#mililani

[ask-dark-pinkie]

Family-Style Korean Fried Chicken These chicken bites, marinated Korean-style with sesame seeds, cornstarch, and soy sauce, and then fried, will be a hit at a large gathering.

[miyakotengyu-works]

Family-Style Korean Fried Chicken These chicken bites, marinated Korean-style with sesame seeds, cornstarch, and soy sauce, and then fried, will be a hit at a large gathering. 3 cloves garlic diced, oil for frying, 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, 1/3 cup white sugar, 3 eggs, 4 green onions chopped, 3 pounds skinless boneless chicken thighs cut into bite-sized pieces, 1 teaspoon salt, 3/4 cup cornstarch, 3 tablespoons sesame seeds, 1/2 cup soy sauce

[mililanishoppingcenter]

Savor the Taste of Thailand: The Best Thai Restaurant in Mililani

The Best Thai Restaurant in town is nestled in the center of Mililani, Hawaii, and has grabbed the hearts and palates of locals and visitors alike. This restaurant delivers Thailand's rich and diverse cuisines to the scenic Mililani shoreline, delivering a unique dining experience.

The constant devotion to authenticity distinguishes this establishment. You're taken to the lively streets of Thailand the moment you step inside. The environment is a balanced combination of classic design and a warm, inviting atmosphere, laying the groundwork for a great dinner.

The menu takes you on a culinary trip through the rich and fascinating world of Thai food. Whether you're looking for the powerful and spicy tastes of Tom Yum soup, the rich and creamy textures of Massaman curry, or the zesty freshness of Pad Thai, each meal is a work of art in terms of taste and presentation.

The restaurant's commitment to utilizing only the best and freshest ingredients guarantees that every meal tastes authentically Thai. Each meal is meticulously prepared by the expert chefs, resulting in a genuine gastronomic excursion that will leave your taste buds tingling with ecstasy.

The Best Thai Restaurant in Mililani goes beyond conventional eating with attentive service and a setting that emanates Thai warmth. It's a voyage to the heart of Thailand. Whether you're celebrating a special event or looking for a gastronomic experience, this restaurant is the place to be. Come experience the spirit of Thailand in the heart of Mililani.

[tamayokny]

played more infinite wealth yesterday and here are some of my thoughts

I’m upset that Hanawa and Wong Tou were killed. Wong won’t be reunited with his son and that breaks my heart 🥲

THAT CAMEO IN CHAPTER 10??? I DID NOT EXPECT TO SEE ANY OF THE JUDGMENT CAST

I adore how Ichiban interacts with children. He connects with them so easily. I adored how he crouched down to be in Lani’s view and to show that she can trust him….god Ichiban really is the best with kids that’s all I have to say

Also shout out to Yamai and his support team. Yeah he’s a criminal but he’s got morals, and he’s got good people on his side

[mariehansenproperty]

Maintenance Matters: Keeping Your Mililani Mauka Properties in Top Shape

This blog takes you on a journey to explore the intricacies of property management, focusing on the serene and picturesque locale of Mililani Mauka. We’ll delve into the various aspects of property management, discover the unique challenges faced by property managers, and explore strategies for effective property management in Mililani Mauka.

[defensenow]

Hawaii Army National Guard: Aerial Fire Suppression in Mililani | Incred...

[hawaiitowingcompany]

Reliable Assistance When You Need It Most: Mililani Towing Company

In the hustle and bustle of modern life, unforeseen circumstances can disrupt our plans at any moment. Whether you're stranded on the side of the road due to a sudden breakdown or locked out of your car in an unfamiliar place, having a dependable towing company on your side can make all the difference. That's where Mililani Towing Company comes into play. With a commitment to prompt and professional service, Mililani Towing Company is your trusted partner in Mililani and the surrounding areas when it comes to towing and roadside assistance.

The Mililani Towing Company Difference

When you find yourself in need of towing or roadside assistance, you want a company that will respond quickly and efficiently. Mililani Towing Company prides itself on being a cut above the rest. Here are some key aspects that set us apart from the competition:

1. 24/7 Availability: Emergencies don't keep regular business hours, and neither do we. Our team is ready to assist you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, ensuring that you're never left stranded.

2. Fast Response Times: We understand that time is of the essence, especially in stressful situations. That's why our skilled technicians are trained to respond swiftly to your call, arriving at your location as promptly as possible.

3. Expertise: With years of experience in the industry, our technicians are highly trained and well-equipped to handle a wide range of towing and roadside assistance needs. From jump-starts to tire changes, lockouts to long-distance tows, we've got you covered.

