#coronavirus latest

[ramon-balaguer]

Sad, so young and athletic to be Gone with the Makani but my unpopular, uninformed and unprofessional opinion is he was mostly COVID-19 Fully Vaccinated or at least got his first fear shot.😢

Praying for his family, friends and teammates… 🇺🇾🙏🙏🙏

https://search.app/zu3HhqBz9vVif9RW6

The latest news and headlines from Yahoo News. Get breaking news stories and in-depth coverage with videos and photos.

Source: Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines

[werindialive]

21 cases of Covid-19 subvariant JN. 1 detected in India, authorities on high alert

With the fresh cases of coronavirus subvariant JN.1 emerging in India, Indian authorities have been on high alert. The subvariant JN. 1 is being investigated by the scientific community as the authorities work on curbing its spread already. As per NITI Aayog member (health) Dr V K Paul, as of now, 21 cases of COVID-19 JN.1 sub-variant have been detected in the country. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is focused on the genome sequencing of the variant.

Out of the 21 cases, 19 cases have been detected in Goa while Kerala and Maharashtra have recorded one each.

First found in late 2023, the JN.1 (BA.2.86.1.1) variant of COVID-19 is a descendant of the BA.2.86 lineage (Pirola) of SARS-CoV-2. The BA.2.86 lineage (Pirola) first emerged in August 2023 and showed more than 30 mutations in the spike (5) protein unlike the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron XBB lineages. The mutations make the variant highly risky with a high potential for immune evasion.

The JN.1 subvariant has been classified as a variant of interest by the World Health Organization.

Head of Pulmonary Medicine at Safdarjung Hospital, Dr. Rohit Kumar said, “COVID is an RNA virus that changes its form from time to time, and new variants of it emerge. And now a new variant has emerged, which has been named JN.1. However, not a single case has come to light in the capital, Delhi yet.”

"We are on alert, keeping an eye on the Corona cases. Testing of patients is also being done, and the patients who are coming positive are also being sent for genome sequencing. So that new variants can also be detected, but till now no case of new variants has been reported in Delhi," Dr Kumar said.

"If there is a sore throat, cough, cold, chest pain, or difficulty breathing, consult the doctor immediately. Especially those already suffering from respiratory diseases and asthma patients need to take special care. The doctor mentioned that during this season, individuals with serious diseases should be more careful, as those dying due to Covid often have pre-existing serious conditions such as heart disease and diabetes," he added.

For more COVID-19 news India in Hindi, subscribe to our newsletter.

[swadeshlive]

[reasonsforhope]

Article | Paywall Free

"The Food and Drug Administration approved new mRNA coronavirus vaccines Thursday [August 22, 2024], clearing the way for shots manufactured by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna to start hitting pharmacy shelves and doctor’s offices within a week.

Health officials encourage annual vaccination against the coronavirus, similar to yearly flu shots. Everyone 6 months and older should receive a new vaccine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends.

The FDA has yet to approve an updated vaccine from Novavax, which uses a more conventional vaccine development method but has faced financial challenges.

Our scientific understanding of coronavirus vaccines has evolved since they debuted in late 2020. Here’s what to know about the new vaccines.

Why are there new vaccines?

The coronavirus keeps evolving to overcome our immune defenses, and the shield offered by vaccines weakens over time. That’s why federal health officials want people to get an annual updated coronavirus vaccine designed to target the latest variants. They approve them for release in late summer or early fall to coincide with flu shots that Americans are already used to getting.

The underlying vaccine technology and manufacturing process are the same, but components change to account for how the virus morphs. The new vaccines target the KP.2 variant because most recent covid cases are caused by that strain or closely related ones...

Do the vaccines prevent infection?

You probably know by now that vaccinated people can still get covid. But the shots do offer some protection against infection, just not the kind of protection you get from highly effective vaccines for other diseases such as measles.

The 2023-2024 vaccine provided 54 percent increased protection against symptomatic covid infections, according to a CDC study of people who tested for the coronavirus at pharmacies during the first four months after that year’s shot was released...

A nasal vaccine could be better at stopping infections outright by increasing immunity where they take hold, and one is being studied in a trial sponsored by the National Institutes of Health.

If you really want to dodge covid, don’t rely on the vaccine alone and take other precautions such as masking or avoiding crowds...

Do the vaccines help prevent transmission?

You may remember from early coverage of coronavirus vaccines that it was unclear whether shots would reduce transmission. Now, scientists say the answer is yes — even if you’re actively shedding virus.

That’s because the vaccine creates antibodies that reduce the amount of virus entering your cells, limiting how much the virus can replicate and make you even sicker. When vaccination prevents symptoms such as coughing and sneezing, people expel fewer respiratory droplets carrying the virus. When it reduces the viral load in an infected person, people become less contagious.

That’s why Peter Hotez, a physician and co-director of the Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, said he feels more comfortable in a crowded medical conference, where attendees are probably up to date on their vaccines, than in a crowded airport.

“By having so many vaccinated people, it’s decreasing the number of days you are shedding virus if you get a breakthrough infection, and it decreases the amount of virus you are shedding,” Hotez said.

Do vaccines prevent long covid?

While the threat of acute serious respiratory covid disease has faded, developing the lingering symptoms of “long covid” remains a concern for people who have had even mild cases. The CDC says vaccination is the “best available tool” to reduce the risk of long covid in children and adults. The exact mechanism is unclear, but experts theorize that vaccines help by reducing the severity of illness, which is a major risk factor for long covid.

