#how long will the coronavirus last in the us

[vague-humanoid]

Just a few days before our interview, Jill’s (Ed: not her real name) immunologist sent her to the hospital to rule out pulmonary embolism, which happens when a blood clot gets stuck in an artery of the lung. In Jill’s case it would be a Long COVID symptom amongst many others she had been battling over the last year: including swelling around the tissue of her heart, memory deficits, sudden heart-rate surges, fatigue and abnormal kidney test results.

By that point, she’d had COVID four times, despite taking stringent precautions. She was born with a primary immune deficiency. And, without a fully functioning immune system she needs weekly injections of human immunoglobulins from plasma donations. A very small viral load can make her sick and she’s at a much higher risk of severe outcomes from COVID than most people.

“Every time I catch it, it adds new layers to my disabilities,” she says. “COVID is slowly killing me.” Her haematologist believes the past COVID infections have further damaged her immune system. She is looking at a possible lupus diagnosis.

Her voice is raspy and soft over the phone. She pauses when I ask how she is doing.

“Well, I got COVID,” she says. “Again.”

At the hospital appointment several nurses were not wearing their masks properly, and one kept pulling it down to talk with Jill, who had to remove hers to get her lungs checked. As someone who is very isolated with her family — everyone works and goes to school from home — Jill believes that the appointment led to her most recent infection.

She’s always been careful with her health but in the past, she worked in the school system. By 2020 she moved to a remote position and at that time still had many options for safely connecting with those around her and she could attend health-care appointments without concern. About a year ago, nearly all restrictions were lifted in Alberta and that’s when she got her first COVID infection.

Three years in, nearly everyone she knows has moved on including — most bafflingly to her — many of the medical professionals she sees. But, Jill says, moving on is not a privilege afforded to people like her.

Recently, PCR testing became inaccessible to health-care providers, who, in the past, were able to test regularly. And while Alberta Health Services (AHS) still requires masks, any health-care settings outside AHS can make their own rules. So, once masking was no longer mandated in public settings, many dropped requirements — this includes many of the specialists seeing immunocompromised people, including those Jill now sees due to Long COVID.

“The variants have been left to run rampant and I have really become more and more scared,” she says.

“Governments are saying: Oh we can re-open because we have all these tools. But they are not available to the immunocompromised population. So, the monoclonal antibodies are no longer effective against the current variants. Because the variants are so immune-based, the vaccines were never particularly effective for immunocompromised people because of the nature of our immune systems.”

As well, Jill says that there are many contraindicated drugs that cannot be taken with Paxlovid, the drug which is used to treat COVID patients in specific circumstances. According to Health Canada, Paxlovid “is used in adults to treat mild to moderate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in patients who have a positive result from a severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 viral test and who have a high risk of getting severe COVID-19, including hospitalization or death.”

She still takes the vaccines with hopes they will help, and while she believes Paxlovid is saving her life with this current infection, she says it is not a guarantee against more Long COVID symptoms. And, for the infection prior to the current one, the drug was not available due to a kidney infection caused by the virus.

“I have to access my medication, my health care. And by people not masking around me, I have no way to protect myself,” she says. “If you don’t want to wear masks as a society then you are going to leave the immunocompromised people behind.” And she says many high risk people are not able to work from home, or have their kids in online classes or maybe struggle to afford masks or air purifiers — many social and financial issues make individual protections far more challenging or impossible. She is currently in a court battle with her ex.

“He wants increased access, in-person school and group extracurricular activities. All things that put me at higher risk of infection,” says Jill.

Recently, she went to her cardiologist to find that no patients or staff were masking.

“I really realize now I have to be my own advocate,” she says.

She has to constantly think ahead. So, she now calls beforehand to see if the appointment can be done remotely or if the staff can mask. She’s also decided to start carrying around a laminated sheet that explains her medical condition as it is often something she needs to repeat at each appointment or in the emergency room. 

Like many others, she’s found ways to navigate her way around a harrowing array of risks. And yet, even with all these precautions, she can not control the actions of others which can directly affect her health.

Holly (Ed: not her real name), is retired and lives in a small community just outside Edmonton. She’s currently thinking about her next visit to her doctor, who hasn’t been taking precautions from the beginning.

“It’s exhausting always trying to get around how there is no protection for us anymore,” she says. “I’m thinking why am I made to feel crazy when my own doctor won’t wear a mask? Won’t acknowledge that it’s airborne?”

But the worst part, she claims, was that he minimized the effects of COVID, saying it was rarely an issue and only affects a certain demographic. Holly does not believe that is true, but regardless it is of little comfort when her husband, who’s in his 70s, has chronic health complications.

“I think patients are rightfully concerned, particularly when they go in for health care,” says physician Neeja Bakshi. “I think the medical community should be doing whatever we can to protect those who are coming in.”

It’s true, she says, that hospitals are no longer overwhelmed, and fewer people are dying; there is less of an acute emergency. But COVID is still circulating, people are still dying, and Long COVID (aka post COVID-19 condition) should be on everyone’s radar.

Recently, the World Health Organization announced an end to the global health emergency. But it also said earlier that “one in 10 infections result in post COVID-19 condition suggesting that hundreds of millions of people will need longer term care.”

COVID can cause organ damage — particularly affecting the heart, kidneys, skin. Plus, there’s risk of brain and immune damage, along with increased risks for cancer and autoimmune disease.

And, while no one knows yet how long that damage could persist, a study published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine says 59 per cent of Long COVID patients had organ damage a year later.

In 2022, Bakshi started a Long COVID clinic at her health facility Park Integrative Health, treating patients from across Canada. Every week she completes upwards of 20 disability forms for people who need to take time off work due to the debilitating effects of Long COVID.

While certain health complications make Long COVID more likely, anyone can be affected regardless of the severity of their infection or the state of their health. The indiscriminate nature of COVID is one of the things that’s been most shocking to Bakshi. She’s treated a number of elite athletes who went from performing at a professional level to struggling to have enough energy to brush their teeth.

Many patients struggle with stigma not just from medical professionals but from family, friends and employers. It’s an invisible illness, says Bakshi, so patients may look fine and are often misdiagnosed as something psychosomatic.

“I’m immersed in the world. But I don’t feel like you can deny it exists. And I think it’s a bit of ignorance on the medical community’s part if they say they don’t know anything about Long COVID. There are very specific disease patterns and symptoms,” says Bakshi.

There is also a lack of support. The most proven management strategy for Long COVID or even any COVID infection is recovery and rest, says Bakshi. But that’s not possible for many people. Initially, in 2020, there was forced rest through quarantine periods, but that time off has become shorter, as employers don’t have to pay for employees to be off at all.

“We are not a society that is built on support. We’ve already set ourselves up to fail from a recovery perspective,” says Bakshi.

Jill has found validation in Bakshi’s clinic as one of her patients. But that experience stands out amongst a sea of specialists who have given up on precautions.

“Instead of recommending upgraded masks, air cleaners and UV, or working from home, immunologists that manage my condition recommend wearing a mask if you want and enjoying your life—as short as that may be. I am not sure if this is complacency, or giving up… Either way, education and change need to happen or far too many valuable lives will be lost and disabled unnecessarily,” says Jill.

Savvy AF.  Blunt AF.  Edmonton AF.

[diamondtaem6v6]

✨SHINee for ELLE MEN / Elle Japan April issue

“We will keep on shining through the future”

Photoshoot and interview in collaboration with luxury jewelry brand “Boucheron”.

(All active members’ interviews included)

-KEY-

— Please tell us about the appeal of the Quatre Collection and your impression of the jewelry you wore.

Key: Actually, I have a Quatre ring. I wear it regularly when I go out to high-class restaurants, and I came across a Quatre while looking for a luxurious and classic ring. The bracelet I wore today was also very cute and impressive.