4. Affordable Pricing: We believe that quality service shouldn't come at a premium. At Mililani Towing Company, we offer competitive pricing to ensure that you get the help you need without breaking the bank.

5. Commitment to Safety: Your safety is our top priority. We adhere to the highest safety standards in the industry, ensuring that your vehicle is handled with care, and you are kept out of harm's way during any roadside situation.

Our Services

Mililani Towing Company provides a comprehensive range of towing and roadside assistance services to cater to the diverse needs of our customers:

- Towing: Whether you're dealing with a flat tire, engine trouble, or a vehicle that simply won't start, we can safely transport your vehicle to the desired location.

-Roadside Assistance: From jump-starts to lockout assistance, our team can help you get back on the road quickly and hassle-free.

- Long-Distance Towing: Planning a move or need to transport your vehicle over a long distance? We offer reliable long-distance towing services to get your vehicle where it needs to be.

- Emergency Recovery: If you find yourself in a precarious situation, such as a vehicle stuck in a ditch or off-road, our team is equipped to handle emergency recoveries with precision and care.

- Flatbed Towing: For vehicles that require extra care during transport, we offer flatbed towing services, ensuring the safety of your vehicle.

Contact Us Today!

When you're faced with a roadside emergency or need your vehicle transported safely, Mililani Towing Company is just a call away. Our reliable, professional, and affordable services are here to serve you when you need them most.

[freehawaii]

THE ARTICLE HONOLULU CIVIL BEAT RECENTLY REFUSED TO PUBLISH

OHA Trustee Mililani B. Trask Response to Honolulu Civil Beat article by Peter Apo (04/18/2023) “OHA Abandons Commitment To Self Governance”

Recently, Civil Beat teamed up with ex OHA Trustee/State Legislator, Peter Apo, in an effort to resurrect the Hawaiian vs Hawaiian debate on building a Hawaiian nation. Civil beat failed to include the history of the state democratic party’s effort to create a native nation for the state’s benefit and did not review years that were wasted on failed initiatives. Civil & Apo also ignored the millions of dollars of costs for the effort, paid by OHA with revenues from the Ceded Land Trust. 

The historic record speaks for itself. Hawaiians did not initiate the Kanaiolowalu and Na’i Aupuni Nation Building initiatives. These initiatives were created by the state legislature, but OHA was made to pay for it with our beneficiaries trust funds. 

The record reveals the following: 

1. For over a decade the State supported federal recognition of Hawaiians under the “Akaka Bill” in Congress because of fears that federal funding provided to native Hawaiians as “Native Americans” would be lost to the State unless there was a Hawaiian ‘Indian Nation’. 

2. When the Akaka Bill died in the Congress, the State legislature moved to create a Hawaiian nation on their own! They passed ACT 195, later known as the Kana’iolowalu (HSEC) Initiative. The effort involved the formation of a Hawaiian Roll Commission to register 200, 000 Hawaiians to vote in a future election for delegates to a Hawaiian Constitutional Convention thereby creating a Hawaiian Nation. Over 60% of the nearly 85,000 who were sent ballots in mail refused to participate in the election of delegates. 

3. In 2014 when it was clear that Kanaiolowalu was dead, a group of Native Hawaiian individuals who were members of Hawaiian organizations that had received funding for Kanaiolowalu, moved on their own to form a non-profit Consortium called Na’i Aupuni. This non-profit did not identify directors with DCCA when it was created, nor did it have a G.E. Tax license for tax exempt status as required by the IRS. Millions were wasted. In the end, no election of delegates by Hawaiians was ever achieved. 

4. OHA did not create Kanaiolowalu or Na’i Aupuni but was required to provide millions of trust dollars in order to facilitate federal recognition for a paper nation which would have no land and no jurisdiction over the assets and resources of the Hawaiian people. 

In the years that have transpired since these events occurred, a new OHA Board of Trustees has been elected. The majority of the current OHA board knows the definition of ‘Self-Determination’ ..... it is a Human right of all peoples including the Hawaiian peoples. It is not a political right of the United States or the State of Hawaii. The current Board of OHA Trustees has no intention of usurping the right of our Hawaiian beneficiaries to pursue their right of ‘Self-Determination’ through Nation building. 

OHA’s priorities are clear, they are the development of Kaka’ako and Hakuone so that Hawaiian beneficiaries will have a place to call home, a cultural center to showcase the value of our peoples. Our priorities are to create an economic engine for maintaining existing programs in the areas of Health, Education, the preservation of Native Language, the protection of native Legacy Lands, and the provision for affordable housing for the 28,000 Hawaiians currently dying on the Department of Hawaiian Homes Land waiting list. 

