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yeah idk man maybe i just don't like it when characters whose whole story is about choosing to live and overcoming suicidal ideation end up dying in a hero sacrifice. kinda leaves a bad taste in my mouth, not gonna lie.

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an apocalyptic cult prophetically warning that the world won’t end, ever

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Can I offer you a nice egg in this trying time?

The politics of poultry and eggflation

Boil 'em, crack 'em, stick 'em in a soup. Eggs are an American staple. Despite back and forth about cholesterol and animal ethics, demand for eggs hasn’t going anywhere.  At a few cents each, eggs have historically been one of the most affordable nutritious foods; now, they're nearly $1 apiece and rising -- if you can find them at all. How did we get here? And more importantly, how do we get back?

H.P.A.I. Four accursed letters that haunt every veterinarian and I would dare say most Americans. Avian Influenza (AI), or bird flu, causes issues ranging from respiratory disease and diarrhea to decreased egg production. Within AI, there are high and low pathogenic strains; of primary concern is the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 strain, a form that spreads quickly, causing more severe illness and more deaths.  Despite having disease nationwide, HPAI is still considered a "Foreign Animal Disease," a government designation of a carefully monitored disease not regularly in the USA (ignoring backyard flocks).

In addition to killing birds and marine mammals as it has been doing for years, the recent concern with HPAI has been the new species affected: humans, cattle, and cats. People are becoming ill or even dying. Dairy cows have been miscarrying, dying, and losing milk production. Seemingly healthy cats are dropping dead.

Another epidemic making eggs expensive, it's 2020 all over again! Except unlike COVID, we already have answers. And this time, we’ve got our eyes on Big Egg. HPAI has been a problem for years. We have the tools to deal with it. Yet, we refuse to use them. As a Foreign Animal Disease, the federal government controls how HPAI outbreaks are handled, specifically the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The USDA dictates that commercial flocks (more than 1,000 birds) that test positive for HPAI are culled. Culled. Depopulated. Notably, different from euthanasia. Every bird in the infected flock must be killed. Commonly using carbon dioxide foam or gas, suffocating the birds. While unsavory, mass depopulation has its place to protect other animals from contagious disease, especially when the infected animals have little chance of surviving.

Except that current knowledge suggests that mass depopulation may increase spread. Production is delayed by an overzealous requirement that houses remain vacant for 14 days despite virus no longer being contagious within 96 hours. HPAI causes death – but not 100% death. In fact, in healthy unvaccinated populations, as much as 25% the flock could survive, building immunity which culling prevents.

Unvaccinated populations, like every poultry flock in the entire country. Unvaccinated implies availability of a vaccine though. And there is! Just… not here. In much of Asia, HPAI is commonplace, as it is becoming in the USA. As such, some countries such as China vaccinate all commercial birds. And it works, bringing HPAI-related death as low as 3% and speeding recovery with up to 97% survival. What about us? The vaccine is not available for use within the United States. Chickens are food animals under the USDA, heavily restricting vaccine use. Understandably so! Not all vaccines are good – some are dangerous, some just don’t work. Except other countries have been using this vaccine for years, so we know it’s safe and effective.

The USDA has yet to approve it for two reasons: trade and surveillance. In allowing chickens to die, the USDA maintains trade partners – certain countries would ban import of American poultry products should HPAI vaccination be permitted. Additionally, the USDA claims that the high mortality allows more effective surveillance so we can stamp out disease quickly. A strategy based in culling, an inefficient method of control rife with animal welfare concerns, human stressors, and economic impact. Even with vaccination, death rates are at least 2x that of a flock without HPAI (3% versus 0.5-1.5% normal mortality). Of course, cows with HPAI are not mass depopulated, further calling into question poultry use of this “stamping out” strategy.

