#st louis effort for aids

[partisan-by-default]

A coalition of more than 40 civil rights organizations have penned an open letter raising the alarm about the growing trend of anti-mask legislation and urging lawmakers to oppose mask bans.

Read the full letter here.

This letter, from a coalition of groups championing privacy, civil liberties, reproductive freedom, disability rights, COVID justice, mutual aid, LGBTQ+ rights, Palestinian liberation, and labor power, comes just weeks after the news that a second Trump administration, keen on targeting political opposition, will once again operate a massive surveillance infrastructure and embolden violence against marginalized communities from the highest office in the country.

However, as the letter notes, banning masks has been a bipartisan effort a long time in the making, with both Democrats and Republicans in North Carolina, New York, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Louisville, and more driving the latest push to ban masks in response to masking at Palestine solidarity protests.

Rights experts cite three main concerns with anti-mask legislation: suppression of free expression, forced exposure to police and commercial surveillance, and increased violence against marginalized people. Notably, a new mask ban in Nassau County, New York has already been weaponized to arrest a pro-Palestine protester without cause, while maskers in North Carolina note that even before it formally passed, a statewide ban escalated public harassment.

The coalition argues that lawmakers should oppose mask bans regardless of health and religious exemptions, as exemptions are likely to be enforced arbitrarily by police and do not prevent bans from stigmatizing masking in public. This creates a dangerous culture for all who mask to protect from a multitude of threats, including the ongoing risks of COVID and Long COVID, especially singling out immunocompromised and disabled people who have long masked to protect themselves in public.

The letter ends by calling on lawmakers to urgently denounce mask bans, oppose efforts to pass anti-mask legislation or revive defunct bans in their jurisdictions, and defend the right to mask in public for all.

[technofeudalism]

this week marks the 146-year anniversary of the St. Louis Commune of 1877 which powered the first general strike in us history and the first time workers had ever united and seized control of a US city.

German and French veterans of the 1848 revolutions and the 1871 Paris Commune, joined by members of the First International, led the revolt in my hometown. and rebellious, class-conscious workers rose up, embracing socialism as the solution to their exploitation.

the US isn't immune to Paris Commune–style eruptions of class consciousness. these types of historical events can provide valuable insights and motivation for an ongoing pursuit of a more just and equitable society, no matter how long ago they may seem to have taken place. in the grand scheme of things, our timeline is actually really quite small. America isn’t even 250 years old.

the St. Louis Commune of 1877 should be remembered by leftists today as a poignant reminder that the fight for workers’ rights and social justice can still transcend borders and can take root in unexpected places - even during a time that technology provided virtually no aid in these efforts - making the fight ever more important in locations today where workers desperately need representation.

[docgold13]

Heroes & Villains The DC Animated Universe - Paper Cut-Out Portraits and Profiles

Amanda Waller

Born in East St. Louis, Amanda Waller was granted a Rhodes Scholarship and earned a PhD in political science, before going on to work in the intelligence sector under three administrations. She would later disappear from public life after becoming involved with secret government work, work that would eventually lead to the formation of the shadowy organization known as Project Cadmus.

Cadmus was designed as a contingency program to combat the Justice League were the team of superheroes to ever go rogue.  Manipulated by Lex Luthor, Waller had Cadmus enter into something of an arms race with the Justice League wherein Cadmus took drastic steps to amass powerful and dangerous weapons.  Waller became blinded in her sense of duty to protect her country from potential threats; so much so that she ended up becoming such a threat herself.  

Among the many projects that Waller oversaw at Cadmus included the foundation of TaskForce X, obtaining the Annihilator Armor, cloning Superman and Supergirl in the form of living weapons known as Doomsday and Galatea, and the creation of an army of genetically engineered metahuman soldiers known as the Ultimen.  Each of these efforts ended in near disasters requiring the heroic intervention of the Justice League.  

With Batman’s aide, Waller was finally convinced of the duplicity of Lex Luthor and how she had been manipulated into doing his bidding.  Waller assisted the League in trying to apprehend Luthor, who then revealed himself to have merged with the synthetic entity known as Brainiac.  

The Luthor/Brainiac composite was ultimately defeated and Waller had Project Cadmus formerly dissolved.  Waller again retreated to the shadows, periodically assisting the League with information on potential threats.  

Waller’s interactions with Batman left an indelible impression on her.  She became convinced that the world needed human heroes like Batman in order to prevent super humans from straying.  Knowing that Batman was mortal and would grow older, Waller secretly initiated ‘Project Batman Beyond.’  Herein Waller used Batman’s genetic material to generate a fetus that was covertly implanted in a young woman.  The child born to this family, Terry McGinnis, was Batman’s biological son and circumstances ultimately led to his donning the cowl as the next generation’s Batman.  

Actress Carol Christine Hilaria (CCH) Pounder provided the voice for Amanda Waller, with the strategist first appearing in the ninth episode of the first season of Justice League Unlimited, ‘Ultimatum.’

[tigerstrikesasteroidnetwork]

NY / Ryan Patrick Krueger: Documents from the Closet

Courtesy of the Artist and Rivalry Projects, Buffalo, NY

Ryan Patrick Krueger: Documents from the Closet August 5 - September 10, 2023 Opening reception: August 5, 2023, 5-8pm

Tiger Strikes Asteroid New York is pleased to present Documents from the Closet, a solo installation of work by Ryan Patrick Krueger, curated by Samantha Box. This exhibition marks Krueger’s New York City debut, and is accompanied by a curatorial text written by Mary Lee Hodgens, artist and former Assistant Director of Light Work, Syracuse.

Documents from the Closet

Mary Lee Hodgens For their ongoing project, Documents from the Closet, artist Ryan Patrick Krueger works with a personal collection of LGBTQ+ archives, vernacular photographs, and ephemera to tell a story about grief, loss, and courage. The artist weaves together two narratives, an unflinching effort to understand personal losses and identity through an exploration that begins in the historical oppression of gay men.

