#nyc vaccine for all

[sunshine-tattoo]

ok let's make something very clear: Taylor Swift is not a baddie.

she a spoiled white woman who grew up very wealthy and who's individual carbon footprint is larger than the entirety of some small nations.

you know who is a southern baddie? Dolly Parton.

grew up in absolute poverty in a shack with dirt floors

(TS has a rich family and spent every Xmas in NYC)

modeled her style after the town trollop, who she thought was the most beautiful woman in the world, and embraced her sexuality.

(TS retains the image of the young innocent virgin white girl despite being 35 years old and every one of her songs is about a man)

wrote a song about the stupidity of the American work system

(TS is a billionaire with two private jets)

has supported the queer community for decades even through some of its darkest times like the AIDS crisis

(TS uses the queer community like a prop)

started a scientific organization to help cure viruses like AIDS and that even helped develop the Covid vaccine

(TS made the last superbowl all about her becauses she was dating one of the players)

has run a charity since 1995 that sends millions of books to children in poverty, particularly the rural south where she grew up

(TS has done nothing for the south and its problems despite her southern belle persona)

"But she told off Trump! Thats something!"

Honey thats the absolute bare minimum.

That's telling someone 'bless you' after they sneeze.

That's holding the door open for someone in a wheelchair.

Thats waving back to a little kid when they wave at you.

It takes 0 risk and 0 effort and should not be a point of praise.

"Well her southern fans and sponsors didn't like it."

So? Woman is a billionaire with connections all over the world. She literally doesn't need them.

Bottom line: Taylor Swift remains an egotistical bourgeoisie white cunt who should be known for her pollution levels instead of her mid music.

While Dolly remains the bad bitch she's been since the 1970s.

[karadin]

While you were sleeping ...

Federal judge puts back funding to USAID

Federal judge demands US put back health related federal websites

Judge Tanya Chutkan investigating Elon Musk's ability to run DOGE

The Department of Energy blocks firings of hundreds of employees who work for a key agency maintaining the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile

Federal judge stops Trump from sending detainees to Cuba

Federal judge stops Trump from shutting down Consumer Protection Agency

DOGE now at CMS which covers Medicare, Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program, and the Health Insurance Marketplace and are allied with Rachel Riley who worked at privatizing healthcare under Trump's first term.

Trump seeks to gut the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and privatize the nation's weather reports and news

Judge blocks DOGE from sensitive Treasury Dept payment system, system being studied and re-programmed after DOGE invasion. expected to finish in August 25.

DOGE database on DOGE site found compromised, anyone can open and edit

Hundreds of federal workers illegally 'fired' from FEMA, DHS, CIS, CPA, the Coast Guard, USCIS, DHS' Science and Technology Directorate, the VA, Education and the US Forestry Service as well as half of the CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service, The Indian (Native American) Health Service. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the National Institutes for Health, HUD and NOAA.

There have been illegal mass firings of 'probationary' federal employees, those who have just taken on jobs up to those who have were hired 2 years ago.

After seven prosecutors quit refusing to give a Trump deal to NYC mayor, prosecutors put into room and all told they would be fired unless a prosecutor signed off on the deal - Eric Adams case has been dropped and as a result, Adams is allowing Trump immigration to invade NYC.

Trump signs order to block funding for schools that mandate Covid vaccines

Trump has already captured funds to house the homeless in NYC that were disbursed by FEMA

Elon Musk has charged the US gov 16 million to hack at government departments so far.

Elon Musk was granted a 400million deal to sell the US gov cybertrucks

Elon Musk is now going after NASA, despite being a contractor for NASA, Trump says Musk will 'police' his own conflicts of interest.

Trump inserts himself into 'negotiations' between Russia and Ukraine, siding with Russia and not guaranteeing that Ukraine will return to pre-war borders.

Apparently at negotiations, US handed President Zelenskyy a note (mafia style) seeking half of Ukraine's mineral rights, which Zelenskyy refused to acknowlege.

at Munich Security Conference VP Vance pushes the right-wing in Europe, shocking and angering NATO allies, changing US policy towards Putin and China. Trump now says there is no US intent to 'beat China'.

FAKE DOGE 'employees' appear in San Francisco city hall demanding access to state systems and data, leaving when confronted.

Trump makes himself head of the Kennedy Center for the Arts many staff resign and many artist pull out of sold-out shows.

[vague-humanoid]

Most recently, he served as the Director of the Division of HIV Prevention in CDC's National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention. Dr. Daskalakis has been recognized nationally and internationally as an expert in HIV prevention and has focused much of his career on the treatment and prevention of HIV and other STIs as an activist physician with a focus on LGBTQIA+ communities. He also served as the Deputy Coordinator of the White House's Mpox Response, where he successfully led vaccination and public education efforts that helped to halt the advancement of the virus.

Dr. Daskalakis began his career as an attending physician at Bellevue Hospital in New York City (NYC), New York, where he spearheaded several public health programs focused on community HIV testing and prevention. He has since served in several healthcare and public health capacities in NYC, including the Deputy Commissioner for the Division of Disease Control at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Dr. Daskalakis also directed the public health laboratory and all infectious disease control programs for NYC, including HIV, tuberculosis, sexually transmitted infections, vaccine-preventable diseases, and general communicable diseases. In addition to his leadership in infectious disease control efforts, he served as the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene incident commander during the measles outbreak of 2018-2019, as well as the 2020 COVID-19 public health emergency.

[grits-galraisedinthesouth]

Sponsored by Archewell of Course

Finally we learn the true purpose of this fake royal inGRIFTus visit: MEgain's dream to purcha$e (not earn) a political appointment as an Ambassador for the perks: IPP status, a NYC apartment, luxurious international travel, power, stardom, etc.

In 2021 in the name of vaccine equity (and netflix), The Meghans secured a meeting with several WHO representatives involved w/The Clinton Global Initiative including the UN Under-Secretary General Winnie Byanyima.¹

MEgain replied "It's wonderful to be back..." just to make it clear that THIS trip is all about HER not him.

It seems that identifying as Misan Harriman's Nigerian cousin might be her golden ticket to the UN.

Meghan Markle was the most unaccomplished woman in that room of so-called Nigerian women leaders and certainly the least deserving of any political appointments or elected positions. She's treated women and men like TRASH. Hissing and harassing them to such lengths that they require therapy and seek new employment.

Sparry is absolutely complicit in their drive to give his wife undeserved power and authority over institutions and human beings. He'll assist her with love bombing Ngozi even just save what little hair remains on his head. He's a Eunuch.

From the Nigerian Defense Staff Visitor Book of General Christopher Musa

Sparry: "Thank you for welcoming us to your beautiful country. Together we will heal our troops. -Harry

MEgain: "With gratitude for the support of the Invictus community. And for welcoming me home." -M??

Did these female leaders discuss the women who have been raped and violated in the African Parks Scandal?

What about hundreds of abducted Nigerian children, most recently in broad daylight on March 7, 2024?

Look at this lovely room and compare it to the spaces The Meghans publicized to the mainstream media on their tour. Spot the difference. Who do you think matters most, the wounded or the powerful?

The good news is that The MEghans have a very long history of lying, cheating, mistreating innocent people, and even mocking God.