— What do you keep in mind while wearing a luxury jewel?

Key: It’s important to match yourself. Like today, it’s nice to have a mixed style that goes with your daily styling.

— Has the way you wear jewelry changed since your debut?

Key: What has changed is that now that I’m an adult, I can enjoy luxury brands like Boucheron! I think the one thing that hasn’t changed is that I enjoy mixing things with different tastes in my own way.

— What kind of place is Tokyo Dome for you?

Key: In the past, it used to be like an “unreachable future” for us. But thanks to our fans, the dome concerts were realized sooner than we expected. Even now, I will not forget how I felt at that moment and stand on stage again.

(Key’s comment on the jewelry)

“I also like the fact that the Quatre looks different depending on the color, such as the red one I wore today”.

- Bonus interview - (only in the website)

— How do you feel now that you have resumed group activities and completed the Japan tour with great success?

Key: Even before the end of COVID19, was always thinking than I wanted to work in Japan like I used to, and go around the country and perform live like everything is normal. Japanese fans kept asking me: “When will there be a Japan tour?” at online fansigns events, and each time I said “I want to do it too!”… But in the blink of an eye it was already over. Our long-awaited tour is reaching its final day. (laughs)

Oh, this was it after all. It’s been 5 years since the last tour and a lot has changed since then, so I was worried if they would come back (for the tour) again.

— So the Tokyo Dome performances were decided, also to eliminate these concerns

Key: I really appreciate it. I’m grateful. It’s been a long time since we’ve toured Japan, but when we did it... Nothing different from before. I think what has changed is that the members’ Japanese has become better (laughs). I’ve been performing in Japan for about 2 years, but at that time no one could scream because of the coronavirus pandemic. I was sad that there was only applauses, so I feel like I’m completely back on this tour.

— This time, the shoot was in collaboration with Boucheron jewelry. What does jewelry mean to you?

Key: In Korea, jewelry is always included on important events. When a child is born, when a couple gets married, how many days of a couple’s anniversary, etc. I have this image of jewelry being always by your side on important days.

It seems that junior groups often buy friendship items such as team jewelry with their members. I didn’t have that kind of culture at my time... Because each person has a different taste, right? But if I have a chance, I would like to try it in the future. I’d like a necklace or something that I can keep on wearing. However, it seems that it’s difficult for all the members to find something that they like (laughs).

- MINHO -

— Please tell us about the appeal of the Quatre Collection and your impression of the jewelry you wore.

Minho: Last year, SHINee celebrated the 15th anniversary in Korea. The 20 years Quatre Collection is more senior, but I felt a sense of unity that we have experienced the same number of years.

— How do you feel when you wear a luxury jewelry?

Minho: I’ve recently started to take an interest in jewelry, so I feel good when I wear it. I’m not sure if I’ve changed because I’ve grown up (laughs). In the future, I may be more attracted to gorgeous things like the ones I wore today.

— Has the way you wear jewelry changed since your debut?

Minho: I was in high school when I made my debut, so I think there were some things that didn’t suit me at the time. But now that I’m over 30 years old, I feel like the range of items I can wear, including clothes and jewelry, has expanded.

— Please tell us how you felt about resuming group activities in Japan last year after a long time.

Minho: I realized that I missed being on stage more than I had ever imagined. Seeing everyone’s faces and hearing their voices made me feel even more grateful.

(Minho’s comment on the jewelry)

“My favorite item is the black ring. It’s good since it has a casual feel without being too assertive”.

- Bonus interview - (only in the website)

— How was the first Japan tour after a long time?

Minho: I always have fond memories of the tours. For example, there were times when it was hot and cold, and there were times when we celebrated my birthday… So, when there were no concerts, I often caught myself thinking: “Oh, normally I would be touring in Japan this time…”. So when I performed for the first time in a long time, I felt a really big sense of gratitude for the fans. I was really happy to see that the whole venue was waiting for us.

— So what do you think about finishing the tour at Tokyo Dome?

Minho: After all, no matter how many times we experience it, Tokyo Dome is a dream stage for us. I’ll always remember when we always wanted to stand there on our own and worked hard to achieve it. It’s often said that there are feelings that only those who stand on the stage of the Tokyo Dome can understand, and I think it’s true.

— On the tour, all the members talk in Japanese during MCs. How do you study Japanese?

Minho: I watch a lot of Japanese animes, movies, and dramas, and I was able to improve my listening comprehension. The audio is Japanese and subtitles are Korean. The one I watched recently was “First Love” (Netflix series).

— You are also focusing on acting. Are there any roles you would like to try in the future?

Minho: I try not to say “I want to try this genre” because I feel like that would limit the possibilities. I think that if I told people “This is what I want to do”, other works won’t come at me. I’m looking forward to playing many different roles, so please look forward to it!

- TAEMIN -

— Please tell us about the appeal of the Quatre Collection and your impression of the jewelry you wore.

Taemin: It’s wonderful that the concept of Quatre is clearly visible in each of the items. I think it’s great that you can tell at a glance that it’s a Boucheron collection. I wanted to try them for important shoots or when wearing a suit.

— How was it to have a photoshoot wearing luxurious jewelry?

Taemin: I wanted to express the luxury and attitude of the brand in my own way, so I tried to be conscious of a cool and calm atmosphere instead of moving flashy.

— Has the way you wear jewelry changed since your debut?

Taemin: In the past, I didn’t wear jewelry at all because I felt that they didn’t look good on me, but now I enjoy wearing watches and necklaces. I feel that using them as a point, I can create a mature atmosphere.

— Please tell us how you felt about resuming group activities in Japan last year after a long time.

Taemin: It was a long awaited activity, and I want to take care of myself and run through to Tokyo Dome, the last concert of our tour. I would like to use my individual activities as a strength and do my best in group activities.

(Taemin’s comment on the jewelry)

“For stage costumes, I wear flashy accessories as much as I can, but I usually like to enjoy jewelry with basic designs in a point-like way, so I wore the same pair of earrings all the time. I don’t care about memorial days, I pick them up when I want a fashionable item.”

- Bonus interview - (only in the website)

— How was the first Japan tour after a long time?

Taemin: I was finally able to work again. I think the activities with SHINee have given me strength in my individual activities. I think we were able to work on the tour a little more relaxed than we did in the past. When I was practicing the first songs, I couldn’t remember the choreographies, so it was fun to get together with the members and remember them.

— The talk on MCs was done all in Japanese, right?

Taemin: This time, I stayed in Japan for a long time on tour, so I got used to Japanese a little... I’m still not good at it, but even for MC, I can now express myself in many ways in Japanese. I couldn’t come to Japan for a while, so I forgot about it. In the past, there should have been more words and expressions that I knew more... (laughs).

— I think Tokyo Dome is also a place of memories. Do you remember standing in the dome in the past?

Taemin: Yes, I do. When the dome was decided this time, I was reminded of the time when we had worked hard to prepare for it. Of course, the same enthusiasm from before is also felt this time, and I’m sure that the audience will come to see the dome with a special meaning. In terms of distance, it’s harder to see us in the dome than in the arena or hall. But the dome is special. After all, that scenery with the green fanlights is wonderful.

— After COVID19 ended, the life between Korea and Japan and many other countries began again. Did you discover anything new after staying in Japan for the first time in a long time?

Taemin: I feel that there are so many people who really love K-Pop. At the time of our debut, for example, we had no choice but to perform at the dome alone, but now we are in a situation where Korean awards are held at the Dome, which is a very strange feeling. I used to feel like I would come to Japan to meet my fans, but now I feel that the situation of Japanese fans who love K-Pop as a whole is different from the past. As a result, I would like to deepen my bond with the fans even more. I think we have gained so much popularity in Japan thanks to the influence of TVXQ and BoA, and I hope SHINee can contribute something to this new era.

