#lara | hh.

[gumjrop]

The Weather

30 US states remain at High to Very High levels of SARS-CoV-2 detected in wastewater since February 9, 2024, with multiple states not reporting. Preventing the spread of COVID by taking precautions like masking and improving your indoor air quality can strongly reduce your chance of infection.

We would also like to note that the CDC, which usually updates their wastewater data on a weekly basis, has not updated their dashboard since Friday, February 9th. It is significant that this data delay arrives during the same week of the announcement that they are considering making cuts to the 5-day isolation guideline. We would like to urge the CDC to make their data release schedule public and to continue to provide wastewater information in a timely and consistent manner.

Despite regional declines in wastewater levels in the Midwest, Northeast, and West, the South is still trending extremely high, almost double the national average. This is especially concerning since 7 of the 10 states to refuse Medicaid expansion are located in the South, a region home to some of, “the largest Black populations in the US.” Our collective fight against the state’s abandonment of pandemic protections is a fight against racial injustice.

As a reminder, the last two weeks are provisional data, indicated by a gray shaded area on the graph, therefore these values may change as additional wastewater sites report data. We want to remind you that multiple layers of precautions can protect against a COVID infection.

Variants

JN.1 remains the dominant variant in the United States, and is projected to make up 96.4% of cases in the next two weeks. HV.1 is projected to drop even further 1%, and all other variants are estimated to make up less than 0.6% or less each. 

Remember to check estimates for your specific HHS Region for more accurate projections of JN.1 prevalence in your own community.

Take Action

This week is a fast moving train when it comes to demanding equitable pandemic responses and protections from the CDC and public policy. Follow the campaigns below for ways to tap in, sign on, and get involved! And don’t forget to share these with your loved ones as well.

This week the CDC announced they’re considering a change in isolation guidelines for people with COVID, removing the 5 day isolation in order to take the pressure off of American citizens who can’t afford to stay home due pressures from work, lack of paid time off and childcare expenses.

Dr. Lara Jiramanus of The People’s CDC who was interviewed expressed that “frankly, there has been no change in the science. Most people continue to be shedding virus for about nine days, with a range of six to 11 days. Younger patients will tend to be infectious for maybe one day less than that. Older patients or people with severe disease can shed the virus for a longer time.” She further elaborates in conjunction with People’s CDC press release from February 14th that “public health policy should put people first, not billionaires. Rather than ending isolation, the US should ensure paid sick leave for all.”

The CDC’s isolation guidelines impact what reasonable accommodations we can ask for at work, at school, and in hospitals as well as our legal rights should we become held in interactions with police, in jails and in prisons. It is important for all of us on a human rights level that these guidelines reflect proper research and science.

Join us in echoing this call for mandated paid sick leave for all instead of an end to isolation guidelines to Biden and Congress. The CDC’s proposal to eliminate isolation is counter to medical science and the White House must not accept it. Call the White House Comment Line Tuesday – Thursday 11-3 ET at 202-456-1414 and the Congressional Switchboard at 202-224-3121. Making calls is especially important between now and the end of March. For more information and a proposed script, follow this link. Stay tuned to our substack and social media for announcements of more actions in the next two weeks.

Additionally, ACIP, the Advisory Committee on Immunization and Practices will hold their next meeting online on February 28th and 29th.

Scientific evidence indicates updated vaccines should ideally be allowed, available, and fully covered by public funds and/or insurance, for people of all ages at least every six months.

Current vaccine uptake is low due to barriers such as lack of education, the recent diversion of the vaccine program through insurance companies, and pharmacies’ uneven participation in the CDC’s Bridge Access Program, which is due to end December 31st, 2024. Even those who did receive the updated vaccine in the fall may not have adequate protection under the annual vaccine strategy, as vaccine efficacy wanes significantly four to six months following vaccination.

A more frequent vaccination approach and frequent updates to match current variants is needed to better protect all of us amid year-round COVID infections. Follow this link for guidance on submitting a written or oral public comment no later than this Thursday, February 22, 2024 at 11:59 ET to make demands for the above.

Last month the CDC kicked the horrible and unsafe new hospital infection control guidelines it was considering back to the advisory committee (HICPAC) that had proposed the draft guidelines.

Bad guidelines have been delayed, and the next fight over them will hopefully be on a more level field, and hopefully in a process that is at least in some ways more transparent.

Public health advocates have gained another round in this fight, and we’ll need your help! You can start by signing this new petition by National Nurses United that demands that HICPAC ensure the input of frontline healthcare workers, labor unions, patients and community members, and experts in occupational health, industrial hygiene, aerosol dynamics, respiratory protection and infection prevention is central in their next round of revisions.