No matter what doors 43% of bull chite will open, God will not be mocked. Sparry had the temerity to walk into Saint Paul's and read from the holy scriptures as if he's some authority on serving God while he nails his bloodline to the media's cross.

Cry out for mercy, Harry!

God will not be mocked, whatever a man sows that will he also reap.

MEgain thinks she can rebrand her ancestry and whore her way into achieving all her personal & professional goals.

Whatever she has sown, she will reap.

"An afternoon of joy, love and sharing of experiences with leading Nigerian women from across the spectrum- Public Sector, Private Sector, Civil Society, a mixture of young and old. Co hosted by Meghan the Duchess of Sussex and myself, and moderated by @MoAbudu

Talking about what it means to be a woman leader, how difficult it is to get there, and the sisterhood and brotherhood that is needed to help make leadership work. Also had a fantastic panel made up of Dr @OmobolaJohnsonHon Minister @DrDorisAnite @achenyoio@miss_asagba Dr. Mairo Mandara and CNN’s @StephanieBusari who all shared their special experiences.

Sponsored by "Archewell Women in Leadership"

Soho House's Misan Harriman but not Sparry🤔

She never cared about those less fortunate people The #Kigali of Today is the African Parks Rapes

She adored Elizabeth until she refused to place her in the Ambassador position with Emma Watson. When she had the opportunity for REVENGE she took it out on all the women waiting to meet her at the Fiji Market which included the UN Women and the Royal Tour Staff.

The Malta Ancestry Lie: "oh I do sort of blend in, and it's the loveliest feeling." Unfortunately for the Maltese tourist authority, Meghan's published article made NO MENTION MALTA!!!

"Meghan identifies 1st and foremost as the business woman. Money is Meghan's priority." P77

Numerous Bridges Burned. She has markled herself.

WTO | 2021 News items - History is made: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala chosen as Director-General

She'sa globalist WEFer: "The General Council decision follows months of uncertainty which arose when the United States initially refused to join the consensus around Dr Okonjo-Iweala and threw its support behind Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee of the Republic of Korea. But following Ms Yoo's decision on 5 February to withdraw her candidacy, the administration of newly elected US President Joseph R. Biden Jr. dropped the US objection and announced instead that Washington extends its “strong support” to the candidacy of Dr Okonjo-Iweala."

History is made: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala chosen as Director-General

WTO members made history today (15 February) when the General Council agreed by consensus to select Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala of Nigeria as the organization’s seventh Director-General.

When she takes office on 1 March, Dr Okonjo-Iweala will become the first woman and the first African to be chosen as Director-General. Her term, renewable, will expire on 31 August 2025.

“This is a very significant moment for the WTO. On behalf of the General Council, I extend our warmest congratulations to Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on her appointment as the WTO's next Director-General and formally welcome her to this General Council meeting,” said General Council Chair David Walker of New Zealand who, together with co-facilitators Amb. Dacio Castillo (Honduras) and Amb. Harald Aspelund (Iceland) led the nine-month DG selection process.

“Dr Ngozi, on behalf of all members I wish to sincerely thank you for your graciousness in these exceptional months, and for your patience. We look forward to collaborating closely with you, Dr Ngozi, and I am certain that all members will work with you constructively during your tenure as Director-General to shape the future of this organization,” he added.

Dr Okonjo-Iweala said a key priority for her would be to work with members to quickly address the economic and health consequences brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I am honoured to have been selected by WTO members as WTO Director-General,” said Dr Okonjo-Iweala. “A strong WTO is vital if we are to recover fully and rapidly from the devastation wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic. I look forward to working with members to shape and implement the policy responses we need to get the global economy going again. Our organization faces a great many challenges but working together we can collectively make the WTO stronger, more agile and better adapted to the realities of today.” Her full statement is available here.

The General Council decision follows months of uncertainty which arose when the United States initially refused to join the consensus around Dr Okonjo-Iweala and threw its support behind Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee of the Republic of Korea. But following Ms Yoo's decision on 5 February to withdraw her candidacy, the administration of newly elected US President Joseph R. Biden Jr. dropped the US objection and announced instead that Washington extends its “strong support” to the candidacy of Dr Okonjo-Iweala.

Amb. Walker extended his thanks to all eight of the candidates who participated in the selection process and particularly to Ms Yoo “for her ongoing commitment to and support for the multilateral trading system and for the WTO”. His full statement is available here.

The General Council agreed on 31 July that there would be three stages of consultations held over a two-month period commencing 7 September. During these confidential consultations, the field of candidates was narrowed from eight to five and then two. On 28 October, General Council Chair David Walker of New Zealand had informed members that based on consultations with all delegations Dr Okonjo-Iweala was best poised to attain consensus of the 164 WTO members and that she had the deepest and the broadest support among the membership. At that meeting, the United States was the only WTO member which said it could not join the consensus.

The consultation process undertaken by the chair and facilitators was established through guidelines agreed by all WTO members in a 2002 General Council decision. These guidelines spelled out the key criteria in determining the candidate best positioned to gain consensus is the “breadth of support” each candidate receives from the members. During the DG selection processes of 2005 and 2013, breadth of support was defined as “the distribution of preferences across geographic regions and among the categories of members generally recognized in WTO provisions: that is (Least developed countries), developing countries and developed countries”. This same process, agreed by all members in the General Council in 2020, was strictly followed by Chair Walker and his colleagues throughout the 2020-21 DG selection process.

The process for selecting a new Director-General was triggered on 14 May when former Director-General Mr Roberto Azevêdo informed WTO members he would be stepping down from his post one year before the expiry of his mandate. He subsequently left office on 31 August.

¹Winnie Byanyima UN Under-Secretary Gen & ED of UNAIDS since 2019: "Byanyima was appointed as the executive director of UNAIDS in August 2019, by the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, following a comprehensive selection process that involved a search committee constituted by members of the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board. In her new position she concurrently serves as a United Nations Under-Secretary-General. In addition to her role at UNAIDS, Byanyima also serves a two-year term as a member of the World Bank Group’s (WBG) Advisory Council on Gender and Development. Since 2022, she has been a member of the Commission for Universal Health convened by Chatham House and co-chaired by Helen Clark and Jakaya Kikwete."

[viejita-n-co]

Hi its me AGAIN (sorry)

Anyway in my little au thing I have going on, I put Viejita I hope thats okay. So now the boys between themselves have 8 pets.

Close ups

There's something special about people giving the boys their kids from the comics in their aus so I made them fish (lol) in which live with Layla at Steven's London apartment while Snkt and Luna live in NYC with Peter (its a Spideymoon+ moonscarab au in a way)

Sorry it took so long to get them to you!

Ps. In my au the body is allergic to cats so Jake's a big boy and gets shots so they can have gatos. (That fucker loves gatos man) ((mainly cause marcs still afraid of needles from the phycward stuff))

I've found some pictures of what Snkt would look growing up

Anyway! Bye! Love you and your work so much

"Steven's expensive ass cat" 🤣 I wonder who funded that

Buying a sphynx cat must be expensive as well, but tbh I haven't decided yet wether Jake adopted or bought Viejita 🤔 lore on pause haha

Tysm for drawing Viejita! I love that you included her little sweater, even I don't do that often haha

How do the shots work? are they like a vaccine too help get rid of the allergy, or they get them to have an effect for a little period of time?

