#uganda news 2 day

[nostalgicamerica]

Here are a few of the assinine projects on which USAID spent US tax dollars:

— $7.9 million to teach Sri Lankan journalists how to avoid “binary-gendered language”

— $20 million for a new Sesame Street show in Iraq

— $4.5+ million to “combat disinformation” in Kazakhstan

— $1.5 million for “art for inclusion of people with disabilities”

— $2 million for sex changes and “LGBT activism” in Guatemala

— $6 million to “transform digital spaces to reflect feminist democratic principles”

— $2.1 million to help the BBC “value the diversity of Libyan society”

— $10 million worth of USAID-funded meals, which went to an al Qaeda-linked terrorist group

— $25 million for Deloitte to promote “green transportation” in the country of Georgia

— $6 million for tourism in Egypt

— $2.5 million to promote “inclusion” in Vietnam

— $16.8 million for a SEPARATE “inclusion” group in Vietnam

— ~$5 million to EcoHealth Alliance, one of the key NGOs funding bat virus research at the Wuhan lab

— $20 million for a group related to a key player in the Russiagate impeachment hoax

— $1.1 million to an Armenian “LGBT group”

— $1.2 million to help the African Methodist Episcopal Church Service and Development Agency in Washington, D.C., build “a state-of-the-art 440 seat auditorium”

— $1.3 million to Arab and Jewish photographers

— $1.5 million to promote “LGBT advocacy” in Jamaica

— $1.5 million to “rebuild” the Cuban media ecosystem

— $2 million to promote “LGBT equality through entrepreneurship” in Latin America

— $500K to solve sectarian violence in Israel (just ten days before the Hamas October 7 attack)

— $2.3 million for “artisanal and small scale gold mining” in the Amazon

— $3.9 million for “LGBT causes” in the western Balkans

— $5.5 million for LGBT activism in Uganda

— $6 million for advancing LGBT issues in “priority countries around the world”

— $6.3 million for men who have sex with men in South Africa

— $8.3 million for “USAID Education: Equity and Inclusion”

— USAID’s “climate strategy” outlined a $150 billion “whole-of-agency” approach to building an “equitable world with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.”

For decades, USAID bureaucrats believed they were accountable to no one — but that era is over.

————————

Sunlight is the best disinfectant.

[dandelionsresilience]

Dandelion News - January 22-28

Like these weekly compilations? Tip me at $kaybarr1735 or check out my Dandelion Doodles!

1. Sunfish that got sick after aquarium closed has recovered — thanks to human cutouts

“A solitary sunfish […] appeared unwell days after the facility closed last month for renovations. As a last-ditch measure to save the popular fish, its keepers hung their uniforms and set up human cutouts outside the tank. The next morning, the sunfish ate for the first time in about a week and has been steadily recovering[….]”

2. Costco stands by DEI policies, accuses conservative lobbyists of 'broader agenda'

“[Each of the board of directors and 98% of shareholders voted to reject a measure against DEI.] Costco's board wrote that “our commitment to an enterprise rooted in respect and inclusion is appropriate and necessary[….]””

3. Nearly $37 Million Will Support Habitat Restoration in Coastal Louisiana

“The project will restore nearly 380 acres of marsh and construct more than 7,000 feet of terraces in St. Bernard Parish. […] Coastal wetlands help protect communities [… from] wind, waves, and flooding[… and] support a statewide seafood industry valued at nearly $1 billion per year.”

4. Cooling green roofs seemed like an impossible dream for Brazil's favelas. Not true!

“[… A Brazilian nonprofit] teaches favela residents how to build their own green roofs as a way to beat the heat without overloading electrical grids[…,] dampen noise pollution, improve building energy efficiency, prevent flooding by reducing storm water runoff and ease anxiety.”

5. Bacteria found to eat forever chemicals -- and even some of their toxic byproducts

“"Many previous studies have only reported the degradation of PFAS, but not the formation of metabolites. We not only accounted for PFAS byproducts but found some of them continued to be further degraded by the bacteria," says the study's first author[….]”

6. A father and daughter’s to turn oil data into life-saving water

“The aquifer [discovered through oil-owned seismic data], it turned out, was vast enough to provide water for 2 million people for more than a century.”

7. Trump’s funding pause won’t impact federal student loans, Pell Grants

“[… T]he temporary pause will not impact “assistance received directly by individuals,” including federal direct student loans and Pell Grants, which are government subsidies that help low-income students pay for college.”

8. In Uganda, a women-led reforestation initiative fights flooding, erosion

“[… T]he Kasese municipality has established nurseries to provide free tree seedlings, particularly to women, to support reforestation efforts. [… They] plant Ficus trees near their homesteads to provide shade and help control erosion, and Dracaena trees on their fields to retain soil moisture.”

9. [A Texas school board] votes yes to provide low-cost housing to staff at no cost to the district

“The program will include 300 homes[…] only a short commute to campuses. […] Rent will be determined on a sliding scale based on their salaries, with those making less receiving a larger discount. The proposed community would include amenities, like childcare facilities[….]”

10. Heat pumps keep widening their lead on gas furnaces

“Americans bought 37% more air-source heat pumps than the next-most-popular heating appliance, gas furnaces, during the first 11 months of the year. That smashes 2023’s record-setting lead of 21%.”

January 15-21 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I don’t claim credit for anything but curating.)

[evitirey]

ok so this was a beast to draw and research good GORD. this one requires a glossary so i'll be putting the entire text under a read more bar, meet me there?

I think most of us in the Avatar fandom have some range of obscure knowledge (or who knows maybe the knowledge is less obscure to everyone else and I'm the silly one) but here's a handful of words I had to learn for this: Chinampa: small, stationary, artificial island built on a freshwater lake for agricultural purposes. Chinampan was the ancient name for the southwestern region of the Valley of Mexico, the region of Xochimilco, and it was there that the technique was—and is still—most widely used. (Encyclopedia Britannica)

Conuco: A portion of earth that the native Tainos of the Caribbean would grow their crops on. (More on that later)

Winnow: In the western world, to remove (something, such as chaff) by a current of air. I specifically based theirs off of a video that @aketchjoywinnie on tiktok posted of her culture's winnows. She is from Uganda and I love her videos whenever they come across my fyp. In this case it is more of a woven basket/plate that is used for food.

As for the drawing:

The Ro'atni have 2 forms of 'floating' gardens. The first and most productive are their chinampas; kind of important to the context is that the Ro'atni were originally a river people, but a portion of their river gave way to an oxbow lake. The young lake has turned into their gardens. The chinampas are made by their swimmers who usually chose their lifestyle very young, as their bodies adjust and grow to adapt underwater better; their strakes go from soft, unobtrusive cartilage to actual strakes, smaller than the reef people's. They dive under water and plant the reedy plants that they then weave together into a roughly rectangular box. Each chinampa is a labor of love that normally takes years to make (though if they feel the next season will not be fruitful they can and will build some quickly). The base layer of the chinampas is essentially a refuse pile. Their compost, their unusable bones, any trash (which is much less than most modern societies) is thrown into the woven reed "basket" to form the solid base along with base stones. The middle layer, still submerged in water, is a combination of compost, mulch, manure, night soil and gravel.

As the compost decomposes, they churn the dirt and build it up over the years until they build above the water level; once the dirt remains relatively dry on a sunny day, and they can dig without immediately hitting mud, they begin to build the conucos on top of the chinampas.

The Conucos are logs stacked up and packed with earth, the shape keeps plants that need dryer soil out of the water, and retains water when the lake starts drying down during the dry season. As the logs decompose they leave behind air pockets for the roots to take up as well as the necessary microorganisms. Most of the weeds are allowed to grow to an extent - once they begin to choke out the plants they want, they will be cut down. The Ro'atni believe that even the most annoying creatures (weeds) have a place in the balance of life. If they're uprooted, they're tossed on shore where they continue to grow. To combat the growth of weeds, they plant a groundcover berry-producing vine that functions as a nitrogen fixer as well as food.

The second form of floating gardens tend to be used for children to learn, as they operate on the principles of aquaponics. The winnow pads are sometimes made specifically for the purpose, but often they're made from a winnow that has reached the end of its life. If it is no longer buoyant, it is tossed into the bottom of a new chinampa. If it is buoyant, then small anchors are tied to the bottom, and a fast growing plant is placed on the winnow to take advantage of the nutrition in the water. Often seedlings for the chinampas are grown this way and transplanted once they're big enough.