When is the best time to get a new coronavirus vaccine?

It depends on your circumstances, including risk factors for severe disease, when you were last infected or vaccinated, and plans for the months ahead. It’s best to talk these issues through with a doctor.

If you are at high risk and have not recently been vaccinated or infected, you may want to get a shot as soon as possible while cases remain high. The summer wave has shown signs of peaking, but cases can still be elevated and take weeks to return to low levels. It’s hard to predict when a winter wave will begin....

Where do I find vaccines?

CVS said its expects to start administering them within days, and Walgreens said that it would start scheduling appointments to receive shots after Sept. 6 and that customers can walk in before then.

Availability at doctor’s offices might take longer. Finding shots for infants and toddlers could be more difficult because many pharmacies do not administer them and not every pediatrician’s office will stock them given low demand and limited storage space.

This year’s updated coronavirus vaccines are supposed to have a longer shelf life, which eases the financial pressures of stocking them.

The CDC plans to relaunch its vaccine locator when the new vaccines are widely available, and similar services are offered by Moderna and Pfizer."

-via The Washington Post, August 22, 2024

[avantimedia]

वैश्विक महामारी कोरोना ने साल 2019 में अपना भयानक रूप दिखाकर कई परिवारों को खत्म कर दिया था। कोरोना संक्रमण ने जहां कई बुजुर्ग माता-पिता से उनके बु़ढ़ापे की लाठी का सहारा यानी की उनके बच्चे को ही छीन लिया। तो कई घर ऐसे से जिनके छोटे बच्चे अनाथ हो गए। जिनपर बीती है वो लोग आज भी करोना नाम से खौफ खाते हैं। लेकिन ऐसे में राहत की खबर भी सामने आ रही है। जिसमें विश्व स्वास्थ्य संगठन (डब्ल्यूएचओ) ने डब्ल्यूएचओ के महानिदेशक डॉ टेड्रोस अदनोम घेब्रेयसस ने शुक्रवार की देर शाम कोविड-19 और वैश्विक स्वास्थ्य मुद्दों पर बातचीत करते हुए मीडिया ब्रीफिंग के दौरान घोषणा करते हुए कहा कि-  “मैं बड़ी आशा के साथ कोविड-19 के विश्व से खत्म होने की घोषणा करता हूं. हालांकि, इसका मतलब यह नहीं होगा कि विश्व पर कोविड-19 का खतरा बिल्कुल नहीं होगा।”

30 जनवरी को आपातकाल घोष��त कि गई थी वैश्विक महामारी

डब्ल्यूएचओ के महानिदेशक डॉ टेड्रोस अदनोम घेब्रेयसस के मुताबिक हम सब जानते हैं, दुनिया भर में हजारों आज भी इस महामारी के कारण जिंदगी से जुझ रहे हैं। लाखों लोग कोविड-19 के बाद की स्थिति के प्रभावों के साथ जी रहे हैं। गौरतलब है कि डब्ल्यूएचओ द्वारा ही साल 2020 की जनवरी में Covid-19 को वैश्विक आपातकाल घोषित किया था। टेड्रोस ने कहा, 30 जनवरी 2020 को अंतर्राष्ट्रीय स्वास्थ्य विनियमों के तहत अहम बैठक बुलाई थी, जिसमें आपातकालीन समिति की सलाह पर के आओधार पर ही मैंने कोविड-19 के वैश्विक प्रकोप हुए आपातकाल को घोषणा करा था। बीते 3 सालों में कोविड-19 ने हमारी दुनिया को पूरी तरह से पलट कर रख दिया है। डब्ल्यूएचओ रिपोर्ट की माने तो दुनिया में मौतों का आंकड़ा इतना ज्यादा रहा की अंतीम संस्कार और दफनाने के लिए भी जगह नहीं मिली।  

सार्वजनिक आपातकाल है अभी भी

दरअसल शुक्रवार को WHO द्वारा वैश्विक महामारी के रूप में घेषित की गई कोविड-19 महामारी अब खत्म हो गई है। एस बुरे दौर से गुजरने के बाद दुनिया में कोविड-19 से पीछे छुड़ाना बेहद ही चिंताजनक है। विश्व स्वास्थ्य संगठन WHO का कहना है कि यह अंतरराष्ट्रीय चिंता का विषय बना हुआ है। लेकिन विश्व स्वास्थ्य संगठन ने चेतावनी देते हुए कहा है कि कोविड-19 अंतरराष्ट्रीय चिंता का एक सार्वजनिक स्वास्थ्य आपातकाल बना हुआ है। 

क्या कहा डब्ल्यूएचओ चीफ ने?