I've heard that sphynx cats help with allergies but I'm not sure how truth is in it. If that were the case, it would help your Jake to not get those shots at least when they're in London 🤔 haha ofc that depends on how the shots work anycase

Love the idea of the fish! Sooo cute

They all look adorable, a big family 😊

[theconstitutionisgayculture]

I am just genuinely curious, why did you get the covid vax? It surprised me when I saw your ask on it but I know you do your research and vet things so I'm curious.

It was the first jab that was available in, I believe, April or May of 2021. There were no adverse reaction cases or proof that they didn't work the way we were told they would. Most of the discourse surrounding the vax was the left saying it would kill you when Trump was president and the right saying it would kill you when Biden was president. By the time it came out, my trust in the medical industry was somewhere around zero, so when you had doctors saying it was safe and effective and other doctors saying there were risks and it wasn't really a vaccine I just assumed they were all full of shit and ignored them all. What it came down to was my husband and my parents. He was scared of COVID and my parents were living with us and they're elderly and not in the best health, so I figured I might as well. I didn't, and still don't, buy into the nonsense that the vax was made to inject microchips and kill off half the human population, so in my mind at the time the choice was between a shot that might work or it might not. If it didn't, I was no worse off than I was at the time, and if it did, maybe it would help keep people I care about from getting sick. It was sheer coincidence that we ended up going on a vacation to see a wrestling show in NYC later that year where I needed to show a vax card to get in, so I would have had to get it for that anyway.

But the moment they started talking about boosters and shit I was out. Even if the jab did work, I'm not getting a shot every year for a sickness that barely kills anyone who gets it, especially when the original number of deaths is bullshit anyway. If I knew then what I know now would I get it? Probably not, no. We all got COVID two years back anyway and came through it fine, and the show was a miserable experience I would have rather skipped, so I didn't really get anything out of it. But nothing bad happened to me either.

[docnomore]

Pretty sure it’s COVID. So let’s talk science, history, statistics, politics and facts. It’s got me a little rattled. I’ve had COVID at least once before. I slept 48 hours, dealt with flavorless food for a week and it was gone. The incubation period was a little over a week. This time, I presumably got it from Mrs. Doc who came down with it first. Within 12 hours both I and our youngest got it. We may all have been exposed at the same time, given her weakened immune state. Hard to say. But 12 hours is lightning fast. I then gave it to an employee. I try to never breathe on people, as I have a thing about being breathed upon. Still, standing shoulder to shoulder with him, within 48 hours he got it.

Viral infections have no cure. No vaccine. A vaccine is made up of dead, crushed cell parts of the bacterium, injected into the host (you and me), it allows the bodies soldiers a snapshot of what to look for so when it sees it or any mart of it, it can isolate and destroy it. mRNA doesn’t do that at all. It modifies YOUR genetic markers, changing you, hopefully to be resistant to the virus. That in my not so expert opinion is a wildly dangerous theory that should NEVER have been tested on the population.

So, 12-48 hours incubation. Where else have we seen this? 1918 with the Spanish Flu. That too was a Corona/SARS virus. It was a naturally occurring hybrid of swine and avian flu. The incubation period was an estimated 12 hours. Diagnosed, the patient was dead within 12 hours. It attacked the young, vibrant and healthy. Starting with cold like symptoms, observers witnessed a plaque build up of White Blood Cells presenting as mucous on the back of the throat that quickly spread to the bronchioles rendering them worthless. The patients would turn a deep purple to black color and then, just prior to death, all of that mucous/WBC plaque would simply vanish. They literally suffocated. In 1918, the average daily death toll in Philadelphia was 426. That’s per day. Let that sink in.

From 1918-1926 the newly established Department of Public Health, along with the US Army and the insurance company Mutual of New York conducted a study. What they found was the wearing of (cloth) surgical masks did nothing to slow or abate the spread. Also, the imposition of quarantine was a death sentence for those not infected, living in the same residence.

The US government has had in its labs since 1967, COVID-19. It was by direction of Dr. Fauci, approved by President Obama that the bio weapons lab at Ft. Detrick be shut down and those agents/experiments be outsourced to among other places, Wuhan, China. That is China, a communist country/enemy of the US.

Dr. Fauci and Dr. Collins funded the Gain of Function research of COVID-19. There are two very similar definitions for the term Gain of Function. The civilian definition is that it is the ability to understand what makes a given virus/bacterium tick so that we can then either kill it or render it ineffective. Sounds good. The military definition is the same but the goal is to enhance its virulence all the while we can control/target it to a given enemy. Think mustard gas and gas masks in WW I.

Now, think back to 2020 when this thing sprang out of nowhere. No one stopped to ask how Dr. Fauci knew immediately what it was. Nor did anyone bother to question his constant reversals on whether or not wearing a mask was necessary. He just knew because he is smarter than the rest of us. At least, that is what we were told.

Immediately, the US Army deployed a Surgical Field Hospital to NYC. Dozens of refrigerator semi trailers were brought in as holding containers or the onslaught of dead that they were sure were coming. A month went by and due to great expense, having seen only 100 patients, none of who had COVID-19, the Army packed it in and went home. The CDC brought in Dr. Birx who changed the way we count Cause of Death. People who objected quit and were immediately silenced. No longer interested exclusively in COVID-19 as the Primary COD, we now actually paid hospital groups to test the dead for COVID-19. Literally, you could die in a horrific car crash, and post mortem be tested for, pop positive and then have that secondary, tertiary or ancillary finding become the Primary COD. Philadelphia 1918, 426 per day. Philadelphia 2020, you weed through and filter out the extraneous bull shit diagnoses and what you end up with is a probable 23 per month. A monumental intentional inflation of numbers. Now pay attention because here where federal law and policy matter.

In 2012 President Obama signed into law the new Smith-Mundt Modernization Act. That allows the government to pay “news” sources - like ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, MSNBC, etc., to report propaganda pieces that can be patent lies. Now think fear mongering, suspension of inalienable rights, and the liberty to exercise those rights.

Federal law requires that there be no other known cure available, in a time of “national emergency” to suspend and waive requisite testing of new drugs or vaccines. There were again doctors: immunologists, who spoke out against mRNA and pointed to other drugs that could prove effective. Just like those at the CDC who opposed Dr. Birx, these experts were shut down, silenced and in several cases imprisoned.

Sound like “conspiracy theory”? Think twice. Look up nuclear testing on US military from 1946-1962. Having signed a record of non disclosure many went to their graves carrying that secret. That non disclosure was finally lifted in 1996. MK Ultra, The Tuskegee Experiments, etc.. Would the Democrats diabolically unleash this upon the world to rid themselves of Trump? Both Charles Schwab and Bill Gates insist this is exactly what happened - and they are both in favor of it. I’m not saying the Democrats did this, I’m only looking at history, their party history. Figure the odds. And so many want to turn healthcare over to these monsters?

[stormsbourne]

<presses your mad about modern journalism button again> may I request a rant

Happily though I'm going to try and avoid talking about what happened last night/this election cycle specifically because it's still too raw.

So I graduated with a journalism degree in the late aughts. My specialization/emphasis is in print, the dyingest of all journalism, but to any journalist who gives half a fuck about the concept of the industry, it's clear that a lot of things are fucked. And it was obvious then, too!

