communities Built Their Own Broadband Because of COVID syndicated from https://triviaqaweb.wordpress.com/feed/

[stephenmccull]

Telehealth’s Limits: Battle Over State Lines and Licensing Threatens Patients’ Options

If you live in one state, does it matter that the doctor treating you online is in another? Surprisingly, the answer is yes, and the ability to conduct certain virtual appointments may be nearing an end.

Televisits for medical care took off during the worst days of the pandemic, quickly becoming commonplace. Most states and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services temporarily waived rules requiring licensed clinicians to hold a valid license in the state where their patient is located. Those restrictions don’t keep patients from visiting doctors’ offices in other states, but problems could arise if those same patients used telemedicine.

Now states are rolling back many of those pandemic workarounds.

Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, for example, recently scrambled to notify more than 1,000 Virginia patients that their telehealth appointments were “no longer feasible,” said Dr. Brian Hasselfeld, medical director of digital health and telemedicine at Johns Hopkins. Virginia is among the states where the emergency orders are expiring or being rolled back.

At least 17 states still have waivers in effect, according to a tracker maintained by the Alliance for Connected Care, a lobbying group representing insurers, tech companies and pharmacies.

As those rules end, “it risks increasing barriers” to care, said Hasselfeld. Johns Hopkins, he added, hosted more than 1 million televisits, serving more than 330,000 unique patients, since the pandemic began. About 10% of those visits were from states where Johns Hopkins does not operate facilities.

The rollbacks come amid a longer and larger debate over states’ authority around medical licensing that the pandemic — with its widespread adoption of telehealth services — has put front and center.

“Consumers don’t know about these regulations, but if you all of a sudden pull the rug out from these services, you will definitely see a consumer backlash,” said Dr. Harry Greenspun, chief medical officer for the consultancy Guidehouse.

Still, finding a way forward pits high-powered stakeholders against one another, and consumers’ input is likely to be muted.

State medical boards don’t want to cede authority, saying their power to license and discipline medical professionals boosts patient safety. Licensing is also a source of state revenue.

Providers have long been split on whether to change cross-state licensing rules. Different state requirements — along with fees — make it cumbersome and expensive for doctors, nurses and other clinicians to get licenses in multiple states, leading to calls for more flexibility. Even so, those efforts have faced pushback from within the profession, with opposition from other clinicians who fear the added competition that could come from telehealth could lead to losing patients or jobs.

“As with most things in medicine, it’s a bottom-line issue. The reason telehealth has been blocked across state lines for many years related fundamentally to physicians wanting to protect their own practices,” said Greenspun.

But the pandemic changed the equation.

Even though the initial spike in telehealth visits has eased, utilization remains 38 times higher than before the pandemic, attracting not only patients, but also venture capitalists seeking to join the hot business opportunity, according to a report from consulting firm McKinsey and Co.

Patients’ experience with televisits coupled with the growing interest by investors is focusing attention on this formerly inside-baseball issue of cross-state licensing.

Greenspun predicts consumers will ultimately drive the solution by “voting with their wallets,” aided by giant, consumer-focused retailers like Amazon and Walmart, both of which in recent months made forays into telemedicine.

In the short term, however, the focus is on both the protections and the barriers state regulations create.

“The whole challenge is to ensure maximum access to health while assuring quality,” said Barak Richman, a Duke University law professor, who said laws and policies haven’t been updated to reflect new technological realities partly because state boards want to hang onto their authority.

Patients and their doctors are getting creative, with some consumers simply driving across state lines, then making a Zoom call from their vehicle.

“It’s not ideal, but some patients say they are willing to drive a mile or two and sit in a parking lot in a private space and continue to get my care,” said Dr. Shabana Khan, director of telepsychiatry at NYU Langone Health’s department of child and adolescent psychiatry and a member of the American Psychiatric Association’s Telepsychiatry Committee. She and other practitioners ask their patients about their locations, mainly for safety reasons, but also to check that they are in-state.

Still, for some patients, driving to another state for an in-person or even a virtual appointment is not an option.