Now for the plants they grow; I only had the mental bandwidth to name ONE plant, and I welcome any professional Na'vi speakers to correct me on it lol. So, they grow: Furina'ngrr: Primarily this plant functions as a starchy tuber, but it also grows "beans" (in the way that a coffee bean is a bean but its actually a berry) with a soft outer fruit that the entire clan uses to produce a bright red stain/dye. Combined with red ochre and animal fat, it creates a thick, water resistant body paint that they use both to ward off bugs and to paint pretty patterns and symbols on their skin; certain ones are protective symbols. The fruit can be peeled off of the bean and the beans can be eaten; they're more often replanted to avoid genetic monocropping. They only ripen every 2 years more or less, so the elder gardeners know to stagger their crop growth to accommodate for it. The root however is the main crop from these plants. It is ground into a pulp, seasoned and wrapped in leaves, then either boiled or cooked in a firepit. It's dumpling-like in the firepit, and more like a mochi if its boiled. It can also be fried and baked depending on preparation. The roots can be replanted and this is the quickest way to propagate the plant. They also store for a long time in a root cellar like environment. This is their first source of starch.

Reed-maize: Many different kinds of reeds can be used to create chinampas, but reed-maize is the favored choice; even after their cultivation the reeds remain for a good while before decomposing, giving the gardeners time to grow their replacements, replant them around the chinampas and weave them in again. The reed-maize grow seed pods that can be harvested; they usually require a good strike to release their seeds, which is an adaptation to release their seeds during windy season when the fluffy seeds can fly far away. These were a gift from the Sa'anre side of the clan, and comes originally from the swamps and deltas they traverse; in the oxbow lake the wind is only strong enough during typhoon-like weather to open the seedpods. The seeds release from the pods wrapped in tightly coiled fibers that spring open as they fly out; the fibers carry them on the wind. So the gardeners beat the seed pods open only inside of the hometree or where large structures have been built to catch them. The fibers are hand-ginned off of the seeds, and the seeds are then winnowed free of chaff. The fiber can be processed into cloth, but its very time consuming so they often trade it out to other clans. Other uses are compost mulch, or bedding for their fishing companions. The seeds range in color from soft oranges to gray-blues; an act of love is to separate the specific color seed your child/mate/parent loves most and to make them ground cakes from the singular color. It's extremely time intensive to sort, then grind these seeds separate from all the rest. Normally however, they are stored as grain alongside the furina'ngrr. The grain can then either be processed into flour, "grits", or eaten with minimal preparation. Boiled, they taste both earthy and floral.

Oh my gosh almost done guys lets go. Together with dried and powdered meat, the clan makes a type of pemmican out of their crops; dried roots, dried meat, dried berries and fat are mixed with reed-maize flour, then dried down and stored in their root cellar caves. Their stores are for the long rainy season when hunting is difficult and flooding is common. They have also experienced famine before so they prepare for it again at all times.

Mothers sometimes make the little pemmican cakes into cute shapes for their young ones!

[tomorrowusa]

First a heads-up. Nobel economics laureate Paul Krugman has retired from the New York Times. But he is now fairly active at his Substack. Occasionally we'll be linking some of his work there.

In this piece, Dr. Krugman argues that the MAGA war on the "deep state" is also a war on America's health.

One enduring theme of the MAGA movement has been hostility toward the “deep state” — what people outside the movement might call professional civil servants. Trump and company believe that the deep state is out to get them, which is paranoid. But they’re not wrong to believe that public employees who see themselves as working for the nation rather than for whoever currently occupies the White House pose a problem for their agenda. So what will MAGA do, now that it’s in power? Many observers, myself included, have focused on plans to convert a number of civil service jobs into political appointments. But just a few days into the new regime it’s clear that the assault on professional government will be much broader than that — that it will involve an effort to intimidate and politicize civil servants, too. And early indications are that one prime target will be agencies devoted to protecting public health. [ ... ] Public health agencies, even more than the rest of the government, are in the firing line. You can’t talk seriously about health policy without taking race and gender into account; yet according to the New York Times, one contractor collecting demographic data for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has already been told to stop work, and the results of an already completed survey won’t be released. But wait, there’s more: federal health agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes for Health, have been ordered to pause all external communications, including health advisories and scientific reports. NIH, in particular, appears to have been effectively put in lockdown, with even routine meetings canceled and employees forbidden to travel.

He concludes...

If MAGA had been around at the time, do you have any doubts that it would have opposed all of these public health measures and accused their proponents of being part of some dark conspiracy? And when — not if — the next pandemic strikes, do you expect our battered, politicized public health agencies to keep Americans properly informed? If Trump is still in charge, do you expect him to respond effectively, as opposed to minimizing the threat and muzzling anyone who might contradict him? It’s hard to feel optimistic about any of these concerns.

Did I just hear the word "pandemic"? There is some distressing news out of Uganda from the Washington Post.

Uganda announced Thursday that a nurse, 32, had died of Ebola in the capital, Kampala, amid a new outbreak of the deadly virus there — the first in two years. The country has activated emergency response procedures, officials said. Uganda registered 164 cases and 55 confirmed deaths from Ebola over four months in late 2022. That outbreak ended early the following year. The patient died after experiencing fever-like symptoms and seeking treatment at several hospitals and from a traditional healer, Diana Atwine, permanent secretary of the Health Ministry, said in a statement on Thursday. His fever, chest pain and breathing difficulty progressed to unexplained bleeding, a common symptom of a severe case of Ebola. Forty-four close contacts have been cited for tracing, including 30 health workers and patients from a hospital and 11 family members.

Ebola makes COVID seem like a fun disease. The mortality rate for the 2014 outbreak of Ebola in West Africa was around 40%. The Obama administration took decisive action to limit Ebola in the United States. Thanks to quick science-based action, the number of Ebola cases in the US was limited to 11 (eleven). Out of the 11, just 2 cases were contracted inside the US. 2 of the 11 died – 18.2% or less than half of the international rate.

At the end of the Obama administration, his National Security Council staff authored a guide called "Playbook for Early Response to High-Consequence Emerging Infectious Disease Threats and Biological Incidents" and left it for Trump to use. Of course Trump ignored it.

Trump team failed to follow NSC’s pandemic playbook

The first COVID-19 case appeared in the US on 21 January 2020. Instead of taking decisive measures recommended in the Obama pandemic playbook, Trump said this to his favorite CNBC host.

While Trump dawdled and did the usual Trumpian things like rage tweet about the 2020 Oscars, the virus spread throught the US. He only got around to declaring a pandemic emergency on Friday the 13th of March – a day after the stock markets crashed.

^^^ dark red = deaths, orange/pink = infections

By March 13th, COVID-19 had spread to 49 states and DC. Ultimately, at least 30% of the US population became infected and 1.14 million deaths were reported.

If Ebola spreads to the US while Trump and RFK Jr. are in charge, expect a catastrophe.

[coolcarsntrucksngunsnusa]

YOU PAID FOR IT... BUT NOT ANYMORE! Breaking This Morning, the White House releases more projects that you paid for with USAID, the wasteful unaccountable government agency that has been dismantled by DOGE and Elon Musk! Here is a look at where your tax dollars went (including terror groups!): I hope you're proud! ⤵️

— $7.9 million to teach Sri Lankan journalists how to avoid “binary-gendered language”

— $20 million for a new Sesame Street show in Iraq

— $4.5+ million to “combat disinformation” in Kazakhstan

— $1.5 million for “art for inclusion of people with disabilities”

— $2 million for sex changes and “LGBT activism” in Guatemala

— $6 million to “transform digital spaces to reflect feminist democratic principles”

— $2.1 million to help the BBC “value the diversity of Libyan society”

— $10 million worth of USAID-funded meals, which went to an al Qaeda-linked terrorgroup

— $25 million for Deloitte to promote “green transportation” in the country of Georgia

— $2.5 million to promote “inclusion” in Vietnam

— $16.8 million for a SEPARATE “inclusion” group in Vietnam

— ~$5 million to EcoHealth Alliance, one of the key NGOs funding bat virus research at the Wuhan lab

— $20 million for a group related to a key player in the Russiagate impeachment hoax

— $1.1 million to an Armenian “LGBT group”

— $1.2 million to help the African Methodist Episcopal Church Service and Development Agency in Washington, D.C., build “a state-of-the-art 440 seat auditorium”

— $1.5 million to promote “LGBT advocacy” in Jamaica

— $2 million to promote “LGBT equality through entrepreneurship” in Latin America

— $500K to solve sectarian violence in Israel (just ten days before the Hamas October 7 attack)

— $2.3 million for “artisanal and small scale gold mining” in the Amazon

— $3.9 million for “LGBT causes” in the western Balkans

— $5.5 million for LGBT activism in Uganda

— $6 million for advancing LGBT issues in “priority countries around the world”

— $6.3 million for men who have s*x with men in South Africa

— $8.3 million for “USAID Education: Equity and Inclusion”

For decades, USAID bureaucrats believed they were accountable to no one — but that era is over. President Trump is STOPPING the waste, fraud, and abuse.

