#flying during covid 19

[sgiandubh]

Hello! I have a new drinking game suggestion! If you haven't listened to that podcast yet (the part about Outlander and Sam starts at 51:00) how about a sip every time she mentions her recommendations for watching the series, stressing that it's something scorching? Also, every time it is said that he is single and dates a lot, in addition to being 🔥 The segment lasts about three minutes, surely no one could get drunk in such a short amount of time!

Dear Drinking Game Anon,

Please forgive the delay - almost everybody, even the trolls, answered the salvo of Deux Moi (that is a bastardized translation of 'Me Too', I bet the farm) Anons and perhaps you found me wanting. Oh, well: I never gave three dried shits about being FIRST.

Not even #sorry for the length, Anon.

That podcast is some mighty BS you are kindly asking me to dissect for you. So I just listened to that S focused bit again, as I am writing the answer. Fasten your seat belts.

I mean, where the hell do I begin? Everything is so unlikeable and so cheap about that podcast, I could start wondering if *urv is not poor man's Deux Moi, if you see what I mean (she came in first, alas). No, they don't give a flying fuck about S, in fact both of them have no idea even who he is, since they are mispronouncing his name repeatedly and need to check Wikipedia for his basic trivia. Their cackle does not really bring anything new to the table and it has all the predictable bits: his fandom 'who thinks he is dating his costar' (zero about the Mommies, its most vocal part, who definitely think he doesn't - interesting, huh?), him being on Raya and 'obviously dating' (yeah, yeah, we've seen the results, Dubai Hooker and then 'No Toxic People' on top), OL being a 'historical fantasy series, like GoT' (Lord give me strength), but you know, chock a block filled with sex (😱🤣). So it all boils down to the girl being 'identified in DMs' (by who, I wonder? 'Always Hands On' *urv?) as a 'creative type'. The core of the debate was, in fact, whether it was or not a first date and what about the lack of drinks on that table - it never occurred to them Einsteins that was a dead giveaway of those pictures being totally staged, eh?

Nothing to write home about and I honestly fail to see where the fuck did those women notice the girl 'lovingly gazing' at S. At any rate, this is so artificial I could cry and it does sound like a quid pro quo type of favor Deux Moi did to PR. It actually gave me the same 'shoehorned in' feeling as C's Remarkable Weekend non-photos featured in that magazine, in 2019. The two 'gossip columnists' clearly didn't prepare anything at all about it and DGAF pretending to be plausible liars. One more time, it felt cheap and a desperate retcon of the Dubai Hooker Walk of Shame, plus the added insult to injury Alice Don't Panikian was.

But, as always, there's more to it. And at this point, I do wonder why and actually how on Earth nobody in this fandom ever thought to find out what the fuss was about Deux Moi, at all.

[I was brutally cut, just here, Anon, by the worst power outage in our neighborhood for ages - heat does that to old, clunky European capitals. Sorry for that.]

Deux Moi came out of obscurity during the COVID-19 pandemic, when people were locked down at home, bored and depressed. It markets itself as a gossip column with a twist, almost never checks facts and apparently has no problem being seen by many as a neo Hollywood Dumpster Diver of sorts. To counter all sorts of possible legal problems, it launched itself and prospered because of the mandatory 'Anon pls' opening to each and every submission. It allows them to never feel or take any responsibility for the content it posts. The reason she can do this is the US Supreme Court's 1964 decision New York Times vs. Sullivan, which allowed media (including gossip sites) more liberty in expressing their opinions. It only sanctions actual malice in doing so, which simply means that if you hate Steven Cree (random example) and publicly comment he is a talentless bore, there is nothing he or his PR can do about it. But if you publicly comment that Steven Cree is a pedophile or a drug addict (OTT made-up stuff inserted here on purpose) and you fail to prove it with facts, well - that is actual malice all the way. You'd better pawn your silver spurs and sell your first born, because they will come to get you and won't do it with grace. In fact, as recently as 2022, the US Supreme Court refused to revise its doctrine on this particular point of law, further linking it to the US Constitution's First Amendment, that deals with free speech and strongly protects it:

[more on this, here: https://edition.cnn.com/2022/06/27/politics/supreme-court-new-york-times-sullivan/index.html - make no mistake, this is a very high profile political decision, for obvious reasons; therefore, I shall not further comment, you make up your own mind about it, according to your own creed. But I know what I think, and what I think is the analogy was promoted by a very conservative Supreme Court].

Deux Moi will never be that sophisticated, but that does not mean it was never above any possible threats & scandal. Its public image heavily relies on the mystique of an incognito mastermind, who, like the Mahdi, Shia Islam's Hidden Twelfth Imam, walks this Earth and sees/knows everything. From there to eternity, victimization is never far away:

[full article, here: https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/celebs/a43620663/deux-moi-identity-dark-side/ - I don't believe a single word of what the person shares, just so you know; for many reasons].

I mean, she is no Louella Parsons, no Hedda Hopper, hell - not even Liz Smith. And funny she mentions Taylor Swift (who I like more and more by the day, hahaha), who went for her via her PR, recently, in quite a clear fashion:

Wow, mother of all dragons: ' a marriage ceremony in the UK', that 'wasn't (...) legal (...) and wasn't made official'. Excuse me? RINGS A FUCKING BELL IN OUR OWN BACKYARD? Hell yes, rings a fucking steamer foghorn. Anyways, Tree Paine was not amused at all and the excuses were paltry, to say the least:

Sorry for the long quote, Anon, but I found Glamour's piece very enlightening, for once:

[our Spanish mafia girls could read the whole article here: https://www.glamour.com/story/taylor-swifts-publicist-tree-paine-thinks-deux-moi-needs-a-reality-check]

I still wonder why this 2021 'Anon pls' was never disputed and at least partially proven true:

Even better, check out this Reddit thread, just to see what The Casuals commented:

[whole thread, here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Fauxmoi/comments/nzx8mw/ok_i_am_dying_to_know_who_this_is_about/]

I wouldn't describe this as people being exactly 'shocked'. Interesting reactions, at any rate, and not a Stan in view.

Go figure, indeed.

I hope this answers your ask, Anon. It took me a long while to write, due to unforeseen reasons, but I certainly did it with pleasure and two or three well-placed grins.

[sophieinwonderland]

The article "Politics v. science: How President Trump's war on science impacted public health and environmental regulation" found on ncbi is sufficient proof in my opinion that Trump should never become president again.

The fact that so many people like sport516-ver2 don't give a flying fuck about his hateful stance on science and reality truly baffles me. I honestly feel grateful that people where I'm from are smart enough to not vote buffoons like Trump into power...

Here's the article for reference:

I haven't actually read through it myself yet, but this is all very true!

I will note though that being anti-science seems to be a long-held Republican position. It didn't start with Trump, and nobody should expect it to end with him either.

Trump's anti-science policies were largely just enacting the will of his anti-science voters.

[covid-safer-hotties]

These Are the Drag Artists and Organizers Fighting to Make Queer Spaces More COVID Safe - Published Aug 21, 2024

This article was produced in partnership with The Sick Times.

After becoming disabled by a COVID-19 infection they caught on tour in 2022, Themme Fatale went from being a high-flying trapeze artist to being homebound. Before developing Long COVID, much of the popular circus performer’s career had involved risk — setting themself on fire, flipping through the air, lying on beds of nails — but the danger of these stunts began to shrink in their mind compared to the risk of the airborne virus.

From home in Melbourne, Australia, Fatale began to closely follow Long COVID research, connecting the concerning findings about the disease, which affects every organ system, to their numerous symptoms. What they didn’t understand was why their local queer community — and society at large — continued to put themselves at risk of COVID-19, especially because Long COVID is more prevalent in queer and trans people.

It led Fatale to take action. In February 2024, Fatale launched Clean Air Narm, one of over 30 volunteer-led initiatives around the world modeled after Chicago’s Clean Air Club. These organizations lend out high-quality air purifiers to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 by reducing virus in the air at indoor venues.