Khan worries about people whose care is interrupted by the changes, especially those reluctant to seek out new therapists or who cannot find any clinicians taking new patients.

Austin Smith hopes that doesn’t happen to him.

After initial treatment for what he calls a “weird flavor of cancer” didn’t help reduce his gastrointestinal stromal tumors, he searched out other experts, landing in a clinical trial. But it was in San Diego and the 28-year-old salesman lives in Phoenix.

Although he drives more than five hours each way every couple of months for treatment and to see his doctors, he does much of his other follow-up online. The only difference is “if I was in person, and I said I was hurting here, the doctor could poke me,” he said.

And if the rules change? He’ll make the drive. “I’ll do anything to beat this,” he said of his cancer.

But will doctors, whose patients have spent the past year or more growing comfortable with virtual visits, also be willing to take steps that could likely involve extra costs and red tape?

To get additional licenses, for instance, practitioners must submit applications in every state where their patients reside, each of which can take weeks or months to process. They must pay application fees and keep up with a range of requirements such as continuing education, which vary by state.

States say their traditional role as overseer ensures that all applicants meet educational requirements and pass background checks. They also investigate complaints and argue there’s an advantage to keeping local officials in charge.

“It’s closer to home,” said Lisa Robin, chief advocacy officer with the Federation of State Medical Boards. “There’s a remedy for residents of the state with their own state officials.”

Doctor groups such as the American Medical Association agree.

Allowing a change that doesn’t put centralized authority in a patient’s home state would raise “serious enforcement issues as states do not have interstate policing authority and cannot investigate incidents that happen in another state,” said then-AMA President-elect Jack Resneck during a congressional hearing in March.

But others want more flexibility and say it can be done safely.

Hasselfeld, at Johns Hopkins, said there is precedent for easing multistate licensing requirements. The Department of Veterans Affairs, for example, allows medical staffers who are properly licensed in at least one state to treat patients in any VA facility.

The Alliance for Connected Care and other advocates are pushing states to extend their pandemic rules. A few have done so. Arizona, for example, made permanent the rules allowing out-of-state medical providers to practice telemedicine for Arizona residents, as long as they register with the state and their home-state license is in good standing. Connecticut’s similar rules have now been stretched until June 2023.

The alliance and others also back legislation stalled in Congress that would temporarily allow medical professionals licensed in one state to treat — either in person or via televisits — patients in any other state.

Because such fixes are controversial, voluntary interstate pacts have gained attention. Several already exist: one each for nurses, doctors, physical therapists and psychologists. Proponents say they are a simple way to ensure state boards retain authority and high standards, while making it easier for licensed medical professionals to expand their geographic range.

The nurses’ compact, enacted by 37 states and Guam, allows registered nurses with a valid license in one state to have it recognized by all the others in the pact.

A different kind of model is the Interstate Physician Licensure Compact, which has been enacted by 33 states, plus the District of Columbia and Guam, and has issued more than 21,000 licenses since it began in 2017, said Robin, of the Federation of State Medical Boards.

While it speeds the paperwork process, it does not eliminate the cost of applying for licenses in each state.

The compact simplifies the process by having the applicant physician’s home state confirm his or her eligibility and perform a criminal background check. If the applicant is eligible, the home state sends a letter of qualification to the new state, which then issues a license, Robin said. Physicians must meet all rules and laws in each state, such as requirements for continuing medical education. Additionally, they cannot have a history of disciplinary actions or currently be under investigation.

“It’s a fairly high bar,” said Robin.

Such compacts — especially if they are bolstered by new legislation at the federal level — could help the advances in telehealth made during the pandemic stick around for good, expanding access to care for both mental health services and medical care across the U.S. “What’s at stake if we get this right,” said Richman at Duke, “is making sure we have an innovative marketplace that fully uses virtual technology and a regulatory system that encourages competition and quality.”

KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.

