#but their child mortality rate was still close to 50%

[bethanydelleman]

Lady Anne and Pregnancy Loss

I find it highly improbable that with only one son, and high infant/child mortality, that Darcy Sr. and Lady Anne weren't trying to have more kids. Which means there was either 11 years of unexplained secondary infertility or a string of miscarriages/stillborns. Even though it seems like people in this era took miscarriages less seriously (see Jane Austen’s letters), that must have been terrible for them, especially Lady Anne. Darcy was probably spoiled more than the average heir/male child because he was their precious only child. Georgiana surviving/existing must have seemed like a miracle.

(Darcy says he was an only child for years, I take this to imply that no other child made it to Christening, so either early death, stillborn or miscarriage. It is possible a child died before Darcy was born, but if Lady Anne, for example, was Rh negative, Darcy being a healthy firstborn and then a string of miscarriages would make perfect medical sense)

We don't know when Sir Lewis de Bourgh died, but Lady Catherine might well have experienced the same sort of thing, except she never got a second child. All she has is the sickly Anne as an heir, a risky prospect. Again, it’s very unlikely that with only one child, Lady Catherine and Sir Lewis would have stopped attempting to make an heir. So either he died early, or Lady Catherine may have shared the cause of infertility with her sister (again, Rh negative makes so much sense here)

It makes me wonder if maybe the two sisters really did want their only children to marry each other. Having only one child survive for so many years, and that the children were opposite genders, might have looked like a sign or gift from God. Even if you don’t look at it from a religious perspective, it looks like a perfect match. If the sisters married at similar times and both Anne and Darcy were born right after their marriages, it might have begun as a pleasant dream, but as pregnancy loss after loss followed, I could see the plan becoming more and more dear, especially to Lady Catherine.

It also might help explain some of Darcy’s character. He is the precious only child for a long time, the only survivor, with undivided attention. Then the second miracle baby arrives and Georgiana must have been so precious to her parents after so many years of failure. He is given the responsibility to protect what must have been such a precious gift! 

All speculation based on probability, but interesting to think about.

Edit: I've been told Rh- is unlikely because Georgiana eventually survived. Good to know! Could work for Lady Catherine.

[tanoraqui]

Tanoraqui’s Coherent Theory of Finwëan Relative Ages (Years of the Trees Only)

Click Here to see the complete timeline of birth years and other notable events, including reasoning for various non-canon dates, and be sure to visit the second tab for a breakdown of Elf vs. Man aging rates and foundational headcanons about how time works and a few key familial relationships! Also below the cut.

Note on graph: ”as Men would Reckon” meaning, if you looked at that elf’s face and watched them behave for a bit, how old would you say they are if they were a human.

MORE CHARTS!:

Time Headcanon:

Tolkien's calculation of roughly 10 Sun Years to 1 Tree Year is correct, but time passes more slowly [closer to the Trees/in Valinor in general/close to the Valar themselves] [take your pick], or at least it seems to; same difference because time is fake, especially for immortals. This is called "Valinorian Temporal Reduction" (VTR) and it shakes out to about 1/5 the speed of Sun Years, or 1 Tree Year in Valinor = 2 Sun Years. NB: this did NOT effect Elves left in Middle Earth, which is why the Moriquendi population has swelled greatly in proportion to the Calaquendi by the time the Noldor Exiles arrive.

Aging Headcanon:

Somewhere around looking 30-35ish, Elves really hit that "ageless beauty" where they look young and ancient at once, and stay there. Some get there faster, or seem to age into 40s or even 50s, due to greater stress in life (common in those who stay longer in Middle Earth) This may or may not alleviate with rest; Elves, too, can be "old souls." Presenting as older is also common in elves with children, grandchildren, etc (due to personal sense of maturity/responsibility).

In fact, in Middle Earth, certainly in First Age Middle Earth, a 600-year-old Elf probably looks and acts/feels solidly 35, if not 40, though it's still plateauing there. The increased aging rate is almost entirely from age 100 onward - childhood aging (to mortal "18") is still about the same no matter what stressors are about. That is, emotional maturity can be affected, but the hröa's aging isn't any more than a Man's would be.

Note that by all this logic of year counts and aging, Finwë - who I think wasn't one of the original 144 Elves but was probably the quickly coming 2nd or 3rd gen - was about 800-860 (sun) years old (700-800 ME years + 72 VTR), putting him in Mannish mid to late 30s at Fëanor's birth. He probably picked up the equivalent of a year or two from then until his death.

Key Finwëan Familial Headcanons the Shaped the Birth Years Headcanons (no particular order): 

Finarfin and Earwen also married young, even younger than Fëanor and Nerdanel (ELOPED, in fact)

Fëanor and Nerdanel have kids whenever they get particularly horny over creation, with no regard for anything or anyone else

Maedhros is slightly older than Finarfin, but this is the only Finwean grandchild/child mix

No children were conceived out of competition or spite, except maybe great-grandchildren

Orodreth is a great-grandchild, son of Angrod and Eldalote

Orodreth was a mature enough adult in FA 102 that leaving him in charge of Tol Sirion was reasonable

It's traditional in Middle Earth to have elf kids at the same time as other elf kids. Slightly less common in Valinor, but still common.

Apprenticeship standardly starts at E!15-16, Curufinwës all started at E!14. (I know in my heart that the Noldor have guilds, though I don't think "journeyman" is what they'd call that rank - journeying prob. wouldn't have been as much of a thing?)

Again, check out the full timeline here! Yes, it was significantly faster (and more fun) to make a chart myself with colored pencils than to enter a billion values into Excel, especially given that there’s no actual formula for this Man/Elf age conversion. I think it got lost with everyone mixed together, but Fëanorians are in red shades, Fingolfinians in blues, and Finarfinians in yellows (more or less).

[zafirosreverie]

The best tree (Guardians & Reader)

a/n: there’s a NorthxReaderxSandy relationship, but there’s nothing too explicit so you can ignore it if you want. 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

You rolled your eyes affectionately when you heard Bunny and Jack arguing. Again. You should have known that those two couldn't stay away from each other's throats for more than a few minutes, not even at Christmas (Well, technically it wasn't Christmas yet, but pretty close).

You had gathered the guardians at the pole to help you decorate. North was up to his neck with work, and with Yetis coming and going and troublesome elves everywhere, he really didn't have time to participate in his own decorations.

You, on the other hand, have always loved decorating the Christmas tree, since you were little. So you offered to help, even when technically it was always Christmas in this place. But when you saw the size of the huge tree in the center of the workshop, you had to call in reinforcements.

Although watching Tooth intervene in Jack and Bunny’s fight, causing an even bigger argument, you thought that maybe you should have just called the Sandman.

"Remind me why I let you invite them" you said to Sandy.

The little man simply raised an eyebrow, letting his dream sand create an image of you asking everyone for help.

"Yes, yes, I know that I was the one who brought them, but sharing the blame with you makes me feel better" you winked at him, earning you a mischievous smile from the guardian.

The two of you jumped when you heard a decoration fall and smash on the ground, followed by more grunting and fighting from the other three. It was the third in less than an hour.

"At this rate, we will run out of decorations and only our side will be decorated" you sighed.

Sandy gave you a sympathetic look and a quick kiss on the forehead before taking the little angel you offered to him and floating above your head to hang it from one of the highest branches. Having a boyfriend who could float was a huge help when you were decorating a tree nearly 32 feet tall and you didn't have a ladder.

"We are not going to hang a carrot on the tree!"

You stifled a laugh at Tooth's voice and Bunny's offended growl as you shook your head. You loved those three, you really did, but maybe you and Sandy could do more without their help.

You looked out the window, into the snowy forest at the foot of the mountain. The pines greeted you and an idea quickly formed in your mind. You waved Sandy down and whispered your plan in his ear. The guardian smiled before nodding and quickly flying for the decorations.

This was going to be fun.

________________________________

An hour later, North finally left his office, ready to take a well-deserved break with you and the others. He arrived just in time to see Sandy placing the last sphere.

"Oh, hi North" you smiled "what do you think?"

The man looked in amazement at the gigantic and imposing tree, dressed in colorful lights. The ribbons of different sizes perfectly complemented the spheres and small figures that you had hung, Sandy had even created small chains of dream sand that looked like little fireflies, an elegant and beautiful detail. And circling the center of the tree was an old but cute toy train that Phil had helped you put together.

North smiled when he recognized it. It was one of the first gifts he had given you when you were still a child...when you were still mortal.

"This is amazing" he laughed "it must have been a lot of work"

"Meh, Sandy, and I managed. And it was a lot quicker when we managed to keep the others occupied."

North frowned in confusion when you and Sandy shared THAT look. Having spent the last 50 years dating the two of you, he was more than capable of recognizing when his partners had done some mischief.

"...where are the others?" he asked slowly.

You just shrugged as Sandy created an arrow of dream sand, pointing to the window. North walked over to it and looked out.

It was only a few seconds of surprise before the loud laugh of the great Santa Claus filled the workshop. Outside, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, and Jack Frost were having a fierce and increasingly intense competition to see who best-decorated their tree.

You could see how they sabotaged each other, yelling at each other and throwing snowballs or spheres at each other.

"We told them we would put the best-decorated tree in the center of the workshop" you explained "I honestly didn't think Tooth was going to fall for it"

North only laughed louder as the three of you continued to watch the competition. You and Sandy had a high five. You couldn't wait to see their faces when they returned and saw that, in fact, the best tree was already in the center of the workshop.

[cryptidax]

Own Character: Kazuomi "The Drakon Knight"

Name: Kazuomi

Height: 169.5 cm / 5'6"

Vision: Cryo

Weapon: Sword

Affiliation: Mondstadt, Knights of Favonuis

Official Title: Captain of the Strike team, Drakon Knight

Zodiac: Personatus Draco

Personality: Kazuomi has an unpredictable, ambitious, and cunning type of personality.

One minute he could be playfully flirting with the unfortunate fellow that was paired up with him. The next minute he could be itching for battle and coldly slaying the poor monsters that happen to be in his line of sight.

He is rather strict with the knights are assigned to him, often relinquishing his usual playful personality to become a cold captain if he ever needs to. This caused people to be wary when working with him.

Though Kazuomi does not mind his subordinates being cautious of him, it annoys him when they only pretend to do their jobs just because he is there.

He is not the most patient person when it comes to battles. Sure, he occasionally taunts his opponent with sharp jabs, but he prefers to end each fight quickly.

He does have a soft spot for children or ambitious young people. This has made him "adopt" Diona as a younger sibling. Despite not sharing blood with Diona, they treat each other like real siblings. He commonly teases Diona but will freeze a man if they harm a single strand on her hair.

Kazuomi does have abandonment issues. This leads him to have a hard time keeping close relationships. He sees each interaction with a newcomer as a chess game. Each action is a move to understand their true intention.

After winning that chess match in his head, he often judges their true motives. That is why he mostly keeps people at arms reach, only letting a handful get close. Kazuomi does not delude himself with thinking that all people are truthful. Despite that, Those who tend to see the formidable Drakon knight's guard down are the ones the trust the most.

Backstory: He was an orphan that kicked out by many orphanages due to the hot and cold personality that he gained after witnessing his parents being murdered by random abyss mages. When he was in his first orphanage, he was still in shock of the murder, but the moment it wore off, he ran away into the nearby woods and became violent to any abyss mages.

He gained his vision when he had slain his first abyss mage when he ran to the woods. By the time the orphanage managers found him, he was surrounded by several Ley Line sprouts and sobbing hysterically. Kazuomi was kicked out of that orphanage when he froze the orphanage owner's child for bullying him.

He kept on being kicked out of each orphanage for reasons like freezing someone or giving them frostbite. They wouldn't listen when he reasoned out that it was an accident. When he was kicked out of his fifth orphanage, he wondered if the element cryo was cursed. It seemed to be a reminder of how no one is there for him but himself. Each orphanage, each "new family" provided by them, each "new friends." They are but puppets that are used to try to sway him from that fact. After being kicked out of the eleventh orphanage he was in, he chose to apply for a job in dawn winery as a small servant and errand boy to escape being put in another one. He met seven years old Diluc by his third week working and Kaeya not long after. After years of resenting fate for cursing him with a cryo vision and making him live this life, he felt happy, like a normal kid.

They were inseparable even when Kazuomi resigned as a dawn winery worker to join the knight's tryouts, only to find out that Diluc and Kaeya were also applying. They were the iconic trio of Mondstadt. Sometimes Jean would join their little coup when she had time.

Yet the Gods never seem to stop toying with mortal's happiness. When Crepus was slain, he was on an expedition to map out dragonspine, assigned to him by the grandmaster himself. Though, once he received news of Crepus Ragniver's death, Kazuomi grabbed the nearest horse and traveled his way to dawn winery as fast as he can. When he arrived, he tried to look for the brothers to comfort them but only found them at the exact minute when Kaeya started to reveal the truth. He hid the entirety of his explanation and was about to interfere when Diluc challenged Kaeya to a battle outside, but when Kaeya and Diluc drew their weapons, he could not find it in himself to not stop them.

"They deserve the chance to let it all out."

That thought kept repeating itself like a mantra as he walked away after watching the brothers duel. Kazuomi almost tried to break Kaeya's new vision when he first saw it. It solidified his old notion of the cryo element being cursed. He will not deny that having cryo vision is a good weapon to have, but he always has that inward resentment for using it.

"Visions are supposed to be a gift from the gods to the "favored ones." Tools that are supposed to be as a symbol of a blessing. Hah... The cryo archon has rather hilarious humor for choosing such a blessing."

Skills:

Passive One: "Cryo's curse"

When Kazuomi attacks an enemy affected by cryo, he will gain a stack of Numbed Mark. He can only hold five stacks on him and loses them if you switch to another party member.

Numbed Mark: Each stack of Numbed Mark will increase Kazuomi's crit rate by 15%

Passive Two: "Drakon Knight: Icey Shards"

When he attacks an enemy after using his elemental burst, he will gain additional crit dmg for 5 seconds. This scales of his attack.

Passive Three: "Protected by the cursed"

After attacking an enemy, Kazuomi has a 50% chance to heal all party members. These scales of his crit damage.

"A dragon's heart is hardened by the winter, yet those who manage to surround it with warmth gain a warrior willing to knock down fate to ensure their wishes."

Normal Attack: "Frozen Claws"

Normal Attack: Performs up to 5 rapid strikes.

Charged Attack: Consumes a certain amount of Stamina to unleash 2 rapid sword strikes.

Plunging Attack: Plunges from mid-air to strike the ground below, damaging opponents along the path and dealing AoE DMG upon impact.

Elemental Skill: "Cold Debt"

Kazuomi Embues his sword with Cryo, increasing his attack by 15% of his total crit damage. All Attacks done in this state will be turned into Cryo. When Kazuomi is in this state, he has increased resistance to interruption.

Elemental Burst: "The Drakon's Rancor"

Performs different attacks based on what state Kazuomi is in when casting.

Normal State: Mercy Due: Performs a slash with a large AoE, dealing massive Physical DMG to all surrounding opponents

"An unfair trial release."

Cold Debt State: Revenge served Cold: Performs a slash with a large AoE, dealing massive Cryo DMG to all surrounding opponents. When this stance is used, the attack performed will gain a 18% attack bonus.

"Revenge is best served cold. No wise man will dispute that fact."

Special Dish:

"Spicy Buttered Matsutake": Kazuomi's specialty. The butter and spices added in this dish have seemed to double. No one knows how Kazuomi always seems to add more ingredients to this dish, and when questioned he simply only responds with a sly smirk and a wink. The dish itself is bursting with flavors and seasonings that will surely make you go for seconds.

[corona-extra-newsletter]

3/18/20 corona extra: cracking open cold covid facts

Announcements & Thank Yous

Thank you to everyone who’s messaged me or sent asks! Specific thanks go to:

@ruffboijuliaburnsides​ for their help with Kansas

@marywhal​ for information about Canada and Gritty tips

My husband for the memes

My dad for informing me how the UK works

Twitter users @molly0xFFF and @goblinartificer for their continued help with the Wordpress site

@pullingawaythespooks​ for Oregon info

@elprupneerg​ for Wisconsin info

@theeyesinthenight​ for Pennsylvania info

@adventurecalls​ for Minnesota info

@heartyargybargy​ for UK info

If you have reliable information from a good source that I don’t seem to have, please shoot me a message/ask/pigeon!

Places now included in the newsletter are: Germany, France, Cuba, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, Idaho, Oklahoma, North Dakota, Maine, and West Virginia (with that, all 50 US states are included. Whew.) Please send an ask or a message if you would like a place included!

I have started a website for the newsletter! Find it at coronaextranewsletter.com. If you know me from fandom, please be chill about my meatspace identity. Please.

Just The Numbers

Total cases: 191,127 (+15,123)

Total deaths: 7,807 (+786)

Mortality rate: 4.08%

WHO numbers look a little wonky today because the timing changed on when things are reported/collected. They should be back to normal tomorrow!

Western Pacific: 91,845 cases (+312), 3,357 deaths (+23)

Europe: 74,760 cases (+10,911), 3,352 deaths (+604)

SE Asia: 538 cases (+30), 9 deaths (+1)

Eastern Mediterranean: 18,060 cases (+1552), 1,010deaths (+140)

Americans: 4,979 cases (+2,243), 68 deaths (+18)

Africa: 233 cases (+42), 4 deaths (+0)

160 countries/territories reporting cases, 1 new including:

Montenegro (2)

Italy is reporting 31,506 cases (+3526) and  2,503 deaths (+345)

Spain is reporting 11,178 cases (+1987) and 491 deaths (+182)

Iran is reporting 16,169 cases (+1178) and 988 deaths (+135)

International/General News

Eurovision is canceled. Lovers of sparkles and cheesy ballads weep in the streets.

I’m blasting ABBA in mourning and encourage you to join me

Many places are closing liquor stores, bars, and restaurants. This is very concerning for people who are dependent on alcohol as they are at high risk for withdrawal. Public health measures to mitigate this are necessary

The US-Canada border is now closed. Holy shit. Essential business is still allowed but still. Holy shit.

Cuba is working with China to test interferon-alpha as a potential therapy for the virus. Watch this space for further news.

I’m less optimistic about this one than the favipiravir I mentioned yesterday because interferons are a way less directed therapy but the trials will tell the story!

Vaccine trials continue in Seattle, United States. Authorities of the state of Washington are asking for healthy volunteers to join the trial.

Antibody trials are underway in the Netherlands.

The United States has a major shortage of testing supplies, still.

US immigration enforcement are a bunch of bastards. Still.

Italy has promoted a bunch of senior medical students to start practicing in the outpatient setting so more seasoned doctors can work in the hospitals.

As a senior medical student, this frightens me personally.

Virology Corner

Today’s question is: Why 6 feet of separation? How does that help? How is COVID-19 spread?

Let’s start with how COVID-19 is spread. It’s a respiratory virus, so it is spread by respiratory droplets, aka the garbage you breathe/cough/sneeze out.

A good hard sneeze won’t launch your eyeballs out, but it will launch nasty shit up to 6 feet away from you at a shocking speed. (This is why you should Dracula when you sneeze.)

6 feet is a great rule of thumb to keep people out of each other’s sneeze radius, so they can’t get in contact with each other’s respiratory droplets.

Regional News (if you want somewhere added just let me know. Don’t be shy!! I highly recommend you just skip to your area if you don’t wanna be overwhelmed.)

Australia: last updated 3/18 at 6:30 am

454 cases (+79)

189 cases acquired overseas (US, Iran, Italy, UK)

Community spread not confirmed

5 deaths (+0)

43 recoveries (+27)

States affected include: ACT (2, +0), New South Wales (210, +40), Queensland (78, +10), South Australia (32, +3), Tasmania (7, +0), Victoria (94, +23), and Western Australia (31, +3)

Passengers repatriated from the Diamond Princess are included in their respective states

COVID-19 information line: 1800 020 080

Canada: last updated 3/17 at 8 pm

Total cases: 569 confirmed (+145), 26 presumed (+10)

Symptoms began for these cases between 1/15 and 3/15

12% of cases have required hospitalization (-1%)

74% of cases are in travellers, and a further 11% (+5%) in their close contacts

8 deaths (+3)

Deaths are being reported in: Ontario (1)

Recoveries are being reported in: Ontario (5)

Affected provinces include: Alberta (97, +23), BC (186, +83), Manitoba (15, +8), New Brunswick (8, +1), Newfoundland and Labrador (1, +0), Nova Scotia (7, +2) Ontario (189, +12), PEI (1, +0), Québec (50, +9), and Saskatchewan (8, +1).