“Our activities in Japan are even more fulfilling. We will continue to be a shining group.”

SHINee is holding their first Japan tour in about 5 years, and they’re working back and forth between Korea and Japan as before. They seem to enjoy their stay in Japan in their own style.

Key: Recently, I have been making restaurant reservations myself and enjoying delicious meals with my friends in Japan. Natural wine is popular here, just like in Korea. I’ve always liked convenience stores, so I’ll go there even just by myself. I love the Napolitan (Ketchup spaghetti) from Japanese convenience stores (laughs).

Minho: I also started to go out and enjoy my meals more slowly than before. Recently, it has become popular among Koreans to enjoy sushi and tempura at “omakase” restaurants, but when it comes to yakitori (chicken skewers), Japan is the best.

Regarding the changes from the past, Taemin said: “I feel that there are so many people that fell in love with K-Pop”.

SHINee has become a role model for the 5th generation of K-pop groups.

Key: Even when I was competing in MMA and other awards, I was surprised to see my juniors cheering me on. There was a time when BoA and other seniors were there, I think that we, who followed in the footsteps, are like a bridge allowing a connection with juniors. I feel that we should all protect K-Pop and work hard together.

Taemin: Instead of just creating contents to be consumed, we have performed in Japan many times in order to be loved by our fans, we’ve been working with the goal of creating bonds.

Minho: We were able to show that we could be active for a long time, so this may have had a good influence on our juniors.

Last year, they celebrated their 15th debut anniversary in Korea. They have been collecting light while overcoming barriers, and they will surely continue to shine even more brightly in the future, working hand in hand with their fans.

Minho: We would like to continue our activities as a group and show our diverse sides. Personally, I would like to take on the challenge of a variety of works as an actor.

Taemin: We want to continue to be loved as a team called SHINee. I want each member to take care of their health, achieve their own goals and succeed. So we can do more powerful activities when we get together as a group. I feel the happiest when I’m on the stage, so I’d like to do more solo tours with new concepts.

Key: 15 years is a long time, but I still have a lot of memories, and it feels like in the blink of an eye I’m already sitting here. I will continue to take care of my health and do my best in the work. I believe that this will naturally lead me to the next great work.

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

Credits: Elle Japan

JPN - ENG Translation: @DiamondTaem

#SHINee #샤이니 #샤이니월드 #SHINee World #Shawol #Elle Japan #Key #SHINee Key #Kim Kibum #김기범 #Minho #Choi Minho #최민호 #TAEMIN #Lee Taemin #이태민 #english translation #Boucheron #Quatre collecion #jewelry

[imaginative-123]

This might be my Last Post regarding Vivziepop

I'm just going to say this as a longtime fan since 2019 I was extremely disappointed, before all of this I started following her since 2019 and watched Hazbin Hotel and I thought it was good alongside Helluva Boss which I rewatched in the past of my Youtube Downloads bec the PLDT internet during the Coronavirus that started in 2020 was not great. I used to listen to her different music genres of her speedraws while I'm drawing and I also watch her speedraws and was amazed by the process on how her artworks was made. I even made a fanart about her for my college project

This is my fav Die Young music video that I made fanart for

Artwork I Made for Technicals in History of Graphics Subject in First Year College for my favorite artist and animator Vivziepop.

Although despite Vivziepop's success as an Indie animator and for running Spindlehorse, I cannot deny she's a very controversial person to any video or tweets about her is always related to her past controversies, while I do see that there are unfair accusations thrown against her I still wish she addressed her other controversial stuff that she didn't addressed whether she's aware of what she did or not and I'm not going to mention any names bec I do not want to be involve deeper in the drama bec I've seen there are other tumblr and twitter posts calling her out, not to mention the fanbase is divided with diehard fans, neutral fans, haters, stalkers and critical fans. Also the reason why I'm really dissapointed with her bec any controversy that is meant to call out her attention she blocks people on Twitter whether the person is criticizing her show and her actions and not to mention she started becoming unprofessional lately. I can understand if blocking is meant to avoid harassment, if that's the case, but when it comes to criticism she was acting unprofessional and not to mention not addressing in a professional manner can make people go unprofessional against the creator, if I'm being honest she needs a PR Manager or Assistant to guide her. At the end I'm disappointed, I expected better from her, being a longtime fan since 2019 deeply hurts me, for me this might be my last post including the tumblr fanart works I liked related to the show. I just hope she won't get the worst Cancellation that might make her leave the internet and cancel Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss and her other projects, bec that is the worst thing to happen and I wish she needs to step up her game and try to improve her behavior including the writing of her shows. Only time will tell until she realizes this, and I don't follow Viviziepop or Ayy Lmao anymore, and I'm all for valid criticisms for Vivziepop just as long as the people were not harassing her or sending death threats and also making false accusations against her and just because you may not like her as a person does not give it a free pass to make up false accusations and lies against her and is not acceptable, the fandom should do better. Until then, goodbye Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss fandom, I used to be a fan of the show but I cannot support Vivziepop anymore, and it's time for me to leave.

BTW the art that I made for college will not be removed despite my mixed feelings about Vivziepop it would be a shame for me to delete it with all the hardwork I made it. So it will not be deleted from my Deviantart and my tumblr post including my other Hazbin Hotel redesign edits and Beelzebub redesign edits in my Deviantart account if you guys also want to check out my work there.

If Charlie Morningstar the Princess of Hell will redeem sinners by making Hazbin Hotel a place to rehabilitate sinners and make them become better people, then I hope Vivienne Medrano who uses her creativity through her artworks and being an indie animator to inspire her fans and artists like me, but she needs to grow up and become a better person.

#helluva boss #hazbin hotel #die young #vivziepop #vivziepop critical #vivziepop criticism #helluva boss critical #helluva boss criticism #spindlehorse critical #spindlehorse criticism

[odinsblog]

are you disappointed that bree newsome wants trump reclected?

Bree Newsome is a prolific tweeter and I’ve looked, but I haven’t seen anywhere where she said that she wants Trump to be re-elected. Please send me the link to the specific tweet if I’m wrong.

I understand and agree with much of what Bree has been saying on Twitter though. I mean, I dO get it. I think her major concern is that 1) in some important ways, the difference between Trump’s policies and some of Biden’s policies has not been all that great, and 2) if Biden should win (definitely not a guarantee) liberals will go right back to brunch and act as if the problem is gone and everything is “okay” again.

As far as the first point goes, you don’t need to look any further than Biden’s Title 42; or how the Biden administration literally sued to keep using Trump’s previous racist immigration policies. Not a good look. And now, you’ve got Democrats trying to out-Republican Republicans by showing how tough cruel they can be to refugees who are legally seeking asylum at the Southern border. Bottom line, the immigration policies are white supremacy-lite, and some of the changes Biden is proposing—like forcing asylum seekers to wait in another country while the government takes its sweet time with endless immigration red tape—these changes will fundamentally change America’s immigration system, for the worse.

And that’s without me even touching on how badly Biden is fucking up with Palestine.

And as for the second point, conservative Democrats have gone back to brunch once orange man gone. Remember how hard Democrats came down on the Trump administration for their poor Coronavirus response? Yet now we have the CDC basically telling people to stay their asses at work even if they’ve tested positive for COVID. WTF?? Did I mention that measles are making a comeback?? And Biden isn’t saying anything, and neither are his surrogates. And so it is perhaps this tendency towards inaction(?) that is the most significantly damaging and damning aspect that creates disaffected voters who should be motivated to get rid of Trump and Republicans writ large —in a lot of ways that matter, disaffected voters don’t see any significant differences. Sure, the stock market is doing great, but people are getting their asses kicked on a lot of day-to-day, kitchen table issues. Unemployment is down, but a lot of people still have to work multiple jobs to make ends meet.