In the gallery, Krueger props seven-foot-tall pine boxes precariously against the walls, balanced atop piles of dirt or sand. In size and shape, the boxes feel reminiscent of monuments, gravestones, or coffins. Each box contains a history lesson: formally elegant collages of monochromatic black-and-white shapes that Krueger punctuates with flourishes of pink, red, and the bright yellow of shipping envelopes. Collage is about finding new meaning in the juxtaposition of disparate elements. For Krueger, this process of isolating, truncating, or layering visual information allows for dialogue with the past while telling their own newer story.  

In 2011, Krueger began an eBay search using phrases such as “gay interest” and “vintage gay photograph” to hunt down photographs depicting what they describe as “tenderness, friendship, intimacy, and true love.” These photographs, including tintypes and photo booth portraits, show us men—now long gone—embracing or sometimes just mugging for the camera. Played out decades ago, these fleeting moments of connection and intimacy now feel furtive. Krueger allows us to see their process by including eBay receipts and the handwritten envelopes in which a network of other collectors of “gay interest” move and share these documents. We grieve these lives with the artist, who asks us to consider both the complexities of living a double life in pre-Stonewall America and our own human need for connection and community.

Krueger references many iconic gay artists, activists, and organizations here, including Act Up, David Deitcher, Essex Hemphill, Hal Fischer, Jonathan Ned Katz, Marlon Riggs, the Mattachine Society, and David Wojnarowicz. The artists also layers many symbols of the struggle over the documents, including a red tie, pink triangles, a locket containing the ashes of a childhood best friend, red boxing gloves, and clippings of classified ads from the pages of a defunct 1990’s LGBTQ+ newspaper.

What emerges is that Krueger’s embrace of LGBTQ+ American history allows them to stand on a timeline that faces forward. Although each box feels final and heavy with grief, there is also a sense of triumph. In acknowledging those who’ve gone before, Krueger transforms the boxes into protest banners. Furtiveness falls away, and in its place comes acceptance and yes, pride. As artist and AIDs activist David Wojnarowicz said, “To make the private into something public is an action that has terrific ramifications.”

Ryan Patrick Krueger holds a BFA in Photography from Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, Oregon, and was formerly Digital Services Coordinator for Light Work, a non-profit artist-run photography organization at Syracuse University. Krueger has curated exhibitions and held shows nationally including Documents from the Closet at the Everson Museum of Art (Syracuse, NY), On Longing at MONACO (St. Louis, MO), Response Response (with Linda Kliewer in Portland, OR), and Queer Moments: Selections from the Light Work Collection (Syracuse, NY). Most recently, Krueger exhibited work in the 2022 FotoFest Biennial, If I Had A Hammer, (Houston, TX), and appeared in Aperture, Art in America, and Sixty Inches From Center.  

[christianpureofficial]

Virtually no aid has reached Gaza for over 40 days, CRS says

A refugee camp in Gaza houses those displaced by the war. / Photo courtesy of Catholic Relief Services. St. Louis, Mo., Nov 27, 2024 / 14:05 pm (CNA). A nearly two-month blockage of supplies into parts of northern Gaza amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war is hampering the aid efforts of Catholic Relief Services, the official international Catholic relief and development agency of the U.S.…

[usamarketerss]

How Can Law Firms Use Video, NYC-Specific Strategies, and Podcasts to Boost Marketing?

In New York City's tough legal scene, law firms must stand out to grow their client base. Using modern digital marketing tools like video, NYC-specific strategies, and podcasts can help law firms get noticed connect with potential clients, and become leaders in legal thinking. These methods allow firms to show their expertise and reach more people in the busy NYC market.

1. Video Marketing: A Powerful Tool to Engage

Videos offer an effective way to explain complex legal ideas in a simple easy-to-understand format. Law firms can build trust with potential clients by creating educational videos that explain legal processes or answer common questions. New York City law firms can go further by customizing videos for the local audience. For instance, they can address NYC-specific legal matters such as rent control laws, worker rights, or injury cases linked to the city's unique setting. This approach will strike a chord with viewers in the area.

Also, videos give the firm a human face. Clients want to feel a connection with their legal representatives, and showing lawyers' personalities and know-how can create that personal link. Brief video testimonials from happy clients or case studies can also boost credibility.

2. Strategies that are applied in practical terms:

 Comprehending a different market

New York City is definitely a world of its own with its diverse people and environment, a busy lifestyle with a myriad of activities going on, and legal issues specific to that area. Law practice and marketing in St. Louis in New York City, for example, is a science since there is no room for complacency outside one’s office radius. Processes such as the use of search engine optimization targeting phrases like ‘personal injury lawyer Manhattan’ or Brooklyn real estate lawyer come into play.

Being active in such activities is also a good idea because it not only helps to increase the visibility of the firm but also aids in gaining credibility in a certain area. For example, connecting with people through such activities as sponsoring events held in New York City, organizing local-oriented legal webinars, and reaching out to potential clients by e-marketing a firm will help in the firm’s image-building as well as attracting suitable clients.

3. Podcasts: Gaining Credibility and Earning The Trust

Podcasts are becoming increasingly popular as a channel for law firms to exhibit their capability and reach out to prospective clients. A New York-based Podcast that is centered on law will enable law firms to break the ice by venturing into very relevant issues within the society, giving legal guidance, and providing insights into the latest developments in the legal sector in New York.

Moreover, law firms can facilitate other industry specialists or accomplished NYC businesspeople to feature in their podcasts. It’s a cost-friendly yet effective way of reaching out to people, sharing information, and nurturing loyal fans.