The current board of OHA trustees are well aware of the past abuses that our office was subjected to in the pursuit of ‘federal recognition’. It is significant to note that the State Auditor, the Clifton Larson Allen Accounting Firm and Plante Moran Finance Firm, who conducted the 3 audits of OHA’s expenditure in past years all flagged the Nation building effort and the activities of Na’i Aupuni as Fraud Waste and Abuse. 

In an ongoing effort to achieve accountability and address these past abuses, the current Board of Trustees has delivered all materials, information, and data relating to The Kanaiolowalu (HSEC)/Na’i Aupuni Nation building effort to appropriate Federal and State Investigators for follow-up. 

Mahalo nui loa, 

Mililani B. Trask

Hawai’i Island Trustee 

OHA Board of Trustees Vice Chair 

 https://www.civilbeat.org/2023/04/oha-abandons-commitment-to-self-governance/ (Civil Beat Article written by Peter Apo 4/18/2023) 

https://www.civilbeat.org/2015/11/an-initiative-for-self-governance-without-state-or-federal-interference/ (Civil Beat Article written by Mililani B. Trask 11/13/15) 

https://www.civilbeat.org/2015/10/roll-of-thunder-lifting-the-veil-on-nai-aupuni/ (Civil Beat Article written by Trisha Kēhaulani Watson 10/27/15) 

https://www.civilbeat.org/2015/06/native-hawaiian-roll-commission-must-release-voter-records/ (Civil Beat Article written by Chad Blair 6/4/15) 

http://www.hawaiifreepress.com/Articles-Main/ID/13906/Kanaiolowalu-Broken-Trust-on-Steroids (Hawaii Free Press article written by Andrew Walden 11/2/14)

[pickles4nickles]

Last year, I wanted to do some kind of jank, made in Powerpoint VGAs-type stream, but… that requires me to put a Powerpoint together and a speech for each thing… and I’d wanna make a cute little suit for my PNGtuber and I’d need to find the TIME…

And that was too much pressure for me to get everything together.

So instead, I did a blog post rundown of the games that were released in 2024 that I either played or experienced through a stream that I liked or have something to say about it. The fact that any video game is released is kind of a miracle in and of itself and I think that deserves an award, even if it’s not “The Most” or “The Best” of something!

So without further ado, here’s my version of the 2024 Video Game Awards:

The Worst Use of the Name “Mililani” Award | Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth

LaD: Infinite Wealth was the latest release in the Yakuza series, where ex-yakuza man Ichiban Kasuga goes to Hawai’i to find his mom and shenanigans ensue. The man who is supposed to be Legally Dead and Not Alive known as The Dragon of Dojima, Kiryu Kazuma is also there. He’s having a mortality crisis. It’s fine. If you’ve never played or experienced a Yakuza game, the vibe is essentially big crime J-drama with interludes of silly side stories in-between. Some of these side stories include games that involve taming and getting into cockfights with middle-aged weirdo men and running a vacation resort with cameos from characters of the Japanese equivalent of Sesame Street.

I actually wrote a really, really long review about this game back in the Spring, so I’ll keep this section as short as I can. LaD: IW is a game that attacked my soul as I am a Hawai’i born and raised Gamer™. For the most part, I did enjoy the 100+ hours I put into the game and I did like the battle system and side games, but I have some gripes about the story and I do kinda cross my arms at the way the game portrayed my hometown. That being said I think Infinite Wealth is… ffffine and I’d recommend it if you like the Yakuza series or big JRPGs, just… be wary of the intercultural perceptions.

The Productivity Killer Award | Balatro

Balatro is a roguelike deck building game that revolves around making the highest scoring Poker hands, while using various Joker and other cartomancy-kinda cards to manipulate your score, but also editing your deck by modifying or adding to the traditional 52 that you’d use in regular Poker.

Balatro’s just… good! It’s really easy to pick up even if you don’t know how to play real Poker (like me), but there’s also an insane level of mastery to be had with it. There’s just something kinda fun about breaking the rules of a long-established card game that feels great.

The Tiniest Terry Award | Tiny Terry’s Turbo Trip

Tiny Terry’s Turbo Trip is a game by the Wuppo devs where you’re a little blue guy who drives his car around the town of Spranklewater, collecting Turbo Junk to upgrade his car to launch it into space. You also have a pipe. To assert dominance :)

TTTT has this really specific dry and absurdist flavor of humor that I really, really like. And on top of that it’s just a really fun game to run around in and play. Massive overworld maps that you find in bigger budget games can get overwhelming, but this game has just the right amount of places to go and poke around in.

The Stupidest Game I’ve Played This Year /pos Award | Thank Goodness You’re Here!

