#all dogs must be 6 months old to enter the united states?????? | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

petnews2day · 2 years

Text

Pet Import and Export | Washington State Department of Health

New Post has been published on https://petnews2day.com/pet-industry-news/pet-travel-news/pet-import-and-export-washington-state-department-of-health/

Pet Import and Export | Washington State Department of Health

Requirements for Dogs, Cats, and Ferrets

Import

Interstate Requirements

Pets coming into Washington from within the United States must have a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI), also known as a health certificate issued within 30 days prior to entry. A licensed and accredited veterinarian must complete the examination certifying that the animal is free of infectious disease and satisfies state import requirements under the state rule WAC16-54-170. The veterinarian who conducts the examination must be the person who signs the certificate.

Dogs, cats, and ferrets that are family pets and have current valid rabies vaccination certificates and are traveling with their owners with no intent of a change of ownership are exempt from the CVI requirement.

The CVI must indicate that the following vaccination and test requirements have been met.

Dogs

Rabies – Current rabies vaccination. Dogs younger than 3 months are exempt.

Heartworm – Dogs 6 months and older must test negative for heartworm or be currently on a heartworm preventative. Dogs that have been owned by the same owner for more than one month and are traveling with their owners with no intent of a change of ownership are exempt.

Cats and Ferrets

Rabies – Current rabies vaccination. Cats and ferrets younger than 3 months are exempt.

International Requirements

Pets coming into Washington from outside the United States must meet federal and state import requirements.

Federal

State

International Health Certificate that indicates state import requirements for rabies vaccination and heartworm testing have been met. Obtain the International Health Certificate and rabies vaccination certificate from a veterinary authority in the country of origin.

Contact Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) – Animal Health Program at 360-902-1878 with questions on import requirements for pets.

Export

Pets traveling to another state or foreign country must meet requirements specific to that destination.

Interstate and International Requirements

We encourage owners to travel with a copy of their pet’s valid rabies vaccination certificate and CVI.

Answers to a few common questions

I’m importing a pet that’s not old enough for its rabies vaccination. What should I know?

Unvaccinated pets that enter from another state will still have to be vaccinated against rabies according to state requirements. Keep your pet confined at home until its first rabies vaccination. Confined for another 30 days allowing time for the vaccination to take effect and give full protection to your pet.

I’m adopting a rescue pet from outside the state. What should I know?

Some people are buying and selling dogs and cats that have been imported illegally, including rescue pets. Importation of animals for adoption by any person or organization must comply with the same state and federal regulations. If you intend to adopt a cat or dog–adopt from a reputable pet rescue organization. The rescue should be open to answering your questions and be willing to share all information on the animal’s current health. Be sure paperwork lists where the animal is coming from and where it is going. Check that the rabies vaccination certificate is complete, accurate, and information has not been falsified. Learn more, see WSDA’s What to Know When Rescuing a Pet in Washington State.

What happens if I import a pet without a CVI?

First, make sure the veterinarian who completes your pet’s CVI sends a copy to the state veterinarian at WSDA. Violation of Washington’s import requirements is illegal. Failure to comply may result in fines or penalties according state rule WAC 16-60-030. Penalties can be up to $1,000 for forged documents or transporting animals into Washington without valid paperwork.

What is considered a “valid” rabies vaccination certificate?

When traveling, you may be asked to show “proof” that your pet is immunized against rabies. Always carry a copy of your pet’s current, valid rabies vaccination certificate with you. Before leaving on your trip, make sure the certificate is complete and valid. Rabies vaccination certificate should include:

Name and address of owner

Breed, sex, color, markings and other identifying information for the pet

Date of rabies vaccination and vaccine product information

Date the vaccination expires

Name, license number, address, and signature of veterinarian who administered the vaccination

Learn more from CDC on what is a valid rabies vaccination certificate necessary for international travel.

Do airlines have other requirements?

Airlines have their own rules on whether and how a pet can travel. Contact your airline to learn what pets and types of confinement satisfies their requirements and restrictions. For more information on how to fly with your pet, see CDC’s Tips on Traveling with Pets and AVMA’s Transporting Animals-Basic Requirements and Considerations.

#Pet Travel News

0 notes

nadacwriter · 4 years

Text

Natalie’s Curse/Dinogad’s Smock

When Natalie Gaine was born, they say she was cursed. As a hybrid of a human and a ghastly creature, she has some powers that may be out of her control. How will her family, specifically her Mother Marion, cope with these powers?

AN: A oneshot featuring a 6-year-old Natalie going through her first transformation. There’s a scene in this one where two characters speak Welsh to each other in the story, but I kept the written dialogue in english, I didn’t want you to have to translate for one of my silly little stories.

CW: Body Horror

Words: 2,335

The last name ‘Gaine’ carries respect with it in Delstran circles all over the world. Maybe you knew of the Gaine’s line, dating back generations; known for progressive politics, many saw them as activists and folk heroes, but others saw them as agitators and terrorists. It was hard to find a witch or wizard in their native Wales that didn’t have an opinion on the line.

Or, maybe you knew more about Marion Gaine, the world renowned duelist who married Krysta Gibson, one of the finest alchemists in the United States, bar none. If you lived in the town they called home, Edelmen, Iowa, you might have known their 8-year-old, Norah, born magically from Krysta. And their newest addition, Charice, a little infant, who had just had her blessing ceremony a month or so ago.

But if you know one thing about the Gaines, in Wales OR America, it’s this:

Natalie Gaine is cursed.

Natalie Gaine is the only child that Marion Gaine herself gave birth to, just two years after Norah was born. The story behind her conception is indeed gruesome, and you’d be hard pressed to find anyone willing to tell you the whole story. After all, hybridization with other species is often fine, but with a red wraith? A highly dangerous spirit that most people had never even SEEN before? That was something else.

It didn’t matter. Natalie didn’t look anything like her sisters. Her skin was fair, her hair was jet black, and her body was small, feeble. But that doesn’t constitute rumors of a curse. But nearly killing your mother at birth? Reddish-gray eyes, massive scars and markings all over your body, surprising magical skill, a nasty temper, an inability to sleep, and a morbid curiosity for the dark and macabre? Those were, to the locals, anyways, SURE signs that the child had been cursed. Not the Gaine family, not even necessarily Marion Gaine herself, the biological mother.

Just the child. And life was going to get much more difficult…

“MOM! MAM!” Norah called out, her eyes wide and her stance tense, “I NEED HELP!”

Krysta was busy with her child, but she could hear the concern in Norah’s voice. She took the infant Charice in her arms and walked with her, finding Norah at the top of the stairs to the third floor, “Norah? What’s the Matter?”

Marion, who had been working down on the first floor, trying to repair one of her capes, heard the call as well, and headed swiftly up the stairs, finding Krysta and putting a hand on her shoulder, looking up to Norah, “What’s all the fuss about, love?” Norah breathlessly explained, “N-Natalie! She got angry, because someone was throwing rocks at her window, and she got really mad and she started breaking and I don’t know what to do but I think she’s broken!”

Krysta handed Charice off to Marion, who took her and shushed the now antsy infant. Krysta made her way up to the top of the stairs and put her hands on Norah’s shoulders, moving her out of the way. Norah ran down to Marion, “I-Is Mom gonna be okay?” She asked, tugging on Marion’s dress.

Marion was about to tell Norah that yes, everything would be fine, she probably just cast a spell wrong and they’d need to fix it, it wouldn’t be a big deal...when all of the sudden, a scream. “MARION!”

A pause, then, “Hold her, Norah,” Marion let Norah hold Charice. She made sure Norah’s hands were firm on Charice before bolting up the stairs, nearly tripping on her dress as she made her way to Natalie’s bedroom, finding Krysta. Krysta wore a terror on her face that Marion hadn’t seen in a logn, long time.

“What’s gone wrong? What’s happened?” Marion asked, gripping Krystan’s arms and looking her in the eye, “do I need to call someone?”

“Look, look!” Krysta pointed into the room, and the pair looked upon what was inside. The room was messy, with unmade bed and books strewn about the floor, as well as a window with a small crack in it. But that wasn’t really the pair’s focal point.

Natalie had transformed. Again, when other hybrids did this, it was fine. A human looking more like a fae, or a dryad of some kind. But with a red wraith, it was different. Natalie must have gotten VERY angry to transform like this, and she was probably still angry and scared and confused. The mirror in the room was smashed to bits.

Natalie’s hair was long and greasy, hanging black at her sides. Her clothes were stretched over this new body, and her fingers had formed into long, gnarly claws, with sickly gray tips, serving as claws. Her eyes glowed a cutting scarlet, and shined in the light. But the scariest feature was the mouth. Sharp, long teeth, and there were dozens of them. And her mouth had split, as well, with deep, horrible jowls hanging down from her mouth to her chest, embedded with teeth. Her breathing was heavy and labored, and her head flitted and shook, like a bird expecting a fight.

“I-I don’t know, WHAT is going on,” Krysta began, fear apparent in her wavering voice, “but if that’s permanent, we need to call-”

Marion shook her head, “No. It isn’t permanent.” She let go of Krysta, “Hybrids do this. It’s scary, but, I know how to fix this.” Marion displayed a level of calm and collection that could make a nun look like a drill sergeant. “I’ll fix this,” she said, “I’ll be fine. Go see to Norah.”

Krsta nodded gently, and hurried off. She was an attentive and caring figure, but anyone confronted with their child being transformed into that would be caught off guard. As she went away from the room, Marion calmly entered, and shut the door.

Natalie hissed at her as the door shut, and scurried into a corner, grunting and hitting her head against the wall. Whether she was trying to escape or otherwise, it wasn’t working. As Marion went to put a hand onto Natalie’s shoulder, she recoiled into herself, and screamed out, before she began what sounded like crying. The low, rough noise choking out from her was painful for Marion to hear. But she endured it, to help her daughter.

Marion scoured the books on the floor. She was looking for one in particular, a little picture book she’d brought with her from Wales. She’d never known why she’d kept it until now. And when she found the book, she slowly went to Natalie, sitting behind her.

“It’s alright, pet...cry.” She said, “I know you’re in there, somewhere, Natalie.” Marion reached for Natalie’s shoulder again, and this time, Natalie let herself be touched. She was cold, wrinkled, and she shook. Marion then began to hum a song, as she opened the book.

Natalie responded well, as she turned to face her mam. She spotted the book as well, and hissed at it, looking at the pages intently. Marion, meanwhile, kept the humming going, before she began to sing.

“Pais Dinogat Vreith, Vreith…

O grwyn balaot ban wreith…

Chwit chwit chwidogeith,

Gochanwn gochenyn wythgeith…”

Marion would point at the pictures in the book. A rotund man, wearing a furry smock, and carrying a club, and a spear, and holding two dogs on a rope leash. Natalie was now leaning into Marion ow, calming down from her fear and rage. Her skin was growing warm, her hair short, and her eyes more human. Marion, meanwhile, continued,

“Pais Dinogat Vreith, Vreith…

O grwyn balaot ban wreith…

Chwit chwit chwidogeith,

Gochanwn gochenyn wythgeith…”

Natalie was looking more human, her hands retracting into fingers and palms, her legs doing the same, and even her teeth grew less sharp, her chin reforming. Marion turned the page, and pointed out pictures, containing different amounts of animals that Dinogad had hunted. Marion’s smile was gentle, as was her grip on Natalie.

“Un ,

dau,

tri,

pedwar,

pump,

chwech,

saith,

wyth…”

Natalie was back to normal. Her face was stained with tears, her voice was shaky, but she was finally calming herself down. It was Natalie who sang the next part in the book, her voice gentle and raspy.

“Pais Dinogat Vreith, Vreith…

O grwyn balaot ban wreith…

Chwit chwit chwidogeith,

Gochanwn gochenyn wythgeith…”

The pair went on, singing until the song was done and the book was closed. Marion stroked Natalie’s hair, kissing her forehead. She spoke with Natalie in Welsh, gently lifting her to the bed, and resting her own head on her own arms.

“Natalie,” She began, “Do you want to tell me what happened?” She asked, observing as her daughter turned away. She kept her eyes on her, just in case she ended up transforming again.

“Someone through a rock and my window and I got mad. Then Norah said my teeth looked funny, and I got scared. Then I heard a voice telling me to-” she paused, reluctant to go on, gripping the comforter of her bed.

“Natalie,” Marion got up and got the girl a set of less stretched clothes, “You transformed because you got too angry and too scared. Your brain didn’t want to hold back anymore.”

“But you told me I can’t control when I’m angry!” Natalie said, wrapping herself up in her blanket. She made it clear that she wasn’t budging, at least for a little while.

“Nat,” Marion sat next to her and wrapped an arm around her, “You can’t. But you can control how you deal with it.” Marion rubbed Nat’s back through the blanket, “Life will not be easy. Not for anyone. But your mother and I can help you take some of that weight. Okay?”

“…” Natalie reached out and hugged her mother tightly, squeezing her, “Thanks, Mam. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be, Nat. You’re one of the best things to ever happen to me, a little anger management isn’t gonna change that.”

///

Marion walked down the stairs calmly and quietly, and was greeted by Krysta, holding Charice, a worried expression on her face. “So...did you change her back?”

“Yes. Where’s Norah, is she alright?” Asked Marion, kissing Krysta gently on the cheek.

“She’s fine, I calmed her down,” she said, shaking her head and sitting in a nearby chair, “so, Natalie just transformed into a red wraith.”

“Yes.” Marion stated, matter-of-factly, as she sat next to Krysta, “It had to do with her anger. We’re gonna have to figure out a way to control it. I don’t know how.” Marion sighed, leaning forward.

Krysta bounced Charice up and down on her leg, “We’ll figure it out, Marion. I promise.” She put a hand onto of Marion’s, rubbing the back of her hand gently.

Marion smiled softly and nodded. “I know.” She said, leaning back into her chair. “Here,” She took Charice once more, rocking her gently, “I’ll keep her for now. You’ve been up a while. Rest.”