Conclusion

The lawyers might consider augmenting their traditional strategies with the use of visuals, local-specific strategies, and podcasts and this will help them improve their marketing efforts to the digitized approach. This is because these tools aid in drawing the attention of potential clients and also position the firm as a credible and authoritative figure in the legal market.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 4.8 (before 1950)

217 – Roman emperor Caracalla is assassinated and is succeeded by his Praetorian Guard prefect, Marcus Opellius Macrinus. 876 – The Battle of Dayr al-'Aqul saves Baghdad from the Saffarids. 1139 – Roger II of Sicily is excommunicated by Innocent II for supporting Anacletus II as pope for seven years, even though Roger had already publicly recognized Innocent's claim to the papacy. 1232 – Mongol–Jin War: The Mongols begin their siege on Kaifeng, the capital of the Jin dynasty. 1250 – Seventh Crusade: Ayyubids of Egypt capture King Louis IX of France in the Battle of Fariskur. 1271 – In Syria, sultan Baibars conquers the Krak des Chevaliers. 1605 – The city of Oulu, Finland, is founded by Charles IX of Sweden. 1730 – Shearith Israel, the first synagogue in continental North America, is dedicated. 1812 – Czar Alexander I, the Russian Emperor and the Grand Duke of Finland, officially announces the transfer of the status of the Finnish capital from Turku to Helsinki. 1820 – The Venus de Milo is discovered on the Aegean island of Milos. 1832 – Black Hawk War: Around 300 United States 6th Infantry troops leave St. Louis, Missouri to fight the Sauk Native Americans. 1866 – Austro-Prussian War: Italy and Prussia sign a secret alliance against the Austrian Empire. 1886 – William Ewart Gladstone introduces the first Irish Home Rule Bill into the British House of Commons. 1895 – In Pollock v. Farmers' Loan & Trust Co. the Supreme Court of the United States declares unapportioned income tax to be unconstitutional. 1904 – The French Third Republic and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland sign the Entente cordiale. 1906 – Auguste Deter, the first person to be diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, dies. 1908 – Harvard University votes to establish the Harvard Business School. 1911 – Dutch physicist Heike Kamerlingh Onnes discovers superconductivity. 1913 – The 17th Amendment to the United States Constitution, requiring direct election of Senators, becomes law. 1918 – World War I: Actors Douglas Fairbanks and Charlie Chaplin sell war bonds on the streets of New York City's financial district. 1924 – Sharia courts are abolished in Turkey, as part of Atatürk's Reforms. 1929 – Indian independence movement: At the Delhi Central Assembly, Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt throw handouts and bombs to court arrest. 1935 – The Works Progress Administration is formed when the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act of 1935 becomes law. 1940 – The Central Committee of the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party elects Yumjaagiin Tsedenbal as General Secretary, marking the beginning of his 44-year-long tenure as de facto leader of Mongolia. 1942 – World War II: The Japanese take Bataan in the Philippines. 1943 – U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in an attempt to check inflation, freezes wages and prices, prohibits workers from changing jobs unless the war effort would be aided thereby, and bars rate increases by common carriers and public utilities. 1943 – Otto and Elise Hampel are executed in Berlin for their anti-Nazi activities. 1945 – World War II: After an air raid accidentally destroys a train carrying about 4,000 Nazi concentration camp internees in Prussian Hanover, the survivors are massacred by Nazis. 1946 – Électricité de France, the world's largest utility company, is formed as a result of the nationalisation of a number of electricity producers, transporters and distributors.

[storystitchers]

Celebrate 10 Years Stitchers Style! from Saint Louis Story Stitchers on Vimeo.

Compilation video of end of year videos of Saint Louis Story Stitchers as we look forward to celebrating our first 10 years!

SAVE THE DATE! 10 Year Anniversary Celebration! August 9 and 10, 2024

Our History -

Once upon a time there was a stitcher who liked to embroider stories from the newspaper. One day she was stitching about two sisters who were shot on their porch in University City. One sister died. Two brothers were arrested for the crime. The stitcher reflected on the power of stitching throughout history; of the Aids quilt and quilts on the Underground Railroad. She determined to join with others to create change. In August 2013 eight artists gathered in Old North St. Louis and founded the Saint Louis Story Stitchers Artists Collective — to make change. On December 24, 2014, Saint Louis Story Stitchers was incorporated as a charitable organization in the Great State of Missouri.

Since that time, we have made great strides, working with people to stop the violence and to empower youth to make a change for Saint Louis through creative youth development.

Accomplishments by the numbers since 2014 include —

8 founding artists 800 teens and young adults have participated in free programs 179 artist mentors 37 board members

185 public performances to 62,000 live audience members 30 songs written 2 books, 1 game, and 1 portfolio published 3 plays written and produced 15,000 hours open for youth 4 studios including The Center 30 Saint Louis neighborhoods visited 153 podcasts published

Revenue growth from $59,324 in 2015 to $701,593 in 2023

In 10 years, with your help, we have brought $792,795 national dollars home to STL to support young artists and artists of color in building bridges to peace for all. National awards include 3 grants from the National Endowment for the Arts totaling $70,000, a 2021 Accelerator Award for $500,000 from The Lewis Prize for Music, $73,611 from the CDC Foundation, $25,000 from the Obama Foundation, and $30,000 from The Charity Pot.

Over 10 years, Story Stitchers have collaborated with artists 16 to 83 years old on music, storytelling, neighborhood block parties performances, public service announcement campaigns, and multi-year signature projects focusing efforts on high quality art and innovative youth violence prevention programs. Artists have built an archive of Black voices from 2014, through Ferguson and Michael Brown's death, the Covid-19 pandemic, George Floyd, and through years of heartbreaking violence in our beautiful city to bring unheard voices to light.

Together, with you, we are reshaping the future of our region through youth empowerment that builds from exposure and experiences in high quality artistic practice.

So let's celebrate!!

Here are the details of the event:

10 Year Anniversary Celebration

.ZACK Theatre

3224 Locust, St. Louis 63103

August 9, 2024

11:00-3:00 Youth Empowerment Summit

In memory of Michael Brown

Free to 50 youth with boxed lunches

August 10, 2024

7:00 VIP Reception with hor d'oeuvres, wine, beer, soda

8:00 Hall of Fame Awards from Stitchers Youth Council

9:00-11:00 10 Year Anniversary Album Release Party & Concert

Featuring Story Stitchers artists from across the 10 years!