Thank Goodness You’re Here is a game where you’re a little man in a delightful 2D, hand-drawn British town and you just kinda slap things and help people with their problems. Sometimes there is a dick joke. Sometimes there is just straight up A Dick. Because British humor.

I don’t have too much, like, deep and meaningful insight about this one… because it’s really not that type of game. I really like the art style of this game, the whole thing is pretty much just one, big interactive sketch comedy. It’s a game that’s very unapologetic about its culture by just forcing you to sit with how grimy it can be at times, and it’s great!

The Devotion Burger Award | Great God Grove

Great God Grove is a game from the Smile for Me devs about a world in which every thirty or so years, a giant rift in the sky opens up that acts as a portal between the mortal plane and the realm of the gods. An elected human can enter the rift and ascend to godhood, but if left open too long, the rift will suck up and destroy the world. The gods have always joined together to close the rift, but this time around, The Grove is in chaos. Due to some nasty letters sent out by the next-god-to-be, King, it doesn’t seem like the gods will come together in time to stop the apocalypse, so it looks like it’s your job to straighten things out. With your trusty tool, the Megapon, you can suck up the words people say and shoot them at other people to help people communicate and solve puzzles.

So you’ve all been seeing me draw fanart of this game. This game got into my HEAD. LimboLane’s character designs and writing are always so unique and quirky and they’re not afraid to put their feelings and emotions into their art (I have been learning recently that that is very hard to do). I was initially interested in this game because of its style, went in as blind as possible, and I did not expect this game to fall into my lap when I really needed it most because it touched upon some subjects that I’ve been kinda struggling with recently. This and Tiny Terry’s Turbo Trip would probably be my Game of the Year picks if I was making that a concrete award for this.

The Gay Fish Award | WEBFISHING

WEBFISHING is a multiplayer lobby (but you can play it solo!) game where you make a little animal guy (cat or dog) and you fish and hang out with your friends. As you fish, you earn money that can be exchanged for cosmetics.

WEBFISHING is a really, really simple game and that’s, like, not a bad thing or to undermine the devs or anything at all. Most multiplayer games have a very concrete goal in mind where players usually have to focus on the main goal to participate, and a lot of us just don’t have the time or the energy to be actively and continuously present for something like that anymore. The nature of WEBFISHING is just hanging out with your pals, popping in and out as it suits you. And we need more games like that.

The Why Have You Done This Award | UFO 50 - Mooncat

UFO 50 is a pack of fifty retro-style games from the Spelunky devs and friends that emulates a fictional video game company’s legacy through the years. Mooncat is one of those games where you play as… what- what the hell is that- An orange (red?) pickle-shaped creature with Grinch feet and unknown motivations.

The directional buttons move the character left and face buttons will move the character right. Pressing a directional button and a face button at the same time will make the character jump and doing so again while in mid-air will make them do a ground pound.

Hey, so, I dunno what mad lad in specific came up with this game, but this is simultaneously one of the worst and best things I have ever played and I think this game should get spotlighted for that emotion alone.

The “Close Enough, Welcome Back Pokemon XD” Award | Beastieball

Beastieball is basically what if Pokemon was also Haikyuu- this is a game that’s Pokemon double battles but also a volleyball game at the same time. As you recruit new critters to your team, they’ll learn new plays, maybe metamorphose into new forms, and make bonds with their teammates.

At the time I initially started writing this, I hadn't finished the whole game- I’m near the end, though, at this game’s version of The Elite Four. The game is also still in early access with a lot of Beasties having unfinished visual assets. Despite all that, BEASTIEBALL IS SOLID. I might write up a longer review of it once I’m done with the game, but as someone whose favorite Pokemon game is Pokemon XD and we haven’t had a solid PvE experience in that franchise in YEARS, Beastieball definitely scratches that itch.

The Cardboard Crack Award | Pokemon TCG Pocket

Pokemon TCG Pocket is Pokemon’s new trading card game app where you collect cards and play a simplified version of the long-running card game. 

I’m putting this here because for being a free-to-play live service kinda game, it’s been… pretty good all things considered? At least for now? Yeah, there’s some decks that aren’t FTP friendly and the RNG will have your head in your hands sometimes. I dunno, as someone who fell hard from playing Pokemon VGC where I got overwhelmed with the amount of plays I had to retain, this was a nice change of pace. I’ve been having fun talking about the different kinda decks that have been going around with friends, sharing the cards we find, and I get to experience the serotonin of opening a card pack without having to spend real world money so... good! While there’s a nonzero chance that the game will fall to ruin a la Pokemon Go, I’ve enjoyed the time I’ve had with the game at the moment.

