#then when finally a vaccine was announced some decided to refuse

[suzoar]

Me in 2022 when the pandemic hasn’t ended yet because people don’t know how to act right and I’ve been holed up in my house for three years acquiring a new flavor of crazy, going to open the door for the guy in the hazmat suit that’s come to deliver my groceries

[nurse-buckley]

Vaccination Day

Fandom: 9-1-1  Word Count: 1,422 Pairing: Eddie x Reader  Warnings: Mentions of the pandemic and needles.  Summary: You get nervous when it’s yours and Eddie’s turn for the vaccine, but he’s right there by your side.  Tagslist: @firemedicdiaz, @fireladybuckley, @pupandangelscoffee, @winterreader-nowwriter, @dayrin085  Written for my lovely @firemedicdiaz​ and beta’d by the amazing @evanbuckos​

“Hey, I thought I’d find you here.” Eddie announces as he pokes his head around the doors to the open ambulance. 

You were busy taking stock and restocking the rig after the last call you’d been on. You were hoping Eddie would forget about your appointment later that day, but unfortunately for you, you weren’t that lucky. 

Deep down, you knew that you needed the vaccine, and it was one step closer to being back to ”normal”, whatever “normal” would be after the pandemic dies down and life returns to normal. 

“I spoke to Bobby, told him we’re going for our vaccines this afternoon and he’s given us the time off,” he smiles. He’s been excited ever since he got the notification through that the pair of you could book in for your first dose. He was constantly scared of passing on the virus to Chris or abuela, and knew this was the first step in reducing that fear. 

His smile falters when he sees your expression. You’re refusing to meet his eyes, focussing on the task at hand. “Y/N? I thought you’d be excited.” 

“Yeah? Excited to be stuck with a huge needle, I’m thrilled,” you snap. You immediately regret your reaction, softening your features as you finally meet Eddie’s gaze. “I’m sorry, that was uncalled for.” 

Eddie shook his head, stepping closer to you and joining you in the rig. “Want to tell me what’s going on in that head of yours? You’ve been quiet all morning, you’re not acting like yourself.” 

“I’m just stressed and anxious. The pandemic, the endless calls, the covid anxiety.” 

“Shh,” the firefighter soothes as he takes your hands in his. “Take a deep breath for me.” 

You do as he says, following the deep rise and fall of his chest as he exaggerates his breathing for you to follow. You follow his actions for a few minutes, feeling slightly more relaxed as you continue the breathing exercise. “Good girl,” he soothes, smiling as your breath comes slightly easier. 

“Is there anything else that’s bothering you that you want to get off your mind, maybe I can help.” 

You sigh, deciding how you were going to explain your anxieties, knowing yourself they’re not always logical, but anxiety often overrules logic. 

“I know, scientifically, exactly how this vaccine works. I also know statistically that the odds of a serious reaction are less than 0.04% yet my brain won’t stop screaming at me, ‘you’re going to be that 1 in a million’ Eddie,” you choke out the last statement, as the tears begin to fall freely.  

“Mi amor,” he began, moving your chin so he could meet your eyes. “That isn’t going to be you. Logical Y/N knows that, we just need to convince anxious Y/N as well.” 

“It’s going to take a horse’s dose of Ativan to get me through that door.” 

“We can sort that. We’ll get you something to calm your nerves, and we’ll go from there okay? Baby steps.” 

You nod, breathing a little easier now you’d voiced your fears and shared them with Eddie; no longer having them constantly swirling in your head. 

You walk through the doors to the clinic, stopping short as you see the small queue of people in front of you signing in. Eddie senses your hesitation, guiding you forward with a hand on your back, gently coaxing you forward without feeling like you were being pushed into the situation against your will. 

Despite the hand guiding you forward, your feet stay planted on the ground. Eddie takes your hand, moving you to the side for some privacy. He leans down to meet your gaze, placing his hands either side of your arms to ground you. “You’ve got this, I’m going to be right with you the whole time,” he whispers, leaning in close and pressing a kiss to the side of your head. 

He can see the tears welling up in your eyes, threatening to spill over and his heart breaks. “Cariño, nothing is going to happen, I promise.” He says in attempts to comfort you. 

“Do you want me to go first?” the firefighter asks. 

You nod fiercely, not trusting yourself to speak. 

Eddie holds out a hand to you, giving you the option to take it. You do, holding on tightly as if your life depended on it. He guides you to the check in, signing you both in with the volunteer on the front desk before moving to the waiting area to take your seat. 

The way your knee was bouncing up and down didn’t escape the other man. He places his hand over your knee to stop the bouncing, his large warm hand covering your knee and bringing you some comfort. You grab his hand in yours, squeezing it tightly in return. 

“What do you want for dinner after this? We can order in pizza or get takeout from that place you like?”  

You knew what he was trying to do, and you thanked him for the distraction and incentive to get through the vaccination. A few minutes after discussing what the pair of you would be tucking into when you both got home, you were called forward to the nurse who’d be administering your vaccine. A volunteer made an attempt to split you up, but after seeing the death grip you had on the man, they relented, sending you both to the next room that had been freed.  

The nurse's eyes crinkled over her mask, clearly smiling if it weren’t for the PPE obscuring her features. “Alright, who’s going first then?” 

Eddie smiled, raising his free hand in the air, “that’ll be me.” 

“Actually....” you speak up from beside him, “Can-Can I go first? I’m afraid if I see you go first I’ll run.” 

Eddie lets out a chuckle at your confession, but gives you a look to show how extremely proud he was of you for stepping forward of your own accord. He holds out a hand for you, guiding you down into the seat. “Do you mind if I stay with her? Hold her hand, we’re a little nervous.” 

The nurse smiles, shaking her head, “of course, don’t be silly. You’re not the first and definitely not going to be the last who’s anxious today!” 

Eddie kneels beside your chair, turning your chin so you’re locked on his eyes. “Just focus on me, alright? Nothing else matters.” 

You suck in a shaky breath as you hear the nurse beside you uncapping the syringe, no doubt drawing up the medicine. He continued his distraction, talking about everything and anything that popped into his mind. He wished he had Buck with him at this moment, his endless useless knowledge and facts would have been great, but he isn’t completely inept when it comes to trivia. 

“A little cold,” you hear the nurse from beside you as she lifts your shirt sleeve and swipes the cool alcohol swab over your exposed skin. 

Eddie smiled, “just look at me, alright. Deep breath.” 

“Little pinch,” the nurse announces, waiting until you exhaled to insert the needle. 

Before you know it, you hear the clink of the empty syringe being placed into the sharps bin behind you and a plaster being placed over the pinprick. 

“There we are, all done!” the nurse announces. 

You shakily release the breath, smiling at Eddie letting out a small giddy laugh. You knew better than anyone that anxiety often made simple tasks seem insurmountable, but just as Eddie had promised, he stayed with you the entire time. 

The nurse smiles at the interaction as she cleans up and prepares the next dose for Eddie. Allowing you to calm down from the ordeal before she asks for Eddie to take a seat. You swap positions, knowing he didn’t need it but held Eddie’s hand through his vaccination, just like he’d done for you. 

The nurse gives you your appointment cards for your scheduled second doses along with the information leaflet from the vaccine, covering any side effects you should look out for. Eddie takes them both, pocketing them, knowing if you were to look at them you’d likely work yourself up. The pair of you are sent out into the waiting room, with instruction to wait for ten minutes to ensure there were no side effects. When the ten minutes are up, you and Eddie walk out hand in hand, your thoughts on the delicious meal you were going to reward yourself with when you get home.

[kunderdogs]

Jay Park & Simon D / Birth

Decided to combine two requests into one!

They’re kind of long (oops). I have given birth before and have friends with kids so this was kinda fun lol. Imagining these two with their gfs and children is soooooo stinkin cute! Jay if you see this, please have a baby ‘cause I’m sure it’d be so adorable UWU

Jay:

Once you go into labor, Jay is in full blown panic

This is his first kid so he doesn’t understand that once the water breaks, it could take hours or some times days for you to give birth

He’s helping you into the car to go to the hospital

Calling literally everyone in his family and yours

“Her water broke! Yeah, we’re five minutes from the hospital! Go to the birth center!”

When he notices you in pain, he’ll calm down and try to be level headed but he doesn’t really know how to comfort you other than give you encouraging words

Thankfully the nurses tell him that he can push on your back when you have a contraction to help you

By your side the whole time

Ties your hair up for you

"You’re doing so well, baby! You got this! If anyone can push this baby out, it’s you. I’m here, okay? I’m not going anywhere, I promise.”

Not much help when you begin pushing

He’ll be frozen most the time

Yelping when you dig your nails in his hand

Does his best not to make much noise ‘cause this isn’t about him

When you finally give the last push, he’s by your side but once he hears a cry, its over

He’s crying before he even sees his daughter while you’re on the verge of passing tf out

You have to push him away to go check on her while the nurses clean her up and then they’re handing her to you

Jay is full on bawling at this point, can’t even see her right at first because his tears are overflowing

He’ll get himself together and when he notices you’re looking at your daughter so tenderly, he’s a mess again

Smiling so big when you ask him if he wants to hold her

Absolutely fucking terrified at fist but so so excited

“She’s so tiny...Oh wow *sobs* she looks like you, babe. My daughter.”

Doesn’t want to let her go once he has her

Refuses to let her leave his sight

The doctors are trying to check her vision and Jay will be so offended when they take her from him

The only other person he’ll willingly give her to is you but even then he’ll ask for her back when you're done feeding her

“Hey, she’s my kid too! You have to share her, Jay!”

“NEVER.”

Glares when the doctors give her the vaccinations and she lets out a lil cry

Tears up when she cries tbh

So protective it’s almost annoying if it wasn’t so cute

Over all just so happy, doesn’t get much sleep because he doesn’t want to miss anything

Takes pictures of every moment, from in the hospital to the first car ride home

Falls asleep next to her bassinet every night

Spends a whole month making a song for her

Announces you give birth by posting a pic of her tiny feet on his Insta

Simon D:

Takes him a little bit to process that you just told him your water broke

Is usually calm and collected

This is no different 

Internally, he’s full blown panic mode

Scrambles to get the baby bag while you get dressed

He’s helping you in the car and going through the check list out loud to make sure he didn’t forget anything

He’ll call your parents on the way there and his to make sure they’re aware

Coaching you through the breathing techniques

Probably breaking a few traffic laws to get there in record time

You’ll start to see him actually freak tf out when you say you have to push and you’re not even at the ER yet

“Can you, not? Tell him to wait!”

“Kiseok, what the fuck, I can’t just not push!”

Doesn’t understand that your body is gonna do wtf it needs to do, whether you’re there or not

Whimpers when you grab his hand and nearly crush his fingers during a painful contraction

Is going to carry you into the ER his damn self, yelling at the reception to get a fuckin doctor out there NOW

Nurses rush out to see wtf is going on and then frantically bring a wheel chair to him

He won’t let go of you even as he puts you in the chair and your contractions are too painful to concentrate on much else

He’s incredibly worried as the nurses rush you to a room

They’ll ask him questions and he’ll try to respond but once he tells them you were already pushing, he gets pushed off to the side

Understands that he’s in the way if he goes past your waist so he won’t move from your shoulder

Holds your hand and strokes your hair back, leaning over so you can hear him

Mumbling words of endearment in your ear, “You’re doing amazing, baby. Just breathe. There you go. If you have to push, just do it okay?”