“You sure, dear? I know that couldn’t have been easy.”

“Ohh, I’m sure. She’s our baby, after all, should get to know her Mam.” Marion responded, nuzzling her nose into Charice’s, kissing her forehead, and letting her smile grow as Charice giggled in response.

Krysta rose from her seat and made her way down the stairs, letting Marion sit alone with Charice, and with her thoughts. Her smile faded into a frown, and her stare became vacant, as she let the little child sit in her arms, rocking back and forth in the chair. Thinking about Natalie, about how scared she looked when she’d turned, how terrified she must have felt when she turned. She thought for a while, until she heard the sound of little footsteps padding down the stairs.

Natalie was still wrapped up in her blanket, and looked to see Marion, walking over to her. “Can I sit, Mam?”

“’course, dear.” Marion replied, looking up and moving some pale hair out of her face.

Natalie sat in the chair next to Marion, and looked at Charice, wriggling a little and looking all around the room, her eyes taking in all the new sights. She kicked a little bit, and pointed at Natalie.

Natalie’s eyes widened, and she let a smile creep across her face, “can I hold her, Mam, pleeeease?”

marion looked over at the girl. Eyes red, hair black, scars and marks apparent. But her whole body was excited with the aspect of holding her little sister, of taking her into her arms. She just looked so ecstatic to hold her, and like she would die if she didn’t get to.

“Let me show you how,” Marion rose from her seat and walked over, teaching Natalie how to cradle Charice’s head in the crook of her elbow, how to support her body, instructing her to sit down when she held her. And then, she placed Charice into Natalie’s arms, and let go.

Charice kicked and wriggled, grunting and babbling, but she took well to the new person holding her. She sputtered and wriggled some more, all the while being looked at by Natalie, whose eyes were dead set on Charice the second she entered her arms.

“Mam,” She gasped, “She’s so tiny…”

“Gonna be as big as you some day, Nat, maybe even bigger!” Marion said. Marion watched as Natalie held Charice, careful with her, even while she was sitting down, and wrapped in a soft blanket. She was incredibly deliberate, as if every breath was calculated. All because she didn’t want to hurt her sister.

Marion stopped worrying about Natalie’s anger, at least, for now. She watched Natalie hold her little sister, with every ounce of care she could. And Marion knew, somewhere, that even IF Natalie was cursed, even if part of her wanted to kill those kids who were messing with her, there was a bigger part. A part that knew how important it was to be careful with a young child.

And Marion wouldn’t have it any other way.

#CW: Body Horror #Delstran #Writing

2 notes · View notes

badmousestuff-blog · 5 years

Text

The problem with Free Speech (Script)

One day I was helping out with the Free Palestine stall on Church Street. About an hour in a young dude came up to me, and gave us the usual conservative drivel.

He told me that he couldn’t support the left, because to him we were against free speech. Right below me were flyers detailing the extent of Israeli war crimes against Palestinians, and how little the world still hears about their plight. He stated that he wasn’t interested in our campaign, and bid me farewell. For, of course we must have our standards.

(Rowan Atkinson speech)

There’s never been a more unshakeable dogma in my lifetime than that of Freedom of Speech.

The real test of a country’s standards is if it allows people to criticise one another, especially the regime. The foundation of Liberty and Freedom and Friberty, is the story of free expression, after all, if you want to know who has the power, just look at which group you’re not allowed to criticise. Right?

Well no, I’m here to say that Free Speech isn’t just some base, flatline, monolith from which all societies are to be judged like an angelical truth, its a political concept, thought up by human beings, subject to critique, and frankly is in great need of one.

Let’s start with something simple.

Your concept that Free Speech is good, is only possible if your opponent also agrees with you, i.e. they’re not going to kill you if you disagree.

So therefore if your opponent doesn’t ?? and will use aggression against you, then you can’t really argue for free speech can you?

The conditions around you need to be such that nobody is going to die.

Right, whats next, oh I gotta do the Hitler bit, right…

Y’know the story, Weiner Republic, Full suffrage, large democracy, massive instability and debt caused from the prior war, enter the Nazis, and the German Communist party. Yes everyone seems to forget that the Commies were there too, headed by Ernst Thalmann, and at their peak gained 16% of the vote in 1932. Whilst Ernst was forward in his Anti-Fascism, the Social Democrats, and their newspapers, didn’t seem to understand the concept of a united front, they refused to confront the Fascists in an effective manner and simultaneously denounced the KDP as being a bunch of Muscovites, sporting the famous Iron Front symbol, The third arrow originally meant Anti-Communism, mind.

The SPD’s failure to effectively confront Fascism aided Hitler’s rise to power, sent the KDP underground, and Ernst to 11 years in the hole, followed by a firing squad.

So don’t tell me free-speech exists in vacuum, it doesn’t. In this video we’ll ask the necessary further questions.

Who dictates the media, who controls which advertisements we see, which views are more profitable? Does the removal of speech in given scenarios serve a common good? And if the enlightenment was correct why did Liberalism fail in its mission?

(Rowan Atkinson)

This clip was one of the first main intro points for me as well as many others into the realm of Super Free Speech, and it’s strange looking back just how dated it is. It’s not like we didn’t have the arguments back then, but moreso that nobody really cared, we were all swept up in the dogma, to challenge free speech would be on the same level as strangling a baby.

Anybody can go around today and talk about the joy of free speech, but it means nothing to a person who has no power with that speech, Freedom to Beg? That's not a freedom; that’s institutionalised sadism.

I’m not a believer in Maslow’s hierarchy but hypothetically, this really wouldn’t go number 2, it’d be right down at number… 27. Why do I say this? Well in the words of some philosophy guy people say I look like, “No rights matter if you’re dead”.

Food, Water, Healthcare, and Housing. These are all things you need in order to survive, in other words fulfil the other things that we consider ‘rights’ - rights that are worth struggling for. And despite the fact that the millions end up dying from the lack of these rights, even when they’re universally agreed upon, ever notice how this struggle goes very very quiet… Suspiciously quiet.

Sargon on the Socialists

I wonder…??? I wonder why the left seems to be largely committed to these causes, it’s something you find scantly addressed in the middle and right spheres with the exception of private individual charity (OSCAR WILDE), and Carl may find himself wondering why it is that these ideologies can barely create a solid solidarity towards these topics.

You might be a Liberal and say “Yeah yeah, I support that too though” but fact remains there’s no confidence here.

I see no outpouring of condemnation coming from you when Politicians like Bolsonaro press forward their restrictive measures, unlike what you have to say about this powerless Redhead. Why is that?

Count Dankula, who interestingly I had a couple scuffles with a while back without realising it, last year taught his dog to do a Hitler Salute, and he got fined £800. Now that’s probably one of the most petty excuses for a sentencing I’ll admit, but again this isn’t about whether it was justified, it’s about people’s standards.

Dankula received enormous support from, well, everyone, and he’s now more famous than he ever previously was, enough to be at the forefront of the free-speech festival later that year, and even use his fame to help push the emergence of UKIP. This is attention that people would pay top dollar for, way more than £800. He should be proud that he got a court hearing.

Frankly, me and my colleagues didn’t really care about this whole thing too much, just ask my IWW friend who I was with when this all went down. What happened around the same time that did catch some of our attention though was the plight of the J20 protesters who got arrested back during Trump’s inauguration.

Some of these people are on the butchers list to serve 60 year sentences for standing against a president who’s, a real dick, like I get the whole Liberal opposition is fucking corny but still he’s a dick, they’ve all been dicks, he’s just continuing what every dick who ever stood on centre stage ever started, this is America, you think Bernie’s going to save you? You think reforming the democrats can change the number one imperialist power?

Apologies. If you’re at all concerned that I didn’t give a toss about Dankula’s pug joke, if you’ve ever had friends like him this stuff isn’t too surprising, I know these are highly political times but a guy who votes UKIP is really not our number one concern right now.

I didn’t give a toss, but I know somebody who did, Mike Stuchbury, who you’ll remember from his childish twitter ramblings and dealings with Watson. Who proclaimed that the left needs to stand with Free Speech, A free-speech that is largely in the teat of Right-leaning discourse.

Sargon who was there with him, earlier that year got de-platformed by lefty-liberals in his debate with Muke.

The dogma is enforcing itself here, the left is all supposed to throw up our hands in swich liquor, of which vertu engendered is the flour, and decide Whether we should allow freedom of speech to our enemies, or not allow it, when the actual thing we should be doing, is taking hold of the narrative and putting forward our own ideas as the new talking point of discussion, instead of fucking Nazi Pug.

“Hey, you, what gives you the right to determine the narrative?”

Thats a good question, the hegemonic propaganda of our status quo is already setting the narrative, Noam Chomsky “I’m bored bye”

How can I make this more interesting… Ah ha…

IT’S TIME FOR FILM THEORY!!1 WOOOO

The Pursuit of Happiness.

In 2006 Will Smith told the story of Chris Gardner, a black man who struggled through poverty, separation, and fatherhood whilst living in San Francisco.

He gets an internship with a sales company and despite having to put up with a lot, by the end of the film he passes and at this point, we’re supposed to feel happy and redeemed, but to those who’ve watched it (surely I’m not alone) was it really a happy ending?

I’ll say that I walked out of the viewing feeling very uncomfortable and sour, but why is that?

Well for starters, that Internship he got was a 6 month unpaid one, in the most expensive US city might have something to do with it.

Then he’s got to deal with his wife leaving him, then he’s got to take care of his son, then he loses his source of income, then he’s got to deal with eviction, sleeping rough, not sleeping at all, by the end of the movie sure he gets his redemption but the message of ‘when life gives you lemons, just keep getting pummelled with those lemons and don’t ask why’ ultimately seems hollow.

Contrast that a more traditionally Anti-establishment film which was made by a literal Communist, where the exploiters are treated as they should be and thats what comes across on screen, with surprise horse-dick, and while Happiness doesn’t treat them like saints, they sure don’t come across as devils either.

6 months of free labour he and 19 other people who did not make the cut that they are effectively giving away for free.

What about those other 19 people, who ever tells their story?

The way his superiors always act like total dicks pushing him around and getting him to be their lobby boy, they lost nothing. And now he’s going to work for them.

Is the message here supposed to be “Well if this guy can survive the moon falling on him, what the hell are you complaining about?” Actually yeah, I think that consciously or not, this is what’s being said… Don’t worry we’re getting to the point of all this.

The extent of exploitation is naked, yet in the way the movie is presented I’m inclined to agree to this, and take it into my home, and sleep with it.

Now name me as many pieces of media that regurgitate this same old theme of rags to riches through adversity, to look at the man on centre stage, yet pay no attention to the millions locked in a cage.

Sure, say it how you will, Art is merely what you make of it and there’s not necessarily any devious agenda being pursued at any time. That’s one perspective I guess, another might be that there’s no such thing as Art for Arts sake, it all gears itself to differing political lines.

In a society based on private, individual enterprise, it's no surprise that Art would also foster themes that would support society as the normal and natural, even if they appear on the surface as radical.

Case in point, well the entire Hollywood Catalog.

On the Waterfront is literally Mccarthyism on celluloid, The People vs Larry Flynt guises pornification and billionairedom with a story of libel and freedom of speech.

And ironically enough probably the worst offender is, well I’m gonna lose some of you now, Billy Elliot, the Movie.

In which 2/3rds of the way through Billy’s dad strike breaks as a way to pay for his son to go to a prestigious arts school, y’know rather than maybe having him stay and use his skills to improve, embolden and enliven the downtrodden community, rather than leaving it to die.

Jackie’s very sympathetic in his devotion towards his son, except Striking is caring for your family, you’re fighting for a better future, together, as one, and it’s thrown away in favour of a much more individualistic get out of your circumstances, go and live your dream.

Now I’ve read Lee Hall, I know he didn’t intend for this to come through, but he is also no more aloof than any of us, we’re all susceptible to this ‘Common Culture’.

Just see the way our ‘Common Culture’ infiltrates into how Communism is talked about, in 2015’s Trumbo. The Hollywood screenwriter who was blacklisted for 2 decades for being a member of Communist Party.

Could make for some groundbreaking stuff right?...

Well no, instead we’re left with a film that focuses entirely on freedom of expression, which is ironic because if they represented him truthfully it would’ve resulted in a much more nuanced movie.

All we get is a 2 minute scene talking about Communist ethics and god its done in the most sanitised, unradical, storybook tale way possible, that doesn’t in any possible regard represent who the actual Dalton Trumbo was.

“If a book or play or film is produced which is harmful to the best interests of the working class, that work and its author should and must be attacked in the sharpest possible terms.”

I think I have a case that profit incentives are steering the way in which media is presented…

We have no problem pointing out the subtle propaganda messages in Soviet children’s cartoons (Cheburashka) but reverse that onto our society, prepare for some awkward stares.

You may argue that none of what I’ve just spoken about here has anything to do with censorship of free expression but this is the problem, our notions of censorship are stuck firmly behind the Berlin wall, and thats far too simplistic not to mention outdated.

Undoubtably Coca-cola has a far greater reach of expression than I ever will be able to ascertain, what says who can speak on a public forum, decide the content of a documentary, of a publication, of a movie, or a political campaign?

If a book is blacklisted by all publishers for political reasons, what difference does it make having 1 publishing house or 100?

If 90% of the movie market alone is controlled by just 7 companies, what kind of advice is “Just start your own business”.

If we want to talk about the free flow of expression and information, what little are these flyers (Free Palestine) when Zionism has a whole nation, and 2 continents supporting it?

This is the kind of expression we’re dealing with today, not the voices of individuals, but of multinationals. The fact that we had in any way an outpouring of sympathies towards one of these companies, Sony, for having their movie The Interview possibly censored by DPRK agents is a testament to how lost in the plot we have become.

And if by chance the media cannot direct the status quo by monopoly, it brings out its tried and tested method.