“I started [Clean Air Narm] because I don't want to see all my friends disabled in the same way that I have been,” they say. “If you lead with a solution, people are sometimes more open to hearing about what the problem is in the first place.”

Guided by a strong commitment to community care, a diverse group of queer performers, drag kings, and other event organizers are filling the gaps of global government failure during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Through clean air organizations, mask requirements at shows, and other COVID-19 mitigation efforts, they are making public spaces more accessible and safer for everyone, all while selling out shows.

Here’s how many clean air clubs work: Organizers fundraise in their communities for a fleet of air purifiers and/or far-UVC devices, lamps that emit a type of ultraviolet light that can reduce indoor airborne microbes by 98%. Because these technologies are expensive — lights and purifiers can each cost thousands of dollars —, clean air organizers offer them to event organizers in their community through a “lending library.”

Volunteers of the clean air initiatives then distribute the purifiers to event organizers who install them at venues, often coupled with other COVID-19 mitigation tools like masks and rapid tests. Mutual-aid groups called mask blocs, which distribute respirators and other items to their communities for free, sometimes help with events, too.

While these precautions make events safer, they don’t fully eliminate the risk of spreading or catching COVID-19 at an event. Clean air initiatives are often careful to advertise events as “COVID-safer,” not “COVID-safe.” Some advocates have also criticized these clean air clubs for prioritizing entertainment events, arguing that resources like air purifiers and high-quality masks should be used for the most vulnerable communities that can’t afford masks, including hospitals, prisons, or public schools.

Still, with COVID-19 at very high levels multiple times a year and many people still going out to concerts and shows, these multiple layers of precaution do reduce spread of the disease in important venues. The fight for cleaner air in public places is broad: Public health experts and others have also proposed clean air mandates in public buildings, including Harvard University’s Healthy Buildings Program, Long COVID Kids, and Congressman Don Beyer’s Airborne Act 2024.

After founding Clean Air Club in 2023, Chicago resident Emily Dupree was met with an overwhelming demand for her club’s HEPA air purifiers. The success led her to write a guide to creating a clean-air organization. More than 30 autonomous initiatives around the world have been implemented and improved on the guide — and they’re popping up quickly.

“What we all have in common is a deep commitment to free access to life-saving technology in the midst of an ongoing pandemic,” says Dupree.

While Clean Air Club purifiers are for any organizers who request them, Dupree has noticed the resource has been more popular with members of the queer community.

“It is not surprising to me that so many of us creating these clean air clubs and putting in so much work for our community are queer,” Dupree says. “This idea of care as a radical and very powerful foundational value for mutual aid organizations is closely aligned with queer politics.”

The queer community is no stranger to mutual aid. During the peak of the AIDS crisis in the ’80s and ’90s, lesbians and other queer people started food banks, devoted their time to caretaking, donated as “blood sisters”, treated people with the disease, and provided other life-saving volunteer services while mainstream society stigmatized and abandoned people with AIDS.

Today, clean air organizations, mask blocs, and other COVID-19 mutual aid groups exist as a temporary solution for the widespread institutional failures of local, city, state, and federal governments that have an obligation to safeguard public health from COVID-19 and have instead completely failed to live up to that obligation, as Dupree says. “[These initiatives] give us a glimpse of what life could be like if only these principles were adopted at a larger scale.”

Dupree would like to see institutions that have the power to make large-scale, permanent changes in the interest of public health — including schools, public transportation departments, and prisons — improve their indoor air quality through the use of air purification and far-UVC technology. She’d also like to see mask requirements reimplemented in high-risk environments like hospitals, where many people have died after being exposed to COVID-19 while seeking life-saving care.

It's pretty straightforward, Dupree says. “What we need from the government is what they did at the turn of the century to eradicate cholera from our public water. We need them to clean our indoor air.”

In the absence of these measures and few to no mitigation efforts today, the public is at continued risk of COVID-19 infections and Long COVID, which affects more than 23 million Americans of all age groups. More than 400 million have the disease around the globe, according to a recent review in Nature Medicine. The ever-present threat of the virus also makes it unsafe for disabled and other high-risk people to participate in everyday life, seek safe medical care, and do essential errands.

While many mutual aid groups are run by queer people, numerous LGBTQ+ organizations and advocacy groups are failing to make their spaces and events safe and accessible. Education about the risk of Long COVID in the community is sorely lacking.

But there are exceptions: In Los Angeles, two drag king-led shows, Disabled Cable and Them Fatale (not associated with Themme Fatale) have made their shows more COVID-safe thanks to the help of testing, mask requirements, and their local clean air organization, Airgasmic.

Founded in 2024 by popular drag king Dick Swagger, Airgasmic runs a lending library of crowd-sourced purifiers specifically for drag shows and other queer events. And while the volunteer service has been successful, it has also exposed how difficult it can be to get venues and some patrons on board with COVID-19 mitigation methods, particularly masking.

“A lot of people aren't keeping up with the science,” Swagger says, explaining that he spends most of his free time volunteering for Airgasmic and educating his community online about COVID-19 and Long COVID. “More people tend to listen to me when I’m in drag.”

Swagger stopped performing live in 2022 after seeing the toll Long COVID has taken on the drag and queer community in Los Angeles. He knows 14 people in his local drag and queer communities with Long COVID, he says, adding that “it is like watching a slow-motion car crash” as more continue to get infected with COVID-19.

“I had to stop performing. I became increasingly frustrated,” he says. “I was trying to protect [my local drag community] and protect myself because I can't afford to become disabled.”

Leona Love, a drag king and queen who co-created Disabled Cable, says one of the most difficult aspects in organizing their show was finding a venue that would help enforce a mask requirement, a challenge other performers and organizers who spoke with Them and The Sick Times also faced.

As an ambulatory wheelchair user, Love says that a lack of accessible venues has kept them from performing at venues in Los Angeles in the past. The underlying ableism in the drag and queer community led them to co-found the show, which highlights disabled performers.

“The way I like to tell it honestly is that it is a project that was born out of rage and channeled into love,” they say.

But after finding a venue called Cantiq in Echo Park that fully supported their mitigation efforts, Love’s first show drew such a large crowd that they had to set a capacity limit for their sophomore performance so it would be less cramped and therefore safer. Now, the event regularly sells out.

“Getting to see the response to our show has been so affirming that our community still does care about COVID-19,” Love says. “We want to keep each other safe. Sometimes it’s about providing the right spaces and the right information to inform people how they can do that.”

“I do wish, however, that there were spaces outside of what we are building that were taking us into consideration as much as we are taking everyone in the community into consideration.”

[sincericida]

ANDREW GARFIELD

for the "Child Mind Institute", about mental health and on one of the ways he is thrive inside during Covid-19.

"I am a fan of dance, of just moving your body. Look silly. Move your body in a way that feels good to you, expresses you. Let it fly."

[longhaulerbear]

The field of post-infectious diseases didn’t (except for ME/CFS) exist prior to the coronavirus. The medical field focused on treating infections – not dealing with their aftermath. Recent studies indicate why that’s not going to fly anymore – and it’s not just because of ME/CFS. It’s because large studies are indicating that a coronavirus infection – whether it’s mild or severe – is upping the risk for all sorts of diseases.

Most of these studies are very large – running into the millions of participants – that rely on electronic health records. They’re comparing the incidence of new diagnoses in people who were infected with the coronavirus with those who weren’t.

Eric Topol recently wrote a blog on the autoimmune implications of COVID-19. Three recently published large studies lead Topol to report a “substantially increased risk of developing a diverse spectrum of new-onset autoimmune diseases.“

The increased risk was not low – a 20-40% increase in the likelihood of coming down with one of these illnesses – and the range of autoimmune illnesses affected was diverse indeed: the studies pointed to dramatic increases in the diagnosis of almost 20 autoimmune diseases. (See blog for the diseases). Since autoimmune disease can take a while to show up after an infection, one can only assume that this number will rise over time.