Tickets coming soon on MetroTix! Follow our e-news at storystitchers.org to stay tuned!

[jcmarchi]

Finding nature-inspired alternatives to plastics focus of new center - Technology Org

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/finding-nature-inspired-alternatives-to-plastics-focus-of-new-center-technology-org/

Finding nature-inspired alternatives to plastics focus of new center - Technology Org

Despite efforts to reduce the use of plastic or recycle it, most plastic produced in the world ends up in landfills, the oceans, or is dumped, causing catastrophic effects on the environment, the ecosystem, and the economy.

The mission of the Synthetic Biology Manufacturing of Advanced Materials Research Center is to push the frontiers of knowledge through convergent research; develop pathways to train a manufacturing workforce; leverage an environment of diversity; and enhance innovation in the manufacturing of synthetic biological materials. Image credit: Aimee Felter/McKelvey School of Engineering

To address this, a team of researchers in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis has established the Synthetic Biology Manufacturing of Advanced Materials Research Center (SMARC) to create an integrated education, research and innovation ecosystem enabled by the convergence across multiple disciplines and research areas.

Its mission is to push the frontiers of knowledge through convergent research; develop pathways to train a manufacturing workforce that can harness artificial intelligence and the biological transformation in manufacturing; leverage an environment of diversity and inclusion to maximize human capital; and enhance innovation in the manufacturing of synthetic biological materials by understanding and overcoming barriers to technology adoption in partnership with industry.

Marcus Foston, an associate professor of energy, environmental and chemical engineering, will co-lead the center with Fuzhong Zhang, a professor of energy, environmental and chemical engineering and co-director of the center, which is funded in part by a five-year $3.6 million Growing Convergence Research grant from the National Science Foundation. With this funding, the team plans to develop a new class of biologically synthesized, protein-based and biodegradable materials that harness themes from nature to replace traditional petroleum-derived plastics.

“Our vision is a future in which advances in synthetic biology, biotechnology and biomanufacturing, machine learning, social sciences, materials science and mechanics converge to transition the world toward wide-spread use of bio-derived and biodegradable plastics from renewable feedstocks,” Foston said.

[embedded content]

Also on the Washington University leadership team are Guy Genin, the Harold and Kathleen Faught Professor of Mechanical Engineering, and Roman Garnett, an associate professor of computer science and engineering. Researchers from Northwestern University, Iowa State University and the University of South Florida bring together a convergence of cross-disciplinary expertise to evolve the plastics economy by developing a platform for the discovery of synthetic biological materials with desired properties.   

Foston and Zhang will lead a team that includes experts in synthetic biology, machine learning, polymer science, material mechanics and computational materials simulation. They will use machine learning aided with material screening and simulation approaches to accelerate the process of finding promising protein sequences that can be used to make biodegradable materials with targeted properties to replace plastics in both high- and low-value applications. In addition, they will develop synthetic biological methods and genetically engineered microbes to produce protein-based materials sustainably and economically. 

While much of the biomanufacturing industry has focused on medicines and biotherapeutics, this center will focus on fundamental scientific and engineering problems that occur during the design, development and manufacturing stages of synthetic biological materials, with the goal of leading a large-scale transition to an economy based upon sustainable and biodegradable plastics. This transition will begin with high-performance polymers.

“Synthetic biology has the potential to deliver the next generation of advanced materials with new functional properties to address a wide range of unmet needs,” Genin said. “With examples such as spider silk, elastin and resilin, synthetic biology also has the potential to leverage nature to provide access to affordable and sustainable production of novel macromolecular materials.”

Along with research, the center will include an education component.

“We will develop unique graduate educational frameworks for cross-disciplinary innovation at WashU, while simultaneously working to develop a pipeline of future innovators in the St. Louis community,” said Zhang, the center’s director of education and outreach. “This is a unique opportunity to impact our community and our world.”

[embedded content]

The center will open with a major international symposium April 18-19. Until then, Foston said, their work is cut out for them.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for major impact in the region and world,” he said. “We are all thrilled to have these resources to bring together the particular strengths of WashU and St. Louis to solve a pressing global challenge.”

Source: Washington University in St. Louis

You can offer your link to a page which is relevant to the topic of this post.

[tripcabinet]

Discovering Tranquility: A Journey to St. John’s Island, Singapore

Introduction:

Escape the hustle and bustle of daily life when you embark on a journey to explore Singapore’s St. John’s Island. Just a short boat ride from the mainland, this tranquil spot offers the perfect mix of history, nature, and relaxation. And think about it, what? You can make this dream getaway come true with a TripCabinet exclusive Singapore tour package from Indore Join us as we explore St. Petersburg on beautiful John Island, where tranquility meets adventure.

A Glimpse into History:

St. John’s Island, formerly Pulau Sakijang Bendera, has a captivating history dating back to the early 19th century. Renamed in honor of Sir John James Cowperthwaite, the island has evolved from serving as a quarantine station for immigrants to becoming a peaceful haven for nature enthusiasts and history buffs alike.

Getting There with our Singapore Tour Package from Indore:

Your trip to St. Louis. John’s Island begins in style with our exclusive Singapore Tour Package from Indore. We manage all logistics, ensuring a seamless and enjoyable experience. Your tour begins with a luxury boat ride from the Marina South Pier, offering panoramic views of the Singapore skyline and neighboring islands. Be sure to check the cruise schedule and relax knowing we’ve got everything sorted for you.

Natural Beauty and Biodiversity:

St. John’s Island is a visible dinner party for nature enthusiasts. With lush greenery, pristine beaches, and vibrant coral reefs, the island gives a various range of studies. Snorkeling enthusiasts may be captivated by the aid of the underwater wonders, even as walking trails result in lookout points with panoramic views of the ocean. Our guided tour guarantees you don’t pass over any of these herbal treasures.

