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thegeminisage · 3 years

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birthday meta for the birthday boy <3

[this version of the meta is behind a cut. if you’d prefer the no-cut version, it’s here.]

a fun little fanon from Ye Olde Days of spn (when seasons 1-5 were airing) was that sam always had the absolute worst birthdays. a big part of this is because sam’s birthday is in may. supernatural tends to align itself with “real time,” meaning that they like to use either the date the episode was filmed or the date it aired as the in-universe date, even when two canon dates conflict each other. (they’re so intent on doing this that they pretended the gap years between s5 & s6 and s7 & s8 right out of existence - season openers also usually tend to pick up right after season finales in-universe but still somehow be set several months later.) that means sam’s birthday tends to line up with the airdates on either season finales or episodes right before the finales, which means that every time sam gets a year old, shit hits the fan.

here’s a list of things that did happen or could have happened on some of sam's birthdays:

0-22: we don’t have much in the way as far as concrete dates go for preseries stuff, but it’s perfectly possible sam walked out all that bullshit the day he turned 18, even if i prefer to think he left at age 19 as that aligns rather tragically with some adam-related canon.

23: we don’t have any dates for the end of s1/opening of s2 either, but it’s likely that sam’s birthday took place between 1.20 (dead man’s blood) and 2.01 (in my time of dying). he could have been doing anything from hunting vampires to saving one of YED’s special children to almost shooting his possessed father to getting hit by a semi to using a ouija board to talk to his not-quite-dead brother.

24: here’s where the real fun starts >:) sam died in cold oak in 2.21 (all breaks loose pt 1) and in the episode he says he’s 23. but according to the lore (extra-canonical material), dean made the deal to bring him back on his 24th birthday...

25: ...which means that on his 25th birthday, he was forced to watch dean get dragged to hell...

25b: ...except that sam had TWO 25th birthdays, because mystery spot took place in february, and sam lived in an alternate timeline where dean stayed dead for 6 months, putting him well past may 2nd. which meant that the first time he turned 25, he was actually getting tortured by gabriel. while his brother was getting tortured (or torturing someone else) in hell.

26: 4.20 (the rapture) took place in very late april/very early may (the wiki says may 3, but that’s just a guess), and 4.21 (when the levee breaks) picks up immediately where it left off. so it’s not only plausible but EXTREMELY LIKELY that sam was locked up in the panic room suffering withdrawals when he turned 26, dude

26b: ...except that in 11.17 (safe house), bobby and rufus’s half of the episode presumably takes place at the same time during season 4, and he mentions sam and dean are in reno?? so you know they could have been doing that instead.

27: we have no hard and fast dates for the end of season 5, but it’s my personal headcanon that sam’s birthday took place during 5.22 (swan song), and he beat the devil and leapt into hell on the day he turned 27 - because at this point, why not. however, his birthday could also have taken place during either 5.20 (the devil you know) or 5.21 (two minutes to midnight), meaning he was reconfronting his old college pal who turned out to be a demon brady, or helping bobby and a human cas destroy the factory with the croatoan virus.

28: there’s a gap year between s5 and s6, so sam’s 28th birthday took place while he was soulless, hunting with the campbell family...

28b: ...except spn likes to say “a year passed” without adding one to the calendar, so sam ALSO had a 28th birthday during the airing of s6. there’s some conflicting information about s6′s timeline, so this could have happened anywhere from 6.18 (frontierland) to 6.21 (let it bleed). sam could have been doing anything from time traveling to fighting eve to grappling with cas going dark side to rescuing lisa and ben.

29: sam’s 29th birthday almost definitely took place during 7.20 (the girl with the dungeons and dragons tattoo), during which he met charlie. in case you’ve forgotten, that was actually a great day for him - in a moment of true little brother antics and justifiable homophobia, he got to laugh at dean gay flirting with the security guard.

30: there was another gap year between s7 and s8, which means that sam spent the big three-oh with amelia richardson while dean and cas were in purgatory. he got to have a picnic!

30b: ...but since spn ignores gap years, sam ALSO had a 30th birthday during s8 (a big season for him). there isn’t an exact date for the episodes leading up to the finale, which takes place in late may, after sam’s birthday, so his birthday could have taken place in either 8.21 (the great escapist), where he nearly died of his trial-induced fever and confessed to dean that he always felt unclean, or during 8.22 (clip show), where he met sarah blake again after nearly a decade, only to have her die right in front of him.

31: the s9 timeline is pretty vague, but the best guess for this one is 9.18 (meta fiction), in which sam finally gets to confront gadreel, the angel who possessed him and killed kevin with his hands

32: the s10 timeline is also short on dates, so sam’s birthday could have taken place anywhere between 10.16 (paint it black) and 10.21 (dark dynasty). a few possible things sam could have been doing: dealing with a hunt involving soulless people, helping cas and bobby break metatron out of heaven’s prison, catching up with charlie and giving rowena the book of the damned, battling the cursed werther house (don’t click that unless you’ve seen the episode, the twist is TOO good), reuniting claire with her mom, or building charlie’s pyre.

33: the last quarter or so of s11 happens really quickly sequentially, every episode picking up soon after the last one left off, which means that sam’s birthday either took place at the very end of the season or the beginning of s12. it’s most likely he turned 33 either the day dean saved the sun and sam himself got shot and kidnapped by toni bevell, or a few days later when he was being held captive and tortured in her basement.

34: unfortunately, sam’s 34th birthday almost definitely took place during 12.21 (there’s something about mary). i was really hoping it’d be 12.22 so he could be kicking the bmol’s asses, learning lucifer was back, and hugging mary, but no...instead he was mostly likely learning that ketch had had eileen killed.

35: because of some weird canon, the timeline for season 13 is actually batshit insane and makes no sense whatsoever, which means sam’s birthday is really early this season - either during 13.17 (the thing) where he rescues his brother from a frisky tentacle monster or 13.18 (bring ‘em back alive) where he hangs out with gabriel and cas in the bunker. since that’s garbage, you’d be forgiven for ignoring canon and pretending sam’s birthday fell on one of the following episodes - 13.19 (funeralia) is very touching, as he and rowena clash and then make up with each other; 13.21 (beat the devil) has sam capturing lucifer, then dying and getting revived and captured by him; 13.22 has sam getting a little revenge by leaving lucifer for dead; 13.23, of course, has lucifer finally dying for good.

36: there’s no dates whatsoever on the back half of s14, so theoretically sam’s birthday could take place in any episode after 14.13 (lebanon). the likeliest and COOLEST candidate is for sam to turn 36 during 14.20, in which he shoots god himself point blank. other admittedly inferior scenarios include his stint as justin the 50s househusband, mary’s death, or putting jack in the ma’lak box.

37: we saw this birthday happen onscreen during 15.14 (last holiday) at a party thrown by mrs. butters. unfortunately, not too long after that, she wound up torturing him by pulling out his fingernails.

38: that’s this year! because the timeline of s15 is also so weird and vague, partially fucked up by covid changing the shooting/airing times, and because sam’s birthday is SO early in s15, it’s possible that he has another one this season, right at the end, or maybe post-canon, which means............................................

...................................................that he’s spending it with dean and jack and the newly revived eileen and cas, in the bunker or somewhere else he feels safe and loved :)

happy birthday, sam winchester <3 after all the unhappy ones...u deserve it

[spn masterpost]

#sam winchester #supernatural #liz's meta #liz's spn stuff #long post #never in my life have i had to fight so hard to post a meta #tumblr tried to delete this TWO TIMES

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coffeewaff1e · 4 years

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It’s been a really disappointing off-season thus far. We’ve had Charles, Pierre and Lando getting COVID-19. They were all on holiday and some were seen without their masks on. Barring from strenuous activities like sand surfing, I don’t mind the no masks part.

But the fact is, they weren’t even supposed to be on holiday in the first place. If you’re there for the rest of the off season, then I’m fine with it, but they weren’t.

Lando was with his brother and friends. When he got it, his brother and friends were still able to go out and ice skate. They should’ve done the responsible thing and self-isolate because there’s no way in hell will I believe that Lando wasn’t physically in contact with them before getting it.

Charles had the liger incident which I won’t get into because it’s not the point of this post. It’s still wrong and I don’t condone what he did. But there are photos of him with the locals with no masks on and before we know it, he’s posting about having the disease.

Pierre, I don’t keep up with him so I only know he was on holiday doing sand surfing and such, eventually getting it. There was something he said that really disappointed and infuriated me, which was:

“That is quite frustrating. It feels like you’re in a cage, where you don’t really have the freedom to see people.

I’m going to make up for this during the winter, we don’t know what’s going to happen next season either. Maybe the situation is still the same. I hope we can have a slightly better social life during the winter.”

How can you say that when you’re travelling for your job? Ya you can’t see anybody but you're out of the house, you’re around so many team personnel, acquaintances, friends! There are people who’ve lost their jobs or had to stay home throughout the whole pandemic WHICH IS STILL GOING ON. Make up for it during winter? So basically staying safe and responsible throughout the season, which y’all said was important, is just chucked out of the window because y’all didn’t have to worry about your jobs anymore, missing a race weekend and such.

It’s disgusting to me.

Then there’s George, Daniel and Lewis. George was at the beach without a mask, which like...okay in the water I don’t expect you to have a mask, but why y’all on holiday? Isn’t it a lockdown in his country?

Daniel was in LA, where thousands of cases are still being reported and he was wearing a bandana. Like...wear a proper mask? How dumb can you be when you’re in the hotspot of cases? He did a video with Rhude but I don’t care that the video was filmed under COVID-19 guidelines because the area is still dangerous. If you’re in a place with low cases, then I honestly wouldn’t mind because the risk of transmission is low.

Lewis was just recently seen without a mask in LA and people are excusing it by saying he’s just walking down the street. Man is not immune to it just cause he caught it once okay. The disease is not only transmitted through close contact, it is also AIRBORNE. So what happens when you don’t have a mask??

