#qualification for canada

[afraidofchange]

ah, I love waking up with a nice cup of coffee and American silence.

[itmeblog]

YouTube Shorts: What if we got into a war with Canada

Me: What if the head of our defense department was a FOX "news" caster, white supremacist, who likely doesn't have the faintest idea how to set up a supply chain (And likely fired a lot of people who do) while we have no true allies to speak of?

Haha, we have fun here.

[sparkmantis]

Canada Becomes 13th Team to Qualify for Men’s T20 World Cup 2026

Canada has made history by securing its spot as the 13th team to qualify for the Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. The Canadian men’s cricket team achieved this milestone by topping the table in the Americas regional qualifying finals, capping off a dominant campaign with a resounding seven-wicket win over the Bahamas. This marks Canada’s second consecutive…

[ctcnewsca]

CSIS is hiring investigators in Burnaby, Toronto & Montreal! Earn up to $106K, no degree needed. Apply by June 10, 2025, for a rewarding career in national security

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

"Camp School Being Held At Barriefield," Kingston Whig-Standard. June 21, 1933. Page 3. ---- Major R. G. Whitelaw Is In Charge Expect 250 Will Attend ---- The District Camp School, which will be continued for the next four weeks, opened on Monday afternoon at Barriefield Camp under the command of Major R. G. Whitelaw of Headquarters. There are forty-five in camp at present and this number will be augmented until over 250 are in camp. The District Camp School is primarily for the purpose of qualifying for officers and N.C.O.'s of the non-permanent active militia.

Candidates are in camp from all over the district at present taking the complete qualifying course. For those who have already qualified in Part One at Provisional Schools there is a course starting in July which will last for two weeks. In all throughout the camp period there will be twenty-five courses given, which will include the course for signallers, qualifying and visional telegraphy and also a course in riding for senior officers. Over 250 applications for the camp school course have been accepted, but It is expected that this number will be exceeded.

Yesterday afternoon examinations were held at the Camp School for French interpreters. Those comprising the school attend as individuals and at the conclusion of the course examinations in the works covered are held.

The Second Signal Troop under the command of Captain Rees, with Lieut. Stroud as second in command, will carry out ten days unit training at Barriefield Camp while the Camp School is being held, in order to take advantage of the messing facilities. and the administrative arrangements so that all can devote themselves to actual training for the full ten days.

[covid-safer-hotties]

Back in early 2020, the news of the strange illness causing terrible pneumonias in China saddened me, but I believed I was safe in Canada. Within weeks, there was a reckoning: thousands were dying on my doorstep, too.

Directors of an independent living residence at the start of the pandemic asked me to become the residence’s COVID-19 advisor. They had no qualified medical staff, despite supporting elderly residents. Back in those early days, anyone with a medical qualification was commandeered to help in any way they could.

Confronted with the task of providing guidance to the nonmedical staff taking care of these residents, I decided to learn everything I could about the pandemic. At that time, about 1,000 papers were being published every month detailing research into every aspect of the coronavirus. Of course, I couldn’t read all of them, but I read as many as I could and built a breadth and depth of evidenced-based knowledge about SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19. I wrote up the protocols and during my tenure as COVID-19 Advisor for this residence, we kept COVID out.

As a family physician seeing COVID-19 in my practice, I came to recognize that so many of my colleagues and patients had no idea how to keep themselves safe from the coronavirus, nor were they aware of its long-term risks. I saw the need to take action and effect change, which ultimately led me to becoming an advocate for Long COVID awareness.

I started the medical education company Kojala Medical, aiming to provide evidenced-based information about medical issues in a form patients could understand and reliably trust. I wanted a credible, trustworthy site to which I could refer my patients, colleagues, friends and family. We started with a focus on COVID-19 and have now expanded to Long COVID, with the site longcovidtheanswers.com.

I first learned about Long COVID in 2020 through publicity raised by the Body Politic COVID-19 support group, then became more alarmed as I read scientific articles about the disease.

Aside from the official death toll of over 7 million from COVID-19, Long COVID has emerged from the pandemic as the single biggest disaster to afflict humanity, yet very few people who are not sick with Long COVID are aware of it, want to know about it, believe in it, or even acknowledge that it’s happening. Sadly, many in the medical profession fall within that group of non and disbelievers.