Additionally, please use our action network letter and call-in toolkit to write to the president, your governor, and state and federal representatives to demand that they bring back masking in healthcare and utilize all measures of infection control that are currently available to us. Don’t forget to customize letters to your own experience! For more information on how COVID spreads in hospitals and the impact of nosocomial, or healthcare-associated, infections check out our article on substack.

MoveOn has started a petition to the Biden Administration, the Department of Health and Human Services and to Congress to bring back free PCR tests for all and to increase the number of free at-home rapid antigen tests. After the end of the Federal Health Emergency for COVID in May 2023, everyday people were stripped of the resources and support they needed to manage community care and health. Even with insurance, insurers are no longer required to cover the costs of testing, pushing the most reliable form of testing for early detection, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests, out of reach for many. Sign this petition to return fast, prevalent, and free testing tools to everyone equitably.

On a more regional note, those living in New York State are urged to customize this letter to tell their representatives and NYS Governor Hochul to continue to fund the COVID-19 Sick Leave program instead of disposing of it in the FY 2025 budget as is currently proposed. If the governor’s current budget proposal goes through, New York citizens would be forced to rely on state minimum sick leave policies of 5-7 days, meaning one COVID infection would easily meet or exceed sick leave allotments for the entire year. Additionally those who do not work in settings that meet the conditions of qualification to enforce the state’s sick leave policy would be left without any leave at all.

Finally, we must remember to keep calling our elected officials to demand a ceasefire in Gaza and to continue to wear and require high quality respirators (N95, KN95 or better) at protests and in organizing spaces. Masking in organizing spaces keeps our fight safer, more accessible and more sustainable. The occupation of Palestine is a healthcare issue. There can be no disability justice under settler colonialism.

[burpenterprisejournal]

JD ZAZIE AT ANARCHY IN THE GARDEN FESTIVAL

2023/07/22 Anarchy In The Garden festival HUI-CHUN LIN / ELO MASING / SABINE VOGEL SIRI SALMINEN LARA ALARCÓN MELTEM NIL / ELO MASING LORENA IZQUIERDO EDITH STEYER YUKO KASEKI / TOT ONYX MINNA ETEIN JD ZAZIE Kühlspot Social Club Berlin - DE

The second edition of Anarchy in the Garden, feminist festival curated by Elo Masing, is ready to start. It will take place on Saturday 22 July in Berlin at Kühlspot Social Club from 15:00 to 24:00.

Anarchy in the Garden provides a platform for female perspectives in the experimental arts, such as electronic and acoustic improvisation, instant composition, movement and performance, intermedia/installation as well as action poetry. This interdisciplinary and international event is aimed at audiences of all ages, genders, and species. The program of the one day festival will be the following: 15:00 Hui-Chun Lin (cello) + Elo Masing (violin) + Sabine Vogel (flutes) 16.00 Siri Salminen (dance) 17.00 Lara Alarcón (voice, electronics) 18.00 Meltem Nil + Elo Masing (movement and sound improvisation) 19.00 Lorena Izquierdo (action poetry) 20.00 Edith Steyer (saxophone, electronics) 21.00 Yuko Kaseki (butoh) + Tot Onyx (sound) 22.00 Minna Etein (performance) 23.00 JD Zazie (turntable, CDjs)

Kühlspot Social Club Lehderstraße 74-79 - HH links 13086 Berlin

fb event

[bebemirajkar]

| CREATOR CREDITS | BEAUTY Head: Genus Baby Face Body: Maitreya Lara Hair: Magika - Vanessa Skin: theSkinnery - Isabel , theSkinnery - Bom body Shape: Custom Makeup: Warpaint Eye Shadow & Freckles FASHION Earrings: Ysoral - Luxe Earrings Lisia Necklaces: AvaWay - Cynthia Top: HH - Amanda Top (Group Gift) Pants: Tres Blah - Ella Frayed Jeans Shoes: HH - Kira Heels (Group Gift) PHOTOGRAPHY | Taken by Bebe Mirajkar @ City Loft http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Sanchez/22/216/232

[cvastals]

lara, who's the hottest person in irving besides yourself?