[f1ghtsoftly]

All The Women’s News You Missed This Week

1/27/25-2/3/25

The assault on women’s reproductive rights continues as the Global Gag Rule is reinstated, anti-abortion states begin to crack down on abortion pill providers out of state, Instagram suppresses networks helping women access medication to terminate pregnancies, Individuals who sought passports matching gender identity are effectively banned from leaving the country. 

Please get involved in Wednesday’s nationwide protest if you are able.

At this moment, I understand it’s easy to tune out of politics but I cannot stress how important it is to stay engaged in a sustainable (and efficient way). The current moment is not ideal, but within it contains not only the responsibility to do what we can to mitigate the worst effects of far-right fascism but also the opportunity to capitalize on the collapse of the mainstream Democratic party and promote a brand of feminism that actually centers women. Gender ideology, along with the entire package of social justice positions that gained popularity in the post-Obama era, is dead. What will come after it? An even more regressive form of biological essentialism where women are “valued” as breeders for the Riech? A form where gays and lesbians are labeled as ‘deviant’ and ‘child-groomers’, carrying the stigma of gender ideology even if we were overwhelmingly its victims? We must stay engaged, we need to continue to meet this moment by building a left with a base solid enough to fight fascism and win. 

Want this in your inbox instead? Subscribe here

In lighter news at the U.S. Grammy Awards, female artists swept the night, with Beyonce finally winning Best Album of the Year and Best Country Album, Sabrina Carpenter winning Best Pop Album, Doechii winning Best Rap Album, and Chappell Roan winning Best New Artist (and making an impactful speech about artist right’s as employees). 

In my favorite clip of the week, Grammy winner Doechii performs a melody featuring her breakout hit song ‘Denial is a River’ and an up-and-coming song ‘Catfish’ from her album ‘Alligator Bites Never Heal’. 

BestWATCH: Doechii at the 2025 Grammys

ACTION:

Implement Higher Minimum Sentences for Rape in Texas.

PROTEST WEDNESDAY 2/5 ALL US STATES

Promotional Collaborators:

A list of feminist projects I have entered agreements with to cross-promote. Would you and your project or content like to be featured? Email me. 

Femme Front, a radical feminist space to hang out, talk politics, and make friends! Ages 13+

Reproductive Rights: 

Trump Reinstates Global Gag Rule, an Assault on Women’s Health around the World

New York doctor indicted for prescribing Louisiana teen abortion pill

South Dakota birthing risks rise as another hospital ends service

Polish appeals court to rule next month in abortion case which activists say could set a precedent

 ‘I won’t regret this’: young women turn to sterilization as Trump intensifies war on reproductive rights

Groups helping Americans find abortion pills report Instagram ‘shadow-banning’

LGBT: 

The ‘Emilia Pérez’ backlash, explained

Trump signs order restricting gender care for young people 

'I feel like I’m stuck here': Trans, nonbinary Americans' passports remain in limbo

Women in the News: 

Devotees pay homage to Afro-Brazilian sea goddess on Rio de Janeiro beach

Pug life: A South African woman has rescued more than 2,500 of the lovable ‘clowns of the dog world’

Who is Karoline Leavitt, the youngest White House press secretary?

Decoding Melania Trump's new official portrait

Kate photographed by Prince Louis to mark World Cancer Day

Nurse dies as Uganda confirms new Ebola outbreak

Singapore influencer fined over false abduction claim

How 'trailblazer' nun St Brigid continues to fascinate

Women’s Rights: 

US Government Department to Tie Funding to Marriage and Birth Rates

Taliban minister ‘forced to flee Afghanistan’ after speech in support of girls’ education

Trump Orders Schools to Ease Sex Assault Rules 

Republicans Want Child Marriage Ban Exemption for Military Members

The risk to women's health in Afghanistan: 'The consequences of this segregation are catastrophic'

Women Fighting Back: 

Peru’s disappeared: Dozens look for relatives lost to violence. A woman who knows their sorrow helps

WATCH: Chappell Roan calls for livable wages and healthcare for small artists in brave Grammy speech

Disgraceful that videos seen by Southport killer still online, says Cooper

How a kabaddi club in India is changing girls' lives

Argentines protest President Milei’s diatribe against ‘wokeism’ at Davos

From missing goats to health tips: how a female-run radio station is giving rural India a voice

Feminist Wins: 

Coercive control to be treated like other domestic abuse offences

AI-generated child sex abuse images targeted with new laws

Male Violence: 

Abu Hatem Shaqra (Ahmad al-Hayes), war criminal responsible for the murdering of Hevrin Khalaf and the desecration of her body, sanctioned for crimes including "trafficking of Yazidi women & children, is now gaining power within the "new Syrian government."

Violence against women and girls growing, says watchdog (UK) 

Hundreds of stayed sexual assault cases send chilling message to victims, advocates warn  (CA)

US teen shot dead by father in Pakistan over TikTok videos

Film director found guilty of sexual assault in France’s first big #MeToo trial

‘No man would want to touch you’: UCL professor accused of ‘harassing’ student protestor

Spain's former football boss on trial over World Cup kiss

France prepares for trial of surgeon accused of abusing anaesthetised children

Caroline Kennedy warns senators that cousin RFK Jr. is a ‘predator’

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni lawyers spar during first court hearing 

Secretive Christian sect coerced young mothers to give up babies

Harvey Weinstein begs for earlier retrial for sex crimes

Sara Sharif family court judges named after appeal

Man who drugged wife and plotted her mass rape questioned over 1990s attacks

‘Rape is effectively decriminalised’: how did sexual assault become so easy to get away with (AUS)

Grammys Highlights: 

WATCH: Beyoncé wins Grammy album of the year 

WATCH: Doechii wins best new rap album, 3rd woman ever to receive this honor!!!

Tems sees off Yemi Alade and Burna Boy to win Grammy

Amy Allen becomes first woman to win best songwriter Grammy

Arts and Culture: 

Teenage actress takes on child marriage in role mirroring real life

Taiwanese actress Barbie Hsu, star of the popular drama ‘Meteor Garden,’ dies at age 48

Movie Review: Bloody and witty, ‘Companion’ explores what humanity means in an AI-powered world

Lady Gaga announces March release for new album ‘Mayhem’

Emilia Pérez star says she will stay in Oscars race despite row

Investigative/Opinon:

Inside Iran's Epidemic Of 'Honor' Killings: One Woman Killed Every Two Days

READ OR LISTEN: Why Patriarchy? Foragers, Farmers, and the Origins of Gender Inequality

As always, this is global and domestic news from a US perspective covering feminist issues and women in the news more generally. As of right now, I do not cover Women’s Sports. Published each Monday afternoon.

[flagbridge]

PoTOmer 2024/5784 Masterpost

From April 23 -June 11, I am posting 49 days of POTO content to mark the Omer, except on Shabbat.

Follow POTOMER for the posts.

(Gif of @lilykerhoas is from @or-what-you-will and @hyperfixatra January 2024 (2) video)

Day 49: PHANART-Phantom Returns to Broadway (as a Lego)

Day 48: PHANFIC-No Vows, POTO Queer Week 2024

Day 47: PHANART-Journey to the Lair made with Legos

Day 46: (No Post, Shabbat)

Day 45: PHANFIC-Mes Amicales Pensees (Young R/C)

Day 44: GIFSET-West End '23-'24 Phantoms having a mental breakdown during AIAOY.