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Telehealth’s Limits: Battle Over State Lines and Licensing Threatens Patients’ Options published first on https://smartdrinkingweb.weebly.com/

[pentesterdude]

IoT, Home Networks, and the        Fine Art of Swatting…

Many years ago, while attending a conference, I heard a story about a Las Vegas Hotel that had their refrigerator hacked and the temperature turned up. It melted several hundred gallons of ice cream and the hacker had the refrigerator order a tractor trailer full of ice cream. Many people laughed and I thought “I foresee bad things coming…”

Fast forward to present day and I am mentoring a young intern. I asked him to investigate a cybersecurity article and as we discuss, the topic of IoT security in healthcare comes up. We discuss the possibilities for compromise in various scenarios and he says, “perhaps we shouldn’t be putting things on the internet.” I laughed and thought “too late.”

While we discuss many things for medical devices to smart cars, there is one frontier where people have yet to really believe that IoT security is an issue. The home. We are surrounded by “smart devices” and we take them for granted. The problem is, so do others.

Before we continue this journey, let me explain what exactly IoT is. IoT stands for the Internet of Things. Sounds simple, but what exactly is that? It is everything. Today we deal with refrigerators that order our groceries. We deal with SmartTVs and houses that we can control our lights, our heating and cooling, and even our best friend (like my buddy), Alexa. IoT encompasses our lightbulbs, works with our smartphones, and even is in automobiles, everything today seems “smart”, but sometimes we forget that it is still a potential issue.

We spend a great deal of our lives working in institutions like finance, healthcare, government, and even in the private sector surround by cybersecurity mechanisms like firewalls, Intrusion prevention, endpoint protection, and various other technologies. We are pestered every 90 days (hopefully) to change our passwords, make them complex, and drive us insane. This is all well and good, but now as people work from home, we have a new area of concern, the home. Here we use the same old router, never change the default passwords, use unsecure networks, and do crazy things. The only thing we need worry about is convenience. Who would hack us?

Great question. Let us ask the FBI. According to a great article posted on GBHackers on Security today, the FBI warns about a new type of attack that is far more dangerous than previous nefarious and treacherous acts. We can forget about the fact that hackers can hack your devices and introduce Ransomware and make your entire life defunct and we can even forget the playful acts of changing your channel or turning up your heat. Now we get to add this fun prospect… Swatting.

Sow what exactly is Swatting? Swatting is the art of making hoax calls to police and reporting that there is someone in a house, usually with weapons, and your life is in danger. Hackers in the past used technology to mask the number or spoof another number to cause Emergency Dispatch to send SWAT units and kick in the doors of innocent people. Sounds funny? Its not. This funny “joke” has caused serious healthcare issues and for some, the joke ends in tragedy, with loss of life.

Swatting is by no means a joke. What if there is a real emergency and people weren’t there to assist? What if someone gets killed? This is a serious issue, but the newest technique, hacking smart home devices that utilize voice and video, such as TVs, Smartphones, Cameras, etc. begs the issue perhaps its time to start securing our devices.

So that means we should buy firewalls, IPS, and all those security items for the house? Why yes, but I do not see that happening anytime soon. Many of the ISPs we use now offer some sort of security product, but it is worthless if we do not act ourselves to assist this and make it harder to hack. So what should we do? Here are a few suggestions.

                 Change default passwords. When you go to the store and buy the router, it has a default network and admin password. These are easily cracked and easy to find on most devices. Change the password and use a strong password. A strong password should be complex, not be a word, usually about fourteen characters and have a number and a symbol. If needed keep the password somewhere you can find it, but not where others can.

                Change the network ID. Many of these devices have a network ID, called a SSID, that includes the name of the manufacturer. This may seem trivial, but hackers can easily determine the manufacturer and find exploits that can make their job easy. Make them work for it.

                Update your router. Anyone in the field can tell you that every update fixes issues but also creates issues. Utilizing the most up to date code usually only requires a click of a button, and most today can do automatic updates. Make sure you consult the manufacturer if you have questions, that way you ensure you keep your device up to date, secure, and sometimes the updates make the device work more efficiently.