The adrenaline is high rn even if it’s 3am and he’s been up for almost 24 hours

Grunting when you nearly break his hand but he’s not going to outwardly show his pain

(His hand is not his main concern rn. It could be broken for all he cares)

After what feels like a life time, the doctors tell you to give it your all and they gently grab your son when you push one last time

You’re so exhausted but feel Kiseok kiss your head, telling you he looks prefect

Trying to keep himself together because he knows you’ll need that support

Once your son is placed on your chest and you start crying, he’ll break down

Hands trembling when he brushes his son’s hair back and gives him a kiss on his head

So soft and tender

Marvels at how big his hand is compared to his body

Wraps his arm around your shoulder and cries into your shoulder, thanking you for giving him such a blessing

Wants to hold him but is scared so for now, he’s content with watching you coo at the tiny baby

Takes a lot of candids with his phone

Very quiet for the most part

Just in awe that he helped create such a beautiful child

Thinks he’s never seen you as happy as you are right now and that’s amazing for him

He’ll cry a lot these next few weeks

When you get home, you’ll catch Kiseok staring at him with a smile on his face

Or hear his voice speaking to him about everything and anything 

“I love you so much. My son. Wow...you’re so cute.”

[lonelypond]

Soldier Game: Operation LA Smile, Ch. 2

NicoMaki, Love Live, 1.7K, 2/?

Summary: Maki flees the scene, Eli meets Nozomi, Umi amuses herself, Hanayo makes an appearance, and Nico decides on a distraction.

Chapter Two: Party Planning

Maki, not yet awake enough to open her eyes, pushed into something warm, firm, feeling herself relax, and then the images started playing behind her eyes, Yazawa so close, hands everywhere, asking, then taking over, then...Maki froze. If she opened her eyes now, what kind of look would be on Nico’s face. Best just to pretend to be asleep.

Pretend or not, the next time Maki was aware of anything, she felt colder. A quick sneak peek. No Nico. Wrapping the towel around her, Maki sprinted for the door, almost tripping over the weight she now had to shove aside. The hall, which way to the Soldier Game temporary office? To the left, Maki turned, and there was Umi, smirking, calmly waiting to see what Maki would do next.

Maki pulled the towel completely closed around her, hurrying past this obstacle. “I just need my go bag.”

“Rough workout?” Umi’s teasing voice always grated, “Need a shower?”

“Bite me.”

“Is there a line?”

Maki whirled, snarling, “I am so breaking you next time we spar.”

Umi shrugged, “That will never happen.”

“Oh it will. You can bet on it.”

“But I won’t.”

Maki didn’t have the mental energy for Umi in taunting mode. Most of her attention was listening for Nico’s voice so she could sprint away before Nico stepped into the hall.

“See you at dinner. Bring a friend.” Umi smiled.

“I’ll be in my hotel. Alone.” That was the rest of her evening. Every scented candle in Tokyo lit, lights low, music calming, soaking off this surprise encounter, forgetting what Nico smelled like when sweat and sex steamed off of her, long, lush, black hair slick, Maki’s legs were starting to wobble and if she didn’t get away soon...not thinking about that, Maki straightened herself up...ha! Inner Maki snorted, good luck with that...and rushed toward more clothes than this barely clinging bikini bottom.

 ###

Ayase Eli was sharp, trim, on task and on time. Her suit was pressed, her hair in a high ponytail, her agenda to the point after a series of revisions. She didn’t need directions to the office assigned for her official meeting with Tojo-san. Eli was here to be the public face of Soldier Game, bringing together her friends to use their celebrity cachet to boost Japanese tourism, which had taken a huge hit due to the coronavirus pandemic and panic. Even with the advances in treatment and prophylactic treatments, with no vaccine, air traffic to Asia from the United States and Europe had suffered huge declines. And then there was the more important Soldier Game mission, ensure delivery to an underground biohacker network of biological data camouflaged by the designers of Feather Smile. The mission would start with a two week quarantine and reconnaissance in the hills of Malibu while their Hollywood contact Kousaka Honoka finalized photoshoot and filming details.

This was the office. Eli knocked politely and heard a trilled, breathy “Come in.” She opened the door and behind the desk, leaning forward, elbows on the desk, chin cupped in her hands, green eyes confident and friendly was a tall buxom woman in a floral dress and dark blazer combo.

“Tojo-san? I’m Ayase Eli.”

“Call me Nozomi.” There was a giggle, “I recognize you from the snaps in your file.”

“Of course.” Eli bowed her head.

“Please take a seat, Ayase-san. Umi has been sharing details of your procedures and requirements so some of the groundwork has been done.”

Eli nodded, “Before we get into that, may I ask who you work for?”

Nozomi chuckled, “You can certainly ask, although I can’t share all the details with you. It’s a governmental subdivision focused on international relations.”

“And you requested Soldier Game because…”

Nozomi leaned back, eyes narrowing, voice crisper, “I intend to take advantage of the male tendency to dismiss attractive women as anything but prey. My contact needs this information and my usual couriers would be at risk. We need a diversion.” A pause and a bright smile, “How’re your tan lines?”

“Huh?” Eli saw why Umi had noted that conversations with Tojo-san could quickly become unpredictable.

“FeatherSmile has decided on a beach and boxing theme.”

“And FeatherSmile is involved because…?” Eli hadn’t really paid that much attention to the dossier on the designers.

“They have the skills and technology I need for this mission. Surely you’re not planning to underestimate them, Ayase-san?” Nozomi arched an eyebrow to judgy.

Eli blushed slightly, “No, this is just very high profile. I’m wary of the risk to our covers. I want to be certain everyone involved is a professional.”

Nozomi stared at Eli for an uncomfortable length of time and then giggled, “Just smile and look pretty and make sure nobody shoots the talent. We’ll take care of the rest.”

###

Kotori was humming as she worked on a dress. Nico shut the door to their atelier and threw herself on the divan.

“I think we should design and cut the whole collection during the two week quarantine.” Nico announced.

Kotori took her foot off the foot control pedal of her sewing machine and spun her stool around.

“It gives us more time to prep the fabric and make some contingency plans.” Nico seemed fascinated by the floor, her voice disinterested.

“Did something happen?” This Nico mood was rare and difficult to read so Kotori was very very curious.

“Things always happen, but Nico has it under control.” Nico waved her hands before flipping on her back, staring at the ceiling, “But a behind the scenes video would be a big FeatherSmile boost, especially with eye candy like that around.”

“Eye candy?” Kotori raised an eyebrow, “That sounds a bit…” Kotori paused, “predatory for you, Nico. Are we over the sexual harassment policy now? No more lectures?”

“Hey if,” Nico squeaked, winced and tried again. “Hey, if they want to wander around saying, “woo hoo, look at me, I am surface-of-the-sun hot”, Nico is going to take them at their consenting adult status.”

“Who is them, Nico?” Kotori asked quietly as she went back to the dress. Nico had to be edged into truths, not stared into them.

Silence, the chug of Kotori’s needle for minutes, then Nico threw herself back upright and pulled out her phone. “We have the bon voyage party tonight, yes?”

“Yes.”

“Want to sign some bras?” Nico smirked.

Now Kotori was insatiably curious. “We haven’t had an event like that…” since the launch of their underwear lines last Christmas ago. Which had nearly been a riot. A very profitable, very pretty riot that had Kotori spending the night partying with several fans in the FeatherSmile reserved suite. Nico had been chatting up investors at the bar. And their Spring Line had been fully funded, sight unseen. And was now sold out.

“Might as well give Tokyo something to remember.” Nico raised her phone, adjusted her hair, flashed her lady killer glitter smile, and hit one touch record, then raising her hand in The Gesture™ “Nico Nico Ni! How are all Nico’s pretty ladies? If you’re not busy tonight and your C19-Pass is clear, FeatherSmile is throwing a “See You At The Beach” Party tonight at the Andaz Tokyo Rooftop Bar, with some fab celebrity guests!!! Catch us if you can, before we head for LA and design our latest beach and activewear collection. And we’ll be doing bra signings, so wear your FeatherSmile originals and get a Nico selfie and signature. Nico wants to see ALL her fans.” Even for Nico, the wink was outrageous. So she tossed the phone on the table with a low mutter Kotori barely caught. “And now Nico will be too busy for whatever Nishikino wants to do next.”

Ah. Nishikino. Nishikino Maki. The glaring redhead. Kotori wasn’t surprised, well, a little by the speed. But it seemed this was going to be a mission on hyperfuel.

###

Working from her porch, Hanayo had her laptop out, smiling as she paused to watch the alpacas and llamas wandering her ranch. They’d been sheared recently so many looked bare, but now Hanayo would have a usable amount of textiles for the FeatherSmile team as Ms. Tojo requested. So exciting to be involved with celebrities, Hanayo thought as she liked Sonoda Umi’s latest TWIG video, a warm up routine. And a photoshoot, with all of Soldier Game posing, beachwear Ms. Tojo had said, and….Hanayo reached for her hand fan and held her iced tea to her forehead. It did get a little hot out here. Hanayo had been following FeatherSmile since their debut so it was amazing to have the opportunity to actually get to meet Nico and Kotori. Hanayo’s eyes gleamed behind her glasses. She wasn’t going to think about the part of this that scared her, maybe finally getting on the radar of the pharmacops, instead she was going to stay focused on the excitement.

###

“They’re throwing a party?!?!?!?!” Maki was in the repurposed office that Umi had taken over for Soldier Game, going through their medical equipment stash. Tojo’s US contact would have most of what else they needed but Maki refused to travel without personally assembling her own kit.

“Yazawa wants a big bang.” Eli turned away from her screen.

Maki frowned, reading the FeatherSmile TWIG announcement on her phone, “Sign your bras?!?”

Eli shrugged, “It’s a thing they do. Their underwear line was an extremely romantic Christmas gift last year.”

“And comfy.” Umi didn’t pause in her kata.

Maki nearly dropped the surgical instruments she was holding, “You’re wearing some?”

“No, but I do own a few pieces. They are both frilly and practical.”

“And romantic?” Eli looked up from her paperwork with a teasing wink.

“That was not a consideration. I found the lace trim color contrast aesthetically pleasing and the support appropriate for everyday activities.” Umi finished her form and bowed. “If you do not wish to attend this evening’s festivities, Maki, I’m sure a tantrum would be an effective addition to the publicity brew.

Eli returned her attention to her paperwork, “And very in character.”

“I thought we were leaving tomorrow?” Maki ignored her colleagues’ suggestion.

“Flight got pushed back a day. Tojo’s having some red tape problems. I am assisting her.” Eli started entering numbers into her desktop, “And some of our more sensitive equipment will go through the diplomatic pipeline, which is a huge plus.”

Maki went back to sorting medicinal necessities, occasionally muttering sentences ending with, “bra.”

A/N: The world needs more fun stuff so I decided to post this and just kick off the next chapter with a huge party. Also, Happy Birthday, Nozomi!