Day 43: PHANFIC-Phantom of the Capitol Crack AU Idea

Day 42: GIFSET- Jon Robyns & Lily Kerhoas, West End 2024

Day 41: PHANFIC-Sangfroid, a Raoul Navy POTO Dark Week Fic

Day 40: AUDIO-Connor Ewing Phantom Debut Full Audio Gift

DAY 39 (no post, Shabbat)

Day 38: GIFSET-Jon Robyns unique acting choice

Day 37: PHANART: POTO Lego Figurines (Again)

Day 36: GIFSET-NEW BOOT (Jon/Lily/Mikey)

Day 35: GIFSET-MOTN Goodness (Jon/Lily)

Day 34: GIFSET-The Boatride

Day 33: (Lag B’Omer Special): PHANFIC All Vows FINALE

Day 32: (No post, Shabbat)

Day 31: PHANFIC- All Vows Finale Teaser

Day 30: LIVE SHOW-POTO Vienna Goes Wrong

Day 29: COSPLAY-Meg Giry

Day 28: PHANART-POTO Lego Figurines!

Day 27: HEADCANON-My Raoul is a Composite Character

Day 26: PHANART-Erik x Mirrorbride

Day 25: (no post, Shabbat)

Day 24: GIFSET-Random POTO Broadway Phantom Gifs

Day 23: PHOTOSET/HEADCANON-La Sorelli in ALW

Day 22: VIDEO-Moisten the Lad

Day 21: PHOTOSET- POTO Uganda

Day 20: PHANART: Erik and his Violin

Day 19: FANFIC - All Vows Chapter 39

Day 18: (no post, Shabbat)

Day 17: PHANART- Various crack posts and inside jokes illustrated by @bonzlydoo

Day 16: PHOTOSET-Joe-Griffiths Brown feeding the people what they want as Raoul

Day 15: HEADCANON/Raoul Navy Uniform Musings

Day 14: GIFSET-Ethan Freeman bows to the monkey.

DAY 13: LEROUX: HAPPY BIRTHDAY GASTON LEROUX (Ethan Freeman Reads Leroux)

Day 12: FANFIC: All Vows Chapter 38: my longfic that will be concluding at the end of May.

Day 11: (no post, Shabbat)

Day 10: FANFIC: All Vows Chapter 10 (Catch Up)

Day 9: ADAPTATION: Ghost of Zariya Hollow

Day 8: HEADCANON: Christine's Swedish Accent

Day 7: COSPLAY Hannibal Slave Girl Bodice Construction

Day 6: GIFSET: Raouls who make choices appreciation post

Day 5: PHIC UPDATE: All Vows Chapter 37! (And a bonus gif of Lily and Jon)

Day 4: (No post, Shabbat)

Day 3: GIFSET: Cape Twirl Comparison, Current West End Phantoms ('23-'24)

Day 2: BRAINWORM: "Ne Me Touchez Pas"

Day 1: GIFSET Robyns/Kerhoas: The Kiss

[beardedmrbean]

Ugandan long-distance runner Rebecca Cheptegei has died four days after being doused in petrol and set on fire by her former partner, authorities announced.

Cheptegei -- who had been receiving treatment at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret City, Kenya -- succumbed to her injuries after sustaining burns to almost 80% of her body in the attack, which occurred on Sunday.

Cheptegei was doused with a can of gasoline before being set on fire during an argument over land, according to a police report. Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital announced Cheptegei died at the age of 33 after her organs failed on Thursday, according to hospital spokesperson Owen Menach.

"We have learnt of the sad passing of our Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei following a vicious attack by her boyfriend," Donald Rukare, head of the Uganda Olympic Committee, announced Thursday on X. "May her gentle soul rest in peace and we strongly condemn violence against women. This was a cowardly and senseless act that has led to the loss of a great athlete. Her legacy will continue to endure."

The Ugandan marathon runner had competed in the women's marathon at the 2024 Paris Olympics, finishing in 44th place with a season's best time of 2:32:14, just a month before the fatal attack.

She had a personal best in the marathon of 2:22:47 set in December 2022.

The Ugandan athlete had been living in northwestern Kenya, with her father saying she recently bought land in Trans Nzoia County to build a home and be closer to Kenya's athletics training centers, according to The Associated Press.

Cheptegei's Kenyan partner, who allegedly carried out the attack -- identified as Dickson Ndiema -- is said to have sustained "serious burns" in the attack and is receiving treatment at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital.

The Uganda Athletics Federation said it is "deeply saddened" by the passing of Cheptegei.

"We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of our athlete, Rebecca Cheptegei early this morning who tragically fell victim to domestic violence," the federation announced on Thursday. "As a federation, we condemn such acts and call for justice."

The incident is the latest in a string of domestic violence cases against female athletes in Kenya.

In 2021, Kenyan distance runner Agnes Tirop was found stabbed to death in her home in Iten, in northwest Kenya. Just a few weeks earlier, the rising athletics star had set a new women's 10 kilometer road running record at the "Adizero: Road to Records" event in Herzogenaurach, Germany.

Tirop's husband -- Ibrahim Rotich -- was subsequently arrested and charged with her murder. The case is currently ongoing.

Just a year later, Kenyan-Bahraini athlete Damaris Muthee Mutua, 28, was found murdered at her home in the same town, with Kenya's Directorate of Criminal Investigations saying her cause of death was strangulation.

Kenyan police launched a manhunt for Mutua's Ethiopian boyfriend -- Eskinder Hailemaryam Folie -- who is the main suspect in her murder and is alleged to have fled Kenya.

[sagefrizzle]

YOU THE TAX PAYER PAID FOR IT... BUT NOT ANYMORE! Breaking This Morning, the White House releases more projects that you paid for with USAID, the wasteful unaccountable government agency that has been dismantled by DOGE and Elon Musk! Here is a look at where your tax dollars went (including terror groups!): I hope you're proud! ⤵️

— $7.9 million to teach Sri Lankan journalists how to avoid “binary-gendered language”

— $20 million for a new Sesame Street show in Iraq

— $4.5+ million to “combat disinformation” in Kazakhstan

— $1.5 million for “art for inclusion of people with disabilities”

— $2 million for sex changes and “LGBT activism” in Guatemala

— $6 million to “transform digital spaces to reflect feminist democratic principles”

— $2.1 million to help the BBC “value the diversity of Libyan society”

— $10 million worth of USAID-funded meals, which went to an al Qaeda-linked terrorgroup

— $25 million for Deloitte to promote “green transportation” in the country of Georgia

— $2.5 million to promote “inclusion” in Vietnam

— $16.8 million for a SEPARATE “inclusion” group in Vietnam

— ~$5 million to EcoHealth Alliance, one of the key NGOs funding bat virus research at the Wuhan lab

— $20 million for a group related to a key player in the Russiagate impeachment hoax

— $1.1 million to an Armenian “LGBT group”

— $1.2 million to help the African Methodist Episcopal Church Service and Development Agency in Washington, D.C., build “a state-of-the-art 440 seat auditorium”

— $1.5 million to promote “LGBT advocacy” in Jamaica

— $2 million to promote “LGBT equality through entrepreneurship” in Latin America

— $500K to solve sectarian violence in Israel (just ten days before the Hamas October 7 attack)

— $2.3 million for “artisanal and small scale gold mining” in the Amazon

— $3.9 million for “LGBT causes” in the western Balkans

— $5.5 million for LGBT activism in Uganda

— $6 million for advancing LGBT issues in “priority countries around the world”

— $6.3 million for men who have s*x with men in South Africa

— $8.3 million for “USAID Education: Equity and Inclusion”

For decades, USAID bureaucrats believed they were accountable to no one — but that era is over. President Trump is STOPPING the waste, fraud, and abuse.