The “Games I Watched but Didn’t Play” Honorable Mentions

Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom

“Shmovement”- type platformer where you’re a little car with an acceleration button. Has a really great soundtrack! Not-so-subtly dunks on the muskrat man. I don’t have a lot to say about this game because, again, I watched it and didn’t play it and a lot of what makes this game neat is the platforming of it all. It’s on my to-play list, though! So maybe one day.

Crow Country

Survival horror game where you uncover the secrets of the eponymous amusement park, Crow Country. Has an unsettling vibe, goopy monsters, but doesn’t really have any jumpscares, if that helps anyone. I also don’t have a lot to say about this, not just because a lot of the experience comes from having the controller in my hands, but… horror’s not really a genre I go to very often. But I guess if a scaredy baby like me wasn’t put off by the early Playstation-style graphics and could sit through it, that’s a good sign?

Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop

An auto shop repair roguelike where you consult in-game manuals on how to repair different modules under time pressure. Has a lot of swearing for Vibe Reasons. From what I’ve seen, this game can be FRANTIC, so if you’re looking for a chill game, this might not exactly be for you, but there are two modes- one with smaller jobs, but more time pressure, and another with less time pressure, but bigger jobs that you need to do almost perfectly. I’ve been burnt out on roguelikes, but I might actually consider picking this one up, as the test of skill isn’t necessarily reaction time or muscle memory like your traditional roguelike, but gaining knowledge to fix modules quickly without consulting the manual. And I think that’s neat! I don’t think we’ve had a game like that just yet. That being said, the game has been buggy at times, but the devs have been patching it up regularly, so if you’re interested in picking it up, be aware of that! And waiting a little bit before grabbing it might be a solid move.

Egg Squeeze

If Thank Goodness You're Here! was the stupidest game I've played this year, this is the stupidest game I've watched this year.

I refuse to tell you anything about this game.

Persona 3 Reload

It’s the same Persona 3 we all know from the early 2000s with a LOT of quality of life changes and fully voiced social links! That being said, it is still Persona 3, so your mileage may vary and please note the literal trigger warnings.

I… was not able to finish watching a playthrough of it because the end of the game does get kinda heavy and I haven’t been in the right headspace for it (I do not handle death and mortality very well), but in my opinion, of the more modern, easily accessible Persona games (Pour one out for 1 and 2), I think P3 sticks to its thesis and theming the best.

Metaphor: ReFantazio

A game from the Persona team where it’s the same kinda day-to-day hang out with people to strengthen your bonds, fight RPG dungeon monsters kind of deal, except instead of a Japanese high school, a high fantasy setting. 

I liked watching this game- there’s a lot of twists that made me metaphorically (heh) get up from my chair and go “NO FUCKING WAY” and I do like a lot of the characters and their social links. However, this still is the Persona team and, no, they still do not know how to write young adult women. In terms of overall story, Metaphor asks the question, “In times of fear and anxiety, can the general public be trusted to choose a trustworthy leader?” While the game’s plot and themes swing hard in the beginning, the game’s ending kinda pulls its punches.

Despite all that, from what I’ve seen, there’s a lot of quality of life improvements in this game compared to past Persona games - social links ALWAYS level up for each event, the game will very clearly tell you whether an action will progress time or not, the battle system is very polished, and a lot of people seem to like the Archetype system which allows your party members, not just the protagonist, to change battle classes.

Also, shout-out to some of this game’s enemy designs, as some of them are inspired by Hieronymus Bosch paintings. I don’t think a boss battle has ever filled me with the rawest emotion of “okay what the hell am I looking at” as much as this game.

Astro Bot

In the past few years, Team Asobi, a first-party developer for Sony, has been making what are basically tech demos for the Playstation, featuring their little cutie robot player character, Astro Bot. This year, they released a full-on collectathon platformer! A green Minion-ass lookin’ alien breaks apart your spaceship and scatters your robot buddies to the winds, and it’s your job to save them.

I’m just gonna sound like a broken record at this point because, yeah, this game won the VGAs and so many people have sung its praises, but I’m genuinely glad this won GOTY. Even though it’s a very “Sony wants you to remember how good they are/used to be” kind of game that pricks you with a needle and pumps 50ccs of nostalgia into you, it’s still a very solid game without it. To me, the visuals are the best part, with bright, colorful worlds that have so, so much polish into them and you can tell the team had fun making it. I’m glad this game won the GOTY because I want this industry to realize that games don’t need to be gritty and realistic to have value, they just need to be made with heart.

And Two Games I Played This Year that were 2023 Releases

In Stars and Time

Dude, you’re still on Tumblr, you probably heard of this one.