This is bizarre, especially because of the impact of the disease. One recent review estimates more than 400 million global cases of Long COVID. I am furious that not enough is being done to alleviate this suffering. The injustice of yet another neglected and marginalized chronic illness that disproportionately affects women.

So, rather than sitting around waiting for ‘someone’ or ‘body’ to do something, I decided to act.

For me, medicine is fundamentally about aiding people to get as well as possible from any sickness they have — and even more importantly, preventing people from getting sick in the first place. In both of these regards, we are failing people with Long COVID dismally.

Long COVID is not the flu, it is a multisystem debilitating infection associated chronic condition. Developing Long COVID can be disabling and life-changing. Recovery remains low — and some manifestations like heart disease, dysautonomia, and myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) may last a lifetime.

This is a terrifying situation to be in when, as a global community, we have chosen to act as though the pandemic is over and repeatedly expose ourselves to SARS-CoV-2, a grade 3 biohazard, with little to no protection.

As I read more and more research papers about Long COVID and looked at the inaction of global governments and my own profession, I feared that we were sleepwalking into a global mass disabling event unnecessarily, since we have many technologies available to prevent this.

Infection-associated chronic conditions do not have an established medical speciality, and are rarely taught in medical school. With the medical profession disengaged, people with Long COVID have been left to find answers for themselves.

My work aims to build on support groups, which have helped establish caring communities for people with Long COVID, but have also paved the way for us as scientists and medics to change the way we conduct research in a more patient-focused way. Nevertheless, they don’t entirely fulfill the need for evidence-based information about the disease in a readable format for nonmedical individuals.

I saw a huge need for a comprehensive website that would be of use to all people with Long COVID, their caregivers, the scientists researching the disease, and the multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals that would be needed to rehabilitate them. Our organization believes that Long COVID The Answers meets those requirements.

There is also a pressing need to train medical professionals so that they will acknowledge Long COVID and feel confident about diagnosing and managing it. Inspired by an interview with Dr. Ric Arsenaeau, an expert in managing complex chronic diseases, my team and I created a podcast series: so that medical providers can receive continuing professional development/educational credits from watching this series.

The podcast series features a range of experts, including people with Long COVID, doctors, scientists, educators, and medical clinicians. Some of these experts also serve on our advisory board, overlooking and participating in the project.

Our site aims to raise awareness about the dangers of continuously exposing ourselves to a perilous virus with no thought of what it will cost us and our children.

This will mobilize the people of the world to demand that their leaders properly provide safe spaces for us all to prevent us from ever getting infected in the first place.

We need to mandate our governments to access all the mitigating technologies that we have in our roster, not only vaccination. The best way of managing Long COVID is to prevent people getting infected with SARS-CoV-2 in the first place!

We need national and international indoor clean air acts – to protect us from emerging pathogens.

For people with Long COVID, awareness will bring an educated and mobilized medical profession, governmental resources, financial and sociological support, and money for research — to facilitate treatments and, hopefully, a cure.

These are the main reasons why I jump out of bed in the morning with gusto, focus, and determination, and why I’ve poured all my money and my time into educating people about Long COVID.

Dr. Funmi Okunola is a British Family Physician who lives and works in Vancouver, Canada. She is the President and CEO of Kojala Medical, a digital medical education company behind COVID-19 The Answers and Long COVID The Answers.

[ftafp]

Since it's that time of the year again (the time where I feel like ranting about food and shooting pointed glares at smug europeans), I think it's time I correct a bunch of popular misconceptions about american and american immigrant cuisines

Let's take them one at a time

Yes, America has a cuisine. Dozens actually, before you even factor in immigrant cuisines that have maintained a recognized distinction. In no particular order: Pennsylvania is famous for its wide variety of baked good (notably chocolate chip cookies), every state south of the mason dixon has its own regional style and definition of barbecue, Louisiana is home to both cajun and creole cuisines (which are a blend of spanish, french, indigenous, african and english foodstuffs), texas has tex-mex (which is less a fusion and more a relic of when texas was mexican territory), and california, which is famous for its combination of east asian elements with existing american traditions.