So yeah, I won’t be dismissive or derisive about Bree Newsome. She’s making some really valid points for anyone who is willing to actually listen.

Now that all said, I think that there is something fundamentally wrong that people are missing when they say misguided things like, “We survived one Trump administration, and we can survive another one.” A lot of marginalized groups and oppressed people won’t survive a second Trump administration. They just won’t.

Because if you thought it was bad the last time, I promise you the next Trump administration won’t be anything like the last one. Last time Trump was unprepared and didn’t even expect to win, so they made rookie mistakes. That won’t happen next time. The next Trump administration will be stacked from top to bottom with diehard Trump loyalists who will ruthlessly execute his most racist policies, foreign and domestic. (See also: Project 2025).

And yes, Biden is 100% for shit on his policy of standing by Israel no matter what. People who agree with Bree think that we will, more or less, have the same kind of problems under Trump that we’re having under Biden now. Those people are what I like to call deadass wrong.

Literally EVERYTHING will become exponentially worse in a second Trump term. For everyone who isn’t a wealthy, cisgender heterosexual white male.

Just imagine America with a Republican controlled House and Senate. Goodbye Medicare and Social Security. Goodbye labor laws. So long minimum wages. See ya, state local and federal courts not totally stacked with Federalist Society judges. It was nice knowing you, “shithole” countries full of people who I love and care about.

Look, I finally figured out something that used to bother me when I first became politically aware: it bugged tf out of me whenever I heard someone say, “THIS is the most important election everrrr!! Because THIS time, democracy itself is on the line!” Pfft. I was like a lot of people I see now, saying “But that’s what you said about the last election.” The truth is, every election is pretty much life or death. Every single one. Because elections aren’t like something you do once, and then afterwards everything is all good forever and ever. Maybe it should be, but you got assholes like Mitch McConnell and Ron DeSantis and Trump and whoever comes after them, you got people who will always be trying their hardest to constantly make shit worse for everyone who isn’t wealthy and white. They aren’t going away. So we can’t go away either. Because the moment we checkout and go back to brunch, they get right back to working on their usual transphobic, homophobic, misogynistic, racist, bullshit culture wars.

So as long as Republicans, Libertarians and conservative “Democrats” keep punching in, we gotta punch in too.

I wanna be really clear about something here: Joe Biden has done some very good things (like capping the cost of insulin), but he has also been, in many ways (not all), a terrible “Democratic” president. Biden is far too enamored of “bipartisanship,” and reaching across the aisle (to people who do not want to compromise), and Biden is far far too enamored of the non-existent good old days™ when Republicans weren’t the evil pieces of shit that they are now, and he takes far too long to change his position on important issues. Like Palestine.

But yeah, (can’t believe I’M saying this) he’s definitely better than a second Trump term will be. And even if he’s slow to change positions, at least he can be persuaded. Trump can’t.

I’m not white and I’m not rich. I am terrified of a second Trump term. I’m basically a single issue voter now, and my issue is keeping Trump out of office and HOPEFULLY making him pay for every single law he’s broken.

#anon #ask #answered #politics #bree newsome

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

The Supreme Court on Monday rejected the appeal of a Minnesota woman who said she was wrongly denied unemployment benefits after being fired for refusing to be vaccinated for COVID-19 because of her religious beliefs.

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development determined she wasn’t eligible for benefits because her reasons for refusing the vaccine were based less on religion and more on a lack of trust that the vaccine was effective.

The case shows that the vaccine debate continues to smolder after the pandemic and after the Supreme Court in 2022 halted enforcement of a Biden administration vaccine-or-testing mandate for large employers but declined to hear a challenge to the administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for health care facilities that receive federal funding.

Still pending is an appeal from military chaplains who challenged the military’s vaccination requirement. Although that requirement was later rescinded at the direction of Congress, the chaplains argue they lost out on training opportunities and promotions because they requested religious exemptions.

Minnesota said the unemployment benefit appeal denied Monday wasn’t worth the Supreme Court’s time because benefits have been given to others who were found to have a sincerely held religious objection to the vaccine, so there’s no overarching question to address.

Lawyers for the Upper Midwest Law Center, which represented Tina Goede, had argued she was treated differently by the Minnesota courts than others who successfully appealed their denial of benefits.

REFUSING TO GET VACCINATED, FIRED FROM A PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY

After refusing to get vaccinated, Goede was fired in 2022 from her job as an account sales manager for the pharmaceutical company Astra Zeneca. Her position had required her to meet with customers in hospitals and clinics, some of which required proof of vaccination.

She told the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development her religious beliefs prohibit injecting foreign substances into her body, which is a “temple of the Holy Spirit.”

A Catholic opposed to abortion, Goede also objected to the COVID-19 vaccine because she believed it was manufactured using or tested on an aborted fetal-cell line. (A cell line from an abortion decades ago was used to create Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine. Fetal cells were used in the early testing, though not in the production, of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.)

But Goede told the unemployment law judge she wouldn’t receive the vaccine no matter how it was made “because it doesn’t work.”

The judge said Goede was declining to take some vaccines, but not others, “because she does not trust them, not because of a religious belief.”

Goede’s attorneys said the judge had interrogated her religious beliefs with “unfair `gotcha’ questioning."

“He couched his denial of benefits in Ms. Goede’s credibility and then discounted her religious beliefs by determining that her secular beliefs outweighed them,” the lawyers told the Supreme Court.

At the same time the Minnesota Court of Appeals upheld that decision last year, it reached the opposite conclusion for two others who had been denied benefits after asserting religious objections.

Goede’s lawyers said her case presented a question that will reoccur: how to analyze a religious objection to an employer policy when those objections coincide with secular beliefs.

#us politics #news #usa today #2024 #us supreme court #unemployment benefits #COVID-19 vaccine #covid vaccine #coronavirus vaccine #Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development #Minnesota #vaccine mandates #Tina Goede #unemployment

[guess-my-next-obsession]

love in the time of covid: prologue

pairing: frankie morales x f!reader

chapter rating: M — Frankie’s POV, separations, angsty!frankie, mentions of a past substance abuse issue, covid (this chapter holds no explicit scenes but this entire series is 18+ only due to the amount of smut that will occur)

word count: 1.8k

series masterlist

Frankie had only moved into his apartment a week ago. His boxes were only half-unpacked, his furniture consisting of a well-loved sofa he’d taken off of Santi’s hands. During the move, the pandemic had reached its height, but he was forced to continue with it—having been newly separated from his fiancé. Ex-fiancé. He needed to get that drilled into his head.

Even before he left to Colombia with the boys, things were already practically over between them, neither of them wanting to actually say the words given their new addition—his baby girl, Alondra. They’d hoped their mutual adoration for the infant would save them, would carry them through a lifetime of lukewarm feelings for each other. But, of course, that wasn’t the case.

His things were packed up neatly in boxes and luggage the minute he arrived home from their trip to Colombia, Frankie’s heart dropping at the sight when he set his keys down in the bowl by the front door. His boots were loud in the painfully quiet suburban home, fingers twiddling against his thighs as he walked up the stairs in hopes of finding his fiancé and daughter.

“Oh,” she gasped when she saw him standing in the doorway of their master bedroom, Alondra laying on their bed while she packed up the last bit of Frankie’s wardrobe into a duffel bag. “I-I didn’t know you were going to be home today. Uh,”

They both looked around at the scene, Frankie’s lips parted but nothing coming out.

“This has been a long time coming, Frankie.” She finally sighed and shrugged, looking exhausted. “I think we’re both ready to move on from this constant state of limbo…walking on eggshells for Alondra’s sake. She deserves to see us happy as she grows up.”