In Stars and Time is a black and white RPG Maker kinda RPG where you play as Siffrin, who is So Very Okay And Not Having A Rough Time At All and stuck in a time loop. The battles operate under a literal rock-paper-scissors weaknesses system with a ATB (Active Time Battle) meter and a Persona-like All-Out Attack style system, which builds as you use the same types of attacks in succession.

It has The Character (Siffrin) with The Character Design. It has the object head character. It has maybe the most casual conversations about being trans and being ace that I've ever seen in any video game so far. It has the narrative that will rip your heart out and possibly inspire you to consider therapy (not as a bad thing). It has so much!!

I have a lot of feelings on In Stars and Time as this was maybe the most cathartic game I’ve played in a while that put into words a lot of feelings I haven’t quite been able to name. That being said, I don’t have too much to say other than, like, it’s good? While a lot of games have the ludonarrative dissonance problem, this game achieves ludonarrative harmony. Although the cast has been traveling with the protagonist prior to the start of the game, Siffrin being emotionally distant from them means there’s some stuff they don’t know about their friends, so you get to learn what’s going on with them along with Siffrin. As you go through loop after loop after loop, you’ll maybe get a little frustrated and the game realizes that and reflects that narratively! A lot of RPGs also have trouble nailing the ending or, like, either the gameplay is good and the story falls short or the other way around, but… ISAT’s pretty much nails everything!

If I had played this in 2023 (and Hi-fi RUSH didn’t exist), it might’ve been my GOTY.

Chants of Sennaar

A point-and-click-ish deductive reasoning game where you use cultural and societal context clues to translate language!

I think this is a game that’s best to go in knowing as little as possible, like, if the premise sounds interesting at all to you, go and pick it up. If you’re on the fence about it because puzzle games can be difficult, the game has a note-taking journal system that’ll help you confirm translations and show any notes you’ve taken on-screen as you’re puzzling stuff out, so you don’t have to worry about getting overwhelmed. I think that’s all I can say about it without spoiling anything, so go grab it if it piques your interest at all.

[lastoneout]

Bird Flu Updates Nov 19th 2024

A bunch of updates and info got released today and I saw a lot of people catastrophizing about them on twitter so I figured I'd make a post compiling it all with links. I suggest you read all of these articles yourself rather than trusting me, but I will include what I consider to be the main takeaways from each. (You can use this site to get around any paywalls.)

The preliminary genetic sequence from the very specific version of H5N1 the teenage patient in BC is sick with shows a couple of mutations that could help it bind to the cells in the respiratory tract and thus make it easier for it to infect humans and/or potentially spread between us.

While that sounds really bad, the article makes it clear this is just two mutations we think will make humans more susceptible to it, we do not know for sure what the real-world implications of this are, and as of right now we continue to lack any proof that the virus has truly gone H2H.

It is entirely possible that these mutations took place over the course of the teenager's illness, and were not present before. This is concerning because it ofc reminds us how easily this virus can mutate and evolve, but also a bit of a blessing because no one else has become sick so these mutations clearly are not enough for H2H spread, and also that means it's very likely that with the right precautions this version will die out once the teenager recovers. And even if other people become infected as long as they isolate we can still corner and kill off this version of the virus.

However, it mutating in this way once proves it can absolutely happen again, and surveillance and sequencing are important to make sure we know as soon as possible if these or other mutations occur.

D1.1 is the clade of H5N1 that is spreading in the wild bird population in Canada, and also is the one 11 farm workers in Washington were infected with while euthanizing infected poultry. However, these versions do not show the concerning mutations, leading credence to the theory that they occurred in the teenage patient's body and only there.

Currently no one else in the area, including people who've had direct contact with the teenage patient, have tested positive for H5N1. Serology testing of the patient's direct contacts is underway to confirm or deny if another person did catch it but had a mild or asymptomatic infection, the results should be in later this week.

Professionals interviewed repeatedly stress that surveillance is key, and also that the US is currently doing a piss poor job of handling this situation.

More info on the same subject can be found in this STAT article.

Update on the Hawaii outbreak, "H5N1 Avian Influenza linked to Mililani Pet Fair"

The outbreak has been confirmed in a backyard flock in Central Oahu.

Several birds from this flock were present at the Mililani Pet Fair which took place on November 2nd, and while the birds did not develop symptoms until after, it's entirely possible they were contagious but asymptomatic at the fair and thus could have spread the virus to humans and other animals present.

Direct Quote: "However, out of caution, the DOH is urging attendees who handled the affected birds to watch for symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat, and pink eye, which typically appear within two to five days of exposure, though in some cases symptoms may take up to 10 days to develop."