Totals here include confirmed and presumptive positives

9 cases in repatriated travellers (+1)

Restrictions/Closures:

No formal restrictions/closures at the federal level

Recommendation to cancel or postpone gatherings of >50 people

Recommendation to avoid non-essential travel, particularly cruise ships

All international travelers must self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival

Wash your damn hands

Federal information line: 1-833-784-4397

Alberta: last updated 3/17 late evening

97 (+23) cases

Community spread confirmed in Calgary

Affected zones include: Calgary (70, +18), Edmonton (20, +2), Central (3, +1), South (1, +0), and North (3, +2)

No deaths reported as of 3/17 in the late evening

Restrictions/closures

K-12 schools and in-person post-secondary classes/training are closed

Licensed childcare facilities, out-of-school care programs, and preschools are closed indefinitely

State of Emergency declared 3/17

Sit-down restaurants are operating at lower capacity

All events over 50 people are prohibited

Rec centers, bingo halls, casinos, theaters, other entertainment/public spaces are closed

Hotline: 811 is fully dedicated to covid-19 in Alberta

British Columbia: last updated 3/17 at 3 pm

Dedicated phone line: 1 888 COVID19

Self-assessment questionnaire: http://covid-19.bccdc.ca/

Use this if you think you need to be tested!

186 cases (+83), 5 recoveries (+0), and 6 critical cases

7 deaths (+3)

Public health units reporting deaths include: Fraser (1) Vancouver Coastal (2)

Ages of decedents include 80s (1)

Affected public health units include: Fraser (47), Interior (7), Island (12), Northern (4) and Vancouver Coastal (116)

S/o to BC for tabulating numbers by public health units <3

We once again hit the Rhode Island Problem aka I don’t know how many of these things there are and there’s always more than I think

Clusters of infection have been reported at Lynn Valley Care Centre, Hollyburn House Retirement Residence, and Lions Gate Hospital (admin staff).

2 deaths reported on 3/17 at Lynn Valley

An exposure occurred at the Pacific Dental Conference 2020 (Vancouver Convention Centre, 3/6 and 3/7)

All present on those dates are in self-isolation until 3/22

Poor teeth man :(

Restrictions/Closures

All hospitals have postponed elective surgeries and are on Outbreak Response Phase 2

Lions Gate Hospital is going to open a dedicated COVID 19 unit and is in Outbreak Response Phase 3 (emergency patients only)

Long term care facilities have restricted visitors to end of life only

Public gatherings & buildings with >50 people are prohibited

All casinos are closed

Establishments with a liquor primary license (bars, nightclubs, pubs) are closed until further notice

Basically if it’s fun it’s closed

Manitoba: last updated 3/17 PM

HealthLinks Line: 204-788-8200 or 1-888-315-9257 (toll free)

15 cases, 7 new

Affected regions include: Interlake-Eastern (1, +0) and Winnipeg (12, +5)

Newly affected regions include: Southern Health (2)

Ages of cases include: <19 (0), 20s (0), 30s (3), 40s (3), 50s (3), 60s (3), 70s (2), 80s (1), 90s+ (0)

8 dedicated testing centers are now open effective today, 3/18

Check the Manitoba website at https://www.gov.mb.ca/covid19/index.html for locations and hours

Closures/Restrictions

Hospital and long term care visitors restricted to only exception circumstances (incl. end of life care)

Licensed child-care centers are closed effective 3/20

Casinos are closed effective 3/17

Health care workers and first responders who need child care due to school closures are advised to call  204-945-0776 or 1-888-213-4754

New Brunswick: last updated 3/18 9:45 am

8 cases, 0 new, 0 deaths

Affected areas include: Zone 1 (2), Zone 2 (1), and Zone 3 (5)

This is the only place I’ve seen thus far that has ZONES and it’s kind of fantastic. More places should have ZONES.

Affected ages include: <19 (1), 20s (2), 30s (0), 40s (0), 50s (3), 60s (0), 70s (0), 80s (0), 90s+ (0)

Closures/Restrictions

Schools are closed starting 3/16 for two weeks

Non essential businesses and public places are closed starting 3/17 until further notice

Hotline: 811 Telecare

Thank you NB for not actually making me watch daily hourlong news conferences to figure out what’s going on

Newfoundland & Labrador: last updated 3/18

3 cases, 2 new

Sorry that’s all the info I have ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I’m working on finding more but the NL website sucks

Nova Scotia: last updated 3/17

7 cases, 0 new

Affected areas include: Halifax Regional Municipality (2)

Closures/Restrictions

Gatherings over 150 people are disallowed

Casinos are closed starting 3/16; VLTs are not allowed in bars

Childcare facilities are closed starting 3/17 through 4/3

Public schools are closed until 4/6

Long-term care facilities are closed to visitors until further notice

All incoming international travelers are required to isolate for 14 days upon arrival

Hospitals are limiting visitors but limitations vary by centre

Ontario: last updated 3/18 at 10:30 AM

189 cases (+12)

5 recovered & 1 death are included in this number

Affected public health units include: Durham (1, +0), Halton (1, +0), Hamilton (14, +5), Middlesex London (4, +2), Niagara (1, +0), Ottawa (3, +0), Peel (4, +0), Sudbury (1, +0), Toronto (11, +0), Wellington Dufferin Guelph (1, +0), York (7, +1)

Only cases from 3/16 on are counted under here based on how the site works

No hospitalizations since 3/16

Deaths are being reported in: Simcoe Muskoka (1, +1)

Ages of patients beginning 3/17 evening: <19, 20s, 30s, 40s (2, +2), 50s, 60s (1, +1), 70s (1, +1), 80s, 90s+

Newly affected public health units include: KFL&A (3) and  Simcoe Muskoka (1)

Closings/Restrictions

All schools, restaurants, libraries, childcare facilities, theaters, public venues, and recreational spaces are closed until 3/31

Events over 50 people (incl. parades and worship services) are prohibited until 3/31

Telehealth Ontario: 1-866-797-0000

P.E.I.: last updated 3/17 AM

1 case, in Queens County, connected to a cruise, no new cases

Closures/restrictions

Libraries and community events are closed/canceled

Child care facilities are closed for two weeks starting 3/17

Public schools are closed until April 6

General queries: call 1-800-958-6400

Business-related queries: call 1-866-222-1751

Québec: last updated 3/17 at 1 pm

74 cases, 24 new, no deaths

Affected regions include: Capitale Nationale (3, +1), Mauricie - Centre du Québec (3, +0), Estrie (9, +6), Montréal (22, +4), Chaudière-Appalaches (4, +0), Lanaudière (6, +3), Laurentides (7, +4), Montérégie (13, +3), and undetermined/outside Québec (7, +3).

State of health emergency as of 3/13

Closures/restrictions

Indoor gatherings of >250 people prohibited, many public buildings closed until further notice

Daycare/childcare facilities and all schools closed until 3/27

Elections scheduled for 3/15 have been rescheduled to after late April

Non-essential visits to hospitals and long-term care institutions are prohibited

Saskatchewan: last updated 3/17

8 cases (+2), no deaths

Ages affected: 20s (1), 30s (1), 40s (2), 50s (1), 60s (3)

Areas affected: Regina (5), northern SK (1), Saskatoon (2)

Saskatoon is an amazing name, thank you for this gift Canada

Hospitalizations: 1

Restrictions/Closures

School K-12 is suspended indefinitely effective 3/20

Gatherings >250 people are prohibited, except for distributed places (malls, universities, etc)

Public gatherings >50 people with attendees who have traveled internationally in the last 14 days are canceled/prohibited

Hospital and long term care visitors are only allowed in end of life care

Saskatchewan has a bad website. I had to read all their press releases for this data. Please, Saskatchewan, we can’t keep doing this.

Cuba: last updated 3/17

5 cases, 1 new

No community spread

Affected provinces include: Sancti Spiritus and Villa Clara

I do speak Spanish but the Cuban government is notoriously bad at internet so this data is from the WHO and news sources. If you know where I can get better data, please let me know.

Cuban doctors fucking rule. They are some of the best trained, most selfless physicians the world has.

France: last updated 3/17 at 3 pm

National hotline: 0 800 130 000

I actually speak French and for once that’s useful. Yay. *twirly finger*

Suck on that, google translate.

I am going to spend like, an hour tonight updating the relevant Wikipedia articles, pray for me

7,730 cases, 175 deaths

7,652 in France and 78 in overseas territories

Affected regions in France include: Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (710), Bourgogne-Franche-Comté (549), Bretagne (247), Centre-Val de Loire (103), Corse (145), Grand Est (1,820), Hauts-de-France (612), Ile-de-France (2,177), Normandie (174), Nouvelle-Aquitaine (200), Occitanie (311), Pays de la Loire (126), Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (478)

French regions have more hyphens than my last name

I’ve left these names in their French language forms, if it would be helpful to translate (e.g. Bretagne to Brittany, Corse to Corsica) I can do that, just let me know.

Affected overseas territories include: Guadeloupe (27), Saint-Barthélémy (3), Saint-Martin (3), Guyane (11), Martinique (19), Mayotte (3), La Réunion (12)

I’ve split out France vs overseas territories for both readability and geographic sense. More granular data will happen over the next few days as I get a handle on the situation there.

Don’t get me started on neocolonialism. We’d be here all day and then there wouldn’t be a newsletter.

Germany: last updated 3/18 at 10:30 am

Cases: 8,198 (+1,042), 12 deaths

Mortality rate: 0.2%

9.9 cases/100,000 population

Affected states are as follows: Baden-Württemberg (1609, +130), Bavaria (1,243, +134), Berlin (391, +46), Brandenburg (92, +19), Bremen (69, nice, +12), Hamburg (358, +48), Hesse (432, +59), Mecklenburg-West Pomerania (56, +11), Lower Saxony (478, +153), North Rhine-Westphalia (2,372, +267), Rhineland-Palatinate (474, +32), Saarland (88, +13), Saxony (198, +16), Saxony-Anhalt (105, +47), Schleswig-Holstein (159, +32), Thuringia (74, +23)

Wikipedia tells me this is all of them, I think

There are so many Saxonies

Deaths are reported in the following states: Baden-Württemberg (2), Bavaria (4), and North Rhine-Westphalia (6).

Heinsberg district in North Rhine-Westphalia is designated as an area particularly affected by the German government

Restrictions/Closures

Most schools and daycares are closed effective 3/16, this is a state by state basis and I don’t know where to find details. If you know, please message me so I can add it!

Borders with Austria, Denmark, France, Luxembourg, and Switzerland are closed as of 3/16.

Entry for all non-EU citizens is restricted to exceptional circumstances until 4/16

Citizens from the EU, UK, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, and Norway are allowed to travel through Germany as of 3/18

And we’re back to the languages Emily doesn’t speak. S/o to Google Translate and also to Germany for translating some of their stuff

Stats are provided by the Robert Koch institute (named for the cool epidemiologist who showed how to prove that a particular thing causes a particular disease, not the shitty evil American capitalists)

This isn’t particularly important I just wanted to share how much I love Robert Koch and his Principles

Greece: last updated 3/18 at 6 pm

418 total cases (+31), 5 deaths (+0)

14 recoveries, 79 hospitalizations, 13 critical cases

Community spread is confirmed

Restrictions/Closures:

All arrivals to the country are required to isolate for 14 days

Beginning 3/19 at 6 am, the country is closed to non-Greek and EU nationals unless exceptional circumstances warrant

Parliament has suspended all committee meetings and restricted each party to one MP in attendance at a time, and will vote on one bill a week

Businesses are closed starting Wednesday 3/18, with the exception of gas stations, pharmacies, and groceries

Supermarkets are restricting the number of patrons to allow 1 person per 10 square meters

Migrant camps on various islands are on total lockdown for 2 weeks

Religion is canceled until 3/30

An MEP got raked over the coals for panic-buying. Please don’t be a dick and panic-buy. Thank you.

Note: I (still) do not speak Greek, and I therefore am struggling to find official data from somewhere more granular than the WHO. I’m sourcing most of this from the WHO and from Ekathimerini, but if you know where I can find better/more up to date info, please let me know. Thank you!

Ireland: last updated 3/17

292 total cases, 69 new (nice), 2 deaths (0 new)

Community transmission is confirmed

The following regional breakdown is available of the new cases: 48 eastern, 5 north/west, 3 west, and 13 southern

Restrictions/Closures

All pubs & bars are closed until March 29. House parties are discouraged.

Schools, colleges, and childcare facilities are closed until March 29

Indoor gatherings of >100 people and outdoor gatherings >500 people are prohibited

State run cultural institutions are closed until further notice

The Netherlands: last updated 3/18 at 2:15 PM

2051 confirmed cases, 58 deaths

346 new cases, 15 new deaths

408 hospitalizations (+94)

Average age of decedents is 79, with a range from 63 to 95

The report of a decedent aged 59 years was in error, this is now corrected

Provinces affected include: Drenthe (22, +5), Flevoland (30, +6), Friesland (18, +4), Gelderland (210, +37), Groningen (15, +5), Limburg (258, +61), North Brabant (728, +94), North Holland (167, +15), Overijssel (58, +13), Utrecht (174, +1), South Holland (232, +57), and Zeeland (26, +6).

There are 84 non-residents/unknown location patients

Flevoland is now known as Flavorland in my house. Does Guy Fieri live there? Uncertain.

I’m mad at the Netherlands for not reporting province numbers anymore and making me do a lot of math for like 2 hours

Restrictions/Closures

Schools, restaurants/bars, sports and fitness clubs, sex clubs, saunas, and childcare facilities are closed until April 6

New Zealand: last updated 3/18

20 cases, 7 new

Locations include: Auckland (10), Canterbury (1), Dunedin (3), Invercargill (1), and Waikato (2)

Ages include: <19 (1), 20s (1), 30s (3), 40s (7), 50s (1), 60s (5), 70s (2), 80s (0), 90s+ (0)

Exposures are reported on the following flights and in the following locations within 14 days:

NZ029 3/6, Houston to Auckland

NZ283 3/7, Singapore to Auckland

NZ675 3/8, Auckland to Dunedin

QR160 3/10 Denmark to Doha

QR920 3/10 Doha to Auckland

JQ225 3/10 Auckland to Christchurch

NZ007 3/13 San Francisco to Auckland

NZ828 3/14 Brisbane to Wellington

AA83 3/14 Los Angeles to Auckland

NZ828 3/14 Auckland to Wellington

Logan Park HS in Dunedin

Testing capacity: 770/day, expected to be 1500/day by the end of the week

Anyone coming into the country from anywhere except a small list of other Pacific islands is directed to self-quarantine for 14 days. This started on 3/16 at 0100 and is expected to continue for at least the next few weeks.

New Zealanders currently overseas should register with SafeTravel (https://register.safetravel.govt.nz/login)

Flu vaccines are being released starting 3/18, with extra vaccines being produced this year. The flu shot does not protect against COVID-19 but it does prevent against the flu, which needs to not be bad at the same time please.

Healthline number: 0800 611 116

Norway: last updated 3/18 at 10 pm local time

I still don’t speak Norwegian so if I screwed up lemme know

1585 cases, 6 deaths (+3)

85 hospitalized (+18), 18 critical (+3)

116 new cases during the 24h of March 17

Breakdown of cases by area: Agder (67, +0), Innlandet (97, +9), Møre og Romsdal (20, +0), Nordland (12, +1), Oslo (348, +19), Rogaland (161, +11), Troms og Finnmark (28, +4), Trøndelag (70, +9), Vestfold og Telemark (63, +4), Vestland (147, +6), and Viken (410, +52)

Ages are as follows: <19 (54), 20s (162), 30s (241), 40s (345), 50s (386), 60s (150), 70s (54), 80s (22), 90s+ (9)

Restrictions/closures

The whole country is under shelter in place type restrictions for two weeks. Hang in there, y’all.

Switzerland:  last updated 3/18 at 3 pm local time

3,028 cases (+378), 19 deaths (+5)

Restrictions/closures:

Whole country is on lockdown as of 3/16: no entry or exit until further notice (maximum of 6 months)

schools are closed until 4/19

all events are canceled

all personal service establishments are closed

Hospitals are deferring elective procedures.

United Kingdom in general: last updated 3/18 at 9 am

#milkshakeboris2k20

2,626 total cases (+34.7%), 676 are new today

103 total deaths (+48)

Nigel Farage (barf) wrote a really shitty editorial and I hope he gets milkshaked again.

Fucker.

He has a real punchable face, too bad human arms are shorter than 6 feet.

England: last updated 3/18 at 9 am

2,182 total cases, 625 new

Affected UTLAs with at least 10 cases are as follows: Barnet (27, +3), Bexley (17, +3), Birmingham (25, +5), Brent (45, +21), Bromley (32, +9), Buckingham (27, +4), Cambridge (14, +2), Camden (30, +10), Cornwall and Isles of Scilly (10, +0), Cumbria (34, +12), Devon (25, +1), Ealing (42, +21), Enfield (27, +17), Essex (27, +6), Gloucestershire (12, +1), Greenwich (19, +0), Hackney and City of London (29, +7), Hammersmith and Fulham (25, +2), Hampshire (77, +8), Haringey (29, +12), Harrow (40, +25), Hertfordshire (50, +14), Hillingdon (21, +5), Hounslow (24, +9), Islington (29, +18), Kensington (55, +6), Kent (21, +3), Lambeth (61, +18), Lancashire (15, +0), Leeds (12, +1), Lewisham (22, +4), Liverpool (12, +1), Manchester (18, +4), Merton (34, +21), Newham (23, +6), Northamptonshire (15, +3), Nottingham (14, +2), Nottinghamshire (28, +15), Oldham (12, +2), Oxfordshire (34, +9), Slough (13, +1), Southwark (70, +18), Staffordshire (14, +4), Stockport (10, +0), Surrey (39, +9), Sutton (12, +2), Tameside (12, +2), Tower Hamlets (25, +2), Trafford (14, +2), Walsall (14, +1), Wandsworth (59, +38), West Sussex (10, +0), Westminster (68, +10), and Wolverhampton (22, +4)

Newly affected areas or those that broke 10 cases today include: Barking and Dagenham (14), Brighton and Hove (11), Bristol (12), Croydon (32), Derby (11), Derbyshire (27), Dudley (10), East Riding of Yorkshire (10), Leicestershire (14), Newcastle (13), North Yorkshire (11), Sheffield (36), Suffolk (10), Waltham Forest (14), Warwickshire (10), Windsor and Maidenhead (10), and Wokingham (10)

I had to download an Excel spreadsheet situation for this, hopefully it is being updated the way I think it is. Let me know if these numbers are totally off.

Also, tomorrow I am planning to consolidate things into counties so it’s less wall of text.

I have been informed that Nottingham is the city and Nottinghamshire is the zone. Like, The Shire.

I have also been informed that Slough is pronounced like it rhymes with “plow”. My question of “are y’all okay” stands.

Deaths are not being reported by area yet. I’m working on this.

Scotland: last updated 3/18 at 2 pm

227 cases, 32 new

3 deaths, 1 new

Affected health boards are as follows: Ayrshire and Arran (9, +3), Borders (7, +0), Dumfries and Galloway (4, +3), Fife (8, +1), Forth Valley (15, +3), Grampian (24, +2), Greater Glasgow and Clyde (57, +8), Highland (5, +0), Lanarkshire (25, +4), Lothian (33, +3), Shetland (16, +1), and Tayside (24, +4)

Maybe this is all of them? Time will tell.

If anyone knows whether negative numbers are patients dying, being moved, or recovering, please let me know.

Wales: last updated 3/18 at 11 am

149 cases, 13 new

2 deaths, 0 new

Areas reporting deaths are: Swansea (1)

Because every area of Wales is now affected, the Welsh NHS will begin to report cases differently starting 3/19

Northern Ireland: last updated 3/18 at 2 pm

68 cases, 6 new

Health dept is not providing more detail than this at this time as far as I can tell

Apparently enough people have complained and they’re going to provide more information “later this week”

Watch this space!

US in general: updated 3/18 at 4 pm

7,038 total cases, 2,812 new (+66.5%)

97 deaths, 22 new (1.38% mortality rate)

54 jurisdictions are reporting cases: 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico, Guam, and US Virgin Islands

Shelter in place orders and curfews are coming into effect in lots of places

Alabama: updated 3/18 at 4:10 pm

51 cases, 12 new

0 deaths

Affected counties include: Baldwin (1, +0), Elmore (4, +2), Lee (8, +5), Jefferson (25, +4), Limestone (1, +0),  Madison (1, +0), Montgomery (2, +0), Shelby (4, +0), St. Clair (1, +0), and Tuscaloosa (3, +0).