Commodify it.

I present to you Guerrillero Heroico, this photograph was allowed such free spread not simply because its bloody badass, but because there was no IP designated upon it, by Korda’s intention as a Communist himself he agreed with the free-flow of art. And what did this result in at the behest of Capitalist Corporations? The pastiche of revolution, to be bought and sold many times over.

Take any form of media, word, an expression, it will be hoisted away, slapped on a shirt, and sold back to you at a handsome price. You cannot escape this.

The moment that this (my tattoo) becomes the new Che it loses all its power, resistance is reduced to at worst LARPing, at best Nerd Fandom, and the winners are the profiteers.

If profit is the aim of the game, the speech that is supported will inevitably favour that which nurtures the economy, not destroys it, unless in farce. Speech ain’t a level base of which a country is determined by, its an apparatus held by those that dictate the game.

This is why there is a necessity for us to control the narrative, control the message, because if we don’t, they’re still going to.

Obligations:

When armies with unequal numbers go into battle, a draw is a defeat for the lesser side.

Make believe it or not Radical Centrist politics have their political leanings as well, even if just by effect.

Look I like free speech, I love it, I’m a goddamn youtuber, but I’m not stupid, I know what’s coming, I know that groups would try and silence me if they could. That’s politics.

You might go “All we’re talking about is the legal sphere”. Firstly the legal is the political, pure ideology to say otherwise, but second it’s difficult for you to call yourself a fighter for free speech when as I’ve explained there’s sooo much more to it than simply the judicial.

Many proponents will even side-step the judicial boundaries anyway when monopoly becomes involved, and if I have to explain how Monopoly is not an externality of our system but an inherent part of accumulation then… sigh.

Strange how we’re usually all skeptical of an Economic Free Market but the Free marketplace of ideas unlocks your inner Libertarian.

Its when I see stuff like this that I begin wondering if this is all just a trend that will eventually die off when people realise the complexities of their circumstances. I remember just a few years ago how many Libertarians were speaking the merits of free speech until they discovered that methodological individualism wasn’t actually achieving their goals. I count down the days when Lauren Southern finally calls for limits on speech just like her limits on borders. After all freedom is not free it must be defended right?

And btw folks usually aren’t as brave to actively advocate limits so they’ll always present justifications, such as that these views are mental disorders, or they’ll destroy civilisation, or these people are Degenerates.

This is a historic moment in political discourse, at this point ultimately we’re interested in picking sides, and you’ll do this just as much as anyone will.

On the left we like to talk a lot about Left Unity. I’m not necessarily against the idea, but a lot of the time people make a religion out of it, glossing over the fact that many aspects of various factions (???) contradict. It might not be immediately obvious, but when push comes to shove these conflicts become very apparent. There are some principles in which each side certainly doesn’t see eye to eye.

“Politics is pervasive, everything is political and the choice to remain apolitical is usually just an endorsement of the status quo”

If it wasn’t obvious, I’m a Communist, yeah yeah say what you want, I believe in the liberation of those who do all the work through armed struggle based upon material conditions. I’m going to therefore be in favour of real mass culture, the stuff that gets people focused on achieving liberating aims instead of just appealing to markets. Its for this reason that I’m not interested in defending the views of right-wing nationalists, fascists, reactionaries… my enemies in other words, the ideas largely speaking which regress the people and they’re not interested in defending me either, wouldn’t expect them to.

If all you’re talking about is the centre, you’re gonna get flanked, sorry.

You might bump in when I denounce Dankula stating “His punishment showcases the system is at fault” and I would agree. This system is at fault, its been at fault since before our constitution was written, and it’ll never stop being at fault until you solve the contradictions.

Liberalism did fail, its ideals never came to fruition and that’s the reason why Socialists bring forth the praxis to achieve it, sometimes that’ll involve using words, sometimes it’ll involve lots and lots of guns, but let me tell you, you can’t always fight a war by playing nice, sometimes you have to use a diversity of tactics to achieve it.

Maybe we need 11 of them? (Shows book)

But thats more of a material answer and I know that most you don’t give a crap about some dead Chinese guy., but getting back to the original idea about responsibilities behind our speech, well, here’s something to think about.

So… here goes nothing.

If you’re a straight white male aged 11-16 in the UK and weren’t brought up to fit into the standard male dynamic, chances are you got picked on, sometimes a lot, sometimes that’s every day, not necessarily violence but words from numerous mouths are highly unnerving.

I did not have a particularly fun time adolescence. Every day was horrible, I never had a feeling going in that this would be exciting or, this would be a day where things would be different, everyday was a total black smudge with no end in sight.

Unlike other people, I never got to have a group that I fit into, so I had no escape, nothing to take my mind off things.

Looking back I don’t know why I bothered going in, I wasn’t getting amazing grades anyway.

When I went to Drama school and other clubs on the weekends and after school, I would also get picked on, but it wasn’t in spite, it was just general, friendly teasing. But there wasn’t a difference in my mind, because when you’ve had to deal with so much constant abuse, and paranoia, and humiliation 30 hours a week, it fucks you up.

So when Id say to the weekend buds “I dont like this” theyd go “Oh come on man its just a bit of fun, its okay, dont worry about it, its just a joke, its all okay”

Back then I didn’t have the nerve, I just put up with it, but if I could go back, Id say. No, actually its not Okay, because you don’t know for the life of me how much I have had to deal with this shit, to me that doesn’t come across like you’re being funny, like your laughing with me, it comes across like you’re a psychopath who wants to get pleasure out of my misfortune.

Of course the response to this would be obvious “Well what am I supposed to do? Just talk to you like a robot. You should just get over it, leave it in the past. Your making it harder for everyone” or some other faux-victimised response.

And sometimes y’know they might be right, maybe I should’ve not made worse a bad situation, but fact remains I still bleed.

To you, this is just having fun and games, to you and your other friends its normal, but to me its a threat.

Now today you can call me what you want I don’t care, I’m out of that place now and I’m all the better for it,

But even though some 7 or 8 years since then I’ve been able to recover, I still carry a hangover of it all, and it affected my decisions later on in life sometimes to a dire extent,

Its had the effect of making me feel both distrustful of people, and also like Im a burden to be around other people,

I never feel I should hang around for too long, I never want to take chances in friendship for fear I’ll embarrass myself, I say one thing out of tempo and suddenly flashbacks and an enormous shadow of mordor conjures over me. And I think most of all its been very difficult for me to express my emotions because I used to do it a hell of a lot.

Those 5 years were the single handed worst years of my life. And if you were at any point responsible for adding to that devastation and humiliation, then a large part of me wants to lash your goddamn skull inside out.

Because as trivial and generic as my story may be, that part of my life has been stolen from me, and those 5 years I will never get back.

So what’s the point of all this?

“Ossidents are sometimes surprised that, instead of buying a dress for their wife, the colonized buy a transistor radio. They shouldn't be, the colonized are convinced their fate is in the balance. They live in a doomsday atmosphere and nothing must elude them”

I want you to place the relatively minor experiences I received as a child, and translate those into other groups, victims of domestic abuse, victims of colonialism, racism, sexism, queer phobia. Like I said I’m out of that place now, but others aren’t, for many people they still live day to day in this ever pressing struggle, trying to just tell people “Please, just don’t do this”.

It’s not okay. But maybe together you’ll help me out with solving these problems?

My conclusion to this is simple,

Free Speech is not just something you can fling around to score political points, it doesn’t materialise simply because we all decide it should. If we want free-speech we need to break a few eggs to make an omelette.

We need to be sure that the conditions in society don’t proliferate toxic ideas that might even lead to the downfall of said society.

This very Tattoo that 90 years ago would’ve been Anti-Communist as hell has become a Pan-Left symbol against Fascism. Its living proof that with the correct methods the conditions of words, symbols, ideas can be resolved.

When class struggle subsides, when our social divides have been solved, when the conflict doesn’t oppose the existence of certain folks, then maybe, we can well and truly say that we can have free speech, and we’ll stand at a comedy show and yell “Yes, lets talk about those BEEP BEEEEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP” and be met with cheering applause from all sides. But until then, Don’t be a dick.

4 notes · View notes

cleverwordsandotherstuffilike · 6 years

Text

*The term “bank teller” originated in the wake of the 1929 stock market crash, when banks began hiring low-paid workers to “tell” throngs of frantic depositors that their money was gone. * The city of Slaughter, Texas (population: 11,284), has never had a homicide occur within its boundaries. * Rubbing Tabasco on one’s upper lip before bedtime is an effective temporary cure for sleep apnea. * Moths are unable to fly during an earthquake. * Ingesting small doses of ink over an extended period of time will change your eye color slightly. * Scientists estimate that sleep lost due to daylight saving time reduces the average lifespan by nearly two full months. * No NCAA basketball team from a school located in its state’s capital has ever won the national championship. * Shortly before his execution, Timothy McVeigh constructed a scale model of the Lincoln Memorial with soda crackers. * Strains of bacteria similar to E. coli have been found in spent printer cartridges – but only in the cyan ones. Scientists have no explanation. * The Australian aborigine language has over 30 words for “dust.” * Fewer divorces occur in families in which the children wake their parents before 6 a.m. on Saturdays. * For over a decade, the number of drive-by shootings has been directly proportional to increased gas prices. * Two-thirds of all the world’s coriander comes from a single valley in Italy. * Baking soda and vinegar will make your scrambled eggs fluffier. * Ancient Egyptians used molted cobra skins as condoms. * The National Weather Service will pay $30 for the rights to any original photograph of lightning. * Nearly three percent of the ice in Antarctic glaciers is penguin urine. * In the weightlessness of space a frozen pea will explode if it comes in contact with Pepsi. * Smearing a small amount of dog feces on an insect bite will relieve the itching and swelling. * The Boeing 747 is capable of flying upside-down if it weren’t for the fact that the wings would shear off when trying to roll it over. * The trucking company Elvis Presley worked at as a young man was owned by Frank Sinatra. * The only golf course on the island of Tonga has 15 holes, and there’s no penalty if a monkey steals your golf ball. * SCUBA divers cannot pass gas at depths of 33 feet or below. * Catfish are the only animals that naturally have an ODD number of whiskers. * Polar bears can eat as many as 86 penguins in a single sitting. * The Air Force’s F-117 fighter uses aerodynamics discovered during research into how bumblebees fly. * Silly Putty was “discovered” as the residue left behind after the first latex condoms were produced. It’s not widely publicized for obvious reasons. * The volume of water that the Giant Sequoia tree consumes in a 24-hour period contains enough suspended minerals to pave 17.3 feet of a 4-lane concrete freeway. * King Henry VIII slept with a gigantic axe. * Because printed materials are being replaced by CD-ROM, microfiche and the Internet, libraries that previously sank into their foundations under the weight of their books are now in danger of collapsing in extremely high winds. * Touch-tone telephone keypads were originally planned to have buttons for Police and Fire Departments, but they were replaced with * and # when the project was cancelled in favour of developing the 911 system. * Human saliva has a boiling point three times that of regular water. * Calvin, of the “Calvin and Hobbes” comic strip, was patterned after President Calvin Coolidge, who had a pet tiger as a boy. * Watching an hour-long soap opera burns more calories than watching a three-hour baseball game. * You can actually sharpen the blades on a pencil sharpener by wrapping your pencils in aluminum foil before inserting them. * Urine from male cape water buffaloes is so flammable that some tribes use it for lantern fuel. * Due to the angle at which the optic nerve enters the brain, staring at a blue surface during sex greatly increases the intensity of orgasms. * Never hold your nose and cover your mouth when sneezing, as it can blow out your eyeballs. * Due to the natural “momentum” of the ocean, saltwater fish cannot swim backwards. * Because of the curvature of the Earth, it is nearly three miles farther to fly from Amarillo, Texas to Louisville, Kentucky than it is to return from Louisville to Amarillo. * The original inspiration for Barbie dolls comes from dolls developed by German propagandists in the late 1930s to impress young girls with the ideal notions of Aryan features. The proportions for Barbie were actually based on those of Eva Braun. * The Venezuelan brown bat can detect and dodge individual raindrops in mid-flight, arriving safely back at his cave completely dry. * The Mongolian pony is the only animal other than an elephant capable of fending off an attack by a healthy adult tiger. * Because of their unusual shape, Hershey’s Kisses contain more calories per ounce than the same amount of chocolate in other forms. * If you tar and feather a 2x4 and place it in your yard, it will ward off bats. * The largest home in the United States, North Carolina’s Biltmore House, was originally intended to be the official residence of a new monarchy to be established when the South rose again. * Nobody born in Kentucky has ever been elected to Congress. * In an effort to improve the nutritional value of its “Shamrock shakes,” McDonald’s colors them with broccoli extract. * Winston Churchill was born with a third nipple, which he removed himself with nail-clippers at the age of 14. * If you place a fresh Viagra tablet in a houseplant’s soil every six months, the plant will not wilt. * The noun “sled” originates from the name of a 18th-century mountaineer from Finland, Schletz Linden, whose body was used by his climbing partner to slide down a mountain during a winter storm after he froze to death. * If a cricket were the size of Mount Rushmore, it could jump to the moon. * The increase in the amount of metals mined and brought to the surface of the earth in order to manufacture SUVs has caused higher tides in the Northern Hemisphere. * Children conceived on airplanes never suffer from motion sickness. * Blue water in a toilet bowl causes males to urinate 7 percent more. * The Yanomami tribesmen of the Amazon basin can track game birds by the slight difference in warmth their shadows create on the forest floor as they fly by, for up to an hour after the birds have departed. * Rapid deforestation has decreased the friction of the surface of the Earth, causing it to spin infinitesimally faster and thereby cool the air, combating global warming. * The flush toilet was invented in Flushing, NY. * On occasions when the sun is shining brightly on falling snowflakes, they contain enough ionic charge to stun insects. Observation of this phenomenon inspired the invention of the bug zapper. * Over the last two decades, more Americans died of heart attacks while watching horror movies in movie theatres than died while sky-diving. * Every common food product, with the exception of fish and veal, contains some traces of peanut enzymes. * The number of words in the Bible divided by the number of verses equals exactly 666. * An 18th-century law still on the books in Vermont makes it illegal for a woman to lick a stamp in a public place. * Constipation kills nearly twice as many people as diarrhea, mainly because the former mostly afflicts the old and weak while the latter mostly affects young, strong children. * It is physically impossible to urinate and give blood at the same time. * If you fill a standard 750ml wine bottle with live hornets, their angry buzzing will resonate at precisely the right frequency to shatter the glass. * During his famous “Blue Period,” Pablo Picasso invented the substance that eventually became known as Play-Doh. * Every year in the fall, Niagara Falls is shut down for maintenance for 24 hours. The flow is diverted using a massive series of pipes and spigots built for this purpose in 1837.