                Segment your network. Most devices have a home network and a guest network. There is a reason. Have guests use the guest network and make sure the password is entirely different than your home network. It is also a good idea to change your wireless network passwords regularly. This may seem inconvenient, but it beats the alternative.

                Do not use unsecure networks. Most of love using Public Wi-Fi and try to save on our data plans. When you do this, you run the risk of someone gaining access to your device. Once you return to your home network you just gave access to everything in your home. Couple that with the fact that most of us have al of our passwords, photos, personal information, and personal email on that device and the hacker has everything they need to make your life miserable.

                Use Strong encryption for your wireless key. When you look at the setup there are settings for WPA and WPA2. In some models there is also WEP. WEP is the least secure method and the minimum should be WPA. If possible utilize WPA2-Personal. The better the encryption, the harder to crack. Marry this with a complex password and it helps make your network more secure.

                Change your passwords. In today’s world computers are more powerful than ever. While we hate passwords, they are still a very large part of our environment. If needed utilize a password vault like Keepass or Lastpass. Couple this with Multifactor Authentication or biometrics such as Hello or FaceID and this helps protect you against unauthorized access to your passwords. This is ESPECIALLY important for email. If a hacker can get your email password it gives them an opportunity to use things such as the “Forgot Password” feature. Change your email password often and use some second form of authentication.

                Keep your IoT devices up to date. Everybody hates this but keep in mind if you do not keep your device up to date, hackers can utilize tricks to break into buggy code.

 Remember, the only thing that limits a hacker is their imagination. If you take a few simple precautions it may save your life., or at the very most, a visit from your local neighbor SWAT Team.

If you would like to view the article, please check out the article by S. Gurubaran on the GBHackers on Security site located at:

https://gbhackers.com/fbi-warns-of-swatting-attacks/

[honeysweeeet-blog]

Where to Find Acinetobacter Baumannii

The Unusual Puzzle Into Acinetobacter Baumannii Revealed

The Argument About Acinetobacter Baumannii

Likewise the human nervous system contains the electricity and chemical data in the shape of electrical signals. This caused self-policing, usually considered the best way for achieving compliance. The new battery powered detection process is small and easy. There it's possible to observe a number of the published studies that were done utilizing this supplement and its influence on the human immune system. HD meropenem two gm three times each day. www.wdrugs.com/?s=regapen

Genotyping results show the significance of cross-transmission in these types of units. Using DNA-DNA hybridization and sequence analysis is regarded as the gold standard, but the process is time intensive and impractical in the majority of clinical laboratories. Second, we didn't apply sequencing strategies. Needless to say, this technique of detection must be standardised and, at the identical time, practical, for its clinical use.

It is very important that the health professional confirms this is a typical problem that's genuine, not imagined and not a diagnosis of exclusion. The employee who contacted the authorities asked for information on how best to take care of a few instances of C. difficile, as stated by the report, but stated it wasn't an outbreak. These agents are typically used in combination with another active antimicrobial agent.

Significant advances are made in our comprehension of this fascinating organism because it was last reviewed within this journal in 1996 (28). Extensive environmental contamination and hand colonization are most likely to be important aspects in the persistence of this issue. Thus, the clinical significance of several non-A. https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/bacterial-vs-viral-infection

Research is being done to attempt to find better antibiotic choices for these infections. These data emphasize the chance of the spread of this gene in the nation. So, the very first piece of terrible news.

New Questions About Acinetobacter Baumannii

The end result is obtained in under 2 hours, although other techniques currently available require no less than 24 hours, most frequently 72 hours. Among the most striking facets of the study is the extremely higher heights of CRAB on the unit. Turns out nature has offered the capacity to resist harmful bacteria the entire time.

Consequently, isolation measures ought to be integral portion of any MDRO control program, regardless of the simple fact that they're often not applied consistently and rigorously. The chance of spreading and contamination is high as it can survive on environmental surfaces for lengthy amounts of time a mean of 27 days in healthcare settings with the capacity to survive up to three decades! The clinical syndrome and the quantity of days since the preceding MDR A. baumannii isolation proved not significantly related to surveillance culture outcomes.