Newly affected counties include: Calhoun (1)

State hotline: 1-888-264-2256

Alaska: updated 3/17 at 7 pm

6 cases, 3 new

No community spread

Affected regions include: Anchorage (2), Interior (3), Southeast (1)

Arkansas: updated 3/18

33 cases (+11), 0 deaths

Affected counties include: Cleburne, Cleveland, Desha, Garland, Jefferson, Lincoln, Pulaski, and Saline

Exact numbers by county are not available from the state department of health

Newly affected counties include: Bradley, Faulkner, Washington

Y’all have a county called YELL, that’s the best county name I’ve seen yet

State hotline: 1-800-803-7847

Arizona: updated 3/17 at 11:36 AM

27 cases, 7 new, no deaths

Affected counties include: Graham (1, +0), Maricopa (11, +2), Navajo (2, +1), Pima (5, +1), and Pinal (8, +3)

Community spread is confirmed in: Maricopa, Pima, and Pinal counties

Closures/Restrictions:

“Strong recommendation” that restaurants in areas of community spread close their dine-in services

Recommendation to cancel/postpone gatherings >10 people

Schools are closed through 3/27

State hotline (rolled into poison control): 844-542-8201

California: last updated 3/17 at 6 pm (state website; county websites are updated more recently)

Total cases not including the ones at Miramar (discussed below): 598 (+126), with 13 total deaths (+2)

The following counties report deaths: Los Angeles (1, +0), Placer (1, +0), Riverside (3, +0), Sacramento (2, +0), San Benito (1, +1), San Joaquin (2, +2) San Mateo (1, +0), Santa Clara (6, +2)

The following counties report recoveries: Humboldt (1), San Benito (2)

The following counties report numbers of hospitalizations: Los Angeles (2), San Diego (10, +1), Santa Clara (56, +0), Tulare (1, +0), Yolo (2, +1)

Affected counties include: Alameda (31, +4), Amador (1, +0), Calaveras (2, +0), Contra Costa (41, +2), Fresno (3, +1), Humboldt (1, +0), Imperial (2, +0), Los Angeles (190, +46), Madera (1, +0), Marin (15, +6), Monterey (2, +0), Nevada (1, +0), Orange (42, +13), Placer (9, +1), Riverside (16, +1), Sacramento (40, +0) San Benito (5, +2), San Bernardino (5, +2), San Diego (75, +24), San Francisco (51, +8), San Joaquin (14, +1), San Luis Obispo (7, +4), San Mateo (80, +16), Santa Barbara (3, +1), Santa Clara (175, +20), Santa Cruz (13, +0), Shasta (1, +0), Solano (8, +0), Sonoma (8, +2), Stanislaus (5, +2), Tulare (5, +2), Ventura (13, +3), and Yolo (5, +1)

Note regarding San Diego: The five federally quarantined people are not included in the county statistics. Cases of non-residents diagnosed in San Diego are included.

Unaffected counties include: Alpine, Butte, Colusa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Glenn, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Lake, Lassen, Mariposa, Merced, Modoc, Mono, Napa, Plumas, Sierra, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tuolumne, and Yuba

Thank you in particular to Merced County for putting out a press release every single day to say that you still have no cases

Counties with confirmed community transmission include: Los Angeles, Marin, Orange, Riverside, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Joaquin, Santa Clara, Sonoma, and Yolo

Newly affected counties include: Mendocino (1)

New community transmission in: Tulare

Closures/Restrictions by County

Alameda: Shelter in Place until 4/7

Alpine: County activities are canceled, schools closed, no non-essential services

Contra Costa: Shelter in Place until 4/7

Del Norte: Schools closed through 4/20

El Dorado: Schools closed through 3/20

Los Angeles: gatherings >50 people prohibited

Marin: Shelter in Place until 4/7

Mendocino: Shelter in place until 4/7

Mono: Schools closed through 3/30, Alterra Mountain closed, libraries closed through 3/31

Monterey: Shelter in Place beginning 3/18 until 4/8

Napa: Shelter in Place until 4/7

Nevada: Schools are closed until 4/13, libraries closed until 4/12

Orange: Shelter in Place until 3/31

Riverside: Schools & daycares are closed, gatherings >10 people prohibited

Sacramento: Shelter in Place until further notice

San Benito: Shelter in Place until 4/7

San Bernardino: County operated attractions are closed

San Diego: gatherings >50 people prohibited, restaurants are carry-out and drive through only, all schools are closed, and entertainment establishments are closed

San Francisco: Shelter in Place until 4/7

San Luis Obispo: Alcohol sales on site are banned through 3/18

San Mateo: Shelter in Place until 4/7

Santa Barbara: Dining is takeout/drive through only

Santa Clara: Shelter in Place until 4/7

Santa Cruz: Shelter in Place until 4/7

Siskiyou: gatherings >50 prohibited, hospital/LTAC visitors prohibited

Solano: Shelter in place until further notice

Stanislaus: Gatherings of >1000 people are prohibited indoor and outdoor from 3/16 to 3/31

Sutter: Shelter in place

Tuolumne: Schools are closed through 4/13

Ventura: All schools and public libraries are closed starting 3/16 until further notice, nonessential businesses closed until 4/1, and those 75 and older should shelter in place

Yolo: Shelter in place until 4/7

Yuba: Shelter in place

Counties with no closures/restrictions beyond those mandated by the state: Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Fresno, Glenn, Humboldt, Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Lake, Lassen, Madera, Merced, Modoc, Placer, Plumas, San Joaquin, Shasta, Sierra, Solano, Tehama, Trinity, and Tulare

Drive through testing is available in Marin County

Colorado - last updated 3/18 at 4:00 pm

183 cases (+33)

2 deaths (+0)

26 hospitalizations (+6)

Counties reporting deaths include: El Paso (1) and Larimer (1)

Affected counties include: Adams (10, +2), Arapahoe (22, +4), Boulder (7, -1), Clear Creek (2, +0), Denver (43, +5), Douglas (11, +0), Eagle (39, +5), El Paso (8, +2), Garfield (2, +0), Gunnison (11, +0), Jefferson (25, +8), Larimer (4, +3), Mesa (1, +0), Pitkin (11, +0), Pueblo (1, +0), Routt (2, +0), Summit (4, +1), and Weld (9, +0)

3 cases are designated “unknown”

Out of state visitors are now included in the tally of the county where they were diagnosed/are being treated

Confirmed community spread

Newly affected counties include: Grand (1)

Drive through testing is available in: Denver and Lowry

Residents of Gunnison, Eagle, Summit, Pitkin are recommended to minimize social contact due to potential exposures

Anyone who visited the Colorado Springs Bridge center in late Feb-early Mar may have been exposed, call the DPH for more information

Closures/restrictions

Public places are closed, restaurants are takeout only until 4/16

Gambling is canceled

Schools are iffy, check your local district news

Connecticut - last update 3/18 at 4:30 pm

96 cases, 28 new

The following counties are affected: Fairfield (69, +21), Hartford (11, +4), Litchfield (5, +0), New Haven (10, +2)

Apparently there’s at least 5 counties

nice

Newly affected counties include: Middlesex (1)

Restrictions/Closures

No gatherings >50 people until further notice

Nursing home visits restricted

Schools closed through 3/30 and 180 day school year is waived

Restaurants are carryout/drive through only through 4/30

All “places of public amusement” closed through 4/30

Gambling is canceled until the end of April

Malls are closed 3/19-4/30

AccessHealth Connecticut has announced a new special enrollment period for health insurance. If you are uninsured in CT, you can get insured now. Visit the state health department at portal.ct.gov/coronavirus for more information.

State has put in place increased telehealth provisions

Delaware: last update 3/18 at 3:50 pm

26 cases (+10), 0 deaths

Affected counties include: Kent (3, +3), New Castle (20, +3) and Sussex (3, +2).

Kent reported first cases 3/18

Restrictions/closures:

Events over >100 people are encouraged to cancel/reschedule

Schools closed through 3/27

District of Columbia: last update 3/18 at 7 pm

39 cases (+8), no deaths

Public transit fees are decreasing and being waived in some areas

DC Circulator is closed on the National Mall route effective 3/19

Restrictions/Closures

Food service/drinking establishments are restricted to <250 people, <6 people/table, no standing or bar seating, and tables separated by 6 feet

Nightclubs etc are closed

Most government stuff is telework so if you want to report a Ponzi scheme you have to email them or call them

Florida - last updated 3/18 at 6:02 PM

328 (+112) cases and 8 deaths (+1)

Community transmission remains unconfirmed but highly likely

Affected counties  include: Alachua (7, +1), Brevard (2, +1) Broward (80, +25), Charlotte (1, +0), Citrus (3, +1), Clay (4, +0), Collier (13, +6), Duval (14, +4), Escambia (1, +0), Hillsborough (14, +5), Lake (2, +1), Lee (11, +4), Manatee (8, +1), Miami-Dade (77, +34), Nassau (1, +0) Okaloosa (4, +2), Orange (11, +5), Osceola (8, +1), Palm Beach (21, +8), Pasco (3, +1), Pinellas (12, +8), Polk (2, +1), Santa Rosa (1, +0), Sarasota (4, +0) Seminole (7, +3), St. Johns (4, +1) Volusia (9, +0)

Newly affected counties include: Gadsden (1), Leon (1), Sumter (1), and Walton

State hotline/call center:  1 (866) 779-6121

Closures/ Restrictions:

Schools are closed until 4/15 at the earliest, distance learning begins 3/30

Georgia: last updated 3/18 at 11:38 AM

197 cases (+51), 1 death (+0)

Affected counties include: Barrow (1, +0), Bartow (19, +9), Charlton (1, +0), Cherokee (9, +2), Clayton (6, +2), Clarke (5, +2), Cobb (28, +3), Columbia (1, +0), Coweta (3, +0), Dekalb (18, +3), Dougherty (7, +0), Fayette (8, +3), Floyd (6, +0), Forsyth (2, +1), Fulton (49, +16), Gordon (3, +1), Gwinnett (7, +0), Hall (3, +2), Henry (2, +0), Lowndes (5, +1), Lee (2, +0), Newton (3, +2), Paulding (3, +2), Polk (1, +0), Richmond (1, +0), and Troup (2, +0)

Newly affected counties include: Houston (1) and Whitfield (1)

Closures/Restrictions

USG universities are closed through 3/29 and will be online after that for the semester

Athens-Clarke County has instituted a shelter in place policy until 4/7 and no gatherings over 10 people are to be held in the county until 4/7

Hotline for the state: 844-442-2681

Hawaii: last updated 3/18 at 12 PM

Total cases: 16

Total deaths: 0

Affected counties: Hawaii (1), Honolulu (10), Kauai (2), Maui (3)

State hotline is Aloha United Way: 211

Dear Hawaii, I was going to be mad at you for your website being hard to navigate but then you automatically alphabetized things and I forgave you. Love, Emily

Idaho: last updated 3/18 at 8:30 am

Total cases: 11

Total deaths: 0

Affected counties: Ada (3), Blaine (5), Madison (1), Teton (1), and Twin Falls (1)

Illinois: last updated 3/18

288 confirmed cases (+128), 1 death (+0)

Confirmed community spread

Affected counties include Champaign (1, +0), Clinton (3, +1), Cook (178, +71), Cumberland (1, +0), DuPage (45, +19), Kane (4, +1), Lake (18, +11), McHenry (4, +2), Peoria (3, +2), Sangamon (3, +0), St. Clair (3, +1), Whiteside (1, +0), Will (3, +1), Winnebago (1, +0), and Woodford (1, +0)

Deaths are reported in the following counties: Cook (1)

Newly affected counties include: Kendall (2), Madison (1)

Closings/Restrictions

Bars and restaurants are closed (except for carryout and drive through) until 3/30

All gatherings >50 people prohibited

Gyms/fitness centers/clubs/theaters are closed

DMV is closed (yay)

Schools are closed through 3/31 statewide

Indiana: last updated 3/17

C’mon Indiana. C’mon. You were doing so well yesterday with your readable website.

It’s 9:15 PM your time. Update your ding dang website.

39 cases (+9), 2 deaths (+0)

Affected counties include: Adams (1, +0), Bartholomew (1, +0), Boone (1, +0), Floyd (1, +0), Franklin (2, +0), Hamilton (2, +0), Hendricks (4, +1), Howard (2, +0), Johnson (3, +0), Lake (3, +1), La Porte (1, +0), Marion (11, +2), Noble (1, +0), St. Joseph (1, +0), and Wells (1, +0)

Deaths are being reported in the following counties: Johnson (1) and Marion (1)

Newly affected counties include: Clark (1), Fayette (1), Jennings (1) and Madison (1)

Iowa: last updated 3/18 at 5:39 pm

38 cases (+9)

Affected counties include: Adair (1, +0) Allamakee (2, +0), Black Hawk (1, +0), Carroll (1, +0), Dallas (5, +2), Harrison (1, +0), Johnson (21, +3), Polk (3, +2), and Pottawattamie (1, +0)

Newly affected counties include: Washington (1) and Winneshiek (1)

Community spread confirmed

Closures/restrictions

Schools closed for 4 weeks starting 3/16

Public places closed, restaurants carryout only until further notice

Kansas: last updated 3/18 at 10 am

21 confirmed cases (+5), 1 death

Affected counties include: Butler (1, +0), Douglas (1, +0), Franklin (1, +0), Johnson (11, +1), and Wyandotte (5, +2)

Newly affected counties include: Leavenworth (2)

Deaths are being reported in the following counties: Wyandotte (1)

Community spread confirmed

Closures/Restrictions

Schools closed statewide for the rest of the school year

KU and Washburn are fully online for the rest of the academic year

Gatherings >50 people prohibited

Public places must maintain a 6ft bubble

Travelers to affected areas (basically everywhere) must self-quarantine for 14 days upon arrival

Phone line:  1-866-534-3463

Kentucky: last updated 3/18 at 4 pm

35 cases (+8), 1 death (+0)

Counties reporting deaths: Bourbon (1)

Counties reporting recoveries: Harrison (1)

Affected counties include: Bourbon (2, +1), Clark (2, +1), Fayette (6, +0), Harrison (7, +1), Jefferson (11, +2), Lyon (1, +0) Montgomery (2, +1), and Nelson (1, +0).

Newly affected counties include: Franklin (1), Kenton (1), and Warren (1).

Closures/Restrictions

Restaurants and bars closed to in-person service

State Capitol closed to non-essential personnel

Entertainment/nonessential services are closed

Schools are closed statewide

Phone line: (800) 722-5725 (rolled in with poison control)

Louisiana: last updated 3/18 at 5:30 pm

280 cases reported, 84 new

7 deaths, 3 new

Parishes affected:  Ascension (1, +0), Bossier (2, +1), Caddo (6, +2), East Baton Rouge (3, +2),  Jefferson (45, +10), Lafourche (3, +1), Orleans (196, +60), St. Bernard (3, +1), St. Charles (3, +0), St. John the Baptist (2, +1), St. Tammany (10, +4), Terrebonne (3, +0), and Washington (1, +0)

2 cases are unassigned to a parish

Parishes reporting deaths: Jefferson (1, +1) and Orleans (6, +2)

Maine: last updated 3/18 at 12:50 pm

42 cases, 0 deaths

Recoveries are being reported by the following counties: Androscoggin (1)

Affected counties include: Androscoggin (3), Cumberland (24), Kennebec (1), Lincoln (3), Oxford (1), Penobscot (1), and York (2)

7 cases are unassigned to a county

Affected ages include: <19 (2), 20s (2), 30s (4), 40s (7), 50s (9), 60s (8), 70s (7), and 80+ (3)

Closures/ Restrictions

Bars and restaurants carryout only until 3/31

Gatherings >10 people prohibited

Nonessential businesses recommended to close until 3/31

Schools are recommended to become remote as soon as is feasible

State hotline: 1-866-811-5695

Maryland: last updated 3/18 at 10 am

85 cases (+28), 0 deaths

Counties affected: Anne Arundel (4, +1), Baltimore (10, +4), Baltimore City (4, +3), Carroll (1, +0), Charles (2, +1), Frederick (1, +0), Harford (3, +1), Howard (8, +5), Montgomery (31, +7), Prince George’s (20, +6), Talbot (1, +0)

Community spread confirmed

Exposure risk advisory for Lorien Elkridge

Closures/restrictions

Casinos, racetracks and other gambling situations are closed

Gatherings >250 people prohibited

All schools closed through 3/27

Senior centers closed until further notice

Elections postponed - vote by mail implemented for urgent elections

Massachusetts: last updated 3/18 at 4 pm

256 cases (+38)

Affected counties include: Barnstable (2, +0), Berkshire (17, +3), Bristol (5, +0), Essex (14, +6), Hampden (2, +1), Middlesex (100, +11), Norfolk (45, +2), Plymouth (5, +0) Suffolk (51, +9), and Worcester (10, +2)

4 cases of undetermined location

Newly affected counties include: Franklin (1)

27 hospitalizations (+6)

Michigan: last updated 3/18 at 2 pm

80 cases (+15), 34 hospitalizations (+9), 0 deaths

Affected counties include: Bay (1, +0), Charlevoix (1, +0), Ingham (2, +0), Jackson (1, +0), Kent (5, +0), Leelanau (1, +0), Macomb (10, +2), Monroe (1, +0), Montcalm (1, +0), Oakland (23, +7), Otsego (1, +0), Ottawa (1, +0), St. Clair (2, +0), Washtenaw (7, +0), and Wayne (23, +7)

Wayne County includes Detroit (13 cases, +5)

Two employees of the corrections department have tested positive

Jackson County Probation Office and Detroit Detention Center have both been exposed, contact the health department if you have been exposed

Closures/Restrictions

Bars and restaurants are carryout/drive through only

Public spaces (casinos, theaters, etc) closed

Public offices open by appt only

Guns are canceled unless you’re doing hunting

Yurts are canceled until 5/15

(so are other small cabin/camping type things)

Minnesota: last updated 3/18 at 12:00

77 cases (+17)

Affected counties include: Anoka (2), Benton (1), Blue Earth (1), Carver (2), Dakota (7), Hennepin (30), Olmstead (6), Ramsey (6-20), Renville (1-2), Stearns (3-5), Waseca (1-2), Washington (1-2), and Wright (1-2)

We’re still working with some ranges because not all counties provide counts and there’s conflicting news reports. I will continue to try to sort this out.

Community spread confirmed in Hennepin County & the greater metropolitan area of Minneapolis-St.Paul

Newly affected counties include: Martin, Nicollet, and Scott

Closures/Restrictions

Anoka County has closed all public-facing county services until 3/30

Dakota County has closed all public-facing county services until 4/1

Hennepin County has closed all public-facing county services until 4/6

Schools are closed statewide through 3/27

Metro Transit (Twin Cities) has suspended service 11pm to 4am

Drive through testing in Carver county is temporarily halted due to nationwide shortages, but the Mayo Clinic is planning to open a bunch of testing facilities

Mississippi: last updated 3/18

34 cases, 13 new, 0 deaths

Affected counties include: Copiah (2, +0), Forrest (3, +0), Hancock (2, +1), Harrison (4, +3), Hinds (6, +0), Jackson (1, +0), Leflore (4, +0), and Pearl River (4, +2)

Newly affected counties include: Bolivar (2), Coahoma (2), DeSoto (1), Madison (1), and Perry (1)

State hotline: 877-978-6453

Missouri last updated 3/18 at 7 pm

24 (+11) cases, 1 death

Counties reporting deaths include: Boone (1)

*** NOT UPDATED BY STATE HEALTH DPT SINCE 3/17*** Affected counties include: Boone (1), Cass (2), Cole (1), Greene (4), Henry (1), Jackson (1), St. Louis City (1), St. Louis County (4)

Hotline: 877-435-8411

Montana: last updated 3/18 at 8:15 am

10 cases (+2)

Affected counties are not being reported at this time by the state. Montana has a million counties and due to the Netherlands Spreadsheet Incident of My Entire Afternoon, I didn’t have the time to figure this one out. TBH I’m hoping the state health department does it for me because it’s their job.

Closures/Restrictions

Public schools closed until 3/30

Many counties have closed courts & public-facing services

State of Emergency

Nebraska: last updated 3/17

Community transmission confirmed: many locations in Douglas County are potential places where transmission has occurred; if you live or have traveled to Douglas County (Omaha), please check the Douglas County COVID-19 monitoring site at: https://www.douglascountyhealth.com/latest-news.

There were also two exposures in Knox County on March 5, at basketball games at Lincoln Southwest HS and North Star HS.