Aunt Jemima and Mrs Butterworth are NOT maple syrup. This is a mistake I also see plenty of americans make. Those syrups, which are cheap and come in a plastic bottle are mostly just corn syrup and brown food coloring. Actual maple syrup, which mostly comes from canada, new england, and upstate new york, is significantly thinner (about the viscosity of half-and-half) and has a complex taste similar to light brown sugar and fenugreek.

Biscuits and Gravy isn't what it sounds like to europeans. It's not even remotely close. American "biscuits" are a type of buttery, flaky, unsweetened roll similar to buttered scones, and are traditionally made with buttermilk. The name is an example of divergent evolution: both european and american biscuits are derived from ship's biscuits, a dehydrated cracker with an absurdly long shelf life that needed to be dunked in a broth or beverage before eating. European biscuits were sweetened to make them taste better dunked in black tea. while american biscuits were made buttery to make them taste better dunked in stew or gravy.

American Cheesemaking isn't just Cheez-Whiz. America actually has a wide variety of local cheeses, with the most notable being Colby (similar to mild cheddar), Monterey Jack (a hard, salty cheese used in quesadillas), Pepperjack (a softer cheese made from monterey jack mixed with peppers and dried herbs), Meunster (a funky semi-soft cheese that melts well), and particularly cream cheese (a spreadable fresh cheese similar to mascarpone that is traditionally smeared on bagels, or used to make cheesecake)

American Cheese IS real cheese. It's not made of plastic, it's a mix of cheddar and colby melted into a cheese sauce with fresh cream or milk and then cooled, which allows it to melt absurdly well and gives it a "floppy" texture. Typically sodium citrate (i.e. citrus juice + baking soda) is added to prevent it from getting greasy when melted. A similar step is used in some american versions of mozzerella and emmental that are intended for sauces.

Cream Cheese is NOT Kosher. Well, sort of. Not exactly. While cream cheese is a staple of american jewish cuisine, and does meet all the qualifications to be kosher, actual kosher delis are forbidden from using either cream cheese OR new york water for their bagels. For cream cheese reason is that kashrut is very stringent about cross-contamination between meat and dairy (this was historically to prevent shepherds from serving a calf or goat in its mother's milk), and these delis are famous for their corned beef and brisket. As for new york water, it has microscopic shrimp in it. As a result, these delis typically serve vegan cream cheese and make their bagels with filtered water

Turkey doesn't make you tired. It's not noticably higher in tryptophan than anything else at the table, and there's no evidence tryptophan causes tiredness. The reason you feel tired after thanksgiving is because you were either cooking or traveling all day, and then ate a giant feast while arguing with your racist cousins. That would wear anyone out.

American Immigrant food isn't "fake". Seriously, how fucking racist do you have to be to think this? No, it's not the same as the stuff you get in the original country, because it's an entirely separate cuisine in its own right, born from a hybridization of techniques, ingredients, and flavor palates. Most notably, these traditions typically use a lot more beef than the cuisine they're derived from, and in the case of Chinese food, are typically toned down in terms of spiciness to emphasize the sweet and salty flavors that are more popular among americans.

American wasabi is another story. Wasabi root is very expensive to import here in the us, so to meet demand, importers market a mix of horseradish and green die as a substitute.

MSG isn't "muh evil chemicals". Or at least, it isn't any more so than anything existing. Literally everything is chemicals. Msg actually occurs naturally, forming on the surface of seaweeds that are high in it, most notably Kombu, a type of kelp traditionally used in japanese cuisine to make dashi, sushi, and rice seasonings. The reason you get a headache after eating chinese food is that you ordered the saltiest thin on the menu and then poured soy sauce all over it.

[prototypesteve]

In some places the A stands for Aphobic, but not everywhere, and not forever.

“The sample is not classed as nationally representative. Respondents came from the online platform Prolific and, compared to the UK population as a whole, were slightly younger, more likely to identify as LGBTQIA+, and more likely to have a higher education qualification.”