I’m honestly really mad and pissed off over the actions of the drivers. Dan is one of my favourites, I am soooo into that Australian and I’m just sad this happened because my respect just went down for him and the rest.

My interest in F1 has waned because I felt like, why should I watch something with a bunch of people who don’t care for the lives of others? Endangering them? I’m so conflicted over this to be honest.

I’ve just read too many accounts of people losing their loved ones, losing their jobs, being overwhelmed with the amount of death they witness everyday and so much more that I just...can’t brush it off. It’s just performative activism for some of these drivers. They’re so privileged that they don’t know how it actually is. The fact that they still have a job is good enough. The fact that they are TRAVELLING AROUND THE WORLD for their job is a bonus. The fact that they went on holiday during a pandemic is just pure privilege.

I’m disappointed in these drivers and most of them are supposed to be the next generation of drivers that people look up to. It’s sad.

They already didn’t care about it before and now that they’ve gotten it and fortunately had no lasting consequences, are they just gonna say fuck it?? Disregard it even more??

I’m not up to reply anything regarding this honestly. There’s no excuse, there’s nothing to be said.

#f1 #lewis hamilton #charles leclerc #lando norris #pierre gasly #george russell #daniel ricciardo #formula 1 #formula one

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stardustxquirk · 3 years

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Cheer Up! You Can Still Enjoy Christmas Holiday at Home

‘‘Tis the season to be jolly’ so ‘From now on, your troubles will be out of sight’. At least, it is what Christmas songs say and we can make it come true by doing these holiday-vibes activities under your roofs.

I remember when I was in third grade, the only holiday I looked forward to was Christmas time. Imagining myself decorating the Christmas tree on my father’s shoulder to put the star at the top of it, finding gifts under the tree from Santa Claus, praying for the snowfall in a rainy December in Jakarta—I was in third grade, okay—and building a snowman with Batik as a shawl to make it look like a friendly local neighbor were really fun things to do. Though I couldn’t make all my imaginations come true, I have always had a happy Christmas time from year to year.

For instance, one unforgettable moment was when my family gathered up in the living room, enjoyed our feast along with cute mini cookies and sang our hearts out to the Christmas songs. Also, the best part of Christmas time is when you get the chance to see numerous Christmas trees decorated creatively with compelling accessories. Really, Christmas is a season to let our hearts be light before the year ends.

However, for almost the last two years, we are experiencing an ongoing pandemic which makes our activities shifted from face-to-face to face-to-screen of our devices. Every holiday season feels the same as weekdays because there are travel restrictions and social gathering norms in places. Just like the Christmas holiday, which we have been through in 2020, this year might stay still since the government removed the extensive national holiday to prevent the spread of Covid-19 as the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Johnny G. Plate said, “We hope that people will understand this policy and don't need to travel if it's not urgent.”

In this case, the shopping malls, restaurants, parks, carnival, and other public places will not have the same look as it always does during this Christmas time. The usual crowd of people along with lined-up streets with beautiful festive lights will be missing. And yes, this year is going to be another holiday at home. But it does not mean that we cannot have a jolly Christmas season. With a little bit of creativity, we can still enjoy our holiday by making a memorable Christmas time safely at home like what I did for last year’s holiday. Just as a professor of educational psychology at the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, James C. Kaufman said, "The process of being creative does a whole bunch of really good things for us—physically and mentally.”

Clean up and decorate your home

Some say that home is where the heart is and we, indeed, want to take care of the place for our hearts. And a full-time blogger, Kalyn Brooke says that “keeping a clean home gives you literal and mental space to work, and allows you to focus exclusively on the task at hand.” So, cleaning up our home might be the first step to make a comfortable environment to enjoy our holiday season during Christmas. After that, you can decorate it with glittering lights, ribbons, sparkling balls, stars, and figurines that will brighten up the mood. Do not forget to get yourself a plain Christmas tree, either a big or small one, and decorate it together with your family.

Online Shopping

Everything does shift from offline to online, including shopping. By an instant click, now we can order almost all the needed things as “Online shops give us the opportunity to shop 24/7, and also reward us with a ‘no pollution’ shopping experience,” said Anamika S. Jain, a social media consultant. Since Christmas time is coming soon, you can buy home and Christmas tree decorations online or order gifts for your loved ones. Just like my mother who got me a portable personal computer as a Christmas gift last year. Online shopping is an efficient option during this time.

Switch outdoor activities into indoor ones

In order to keep ourselves healthy, we need to obey the rules and regulations by staying at home. And to keep the enlightenment from this Christmas holiday season, we can bring some outdoor activities to our home. For instance, try to cook some delicious meals for ourselves to change the restaurant's meals, ask your family members to watch movies together to avoid crowded place, play board games—you can buy it in e-commerce—or make your own DIY games, and look for new hobbies such as gardening, knitting, making beads bracelet or paper quilling. When we're focused on such an activity, "we're not thinking about any negative thoughts or fears or worries," said James C. Kaufman. I, myself, have found a hobby that is both relaxing and fun at the same time, namely journaling.

Keep in touch through screens

We are doing a lot of video calls with friends and family during this time. Besides asking how their life is, we can make it more exciting by playing some fun games over video calls. Games like Bingo, Pictionary, UNO, or 20 Questions can be played on video conference platforms. I personally like to play UNO and Werewolf games with friends over Google Meet.

Christmas is that time of the year which most people wait for enthusiastically. All around the world celebrate it with various unique ways to keep the enlightenment from this season. Although this year’s Christmas time will be another different sense of holiday, let us ensure that we will enjoy this holiday season joyfully. This kind of Christmas will be the one we will remember for years to come. Make it as special as you can since ‘tis the season to be jolly.

//adiva donna maharani

#christmas #christmasholiday #staysafestayhome #athome #feature #introduction to creative writing

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cozy-the-overlord · 4 years

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So I lost a family member to covid yesterday.

He was very old and very immunocompromised, and so we all had a feeling that a positive test would probably be a death sentence. Because of covid, his family couldn’t physically be with him during the last few weeks of his life.

I wasn’t going to post about this, but looking at the rising covid cases where I live (we’ve been having 13000+ new cases a day in my county alone) and simultaneously watching people going about their lives pretending not to see any of it in favor of having “a normal holiday season,” I just wanted to remind people what’s going on here. Not wearing a mask, disregarding social distancing protocols, having big holiday parties (like the people up my street have been doing)— these things are killing people. The “I’m heathy so it doesn’t matter if I get covid” mindset is killing people. I know the holidays are nearly upon us, and I know for a lot of people spending them alone is just a horribly depressing concept, but please, think about what you’re doing before you get on that plane ride home. There are people who because of actions like that will never get to spend the holidays with their families ever again.

So yeah. Like I said, I wasn’t going to post about this because I really didn’t want to feel like I was fishing for sympathy or attention, but reading news headlines today was really frustrating. Sorry for getting so depressing— I hope all of you and your families are staying safe and healthy.

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lovemesomesurveys · 4 years

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Are you still in quarantine/under stay at home order? (if you're taking this during Covid-19, that is) The state isn’t, but I am.

Has stuff been opening back up where you are? Yeah. Although, now dining in isn’t an option again in my area.

What have you missed most that you haven't been able to do due to Covid-19? I didn’t do much even before all this, but I did like going grocery shopping with my mom and going to the movies, which we did quite often. And now with it being summer I’m really sad I can’t go to the beach. Beach days were the only thing I liked about summer. I could still go shopping with my mom and go to the beach, but I just don’t feel safe or comfortable going out in public and being around people right now when the number of cases are still so high and continue to rise. It makes me extremely anxious and scared. It doesn’t help that my state is a hotspot.

What state do you live in? California.

Do you personally know anyone who has had Covid-19? Yes. She actually ended up recovering from that, testing negative later on, but she died recently from complications caused by it. She was on dialysis and after she got sick, even though she got better, it affected her kidneys and she had to stop dialysis. Once that happens, it’s not long after that you pass away. She was my grandma’s best friend, thus a very close family friend. :( She was the sweetest, caring, kindhearted person.

Have you had it? (or think you might have?) No, not so far. Although, whenever I feel crappy or cough for any reason my mind automatically goes there. It’s not unusual for me not to feel well and have days where I’m feeling extra crappy, but nowadays I have to play the game: is it my normally crappiness or something else? :/ I also have dry mouth and my throat tends to get dry in the summer anyway and ugh again it’s something normal for me but I have to wonder about that, too.

Do you know anyone who is a healthcare worker? No. Well, apart from my doctors obviously.

Have you still been working these past few months or not? I don’t have a job. I wasn’t working prior to this either.

If you weren't working, are you still in school? No, thankfully. I graduated UC 5 years ago, so I’ve been done way before this started. What is/was your major in college? I majored in psych.

Or if you're not in college yet, what do you want to study?

If your school closed due to Covid-19, do you miss it?

What are you most excited about when life goes (somewhat) back to normal? It’s hard for me to even see that point right now. I know people think I sound like a Negative Nancy, but I think I’m just being real. It’s goings to be a long time before we get to a point where we don’t have to have this virus looming over our heads everyday. It’s been kicking our ass. It’s never going to go away, it will likely be like the flu in that we have a covid season, but I pray we get to the point where we can get under control and managed. A point where there’s a vaccine and effective medication. But like I said, that’s going to take time. Masks may be the new way of life for many of us.

Did Covid-19 impact any major plans you had for this spring/summer? No beach trips or birthday vacay. :( That’s not important, I know, but I am still sad about it.

Do you collect anything? Key chains and giraffe stuffed animals and knicknacks.

What's the name of your favorite restaurant? (chain or local) Wingstop.

What is your favorite thing to order when you eat there? I get takeout, but anyway I love their boneless garlic parm and lemon pepper wings with their ranch.

Have you still been able to get food from there during Covid-19? Yes. I always got takeout anyway, so that hasn’t been any different for me.

Are you planning on eating there anytime soon when they reopen? I’ll say it a 3rd time haha I just get it to go and eat at home.