27 cases (+6), no deaths

Affected counties include: Cass (1, +0), Douglas (21, +3) and Knox (2, +1)

Newly affected counties include: Sarpy (1) and Lincoln (1)

Hotline (bling): (402) 552-6645

Nevada

55 cases

Community spread confirmed

Restrictions/closures

Gatherings >10 people recommended to cancel

Governor asks Nevada citizens to stay home for 30 days and nonessential businesses to close

Gambling is canceled, sorry Vegas

Weed is now delivery only, but at least there’s weed delivery now?

Nevada wins worst website for a state health department in America and that’s a really fucking low bar

New Hampshire: last updated 3/18 at 9 AM

39 cases (+13), 0 deaths

Affected counties include: Carroll (4, +3), Grafton (7, +0), Hillsborough (8, +4), and Rockingham (17, +3)

Nashua (1, +0) and Manchester (4 new) are included in Hillsborough county totals

Newly affected counties include: Belknap (2), Merrimack (1)

Exposure reported at the Manchester DMV on 3/2, 3/3, 3/4, 3/5, and 3/10.

My desire to avoid the DMV at all costs continues to be vindicated

Governor Sunununununununu implemented takeout/delivery beer and wine

Hell yeah

Telehealth services expanded throughout the state

New Jersey : last updated 3/18 at 2 pm

427 cases (+160), 4 deaths (+2)

Deaths seem to have disappeared from the state website, if you have any information that may lead to the whereabouts of NJ mortality stats, contact your friendly internet Emily immediately.

These are the ones I could find from the news

Affected counties include: Bergen (114, +30), Burlington (10, +5), Camden (8, +5), Essex (45, +13), Hudson (34, +10), Hunterdon (6, +2), Mercer (15, +9), Middlesex (40, +18), Monmouth (32, +10), Morris (19, +12), Ocean (8, +5), Passaic (18, +8), Somerset (16, +8), and Union (26, +11)

Newly affected counties include: Atlantic (3) and Gloucester (2).

Closures/Restrictions:

No gatherings >50 people

Restaurants, bars, entertainment venues, and other public spaces are closed

Curfew in effect from 8 pm to 5 am, anyone out without a valid reason is committing a misdemeanor and is also a total dick, don’t expose people

This means you, assholes having a wedding with a million people.

New Mexico: last updated 3/18

Total cases: 28

Restrictions/Closures

Gatherings >10 people prohibited until 4/10

All nonessential businesses are to close their public-facing activities until 4/10

There’s a new law that says “stop hoarding you assholes”, technically in effect til 4/10 but really valid forever

New York: last updated 3/17 at 7:30 PM

2,382 cases (+1,008), 10 deaths

Affected counties include: Albany (36, +13), Allegany (2, +0), Broome (1, +0), Clinton (1, +0), Delaware (1, +0), Dutchess (20, +4), Erie (7, +0), Greene (2, +0), Herkimer (1, +0), Monroe (14, +4), Montgomery (2, +1), Nassau (183, +52), Onondaga (2, +0), Ontario (1, +0), Orange (32, +17), Putnam (2, +0),  Rensselaer (4, +3), Rockland (30, +8), Saratoga (14, +5), Schenectady (14, +9), Suffolk (116, +32), Sullivan (1, +0), Tioga (1, +0), Tompkins (3, +1), Ulster (9, +1), Westchester (538, +158), and Wyoming (1, +0)

NYC has 1871 cases (+1227) as of 3/18 at 6 pm

Areas/counties reporting deaths are: NYC (7) and Rockland (1)

I can’t find records of all of the deaths. If you have info about deaths occurring due to COVID19 in NY state, please let me know.

These numbers don’t add up with the NYC cases because NYC updates after NY State. Sorry.

Newly affected counties include: Chenango (1) and Hamilton (1)

Drive through testing in New Rochelle, all boroughs of NYC, Long Island, and Rockland County

Closures/Restrictions

Bars, restaurants, entertainment venues closed

No gatherings >50 people

Public schools closed until 4/1

Village elections delayed until 4/28

Stop price gouging, assholes

Uber, Lyft, taxis all banned until further notice

NYC turned some hotels into temp hospitals, in an effort to create 1300 new hospital beds

The Navy is sending the USNS Comfort to New York Harbor to provide additional hospital beds.

New legal protections and stuff from the state came down today

Job protection and pay are guaranteed for those quarantined

Permanent comprehensive sick leave policy

If you are a retired doctor or nurse, New York needs you. Like, real bad. Contact the state or local health dept to see how you can help.

No evictions until this outbreak is over

North Carolina: last updated 3/18 at 10:44 AM

63 cases (+23), 0 deaths

Affected counties include: Brunswick (1, +0), Cabarrus (1, +0), Chatham (3, +2), Craven (1, +0), Durham (12, +11), Forsyth (2, +0), Harnett (4, +1),  Iredell (1, +0), Johnston (2, +0), Mecklenburg (11, +4), Onslow (1, +0), Sampson (1, +0),  Wake (17, +2), Watauga (1, +0), Wayne (1, +0), and  Wilson (1, +0).

Newly affected counties include: Guilford (1), Lincoln (1)

Advisory for an exposure at Raleigh convention center on March 8

Please call Wake County if you were there, they are tracking exposures

Closures/Restrictions

Schools are closed statewide until 3/30

Events >100 people canceled

Restaurants and bars are closed

North Dakota

7 cases, 0 deaths, 0 hospitalizations

Affected counties include: Burleigh (2), Cass (1), Morton (2), and Ward (2)

Ohio: last updated 3/18 at 2 pm

88 confirmed cases (+21)

26 hospitalizations (+8)

Affected counties include: Belmont (2, +0), Butler (8, +2), Coshocton (2, +0), Cuyahoga (38, +7), Franklin (7, +3), Geauga (1, +0), Lake (2, +1), Lorain (6, +2), Lucas (1, +0),  Mahoning (3, +2), Medina (4, +1), Stark (3, +0), Summit (4, +0), Trumbull (2, +0), Tuscarawas (1, +0)

Newly affected counties include: Ashland (1), Darke (1), Delaware (1), Huron (1)

Darke County is so goth

Closures/Restrictions

Bars/restaurants are closed

Gatherings >50 people canceled

Nonessential businesses are closed

Oklahoma: last updated 3/18 at 7 AM

29 cases, 0 deaths

Affected counties include: Cleveland (4), Jackson (1), Kay (2), Oklahoma (14), Payne (1), Tulsa (4), Pawnee (1)

2 cases were identified in Canadian nationals

...Unless Oklahoma has a county called “Canadian”. That wouldn’t be the weirdest name of an American county in all honesty

Oregon: last updated 3/18 at 8 AM

75 cases (+10), 3 deaths (+2)

Counties reporting deaths: Lane (1), Multnomah (1), and Washington (1)

Hospitalization data is no longer being provided by the state health department.

The following counties are affected: Benton (3, +1), Clackamas (6, +0), Deschutes (6, +0), Douglas (1, +0), Jackson (2, +0), Klamath (1, +0), Linn (15, +0), Marion (8, +4), Multnomah (3, +0), Polk (1, +0), Umatilla (2, +0), Washington (23, +2), and Yamhill (2, +1)

Newly affected counties include: Lane (2)

Courts are effectively closed down (Level 3 restriction)

Pennsylvania: last updated 3/18 at 3 pm

133 total cases (+37), 1 death (+1)

Counties reporting deaths include: Northampton (1)

Counties affected include: Allegheny (11, +4), Beaver (2, +1), Bucks (9, +1), Chester (9, +5), Cumberland (10, +0), Delaware (14, +5),  Lehigh (1, +0), Luzerne (1, +0), Monroe (7, -1), Montgomery (42, +10), Northampton (1, +0), Philadelphia (17, +7), Pike (2, +1), Washington (2, +0), Wayne (1, +0)

Newly affected counties include: Berks (1), Lackawanna (1), and York (2)

Closures/restrictions:

Restaurants and bars are closed statewide except takeout/delivery

Nonessential businesses are closed statewide

All liquor stores are closed statewide. This is going to end badly.

GRITTY HAS DONE DARK MAGICKS TO ACQUIRE TOILET PAPER https://twitter.com/GrittyNHL/status/1239998209755357185?s=20

Rhode Island: last updated 3/18

33 confirmed cases (+12), no deaths

Chanston High School West had an exposure; 1700 people are currently quarantined after this exposure

RIDOH is not providing more information than this, if you have more details please send me a tip

South Carolina: last updated 3/18 at 4 pm

60 cases (+13), 1 death (+0)

Affected counties include: Anderson (2, +0), Beaufort (6, +2), Calhoun (1, +0), Charleston (4, +1), Fairfield (1, 0), Greenville (3, +1), Horry (5, +1), Kershaw (25, +3), Lancaster (2, +0), Lexington (4, +1), Richland (4, +3), Spartanburg (1, +0), and York (1, +0)

Deaths are reported in the following counties: Lexington (1)

Newly affected counties include: Lee (1)

South Dakota: last updated 3/18

11 confirmed cases (+0),  1 death (+0)

Affected counties include: Beadle (1, +0), Bon Homme (1, +0), Charles Mix (1, +0), Davison (1, +0), McCook (1, +0), Minnehaha (5, +0), and Pennington (1, +0)

Closures/Restrictions:

Schools closed week of 3/16

Tennessee: last updated 3/18 at 2 pm

98 (+25) cases, no deaths

Affected counties include: Campbell (1, +0), Davidson (58, +16), Hamilton (1, +0), Jefferson (1, +0), Knox (2, +0), Rutherford (1, +0), Sevier (1, +0), Shelby (4, +2), Sullivan (1, +0), and Williamson (24, +3)

Newly affected counties include: Sumner (2)

Closures/Restrictions

Schools closed through 3/31

Expanded unemployment relief as of 3/17

Texas: last updated 3/18 at 12 PM

83 (+19) total cases, 2 death (+1)

Affected counties include: Bell (1, +0), Bexar (4, +1), Brazoria (2, +0), Collin (6, +0), Dallas (15, +6), Denton (4, +3), El Paso (3, +0), Fort Bend (9, +0), Galveston (2, +1), Gregg (1, +0), Harris (10, +0), Hays (1, +0), Lavaca (1, +0), Matagorda (1, +0), Montgomery (3, +0), Smith (5, +2), Tarrant (5, +2), Travis (4, +1), and Webb (1, +0)

Newly affected counties include: Bowie (1), Brazos (1), Medina (1), Rusk (1)

Should have gone to space, Major Tom

Too soon, probably :(

1 case is pending county assignment

Restrictions/Closures:

San Antonio has closed restaurants and bars

Utah: last updated 3/18 at 12:45 pm

63 cases (+12)

Affected health districts include:  Bear River (1, +0), Davis County (6, +2), Salt Lake County (24, +2), Southwest Utah (1, +0), Summit County (22, +7), Tooele (1, +0), Utah County (2, +1), Wasatch County (2, +0), and Weber-Morgan (4, +0)

Community spread confirmed in the following counties: Summit and Utah

Exposure at Wasatch High School identified

Schools, Mormonism, skiing, and restaurants are canceled until further notice

The zoo and a bunch of museums are canceled too :(

Now graduation is canceled for public schools & universities

Vermont: last updated 3/18 at 2 PM

19 cases total (+2)

Affected counties include: Bennington (3), Chittenden (4), Orange (1), Springfield (1), Washington (1), and Windsor (3)

County by county data was not updated on 3/17 or 3/18

Hospitalizations are reported in the following counties: Bennington (3), Chittenden (1), Springfield (1), Washington (1), Windsor (1)

Closures/restrictions:

No gatherings >50 people or >50% capacity, whichever is lower

Schools are closed starting 3/18

Bars/restaurants are closed until 4/6

Virginia: last updated 3/18

77 cases (+10)

Affected counties/cities include: Alexandria City (2, +0), Arlington (14, +1), Charlottesville City (1, +0), Chesterfield (5, +1), Fairfax (14, +2),  Goochland (1, +0), Hanover (1, +0), Harrisonburg City (1, +0), Henrico (2, +0), James City (13, +1), Loudoun (5, +0), Prince Edward (1, +0), Prince William (4, +0), Spotsylvania (1, +0), Stafford (2, +1), Virginia Beach City (4, +0), Williamsburg City (1, +0), and York (1, +0)

Newly affected areas include: Charles City (1) and Richmond City (3)

State of Emergency declared on 3/12

Washington State: Last updated 3/18 at 3:25

1187 total cases (+175), 66 deaths (+14)

Current mortality rate: 5.6%

Deaths have occurred in the following counties: Clark (3, +1), Grant (1, +0), King (56, +13), and Snohomish (6, +0).

Affected counties include: Chelan (2, +0), Clark (4, +0), Columbia (1, +0), Grant (8, +1), Grays Harbor (1, +0), Island (16, +2), Jefferson (4, +1), King (562, -7), Kitsap (9, +2), Kittitas (4, +1), Klickitat (1, +0), Lewis (1, +0), ,Lincoln (1, +0), Pierce (56, +11), Skagit (14, +5), Snohomish (310, +56), Spokane (4, +0), Thurston (6, +1), Whatcom (7, +1), and Yakima (7, +2).

167 cases are currently unassigned to a county

Newly affected counties include: Franklin (1) and Mason (1)

Closures/restrictions: widespread, will have county-by-county info soon.

Hotline: 1-800-525-0127

West Virginia: last updated 3/18

2 cases, 0 deaths

Affected counties include: Eastern Panhandle (1), Mercer (1)

Unclear if Eastern Panhandle is a county but it certainly tells me where the fuck it is in the state, which is about a million times more useful than the 8 bajillion counties named Jefferson or whatever

Closures/Restrictions

The DMV limited number of customers at a time, somehow making the concept of a DMV even more hellish

Gambling is canceled

Restaurants and bars are takeout only

Wisconsin: last updated 3/18 at 2 PM

106 total cases (+34), 0 deaths

Recovery is being reported by the following counties: Dane (1)

This is updated every Friday, next update expected 3/20

Affected counties include: Dane (23, +4), Fond du Lac (12, +1), Kenosha (4, +0), Milwaukee (47, +23), Outagamie (1, +0), Pierce (1, +0), Racine (1, +0), Sheboygan (4, +1), Waukesha (5, +1), Winnebago (3, +0), and Wood (1, +0)

Newly affected counties include: Brown (1) and Washington (2)

Community spread is confirmed in the following counties: Dane, Kenosha, and Milwaukee

Closures/restrictions

Schools closed starting 3/18 for minimum of two weeks

No gatherings >10 people until further notice

West Bend county has closed schools until 4/13

Washington County has closed schools until 4/13

UW-Milwaukee and Madison have gone to remote learning as much as possible

Wyoming: last updated 3/18

18 cases (+7)

Affected counties include: Fremont, Laramie, and Sheridan

Newly affected counties include: Park and Teton

Today’s Hot Tips Make sure you know what your local area classifies as an “essential” business. They vary from place to place.

Hand Washing Song of the Day

If you hate singing happy birthday while you wash your hands, try Waterloo on for size!

Sorry Mom, I’m sad about Eurovision being canceled. You can find a different song you don’t hate.

Sing the first verse and chorus to follow CDC handwashing guidelines! Use soap and water with bad 70s-esque dancing for maximum efficacy and embarrassment of anyone stuck at home/work with you.

Good News, Everyone!

PENGUIN ADVENTURES CONTINUE!!!

https://twitter.com/shedd_aquarium/status/1240355878131417090?s=21

South Korea reports the number of recoveries exceeds the number of new cases for the first time since the outbreak began. Fuck yes!!!

China announced no new local transmission cases today. YELL HEAH!

I’m not sure this is good per se but someone in Spain broke quarantine in a T-Rex outfit and that was pretty funny

Chill Cat Corner Kitten Academy Live Stream: infinite kittens: http://www.youtube.com/c/KittenAcademy/live

About this newsletter I’m Emily, I’m a 4th year med student w/ a degree in molecular biology. I started this because I’m an infectious disease and epidemiology nerd and also all my friends have questions & anxiety. Hi internet! The archive/proper website is located at coronaextranewsletter.wordpress.com. All this info is sourced from regional & national public health organizations, plus the WHO. It’s as up to date as humanly possible. I’ve been beaming information about this outbreak directly into my brain 24/7 but I still miss stuff. Please let me know if I miss something! Most public health departments stop updating their information around 4-5 PM local time on weekdays. That means that the earliest this will come out is around 6 PM Pacific time on weekdays going forward. On weekends things update more sporadically and earlier, so who knows what I’ll do then, but I’ll do my best. The excellent title is courtesy of @marywhal and the Wordpress site is courtesy of @molly0xFFF and @goblintinkerer, thank you all!

For More Information JHU COVID-19 data center: https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6 List of peer-reviewed publications: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/publications.html WHO FAQ: https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses CDC cases in the US: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-in-us.html, this also has links to each state’s health dept

[phroyd]

Delta Air Lines was hoping to restart flights next month from New York to Athens and Lisbon, two popular summer destinations, but it will probably have to wait a little longer.

The European Union is planning to bar most Americans even as it welcomes travelers from more than a dozen other countries next week, dealing a blow to Delta and other airlines hoping to revive their business as travel across the Atlantic Ocean typically peaks.

International flights make up a minority of flights for U.S. airlines but are typically much more profitable than domestic ones. And flights to and from Europe are generally the most important. U.S. and European airlines had reduced the number of available seats on flights connecting the two markets by about 75 percent next month compared with last July, according to the aviation data provider OAG. A travel ban on Americans, which European Union officials confirmed on Friday, will probably lead to even deeper cuts.

“It’s a huge deal,” said John Grant, a senior analyst at OAG. “It is by far the jewel in the crown for many major airline networks, in terms of both revenue and profitability.”

Last year, flights across the Atlantic, to Europe and other destinations, accounted for about 17 percent of passenger revenue for United Airlines, or about $7.4 billion. Such flights generated about 15 percent of all passenger revenue for Delta, or $6.4 billion, and about 11 percent of passenger revenue, or $4.6 billion, for American Airlines. They were particularly important to United and Delta, generating a quarter of passenger profits last year, according to the Transportation Department.

Tens of millions of people flew between the United States and European Union countries in 2019. Many traveled for business to and from cities like New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco and Amsterdam, London, Paris and Frankfurt. Many others fanned out farther to vacation, particularly in the summer, when international flights are often nearly full as American families jet off to Italy and Greece, and Europeans check out New York and California.

Of course, travel between the United States and the European Union has been restricted since March, when governments on both sides of the Atlantic barred most visitors to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, with exceptions for repatriations and “essential” travel by medical professionals.

At the time, the United States had just over 1,100 coronavirus cases as the virus spread extensively in Italy and Spain. Today, the United States leads the world with more than 2.4 million cases, and infections are surging in Arizona, California, Florida, Texas and other states. As a result, European Union officials have decided to keep Americans out — along with travelers from dozens of other countries — for fear that they could further spread the virus.

Because of the size of the United States, a vast majority of tickets sold by American carriers are for domestic travel. Those flights have led the industry’s recovery, as Americans slowly start to visit friends and family and make limited vacation plans, a pattern unfolding in countries around the world. Higher-profit business and international travel is expected to follow far behind.“I think international travel is probably going to lag domestic by up to 12 months,” Ed Bastian, Delta’s chief executive, told shareholders on a call last week, citing travel bans around the world as one reason.

The large difference in demand for domestic and international travel is also reflected in flight schedules. American, for example, plans to operate about 55 percent as many domestic flights next month as it did last July, but only about 20 percent as many international flights. The airline has delayed restarting service between the United States and a number of European destinations until August, a month later than planned.

The Coronavirus Outbreak

Frequently Asked Questions and Advice

Updated June 24, 2020

What’s the best material for a mask?

Scientists around the country have tried to identify everyday materials that do a good job of filtering microscopic particles. In recent tests, HEPA furnace filters scored high, as did vacuum cleaner bags, fabric similar to flannel pajamas and those of 600-count pillowcases. Other materials tested included layered coffee filters and scarves and bandannas. These scored lower, but still captured a small percentage of particles.

Is it harder to exercise while wearing a mask?

A commentary published this month on the website of the British Journal of Sports Medicine points out that covering your face during exercise “comes with issues of potential breathing restriction and discomfort” and requires “balancing benefits versus possible adverse events.” Masks do alter exercise, says Cedric X. Bryant, the president and chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit organization that funds exercise research and certifies fitness professionals. “In my personal experience,” he says, “heart rates are higher at the same relative intensity when you wear a mask.” Some people also could experience lightheadedness during familiar workouts while masked, says Len Kravitz, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Mexico.

I’ve heard about a treatment called dexamethasone. Does it work?

The steroid, dexamethasone, is the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth.