Taken from Kevin Steele

GOD is exposing it ALLLLLL!!! 🔥

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 1.26

Holidays

Aemilia Asteroid Day

Auschwitz Liberation Day (Netherlands)

Australia Day

Belarusian Science Day (Belarus)

Bessie Coleman Day

Day of Islam (Poland)

Dental Drill Appreciation Day

Duarte Day (Dominican Republic)

Dungeons & Dragons Day

Eddie Van Halen Day

Engineer’s and Architect’s Day (Panama)

General Douglas MacArthur Day (Arkansas)

Hydroplane Day

International Customs Day

International Day of Clean Energy

International Environmental Education Day

International Kawasaki Disease Awareness Day

Liberation Day (a.k.a. NRM Liberation Day; Uganda)

Lotus 1-2-3 Day

Multicultural Children’s Book Day

Napoleon Abueva Day (Philippines)

National Ellen Degeneres Day

National Heroes Day (Cayman Islands)

National Ranboo Day

National #24 Day

Renewable Energy Day (Indiana)

Rocky Mountain National Park Day

Rum Rebellion Day (Australia)

Sexual Relations Day

Spouse’s Day

State Audit Service Day (Ukraine)

Television Day

Tinder Polypore Day (French Republic)

Toad Hollow Day of Encouragement

World Day for the Abolition of Meat

World Day of the Fisherman

World Environmental Education Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

International Sous Vide Day

National Green Juice Day

National Irish Soda Bread Day

National Peanut Brittle Day

National Pistachio Day

Spike the Punch Day

Stingray IPA Day

Nature Celebrations

Bald Eagle Appreciation Day

Mimosa Day (Sensitive Heart; Korean Birth Flowers)

Independence, Flag & Related Days

Discovery Day (Brazil; 1500)

Foundation Day (Australia; 1788)

Hong Kong (Proclaimed British Sovereign Territory; 1841)

Louisiana (Seceded from the U.S.; 1861)

Michigan Statehood Day (#26; 1837)

NRM Liberation Day (Uganda)

Recognition of the Republic of Latvia (Latvijas Republikas Atzīšana; Latvia)

Republic Day (Declared; India; 1950)

Suttornland (Declared; 2021) [unrecognized]

Virginia (Readmitted to the Union; 1870)

New Year’s Days

Chinese New Year Holiday, Day 2 (Taiwan)

4th & Last Sunday in January

Child Labor Day [4th Sunday]

Clean Out Your Email Inbox Week begins [Sunday of Last Full Week]

Dinagyang (Philippines) [4th Sunday]

Homeless Sunday (UK) [4th Sunday]

International Internet-Free Day [Last Sunday]

National Bible Sunday (Philippines) [Last Sunday]

National Holocaust Memorial Day (Ireland) [Sunday closest to 27th]

Sanctity of Human Life Sunday [Sunday closest to 22nd]

Septuagesina Sunday [4th Sunday]

Seven For Sunday [Every Sunday]

Soothing Sunday [4th Sunday of Each Month]

Spud Sunday [4th Sunday of Each Month]

Souper Sunday [Last Sunday of Each Month]

Sultry Sunday [Last Sunday of Each Month]

Sundae Sunday [Every Sunday]

Sunday Funday [Every Sunday]

World Leprosy Day [Sunday Nearest 1.30]

Weekly Holidays beginning January 26 (4th Week of January)

Catholic Schools Week (thru 2.2) [From Last Sunday]

Cheeseburger Week in Pasadena (Pasadena, California) [thru 2.1]

Global Crayola Creativity Week [Last Full Week]

International Hot Air Balloon Week (thru 2.1) [4th Full Week]

Kiss a Shark Week (thru 2.1) [4th Full Week]

National CRNA Week [Last Full Week]

National Meat Week (thru 2.2) [8 Days from 4th Sunday]

National School Choice Week [Last Full Week]

San Diego Restaurant Week (San Diego, California) [thru 2.2]

Tax Identity Theft Awareness Week [4th Full Week]

Festivals Beginning January 26, 2025

BRAFA Art Fair (Brussels, Belgium) [thru 2.2]

Critic’s Choice Awards (Santa Monica, California)

Dairy Forum (San Antonio, Texas) [thru 1.29]

Delhi Republic Day Parade (New Delhi, India)

Satellite Awards (Los Angeles, California)

WASGA Winter Seed Conference (Phoenix, Arizona) [thru 1.28]

Feast Days

Alberic (Christian; Saint)

Beat the January Blues Day (Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Cernunnos’ Day (Celtic God of the Wild; Master of the Animals; Celtic Book of Days)

Conon (a.k.a. Conan of Man; Christian; Saint)

Dévote's Day (Monaco; Saint)

End of the Fifth Quarter of the Ninth Dozen of the Thirteenth Set (Shamanism)

Enki’s Day (Pagan)

Eystein (Christian; Saint)

Founders of Cîteaux (Alberic of Cîteaux, Robert of Molesme, Stephen Harding)

Gabriele Allegra (Christian; Blessed)

John the Baptist (Positivist; Saint)

Margaret of Hungary (Christian; Virgin)

Paula (Christian; Saint)

Pilar (Muppetism)

Polycarp (Christian; Martyr)

Powamu begins (a.k.a. Bean Dance Ceremony; Hopi) [8 Days; thru 2.3]

Rum Rebellion Day (Pastafarian)

Sailing of Anubis (Ancient Egypt)

Steve Jackson Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

St. John the Baptist (Positivist; Saint)

String Appreciation Day (Pastafarian)

Thordith of Barking (a.k.a. Theorigitha; Christian; Saint)

Timothy and Titus (Christian; Saints)

Titus (Christian; Saint)

Secular Saints Days

Louis Anquetin (Art)

Sal Buscema (Art)

François Coppée (Literature)

Angela Davis (Politics, Philosophy)

Philip José Farmer (Literature)

Jules Feiffer (Art)

Rupprecht Geiger (Art)

Scott Glenn (Entertainment)

Wayne Gretzky (Sports)

Susan Griffin (Literature)

Polycarp Kusch (Science)

Giovanni Lanfranco (Art)

Douglas MacArthur (Military)

Paul Newman (Entertainment)

Jean-Baptiste Pigalle (Art)

Paula Rego (Art)

Günther Reindorff (Art)

Huey ‘Piano’ Smith (Music)

David Strathaim (Entertainment)

Samuel C.C. Ting (Science)

Bob Uecker (Sports)

Roger Vadim (Entertainment)

Kees van Dongen (Art)

Eddie Van Halen (Music)

Lunar Calendar Holidays

Chinese: Month 12 (Ding-Chou), Day 26 (Yi-Wei)

Day Pillar: Wood Sheep

12-Day Officers/12 Gods: Destruction Day (破 Po) [Inauspicious]

Holidays: Special Working Day (China) / Chinese New Year Holiday, Day 2 (Taiwan)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Fortunate Day (Pagan) [4 of 53]

Tomobiki (友引 Japan) [Good luck all day, except at noon.]

Tycho Brahe Lucky Day (Scandinavia) [1 of 4]

Premieres

The Bear and the Bees (Aesop’s Film Fable Cartoon; 1922)

Bowling (Atari 2600 Video Game; 1979)

Bridge Over Troubled Waters, by Simon & Garfunkel (Album; 1970)

The Cat and the Swordfish (Aesop’s Film Fable Cartoon; 1922)

Catch and Release (Film; 2017)

The Clock Watcher (Donald Duck Disney Cartoon; 1945)

College (Osewald the Lucky Rabbit Cartoon; 1931)

Così Fan Tutte, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Opera; 1790)

The Debut of Thomas Katt (Goldwyn-Bray Pictograph Cartoon; 1920)

Der Rosenkavalier, by Richard Staruss (Comic Opera; 1911)

The Dog and the Thief (Aesop’s Film Fable Cartoon; 1922)

Dog-Gone Tough Luck (Mutt and Jeff Cartoon; 1919)

Don’t Shoot Me, I’m Only the Piano Player (Album; 1973)

Don’t Stop Me Now, by Queen (Song; 1979)

Eddie the Eagle (Film; 2016)

Edgar Runs Again (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1940)

The Dukes of Hazzard (TV Series; 1979)

The Farmer and the Ostrich (Aesop’s Film Fable Cartoon; 1922)

The Fox and the Grapes (Aesop’s Film Fable Cartoon; 1922)

Gormenghast, by Mervyn Peake (Novel; 1950) [Gormenghast #2]

The Grass Is Always Greener over the Septic Tank, by Erma Bombeck (Novel; 1976)

Hello, I’m Johnny Cash, by Johnny Cash (Album; 1970)

How I Became Krazy (Goldwyn-Bray Pictograph Cartoon; 1921)

Instant Karma, recorded by John Lennon (Song; 1970)

Jimmy Kimmel Live! (TV Talk Show; 2003)

Masters of the Air (TV Mini-Series; 2024)

Maze Runner: The Death Cure (Film; 2018)

Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer (TV Series; 1984)

The Miller and His Donkey (Aesop’s Film Fable Cartoon; 1922)

The Mouse Exterminator (Phantasies Cartoon; 1940)

Need You Now, by Lady Antebellum (Album; 2010)

Notes on a Scandal (Film; 2007)

Pastoral Symphony, a.k.a. Symphony No. 3, by Ralph Vaughan Williams (Symphony; 1922)

Peaceful Neighbors (Color Rhapsody Cartoon; 1939)

The Phantom of the Opera (Broadway Musical; 1988)

Philip José Farmer (Writerism)

Poker Face (TV Series; 2023)

Pop-Pie a la Mode (Fleischer/Famous Popeye Cartoon; 1945)