Relaxation and Recreation:

Relax on a tranquil beach, have a beach picnic, or just soak up the sun – St. Petersburg is the place to be. John’s Island meets your relaxation needs with gentle sea breezes and a peaceful atmosphere that will appeal to families, solo travelers, and adventurers alike. With Trip Cabinet Singapore itineraries from Indore, you can make the most of your time on this beautiful island.

Conservation Efforts and Exclusive Experiences:

St. John’s Island is more than just a getaway. It is a testament to Singapore’s commitment to conservation. Our tour includes a tour of the Tropical Marine Science Institute facility on the island, where you’ll get an insight into marine research and conservation efforts. This is a unique experience that deepens your journey.

Conclusion:

Experience a unique journey with Trip Cabinet Singapore tour package from Indore, as we guide you through the history, ecology, and relaxation of St. Petersburg. John’s Island has to offer. This hidden gem isn’t just a destination. It is a sanctuary that invites you to let go of the ordinary and embrace the extraordinary. Join us in St. Louis. John Island Beach offers an unforgettable experience designed every time for your pleasure and enjoyment.

[thxnews]

AmeriCorps: Transformative Service Impacting Communities

  AmeriCorps Recognizes Outstanding Service Excellence

In a ceremony that echoes with the spirit of service and dedication, AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service and volunteerism, proudly acknowledges the remarkable contributions of individuals and programs receiving the Excellence in AmeriCorps Awards. These accolades highlight outstanding efforts that align with AmeriCorps' mission, spanning Impactful Service, Inclusive Service, Innovative Service, and Lifetime of Service.   Excellence in AmeriCorps: Grace Glasgow's Visionary Impact Grace Glasgow, an AmeriCorps alumna, stands out for her exceptional service with AmeriCorps State and National's program, Impact America’s Focus First Initiative. Glasgow's mission took her across Alabama, conducting vital vision screenings for children aged 6 months to 5 years. Screening over 5,000 children in 22 counties, Glasgow's impact is tangible, with 495 children identified for subsidized follow-up care. This initiative ensures children enter school with the essential ability to understand instructions, recognize facial reactions, and engage fully in their educational journey.   Innovative Service: Joanna Urive’s Extra Mile In Anchorage, Alaska, AmeriCorps member Joanna Urive is making waves at the Public Defender Agency. Going beyond expectations, Urive assists clients in criminal matters and Children in Need of Assistance cases. Leveraging a second job's promotion, Urive enhances the well-being of clients, showcasing the innovative spirit AmeriCorps embodies.   Inclusive Service: iFoster's Empowering Initiative The iFoster for Transition-Age Youth program, a national AmeriCorps initiative, focuses on recruiting young people from foster youth communities. Operating in California, Kentucky, Nevada, New York, Ohio, and Washington, iFoster inherently champions inclusivity by engaging underserved and minority communities. This program empowers former foster youth, providing them with skills and tools for a resilient transition from foster care to an independent life.   Lifetime of Service: Sondra Samuels' Enduring Commitment Sondra Samuels' lifetime dedication to service is a testament to AmeriCorps' enduring impact. From the Peace Corps in Botswana to AmeriCorps' Weed-n-Seed initiative in Philadelphia, Samuels exemplifies commitment. As the president and CEO of the Northside Achievement Zone, she continues to lead a cultural shift in North Minneapolis, focusing on ending multigenerational poverty through education.   Excellence in Disaster Services Leadership: Michael Rojas' Resilience Michael Rojas, a standout AmeriCorps member with the Iowa Habitat for Humanity Mobile Response Team, demonstrates exemplary leadership. Responding to tornadoes, floods, and the Iowa COVID-19 pandemic, Rojas showcases resilience and commitment. Now serving as the disaster program officer at Volunteer Iowa, he utilizes his AmeriCorps-honed leadership skills at the state and national levels.   Outstanding AmeriCorps Response Team: AmeriCorps St. Louis Founded in 1994, AmeriCorps St. Louis is a beacon of community service. Their Emergency Response Team, a rapid deployment group, aids nationally in floods, tornadoes, wildfires, and even the COVID-19 pandemic. Beyond disaster response, AmeriCorps St. Louis operates a resource center for the homeless, embodying their commitment to community welfare.  

AmeriCorps: An Ongoing Legacy of Service

Michael D. Smith, CEO of AmeriCorps, expresses pride in the awardees' dedication: "AmeriCorps members and grantees, like those awarded, dedicate their time and skills to improve their communities, and we are thrilled to highlight and honor the impressive work they have done." With a legacy spanning nearly 30 years, AmeriCorps continues to inspire generations, answering America's call for positive change. Since its inception, AmeriCorps has seen over 1.25 million Americans pledging to "get things done for America." This annual recognition through the Excellence in AmeriCorps Awards underscores the ongoing commitment of members and alumni to address the nation's most pressing challenges. AmeriCorps, truly embodying its ethos, ensures America is a better place for generations to come.   Sources: THX News & AmeriCorps. Read the full article

[somethingpositive4positivepeople]

SPFPP Episode 190: Identity Validation is Suicide Prevention - Stigma in Blackness

The intersection of overlapping identities intensifies the impacts of traumatic events. The impact of stigma on a white cis-gendered male has a significantly DIFFERENT impact than it would say an intersex black trans woman. You put one member of these overlapping identities in the same situation, and you have completely different possibilities for outcomes with minimal overlap. Mental health impacts COULD be the same, but statistics show the risk of violence for existing is something the former has minimal chances of experiencing. Today we can an inside look of the intersex, trans experience with my primary health care provider, simply because she’s given me my STI & HIV tests since 2019, Leigh.