I can’t use words like ‘shocked’ or ‘disappointed’, because I’ve seen the aphobic content out there, I’ve seen some of the ignorance firsthand, and I know that communities under pressure always try to relieve the pressure by shrinking the community.

But I’ve also seen inclusion and advocacy and allyship from gay, lesbian, and bisexual friends, here in Canada. My workplace has a 300+ member Pride Team Member Network, (for a company with around 5,000 employees) and two of the leadership committee are openly aspec. (I’m one of them.) One of the organizers of Queer Calgary was one the first person to make sure I had an Aroace Pride pin. There’s been solid aspec representation at the Pride festivals I’ve attended in Calgary, Banff, and Vancouver.

More importantly, I’ve personally encountered deep and sincere inclusiveness and acceptance of aspec orientations and identities in England. I saw it in Durham, at BookWyrm in the Market Hall, where I bought a copy of Ace Voices. I saw it in York, at Portal Bookshop, where I bought loads of fantastic enamel pins. I saw it in London, where a stranger spotted my Asexual pride pin and made a point to be encouraging. And I saw it in Chris and Clare, my friends from Yorkshire, who I’ve written about.

So yeah. There’s always a bit of nonsense everywhere, and it’s worth keeping track of it with studies (a thermometer doesn’t cause a fever, it just checks for one). But I’ve also seen how people can learn what we are, and can see where and how we belong.

[donjuaninhell]

(I Will Soon Be Offering) Private Guitar Lessons

A few months ago one of my followers asked if I had ever thought about offering guitar lessons online via webcam. I replied that it was indeed something I had thought about but that I would need to give it more thought as to how I would approach teaching online, whether or not I had the proper equipment to provide a professional experience, how many students I could take on, and what exactly I could offer as a teacher. I also noted that I would have to create a suitable space in my apartment for hosting students. This last part took care of itself when my roommate moved out and I am presently converting his old bedroom into an office. As for the rest? Well I gave it some thought and I've hacked together reasonable solutions for most of those other issues, so I would like to announce that beginning later this winter/this spring I will be offering private one-on-one guitar lessons via webcam.

My Qualifications:

While I graduated with a degree in Classics and attended graduate school in that field, I was initially accepted into university as a music major on the basis of my guitar playing. It was only after a few years that I switched majors into Classics. In the end I still managed enough credits to claim a minor in music.

Before attending university I spent a year studying jazz theory/jazz improvisation at the college level.

Both prior to and concurrent with my college/university music education I studied classical guitar privately with a teacher for a little over a decade; through him I can claim teaching lineage back to Francisco Tárrega.

I have played in a few garage bands that never really went anywhere, performed with friends at house parties, jammed around as much as I could, and performed live as a solo guitarist.

I previously taught guitar while in university; this is not my first rodeo.

I have been playing guitar for a little over twenty three years.

What I Can Offer:

If you're a beginner I can happily guide your playing to a level where you would feel comfortable learning songs on your own, and we would start with learning basic chords, basic technique, and putting it all together into learning a few songs.

If you're past the beginner stage, I can take your playing to a level where you would be able to convincingly improvise a solo over a song, play more advanced songs, and sit in with a jam session.

If learning to read sheet music is a goal am able to assist with that.

If you're interested in beginner classical guitar I would feel comfortable teaching repertoire and technique to the level of Royal Conservatory of Music Grade Five examinations. Grade Five repertoire is typically the minimum requirement when auditioning on guitar for a university level music program in Canada. I have several guitar methods at my disposal for teaching technique, and access to a wide array of repertoire sheet music.

I am also able to teach theory as it pertains to playing the guitar and point you towards texts that from beginner levels up to basic harmonic analysis. I can teach you how chords are constructed, how they fit together into a progression, and the basic grammar of music.

Lessons, Pricing, What to Expect, What a Prospective Student Will Require:

The going rate for private music lessons is $40-$50 per hour and ranges up to well over $100 for some in demand teachers. My fee operates on a sliding scale with a floor of $20USD/$25CAD per hour. If you are comfortable paying the typical going rate, wonderful, if you are unable to afford that, we can work something out, no questions asked. Payment should be sent through PayPal or Interac e-transfer.