Are these important facts true? They are from the internet so I think they must be.

8 notes · View notes

newstfionline · 3 years

Text

Wednesday, June 23, 2021

Mapping quest edges past 20% of global ocean floor (BBC) The quest to compile the definitive map of Earth’s ocean floor has edged a little nearer to completion. Modern measurements of the depth and shape of the seabed now encompass 20.6% of the total area under water. It’s only a small increase from last year (19%); but like everyone else, the Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project has had cope with a pandemic. The extra 1.6% is an expanse of ocean bottom that equated to about half the size of the United States. The achievement to date still leaves, of course, four-fifths of Earth’s oceans without a contemporary depth sounding.

Watchdog: Nursing home deaths up 32% in 2020 amid pandemic (AP) Deaths among Medicare patients in nursing homes soared by 32% last year, with two devastating spikes eight months apart, a government watchdog reported Tuesday in the most comprehensive look yet at the ravages of COVID-19 among its most vulnerable victims. The report from the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services found that about 4 in 10 Medicare recipients in nursing homes had or likely had COVID-19 in 2020, and that deaths overall jumped by 169,291 from the previous year, before the coronavirus appeared. “We knew this was going to be bad, but I don’t think even those of us who work in this area thought it was going to be this bad,” said Harvard health policy professor David Grabowski, a nationally recognized expert on long-term care, who reviewed the report for The Associated Press. “This was not individuals who were going to die anyway,” Grabowski added. “We are talking about a really big number of excess deaths.”

Brazil passes half a million COVID-19 deaths, experts warn of worse ahead (Reuters) Brazil’s death toll from COVID-19 surpassed 500,000 on Saturday as experts warn that the world’s second-deadliest outbreak may worsen. Only 11% of Brazilians have been fully vaccinated and epidemiologists warn that, with winter arriving in the southern hemisphere and new variants of the coronavirus circulating, deaths will continue to mount even if immunizations gain steam. Brazil has registered 500,800 deaths from 17,883,750 confirmed COVID-19 cases, according to Health Ministry data on Saturday, the worst official death toll outside the United States.

Spanish prime minister says Catalan separatists convicted of sedition will be pardoned (Washington Post) Calling it a “huge step toward reconciliation,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said his cabinet on Tuesday will approve pardons for nine separatists from Catalonia who were convicted of sedition for their role in a 2017 independence bid. The decision, opposed by a slight majority of Spaniards as well as the country’s Supreme Court, will mark the biggest political shift from the central government toward Catalonia since the chaotic referendum on independence four years ago. The move is aimed at defusing tensions in what has become Spain’s greatest political crisis since the transition to democracy after the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975. For some Catalans, the nine jailed leaders have become an emotional symbol for what they say is a right denied by Madrid to choose their region’s destiny. But it is unclear how dramatically the pardons will change the dynamic. Some pro-independence figures in Catalonia say the only proper peace offering is full amnesty—which would strike the crimes from the record, something that the pardons will not do.

Berlin expands bike lanes as COVID cycling boom continues (Reuters) Berlin is making permanent the extra bike lanes it added during coronavirus lockdowns as it seeks to support the cycling boom that started in the pandemic. The German capital has marked about 25 km (15 miles) of extra "pop-up" bike lanes since COVID-19 hit in 2020 as commuters switched to cycling to avoid crowded public transport. Other European cities—like Paris and London—have also been adding bike paths. The German Cyclists Association (ADFC) says bike traffic rose by 25% in Berlin due to the temporary lanes and the pandemic.

Russians’ return boosts Turkish tourism prospects (Reuters) Thousands of Russian tourists began arriving in Turkey on Tuesday, boosting hopes for its tourism sector after a two-month suspension in flights imposed by Moscow due to concerns about a surge in COVID-19 cases in April. Turkey’s tourism prospects have been revived by a sharp fall in daily coronavirus cases to around 5,000 from a peak of more than 60,000 two months ago, as well as an acceleration in vaccinations to more than 1 million a day. The first plane arrived in Antalya from Moscow around dawn, carrying 132 passengers. Some 12,000 Russians were expected to arrive on 44 planes in the Mediterranean tourist hub of Antalya on Tuesday, state-owned Anadolu news agency said.

Iran president-elect takes hard line, refuses to meet Biden (AP) Iran’s president-elect staked out a hard-line position Monday in his first remarks since his landslide election victory, rejecting the possibility of meeting with President Joe Biden or negotiating Tehran’s ballistic missile program and support of regional militias. The comments by Ebrahim Raisi offered a blunt preview of how Iran might deal with the wider world in the next four years as it enters a new stage in negotiations to resurrect its now-tattered 2015 nuclear deal with global powers.

Hong Kong’s pro-democracy Apple Daily could shut under government pressure (Washington Post) In the 26 years since its founding, Hong Kong’s Apple Daily newspaper has been unrestrained in its criticism of the Chinese Communist Party and unwavering in its support for the pro-democracy movement. It has survived multiple raids, boycott campaigns and the arrest of its founder, Jimmy Lai, under the draconian new national security law. But now with its assets frozen by the Hong Kong government, the Chinese-language Apple Daily could cease operations as soon as Friday. The news outlet is unable to pay staff members or vendors and will be forced to close if the government declines to release its funds—shuttering the territory’s largest independent newspaper. “It is more than surreal to see,” said Ed Chin, a hedge fund manager and longtime Apple Daily columnist. “These so-called executors of the national security law—they have lost it. They are destroying the autonomy of Hong Kong.” The fate of Apple Daily and its chief editor, top executives and founder Jimmy Lai—all either detained or arrested under the national security law and facing life in prison—are emblematic of the staggering changes underway in Hong Kong. Freedoms guaranteed in Hong Kong’s Basic Law, including freedom of speech and the press, have become secondary to Beijing’s will as it re-engineers the once-autonomous territory and uses the new law to force subservience.

Australia’s runaway mouse plague targets prisons, forcing mass evacuation (Washington Post) Hundreds of prisoners at Wellington Correctional Center in Australia’s New South Wales state are being forced to move out of the facility as officials scramble to repair the damage caused by mice chomping through cables, scurrying across ceiling panels and embedding in the building’s walls. Corrective Services New South Wales Commissioner Peter Severin confirmed that “vital remediation work” needed to be carried out at the jail, which is located about four hours from Sydney, along with a thorough clean and review of the prison’s infrastructure. An estimated 420 male and female prisoners will be relocated over the next 10 days, along with at least 200 staff members. Pest control services have been summoned to remove the dead creatures from the walls, which authorities say is sending a potent stench into the air. Australia has a mouse problem. A plague, in fact. A mass invasion occurs every decade or so, wreaking havoc across communities and destroying the crops and stock of farmers who are worried about what the future holds for their livelihoods.

In times of crises, Lebanon's old must fend for themselves (AP) Tiny and bowed by age, Marie Orfali makes the trip five times a week from her Beirut apartment to the local church, a charity and a nearby soup kitchen to fetch a cooked meal for her and her 84-year-old husband, Raymond. Their only support—Raymond’s $15,000 one-time end-of-service payment from when he retired more than 20 years ago—long ago ran dry. They have since depended on charity to cover almost everything: rent, cleaning supplies, pain killers and food for their white dog Snoopy. But charity covers less and less as Lebanon’s currency collapses. The cash they get from a benefactor and the church every month, once amounting to $400, is now barely worth $40. The 76-year-old Marie broke down in tears when asked how she’s doing. With virtually no national welfare system, Lebanon’s elderly are left to fend for themselves amid their country’s economic turmoil. In their prime years, they survived 15 years of civil war that started in 1975 and bouts of instability. Now, in their old age, many have been thrown into poverty by one of the world’s worst financial crises in the past 150 years. Lebanon has the greatest number of elderly in the Middle East—10% of the population of 6 million is over 65.

Palestinians, settlers clash in tense Jerusalem neighborhood (AP) Palestinians and Jewish settlers hurled stones, chairs and fireworks at each other overnight in a tense Jerusalem neighborhood where settler groups are trying to evict several Palestinian families, officials said Tuesday. The threatened evictions fueled protests and clashes in the runup to last month’s 11-day Gaza war and pose a test for Israel’s new governing coalition, which includes three pro-settler parties but is hoping to sideline the Palestinian issue to avoid internal divisions. The Red Crescent emergency service said its crews treated 20 Palestinians, including 16 suffering from pepper spray and tear gas and others wounded by rubber-coated bullets. Two other people were wounded, including an elderly man who was hit in the head, it said. The eruption of violence is the latest friction in Sheikh Jarrah, where weeks of unrest captured international attention ahead of the 11-day Israel-Hamas war last month. The cease-fire took effect on May 21, but the long-running campaign by Jewish settlers to evict dozens of Palestinian families continues.

They disappeared after encounters with Nigeria’s security forces (Washington Post) Her last sighting of her son was in a photo on social media. His eyes were shut. His face was covered in blood. He was dead. Now Ndifreke Ibanga is tormented by a recurring nightmare: her 26-year-old weeping. Victor’s soul will not rest, she worries, until his body is found. Victor is one of the hundreds of civilians who rights groups say are killed or disappear each year after encounters with Nigerian security forces—and one of more than a dozen still missing after a demonstration against police brutality in the city of Lagos in October. Some vanish after being taken into custody; others, like Victor, are presumed dead after public confrontations with police or soldiers. The families of victims are haunted by a singular question: What happened to their bodies? Local rights groups and international watchdogs have long accused Nigerian forces of carrying out extrajudicial killings and disappearing the corpses. Many are never found. But some are. Interviews with family members and friends of Nigerians who disappeared in similar circumstances shed light on a gruesome pattern: As a result of intense search efforts, or happenstance, or both, the bodies of their loved ones turned up at mortuaries and anatomy labs, nameless and without an easy explanation of how they arrived—or how they died.

#headlines #news

0 notes

sciencespies · 4 years

Text

How the 1996 Dunblane Massacre Pushed the U.K. to Enact Stricter Gun Laws

https://sciencespies.com/history/how-the-1996-dunblane-massacre-pushed-the-u-k-to-enact-stricter-gun-laws/

How the 1996 Dunblane Massacre Pushed the U.K. to Enact Stricter Gun Laws

In March 2018, less than a month after a school shooting in Parkland, Florida, left 14 teenagers and 3 adults dead, a letter of condolences addressed to the survivors arrived from across the Atlantic.

Penned by a group from Scotland who’d endured a similar tragedy 22 years prior, the missive offered both a show of solidarity and a vision for the future. Referencing their successful campaign for gun reform, the letter’s authors wrote, “Laws were changed, handguns were banned and the level of gun violence in Britain is now one of the lowest in the world.” Since the 1996 Dunblane massacre, they pointed out, “[t]here have been no more school shootings” in the United Kingdom.

The signees added, “Wherever you march, whenever you protest, however you campaign for a more sensible approach to gun ownership, we will be there with you in spirit.”

Twenty-five years after a local shopkeeper walked into Dunblane Primary School and opened fire, killing 16 5- and 6-year-olds and their 45-year-old teacher, the attack occupies a singular place in the British cultural consciousness. The March 13, 1996, tragedy wasn’t the first mass shooting in modern U.K. history, but as Peter Squires, a criminologist and public policy expert at the University of Brighton, explains, “The notion that someone would use handguns to kill children, like shooting fish in a barrel, was just so appalling that it provoked a reaction beyond that which had been experienced with Hungerford,” a 1987 massacre that left 16 adults in a small English town dead and 15 others seriously injured.

youtube

Galvanized by a grassroots campaign led largely by the Dunblane students’ parents, U.K. leaders took decisive legislative action. By the end of 1997, Parliament had banned private ownership of most handguns, building on measures passed following the Hungerford killings, including a semi-automatic weapons ban and mandatory registration for shotgun owners.

Exactly how effective these reforms were is a matter of much debate. As scholars like Squires emphasize, the law must be considered in conjunction with factors such as more comprehensive policing practices (like mental health screenings for firearm license applicants) and evolving research. Still, the fact remains that the U.K. has experienced only one mass shooting—a 2010 attack in Cumbria that left 12 dead—since Dunblane. According to data compiled by the University of Sydney’s GunPolicy.org, the U.K.’s annual rate of gun deaths per 100,000 people was 0.2 in 2015, versus the United States’ rate of 12.09. In 2017, the site estimates, the U.K. had 5.03 guns for every 100 people. Comparatively, the U.S. had 120.5 guns per 100 people.

“Here in the U.S.,” says Jaclyn Schildkraut, a mass shootings expert at the State University of New York at Oswego, “we have this broken record cycle of what responses to mass shootings or school shootings look like. … Everybody demands action, and then absolutely nothing gets done. Whereas in Great Britain, they actually were able to get stuff done.”

***

Eleven-year-old Steven Hopper was sitting in a classroom next to the primary school’s gymnasium on March 13, 1996, the morning of the Dunblane massacre. “I looked over and saw the gunman,” he told the Guardian after the attack. “… He was coming toward me, so I just dived under my desk when he turned and fired at us.”