“I take that to mean you’ve met someone else,” he chuckled and looked down at his boot, struck by the sudden collapse of his family, but not as hurt by his fiancé’s infidelity as he thought he would’ve been.

“He’s a single dad. His son goes to Alondra’s day care, and we, uh, just got to talking one day.” She frowned a bit as she watched him avoid her eyes. “I didn’t mean for it to happen, Frankie.”

“No, it’s fine.” He lifted his eyes and brushed off his hurt, shrugging. “Long as you’re happy. And as long as I still get to see my daughter.”

“Of course! No, yeah. We’re not…Alondra’s not going anywhere. You may not be the man for me, but you are the man for her. You’re her dad.” That almost did it—almost made him break—but he swallowed it down, nodding as he walked over to his eight-month-old and picking her up. He kissed her cheek and lingered there for a moment, knowing that these moments would now be split up 50/50.

“Alright, baby. Daddy, uh, daddy will see you soon.” He kissed her again and set her back down, biting his cheek as he watched her smile up at him.

“Where will you go?”

“Santi’s. We’ll, uh, we’ll come by this week to get everything.” Frankie scratched his neck and grabbed the duffel she’d just packed for him, his footsteps heavy as he jogged down the stairs, grabbing the few bags he could carry along with the one he’d just brought back with him from his trip and leaving without another word.

One long month later, and here he was, sat in his lonely and mildly pathetic studio apartment—sick with the Coronavirus.

“I’m supposed to stay quarantined for how long?” He sat on the phone with the clinic he went to go take the test at, the doctor informing him that at least two weeks quarantine was recommended, and then he should come in and get a test to be positive he was Covid-free. “Right. Great. Okay, thank you.”

He hung up the phone and sank back into the couch, his body shaking with a chill even in the early summer heat, his bones aching even more than they usually did. He didn’t have a cough or lose his sense of taste and smell, thankfully. But he definitely wasn’t feeling good.

The worst part about this whole quarantine would be missing two weekends of his time with Alondra, time that had become his saving grace during this separation. His daughter reminded him that he had a reason to go on with his sobriety—or to just go on at all. And now that she wasn’t here…

Knock, knock.

His eyes narrowed at the door, wondering who could possibly be knocking on his door when only two people knew where he’d moved to. He stood up with a groan, body sore and so fucking cold. Pressing his eye to the peephole, he saw that it wasn’t Santi or his ex standing on the other side but a young—dare he say attractive—woman carrying a bag of what looked to be take out.

“Yes?” He called out from inside the apartment, not wanting to risk infecting an innocent stranger who probably had the wrong address.

“Hi, sorry. I’m delivering an order, would you like me to just leave it at the door?” He narrowed his eyes. He didn’t order anything.

“I’m sorry, I think you’ve got the wrong apartment.”

“Uh, Frankie Morales—apartment 507?” He watched as she read the ticket, deciding to crack the door a bit. She took a step back out of precaution as he held his hand up. One second later, he came back with a face mask on, opening the door a bit more. “Oh, are you…do you have the virus?”

“Yeah,” he nodded and gestured for you to stay put. “That’s, uh, that’s my name, but I didn’t order anything, I don’t know that I should take it.”

Just after speaking, his phone started to buzz in his pocket, signaling an incoming text. He opened it and nodded as he read that Santi had very kindly sent him over some food, chuckling as he tucked his phone back into his pocket. “My friend ordered it for me, I guess. Sorry about all this fuss.”

“Oh, no. You’d be surprised how often this happens. Especially now with the virus going around.” She chuckled and it made him feel lighter, but perhaps that could’ve been the fever. “Well, I’ll leave it right over here for ya. And be sure to tell your girlfriend to leave me a good review on the app.”

“Oh, no. Not a girlfriend. A boy friend. A man friend. Sorry, it’s a friend who is a man. I’m straight—well, mostly straight. Nobody’s really fully straight, right?” He chuckled at his case of verbal diarrhea and scratched his neck, watching as she chuckled and nodded. “What’s, uh, whats your name? Just so I can be sure that we give a five star to the right person.”

She told him her name and he grinned underneath his mask, nodding at her.

“Well, Frankie Morales, I hope you feel better soon.” She smiled at him as she stepped away and down the stairs of his apartment, her eyes catching his over her shoulder before she disappeared from his sight. Picking up the food, he stepped back inside his studio with a smitten grin, pulling his phone out to call up his best friend.

“Did you get the food?” Santi picked up and started speaking over the sound of music playing in the background.

“Yeah,” Frankie sat down on his couch and sandwiched the phone between his ear and shoulder as he opened up the bag. “Are you having a fucking fiesta over there or what?”

“Yeah, the boys are all here. We felt bad that you’re all alone in that apartment so we sent over some tacos. Figured you already had the beer covered.” Frankie chuckled and looked over at the half-drunken bottle of beer on his coffee table.

“Hey, uh, the girl who delivered my food wanted me to tell you to give her a five star rating.” Frankie felt a blush appear on his face as he thought about her smile, shocked that he could still manage to feel so smitten at his age and after what he’s gone through in the romance department.

“Oh, Frankie’s got a crush on the delivery girl, huh?” Santi teased, Will and Benny making a commotion in the background. “She cute?”

“Yeah, she’s cute. Wish I got her number, but it’s hard to flirt when you’re infected and quarantined. Not really a hot selling point.” He picked up one of the carne asada tacos and lifted it to his mouth, nodding in appreciation at the taste. “What, uh, what app did you use to order this? Just, uh…you know. In case I got hungry.”

“Yeah, hungry alright.” Santi teased again before breaking down and giving him the app and restaurant info. “You know you don’t get to choose who delivers your food right? It’s all based on who picks up the order on their end—“

“Let the guy be a hopeless romantic.” Frankie rolled his eyes and chuckled at the sound of Will stealing the phone from Santi. “I say you go for it, man. You’ve been in a dry streak for how long now?”

“Too long.” Frankie sighed as he tried to remember the last time he’d had sex. Was it really the night of Alondra’s conception?

“See, go for it. You’ve only got two more weeks of isolation and then you’re free to stalk whatever delivery girl you want.”

“Okay, okay, let’s not use that word. No stalking is happening here, just…hopeful ordering.” He looked at the ticket on the bag, nearly choking on his food as he swallowed it. “And my savings account dwindling, apparently.”

Though he knew it was a frivolous way to spend his money, he also knew that for the first time in a very long time, he had a spark of hope—hope that maybe he wouldn’t spend the rest of his life alone. Hope that maybe he could also find happiness and show his daughter what it looked like when her father was in love, much like her mother had found.

So, with nothing much to lose besides cash, he decided that everyday of this quarantine, he’d treat himself to some form of takeout until he got his delivery girl again. And then, he’d just have to figure out how to ask for her phone number without puking out of anxiety.

Simple enough.

•••

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#pedro pascal #pedro pascal fic #pedro pascal fanfiction #frankie morales fluff #triple frontier fanfic #frankie morales x you #frankie morales x reader #frankie morales #catfish morales x reader #frankie morales smut

[floralcyanide]

The Extra || Austin Butler x OC

Chapter Eight

Pairing: Austin Butler x OC

Warnings: mentions of past innuendo, mentions of sex, nightmares.