Other studies have found a marked increase in neurological diseases, including some one might not have thought. Besides things like cognitive disorders, sharp increases in the rates of psychotic disorders, epilepsy, stroke, and parkinsonism as well as others.

Cardiovascular and metabolic diseases have not been as well assessed but increases in asthma, type I and type II diabetes, respiratory diseases, heart failure, and stroke have been seen.

Oddly enough, none of these studies have assessed increased incidences of the one disease long COVID has been most associated with – ME/CFS. Nor have they assessed new diagnoses of fibromyalgia, IBS, dysautonomia, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), or gynecological diseases.

If you want more research into post-infectious illnesses, then linking an infectious event to dozens of serious illnesses can only help.

The study makes one wonder how many chronic illnesses were triggered by an infectious event.

For all of its horrendous impact, the coronavirus pandemic is clearly going to force the medical profession to take a very close look at what happens during an infectious event – and afterward – and that is good news for anyone with a post-infectious illness like ME/CFS.

[houseofbrat]

A carefully constructed plan inspired by Operation Bubble which protected the late Queen from Covid-19 was thrown into action.

He would have weekly treatment in London and factor in vital periods of rest time at Sandringham, Highgrove and Windsor.

But his health plan was thrown into turmoil when Prince Harry announced he would jet from Los Angeles to see his father.

While the King delayed his helicopter flight from Buckingham Palace to Sandringham, his wayward son was given just 30 minutes of his company at Clarence House.

Plans were in place to avoid the King contacting a secondary infection and Harry flying 5,000 miles on a jet was not ideal.

Aides prevented Harry, 39, joining his father at Sandringham fearing “we’d never get rid of him” and he needed to reduce his social contact while undergoing cancer treatment.

[...]

But the King was withdrawn from all public duty for 103 days although he continued reading government red boxes.

It can now be revealed the decision to postpone his public facing role was made as a “precautionary measure” because of the King’s diminished immune response to other diseases.

The Royal Household copied Covid-style protocols — or tiers imposed by the Government during the pandemic — to minimise secondary infection such as seasonal cold or flu.

A source said: “We had to minimise potential risk from other people, not because he couldn’t do the job.”

But as winter turned into spring and weather became warmer it meant they could relax the Covid-style tiers.

This was demonstrated when the King emerged from the Easter Sunday service and was greeted by 60 well-wishers at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.

Just days earlier, the monarch and his team had received news that the treatment had gone better than anyone could have expected.

One insider said: “He was raring to go after the positive results and didn’t want to hang around any longer”.

It meant the King told aides that a trip to Australia, seen as the most important tour a monarch will ever take, must go ahead in the autumn, as first revealed by The Sun.

In May, his public comeback began at London's University College Hospital MacMillan Cancer Centre where he told patients he was having treatment later that day and confessed in an off-script moment he had lost his sense of taste.

[...]

Around 27,000 messages and get well soon cards had been sent to the King and Princess of Wales, and he told then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak some of the “wonderful messages and cards” have “reduced me to tears”.

Despite the King’s positivity and drive to return to work and tour Australia, his aides and doctors remain “protective” about how many hours a day he can carry out public-facing duties.

While famous for being a “workaholic” with Harry and William once saying they would find him in his office working during the night, the King has been made to restrict public face-to-face interaction to only five hours a day.

This is expected to be the same when he goes to Australia with Camilla in October where the tour is expected to have engagements on around seven days.

Sources explain rest and recuperation are built into the King's usually hectic schedule so he is not exhausted.

[...]

In truth, if it was not the cancer then the prostate procedure would have stopped him riding at Trooping, it is said.

Amid the recovery his personal doctor Michael Dixon, previously slated and accused of backing controversial homeopathy, has been credited with aiding his recovery with a programme of complementary treatment.

The King will now spend summer months at Birkhall on the Balmoral estate and be surrounded by family, including the Princess of Wales who is continuing her own cancer journey.

He will keep a positive frame of mind tending his garden, taking long walks, painting and fishing.

And he will be ready and raring to go for Australia in October where his recovery could be even further down the line.

The trip Down Under which includes speaking at Common wealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa is expected to last less than two weeks including travel and take in Sydney and Canberra.

[...]

The King has been open about his prostate problem and cancer but it is unlikely he will now specifically name which cancer he has, so that to “reach out and embrace as many people as he can impacted by cancer. The more specific you are the fewer people you are able to engage and support.”

Of making the news public, an insider said: “I can’t tell you what a difference that has made for him, it came with his support.

“When presented with facts of how many suffered enlarged prostate, and that there was a public health campaign and therefore some good can come of his personal setback, he totally got that and has been genuinely bowled over by the scale of response to that and cancer itself.”

On social channels, Buckingham Palace has collaborated with charities MacMillan, Maggie’s and Cancer Research UK.

And when the King chose his comeback event, he attended University Hospitals cancer ward where he bonded with patients revealing he had lost his sense of taste and had treatment later that day.

But a source added: “Never say never. There are no current plans to reveal the cancer.

“But if he felt that the time was right . . . ”

[archive link]

[darkmaga-retard]

By Peter A. McCullough, MD, MPH

Patients from all over the country fly in for appointments in my DFW office. When I ask them why have you come from so far? The most common answer I get is “I don’t trust my doctors anymore.” Patients feel burned by doctors who refused to prescribe medications in the McCullough Protocol featured by the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons since October of 2020. Some ended up being hospitalized for lack of early treatment and sadly some loved ones died because of therapeutic nihilism. But the capper was the relentless push with novel, genetic, unsafe and ineffective COVID-19 vaccines. Most will never forgive their doctors, mid-level providers, and nurses for lifelong injuries and disabilities resulting from COVID-19 vaccination. Many physicians have not apologized despite the obvious errors in medical judgment.

[non-reader]

Remina

I am not a big sci-fi person. I feel like a lot of sci-fi content is overdone and overused. Remina by Junji Ito, however, hits differently. Remina is about the manhunt of a young girl named Remina because a planet named after her was coming to destroy the Earth.

Basically, what happened was her father had discovered a planet that became visible after entering their universe 16 years prior. He named the planet after his daughter because it entered the universe around the time she was born. As the planet is destroying other planets and heading towards earth, the people of Tokyo come to the conclusion that Remina and her father have a connection with the planet and the people must kill them to stop the planet.

This is a horror manga as much as it is sci-fi, which is probably one of the main reasons why I liked this book. But also, I liked how subtle and natural the sci-fi is brought into the story. The setting takes place in a future where flying cars and other forms of transportation are available and the aerospace field is highly regarded. There are no aliens or super intense space force like in Star Wars or Star Trek. I am not sure how original a planet coming to destroy the earth is, but how they portrayed the planet and how it destroys is unique and something that grabbed my attention.

I'm starting to notice a pattern in the Junji Ito books. In a lot of the stories, there is often a big chase scene or a scene where a lot of people or beings are all rushing together. I don't think there's anything wrong with it. In fact, it's one of the things that makes these books stand out. It's just something I've started to notice.

In the bigger and longer stories, I tend to find a message in Ito's books. For this one, I think it points out the mob-like mentality people can form during times of stress, confusion, and danger. It reminds me of 2020 during Covid-19 because I remember seeing and hearing a lot of people targeting certain groups of people to blame. America as a whole blamed the Chinese people for causing the pandemic. This led many Chinese and Asian Americans to face discrimination and hate crimes. Another example is as the months moved on and people from New York began to move out of the city, I remember people (I lived in Pennsylvania at the time) blaming the New Yorkers for being the main people spreading the virus. It's the desire to find an explanation, to find a scapegoat, and how easily we can create a mob mentality is what the book is trying to point to.