Hopper added, “The firing was very fast, like someone hitting a hammer quickly. Then there was a few seconds of a pause and he started again.”

The 43-year-old killer, a former Scout leader who’d been dogged by rumors of inappropriate behavior toward young boys, viewed himself as the victim of a “sinister witch-hunt,” according to the Independent. Though authorities never outlined a definitive motive for the attack, the Scottish Herald reported that the gunman had referenced Dunblane Primary School in a letter seeking to clear his name.

A young girl walks past a row of flowers honoring her murdered classmates and teacher.

(Photo by Mathieu Polak / Sygma via Getty Images)

Around 9:30 a.m., the shooter walked into the school with four handguns and 743 cartridges of ammunition, all of which he’d acquired legally. After firing two shots into the assembly hall and girls’ bathroom, he entered the gym, where 28 children had gathered for a lesson.

According to a government inquiry conducted after the attack, the gunman “fired indiscriminately and in rapid succession,” striking the three teachers present and killing one of them, Gwen Mayor, a 43-year-old mother of two, as she attempted to shield her students. This first hail of bullets killed one child and injured several others; advancing on the wounded, the shooter “walked in a semi-circle, systematically firing 16 shots” before standing over the children and firing at point-blank range. After shooting at students and staff in the hallway, a nearby classroom (where Hopper was sitting) and the library cloakroom, he returned to the gym and turned the gun on himself.

In just three to four minutes, the gunman had fired more than 100 times, striking 32 people and killing 17, himself included. Another injured child died of their wounds en route to the hospital, bringing the final death toll to 18.

***

Mick North, a biochemist whose 5-year-old daughter Sophie was killed in the attack, initially couldn’t bear to talk about his loss. But once he was ready, he found himself discouraged from speaking out about the broader issues underlying the shooting. “The initial reaction was: You can say how devastated you’re feeling and how you’ve lost your lovely child, but you couldn’t say anything about guns,” he told Buzzfeed News in 2018. “But I did.”

After the attack, North made a career change, leaving academia to partner with lawyers, scholars and other bereaved parents in launching the U.K.’s first organization dedicated to gun reform: the Gun Control Network. Around the same time, a parallel movement spearheaded by a group of Dunblane mothers prepared a petition to ban all handguns in the U.K. Dubbed the Snowdrop Campaign in honor of the only flower in bloom on the day of the massacre, the call to action garnered 750,000 signatures in just ten weeks and more than one million by the time it reached Parliament in the summer of 1996.

“It was the most successful grassroots campaign in the U.K. then and to this day,” wrote co-organizer Rosemary Hunter for New Statesman in 2018.

A petition started by bereaved parents and members of the Dunblane community garnered 700,000 signatures in just ten weeks.

(Photo by PA Images via Getty Images)

Squires says that the British gun lobby and shooting industry acted far faster—and more effectively—in the aftermath of the 1987 Hungerford massacre. “[They] were able to really thwart much discussion of gun control regulatory proposals,” he explains.

But when Dunblane happened, “the gun industry and gun lobby couldn’t say this has never happened before, it’s a one-off [thing],” says Squires. “All the arguments about knee-jerk legislation and overreaction … were swept out of the picture.”

Released in October 1996, the government’s inquiry into the shooting, the Cullen Report, outlined a number of relatively measured recommendations for gun reform, including stricter limitations on handgun ownership but no outright ban on the weapons. The findings also revealed that local authorities had questioned the shooter’s “fitness” to own firearms as early as 1991 but took no further action to revoke his gun license.

Under immense pressure from an increasingly pro–gun control public, Conservative Prime Minister John Major introduced the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997, which banned high-caliber handguns like those used by the Dunblane shooter but allowed .22 rimfire handguns to be “used and kept” in licensed clubs, as they were “largely intended for target shooting,” not police and military use, as Home Secretary Michael Howard said in a speech given to the House of Commons.

Gun control is a somewhat partisan issue in the U.K., with the Conservatives and other right-leaning political parties tending to favor lifting limitations on sport shooting and hunting and the left-leaning Labour Party more often voicing support for restrictions. Unlike in the U.S., however, these debates are less about an intractable right to bear arms than a desire to ensure access to popular pastimes.

A few months after the passage of the initial 1997 amendment, the Conservative “Tory” Party—weakened by inner strife and growing public disapproval of unpopular policies—suffered a devastating loss in the U.K.’s general election and relinquished control of the government for the first time in 18 years. Tony Blair, leader of the Labour Party, came to power with a landslide victory over the Tories. As promised during his campaign, the new prime minister moved quickly to supplement Major’s measure with a proposal of his own: the Firearms (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1997. Enacted on December 17, 1997, the updated act—approved by a wide margin in the House of Commons—went one step further than the first, banning ownership of .22 handguns and, in doing so, effectively banning all handguns from private use.

To help enforce these new restrictions, the government established a £150 million buyback program that resulted in the surrender of 162,000 guns and 700 tons of ammunition. “Because there was such a huge public outcry [after Dunblane], there was also this come-togetherness that we don’t see in the U.S. because guns are so polarized,” says Schildkraut, “and so you actually had a lot of individuals who own firearms voluntarily surrender their weapons.”

***

Perhaps the closest American parallel to the Dunblane massacre is the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, which claimed the lives of 20 first-graders and 6 adult staff in Newtown, Connecticut. Though the 2012 attack led Connecticut and neighboring New York to pass stricter gun legislation, federal gun control laws have remained largely unchanged—an example of legislative inertia that many Dunblane residents struggle to comprehend.

Both Squires and Schildkraut attribute this inaction in large part to differences in American and British gun culture. As Schildkraut says, guns are “so ingrained in the very fabric of who we are as America that there doesn’t seem to be a lot of middle ground. It’s either you’re for or against the Second Amendment.” In the aftermath of Dunblane, meanwhile, many British gun enthusiasts advocated for responsible individuals’ ownership of weapons while also supporting regulations “to keep guns out of the hands of people who shouldn’t have them in the first place.” (Members of the British public can apply for firearm certificates but must undergo thorough assessment to ensure they have a legitimate reason—including hunting and sport but not self-defense—for ownership.)

Squires, for his part, points out that target shooting and hunting in the U.K. have traditionally been pastimes of the “very affluent, landowning” elite, from the royal family to rock stars to bankers. When the government began instituting stricter gun laws, he says, “The deer stalkers and the pheasant shooters … were willing to sacrifice handguns because they were beginning to get concerned that the pressure for reform [would] impinge upon their freedom to shoot on their farms and on their land.”

Children and adults gather outside of Dunblane Primary School shortly after the shooting.

(Photo by Colin McPherson / Corbis via Getty Images)

Despite the deeply ingrained differences, the Dunblane massacre and subsequent passage of the Firearms Act amendments still hold lessons for the U.S.: “It’s about the mobilization of the grassroots,” says Squires, and “making progress where progress is possible,” which is often on a local rather than national level.

In the weeks and months after mass shootings, he adds, “the immediate pressure to do something recedes. … So this whole idea of the shooting cycle is that if you don’t act early on, you miss the opportunity to do anything.”

***

Schildkraut and Squires are quick to emphasize that banning guns is not, in and of itself, a definitive solution for ending mass violence. On the same day as Sandy Hook, a knife attack at an elementary school in China, which has some of the strictest gun control measures in the world, wounded 23 children and an 85-year-old woman. “The type of weapon certainly changes the outcome,” says Schildkraut, “but it doesn’t mean that mass violence is impossible.”

Another complicating factor is the protracted path from outlawing guns to actually getting them off the street. Though the number of recorded firearm offenses in England and Wales dropped 37 percent between 2005 and 2011, crimes involving guns have since experienced a slight uptick—a trend Squires attributes partly to the proliferation of illegal weapons, including modified imports and antiques, that are traded among gangs and used in multiple crimes. As the New York Times reported in August 2020, gun seizures by the U.K.’s National Crime Agency more than doubled over the previous year, with a growing number of illegal firearms smuggled in from the U.S. “Converted guns are much harder to get, but [they] still leave you with a violence problem,” says Squires. “… I don’t think we can tackle it on a weapon by weapon basis. We’ve got to understand the community drivers of violence [and] address the underlying factors.”

Effective policing and enforcement of existing gun laws, as well as ambitious research efforts aimed at pinpointing the drivers of mass violence, are just as essential as stricter regulations, the researchers argue. “It’s not this instantaneous thing where you’re just going to go pick up all the weapons and gun crime stops happening,” Schildkraut notes. “It just doesn’t work like that.”

***

Since its opening in 2004, the Dunblane Centre—built with donations that poured in from around the world after the shooting—has served as a site of community, celebration and remembrance. In 2013, locals gathered there around a television to cheer on tennis star Andy Murray, a Dunblane native who survived the massacre as an 8-year-old, as he became the first British man to win at Wimbledon in 77 years. Prior to the pandemic, the center hosted a range of activities, including fitness classes, a youth Lego-building club and a choir.

As the Scottish Daily Record reported upon the center’s opening, glass etchings honoring the 17 victims dot the building’s windows. (The 11 students and 3 teachers injured are recognized with a cluster of snowdrops.) Each gold leaf–adorned engraving bears an image that held personal significance for the individual represented: Sophie North’s shows a cat on a chocolate bar—a nod to her beloved pet Kit-Kat—while Ross Irvine’s depicts a fox from his favorite TV show. Brett McKinnon’s features a Power Ranger.

“It’s a nice feeling,” a parent present at the unveiling told the Daily Record. “Like a private message to all of us who love them.”

Reflecting on the Snowdrop Campaign’s success, Schildkraut concludes, “They did more than offer thoughts and prayers. And that speaks a lot to the power of collective action.”

#History

#03-2021 Science News #2021 Science News #Earth Environment #earth science #Environment and Nature #Nature Science #News Science Spies #Our Nature #outrageous acts of science #planetary science #Science #Science Channel #science documentary #Science News #Science Spies #Science Spies News #Space Physics & Nature #Space Science #History

0 notes

touchedits · 4 years

Text

Understanding A Dog Show

Thousands, if not huge number of individuals, check out watch the enormous broadcast Dog shows, yet what they see is just a hint of something larger, the Group and Best in Show Competitions. Undoubtedly, these are energizing rivalries, as the head honchos in each breed compete for the most noteworthy honor at a canine show. In any case, significantly more occurs at a canine show before those gathering rivalries even start.

Think about a canine show as a pyramid, partitioned into three areas:

1. The base and most of the pyramid is made out of the Breed Competitions.

2. The following area, a lot more modest, is made out of the Group Competitions. The numerous AKC breeds are separated into seven gatherings. The Best of Breed champ from each breed pushes ahead to contend in his/her gathering.

3. A little segment at the actual top of the pyramid is the third piece of a canine show. This is the Best in Show Competition. Just 7 canines contend, the triumphant canine from each gathering rivalry.

Presently, we should bring it down to the variety level.

In Breed Competition, regardless of what the variety, the individual canines are decided against a composed variety standard, which portrays the ascribes the "ideal example" of the variety ought to have. The variety norms incorporate depictions of head, eyes, shade, coat, shading, nibble (i.e., arrangement of teeth), construction, and development. In an ideal world, the canines are each decided against the norm and the individual indicating the canine is overlooked. (In reality, the individual on the finish of the lead can influence an appointed authority's choice since certain adjudicators are inclined to grant the success to proficient controllers and disregard the individuals who aren't.)

Along these lines, here is the manner by which the classes are run. To start with, the classes are separated by sex. The guys contend with the guys. The females go up against the females. For each sex the accompanying classes are accessible:

Pup 6-9-Puppies that are not yet champions and that are somewhere in the range of six and nine months old enough contend in this class.

Doggy 9-12-Puppies that are not yet champions and that are somewhere in the range of nine and a year old enough contend in this class.

Twelve-To-Eighteen Months-Adults that are not yet champions and that are between twelve to eighteen months old enough contend in this class.

Fledgling - To contend in this class, a canine should be a half year old enough or more established; probably won under three first places in the Novice Class; should not have won an in front of the rest of the competition in Bred-by-Exhibitor, American-reared, or Open Class; and should not have won any focuses toward their title.

Beginner Owner-Handler-Dogs that are in any event a half year old enough and that are not bosses should be taken care of in this class by their enlisted proprietor. The class is restricted to exhibitors who have not, anytime, been an expert canine overseer, an AKC affirmed adaptation judge, or utilized as an aide to an expert canine controller.

Reproduced By Exhibitor - This class is for canines that are shown by their raiser proprietor and that are not yet champions.

American-Bred - To enter this class, a canine that isn't yet a boss must have been brought into the world in the United States from a mating which occurred in the United States.

Open - This class is for any canine of the variety that is in any event a half year old enough.

Suppose that there are at any rate 4 passages in every one of those classes. Beginning with the doggy canine (male) 6-9 class, the canines are called into the ring. The canines are recognized by a number the exhibitor wears on an armband on his/her left arm. They go into the ring in mathematical request. For the most part, the adjudicator first lines the canines up, remains back and investigates each. S/he may stop before each canine to take a gander at head and articulation. At that point s/he advises the exhibitors to "take them around" the ring and to stop at the assessment table. Each canine is put on the test table where the adjudicator "goes over" them, looking at each canine and contrasting its ascribes with the variety standard. Next s/he requests that every exhibitor move his/her canine. This is regularly alluded to as a "down and back," since the appointed authority sends the canine away first to pass judgment on the canine's back development, at that point back toward him to pass judgment on the front development. A few adjudicators at that point send the canine around the ring to the furthest limit of the line so they can pass judgment on the side development. At the point when all the canines have completed the development segment of the judging and are back in line, the appointed authority will remain back and give one more gander at the canines prior to making the positions, now and then getting back to a canine to give a subsequent look or requesting that an exhibitor move a specific canine once more. Regularly judges will request that the exhibitors take the canines around the ring one final time. At that point the appointed authorities make their situations.