Take care, especially if you're out there doing the good work of protesting police brutality against Black lives.

[greensparty]

Returning to Live Music

Last Summer, I wrote about returning to the movie theater after over a year. Now its time for me to write about returning to live music!

Roadrunner logo

The last concert I went to was Brothers of a Feather (Chris and Rich Robinson of The Black Crowes) at Brighton Music Hall in Feb. 2020. I didn’t know at the time that it was going to be my last concert for over two years. For a music geek like me, that’s a long stretch of not seeing a concert. Just a few weeks after that show, all live music venues shut down during the pandemic lockdown. As the world slowly re-opened again, there were some concerts here and there, but it wasn’t until 2021 when vaccines became available that live music really came back. It hasn’t been easy with several musicians needing to pause their tour due to a positive case in their band or organization. But the act of seeing a musician performing live and the communal experience of being surrounded by fans of that music experiencing it together was something everyone truly missed and once it was back it was appreciated more than ever. For me, I did not feel comfortable going to a concert until my son was fully vaccinated. Once that happened in December, I had hoped to go to a concert, but then the Omicron wave started and I stayed in. Last week at the very last minute I got tickets to see LCD Soundsystem, who were doing a multi-night residency at Roadrunner Boston, the new music venue that just opened at Boston Landing in Brighton. It was an offer I couldn’t refuse.

LCD Soundsystem live

I first heard the Brooklyn band when I was living in NYC in the mid-00s. The band’s leader James Murphy, is also the founder of DFA Records, the home of Holy Ghost!, who I’m a big fan of. HG’s Nick Millhiser is actually a touring member of LCD Soundsystem right now on synth and percussion. LCD Soundsystem’s combination of rock and synth pop was perfect for NYC and the world in the 00s. I never got heavy into them, but always liked their stuff, especially their albums Sound of Silver and This is Happening. As they were breaking through to the mainstream, Murphy decided to have the band’s last show at Madison Square Garden before breaking up. If you haven’t seen the documentary Shut Up and Play the Hits about the band’s last week and their MSG shows, I highly recommend it. Like a lot of retirements, they don’t last and the band reunited around 2016. Their reunion album American Dream went to #1. In late 2021, the band did a residency at Brooklyn Bowl. This year they appeared on SNL and have announced several residencies including Boston’s four night stand at Roadrunner.

LCD Soundsystem at Roadrunner

At the last minute I got a chance to get tickets and my wife and I went. Fortunately it is not too far away. There was event parking in the lot for $20, but I know the area and scored street parking nearby. When we went inside, we wore our masks (except for our drinks) and we were among the few wearing masks at the venue. Roadrunner certainly has that new-car-smell to it. It was shiny and clean. The set up reminds me of Sinclair, but with a larger capacity than House of Blues. There was a large audience, but if you’re concerned about social distancing, you could be on the outskirts of the audiences. The band was fantastic! They played so many of their epic hits “Get Innocuous!”, “Tribulations”, “Someone Great”, “All My Friends” and best of all “New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down”. But the real highlight was just being back at a concert: seeing an excellent band onstage, grooving to their infectious beat, being surrounded by other fans and having this communal escapism that I missed so much! 

me at my first concert in over two years

In June of last year, when Foo Fighters were the first concert at Madison Square Garden there were all kinds of articles about how exciting it was to have live music back after being away from it for so long. At this Roadrunner show is where I was finally having that same feeling!

[emilievitnux]

[Image description: a text that read “I no longer have any intention of sacrificing my life, my time, my freedom and the adolescence of my daughters, as well as their right to study properly, for those who refuse to be vaccinated. This time you stay at home, not us.”

In France, those who do not get vaccinated will no longer be able to go to restaurants, cafes (from the beginning of August), cinemas and museums (from July 21) and get on airplanes and trains (again from August). Alternatively, you will have to submit a negative test, which will no longer be free (49 euros for the PCR, 29 for the antigen). Macron then announced the vaccination obligation for medical personnel and those who work in contact with fragile people. Beginning September 15, a nurse who has refused to be vaccinated will no longer be able to go to work and receive a salary.

“We cannot make those who have the civic sense to get vaccinated bear the burden of inconvenience. The restrictions will weigh on others, those who for reasons incomprehensible in the country of Louis Pasteur, science and the Enlightenment still hesitate to use the only weapon available against the pandemic, the vaccine. I am aware of what I am asking you, and and I know that you are ready for this commitment. This is, in a sense, part of your sense of duty.” End image description.]

First of all let me tell you that Macron never said that. Or at least, he didn't said it like that. How do I know? Well I'm French and I watched him on TV. Did the information about the Pass Sanitaire are true? Yes. But everything about his daughter and blablabla is fake.

He doesn't even have a teenage daughter, his wife's daughters are both adult women. And most of all Macron never ever talk about his family onscreen. Specially when it is technically not his daughters but his wife's daughters and he know how his opponents could use all this against him. But that is another story.

Yes it's true that no if you are not vaccinated, you have to show a negative PCR test (that have to pay from you money while it was previously free) from 24h. Meaning that if you wanna to the restaurants you need to be really organized. But if you have some symptoms and you go to the doctor and he'll made a note saying you need to to pass a PCR test, the test will be free.

Now let's talk about the Pass Sanitaire and how apparently he's a hero for other countries. Let me tell you that here in France the country is divided more than ever.

Right now currently the alt right is calling this the "medical apartheid" and they also think it's fun and legit to walk around with little yellow stars saying "sans-vaccin" (yes, like the ones the Jews had to were in the WW2). Currently they're trying to stop him and keep organizing protests after protests. But Macron said today that "protesting against the virus is pretty useless".

Other think the vaccin is gonna kill us all. That's the anti-vaxx clan.

Other people think he should have announced his intention sooner because now it's to late to get vaccinated and he ruined their sooner, so their protesting to get the Pass starting but only in September.

Other are saying it is an attack on our individual freedoms and that we should all choose if we wanna get vaccinated or not, but they also don't wanna get associated with the alt right.

And finally some who have saw it coming and have been vaccinated for a long time now and are just having fun watching all this mess.

As for the people who keep asking "But what about the ones who can't get vaccinated for medical reason?". Yes, well for this people it's simple, they'll simply go to a doctor, who sign a paper sayin "this person can't get vaccinated, so all their PCR test must be free". And that's it. Simple as that. But this is for the people who have a real decease like the VIH, something that we know would put their life i danger, not something they invented (ex : My coworker decided she won't get vaccinated because she's lactose intolerance. No she didn't see a doctor about it, she just know better). Hello we're a the country of social security you really though we were gonna let people who had medical reason to not get vaccinated to pay for their PCR test?

Macron has absolutely fucking had it with the anti vaxxers.

[newstfionline]

Friday, February 4, 2022

Winter storm packing snow, freezing rain moves across US (AP) A major winter storm with millions of Americans in its path brought a mix of rain, freezing rain and snow to the central U.S. as airlines canceled thousands of flights, officials urged residents to stay off roads and schools closed campuses. The blast of frigid weather, which began arriving Tuesday night and continued Wednesday, put a long stretch of states from New Mexico and Colorado to Maine under winter storm warnings and watches. On Wednesday morning, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan saw freezing rain, sleet and snow. By midday Wednesday, some places had already reported snow totals exceeding or nearing a foot, including the central Illinois town of Lewistown with 14.4 inches (36.6 centimeters) and the northeastern Missouri city of Hannibal with 11.5 inches (29.2 centimeters). And it’s still snowing.

Why are so many part-time workers struggling to find full-time work during a labor shortage? (NYT) Brenda Garcia, who works at a Chipotle in Queens, has a problem that may sound surprising in today’s tight labor market. She is a part-time employee who wants more work, but the restaurant keeps assigning her less than 20 hours a week. Garcia is one of millions of Americans who want an established, full-time work schedule and are struggling to find it. As a result, these part-timers struggle with not only low pay but also uncertain shifts that can change at the last minute, disrupting the rest of their lives. The workers can obviously quit, but they often find that the other jobs available to them have similar problems. How could this be when the country is in the midst of a labor shortage in which employers are struggling to fill jobs? Because executives at many companies have decided that part-time work is too important to abandon just because the labor market is temporarily tight. Part-time work allows companies to hold down labor costs in two crucial ways. First, companies can reduce their benefit costs because part-time workers often do not receive health care and retirement benefits. Second, companies can change staffing levels quickly, to meet demand on a given day or week, rather than having workers sit idle during slower periods. Basically, companies think it makes more economic sense to wait out the current shortages than to fundamentally change their labor model.

Army to immediately start discharging vaccine refusers (AP) The Army said Wednesday it will immediately begin discharging soldiers who have refused to get the mandatory COVID-19 vaccine, putting more than 3,300 service members at risk of being thrown out soon. The Army’s announcement makes it the final military service to lay out its discharge policy for vaccine refusers. The Marine Corps, Air Force and Navy have already discharged active-duty troops or entry-level personnel at boot camps for refusing the shots. According to data released by the Army last week, more than 3,300 soldiers have refused to get the vaccine. The Pentagon has ordered all service members—active-duty, National Guard and Reserves—to get the vaccine, saying it is critical to maintaining the health and readiness of the force.

Digital warfare tech at sea helping US foes evade sanctions (AP) Technology to hide a ship’s location previously available only to the world’s militaries is spreading fast through the global maritime industry as governments from Iran to Venezuela—and the rogue shipping companies they depend on to move their petroleum products—look for stealthier ways to circumvent U.S. sanctions. Windward, a maritime intelligence company whose data is used by the U.S. government to investigate sanctions violations, said that since January 2020 it has detected more than 200 vessels involved in over 350 incidents in which they appear to have electronically manipulated their GPS location. “This is out of hand right now,” Matan Peled, co-founder of Windward and a former Israeli naval officer, said in an interview. “It’s not driven by countries or superpowers. It’s ordinary companies using this technique. The scale is astonishing.”

Over a Million Flee as Afghanistan’s Economy Collapses (NYT) From their hide-out in the desert ravine, the migrants could just make out the white lights of the Iranian border glaring over the horizon. The air was cold and their breath heavy. Many had spent the last of their savings on food weeks before and cobbled together cash from relatives, hoping to escape Afghanistan’s economic collapse. Now, looking at the border they saw a lifeline: work, money, food to eat. “There is no other option for me, I cannot go back,” said Najaf Akhlaqi, 26, staring at the smugglers scouring the moonlit landscape for Taliban patrols. Then he jolted to his feet as the smugglers barked at the group to run. Since the United States withdrew troops and the Taliban seized power, Afghanistan has plunged into an economic crisis that has pushed millions already living hand-to-mouth over the edge. Incomes have vanished, life-threatening hunger has become widespread and badly needed aid has been stymied by Western sanctions against Taliban officials. More than half of the population is facing “extreme levels” of hunger, António Guterres, United Nations secretary-general, said last month. “For Afghans, daily life has become a frozen hell,” he added. Now with no immediate respite in sight, hundreds of thousands of people have fled to neighboring countries.