[sachermorte]

The anon DOES still want to hear the Prater incident!!! Your stories are WILD 😁

dramatis personae:

roland, a heavyset dark-haired man on a crutch, with a bearing that was described by a dear friend as soon as just the other day as "bizarrely edwardian"

ed, a slender, bespectacled man from oxfordshire

martha, a curly-haired woman from upstate new york

chris, some jackass, blonde and in a leather jacket, from somewhere in the UK but I didn't care to ask

tw: drug use, emetophobia

this was during the summer of 2020. the covid-19 pandemic had been raging for approximately three months, and this was the first of many brief quarantine relaxations that would take place in austria over the following year. we were permitted to travel, ride public transportation with a mask, and generally act like jackasses after too many long weeks of laying around in a stupor, doing nothing of consequence but giving ourselves mild alcohol poisoning with cheap, nasty beer and liquor. I actually can't drink rum anymore to this very day due to a separate event in march, but I digress. ed, martha, and I had been quarantining together in ed's apartment in the south of (sketchy-ass) linz near bulgariplatz, and to this very day I consider myself closer to these two people than I am my actual siblings.

but things were beginning to open and we were feeling stir-crazy, so we began tooling around the country together staring from around may. one trip to innsbruck/feldkirch/bregenz/liechtenstein, one trip to hallstadt/gmunden, one trip to bratislava, the works. lots of time spent in vienna because I quite honestly felt twitchy being away for too long but couldn't bear to leave ed and martha and completely shatter my already fragile psyche.

it came to ed's attention that a man whom he'd befriended during a study abroad term in vienna while he was doing his bachelor's, chris, was still in town, so we began hanging out with him, which quickly became one of the more unpleasant and draining aspects of our outings.

chris was an asshole. I can just come out and drop that one from the jump. loud, boorish, needlessly aggressive, had a sophomoric sense of humor, and seemed like he had it out for me in particular. literally everything out of his mouth was some unpleasant dig, usually towards me, and he seemed to think it was really funny to shout "hurry up, cripple!" at me and got all surprised pikachu when I didn't respond positively. I put up with it for ed's sake, as he seemed desperate for social interaction and appropriately embarrassed regarding chris' behavior.

the prater incident, as it has infamously come to be known, occurred during my last meeting with chris (and to my knowledge, anyone else's. I'm pretty sure ed stopped talking to him after this, and good riddance)

so we roll back into vienna and martha has a suitcase in tow because she's about to fly back to the US at like five in the morning, a fact we're all trying not to think about because it's just too brutal. chris comes and grabs us, immediately makes some stupid comment about how I'm dressed like a vampire, and we decide to head down to donauinsel because it's still light out and it's hot as balls

the second we get there, the second we set down our stuff by the water, chris rolls a couple of joints and thankfully shuts up for a minute while we smoke. and then opens his wallet and asks without any leadup "okay, who wants ecstasy."

record scratch moment as I have a terrible premonition of the night ahead. but I open my hand because, like, come on. I'm not not going to do ecstasy.

it takes maybe twenty minutes to start setting in, by which time the other three have started skinny-dipping in the river. I abstained despite chris throwing barbed comments my way because I didn't want to mess up my clothes (a puffy ecru pussybow blouse and an embroidered black velvet vest with silver buttons), I didn't want this jackass to see me naked and have more to comment on, and I was at that moment sitting on a rock and holding onto it for dear life to keep from falling off the side of the planet.

they stumble out after a while, the sun is going down and it's starting to cool off, and while they get dressed it's decided that we're going to prater because we're already on the U1 and where else do you go when you can't get into the club because someone's got a suitcase and you're all on molly.

at some point we consume an entire bottle of jägermeister between the four of us, just standing around at praterstern, which in hindsight was honestly probably not the best idea.

it's at this time that martha decides she doesn't feel like walking.

"I don't wanna," she goes, about to just flop to the ground and making ed and I take one of her arms to keep her upright. we literally have to brace her and drag her along. for the medically concerned reading: she was fine. she literally just didn't feel like it and wanted us to carry her.

we ride bumper cars at some point? ed and I in one car, chris and martha in the other. I drive and ram into them repeatedly. the attendant has to shut the whole ride down at one point to take the last of the jägermeister off of chris, casting us all a knowing, disapproving look before letting us finish our time. he gives it to me personally as we walk off, because I was the least visibly fucked up. I apologize, he just shakes his head.

we transition to pickwick's at schwedenplatz and drink more, not that it's a good idea. chris puts his jacket on me for some reason and tells me I look stupid. I roll my eyes and go out to the canal and smoke one of his cigarettes. In a fit of drunken, drugged pettiness, I literally fling his jacket into the canal and watch it float away. he never notices when I come back in. I never hear about it again. he's so fucked up he won't remember a single thing until we get to the airport.

because that's another thing. all three of these jokers are blackout, and no matter how drunk or high or crossfaded I get, I'm cursed by god to remain perfectly, terribly lucid, no matter how much I beg and pray otherwise.

so that's why I'm the only one to remember later, while we're all standing around at the bridge across the canal:

oh shit. martha has to go to the airport. like. right the fuck now.

martha is honestly lucky to still be in possession of her suitcase. ed is staring off into the middle distance, gently waving back and forth like a reed in the wind. chris is babbling some bullshit about "I just don't want you to hate me", on the verge of tears.

"bit late for that," I say, wrenching his phone from his hands and ordering us an uber from his account. I shove the three of them in the backseat the second we get there, fling martha's suitcase in the trunk, and climb up front with the driver. I proceed to have what was, to that point, the most fluent conversation in german I've ever had in my life while mostly succeeding in appearing normal despite being fucked up beyond all recognition.

the driver's driving like he's running from god. I become aware that while it's certainly not mandatory that I vomit, I very much could at any point in time if I chose to do so. it was just a matter of making that decision.

we get to the airport in the nick of time. martha thinks she lost her phone. "we'll mail it to you," I say, hug her and kiss her on both cheeks, and practically shove her through to security. she later finds it in her back pocket when she sobers up a couple hours into the flight. of course.

ed and chris are starting to come to already, shuffling around in front of the spar by the train station at flughafen wien. we're all just trying to get our bearings, maybe eat something quickly before ed and I run back to linz.

"oh," I say quietly as I spot some airport police, in a voice that sounded like it was coming from very far away. "it's the gendarmerie." I'd just been in paris at the end of last year before the world ended, so the word is still at the forefront of my mind.

chris starts in on me again. "gendarmerie? gendarmerie? god, you're so pretentious, everything out of your mouth is the most ridiculous shit--" and on and on and on.

I look at him. I look him up. I look him down.

I remember that I still have certain options at my disposal.

BLEAURGHHHH

without warning, I bend right over and vomit all over his shoes.

ed immediately jumps to my side and frog-marches me to the bathroom, going "you'll be alright, you're okay, you're fine, let's go", and leaves me at the sink while he leaves with paper towels.

I glance at in the mirror, my complexion wan and my eyes shadowed, and lightly dab at my mouth with a tissue. I cock my head to the side.

I know I did it on purpose.

Chris knows I did it on purpose.

but no one will ever, ever believe him.

I make eye contact with my reflection and smile.

ed and I get on the train back to linz and don't say a single word. when we get back to his apartment I climb into the empty bathtub and lay there for several hours during the comedown. I never do see or hear from chris again, and it turns out that ed barely even remembers me puking on chris' shoes to begin with.

he remembers though.

that I'm absolutely sure of.

checkmate, you son of a bitch.

FIN

[grits-galraisedinthesouth]

"The Kate Effect:" Often imitated, never duplicated 👑

Determined to help, Kate has now persuaded 19 British brands to donate more than 10,000 NEW items to more than 40 baby banks across the UK.

The Duchess of Cambridge donned a mask, apron and gloves today as she launched a major initiative to support vulnerable babies and children. On a visit to the baby bank charity Baby Basics UK in Sheffield, she revealed how she was moved to tears by the stories of families she met during secret lockdown visits to its West Norfolk branch near her Anmer Hall home.