“Oh my god, okay, this is, like, my favourite question. I’m not gonna pick just one person, ‘cause... it’s impossible. I’m not a miracle worker, y’know? Okay, first, I’d like to say Milo because - I just, like, have eyes, and have a thing for the brooding musicians. Is he even a musician? I don’t know, I just know I go to the record store for an eyeful. Maybe I just have a thing for the, like, dark curly hair ‘cause Cricket is... so cute. A total cutie, very pretty. I want him to degrade me. Ana also - they’re... chefs kiss. They’ve actually winded me before, like, I tried to flirt my way into their heart but I was so high, I just knew it’d be a mess. Ana, call me. Landon, even though he keeps pretending I don’t exist. Hurts so bad - I’ll wait for you, king. You know who has some of the prettiest eyes I’ve ever seen? James, like... they’re so pretty. He is just... the prettiest. Wow. I love this little freckle he has by his temple - but, whatever. I digress. That new guy, Camille! The shaggy hair, like, gets me. He’s a bit weird and mysterious. I dig it so much. Oh, duh, Beau - of course. I feel like it’d be sinful if I didn’t mention him. Not that it needs to be said, everyone knows I’m, like, total heart eyes for him. Ren’s, like, a walking angel or something. My nose almost started bleeding when we first met, it was, like. Oh my god? What got me in the end? But then I wasn’t dead and she was just an actual real person. Dina’s - well, I’m pretty sure I’ve called her the prettiest person I’ve ever seen at least... a thousand times. I’m gonna seem... unhinged or something. It’s not okay at this point. And Adam. Even though he called me a baby, basically.”

@lovespcll @ncbodyshome @hathfury @fortyfivcs @eycandied @claymille @beavs @lcvehoax @ofbeare @piratejct​

[mslubna]

Emotional maturity

Was doing some work with youtube vids playing in the background and I couldn’t help but notice the previous three songs played were so good, so relatable... so heartbreaking. Guess what? It was a song compilation of “I really miss you” playing and damn, it sure did give me chills and feels~~~ 

Other than the fact that today marks one year of one of us decided that they no longer want to talk to the other which led to the break up and stuff, it is also his birthday- So please allow me to wallow in sadness for a while. Dear HH, if you ever read this, Happy Birthday. May Allah bless you always.

I don’t exactly know how to show my feelings but I still do hope that he could’ve been the one. (and sometimes I tend to come off a bit too strong when I try to express myself). I know, I know. That’s a dream that seems almost impossible now. Of course, I should definitely move on from this, and I can assure you that I am working on it. It’s just not as easy as they say- “oh, go and get your mind off it” or maybe “You should go and find another guy. Go on Tinder or Bumble! Be free!”. If it was that easy, I wouldn’t even be writing all these. I don’t do rebounds, and when I am ready to go out in the dating arena again, I pray so hard that the next guy I see will love me as much as I love him, and of course, base it on our love to Allah. Throughout the one year apart, a lot of the signs pointed to us not basing our love on Allah. This awareness made me really want to change and to become a better muslim. And despite everything that happened, I still believe that he does bring out the best of me, and is the perfect partner to be with in the journey to the betterment of ourselves.

The other day I was rereading old conversations, I realised that at some points, I was such an emotional dipshit. Totally get it now when he said that he did feel victimised at times. I wished he could’ve guided me through the betterment of me instead of leaving me like that. Wish I could turn back time and not do those embarrassing stuff and we’d prolly still be together... Let’s pray that I will indeed become a greater better half of someone in the future. Anyway, reflecting back on my behaviour, I have now grown much mature in that aspect. I pray I’ll never go back to that Lubna, the one who can’t even regulate her emotions and put it above everything else. Even my sister thinks that I am now better at controlling my emotions, and I think I deserve a pat at the back for that. 

Here’s something I got off Pinterest:

What is Emotional Maturity?

- To motivate oneself and persist in the face of frustrations

- To control impulse and delay gratification

- To regulate one’s mood and keep distress from swamping one’s ability to think

- To empathise with others and feel hope

- To influence the state of mind of other people- the ability to make others around you feel relaxed and interested, at minimum, or at best, make others feel inspired, creative and more respected.

Lastly, to love someone is to try to make ourselves become a better person, even if the other person is no longer here with us. I love you, always and forever. And real love is choosing each other through all of it, every single day. Uhh. getting a lil too sappy- just finished watching To All The Boys: Always and Forever with @theblessoflife and @ofpenguinsandnebulas and I’m basically just throwing in some quotes into this post. Here’s another one!: “I’m pretty sure you can’t call in sick from a relationship”. Need to get myself a Peter and become the Lara Jean in his life. Always always choosing each other through the good and the bad. 