Riverdale (TV Series; 2017)

Scrambled Aches (WB LT Cartoon; 1957)

Seal on the Loose (Woody Woodpecker Cartoon; 1970)

Shōgun, by James Clavell (Novel; 1975)

Sinister Stuff (Aesop’s Sound Fable Cartoon; 1934)

The Spendthrift (Aesop’s Film Fable Cartoon; 1922)

Sugar & Spice (Film; 2001)

The Three Bears (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1934)

The Tiger and the Donkey (Aesop’s Film Fable Cartoon; 1922)

Twelve O’Clock High (Film; 1950)

Vacation with Play (Fleischer/Famous Popeye Cartoon; 1951)

Volver (Film; 2007)

Walk Like a Man, by The Four Seasons (Song; 1963)

Way Back When a Triangle Had Its Points (Fleischer Stone Age Cartoon; 1940)

Today’s Name Days

Paula, Timotheus, Titus (Austria)

Bogoljub, Paula, Timotej, Tit, Tonka (Croatia)

Zora (Czech Republic)

Polycarpus (Denmark)

Ulve, Ulvi (Estonia)

Joonatan (Finland)

Paule, Pauline, Timothé (France)

Paula, Timotheus, Titus (Germany)

Xenofon (Greece)

Paula, Vanda (Hungary)

Paola, Timoteo, Tito (Italy)

Agnis, Ansis (Latvia)

Daugis, Eigilė, Justas, Rimantas (Lithuania)

Esten, Øystein (Norway)

Paula, Paulina, Polikarp, Skarbimir, Wanda (Poland)

Arcadie, Ioan, Iosif, Maria, Xenofont (Romania)

Tamara (Slovakia)

Paula, Timoteo, Tito (Spain)

Bodil, Boel (Sweden)

Arkad, Arkadiy, May, Maya (Ukraine)

Aubrey, Conan, Coner, Conner, Connor, Conor, Gonzalo, Paola, Paula, Paulette, Paulina, Pauline (USA)

Today’s National Name Days

National Diane Day

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 26 of 2025; 339 days remaining in the year

ISO Week: Day 7 of Week 4 of 2025

Celtic Tree Calendar: Luis (Rowan) [Day 6 of 28]

Chinese: Month 12 (Ding-Chou), Day 27 (Yi-Wei)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Jia-Wu]

Coptic: 18 Tubah 1741

Druid Tree Calendar: Cypress (Jan 25-Feb 3) [Day 2 of 15]

Hebrew: 26 Teveth 5785

Islamic: 26 Rajab 1446

J Cal: 26 White; Fryday [26 of 30]

Julian: 13 January 2025

Moon: 9%: Waning Crescent

Positivist: 26 Moses (1st Month) [St. John the Baptist]

Runic Half Month: Elhaz (Elk) [Day 5 of 15]

Season: Winter (Day 37 of 90)

Week: 4th & Last Week of January

Zodiac:

Tropical (Typical) Zodiac: Aquarius (Day 7 of 30)

Sidereal Zodiac: Capricorn (Day 12 of 29)

Schmidt Zodiac: Capricorn (Day 1 of 27)

IAU Boundaries (Current) Zodiac: Capricorn (Day 7 of 28)

IAU Boundaries (1977) Zodiac: Capricornus (Day 8 of 28)

[violetjedisylveon]

Wanna save some lives?

Don't you all just love it when someone decides that because you do something they don't agree with, you should be murdered?

It's not at all like people can do whatever they want to with their own damn lives. No no, some people are determined to ruin everyone else's lives because people do something they don't like.

So they chose to murder those people like that doesn't make them entierly in the wrong regardless of the situation.

If you know why this is happening, you know what group I am talking about.

If you for some reason, agree with fucking murdering someone for *gasp* being gay or trans or not behaving in a "proper, natural" cishet way, I've got a fucking news flash for you dickhead, very few things on this planet are 100% heterosexual, almost everything engages in a lil homo, and only us big brain dumb dumbs decide to throw hissy fit about it and kill each other for it.

Truly, the more advanced life forms.

Also literally every man was a woman at some point, fucking think about it, use your brains and think critically instead of just believing whatever some authority figure told you.

I really wish humanity was more like bonobos than chimps, there'd be very little way for any of this to happen cause 1, Bonobos aren't very violent, and 2, they are all pansexual, everyone's fucking everyone when you're a bonobo.

Bonobos are our closest relatives btw.

If you believe that people should be murdered for being gay, you are wrong, no one should be murdered for something like that. Go fuck yourself and consider becoming a better person, the world needs less assholes and I need some faith in this dumpster fire of a species. Feed two squirrels with one scone and don't be a garbage person. It's not that hard. It really isn't.

I would say sorry for pushing this bad news on you and ruining your day(it ruined mine, trust me) but, I am not, it is important to fight against so, maybe donate or protest or stop supporting the groups who use political power and influnce to push their agenda onto the governments of countries dependent upon their aid and make them do atrocious things like this.

I swear if anyone tries to fight me and say it is somehow justified, I will fucking destroy you.

[ewan-mo]

Mo had a dream

20th September 2023

The youngest student at the workshop; 2 months old. Son of Brenda, Community MH nurse, he is just 2 months old. He’s called Zion. And very advanced, of course.

At breakfast today I decided to have avocado. Because I could, because it’s good for me, and because we normally eat quite a bit of it at home.

Our menu here tends to be based on common Ugandan everyday foods, hence yesterday’s liver and cooking banana and today’s avocado.

Ewan began the day’s programme with a snowball exercise. 2-3 people discuss first, then they join another group to become 6 and so on. Each time the group has to decide on its ‘top 3’ – in this case, their top three things learnt as a result of the partnership with Jamie’s Fund. Great to read their results. I was not surprised, but I was moved, to hear mention of loving our patients, and other similar sentiments 

Long ago in Malawi, I was surprised and upset to find that the PrivateNotForProfit hospitals, which were mostly faith based, wouldn’t care for any patients with mental illness. While in government service we were developing community mental health care and reducing the population of the mental hospital, the mission hospitals were saying “We don’t do this.”

We asked a question of the Christian Medical Fellowship in UK as to why should this be? That led to a consultation: “Should faith based health institutions provide mental health services?”

An international conference followed in 1998: Developing Mental Health: a Challenge to the Churches. We brought participants from five continents - mental health workers, their managers and their bishops, and had a wonderful week in a conference centre in England. 

By then I had a dream: that faith-based hospitals, especially in low-income countries, would develop community mental health services, and offer love and commitment to this group of people who are so often stigmatised, rejected and outcast.

Working in Jamie’s Fund in Uganda, my dream has come true. Our young colleagues here have a shining vision to make things better in mental health, and they are transforming lives. They also love to learn and we are having such a good week with them.

Second on today’s agenda I presented Trauma Matters, prepared by our good friend Helen, a Liverpool psychiatrist. We were all looking forward to her first visit to Uganda – and so was she, but late in the day illness stopped that happening. Interesting presenting other people’s powerpoint! But I already knew that she and I had were of the same tribe, had concerns and values in common, and that it was a privilege to present her work. 

After lunch our colleague Sudaat told us about a new syndrome “Shake Shake”. Every so often these slightly odd presentations crop up, often in boarding schools, looking like some weird neurological disease. As far as I know, they never are, but are usually due to underlying stress and the girls ‘catch’ it from each other. You won’t be surprised to hear that in ShakeShake the girls’ legs shake.

Some of our colleagues had asked for screening tools to give them a straightforward and speedy way to assess those patients in medical clinics who come with physical symptoms but appear to have nothing wrong with them. So we talked about screening principles and got them doing translations of one such tool into local languages. Much hilarity ensued. Keeping control was like herding cats.  

We took a group photo with the banner of the the Diversity Foundation behind the group.  Diversity Travel have been very generous in their support to Jamie’s Fund and have paid about half the cost of this work shop for which we are very grateful..

Ewan enjoys data. Don’t drown in data, turn it into information!  Kuule from Bwindi and Lamet from Mukono, both very able and visionary mental health clinicians, joined Ewan to show how it could be done. Kuule and Ewan have recently spent a considerable time preparing a research paper on this very subject, which shows how the number of patients attending mental health clinics around Bwindi has increased as more clinics have been opened as a result of training of clnical staff  in basic mental health care, sponsored by JF.  The only officially required figures are for the clinic attendances rather than how an individual attends.  Just looking at the number of attendances doesn't tell you about the size of pool of patients or if individuals are attending regularly for follow up. You need this to be able to manage your service effectively.