What is pandemic paid leave?

The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave.

Does asymptomatic transmission of Covid-19 happen?

So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement.

What’s the risk of catching coronavirus from a surface?

Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks.

How does blood type influence coronavirus?

A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study.

How many people have lost their jobs due to coronavirus in the U.S.?

The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April.

What are the symptoms of coronavirus?

Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days.

How can I protect myself while flying?

If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.)

What should I do if I feel sick?

If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others.

“Demand is increasing, but those numbers, while they’re increasing, are still a fraction of what they were last year, particularly internationally,” Doug Parker, American’s chief executive, told shareholders this month.

The International Air Transport Association called on governments this week to avoid quarantine measures that can discourage travel in favor of less severe measures, like asking sick passengers to stay home and increasing testing.

After dropping to record lows in April, the number of people going through U.S. airport checkpoints is up to about 20 percent of last year’s levels, according to the Transportation Security Administration. That’s not nearly enough to sustain the nation’s largest airlines, which are losing tens of millions of dollars every day, but it has restored a sense of vitality to an industry ravaged by the pandemic.

And while international travel could remain subdued for months, airlines have found other ways to drive revenue, including operating cargo-only flights, which are in high demand.

“That’s going to stay in place until passenger demand starts to recover,” Scott Kirby, United’s chief executive, said at an investor conference last month. “So there’s an international hedge that cargo is going to stay strong until passenger demand recovers, and then passenger demand will take over for it.”

[anangelicday-mrwolf]

Wolfsbane : Noblesse Fanfic (post-ending)

(previous chapter)

Chapter 31 – Seed of Trouble

“I was careless,” lamented Tao in Takio and M-21’s presence, his head drooped as Raizel was wordlessly watching him.

Although the man was seated in sofa, they felt as if he were kneeling in repentance.

Takio knew that Tao did nothing wrong. So did M-21 and Raizel.

In fact, they offered on several occasions words of condolence, trying to convince him that there is nothing for him to apologize about, which fell deaf on Tao’s ears.

Nevertheless, in consideration of what had taken place, they understood why Tao appeared so remorseful.

“I should have told myself we’re not out of the woods until the QuadraNet is completely active. I should have reminded myself there could be situations during which I could be bound hand and foot. I mean, after everything that had happened with Crombell’s nuclear missiles, I...!”

That day they were supposed to record the date on their history book – the day that QuadraNet came alive for very first time.

However, they had to save the champagne for later because of the trouble that occurred on the same day.

The very moment when servers of Lukedonia, KSA, werewolves, and Frankenstein’s house were linked together, their databases were marred by sounds and lights signaling error.

Following suit, communications were lost, and firewalls and protection wares were dismantled one by one.

Tao pulled every measure in panic, to prevent anything resembling Crombell’s nuclear missile incident from taking place, to later find out that everyone had gone through the same phenomenon.

“But we didn’t really lose the server, did we?”

“We didn’t lose anything, did we...?”

“...We didn’t. But I’d say it’s a miracle that we didn’t lose anything. To be honest, I can’t believe nothing was ever lost. I’m even thinking that I might have failed to notice a damage on our side. That was how dire the situation was.”

And his words were no exaggeration or a bluff.

Their servers were protected in layers, with firewalls within firewalls and protective wares within wares.

Thanks to them, the sudden error left minimal damage on the firewalls, partially because Tao was extremely nimble with his actions.

Nonetheless, the fact that heavily protected firewalls were damaged albeit little is of no light matter.

Not to mention Tao, the master artisan in computers, had to force himself into confusion and toil for once.

“It’s a good thing I was here for us.”

“You mean...”

“Oh, don’t worry. Their servers are fine. So are their data. But it was very, very close, they said.”

Takio and M-21, as much as they were relieved, clenched their teeth tightly, as if silently protesting Tao for very nearly giving them a heart attack.

“...So did you guys figure out what was the problem?”

“Based on the pattern at the very least, we believe it was caused by hack.”

“A hack?”

“So are you saying somebody hacked our data?”

“By whom?”

“I said based on the pattern at the very least. Such pattern would be found when data are hacked, but I found no leakage or loss of data. I told you – nothing was lost in the first place.”

His two teammates nodded in relief.

“But...”

But?

What now?

Takio and M-21 let their faces fling the questions.

“When there’s a consequence, there’s always a cause.”

“...Are you saying the only reason why you’d find pattern similar to a hacking pattern is because there was an actual attempt of hacking?”

“That’s what I presume.”

“...Is it the Union?”

And of course, the very first name to take the blame was their sworn nemesis, now no better than a punching bag, though its tenacity and reputation were beyond any earthly imagination to be attributed to a mere punching bag.

“That’s the thing. I wouldn’t say that I’ve spent a lot of time at the Union, but I’d say I’ve spent quite a long time. During my time at the Union, I engraved in my mind every form and pattern of hacking in this world. Just say the word, and I can simulate any of them with my eyes shut.”

“Couldn’t expect anything else. So?”

“And my experiences and knowledge tell me that...”

Tao hesitated like a doctor about to diagnose a patient with the last stage of cancer, and he voiced himself with a wretched expression.

“Simply put – with explanations put aside, due to the level of background knowledge they require – if this were really caused by hacking, it was attempted from inside, not outside.”

At instant Takio’s and M-21’s facial muscles were distorted in different directions.

“What do you mean, inside?”

“When the four servers were combined into a single giant network. That was when the issue erupted from within – at least that’s what it looked like.”

“You sound like somebody among us was waiting for the moment to hack the servers.”

Takio whispered, wearing a face that was so blatantly demanding Tao to correct him.

To his dismay, Tao so very successfully crushed his hope with his silence.

Enemy within and betrayal are no strangers to the three modified humans.

After all, to Union they have been classified as traitors.

And it is quite common to see agents who used to pick on each other to bicker and fool around finding themselves obligated to pick on each other’s head, depending on their adherence within the Union.

However, never have they imagined discussing enemy within at this time.

It was hard for them to imagine that one of the men and women who were jointly against the Union decided to turn their back on the rest.

They first and foremost shifted their attention to the forces closest to the Union, now that they were discussing potential betrayal.

“Are you sure that the ones who were loyal to Maduke are gone now?”

“I’d say so, based on what Lord Muzaka said. I mean, you don’t expect anybody to remain loyal to that guy, after everything he had done, do you? I heard even before 1st and 3rd Elders invaded the werewolf realm, the surviving warriors who once pledged their allegiance to Maduke forsook their allegiance long time ago.”

“But since you’re talking solely about warriors, I’m thinking same cannot be said of the non-warriors.”

“Well, you’ve got a point. The werewolf researchers and doctors have rarely changed from the time when Maduke was their top dog. But I’d say it was inevitable. They’re responsible of werewolves’ health and physical welfare, so you can’t remove them like emptying and refilling shelves just because they used to serve Maduke.”

As he spoke, Tao looked particularly uncomfortable.

He knew now that they have brought the werewolf researchers out on the court, it was so obvious who would be on the trial.

To add to his trouble, Tao had enough witness to render his suspicions valid.

“Do you think that the head researcher of werewolves has anything to do with this...?”

“...Actually, that’s what I wanted to discuss.”

Tao began his tale, with Raizel’s ruby-red gaze soundlessly blazing across his face.

*****

“If you didn’t lose any data or server, that is all we could ever ask for.”

Tao sighed out a reply, the situation wrapped up somewhat; he looked as if cellular aging took place at an accelerated rate, miraculously embodying a face of a man at least 50 years older than he is.

So was Adne, Yuhyung, and KSA’s doctor.

Even Frankenstein looked like he was in an awful need for a coffin instead of a cot.

“First we’ll try to dissect the issue, so for the next few days, I’d like all of you to please be careful handling the data. Make sure to check the firewalls on multiple basis, and...”

With all directions dispensed, monitors blinked off.

Tao brushed his face with his hands and was about to leave, but a mortally disheartened voice snatched his legs in a halt.

<I am terribly sorry, my lord.>

Tao recognized the voice – it belonged to Adne.

‘Is the connection still effective? But then how come I’m picking up only his voice?’

Normally Tao would have hurriedly notified the doctor to turn off the mike.

Notwithstanding, he was transfixed, his judgment compromised by what had taken place.

And he stayed keen on the conversation of two werewolves for which he was uninvited.

<This is all because I am not good enough. I was the last one to regain connection, and I had no idea this would be coming...>

<I’d thought you gave me your word that you will no longer say something like that. Judging by what the others told us, we were the ones with the least damage – at least on the surface. Doesn’t that serve as a proof of your abilities?>

<But...>

<When Maduke had taken the throne to himself, he made you the head of his research team. And I’m sure he did so for a reason. In fact, you took part in most of his researches and even led some of them. As much as I’d hate to admit it, he did have good insights regarding personnel. So that just proves how good you are.>

<Forgive me, my lord – I do not mean whatsoever to deride what you’re saying. But I cannot agree with what you just said. You know how I was loyal to Maduke. I willingly became his faithful follower. He told me that I’ll get to experience the best of the best in research once I dedicate myself to him, and thus I gave wings to his avarice.>

Tao did not even realize he was almost crushing the monitor in his grip.

He was busy retracing Adne’s words in his head, questioning his own hearing.

<That’s why I gave my all for the QuadraNet project. I wanted to make up for my wrongdoings. But throughout the course of my effort, I could only feel how incompetent I am. I learned that my knowledge and skills are nothing but a child’s play.>

<Really? Then that’s great!>

<...Beg your pardon?>

<Now you’ve found a reason to give your all for this project. If you can’t be the best, you just have to be better. This is something I’d always tell kids that wish to challenge me, whenever they get frustrated and disappointed how there’s a huge gap in our powers and decide to relinquish their dreams.>

Muzaka exchanged a few more banter-slash-encouragement with Adne, who was increasingly embarrassed, before his voice glimmered away.

The lights on the monitors flickered a couple more times before all functions were terminated; yet Tao could not even budge.

‘Dr. Adne was the lead researcher under Maduke...?’

The fact alone cannot shock Tao to a dismal level; he already knew that the current research and medical team among werewolves used to belong to Maduke.

But he had supposed they were simply bewitched by Maduke’s grievously greedy propaganda. Or compelled to obey and serve because of his massive power.

Adne, however, was different. It turned out that though Maduke did sugarcoat his mind with his gift in mind tricks, the werewolf doctor voluntarily joined the tyrant in order to make his own ambitions come true.

Now Tao could feel how things that were used to seem trivial began to add to his suspicion.

Adne was the only one who experienced delay before they initiated the server unification.

He muttered that he wanted to be an expert in midst of their conversation.

And he told Muzaka that their damage was the least serious one, at least on the surface.

‘What if Dr. Adne in fact had not abandoned his ambitions? What if he’s lying to everyone else?’

Tao could not leave his computers for a while; he had seen and heard and experienced too much at the Union to quiet his doubt.

*****

“So this Adne guy is the one?”

“Not sure. For now all I have is suspicion.”

“But it’s too sharp to be dubbed suspicion. I mean, the situations all fit.”

The three members of the RK threw up huge balls of air in synchronization.

“But let’s say he really is the one. Then how in the world did he manage to hack three servers at the same time, at the werewolf territory? Yes, the networks were connected, but the servers are all managed and maintained in different styles. He would have had to come up with three different hacking patterns.”

“...Either he actually came up with three. Or he pulled some technique we’re unaware of. Or he has someone to help him.”

M-21 made Tao’s and Takio’s wrinkles much deeper on their foreheads.

The question of Adne’s loyalty was a headache enough, and they hated to imagine what would happen if it later turned out the werewolf doctor was not alone in this.

At least they knew one thing for certain.

“...Let’s keep this to ourselves for the time being.”

“Agreed. There’s no need to raise unwanted trouble.”

As the three men nodded in agreement, Raizel remained placid, not even blinking with a countenance that hinted not the slightest of what he was processing within.

(next chapter)

They say silence is gold, but we shall see if this case will lead to a gold mine lol

[cleverwordsandotherstuffilike]

Good Things That Happened in 2019 (or may have happened depending on whether they are true facts)

• The Indian Navy welcomed its first-ever woman pilot.

• Austria named its first female chancellor.

• The European Commission elected its first female President.

• Women now lead five of the major parties in Finland's parliament.

• Macedonia was renamed, bringing an end to a decades-long dispute with Greece. 

• Montgomery, Alabama, elected its first black mayor in 200 years.

• Indonesia raised minimum age for brides to end child marriage.

• Saudi Arabian women are finally allowed to travel independently.

• Taiwan became the first place in Asia to pass a same-sex marriage legislation.

• Botswana ruled to decriminalize consensual same-sex relations.

• Northern Ireland legalized same-sex marriage.

• Ecuador joined neighboring countries in legalizing same-sex marriage.

• Iranian women were officially allowed to attend a soccer match for the first time in 40 years. 

• Iguanas were reintroduced to Galápagos island after 184 years.

• More places are banning single-use plastics.

• Humpback whales recovered from near-extinction in the South Atlantic.

• A tortoise believed to be extinct was found after 100 years.

• A rare black leopard was spotted for the first time in nearly 100 years.

• Scientists discovered 71 new species this year.

• Veterinarians harvested eggs from the world's last two northern white rhinos to help save the species.

• Canada banned the trade, possession, capture and breeding of whales, dolphins and porpoises, passed a Fisheries Act containing a legally binding requirement to rebuild fish populations, and unveiled new standards for marine protected areas, banning all oil-and-gas activity as well as mining, dumping and bottom-trawling.

• Scientists may be able to spot Alzheimer's 16 years before symptoms begin.

• The World Health Organization stopped classifying transgender people as mentally ill.

• Algeria and Argentina officially eliminated malaria this year, and the WHO said that in the last eight years, malaria infections in Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam dropped by 76%, and deaths fell by 95%. India also reported a huge reduction in malaria, with 2.6 million fewer cases in 2018 than in 2017.

• The CDC announced that cigarette smoking among US adults has reached an all-time low of 13.7% (a decline of two-thirds in the last 50 years) and in the UK, the number of cigarettes being smoked fell by nearly a quarter between 2011 and 2018.

• Heart disease rates in the UK are on the decline - it's still the leading cause of mortality, but deaths have decreased by almost half since 2005.

• In Rwanda, 95% of babies currently receive vaccinations for rubella, measles and polio, and it's also on track to be the first country to eliminate cervical cancer.

• Two men may have been cured of HIV.

• Stroke rates for US adults over the age of 65 have decreased by one third each decade for the last 30 years, new diabetes cases have declined by 35% since 2009, the longest decline since the government started tracking the statistic, and under the Affordable Care Act nearly 2 million diabetics, have now received access to health insurance.  

• A new vaccine for typhoid reduced cases by more than 80% in trials, and is now being used to immunize nine million children in Pakistan.

• Malawi eliminated the world’s most common infectious eye disease, trachoma, the second African country to do so after Ghana. In 2014 more than eight million people were at risk. Today, that number is zero.

• The AIHW said that more people are surviving cancer in Australia than ever before. Since 1989, the mortality rate has dropped by 32% for men and by 21% for women.

• A woman became the first living HIV-positive kidney donor in the world.

• Africa marked a significant milestone in the quest to eradicate polio.

• The Philippines passed a Universal Health Care Act, entitling all of its 107 million citizens to health insurance and medical treatment, and Malaysia started providing free healthcare insurance for the country's poorest 40%, providing coverage against 36 critical illnesses.

• Russian officials reported that alcohol consumption has decreased by 43% since 2003.

• Karen Uhlenbeck became the first woman to win mathematics' most prestigious prize.

• The UN released its latest figures on pneumonia, showing that the number of children dying from "the ultimate disease of poverty," has decreased from 6,410 per day in 1990 to 2,216 per day in 2017.

• In the biggest breakthrough for cystic fibrosis in decades, a new drug that targets the genetic roots of the disease was approved by the FDA.

• The Global Burden of Disease Report said that between 1990 and 2017, the number of kids and teenagers dying around the world decreased by more than half, from 13.77 million to 6.64 million.

• Emma Haruka Iwao broke the world record for calculating pi.

• Senegal became the first African country to begin providing free treatment for women with breast or cervical cancer (the leading cause of cancer deaths), and Mali announced it would begin providing free healthcare for pregnant women and children under five.

• We got to see the world's first close-range image of the far side of the moon.

• The Antarctic ozone hole was the smallest on record since its discovery.

• NASA completed its first all-female astronaut spacewalk.

• We captured the first-ever photo of a black hole.

• Water was detected for first time on a planet outside our solar system.

• The Toronto Raptors delivered Canada its first NBA title.

• Halima Aden became the first model to wear a hijab and a burkini in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.

• Eliud Kipchoge became the first athlete to run a marathon in less than two hours.

• In Kenya, poaching rates have dropped by 85% for rhinos and 78% for elephants in the last five years, in South Africa, the number of rhinos killed by poachers fell by 25%, the fifth annual decrease in a row, and in Mozambique, one of Africa’s largest wildlife reserves went an entire year without losing a single elephant.

• An unprecedented conservation effort returned the Mexican Grey Wolf from the brink of extinction.

• Canada became the first country in the world to protect more than 10% of its ocean waters.

• The city of Seoul shut down all its remaining dog butcheries this year, and the Netherlands became the first country in the world to eliminate all stray dogs.

• In 2019, the United States passed a new law outlawing animal cruelty, China issued guidelines stating that from 2020 non-animal testing will be the preferred method for cosmetic products, and in Australia, cosmetics companies were banned from using data derived from animal testing.

• "Sesame Street" announced the launch of a new show to help refugee children

• In July, Ethiopia smashed the world record for tree planting. Led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, millions of Ethiopians planted 353 million trees in 12 hours.

• India reported that its population of tigers has risen by over a third since 2014.

• Since 1990, France’s forest areas have increased by 7%, in Nepal, satellite images revealed that forests expanded from 26% in 1992 to 45% in 2016, and Costa Rica announced it has doubled its forest cover in the last 30 years; half its land surface is now covered with trees.

• The sudden awareness of the power of the tree.

• 93 per cent of households in India now have access to toilets, and 500 million people have stopped having to go to the toilet out in the open, according to research published by The Economic Times.

• The growing consumer backlash against environmental waste.

• The numbers of companies successfully experimenting with four-day working weeks.

• New York became the second state to ban single-use plastic bags.

• By March 2020, Luxembourg intends to become the first country in the world to scrap fares on all public transport, in a move aimed at alleviating its chronically bad traffic congestion.

[everlarkficexchange]

Everlark Fic Exchange: Masterlist

Springtime Edition (2019).