Each class has the chance of four arrangements, and strips are granted for each. In front of the rest of the competition = blue strip, Second = red, Third = Yellow, and Fourth = white.

The following class would be Puppy 9-12, etc until all the male canines in the different classes have been judged. The making a decision about routine ought to be the equivalent for each class.

Next comes the Winners Dog class. The primary spot victor of every male class is gotten back to into the ring. This time they line up by class backward request, with the Open Dog victor being preferred choice and the Puppy 6-9 champ being rearward in line. The canines are again judged, however generally not set back on the table for assessment. The canine that successes this class is alluded to as the Winners Dog. He gets a purple lace and, in particular, the focuses toward his title. After the Winners Dog is picked, different victors stay in the ring in light of the fact that the adjudicator needs to pick a Reserve Winners Dog (the second place). The canine that came in just short of the leader in the class that the Winners Dog returned from comes into the ring to go after Reserve. For instance, suppose the Winners Dog came from the Bred By Exhibitor class. At that point the canine that took second in that Bred By Exhibitor class comes into the ring with the victors from different classes to be decided against them for Reserve. At that point the appointed authority grants a Reserve Winners Dog.

Presently the deciding of the Dog classes is finished.

Next come the classes for the females. (At canine shows, the females are alluded to as "Bitches," and it isn't utilized from a critical perspective or in the feeling of a revile word. It basically implies a "canine female.") The classes are the equivalent and the making a decision about routine is the equivalent. Toward the end, all the victors of the Bitch classes return into the ring and a Winners Bitch and Reserve Winners Bitch are granted.

The guys and females contending in these classes are vieing for highlights their title titles. To turn into a boss, a canine should acquire 15 focuses. Of the 15 focuses, two of the canine's successes should be significant successes. A "significant" is a 3, 4, or 5-point win. Five focuses is the most focuses a canine can succeed at one show. The focuses at each show contrast for each breed and are reliant upon the quantity of canines of each sex in each breed contending that day. AKC changes its point plan every year and the timetable is imprinted in each show's list, a book posting every passage in the show by gathering and by breed.

The last class for each breed is the Best of Breed class. The Winners Dog and Winners Bitch rival the bosses for the Best of Breed grant. Toward the finish of the Best of Breed Competition, these honors are typically introduced if there are sufficient canines in the class for all honors to be given:

Most awesome aspect Breed-This is the canine decided as the best show of the variety. The Best of Breed might be granted to one of the heroes being shown or granted to the Winners Dog or Winners Bitch, whichever canine the appointed authority considers generally commendable.

Most amazing aspect Winners - This situation is granted to either the Winners Dog or the Winners Bitch, whichever the appointed authority considers generally commendable.

Most amazing aspect Opposite Sex - This honor is given to canine that is the other gender of the canine that won Best of Breed. (On the off chance that a female successes Best of Breed, this champ would be a male, and visa versa.)

Select Dog-A boss male that has not won either Best of Breed or Best of Opposite Sex yet the adjudicator discovers meriting an honor.

Select Bitch-A boss female that has not won either Best of Breed or Best of Opposite Sex yet the appointed authority discovers meriting an honor.

The bosses are vieing for breed focuses, which will accumulate to give them public rankings. A point is given for each canine of the variety entered in the opposition. Thus, if there are 20 Lhasa Apsos entered in a show, the variety victor will get 20 variety focuses. Most awesome aspect Breed (if a hero), Best Opposite Sex (if a boss), Select Dog and Select Bitch will likewise acquire highlights a Grand Championship title. When they acquire that title, a collection of focuses procures them a Bronze, Silver, or Gold Grand Champion status.

The Best of Breed victor from each breed entered at the canine show is presently qualified to speak to his/her variety by contending in the Group Competition. There are seven AKC gatherings. Since it is this part of the canine show that is normally appeared on TV, a great many people know about what occurs in these gatherings. The seven gatherings are

1. Wearing These canines were reared to chase game fowls both ashore and in the water. Models incorporate Cocker Spaniels, Irish Setters, Labradors, Golden Retrievers, Vizslas.

2. Dogs - Hound breeds were reproduced for chasing other game by sight or aroma. Models incorporate Coonhounds, Beagles, Whippets, Saluki.

3. Working - These canines were reared to pull trucks, watch property and perform search and salvage administrations. Models incorporate Boxers, Newfoundlands, Akita, Bernese Mountain Dogs.

4. Terrier - Terriers were reproduced to free property of vermin. Models incorporate the Skye, Norfolk, Airedale, Welsh, and Fox Terriers.

5. Toy - These little canines were reared to be family mates. Models incorporate Pomeranians, Shih Tzu, Maltese, Chihuahuas, Pekingese.

6. Non-Sporting - This assorted gathering incorporates canines that differ in size and capacity. Many are viewed as friend canines. Models incorporate the Lhasa Apso, Dalmation, Poodle (Standard and Miniature),

0 notes

umassdonahueinstitute · 4 years

Text

Worldwide check-ins from Civic Initiative alumni during the COVID-19 epidemic (part 3 with continuing updates)

Mike Hannahan, director of the UMass Civic Initiative, asked alumni last week about how the COVID-19 pandemic was affecting them and what they were doing to take care of themselves during this unprecedented time across the world. Here are there responses, categorized by country.

The responses are to two questions: How has the coronavirus changed your life? How are you taking care of yourself?

###

Iraq

Greetings from Baghdad. I am an Iraqi Young Leaders Exchange Program (IYLEP) alumnus from 2015 and currently working as a medical doctor in the emergency room of one of Baghdad biggest hospitals, a hospital that provides (along with another smaller hospitals) medical care for approximately 5 million people! The hospital was so crowded before corona as usual, and when the first corona case was reported in Iraq, we were in alarm and we knew that things are going to change! Because we know our government and its limited resources.

We were waiting the first case to be reported in our hospital carefully, looking at any patient in the ER and expecting them to be a corona patient, but since we are in a war against that tiny evil, it came to us from where we didn’t expect! And old man in the cardiac care unit whom denied any travel history and was admitted 6 days ago started to deteriorate, despite of the proper management and care, unfortunately we lost him the day after! Then, his relatives confessed his being at Iran a couple weeks prior to admission and that explained everything!

We sent samples for PCR and the results came positive the day after! We were shocked! Because 21 doctors 6 nurses and patients nearby him were in direct contact with that man! Half of the hospital staff went to quarantine! Luckily, I wasn’t among them but continued working extra time to keep the hospital serving the people in need. Days after that, most of the cases in the ER were respiratory cases and many of them were corona positive! Among them, a woman came in late stage of the disease and died at the same day she was admitted, her body is still in the hospital and today is her 15 days without been buried! She did not have burial or sorrow ceremonies like any other, and this was inhumane!

Those days in the war against corona virus revealed another enemy that is more aggressive than the Corona itself! The illiteracy! People didn’t commit to quarantine! Suspected cases are leaving the isolation units! And finally, a highly suspected woman whom her husband refused to isolate her and threatened me with punishment if I put her in isolation! And the next day revealed that she was positive and the police put all the family in the isolation units.

And here i am, writing this in my 25 days at hospital, standing against corona that will be vanished in months, and illiteracy which will last longer.

Egypt

So we can all see that coronavirus has affected a lot of people's lives. From my point of view it came to teach us, to let us more aware about what we were having and what we were doing but now we are all at our houses trying to stay safe.

My life has stopped. I was working then the company changed the policy to work from home but now we are all in an open vacation not working, not getting our salaries, not doing anything. At first in the organization I was working in, we were trying to spread awareness through making online campaigns and live sessions but even now no one is working.

Also I was planning to visit the US this summer. I wanted to check on with the people that gave me the best experience during my previous experience in SUSI program. I wanted to come in June then to spend the 4th of July. But now I don't know if I will be able to do that or not. Besides that, I was going on an exchange program to Portugal but the airports stopped working 12 days before.

Now I'm staying at home, trying to find online jobs but because of the poor internet connection it is not easy nowadays. I'm learning Spanish now, and trying to learn Tango. What I really want to focus on now is to discover and explore myself more. In addition to try different and new things.

So now, I'm always staying at my home to be safe. I just go out if something is urgent, and I go out using gloves, masks, and alcohol. And after coming back before entering the house I take off my shoes outside, then go to wash my hands and use the alcohol again, then putting all my clothes in the washing machine separately.

Wish you a peaceful & healthy life. Stay safe.

Argentina

Strict quarantine since March 20, no school for my daughter since March 16th. We are both confined. I'm working from home, but fearing I may lose my job if this situation continues. I have just left my apartment twice to buy some groceries at local shops around the corner. I have not seen my family or friends who live in the same city, since March 15th, the day before the first regulations were started by the federal government.

How are you taking care of yourself? Following the rules, practicing social distance.

Pakistan

It's a hard time for health workers. With increasing numbers of patients, not only their care but self-prevention has become a challenge. With all this, it's been a reminder to rejoice little things in life and not take normal daily routine for granted after the fight against COVID-19 is over. This has made me more thoughtful and grateful in life. I could really use some fresh air and a long walk when all this is over soon, hopefully. And a face-to-face chit chat over a coffee with my friends.

I'm following the prevention guidelines thoroughly and making sure I will never be the reason somebody gets it. That's the responsibility falling on all of us and we must play our part.

United States (from a member of the Civic Initiative staff)

The coronavirus has completely changed all of my plans for the spring of 2020. First and foremost, I thought I would be spending this week recovering from the jet lag of a two week trip to Islamabad. I also envisioned myself having plenty of time in the warm weather to visit all of my favorite spots in the Pioneer Valley before I move away from Amherst for the foreseeable future. However, as my mom keeps reminding me, "Change the way you look at the things, and the things you look at change." Though life is not going according to plan, I am super thankful to have this time with my family. My brother, sister, and I are all quite close to moving away from our childhood home permanently, and it has been years since we all lived together under the same roof!

With the extra time in my schedule, I am trying to solidify some healthy habits in my life. Aside from online school, I aim to do something physical and something creative every day. Some days I take my dogs for a walk and then read a book. Other days, I go for a run and come home to work on my doodling/sketching skills. It is cool to be able to spend my time on activities that normally fall to the bottom of my list of priorities.

New Zealand

We have all been in a total national ‘lockdown’ for a week. Only people working in essential services are allowed to move around, the rest of us are confined to home except to go shopping, the Dr. or for neighbourhood walks. People over 70 are not even allowed to go to the grocery store. My mum and mother-in-law are both stuck at home, on their own. Police are out and about questioning people’s movement, which is very weird, but currently accepted by the population as necessary. The rate of infection is still going up every day (we are at 650 today) and they expect the numbers to keep going up for another 7-10 days. All travel in and out of the country has been suspended and our national airline is now running 5% of its previous scheduled flights. New Zealand’s economy is very heavily dependent on tourism, foreign students (especially from China and India) and dairy exports. The first two have completely stopped, and look to be suspended for a year or more, so the NZ economy is going to be very badly hit, with huge redundancies. The government (we have a left-wing one at the moment) has provided income assistance for everyone made unemployed by the virus and mortgage support for people who would otherwise lose their homes. These measures will soften the blow but not stop hardship.

Like everyone else our family (my husband, 17-year old son and me) is confined to home and will be for another 3 weeks, although word is that the government is thinking of extending it for another 2 weeks after that. I’m not sure what will happen when we all come out again. Maybe the government will stagger things across the country so that the health services can cope. All schools and universities are shut so we are all learning how to teach and learn online.

Watching how the virus is affecting Italy, Spain, the US, the UK is shocking, and these countries have huge health care resources. Wishing all friends and other alumni and their communities all best wishes for getting through this pandemic!

Pakistan

The government imposed a partial lock down and authorities have restricted non-essential travel. I have not stepped out of the home for the last 6 days but I have set timetable for myself, which includes official work from home and other co-curricular activities such as cutting grass in lawn and playing badminton with my family members. It’s pretty hard to work from home in this challenging time as there's no way to avoid all interruptions from your family and visitors. Many in our area are taking the COVID-19 lightly and are not following the government guidelines. For them, it’s business as usual. Sometimes your family will interrupt you—like if your kid just got hurt. Sometimes, due to lack of human interaction I feel loneliness and I miss the gathering of colleagues and friends but we hope we will soon overcome this crisis and will be able to start our routine life.

I’m following the government guidelines of social distancing, staying at home and health & hygiene. I have also started healthy diet by taking more fluids to boost my immune and to be ready to face the COVID-19.

Pakistan

I have five daughters and son, all are adult and students. All public and private schools are closed since Feb. 2020. My children are staying in home, which is the first time and long time staying at same time in the home. These months are usually yearly examination time. All children are preparing for examinations, but the government announced all schools and universities will be remain closed until May 2020. Now children are busy in cooking, sewing, stitching, online learning. and video films with whole family.

I am also dependent on my salary. We have no money to spend on future food expenses. Today, the government is announcing that conditions are going be worse day by day.

As a social worker, my community members, and daily wage earners which are living near to me are calling me and want finances and food for their families. I am telling them that the government is doing some planning for them. I have also given technical support to poor people to register for an online portal because 70% of daily wage earners are uneducated and they have no facility of internet. So, I am trying my best with their registration with government.

Pakistan

The spread of pandemic COVID-19 has made sure that we won’t be seeing the world like we were used to before. Nothing is going to be same as before. We will encounter new challenges, down-sizing, recession of financial positions.

But, every recession is a beginning of a new rise. We may learn a life worth-living with a totally changed perspective, vision, re-shuffling of priorities, new ways of living, interacting and working. In order to contribute towards social responsibility, social distancing is the least you can do for yourself and for the others! Keep distance! That’s the only way you can protect yourself and others from this pandemic! Stay Home! Stay Safe!