Supper as usual and early bed.

[pbandjesse]

I had a good day off all things considered. The consideration being I am so sleepy. I almost feel like I have a cold. But it wasn't a bad day.

I had very few goals today. I wanted to clean. I wanted shake shack. And I wanted to go buy flat back earrings at old navy. And I would accomplish those goals.

I woke up this morning later then I like. But after we got home last night I ended up being up super late working on a planning document for Uganda. I think it's going to cost $6k. Which is rough but James thinks we can do it and James is much more frugal so I believe them. Hopefully I'm overestimating how much, but there are variables I just don't know yet. Like the hotel rooms because they are going to get a discount. And like what food will be. We also need visas and yellow fever vaccines. So I was up until 2 reading articles and writing up my findings. I would end up moving to the kitchen because James kept flailing in their sleep. Where Sweetp alerted me to a giant fucking bug. So large I actually woke James up to come get it.

But after that I went back to bed and actually was convinced there was a bug on my tablet and my heart rate went so high I was like. It's time to go to sleep.

When I did get out of bed I washed my faced and got dressed. And then I was right into cleaning. I started in the bathroom. I have found I am avoiding some stuff because my body hurts or I'm like afraid it'll make my body hurts. So I did not do the floors and I did not pull the box from under the sink or like the trash or anything. I did take the stuff out of the shower and cleaned the tub the best I could. But I am for sure being a big baby about anything that has to do with bending.

But I got good cleaning done. And finally started working on getting rid of some kitchen stuff. I decided the best way to do it was to pull out everything I don't want to get rid of. So then James can pair it down from there. I would clear out the cubbies so I could store them there for the time being. This would take a while though. Just moving stuff. I would have to go and get the ladder to get up to the hall shelf.

I would get a lot accomplished. And felt pretty good. I decided it was time to head out into the world.

I really liked my outfit and felt very cool. And was looking forward to shake shack. I was struggling a little when I got there though and was having trouble understanding people talking to me and I don't know why?? Everything just sounded garbled. So I got confused and didn't use the coupon I had which just made me upset with myself. But I'll save it for another time.

I did enjoy my food. I sat inside. I did spill some ketchup on myself but I tried to not let it bother me. For some reason the food made me cough like crazy. Which made me very uncomfortable. But I was trying to not let it stop me.

I went across the street to old navy and looked around for a while. I was surprised how expensive everything was even in the clearance. Old Navy clearance used to be so good!

I did find the earrings I wanted. I wanted flat back earrings and I am very happy with the ones I got. I may go back for another because I got two different ones and I didn't think I would love them as much as I am so now I want matching ones. The only real issue is they are internally threaded and are very hard to put on!! At least they make me feel pretty.

The coughing was making me feel super tired. And when I got home I was so tired I was dizzy.

I would have to spend like a half hour trying to get my broken hoop earring out with two pairs of pliers. Which was not fun and hurt my ears and then putting on the new earrings was a struggled it was tough. But I was so extremely tired.

So as soon as I could I got changed and got in bed and I was out.

I slept until 430. And when I woke up James was here. I don't know if it was the AC or what but my throat hurt so much. And I wanted something. James would get me ice cream and I asked for water but they weren't listening when I tried to tell them that my water bottle had lemonade in it and I yelled to the next room to grt their attention and hurt my throat and was just so upset I was just like. Leave me alone. And that wasn't nice. I would apologize and they would say it's okay but it's not fair that I let myself fall apart and be mean. Hate being mean.

James would order us pizza for dinner. I mostly wanted the salad I got with it. It was just nice sitting together and eating. James walked to go pick it up and apparently they didn't get the notification so they had to quickly make it and so the crust was a little soft but it was fun. I still liked it.

While James was gone I vacuumed and cleaned the kitty litter and refilled our hand soap. And it was a nice evening.

I would spend some time collecting things and putting stuff away. I restuffed my bear DJ because he had gotten so floppy. He's very full now.

I took a salt bath and watched a spooky video. And James met Lane downstairs to get some stuff together for James's philly bike ride tomorrow. I'm glad someone is acting as like a relief vehicle just in case. Makes me feel more secure.

And now we are in bed. And I am really hoping I can fall asleep quick. I love you all. Sleep well!!

[mostlysignssomeportents]

This day in history

Tonight (May 30) at 6:30PM, I’m at the NOTTINGHAM Waterstones with my novel Red Team Blues, hosted by Christian Reilly (MMT Podcast).

Tomorrow (May 31) at 6:30PM, I’m at the MANCHESTER Waterstones, hosted by Ian Forrester.

Then it’s London, Edinburgh, and Berlin!

#20yrsago Everquest social networks need the Mafia https://web.archive.org/web/20030301000000*/http://hypertext.rmit.edu.au/dac/papers/Jakobsson.pdf

#20yrsago Streisand suing environmentalists over California Coastline project https://www.californiacoastline.org/streisand/lawsuit.html

#15yrsago English nurseries fingerprinting parents “for security” https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/kent/7430709.stm

#15yrsago Happy First Sale day! https://everybodyslibraries.com/2008/06/01/100-years-of-the-first-sale-doctrine/

#10yrsago Coloring the Haunted Mansion https://longforgottenhauntedmansion.blogspot.com/2013/06/stroll-around-grounds-until-you-feel-at.html

#10yrsago What is the social media style of protest? https://technosociology.org/?p=1255

#10yrsago Turkish Spring: Taksim Gezi Park protests in Istanbul https://occupygezipics.tumblr.com/post/51867772932/people-chanting-off-with-the-government-as-they

#10yrsago Mouldering city built of bread is a metaphor for Earth without humans https://web.archive.org/web/20130728143258/http://www.adesignaward.com/design.php?ID=28463

#5yrsago Leaks show that Google expected its modest AI-for-drones business to expand exponentially https://theintercept.com/2018/05/31/google-leaked-emails-drone-ai-pentagon-lucrative/

#5yrsago Vermont offers remote workers a $10,000 subsidy to relocate to the state https://qz.com/work/1289727/vermont-will-pay-you-10000-to-move-there-and-work-remotely

#5yrsago Oregon employers warn that the state has run out of workers who can pass a drug test https://www.wweek.com/news/2018/05/30/oregon-is-running-out-of-workers-who-can-pass-a-drug-test/

#5yrsago Customs stole a US citizen’s life savings when he boarded a domestic flight, now he’s suing to get it back https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2018/05/31/a-64-year-old-put-his-life-savings-in-his-carry-on-u-s-customs-took-it-without-charging-him-with-a-crime/

#5yrsago The most interesting thing about the “Thanksgiving Effect” study is what it tells us about the limits of data anonymization https://www.wired.com/story/the-thanksgiving-effect-and-the-power-of-phone-data/

#5yrsago Uganda’s unenforceable social media tax is augmented by a biometric requirement for SIM card purchases https://globalvoices.org/2018/06/01/netizen-report-ugandas-whatsapp-tax-and-sim-card-regulations-will-make-it-harder-to-stay-connected/

#5yrsago Vanuatu will use drones to deliver vaccines across its remote chain of tiny islands https://spectrum.ieee.org/drone-delivery-becomes-a-reality-in-remote-pacific-islands

#5yrsago Spain’s austerity-loving, authoritarian Prime Minister loses no-confidence vote and is replaced by a socialist https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/spain-government-collapse-no-confidence-vote-mariano-rajoy-a8378586.html

#5yrsago At ex-CIA panelist’s insistence, Oxford Union reneges on promise to upload video of whistleblowing debate https://www.dailypublic.com/articles/05312018/irony-oxford-union-wont-release-video-whistleblowing-panel

#1yrago Inflation is caused by too little capacity: Not too much money https://pluralistic.net/2022/06/01/factories-to-condos-pipeline/#stuff-not-money

Catch me on tour with Red Team Blues in Nottingham, Manchester, London, and Berlin!

[tomorrowusa]

In addition to being the dictator party and the abortion police party, the GOP is becoming the "kill the gays" party.