Have you discovered any good new music during quarantine? Yeah, but not because I’m in quarantine. That implies I’ve done so because I’ve been home and had more time to do so or only did so because I didn’t have anything to do. I’ve spent most of my time at home the past few years, not just this year.

What's a new song you've been loving lately? (not necessarily newly released, just something you've recently discovered) Lately I’ve been getting new music from TikToks. A couple recent ones are Dream Girl by Ir Sais and Summer Days by Martin Garrix ft. Macklemore and Patrick Stump.

Have you been able to keep in touch with friends during this time? I don’t have any friends, so that hasn’t been an issue.

What is your favorite Starbucks drink? White chocolate mocha, caramel macchiato, and their fall and winter seasonal drinks.

Do you prefer Starbucks or a local coffee shop? Just give me coffeeee.

What was your favorite TV show when you were a kid? do you still ever watch it? I had a lot of favorites. Some I still watch like Boy Meets World, Full House, Family Matters, Disney Channel shows like That’s So Raven, Lizzie McGuire, The Proud Family, Hannah Montana, etc (thanks to Disney+) and old Nick shows like Rugrats, Doug, and Hey Arnold. I recently found out Hulu has Step by Step, so I’ll be watching that again at some point.

Have you been watching a lot of movies during quarantine? >> No more than I would be usually, since my daily life didn’t change as dramatically as most people’s did. But yeah. <<< Yeah, I’ve gotten into a few new shows and binge watched a few old ones during this time, but again I wouldn’t contribute that to quarantine cause I would have been home majority of the time still anyway.

What is your favorite Disney movie? Alice in Wonderland, Winnie the Pooh, and Toy Story are among the top

Do you have Disney plus? Yep. That’s how I watch those old Disney shows I mentioned before.

Are you a fan of Hamilton? I’ve never seen it.

Are you planning to watch Hamilton on Disney plus? I have thought about checking it out, so we’ll see.

Have you seen Hamilton live? (Broadway or elsewhere) Like I said, I’ve never seen it.

What is your favorite musical? Sweeney Todd.

Have you watched any musicals online recently? No. Or ever.

What was the last live performance you went to before quarantine? I saw Phantom of the Opera 3 years ago.

What was the best concert you've ever been to? All the concerts I went to were awesome. Man, it’s been over 10 years now since my last concert I really miss ‘em.

Do you volunteer anywhere? No. I’ve volunteered at a few places in the past, though.

What is your favorite movie on Netflix? >> ??? There are... so many movies on Netflix. <<<

Did you relocate due to Covid-19? No.

What is one positive thing about the past few months for you? Uhhh.

Do you prefer streaming music or buying it? I stream it.

Do you use Spotify? Yep.

What was the last book you read? I recently started The Girl and the Deadly End by AJ Rivers. It’s the final book in a 7 book series.

Have you been baking during quarantine? Nope.

What is your favorite thing to bake? It’s been a few years since I’ve done any baking. I used to love it during the holidays.

Do you enjoy doing crafts? I think they can be fun, but they’re not something I do very often at all. I lack the artistic ability, creativity, inspiration, motivation, and energy.

Have you ever done crafts for money? No.

Do you shop on Etsy? Yes. I love Etsy.

Have you ever sold anything on Etsy? Nope.

What song are you listening to right now? I’m not listening to music, I’m listening to an ASMR video.

What genre of music is your favorite? I like a variety of music.

Can you speak any foreign languages? Not fluently, but I know some Spanish.

What is/was your favorite class in school? I always enjoyed English and then later on in college I enjoyed most of my psych classes as well.

Who was your favorite teacher most recently? I’ve been done with school for 5 years now.

What is the lock screen and home screen on your phone? The lock screen is a photo of the ocean with a Bible verse on it and my home screen is a rose gold background.

Do you play Animal Crossing? Yeppp.

Do you have any pets? What kind? What is/are your pet(s) name(s)? I have a 3 year old German Shepherd/Lab mix named Princess Leia. <3

what is a song lyric you love? >> Right, I’m definitely not going to think of that off the top of my head right now. <<< Haha, right. Not to mention, I have a ton of favorite lyrics.

Have you done anything recently to support Black Lives Matter? I’ve signed petitions.

Are there any songs you feel transport you to a world that doesn't exist? Jason Mraz songs were kinda like that. Haha. It seemed like he lived in some whimsical fantasyland.

What songs do that for you? “but my breath fogged up glass, and so I drew a new face and I laughed” lol okay Jason Mraz. Haha that’s the only thing coming to mind right now. It’s almost 7AM okay I can’t think.

What is your favorite ethnicity/cuisine of food? Italian.

What are some popular things that you don't like/aren't interested in? Hmm. What’s even popular right now? I’m out of the loop.

When was the last time you got a haircut? Back in February.

What was the last movie (or musical) you watched? Ferris Bueller’s Day Off the other day.

What was the last movie you saw in the theatre? The Invisible Man.

How soon are you planning on going back to work? (If you've been off) I don’t have a job, remember?

What is an item you own that means a lot to you? I’ll always cherish my giraffe stuffed animals and knickknacks.

Do you have a favorite t-shirt? All of my graphic tees.

What other proshot musicals would you love to see streaming online? You sure love musicals. I like a few musicals, sure, but I’m not super into them like you seem to be. There aren’t any right now that I want to see that I can think of. Well, apart from maybe checking out Hamilton. What is something you're looking forward to? Summer being over.

How do you plan on celebrating Covid-19 being over, whenever that is? >> The problem with this idea is that... it’s not that simple? From what I understand, it’s not like one day we’re all gonna say “that’s it! we’ve officially eradicated this virus from the earth and we will never have to worry about it again!” I’m guessing it’s going to be a slow process of reopening with a lot of false starts and rollbacks (as new waves crest and protective measures have to be re-implemented). Even that first day that I go out to a restaurant is probably going to feel really weird and even a little “wrong”. I’m not sure how much celebrating is really going to be happening. <<< All of this. Like I said earlier, it’s not ever going completely go away or be over. We’ll hopefully get it under control at some point and find an effective vaccine and medications and not have the fear of it constantly looming over us, but we got a long way to go. And when that does happen, I’ll still be cautious. It’s sure going to feel weird when I do feel comfortable to go out again, though. It felt so weird just going outside for a bit recently one night cause it was the first time I had been out of the house at all since my doctor appointment back in May. That was really weird and scary for me. Prior to that I hadn’t gone anywhere since early March. Sooo yeah. I clearly won’t be rushing out anywhere anytime soon.

#personal #text #survey #surveys

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z4howard · 4 years

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Just so I never forget..... April 4, 2020

-The national average for a gallon of gasoline is $1.98. ⛽

-School closed - remote learning/teaching. Teaching through Zoom. 🏫

-Socoal-distancing measures on the rise. ✋

-Tape on the floors at grocery stores and others to help distance shoppers (6ft) from each other. 🛒

-Limited number of people inside stores, therefore, lineups outside the store doors. 🚷

-Nonessential stores and businesses mandated closed. ⛔

-Parks, trails, entire cities locked up. 🚵‍♂️ 🚴‍♂️ 🧗‍♂️ 🏃‍♂️ 🚶‍♂️

-Entire sports seasons canceled. Like NBA, MLB, ALL sports! ⚾️ 🏀 🏈 🎾 ⚽️ 🏒 ⛳

-Concerts, tours, festivals, entertainment events - canceled. 🎪 🎠 🎡 🎥 🎞 📽 🎬 📺 🎭

-Weddings, family celebrations, holiday gatherings - canceled. Funerals limited to a specific number and being live streamed. 👰 🤰 ✈ 🛳 ⚰ 💒

-No masses, churches are all closed. During Easter season. ⛪ 🕌 🕍

-No gatherings of 50 or more, then 20 or more, now 10 or more, and even this is encouraged to be limited to immediate family. 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

-Don't socialize with anyone outside of your home. 🏠 🏡 🏘

-Children's outdoor play parks are closed. 🎪 🎡 🏕

-We are to distance from each other. Six feet! 6️⃣

-Shortage of masks, gowns, gloves for our frontline workers. 👨‍⚕️ 😷

-Shortage of ventilators for the critically ill. 🤒

-Panic buying sets in and we have no toilet paper, no disinfecting supplies, no paper towels, no laundry soap, no hand sanitizer. 🧻 🧼 🧴

-Shelves are bare. Hard to find beef, eggs, sugar, milk. Sending one family member to shop. 🍳 🥚 🥛

-Manufacturers, distilleries and other businesses switch their lines to help make visors, masks, hand sanitizer and PPE. 🏗

-Government closes the border to all non-essential travel. 🏛

-Fines are established for breaking the rules. 🚨

-Stadiums and recreation facilities open up for the overflow of Covid-19 patients. 🏟 💉 💊 🛏

-Big industries help make more ventilators, & more masks for hospitals. 🏢 🏣 🥽 🧤

-Press conferences daily from the President and the governors. Daily updates on new cases, recoveries, and deaths. 📢 📈 📡 📉 📺

-Government incentives to stay home. 🏛 💸

-Barely anyone on the roads. 🛣

-People wearing masks and gloves outside. 😷

-Essential service workers are terrified to go to work. 👩‍⚕️ 👮‍♂️ 👷‍♂️

-Medical field workers are afraid to go home to their families. 👨‍⚕️

-Happy hours taking place on Zoom. 🍻

This is the Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic, declared March 11th, 2020.

Why, you ask, do I post this?

One day it will show up in my memory feed, and it will be a yearly reminder that LIFE IS PRECIOUS and not to take the things we dearly love for granted.... hugs, social interaction - like the real kind verses the Zoom kind, sitting in a restaurant or in a coffee shop with a friend or family, going to a concert, chatting it up with a neighbor.

We truly have so much!

Be thankful. Be grateful.

Be kind to each other - love one another - support everyone.

We are all in this together! ❤️

Seek the good! Be the good!

Love well, Stay Safe...

1 note · View note

mikha7bloging · 3 years

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It might be hard to count our blessings in 2020, the year that may rank as the worst in history. The pandemic has imposed some new restrictions on our holiday rituals, but it can’t take away what's best about the season: the experience of gratitude, love, and connection.