The current outbreak, even just in dairy cows, has been a problem for a year now, the first case reported in late March 2024. Everything thus far has been bipartisan, absent of administration-specific criticism. These are ongoing issues, present through several presidential administrations, all failing to successfully address HPAI. Which is not to say I lack administration specific criticisms regarding ongoing epidemic(s) – HPAI … tuberculosis, measles, Listeria... Prior to mass layoffs and NIH funding freezes, research in both cows and chickens were underway to reassess the vaccine and its place in our production systems. Despite the destruction DOGE wreaks in the name of deregulation to “streamline our government,” we have yet to see changes benefiting Americans. Reassessment of HPAI vaccine and mass depopulation protocols ought to be a priority. An effective human HPAI vaccine would minimize hospitalizations and death; instead, we are left wondering if we will even have a flu vaccine next season. As an administration entrenched in a “bread and circuses” mindset, the clowns are excelling at circuses in the form of human rights violations but have yet to make groceries more affordable, ostensibly the reason many Americans voted for them

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five hargreeves moments i think about too much

"NO BALL OF TWINE, NO BIOLOGICAL MOTHER"

that time he called lila and diego 'sentient std's'

“I don't think I'm better than you. I know I'm better than you."

"think batman...then aim lower."

"It's an extra kinky kind of black hole."

"the next person who says dickhead will get a punch in the throat" *everyone proceeds to say dickhead*

"that's one badass stapler"

"IM THE DADDY HERE"

"What a disturbing glimpse into that thing you call a brain."

"ITS ÖGA FOR ÖGA YOU IDIOTS"

"GIANT BALL OF TWINE!! THATS ONE OF THE BEST ONES :DDDD"

“I’d ask what you’re doing Klaus, but then it occurred to me that I don’t care”

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clocked his ass for no reason at all

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Considering to keep doing commissions. I need help with

A) maintaining stock

B) GROCERIES. GAS. MEDS.

And C) my animals' yearly check up is coming up in two months, and my corgi alone cost a little over $900 for shots, year supply of flea meds, x-ray for status of hip dysplasia, and overall checkup.

I'd be willing to do anything. Any band. Any song. Lyrics. Movie. Phrases (i can't even begin to tell you how greatly i want to get colored block letters and make a stupid bracelet that says, "luv me sum appy." No, I am not right in the head.)

If I don't have the type of bead you want either we can go halfsies on it and I give you a discount, or you buy it and you get your bracelet half off, if not more depending on stone.

Moots, thoughts and suggestions?

Pinning this

Update! Made a ko-fi!

https://ko-fi.com/inv3ga

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combining two of my favorite things

I FORGOT THE SECOND CHAIN

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The Umbrella Academy // Dancing

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Ladies and gentlemen of the jury...may I present the de-evolution of Number Five Hargreeves and his weapons:

Exhibit A: Bad-ass, feral, using whatever is within reach, not giving a shit about proper handling, a weapon is basically an extension of his body Five Hargreeves

Exhibit B: Cliche, cheesy cop-show character, follows all protocol and direct orders, no emotion, all out of ammo and all out of ideas Five Hargreeves

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I JUST WANT A CANON AROACE CHARACTER MAN. WHY DOES EVERY AROACE CODED CHARACTER HAVE TO FALL IN LOVE AND SCREW SOMEONE

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Okay, not to sound like an asshole and point out something right away, but in 4x01 there's no way Five wouldn't have noticed the marigold jar missing from the box after Ben took it. The dude was a trained assassin that had to keep track of his briefcase at all times, and the marigold jar was right on top of the box which was right next to his leg. Not to mention Five picked up that box and carried it too

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this will be a bit of a long post but i ask that you please please read the full thing if you want to know more about Sudan- i feel like not enough people ACTUALLY know what's going on in Sudan. a lot of people have a vague idea that a 'war' and genocide is going on, but it's important to know the specifics as well.

there is extremely little coverage of Sudan from non-Sudanese sources, and even those that DO cover it often paint it as a war between two different generals for power over a country- and to a certain extent, without context, that IS what's happening. for those unaware, the two 'warring factions' in Sudan are the official Sudanese military- the SAF (Sudanese Armed Forces) and the RSF (Rapid Support Forces).