डब्ल्यूएचओ महानिदेशक टेड्रोस अदनोम घेब्रेयसस का कहना है कि "कोविड-19 का खतरा अभी भी सार्वजनिक स्वास्थ्य पर बना हुआ है चिल न करें ...सतर्क रहें।" डब्ल्यूएचओ ने ये भी कहा है कि कोरोना महामारी अभी भी अंतरराष्ट्रीय संकट और आपात स्थिति है। विश्व स्वास्थ्य संगठन ने हालांकि ये भी स्वीकार किया है कि वायरस शायद एक संक्रमण बिंदु पर है, लेकिन इस संक्रमण के सावधानीपूर्वक और संभावित नकारात्मक परिणामों को कम करना जरूरी है।  

यह भी पढ़ें- 

यूपी सरकार ने निजी कृषि विवि के वीसी,निदेशक पर धर्मांतरण का हलफनामा किया दायर 

UP STF का खुलासा, विदेशों से मंगवाएं थे माफिया मुख्तार अंसारी के बेटे ने आर्म्स

[biglisbonnews]

Did Raccoon Dogs Cause Covid-19? What the New Genetic Reports Really Tell Us New analysis of genetic sequences collected at the outset of the pandemic connects raccoon dogs as a possible vector of Covid-19 to humans. https://www.inverse.com/science/raccoon-dogs-covid-19

[suchananewsblog]

WHO calls on China to be transparent in sharing data to determine Covid's origins

The WHO has criticised China for withholding data related to samples taken at a market in Wuhan in 2020 that could have provided vital information about the Covid-19 pandemic’s origins, calling on Beijing to be transparent and to share results of investigations it conducts. The Huanan market in central China’s Wuhan city was the epicentre of the pandemic. From its origin there, the SARS-CoV-2…

[srilanka1234]

China says restrictions on its travellers abroad discriminatory: Warns countermeasures

[willowreader]

This was in main stream media 4 years ago. It seems nobody cared.

Stroke surge

"Reports of strokes in the young and middle-aged — not just at Mount Sinai, but also in many other hospitals in communities hit hard by the novel coronavirus — are the latest twist in our evolving understanding of the disease it causes. The numbers of those affected are small but nonetheless remarkable because they challenge how doctors understand the virus. Even as it has infected nearly 2.8 million people worldwide and killed about 195,000 as of Friday, its biological mechanisms continue to elude top scientific minds. Once thought to be a pathogen that primarily attacks the lungs, it has turned out to be a much more formidable foe — impacting nearly every major organ system in the body."

[blueberryinko]

How about this story idea/request??

Due to Covid + Quarantine, a boyfriend had been stuck over seas not being able to get back with her girlfriend back in the US (so imagine if the story took place today, that would of meant he was stuck in that other country for at least three years), only to finally get the opportunity to get back home.

He would get to his house where he and his girlfriend lives when when his went to finally see his gf again, he would see how quarantine had affected her; due to the need of money, she had to take jobs as a surrogate (with the current one being her 5th surrogate pregnancy with many, many multiples) with the cravings hitting her pretty hard, as she is now a heavily pregnant fat doughball, barely able to waddle and not being able to wear clothes due to her size (she also lactates a lot).

Then after a hard but loving conversation, the boyfriend admits that she loves the way his gf looks, with the couple getting into it.

Also you don’t have to write this, but maybe the boyfriend was stuck in Japan cause it was one of the first countries to get hit by COVID.

(Oh my fucking GOD this is so hot.)

Quarantine Gestator

(Minor reference to farting here only in the humorous sense, I promise)

“Can you believe I’m coming home soon?” Adam asked, looking at his computer screen, his girlfriend’s face showing on the monitor, though anything below her head was cut off.

“What- wait really?” Brie’s voice was pitchy and tinged with alarm, though she tried to mask it as enthusiasm. What would he say if he saw her like this? “Wh-when do you think you’ll be back?” She tried to probe gently, Adam not seeing his girlfriend’s nervousness. “Oh by next week at the latest.” He replied nonchanatly. “NEXT WEEK?” She yelped, her cheeks hot with embarrassment. “Oh my God, I- I can’t wait to have you b-back!” Truth be told she was dreading him coming back and seeing what a pig she’d made of herself.

Adam hadn’t seen his girlfriend in three years. The coronavirus pandemic had him stuck in Japan, only able to see her through Zoom calls. The time difference made it so that one of them was always tired and lethargic. She’d stopped showing her body a while back because ‘she’d grown too big to show ANYTHING off now.’ Being a professional surrogate, he’d gotten to see her belly grow with multiples twice over the pandemic, and he’d loved seeing every inch of her belly swell out larger and larger with half a dozen lives.

Being stuck in Japan hadn’t been all bad. Sure, the paper-thin walls of his apartment meant he could hear his neighbour blowing up her girlfriend like a hot air balloon, but the sights were still cool, he got delivery fresh from the restaurant across the way, and he’d managed to keep relatively healthy. The same couldn’t be said for his girlfriend.

“Hey honey, I’m ho-ome!” He called, opening the door to his apartment. “I-in here!” His girlfriend called. Last she’d updated him, she was seven months pregnant, and to his utter amazement, with eleven babies “Coming-holy shit babe!”

The sight Adam had walked into was.. really fucking hot. Brie had let herself go too much during the pandemic. She had REALLY let herself go. She was quite literally a huge ball of flab and baby, a doughball if he could make any such comparison. Adam felt his blood rush south as his jaw dropped, eyes wide. “B-brie.. baby, you look…”

Brie’s plump, round cheeks were a bright crimson, flapping her hands. Her body jiggled slightly as she did, completely humiliated by her titanic size. She was also, to Adam’s added arousal, completely naked, pink, puffy nipples gushing milk down her front. “Like a cow?” She knew it, she was a disgusting slob, she couldn’t even move of her own accord! Adam shook his head fervently. “No, god no, Brie, never! You look like a goddess!” He approached her, rubbing her soft, fat flesh gently. She cooed, sniffling. “You think so?”