COVID-conscious ideas for savoring the season safely, and spreading comfort and joy to our families, friends and community.

The holidays can be a stressful time for many of us. With the cloud of coronavirus hanging overhead, this year may be even harder.

give yourself permission to feel whatever emotion you’re feeling. Disappointment, sadness, worry, anger, or even grief -- any of those emotions may be natural or normal this year. Don’t beat yourself up if you’re not feeling jolly all the time. and, try to adjust your expectations. The holidays might not look like what we’re used to, but that can be OK. With a little flexibility and creativity, you can still find ways to show love and spread joy. Begin by asking yourself, “What is most meaningful and fulfilling to me?”. TO BE WITH MY LOVE ONES..

JANUARY

Christmas is, probably the most widely held celebration in the world. The day of the birth of Jesus Christ – actually, it probably wasn’t, but we’ll let that pass. The sharing of Christmas greetings is found at Christmas around the world.

Some people follow a traditional Christian approach to the festival. Others like to dip into some of the most wonderful aspects of the Christian element of the event, such as attending a Carol Service or going to Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. For some, it’s just an excuse to be merry and share time (and gifts) with family and friends

FEBRUARY

I'm not suggesting that religious worshippers shouldn't use caution. And I think there are times when it's best not to have services. However, for some physicians and even policy-makers, religion is viewed as something akin to a hobby. It is a thing that can be done, or not done, with no real consequence. I have seen physicians assert that churches only stay open to get offerings, or that they simply "sing, hold hands, and sway." And yet, the reality is far more nuanced than that. And far more essential to the lives of millions; no, billions of human beings.

Let me say by way of credential that my church stopped meeting for about three months in the spring. We had virtual church, worshipping from home. (And since we actually understand technology, we sent our offering electronically or by check, unimpeded.)

A couple of months ago services resumed but with distancing and with three services on Sunday instead of two. Members were extremely respectful of safety measures taken during the lockdown in terms of seating arrangements, an end to children's church classes, and how we were to enter and exit the church. We even stopped having coffee and donuts! That's dedication. Then, during a recent increase in regional cases, we stopped services once more.

MARCH

In order to conform with federal and state mandates for families to stay at home to diminish the spread of the corona virus, the families are in the midst of a new phenomenon: social distancing by sheltering in our homes to avoid social contact for national health and wellbeing. Regardless of the makeup of your family, this is a challenging and stressful time. For families with younger children in the home, these early experiences may have a long-lasting impact on their mental health and sense of wellbeing. In this blog, you will find some suggestions for establishing a healthy home environment that will help to sustain you throughout this difficult time.

APRIL

Friendship is a simple word but carries a deep meaning. It cannot be defined by a single phrase or even a sentence. To me friendship means simply just being there for each other. It means sharing each other’s joys and well as sorrow.

One of the many rhetorical questions that I have found many asking me on the pool side is how can I be best friends with my competitor? Well, it was only then I began to reflect on my friendship with one of the many ace swimmers that I have.Swimming has always been my jam. Swimming is like a warm and comforting old friend that I can always turn to and rely on. Until now.

MAY

The relationship between cousins can be very close and deep. Maybe you were very close but have grown apart because of physical distance, a misunderstanding, or even problems within your family. No matter what circumstance, you can get your cousin to like you and turn the relationship into something that is meaningful for both of you.

Find things you both like to do. A good way to build your friendship with your cousin and get them to truly like you is to find your commonalities. These will give you a starting point for your interactions.

On the surface it might seem as though you and your cousin do not have much in common. But if you keep your contact consistent and ask them questions about their life, you are likely to find things that both of you have in common, from something as simple as personality traits to similar hobbies. For example, maybe you both like to play online games or enjoy Pinterest. You could set up a match against one another or follow their Pinterest boards.

You can use not having many commonalities to benefit both of you. This may give each of you a different way to look at the world or introduce you to new activities that you enjoy. For example, if your cousin loves hiking and you have never really been hiking, consider a hike together. You might enjoy it and even if you do not, it will still help them like you more because you’re open to new experiences.

JUNE

Is it just us, or does every day during this pandemic feel like entering unchartered territory? At the end of the day, we’re all ready to go back to “normal,” but the reality isn’t quite that simple. At the end of the day, we’re all ready to go back to “normal,” but the reality isn’t quite that simple. At Go Ape, we’ve taken great steps, sometimes going further than what’s recommended by the CDC, or state/local mandates.

Is it safe to meet friends in the park, as long as they stay six feet away, on the other side of a blanket? What about a burger and beer at an outdoor restaurant?We know that being outdoors is lower risk for coronavirus transmission than being indoors. On a sunny, beautiful weekend, I think going outside is indicated, but I also think there are things to do to reduce our risk.”

JULY

I’m sending my warmest greetings to all my teachers and love ones , wishing you blessings from God.

I wish to express to each and every one of you my deepest and honest gratitude for the support you gave me to be able to study. I feel grateful that God and life put people like you in my path. Wonderful people who supported me unconditionally to move forward and fulfill my dream of graduation.

Now that I have fulfilled another dream of mine, I wish to share with you my triumph and joy that I feel realizing that my effort, my dedication, my persistence, my constancy and not being defeated by any obstacle made this possible.

I wish to offer this diploma to God, to my family, to Common Hope and to a very special person in my life.. God bless you for all the support you gave to me. I love you so much and you will always be in my heart. You won a very special place in heaven for being such a noble and extraordinary person that helped me unconditionally.

In the name of my family and myself, I am thankful for all the people that God put on my path, angels that I had the chance to meet and also the people that make it possible that Common Hope is operating. With your cooperative spirit and your good hearts you help families of our beloved . God bless you.

AUGUST

A stops and goes in slow motion day to remember, an unforgettable experience. A time in your life when your worldso that you can grasp all that life has.

The relationship between cousins is often a powerful cross between that of family and friends.

Growing up, they make special visits just like friends, bringing with them excitement and joy. I always loved visits from my cousins, as they bounded in with new games and tricks. They brought an outside world with them, full of new ideas from their own childhood experiences.Cousins provide support and friendship. Above all, you know they will always be there, and that your relationship will last a lifetime.

In modern times, it has become easier than ever before to stay in touch with extended family, and to make sure that you both know what is happening in each other’s lives. Share family stories on a joint family site, and keep updated on birthdays and life events.

Cousins are also a great resource for family history research. They may have new information – that you didn’t know – about family members, or may have heirlooms passed down to them. It’s a great bonding experience to work together to share and preserve your common heritage.

SEPTEMBER

If you’ve already furnished and decorated your living space to your liking you might be looking for the best tips and tricks for organization and cleaning. Let me introduce you to Clean Nanay. Nanay Denden will help you with keeping your house clean and organized while having enough time for family life and fun. She can also provide you with free downloads of printable checklists, schedules, to do lists and cleaning challenges. And if you’re thinking about staying away from store-bought cleaning products and making your own instead – look no further! Nanay has DIY recipes for disinfecting spray cleaner and natural hand sanitizer spray & gel as well as summer diffuser blends.

She also gives very good advice on healthy living in general for example how to manage seasonal allergies in children and how to clean up vomit naturally, which are important things to know if you have children!

0 notes

quarterlifecenter · 3 years

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Handling the Holidays During a Pandemic

Some people love the holidays. Come November 1, they can’t wait to put up their Christmas tree, invite friends and family over for Thanksgiving celebrations, and host gift exchanges.

Yet, for so many others, the holidays can be a difficult time. When you reunite with family you haven’t seen all year (or maybe many years due to the pandemic), you’re often forced to confront topics about your education, career, romantic relationships, and in some cases, trauma. If you’re not ready for that, you’re not alone.

If you’re wondering, “How should I approach this holiday season?” Keep reading! We’re here to help with some tips and tricks that can help you feel more at ease during this time of high emotions.

1. Identify how you’re feeling.

If you’re having mixed emotions about the upcoming holidays, that’s completely normal. The holidays are already a difficult time for a lot of people, and when you add the complications of a pandemic on top of that, it only makes it more challenging. Take some time to reflect on and dissect your own feelings. After you’ve done this, you’ll be able to make plans about how to best cope with them.

2. Set boundaries if you need to.

The holidays can be especially stressful because people don’t have firm boundaries with their extended family. If your holiday plans include reconvening with more family members this year, remember to set boundaries that will make you feel safe and comfortable during these interactions. And remember, boundaries aren’t intended to be selfish or disrespectful…they’re intended to be an act of self-care.

Examples of boundaries you can set include:

“No.”

“We can come to your house for dinner on Christmas Eve, but we’ll be spending Christmas morning at home.”

“Unfortunately, I won’t be able to bring [insert Thanksgiving dish].”

“Please don’t do that anymore.”

“I won’t be discussing that during my visit.”

“Please do not discuss my past relationship here.”

“Please do not comment on my body or food portion.”

“We will only be able to stay for 3 hours.”

“Let’s talk when we have more privacy.”

“If you are upset, go talk to them directly.”

“My opinion on that hasn’t changed.”

3. Make the most of it.

The past couple of years have felt different when the holidays have rolled around, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make it special. You can carve pumpkins, send sweets to family members, exchange gifts, and break out the confetti poppers to celebrate all you’ve been through and what’s to come. If your holiday traditions look difficult this year because of restrictions, manage your expectations and do what you can to adapt your holiday practices to make the most of them.

4. Get prepared.

Last year, the holidays were an especially stressful time because of the rising case count and the fear that gatherings would spread COVID-19 even further. This year, there is something you can do to mitigate this risk. If you’re not already, get vaccinated to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The CDC just recently approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination for everyone ages 5 and older. You and your kids can enter into the holidays with this added protection, for peace of mind.

Final Thoughts

Remember to put yourself and your health first during this holiday season. While the holidays are a time to reunite with family, you shouldn’t put their needs above your own. For additional support, visit the Quarterlife Center. We’re here to help you live life to the fullest.

If you have not read part one please click here.