It's Your Birthday 2 by @sunsetsrmydreams

Prompt 3: When students are forced to squeeze together and share seats because of water damage in classroom, Peeta and Katniss spend hours pressed against each other, like in cave, whispering, sharing... [submitted by @567inpanem​] 

Love the Sunrise by @hutchhitched

Prompt 7: Peeta opens his bakery back up after the war. There are, as expected, lots of female customers who would like to get a little to close to Peeta for Katniss's comfort. Sensing her jealousy, Peeta sets out to prove she has nothing to worry about (can be rated M, if you please!). [submitted by @albinokittens300]  

You Belong with Me by @iliveilaughiloveiread

Prompt 10: Based on "You Belong With Me" by Taylor Swift music video: Katniss is Lucas Till's character, she has a relationship with Gale, but she doesn't really like being with him. Peeta is pining for her, like Taylor Swift's character, observing them and think he and K belong together. [submitted by anonymous]

Deliverance by @shesasurvivor

Prompt 16: The baker hires Katniss to make his deliveries as she walks her trade route. She gets eye opening glimpses of town life and especially of the Mellark family relationships as her job responsibilities grow and she spends more time in the bakery. [submitted by @567inpanem​] 

Singing Duets by @historywriter2007

Prompt 18: we’ve never met but our showers are on opposite sides of the same apartment wall so sometimes we’re showering at the same time and we sing duets AU? [submitted by Anonymous via @katnissdoesnotfollowback] 

You are my Sunshine by @wingletblackbird

Prompt 20: Gale returns and he and Katniss patch things up. Peeta seems to feel he's lost her to Gale even after they healed together. Katniss won't stands for this, and explains that no matter what, they would have happened anyways. "I'd chose you; in a hundred lifetimes, in a a hundred worlds, in any version of reality. I'd find you and chose you." [submitted by @albinokittens300] 

Extended Office Hours by @hutchhitched

Prompt 22: Student/Professor. Katniss is stressing out about an assignment and decides to go and talk to Professor Mellark about it, as he’s always been understanding and patient in class. However things turn awkward when Katniss stumbles upon him in his office after hours watching porn on his laptop. Is it deliberate, maybe he needed to relieve some stress or did his brother/friend send him a link to something that he shouldn’t have opened?? It’s up to you writer :) [submitted by @peetaspikelets] 

What can you Do? by @wingletblackbird

Prompt 23: I would love to read an In-Panem AU fic/this would have happened anyway story where we see the beginnings of an Everlark relationship and how it slowly turns into puppy love [submitted by anonymous] 

Four Steps to Being Single by @wingletblackbird

Prompt 24: Canon Divergence. Through the years Katniss can’t stop paying attention to Peeta and she’s actually aware of it. When they settle as victors in district 12 or when the time for the victory tour comes (whichever you prefer) she can’t keep herself away from him and the line between friendship and something more becomes blurry until it disappears. [submitted by anonymous] 

Maps by @wingletblackbird

Prompt 25: I have a song prompt based on Maroon 5’s Maps. It fits Everlark so much. Peeta was there for Katniss in her dark times while she almost gave up on him when he was at his worst down on his knees. But eventually he followed the map that led to her and they got back together. [Anonymous]

I Just Can't Remember Why We Said Goodbye by @butrfac14

Prompt 31: everlark on the brink of a divorce, but then they remember all of the things they've gone through, the sacrifices they made for each other, that they can't live without the other and end up not getting the divorce. [submitted by @sunflowerslyf]

The Unexpected by @albinokittens300

Prompt 32: katniss and peeta are best friends who have a biological child together (how they ended up having a kid is up to you and how they’ll get together is up to you) [submitted by anonymous]

Prompt 33 by @wendywobbles

Prompt 33: “Where’s my engagement ring?” [submitted by @sunflowerslyf​]

Katniss the Baker? by @norbertsmom

Prompt 34: Peeta offers to teach Katniss how to bake thinking it'll be a great laugh, but? She's actually kind of amazing at it? [submitted by @ally147writes] 

Prompt 41 by @wendywobbles

Prompt 41: Everlark based off the Hallmark Christmas Movies Meme:  I still going to watch them and act surprised when she falls in love with the small town baker who only wears sweaters instead of falling for the big city CEO? Yes! Does not need to be Christmas time, but definitely end game Everlark. [submitted by @historywriter2007]

Glitch by @booksrockmyface

Prompt 43: Prompt: I would love anything the "there's only one bed" trope.[submitted by @booksandchocolatesmears] 

A Father Figure by @wingletblackbird

Prompt 44: Their love was forbidden in more ways than the obvious one (older!Peeta). Their love conquers all even with revelations that destroys other person relationships. AU. Toast babies for extra cookies. [submitted by @animekpopxx] 

Prompt 45 by @butrfac14

prompt 45: They fell in love young, they married young. People keep telling them that it’s not going to last. Well, they are proving them wrong. [submitted by @animekpopxx]

The Raven and The Gods by @alliswell21

Prompt 46: Peeta, the Greek god Apollo, hears the most beautiful voice at his temple so he comes down to earth to find this beautiful maiden. Follows how this god falls in love with a mortal and withstand the trials the other gods put them through. [submitted by @animekpopxx​] 

1,498 mph by @alliswell21

Prompt 47: Modern. Peeta is back home on his time off from the Air Force or army. He meets the newest employee in the bakery, a younger Katniss, who’s working hard to help her family while still going to school. They fall for each other and they didn’t even know when it happened. [submitted by @animekpopxx​] 

Time of Peace by @alliswell21

Prompt 48: Their people had a period of peace that stared to crumpled when bad choices and bad people started to destroy that. With a war in the horizon, there is only one choose to keep the peace. The chief’s daughter needs to marry the crown prince. Werewolf!Peeta Humans and wolves. [submitted by @animekpopxx​] Fic by @alliswell21

Incubus by @alliswell21 

Prompt 49: He has spent centuries coming at night and sleeping with as many humans as possible, many dying from childbirth with no child to bear, or because his lust overpowered them. He needs to find a women that can live through his lust and birth an healthy offspring and after centuries, he thinks he found the one, the sixteen year old Katniss Everdeen. Dark incubus!peeta Angst Old times. [submitted by @animekpopxx​]

Mockingjay Temple by @creamytinydays

Prompt 50: In an ancient time, grief-strickened 17-yr-old Katniss (fatherless, emotionally abandoned by her mother, just lost beloved sister) walls off her heart, curses the gods for taking Prim, and is severely punished with immortality = unending days of mourning and emptiness in which life has no meaning, until she meets Peeta and learns it’s not years but love that makes a good life. In loving him the curse breaks, she is mortal again, and together they live a HEA. [submitted by @567inpanem] 

F-CATS by Buttercupbadass

Prompt 51: Fantasy: “Buttercup” (ironically named “Freedom Cat” by Capital scientist who created him) is an intelligent mutt designed to infiltrate rebel groups and sabotage uprisings, but after being healed by Prim and seeing the impact of Mr. E’s death, he turns on the Capital. “This whole operation was your idea.” [submitted by @567inpanem] 

Why Do I? by @hutchhitched

Prompt 53: Everlark have been friends for a long time. Then this exchange happens. Person A: Why Do I even like your dumb ass? Person B: Huh? Person A: *panics* I SAID YOU HAVE A NICE ASS. [submitted by @iliveilaughiloveiread] 

Reflections by @justajjfan

Prompt 54: Katniss, for some reason, using a car's window as a mirror not knowing there was someone inside the car because of the window being so heavily tinted. Until Peeta, the owner of the car, rolls down the window. [submitted by @sunflowerslyf]  

Up We Go by @sandyeyes

Prompt 59: "The 'caution floor is wet' sign was there, so it's not my fault you can't read." [submitted by anonymous] 

Tripping in Love by @neverstopwhileyoureahead

Prompt 60: Katniss and Peeta are both in a very crowded train when suddenly Katniss falls onto Peeta's lap and they don't know each other but Katniss finds Peeta really attractive. [submitted by anonymous] 

The Price Of One's Soul by @peetaspikelets

Prompt 65: Dialogue prompt “You did all of this for me?” [submitted by anonymous via @katnissdoesnotfollowback] 

Be In My Eye by @reachingforaspark

Prompt 70: No one Katniss knew got reaped, and after the 75th the games stopped, hunting became easier, she’s looking forward to graduation, and she feels a growing attraction to boy with bread but she’s clueless as to what to do after 1 ½ decades of acting role of son her father never had and man of the house. She approaches problem like stalking game: observe. She learns a lot but realizes she needs help from only one person: popular merchant and Peeta expert Delly who’s thrilled to help in manhunt <3 [submitted by @567inpanem]

To be Her O.A.O. (one-and-only) by @noneyabidnes​

Chapter 2

Prompt 73: Katniss marries Gale before he’s sent to fight WWII. Gale sends home his buddy Peeta to break the news to his wife and family that he’s fallen in love with someone else in Europe and is staying there after the war... Peeta is under the impression Katniss is a cold woman that only married his friend out of obligation but finds out the other side of the story soon enough. [submitted by @alliswell21] 

In from the Cold by @melacka

Prompt 74: In Panem AU (no reapings): Katniss miscalculated how soon a snow storm was supposed to hit D12, and gets stuck in town while trading with the merchants. Peeta comes out in the snow to get her to come into the the bakery... she thinks he’s either crazy, up to something or simply dumb... whatever happens next is up to you! [submitted by @alliswell21] 

In the End by @alliswell21​

Prompt 76: historical au where katniss and peeta are bethrothed since birth and peeta's mom is actually nice. they grow up to be best friends neither of them knowing about the bethrothal until something breaks their friendship and they become enemies. when they finally turn the right age, they find out about the bethrothal and are forced to marry and consummate their marriage even if they despise each other. [submitted by anonymous] 

Better Tomorrow by @mega-aulover

Prompt 78: forced to share a bed and building a pillow barrier but still waking up tangled together. [submitted by anonymous] 

The Virgin (Social) Suicides by @ally147writes

Prompt 85: Katniss makes unsettling discovery that everyone in her close and extended group of friends has dated at least once and sometimes even each other. Except for her. The “late bloomer” teasing (b/c she’s never even been kissed) stings. Older boy Gale crosses paths with group, finds he shares common interests with Katniss, they get together to hunt, leads to him casually inviting her out for a real dinner date. Not feeling desire but pressure to “get it over with,” she accepts. Peeta has regrets. [submitted by @567inpanem] 

Let Us Lay In The Sun by @knittingbutch

Prompt 87: Katniss and Gale are about to get married and while Katniss isn't entirely sure if she really wants to marry Gale, she does nothing to stop the preparations. While Peeta, realizing he can't just let Katniss go, does everything to stop the wedding and tell Katniss his feelings for her. Peeta thought he's a hopeless case the day before the wedding until... (it's up to you how it will end, but hopefully it's hea) [submitted by anonymous] 

Unmasked by M

Part 2 to ...

Prompt 88: Historical Katniss and Peeta hate each other. They attend a masquerade ball and for some reason end up kissing each other. Sparks fly everywhere. Katniss tries to find the man behind the mask but Peeta knows it was Katniss though he doesnt say anything. They end up bethrothed even if they 'despise' each other. How they fall in love is up to u and how katniss figured out it was peeta is up to u [submitted by anonymous] Fic by M

A Weight Off The Heart by @albinokittens300

Prompt 89: Canon divergence. Katniss and Peeta talk when they return to District 12 after the first games and grow closer.... [submitted by @thestuckinbed]

The Lake by @thegirlfromoverthepond

Prompt 92: Modern AU: Katniss is present when her father dies a traumatic death. She doesn’t just stop singing. She stops speaking completely. Desperate to help her daughter heal/express herself, Mrs. Everdeen enrols her in art therapy where she meets Peeta Mellark. [submitted by @wingletblackbird] 

By the Book by @hutchhitched

Prompt 94: Smut. Hot, sweaty, passionate, loving, smut. Everlark has to be married and it can only be the 2 of them. No three-somes or switching partners. [submitted by anonymous] 

Now Voyager by @mega-aulover

Prompt 102: There's only ONE bed! [submitted by anonymous] 

Prompt 105 by @butrfac14

Prompt 105: Katniss was naked when Peeta first saw her. [submitted by anonymous] 

A Second Chance by @javistg

Prompt 110: A time travel AU: Katniss from Mockingjay, (any part of the book, it's up to you), winds up back the day before her sister's first reaping. What does she do now that she knows what's coming? Now that she knows how Peeta feels about her, and she knows how desperately she needs him, and what they could share? What on earth could she, or should she, even do/change? And what is she should lose it all again? [submitted by @wingletblackbird]

Stranded Travellers by @historywriter2007

Prompt 112: I was hoping for one bed, but there are actually two, so now I have to find a way to naturally end up snuggling with you. [submitted by anonymous]

Long Exposure by @alliswell21

Prompt 130: Katniss works as a park ranger. Peeta is a photographer/artist coming to said park to find inspiration. [submitted by @wingletblackbird​] 

A Bite of Inconvenience by @katnissdoesnotfollowback

Prompt 131:  Visual Prompt. Text: 4 ½ stars out of 5. Delivery time stated between 45 to 60 minutes but it was delivered within 25 minutes. This was a bit of an inconvenience as I was balls deep in the wife at the time. [Submitted by @amazinglovers747]

Late submissions from previous exchanges:

Always You by @sunsetsrmydreams

Prompt 46: Broken-hearted Katniss goes to see a psychic, hoping to get one last message to her departed loved one (Goodbye? I’m sorry? Where’s the key to the safety deposit box?). Peeta is earning his college tuition using his charm and empathy to tell fortunes. What happens when they encounter each other? [submitted by Anonymous] Springtime Edition 2018.

You can also find some of these fics on our AO3 Collection.

[Ed. notes: Fics organized by prompt number]

[imagine-loki]

Giftless

TITLE: Giftless CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: 39/50

AUTHOR: nekoamamori ORIGINAL IMAGINE: 

Imagine that you are Stark’s niece and you secretly share a strong relationship with Loki since he entered the crew. One day you get hurt so bad during a mission that you are about to die.  Loki knows a spell that will save you and share his immortality with you but you and he will be linked forever sharing thoughts, pain, emotions…

RATING: T NOTES/WARNINGS:  Also on AO3 click here

Loki woke you early the next morning. You would have grumbled at him for waking you, but you saw how anxious he was, so you got up to get ready for the day. You really didn’t have much to do, since Loki was doing all of the work.  You just had to stay awake and go with him to Asgard.  Nothing major. “Are you ready for this?” you asked him. He seemed really nervous.

“No, but we must do it anyway,” he replied, sounding as nervous as he looked. He used magic to change your clothes into outfits better suited to Asgard. A swishy elegant awesome blue dress for you  with a golden braided cord belt, and a green tunic and black leggings for him. “Will you assist me?” he asked, holding out his hand to you as he summoned the spell book to the other hand. 

You smiled up at him and placed your hand in his. “Of course. What do you need me to do?” You’d do anything you could to help him.

He held the spellbook where you could see it. “Recite the words with me and imagine the portal opening,” he instructed easily. “We will do the spell together.” That sounded difficult and beyond your skills, but you took a deep breath and nodded. He had been teaching you to use the magic from Asgard, though it really felt more like remembering something you’d forgotten than learning something new. With the soulbond, you had gained a lot more than just his powers, you’d also gotten all of the learning he’d acquired in 500 years of studying. It was just a matter of digging through everything you’d been given to find what you needed. You recited the words together and you pulled your magic into it, focusing on the portal you needed to make. It flared to life in front of you once you finished the last word. “Very well done, darling.” His voice was full of pride. “You opened it on your own,” he added with a smirk.

“You lied to me?” you demanded. Loki never lied to you.  He’d sworn you the truth.

He shook his head. “I did no such thing,” he replied innocently. 

You glared at him. “You said we would do it together,” you reminded him sourly.

“And so we did. I simply did no use any of my power,” he explained. 

You rolled your eyes at him. “That is really close to a lie, Trickster,” you grumbled at him, but laughed anyway. He vanished the spellbook and placed your arm on his so you could walk through the portal together. You appeared on the other side in Loki’s suite in the palace on Asgard. The portal snapped shut behind you. Loki steadied you as you stumbled, shocked at the drain of power the portal took.

“Are you ok?” he asked. 

“I just haven’t done any spells that big before,” you reminded him, but nodded to reassure him. He nodded and gave you a minute to collect yourself.

“Are you ready for this?” he asked. 

You shook your head.  You weren’t at all ready for this, though you’d been preparing for days. “No, but it needs doing,” you replied. 

Loki sighed, he was nervous about this, though he tried to hide it.  “That it does. Time to face the music.”

With that, you left the safety of Loki’s suite and headed straight for the throne room. It was still strange to have the servants bowing to you as you passed. It was stranger that they weren’t only saying ‘prince’ to him in greeting, but were also addressing you as ‘princess’. Loki had to stop you  from stopping to greet and chat with all of them. Or to stop and tell them you weren’t a princess.  It was hard to tell which. Two of the guards opened the doors to the throne room for you and announced your presence.

You were beyond grateful in that moment that Loki had spent so much time prepping you for what was coming and what was expected of you. You took the prescribed steps into the room, until you were standing just below the thrones. Loki dropped to one knee in front of his parents. You dipped into an extremely low curtsy that it took a week of work with Loki to master. Apparently, when he was bored or felt like it, he would shift to female form for the fun of it and go to balls, so he knew exactly how to move and act in the dresses of Asgard. It was a great help to have someone who knew how to do what you needed when you had to learn it all.

“Father, Mother, I come with an announcement,” Loki started, still on one knee, his head bowed.  You knew he hated being on his knees in front of Odin.  You knew he hated showing any submission to anyone, but he was a prince of the realm and would play his part.  

You were so incredibly grateful that this speech was his to make.

“Rise and make your announcement,” the king ordered. This Odin was very different from the one in the movies.  But then again, Loki’s story was different than the movies and myths portrayed.  

Loki rose, and took your left hand, helping you to rise as well. “I have not only found my soulbond, but she has accepted my proposal and graciously agreed to the binding,” Loki announced, loudly enough for everyone present to be able to hear. There were cheers from those gathered. Frigga jumped off of her throne to come hug Loki, and then you.

“I am so glad for you, Loki,” she told him with true affection, hugging him and kissing his cheek. “Congratulations, darling. Though I wonder why you could not have waited to have the ceremony here?” she asked. 

Loki looked sad, remembering you dying in his arms. “It was as you said, Mother,” he replied softly, not wanting his words heard by everyone.  “Thank you for preparing me for that moment or the love of my life would have been lost to me forever,” he added as he wrapped an arm around you to pull you  tight to his side, as if he was afraid for your safety. As if he were afraid to lose you.  “When I was a child, Mother had a premonition. She insisted that I practice the ritual words every day for years, until she was sure I could recite them properly, at speed, in duress. She said it would be important, but would not tell me why. I know now,” he explained for your benefit.

“Leave us!” The king ordered everyone who wasn’t family. They all vanished from the throne room in moments. “I demand that you show me how this happened. Now.” Odin demanded of Loki. You saw Loki flinch from that tone and knew then where Loki’s bruises on his heart had come from.  Maybe the movies weren’t so wrong after all. 

“Darling, you do not need to stay for this,” Loki told you gently. He didn’t want you rewatching your own death. “I can have one of the servants direct you to the library…” he suggested. 

You shook your head. “I’ll stay by your side,” you replied. You didn’t want to leave him, especially not to face this again. He took a couple of steps back, pulling you with him and summoned an illusion in front of you. It was an image of you sitting on the couch in the common room back home. It looked like a movie, the quality was so good. You didn’t know how he did it, but he used the illusion to show the attack on the compound, how you’d shoved Loki out of the way of the bullets and taken them yourself. You saw his horror and grief as he ran to your side, watched as you faded in and out of consciousness. You heard all of his speeches, his demanding you to stay with him and not die. He then recited the words he had been spending all week making sure you had memorized. He’d also made you learn the response, aka your lines.

“You did this just to save her life!” Odin roared. You flinched back from his tone as did everyone else. “You spit upon our traditions and culture just to save the life of some mortal you met on your travels,” he continued, throwing more verbal darts at Loki and you.

“That is incorrect, Father,” Loki replied, his voice calm and disinterested. You knew better. You knew that calm wasn’t real.

“Enough, Odin,” Frigga spoke up. Her voice was soft and calm, but it still stopped Odin cold. “I saw these events many years ago. This was foretold and it was the correct course of action,”

Odin hesitated. “You are certain?” he asked. He still wanted to be angry at Loki. You took Loki’s hand, trying to be reassuring.

“I am.”

“Very well,” he finally said. “Though I cannot say I am pleased with your decision. If your Lady Mother does not object, then I shall not either. In a week’s time, we will have the proper ceremony.” He announced. With that, you were finally able to escape. You bowed and curtsied to the king and queen again before you made what was hopefully a graceful exit from the throne room.

The second you were safely out of the throne room, Loki wrapped you in a tight hug. “I am sorry about him. We have never seen eye to eye. Please do not let him get to you,” he whispered. You had a feeling it was more for his benefit than your.

“We’ll be fine, Loki,” you told him.

“Congratulations, brother!” Came the booming voice of Thor. The hulking man wrapped both of you in a hug and lifted you off of our feet. “Let me see,” he demanded when he set you down. He grabbed Loki’s hand to look at the pattern of magic. Loki growled and tried to pull his hand back, but you saw it was a ruse, he was really pleased by the attention. You laughed in response to their banter. Thor turned to you and took your left hand, which you gladly let him do.  “Welcome to the family, little sister,” he bid you and kissed your knuckles. You smiled up at him. He was such a gentle caring soul. He would make a great king one day.

“Uncle Loki!” you heard Torun’s voice call from down the hall as she came pattering over on tiny toddler legs. Thor’s daughter was adorable with long blonde hair and a warrior’s build, even as a toddler. Thor pulled you out of the way before you got trampled by the toddler intent on seeing her uncle. Loki grinned and scooped up the toddler, swinging her around so she giggled.

“Hello Rune,” he greeted her toddler warmly, settling the youngster on his hip. “How have you been?” The two of them babbled for awhile as Sif, Thor’s wife joined you.  For all that she was a warrior, she was also a court lady, though she tried her best to hide it.  

“Welcome home, Loki,” she greeted him with a smile. “It is a pleasure to see you again, Lady,” she told you formally.

“It is ‘Sister’ now, not ‘Lady Y/N,” Thor corrected with a grin. Sif gave him a smile in return.

“Of course,” she replied and went to go kiss her husband. She reached out and took your hand after she had. “Come. I’m sure our Loki has neglected to eat in his excitement to come home,” she grinned at Loki.