in April 2019, during the Sudanese Revolution, Islamist dictator Omar al-Bashir was deposed by the SAF in response to a mass wave of revolutionary organizing, protests, and sit-ins. Immediately after, the TMC (Transitionary Military Council) was established, with SAF general inspector Abdel Fattah al-Burhan being appointed as the chairman. for a brief time, protestors engaged in negotiations with Burhan, and many believed that he was being ernest in his promises of a true civilian democratic government- but it soon became clear to protestors that he was not actually taking their demands seriously, so demonstrations once again intensified. on June 3, 2019, it was under Burhan's command that the Khartoum Massacre was committed, killing 118 protestors while they were participating in a sit-in at the military headquarters in Khartoum.

as the next few months went by, agreements came about to dissolve the TMC and form a Transitional Sovereignty Council based on a draft of a constitutional declaration. it was supposed to be that a military official would be the chairman for 21 months, then transitioning to a civilian chairman for the next 18 months- but Burhan staged a coup in October of 2021, and dissolved the council and effectively turned the Sudanese government back into a military junta, which was the cause of further protesting.

i want to emphasize the crimes and horrors of the SAF because they are often forgotten in these discussions due to the absolute atrocities committed by the RSF. there is no good guy here- both the SAF and the RSF are vying for dictatorial power. so let's talk about the RSF.

headed by genocidal war criminal Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known more widely as "Hemedti", the RSF formed around 2014 due to reorginization of the Janjaweed militias- which were the militias that formed across the Darfuri regions of southwestern Sudan to suppress demonstrations against Bashir's oppressive and racist regime which carried out the first genocide of Massalit and other ethnically non-Arab peoples across Darfur in the early 2000s. so to be succinct- the RSF has direct roots in dictatorial suppression of Sudanis protesting against ethnic cleansing, genocide, and oppression.

for around a decade, the RSF and SAF were different factions of the Sudanese military- both have their roots and a pattern of supporting dictatorial violence and anti-Black genocide. and, on April 15, 2023, these two dictatorial Arab-colonialist powers began fighting out of the blue. fighting has been most intense around Khartoum, the central state and capital city of Sudan, where now an estimated 35% of its residents have been forced to flee, with the rest trapped in the middle of an active war zone.

the RSF has been actively continuing the genocide of non-Arab Darfuri Sudanis that its predecessor the Janjaweed committed 20 years prior. they have been consistently launching attacks against Massalit villages in Darfur and El Geneina. Recently, they have completely ethnically cleansed several Massalit villages, killing hundreds in each one of them. in addition, they are committing so many other war crimes, like sexual violence, blocking access to humanitarian aid, occupying civilian homes and kicking the residents out, along with blatant ethnic cleansing campaigns, mass murder, and targeting of civilians.

but don't think that this is a 'civil war' as many are calling it. a civil war is an internal dispute, but this is far from that. both the SAF and the RSF are supported by external powers, namely the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Russia, who all provide funding to these groups IN EXCHANGE FOR SUDANESE RESOURCES LIKE GOLD AND OIL. this is, ultimately, not just some random war between two different military groups- it is a war funded by and for foreign colonial powers who have a vested interest in colonizing Sudan for its resources. as an example- the UAE's- and especially Dubai's- infamous gold and jewelry industry, is only made possible by the fact that the UAE illegally smuggles 80% of Sudan's gold- they fund this by sending weapons AND SOLDIERS to the RSF. Several of the gold mines in Sudan are owned and operated by the Russian government.

all of this, both the 'internal' AND the external, colonial aspects of this war and genocide, has led to the world's current WORST humanitarian crisis. not only do LOW estimates place the total murdered in the past year at 150,000, but out of Sudan's population of nearly 47 million, over half (25 million) are in severe need of humanitarian aid, and of those 25 million, over half are children. fighting between the RSF and SAF has lead to severe blockage of aid, and the UN's initial proposed budget of $1.5 billion in April of 2023 has not only not increased to accommodate the severe worsening of the crisis, but ALSO has not even been funded 20%.