Winter Olympics Set to Begin in Beijing (Foreign Policy) The Beijing Winter Olympics begin on Friday, but Beijingers themselves are barely involved. To comply with China’s zero-COVID policy, the Games will operate within a closed-loop system in which athletes, officials, support staff, and reporters are isolated from the general public. The Olympic bubble has an entirely separate system of transport and accommodation; plentiful security and surveillance will ensure no one slips the net. The closed-loop system goes to some extremes: Official announcements have instructed Beijing residents not to help Olympic vehicles in the event of an accident. Officials canceled plans to have a small domestic audience in December due to fear of the omicron variant. With ticket sales refunded, it’s not clear who, if anyone, will watch the Games live. The U.S.-led diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics has so far had little impact. If anything, Beijing has asserted that it has global support by highlighting the boycott’s limited reach. Meanwhile, China has repeated standard language about not politicizing the Games while at the same time nominating an army officer injured in 2020 border clashes with India as a prominent torchbearer.

Japan border policy keeps thousands of foreigners in limbo (AP) More than a year ago Sebastian Bressa finished his paperwork to become a language teacher in Tokyo and made plans to quit his job in Sydney. His life has been in limbo ever since. Japan has kept its door closed to most foreigners during the pandemic, and the 26-year-old Australian is one of hundreds of thousands denied entry to study, work or see their families. Japan has become one of the world’s most difficult countries to enter and some are comparing it to the locked country, or “sakoku,” policy of xenophobic warlords who ruled Japan in the 17th to 19th centuries. The current border rules allow in only Japanese nationals and permanent foreign residents, and have raised the ire of foreign students and scholars who say the measures are unfair, unscientific and force talented visitors to go to other countries. Critics say the rules are also hurting Japan’s international profile and national interest.

EU brings WTO case (Foreign Policy) China’s economic bullying of Lithuania, much trumpeted in state media, is causing serious problems in its relationships with the rest of the European Union. The EU has just brought a World Trade Organization case against China’s anti-Lithuanian trade measures, introduced after Lithuania changed the status of Taiwanese representation in Vilnius. As usual, European companies—worried about their own trade prospects in China—are trying to get Lithuania to back down, even as their governments offer support. China generally tries to keep disputes bilateral to exploit its own size and power. That the quarrel has escalated to the EU level may cause some qualms in Beijing.

Islamic State leader killed as US attacks Syria hideout (AP) The leader of the violent Islamic State group died in a U.S. military raid Thursday, blowing himself up along with members of his family as American special operations forces assaulted his hideout in northwestern Syria, President Joe Biden said. The raid targeted Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, who took over as head of the militant group on Oct. 31, 2019, just days after leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi died during a U.S. raid. Al-Qurayshi, unlike his predecessor, was far from a household name, a secretive man who presided over a far diminished version of the group and didn’t appear in public. Biden said al-Qurayshi died as al-Baghdadi did, by exploding a bomb that killed himself and members of his family, including women and children, as U.S. forces approached. About 50 U.S. special operations forces landed in helicopters and attacked a house in a rebel-held corner of Syria, clashing for two hours with gunmen, witnesses said. Residents described continuous gunfire and explosions that jolted the town of Atmeh near the Turkish border, an area dotted with camps for internally displaced people from Syria’s civil war. Biden said he ordered U.S. forces to “take every precaution available to minimize civilian casualties,” the reason they did not conduct an airstrike on the home.

No more ‘blank checks’ for Egypt? (Washington Post/CNN) Candidate Joe Biden vowed to end “blank checks for Trump’s ‘favorite dictator,’” Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, and make human rights prominent in his administration’s foreign policy. But Biden’s record on Egypt disappoints. In February 2021, the administration approved nearly $200 million in missile sales to Egypt, days after el-Sisi’s government detained family members of a U.S.-based Egyptian American human rights activist. In September, the administration released $170 million of a controversial $300 million tranche of aid for Egypt, despite legislation requiring all $300 million be withheld unless Egypt takes steps to “strengthen the rule of law, democratic institutions, and human rights in Egypt.” Just $130 million was held back, which is dwarfed by the $2.5 billion sale of U.S. weapons and equipment to Egypt the administration authorized days earlier.

Royal typo (BBC) A spelling mistake on thousands of pieces of Platinum Jubilee merchandising, calling it the “Platinum Jubbly”, is proving a challenge for souvenir sellers. The cups and plates were meant to mark the Queen’s 70-year reign. Clearance website boss Karl Baxter said he will pitch them as collectors’ items. “What could be more unique than our limited-edition misprinted crockery?” he said. More than 10,000 pieces of the jubilee memorabilia were produced in China and sent to be sold in the UK—except for the slight problem of a misprint, which says “the Platinum Jubbly of Queen Elizabeth II”.

[opedguy]

Bob Costas Slams Aaron Rodgers

LOS ANGELES (OnlineColumnist.com), Nov. 5, 2021.--When Aaron Rodgers told the media he was “immunized” last summer, the sports press didn’t have the savvy to follow-up and ask him whether or not he took one of three approved Covid-19 vaccines, including Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.  No, the sports media accepted his answer leaping to unwarranted conclusions that he said he was vaccinated. So, when 69-year-old sports announcer Bob Costas said Rodgers was “disingenuous,” essentially lied to the press he was being overly harsh.  Costas doesn’t have a crystal ball and shouldn’t opine on whether Rodgers latest kerfuffle warrants the kind of harshness and hand wringing in today’s press. Costas thinks Rodgers statement will harm his legacy, when, in fact, there’s every reason to believe it actually cements his iconic and celebrity status.  Costas has no problem with what Rodgers does on the gridiron.

  When the sports press heard Rodgers say he was “immunized,” why didn’t they follow up with a simple question:  Have you taken the Pfizer, Moderna or J&J vaccines?  No, the press waits until Rodgers tests positive for Covid-19 Nov. 4, then creates the brouhaha in the press talking about all the possible repercussion on Rodgers’ career, teammates and the team’s standing, should they lose two games without him.  Costas showed why he’s decided to scale back his schedule in a kind of early retirement. Talking about Rodgers’ harm to his legacy is way over the top, especially when Rodgers clarified his comments about being “immunized.” Rodgers explained to “The Paul McAfee Show” yesterday that he didn’t take the two mRNA vaccines, Pfizer and Modern, because his doctor had concerns about an allergic reaction.

  Rodgers said his doctor had concerns about the J&J vaccine.   Last year, after the J&J vaccine was approved Feb. 27, 2020, reports rolled in the U.K., Europe and U.S. that the shot created blood clots, some serious, in a number of patients receiving the vaccine.  Rodgers explained there were medical reasons why his doctor advised him against taking the three vaccines.  “I realize I’m in the crosshairs of the woke mob right now,” Rodgers said, seeing the media maelstrom, largely negative, in the same kind of “gotcha” game that engulfs today’s politics, whether in sports or Washington.  “So, before my final nail gets put in my cancel culture casket, I think I would lit to set the record straight on so many of the blatant lies that are out there about myself,” Rodgers said.   Rodgers said he asked the Packers to “accept my immunization status as under the vaccination protocol,” explaining, under doctor’s orders, he was taking Ivermectin and other homeopathic remedies. 

Whether or not the Packers or NFL accept Rodgers own “immunization” protocol with Ivermectin or homeopathic remedies, Rodgers received alternative treatment under doctor’s orders.  Rodgers said if any reporter asked him last summer a follow up question about his “immunized” status, he would have clarified what he meant.  Costas feels entitled to trash Rodgers without merit, leaping to unwarranted conclusions.  Under the 1992 Patients Bill of Rights, Rodger had a right to privacy for his medical treatments or, more importantly, a right to refuse or accept any medical treatment of his choice.  Rodgers case raises all the issues of President Joe Biden’s Sept. 9 vaccine mandates when on Jan. 9, federal employees will be forced to get vaccines.or possibly lose their jobs.  Biden has no idea whether or not his Sept. 9 vaccine mandates affecting 100 million employees are legal.   

                   Since taking office, Biden has created nationwide hysteria over vaccines and mandates.  While there’s nothing wrong with speaking from the Bully Pulpit about the benefits of vaccines, there’s something very wrong about forcing U.S. citizens into taking treatments that goes against medical advice or some other legitimate reason.  Rodgers’ doctor said he could be allergic to mRNA vaccines or expressed concerns about blood clots from J&J’s vaccine.  European Medicines Agency [EMA] suspended J&J vaccines May 26 over concerns about blood clots.  South Africa did the same April 13, also concerned about blood clots.  So when Costas says Rodger’s was “disingenuous” or lying about his vaccine status, it goes over the top.  Despite his right to medical privacy, Rodgers set the record straight stating his concerns last Spring and Summer for not jumping on the vaccine bandwagon.

             Rodgers, whether he knows it or not, opens up the legal, ethical and moral debate about Biden’s vaccine mandates, violating current federal statues for dealing with medical privacy and treatments.  Under the 1992 Patients Bill of Rights, all patients are entitled to privacy but, more importantly, the right to accept-or-reject any form of treatment.  So when Rodgers said his doctor put him on Ivermectin, a common treatment for scabies and homeopathic medicines, that’s his right.  When Rodgers talks about the “woke mob,” he’s talking about the White House and NFL response to Covid-19, rubber-stamping Centers for Disease Control [CDC] and FDA guidelines, something that changes almost daily. But the real issue for Rodgers—and the country—going forward is whether U.S. citizens have a right to medical privacy or to take treatments of their choice.  Biden’s vaccine mandates turns existing U.S. law on its head. 

About the Author

  John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

[imaginemycroftholmes]

Mycroft trying to find a suitable pet for Sherlock after John left when he got married?

“You lied to me. You said it was a level five case.”

Mycroft sighs heavily as he holds the door open expectantly for his younger brother.

“We both know that you wouldn’t have left the house for anything less than a case after Dr. Watson’s nuptials so the deceit was necessary,” says as he gestures toward the door with his head for him to enter.

When he doesn’t Mycroft adds, “and if anything this should speak volumes of how you’ve let your mind grow soft whilst the good doctor is miles away in the tropics on his honeymoon for you not to deduce it.”  

At this Sherlock does look pained but finally enters the establishment with a huff turning up his collar as if to block out the sound of animals filling the air with their noise.

As Mycroft enters in behind him he watches Sherlock not so subtly eye his surroundings.

It didn’t take constant CCTV surveillance to know that with John married and out of Baker Street that Sherlock was starved for companionship. Barely leaving the flat for anything even when Greg had offered his best cold cases or when Miss Hooper had even tried to entice him with a human cadaver to experiment with.

Mrs. Hudson had already forgone trying to cheer his brother up after Sherlock said some rather inconsiderate things about her and her relations with the owner of Speedy’s below them and went to visit her sister in Florida for a spell.

Although if he were honest Mycroft was hoping that Miss Hooper would take this opportunity to get closer to Sherlock and perhaps have their own happy announcement before the year’s end but like most important things, love, cannot be rushed.

Not even Sherlock could try and protest that he needed no one as his conversations with Billy the skull became more self-loathing and dark that something had to be done lest he dive back into old habits.

So it was up to him (like always) to find someone that could give Sherlock what he needed and in turn give a pet something that they needed-a home.