The article goes on to say that while they believe the risk of it spreading from these birds to any other animals or humans is low, basically anyone who touched a duck or goose while there and becomes ill needs to seek medical attention.

"Those affected are also encouraged to contact their primary care provider for evaluation and to notify the DOH Disease Reporting Line at 808-586-4586, available 24/7."

"For those wishing to report unusual illnesses in birds or animals, the HDOA’s Animal Industry Division is available at 808-483-7102 during business hours or 808-837-8092 after hours and on holidays"

(Sorry posting a lot of that as quotes because it's important.)

A child in California tested positive for H5N1 despite having no known contact with infected animals.

While the test did come back positive at the hospital, it was a very low viral load and they also tested positive for other respiratory viruses that could have caused the symptoms, so as of right now this is being treated as a possible infection, not a confirmed one. We won't know for sure until samples taken reach the CDC who has the ability to do more in-depth and accurate tests.

Because it was a low viral load it is highly unlikely that the child was contagious. They also only have mild symptoms and are recovering at home.

Close family has all been tested and none came back positive for H5N1, though a couple did have the same non-H5N1 respiratory illness the child did.

The child did attend daycare while symptomatic, and as a precautionary measure the California Department of Public Health is reaching out to everyone who was potentially exposed and their families to offer tests and preventative care.

This statement reiterates that the risk to the general population is still considered low, there is no evidence of H2H spread, all infections in the state have been mild and none required hospitalization, pasteurized milk is safe to drink, and that farm workers are urged to get the current seasonal flu shot.

Six new human infections, and one presumptive positive that is awaiting confirmation. (However this article is from yesterday, I believe one new case and one presumptive positive have been added in California today, Nov 19th. You can keep up with the numbers here.)

All mild, the California cases were all dairy workers, the Oregon one worked with poultry.

This is the first human case in Oregon.

Still no evidence of H2H spread.

21 of 28 monitored wastewater treatment plants have tested positive for H5N1, but experts believe that could be from unpasteurized milk, bird droppings, or contaminated animal products that were thrown out.

Risk to the public is still considered low.

Still no idea how the teenager in BC caught it, but apparently their family dog was dealing with a number of health issues and was euthanized around the same time the investigation began, and while the first test on the dog did not come back as positive for H5N1 they are going to perform a more detailed autopsy to make sure the dog wasn't the source.

Worth noting that this teenager lives in Fraser Valley, which, according to this article, has very high amounts of H5N1 in the environment.

Other Info:

This Newsweek article claims to have gained access to emails sent by Michigan health officials who theorize indoor cats are getting H5N1 from their humans, but not from the humans getting sick, just from them unknowingly picking up some of the virus on their clothes or shoes while outside and dragging it in with them, where their cats can be exposed.

This study using ferrets has interesting results on how previous infections with other, similar flu viruses might either offer more or possibly less protection from H5N1.

This article explains what mutations we would have to see in H5N1 for it to become transmissible between humans.

My Thoughts:

I still fully believe the experts when they say we do not have any proof of H2H spread of H5N1 at this time. The fact that we have yet to see contacts with sick people become sick themselves shows that we're still safe.

I think right now the best thing we can do is continue to minimize the chance that we ourselves become the mixing vessel that gives H5N1 those mutations. That means:

Avoiding interacting with wild animals and birds, especially ones that seem sick. Don't pet stray cats or dogs, don't play wildlife rehab in your backyard with a sick animal you found at the park, now is not the time for careless contact with something that could get you seriously sick. I would also avoid going to farms, fairs, or just interacting with any poultry or livestock if you aren't 100% sure the animal isn't sick, and if you do interact wear a mask at the very least. A farmer's market is probably fine, but I'd still wear a mask if I were you.

I would avoid cleaning up dead animals, especially birds, on your own unless you have absolutely no other choice. Look up if your local gov has a number to call for this sort of thing, and if they don't and you're on your own wear proper PPE(gloves, N95, long sleeves and pants, ect.) and wash up thoroughly afterwards.

Teach your kids to stay away from sick or dead animals, especially birds. Also don't let your pets near them, watch your dogs if they're in the yard or on walks, and I would seriously suggest keeping your cats indoors. (There have been 53 cases of H5N1 in domestic cats in the US, and only two of them were indoor only, the rest were either outdoor only or indoor/outdoor. Keeping them inside clearly drastically reduces the risk of your cat getting sick, and as far as I've seen H5N1 is almost 100% fatal in cats.)

Wearing a mask, any mask, when you go out. It's clear people are catching this from the environment, and on top of that we are going in to cold and flu season and I've heard reports of ERs being swamped by people sick with various respiratory viruses, so masking up is probably the best thing you can do to protect yourself and others.