As she unloaded pallets and unpacked the first deliveries at the charity’s temporary distribution centre, she told volunteers: "It can get very emotional. I remember a couple of the families I met from King's Lynn and I went home and literally burst into tears, their stories were so moving. The struggles they have gone through, the bravery they have shown...in extraordinary circumstances. Helping their families through extraordinary times."

Volunteer-run baby banks provide essentials such as nappies, clothing and bedding to vulnerable families who are referred by health visitors, midwives and social workers. But while baby banks across the UK have seen an increase in demand during the Covid-19 outbreak, many have been unable to accept second-hand donations because of health and safety concerns.The Duchess also spoke via videocalls to Amy Cotton, who fled a violent home with only her baby son Ricky, now three, and received a buggy, clothing and toys from Little Village. She is now a volunteer for the charity and has a 12-week old daughter, Ellie-Rose.

Kate told her: "It is brave and not often the easiest thing to do but it is really fantastic that you've reached out, that you are so open about your own struggles but also the fact that you are in such a fantastic place now. I suppose it is real credit to you, the journey that you've undertaken and the courage and strength you've shown to get there. So well done. And I love the fact that you are volunteering too."

She also spoke to Ella-Mae Michalski, whose 21-month-old twin girls Bella and Ruby were born prematurely with chronic lung disease. Little Village provided them with a double pram, clothes, muslins and other essentials.

"As a mum the one thing you want to be able to do is to provide for your children and it was difficult not to be able to do that but Little Village helped," said Ella-Mae. "It's something as basic as getting a cup of tea when you come here and people asking how you are and being able to offload without fear of what people might think."After learning about the situation during private visits to her local branch, where she helped to pack Moses Baskets with essential products for babies, the Duchess spearheaded a campaign to get UK companies to donate items to baby banks run by Baby Basics UK, London-based Little Village and Aberdeenshire-based AberNecessities.

Retailers taking part include John Lewis, M&S, Tesco, Sainsbury's, The White Company, Matalan, Trotters, Boden, Frugi, Mamas & Papas, Jojo Maman Bébé and Kit & Kin. Green People (Organic Babies), My Little Coco, Bloom and Blossom, Kokoso Baby, Childs Farm and Bramley have also made donations, while DHL Express is providing transport.

In Sheffield, Baby Basics CEO Cat Ross told the Duchess: "Often in a world where there is a lot of judgement and stereotyping about being poor, that additional stress can be even more difficult for parents who are doing amazing things to keep their families going with such strength, such determination."

"Yes," agreed Kate, "One of the mums I met was a nurse. These are families who do fantastic jobs and even they are struggling."Talking about community spirit during lockdown, she added: "It is those small volunteering acts that everyone can contribute to that make such a difference. That inter-generational support system has been amazing. Knowing that you can make such a big difference to another family is wonderful."

Kate also met Ali Wartty and Sahara Hamawandy, and their one-year-old triplets San, Shan and Laveen. An emotional Sahara told the Duchess how she was referred to Baby Basics after struggling to cope. The charity provided them with a triple pram, Moses baskets and starter packs, as well as clothes and toiletries as the babies have grown.

"I was living on the 12th floor of a block of flats and trying to cope with the three of them," she told the Duchess. "It must have been so stressful," sympathised Kate.  

Sahara told her: "How do you take your three babies down from the 12th floor without a pram? We weren't able to go out at all." Speaking afterwards, Sahara said: "To give support to mum means giving support to the whole family. That’s why the charity has been so important to a mother like me. It gave me power. It transformed me. I just want to say thank you to everybody."A Little Village survey of more than 50 baby banks has found that 77% desperately need more nappies, mattresses and other products as demand for their services increases. The charity is set to support more than 6,000 children this year, double the number they helped in 2019.

Founder and Chief Executive Sophia Parker said: "The pandemic appears to be making the situation much, much worse for many families. Every child should have the right to a good childhood and this new initiative is a much welcomed step towards tackling child poverty in the under 5s."

Danielle Flecher-Horn, Founder of AberNecessities, added: "By providing parents with the resources to build a positive relationship with their children - from pregnancy and throughout the first years – we can make a real difference to a child’s development, health and overall happiness."Speaking aftewards, Baby Basics CEO Cat Ross said: "A lot of people have heard about food banks but don’t necessarily know about the baby banks and what we do. Having someone like the Duchess behind us is amazing and her helping us by getting in all these amazing brands has been incredible."

Announcing the initiative, Kate said: "Over recent months, I have heard from families who have been supported by baby banks through the most difficult of times and I have been deeply moved by their stories. Having somewhere to turn to for support is important for all families, and baby banks work every day, up and down the country, to provide immediate, tangible and practical help for parents and carers when they are most in need.

"Baby banks are driven by incredible volunteers, demonstrating the power of community spirit in supporting families and coming together to raise the next generation. Thanks to the generosity of the companies taking part in this initiative, baby banks across the UK will be able to support even more families through this particularly challenging time."

"In everything, then, do to others as you would have them do to you. For this is the essence of the Law and the Prophets."¹

@skippyv20 I remember when you told us to spot the difference. No photos of "the wife" out shopping with mom for baby items.🧐

¹Matthew 7:12

[heauxlistictherapy]

ANGELA DAVIDA MILLER IS A DANGEROUS SCAMMER IN GEORGIA AND NO ONE IS STOPPING HER

A scammer in Atlanta has stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars

In an increasingly interconnected world, the importance of genuine relationships and trust cannot be overstated. Unfortunately, some individuals exploit these bonds for personal gain. In the last year or two, reports have emerged about a woman who pretends to be a lesbian to build friendships and scam unsuspecting lesbian women. This alarming trend not only highlights the vulnerabilities within the LGBTQ+ community but also underscores the need for awareness and caution.

This blog post is regarding an individual named Angela Davida Miller, who has been involved in fraudulent activities for at least 2 decades. Yes, TWO WHOLE DAMN DECADES!

It is important to note that some of “Angela’s” arrest records list her as a black male. I am not sure why. I also have a lot more info on her that I will share with the authorities. After she is caught I will share everything publicly. I want to keep some info private because she is going to read this. I am sending her the link. Your days are numbered Miss Angela. SOON AND VERY SOON DEAR.

Angela Miller, previously arrested for identity theft in Oconee, GA in 2013, has been reported to have strategically embedded herself in the lesbian community to conceal her troubled history. It is alleged that she exploited her connections within this community to not only steal money from friends, but also to build friendships with women who work in Human Resources so that she could successfully target job seekers, posing as an employer and deceiving individuals into sharing sensitive personal information. This behavior is reported to have escalated during the Covid-19 pandemic. Angela Miller used employment sites like Indeed & Ziprecruiter to schedule zoom and WhatsApp calls with job seekers. After putting them through the process of a fake interview, she would then claim that the applicant was hired, and ask them to fill out W2 forms with personal information like social security numbers, address etc. This was a way to access their personal information and steal their identity. Angela Miller also used a website that she built to scam content creators. She is also accused of engaging in online sex trafficking. I will elaborate more on this with law enforcement but I prefer to not mention much about the sex trafficking publicly for the safety of any potential victims. I want to quickly mention that it is essential to exercise caution when interacting with individuals claiming to be employers, especially during these challenging times.

After her arrest in 2013 for identity theft, clearly “Angela” did not learn her lesson. She is still collecting information and flying under the radar. Here’s the link to info on the 2013 arrest.