Thank you for reading this lengthy post. I wish all of you the best <3

14.02.2021, 2am

[mia-cookie-uwu]

Day 31: Free day

Mother and Son

So um, I had an idea for something but since I woke up late and had to do some house hold stuff so Yay. These two are some of my old{ish} OC's. Lara and her son Zi. Lara was turned into a lost one thing(close to whatever the Hecc sammy is-) but like she was pregnant when it happened, so when she gave birth, Zi came out already a lost one but much more solid? I guess that's the best way to describe it?? But yeah I would have done more and maybe I might do more with these two soon, ya never know. But yeah, I had a lot of fun doing this Ink Demonth and I would love to do something like this again sometime ^^

Original by halfusek

[mmultiversal]

Multiversal #122 20.05 19h Staalplaat Elbestr 28-29 HH w/ Schrödinger or Boom Boom God feat. Florian Kolb & Pablo Lienhard https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOtI07Gm118 Lara Alarcón + GGG https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dQJa-FapVk FB Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/747955709708283/

[indrianawidya]

Cerita Tentang Pasrah

Saat itu, ditengah kebimbangan dan kegalauan perihal jodoh, aku menarik diri. Bercengkrama dengan diri sendiri dan mencari kedamaian dengan berpasrah, menyampaikan segala keluh kesah kepada-Nya. Lalu Allah hadirkan, lelaki (teman lama) sebagai pelipur lara yang masuk ke kehidupan ku dengan permisi, menyampaikan maksud tujuan dengan sopan, dan mengobati segala rasa gelisah dan gundah. Tak berselang lama kamipun menikah, dan membangun rumah tangga dengan memegang impian bersama.

Saat skripsi, aku mengejar lulus 4 tahun. Lebih intens konsul dan mengerjakan revisian, bolak balik perpus-kampus untuk mengerjakan skripsi dan menyusun timeline dengan rapi. Saat itu, aku berfikir aku harus wisuda maksimal November karena Desember sudah ttd kontrak mengikuti kegiatan Exchange ke India. Namun, banyak hal yang menggiring ku hingga akupun belum berhasil lulus di bulan tersebut, mulai dari dosen yang susah sekali ditemui dan menunggu jadwal sidang 1 bulan lebih, yang memakan waktuku cukup lama. Akupun berpasrah... Menyerahkan semua kepada Allah. Ternyata, Allah berkahi dengan kesempatan mendapatkan sponsor ke India dari kampus dengan alasan aku masih berstatus mahasiswa. "kalo mbaknya udah lulus udah ga dapet kesempatan sponsor ini" MasyaAllah akhirnya aku bisa mendapatkan uang saku dari kampus berkah belum bisa mengikuti wisuda lebih cepat.

Menjelang pernikahan, ditengah badai covid-19 pada bulan juli 2021, rasanya sudah pasrah tentang bagaimana acara ini dapat berjalan. Apalagi, grafik kasus sedang melonjak tajam. Timeline yang tadinya rapi, tak bisa jadi pegangan. Apalagi ada beberapa selisih pendapat antara aku dan keluarga. Antara konsep pernikahan yang aku harap bisa sesuai standar protokol kesehatan. Namun, situasi didesa rupanya kurang mampu mendukung. Tradisi guyub rukun, tolong menolong dan saling rewang saat ada hajat, menjadi keinginan keluarga dan warga sekitar. Sementara aku sebagai anak kesehatan, ngeri sekali menyaksikannya. 6 hari menjelang pernikahan, ternyata Ayah-Ibu positif covid, dan begitu juga Ayah-Ibu calon suami. Bahkan, ibu sempat terkena gejala berat hingga mengalami long-covid. Akupun hanya bisa berpasrah. Kami tunda rencana acara pernikahan. Dan akhirnya, Allah beri banyak pertolongan melalui orang orang baik disekitarku. Mulai dari bantuan oxygen yang masih bisa didapatkan meski saat itu banyak yg kesulitan mendapatkannya, dokter relawan covid yang selalu standby untuk menjadi tempat konsul dan sedia memberikan arahan padaku, hingga sahabat yang memiliki akses obat dan mengupayakan obat obatan covid untuk ibu. Untuk acara pernikahan tentu sudah sejak lama berpasrah, memprioritaskan keselamatan orang tua terlebih dahulu. Hingga suatu hari, kepasrahan ini Allah gantikan dengan acara pernikahan yang membuat semua yang hadir turut berbahagia, ibu bapak sudah sehat, konsep pernikahan sederhana nanti elegan sesuai harapanku. MasyaAllahh...