What Is So Fascinating About Acinetobacter Baumannii?

This is among the explanations for why species identification of isolates belonging to the A. baumanniigroup needs to be attempted. The Blood Agar base may be utilized as a substitute. We'll confirm the present specifics of the assay.

Bacteremia due to A. baumannii is a standard nosocomial infection in critically ill patients. In reality, OXA-72-producing A. baumanniiisolates continue to be uncommon in Brazil. A. baumannii survives for prolonged periods beneath a wide array of environmental problems.

There are a fantastic number of symptoms experienced by those who have a functional neurological disorder. Your treatment will be dependent on where the infection is in your physique. You might require surgery to eliminate dead tissue or maybe to treat problems brought on by your infection. He will have to submit a stool or urine sample depending on the type of infection. This patient had not obtained carbapenem. All these patients were neutropenic at the present time of infection and had central venous catheters which were not removed.

UTIs brought on by A. baumannii appear to get connected with continuous catheterization, together with antibiotic therapy. Last, we didn't evaluate the results of A. baumannii infection at various body websites and systems like pneumonia and bacteremia on mortality. The disease might be a complication of pneumonia, or pneumonia could possibly be a complication of pleurisy. However, cases of true infection that does not have any CSF white blood cells are reported. We must understand that which we are treating and in order to de-escalate from broad-spectrum empiric therapy to targeted narrow-spectrum antibiotics which are not as likely to lead to resistance. A number of these infections may respond to older kinds of antibiotics which are rarely used today.

Who Else Wants to Learn About Acinetobacter Baumannii?

Epigallocatechin gallate has also been shown to inhibit cancer cell development. A massive proportion come from antibiotic resistant organisms. Notwithstanding this, there was a crystal clear step-change in the rate of CRAB acquisition connected to the debut of CHG daily bathing, suggesting this intervention should be conducted to lessen the transmission of CRAB. The aim of the treatment is to realize clinical cure with a subsequent decline in mortality. Whenever the exact infection is due to MDR-A the infections are more difficult to treat because the bacteria are extremely resistant to antibiotics. INTRODUCTION The polymyxins comprise another category of antibiotics and feature a lot of different compounds.

In the emergence of XDR microorganism is important to think about the access to old antimicrobials that could add to the treatment of this infections aside from the new betalactamics along with betalactamse inhibitors drugs. Lipids can likewise be utilized to make ethanol and can be located in such raw materials like algae. The prevalence of MDR-A is presently unknown. Obesity is understood to be excess adipose tissue. Unfortunately, the majority of these infections aren't preventable and there are several contributory things.

The Ideal Strategy for Acinetobacter Baumannii

An individual may also be a colonized with Acinetobacter and don't have any indicators. In general, the organic habitats of the majority of Acinetobacter (genomic) species have yet to be well-studied. There were not any clinical isolates expressing more than one carbapenemase simultaneously. The best treatment for A. baumannii nosocomial infections hasn't been established, particularly for MDR strains. The exceptional challenge in opting to study Acinetobacter spp.

Antibiotic choices might be limited in circumstances of infections due to multidrug-resistant isolates. Only the very first isolation was considered. Some strains are isolated from foodstuffs. These hospital-adapted' strains of Acinetobacter baumannii are occasionally resistant to a lot of antibiotics and the infections they cause can therefore be hard to treat.

Ruthless Acinetobacter Baumannii Strategies Exploited

The researchers found it is not as easy to detect the bacteria's signature in a person's breath precisely the same way that they can locate it in a petri dish. There's a capillary space between both membranes that's full of fluid. That downside comes in the shape of a small microbe with a potent punch. Ensure cleanliness and proper disinfection.

The large seeds aren't edible. To increase flavour, a couple drops of lemon juice may be used. Pure pressed coconut oil is particularly great to use. Acinetobacter is a sort of bacteria that may be seen in many sources in the surroundings, including water and soil.

What Does Acinetobacter Baumannii Mean?