Word Count: 2824

>> hellooo welcome to chapter eight! I know I keep leaving you all with cliffhangers but this chapter is pretty tame. please let me know if you enjoy it! (:

Series Masterlist | Main Masterlist | Add yourself to the taglist HERE

March 2020

I have been holed up in an apartment for weeks without being able to leave. I’ve been stuck in a relationship where I wasn’t held to an acceptable standard. I have been through the wringer with my ex, trying to figure out how to get out of the tense situation without ruining our new friendship, if you’d call it that. I got through all of those things. But I had never felt so stuck before in my entire life until Austin told me that an entire movie, a person’s life story, and the hope of fans worldwide now fell on me. And I don’t know if that’s something I can get to the other side of. Apparently, I look enough like Priscilla to be her character and have enough acting experience. Besides, desperate times call for desperate measures, and if an extra has to be used in the main cast, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. But it felt like it was the end to me.

Baz decided that everything we have filmed so far will be refilmed after the six months are up. Not just because I was recast, but because he felt it would be better that way. I have to stay with Austin during these six months because I have to gain chemistry with him or instead gain chemistry back. Whatever we have going on right now isn’t a good kind of chemistry to work with, so we have to fix that. Also, I can’t really go home anyway. Everyone has been told that wherever you are right now, you should probably stay if possible. The virus has become too dangerous. I broke the lease to my apartment and had everything I brought with me here transferred to Austin’s condo, thanks to Tyler. He’s slightly upset that we can’t have movie nights anymore in each other’s apartments, but he understands completely. Jess is feeling better. Luckily, their coronavirus case wasn’t extreme, and they don’t have any long-term side effects.

Dacre and I are still friends; we’ve actually grown closer since quarantine. Sometimes it makes Austin feel weird, but he isn’t as jealous as he used to be. Luke and Dacre forgave Austin for his unhinged comment. But they made sure to tell him that even though they were cool, they would physically harm him if he hurt me again. Tom checked up on us every other day until he and his wife got the virus. His case is really bad, and everyone is very worried about him. On the bright side, Olivia has gotten a little better and has been really supportive of me replacing her part. I still feel like I’m betraying her in a way, but she has assured me that I could absolutely do this- that I’m capable of playing Priscilla. Even Priscilla herself has reached out to me to tell me that based on what everyone has been telling her, she was pleased to “have a great woman” like me to play her. That alone was enough to wake me up. I need to play this part whether I like it or not. Whether I want to be famous or not.

It’s been a struggle for the last two weeks. I had to make sure to tell Austin that I wasn’t mad at him and I didn’t hate him. And that if I was distant, I just had a lot to think about. I had to think about how I would play a serious, life-changing role as an actress with little prior experience. I really, really had to think about how to go about living with Austin again now that we had to forcefully. I also had to think about our relationship, whether it was romantic or platonic. Our characters are romantically involved, so we have to work on our dynamic. We can’t fight anymore or let anything come between us while filming, or else it would be challenging to maintain chemistry. Apparently, there’s an on-screen kiss that we have to prepare for, too. I don’t know how ready for that Austin or I will be, but I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.

I have decided to wait until Austin and I get out of this weird patch before thinking any harder about pursuing our relationship again. I don’t want the foundation of our rekindled relationship to be built on any hesitance or negative emotion. I told him I’d think about it, and I have, but I won’t think on it more than I have to until it’s necessary. Luckily, I think we’re beginning to move out of the awkward phase anyway. It shouldn’t be long before we’re entirely out of it.

It’s a Friday night, not that the day of the week matters anymore at this point, and Austin and I are on the couch. We’re watching our favorite show we used to binge when we were together, and for a moment, it almost seems like old times. Today was our last chill day before we needed to start working on our lines and execution. I plan on starting Priscilla’s book soon to gain more insight into her as a person. I’m not able to call her at any given time, much less see her in person, so at least I have some primary sources to gain perspective from. Austin has a plethora of sources for information on Elvis, so he has a lot to take from. I’ve been helping Austin practice maintaining his voice and accent when he wasn’t Zooming with a coach. My thoughts are interrupted when I notice what’s happening on the TV.

“I still can’t believe they killed him off like that,” I frown at one of my characters dying a painful death, even if it’s the tenth time I’ve watched the scene.

“Remember the first time we watched it happen? There’s nothing more painful than seeing it for the first time,” Austin shakes his head at the memory. We were both in hysterics the first time we watched this particular scene, to put it lightly.

“God, I know. It still hurts but not quite as bad,” I shrug, digging into the bag of hot chips I had on my side of the couch.

Austin eyeballs the bag for a moment before turning his eyes back to the TV screen, “You still eat those?” he asks.

“Yep. Sure do,” I say, popping a chip into my mouth.

“I don’t see how you have a stomach lining left,” Austin snorts as he chews on a Sour Patch Kid.

“I don’t see how you don’t have sores in your mouth,” I chide, motioning to the yellow bag of sour candy.

“Good point,” Austin shrugs. 

His previously black-dyed hair is starting to fade into a weird shade of brown. He hasn’t bothered redying it since no one will see it. I thought the dark hair was a good look on him, in all honesty, but I’m partial to blonde-haired Austin. Especially when his hair was long and blonde. I would braid it sometimes when he’d let me. 

“What are you thinking about?” Austin pipes up from next to me.

I shake my head, readjusting to real life after being deep in thought, “Nothing. Just thinking of old times.”

“Old times, huh?” Austin nods in acknowledgment, “How old?”

“As old as your long hair,” I giggle, almost wanting to reach out and touch the fading hair.

“I miss it sometimes,” Austin says, glancing over at me, “Especially when you’d braid it.”

“You only let me do that a few times, though. But I loved doing it,” I say with a smile.

“I never told you, but it felt really nice. I liked when you played with my hair,” Austin says, toying nervously with a Sour Patch Kid between his fingers.

“Trust me, I know. I know a lot of stuff you didn’t tell me,” I scoff, “Like when you’d secretly use some of my conditioner.”

Austin turns to me and looks a tad shocked, “How’d you know?”

“Austin, I could smell it on you. Did you think I wouldn’t know what my conditioner smells like?” I laugh, no longer paying full attention to the TV.

“Good point,” he sighs, and he looks as if he’s going to say something else but brushes it off.

“What?” I ask curiously.

“It’s nothing,” Austin swats his hand, “Just a silly question.”

“I love silly questions,” I narrow my eyes suspiciously at him.

“It’s kind of embarrassing,” he mumbles.

“Just tell me,” I roll my eyes, “You’re not one to keep something in if it’s bothering you.”

Austin looks at me and sighs because he knows I’m right. His face starts blushing a little as he figures out how to say whatever he’s going to say.

“I was gonna ask if you’d play with my hair. I know that’s weird,” he says defensively, “But it grounds me. And I’m too wired to sleep.”

My heart flutters a little at his sheepishness, “You could’ve just straight up asked me, Aus. I’m not gonna bite your head off.”

“I wouldn’t put it past you anymore,” Austin jokes.

“Whatever,” I shove his shoulder, patting my lap, “Lay down.”

He readjusts his sitting position to lay down properly before resting his head on my thighs. I almost instinctively reach my hand out to run it through his hair as if it hasn’t been a long time since I’ve done it. I guess it’s true that old habits die hard. Playing with Austin’s hair was the second thing he liked to do with me, the first being kissing. I see him letting me play with his hair as a step forward out of the fog we’ve been in. The kissing is obviously something he struggles with, but I’m not pushy. I took the hint when he didn’t kiss me when we had sex. Austin thought of kissing as being the most intimate thing a couple could share besides sex. He would do it any chance he got, even if it was in public. Austin couldn't get enough. Even if it’s such a sacred action for him, he didn’t waste time worrying about his surroundings or how PDA looked to others. It was as simple as holding hands and as intimate as sex. So, for now, running my fingers through his hair was enough for both of us.

Tonight would be the first night I would have a nightmare. In the nightmare, I’m plastered on every magazine and website, being labeled and scrutinized. It’s something I always made sure to stay away from in consciousness, but now I no longer could. The feeling of anxiety that I’ve been pushing down was beginning to present itself in my dreams. I make a lot of noise when I have nightmares and thrash around a lot, so when I’m awoken by a very concerned Austin, I’m not surprised. I’m more or so relieved that the nightmare is over than worried that he’s in my room.