Here's the big ones:

24 hour news fucking sucks. It's resulted in a world where even minor issues can get significant coverage and the journalists involved are always scrambling for something to keep people watching. Facts become tenuous in a setting like this and corrections to shit you got wrong become extremely easy to miss, so it turns out you're often just spreading misinformation and the people swallowing it will regularly miss you saying it wasn't true. There was an incident when I was in college of a hobby pilot accidentally crashing a plane into an apartment building in NYC and this got turned into a multi hour story about whether it was another 9/11. This problem has only been exacerbated by things like the advent of social media and the integration of the internet into absolutely fucking everything.

The concept of objectivity is broken. In an ideal world objectivity means that you report the facts without bias or prejudice. Modern journalism has scrubbed the first part of that out with an eraser and highlighted the second part. Climate change, vaccine effectiveness and safety, how COVID functions, it doesn't matter what issue you pick, if you look at how modern journalism covers it, it's all about remaining impartial, not about telling the truth. And this gets turned into representing both sides. Well we've got a climate scientist on. We've also got to have a climate skeptic, right, to remain objective? No, you fuckers, your job is not to get two people on the air to argue about whether it's raining, your job is to look out the fucking window and tell people if it's fucking raining!

Obviously, capitalism. Big money folks have their fingers in the pockets of newspapers and news networks and are using them as hand puppets accordingly. Wapo can't endorse Harris because Bezos wants Trump to be niceys to him. Sinclair sends its networks objectively false stories and requires them to put them on the air or get sanctioned and punished.

The media isn't innocent in any this; they aren't merely a victim of what's been done to the industry. They often go to bat for the upper crust, for the military, for cops. Donald Trump won 2016 (and maybe this year too) off the back of all the free airtime he got because the media could not stop paying attention to the circus, putting the circus on the air, yelling about the circus being in town, talking about how many people like the circus. They repeat false information and hype up studies that don't actually say anything. They often hide corrections or retractions out of embarrassment. Newsrooms have private secret rules about how to cover international politics and what side should be depicted as sympathetic. They post cop pr statements unedited and do shit like go to diners in Ohio to interview racist white guys about their "economic anxiety." Everything that's destroying journalism, they are complicit in, and often happily.

The media in its best form should be a way to examine and dismantle oppressive machines, like how much journalism was involved in helping tear down McCarthyism. But nowadays the media is gleefully complicit in all of it. The revolution will not be televised, or maybe it will be but with a headline of LOCALS CONCERNED ABOUT RASH OF CRIMES.

fuck, man, it blows!

[9w1ft]

Hi! I'm a longtime kaylor lurker, but I saw you and your anons were trying to think through the reason for this Travis Kelce push and I thought I'd share some perspective as an American who's not exactly a football fan per se, but is from an area of the country where football is very popular so I'm kind of an ambient fan by default. I'm very sorry this got a little long, but I do think there are some really interesting dynamics at play here, but the tldr; is - broad appeal for the American premiere and politics.

There are some optics about Travis Kelce that are I think getting lost in the NFL-to-Swiftie translation that may be important. He's a famous football player, yes, but NFL fans skew heavily towards older men in non-urban areas, which also means NFL fans skew conservative. Travis Kelce promoted Bud Light when transphobes in America were boycotting the brand, and is also partnering with Pfizer for a public health campaign to promote the COVID-19 vaccine, which is very controversial for American conservatives. He's also known as a very stylish man (which is weird to say but is pretty uncommon among American athletes, especially white ones, and he's well-known for it) and before Taylor, all of his known/rumored exes have been Black or mixed (I could write an essay on the racial dynamics alone of this weekend, but... suffice it to say it's there and messy). I'd also heard rumors that he was closeted before he got together with Taylor, but I never really looked into them that deeply so I don't know how true they are, or whether they arose just because he dresses well and doesn't usually date white women (sad but true that for a portion of Americans, that would be enough to make them doubt his masculinity and therefore heterosexuality). Which kind of gets to my point - before this, a lot of the more conservative wing of NFL fans saw Travis Kelce as controversial, "beta", not sufficiently manly, despite the fact he is a champion football player. I know all of this sounds a little insane, please remember that these are the people electing Donald Trump and going after drag shows and banning books with LGBTQ+ people in them.

So, with that slightly more nuanced image of Travis Kelce, I think that makes the clearest takeaway from this weekend, at least for me, how extremely traditional all-American it was. Football player, blonde girl cheering in the stands with his mom, driving off in his convertible after the game, them making a point to correct the initial reporting that she had paid for people's meals so that he's the one renting out the restaurant for her. To be clear, this isn't really how Travis Kelce is normally seen, and already I've seen some hit tweets with people dunking on conservatives criticizing Kelce for being insufficiently manly by responding something along the lines of "uh, he won the Super Bowl and bagged the world's most famous pop star, I think he's doing okay" - so, reading between the lines, he's performed (specifically) white masculinity very successfully. And for Taylor, too, I think we've already seen a lot of people saying how she's finally with a "real man" - he's very tall, he's very athletic, he's American, I think a lot of the joking anti-Joe "he's got a real job" comments fall into this bucket as well. She is performing white American womanhood in a very specific way, a large part of which is that she's being framed as not the 'dominant' partner in the relationship in the way she was in her relationship with Joe (by virtue of their differences in wealth and success).

So I think this is re-orienting both of their images into a new, very traditional, Americana-inspired direction. I don't think this is a market Taylor has really gone after maybe since she moved into pop in the first place, but especially not in recent years, when she swung very hard into a much more urban liberal niche (basing herself more out of NYC and London than Nashville, associating herself musically and socially with people like the Haim sisters, Phoebe Bridgers, MUNA).

I don't think we can know exactly why she's leaning this direction yet, but if I had to guess it's more about the American documentary premiere. In Hollywood, typically for the biggest box office impact you want a "four-quadrant movie" - one that appeals to the four biggest demographic quadrants (male/female and under 25/over 25). Taylor Swift's fanbase skews female and young, with a solid presence over 25 as well, and like I said earlier, the NFL's fanbase skews male and over 25. I don't think showing up to a football game will make a bunch of NFL fans suddenly want to see her documentary on opening night, but it may make them more inclined to go see it with their girlfriends, wives, or daughters a few days later, instead of staying at home, and that would have a very big box office impact.

I also think she *might* be looking at the political optics, and wanting to not only move on from MH but also put herself in a kind of solidly centrist-liberal place (she likes good ol' American football but also the vaccine! she votes Dem but she's not one of those New York liberal elites, she eats chicken tenders with seemingly ranch! - truly seems like this is a couple tailor-made (or maybe Taylor-made ;) ) to appeal to swing voters), which I think is very much where she tried to position herself with Miss Americana as well and which seems relevant given her voter registration push recently and as we move into an election year. I'll be very interested to see if she does anything further politically, or says anything about politics in her documentary again. Between her voter registration effort and his Pfizer partnership and the timing of both, politics is actually the angle I'd bet on driving this.

hi! thank you for sharing these thoughts, it provides more context for everything! i do think it shapes her persona in the public eye, and it’s interesting to think how that might benefit her in ways other than a profit motivation

[tellthemeerkatsitsfine]

In May 2022, Nish Kumar took his stand-up tour show, Your Power Your Control, to New York City. I saw this in advance, and realized I could go. It would only be the second time I’d seen one of these British comedians in person – after a Russell Howard show that I saw in March 2022, because my then-girlfriend bought tickets as a Christmas gift since she knew I liked British comedy but she didn’t know about it in enough detail to know I was mad at him for the Jordan Peterson stuff, and to be fair, the Russell Howard show ended up being a lot of fun. I spent the Russell Howard show feeling a fair amount of shock, and cognitive dissonance, in the realization that one of those comedians from my computer was physically in the room with me. On the same plane of reality. Displacing air in the same space where I was breathing. These people were real, not just pixels and sound waves.