In some instances, antibiotic resistance is spreading to Gram-negative bacteria that could infect people away from the hospital. The people most inclined to be infected are people who are already ill and who've been admitted to the hospital. At home, generally, you need simply to use decent hand hygiene.

Though the damage can be minimized it is essential for doctors to stop the spread of infectious diseases. Discuss treatment options with your caregivers to choose what care you wish to get. Caregivers will clean this region of your back. He will also have the urge to go several times, and there may be a fever.

[skylersilva7137]

Elections: ACTION vs SOAR

Student Government Elections are here and even though I am not running this year,  I love my University too much to not provide commentary on the Parties which are running. Each Party has a collection of students who express love for the work they do, and I thank each of them for offering their service to our community. Additionally, I recognize as someone who is currently in Student Government that there is always room for improvement. We have been working to the best of our abilities, and election season allows myself and others to think critically about the past year, and determine areas of improvement. I outline these below, and include myself in any comments regarding Student Government this year.

In order to determine which party is the best fit for our Student Body it is important to think critically about the different platforms which the two parties are advocating. This means not only understanding how the platforms benefit the students, but the innovation they bring to Campus, and what the overall effect of those platforms may be. Additionally, it is important to compare the leadership experiences of the Party Leadership, as well as compare the diversity of candidates each party offers. This analysis can help provide a comprehensive review of each party’s platforms.

But what is innovation? As a student who has been engaged with the institution since my freshman year, I have seen firsthand that a communication gap exists between FGCU (including its faculty, staff, and programs FGCU offers) and the students (this gap exists for a variety of reasons, a topic that is a separate matter entirely). I have concluded that Student Government is serving its fullest purpose when it bridges the gap between FGCU and the Students. Therefore, when looking at the parties I am looking for a platform which recognizes what FGCU already offers to students (in terms of programs, recreation, services, etc.), and what SG can provide that FGCU does not (or cannot for various reasons).

The ACTION Party’s platforms are focused on Academic Excellence, Civic engagement, Tomorrow, Improved SG, Outreach, and New Beginnings. To be fair, ACTION has done a good job at identifying needs that students already express. Many items, such as tutoring/mentoring programs, Scantrons, service days, campus rec center (more on that in a second), SG Recruitment committee, parking garage capacity counters, SG Tailgates, and meal swipe donation program, all address issues students have expressed in the past. The problem with this is that most of these items already exist in various forms, and the root of the issue is that the student body is not aware of them or forgot that they exist (the reasons as to why is a separate topic from this post). Therefore to me, adding these services as a platform indicates a lack of knowledge that ACTION itself experiences. Unfortunately I have to say that from my perspective most of the ACTION Party’s platforms include initiatives which fall into this category. Instead of advocating for the implementation of these programs, they should instead be aware of them and then advocate for increased marketing of said programs.   

For example, the inclusion of “Advocate for the successful and sustainable construction of the new campus recreation center.” The inclusion of this point shows that ACTION lacks understanding as to why the Rec center hasn’t been built yet. The reality is that the money to fund building plans, construction, and recreational supplies is all in place, and the contracts have been negotiated and signed. The only thing we are waiting on is for a governmental agency to evaluate the ecological impact of the facility’s construction. Once this assessment is complete, and it is determined that construction can safely begin, then it will do so immediately. In other words, there is no advocacy to be done.

Another issue with some of the ACTION Platform ideas is that some are well meaning grand gestures but are unrealistic goals to be achieved in a one year term. An example of this is: “Build a FGCU fountain in the center of the library lawn, dedicated to the Griffin family, to represent the heart of our campus.” Something as “simple” as adding speakers to the library lawn can been funded through Senate (as it was during the 2016-2017 Administration), but it takes months of planning and negotiating with FGCU, contractors, etc. after the bill process to complete the project itself. In fact, this project is still ongoing and a committee meets every Tuesday to discuss its progress. And the project only adds simple electrical wiring and a few speakers. Imagine adding an entire underground plumbing system, not to mention designing where the water would come from/flow to, and the effects it might have on our ponds near the library lawn. We would have to shut the library lawn down for an unspecified amount of time, which would severally impact student mobility. This project would be a massive undertaking and I project would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, probably more. Additionally, the Lib lawn is already small, so the fountain would have to be pretty small to fit. If I were going to propose this idea as a part of my campaign, I would have a proposal up on my website detailing potential plans, conflicts, etc., rather than adding it as what appears to be an afterthought. 