If you’re interested in scheduling an appointment or you’d like more information, please contact us.

#Holiday Season #COVID-19 #Self Care #Relationships

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architectnews · 3 years

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New UK Housing: British Housebuilding

New British Homes, Property in England, Building, ONS House Price Index 2021, Architect

New UK Housing: Housebuilding News

UK Residential Property Expansion + Housebuilding Issues: new home buyer searches data

10 September 2021

New home buyers look beyond Greater London for post-pandemic living

Data released today in the WhatHouse? New Homes Index reveals the hottest areas across Britain for new home buyer search with South East of England, West Midlands and East Midlands top of the list for August 2021. A sign that, post pandemic, home buyers are weighing up relocation to areas beyond the traditional Greater London commuter zone and considering a wider range of regions in the hunt for greater space and value for money.

UK new home buyer news

· In August the national average price of new home property coming to market stayed virtually static at £334,801 (£338,339 in July).

· Top three new home search areas during August:

1. South East of England has demonstrated the most buyer demand during August 2021, achieving 31,293 new home buyer searches.

2. West Midlands maintains second position for the second month in a row, achieving 19,921 new home buyer searches during August 2021.

3. East Midlands has secured a top three search position with 16,760 new home buyer searches during August 2021, representing a 46% increase on July’s figures.

· During the past six months (March – August 2021) three regions have demonstrated month on month growth in new home search.

1. East Midlands – 46% growth

2. Yorkshire & The Humber – 28% growth

3. South East England – 22% growth

Daniel Hill, Managing Director, WhatHouse? comments:

“Whilst buyer’s future new home needs remain uncertain – as many employers are yet to confirm if, or when, the daily commute will return – many continue to consider a move unhindered by the need to be close to traditional transport networks, and with the need for ample home working space in mind. This all points to buyer interest in new homes remaining strong across the UK, and WhatHouse? predicts higher than average Autumn search activity driven by continued buyer interest in relocation.”

David O’Leary, Policy Director, Home Builders Federation said:

“Buyer interest and appetite for new builds remains high with the clear focus of builders very much on finding a way through a number of thorny supply-side challenges. Materials availability continues to cause headaches and planning delays bring uncertainty and additional expense”.

WhatHouse? New Homes Index

The WhatHouse? New Homes Index is based on data sourced from the WhatHouse? New Homes audience platform. The Index is compiled using a sample representing approx. 400,000 new home buyer searches across England, Scotland and Wales per year and its findings are reflective of WhatHouse? user experiences and geographic market share.

About WhatHouse?

Whathouse.com is the UK’s leading new home audience platform. For more than 30 years’ its aim has been to inspire UK homebuyer decisions around new property. With a comprehensive directory of over 7,000 new homes, from the UK’s most celebrated housebuilders, WhatHouse? makes it easy for buyers to consider the diverse range of property developments available and to find their perfect new home match. The annual WhatHouse? Awards started out back in 1980 and is dubbed ‘the Oscars of the housebuilding industry’.

3 August 2021

UK commercial premises conversion to residential property

This week the Government’s new rules have come into effect making it easier for commercial premises to be converted into residential property. While this might seem like a welcome change, will we really see the high street and office blocks converted into flats – it surely won’t be that easy, says Savio D’Costa, Commercial Real Estate Partner at JMW Solicitors:

“With demand clearly outstripping supply for housing, it is extremely sensible to make it easier to convert building usage for different purposes. As shops move online and restaurants and bars struggle to turn a profit, converting those properties to homes will help meet the high demand for residential housing. However, it’s not as straightforward as it might first appear. These rules have overlooked certain basic requirements – such as being able to convert external facades.

“In addition, the juxtaposition of commercial premises coexisting with residential housing such as in office blocks also has its drawbacks and could change the business district environment altogether.”

16 June 2021

UK House Price Rise

ONS House Price Index Rise

Today’s ONS House Price Index shows that the average UK house price rose by 8.9% in the year to April 2021.

Jamie Johnson, CEO of FJP Investment, said: “While today’s ONS’s data reaffirms what most of us already knew, which is that house prices have risen significantly throughout the first half of the year, we have to remember that there is a time delay with this index. We are receiving insight into the state of the market in April, not right now. This is important because, as the stamp duty holiday approaches, we are really waiting to see if the house price growth continues, plateaus or falls across June, July and into summer.

“The rate of growth has slowed slightly according to ONS, and I expect this trend to continue once the initial stamp duty holiday deadline passes on 30 June. However, given the scheme tapers down rather than coming to an immediate end, this should help avoid any shocks in the property market. Ultimately, demand will not disappear overnight, and the pandemic has demonstrated once again that both homebuyers and investors see bricks and mortar as a safe bet during times of economic uncertainty.”

Paresh Raja, CEO of Market Financial Solutions said: “We are in the eye of a perfect storm, with multiple factors contributing to house prices increasing at a remarkable rate. The role of the stamp duty holiday is well documented. But we must also acknowledge that the pandemic has forced homeowners to reconsider their priorities, prompting many to list their properties and look for new homes. At the same time, the Bank of England’s record low base rate makes borrowing more affordable, while we are also seeing more investors gravitating towards real estate as a reliable asset class in the current climate.

“Given these multiple factors, not to mention the backlog of deals still waiting to be completed, there is every reason to believe prices will continue to increase in the second half of 2021, even if the rate of growth eases off, as was seemingly the case in April when compared to March. The stamp duty holiday might be about to begin its taper back to normal levels, but it would be foolish to assume this will reverse the past year’s progress.”

30 Sep 2020

Impact Of Covid-19 on UK Housebuilding

New Figures Show Impact Of Covid-19 On Housebuilding Rates

Quarterly housing starts and completions lowest since 2000

Industry calls for assistance to construction sector

Wednesday 30 September 2020 – The number of new build homes started or completed in England between April and June 2020 fell to their lowest levels since the year 2000as Covid-19 hit the construction industry, according to new figures published today.

The figures also show, despite Covid, a longer-term decline in housing starts and completions, with the number of homes started or completed in the year to June 2020 also showing a sharp fall.

According to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, the indicators of new housing supply figures should be regarded as a leading indicator of overall supply.

They show:

The number of dwellings where building work has started on site was 15,930 in April to June 2020 – a 52% decrease when compared to the last quarter. It also follows a recent trend of a slowdown in growth with six of the last six quarters showing a decrease. Starts are 67% below their March quarter 2007 peak and are 7% below the previous trough in the March quarter of 2009. It is the lowest quarterly starts figure in the seasonally adjusted time series (which begins in the year 2000).

There were 121,630 estimated new build dwellings starts in the year to June 2020, a 26 per cent decrease compared to the year to June 2019.

The number of dwellings completed on site was 15,390 in April to June 2020. This is a 62% decrease compared to the last quarter and 64% below their level in the same quarter a year ago. Completions are now 67% below their peak in the March quarter 2007 and 37% below the previous trough in March quarter 2013. It is the lowest quarterly completions figure in the seasonally adjusted time series (which begins in the year 2000).

An estimated 147,180 new build dwellings were completed in the year to June 2020, a decrease of 15 per cent compared to the year to June 2019.

Clive Docwra, managing director of property and construction consultancy McBains said:

“Today’s statistics bear out the huge impact that Covid-19 – and in particular the Spring lockdown – has had on housebuilding rates.

“The government target of building a million new homes in the new five years was always going to be a steep challenge, but the pandemic has dealt a heavy blow to that ambition.

“The industry is now facing a double-whammy – trying to recover from the impact of Covid but also suffering from the uncertainty over a Brexit deal – with investors holding off putting money into new developments until the picture on a withdrawal agreement becomes clearer.

“The Government will no doubt point to its recent planning White Paper as the answer to building more homes, saying that it will mean ‘permission in principle’ will be given to developments on land designated for renewal to speed-up building, but the uncertainty and resulting fluctuating values driven by Covid and Brexit are reducing the incentive on developers to build in the short term.

“The government could address this by temporarily staggering or deferring Section 106 planning obligations – where developers are asked to provide contributions for community infrastructure – so that developers are encouraged to complete housebuilding projects as soon as possible.”

Recent UK housing news on e-architect:

New UK homes for the North and Midlands

13 August 2020

UK Residential Market News

Rental Sector Strength Comment

We post comment below in response to the RICS monthly residential market survey.

Elisabeth Kohlbach, CEO of Skwire comments: “Doom and gloom surrounding the news that the UK residential market is set for a ‘bust’ in the coming months overlooks a bright spot in a major segment of the residential market – the rental sector.

“The PRS sector is a growing part of the UK’s housing mix and the demand for this part of the market is not going away. Moreover, with lenders introducing a range of restrictions to cope with the spike in demand for mortgages following the announcement of stamp duty relief, many would-be buyers are struggling to get on the ladder and will no doubt turn to the rental market once again.

“While traditional destinations for BTR investors, such as London, may no longer be as attractive as remote workers flock to towns and cities beyond the capital, investors should look to the regions, which offer an exciting and untapped opportunity. Institutional investors should look beyond the traditional high density city-centre developments and seize the opportunity to tap into a rich pool of existing stock across the UK.”

7 August 2020

UK house prices rise in July

Halifax House Price Index for July 2020

Halifax has this morning released its House Price Index for July, showing that house prices have risen month-on-month and year-on-year in reaction to the Stamp Duty Land Tax holiday introduced earlier in the month.

While this is positive news for the sector, can this momentum be maintained?

Jamie Johnson, CEO of FJP Investment “Today’s House Price Index shows that the stamp duty holiday is having its desired effect, encouraging buyers and sellers to make a cautious return back to the property market. The release of pent-up demand is driving up house prices, slowly making up for the losses that were incurred at the height of the pandemic.

“The big question now is whether this initial burst in activity can be maintained over the next few months. Will house prices continue to grow; or will the momentum fizzle out? There is no clear answer at present. Nonetheless, today’s House Price Index makes the case for cautious optimism.