Due to chronic illness I can't take on more than five students a week. They needn't necessarily be the same five students every week; if a bi-weekly lesson schedule works better for a number of people, they can alternate. In the rare event that there is more demand than that mutuals and longtime followers will have priority.

What you need as a student: A guitar; a webcam; a microphone; a way of letting me hear your playing. This could mean having your microphone positioned so that I can hear your amplifier clearly, or by using a direct input. Feel free to shoot me a message if you want some recommendations for inexpensive DI-boxes and audio interfaces. Headphones would be a good idea too.

If you commit to more than one lesson the first will be free of charge. Your first lesson with me will look something like this: we'll talk about your goals and intentions i.e. what it is you hope to get out of taking guitar lessons and how far you want to take your playing. As we chat about that we can chart out a course to get you there, and then we'll just generally see where you're at. The rest of the lesson will be taken up with some pointers on properly caring for and tuning your instrument, and then we'll put some thought towards the way our bodies are posed, how we have the guitar positioned in relation to our bodies, exercising good hand ergonomics, and finding a playing position that is both comfortable and which allows for optimal freedom of movement.

I live in Toronto which is UTC -5 keep this in mind if you're interested in taking lessons and are located elsewhere.

I intend to do my best at being a trooper and toughing it out, and I will aim to not cancel lessons without fair warning, but the nature of my illness means that I may need to resort to this occasionally. You will need to be alright with this.

If you're interested, you can contact me here or at brendanpalangio@gmail.com. Hopefully I can get enough people interested that I can go about figuring out everyone's availability and drawing up a schedule.

[sywtwfs]

Olympic Quota Places Earned at the 2025 World Championships

ISU Communication 2696

The following national federations have earned quotas for the Milano-Cortina Olympics following the 2025 World Championships. Federations in italics may send one skater to the Olympic Qualifying Event in September to attempt to earn an additional spot. (The skater sent to the Qualifying Event cannot have qualified for the free skate at Worlds.) Federations that did not earn any spots at Worlds in a discipline may also try again at the Qualifying Event. See our guide on Olympic spot qualification for more details on the process.

MEN

3 Spots: USA, Japan

2 Spots: France*, Italy, Latvia

1 Spot: Kazakhstan*, South Korea*, Georgia*, Switzerland, Canada, Azerbaijan, Slovakia, Sweden, China, Estonia, Spain, Poland

24 spots allocated at Worlds, 5 remaining at the Qualifying Event

WOMEN

3 Spots: USA, Japan

2 Spots: South Korea, Switzerland

1 Spot: Belgium*, Estonia*, Canada, Italy, Kazakhstan, France, Israel, Austria, Finland, Romania, Poland, Bulgaria, Great Britain, Lithuania

24 spots allocated at Worlds, 5 remaining at the Qualifying Event

PAIRS

2 Spots: Germany, Italy, Canada, USA*

1 Spot: Japan*, Georgia*, Hungary*, Australia*, Uzbekistan*, Great Britain, Poland, Netherlands

16 spots allocated at Worlds, 3 remaining at the Qualifying Event

ICE DANCE

3 Spots: USA, Canada

2 Spots: Great Britain, France, Finland, Czechia

1 Spot: Italy*, Spain*, Georgia*, Germany, South Korea

19 spots allocated at Worlds, 4 remaining at the Qualifying Event

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Hi! I have worked with queer refugees to Canada (just left that position 2 months ago and still work in the same organization, just in a different role so I'm up to date on this stuff) and had an answer for the person asking if queer Americans would have a chance at being granted asylum.

When looking at asylum claims, the Canadian government looks for proof that there's a real and immediate dange, or real government persecution. They also look for proof of your queer identity and inability to escape persecution within your home country.

Until there is real legislation, the answer is (in my and my colleagues' experience) likely not. If Canada starts accepting Americans as refugees it means the government deems America an unsafe place to be. It would put tremendous strain on the relationships between the countries. That being said, as others pointed out, Canada's refugee legislation is becoming more and more xenophobic and they're actively trying to lower the number of refugees they're accepting.