I saw the news about Nish Kumar coming out this way. I use the phrase “out this way” quite loosely, given that I do not live in New York City. I do not even live in the same country as New York City. I live a fairly long drive away from New York City. But I can get there with a drive, rather than requiring a flight across the ocean. Because of that, I felt like Nish Kumar was coming “out this way”.

I’d never been to New York City before. I also don’t own a car. But I called up my parents, and asked if I’d be able to borrow their car for the weekend, if I hypothetically wanted to do something wild like go all the way to NYC just for one comedy show. It happened that my brother was temporarily house sitting for a friend of his in New York City at the time, so that worked out well. My dad said he’d actually like to come, to see NYC and to visit my brother. So I bought tickets. And instead of just borrowing my parents’ car, I split the driving with my dad. We drove all day Saturday – it took us nearly 9 hours to get there in the car. Then we met up with my brother, had dinner, watched the show, slept in small apartment where my brother was house-sitting, and drove home on Sunday, another 8.5-hour road trip.

I hated every moment of the NYC trip during which I was not physically in a room with Nish Kumar. COVID rates were skyrocketing at the time in that area, so I wore a mask the whole time, and I got annoyed that the crowded subway was full of people without masks. I also just found the atmosphere annoying. So many people looking happy and like they were living their best lives when, don’t think they know people are dying of COVID everywhere? Also, it was hot and much too crowded.

My brother started talking about how cool NYC is, and he made various jabs about the fact that I was wearing a mask (he’s quite anti-mask, generally not a fan of the vaccine or any COVID precautions whatsoever), also he said a few other right-wing things just in casual conversation, I was already annoyed with that place and overstimulated from the crowds so I reacted irritably, one thing escalated to another, and 45 minutes before the show started, I was standing on a sidewalk outside of an NYC theatre, yelling at my brother about how many vulnerable groups get put in danger when arrogant young/healthy/privileged people like him don’t give a shit, and also he’s never given a shit about anyone but himself, and I’m sure I said some other things too, it got pretty bad. We both walked away and there were about ten minutes when it looked like I might end up skipping the show altogether because I was so upset, but my dad managed to remind me of how much I’d regret that, so we managed to patch things up enough to get through the night. My dad and brother also bought last-minute tickets, so all three of us watched the show together, and that show was so fucking good that it made everything worth it. The long car rides, there and back. The annoying NYC crowds. The fight with my brother. Everything. I’d do it all again, just for the hour I got to spend watching that show.

My use of the phrase “I’d do it all again” is significant, here. A few months later, Nish Kumar brought the same show to the Just For Laughs comedy festival in Montreal. Montreal is only a two-hour drive away from me, it’s a city I’ve been to a lot, I know people there, I like the city, I feel comfortable there. Unlike with going to the States, getting to Montreal does not require me to cross a national border. Overall, getting to Montreal is much, much easier than getting to NYC. Obviously, if Nish had announced his Just For Laughs gigs before I went to NYC, I’d have skipped the NYC trip and just watched him in Montreal instead. But as it happened, I’m glad I ended up seeing both. The two versions of the show were a bit different from each other, but both times I had an amazingly great experience. It was worth it.

In late 2024, Nish Kumar announced some North American dates on his next stand-up tour, his follow-up to that 2022 show. I’d already heard plenty of versions of WIPs for this follow-up show, including seeing it live twice during my UK trip last summer (once in London in late July, once in Edinburgh in early August), but I’d not seen the full tour show. And Nish Kumar is my second-favourite comedian in the entire world (after Kitson, I sat down and worked this out once), and I will take any opportunity to see him live.

I was first alerted about his North American tour dates by a message from a friend who let me know he’s coming back to NYC on February 28-March 1, 2025. I thought about it for approximately two minutes before booking a ticket for March 1. I figured I’d work out the logistics. I’d borrow a car, I’d get public transportation, I’d make it happen. I just wanted to secure a ticket immediately, in case they sold out fast. I bought the ticket for the Saturday, because I finish work at 4 PM on Fridays and I start work at 8:20 AM on Mondays, so I couldn’t get there and back for any other day. But I could drive down Saturday and drive back on Sunday, just like I did a couple of years ago.

After I’d bought that ticket, it was brought to my attention that the week earlier, he was performing in Toronto and Montreal. So I did not need to try to work out a big NYC trip that would take up my entire weekend – I could just go and easy two hours to Montreal, or a slightly-harder-but-still-quite-easy five hours to Toronto. I bought Montreal tickets, because it’s closer than Toronto, I like the city better than Toronto, and it was on a Saturday, so I wouldn’t have to travel on a weekday. I ended up making plans to crash with an old friend who moved to Montreal years ago, so it worked out well.

I tried to return my NYC ticket, because it said it would be return-able, but of course it fucking wasn’t. They didn’t take it back, and I figured maybe I could try to sell it or something, but then I didn’t. Oh well, that money’s gone. But at least I had a great weekend in Montreal, where I went last weekend. The show was fucking amazing. Amy Annette was the opener, which was a nice treat on top of Nish’s stuff. I was so glad I went. I also had a nice catch-up with my old friend.

I’ve not mentioned this much, but I’ve been on medical leave from work for the last while, because I sustained a concussion nearly a month ago (I work with autistic kids, and one of those autistic kids accidentally headbutted me while she was out of control). Early last week, I saw a doctor for a follow-up, and she asked me when I’d feel comfortable returning to work. I said I want to go back within a week. I said this was because my symptoms were much, much better, which was entirely true. However, I didn’t mention that another factor in my haste to get back to work was that I refused to miss the Nish Kumar show.

The doctor told me she’d give me a week and a half off work, but I shouldn’t be just resting anymore, I should get out and do stuff. Push myself, to see what my body can handle. She said I should stop as soon as I get symptoms, but not restrict myself as long as I’m not having symptoms, as a way to gradually return to work. She didn’t specifically say “You should go to Montreal and have an extremely loud comedian shout directly in your ear for two hours,” but it was clearly implied.

Yesterday – on Wednesday of this week – I went back for another follow-up appointment. I told the doctor, truthfully, that I’ve been symptom-free for several days. I didn’t even get any symptoms at all during the Kumar show, or my travel to and from Montreal (I didn’t actually tell the doctor about that trip, but it’s true that I was fine during it). She told me that’s good, and she’ll clear me to return to work on Monday. I said I could go back to work right away, and she said I may as well have a few more days just to make sure, and start fresh on Monday.