“Are you okay?” Austin asks, out of breath from running in here to make sure I didn’t hurt myself by accident.

“Yeah,” I sit up, pressing my palm to my clammy forehead, “Just a bad dream is all.”

“You were yelling for a second, and I got worried,” Austin says quietly as he sits on the edge of the bed.

“Was I?” I furrow my eyebrows, trying to recall when I could’ve shouted, “Sorry.”

“It’s okay. Do you wanna talk about it?” Austin asks.

I shake my head, “No, it’s fine. Do you mind…” I trail off, wrapping my arms around myself. I try to figure out how to carefully word what I’m about to ask.

Austin misunderstands what I’m saying and gets up from the bed and heads to the door, but I blurt out my question before he can get one foot through the opening.

“Do you mind staying?” I blurt out, my face burning at my vulnerability. 

It was hell the first time I had a nightmare after Austin and I split up. I couldn’t go back to sleep that night since I was so used to someone holding me until I relaxed. I had several nightmares about leaving Austin after we broke up, and every time was a struggle. I never really learned how to come down from the adrenaline by myself. I would stay awake until I had to be up the following day.

“Oh,” Austin mutters, “I don’t mind.”

I move over in the bed so he has enough room to slide in next to me. This is the first time Austin has held me since I left him. I wouldn’t consider his very brief period of having me on his chest after we had sex to be cuddling of any form. I’m a little nervous about having him so close to me without the sexual tension. It’s so intimate to have someone hold you and sleep next to you, but I think I’m ready for that. Austin lays down behind me before cautiously draping an arm over my side. I pushed my back against his chest, letting him know it was okay to touch me. He then wraps both arms around my waist protectively.

“Is this okay?” Austin whispers in my ear.

“This is okay,” I whisper back. 

He relaxes into the embrace, tucking my head under his chin as I let my eyes close. I finally go back to sleep. The next morning, I wake up still in Austin’s arms. While I’m sure he’s still asleep, I take his right hand and play with his fingers absentmindedly. After a few minutes, I hear a scoff in my ear. Austin buries his nose into my neck before he speaks.

“Still in love with my hands, I see?” he chuckles against my skin.

I don’t respond but instead flatten my hand against his, holding it up to show the difference in size. Austin slips his fingers through mine, grasping my hand in his tightly before pulling it to him. He pulls his face from my neck and kisses my hand softly before laying our intertwined fingers back down on the mattress. I realized that I no longer had anything to think about now; we were out of whatever phase we were in upon meeting again. 

“I think I’m ready,” I say out loud without a shred of context.

“For what?” Austin asks, his voice still deep from sleep.

“I’ve had enough time to think about things,” I say, pulling his arm off of me so I can turn over to face him.

Now that it’s not dark in here, I can see Austin came in here straight from bed because he has on no shirt. His hair is slightly disheveled, and his eyes are still hooded from sleep. But Austin still has his full attention on me now that I’m turned in his direction. A look of realization comes across his face, but he waits for me to continue.

“I want to be with you again,” I say, looking into Austin’s eye carefully, trying to gauge his reaction, “But you have to promise me something.”

“What is that?” the corners of Austin’s lips twitch like he wants to smile.

“If you are ever bothered by something, tell me about it before letting it bother you too much or letting it eat you alive. You’ve never had a problem with that until now,” I say.

“I think I keep things in because the last time I said what was on my mind, you left,” Austin says, “It’s not your fault about how I feel, of course. But it’s just something I have to get over. Especially since you aren’t gone anymore.”

I nod understandingly, “Well, I’m not going anywhere. It’s not like I can either way,” I joke, “But I still wouldn’t want to.”

Austin puts a gentle hand on my cheek, almost testing my reaction to his touch. When I don’t pull away, he then places his other hand on my face, holding it still. His eyes flicker down to my lips and then back up to my eyes.

“Can I kiss you, Ro?” Austin asks just above a whisper, his tone uncertain.

“Only if you’re okay with that,” I say reassuringly, not looking away from him.

“I am,” Austin says, pressing his forehead against mine, “but are you?”

“Yes, I’m okay with it,” I hold back a nervous giggle, “You can kiss me.”

Slowly, Austin pulls my jaw forward and connects his lips to mine in a simple kiss. I grab onto his face, deepening it a little more as I turn my head to the side. It’s so familiar- the pressure of his stupidly soft lips against mine. It makes me almost want to kick myself for ever letting him go. But the past is past. And now I’m ready to move forward with Austin like time hasn’t been lost.

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#austin butler #austin butler x oc #austin butler fanfiction #austin butler fanfic #austin butler fic #austin butler imagine #austin butler x reader #elvis #elvis movie #elvis 2022 #elvis (2022) #elvis biopic #austin butler elvis #elvis film #the extra fanfic #floralcyanide writes

[kp777]

By Jake Johnson

Common Dreams

Sept. 8, 2023

One activist warned that "this is going to become the healthcare legacy of the Biden presidency" if his administration doesn't act.

States across the U.S. have stripped nearly 6 million people of Medicaid coverage over just the past several months, creating what one healthcare activist and researcher described as "the largest concentration of health insurance loss in American history."

"This is happening in red states like Texas, Utah, or Idaho, where we expect this brutal Medicaid retrenchment," Beatrice Adler-Bolton, co-author of " Health Communism" and co-host of the popular "Death Panel" podcast, said in a statement on Friday.

"But there are huge amounts of procedural disenrollments happening in California. It's happening in Rhode Island and California and New Mexico," noted Adler-Bolton. "This is a year-long process, and it's just getting started. It's moving slowly, and it's more dangerous this way. This process is rolling, so the data is slow. We're not going to have a full picture of how to compare states against each other for months and months."

The latest data compiled by KFF—which includes publicly reported figures from 48 states and Washington, D.C.—shows that at least 5.7 million people have lost Medicaid coverage since April, when states began eligibility checks and disenrollments that were paused during the coronavirus pandemic.

A bipartisan deal reached by Congress and approved by President Joe Biden late last year lifted the pandemic-era continuous coverage requirements that prevented states from kicking people off Medicaid during the public health emergency. The policy led to record Medicaid enrollment, and its termination could cause upwards of 15 million people—including millions of children—to lose coverage under the program.

According to KFF, 73% of the people disenrolled from Medicaid so far have lost coverage for procedural reasons—such as a failure to return paperwork on time or jump through other, often confusing, bureaucratic hoops—not because they were deemed ineligible due to their income or other factors.

"High procedural disenrollment rates are concerning because many people who are disenrolled for these paperwork reasons may still be eligible for Medicaid coverage," KFF explained earlier this week. "Some states, such as Maine, have temporarily paused procedural terminations for some enrollees while the states address problems in the renewal process that lead to increased procedural disenrollments."

"Many of these individuals did not receive any notice of denial, leaving them unaware of their coverage termination."

Texas has removed more people from Medicaid than any other state, disenrolling around 617,000 in just a few months.

Late last month, the state's entire Democratic congressional delegation implored the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to intervene and ensure that Texas' Republican-dominated government complies with federal rules to "prevent the catastrophic loss of coverage."

The Democratic lawmakers, led by Reps. Lloyd Doggett and Greg Casar, cited a July whistleblower letter that issued dire warnings about Texas' Medicaid purge.

The whistleblowers, who identified themselves as employees of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, wrote that roughly two weeks after the mass disenrollments began, "we started receiving numerous emails from agency leadership indicating that thousands of individuals had been erroneously denied coverage."