Sherlock however seems to be more opposed to the idea as he scans the environment to see cats, dogs, rodents, reptiles and the like lined up on the shelves as if they were consumable products.

Obviously there was a palpable distaste from Sherlock for the way the animals were presented like disposal toys but Mycroft could not wait to blow this first impression out of the water entirely.

It didn’t take long for an associate to find them. Petite, fit and bubbly with her light brown hair in a long ponytail she greeted them, “Hi my name is Tammy welcome to Happy Tails! How can I help you today?”

“You could help me by aiding my escape of this dreadful place as I hardly want to do any business with a place that treats its animals like products at a local Tesco,” Sherlock says disdainfully. The look on his face was comparable to looking at Anderson and his tone far more severe as he looks down at the Happy Tails associate just standing there looking like he just paid her a compliment.

Giggling Tammy gives Sherlock some finger guns before saying, “Nice one Mr. Holmes. You almost got me!”

Sherlock of course looks befuddled by the action and looks expectantly at Mycroft for clarification when Tammy fails to provide one.

“Happy Tails is hardly a pet shop,” Mycroft explains, “It happens to be one the best kennels in all of London complete with a rigorous adoption policy, outdoor park for the animals to roam, free flowing drinking fountains, holds fundraisers for other shelters and takes in and adopts out more pets than any other in all of Great Britain.”

“And we also have this HUGE aviary for our birds,” Tammy adds holding her arms out as wide as she can get them, “that we let them fly about when they want to stretch out their wings!”  

“Then why have the animals in cages at all,” Sherlock ponders allowed.

“Well, they’re only in there because they want to be in there,” Tammy replies. “You see not all animals want to play so we let them use the little display cages to have their own personal space when they need it. They can come and go as they please and can hold up to 4 occupants depending on size. We give them collars that will open the doors when in proximity and have fail safes to make sure that don’t get caught under them. Look, see?”

Looking to his left one of the cage display’s door opened to reveal a cat dragging in a kitten before turning around and bringing in another. Door kept open until the mother cat was finished with bringing in her litter and the door closed leaving the new mother to nurse in peace.

“The collars also provide us information on our animals health and if there are any scuffles between our happy campers,” Tammy explains as one of the mixed tea cup dogs stood up in his display case walked toward the back wall and exited.  

“That seems a bit excessive,” Sherlock says aloud.

“We don’t like to provide nothing but the best for our pets Mr. Holmes,” Tammy protests sternly, “if we treat our animals just like we would like to be treated because they’re not just pets-they’re going to be part of someone’s family.” Her whole tiny frame was overcome by the righteous demeanor that was awe-inspiring if not an indicator that Tammy would continue to educate them on what her company does for the animal community should no one put a stop to it.

“Yes, which is why I booked this appointment for today so we should get on shall we,” Mycroft interjects before Tammy could wax on about how dedicated her store was to the animals and have an animal for Sherlock before the end of the day.

“Ah, yes! Right this way sirs,” Tammy agrees taking them to the back of the store. Opening the door is like that of opening a small closet only to be greeted by a room the size of a basketball court.

All sorts of different animals, cats, dogs, ferrets, bunnies, rabbits, and hamsters running throughout the many tubes that lined the walls were a sight to be seen.

“Now this is the main room for our furry four legged friends,” Tammy explains before pointing to 3 other doors on each side, “the red room is where our reptiles reside, the yellow one leads to the aviary, and the blue one is our aquarium but I believe that on the phone you were more interested in a four legged friend correct?”

“That would be correct,” Mycroft confirms, “Now how do we go about picking out a pet?”

Tammy wags her finger playfully. “Oh no Mr. Holmes, you don’t pick the pet-the pet picks you,” she explains, “all Mr. Holmes needs to do is get on the floor and see which lucky camper wants to become his best friend for life.”

Turning to the wall cubicles below the hamster tubes Tammy starts to rummage before loading her arms with a few toys. “Here,” she instructs giving them to Sherlock, “you’ll need these to help you attract a friend and see if you’re compatible.”

Sherlock gingerly takes the toys as Tammy gestures to the floor. “Now go out there and mingle!”

It is a strange sight to see Sherlock standing out there so helpless with an armful of toys and the jitters of that of a transfer student that Mycroft takes it upon himself to help him once more.

Grabbing the feather fishing pole from the pile in his brother’s arm Mycroft begins to drag it on the floor until it attracts the interest of several cats and a ferret.

“See? Now you try,” Mycroft indicates to Sherlock as now he has an audience of four legged friends wanting his attention.

Sherlock looks skeptical before choosing a tennis ball out of the armful of toys and bounces it once, then twice. In no time at all six different types of mutts and a bunny were on the scene ready to play.

For more than four hours Mycroft spent entertaining his growing collection of cats that seemed to become more bold by the minute while Sherlock went around the room using different toys to see which furry creature would be the one for him.

It was only until Tammy came around asking reminding them that the store closed in the next thirty minutes and that they were welcome to come back again tomorrow if no one picked them today that Sherlock declared that he had his companion.

A littlle pug and boxer looking mix with a leg shorter than the other three followed behind Sherlock with a determined look in its eyes and a air of a seasoned warrior.

“Oh you picked out Eggsy,” Tammy exclaimed delightedly, “He’s one of the dogs we picked up from from an animal fighting sting and one of the most serious but loyal dogs we have here.”

Bending down to scratch behind the small dog’s ear she clarifies, “I mean, its not like the others aren’t but Eggsy takes it to an extreme. His regular feeder was sick for a week and the little guy refused to eat anything that wasn’t from his regular handler! we had to wheel Jafaun in and get him to feed Eggsy before he was liable to become underweight.”

“Well I will take no other so it will be one less animal for Jafuan to feed,” Sherlock declares, “Mycroft pay the woman so Eggsy and I can return home as this place is hardly one for intellectuals such as ourselves.”

Tammy looks over at Mycroft who is still engrossed by his furry fans. “Now will that be cash or check?”

“The money will be transferred immediately,” Mycroft assures her before pointing down to the white cat currently taking up space on his lap. “Now how much for this superb feline?”

“That’s our Delilah,” Tammy says with a grin, “One of our senior cats who just loves to sit with people and sleep the day away. She’s only 250 and has all her vaccinations up to date just like Eggsy.”

“Wonderful-” Mycroft starts to say before he could hear his car alarm going off and the sound of high pitched barking followed by the scream of “MYCROFT OPEN THE CAR OR I’LL BREAK INTO IT!”

“At least I have you for my sanity,” Mycroft tells Delilah the cat before gently picking her up like a small child and carrying her out to the car before Sherlock and his dog decided to do anything more drastic.

[samtheflamingomain]

hello wisconsin!

Okay, I'm garbage and have been putting this off for ages. I finished binging That 70's Show like a month ago and have been building this post for just as long.

I started this post at the beginning of season 6. Read it as such. I'll let you know when the part I wrote at season 6 ends and where I pick it back up in the present. If that makes sense.

I'm starting at season 6 mostly because I'm pretty sure the shark is going to be jumped at some point soon. Just like MASH, which lasted longer than the Korean war, 70's stretches 2 years of high school into 5 seasons. Plus another 3 for some reason.

And that's my first point. New rule: if your TV show appreciates in time and the events in the show don't line up with that, you've fucked up. I just watched 5 seasons of the kids in high school. You're telling me this shit goes on for another 75 fucking episodes?

Look, MASH I can give a pass to because they don't mark specific points in the war to give the watcher any time reference. MASH gives no dates - it's feasible that a 5-year war could span 10+ seasons, if we guess that each season is 6 months long. (That's not how it really works, but you get the point).

70's STARTS THE SHOW at the end of grade 11, and we know this. To a rational person, that means "One season of grade 11, 2 for grade 12, maybe another for summers." Then. They. Graduate. And. Leave.

But that's... not happening. For ANY of the main characters. They just decided to extend a show about high schoolers into their *supposed* college years. Which I wouldn't even have minded much - if ANY of them ACTUALLY WENT TO COLLEGE.

If they hadn't made things so cut-and-dry regarding timeframes, They could've kept being 12th graders for 10 seasons for all I care. But they CHOSE to follow defined timespans. And I think that's what's got me feeling that season 5 might've been the last "good season".

So everything you've read, I wrote before I finished the show. And, well, turns out I was right. This is also from before I finished the show (with a few things I’ve thrown in now):

There's a lot to disect from 70s, but there's one I want to focus on: Red Forman.

Why? Well, these characters are static and uninteresting: Donna, Fes* and Bob. They're pretty useless in terms of character development. These ones have simple character arcs: Hyde, Eric and Kitty. They change and grow, but in pretty predictible ways. In terms of change, Jackie obviously takes the cake, with Kelso at a close second.

*It is actually spelled Fes, because that's not his name. It's an acronym for Foreign Exchange Student.

But there's only one character that never seems to change or grow at all: Red. I said "seems" because he does change and grow, but it's instantaneous and doesn’t come for a looooong time.

It takes place immediately after returning from fishing, after Eric tells him he and Donna are engaged. He reaches a very sound, strong position: he made Eric run the gauntlet on everything he shit his way, but Eric never gave up. So he gives Eric the blessing to marry Donna. (There's another very pivotal change in his character, but that's later.)

I would've called that a nice wrap-up to the series.

But then they had to give him a damn heart attack to keep all the kids here. Why? Fuck if I know. (Jackie's still in high school and Hyde has a job he likes at home, but there is literally no reason for any of these other kids to still be here.)

The stupid heart-attack got Eric to push back college. I was fine with that. Then the whole Casablanca shit with Donna not getting on the bus, well, it kinda pissed me off (like, girl, don't let a fuckin weak ass ferret man determine your future) but it was a pretty sweet, moving moment. Another one that would've been great to end the show on.

But they didn't. So now we have Kelso, future cop; Fes, unemployed illegal immigrant with ZERO CHARACTER TRAITS THAT PEOPLE CARE ABOUT; and Eric “Dog Food” Forman.

Anyway, back to Red. It was that one heartwarming moment when he came back from fishing that made me realize that, while this is obviously fiction, Red is the epitome of a psychologically abusive parent. And THAT'S when I realized that literally not one of the characters HASN'T gone through significant trauma. Red's a vet; Kitty's an alcoholic who lost her father; Eric has an abusive father and alcoholic mother; Donna has a mentally retarded ball of pubic hair as a father and her mother ran out; Hyde's parents split; Jackie's dad's in jail and mom fucked off. I refuse to talk about Fes anymore cuz he's just the stupidest, most irritating "character" on the show, Randy notwithstanding. "He's brown! And has a funny accent! Hahaha" - nobody, ever.

It's when I realized that we NEVER see ANY of Kelso's home life did I realize that he was likely the sanest of the group. And, like him outscoring both Hyde and Eric on the SATs, that's very, very sad.

Back to Red. We know he became traumatized and hardened by serving in two wars. We know he's treated Eric like garbage his entire life... yet Eric is pretty well-adjusted. And that is where, 5000 words in, we get to my point: abuse is played for laughs and it's fine because Eric has a snappy comeback to Red most of the time.

Eric Foreman's a sarcastic wit with great comedic timing. So that, according to the show, cancels out of all the times Red's told Eric he was stupid and degraded him in front of his friends.