“I know so,” Adam murmured. “You must have been so lonely.” He murmured. Quarantine had kept them apart for three years. “So.. when did you get, you know, this big?” He asked. Brie didn’t really know, but she could make an estimate. “Somewhere around a year and a half in? I think? I don’t know, I was carrying like seven babies back then, and my body just.. never lost the weight it gained. Doctors said my body was self-sustaining now at least, so there was that. I got used to it, but I didn’t want to show you my face, I love being like this, but I was so afraid you’d stop loving me.”

“Brie, how could I?” Adam reasoned. “You and I, six years we’ve been together, even longer we’d been best friends. I love you no matter how big or how small you are.” A kick from the babies made her body shudder, and Brie moaned. “What was it, thirteen babies in here this time?” He asked gently, kneeling to rub her belly. She confirmed with a nod. “Y-yeah, f-five families, a batch each.. the docs pumped me real full…” She moaned, the feeling of Adam’s hand orgasmic to her. She was so sensitive nowadays she could barely think, let alone waddle. Speaking of…

Her crotch dragged along the floor as she waddled. Small mews and whimpers escaped her as she did so, pounds and pounds of luscious, fatty flesh jiggling as she did so, the big butterball breeder simply unable to move under her own weight. Well, she could, just not for long. Adam caressed her belly as it met his hand. “So, you’re stuck like this?” Brie nodded, her chin hitting the thick layer of flab that was her divot. “For the rest of my life.”

“Then I’m moving you in to my place,” Adam decided. “We can get you a barn, some milking machines and an ultrasound room for you, I got a huge insurance payout from the airline after my flight delay.” Brie started to deny it, but Adam stopped her with a kiss. “Trust me babe, you can be my fat, bloated cow as long as you want.” Brie spluttered, “I don’t exactly like-nngggaaaahh!” She squealed as her clit throbbed, the weight of her pussy on the floor causing pressure in her underside.

“O-okay, I do like being like this.” Brie admitted quietly. Adam grinned, leaning down. He began to suckle from her teat, and Brie’s eyes went wide. “Oh, fuck, Adam!” She gasped as milk flowed down Adam’s throat. The babies kicked, and Brie wished they were theirs. Adam continued to drink, squeezing Brie’s golf-ball sized nipple, watching as a river of milk splashed down his girlfriend’s expanse, dripping down his chin. He stopped to take a breath, wiping his chin. “That.. tastes fucking amazing.” Adam grinned, rolling her further onto her belly.

“Adam-Adam, oh, sh-shit!” Brie shuddered, her entire frame reverberating as fat flesh slapped on her wooden floor. She flapped her hands, no longer in control of her body. The cold air wasted no time in chilling her sensitive, swollen labia, making her shiver. “C-cold, baby!” She whined. Adam leaned over, his hands over her head, fingers sinking slightly into her taut flesh. “I know love, want me to warm you up?” He asked gently.

Her coos were all the answer he needed, beginning to rub her belly. The sensation of dozens of unborn lives wriggling and shifting inside her caused her turgid frame to wobble, and she adored it. The fact that Adam seemed to be just as into it was a huge bonus for her. Her skin felt electric, his hands quickly warming her body. “Nnf- oh fuck!” She was a fat, baby baking blimp, and he was handling her like she was a modern angel, careful and loving.

“Fuck, you’re so big.” Adam hissed, playing with her fat belly. He wondered if her diameter would count as an entire baby bump in and of itself, layering kisses down her gut. “Aaanh!” Brie’s breath hitched, feeling him trailing down, down, down. Then, she felt hands on her underside. Then she was rolling. Her massive weight began to bowl around the room. “Uwaaaa…” If she could rub herself, she would. The feeling was heavenly, his hands manhandling her as she went. “Imagine what you’re gonna be like with MY babies inside you.” He growled possessively.

“A-Adam!” She started, and Adam watched as she babbled, her head coming around again to look at him from her divot. “You like that my big breeder?” She was helpless to him as she settled on her side. He kneeled down, taking her head in his hands and kissing her. “A-Adam, fuck, I want your babies!” She loved being a surrogate, but the primal, fertile side of her said she wanted her man’s babies cramming her womb, kicking and wriggling as they threatened to pop their big, fat mama.

“Oh I know baby, but don’t you like helping other families too? These babies are your gifts to the world, to people who want their own families.” Adam whispered, kissing her forehead. “Besides, you’re just a vessel now, right? What’s stopping anybody from, y’know, taking you as their breeder?” The teasing was too much. Brie’s pussy throbbed with need and her reddened cheeks heated further, sweat dripping down her chubby cheeks.

“N-nothing…” She mewed. Adam grinned, standing up. “Exactly, Brie. Nothing. Which means I can claim you.” She was rolling again, head over ass as she went, until her body pressed against the wall, her feet just barely touching the floor. Adam unzipped, his manhood threatening to tear his boxers in half. She couldn’t see it, but she sensed the shaft rubbing against her belly. “A-adam!” She needed him badly, and he knew it. Stripping off his boxers, he positioned himself.