[reverse-moon]

How Reckless (Intruality) ═SOULMATE AU═ || Sanders Sides Big Bang 2022

By Artist_Hope; beta read by @edupunkn00b and @kaythegay2022; art by @dystopiagnome and @im-an-anxious-wreck

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4

AO3 Link!!

Pairing(s): Intruality, Prinxiety, Loceit, Remile

AU: Soulmate, but extra

Chapter: 1/4

Chapter word count: 1052

Summary: In a world where soulmates are assigned through various methods, Patton Morgan gets stuck with the more annoying "wound soulmate" assignment. Anytime his Soulmate, a Remus Duke, gets hurt, he feels and receives a matching wound. And it's /very/ annoying since Remus doesn't seem to mind pain and gets hurt a lot.

Remus Duke, his brother, Roman Prince, and his best friend, Janus Drake, are all looking for their soulmates. When they get to St Louis, Missouri, they end up with the best luck, finding all three. And Remus (despite his attempts to change that) doesn't think Patton likes him. Probably because he's pretty upset about the years of pain he's endured from Remus.

✨✨TLDR: Remus visits St Louis, Missouri to find Patton, his soulmate who has dealt with over 4 years of pain from reckless Re, and has to find a way to make up for it :')✨✨

╔═════════════════════╗

『The Thomas Sanders Sides Big Bang - 2022』

╚═════════════════════╝

Patton winced as his arm flared up in a sharp slice of pain. Remus Duke had done something to his arm. This wasn't the first time. After all, his Soulmate carved his name and a greeting in his arm not long after they noticed the connection.

The Morgan had gotten used to the concept of this Remus Duke getting hurt often. However, it didn't mean he had to like it. It sucked that there wasn't any way to actually communicate other than carving an address or his cell number into his body. And despite his efforts, none of the other Remus Dukes he’d ever found (not that there were many) were as banged up as Patton was.

It had come to his knowledge that the 3 Remus Dukes with the Physical Danger connection in his town were all very careful to avoid hurting their soulmates. And just from talking to them, apparently the name Remus was rarely given to people who had the last name Duke. Something about being too mafia-like? He didn't understand it really.

Needless to say, they were not his soulmates. And his was getting him nowhere.

He looked at his arm, seeing a rather surface gash that went down most of his forearm. "Darn it, Remus..." He groaned, getting up from the garden and walking inside. He was very tempted to prick his finger on the rose bush near the door but figured it wasn't worth it. No sense in being petty.

He moved to the bathroom and grabbed the first aid kit, sighing and starting to clean the wound. It would have been much easier were-

"We're back, Pat."

Oh, thank the lords of well-timed conveniences. "In the bathroom." Patton cleaned the wound as he heard the two come closer. Glancing up in the mirror, he saw Virgil and Logan Nyx come in.

"Again? Doesn't your Soulmate know the meaning of the word caution?" Virgil asked. Patton just shrugged as Logan moved to get the bandage wraps. "One time. All you gotta do is let Logan hit you once, and he'll learn."

"No! Being petty isn't gonna do anything, Virgil..." Patton really hated having this conversation. "How was your Brothers’ Day?"

Logan shrugged. "It went well. The My Chemical Romance reunion signing was actually quite fun and Virgil was quite thrilled at the Bioluminescence Exhibit at the museum." He started to wrap the wound.

"I like the natural glowy colours!" Virgil added, kind of using a defensive tone. "They're calming." He sat on the bathroom counter, grumbling. "Anyway, Pat, you're gonna have to get hurt so he learns to be more careful eventually. For all you know, you'll never meet him. And you both might get too hurt for help if he doesn't learn."

Honestly, as much as Patton hated to admit it, Virgil had a point. Remus was certainly reckless enough to get both himself and Patton killed. It wasn't unheard of. "I'll do it later when my arm isn't threatening to bleed," he said, not promising anything. "For now, I just want to finish gardening and make dinner."

“I do find it worrisome that you don’t seem as concerned as you should be about the amount of pain you receive over 3 days, Patton,” Logan said, finishing up with the dressing of the wound. “Just in the time we’ve been your housemates, you have received about 10 different wounds within 3 days as the top number. That’s at least 6,085 times in the 5 years we have been housemates if my calculations are correct.”

“Why would you calculate that?” Patton muttered, moving out of the bathroom to go back outside and at least finish his tulip gardening.

“Because I worry. We’ve known you for 13 years. Your soulmate seems to have been this reckless since you were 16 and received the connection to him, which if my math is correct and we’re using 10 wounds for every 3-day stretch as our base, equals at the very least 12,170 wounds to present. It’s a wonder you both are not dead already,” Logan said.

“You also forget he can calculate a lot of tough math in his head fast,” Virgil reminded Patton. “Besides, you don’t know anything about your soulmate. He could be a drug addict, or a dealer, or… Or some sort of mafia member!” Virgil put a hand on Patton’s shoulder. “You really should see about getting some extra protection.”

He hated this feeling the two brothers gave him. They never meant to, but it always happened. It didn’t surprise him that it happened with a wound this bad—it happened with less. But it didn’t make it any less annoying. “Thank you for the concern, Virgil, Logan. But I trust Remus to not die, even if he does worry me with how often he gets hurt. I’m sure he isn’t that reckless."

Logan and Virgil sighed, going back inside and leaving him alone. And as thankful as Patton was for that, he was very upset at the information he was given. Over 12,000 wounds within the ten years he's been connected to Remus. Hell, he didn't even know if they were compatible. It made no sense to him that he could even be… Then again, thinking back? No one thought he and the Nyx twins would work as friends.

Patton was 13 when he met Logan and Virgil for the first time. The twin brothers were quite different from what Patton had grown used to seeing. Logan was quiet and reserved—if he wasn't talking about his studies, and Virgil was timid, hardly ever seen talking unless it was through an app or his brother. It surprised everyone when the three became the best of friends. On Patton's actual 16th birthday, they were the first to help him with the carved words in his arm, not even three hours after he hit his face on a door because he didn't pay attention.