Of course, conflict has to come from somewhere, and one's parents is that major source for most teens. But to an extent.

"Red's a hardass," as the kids say regularly. But no, being a hardass is refusing a kid candy till he finishes his broccoli. Not telling him he's worthless over and over and over for 17 years

And I don't care what anyone says: that amount of abuse over a child's life does not a snappy, well-adjusted Eric Forman make.

It makes me. A crumbling, shattered, fragmented person with no sense of self-worth or accomplishment.

And now, we’re caught up. Back in the present, having finished the show.

My point ended up being made.

If the show had ended at season 5 with Donna missing her bus, we would've missed a lot.

Look, I still firmly believe the show itself would've been better if it had ended earlier, but my complaints about the effect of Red's abuse of Eric would've gone unanswered.

I spent the next 3 seasons mildly annoyed that they existed - first, Eric doesn't go to college. Then neither does Donna. Why are they still around? Why do we still care? The whole point of the show was to show us high schoolers graduating and going off to college. To me, it felt like how it would feel if MASH continued after the war ended.

I was absolutely irrate when Eric announced the theme of season 7 would be "I'm taking a year off to eat and watch TV and sleep!" There was a great scene that's often seen on tumblr in gif form: at breakfast, Red asks Eric what he's going to do about: moving out, Donna, his job, and his future. He replies "I 'unno" to each question. Red tells him to have a plan by the end of the day if he wants to eat. And I said "Finally, some good fucking Red Forman." Then, at the end of the day, Eric announces: "Donna? Hanging out. Job? Quit. Future? None. When am I moving out? Make. Me."

To which I said, "THAT'S WHAT YOU DID LAST SEASON BITCH!" Only apparently I was wrong; Eric Forman could and did become even more useless than before.

But at least it gets us to my absolute favorite point in the entire series. Season 7, episode 9, 18 minutes in. (Thanks to Reddit for helping me locate this scene). Red is bitching at Eric for not knowing what to do with his life. Let's go straight to the transcript (with side jokes edited out):

E: Did it ever occur to you guys that I don't know what I'm doing? I'm scared, okay? Look. My whole life, I've been trying to please other people. So I feel like I don't know who I am. Or know what I want to do with my life. I just don't want to wake up in five years and hate my life.

R: That's unavoidable.

E: Okay, I just need more time to think.

R: You know what I got for my 18th birthday? A draft notice and a Malaria vaccine. I never had time to *think.*

E: Yeah, but Dad, don't you think it would've been helpful if you did?

Then the camera zooms in on Red, and no laugh track, no jokes, he thinks for a good 20 seconds. Then he says, "Okay. I'll give you six months."

It's my favourite scene. Even more than the one we get after fishing or the one before leaving for Africa. Because unlike those few heartfelt scenes, this one relies on Red. Being. Wrong. And admitting it.

There's a reason Eric's spent his whole life trying to please others: Red. There's a reason Eric doesn't know who he is: Red.

Throughout the entire series, Red's been a Conservative Republican veteran who, as Kitty puts it, "Thinks the only way to become a man is to DIE." Just 500 words ago, I called him abusive. And, let's be real, he is.

But I also had an abusive father. That's why I picked this direction for this post to go. I saw Scott in Red Forman. But they are NOT the same.

Red Forman will admit to being wrong. And that makes up for a whole goddamn lot. Going through abuse is not something I'd wish on my worst enemy. But if they did and their abuser ADMITTED HE WAS WRONG, that is NOT nothing to the abused. If my dad had admitted he was a dick, my life would be a LOT different.

And Eric is the epitome of that feeling. His eyes light up when Red says he'll give him six months. Because Red knows he's done Eric wrong. He knows he owes him at least this much. At various points throughout the series it's been pointed out that Eric is who he is because of Red. It was inevitable that Red, too, would eventually reach this conclusion.

Anyway. That's that.

I do want to talk about other things than Eric and Red Forman, so let's play all the hits: fuck Jackie and Fes, fuck Randy with a chainsaw, the moment the show jumped the shark was when Eric bailed on the wedding, fuck Randy with a hot curling iron, Fes is the most annoying and useless character on the show, LOVED the episode where they finally Green Out™ and Kelso calls the White House, and FUCK RANDY WITH A CEREMONIAL JAPANESE KATANA.

Look. I can't in good conscience indulge in a 70's review without talking Randy.

But I hate him so much I don't want to waste energy on him so let's get this over with: useless, Gary Stu, want to put his hair through a blender, fuck him for being in the cirle in the theme song.

Okay, but let's play one last one: Tommy Chong.

I was curious as to why he was absent for 3 seasons so I Googled it. Dude was in prison for selling bongs. He said, upon getting out and returning to the show, "I thought they would've made that a part of the show!" I think that says it all about Leo and why he's my favorite character, with Hyde as a close second. But FUCK Danny Masterson and FUCK Scientology. Look it up.

Well, to finish off, an interesting tidbit: at the end of the theme song, it is Hyde who shouts "Hello Wisconsin!". The entire time, for 200 episodes, I would've sworn on my life that it was Kelso.

Stay Greater.

[techcrunchappcom]

New Post has been published on https://techcrunchapp.com/the-latest-australia-receives-over-142000-vaccine-doses-national-news/

The Latest: Australia receives over 142,000 vaccine doses | National News

CANBERRA, Australia — Australia will begin vaccinating its population against COVID-19 next week after its first shipment of Pfizer vaccine was delivered on Monday.

More than 142,000 doses had arrived at Sydney airport, the government said. Health care, aged care and quarantine workers will be among the first to be vaccinated from Feb. 22.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison will also be among the first to receive a dose in a bid to raise public confidence in the program.

Australia decided against accelerating the vaccine regulator’s approval process in order to increase public confidence that the Pfizer product was safe.

So far, Pfizer is the only vaccine approved for use in Australia. But the regulator is expected to also approve the AstraZeneca vaccine soon.

Australia is contracted to receive 20 million Pfizer doses and to receive or manufacture at home 53.8 million AstraZeneca doses.

———

THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:

Scientists say it’s still too early to predict the future of the coronavirus, but many doubt it will ever go away entirel y. The average of new U.S. virus cases has dipped below 100,000 a day for the first time in months. With more vaccines available, business owners wonder whether to require employees to be inoculated. Disability groups are pleading for the vaccine. Japan has formally approved its first COVID-19 vaccine. With street parties banned, Brazil Carnival goes online.

———

Follow all of AP’s pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic, https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

———

HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

NEW ZEALAND — New Zealand’s largest city of Auckland has begun a three-day lockdown following the discovery of three unexplained coronavirus cases in the community.

Health officials say the cases are of the more contagious variant first found in Britain and that genome testing hadn’t linked them to any previous known cases.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the lockdown after an urgent meeting with other top lawmakers in the Cabinet. She says they decided to take a cautious approach until they find out more about the outbreak.

The rest of New Zealand has also had restrictions imposed, including limiting crowd sizes to 100.

The lockdown, which extends through Wednesday, is the first in New Zealand in six months and represents a significant setback in the nation’s largely successful efforts to control the virus. It has also forced a delay in the America’s Cup sailing regatta.

———

LOS ANGELES — The rates of new coronavirus infections and hospitalizations continue to fall across California, but the state’s death toll remains persistently high.

California on Sunday reported another 408 deaths, bringing the total since the outbreak began to more than 46,840 — the highest in the nation.

Despite the grim death count, health officials are confident that California is emerging from its worst surge of the pandemic.

The number of patients in hospitals with COVID-19 slipped below 9,000 statewide, a drop of more than a third over two weeks.

The 8,842 new confirmed cases are more than 80% below the mid-December peak of about 54,000.

———

ROME — On the eve of what was supposed to finally be the much-delayed opening of Italy’s ski slopes, the government yanked permission because high circulation of a coronavirus variant.

Health Minister Roberto Speranza’s ordinance on Sunday forbidding amateur skiing at least until March 5 effectively kills hopes of ski lift operators and resort owners to salvage at least some of the season.

The ministry noted that analyses of virus samples indicate that a variant found in Britain is present in 17.8% of recently infected people in Italy.

The ski industry swiftly complained that operators have repeatedly prepared facilities only to be denied permission, as Italy’s crucial tourism industry takes another blow.

The day-old government of Premier Mario Draghi promised to quickly compensate the ski sector for economic losses.

———

MEXICO CITY — Mexico received a shipment of 870,000 AstraZeneca vaccine doses from a plant in India Sunday and laid out plans to vaccinate elderly people in the country’s poorest, most remote areas first.

Mexico has so far used Pfizer shots to vaccinate frontline health workers, but has nearly run out of those. So the government will start applying its first doses of the AstraZeneca shot, which it purchased at $4 each.

Critics say it would be quicker and more efficient to start vaccination efforts in the worst-hit urban areas, where the elderly live closer together. But the government announced plans to send teams by truck, plane and helicopter to 330 outlying townships.

“The decision has been made to start in the most remote, marginalized towns with the country’s poorest population,” said President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

Mexico hopes to get enough vaccines from Pfizer, Russia, China and India to vaccinate all Mexicans over 60 by mid-April.

———

LONDON — U.K. government scientific advisers say the COVID-19 variant now predominant in the country may be up to 70% more deadly than previous variants, underscoring concerns about how mutations may change the characteristics of the disease.

The findings from the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group, published Friday on the government’s website, build on preliminary research released Jan. 21. The group includes experts from universities and public agencies across the U.K.

The new report is based on analysis of a dozen studies that found the so-called Kent variant, named after the county where it was first identified, is likely 30% to 70% more deadly than other variants. The studies compared hospitalization and death rates among people infected with the variant and those infected with other variants.

The results of the analysis are worrisome, said Dr. David Strain, a clinical senior lecturer at the University of Exeter Medical School and the clinical lead for COVID at the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital.

“The higher transmissibility means that people who were previously at low risk of catching COVID (particularly younger fitter females) are now catching it and ending up in hospital,″ Strain said. “This is highlighted by the latest figures for hospitalization that now suggest almost 50:50 male to female ratio compared to this being predominantly in men during the first wave.″

———

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — School officials in Alaska have implemented a new policy requiring masks at sporting events last week in response to coronavirus outbreaks at a half-dozen Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District schools.

The Anchorage Daily News reported Friday that three large high schools in the district — Colony, Palmer, Wasilla — are among five facilities currently closed because of the outbreaks.

It is unclear when they are expected to reopen.

Public health officials say some of the confirmed COVID-19 cases started with students mixing at school lunches, but most are attributed to extracurricular activities, including sports.

Claudia Blydenburgh, assistant principal and activities director at Joe Redington Sr. Junior/Senior High School, said student-athletes would rather wear the masks than not participate.

———

PRAGUE — The Czech government has re-declared its state of emergency for next two weeks to be able to effectively tackle the coronavirus pandemic in one of the hardest hit European countries.

The decision has been approved in defiance of the lower house of Parliament, which has refused the government’s request to extend the tool that gives the Cabinet extra powers necessary to impose and keep in place strict nationwide restrictive measures and limit people’s rights.