“That…may… have been the case,” he admitted, looking sheepish.

“Shame on you, letting your soulbond go hungry,” Sif scolded.

“Shame!” giggled Torun.

“Yes, yes, shame on me. Might I have my beloved back now so we might remedy the situation?” Loki asked with the tone of exasperation you knew he didn’t feel.

You yelped and giggled when Thor grabbed you around the waist and threw you over his shoulder. “You will have to come get her, Brother,” he laughed. He was so gentle and kind that you couldn’t even be mad, or uncomfortable with him. Plus you knew him from his time in the tower.  You reached a hand back for Loki, but Thor stepped forward before Loki’s fingers touched your. “Come, Brother, our friends are waiting!”

“Thor!” you laughed and slapped his back, hoping he’d put you down now that his game was over. Apparently it wasn’t over yet.

“Apologies, Sister, but you know he will just skulk off to the library and not see all of his friends if he does not have proper incentive to join us. You are our insurance that he will come play with us instead of just his books,”

“Thor!” Loki called as he followed you, but he was laughing too. Any of you could have stopped the game at any point. Loki and you both had enough magic. “You best not hurt my soulbond,” Loki grumbled at his brother. Sif had claimed one of Loki’s arms and was keeping him a pace or so behind Thor. Torun was bouncing between the two pairs, laughing and giggling. She was left with a nursemaid and playmates and the rest of you continued on your merry way to where their friends all waited.

[script-a-world]

age

I’m doing a historical story and having trouble with, well, ages. I mean people don’t live long, but there is actual real life people who do live long, like say Genghis Khan who died at 65. Then of course with his status he had to have the best medical care. When I think of it, many fictional stories set in the past tend to often have elderly characters, white haired grandparents, as if it were modern day, and mostly ignore all the infant/child deaths. Thinking again, many of these stories also have fantasy/magicial elements. You know, like Merlin. I’ve also seen a lot of Asian movies and they tend to have elderly kung fu masters that can ‘fly’ to an extent and more. But then in these stories, even regular people tend to lead long lives as well. So, if my story is free of these fantasy/magical elements, I definitely should not have too many of these elderly characters, especially if the character isn’t the ruler or part of the royal family but just regular common people?

Saphira: There is an easy solution. Disconnect the concept of "elderly" from the age itself and treat it as a relative concept. This allows the tropes and representation, while painting depth in the cultural perception of lifespan.

Feral:

Okay, let’s math.

Life Expectancy is typically given as the mean age of death from birth of a cohort (people born in the same year). As you may remember, the mean is the type of average where you add up all the numbers and divide by the number of numbers you added. So,

The mean of {1, 2, 2, 4, 7, 7, 7, 7, 11} is 5.33

There are two other types of averages, though, median and mode. Median is best understood as the middle number in the sequence, and mode is the most often repeated number in the sequence.

So, the median of the same set of numbers is 4, and the mode is 7.

Mean is best used when you have an even spread of data without an exceptional difference between the highest and lowest value. Median is best used when you are looking at frequency in a particular data set. Mode is best used when you have nominal data, which is not relevant so we’re gonna ignore it.

Now, there is a really big problem with using the mean age when you include “from birth.” Infant mortality rates! They used to be pretty high. Let’s take a look at a fictitious sample set.

I have 100 commoners in my fantasy world that are a perfectly representative sample of the people who were all born in the same year in the same or very similar environment. Infant mortality (expanded to include children up to age 10) is at 20% (80% of that 20% are ages 1 or 2), maternal mortality (between 18 & 25) is 20% of the female population and 10% of the general population, and the likelihood you will die of war, disease, or famine between 11 years old and 44 years old is also 20%. 50% of the population lives between 45 years old 80 years old. What’s the average life expectancy?

~39 years old.

Here is the number set I used, randomly generated per demographic under the given conditions:

10 deaths at age 1, 6 at age 2, 1 at age 3, 2 at age 5, 1 at age 8, 4 at 12, 5 at 15, 5 at age 18, 2 at age 19, 1 at 21, 2 at 23, 1 at 25, 6 at 30, 2 at 35, 1 at 37, 1 at 41, 1 at 45, 1 at 46, 2 at 47, 2 at 49, 1 at 50, 1 at 51, 1 at 52, 2 at 53, 2 at 54, 1 at 55, 1 at 57, 1 at 58, 2 at 59, 1 at 60, 1 at 62, 4 at 63, 1 at 64, 1 at 65, 1 at 66, 2 at 67, 1 at 68, 5 at 69, 2 at 70, 1 at 73, 2 at 74, 3 at 75, 2 at 76, 1 at 77, 1 at 78, 2 at 79, 1 at 80.

The median age of death of these 100 people is 47 years old, which is the number to consider when looking at frequencies. Although the average life expectancy is 40 years old, people most frequently die around age 47.

Infant mortality is important when talking about the health of a nation, but not so much to your world building question, so let’s take them out.

Our sample set is now: 4 at 12, 5 at 15, 5 at age 18, 2 at age 19, 1 at 21, 2 at 23, 1 at 25, 6 at 30, 2 at 35, 1 at 37, 1 at 41, 1 at 45, 1 at 46, 2 at 47, 2 at 49, 1 at 50, 1 at 51, 1 at 52, 2 at 53, 2 at 54, 1 at 55, 1 at 57, 1 at 58, 2 at 59, 1 at 60, 1 at 62, 4 at 63, 1 at 64, 1 at 65, 1 at 66, 2 at 67, 1 at 68, 5 at 69, 2 at 70, 1 at 73, 2 at 74, 3 at 75, 2 at 76, 1 at 77, 1 at 78, 2 at 79, 1 at 80.

The average life expectancy if you can survive to adolescence is now 48 years old. The median age is 53. But 47.5% of the over-10 population exceeds 53 years old!

All this to say, the Life Expectancy from Birth, or LEB, is not helpful to you on your quest. Or at least, it’s not the whole picture. The standard deviation of life expectancy is huge. In my first sample set it was about 27 years, and in my second sample set it was about 22 years. For comparison, the modern SD in the USA is still 15 years.

Now, you are planning a historical novel, so you’ll be using real world statistical data, or as close as you can depending on the specific period. Start here [ Life Expectancy ] and work your way through the numbers.

Constablewrites: Simplified version: If you survive infancy, you've got a pretty good shot at living long enough to have children. If you survive the stuff that can kill young adults (war/childbirth/accidents), you'll likely live long enough to see your grandchildren. It's not that it was impossible to live as long as people do now, it's just that fewer people did. So while it would be unrealistic to assume that every household in the village has multiple living grandparents, it's not unreasonable to think that several of them would have at least one.

Tex: Death kills humans, yes, but how one arrives at death varies - there are a few constants that consistently mow down a population: disease, strife, famine, and lack of hygiene.

Famine you can't really do much about - if the rains don't come, there's not much you can do but wait it out. Famine can also come from strife, as cutting off food sources are a popular method of conquering a population (even if it backfires), as well as poor management of the lands (something in which lack of hygiene factors). Famine can also show in the form of malnourishment and malnutrition. Children require a very healthy, well-balanced diet, otherwise they're more susceptible to infections and in general are less robust in surviving daily life (Unicef's articles on child malnutrition and generalized). The elderly often have the same issues (HealthXchange), so along with children are often the first to go when food resources deplete. There's debates on which end of the lifespan is more fragile, but as the elderly have greater opportunity to self-defend and be ambulatory, I would argue that they're more capable of surviving longer in a famine than infants and small children.

Disease is, typically, a function of hygiene. We can look to the spread of infectious diseases such as the Bubonic Plague and Spanish Influenza as examples, and much of a disease's spread can be mitigated by doing such things as boiling drinking water (PDF) and washing your hands. While humans are already built with proactive immune systems that can fight off most diseases accumulated from daily living, hygiene is a habit that allows a species to not only survive, but allow its members to enjoy greater lifespans past age of reproduction.

A lack of hygiene among a population will inevitably skew its longevity downward, especially since some diseases can be so debilitating it that it can damage the DNA of subsequent generations when one's immune system hadn't sufficiently adapted to the disease (and this is if the damage doesn't become an evolutionary advantage).

Strife is, some argue, a human condition - an integral, irrevocable part of our psyche that we must actively work to thwart, as otherwise it would ruin us as individuals and bring down our society. Of a great many terrible things that come through strife, there are societal benefits. Political scientist Jeffrey Herbst argued that war was integral to the creation of strong states, particularly within Europe, and the Sierra Leone government found that there was greater societal cohesion in war-torn areas. With a stronger, more unified society, there is often more resources diverted to thriving as opposed to merely surviving - culture becomes important, history in the form of the elderly are paid more care, and more members of a society work toward non-strife related advancements such as STEM and the arts. Happy people are long-lived people, or rather - the unhappy tend to die at a younger age (Social Indicators Research journal). Happiness, much like strife, is psychological in nature, and a happy person does tend to survive both diseases and strife (PDF) better.

TL;DR Mentally-resilient people who practice good hygiene and have reasonably good access to a balanced diet will potentially live for a very long time.

[yourmotivationguru]

Gender discrimination is prevalent everywhere, traditionally, our society has been male-dominated. For centuries it has been men who dominated the socio-economic stereotypes. Generations have taught daughters to be docile and domesticated while the son is the one who sets aspirations. The Gender Equality scenario is heavily skewed in favour of males even with woman empowerment making huge strides in the recent past.

Gender discrimination as a term means that the different aspirations, behaviour patterns and needs of the female gender as well the male need to be addressed and valued equally. It should be taken literally as there will always be differences in the physical and mental makeup of both sexes, but it does signify that the rights, opportunities and duties will be equal. This should be dependent on whether the person was born in either gender.

Gender Discrimination

The world faces a serious issue that the successive governments, educational institutions and non-government agencies have been trying to bring parity to. There has been progress but not at the level that is needed.

Sexism is a wide spread prejudice that is defined as a discrimination based on gender. It can theoretically affect any gender, but in our country it’s generally the women who are on the losing side. Gender stereotypes make up the popular belief that one gender is superior to the other.

We face the issue of gender discrimination with women at the lowest level that is female foeticide. There are rules and laws in place that make it a punishable offence, but these are sometimes bypassed and are not fault free in implementation.

Education too sees a similar trend. Even with primary education till the age of 14 deemed a fundamental right, the number of girl enrolment is not as high as male children. The gender discrimination graph widens further when we consider higher education.

Gender discrimnation issues at workplace

We have made disappointing progress as measured by rankings in the Gender Development Index in spite of rapid growth in the economy. In the last decade or so, GDP has grown at an average of 6% while the female labour force participation has dropped to 27% from 34%. The male versus female wage gap has been stagnant at 50% while white collar jobs see a gap of a whopping 27%.

There are movements and progressive urban corporates are making an effort to close the gap and make it easier for woman employees by encouraging diversity in hiring and retention. But there is still a disturbing trend of women missing out on career goals for maternity and child rearing phases. The rural divide is greater and the agrarian work force sees bigger attrition amongst women. The only way to resolve this issue is to encourage flexible work hours, narrow the wage gap and make way to more women in top positions. Equal opportunity and equal pay for equal work is the way men can pave the way to more women excelling in the workplace.

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Gender equality as part of the Millennium Development goals

The year 2000 saw the culmination of many goals specified by the UN to be achieved by 2015. One of these was to promote gender equality and empower women. The charter also understood the need to reduce child mortality and improve maternal health. These goals are are well on their way to be met in near future with WHO releasing data that shows maternal mortality down by 77% in the period 1990-2016.

 The WEF or the World economic Forum pegs the gender gap to be measured across four criteria. They are Economic opportunity, educational attainment, health and political empowerment. We have narrowed the gap in some categories in 2018, but some areas continue to be dismal.

We have been ranked 108th in WEF gender gap index, while recording improvement in the wage index at 72nd place.

The country has been successful in fully closing the tertiary education gender gap for the very first time. 

The economic opportunity index saw us at a shameful 142nd out of 149 participating countries.

We scored at being the third lowest rank and the least improved nation in the health and survival index. The Government has launched aggressive and inclusive insurance based plans that   will bring relief to crores of people in the immediate future.

Much has been done and much more remains to be done. The country may need another 202 years to close the gender gap at the present rate. Crimes against women have increased in the last decade or so, raising grave concerns about safety and security measures for women. Gender equality in our country is still a distant dream and education is a must to close the gap. The gender neutral behaviour and learning should begin at home and schools from a tender age, making both sexes gender sensitive and in sync with the needs of tomorrow.

It is known fact that empowerment of women helps businesses in advancing. The bottom-line improves and advancement in career and pay becomes a reality for both men and women. When leadership teams are diverse and aim to set targets and goals that are equal and attainable. The women networks are strong and encourage men to join in too. This helps sensitizing men to the needs and aspirations of women in the work place.

The interaction helps men by understanding the needs of the mother and homemaker, who is very much a part of the woman who attends work with them. It may help when husbands help with household chores or with raising children. The action creates a virtuous circle that enhances the productivity of the other to deliver a larger impact in conjunction. The culture of trust, purpose, accountability, belonging, as well as flexibility fosters growth. Comprehensive action policies support both genders are family friendly and bias free. This improves retention and loyalty.

Businesses should encourage diversity and inclusivity. Employees must not be asked to conform to a particular dress code or appearance. Innovation and disruption must be encouraged. Options like flexible working hours, remote or virtual working and parental leave should be promoted, as it has been studied that women perform better and have a 30% better chance of career advancement when maternal leave is augmented by paternal leave as well.

Training opportunities must be equal. Gender diversity is the step forward to a happy and inclusive workplace environment. There is a growing need to provide situations that help equality in diversity. http://www.yourmotivationguru.com/gender-discrimination/

[deathofmyfather]

Disbelief

Though I can’t say for sure if it’s been the most difficult part of my grief journey, disbelief has made grieving extremely difficult.

When you think of a parent dying, you almost certainly picture it far away in a hazy future. They’re very elderly but ideally not incapacitated before they go. Death quietly sneaks them away in the middle of the night. You’re in your 50s or 60s, and while this loss will change you forever, you had to have expected it. They lived a long, happy life. Or at least, that’s what we’d all like to picture.

So what happens when a parent is wrenched away from you at a young age? You simply can’t process it.

If you had asked me what I thought my relationship with my father would be like, say, the month my parents separated and we moved out, I would have told you that I’d spend a few decades pretending he didn’t exist (assuming he never sought help for his alcoholism) until he died. Did a cirrhosis diagnosis cross my mind? Fleetingly. But never did I think that he would be diagnosed barely one year after we left at the age of just 42 years old.

There was a point during my dad’s second hospital stay where a doctor explained his life expectancy to us. Based on my dad’s Child-Pugh score, he had a roughly 50% chance of dying within the next year. Within two years? Much higher. Even the rates of survival after a transplant weren’t exactly encouraging.

As many people are when confronted with their own mortality, Johnny was in denial. He refused to acknowledge how serious his condition was. I started crying in the hospital elevator on the way home that night. A year?! How could that even be possible? I knew deep down that a liver transplant was not going to happen. He didn’t have insurance or disability yet. More importantly, you have to stop drinking and smoking for at least 6 months before you can be put on a liver transplant list. I still had hopes for my dad’s sobriety, but I knew he would never be able to give up cigarettes, too. Believe me, I had tried every guilt-tripping trick in the book as a kid! For the first time since I was 17, I had actually wanted him to be there for my college graduation, my wedding, the birth of my children... I began to mourn these losses that I wouldn’t have even considered losses just 2 weeks before. Funny how quickly things can change.

After the drinking started again, I began living my life while waiting for the other shoe to drop. One day, I would have to deal with his death and all of the funeral arrangements and other tasks that came along with it. Still, I mostly went back to living my life as I had before, ever since I started ignoring him in high school: in denial. I lived every day ignoring my hurt and pain. I literally pretended my dad did not exist even though he lived in the same small town. I deleted family friends close to him off of my Facebook, avoided places he frequented, and went on with my daily business like nothing had happened. The few times I did see him in public startled me. It was like seeing a ghost. Once I was walking out of Walmart with my best friend and her daughter at the same time that he was walking in. He was wearing sunglasses, cargo shorts, ratty old tennis shoes, and a shirt my mom had bought him in Boston in 2011. I was so surprised and wanted to avoid talking so him so much that I literally ran away and hid behind my best friend’s car!

Based on how intense my avoidance of my dad was, I should’ve seen the avoidance of my grief coming as well. It’s easy to slip back into an old habit. Four classes and assistant directing a play kept me very busy for the first two months after his death. Looking back, I needed those distractions to keep me from completely losing my mind. Grief and mourning was still a very big part of my life at that time, especially with daily reminders of my dad through different death tasks I had to complete. But it still didn’t really feel real. Why doesn’t it feel real?

My brother and I decided to have half of my dad’s ashes buried while we spread the other half at his favorite places. This way, parts of him will be where he loved to be, but we also have a grave to go to for closure. I still haven’t been able to bring myself to spread any of his ashes. On the morbid (yet slightly humorous) side of things, part of that is because I literally don’t know how. What am I going to do, just stick a cup in the urn and sprinkle a little bit of ash out? Portion him up into little bags to take with me traveling one day so I can spread him all around the world? It’s definitely odd and something I never had to think about before. On a more serious note, I know I haven’t been able to start spreading his ashes because I’m not ready. How can I be, when even looking at the urn sitting on my shelf right now, it doesn’t seem to make sense that he’s dead?

I hope that time will make me believe his death more. I assume I have to at least accept his death to move forward, even though I don’t believe in a straight path through the stages of grief. In some ways, my dad’s death is very real. Even still, some days I have to actually remind myself that he’s dead. Of course part of me knows that fact, but there’s still a part of me that won’t let go. Maybe I’ll never fully believe it because of the circumstances. Maybe I won’t believe it because he really isn’t dead yet, as long as people who knew, loved, or were told about him still walk the earth. But one day his stories won’t get passed on. His grave will be abandoned and forgotten. People will cease to exist, and so will his memory. And maybe that’s okay.

Much love,

-M

[newstfionline]

Saturday, July 3, 2021

BC’s heat and fire (Washington Post) Lytton, British Columbia broke successive Canadian heat records early this week, with temperatures peaking at 121 degrees on Tuesday afternoon. Then the fires swept in. Lytton’s 250-odd residents were ordered to evacuate Wednesday. By Thursday, officials said most homes and structures in the town had been destroyed. “Our poor little town of Lytton is gone,” one resident, Edith Loring Kuhanga, wrote on Facebook. Lytton’s evacuation came amid a broader swath of wildfires.

Hundreds believed dead in heat wave despite efforts to help (AP) Many of the dead were found alone, in homes without air conditioning or fans. Some were elderly—one as old as 97. The body of an immigrant farm laborer was found in an Oregon nursery. As forecasters warned of a record-breaking heat wave in the Pacific Northwest and western Canada last weekend, officials set up cooling centers, distributed water to the homeless and took other steps. Still, hundreds of people are believed to have died from Friday to Tuesday. An excessive heat warning remained in effect for parts of the interior Northwest and western Canada Thursday. The death toll in Oregon alone reached 79, the Oregon state medical examiner said Thursday, with most occurring in Multnomah County, which encompasses Portland.

16 Injured In Botched Illegal Firework Detonation By Police (CBS News) At least 16 people, including 10 law enforcement officers, were injured and several cars and structures were damaged Wednesday evening when police attempted to safely detonate approximately 5,000 pounds of illegal fireworks that were seized in South Los Angeles. “It felt like a really hard earthquake like we never felt before, said Jazmin Vazquez, a resident. Other neighbors said they were shaken out of their beds and rattled off their couches from the impact of the explosion.

U.S. Budget Deficit to Reach Near-Record $3 Trillion in 2021, CBO Says (Bloomberg) The U.S. will see a $3 trillion budget deficit this year, close to the 2020 record, while the economy will expand notably more than previously forecast, the Congressional Budget Office said as it incorporated the impact of President Joe Biden’s Covid-19 relief program. The deficit for the full 2020 fiscal year was $3.13 trillion, the biggest relative to the size of the economy since World War II. The totals amount to 13.4% of GDP in 2021 and 4.7% next year, and mark an increase from prior forecasts, as the CBO factored in the Biden administration’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, which was passed in March.