In a little-noticed Oct. 8 speech in Uganda, Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI) urged that nation to stand behind its new Anti-Homosexuality Act, which includes the death penalty. Walberg’s remarks came at Uganda’s National Prayer Breakfast. His trip to attend the event was paid for by the secretive U.S. group behind the National Prayer Breakfast, congressional filings show. As the keynote speaker of the Entebbe event, Walberg advised Uganda to “stand firm” on the new law. Walberg can be seen in video of the event listening to, endorsing, and associating himself with the remarks of other speakers. Speakers called LGBTQ+ advocates “a force from the bottom of Hell” and urged government officials to adopt “Christocracy” over democracy. Walberg explicitly encouraged Uganda’s leaders to resist opposition to the law from the U.S., the UN, and other global institutions. His audience included President Yoweri Museveni, who signed the Anti-Homosexuality Act into law in May. Museveni afterwards said Walberg’s presence showed his people that there were Americans who “think like us.” Walberg justified his Uganda trip as related to his official duties in part because of his role as co-chair of the Feb. 2 U.S. National Prayer Breakfast.

Yep, Rep. Walberg went on a junket (taxpayer financed?) to the most homophobic country in Sub-Saharan Africa just to "pray" at breakfast — presumably for the death of gays. And he got to do so alongside the country's longtime authoritarian president.

Yoweri Museveni has been mis-leading his country since 26 January 1986 – the same day the Chicago Bears won Super Bowl XX. He's one of those corrupt de facto presidents for life who plague a number of countries in Africa. It's natural that Republicans would gravitate towards such a figure.

[L]ast year’s Ugandan National Prayer Breakfast also served as a rally to resist international pressure for LGBTQ+ rights. The latest version of the Anti-Homosexuality bill, commonly known as the “Kill the Gays Bill,” was introduced shortly afterwards. The law provides penalties of lengthy prison sentences and even execution for “aggravated homosexuality,” including “serial offenses.” Even advocating for LGBTQ+ rights can mean years behind bars under the new law. Just attempting to engage in same-sex conduct can draw a sentence of ten years. According to Human Rights Watch, Ugandan rights groups have seen a spike in anti-LGBTQ discrimination and persecution since the bill’s introduction. Advocates in Uganda report government crackdowns on rights organizations and, since the law was enacted in May, hundreds of individual acts of violence, discrimination, and even evictions. As recently as Dec. 11, the Biden administration reiterated its demand that Uganda repeal the law and stop its official persecution. The White House cited U.S. visa restrictions and sanctions of Ugandan officials. The U.S. has suggested further economic consequences may follow.

Walberg seemed to imply that he's not on the side of the United States of America. Well, that's not unusual of House Republicans.

Referring to himself and the Ugandans there as “we,” Walberg asked, “Whose side do we wanna be on? God’s side. Not the World Bank, not the United States of America, necessarily, not the UN. God’s side.”

Somebody should ask Rep. Walberg if he's going to introduce a "Kill the Gays Bill" in the US House. Knowing how self-hating the Log Cabin Republicans are, they'd probably lobby in favor of such a bill.

A fascist mindset permeates the Republican Party. If you support the continuation of democracy in this country, Vote Blue No Matter Who. People who claim that both parties are the same are either stupid or too lazy to pay attention.

[danvastcareers]

Regional Business Executive - ENGIE Energy Access - Arusha, Tanzania

Job Title: Regional Business Executive (2 positions)

Job Grade: 12

Location: Tanzania

Application Deadline: 1st May 2023

Position: Full-time

Team: Business

Reporting To: Zonal Business Manager

About ENGIE Energy Access

ENGIE Energy Access is one of the leading Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGo) and mini-grids solutions provider in Africa, with a mission to deliver affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy solutions and life-changing services with exceptional customer experience. The company is a result of the integration of Fenix International, ENGIE Mobisol and ENGIE PowerCorner; and develops innovative, off-grid solar solutions for homes, public services, and businesses, enabling customers and distribution partners access to clean, affordable energy. The PAYGo solar home systems are financed through affordable instalments from $0.19 per day and the minigrids foster economic development by enabling electrical productive use and triggering business opportunities for entrepreneurs in rural communities. With over 1,700 employees, operations in nine countries across Africa (Benin, Côte dIvoire, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia), almost 1.5 million customers and over 7 million lives impacted so far, ENGIE Energy Access aims to remain the leading clean energy company, serving millions of customers across Africa by 2025.

https://www.linkedin.com/company/engieenergyaccess/

Job Purpose/Mission

This person will be responsible to lead and manage a team of Acquisition & Collection Agents, Installations Technician, Dual Contractors, and their customers responsible for the full customer cycle i.e., Acquisition, Collect, Recover, Maintain and Fulfil.

Responsibilities

Business Management

Develop and implement the acquisition operational strategies within allocated Region, as well as align with the Region acquisition targets.

Organizing acquisition activities and functions in the field to achieve targets, revenues, and desired quality of acquisition.

On time and high-quality system installations at the customers premises or any other location as directed by ENGIE Mobisol.

Train Acquisition Agents, Dual Contractors, Collection Agent, Installation Technicians, Maintenance Technicians and in applicable policies, guidelines, processes, and procedures.

Organizing and facilitating regular team meetings according to guidelines provided by Zonal Business Manager standards.

Mentoring each Acquisition Agent, Installation Technician, Maintenance Technician, Dual Contractor to enhance operational performance, motivation, and engagement.

Training and coaching of Acquisition Agents on topics including pitching, acquisition conversation, negotiations, closing, and building of strong and long-lasting relationships with customers.

Stock Management and Coordination

Provide weekly, monthly, and quarterly shop inventory status reports to the Inventory and Logistics teams.

Conduct monthly, quarterly, and End-of-Year physical stock audits (stock-taking) for the shop and/or 3PDs.

Responsible and accountable for the stock (New, Repossessed, Returns, Spare parts, and Demos) in the shops and/or the 3PDs.

Responsible and accountable for stock losses in the shops and/or 3PDs and for the recovery of the stock losses.

Adhere to and abide by the Asset Management and HSE policies of ENGIE Energy Access Tanzania.

Managing Installation and Maintenance Technicians

Coordinate Installation Technicians and Maintenance technicians to ensures systems are installed and maintained.

Support recruitment of new Installation and maintenance technicians in the acquisition Region.

Prepare the monthly installation monitoring report for the Zonal Service Coordinator

Review Control monthly commission payments and payroll follow up on faulty installations and inform Finance Department about deductions.

Ensure repossessions are aligned and coordinated effectively and efficiently with focus to both customer and business profitability

Identify the need for and recruit new contractors with support from Service Network Team Leader

Responsible for disciplinary for installations and maintenance technicians

Portfolio Monitoring

Gathering benchmark data for assessment purpose and analysis of causes of portfolio deterioration.

Conduct initial assessment to establish the applicant's character to eliminate the risk of default.

Managing assigned portfolio by attending work-out categories that should be applied to customers in late repayment such as recovery, extension of grace period, rescheduling, or repossession.

Providing regular portfolio, compliance and routing report to the Supervisor as required

Ensure remedial action is taken when required to keep performance in line with business objectives.

Completing assigned tasks in line with applicable policies, guidelines, processes, and procedures.

Review and update credit and loan files.

Weekly planning and conducting field visits to undertake loan workout activities such as recovery, rescheduling or repossession and further find out why customers are not repaying and advise them on repayment options.

Handle customer complaints and take appropriate action to resolve them.

Follow up and solving all difficult cases that may involve missing customers, theft, forgery etc.

Informing and reporting to ZBM about weekly routing, field visits, and difficult customer cases which need either in-depth negotiation or legal measures.

Subordinates Effectiveness

Managing the daily work and activities of shop acquisition and collection agents.

Deal with complex scenarios that may occur at the shop such theft, fire, violence etc.

Participating in the recruitment of new acquisition and collection agents and training of new and agents.

Conduct periodic performance review of acquisition and collection agents.

Others

Ensure Health, safety and environmental standards are adhered to, through Zonal Service Coordinators.

Undertaking any other duties which may be assigned by the Line Management from time to time.

Knowledge and skills

Experience:

2+ years of relevant sales and operational management experience in a medium sized company

Previous experience in a managerial position is an added advantage.

Experience in Customer Relationship Management

Previous experience in Credit Management activities/roles

Qualifications:

Degree and/or experience in Sales and marketing, Business Administration, Microfinance or its equivalent.

Language(s):

Kiswahili fluency (writing, speaking and reading)

English fluency (writing, speaking and reading)

Technology:

Experience in using Microsoft applications, computer, and smartphone literate.

ENGIE is an equal opportunity employer, promoting diversity and committed to creating an inclusive environment for all. All applications are screened based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without any regard to origin, age, name, sexual identity, orientation or preference, religion, marital status, health, disability, political opinions, union involvement or citizenship. Our differences are our strengths!

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