Now, most of the people I worked with and supported are from countries where they have old colonial laws as well as newer legislation detailing prison sentences for things like supporting queer rights, being in a queer relationship, having anal sex, and public displays of affection. These places also have an enormous amount of hate groups that go around targeting queer people and seeking to harm or kill them, their families will threaten their lives, and their communities will target them or give them up.

This is not yet the case in the US, and until it is, even with the best lawyers, in my experience a refugee case would be hard to win.

I'm not saying this to discourage people or say there's no hope, but claiming refugee status in Canada is really hard. They put you through the wringer and there's an immense burden of proof on the claimant. It's also a long process where they are actively looking for reasons to deny your claim. It's not hopeless, and if laws do get passed it'll become easier which is the unfortunate reality of international politics.

That being said, from what I hear it's also not easy to immigrate to Canada unless you have some real good qualifications, a long time partner up here and you plan on getting married, or a lot of capital to come as an investor or business owner. I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I have actual experience with this so I thought it may be helpful.

~~~~

[feminist-space]

"Long COVID has destroyed my life

I would love nothing more than to “finally ignore COVID,” as the headline to Dr. Ashish Jha’s July 31 op-ed reads (“With a few basic steps, most of us can finally ignore COVID”). As a healthy, vaccinated, and recently boosted 35-year-old, I did what he said: I ignored COVID-19 on a weekend trip with friends in September 2022. But the infection I got as a result has all but destroyed my life.

A week after my infection, I began to experience intense fatigue, overwhelming headaches, and cognitive challenges that continue to this day. These symptoms are debilitating: I can no longer work, socialize, or travel. My finances are dire. And if I am unable to avoid another infection, my condition may deteriorate even further.

Jha wrote of long COVID “treatments” being promising. Perhaps he could clarify what treatments he is referring to, because my doctors say that there are no approved treatments for long COVID.

A recent study funded by the NIH’s RECOVER initiative showed that 10 percent of adults infected with COVID still have symptoms six months later, even with vaccination. By downplaying the prevalence and debilitating outcomes of even moderate long COVID, Jha is signing thousands of people up to the misery and despair with which I live every day.

Ezra J. Spier

Oakland, Calif.

Another view from infectious disease doctors

As infectious disease doctors, we disagree with Dr. Jha’s contention that it is time to ignore COVID-19.

Yes, being vaccinated and taking Paxlovid thankfully decrease the risk of severe disease. But only 43 percent of people age 65 and over and only 17 percent of all Americans had received an updated COVID vaccination by May 2023, and access to Paxlovid treatment is inequitable by race and insurance status.

Long-term complications of COVID can be devastating, including after second infections.

More than half a million Americans have died since the summer of 2021, when sufficient vaccine doses were available: COVID death rates in the United States continue to be double those of Canada. Termination of free tests and “commercialization” of medications as implemented by the federal government will only widen our country’s grisly COVID-related health disparities.

Inevitably, ignoring COVID leads to ignoring the slow-motion epidemic of long COVID. Standing up against such neglect, leaders like Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and Governor Maura Healey can promote meaningful measures to protect our communities: air purification in all schools and public spaces; free COVID-preventive masks (KN95 or N95, not surgical masks); tests, vaccines, and Paxlovid for all who cannot afford to buy them; and concern for and support of long COVID victims.

Dr. Julia Koehler

Boston

Dr. Regina LaRocque

Wellesley

We remain vulnerable to long COVID

Ashish Jha’s position as former White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator is a conflict of interest masquerading as a qualification for his op-ed. Researchers who study long COVID stated in a recent paper in Nature Reviews Immunology that “the oncoming burden of long COVID faced by patients, health-care providers, governments and economies is so large as to be unfathomable.” Rapid tests, which are less accurate with recent strains while PCR tests are less available, and low death rates give a false sense of security.