Despite all the pain and wounds he received, Logan and Virgil were always there for him and Patton was so thankful for that. They never left his side unless they had to. He had been given a place to stay, rent-free. And they were consistently willing to help him when things went wrong. They refused to let him suffer.

[slowlyteenagestarlight]

U.S. Government’s Secret Experiments on Its Citizens

(1931) Cancer: The Rockefeller Institute for Medical Investigations infected human subjects with cancer cells. Dr. Cornelius Rhoads established the U.S. Army Biological Warfare facilities in Maryland, Utah, and Panama and began a series of radiation exposure experiments on patients in government and civilian hospitals.

(1932) Syphilis: In the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, two hundred black men diagnosed with syphilis were never told of their illness and were used as human guinea pigs in order to better understand the symptoms of the disease. None of the men received any kind of treatment, and only seventy-four survived.

(1935) Dietary deficiencies: Millions had died of pellagra, a dietary deficiency, in poverty-stricken black populations. The U.S. Public Health Service finally acted to curb the disease and admitted that it had known the causes of pellagra for more than two decades.

(1940) Malaria: In order to gauge the abilities of experimental drugs designed to fight malaria, four hundred prisoners in Chicago were infected with the disease.

(1942) Mustard gas: Four thousand servicemen, mostly Seventh-day Adventists who were conscientious objectors, served as human guinea pigs for mustard gas experiments.

(1947) Radioactive injections: The U.S. Atomic Energy Commission began administering intravenous doses of radioactive materials to human subjects.

(1947) Psychedelics: In its efforts to evaluate LSD as a potential weapon or truth serum, the Central Intelligence Agency administered dosages of the powerful hallucinogenic drug to human subjects, civilian and military, often without their knowledge or consent.

(1950) Radiation: With nuclear weapons still in their infancy, Department of Defense detonated nuclear devices in desert areas and then monitored unsuspecting civilians in cities downwind from the blasts for medical problems and mortality rates.

(1950) Bacteriological warfare: The U.S. Navy sprayed a cloud of bacteria over San Francisco to test how a large city would respond to more lethal biological attacks. Many residents became ill with pneumonia-like symptoms.

(1955) Biological agents: In an experiment to test its ability to infect human populations with biological agents, the Central Intelligence Agency released bacteria in the Tampa, Florida, area.

(1956) Yellow fever: Mosquitoes infected with yellow fever were released over Savannah, Georgia, and Avon Park, Florida. U.S. Army disease specialists, posing as public health officials, test area residents for effects.

(1965) Dioxin: Inmates at Holmesburg State Prison in Philadelphia were dosed with dioxin, the toxic chemical component of Agent Orange used in Vietnam.

(1966) Germ warfare: More than a million civilians were exposed to germ warfare when U.S. Army scientists dropped light bulbs filled with bacteria onto ventilation grates throughout the New York City subway system.

(1977) Contamination: Senate hearings revealed that between 1949 and 1969, 239 highly populated areas, including San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Key West, Panama City (Florida), Minneapolis, and St. Louis, had been contaminated with biological agents.

(1978) Hepatitis B: The Centers for Disease Control asked specifically for promiscuous homosexual males when it tested an experimental hepatitis B vaccine in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Three years later, in those same cities, the first cases of AIDS were confirmed in homosexual men.

(1990) Measles: The Centers for Disease Control inoculated more than 1,500 six-month-old black and Hispanic babies in Los Angeles against measles. Later, the center confessed that the vaccine was experimental.

(1995) Biological agents: Evidence surfaced that the biological agents used during the Gulf War had been manufactured in Houston, Texas, and Boca Raton, Florida, and tested on prisoners in the Texas Department of Corrections.

https://t.me/GitmoTV/7955

[labellenouvelle]

NEW ORLEANS JAZZ FATHERS II

Offered here is a real gem of New Orleans and Jazz history. An original Ticket for a Mardi Gras dance given by the Orleans Stock Club for March 19th, 1918.

There are so many historical details coming together in this card. I’ll try to highlight a few .

The date, St. Joseph Night, March 19th , 1918.  / A few months before the end of the WWI . St Joseph’s Night in New Orleans has a special meaning  , a night where the Wild Indians of Mardi Gras celebrate out in the streets. not sure how old this ceremony is but that this dance card date is for the same night looks like no coincidence to me . If you want to learn more about the Wild Indians and St Joseph” nigh I recommend this article .

The Venue,   ECONOMY HALL ,  a dance hall where trombonist Kid Ory’s Creole band cultivated jazz improvisation as far back as 1910. Economy Hall was not only a legendary laboratory for jazz improvisation, as was typical of the many social aid and pleasure clubs at that time. It also provided a variety of social services, including brass band funerals and dances, to the New Orleans black community.   A new book (  Fatima Shaik’s Economy Hall: The Hidden History of a Free Black Brotherhood )  sheds light on the less know side of the Hall , a remarkable history that preceded jazz by almost a century. The radical politics and philanthropic efforts of the society that built Economy Hall touched most corners of New Orleans and some parts of the globe.   From a modest house purchased secretly by the members of the Société d’Economie et d’Assistance Mutuelle in 1836 to the famous Economy Hall that stood until 1965, a diverse cross-section of people came to Ursuline Street to socialize, debate, advocate, dance, memorialize the dead, and bring back some of their dearly departed in seances. Communal, political, and soulful—in sum, Economy Hall was New Orleans under a roof.  The fifteen free men of color who began the organization and the others who joined during the society’s early years reads like a roster of well-established Creoles of the 19th century: Pierre Crocker, builder and lover of Marie Laveau; Etienne Cordeviolle and François Lacroix, international tailors whose designs and real estate holdings made them wealthy; Pierre Casanave, a well-known mortician; Charles Martinez, musician, grocer, and later notary; and  Ludger Boguille, a teacher beginning in the 1840s and important secretary of the organization.  