There are a few ideas on here that are similarly not thought out, such as an Alumni hall. FGCU already has a documented building and classroom deficit, something that FGCU is addressing through its legislative agenda, but a non-academic hall is not only infeasible but simply isn’t a great way to utilize space on campus. A better idea would be to incorporate alumni into existing spaces, something that the SOAR Party touched on during the debate on Tuesday night. A third is “install parking garage capacity counters,” (more on this below). 

Some ideas are really interesting, such as “Create a late-night student ride (Eagle Watch) operated by electric [cars].” These cars cost between $8-14K+, and then on top of that you would have to hire people to operate them late at night. But it is certainly more fesible than adding an entire fountain to the library lawn. Other ideas are interesting, but I’m not totally sure are legal(??)/I’m just not sure what the impact would be. Example: “create a campus police review board”. This is an interesting proposal, but I’m not sure it was totally thought out and I’d like to know what background investigations they did before adding it to their platform.

Additionally, I do really love the point of “Create performance-based evaluations for all student government branches.” Even so, this past term of SG has started to do this, but we can improve on promoting and expanding it. Additionally, this point is included in the SOAR Platform (more on that below).

Overall, I think that ACTION’s platform doesn’t really add very much substance to the FGCU Student experience. However, I think it outlines an area of improvement for Student Government, in that we can improve on connecting our students with programs which already exist on campus.

Similarly, the SOAR Party addresses student needs, although they don’t touch on hot-ticket items (such as parking counters), or grand gestures (such as a water fountain in the middle of the library lawn??). I can only assume that this is because each of the SOAR Party Leaders have played a role in investigating the possibility of these things in the past (Student Government has consulted with UPD plenty of times on the issue of parking counters, and it is literally next to impossible). However, this may not be well known outside of SG, which may explain why they are included in ACTION’s platform. This emphasizes an area of improvement for SOAR’s incumbent leaders, in that more publications on the exploration of topics could be released. If students knew why it isn’t possible to add parking counters (because it is astronomically expensive), they may stop asking for them (probably not, but it’s worth a shot).

For example, even though parking counters are pretty out of the picture, garage mirrors are a great alternative to parking counters and would be a major improvement to the parking garages (and ridiculously more affordable than parking counters). Additionally, giving RSO’s the ability to view funds in their account would be HUGE. While I was a senator I can’t tell you how many RSOs were frustrated when it came to checking their balances. FGCU also struggles with summer engagement and being aware of this issue is important because it will help align SG and FGCU’s priorities (if you’re not aware of an issue, how will it be fixed?). Our students also struggle with access to mental health resources, which is addressed in SOAR’s platform. The platform also speaks on Diversity and Inclusion proposals, which is almost absent from ACTION’s platform.

But overall, SOAR’s platforms are significantly more innovative in my opinion. It represents a combination of things that could enhance the student experience, as well as improve on existing services, without being redundant or unaware of services that are already offered by FGCU. There are topics which not only address student recreation, but student health. A lot of these also acknowledge that there is a gap between Students and Faculty/Staff and aim to improve those relationships. In almost every section of their platform they mention partnering with Campus Departments, which is something almost absent from ACTION. 

The biggest thing that is also evident throughout SOAR’s platform is that many of the items are focused on pulling the student back into the process of SG in specific ways. “Student surveys… on how students want their [fees] spent” not only includes polling but specifies what the polls intend to address. It is that level of thoughtfulness that FGCU needs.

Overall, SOAR includes a very comprehensive platform addressing student issues and student life.

In the future I will address SOAR and ACTION’s Party Leadership History, as well as the Parties’ Diversity of Ticket.