Kali ini, aku sangat berpasrah. Berusaha untuk bekerja lebih keras demi masa depan yang lebih baik. Berusaha segera lulus demi tanggung jawab yang terbaik, bekerja sembari kuliah meski jadwal sangat padat, mengurus organisasi alumni demi berbakti pada almamater ditambah kondisi yang sedang hamil dan jadwal tambahan mengelola keluarga. Belum selesai dalam proses tesisku, Allah beri ujian padaku dengan abortus imminens yang menuntutku untuk bedrest. Mungkin di sini aku disuruh beristirahat. Banyak menghabiskan waktu dengan diri sendiri diatas kasur, ada kesempatan untuk bermuhasabah dan melakukan refleksi diri bahwa banyak nikmat yang mungkin terlewat saat mengucap syukur. Sungguh, kali ini aku sangat berpasrah, meski terkadang terbesit kekhawatiran tentang urusan tesis ku, sidangku dan lainnya namun kuhanya bisa berpasrah..

Memohon petunjuk dan mengikuti skenario Allah. Karena apa yang terjadi padaku ini tentu atas kehendak Allah, dan akan ada cerita indah dibalik segala kegundahan saat ini, seperti tidak ada ujung ketika dipikir sendiri. Namun, aku tetap berpasrah hh...

Aku percaya Allah akan menjawab semuanya dengan cerita yang lebih baik dari yang kukira. Tetap istiqomah untuk berpasrah, berkhusnudzon dan mengikhlaskan segalanya.

Laa Hawla WA laa quwwata illa billah...

Karena, Tiada daya dan upaya selain datangnya dari Allah...

Bandung, 24 Mei 2022

[migueluriber]

A L∴ G∴ D∴ G∴ A∴ D∴ U∴ S∴ F∴ U∴ *"Juntos en las alegrías"* DE ANIVERSARIO LA MASONERÍA REGULAR VENEZOLANA. Desde La Junta Directiva de la M∴ R∴ G∴ L∴ R∴ V∴ y en nombre de la Masonería Regular de Venezuela, expresamos nuestra profunda alegría y entusiasmo a la R∴ L∴ "Libertad y Derecho" Nro 158 al Or∴ de Barquisimeto, Estado Lara. Venezuela. Con motivo de su Sexagesimo Quinto Aniversario 65to. Persistid QQ∴ HH∴ en la noble labor masónica elevando templos a las virtudes en pro de una Masonería Regular Venezolana cada vez más fortalecida en sus columnas y valores. Oramos al G∴ A∴ D∴ U∴ continúe brindando su bondad amorosa en luz y sabiduría del corazón a todos los integrantes de este R∴ T∴ cuya Armonía es Progreso para toda nuestra Augusta Institución. De parte su Q∴ H∴ José Gregorio Sardelli Bravo M∴ R∴ G∴ M∴ de la M∴ R∴ G∴ L∴ R∴ V∴ en nombre de la Gran Directiva. . . . #zona4cmi #logiasconvoz #unagranlogiaparatodaslaslogias #venezuela #1paratodosvzla #granlogiadevenezuela #mrgldv #masonesenfamilia #solsticio #efemeridesmasonicas #aniversario #masonesvenezolanos #hospitalia #granorientedevenezuela #reaa https://www.instagram.com/p/CQ89gHBFmy5xKs8hNZhbfW61tuM1H2sREwlYO00/?utm_medium=tumblr

[dr-archeville]

INDY Daily: Justice Cheri Beasley Will Run for North Carolina's Opening U.S. Senate Seat

It’s Wednesday, April 28

Another INDY Press Club giveaway has wrapped up. Congratulations to Hannah J. who will soon be enjoying a large gift basket full of Carrboro Coffee Roasters treats! Katie S., we’ll see you at Dirty Bull Brewing, enjoying your $50 gift card on the patio! And lastly, congrats to Beimnet B. who will select a book a month for the next year courtesy of Letters Bookshop!

Thank you Carrboro Coffee Roasters, Dirty Bull Brewing, and Letters Bookshop. Please consider supporting these businesses by shopping with them.

Good morning, readers.

I got my second Moderna shot yesterday and, I have to say, I'm feeling a little bit out of sorts. So please indulge me as I regale you with some (what I find to be) humorous political intrigue surrounding the race for North Carolina's open U.S. Senate seat in 2022.

Yesterday, Justice Cheri Beasley, the first Black woman to serve as chief justice on North Carolina's state Supreme Court, announced she is running for the U.S. Senate seat.

She'll be a formidable candidate.

Such a formidable candidate, in fact, that the folks at The Carolina Journal, which I have seen described as "a right wing propaganda op for Art Pope," are ginning up stories about N.C. DHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen potentially jumping into the race for the seat.

From the story:

"There is no doubt that Justice Beasley will be the front-runner for the Democrats," said Brad Crone, president of Campaign Connections, a Raleigh-based public affairs and political consulting firm (itals. mine).