1 note · View note

judefan817-blog · 4 years

Text

must ensure newly promoted Norwich realise

When carefully hand cleaning your bicycle please use green products like those from The Green Oil Company!!!! Detergents are bad for the environment. Please oil your chain with a PTFE free wholesale nfl jerseys from china product this is a nasty substance that ends up in the food chain and slowly poisons everything from the bottom up. Happy cycling!.

Cheap Jerseys from china Liverpool's Tom Stalker won 17 10 against Venezuela's Yoelvis Hernandez, but there were defeats for Scotland's Josh Taylor and Wales' Chris Jenkins. Taylor lost Daniyar Yeleussinov of Kazakhstan 11 5, while Jenkins was beaten 17 13 by Masatsugu Kawachi of Japan.1718: OLYMPICS BBC Sport's James Pearce on Twitter: "Some great new aerial photos of London's Olympic stadium, with track now installed." 1713 FOOTBALL: Defender Patrice Evra has told his Manchester United team mates they must ensure newly promoted Norwich realise they have "no chance" from the first minute at Old Trafford on Saturday. 1711: GET INVOLVED Scott Widdowson on Twitter: "How on earth didn't Sir Alex Ferguson get the award?! baffled bbcsportsday"1708 BASKETBALL: Plymouth Raiders head coach Gavin Love has said that he expects his new look side will be able to challenge for silverware as they begin their new season on Sunday. Cheap Jerseys from china

cheap nfl jerseys The plan was put in action through Executive Order 164, which created an Ebola Virus Disease and Respone Team (EVD JRT) for New Jersey. The team is composed of six members including the state's attorney general; the state's director of the Office www.cheapjerseysofchina.com of Homeland Security and Preparedness; and the superintendent of the New Jersey State Police. The EVD JRT will coordinate New Jersey's public health response to the Ebola outbreak.. cheap nfl jerseys

wholesale nfl jerseys from china I am an American from Georgia and I was at the match with two friends who had never seen a game of cricket played (it was my first live game). They are not rabid fans yet, I will probably be watching the Ashes alone again. I had a wonderful time. Another method was rubbing the eggs in butter. This supply was used when the poultry were 'off the lay'. The byre housed three cows, which had to be had to be milked twice a day. wholesale nfl jerseys from china

wholesale jerseys In the short term, the value of the sports autograph will decrease as there will be less demand for the athlete sports autograph. Fans, like companies, do not want Cheap Jerseys from china to be associated with athletes who have behaved inappropriately. Accenture, a former sponsor of Tiger Woods decided to no longer provide sponsorship after learning of the scandal. wholesale jerseys

wholesale jerseys Each year, roughly 7.6 million dogs and cats will enter shelters. Although we like to pretend they will find better homes, 2.7 million will be euthanized. Many others will spend their remaining days in little cages. 41) and how organizational communications will evolve in the new conversational mode. We are also eager to learn more about what kind of processes for instance would enable Google, despite rapid and continuous innovation in its core business, to deal with its apparent difficulty in breeding startups within the firm or stemming the exodus of its best people. We are also keen to learn more about how and when that "ultra mean Deathstar" of the corporate world, Walmart (p. wholesale jerseys

wholesale nfl jerseys from china Sean Taylor, while at home asleep with his wife and 18 month old daughter, awoke to a loud noise in his home. In an effort to protect his family, Sean www.cheapjerseys-football.com confronted the would be burglars. He was shot once and would later die from the severe loss of blood as his femoral artery was torn apart by the single bullet.. wholesale nfl jerseys from china

Cheap Jerseys from china Since I don listen to a lot of radio, the internet is the main way I keep up with new country music, news, etc. Strangely enough, on the net I prefer CMT but on TV I more likely to watch GAC. Why? They play a lot more music videos. One package was a "starter" package, where there was everything included to start wood burning. Another package had items sold separately to replace items consumed during the process. Interesting lesson to learn there! Know what it is?. Cheap Jerseys from china

wholesale nfl jerseys So many prayers, hopes and wishes have been said and made for you."You can rest in peace now Mikey but you have left a massive hole in so many people's hearts and you will never be forgotten."I would like to send all my love to your family and Cheap Jerseys china friends. God has gained another angel far too soon. All because some selfish person has taken your life. wholesale nfl jerseys

wholesale jerseys It must really make them feel great: bullying, raping, killing, mugging, etc. With complete impunity, knowing that no one will stop them as they themselves said untouchable. It is absolutely SHOCKING that today we cannot even walk the streets in our own country without looking over our shoulders because we are so afraid of being mugged or murdered. wholesale jerseys

cheap jerseys Many of the Bobcat players had come up through the Pop Warner ranks together and blazed a trail of dominance along the way. In their six years together beginning as Mitey Mites, the Bobcats have posted a cumulative record of 61 6 2. They went to the www.cheapjerseyssalesupply.com national championships last year as junior midgets and reached the semifinals, setting the stage for this year's triumph cheap jerseys.

0 notes

snazzyjazzysjacksonville · 4 years

Text

8 reasons you should adopt a cat

July is National Adopt a Cat Month and let’s face it: We love to watch cats whether they’re being silly, adorable, regal, or cranky. Cats are the reason we need the internet. Cat videos on YouTube have been going viral for years and can be just the way to put a smile on your face. Even though many of us are fairly convinced cats are secretly plotting to take over the world, they’re more than happy to live with you and let you be their servant…I mean owner. But regardless of their world domination propensities, here are ten really good reasons to stop watching those cat videos long enough to go get a cat of your own. And who knows, maybe your cat can be the next YouTube sensation!

1. You can save more than one life by adopting a cat

Not only do you save the life of the kitty you adopted, but you can clear a space for more cats to be rescued and sheltered. Unfortunately, shelters have a limited capacity and many pets are euthanized before they are able to be re-homed due to lack of space or resources. According to the ASPCA over 3.2 million cats enter American pet shelters every year. Approximately 1.6 million of those cats are adopted. That means there are plenty who still need to be housed and cared for until they find their forever home! Consider the adage “the more the merrier!” When adopting a cat, consider getting a bonded pair or two cats (provided you give them time to get comfortable with each other). You can save two lives and your kitty will always have a playmate or snuggle companion when you aren’t home.

Cat fact: Often older cats, special needs cats and kittens, or black cats are considered “unadoptable” and are the first to be euthanized. Consider adopting one of these kitties when you are looking for a new pet.

2. Adopting a cat is a sound financial choice.

When you adopt from a shelter, your new kitty has already been spayed or neutered, given necessary vaccinations, and microchipped. Some shelters will even include a bag of food, collar and id, or pet insurance in the adoption fee. This will help you save in the upfront costs of a new pet. When you purchase a cat from a breeder you must pay for these expenses on your own. Depending on the cat and what type of lifestyle you have, you may also save on any training or house/litter training expenses.

3. There are a wide variety of cats available and their personality is already known.

At most shelters you can find almost any type of cat: young or old, long haired or short haired, in all colors and sizes. If you have your heart set on a specific breed, like a Siamese or Persian, you can also check for breed rescue or cat-specific organizations. These manifold felines spend their days with volunteers, behaviorists, and trainers. Each cat’s needs and personality is studied carefully so that you know what kind of kitty you’ll get. You may want an active playful cat who will entertain you for hours or all you need is a couch potato to join your Netflix binges. Either way, the shelter personnel will be able to help you find your match. Many pets wind up at shelters due to a change in family circumstances, such as a divorce or a move, rather than through any fault of their own. These pets are happy, healthy cats who are already house trained and accustomed to living with a family. No need to train them yourself, they come ready and happy to fit into your home!

Cat fact: Young cats and kittens can go through personality changes until they are fully grown. A snuggly kitten may not be a snuggly adult. If you want a specific activity level or personality, consider getting an adult cat. If they sit in your lap today, very likely they will be a lap cat for the rest of their lives. Since cats can live upwards of 18 years, you’ll still have plenty of time to love an adult cat.

4. Cats are good for your health, both mental and physical.

orange tabby snoozing on its back with one paw resting up by her faceAccording to a study performed by Deborah Wells, owning a cat (or any pet you adopt) can improve your sense of happiness and well-being and can help reduce the strain of stress, anxiety, depression, or loneliness. Cats can provide a quiet, soothing presence when we need it most, during times of strain or grief. Other studies have found that having a cat may reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease or stroke. One such study in 2008 showed that having a cat can reduce your risk of heart attack by up to 40% by reducing stress and anxiety! We’ve also found that a cat’s purr can help lower your blood pressure, promote bone health, heal ligaments and muscles with minor injuries, and decrease dyspnea. A study by the Journal of Pediatrics published in the National Library of Medicine states that having a cat in the home with children can expose those children to allergens at a very young age, making them less likely to develop allergies or respiratory issues later.

5. Cats are the perfect apartment roommate.

If you live in a small space, like an apartment or condo or even a dorm room (if the school allows it), a cat can be the perfect companion. Most cats instinctively know to use the litter box and scratching posts. They are less likely to track mud through the house or tear up the garbage than dogs. Cats tend to be neat and tidy animals although many do shed so invest in a good vacuum! Cats, with the exception of some long haired cats, require less grooming than dogs. Most cats take care of their own bathing and brushing without any help! Cats often don’t need as much playtime as dogs and will value their time lounging around the house or just being with you since they sleep up to 16-20 hours per day. They don’t require a lot of space and lengthy walks like dogs do. They can be fairly low maintenance, just make sure of give them plenty of toys and places to climb, like cat trees or window seats. Most cats are independent creatures and can frequently choose to keep to themselves. And when they do want to snuggle, they’re warm, fuzzy, and the perfect size for your lap. While cats are happy to be around their humans, they are able to stay home alone all day unlike dogs. Cats do not require as much constant care as dogs, making them a preferred pet of many busy professionals.

6. Cats are good for your home and the environment.

Mostly white calico cat sitting in a window reaching a paw out to a mouse standing on its back feet at the corner of the windowCats are good pest deterrents. They help keep control of any mice, rat, or bug populations. While some cats decide they’d rather befriend small animals, most are very good hunters. If it moves, they pounce! Many farms keep barn cats just for that purpose. The Working Cats program helps re-home otherwise “unadoptable” feral cats to work on farms and in businesses as pest control. Cats also leave a smaller carbon footprint on the planet than dogs do. The biggest factor in a pet’s carbon footprint is the amount of food they eat, and since cats eat far less than dogs, they leave a smaller footprint. In this way they are better for the environment than dogs. Just don’t let your house cat outside to attack the local birds!

7. Cats are wonderful companions, particularly for the elderly or other pets.

Calmer cats, particularly those that are older, can make wonderful friends for older adults. Their easy care and peaceful dispositions can be a blessing and stave off loneliness. Cats can also keep other pets company during the day. If you have a cat or a cat-friendly dog you may want to consider getting a playmate or sidekick to enjoy. Just make sure to temperament test both pets and give them time to adjust to each other.

Cat fact: Often cats are more reserved and stressed about their shelter environment. They need routine and a safe environment to flourish. It’s easy to see your future best friend in those cute dogs ready to wag their tail and lick your hand. But consider taking the time to get to know some of the cats in the shelter. They can be just as loving as a dog and lower maintenance!

8. You’ll change a cat’s life forever.

Not only can you be proud that you’ve helped a pet in need and created space for more pets to be helped, but you’ll get a new best friend out of the deal. Cats may be selective with their affection, but once you’ve earned their trust, you’ll have a loyal friend fur-ever. The quote about rescuing a dog can be applied to cats as well: “Saving one dog will not change the world, but surely for that one dog, the world will change forever.” So are you ready to head out to the shelter to find your forever friend? According to Indiana University Media School, people who watch cat videos were “more energetic, felt more positive and had fewer negative emotions, such as anxiety, annoyance and sadness after watching cat videos online.” If that can happen while watching cats, what do you think would happen if you owned one? And if you are unable to, then head on over to YouTube to get your kitty fix and lower your stress levels!

More Details: Snazzy Jazzy's Pet Salon Jacksonville 14343 Jarrettsville Pike Phoenix, MD 21131 United States 410-926-6611 https://g.page/snazzy-jazzys-jacksonville?share https://snazzy-jazzys-pet-salon-jacksonville.business.site

BOOK NOW! Jacksonville Online Booking

from Blogger https://ift.tt/38znZyM via Pet Salon In Jacksonville MD

#Pet Spa #Pet Care #Pet Grooming

0 notes

runawaywidow · 4 years

Text

For the past several summers I have put my United States passport to good use and traveled around the world. I’ve shared photos and posts about some exciting places but my most popular post is about a small town in upstate New York, 17 things to do in Ithaca.

Like many, I am hesitant about traveling this summer. We are now entering phase 3 post pandemic, so some places are opening up here in New York but I will not be going too far away. In fact, with an abundance of outdoor opportunities on Long Island, I will share my summer bucket list with my fellow islanders.

While the state parks do charge an entrance fee of $10, the Empire Pass can be purchased for the year for $80 and with this summer of limited travel, it is well worth the investment.

1. Robert Moses, Field 5

Yesterday I drove myself over the bridge to Robert Moses ocean beach on Fire Island. Clean, soft sand, refreshing salt water with moderate waves, qualified life guards and open bathrooms make this beach a true pleasure. If your ideal day is to sit in a chair under an umbrella and read or to take a long walk along the shore, visit the lighthouse and maybe stroll into the small beach village of Kismet, this can all be done in a day trip. Walking east along the shore I will warn you that some bathers prefer not to wear swim suits. Just remember to wear your mask in the bathrooms at the beach.

Parking $10 or Empire pass. https://parks.ny.gov/parks/7/

2. Montauk

The eastern most point of Long Island has this amazingly, still quaint fishing village. The cost of hotel rooms has sky rocketed in recent years but since you save money on air fare and time and the hassle of driving through New York City, it can be worth the splurge. More ocean beaches, fishing trips, fresh seafood, hiking trails, cliffs, surfers and a light house to climb are just some reasons people keep coming out year after year to visit. My friend has made 2 visits already this summer with her kids to watch the sunrise at what is called THE END – and breakfast spots are open for the early birds too.