Multi-state Identity Theft Case Busted

Views: 1,470 Featured image: Angela Davida Miller Athens, Ga- The Oconee County Sheriff's Office busts a multi-state…

gradynewsource.uga.edu

After I realized that Angela is a scammer I reported her to the FBI, FTC, NYPD & NJ police (I was living in NYC & also had access to my friends rental property in NJ. So I utilized both police departments). I also made a call to her mother Carolyn Madison of Albany, GA. Her mother did not flinch. She was not surprised. She actually told me that Angela had recently tried to get $1000 from her also. She offered to pay me back in installments to keep her scamming offspring out of jail. I repeatedly refused because her mom did not steal my money, ANGELA DID. But her mom literally begged. Angela found out about the agreement and told her mother not to pay me because I AM THE SCAMMER AND I NEVER GAVE HER ANY MONEY. I then reported the incident to Albany police because a mutual friend told me that Angela was actually living in Albany, GA with her mom. So I tried to hunt her down online but eventually all roads led back to Atlanta. However, during my interaction with Albany police I was treated horribly. Basically I was the yankee who was trying to make their town look bad. I wish that I could remember the officers name but I don’t have it in my notes. If I ever recall I will surely update this article because he should be FIRED. As far as the reports made in NY & NJ, nothing was done about the theft because Angela is a resident of Atlanta. I was told to take her to small claims court and/or report her to Atl PD. I tried to report her to ATLPD by phone but officer V. Pitts of ATL also refused to properly investigate. So I decided to fly to Atlanta. I arrived in Atlanta on April 1st 2024. It took a few weeks but eventually she walked right into my sights.

On April 26th 2024, I encountered Angela at a bar in Atlanta named “My Sister’s Room”. It seemed like she was on good terms with some of the staff there. When I approached her about her fraudulent activities INCLUDING money that she stole from me, she immediately denied everything. As the noise level inside the bar increased, we were asked to continue our heated conversation outside. This is when I started recording our conversation. When I questioned her about the stolen money, she first agreed to pay me back. She asked if I preferred cashapp or zelle. But suddenly attempted to walk away. I followed her to a building called 77 12th which is around the corner from the bar. I was right behind her and saw that she attempted to scan a card to gain access to the building. As I approached, she became frantic and ran upstairs instead, then used the card again to access the parking lot. When I tried to follow her, she forcibly prevented me by repeatedly slamming a door on my arm. Despite her escape, I managed to capture the entire incident on video. The following day, I visited the building and inquired about her, sharing her picture with the doorman and the leasing office staff. THE MANAGER WAS EXTREMELY RUDE FOR WHATEVER REASON! However, I was able to learn from other employees that she does not reside there, but works for a company called National Corporate Housing as a cleaner for the apartments in the building. NOW WAIT! This woman who has at least 3 felonies is accessing people’s apartments? This scammer who has stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars is cleaning apartments for a living? I guess my ancestors and spirit guides decided to knock her right into poverty. Be careful when trying to harm those of us who are spiritually protected, Miss Angela. There is more to come. Your downfall is just beginning. Anywho, after I learned of her humble employment I immediately called National Corporate Housing and spoke to the Atlanta manager whose name is Ryan. I explained the situation to him and informed him that she has a troubling criminal history. He insisted that the company did not employ anyone by that name. Of course, I suggested that maybe she is using a fake name? I asked him to please google her mugshot and see if the distinctive oddly shaped face was familiar. He claimed that he did not recognize her, but promised to investigate and follow up soon. That was April 27th, 2024.

I reported the entire incident to the Smyrna, Georgia police and Atlanta police. However, despite the overwhelming evidence, Detective Brian Pyle of Smyrna PD has chosen not to pursue any investigation or take action against Angela Miller, despite her clear fraudulent activities. He informed me that this is a civil matter and I should take her to small claims court. This is not civil. This was theft by deception. I already filed in small claims court and because Angela is a grifter, the Marshalls could not find her to have her served. She KNEW this when she stole the money from me and others. She knew that she was planning to move around soon and collected from many women before disappearing.

July rolls around and still no word from Ryan but I got a tip that Angela is collecting social security numbers on Indeed. So on July 16th, 2024 I made a few calls to see what is going on with National Corporate Housing. Ryan told me that the company investigated and they never employed Angela. He was very nervous and rude, and when I presented him with the evidence that she did work for the company, he accused me of being an angry black woman and insisted that the woman in the news article was never employed or affiliated with NCH. I later spoke to his boss who was a lot more cooperative. I’m not sure what Ryan is trying to hide but his behavior was really suspicious. I will be following up with his boss to find out how Angela was hired. What name did she use? Whose identity did she steal to get this job that she clearly needs because she can’t successfully scam during inflation? Was it yours?

The disturbing case of a woman pretending to be a lesbian to scam unsuspecting lesbian women is a stark reminder of the dangers that lurk online. It is time for law enforcement to take decisive action to stop these malicious activities. We should all call on law enforcement agencies to prioritize the investigation and prosecution of this devious scammer. The time for action is now. Angela Miller is targeting job seekers, elderly people & the LGBTQ community in Atlanta & she must be stopped, and it is up to both law enforcement and the community to ensure this happens. We urge the dedicated detectives of Atlanta to prioritize this case, allocate the necessary resources, and work tirelessly to bring this criminal to justice. Together, we can make a difference and ensure that justice is served.

If you have any information about scamming thieving Angela Davida Miller or have been affected by their actions, please reach out to me personally! Your voice and your story can help make a difference. Let us unite to create a safer and more trustworthy America for everyone.

[random-mailbox]

Random-Mailbox's Favorite Sailor Moon Fics - Week 41 - Dr Chiba

This week we are covering Dr Chiba, starting with more lemony stories (as promised) and moving into more "day in a life of" ones.

Also, don't forget to check out the prompts for @usamamoweek2023!

As always, my apologies in advance for spoiling some of these for you (Fic Titles are linked to either FFN or AO3 entries).

Quickies:Chapter 1: Dr. Chiba Will See You Now - @areptiledysfunction1107

Dr Chiba gets a surprise visitor in his exam room, who insists that the stethoscope has to stay on for her “check-up”

All I Ever Think About Is You: Chapter 5: Free Day (aka Dr Chiba will see you now) - @daikon1

Ms. Tsukino decides that she needs a physical from the new doctor, making sure she is very clear on what exactly she is expecting to be examined and how thorough she needs him to be.

Tequila, Salt, Lemons: Chapter 3: A Coital Cure?? Usagi's Hiccups Won't Go Away!! - @daikon1

This one somehow slipped through the cracks for the medical assistance post. Mamoru uses his medical knowledge (and his magic fingers) to help Usagi get over a bout of hiccups.

Odango - @sailorspacecougar

During peak of COVID lockdowns, Usagi figures out a way to help Mamoru keep a piece of her with him at work and ease his anxiety a bit.

Flufftober 2021: Chapter 5: Dr. Chiba - @linlamont

Thankful for the wonderful triage nurses, Dr Chiba gets to see his wife (in glamour), in spite of the craziness that is ER.

Hold, Please - @moonlightusa

In dire need of getting hold of Dr Mizuno, Dr Chiba starts pressing random extension numbers in hope to get someone who can help him track her down after being on hold for almost an hour at his own hospital.

Lemon Tree: Chapter 3: Sehnsucht - @floraone

Having to go away from his family for work to Europe reminded Mamoru how lucky he was to have the life they had built together after everything they have been through and made him miss her like never before. That is until she manages to fly in for a few days to keep him company.

---

Next week, to coincide with Usagi's (and Chibi-Usa's) birthday weeks, we will cover "Birthdays" stories (although quite a few of these are actually for Mamoru's Birthday).

Here are the links to the previous Tumblr posts in these series to explore more amazing works based on different themes - make sure to check them out if you haven't had a chance! (Click on title name to go to the post) - I will keep updating the list every week as new posts come up:

Week 1 - Groundhog Day

Week 2 - Established Relationships

Week 3 - Sex Positivity

Week 4 - Unfinished Stories

Week 5 - Darker Stories

Week 6 - Potions 🧪

Week 7 - Reveals

Week 8 - 👻Halloween🎃

Week 9 - Wrong Perceptions

Week 10 - Non-Senshi AU

Week 11 - In-Progress Fics

Week 12 - Mutual Pining

Week 13 - Enemies to Lovers

Week 14 - Slow Burn

Week 15 - Christmas Part 1 - Ugly Christmas Sweaters and Santa!