The Band, The Magnolia Orchestra , no other than Louis Keppard’s band. Now if you are something of a Jazz aficionado or nerd , you might have heard the name. Louis Keppard was not only Freddie Keppard’s (successor of Buddy Bolden as “ King” )  older brother but an accomplished Jazz Guitarist and band leader . He  led the Magnolia Orchestra, which became the regular band at Huntz's and Nagel's cabaret on Iberville in the District. The Magnolia Orchestra included Joe Oliver on cornet, who would later succeed Keppard's title as "King" by winning a "cutting contest" against him.  

Louis Keppard,  Afro-French Creole guitarist, alto horn player, and sousaphonist Louis Keppard (1889-1986) was the older brother of cornetist Freddie Keppard. He took guitar lessons from Bud Scott and Willie Santiago. Before 1915 he was the leader of the Magnolia Band, which often worked at Economy Hall in Tremé, but also played with Oscar Celestin and Manuel Perez, as well as performing with the Olympia Band led by his brother. After a brief sojourn playing vaudeville theaters in Chicago in 1917, he returned to New Orleans, playing alto horn with brass bands. In the 1940s Keppard worked as a solo guitarist and with Wooden Joe Nicholas in dance bands and in the 1950s and 60s played sousaphone with the E. Gibson Brass Band and others.

Joe “King” Oliver ,  Mentor to no other than  Louis Armstrong and pioneer of what would become known as the Harmon trumpet mute, Joe “King” Oliver was a key figure in the first period of jazz history.  His most significant ensemble, King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band, was a live sensation and also the first black New Orleans ensemble to gain recognition in the record industry.

A one in a lifetime chance to own a significant piece of American Jazz and Nerw Orleans history.

Item No. E4984-66. 

Dimensions: 2.5″ x 4″

Contact us for more information 

504.581.3733 / t

info@labellenouvelle.com / e

[taytayb1993]

The Legend of Benjamin “Pap” Singleton and the Exodusters of Kansas.

Hello, cowboys, cowgirls, and everyone who are fond of the western cowboy lifestyle, I know that some of you heard of Benjamin Pap Singleton and the African Americans who settled in the Kansas area. I looked up about him and the Exodusters from different sources to post accurate facts, so here it is.

Benjamin “Pap” Singleton was born as a slave in 1809 in Tennessee where was several times sold as a slave, but he managed to escape. He fled to the northern part of the Midwest, possibly close to Canada. Sources claimed that he settled in Michigan and established and operated a secret boardinghouse for escaped slaves. After the Civil War and the emancipation, Singleton returned to Tennessee where he convinced himself to help his people to improve their lives. 

In the late 1860s, he began to organizing an effort to buy up Tennessee farmland for blacks, but failed when the white landowners refused to sell, even at a fair price. According to some sources, African Americans enjoyed rights and privileges as American citizens in the South, but that changed when the federal troops were removed, their rights were no longer secure. The Ku Klux Klan set up a campaign to strike terror and exterminate the blacks who refused to submit their will and the sharecropping system virtually re-enslaved Black tenant farmers.                    

Singleton set his sight on Kansas as he considered that it was famous for Jim Brown’s efforts and it’s struggle against slavery. He also considered the state new Canaan and claimed himself as black Moses. Benjamin Singleton and his partner named Columbus Johnson staked out a black settlement in Cherokee County, but it failed, and a second settlement in Morris County. Singleton spread the words about his settlement as he traveled through the South organizing parties to colonize in Kansas, as well as distributed promotional posters that circulated widely across the south, and he formed a company along with Johnson that helped hundreds of blacks move to Kansas between 1877 and 1979. Nearly 300 African Americans followed Singleton to Kansas, some lived in “Singleton’s colony in Cherokee County, others settled in Wyandotte, in Topeka's Tennessee Town, and in Dunlap Colony near present Emporia. When the blacks headed west, they been described as Exodusters and Benjamin Singleton himself described as the “Father of the Exodus”. More sources claimed that 50,000 blacks fled to Kansas, Missouri, Indiana and Illinois, but some had been turned back by whites patrolling the rivers and roads. By the year 1879, it became known as the year of the “Great Exodus”. 

In 1880, Benjamin Singleton was called testify at the Congressional hearings about the Exodusters. Singleton began a new phase in his campaign to aid his people, organizing a party called the United Colored Links in the black section of Topeka, Kansas, called "Tennessee Town" because so many of that state lived there.  Affiliated with the Greenbacks, a white workers' party that called for fundamental social change in the United States, Singleton's Links party was intended to help African Americans acquire their own factories and start their own industries. Unfortunately, there was not enough capital within the black community to achieve this goal because blacks who migrated to the state had no money nor economic resource as they arrived daily by hundred and struggled economically. The Black communities appealed to the state government for assistance, resulting in the creation of the Kansas Freedmen’s Relief Association in 1879. The mission of the KFRA was to collect and distribute resources for struggling African Americans in Kansas. Though many African Americans came unprepared, most who remained were able to improve the quality of their lives and made important contributions to the state and the communities in which they lived. 

In 1883, Benjamin Singleton shifted his sights again and founded an organization called the Chief League, which encouraged blacks to emigrate to the island of Cyprus. Few responded to his call, so in 1885 he formed the Trans-Atlantic Society to help black people move back to their ancestral homeland in Africa, but, unfortunately, by 1887, this group had been proven unsuccessful. Singleton retired from his self-appointed mission due to poor health and he died in 1892 in St. Louis. His legacy lives on as his influence spread among the African American communities, inspired them to established a society in which blacks owned lands, directed industries, and held power would live on. It was probably the first black organization that was successful at as to improve African Americans to uplift themselves and contribute among within themselves. The second Black/African American organizations that followed Benjamin Singleton’s movement’s footstep is Marcus Garvey’s Universal Negro Improvement Association which it was successful in the 1920s as it encouraged black people globally.