On that same note, get your flu shot, covid booster, and if you qualify for them your RSV and pneumonia vaccine. Getting sick at all is not great atm, but if you do catch H5N1 you want to REALLY make sure you don't get something else at the same time, because that would give the virus everything it needs to mutate into something extremely dangerous.

Learn the symptoms of H5N1 and be on the look out for them. If you get sick with respiratory symptoms AND pink eye, especially if you did have contact with a bird or other wild animal, contact a doctor to get tested and treated, and isolate as best you can.

Continue to avoid raw milk. Drinking raw milk is the stupidest thing you could possibly do atm fr do not drink raw milk. I still think eggs and beef are safe, but if you want to be extra mega safe cook both all the way through to ensure any bits of virus are dead. Also wash your hands after handling eggs, even just in the shell. The outside of eggs can get pretty dirty.

Consider stocking up on masks and buying an air purifier, as well as maybe some cleaning supplies if you're concerned about dragging it into your house. Don't panic buy, but if you've been putting off buying any of this stuff I would go ahead and start doing so now.

If you have a mice problem and the means to do something about it, especially if you have a cat, now is the time to do something about it.

And of course, there are people being hella dramatic on twitter about this, so remember that it has not gone H2H and it is almost 100% certain that should that happen the Case Fatality Rate will NOT be 50%. As I said in my other post CFR is a constantly fluctuating variable based on how many people have already died, it is not the odds that any given person who gets it will die, and we are clearly missing cases that are so mild people don't even realize they're sick, so the CFR is absolutely lower than 50%. You should try to ignore people who make sweeping claims without sources, they're just trying to exploit your fear to farm for engagement. The best thing you can do is protect yourself so you do not become the mixing vessel this virus takes off in, which means masking and other common-sense precautions. Things aren't great atm, worry is warranted, but the world is not ending and panic is not helpful.

Stay safe out there o/

[jonjmurakami]

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[martinwilliammichael]

Hawaii Catholics reflect on the importance of the Rosary: a powerful way to meditate and pray

In Hawaii, a number of parishes and religious and lay orders reflect the importance of the rosary within the Catholic Church.

Nita Ayag, president of the Legion of Mary, said that throughout October, the organization visits homes with a statue of Mary and prays the rosary with families.

Bishop Larry Silva said he prays at least two rosaries daily. “When the Maui wildfires broke out in August 2023, I immediately thought that one way we could all help was to pray the rosary for the victims,” Bishop Silva said. “We did a ‘Zoom’ rosary that night, and even though the notice was very short, I believe about 100 people joined us for the rosary.” [...]

When Father Anthony Tran was growing up, praying the rosary felt “repetitive and robotic” and wasn’t very enjoyable.

Learning about Marian apparitions in high school, however — especially at Fatima, where one of the children could not see Mary until he prayed the rosary correctly — had a profound impact on Father Tran, who serves as parochial vicar at the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa in Honolulu. He said he realized the importance of prayer and, as he entered the seminary and added the rosary to his routine, “came to understand that Mary intercedes for us, helping us grow closer to her son, Jesus Christ.” Now, Father Tran said, the rosary is even more central to his spiritual life.

Esther Gefroh, co-director of the World Apostolate of Fatima-Hawaii division, promised to pray the rosary daily in college, but for years prayed “in a hurry, distracted and with no meditation at all.”

Now, “by the grace of God and Our Lady’s help,” she prays the rosary with deeper devotion and meditation.

Several priests, as well as Bishop Silva, interviewed for this story cited their families as having an early influence on their prayer habits.

Father Ace Tui, parochial vicar of St. Anthony Church in Wailuku, and Sacred Hearts Father Herman Gomes, parochial vicar of Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in Pearl City, said their mothers prayed the rosary when they were growing up. While in seminary formation and as ordained clergy, both found the rosary to be a guiding light and a comfort in tough times.

Dominican Sister Lergie Tabasa also said her mother, who prayed the rosary almost every night, was also influential in her devotion.

Father Anthony Rapozo, pastor of St. John Apostle and Evangelist Church in Mililani, described the rosary as having a calming effect. It helps keep him “focused on whose work I am really doing, which is Jesus’.”

Father Dario Rinaldi, pastor of Holy Family Church in Honolulu, also said he finds calm and connection through praying the rosary.

Bishop Silva urged all “to turn to the Lord in prayer in this simple way — even to pray the rosary while driving or cleaning the house.

Celia K. Downes, for the Hawaii Catholic Herald, September 25, 2024

Adapted from www.hawaiicatholicherald.com

Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.