Week 16 - Christmas Part 2

Week 17 - New Years

Week 18 - High School AU

Week 19 - Slice of Life

Week 20 - Coffee shop AU

Week 21 - Huddle for Warmth

Week 22 - Friends to Lovers

Week 23 - ❤️Valentines Day❤️

Week 24 - Do a Grouch a Favour Day (or Cheer Up Fics)

Week 25 - Soulmate AU

Week 26 - Amnesia Fics (and resources)

Week 27 - 🍀St Patrick's Day🍀

Week 28 - Fix it Fics

Week 29 - Prompt: Mug

Week 30 - Flowers

Week 31 - Traditions

Week 32 - Dreams

Week 33 - Friends

Week 34 - Body-Swap

Week 35 - Medical Assistance

Week 36 - Sex Pollen

Week 37 - Psychometry

Week 38 - What If

Week 39 - Missing Scenes Part I

Week 40 - Green Jacket

[dojae-huh]

127 and Dream: tours

According to Korean wiki page, we have the following number of sold tickets for tours:

Neo City 329.3k (45 concerts) ~7.32k per concert

Link 535k (28) ~ 19.11k

Unity 477k (19) ~ 25.11k

Sadly, no info on revenue. The numbers are probably approximate, with stadium capacity instead of sold tickets. Still, the progress is obvious: less work (fewer concert days for neos) - more fans.

Dream Show 1: 53.8k (14) ~3.82

Dream Show 2: 642k (35) ~18.34

Fans already put in numbers for Dream Show 3: 729k (37) ~19.7k

The jump for Dream is remarkable indeed. And sure, I agree that 127 helped them to be known in NA and SA to a degree.

Despite a short run, Unity showed such a good result due to focusing on stops with big arenas/demand (like Japan, Thailand).

Unity was cut short because of Taeyong's enlistment. The last concert was March 10th, and Tae enlisted April 15th. SM probably hoped he would be called later, that's why they kept the Unity tour open for the possibility of more shows.

The only Asian stop that didn't make it from the usual list was Singapore. Perhaps the biggest venue was not free on suitable dates. (There is also Hong-Kong, but it's equal to the Makao stop. Same area and Chinese fans. +1k capacity more?)

I'm comparing Unity and Dream show 3 Asian legs.

So...

All Asian stops were covered (except Singapore). As much as I get the frustration of Western fans, there was no way around Unity not having more legs. Concert props need to be shipped in advance. Flying half the globe takes more time out of the schedule than hopping quickly to Japan and back. Tae&Do were preparing for their solo albums in winter/spring, Jae got a tv-series. Walk content had to be shot before MarkHyuk embarking on Dream tour...

P.S. Forgot to add that Unity had a Beyond live from a concert in Seoul and later from Tokyo. No info on the number of online fans who bought the tickets. The point is that they had this opportunity to see 127's new concert (made possible by SM during covid, who developed the platform and later arranged to film the shows to stream them).

[covid-safer-hotties]

In the U.S. Response to Avian Influenza, Echoes of Covid-19 - Published Sept 2, 2024

By Joshua Cohen

It’s been about five months since the Texas Department of State Health Services announced that a worker on a dairy farm had tested positive for avian influenza A (H5N1) virus after being exposed to apparently infected cattle. Since then, the U.S. public health response has been slow and disjointed, bringing back memories of how the federal government responded during the early phase of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Despite having a pandemic playbook in early 2020, the U.S. appeared flat-footed in its response to Covid-19, including inadequate testing and unavailable personal protective equipment. And throughout the pandemic, mixed messaging on masks and later vaccines set back public health efforts.

As H5N1 circulates, it seems that lessons from Covid-19 remain unlearned. It appears that missteps are being made regarding testing, surveillance, transparency, and failure of communication and coordination throughout the health care system, the same kinds of things that hurt the response to Covid-19.

“The World Health Organization,” according to NPR, “considers the virus a public health concern because of its potential to cause a pandemic.” What may be concerning is that the genetic sequence of the Spanish flu that killed between 50 and 100 million people from 1918 to 1919 was later found to be an H1N1 virus that originated in birds and then somehow adapted to humans. And based on confirmed cases, the case fatality rate could be as high as 50 percent, as over the past two decades roughly half of about 900 people around the globe known to have contracted bird flu died from it. (There are two caveats, however: Due to limited testing, there were likely more cases that were undetected which would lower the mortality rate. And in the last two years, the global case fatality rate seems to have decreased.)

As of Aug. 30, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that 196 dairy cow herds in 14 U.S. states have confirmed cases of avian influenza.

There have been 14 reported cases in humans since 2022, all of whom were exposed to cattle or poultry, and reports suggest that there may be even more sick farm workers who haven’t been tested. There’s no evidence the virus has started to spread among people, but that could change as the situation evolves. The possibility of spillover is always of concern to experts. One of two main competing theories of coronavirus origins and how it evolved into a human-to-human transmissible infection is zoonotic transfer from mammals sold at a wet market in Wuhan, China, to humans.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack declared at a press conference in June that his department “is trying to corner the virus,” while releasing a report that human activity is a conduit to bird flu being transmitted between animals when workers, cows, vehicles and equipment move between farms.

But experts have voiced sharp criticism of the U.S. government’s response, especially around the lack of comprehensive surveillance efforts to ascertain the extent of the outbreak. When interviewed by KFF Health News, Jennifer Nuzzo, director of the Pandemic Center at the Brown University School of Public Health said, “We’re flying blind.” Without sufficient testing, it’s impossible to know how many animals and humans have been infected or whether the virus has begun to spread between people.

As could have been learned from the Covid-19 experience, integral to conventional approaches to curbing transmission of infectious diseases is a comprehensive set of track, isolate, and contact trace policies. These have not been systematically implemented.

"Without a collective effort across all states, there’s nothing to stop avian flu from spreading around the country."

Michigan stands out as a state with a robust policy to track human and animal infections and investigate which activities pose the most risk. First, the state’s chief medical executive told STAT, Michigan tested more individuals this spring than any other state. And then the Department of Health and Human Services in Michigan launched a pioneering effort to detect asymptomatic (silent) bird flu infections among farmworkers. Furthermore, a press release from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development notes that under state rules dairy and commercial poultry producers must implement biosecurity practices, which include establishing cleaning and disinfection protocols at access points for individuals and vehicles.

Investigators believe the virus may have begun to spread in Michigan when workers operating multiple dairy and poultry operations came in close contact with infected cows and moved from one farm to another.

In April, the USDA issued a federal order requiring testing before lactating dairy cattle can be moved across state lines. Michigan, along with nearly two dozen other states, has also issued its own restrictions. But without a collective effort across all states, there’s nothing to stop avian flu from spreading around the country.

Furthermore, how effective can containment be when the USDA’s order only requires testing for bird flu in lactating cows prior to interstate movement, and no other types of animals?

One of the challenges in managing any major outbreak is the question of who’s in charge to coordinate across departments, such as Health and Human Services, Agriculture, and Commerce. For the purpose of inter-department coordination, the Biden administration launched an Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy in 2023.

Among federal agencies, the CDC (housed within the Department of Health and Human Services) appears to be the most actively involved in coordinating state efforts. It has provided assistance for a seroprevalence study in Michigan, to assess whether asymptomatic infections are present in people, for example.

But despite these efforts, there’s lack of clarity around who has jurisdictional authority over what and where. Rick Bright, a virologist and immunologist and former head of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, explained to CNN why he thinks that a more transparent and comprehensive approach to testing and genetic sequencing is needed. He’s concerned that viral adaptations can occur if there are enough opportunities through uncontrolled spread.

The CDC does now have a roadmap, which it announced for preventing and understanding human infection with bird flu and a plan to develop countermeasures. The roadmap’s main objectives include infection prevention by deploying PPE; examination of primary modes of transmission and estimates of incubation periods, duration of infection and severity; monitoring of genetic changes in the virus; and evaluating vaccines and antivirals. CDC Director Mandy Cohen said lessons from Covid-19 have been learned and that CDC is building upon them, for instance, through its wastewater surveillance efforts.