"However, the field is still developing and could change dramatically if HHS Secretary Mandy Cohen enters the race. Jeff Jackson, Erica Smith, and Rett Newton will all be fighting for attention and support bases as the field sorts itself out."

There are a lot of reasons why it wouldn't make any sense at all for Sec. Mandy Cohen to enter the U.S. Senate race, not least of which that there's still plenty of work to be done for the state on the COVID-19 front and that public health, not politics, seems to be where Cohen is most at home.

I'm not entirely sure what the end game is for Republicans to put a story like this out there on the same day Beasley officially announces her candidacy.

But my best guess is that they're panicking.

Republican talent going into the 2022 race right now tops out with ex-governor Pat McCrory. One can see the appeal for the party to cast Cohen in a will she-won't she-run, Lara Trump-type role to act as a foil to the Democrats' growing but impressive slate of viable candidates.

To which I say to the GOP, have fun with that. Everyone seems to be realizing now that this seat is well and truly up for grabs.

What do you think about this story? Let me know!

Correction: yesterday I mistakenly wrote that there are four HBCUs in the Triangle. In fact there are three: Shaw University and St. Augustine's in Raleigh and N.C. Central University in Durham.

The nomination round for the INDY’s Best of the Triangle Readers Poll has concluded!  Thank you for taking time to recognize your favorites from around the Triangle.  We will tally the votes and notify the top four finalists in each category over the next few weeks. Then, the finals voting period will begin on Monday, May 17.  Stay tuned and make sure you vote for your favorites!  Winners will be announced in the June 14 issue of the INDY Week.

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Orange County

Sounds like UNC-Chapel Hill's opting out of a vaccine mandate for students returning for the fall semester isn't quite a done deal yet. At a faculty executive committee meeting Monday, Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz said discussions about a vaccine mandate are happening at the state level and that the North Carolina Commission for Public Health has the authority to change the campus vaccine policy but could run into legal issues if it does.

Private universities in the state, including Duke, will require students to be vaccinated when they return in the fall and public institutions in other states (including schools in the California State University System and the University System of Maryland) will have a vaccine mandate in place.

Durham County

Residents of Durham's Walltown neighborhood have some ideas about how Northgate Mall should be redeveloped. Northwood Ravin, the firm that has plans of its own for the property, remains unmoved.

A federal jury found a Durham man guilty in the attempted robbery and killing of Durham restaurant owner Hong Zheng.

Wake County

Peaceful vigils, marches, and demonstrations continue to take place in downtown Raleigh in the wake of the killing of Andrew Brown Jr. by sheriff's deputies. Here are some scenes from this weekend.

N.C. State has plans to upgrade Carter Finley Stadium to the tune of $700,000. Here's where the money will come from.

Elsewhere

Andrew Brown Jr.'s family and family attorneys held a news conference on Tuesday afternoon to release the results of an independent autopsy the family had commissioned following Brown's shooting death by Pasquotank County sheriff's deputies.

According to attorney Wayne Kendall, Brown was shot five times in total; he took four shots to his right arm, which was positioned with his hand on the steering wheel, and one shot to the back of the head which killed him.

Attorney Ben Crump posted video footage to his Facebook page of several deputies riding in the back of a pickup truck on their way to Brown's home to serve him a warrant.

Gov. Roy Cooper released a statement urging a special prosecutor to "handle all matters related to the shooting in Pasquotank County." Citing recommendations made by his administration's Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice, Cooper said the move "would help assure the community and Mr. Brown’s family that a decision on pursuing criminal charges is conducted without bias."

The FBI is launching a civil rights investigation into the shooting, a spokesperson confirmed Tuesday.

Here are my thoughts on the shooting and on how we can't allow Andrew Brown's murder to be excused away.

Democratic lawmakers are pressing for the passage of bills in the General Assembly that would make it easier to get body camera footage released to the public within 48 hours after recording takes place (unless a judge rules otherwise). As the law currently stands, a judge has to allow the public release of police body camera footage. 

Nearly 4 million people in North Carolina have been vaccinated but experts expect the demand—and enthusiasm—for getting the shots will soon reach its tipping point.

More than 300,000 LGBTQ North Carolinians live in constant danger of discrimination thanks to serious gaps in state laws, a new analysis found.

Statewide COVID-19 by the numbers: Tuesday, April 27

1,148 New lab-confirmed cases (963,771 total; seven-day average leveling)

1,103 Current hospitalizations reported (seven-day average leveling; 12,583 total deaths, +23 over Tuesday)

11,222 Completed tests (12.29 million total; most recent positive rate was 7.5 percent)

6,967,577 Total vaccinations administered (State data not updated daily)

Today's weather Mostly sunny and warmer with highs in the upper 80s.