“Such a big, fertile belly, gonna get so much bigger.” He teased, sliding his cock into her navel. She instinctively clenched around him, and he hissed. “Good girl, so fucking tight, aren’t you.” He loved how big her boobs had gotten, and as he fucked her belly, he leaned over, taking an engorged boob in his mouth. He squeezed and milk flooded his mouth. It was rich and almost like vanilla. “Adam, p-please-!” She gasped, flapping her hands. Adam kept a firm hold of her, pumping her for all her worth. She was surprised he was so eager, but she supposed her milk tank were just so big he couldn’t help himself.

Once he’d gulped down his fill, he wiped his mouth. He increased his speed, watching as she jiggled. He imagined her in the future, rolling about their house, moaning about how fucking pregnant he’d made her, his fat bred bride barely able to waddle under her weight. They’d have to get helpers, maybe maids. Those thoughts were naughty enough, and he could think of several ways they could help her. He was rigid, and Brie didn’t think he could get any bigger. “A-adam, gotta cum, g-gotta- please-!” She begged, vibrating visibly, creaking loudly.

SLAP, SLAP, SLAP- “Almost- there!” Adam came with a grunt- “UWAAA!” She came with a wet splash, shaking and shuddering as she rode out one of the longest orgasms she’d ever had. Brie gasped and panted for breath as it finally ended. She’d been pent up for a full two years and she was so glad she’d been able to cum. Adam wasn’t done yet though. And she was ready.

He rotated her body, grinning as her fat womanhood rose to meet him, her swollen underside glimmering with the slick results of her orgasm. Adam inserted a finger, testing. “Nggff!” She mewed, and he knew she was just if not more sensitive down here. “So wet.. all for me? Good baby baker.” He wasted no time in impaling her on his cock. She took him easily, and he was big enough that his head probed her cervix. He shifted his hips, pulsing inside her.

“A-adam, h-when did you get so— nyaaah! Big!?” She begged, alarmed at his size. He slowed, concerned he’d hurt her. “D-don’t stop!” She whimpered. He took it gentle, slow. Her heartbeat was so fast her skin was flush and hot, damp with sweat that dripped down her diameter. She was at the peak of her pleasure and she couldn’t believe how lucky she was. Any other man would surely have broken up with her, but not Adam. He sped up, fucking her vigorously. “Ngggh, nggh, graah!” He growled, her moans in tandem with his, plap, plap, plap, the slapping of their skin went. She couldn’t possibly get more pregnant than she was now, but he could certainly try.

“Breed me, breed me, fucking make me huge!” She begged, and as Adam came with a roar, her body billowed, stretchmarks becoming paler and harsher, her diameter straining and bulging to contain his gigantic load. She could feel his swimmers racing inside her, pumping her to the max. It was so much to bear that Adam fell back, taking her with him as she became plugged with his cock, sat right at the entrance to her cervix. “Whooaaa!” She squealed, landing on him with a soft whoomp.

He was pinned under her, and he wasn’t sure he could get up. They stayed like that for a while, Brie just enjoying being his cocksleeve, keeping his warmth enveloped in her puffy, pregnant lips. Then- “I really need to fart.” Adam admitted. Brie groaned. “Please don’t, please don’t-“ Too late, he’d already done it. “Babe!” She giggled, wrinkling her nose. “That’s so gross!” Adam laughed along with her, “C’mon, you’ve farted before too!” Brie squawked. “Yeah but not while someone has been inside my vagina!” The ridiculousness of the situation caught up to them and they couldn’t help but collapse into laughter.

Eventually Adam managed to roll her off of him, climbing on top of her. “Did you mean what you said?” She asked him. “About wanting your babies inside me?” Adam laid down on her belly, his head poking over the risen mountain of her cleavage. “Yeah. I love seeing you so fertile and fucked full of babies, but I want you to be my baby mama. Maybe exclusively just my babies one day.” He admitted. Brie bit her lip, before confessing something. “At the end of this pregnancy I get a thirteen million dollar payout. We could get married and start building our family.”

Adam gaped, before clambering over her breasts and kissing her. “You know how much I love you, right?” Brie mewed, kissing him back. And as his cock became stiff once again she raised an eyebrow. “Ready for round three? I wanna suck you instead this time.” And he did so eagerly.

-

Thirteen years later

“Belle, help me roll your mother to the truck!” Adam ordered. He helped his wife out of their mansion, the double doors built for her giant circumference. Their daughter rushed to help them. “Jesus Dad, was just trying to wrangle the octuplets! They’re being fussy with Millie and Jane again.” Their helpers were loyal friends to the family, but even they struggled with the twelve children the fat doughball of a woman had bred for Adam.

And she was very overdue with seven more, her body having delayed labour for a while to ensure the healthiest babies, somehow her body just knew, it was designed for incubating now. And finally it was time for the babies to be born so they had to drive a little ways up their land do the birthing house, where Adam and Brie could be in private for their new arrivals.

“Okay, go back and help them then, try and get them down for their afternoon nap?” Their daughter rushed off and Brie moaned through another contraction. “Baby stop worrying, we’ve done all this before..” She came with a grunt, another contraction tightening her diameter. Adam sighed. “I know, I just worry about you.” Brie chuckled. “Don’t, I know what I’m doing.” She murmured. As she was strapped into the truck, Adam rushed around to the driver’s seat.

Brie was a big, several hundred pound breeding blimp of a woman. And she wouldn’t have it any other way.