“Importantly, I do not believe the coronavirus has dampened investor demand for UK real estate. Property’s resilience and ability to quickly recover any losses in value in times of crises makes it a top asset class for both domestic and overseas buyers. Once there is greater certainty about the future of COVID-19 and the post-pandemic recovery, I anticipate buyer demand to return in full force.”

8 July 2020

UK Stamp Duty Changes

8 July 2020 Chancellor’s ‘mini budget’ for green jobs misses mark on transport and housing, says to CPRE

Commenting on the Chancellors ‘mini budget’, Tom Fyans, campaigns and policy director at CPRE, the countryside charity, said:

‘While we have seen promising starts on energy efficiency and shoring up rural hospitality businesses, the Chancellor has missed major opportunities to begin building back better when it comes to transport and housing investment.’

Read more at UK Summer Statement Response

8 July 2020 RIBA reacts to Chancellor’s ‘Plan for Jobs’

“The RIBA has long advocated for a ‘green’ post-COVID recovery, so I welcome the Chancellor’s efforts to put sustainability front and centre of today’s announcements.”

Read more at RIBA UK News

8 July 2020 UK Stamp Duty Changes

View from Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing on the stamp duty changes:

Kush Rawal, Director of Residential Investment from Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing comments: “We welcome the Chancellor’s stamp duty holiday, which makes shared ownership homes an even more attractive option for people looking to own their own home. Removing stamp duty from almost all initial share purchases means that key workers will be able to buy a shared ownership home with as little as two months of rent as their deposit.”

6 July 2020

Is ‘build build build’ best for England’s planning system?

Alister Scott, Professor of Environmental Geography and an expert in urban planning and infrastructure, writes for The Conversation on proposals to change the UK’s planning system.

English Planning System

18 Jun 2020

Timber Frame: Accommodating The Differential

With sales of timber homes and buildings heading towards £1bn in the next 12 months*, Andy Swift, sales and operations manager, UK & ROI for ISO-Chemie, considers sealant tapes for timber frame structures and accommodating differential movement:

New UK Timber Frame Building

3 Jun 2020

UK Architects welcome landmark ARCO Report

We post comments from Mark Rowe, principal at Penoyre & Prasad and Félicie Krikler, director at Assael Architecture in support of ARCO’s landmark report launched earlier today:

Mark Rowe, principal at Penoyre & Prasad, said: “This research highlights the shift towards a more collective way of living – integrating purpose-built accommodation with access to healthcare and facilities that can help maintain independence.” – read more at:

Too little, Too late? Housing for an ageing population

26 Mar 2020

Housebuilding Rates Fall – Even Before Coronavirus Impacts

Thursday 26th of March 2020 – The number of new build homes started and completed in the last quarter of 2019 fell below government targets, according to new government figures published today – and the industry says the coronavirus pandemic is set to impact these further.

According to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, the new build dwellings figures should be regarded as a leading indicator of overall housing supply.

Today’s figures show that:

On a quarterly basis, new build dwelling starts in England were estimated at 34,260 (seasonally adjusted) in the latest quarter, an 11 per cent decrease compared to the previous 3 months and a 17 per cent decrease on a year earlier. Completions were estimated at 44,980 (seasonally adjusted), a 1 per cent decrease from the previous quarter and 3 per cent higher than a year ago.

Annual new build dwelling starts totalled 151,020 in the year to December 2019, a 10 per cent decrease compared with the year to December 2018. During the same period, completions totalled 178,800, an increase of 9 per cent compared with last year

All starts between October and December 2019 are now 99 per cent above the trough in the March quarter 2009 and 30 per cent below the March quarter 2007 peak. All completions between October and December 2019 are 78 per cent above the trough in the March quarter 2013 and 7 per cent below the March quarter 2007 peak.

Clive Docwra, Managing Director of leading construction consulting and design agency McBains, said:

“The government’s ambitious housebuilding target – delivering a million homes in the next five years – was always going to be extremely challenging, and the latest statistics bear this out. However, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic will mean this is now virtually impossible.

“Many sites are empty, supply chains have been disrupted and multi-million pounds worth of private investment is on hold for the foreseeable future. That will knock back housebuilding rates months, if not years.

“The government has already announced an unprecedented package of measures to help support business, but once we’ve turned the tide on the virus further help, such as tax incentives, will be needed to get the UK building again.”

Previously on e-architect:

24 Nov 2017

UK Housebuilding Policy

UK Government Approach to Housing Shortage – Budget Reaction

The UK Chancellor announced a raft of measures aimed at significantly increasing levels of home building and “reviving the British dream of home ownership”.

Key amongst the Chancellor’s statements were the abolition of Stamp Duty Land Tax on homes under £300k for First Time Buyers, £15.3 billion of new financial support for house building over the next five years (which includes money for the government to buy land as well as delivering supporting infrastructure) and more money to help SME builders.

This is in addition to the £10bn extra funding already announced for the English version of the Help to Buy shared equity scheme.

Some reactions to this week’s UK Budget from key built environment representatives:

“In essence the abolition of Stamp duty is the kind of sweeping move we needed to provide hope at the bottom end of the market and hopefully helping towards the aspirational 300K homes per year. As an employer, seeing younger architects get a foothold on the housing ladder is a strong hope and this is surely a welcome hand-out to bring the youth vote around for the Conservatives.

We would like to see more certainty on how the £44Bn figure to aid housebuilding will actually materialise into capital expenditure from Central or Local Government. The budget won’t solve the disconnect in planning, unless some of that cash is pumped into increasing resources in planning departments.”

Graham Hickson-Smith, Commercial Director, 3DReid

“It’s good to see the government taking the housing crisis seriously with the final quarter of the speech devoted to this one subject, an impressive commitment to extra spending of £44bn over five years and the headline grabbing finale of the reduction in stamp duty. The devil though will, as always be in the detail.

The lifting of HRA caps is good in principle but there are no details at all, while the £34m for skills training sounds like a drop in the ocean when we are faced with a huge likely loss of construction workers post-Brexit. Other measures announced include the review to be chaired by Oliver Letwin which may, helpfully, lay to rest the myth that land banking is a serious problem – most developers being concerned to turn over their capital as fast as possible rather than tie it up in dormant sites.

Finally there is the reduction in stamp duty for first time buyers, which will undoubtedly appeal to younger voters, but the same measure would probably be much more effective, economically, as an incentive to retired people to downsize, releasing under-occupied houses into the market.”

Richard Morton, Richard Morton Architects

“We really welcome the Chancellor’s moves to boost the supply of badly-needed new homes. Policies which aim to lower the cost of land and bring forward more building sites, particularly in urban areas well served by public transport, are good news – and preferable to policies which make it easier for some people to afford high house prices.

But all of this new housing needs to be sustainable, in environmental terms, and here the government’s policies are seriously lacking. It wants five new garden cities, but has said virtually nothing about what defines them.

The Budget has not addressed the critical need for green and low-carbon infrastructure and low-impact homes, not just on green fields, but everywhere. Nor has this budget addressed the need to upgrade and retrofit millions of our existing energy-inefficient homes.”

Sue Riddlestone OBE, Chief Executive of Bioregional

22 Jan 2016

UK Housing Expansion

Homebuilding in Great Britain

The Ministry of Defence has put 12 sites on the block to provide land for up to 15,000 new homes.

Government Defence Minister Mark Lancaster said the land sale was expected to raise £500m, which will be ploughed back into frontline defence budgets, reports https://ift.tt/3gu2l4R.

The sale is the first tranche of more ambitious plans to support the government’s ambition to build 160,000 homes by 2020.

The MOD, which owns around 1% of all UK land, plans to slash the size of its built estate by nearly a third, with its current holdings stretching to 452,000 hectares.

As part of that plan, the Ministry has committed to generating £1bn through land sales during this parliament and contributing up to 55,000 homes.

Imber in Wiltshire, on Salisbury Plain, England “was evacuated in 1943. The village, still classed as a civil parish, remains under control of the Ministry of Defence”: photograph © swns.com

Ministry of Defence Estate Sell-off MoD estate sell-off – tranche 1 12 sites placed on the market:

– Kneller Hall in Twickenham – Claro and Deverell barracks in Ripon – RAF sites Molesworth and Alconbury in Cambridgeshire, and Mildenhall in Suffolk. – Lodge Hill in Kent – Craigiehall in Edinburgh – HMS Nelson Wardroom in Portsmouth – Hullavington Airfield in Wiltshire – RAF Barnham in Suffolk – MOD Feltham in London

The MOD will announce further sites in due course, with a full list published in the Footprint Strategy later in 2016.

Link: https://ift.tt/3gs27v2

British Houses

UK Government Housing Policy

UK Government Design Advisory Panel – New Housing Design Quality

Chair of RIBA Housing Group, Andy Von Bradsky, represented RIBA this week on the government’s Design Advisory Panel. The panel was set up under the coalition government and has been re-formed by the current government to advise on key policy issues, reports the RIBA.

The RIBA has welcomed the Prime Minister’s announcement that a Design Advisory Panel is being set up to ‘set the bar on housing design across the country’ and is looking forward to working with other panel members.

David Cameron announced the creation of the panel this week when he confirmed the go ahead for a new Starter Homes scheme, though the panel will inform government policies on housing design nationally.

Fleet Street Hill Housing in London by Peter Barber Architects: image from architect

The DCLG has already confirmed that panel members will include Sir Terry Farrell, classicist Sir Quinlan Terry and philosopher Roger Scruton alongside nominated representatives from the RIBA, RTPI, Design Council and Create Streets.

The panel will be chaired by ministers, so there are high hopes that it will have a genuine influence on policy. The Government says the panel will act as a sounding board, so that the housing and design industry can discuss policy issues with ministers and senior government officials. Its remit will cover:

Emerging housing and planning policy to ensure that good design is considered and embedded from the outset. Delivery of housing and planning policy to ensure that good design is achieved through Government’s programmes. Emerging industry issues and barriers to good design in housing delivery.