On the way home from that doctor’s appointment, I got an email from the NYC theatre, reminding me about my ticket for the upcoming Nish Kumar show. That show that I wasn’t going to attend because it’s too hard to get to NYC and back in the short time that I have between the end of my Friday shift and the beginning of my Monday shift – it can be done, but it cuts it close, I’d rather avoid it if I can just go to Montreal instead.

However. I’m now not going to work this Friday. I basically have a four-day weekend, given that I feel completely better from my concussion, but am still off work. And while the ticket couldn’t be returned, it could be exchanged. For the 10 PM show on Friday, which wasn’t sold out. I could, theoretically, get on a bus on Thursday afternoon. Transfer in Toronto around 9 PM. Get on another bus that could take me directly from Toronto to NYC, sleep on the bus, get in at 9 AM on Friday. Have all day in NYC to look around, see if I like the city better when I’m not fighting with my brother and when it’s not so hot and the tourist season. Have a look at the building from one of my favourite sitcoms, 30 Rock, which I’d wanted to do last time but hadn’t because I was too busy fighting with my brother. Go to the Nish Kumar show at 10 PM. Stay in an Air B&B Friday night. Get on a bus home on Saturday morning. Transfer in Toronto again, sleep on the bus again, get back to my own city at 5 AM on Sunday morning (my dad and I managed to drive to NYC in around 8.5 hours – it takes a lot longer than that if you get there on the bus, especially with the transfer). I could theoretically do that, I realized, as I looked at this email that reminded me of my upcoming NYC ticket, right after clearing my next few days.

None of this is theoretical. I booked my buses and Air B&B yesterday. I'm leaving in a few hours. I booked a place about a 15-minute transit ride from the theatre (that applies even in the middle of the night - I checked, since the show starts at 10 PM). I am the least spontaneous person in the world. When I visited the UK last year, I'd been planning my trip for three years. I'm going back to the UK (plus a bit of Ireland this time) this summer, and I've been planning it since I got home last August. I am an anxiety-ridden, planning-obsessed person. And yet, I have just decided, yesterday, that I'm going to pack a backpack and take off to New York City for the weekend.

Is it possible that this impulsive, probably stupid decision might be affected by the fact that yesterday, I watched my best friend/roommate/former co-host leave on a four-day trip to coach my old team at the university national championships, a dream that was ours together for many years, and now he's living it without me? That watching him do something so exciting makes me emotional about all the years I spent dedicating my life to something tangible, something physical, that I share with the people around me in the real world, rather than to something that I mostly consume/discuss virtually? And I thought, I want confirmation that my current obsessive interest can also be physical and exciting and involve road trips and adventure in the real world? I want to do that, rather than spending my four-day weekend alone in this house of dreams I gave up on? No, of course it's not about that, I only make choices for completely rational reasons.

I'm going to have a fucking adventure, anyway. I'm going to go see 30 Rockefeller Plaza. And Nish Kumar. And Amy Annette. And a lot of buses. It'll probably be fine, right? Yeah this is probably fine.

[darkmaga-returns]

Karen Bracken

Oct 28, 2024

Edward Dowd: Global Vaccine Impact: Study Reveals Up to 15M Deaths, 60M Disabilities Worldwide - ARTICLE/VIDEO (2 min. 27 secs.)

BREAKING: ​​​​​​​Montgomery County PA Republican Committee Headquarters forced to evacuate after profanity-laced bomb threat - funny how they call us violent when the only violence we ever see comes from the left - ARTICLE

California rail workers fired for refusing Covid jab awarded $1 million each in federal lawsuit - and about 1600 NYC employees were reinstated with back pay - if people would have stood up together and got up an walked off the job believe me no one would have been forced to take the jab and no one would have lost their job - NEXT time (and there will be a next time) any employer that demands you inject poison into your body needs to be looking at an empty work place. EVERYONE no matter what business you are in needs to get up and walk out. They will be begging for you to come back within hours - We need to stop being a nation of weakling cowards - ARTICLE

Dr. Brian Hooker's Damning Testimony Against All Vaccines - ARTICLE

Alamo at The Ballot Box - ARTICLE

Divorce leads to 18 vaccine autism - I actually met this father. He lives in Tennessee. I met his 3 children. ALL 3 of these kids were court ordered to be vaccinated against the wishes of both the mother and father. This was a custody hearing and the TENNESSEE judge said the first parent that gets the kids vaccinated gets custody. Even though these parents had religious exemptions the judge flat out said he doesn’t care what the law says but in his opinion (mind you he is no doctor and was not there to make health care decisions for these children) not vaccinated these children was child abuse. He said the first parent to get the kids vaccinated immediately will get custody. The mother who has a drug problem took the kids and got them vaccinated. The youngest child who was a happy, healthy and normal 5 year old ended up in ICU and is now a regressive autistic. The 3 children were each given 17 vaccines. Both boys got the shots at all once and the girl got them in two visits. The mother abandoned the children and the father devotes his entire life to caring for his children and the youngest boy requires 24/7 care. He is fed from a bottle, is totally non-verbal and is in diapers. I cannot believe that here in Tennessee or in any state in America this man cannot get justice for what this judge did to his family. How can a mother who deserted her family over 3 years ago still have custody of these children and how is it possible this father is still ordered to pay child support? WHERE IS OUR GOVERNOR??? WHERE ARE OUR LEGISLATORS?? WHERE IS OUR ATTORNEY GENERAL?? Why has no Tennessee lawyer stepped up to help this man and his family?? If you can see it in your heart to donate to their gofundme please do so. I can vouch for this man and his children. THANK YOU. Interview with Children’s Health Defense bus in Knoxville, TN - 16 min. VIDEO

Top 10 most surveilled cities in the U.S. reveal globalist agenda is being implemented at the LOCAL LEVEL - this is a list of the most surveilled cities but they are not the only cities being surveilled. There are thousands of cities all over the US that are surveilling American citizens and collecting data. Anyone that believes they are doing this for safety reasons needs a reality check. ARTICLE

[covid-safer-hotties]

NYC Faces Surge in COVID-19 Cases Amid Largest Summer Wave Yet - Published Aug 14, 2024

New York City, like much of the United States, is grappling with a significant summer surge in COVID-19 cases, driven by the latest variant of the virus. Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates that the city is experiencing one of its largest seasonal increases since the pandemic began, with “very high” levels of viral activity detected in wastewater across the five boroughs.

Rising COVID-19 Levels in NYC As of August 9, 2024, New York City joins 27 states across the country that are reporting “very high” levels of COVID-19 viral activity in wastewater, according to the CDC’s updated surveillance data. Another 17 states report “high” levels, signaling a widespread uptick in cases nationwide. Wastewater surveillance has become a critical tool for monitoring the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, offering a glimpse into potential spikes in transmission before they are reflected in clinical data.

The surge in New York City, which began to escalate in early June, has shown no signs of slowing down. Data reveals a steady increase in viral activity across all five counties: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island. This has raised concerns among public health officials, especially as the city braces for what could be the most substantial summer wave of COVID-19 to date.

A Nationwide Summer Wave Nationally, the “very high” viral activity level reported by the CDC is the highest classification used by the agency to gauge the severity of COVID-19 spread. States like California, Texas, Florida, and Virginia are among those experiencing the most intense increases, with regions like the South and the West seeing particularly sharp spikes. Even states with lower overall viral levels, classified as “moderate,” are on alert as the trend of rising cases continues.

Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and former White House COVID-19 response coordinator, recently commented on the situation, noting that this current surge could become the largest summer wave the country has seen. While it may not reach the peaks of previous winter waves, the rapid increase in cases is concerning and could potentially strain healthcare resources in the coming weeks.

Impact on Hospitalizations and Testing The surge in COVID-19 cases is not only reflected in wastewater data but also in clinical indicators. The CDC has reported a 13-week increase in positive COVID-19 tests, with the current positivity rate exceeding 17%, up from just 0.3% in early May. This rise in cases has also led to an increase in hospitalizations, which have tripled since the lowest point of the 2023-24 COVID season. As of July 20, the hospitalization rate stood at 3.3%, compared to 1.1% on April 20.

Regions such as Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana are reporting some of the highest rates of positive COVID-19 tests, with positivity rates reaching as high as 24% for the week ending August 3. These figures are a stark reminder that, despite the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency declared by the World Health Organization, the virus remains a significant threat.

Preparing for the Fall In response to the ongoing surge, the CDC has reiterated the importance of vaccination as the primary defense against COVID-19. The agency recommends that everyone aged six months and older receive an updated COVID-19 vaccine when they become available this fall. The FDA has advised pharmaceutical companies to develop vaccines targeting the KP.2 strain, also known as the FLiRT variant, which is currently responsible for about 6% of COVID-19 cases nationwide.

Dr. Manisha Patel, chief medical officer for the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, emphasized the importance of maintaining population immunity through vaccination. “Population immunity has moved us out of the pandemic,” Dr. Patel stated. “Now the goal is to ensure that immunity is sustained because it wanes over time. Vaccination remains the safest and most effective way to keep our communities healthy.”

FLiRT Variant Symptoms and Prevention The FLiRT variant, although not as severe as some previous strains, has distinct symptoms that include sore throat, cough, fatigue, congestion, and a runny nose. Some individuals may also experience fever, chills, headaches, muscle aches, and a loss of taste or smell. In more severe cases, gastrointestinal symptoms like diarrhea may occur.

To prevent the spread of the FLiRT variant and other COVID-19 strains, health officials continue to advise the public to avoid crowded indoor spaces, wear masks in high-risk environments, and practice good hygiene. Staying up to date with vaccinations and boosters remains the most effective measure to protect against severe illness.

Conclusion As New York City and the rest of the nation confront this latest COVID-19 wave, public health measures and vigilance are crucial. While the end of the pandemic may be in sight, the ongoing presence of the virus necessitates continued efforts to protect vulnerable populations and mitigate the spread of new variants.

[marta-bee]

News of the Week 1/30/25

Immigration

Navajo Nation Leaders raise alarm over reports of Indigenous people being questioned and detained during immigration sweeps. (RP)

What ending birthright citizenship could look like in the U.S. (RP)

ICE arrests 956 in 1 day as Trump administration immigration crackdown ramps up. (RP) For comparison, ICE reports daily average of 310.7 in the prior fiscal year. Trump recently announced quotas of 1,200-1,500. (RP) NPR accounts how daily life has changed for immigrant and mixed-status families.

The risks of Trump's more aggressive approach to "diplomacy," (RP) like what we saw in Columbia.

Pro-Palestinian foreign student protesters will lose their student visas.

Trump to prepare immigration detention center at... Guantanamo. (RP) All else aside, that image of the US flag behind barbed wire really does pack a wallop.

Foreign Affairs

In new poll, Greenlanders are 85% against joining the US. (RP)

Economy and Business

Trump's Colombia tariffs targeted a vibrant alternative for business investment to China. (RP)

Despite Trump's campaign promises, egg prices are higher than ever. (RP)

Trump fires National Labor Relations Board members who backed broader worker protections. (RP)

Gender

Trump moves to ban transgender people from the military. (RP) He's also planning to reinstate servicepeople who were discharged over refusal to take COVID vaccines, with backpay. Dismissed transgender military challenge the ban. (12ft.io)

Trump issues EO limiting access to gender-affirming medical treatment for all minors, and limits what Medicaid, Medicare, and ACA Markeptlace-subsidized health insurance will cover (RP).

Science and Environmentalism

Trump rescinded a half-century of environmental regulations. Here's what that could mean. (RP)

CDC ordered to stop working with WHO immediately. (12ft.io) Withdrawal takes 12 months, and it had been expected US would continue coordinating with WHO in this period. How this could effect Americans' health. (RP)

Robert Kennedy finally has his Sec. State hearing coming up. How some of his views compare to most Americans'.

Oligarchy and Autocracy

Trump fires special council prosecutors who investigated him and White House.

In first press conference, new White House secretary vows to hold journalist accountable for lies (RP), welcomes bloggers, social media content creators and other nontraditional media to press briefings (RP).

The White House offers most federal workers a "deferred resignation" (RP) where they'd stop working immediately and be paid through September." It's apparently illegal. (RP) More details about federal workers' and unions' response.

Former Gen. Milley is the last Trump critic stripped of his security protection by Trump administration. (12ft.io)

Trump administration paused distribution of most federal funds already approved by Congress. Dems argue this is unconstitutional. The White House has since rescinded the memo (RP), for now.

Justice Department drops classified documents case against Trump co-defendants. (12ft.io)

Justice Department is discussing dropping corruption charges against NYC mayor Eric Adams. (RP) NYC also saw a high profile immigration operation earlier this week, where Adams came off as very accommodating to ICE, DHS and the like. I'm not saying this is an actual conflict of interest, but it's really difficult not to see it as the appearance of same.

Other Stories

Congress Republicans push to codify Trump's executive orders in federal law (12ft.io), meaning they couldn't just be reversed by the next president.

White House admits those drones over NJ were authorized by the federal government, which apparently is OK now. :-)

Trump's approval rating dips after rush of executive orders. That's misstating it a bit: his approval rating is only down 2 points, but his disapproval rate is up to 46% from 39%. Say what you like, he's not giving us Americans room to be lukewarm.

[d1gnan]

here's a little deep dive on the fight club necklace / my process in general hehe

i put like way too much thought into all my jewelry and this is about to be the most in depth ive actually ever gone about my process so sorry in advance 4 how long winded i am

(and if ur new to my jewelry i get everything secondhand and i upcycle so i source from places like estate sales/thrift stores/antique malls/ebay/shop frum peoples personal collections etc )

i think the necklace and the original paper street bracelet i made speak the same visual language as the paper street house pretty well because i sourced most of it from some of my oldest and most visually ornate jewelry finds.

a lot of the beads from this one are actually from this really dope older lady i knows collection/more specifically from a costuming warehouse in nyc and the jewelry is just so ornate and crazy and out of style, i imagine they were once worn by the kind of people that wouldve gotten their soup peed in so its kind of fun to reclaim them for something like this

when i went to go look thru my stash i was specifically thinking of chipping wallpaper and pulling anything that evoked that to me-kind of corny for a second, but i love beat up old houses visually and theres something so cool about the juxtaposition of ornate/destroyed. layerS and layers of beautiful print made sad and irrelevant by its surroundings. these (the houses and the jewelry) were luxurious and cool and trendy at one point and now theyre completely obsolete and funny. i honestly think the whole thing screams tyler durdens philosophy also