I agree that despite progress, more buildings need the air filtration and ventilation that would make public life safer. But Jha omits our vulnerability to long COVID after even mild infections, its devastating effects, and higher death rates for hospital-acquired COVID-19, combined with a lack of collective protection in health care settings with unmasked, untested people who prefer to ignore COVID-19.

Aside from advocating vaccines, he describes an everyone-for-themselves approach, not mentioning responsibility to protect others or access to essentials.

Jha dines in a restaurant with his friends while patients even in leading cancer hospitals are forced into Russian roulette, thanks to this approach.

Kathryn Nichols

Cambridge

Vigilance is necessary to prevent long COVID

While I understand the desire to promote optimism amid the ongoing pandemic, I am deeply concerned about the potential consequences of downplaying the importance of COVID precautions and the significant risk of long COVID. As a person living with long COVID for the last 16 months despite being vaccinated and boosted, I have experienced post-exertional malaise, fatigue, headaches, joint and muscle pain, cognitive dysfunction, and more symptoms that have continued to today. I have tried numerous medicines, supplements, and even participated in a clinical trial, only to find limited relief from the persistent effects of this virus.

Such a stance overlooks the reality that millions more people could end up with long COVID if we fail to remain vigilant in our efforts to combat the virus. Long COVID is a devastating consequence of this virus, and we cannot rely solely on vaccinations to end the pandemic. Even with widespread vaccination, the risk of contracting long COVID remains high. A recent study funded by the NIH’s RECOVER initiative showed that 10 percent of adults infected with COVID still have symptoms six months later. Minimizing the significance of long COVID not only neglects the suffering of long-haulers but also risks undermining public health efforts to control the spread of the virus.

By raising awareness about the risk of long COVID, media outlets can play a pivotal role in educating the public and promoting continued vigilance. Responsible reporting on the enduring impact of long COVID can serve as a reminder that the pandemic is far from over and that we must remain committed to taking necessary precautions to protect ourselves and others. Highlighting the struggles of long COVID survivors and the lack of proven treatments can spur further research and medical advancements in addressing this condition. Empathy and support for those living with long COVID are essential in paving the way for better understanding, compassionate care, and better health outcomes for everyone as COVID rates increase again this summer.

Travis Hardy

Norwalk, Conn.

Link https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/08/05/opinion/cant-ignore-long-covid-jha/

[ctcnewsca]

FIFA World Cup 2026: Which Nations Have Already Secured Their Spot?

The FIFA World Cup 2026 is gearing up to be a groundbreaking event in soccer history. Set to unfold across Canada, the United States, and Mexico, this tournament will feature a record-breaking 48 teams, a significant leap from the traditional 32. Adding to its uniqueness, it marks the first time the men’s World Cup will be hosted by three nations simultaneously. Scheduled from June 11 to July…

[jennibeultimate]

Artistic Gymnastics Olympics 2024 WAG Qualification

Number of individual (EF&AA) finals per team

Team USA 🇺🇸 9 finals (Simone Biles VT, FX + BB, Jade Carey VT, Sunisa Lee BB + UB, Jordan Chiles FX, Sunisa Lee & Simone Biles AA)

Team Italy 🇮🇹 7 finals (Alice D'Amato UB,BB + FX, Manila Esposito BB + FX, Alice D'Amato & Manila Esposito AA)

Team Brazil 🇧🇷 6 finals(Rebeca Andrade VT, BB + FX, Julia Soares BB, Rebeca Andrade & Flavia Saraiva AA)

Team China 🇨🇳 6 finals (Qiu Qiyuan UB, Zhang Yihan UB, Zhou Yaqin BB, Ou Youshan FX, Qiu Qiyuan & Ou Youshan AA)

Team Romania 🇷🇴 5 finals (Sabrina Maneca-Voinea BB + FX, Ana Barbosu FX , Ana Barbosu & Amalia Ghigoarta AA)

Team Canada 🇨🇦 4 finals (Elsabeth Black VT, Shallon Olsen VT, Elsabeth Black & Ava Stewart AA)

Team Japan 🇯🇵 3 finals (Rina Kishi FX, Rina Kishi & Haruka Nakamura AA)

Team Great Britain 🇬🇧 3 finals (Becky Downie UB, Alice Kinsella & Georgia Mae-Fenton AA)

Team South Korea 🇰🇷 1 final (Seoyeong Yeo VT)