Some lawyers and politicians say the government’s move violates the country’s Constitution.

The current state of emergency would expire on Sunday. The government could use other legal options to reimpose some measures but not all of them.

That means bars, restaurants and cafes would reopen Monday as well as services could return to business while the nighttime curfew and a ban for more than two people to gather in public would be cancelled.

The government warned that would worsen the pandemic and might cause the health system to collapse.

Sunday’s move comes at the request of the heads of governments of all 14 Czech regions who say have not enough powers to fight the pandemic.

———

HONOLULU — Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi has extended coronavirus restrictions through mid-March, but said that could change if confirmed cases remain low.

Blangiardi said during a news conference on Friday that he believes he is being realistic and is managing expectations following potential coronavirus superspreader events like the Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day.

Blangiardi said he will shift the island to the next reopening stage before March 15 if numbers remain low.

Some business owners have disagreed with the decision, arguing their businesses are still struggling.

Meanwhile, the city extended the deadline to renew driver’s licenses, state identification cards and permits to mid-April in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

As of Friday, Hawaii has had 26,743 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 425 deaths since the pandemic began in March.

———

UNDATED — Though many people with disabilities are more vulnerable to COVID-19, in some U.S. states they’re being left behind in the massive effort to get limited vaccines into the arms of those who need them most.

People with disabilities have been pushed down the priority list in places such as North Carolina and California, where the state reversed course after days of public pressure.

In Minnesota, parents are begging unsuccessfully to give their vaccination spots to their children whose Down syndrome makes them up to 10 times more likely to die if they catch the virus.

A trade group for disability service providers found 20 states haven’t explicitly placed people with disabilities on their priority lists.

People with intellectual and developmental disabilities are often immunocompromised, putting them at greater risk for complications if they get sick. They’re also more likely to lose their jobs, can have a harder time with mask-wearing and social distancing, and have had to worry about whether they would be less likely to get critical care at hospitals.

Many have also had to make do with less help, since caregivers can be an infection risk.

———

LONDON — The U.K. government said Sunday that it reached its goal of giving at least one COVID-19 vaccine shot to at least 15 million of the most vulnerable people in the country by mid-February, increasing pressure on ministers to clarify when they will ease a lockdown imposed in early January.

More than 15 million people, or 22% of the U.K. population, have received their first shot. The figure includes most people in the government’s top four priority groups, including everyone over 75, frontline healthcare workers and nursing home staff and residents.

“15,000,000! Amazing team,″ Nadhim Zahawi, the vaccines minister, said in a tweet that featured a red heart and three syringes. “We will not rest till we offer the vaccine to the whole of phase1 the 1-9 categories of the most vulnerable & all over 50s by end April and then all adults.″

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson plans to unveil his roadmap for easing restrictions on Feb. 22 amid signs that infection rates, hospitalizations and deaths have fallen sharply since England’s third national lockdown began on Jan. 4.

Johnson said in England, everyone in the four top priority groups had been offered the vaccine. He plans to release further details on the vaccination effort on Monday.

———

NEW YORK — Millions of New Yorkers with health conditions that leave them at high risk of illness from COVID-19 can theoretically sign up for appointments at state-run vaccination sites starting Sunday, but a lack of vaccine supply means many will be frustrated in their search for a shot.

Seven million New Yorkers, including health care workers and people over 65, were already eligible for vaccinations under previous state rules. About 3 million people over 16 with so-called comorbidities will become eligible starting Monday.

In order to be vaccinated, people will have to provide a doctor’s letter, a signed certification or other medical information showing they have an eligible health condition.

———

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[keywestlou]

SIZABLE PORTION OF BIG SUR WASHED AWAY

America has been blessed with many beautiful nature scenes. One is Big Sur in California. Officiously known as California Highway 1.

Many years ago, I was in the area of Big Sur to play golf at Pebble Beach. My tee time one of the days was in the afternoon. I decided to see the Big Sur I had heard so much about.

Rented a car and was on my way.

The coast of California near San Francisco and running through Carmel is one huge cliff. Not as high as those in Santorini. High enough, however. At least 1,500 to 2,000 feet up.

A highway was carved out which runs sometimes on top of the cliff and other times a road has been cut into the side of the cliff.

Below the Pacific Ocean! Majestic waves pounding the base of the cliff.

Majestic! Beautiful! The only way to describe Big Sur.

I was sorry I was alone. The drive is one to be shared with someone with whom you have a close attachment. Such is the mood!

This morning’s news carries the sad story that a significant portion of the highway has been washed away by a winter storm. Obviously that portion of the highway will be closed till repaired. Could take quite a while.

One last observation. There are very few homes along the way. Only nature in all its pristine glory.

Joe Manchin is Governor of West Virginia. A Democrat who seems over the years to have voted more Republican than Democrat.

Can’t blame him. West Virginia a deeply Republican state. Coal mining a major industry.

It was announced yesterday that West Virginia was a “vaccine success” story. Eighty five percent of its doses requirement received and used. Yes, 85 percent of West Virginia has been vaccinated.

Only North Dakota has done better.

Why West Virginia and North Dakota can do it and the other 48 states still struggling to get going, I do not understand.

The numbers reported were by the CDC and not West Virginia itself.

A civil servant in charge of the program said it was the result of “creativity” and “innovation.” West Virginia studied what was happening in the rest of the U.S. and came up with their own plan.

The State did not activate the federal partnership with CVS and Walgreens. Instead went it alone.

West Virginia is more rural than big city. The State went to the small independent drug stores. Many mom and pop operations. State officials thought such would prove productive. Obviously, they were correct.

The small drug stores went to the people’s homes and farms. They did not wait for them to come to town for a shot.

Many persons live 40-50 miles away from the big cities and chain drug stores.

One story told involves a mom and pop type operation with a couple of employees. They stored the vaccine in a special refrigerator in their home kitchen. Six every morning they were at their kitchen table figuring where to go that day and arranging the vaccines to be carried.

It all worked! God bless Joe Manchin and the people of West Virginia!

I would like Florida’s Governor DeSantis to plan better as Joe Manchin did. Every DeSantis planned program thus far has failed. Looks good up front and then peters out.

Going to run Day 6…..Greece the First Time at this point. Then return to some other news items I wish to share.

  DAY 6…..Greece The First Time

Posted on June 2, 2012 by Key West Lou

Greece is a time bomb waiting to explode.

The people are unhappy. The financial crisis is choking them.

Economics is the topic of conversation everyday. Expressed with increased vehemence each day.

Riots around the corner. Protests already. The situation a tinderbox ready to ignite.

I was on my way to the Metro Underground beneath the plaza in front of Parliament yesterday. Thousands of people walk the plaza hourly. In one corner near the entrance to the Metro, several young people were carrying signs. One was talking into a loudspeaker.

Speaking Greek, of course. I neither speak nor understand the language.

About 50 persons milling about listening. I mingled in the crowd. I was able to pick up the gist of the protest from comments made by onlookers. Economics. The euro.

Listeners aroused. The name Merkle caused several to spit on the ground.

Recently, Greece had an election. Neither the left nor right obtained enough votes to control the government. So the Greek Parliament is floating along. The country in limbo.

A new election is scheduled some time in June.

Italy’s former Prime Minster Berlusconi announced yesterday that unless Germany backed off the euro, Italy should return to the lira. Germany appears the only European nation benefiting from the euro. The Greeks and Italians dislike the Germans. They feel Germany is being hard ass about doing something corrective regarding the economy. Whatever might be done would not be to the financial benefit of Germany.

Beware. I sense bad days ahead. Keep in mind that we live in a global world. Whatever happens in Greece and elsewhere affects us in the United States.

I spent 3 hours doing yesterday’s blog. I sat in one position and typed for the three hours. When I finished, my legs from my knees to my ankles were full of fluid. I went back to my room, took a fluid pill and lay on the bed three hours till the problem was relieved. Today I am getting up and moving about on occasion as I write.

I took the Metro Underground. It is a subway. I have not been on a subway since my senior year in college in New York City in 1957.

The purpose of taking the Metro was to visit Acropolis and the Parthenon. Way up a hill. Better to ride than to walk. One stop on the Metro.

A problem. The Metro Acropolis stop was still at least a mile from the entrance. An uphill walk. At a constant 30 degree angle. In the boiling sun.

Not my cup of tea. I had to stop not several times, but many times to sit and rest. As I sat, many passed me by going to the top. Many  older than I. Some obviously infirmed. While Louis sat, they marched.

The first part of the return trip was a problem also. The initial path down was of marble. Huge irregular blocks. Slippery. Small cuts in the marble to minimize the sliding factor. I slid, did not fall. It was not easy.

The trip was worth it. I was a part of history during the time I was on top. Acropolis, the Parthenon and other smaller temples. The most stimulating factor for me was the realization that all I saw was constructed BEFORE Christ. Way before.

Acropolis a temple to the Gods. The most exciting feature of the Parthenon the columns.

The smaller temples had columns also. However, they were copies. Some time back, there was a violent earthquake. The columns could not handle the movement. To protect them from a future abuse by nature, they were removed and replaced. The originals sit in a museum at a point down the hill.

Two generationally different fat cats responsible for much of what has been done. Pericles back in the 400s BC. The Rockefeller Foundation in recent times.

All the buildings are fragile. Thousands of years old. Modern man is constantly working to preserve that which was. There are scaffolds and cranes every where.

There had to be a topping on the cake after such a glorious walk back in history. It came in the evening. Dinner at Dionysus Restaurant.

Dionysus sits at the foot of the historical mountain. About a mile away. It is a huge outdoor restaurant. Top self. Great lamb. Greater view. Expensive. Worth it.

There in front of my eyes on top of the hill sat the Acropolis and Parthenon. All brightly lite. Awe inspiring. The viewing emotional.

Traditionally Dionysus was the God of the grape harvest. He was also known as Bacchus. Party boy! Festivals galore!

Did I sleep last night? Finally! The first full night’s sleep since starting this trip. I hope the jet lag is behind me.

Today is my last in Athens. Tomorrow I leave for Santorini. I still have not danced nor thrown dishes around. Hopefully tonight. There is a little Zorba in each of us.

Yesterday was Ally’s birthday. Seven years old. I forgot. I will Skype her later and make up for it. I selected a birthday gift for her before I left and gave it to her. So I am only half bad in forgetting.

I know not what today holds. Whatever, it will be good. I am in a place where it cannot be bad. And tonight….hopefully dancing and dish breaking.

Enjoy your day!

Back to today’s news.

Trump continues to have lawyer problems. Big ones! No one wants to represent him in the Impeachment trial. First Giuliani and some others withdrew or could not accept the responsibility for various reasons. A new team of 5 came on board.

The five lawyers withdrew with the trial scheduled to begin 10 days from today. The reason was a difference of opinion as to how the trial should be handled.

Trump insisted election fraud be the top item. His attorney’s disagreed. The trial should surround impeachment issues and not whether Trump was elected. Sixty one courts had already shot Trump down on that issue.

I admire the attorneys for withdrawing. A doctor does not let the patient tell him how to do the brain surgery surgery he is facing. So too with the attorney-client situation. A competent attorney would do as the 5 attorneys did. My way or the highway.