Song of the day American Aquarium–Things Change Things change, indeed: live music is back and American Aquarium plays a sold-out, all masked, all seated show at the Lincoln Theatre tonight. More on the 2018 album of the same name here.

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[bebemirajkar]

| CREATOR CREDITS | BEAUTY Head: Genus Baby Face Body: Maitreya Lara Hair: Magika - December Skin: theSkinnery - Isabel , theSkinnery - Bom body Shape: Custom

Nails: CuteOphobia - Pray Blue (Group Gift) Makeup: Warpaint Lips and Eye Shadow, Blush, Underlight FASHION Earrings: Ysoral - Luxe Earrings

Necklace: Cynful - Coax Necklace Lisia Rings: Valuxia - Maryn Ring (Group Gift) Jumpsuit: Coco - Denim Jumpsuit (Group Gift) Shoes: HH - Livana Heels (Group Gift) PHOTOGRAPHY | Taken by Bebe Mirajkar @ Wandering New York http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/KaidenTray%20Landscapes/77/152/22

[strayfreckles]

UGH six makes me BAWL everytime! i actually meant book reccs but i will read your recommendations 😌 | starcrossed

oH okay alright i’m sorry sndnkdnsns just me being an idiot, nothing new :D

here are the book recs i’ve whipped out (fair warning, the amount of novels i read each year has decreased drastically so pls don’t be surprised at the meager count here lol)

sense & sensibility — jane austen (as a person who tends to keep their emotions all to themself elinor’s experience hits hard hhhhh [a lil tmi but i think every work of austen’s, excepting mansfield park, is a comfort book of mine idk why])

the crazy rich asians trilogy — kevin kwan (vv atmospheric & humorous !! ik this isn’t exacty everyone’s piece of cake but it actually deals with some isses regarding family & identity that’s worth thinking ab after u read it + i refer to these books a lot when writing sceneries bc i suck at it hh)

the luster of lost things — sophie chen keller (idk how to explain it w/o sounding bad but it basically explores the idea of finding urself & how ppl don’t realize how important one thing is until they actually lose it,, i’m sorry i can’t rlly articulate it that well but i enjoyed this book sm!)

aristotle & dante discover the secrets of the universe — benjamin alire sáenz (a coming-of-age/love story. holy fuck. this book tore my heart apart. if u’ve read it,, u know. if u haven’t,, u’re in for a long & emotional ride)

little fires everywhere — celeste ng (i’m actually not done reading this yet but so far so good !! the author has a way of building up tension so subtly that u actually don’t realize ur hanging by the edge of ur seat until u finish a chapter. it’s that good.)

i just realized that i don’t read ya novels that much djsnsjwnn i think to all the boys i’ve loved before is the only ya series i can stand bc i’m whipped for lara jean hhhh anyways !! sorry again !!

[cvastals]

lara, what’s your biggest dream you think won’t ever come true?

“Okay I’ve, like, never even mentioned this before to anyone ‘cause I was, like... what if I jinx it? But I’ve been reading up on manifestation, so now I’m taking a different approach, and I’m gonna start totally speaking it to the universe. So, I wanna own a karaoke bar one day. I mean, I love karaoke, and I love drinking. I’m totally charming and charismatic, so I could probably get a crowd going. It’d just be so fun! Especially if I got, like, a few friends in on it. It’s what I’m gonna start working towards and saving up for.”

[reading-writing-revolution]

Heather Cox Richardson:

July 15, 2020 (Wednesday)

As the coronavirus continues to ravage the country, the way the government will collect data about Covid-19 cases changed today. On March 29, Vice President Mike Pence asked hospital administrators to report data about coronavirus through three different systems: the network provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (the CDC), HHS Protect, and TeleTracking. Last Friday, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that, beginning today, hospitals should report daily information about coronavirus cases not through the CDC system, which has been in place for 15 years, but rather through the other two.

This move has met with widespread condemnation as observers worry that Trump is trying to take control of information about the coronavirus in order to conceal it. In Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis has hidden information this way, and Trump has made it clear he believes that if only he downplays the numbers, he can convince people to go back to work and resurrect the economy.

But there is another angle to this change that seems to me likely to be at least as attractive to the president as control over data information. That primary issue is money.

HHS Protect is developed by Palantir Technologies, a data-mining firm that works with the Pentagon and law enforcement agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Peter Thiel, a billionaire Trump supporter, co-founded the company, which last week confidentially filed paperwork with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to go public. An initial public offering (IPO) would have made bucketloads of money in any case, but a federal contract to compile coronavirus information is a sweet addition to its portfolio.