Happy Birthday Eve, America (1440) Sunday marks the 245th commemoration of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence by the Second Continental Congress. The Congress actually voted to separate from Great Britain two days earlier, and possibly didn’t sign the document until early August. Still, the country has since grown from 13 colonies and roughly 2.5 million people, to 50 states and 14 territories with a population of more than 330 million. The economy has swelled to almost $21T, and while income and wealth disparities remain an issue, economic output per person has risen by a factor of 30 over two centuries. Advances in public health have cut the child mortality rate from more than 45% to under 1%, and our citizens live 35 years longer on average. Educational attainment has skyrocketed, with more than 200 million people having at least finished high school, compared to 18 million in 1940. We’ve built almost 3 million miles of paved roads and more than 5,000 public airports. Millions of miles of power lines electrify the country and almost 80% of adults have access to broadband internet. In 1800, 95% of the population lived in rural areas; more than 80% now live in urban cities and towns.

Elsa strengthens into season’s 1st hurricane in Caribbean (AP) Elsa strengthened into the first hurricane of the Atlantic season on Friday as it blew off roofs and snapped trees in the eastern Caribbean, where officials closed schools, businesses and airports. It appeared headed eventually in the general direction of Florida. The Category 1 storm is the first hurricane to hit Barbados in more than 60 years, unleashing heavy rains and winds on the island and then on St. Vincent and the Grenadines, which are struggling to recover from recent massive volcanic eruptions. The long-term forecast track showed it heading toward Florida as a tropical storm by Tuesday morning, but some models would carry it into the Gulf or up the Atlantic Coast.

Drought Economy (Foreign Policy) When Mexico’s central bank hiked its interest rates last week, it cited the ongoing drought as a major inflation risk. Meanwhile, Brazil’s inflation has risen to over 8 percent annually amid drought-induced food and electricity price increases. Inflation is just one hardship that droughts are currently causing in the two countries and their neighbors: Lack of rain is also driving crop loss, migration, and more severe forest fires. The droughts and all their consequences are exacerbated by rising temperatures as well.

Sweden stunned by rare shooting of police officer as gang violence worries grow (Reuters) Swedish caretaker Prime Minister Stefan Lofven expressed outrage on Thursday over the killing of an on-duty police officer, a rarity in the Nordic country, calling it an “attack on our open society” amid growing concerns over gang violence. The police officer in his 30s was shot and killed late on Wednesday while on duty in Biskopsgarden, a Gothenburg suburb that has been plagued by gang violence in recent years and where police have had an increased presence. The crime has shocked a country where fatal attacks on police officers are rare, with three killed in the last 20 years, including Wednesday’s victim. Gang violence has been in the spotlight after shootings and explosives attacks that have sometimes killed bystanders, and has become a political battleground, with left and right each seeking to claim the tougher line.

Coronavirus cases rise in Europe for first time in 10 weeks (Washington Post) The number of new coronavirus cases increased across Europe for the first time in 10 weeks, the World Health Organization said Thursday, ending a stretch that had raised hopes the pandemic would recede as vaccinations were on the rise. New infections jumped 10 percent over the past week in the 53 countries that make up the WHO European region, the agency’s regional director for Europe, Hans Kluge, said in a briefing. He attributed the rise to increased mixing, summer travel and the rapid spread of the more contagious delta variant first identified in India.

US hands Bagram Airfield to Afghans after nearly 20 years (AP) After nearly 20 years, the U.S. military left Bagram Airfield, the epicenter of its war to oust the Taliban and hunt down the al-Qaida perpetrators of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on America, two U.S. officials said Friday. Afghanistan’s district administrator for Bagram, Darwaish Raufi, said the American departure was done overnight without any coordination with local officials, and as a result early Friday dozens of local looters stormed through the unprotected gates before Afghan forces regained control. “They were stopped and some have been arrested and the rest have been cleared from the base,” Raufi told The Associated Press, adding that the looters ransacked several buildings before being arrested and the Afghan National Security and Defense Forces (ANDSF) took control. The withdrawal from Bagram Airfield is the clearest indication that the last of the 2,500-3,500 U.S. troops have left Afghanistan or are nearing a departure, months ahead of President Joe Biden’s promise that they would be gone by Sept. 11.

Anxious Afghans fear tomorrow; many seeking to leave (AP) Imtiaz Mohmand, just 19, makes a living selling melons out of a crate perched on his three-wheel motorcycle in the Afghan capital’s Kart-e-Now neighborhood. He only managed to finish Grade 7 before being sent to work to help support a family of 13. He has been robbed twice. Both times, his mobile phone was taken, along with his meager earnings of the day. In four days, he and four friends will leave Afghanistan. They have paid a smuggler to sneak them across the border to Iran and into Turkey. “There’s no job, no security here. There are thieves everywhere. I tried to make a living but I can’t,” said Mohmand, who has seven friends already on their way to Turkey. Mohmand’s frustration and anxieties run like a theme through most conversations in today’s Afghanistan as Afghans witness the final withdrawal of the U.S. military and its NATO allies. Afghans say international forces are leaving a country deeply impoverished, on the brink of another civil war and with a worsening lawlessness that terrifies some more than the advancing Taliban insurgency. The warlords with whom the U.S.-led coalition partnered to oust the Taliban are resurrecting militias with a history of devastating violence to fight the insurgents, who have made gains even in the warlords’ northern strongholds. Outside the Turkish Visa Center in Kabul’s city center, the road is crowded with four-wheel drive vehicles and new Toyota corollas belonging to the wealthier who are looking for visas to leave. Since the announcement of the final withdrawal, thousands of visa applications have inundated the Turkish Embassy in Kabul. Other embassies have also reported a dramatic increase. The closure of some Western embassies and warnings by others for their citizens to leave only deepen the sense of dread.

The Chinese Communist Party Is Scared of Christianity (Foreign Policy) As the Chinese Communist Party celebrates its centenary, Christianity—and other faiths—remain among the challengers it fears most. Religious controls have been part of communist practice since the foundation of the People’s Republic of China. But since 2018, many churches have been shut down—mostly unsanctioned ones but including some officially recognized groups. Between 5,000 and 10,000 Christian churchgoers have been arrested, some prominent Protestant clergy have been given long prison sentences, and around two-thirds of China’s Protestants have resorted to underground churches in an attempt to avoid police harassment. Government officials have been asked to compile more details of worshippers, feeding into discrimination in employment, especially in official posts. All children under age 18 have been strictly prohibited from attending any kind of religious education—theoretically already the case but not strongly enforced beforehand. Religious leaders are now expected to spend more time extolling the CCP and Chinese President Xi Jinping personally than they do seeing to their flock. In some churches, icons of Jesus or Mary have already been replaced with portraits of Xi. The ultimate goal seems to be to suppress any kind of identity—religious, ethnic, or ideological—that might challenge the CCP’s authority, whether now or in the future. Chinese leadership have studied the fall of the Soviet bloc intensely and are well aware of the role both Catholic and Protestant faith contributed to the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe.

Philippine Volcano Leads To Evacuations (NBC News) Mass evacuations were underway in the Philippines Thursday after the alert status was raised for the Taal volcano, located 45 miles south of Manila. Although it’s one of the world’s smallest active volcanoes, standing at only 1,020 feet, Taal can be deadly. An eruption in 1911 killed more than 1,300 people. In January 2020, Taal shot a column of ash and steam almost 10 miles into the sky, forcing more than 100,000 people to abandon their homes and causing widespread flight cancellations and heavy ash falls in Manila.

Australia locks out thousands more citizens as virus slip-ups mount (Washington Post) Facing outbreaks of the contagious delta variant and a floundering vaccination campaign, Australia moved Friday to further seal itself off from the world as its earlier success in tackling the coronavirus continued to unravel. Officials agreed to halve the number of people permitted to enter the nation under an already strict border policy that bars entry to nearly everyone except returning citizens, residents and their immediate families, who must quarantine for two weeks in a hotel at their own expense. Unlike many countries where the virus has long circulated in the community, Australia has pursued an aggressive suppression strategy of zero transmission, with low tolerance for even single-digit daily cases. Effective July 14, the number of international arrivals will be cut to about 3,000 a week, dimming repatriation hopes for some 34,000 Australians stranded overseas and many more who want to visit their loved ones but can’t get on a flight. The approach—which Morrison indicated would persist at least until year-end—has earned the country the tags “hermit kingdom” and “Fortress Australia.”

Railguns (AP) The U.S. Navy has mothballed its electromagnetic railgun program after spending around $500 million on R&D for the weapon, which uses electricity to fire projectiles at seven times the speed of sound. Instead, they’re funding hypersonic missiles, directed energy systems and electronic warfare. The key issue was that the operating range of 110 miles meant that a ship with a railgun would be in range of missiles, so, whoops. Another problem is that while a normal gun can be fired 600 times before needing a refurbished barrel, the prototype railgun had to be replaced anywhere between a dozen or two dozen shots.

[am-chetansingh]

Women and Society Justice: why we need them to be on equal footing?

These days, we can observe that The Republic of India is divided in different parts, as Rural India, Urban India and Modern India out of which, Modern India is considered as the developing India while Rural India and Urban India are still in phase to be considered as part of developing India. In modern India we can see that the male dominance is not that much effective, as it is still in Rural and Urban part of India but, as we know that people from Rural India and Urban India are still spending their lives as their ancestor did. So, they are still following the same tradition and rules.

Don’t you think Rural India and Urban India need to change their life style and thought that they have inherited from their forefather?

India is considered as nation having male dominance, where male have so many rights while female have limited rights like right to education, which is mostly available to male while females are considered to learn household work, because after marriage females are responsible to manage household tasks and give birth to next generation and fulfill the need of new born child and family. But as it is mentioned in social rules and also in religious books that mother is the first teacher of a child. So, why the first teacher of child have no right to education?

Right to education can save lives of women and girl, because of their lack of empowerment and resources in many places, women and girls face life-threatening risks. Natural disasters are one example. At the 2005 World Conference on Disaster Reduction, experts discussed how gender inequality plays a role in death and injury. Other data shows that climate change, which makes natural disasters more dangerous, puts women and girls in even more vulnerable positions. Bringing a gender perspective into discussions allows women to play a bigger role in their own protection.

Right to education results in better healthcare, research shows that in general, women receive worse medical care than men. There are many reasons for this, including lack of education and lower incomes. Sexism in the medical research community also leads to worse care. Diseases that affect women more than men (such as chronic pain conditions) aren’t as well-researched. They’re often not taken as seriously by medical professionals. When women are equal in society, their health will be impacted positively.

Educated women or girl helps in businesses, when women receive the same education and job opportunities as men, they can improve any organization they join. Studies show that diversity of all types (gender, race, sexual identity, etc) increases an organization’s productivity and innovation. One 2016 study from the University of California looked at big companies in the state with some women in the top leadership positions. They performed better than the companies with mostly men at the top. Today, India’s leading service providing company Tata Consultancy Services have 33 percent women work force in their corporate business and now the company have new target to have 50 percent women in work force at international level.

Educated women or girl is good for the economy, women’s impact doesn’t stop with individual companies and organizations. Studies show that increasing women’s participation in the economy is good for the economy. In OECD countries, if the female employment rates were raised to match Sweden, it would lead to a GDP increase equivalent to $6 trillion. Gender pay gaps end up costing the economy.

Children of educated mother are healthier than children of illiterate mother, when women make their own reproductive choices, they provide better care for the children they do have. With income options equal to men, mothers can offer education, healthcare, and healthier food to their children. Studies also show that reduced infant mortality is linked to higher levels of education. Children raised in gender-equal environments will do better than those raised with inequality.

Gender Equality leads to better legal protections, under the law, women aren’t well-protected from domestic sexual and economic violence. Both of these types of violence affect a woman’s safety and freedom. Increasing women’s legal rights keeps them safe and able to build productive happy lives.

Equal footing leads to better racial equality, gender equality and race equality are closely linked. Within issues like the gender pay gap, race plays a big role. White and Asian women earn more than black, Hispanic, and native women. In the United States, black women face a higher risk of death from pregnancy-related causes. When gender equality considers race as a factor, it improves race equality at the same time.

Education reduces poverty, as poverty rates are the highest among young girls. As boys and girls get older, the gender gap in poverty gets larger. This is likely because girls don’t receive the same education and job opportunities as boys, and when girls marry, they often don’t work. Gender inequality keeps women and their families trapped in cycles of poverty. When women receive better education, healthcare, and job opportunities, they can thrive. Investing in gender inequality is a sustainable, highly-effective way to reduce poverty.

Literacy for women and girl reduces human trafficking, while men are also victims of human trafficking, women and girls make up the majority. They’re more vulnerable and traffickers see them as easier targets. With better education and job options, women and girls don’t end up in trafficking situations as often. Gender equality can also help strengthen a country, reducing poverty and instability. These fuel human trafficking.

Research shows that gender equality is linked to peace, even more so than a country’s GDP or level of democracy. States with better gender equality are less likely to use military force. When a country addresses major areas of gender inequality like education and employment, it fosters peace. We can check the situations arises due to gender inequality in our neighboring like Pakistan and Bangladesh where we can practically observe all the issues mentioned in above paragraphs.

As conclusion we can say that, education plays a vital role in development of a female child, which leads to development of country economy, which leads to development of better future of coming generations. Educated male is educated for him self while an educated girl is a source of educated family.

[informative-feminist]

Abortion Masterpost: How To Argue Pro Choice

Lately, I’ve seen a lot of faulty pro choice arguments, so I just want to review a couple of points that we should be making. This post will be followed up by examples and deconstructions of faulty pro choice arguments as well. (Note: bold = anti choice argument, regular text = pro)

1) “Abortion is murder!!”

- There are three ways to define life: a) any being with cells, b) two or more fertilized human cells, or c) a born person, and possibly a viable fetus. Ask the anti which definition they’re using (we already know that) and ask them to explain, in medical terms, where and why they believe life begins wherever they believe it does. 

- If you reach an agreement with them that a fetus is alive (which very well may happen - there’s no denying that even blastocysts are alive, even if they aren’t people with human rights), it’s time to get into legal terms. For starters, abortion cannot possibly be murder, because murder is: 

Intentional. Murder is the intentional taking of a human life; however, this argument is flawed because the purpose of abortion is not to kill, but rather to make a pregnant person no longer pregnant. If there were a way to make a pregnant person un-pregnant instantly without the fetus dying, that would be great - but there isn’t. Fetuses simply aren’t viable when 99% of abortions take place, and pregnancies can’t be transferred. 

Premeditated. In this one, yes, you could argue that abortion is “premeditated” in that it is usually planned out in the form of an appointment at a clinic. But that is irrelevant because murder must also be: 

Done out of malice. Sorry, anti-choicers, but people don’t walk into an abortion clinic thinking, ‘gee, am I excited to kill that damn fetus today!’. They just don’t. People don’t have abortions out of a desire to hurt an embryo - people have abortions because they don’t want to be pregnant. 

If something does not meet these three conditions, it cannot legally be considered murder. Thus, abortion is definitely the termination of a pregnancy, but seeing as that the intent is termination and not killing, it is by no means murder. 

2) But the impact is the same! Even if it’s not murder, it still ends a human life!!

Yes, it does result in the death of a zygote, embryo, or fetus. We can agree on that. See Bodily Autonomy at the very bottom, or check out these posts. X X X

3) But what about adoption?!?! 

Adoption is a great option for people who don’t want to raise a child, but it doesn’t do much for people who do not or cannot be pregnant for nine months. It’s a way to avoid having to raise a child, but it still means a person has to carry a pregnancy for nine months. 

4) Yeah, well we’re talking your comfort for nine months vs. a human life!! 

Pregnancy is incredibly taxing on the body and people with physical or mental health conditions may not be able to handle pregnancy. Straight from the US National Library of Medicine: The pregnancy-associated mortality rate among women who delivered live neonates was 8.8 deaths per 100,000 live births. The mortality rate related to induced abortion was 0.6 deaths per 100,000 abortions. The risk of death associated with childbirth is approximately 14 times higher than that with abortion.

5) But the chances of the mother dying are so slim, but with abortion, the chance of the fetus dying is 100%! It’s better to risk one human life than to deliberately, certainly terminate another. 

That is not your decision to make. Period. Who do you think you are, to tell someone you don’t even know that they should risk their lives in order to push out a baby in nine months? If people don’t want to risk their own life, that’s a perfectly acceptable and understandable choice that they can make with no moral qualms.

6) Well, they consented to this risk when they had sex. If they didn’t want to get pregnant, maybe they should have kept their legs closed! 

a) So, how so you feel about rape victims who get abortions? Do you support a rape exception for abortion? 

b) Just like consent to kissing is not consent to sex, or like consent to driving in a car is not consent to being killed in a car accident, consent to sex is not consent to pregnancy. Consent is not transferable (aka. consent to one thing is not consent to another) and by implying that it is, you are actively contributing to rape culture.  

c) Acknowledging the risk of something is not the same thing as consenting to that risk. Every day, when I get in my car, I acknowledge the risk that I could be killed in a car accident while on the road. But if I should, indeed, get in an accident, I would not be denied medical care simply because “maybe I should have walked instead”. Even if I wasn’t wearing a seatbelt at the time the accident occurred, nobody would deny me lifesaving surgery just because I was irresponsible and failed to protect myself. 

7) Yes, of course I support a rape exception. Rape victims are traumatized. 

How is a fetus conceived in rape any different than a fetus concieved in consensual sex? I thought we were worried about the fetus, the “unborn child”, the “innocent life”. Suddenly, the value of that life is contingent upon the way it was conceived? That doesn’t sound like your priority is saving as many fetuses as possible. That sounds like your priority is policing people’s sex lives to fit your own moral standards. 

Second of all, how would that work logistically? How do you prove a rape? Most sexual assaults that go to court (3.5% of reported rapes and 1.1% of total rapes) take well over nine months to reach conviction (and only 63% of cases that go to court lead to a conviction - see link above). The thing is, pregnancy is only nine months long and it would be nearly impossible to report and prove a rape, as well as have an abortion, within that time frame. 

The only other option in this case would be to believe everyone who seeks an abortion because they have been raped - but if the law were to only provide a rape exception for abortion, I can guarantee you that the rate of false rape accusations would go up. People would believe victims even less than they do now, and rape would almost become normalized because accusations would be so common (and for good reason). 

Bottom line: the goal of “pro-lifers”, especially those who support a rape exception, is to punish people who choose to have sex. 

8) I don’t punish people who have sex! It’s called taking responsibility. I just have a problem with people who have unprotected sex - people who are blatantly irresponsible - and then choose to get an abortion. They even use it as birth control, killing innocent babies so they can go to the club and whore around! (Yes, this is an actual argument I have heard). 

First off: abortion is a very responsible choice to make when faced with an unwanted pregnancy. Even if a couple did choose to have unprotected sex and was faced with pregnancy, abortion is one of three equally responsible choices - parenting, adoption, and, of course, abortion. 

Second: behaving irresponsibly does not warrant a violation of bodily autonomy. Nothing a person can do, warrants their human rights being stripped from them - including in the form of forced pregnancy. 

By the way, forced pregnancy is considered torture by the United Nations (pg. 10, paragraphs 45-50). So yeah, if you’re advocating for forced pregnancy, you’re promoting torture.

Question time: would you be okay with a married person getting an abortion, provided they and their partner were using both condoms and the Pill, but both had failed? Would you be okay with a 20-year-old woman who had a one night stand of unprotected sex and needed an abortion? If you truly really only care about protecting the fetuses, your answer shouldn’t vary at all. 

                      The Argument of Bodily Autonomy 

There’s one last argument - and one of the most popular ones among experienced pro choice advocates - that was not covered in these 8 points. Why? Because really, you can throw in the bodily autonomy argument anywhere, anytime, during an abortion debate. It’s always relevant, because that’s the core of the issue. 

Essentially: as a society, we clearly prioritize bodily autonomy over life. That’s why you can’t be forced to donate blood or bone marrow (even if you are the reason the person needs a donation - for example, if you caused a serious car accident and the other driver needed a blood transfusion, you still could not be forced to donate blood). That’s why rape is wrong - it is a violation of bodily autonomy. Abortion is no different. The fetus is a guest in someone’s body, and regardless of whether it ‘asked’ to be there or not (it didn’t), if the pregnant person decides that the fetus is no longer welcome, then it needs to go.

The bodily autonomy argument is great because you can give anti choicers almost everything they want: you can assume that fetuses are sentient people, you can assume they have full human rights… and even then, they do not have the right to use another person’s body for nutrition, for shelter, without the pregnant person’s continuous consent. No human has that right - in order for the fetus to be able to be above bodily autonomy, it would have to be superhuman (which goes against the personhood argument that anti choicers love so much). 

Bottom line: We cannot have a free society if people do not have control over their bodies. 

Now, this post doesn’t cover all the anti choice arguments you’ll hear. But it does cover the main ones, and hopefully gives you the tools to fight back against them. Good luck!