Inspiring design of Grand Large Housing Dunkirk: photo from ANMA/Agence Nicolas Michelin & Associés

‘We welcome the response from Government to the Farrell review and our own recommendation to have more design advice available to Government when shaping policy.’ said RIBA Head of External Affairs Anna Scott-Marshall.

‘It is encouraging that the Government, industry and other professionals will work in collaboration to ensure that we build the right kinds of homes in the right kinds of places.’ Farrell is also enthusiastic and said the panel has the potential to make a real difference.

‘It builds on the recommendations of the Farrell Review (https://ift.tt/3xpf4LF), which highlighted the need for more proactive planning and better placemaking as we attempt to address the housing crisis, with radically higher priority given to landscape, sustainability and the public realm.’

Stadthaus at 24 Murray Grove, London, by Waugh Thistleton – constructed entirely in timber, the nine-storey high-rise is the tallest timber residential building in the world

Stadthaus photo : Will Pryce Murray Grove Housing

Interesting link:

Imber village on Salisbury Plain under control of the Ministry of Defence

UK Housing Links:

Housing Crisis

New London Housing

British Homes

British House Designs

English Architecture:

English Architecture Designs – chronological list

Location: UK

Contemporary British Homes

Recent British Home Designs

Black House, Kent, South East England Architect: AR Design Studio image courtesy of architects Black House in Kent

A House for Essex, Essex, South East England Design: FAT Architecture and Grayson Perry photograph : Jack Hobhouse A House for Essex

Balancing Barn, Suffolk, South East England Design: MVRDV photo : Living Architecture Balancing Barn Suffolk

Hurst House, Buckinghamshire, Southern England Design: John Pardey Architects with Ström Architects photo : Andy Matthews Buckinghamshire Property

Contemporary North European Homes

Recent North European Houses

Danish Houses

German Houses

French Houses

Comments / photos for the New UK Housing Shortage – Current British Housebuilding page welcome

The post New UK Housing: British Housebuilding appeared first on e-architect.

#e-architect

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prismafire · 3 years

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New Glassware and Update

In the next week or so I will be rolling out a new version of my Eeveelution candle line which features new glassware (everything else is the same.)

The candle industry is experiencing interesting challenges in the snowball effect created by Covid-19. In addition to slowdown of material manufacturing simply due to the demands of safe operation during the pandemic, the influx of new hobbyists in many different crafts (candlemaking, for sure, but also other art projects and pickling) due to quarantine and stay-at-home orders has caused strain to the supply chain. In many cases price of goods have gone up, and in some cases, stock is simply not available (such as in the case of my regular glassware.)

The new jar style will be the one I use through the holiday seasons so if you've ordered candles from me before they will start to look a little different. They have slightly less wax volume, which will be reflected in new pricing. Whether or not this switch is permanent remains to be seen, I will have to monitor prices and availability of glassware going forward.

Thank you to everyone who has supported my candlemaking and other crafts for the past 3+ years. With your help I hope to continue being creative and bringing unique gifts to others.

#prismafire update #candlemaking #artists on etsy #homemade candles #small business #prismafire #product info

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your-dietician · 3 years

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The Latest: Romania's Capital Marks a Day Without New Cases | Health News

New Post has been published on https://tattlepress.com/health/the-latest-romanias-capital-marks-a-day-without-new-cases-health-news/

The Latest: Romania's Capital Marks a Day Without New Cases | Health News

BUCHAREST, Romania — Romania’s capital did not record any new coronavirus cases on Sunday, officials said.

Just a few months ago, Bucharest’s intensive care units were stretched to maximum capacity as its 14-day accumulative infection rate topped 7 per 1,000 inhabitants. Now the capital’s infection rate — the same as the country as a whole — stands at just 0.05 per 1,000 inhabitants.

“Bucharest has the highest vaccination rate in the country,” Prime Minister Florin Citu wrote online Sunday. “Also in Bucharest, in the last 24 hours we had 0 (!!!) infected people with SARS-COV2. Vaccination is the only solution to overcome the pandemic. It is that simple!”

Romania’s vaccination drive has seen nearly 9 million vaccine doses administered in the country of more than 19 million, but there are now concerns as daily vaccine doses administered have slowed dramatically and just 23% of the country’s population are fully inoculated against COVID-19.

Political Cartoons on World Leaders

Political Cartoons

Since the pandemic started 1.08 million people in Romania have tested positive for COVID-19 and more than 33,000 have died.

— Bangkok, 9 provinces restrict movements to curb rising cases

— Parts of Sydney going into lockdown as virus outbreak grows

— As variant rises, U.S. vaccine plan targets ‘movable middle’

— Bruce Springsteen marks the return of live shows on Broadway

— In pandemic, drug overdose deaths soar among Black Americans

— U.S. states hesitant to adopt digital COVID vaccine verification

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

HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

ROME — Italian health and regional officials are urging people to leave for vacation only after they are vaccinated, as the delta variant of COVID-19 is becoming more prevalent in the country.

Virus experts in Italy are sounding warnings that the virus with that variant is more transmissible and less sensitive to COVID-19 antibodies.

Italians in some places are increasingly not showing up for their second vaccine dose, or even keeping first-dose appointments, as holiday season gears up.

Gov. Vincenzo De Luca of the Campania region, which includes Naples, is warning that if the metropolis’ vaccination rate doesn’t improve, a new lockdown could be ordered after summer.

So far, about 30% of people in Italy have completed COVID-19 vaccination.

In the nation of 60 million people, doctors are particularly worried about the 2.7 million persons older than 60 who haven’t signed up to receive a first dose.

Starting Monday, mask-wearing will no longer be required outdoors, except in crowded situations or where it’s impossible to keep a safe distance.

TOKYO — Tokyo’s governor, who has taken time off since last week due to severe fatigue, needs to rest several more days this week, the metropolitan government said Sunday, as experts warn a resurgence of the infections less than a month before the capital city hosts the Olympics.

Gov. Yuriko Koike has been resting since last Wednesday due to severe fatigue. She was to rest until Sunday but Tokyo metropolitan officials said she will be off several more days. She has been deeply involved with preparations for the Olympics and Paralympics as well as leading the capital’s coronavirus response. Officials refused to confirm media reports that Koike has been hospitalized.

After one year postponement, the Olympics will begin on July 23. Last week, Olympic officials decided to allow the public to attend the Games, though caps were set on spectators. Health experts have expressed deep concern the Games could cause the virus to surge in the Tokyo region.

Japan last week eased a state of emergency in most other areas, but daily new cases have already been rising back in Tokyo, and experts have warned of further increase of the infections as the Delta strain of the virus spreads.

Tokyo on Sunday reported 386 new cases, up from 376 a week earlier as the capital makes a week-on-week increase for a eighth consecutive day. Japan had 794,457 cases and 14,657 deaths as of Saturday.

JERUSALEM — Israel’s new prime minister is urging the country’s youth to get vaccinated as coronavirus case numbers have crept up in recent days due to a localized outbreak of the Delta variant.

Naftali Bennett’s comments came at a meeting of the government Sunday in Jerusalem.

“We don’t want to impose any restrictions: not on parties, on trips or anything like that. But specifically because of this, if you don’t want restrictions, go get vaccinated today. Talk to your parents and get vaccinated,” he said.

Israel reinstated a mask mandate indoors amid a rise in new infections in the past week. Israel’s Health Ministry recorded 113 new coronavirus cases Saturday.

The prime minister also says the government has appointed a special director in charge of managing the country’s border crossings — with particular emphasis on Israel’s main international airport — and preventing the spread of the coronavirus and other diseases.

Bennett said the appointment of Roni Numa, a former army general, aims to step up the country’s efforts “to prevent the entry of this virus and variants and other future viruses from around the world into Israel.”

Many of the new cases reported in the past week were traced to individuals who had arrived from abroad.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Malaysia’s leader says the country will indefinitely extend a near-total lockdown that’s been in place for a month, as coronavirus infections remain high.

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on Sunday said the lockdown won’t be eased unless daily new cases fall below 4,000, the vaccination rate reaches 10% and demand is reduced for intensive care in hospitals. The national Bernama news agency quoted Muhyiddin as saying he hopes this will happen by mid-July.

The lockdown was set to expire Monday.

Daily new cases have stubbornly stayed above 5,000, with the Health Ministry on Sunday reporting 5,586 new infections, taking the country’s tally to 734,048 cases and nearly 5,000 deaths.

Only 6% of Malaysia’s 33 million people have been fully vaccinated so far, but the government has stepped up vaccination efforts.

Malaysia halted most economic and social activities since June 1, after daily cases shot up to more than 9,000 cases.

It was the second nationwide lockdown in over a year and is expected to hurt its economic recovery. The World Bank has cut its growth forecast for Malaysia to 4.5% this year, from an earlier estimate of 6%.

GENEVA — The head of the World Health Organization lamented the lack of coronavirus vaccines being immediately donated by rich countries to the developing world.

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Friday that there was nothing to discuss during a recent meeting of an advisory group established to allocate vaccines.

In his words: “There are no vaccines to allocate.”

Tedros says concerns being raised by some donors that African countries don’t have the infrastructure to deliver vaccines or that there are vaccine hesitancy problems are inconsequential. He criticized rich countries that may be using that as a “pretext” not to donate vaccines.

RALEIGH, N.C. — In the two weeks since the state of North Carolina announced four $1 million prizes would be given out to vaccinated adults, less than 118,000 residents, about 1% of the state population, came in for a first dose.

Less than half of North Carolinians eligible for a coronavirus shot are fully vaccinated, even though there are more than 2.1 million doses waiting on shelves for residents to take.

North Carolina ranks 12th worst in the nation in vaccines administered per capita, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

GENEVA — The head of the World Health Organization said the COVID-19 variant first seen in India, also known as the delta variant, is “the most transmissible of the variants identified so far” and that it is now spreading in at least 85 countries.

At a press briefing on Friday, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the U.N. agency was concerned about it’s the increasing reach of the delta variant, particularly among unvaccinated populations.