The CDC’s ability to implement these lofty goals may be hampered, however, by seemingly limited resources. The federal government has pledged only modest new funds this year of approximately $200 million to help track and contain H5N1. Separately, the government is allocating $176 million in Moderna to develop an mRNA vaccine against H5N1.

And conspicuously absent are concrete plans, such as how to deploy the stockpile of 10 million doses of avian flu vaccines the federal government currently has as well as the inventory of the antiviral Tamiflu (oseltamivir). By contrast, Finland is now offering vaccines to farmworkers.

"The CDC’s ability to implement these lofty goals may be hampered, however, by seemingly limited resources."

Aside from inadequate funding and preparation, there’s a problem of overcoming public distrust. A survey published in Health Affairs suggests that about 42 percent of American adult respondents in early 2022 said they had confidence in the CDC to provide quality health information during the Covid-19 pandemic, while about a third said they trusted state and local health departments. This may partly explain why the CDC is now having trouble getting farmers to cooperate with even rudimentary tracking and mitigation efforts regarding H5N1.

Lessons from the history of how Covid-19 unfolded underscore the importance of not being complacent in the face of a potential future bird flu pandemic. It would seem imperative to take proactive measures such as systematic testing of animals and humans exposed to the virus, mitigate transmission risk in the dairy and poultry industries, and coordinate federal and state responses.

[sataniccapitalist]

Over the past six weeks, transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has more than doubled across the United States, according to the latest wastewater data released Monday by Biobot Analytics. Amid complete silence from the Biden administration and the corporate media, the American population is being subjected to its eighth wave of mass infection with a deadly virus capable of damaging every organ system and causing myriad long-term debilitating symptoms.

Modeling the latest wastewater data, oncologist Dr. Mike Hoerger of Tulane University estimates that at present roughly 1.2 million Americans are catching COVID each day, while 8.6 million people are now actively infectious. By New Year’s Day, there will likely be 1.8 million daily new infections and 12.9 million infectious people. This would be the second-highest level of daily infections of the entire pandemic, surpassed only during the initial wave of the Omicron variant in the fall-winter of 2021-22.

[themculibrary]

Bullying Masterlist 3

part one, part two

Bruised (ao3) - winterandiron G, 2k

Summary: In which Peter gets beat up by some school bullies and next thing he knows his suit it's flying him to the avengers compound.

But I Will Never Forget! (ao3) - debwalsh steve/bucky N/R, 1k

Summary: Have a little baby Steve and Bucky to cleanse your palate.

Steve never liked bullies. Never. Turns out, neither did Bucky Barnes.

Dancin' in the Intern Labs (ao3) - agentsofeverything harley/peter, pepper/tony, steve/bucky T, 9k

Summary: After realising Peter has been hibernating for the past week, Tony decides that he can stay home from school (home being Stark Tower, seeing as though May is on a work trip). It just so happens that during that week, Peter's school announces they are going on a field trip to Stark Industries.

And Peter has no idea.

Cue oblivious chaos, Harley Keener being Spider-Man's kryptonite, and the Footloose dance from The Umbrella Academy.

Yeah, don't ask.

Give Them What They Want, It'll Be Over Sooner (ao3) - DJ_unicornsrgr8 steve/bucky T, 4k

Summary: Peter takes a beating, Bucky cleans him up.

Featuring concerned Steve and warm, oversized pajamas covered in sheep.

I Hate Bullies (ao3) - Sugerbee N/R, 498

Summary: Flash Thompson makes a 8 year old enemy.

i see myself (in you) (ao3) - parkrstark pepper/tony T, 28k

Summary: “Hey, c’mon, before long we’ll be back to normal and we’ll look back at this and laugh.”

Peter just looked up at him with a slight glare as he scratched at his chin again. The itch of the facial hair was driving him crazy and Tony found it highly amusing. “You’re in the body of a 15-year-old boy. Why are you smiling?”

“You’re in the body of Tony Stark. Why aren’t you smiling?” Tony asked with a smirk.

Or, the one where Tony and Peter swap bodies.

Peter's field trip to Stark's industries (ao3) - proudasgardian (purple07) steve/tony T, 6k

Summary: Peter Stark-Rogers is an intern in Stark's industries and also Iron Man's and Captain America's son, he is living with the avengers and also secretly Spiderman. His school does not believe in his internship, coupled with Flash's bullying, he has not had the best time in school and to make matters worse, his school has a field trip to Stark's industries.

OR

The Peter goes on a field trip to Stark industries aka his house, where his family aka the avengers help him against his bully Flash and also prove that he's telling the truth to his classmates fic that we will never get tired of reading.

redamancy (ao3) - stevebuckybrainrot steve/bucky M, 73k

Summary: Redamancy {re - da - man - cy}

n. the act of loving someone who loves you; a love returned in full

"Best friends since childhood, Bucky Barnes and Steve Rogers were inseparable on both schoolyard and battlefield."

Before the war, before Nazis and aliens and time travel, there was this: scorching summers and bitter winters, sketchbooks and paintbrushes, bruised knuckles and split lips, stolen kisses and lingering looks. There was Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes and a love to last through the ages.

And nothing else mattered.

Six Feet Apart Was Always Too Far (ao3) - Music13 happy/may G, 3k

Summary: Peter and May quarantine at their apartment for COVID-19 and since May is still a working nurse, Peter can no longer visit the Compound or tower. The team hasn’t seen Peter in person in about 3-5 weeks and they are falling apart, especially Tony, and finally Pepper calls and gets Peter to come quarantine at the tower instead. They surprise the avengers and everyone gets extremely protective and clingy over Peter after not seeing him for so long. (Also they find out about Flash bullying Peter because why not)

There is very little plot in this. I just wanted a fluffy story after all the awfulness that real-life quarantine has brought.

Stark Family Troubles (ao3) - TheOnlyHuman G, 10k

Summary: Peter was the second boy of a once happy family of four. Though, they hadn’t been a four in a long while. Now, it was just Peter, his dad and his twin. Him and his twin, Harley, used to be closer than anything. They were twins but sometimes, Peter felt like he knew Ned better than his own brother. His dad was another story entirely.

- harley and peter are tony's biological kids. there's family miscommunication and angst, because isn't there always? it gets solved, thanks to everyone's combined efforts.

Stark Jr. (ao3) - SketchyNebula G, 27k

Summary: Peter Parker has just accepted that his peers will never believe in his Internship. Really, lately he has just been trying his best to keep his life in balance between all his daily responsibilities that tug at him for his attention, but then his class comes to his place of work without him knowing about it. Peter should never underestimate his 'parker luck'.

The Asset and The Bully (ao3) - Introvertatheart steve/bucky G, 1k

Summary: After being cramped up in the apartment for a while, Steve and Bucky go to the park for a picnic. Steve doesn't expect much to happen, expect they do. And Bucky does what Bucky's do.

Tony Stark is a dad against bullying (ao3) - MadewithStars G, 1k

Summary: Peter tries to hide a black eye and it doesn’t work out too well

Train Ride (ao3) - biblionerd07 G, 1k

Summary: Every Thursday after school, Steve rides the train to take his mom dinner at work. One day, some bullies are hassling him, and he meets a cocky dark-haired kid with a smart mouth and pockets full of rocks.

War Is Over (What Have We Done?) (ao3) - however_rainbow_cavalcade M, 21k

Summary: Peter's journey through relapsing. Basically the Avengers are all one big semi-happy family that look after everyone.

Aka me projecting onto Peter.

We Add Up To Two (ao3) - theboybarnes steve/bucky G, 2k

Summary: Steve hates school. He has no friends, he's struggling with math and the bullies are making his life a misery.

Then a new student joins his class, and suddenly things don't seem quite so bad.