[animefeminist]

Designer, DJ, and model Senanan’s latest fashion brand wants to make kawaii for everyone

32-year-old Senanan has already had an incredible career. She moved to Tokyo in 2012 and established her first brand, QissQill, one year later. She became a popular subject of photographers on the fashionable streets of Harajuku, often wearing her own brands, and modeled for several magazines including alt-fashion icon FRUiTS. Her next clothing venture was XRN (aka XRNFORBADGAL), which is described as a sister brand to the rock-inspired KRY.

Senanan took her subversive sensibilities to the world of music; she did solo work as a DJ and also collaborated with the group SUDDENDEATH, who had been planning a comeback prior to the 2020 lockdowns. She joked about the deliberately shocking and “radical” content of her solo music (one of her singles is “$ CUNT DULL,” a wordplay on “scandal”) in one interview in 2019, and talked about the songs she was working on “Rabu hoteru ni iku koto mo sukunakunatta (We’re going to love hotels less and less)” and “Kyougen aidoru to mougen otaku-kun (Dramatic idol and abusive otaku).”

In the wake of the initial wave of Coronavirus and the birth of her child in 2019, Senanan shifted gears and began working on a new project: anonenone, a brand meant to create kawaii items that could be enjoyed by anyone, “regardless of style, age, and gender.” She was invited to Otakon in 2023 as both a guest and a featured presenter for a fashion show alongside her frequent collaborator Colomo, designer of DimMoire. We were able to speak to her briefly that weekend; as is standard for Otakon, all questions were approved in advance.

Read it at Anime Feminist!

[tearsinthemist]

Shell becomes latest oil giant to report record 2022 profit

03 February 2023

Shell on Thursday reported a record $41.6 billion full-year profit, adding to the list of oil giants to report windfalls on high energy prices. Shell's net earnings smashed its previous record of $31.4 billion, set in 2008, and brought combined 2022 profits for the three major energy companies — Shell, Chevron, and Exxon Mobil — to more than $132 billion. The oil giants bounced back from losses earlier in the pandemic as China's lifting of coronavirus restrictions increased demand, and Russia's invasion of Ukraine disrupted energy markets and drove up prices. Shell's fourth quarter profit came in at $11.4 billion, up from $11.2 billion in the same period last year. [The Wall Street Journal]

[mikeywayarchive]

x

Mikey Way: Inside The Return Of Electric Century

As Electric Century gear up to unveil their second album and accompanying graphic novel, Mikey Way reveals how it all came about…

May 20, 2020

Words: Emily Carter

Full interview under the cut:

Mikey Way is, he says, in “the best place” he’s ever been. Some four years on from the release of his debut album under the Electric Century banner with David Debiak, the bassist has since dipped his toes into the world of comics with last year’s Collapser, toured with Texan stars Waterparks, and, most importantly, become a father of two. He’s spent a great deal of time lately soul-searching, and believes that having children has made him “kinder and gentler”, as well as helping him to think more clearly – something that his creative work away from parenthood has greatly benefitted from.

In fact, were it not for this perfect amalgamation, Mikey might have struggled to make his latest ambitious venture come together: a brand-new Electric Century album and accompanying graphic novel of the same name. Working with David as well as the team at Z2 Comics, the 39-year-old used whatever spare time he had in-between dad duties to form a cohesive, fantastical new world for this music and story to live in – with both arriving later this year.

Catching up with Kerrang! from his home, Mikey is feeling grateful about where he’s at right now, not just with a new project on the way, but because this unplanned time at home amid the coronavirus pandemic has given him the chance to spend even more time with his family (“I’m having a really good time watching these milestones I would have missed – my one-year-old has just started walking!”). Taking a short break from cleaning up after his two “balls of energy”, he lifts the lid on the new Electric Century record, how he came up with the graphic novel, and his plans for the future…

When Electric Century first came about, and For The Night To Control was released with Kerrang! in 2016, was it always the plan to have a second album, or did it feel like a more standalone thing at the time? “I didn’t know what the project was really gonna be. I didn’t honestly know if there was going to be a second Electric Century album, because the songs had to be there. I’ll make an album when I’m compelled to, and I have a collection of songs for this project where I’m like, ‘Oh, this is an album.’ It felt like, over a period of time, me and Dave started to amass this group of songs from sending iPhone voice memos to each other where it was like, ‘I think we kind of have an album…’ That’s what happened, and we started to build the quantity of stuff that I loved. For me, I have to keep creating something or I take a nose-dive; there has to be something – usually music-related, but I’m writing a bunch of comic books right now which has been a great outlet. I feel like, at the time, it was a great thing for me to fixate on. It was something creative to build, so I started assembling the album with Dave, and it grew into what it is today over a span of, I guess, two years. I think we started writing [this album] in 2017, but maybe some of the songs were around when the first album was being recorded, and we just hadn’t finished them. There’s one in particular that was supposed to be on For The Night To Control that is actually my favourite on this new album; we left it off because it wasn’t quite there yet, and I’m glad we’ve had the time to make it exactly how I wanted it.”

Was there a eureka moment when you suddenly realised you’d amassed enough material for a full album? “The eureka moment was working on a song called Alive with Ray [Toro, My Chemical Romance guitarist] who also produced the album. The way we recorded it was David sent like a skeleton of a song based on voices memos that he’d record on Pro Tools, and then he’d send the session to Ray, and I remember Ray sending me an idea for Alive – and that’s the song that’s playing in the trailer, the piano one. And that was the moment: I was like, ‘Oh wow!’ I was taken aback by it, because the demo didn’t sound like that. And I feel like that song set the tone for this whole album – to me, it’s definitely the keystone, and the anchor to the whole thing.”