2.5 MILLION PEOPLE ARE EXPECTED TO STARVE TO DEATH IN SUDAN BY THIS FUCKING SEPTEMBER. THAT IS LESS THAN 2 MONTHS AWAY.

additionally, due to both western colonization and the Sudanese governments' deliberate cutting of internet access across the entirety of Sudan, there is a huge lack of the proper infrastructure for generating awareness and spreading videos and info from on the ground in Sudan. this means that not only are people unable to effectively crowdfund support to leave, but they are also barred from accessing social media to spread awareness, and they're unable to contact loved ones outside of Sudan most of the time.

also, Sudan is HUGE- in order for displaced people to escape fighting, they usually have to walk, on foot, for hundreds of miles, often across literal deserts, with extremely little access to water. there has also been a surge of internally displaced people dying due to illness and scorpion stings in displacement camps. 70% of Sudan's hospitals have stopped functioning entirely. and even if they DO make it to a neighboring country, most of the options there are just as bad, if not worse- Egypt is extremely anti-Black, and doesn't allow work permits to most Black refugees, meaning they are relegated to being houseless and jobless if they go to Egypt- and westward in Chad, there is also crisis with food and resources, so the government of Chad quite literally can not materially support anymore Sudanese refugees. In South Sudan, there is also conflict, war, and crisis, and in Ethiopia, where the genocide is taking place in Tigray, the government is extremely hostile to Sudanese refugees. there are currently more than 6,000 Sudanese refugees stranded in the forests because of the hostilities they faced while in UNHCR camps.

and everyday that we're not doing something, this genocide, war, and humanitarian crisis is getting worse. doing something starts with being educated. i urge y'all to look more into this, don't just take what i'm saying and roll with it- truly learn and listen to Sudanese activists on this. i highly recommend following these accounts on Instagram:

@/red_maat , @/bsonblast , @/sudansolidaritycollective, @/forsudaneseliberation, @/darfurwomenaction, @/liberatesudan, @/zzeirra, @/yousraelbagir, @/modathirzainalabdeen, @/sdn.world, @/nasalsudan, @/sudanuntold, @/kandakamagazine, and @/almigdadhassan0

IF ANYTHING I'VE SAID IS INACCURATE, PLEASE LET ME KNOW!

i'd like to spread this post for some education. could you reblog this @decolonize-the-left @incorrectmadrigalfamilyquotes @homoidiotic @heritageposts @el-shab-hussein

@fairuzfan @palipunk @silicacid @sissa-arrows @apollos-olives @

@northgazaupdates @our-queer-experience @intersexfairy @genderqueerdykes

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We are staying and we will rebuild our land. This is a promise

If you want to help me with this promise👇🏻

A second link if the campaign link does not work

Vetted by @el-shab-hussein and @nabulsi

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verified ways to send aid to gaza directly

Help a Palestinian family directly:

gazafunds.com - Donate directly to a Palestinian family in urgent need of evacuation, medical attention, food, rebuilding homes/businesses etc. (Spotlights 1 verified gfm at a time so if you don't know who/where to donate to just go here and donate to the one they show you!)

Help provide tents (urgent):

The Sameer Project: Currently providing tents for displaced families in Gaza (emergency bc tents in Rafah are being burned as we speak) (paypal) (gfm)

Food, cash & essentials:

Care for Gaza: Working on the ground in Gaza to distribute food, cash, medicine & other essentials to displaced families. (paypal) (gfm)

Direct Aid for Gaza: also working on the ground in Gaza to distribute food, cash & other daily essential suppliess to displaced families. (paypal) (gfm)

Water:

Gaza Municipality's water project: The official Municipality of Gaza needs help rebuilding the water infrastructure in Gaza City to restore access to clean water and waste management services for the people of Gaza. (This campaign only has a couple of weeks left but it's still only at 15%!)

eSIMs (urgent):

guide to buy & send esims for gaza

crips for esims for gaza: If you don't know how to buy esims or don't have the capacity to manage them (e.g. topping up regularly), this team of volunteers are collecting funds to buy & manage gaza esims regularly

Medical Aid

Palestine Red Crescent Society: Provides emergency medical and ambulance services and humanitarian relief on the ground in Gaza e.g. rescuing and treating the wounded.

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Really happy to see this at my local library