Hotel rooms are available but the average price per night is around $500 with a 3 night minimum on weekends. Day trip or a little getaway; I’ll be planning my trip out east soon.

Montauk – Budget Friendly Vacation

Montauk Point lighthouse

3. Sunken Meadow State Park

What I love about this park is the 2 mile boardwalk along the beach for walking and riding bikes. This park has hiking trails through the woods, and a public golf course with a driving range. You must reserve a tee time in advance. In addition, I like to visit this location as it is where we got married on the beach last June and had a fun celebration with family and friends. We’ve been back a few times this spring and always enjoy some time outside.

Parking $10 or Empire pass: https://parks.ny.gov/parks/37/

4. Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve

This scenic park is located on the North Shore in Lloyd Harbor. The old estate and buildings are still standing on the hill above the Long Island Sound and active horse stables give the feel of being a guest at a country estate. The three mile paved and shaded trail is available to pedestrians and bicycles only. No dogs allowed.

Parking $10 or Empire pass: https://parks.ny.gov/parks/23/details.aspx

5. Cold Spring Harbor hiking trail

This one is Free. Simply park by the library on Harbor Road in Cold Spring Harbor and you will see the sign to the entrance. This is the north end of the 19 mile Nassau-Suffolk trail and does have some hills to climb. People often bring dogs along on a leash. I would highly recommend spraying for ticks before you head out on this trail or any trails on Long Island and be sure to check carefully when you return home as well.

https://www.hikingproject.com/trail/7029784/cold-spring-harbor-state-park-out-and-back

6. Huntington Village

The restaurants in town are most creative as they set up outdoor dining tables on side walks and alleys. Musicians on the street, music coming from the restaurants and people walking around make us forget that we have been sheltering in place for 3 months. The waitstaff is required to wear masks and you have the option to wear a mask as well. Walking around the town, getting an ice cream and seeing people again can make us all remember we are part of a bigger community. And when you go out to eat, you can feel good about supporting the local economy too!

7. Planting Fields, Oyster Bay

If you prefer gardens, this former Gold Coast estate features 409 acres of gardens. The Coe house and greenhouses are currently closed but the grounds are open for walking and enjoying the outdoor gardens and architecture from the early 1900’s.

https://plantingfields.org/plan-your-visit/

8. Bayard Cutting Arboretum

Located on the south shore in Great River, the grounds are open everyday except on Mondays. The trail along the river is lined with a variety of trees and plants in an informal setting. The house is closed currently but this is a beautiful park to visit and learn more about the types of plants in this area.

https://bayardcuttingarboretum.com/

9. Long Island Aquarium

A favorite place to visit with families is the aquarium in Riverhead. The sea otters, penguins and sea lion exhibits are outdoors. Sting rays and sharks are indoors and masks are required. Due to reduced guest capacity, reservations must be made in advance.

https://www.longislandaquarium.com/purchase-tickets/pricing/

10. Fire Island by Ferry

I grew up on the south shore in Sayville, known as the “friendliest town in America”. This is really a great little town with restaurants and small shops along a quaint Main Street that often closes for town events like car shows and summer festivals. Following Foster Avenue south towards the Great South Bay and turning left at the end, you will see the docks for the ferries. Two of my first jobs were cleaning houses at Fire Island Pines and making pizzas at Cherry Grove. Both awesome little beach communities that do not allow cars, homes are connected only by boardwalks and the vibes from the New York City gay community are alive and vibrant.

The ferry to Sailors Haven and Sunken Forest also leaves from the same dock area and while homes are not available to rent and only a concession stand is available for dining, this natural setting makes for a great day trip for families.

Ferries cost $16-18 round trip and you can pay to bring your dog as well. Ferries leave approximately every 2 hours.

http://www.sayvilleferry.com/schedule-pines.php

10. ROBERT MOSES, Field 2

The western most end of Fire Island National seashore has a 3 par 9 hole golf course right there at the beach. No reservations necessary as it is first come, first served. Perfect for beginners and beach lovers. Pack a lunch or dinner, play golf and take a long walk around the point or hop in for a swim in the sea.

$10 parking fee or Empire Pass.

11. Jones Beach, Field 6

Although the concerts have been cancelled this summer, the iconic boardwalk at Jones Beach is still a treasure. I prefer field 6 on the eastern most part of the park as it is the shortest walk to the water and right on the boardwalk. Also a great place to walk with a stroller. The playground may be opening soon and a there is a small 9 hole pitch and putt golf course along the boardwalk as well. My grandmother and mom used to tell stories of going to the pool located in the building during the summer and the many evenings they spent dancing to music outside at the bandshell.

$10 parking fee or Empire Pass

https://parks.ny.gov/parks/jonesbeach/

12. Kayak River Rentals

I have heard wonderful tales of kayaking the Nissequogue River starting in Smithtown near the bull (It’s a famous statue here on Long Island). So you make a reservation and meet the group – sign some papers and board the kayak. Double kayaks and canoes cost about $60 for the approximately 3 hour tour down the river toward the Long Island sound. Nature, birds, and water are the best, just prepare for the sun, bugs and hydration on your adventure. A bus even brings you back to your car. This summer I will definitely try this.

http://www.canoerentals.com/

13. Motor Boat Rentals

Living near the beach, I have always had either a sailboat or a motor boat… except for this summer. While I am happy to save on the expense of maintenance and repairs, I will miss going out in a boat.

Having friends with boats is always a good alternative. But if your friends don’t have a boat, it is possible to rent boats for a day or even half a day. I did this last winter in Florida with my sister and her family and we had a blast. So as a consolation to staying home this summer without a boat, I have been looking into day rentals and am considering two. For a boat that could accommodate 8 people, for the day it is about $1000.

In Freeport, the rental shop offers hourly rentals starting at 2 hours for about $300.

https://summerboatrental.com/

In Port Washington, Long Island Boat Rentals offers deals for small boats as well as captained boats for the day.

https://liboatrentals.com/

I am looking forward to trying out one or both of these places this summer. Who’s in?

I am grateful to live in such a beautiful place and to have the summer off. I can not imagine what the fall will bring for me as a teacher but I know that I have today to get out and enjoy. Keep safe, wear a mask if you will be near people and have a great summer!

amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true"; amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "runawaywidow-20"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_title = "My Amazon Picks"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "cb89e352a51c07372a01fee8d5e3b26f"; amzn_assoc_asins = "B07DXR62KF,B079QKBS1M,B016MOIIMY,B0842SD2F2";

14 Awesome Things to do this Summer on Long Island For the past several summers I have put my United States passport to good use and traveled around the world.

#beaches #joy #longisland #Montauk #newyork #NYbeach #summer #summervacation #travel #walksonlongisland

0 notes

vsplusonline · 5 years

Text

Daily life near a standstill as nations try to halt pandemic

New Post has been published on https://apzweb.com/daily-life-near-a-standstill-as-nations-try-to-halt-pandemic/

Daily life near a standstill as nations try to halt pandemic

ROME — Meeting with friends, dining out, worshiping and other daily routines have nearly halted as nations take drastic steps to try to stop the coronavirus pandemic.

Religious leaders gave sermons to empty pews or to the faithful watching online Sunday after public worship was curtailed in many places. The Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City was being closed indefinitely, and the Vatican closed off next month’s Holy Week services to the public. Still, the 83-year-old Pope Francis ventured out of the Vatican to visit two churches in Rome to pray for the sick.

In the United States, health officials recommended a limit to groups of 50 or more people and a government expert said a 14-day national shutdown may be needed. Americans returning from abroad encountered chaotic airport health screenings and closed-down communities.

In a sign of how much the pandemic has grown, China now accounts for less than half of the world’s 168,000 cases, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

The country where the virus was first detected in December had long been the epicenter of the COVID-19 illness, but a shutdown of public gatherings and a quarantine of the hardest-hit central region has steadied its caseload as the virus spreads rapidly elsewhere. Most of the world’s 77,000 recovered patients are in China.

Though China still has the most infections, a dozen other countries have more than 1,000 cases, mostly in Europe.

On the first day of Spain’s quarantine, long lines formed for food as police patrolled. Soldiers and police sealed off the Philippines’ densely populated capital, Manila, from most domestic travellers. Austria planned to limit movement, and Lebanon was put on lockdown, closing down Beirut’s famed seaside corniche.

Ireland ordered all pubs and bars to close for two weeks — including on Tuesday, St. Patrick’s Day — and urged people not even to hold house parties. Two pub industry groups had warned of the “real difficulty” in keeping people apart in the country’s famous watering holes.

Italy welcomed a Chinese medical team to help it cope with its patient workload as health officials warn of what will come as the virus hits elsewhere.

“It’s not a wave. It’s a tsunami,” said Dr. Roberto Rona, who’s in charge of intensive care at the Monza hospital.

Italy on Sunday reported its biggest day-to-day increase in infections — 3,590 more cases in a 24-hour period — for a total of almost 24,747. And 368 more deaths brought its toll to 1,809, more than a quarter of the global death toll.

For most people, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, and those with mild illness recover in about two weeks. But severe illness including pneumonia can occur, especially in the elderly and people with existing health problems, and recovery could take six weeks in such cases.

The needs to stop the virus from spreading to the most vulnerable people and to not overwhelm health care systems with sick patients are pushing the urgent calls for people to avoid public crowds or just stay home.

People should go out “only alone or with the people who live in their apartment,” said Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, whose country has 800 infections.

That was echoed by one of America’s top infectious disease experts.

“I think Americans should be prepared that they are going to have to hunker down significantly more than we as a country are doing,” Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Governors in California, Illinois and Ohio told all bars and restaurants to close or reduce their number of customers. New York City will shutter the nation’s largest public school system as early as Tuesday, sending over 1.1 million children home.

With fears increasing that the pandemic will depress U.S. economic growth, the Federal Reserve took emergency action by slashing its benchmark interest rate to near zero and deciding to buy $700 billion in Treasury and mortgage bonds.

Travellers returning to the U.S. after the Trump administration imposed a wide-ranging ban on people entering from Europe faced hourslong waits for medical screenings. Images on social media showed packed arrival halls and winding lines.

“This is unacceptable, counterproductive and exactly the opposite of what we need to do to prevent .COVID19,” Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth tweeted.

Italy banned passengers from taking ferries to Sardinia and halted overnight train trips, which many in the north had used to reach homes and families in the south.

Even as authorities pleaded for people to stay home, Pope Francis visited St. Mary Major Basilica, near Rome’s central train station, to pray for the sick, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said.

He then walked to another church with a crucifix that in 1522 was carried in a procession during a plague afflicting Rome. In his prayer, Francis has `’invoked the end of the pandemia that has stricken Italy and the world, implored healing for the many sick, recalled the many victims of these days” and asked for consolation for their family and friends.

During his 90-minute foray, the pontiff and his security detail were nearly the only people around.

The Vatican will all Holy Week ceremonies to the public starting with Palm Sunday on April 5. Holy Week services usually draw tens of thousands to Rome but Italian tourism has vanished.

Spain was under lockdown amid a two-week state of emergency.

“From now, we enter into a new phase,” said Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, whose wife tested positive. “We won’t hesitate in doing what we need must to beat the virus. We are putting health first.”

In Barcelona, there were long lines to buy bread. Police patrolled parks and told people who were not walking their dogs to go home. The Las Ramblas promenade was eerily empty.

Spain’s Health Ministry said the country has recorded 288 deaths, up from 136 on Saturday. The number of infections rose to 7,753 from 5,700.

The Czech Republic will start a lockdown Monday, and Netherlands ordered all schools, day-care centres, restaurants and bars to close until April 6. The new restrictions cover Amsterdam’s famed marijuana-selling “coffee shops” and sex clubs.

Elsewhere, Morocco suspended all international flights, and Turkey set aside quarantine beds for more than 10,000 people returning from Islam’s holy sites in Saudi Arabia.

Even as social life largely halted, some attempts at keeping up public life persisted.

France went ahead Sunday with nationwide elections to choose mayors and other local leaders. A 1-meter (yard) gap between people was mandated, as well as soap or sanitizing gel and disinfectant wipes for voting machines.

The German state of Bavaria also held municipal elections, with poll workers wearing gloves. Germany will partially close its borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Luxembourg and Denmark on Monday, and Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said people will no longer be allowed to cross those borders without a valid reason, such as for work.

Britain, which has not yet restricted everyday activities, said it plans to set out emergency powers this week, including potentially requiring people over 70 to self-isolate for up to four months and banning mass gatherings.

“We will do the right thing at the right time,” Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the BBC.

Puerto Rico ordered nearly all businesses to close for next two weeks and set a nighttime curfew following confirmation of a fifth case.

With the virus having reached 25 of Africa’s 54 countries, sweeping restrictions were announced. Kenya is banning travellers from countries with infections and closing all schools for three weeks.

Senegal and Mauritania also are closing schools. Senegal also banned all public gatherings for a month, stopping cruise ships from docking and suspending Muslim and Christian pilgrimages.

Dalia Samhouri, a regional official with the World Health Organization, said both Iran and Egypt, two of the most populous countries in the Mideast, were likely underreporting cases because infected people can still show no visible symptoms. Iran says it has nearly 14,000 virus cases and 724 deaths, while Egypt has reported 110 cases, including two fatalities.

Testing for the illness has also varied from country to country and community to community. The U.S. was prioritizing medical workers and senior citizens with symptoms, in order to avoid paralyzing the health care system.

“It’s important the tests are available for the people who are most in need and our health care workers and first responders that are helping and supporting them,” Vice-President Mike Pence told reporters at the White House.

——

Wilson reported from Barcelona, Spain. Associated Press writers Geir Moulson in Berlin, Iain Sullivan in Madrid, Sylvie Corbet in Paris, Yanan Wang in Beijing, Andrew Taylor in Washington, and Jim Gomez in Manila contributed to this report.

——

The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Source link

#Health

0 notes