Team Netherlands 🇳🇱 1 final (Naomi Visser AA)

Team Australia ���🇺 1 final (Ruby Pass AA)

Team France 🇫🇷 0 finals (this hurts so much 😭)

Countries with finals without team:

Germany 🇩🇪 3 finals (Sarah Voss AA, Helen Kevric UB & AA)

Algeria 🇩🇿 2 finals (Kaylia Neymour UB & AA)

Belgium 🇧🇪 1 final (Nina Derwael UB)

North Korea 🇰🇵 1 final (Chang Ok An VT)

Bulgaria 🇧🇬 1 final (Valentina Georgieva VT)

Portugal 🇵🇹 1 final (Filipa Martins AA)

Hungary 🇭🇺 1 final (Bettina Lilli Czifra AA)

Colombia 🇨🇴 1 final (Luisa Blanco AA)

[thebreakfastgenie]

I KNOW THIS POST IS A JOKE

https://x.com/strike_dr/status/1876821001889075296?s=46&t=FcoVShSsnYmEcygKTqiuBQ

But goddamn i didn’t realize how much commies hated America and generalized everyone in it. And I do get it to extent but cmon be a little realistic as much as either country doesn’t really like us atm I don’t think they’re going to just … do that.

Majority Americans from what I’ve seen don’t want us to annex these guys either!! I mean for fucks sakes Mexico sent up some their firefighters and I think Canada sent help as well for the LA fires!

Also what would the combine take over of Canada and Mexico do for them? Yeah it gets rid of America but once it’s gone wouldn’t their next target be either of these countries??? (I would think particularly Canada since I think one of their heads is trying to be a mini trump) Or was the goal just death to America bc either country is sooo much better in comparison.

The reflexive anti-Americanism is so exhausting, I'm just done with it. I'm not going to hate myself for being American. I'm not going to pretend America isn't a country with a lot of people from many different backgrounds living in it, people whose lives matter. It's not an abstract concept. I've made anti-America jokes and I'll probably continue to do so once in a while because sometimes they're funny and it's a nice counter to right wing hyperpatriotism but this kind humor is something I've outgrown. Other people have pointed this out but "America is the worst and most evil" is just another form of American exceptionalism. I have worked hard as an American raised in a culture obsessed with American exceptionalism to internalize America is just a country like any other country, some good, some bad, full of people. There are some qualifications to this because the US is uniquely powerful and also just unusually large and wealthy, but I think you know what I mean.

[chirpingfromthebox]

TORONTO (February 10, 2025) – The Toronto Sceptres have announced two updates to the roster today following the league’s international break. Forward Laura Kluge has been signed to a Standard Player Agreement (SPA) for the remainder of the 2024-25 Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) season, and forward Sarah Nurse has been placed on long-term injured reserve (LTIR).

“We are excited to welcome Laura back to our organization,” shares General Manager Gina Kingsbury. “Laura had a great training camp with us and left a great impression on our entire team. She will add to our team both on and off the ice.” The 28-year-old from Berlin, Germany was part of Toronto’s 2024-25 Training Camp, appearing in two mini-camp games. In her first appearance against Minnesota, the teams played a three-on-three overtime following regulation and Kluge scored in the OT period. A veteran on the German National Team, Kluge has represented her country at seven World Championships in the top division and most recently helped her country earn a berth in the 2026 Winter Olympics with two assists in three qualification games last week. Kluge played four NCAA seasons at St. Cloud State from 2017-21 and produced 52 points in 99 games and ranked within the top-15 career leaders in many Huskies categories including game-winning goals and assists. Kluge then spent three seasons with ECDC Memmingen of the DFEL and scored 73 points in 38 regular season games, and 24 points in 12 playoff games. The team captured the league championship in 2023 and 2024. Earlier in the 2024-25 season, Kluge played for the DFEL’s Eisbären Juniors Berlin and recorded 16 points in 14 games. Per the Players Association, salary terms of contracts will not be disclosed. Kluge will wear number 25 for the Sceptres, and Anneke Rankila will now wear number 13. Nurse suffered a lower-body injury during Game 4 of the Rivalry Series on Thursday while playing for Canada’s National Women’s Team and will be out of the Sceptres lineup indefinitely. Through 15 regular season games, the 30-year-old from Hamilton, ON contributed five goals and seven assists for 12 points.