The band account tweeted in March 2019 that the album was “already recorded”. Is that referring to the final thing that we’re all gonna hear, or have you made tweaks since then? “We’re still making tweaks – we made tweaks last night (laughs). We’re still working but we’re putting the finishing touches on it now. Ray just sent me something that was really exciting.”

What idea came first this time around: the Electric Century comic, or the album? “It was actually the album. I’m gonna bring you back a little bit: In 2014, as you remember, the press started to begin for For The Night To Control, and then I went to rehab – and you guys came and interviewed me while I was in rehab. And when I got out, I felt very differently about the project, because at that time in my life I was worried about my mental health and my sobriety, and I didn’t want to go on tour. It gave me pause for a minute, and I was like, ‘What is this project now? I love it, but I don’t know what to do right now.’ I had a thought in my head where I thought, ‘Maybe this is a fictional band…’ I was thinking along the lines of Gorillaz or Daft Punk where it’s fictional, and I thought that I could create a world for this band to live in. I kind of put a pin in that thought, and as you know, we released the album through you guys, which was awesome – and it encouraged a lot of people to go and find their CD player (laughs).

“We did that, and I still didn’t have a desire to tour on it, but at some point I just thought, ‘Hey, I feel like it’s time to move on.’ I’m really bad with dates right now, but I think in late 2018 Z2 reached out to me, and an old friend of mine was working with them, and he’s been working on graphic novels for musical acts, and coupling the two together – which I think is a great idea. Even since the ’70s, having music and comics together is something that people have dipped their toe in for quite some time. And something that one of the gentlemen said on the phone was, ‘Hey, what I see for this band is kinda like the Gorillaz…’ and I had another eureka moment where I was like, ‘That’s what I thought about!’ I wanted to do something different with it because it’s not your traditional, ‘Here’s an album and here’s your tour…’ thing. It wasn’t that. But I wanted it to be something fun, and I wanted to make it entertaining. So when he said that on the phone, immediately I was like, ‘Dude, I can’t believe you said that, because I actually had that thought in 2014!’

“We were all on the same page, and he told me to come up with the story of it. But I was like, ‘That’s weird, because the album is already done,’ because usually people would do it in reverse; the graphic novel would come first, and then you’d write the album around it. So that put me in a really interesting position where it was like, ‘Man, I get to create a world around these songs.’ So I listened to them over and over again, and thought about it for a long time. And what sticks out to me about Dave is that you can hear the New Jersey in him (laughs) – he’s got that voice, and his subject matter can feel very Springsteen at times to me. I grew up in New Jersey as well, and it evokes memories for me. I immediately thought about Atlantic City, which is a place that was very important to my childhood – me and my family spent a lot of time there, and we’d go there over the summer. I had that vision in my head of that boardwalk – though at the time, I hadn’t been there in decades – and there were these beautiful neon structures everywhere. It made me think about nostalgia, and how we think back over these memories fondly, but maybe if we were there it wouldn’t be as great as we remember. And then I thought, ‘What if there’s a way that you could actually go back to those memories?’ And that’s where the genesis of the story came from.”

Was it a challenge at all to merge the album with the graphic novel? It sounds like it came quite naturally… “It came naturally, but I don’t know how (laughs). I don’t know how I came up with it so quick – it just came to me. It was a big challenge, though, because it’s like, ‘Create a world for this band to live in.’ I knew it had to be in New Jersey, but I think maybe I’ve always wanted to tell a story about Atlantic Story – deep in the recesses of my brain, there’s a want for some kind of fantasy story that takes place there! I think that’s why maybe it jumped out at me so fast.”

What genres are you dipping into on the album? For The Night To Control had a real ’80s vibe to it, but is there anything else that influenced you musically on this one? “I feel like there are similarities between the two album; what I always lean towards with this project is ’80s music, because I’m fascinated by it. I love ’80s new wave and British rock… that whole era of music just had this hopefulness, and this cool longing that these people were singing about. It was a cool era, and there was still some innocence left – and I feel like that may have been the last era that had this innocence to music. So the way I explore it with Electric Century is, ‘How would you be in one of those bands, but through a modern lens?’ It’s kind of ’80s new wave through a modern lens. I don’t want it to be pure nostalgia; I want it to be palatable for a modern audience, and that’s the wheelhouse Electric Century lives in.”

As a musician, how much have you changed between albums? Since the debut album you’ve worked with Waterparks, and you even toured the UK with them and Good Charlotte. Have experiences like that had an impact? “It really has. Getting to tour with Waterparks was an interesting adventure, because I had never done anything like that where there was no responsibility. It was purely playing with my friends, and I didn’t have to do press or anything like that. And I really got a chance to explore the cities we were in, which usually didn’t happen when I toured with My Chemical Romance because we were so busy all the time. So that was a cool and interesting take on touring for me, and those guys are great – I love Waterparks so much. They’re good dudes, and they have a great work ethic and a vision, and you can tell that they really give a shit about everything in those songs. It was just cool to play music with some like-minded people. And one of my favourite places in the world is the UK, so I got to do that tour with them which was really special. It was definitely a different experience because of the busy-ness of My Chemical Romance; touring with Waterparks was a more laid-back adventure.”