The TeleTracking system also raises suspicions of a financial deal. On June 3, Chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) wrote to the director of the CDC, Dr. Robert Redfield and the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the Department of Health and Human Services, Dr. Robert P. Kadlec, to ask why HHS had awarded a $10 million no-bid contract to create this data system that duplicated the one the CDC already had. Why indeed?

There is, in the letter shifting data collection, a peculiarly nasty stick. Underlined on the first page of the instructions is that “We will no longer be sending out one-time requests for data to aid in the distribution of Remdesivir or any other treatments or supplies. This daily reporting is the only mechanism used for the distribution calculations, and the daily [sic] is needed daily to ensure accurate calculations.”

Remdesivir is one of the two drugs proven effective at combatting Covid-19. Two weeks ago, the Trump administration bought up almost all of the world’s supply of the drug for the next three months.

The rest of the world was outraged at this purchase, but at the time HHS Secretary Alex Azar defended the move by saying “To the extent possible, we want to ensure that any American patient who needs remdesivir can get it. The Trump administration is doing everything in our power to learn more about life-saving therapeutics for Covid-19 and secure access to these options for the American people.”

Now, it appears, in order to get access to it, hospitals will need to use the private data systems the administration supports.

There were two other big stories today.

First, Trump announced tonight he is replacing his campaign manager, Brad Parscale, less than four months before the election. A replacement at this stage of the game indicates trouble for the campaign. Parscale has borne the brunt of Trump’s anger at his dropping polls, which today showed Trump behind the presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden by double digits. The debacle of the Tulsa rally, in which Tik Tok users and K-pop fans so badly polluted the data the campaign was harvesting from the event it almost certainly could not be used, appeared to seal his fate. This is a tad awkward for the campaign, since Kimberly Guilfoyle, Donald Trump, Jr.’s girlfriend, and Lara Trump, Eric Trump’s wife, have been receiving $15,000 a month through Parscale’s company to avoid disclosure on Federal Elections Commission reports.

Parscale will stay on the campaign as an adviser for data and digital operations.

Bill Stepien, a political operative who worked for New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, will replace Parscale. Stepien got embroiled in the 2013 Fort Lee Lane Closure scandal that snarled traffic on the George Washington Bridge for four days. Intended to punish the Democratic mayor of Fort Lee for opposing Christie, the scandal instead hurt Christie’s national ambitions. Emails and texts show that Stepien knew of the scheme before it happened. Christie fired him when the communications came to light, but Stepien was never indicted in the case.

Second, this afternoon, Twitter was hacked. Some of the nation’s most prominent politicians and entertainers lost control of their accounts, which mysteriously posted messages sounding like a giveaway. They told readers that if they sent Bitcoin, a cryptocurrency, the Twitter user attacked would double the money. Eventually, Twitter was forced to shut down all verified accounts for two hours, silencing official voices on the platform Americans increasingly use to stay on top of breaking news. The attack interrupted tweets from the National Weather Service about a tornado in Illinois, for example, when the verified account providing information was shut down.

The attack was a dramatic illustration of how vulnerable our communications systems are to hackers. Casey Newton, who writes about social media and democracy at The Interface, noted that this hack was a sign of what could come: the incitement of “real-world chaos through impersonation and fraud.” Alex Stamos, director of the Stanford Internet Observatory and the former chief security officer at Facebook, told the New York Times: “This demonstrates a real risk for the elections. Twitter has become the most important platform when it comes to discussion among political elites, and it has real vulnerabilities.”

[hazelcallahan]

lara: [gets all muddy and dirty, kills a bunch of dudes]

me, a lesbian: hh..hhg h. hh hhot

[the59er]

15 Apr 22

15th April 2022, Friday

Listening: Fighting for my love - Nil Lara

Last night went out for my first buka puasa outside for this year. We had absolute thai.

Morning; Yesterday’s exhaustion made me wake up late for work.

Noon; Hospital after Zohor for my second hearing aid appointment. We decided that the hearing aid is not necessary for now. InshaAllah I won’t ever need it. 

Afternoon; Dropped by bubu’s for my final baju raya pick up! Balik rumah terus re-sort & repacked everything. Total donated baju raya received = 18.5kg.

Evening; Dropped off the donated baju after buka. Found out that the “shah alam” address they gave me is not really shah alam but it’s actually just opposite ara. Whenever people tell me shah alam, my mind automatically goes to shah alam section 2 onwards. But the shah alam address actually covers a much MUCH wider area. Im bad with places, so..good to know something new! 

Stopped by breakfast room after the drop-off just for kopi & HH’s funkwings.