L. Lin Wood is a Georgia attorney who brought several election fraud conspiracy cases to court. Each wherein he represented Trump in one fashion or another.

The Georgia Bar Association has now entered upon the scene.The  Bar has asked Wood to undergo a mental health evaluation. Lin has refused. Refusal could mean suspension or disbarment.

Lin has opted to fight. He has taken the position he did nothing wrong, only exercised his Constitutional right to free speech.

Amazing isn’t it how many of those who have tried to help Trump eventually end up behind the eight ball.

What happened to the Republican House and Senate members who feared for their lives on January 6, who hid under tables and benches behind locked doors, etc.

With the Trump impeachment trial around the corner, their tune has changed. Poor Donald! He didn’t tell the demonstrators to do bad, etc.

Whores one and all!

January 6 reminds me of the Reichstag fire in Germany on February 27, 1933. Hitler inspired. The fire solidified the establishment of Nazi Germany. Hitler’s government became entrenched.

The U.S. is not yet entrenched in any movement opposite to what it has been for many years. However, it could be moving that way. People on both sides are aroused.

Sunday, oh Sunday! Will my home quarantine ever end? Some days I think it is getting to me.

Enjoy your Sunday!

  SIZABLE PORTION OF BIG SUR WASHED AWAY was originally published on Key West Lou

[newstfionline]

Friday, August 27, 2021

Coronavirus vaccine mandates for workers (Bloomberg) Using formal federal approval as cover, a growing number of U.S. employers are imposing coronavirus vaccine mandates on workers, increasingly limiting the places people who have shunned shots can work, shop and play. In New York, Goldman Sachs required bankers prove they’d been vaccinated. In Baton Rouge, Louisiana State University will demand vaccination or negative Covid-19 tests to see a game at Tiger Stadium. CVS has mandated shots for corporate employees and those working with patients. And fossil fuel companies Chevron and Hess added requirements for employees on oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. Delta Air Lines even said it would levy a $200 monthly charge on workers who refuse to protect themselves. And the list goes on.

Most US government agencies are using facial recognition (The Verge) A new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that 19 of the 24 US government agencies surveyed are using facial recognition in some way, illustrating how commonplace the controversial technology has become within the federal government. The list of agencies includes agencies like the Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that maintain in-house systems, alongside smaller agencies that use the system to control access to high-security locations.

Medical intimidation in Mexico (Guardian) Mexico has the world’s fourth-highest COVID-19 death toll—253,000 to date. Researchers believe the true figure could be nearly three times higher because testing numbers are low. When the pandemic hit, demand for oxygen soared. Two companies that supply medical oxygen, Grupo Infra and Praxair Mexico, control 70% of the market together. In 2020, deliveries were often delayed, causing shortages and price increases. Some hospitals responded by building their own onsite oxygen generator plants, with help from the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the World Bank. Grupo Infra noticed its orders had begun falling. Grupo Infra’s lawyers, crying breach of contract, embarked on a harrowing campaign against the hospitals, sending threatening letters with misleading and untrue claims, asserting patients’ lives were at risk, and imposing ever-larger fines. When the Bureau of Investigative Journalism accused the company of unlawful intimidation, Grupo Infra said it was not aware of any legal action taken against any hospital for installing its own oxygen-generating equipment. Praxair, which reported $27 billion in sales in 2020, had no comment.

Death toll rises to at least 20 in western Venezuela floods (Reuters) At least 20 people have died in the western Venezuelan state of Merida following intense rains that caused mudslides and rivers to overflow. State governor Ramon Guevara said that more than 1,200 houses had been destroyed and 17 people remained missing as rescue workers search the wreckage. Images shared on social media showed cars being swept down streets, buildings and businesses filled with mud, and mudslides that left boulders strewn across roads.

Uruguay starts to dance again as pandemic subsides (AP) After long months of illness, Uruguay is once again starting to dance. The government last week authorized ballrooms and event halls to open as the country’s COVID-19 death rate—once among the highest in the world per capita—has fallen sharply. Seventy percent of Uruguayans have received both doses of vaccines against the virus and once-overstressed hospitals now have empty beds. The government decided to let ballrooms for dancing open five hours a day—though with limited capacity and mandatory 20-minute pauses each hour to air out closed spaces.

Blue whales returning to Spain’s Atlantic coast after 40-year absence (Guardian) Blue whales, the world’s largest mammals, are returning to Spain’s Atlantic coast after an absence of more than 40 years. The first one was spotted off the coast of Galicia in north-west Spain in 2017 by Bruno Díaz, a marine biologist who is head of the Bottlenose Dolphin Research Institute in O Grove, Galicia. More have been spotted since then. A typical blue whale is 20-24 metres long and weighs 120 tonnes—equivalent to 16 elephants—but specimens of up to 30 metres and 170 tonnes have been found.

Harris, in Vietnam, gets a dose of China’s challenge to the U.S. (Washington Post) Vice President Harris, on her second international trip in the role, got a taste of the intensifying rivalry between the United States and China as she flew into Vietnam—a former U.S. adversary wary of Beijing’s growing dominance and now courted by Washington. Harris was en route Wednesday to announce, among other things, a donation of 1 million coronavirus vaccine doses to the pandemic-hit country. But a three-hour delay in her schedule handed China a window of opportunity. Beijing quickly sent its envoy in Hanoi to meet with Vietnam’s prime minister and pledged a donation of 2 million vaccine doses, undercutting the subsequent U.S. announcement. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, thanking the envoy, said Vietnam “does not ally with one country to fight against another,” according to state media. The incident underscored the challenges facing the Biden administration as Harris has made her way through Southeast Asia this week, along with Chinese sensitivity about her visit. Washington’s agenda does not always align with that of governments in the region, which face a diplomatic high-wire act in balancing the competing interests of the United States and China—the latter being Vietnam’s top trading partner.

Suicide bombers target Kabul airport (AP) Two suicide bombers and gunmen attacked crowds of Afghans flocking to Kabul’s airport Thursday, transforming a scene of desperation into one of horror in the waning days of an airlift for those fleeing the Taliban takeover. The attacks killed at least 60 Afghans and 13 U.S. troops, Afghan and U.S. officials said. Eighteen service members were wounded and officials warned the toll could grow. More than 140 Afghans were wounded, an Afghan official said. The U.S. general overseeing the evacuation said the attacks would not stop the United States from evacuating Americans and others, and flights out were continuing. Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, said there was a large amount of security at the airport, and alternate routes were being used to get evacuees in. About 5,000 people were awaiting flights on the airfield, McKenzie said. The blasts came hours after Western officials warned of a major attack, urging people to leave the airport. But that advice went largely unheeded by Afghans desperate to escape the country in the last few days of an American-led evacuation before the U.S. officially ends its 20-year presence on Aug. 31. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the killings on its Amaq news channel. The IS affiliate in Afghanistan is far more radical than the Taliban, who recently took control of the country in a lightning blitz.

Taliban shows off ‘special forces’ in propaganda blitz (AFP) The Taliban has been showing off its own “special forces” on social media, soldiers in new uniforms equipped with looted American equipment who contrast sharply with the image of the usual Afghan insurgent. Pictures and videos of fighters in the so-called “Badri 313” unit have been posted online for propaganda purposes. The soldiers are shown in uniforms, boots, balaclavas and body armour similar to those worn by special forces around the world. Rather than a battered Russian-designed Kalashnikov rifle slung over their shoulder, the men of Badri 313 hold new US-made rifles such as the M4, sometimes with night-vision goggles and advanced gunsights. The amount of equipment at their disposal is unclear, but multiple pictures online show jubilant Taliban fighters posing with captured armoured Humvees, aircraft and weapons abandoned by the defeated US-equipped Afghan national army. Experts say the most sophisticated equipment, especially the helicopters, will be difficult to operate and near-impossible to maintain.

The Real Winner of the Afghan War? It's Not Who You Think. (NYT) Just days after the Taliban took Kabul, their flag was flying high above a central mosque in Pakistan’s capital. It was an in-your-face gesture intended to spite the defeated Americans. But it was also a sign of the real victors in the 20-year Afghan war. Pakistan was ostensibly America’s partner in the war against al-Qaida and the Taliban. Its military won tens of billions of dollars in American aid over the last two decades, even as Washington acknowledged that much of the money disappeared into unaccounted sinkholes. But it was a relationship riven by duplicity and divided interests from its very start after 9/11. Not least, the Afghan Taliban the Americans were fighting are, in large part, a creation of Pakistan’s intelligence service, the ISI, which through the course of the war nurtured and protected Taliban assets inside Pakistan. In the last three months as the Taliban swept across Afghanistan, the Pakistani military waved a surge of new fighters across the border from sanctuaries inside Pakistan, tribal leaders have said. It was a final coup de grâce to the American-trained Afghan security forces. Pakistan’s already shaky reputation in the West is likely to plummet now, as the Taliban take over Afghanistan. Calls to sanction Pakistan have already circulated on social media. Relations with the United States, already on the downslope, will unravel further. So the question for the Pakistanis is what will they do with the broken country that is their prize?

Biden meets Bennett (Politico) When President Biden meets with new Israeli PM Naftali Bennett in the Oval Office today, the two leaders will have their work cut out for them in repairing a damaged bilateral relationship. Biden is one of a dwindling band of older Democratic leaders holding back a tide of younger progressives who want the U.S. to adopt a much tougher line with Israel. The Jerusalem Post notes there is just one thing on Bennett’s mind: “Iran, Iran and more Iran.” Bennett, who heads a shaky coalition and is a neophyte on the world stage, has made it clear in recent days that Israel wants Biden to drop any plans for a return to the Iran nuclear agreement that former President Donald Trump tore up, and instead back Israel’s plan for a potential military option to degrade the Iranian program. On the big issues, Biden is as far apart with Bennett as he was with former PM Netanyahu. In an interview with the NYT this week, Bennett “said he would expand West Bank settlements that Mr. Biden opposes, declined to back American plans to reopen a consulate for Palestinians in Jerusalem and ruled out reaching a peace agreement with the Palestinians under his watch.”

The cost of war (AP) Hamas and Israel have engaged in four wars in Gaza in thirteen years. The pattern is always the same: Palestinian rocket fire, devastating Israeli airstrikes, a mounting loss of life and property, and appeals for the “senseless cycle” to stop. According to the U.N., there has been more than $5 billion (in 2021 dollars) in damage to Gaza’s homes, agriculture, industry, electricity, and water infrastructure. 4,000 plus Palestinians have been killed, half of them civilians. The death toll in Israel is 106, including civilians, soldiers, and foreign residents The property damage is estimated to reach $193 million. U.N. economist Rami Alazzeh says Gaza’s economy is caught in a “vicious” cycle of destruction, reconstruction, and infusions of aid “just to get it back to before this military operation. If this cycle keeps going on, Gaza can never recover.” Palestinian officials say 70% of Gaza’s two million residents are under age 30. The median age is 19, compared to 30 in Israel. Gaza’s young adults have spent their childhood and adolescent years in an active war zone, and symptoms of PTSD are common. And under Hamas, unemployment among young people has worsened, standing at 62% in June. “This is a lost generation,” Alazzeh said.