What are your plans for Electric Century beyond the comic and album? Do you hope to play live once shows are back on? “I’ve always had it in my head! And it almost happened a couple of times: we almost had Electric Century shows. At some stage I’m sure it’ll happen – I’d love to do it – but now’s also a good time for interesting ways to play, because we can’t do traditional shows right now. Maybe this will lend itself to this project really well, because me and Dave are on two different coasts. There’s something that maybe we can do there, because it’s now widely accepted, and that gives us a better chance of there being an Electric Century show!”

Electric Century will be releasing new music soon.

[freeced]

// THE AMAZING DIGITAL CIRCUS SONG - "Jax Rabbit Swing" by Freeced feat. Stargirl // Ladies and gents and those who know better Allow me to introduce the show's header...

Jax Rabbit Swing is the latest byproduct of my bunnyboy-addled brain's attempt to capture all of these crafty cartoon characters in choral caricature. Hot on the heels of Bunny Boy, my Springtrap-inspired crunchy munchy fnaffy horror song, I wanted something a little lighter but still crunchy and definitely, definitely bouncy. You can't make a bunnyboy song without bounce! Stargirl's always asking me to make more electroswing songs, and after honing my craft on Komi with Marina, Bees with Stupes, and Lackadaisy solo (you can look all those up if you want, I'm too eepy to link sorry!), and after seeing how much people seemed to enjoy all of those, as well as making a recent mixing discovery while working on Bunny Boy that has led to stylistic changes in my music...all of that...I knew I had to ask her to sing the chorus on this song. Since I'm talking to her while writing this actually, maybe I'll ask for a quote. Stargirl? 🎤 Thank you Freeced. This world needs more electroswing. Depends on it, even. Leading scientists all agree Bees in my Fingertips ended the Coronavirus. So we all need to do our part. SHE'S KIDDING, PLEASE STAY SAFE OUT THERE, BEES ELECTROSWING CAN ONLY DO SO MUCH. But she makes a good point. Electroswing is kind of dope. And every time I make it, I get better at making it! I'm working on a new direction that's sort of hot jazz or rag combined with funky washboard percussion and... hey... ...we'll get to that when we get to that. Anyway, Jax Rabbit Swing has been doing really well on streaming platforms lately! I'd like to tell you to stream it on Spotify cuz that's where the numbers are, but Spotify has been kind of shitty and anti-Palestine, so...stream it wherever! Or pirate it! I don't give a fuck, enjoy the music, buy a keffiyeh from the last factory in Palestine if they're in stock, and...yeah, can you tell some time has passed while I've been writing this? Screen record my shit for all I care, just fuck dude, live life a little and remember the folks who are struggling to live at all. Sorry, this got a bit down in the mouth! I can't apologize, but I can bring it back for a second. Thank you for rocking with my music this year! Thank you to Stargirl for featuring on this song! And, you know. From the river to the sea. I know I'm just a silly fandom musician with amazing hair. But you gotta hear it from somewhere.

See you in the next one, babes. - Freeced

[ukrfeminism]

Women would need to work for an extra 19 years to retire with the same pension savings as men, according to data from the Pensions Policy Institute.

The research found women retiring at 67 – the new UK state pension age from 2026 – will have saved an average of £69,000, compared with £205,000 for men.

The data, published by the PPI and pensions provider Now: Pensions, suggests that under the current system, in order to close the “gender pension gap” a girl would need to start saving at three years old to retire with the same amount of money as working men.

Career gaps, caring responsibilities, childcare costs and lower earnings all contribute to the disparity.

As automatic enrolment into workplace pensions – where workers are put into a pension scheme into which they and their employer pay – starts at the age of 22, the 19-year gap meant that “by age three, girls are already falling behind boys in their provision for later life”, the researchers claimed.

However, women often live longer than men – on average by about seven years – meaning their retirement pots also need to last longer.

Now: Pensions is calling for the £10,000-a-year earnings threshold for people to be automatically enrolled into a workplace pension to be removed because it excludes many women who hold multiple jobs or work part-time or as freelancers.

The UK state pension age of 66 is set to rise to 67 between 2026 and 2028. From 2044, it is expected to rise to 68. However, research issued earlier this week suggested it would have to rise to 71 for those born after April 1970.

Separate industry figures issued on Wednesday indicated that the estimated amount of money needed to enjoy a “moderate” standard of living in retirement had jumped by £8,000 – or 34% – in a year as a result of the cost of living crisis and changes in behaviour.

The Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association has developed the “retirement living standards” to show what life in retirement looks like at three different levels – minimum, moderate and comfortable. Last year it said a single person needed about £12,800 a year to meet the minimum threshold but this year the figure has been put at £14,400.

The new threshold for a moderate standard of living in later life is £31,300 for a single person – up from £23,300 a year ago. To meet the comfortable threshold, the new figure is £43,100 a year for one person – up from £37,300.

The pension provider Scottish Widows said securing a guaranteed annual income of £23,300 for life would require a pension pot of about £500,000 – but securing an income of £31,300 would mean amassing a pension pot of more than £750,000.

The PLSA said its latest research “reflects the price rises that households have faced, particularly in food and energy use”, but also highlighted the increasing importance people placed on spending time with family and friends away from the home, as people’s priorities have changed after the coronavirus pandemic.