“We are starting to see increases in transmission around the world,” Tedros said, adding that “more cases means more hospitalizations…which increases the risk of death.” WHO has previously said that two doses of the licensed COVID-19 vaccines appear to provide strong protection against the variant first seen in India, but warned the lack of access to vaccines in poor countries — which have received fewer than 2% of the billion doses administered so far — makes them extremely vulnerable.

Tedros also said the unchecked circulation of the coronavirus could lead to the emergence of even more variants.

“New variants are expected and will continue to be reported,” Tedros said. “That’s what viruses do. They evolve,” he said. “But we can prevent the emergence of variants by preventing transmission.”

AMSTERDAM — The European Medicines Agency has approved a new manufacturing site for Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine, in a move that should boost production of the one-dose vaccine across the 27-nation EU.

In a statement Friday, the EU drug regulator said the new site in Anagni, Italy, will finish manufacturing of the J&J vaccine, which was licensed for use in adults across Europe in March. Production problems have stalled J&J’s roll-out across the European Union in recent months and millions of doses made at a U.S. factory had to be thrown out after contamination issues.

The EU has ordered 200 million doses of the J&J vaccine and was expecting 55 million by the end of June; to date, fewer than 14 million doses have been distributed.

J&J’s vaccine roll-out was also stalled after the EMA concluded there was a “possible link” between the coronavirus shot and very rare blood clots and recommended that a warning should be added to the label. Health officials say the vaccine’s benefits still far outweigh the risks.

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bentonpena · 4 years

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COVID-19 has had a surprising impact on our sex lives

https://bit.ly/39CcHL4 COVID-19 has had a surprising impact on our sex lives https://bit.ly/2LCB7fz

The spike in sex toy sales, rise of OnlyFans, and normalization of masturbation as part of everyday health and wellness were some of the only good things to come from the pandemic (pun intended). But, if you've felt a weird sense of FOMO for missing out on these alleged COVID-inspired boons in sexual exploration and acceptance, you're not alone.

At CES 2021 this week, sextech company Lioness released a new exploratory study analyzing an in-depth dataset capturing how people's sex lives and drives were impacted by the pandemic. The data, which compares participants' habits from 2019 versus 2020, includes everything from how often participants masturbated to how long it took to orgasm. The main takeaway? 2020 might not have been the free-for-all cum fest all those trends implied.

2020 might not have been the free-for-all cum fest these trends implied.

Since stay-at-home orders began in late March, retailers and toy companies — particularly those selling internet-connected sextech like We-Vibe, Ohmibod, and Satisfyer — reported skyrocketing numbers, with toys flying off virtual shelves. Faced with indefinite alone time and the risks of pandemic dating, folks rushed to do the responsible thing by turning to self-pleasure, with a particular focus on toys boasting high-tech features like virtual sex with long-distance partners. The explosion of sextech during the pandemic is undeniable, with tech market forecaster Juniper Research predicting that the already multi-billion-dollar industry would see an accelerated 87 percent spike in global adoption of these digital-savvy pleasure devices in 2020.

But assuming that this spike, coupled with more time at home, automatically translated into a wave of reinvigorated, pandemic-fueled masturbation remains to be substantiated. Actually, the new study, which is based on user data gathered by Lioness' biofeedback-tracking smart vibrator, found potential evidence of the exact opposite conclusion too.

Lioness CEO Liz Klinger, who created the high-tech vibrator designed to help people explore their sexuality through data, said she, "got the sense that things were clearly changing a lot for people [sexually during the pandemic]. And we wanted to dig in and understand what was going on." The Lioness team's hypothesis was that folks' sex lives in 2020 were probably a lot more complicated than that increase in toy sales suggested.

Conducted through Lionness' Sex Research Platform (which launched last year), the study was done in partnership with the Center for Genital Health & Education, and credits Dr. Natasha Aduloju-Ajijola (a research fellow with a Ph.D. in health education and promotion) with the data analysis. Pooling from the aggregated, anonymized data of 1,879 Lioness users who opted into participation, it analyzed their arousal responses during approximately 40,000 sessions with the smart vibrator between 2019 and 2020.

The study found, "convincing evidence of a significant drop-off in masturbation frequency as the year wore on when compared to [those same users'] masturbation frequency back in 2019," according to the toy company's blog post on the study. Overall, there was a roughly 9 percent month-to-month drop in sessions from last year. While the holiday season in 2019 saw an increase in masturbation frequency, the most significant decline in 2020 happened in those same final months of the year, with November's use dropping more than 37 percent.

November, if you'll remember, not only brought a devastating (ongoing) spike in COVID cases, but also kicked off the gloomiest social-distanced holiday season ever — on top of also coinciding with one of the most stressful elections in recent American history. To be clear, the data in this study can't prove causality, since it's entirely possible participants simply used the Lioness less frequently while masturbating the same amount by other means.

That being said, on an anecdotal level, it's not hard to imagine why lots of folks weren't feeling especially horned up in the final months of 2020.

Image: Emily Eder / lioness / CGHE

In a separate survey of Lioness users (who were not necessarily the same ones who offered their physiological data), 235 participants answered questions on their sex lives in 2020. Almost 80 percent reported changes in masturbation frequency from 2019, and 76 percent said the same for partnered sex.

A few commonalities emerged in participants' self-reported reasons for why they'd experienced decreases or increases in libido during the pandemic.

Those who reported less sexual interest and activity (whether partnered or solo) pointed to struggles with self-care, with one quoted participant saying:

“I did purchase several new toys this year however I think overall I masturbated less. I don’t know what maybe it was cause my sleep schedule was off some months then my depression kicked up a little and I just wasn’t interested.”

Others spoke to the impacts of anxiety and stress, less time for privacy due to family members or roommates being home all the time, decreases in self-esteem and feeling less attractive (one surveyor said pandemic-related weight gain inhibited their sex drive), or loss of a loved one.

What both the survey and physiological data really reveal, though, is just how normal it was for folks to have polar opposite sexual responses to the collective traumas of the pandemic.

On the other side of the coin, the survey respondents who reported increased interest in masturbation frequency cited reasons such as: more time at home, being unable to visit long-distance partners, having partners who experienced lower sex drives, being single and the difficulties of pandemic dating, and needing the mood-boost and stress-relief of sexual gratification.

The more granular physiological user data paints an even more complex picture of the unexpected ways COVID-19 changed their sex lives and pleasure experiences, though.

Image: EMILY EDER / LIONESS / CGHE

For example, the average duration of sessions with the Lioness decreased by 20 seconds between February 2020 and April 2020 (so, in other words, the period when many of us were adjusting from the before-times and into pandemic life). Meanwhile, sessions increased by 30 seconds between July 2020 and November 2020 (which correspond to U. S. COVID spikes).

It's impossible to make any sound assumptions about what those time discrepancies actually mean about a users' sexual experience during said session, though. Longer time spent using the vibrator could mean anything from increased difficulty in reaching orgasm or a deliberately slower build (aka edging) in order to achieve a more powerful orgasm.

The best judge for whether users enjoyed themselves less or more during these sessions comes down to the person's own subjective experience. Since Lioness allows users to rate each of their sessions on a scale of 1 to 5, the study reports that the common session score went up from 4/5 in 2019, to a perfect 5/5 in 2020.

So, it's safe to say that, while users may have masturbated less overall, when they did get off the results appear to have delivered above-average satisfaction.

Image: EMILY EDER / LIONESS / CGHE

The Lioness COVID study is first-of-its-kind sex research, with Lioness describing it as the "type of data and techniques mid-20th century researchers like Masters and Johnson dreamed of having." Unlike all other sex research gathered in a lab setting, the kind of data the Lioness platform can gather meets subjects in the natural habitat of their own bedrooms, Klinger said. But the study also makes clear that, "This is an exploratory study with retrospective data — which can't prove causality."

There's a lot of variables and unknowns that call the scientific rigor of this type of study into question. For example, because the data is anonymized to protect user privacy, researchers cannot know key information about participants like gender, age, race, or socioeconomic background. Without that, one cannot claim the study is at all representative of the larger population. It's reflective only of this subset of people who own a Lioness.

This exploratory study should be seen as a flawed but intriguing real-time snapshot of an extraordinary moment in human sexuality.

At the same time, Klinger also questioned whether the same can't be said for a lot of sex research done in labs, which often disproportionately rely on college students as subjects — specifically, college students who are comfortable performing sex acts in a clinical setting while researchers observe.

The potential benefits of sex research that isn't confined to a laboratory environment are obvious. But they come at the cost of a whole host of variables you can't control, account for, or recreate — all things which are essential to legitimate scientific research. There's an infinite number of explanations for why Lioness users had fewer sessions with their smart vibrator in 2020 — perhaps they contributed to the aforementioned spike in sales for other sex toys and used those instead.

What this exploratory study should be seen as is a flawed but intriguing real-time snapshot of an extraordinary moment in human sexuality — nothing more and nothing less.

As with everything related to COVID, it will be years before we can claim anything definitive about the pandemic's effects on us. At the same time, what this Lioness data does validate is that, no matter how the pandemic impacted your libido — whether it turned you into a sex hermit or a sex monster or anything in between — all of it is totally normal.

That's what Klinger believes is one of the benefits for users who opt into the research platform. "It's beneficial to the researchers for data, but it's also a way for users to learn more about themselves by participating and seeing some of the results from the findings."

WATCH: How to clean your sex toys

For those who own Lionesses, you can sign up to participate in current and future research studies through the platform. Klinger said her team is also working on ways to make the $200 devices more accessible, through potential grants — though getting a sex toy qualified as a medical device presents its own set of problems. If you're interested, you may want to wait to get the second generation of the Lioness, which is supposed to come out soon.

We've been in isolation for so long that it's a comfort to just to be reminded that none of us are alone in our reactions to these unprecedented circumstances. You're not a sex freak or sexually broken after all, and Lioness has got the data to prove it.

What's inarguable is that COVID-19 changed a lot of people's sex lives. And it's OK to take your time in understanding how or why.

Tech via Mashable! https://bit.ly/2KzLn52 January 14, 2021 at 05:27PM

#IFTTT #Feedly #@b3n70n

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