( a beautiful thing destroyed, the performance of put-togetherness+ wealth, putting stake in material goods+trends only for them to be completely stripped away by time )

but anyway yeah when u put these glamorous old things together with stuff like keys and charms that don't match and mix gold/silver, you get this really lived in and sick junk drawer effect, and when you pair pale whites with pale greens it can kind of give a souring/moldy/aged look

little more specific callouts tho for references (left to right)

golf club charms r pretty obvious

the green engraved stone i grabbed immediately because it gives the old wallpaper feeling i was going for

theres this golden charm that's kinda like a kitschy grandma charm, it says "1 minute/1 hour/1day/1week/1year/1leapyear/1century" and i put that as a reference to "this is your life and its ending one minute at a time"/"i am jacks wasted life" and i also think it works on another level/kindamatches with fight clubs irony since its like supposed to be a cutie love commitment idk at least 2 me hahaha

the little step ladder charm and the key i added so that it would read as yeah a dirty old unfinished house/kinda a visual junk drawer..the key i got at an estate sale (i got a bunch and had to make key soup to clean them all)it opens something somewhere

the dog vaccination tag is there both as a reference to the guy that they threaten but then also slightly as a nod to the narrators wacked self esteem the whole like puppy dog obsession aspect IDK

theres a little P and S charm for paper street

the freshwater pearl at the end and the plastic bone shaped bead are kind of supposed to give teeth/bones like subconsciously, i tried a kind of similar thing when i made jewelry based off of pearl from X and tried to make like a rotting looking necklace

theres a little coke bottle cracker jack toy on there too, if ur trying to condense fight club into symbols, glass bottles pop up in my brain so i wanted to find something like that and i got lucky. theres also a little green telescope cracker jack toy thats kind of rusty and i picked it up for how well it matched what i was going for visually but i feel like it could also be a space monkeys thing

any way thanks for looking at this, like i said this is the deepest ive ever gone into depth about my process, but this is why im so drawn to creating jewelry it feels like taking a picture or finishing a puzzle i just do it in a really specific way and it always feels fresh and new when i start a new project, (i definitely dont always have this much to say i promise) but any way hope this was cool

[foster-the-world]

FMLA

Someone in the NYC Special Needs kid group said that they received FMLA days because of their kids diagnosis and all of the resulting appointments. I'm wondering if that is possible. His new school will have IEP meetings every three months. He has regular development pediatrician appointments - so far every three months but I don't know if that will keep up. This year he's gone to the doctor twice for his asthma. That doesn't include three kids dentist appointments, regular vaccine appts and sick days.

I really need at least 20 days of year for appointments and other school/kid related things. I'm not willing/interested in spending my 21 vacation days on these things. Ideally my husband and I could each take 10 FMLA days each. I'd be willing to take them unpaid. I'm going to look into it after his next dev ped appointment.

Baby boy having extra needs doesn't help but this is really normal parenting needs. If I worked from home I would get all this shit done during the work day and make up work stuff at night. Unfortunately, my job requires me to be at my desk in order to get paid even if the work does not require that.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

This day in history

NEXT WEEKEND (June 7–9), I'm in AMHERST, NEW YORK to keynote the 25th Annual Media Ecology Association Convention and accept the Neil Postman Award for Career Achievement in Public Intellectual Activity.

#20yrsago Bradbury goes nuts over Fahrenheit 9/11 title https://web.archive.org/web/20051219090823/https://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=38776

#15yrsago Ryanair serious about charging to use toilets in-flight, may charge extra “breathing fee” for inhaling during flight https://www.theguardian.com/business/2009/jun/02/ryanair-airline-oleary-toilet-charge

#15yrsago Jo Walton on THE SPACE MERCHANTS https://web.archive.org/web/20090612060824/http://www.tor.com/index.php

#15yrsago Roald Dahl on vaccinating your kids https://web.archive.org/web/20090606123639/http://www.childalert.co.uk/absolutenm/templates/newstemplate.asp?articleid=291&zoneid=2

#15yrsago Canadian copyright lobbyists leaned on “independent” researchers to change report on file-sharing https://web.archive.org/web/20090605230056/http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/4025/125/

#10yrsago Russia’s army of paid astroturfers message-bomb western coverage of Ukraine https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/maxseddon/documents-show-how-russias-troll-army-hit-america

#10yrsago A scarf woven from Jay Lake’s genome https://fishwrapper.wordpress.com/2013/08/12/jays-genome-project-part-3/

#10yrsago Riis’s “How the Other Half Lives”: photos of NYC slumlife in the Gilded Age https://web.archive.org/web/20140625121238/http://www.authentichistory.com/1898-1913/2-progressivism/2-riis/index.html

#10yrsago The more your job helps people, the less you’re paid (and vice-versa) https://www.salon.com/2014/06/01/help_us_thomas_piketty_the_1s_sick_and_twisted_new_scheme/

#10yrsago It’s not Net Neutrality that’s at stake, it’s Cable Company Fuckery https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpbOEoRrHyU

#10yrsago Critical thinking vs education: Teaching kids math without “correct” answers https://powersfulmath.wordpress.com/2014/04/30/who-or-what-broke-my-kids/

#10yrsago Piketty’s methods: parsing wealth inequality data and its critique https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/05/30/pikettys-errors-arent-mistakes-theyre-questions-and-he-answered-them/

#5yrsago That woman who got fired for comparing Michelle Obama to an ape is now going to jail for defrauding FEMA https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/woman-who-called-michelle-obama-ape-sentenced-jail-defrauding-fema-n1012936

#5yrsago The army of contractor-linguists who power Google Assistant say they had their wages stolen https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/may/28/a-white-collar-sweatshop-google-assistant-contractors-allege-wage-theft

#5yrsago Rumor: DoJ is going to investigate Google for antitrust violations https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/31/doj-preparing-antitrust-probe-of-google---dow-jones.html

#5yrsago Stop saying “robots are coming for your job”; start saying “Your boss wants to replace you with a robot” https://gizmodo.com/robots-are-not-coming-for-your-job-management-is-1835127820

#5yrsago Ted Chiang’s “Op Ed From the Future”: socialized transhumanism vs American oligarchy https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/27/opinion/ted-chiang-future-genetic-engineering.html

#5yrsago Report from the Fed reveals that “economic growth” is a highly localized phenomena, masking widespread financial desperation https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2019/06/st-louis-fed-study-shows-rising-level-of-financial-desperation-among-the-poor-hidden-by-aggregates.html

#5yrsago All weekend, California Democrats booed neoliberal would-be presidents who talked down the Green New Deal and Medicare for All https://memex.craphound.com/2019/06/03/all-weekend-california-democrats-booed-neoliberal-would-be-presidents-who-talked-down-the-green-new-deal-and-medicare-for-all/

#5yrsago Speech Police: vital, critical look at the drive to force Big Tech to control who may speak and what they may say https://memex.craphound.com/2019/06/03/speech-police-vital-critical-look-at-the-drive-to-force-big-tech-to-control-who-may-speak-and-what-they-may-say/

#1yrago Washington State's capital gains tax proves we can have nice things https://pluralistic.net/2023/06/03/when-the-tide-goes-out/#passive-income