"As a result of the initial process we ran in April, we were informed that approximately 80,000 individuals lost coverage erroneously, including several thousand pregnant women who required critical services during their pregnancies or essential post-pregnancy care coverage," the whistleblowers wrote. "Additionally, we received subsequent emails from agency leadership indicating that several thousand elderly individuals were slated to lose medical coverage, which previously paid a portion of their Medicare Part B expenses."

"Many of these individuals did not receive any notice of denial," they added, "leaving them unaware of their coverage termination until their social benefits were reduced to cover the premium payments."

Shortly after the whistleblower allegations emerged, CMS sent letters to all 50 states noting that it had "learned of additional systems and operational issues affecting multiple states, which may be resulting in eligible individuals being improperly disenrolled."

One problem identified by CMS could be having a disproportionate impact on kids, the agency said in a statement.

"CMS believes that eligibility systems in a number of states are programmed incorrectly and are conducting automatic renewals at the family level and not the individual level, even though individuals in a family may have different eligibility requirements to qualify for Medicaid and [the Children's Health Insurance Program]," the agency said. "For example, children often have higher eligibility thresholds than their parents, making them more likely to be eligible for Medicaid or CHIP coverage even if their parents no longer qualify."

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, one Biden administration toldThe Washington Post that the number of children affected by the programming issue "is likely in the millions."

CMS has also warned that long call center times in at least 16 states could be causing people to give up on trying to renew their coverage.

While Republican-led such as Texas and Florida have moved aggressively to gut their Medicaid rolls, drawing outrage and lawsuits from residents, California, New York, and other blue states have also collectively removed hundreds of thousands of people from the program, often for procedural reasons—indicating a nationwide crisis.

Adler-Bolton warned Friday that "this is going to become the healthcare legacy of the Biden presidency" if his administration doesn't act quickly.

"When we look at [Affordable Care Act] enrollment expansion, 13 million people added in 2014. We're going to see a contraction of a similar amount—if not 10 million more—in the course of a calendar year," said Adler-Bolton. "CMS has the authority to halt procedural determinations today. We're only a few months into this and 74% are procedural determinations. CMS should be saying pause... It's their responsibility to do it."

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#medicaid #medicaid disenrollments #procedural disenrollment #health iinsurance #CMS #u.s. healthcare system

[notwiselybuttoowell]

...The disillusionment is all the keener because Biden defied expectations early in his White House term, signing landmark legislation to alleviate poverty and tackle the climate crisis that thrilled his progressive wing. But with an election looming, critics say, he is gravitating back towards his comfort zone in the centre ground, and his refusal to call for a ceasefire in Gaza has caused particular fury.

“Progressives in the movement were pleasantly surprised to see President Biden push on a lot of domestic progressive priorities that we have been calling for,” said Usamah Andrabi, communications director of the progressive group Justice Democrats. “But without question he has erased much of that progress with his continued support for a genocide that’s happening at the hands of a far-right Israeli government.”

Biden, 81, was long perceived as a middle-of-the-road moderate, representing Delaware for 36 years in the Senate before serving as Barack Obama’s vice-president. He came under scrutiny for a cosy relationship with the banking sector, his role in drawing up a 1994 crime bill that ushered in an era of mass incarceration and his failure to protect witness Anita Hill during Clarence Thomas’s supreme court confirmation hearing.

Yet once Biden reached the White House in 2021, he proved more ambitious than many expected. He appointed progressives to his administration, the most diverse in history, and the first Black woman – Ketanji Brown Jackson – to the supreme court, along with numerous judges of colour. He gained further credit on the anti-war left by pulling US troops out of Afghanistan after two decades.

The coronavirus pandemic invited him to turn a crisis into an opportunity. Biden delivered trillions of dollars to boost domestic manufacturing, invest in infrastructure and combat the climate crisis. His lifelong support of trade unions came to the fore. A Wall Street Journal column, arguing that he would effectively run for a re-election in 2024 as a democratic socialist, offered the headline: “Joe Biden Is Bernie Sanders.”

But there were seeds of discontent. Some observers felt Biden could have used different tools to fulfill his promise of widespread student loan forgiveness, a plan ultimately struck down by the supreme court. There was disappointment that he did not use his bully pulpit more effectively to push Congress to pass police reform and voting rights legislation. Biden also received criticism for fist-bumping the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, who approved the 2018 assassination of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Even on climate, critics say, his record remains decidedly mixed. The Inflation Reduction Act directs $394bn to clean energy, the biggest such investment in history, and just last month the president ordered a pause on exports of liquefied natural gas, hailed as “a watershed moment” by activist and author Bill McKibben.

Yet Biden also approved the Willow oil-drilling project in a remote part of northern Alaska. Indeed, he has rubber stamped more oil and gas drilling permits on federal land than Donald Trump at the same stage of his presidency. US oil production reached an all-time high last year.

Stevie O’Hanlon, spokesperson for climate-focused youth group Sunrise Movement, said: “The way that Joe Biden is acting right now, if it continues for the next nine months, is a recipe for him losing millions of votes from young people and losing the election.

“So many young people have been frustrated with Biden for approving new fossil fuel projects. His administration has made some important shifts around Fema [Federal Emergency Management Agency] rules, for instance, around air pollution. But while he’s making these steps forward, he’s also taking these really loud steps back that honestly made many young people more disillusioned with him than less.”

Last month progressives condemned Biden’s decision to launch retaliatory strikes against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. They argued that he violated the constitution by not seeking congressional approval first and was breaking his promise to keep America out of intractable wars in the Middle East.

Meanwhile the president threw his weight behind a bipartisan Senate bill to tighten border security – and send military aid to Israel and Ukraine – which would severely curtail migration and limit asylum in a way that broke a campaign promise. Biden even adopted Republican language, saying he would “shut down the border” when he was given the authority to do so.

Andrabi of Justice Democrats said of the bill, which failed in the Senate: “We saw Biden work with mostly Republicans and Kyrsten Sinema, who has left the Democratic party, zero Hispanic caucus members, zero border state Democrats to craft a Trump-like Republican anti-immigration bill that Republicans were never going to vote for.

“To prove what? Maybe that he’s willing to treat migrant families like Trump did, as long as it comes with funding for war. That’s not sufficient. That is not progressive. That is not even core Democratic.”

But nothing has done more to drive a wedge between Biden and the left than the war in Gaza triggered by Hamas’s attacks in Israel on 7 October that left 1,200 people dead and more than 240 taken hostage. He championed Israel’s right to defend itself and only gradually voiced concerns about its rightwing government’s destructive military campaign that has killed more than 27,000 people, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory.

A recent NBC News poll found 15% of voters under 35 approve of Biden’s handling of the war while 70% disapprove. Protesters disrupted his speech at Mother Emanuel AME Church in South Carolina as the president spoke out against racism, at a United Auto Workers gathering in Washington and at a political event in Columbia, South Carolina. It is a vivid schism as the president, already facing concerns over his age, gears up for a hard fought race for the White House.

Norman Solomon, national director of RootsAction.org, said: “A lot of independents and Democrats are sickened in a gut punch sort of a way. Biden is so out of touch with the base that he absolutely will need this fall to be re-elected. Young people are more politicised and more energised than ever before and some of these Gaza demonstrations are propelled by young people turning out. They’re just disgusted with Biden and it didn’t have to be this way.”

The backlash threatens Biden’s chances of re-election, not because progressives will switch from him to likely opponent Trump in decisive numbers, but because a sliver might choose to sit out the election or turn to a third party candidate such as Cornel West – potentially enough to make all the difference in Michigan and other swing states in the electoral college.

Jeremy Varon, a history professor at the the New School for Social Research in New York, said: “Part of me thinks that Biden has basically given up on reassembling on the Obama coalition and decided that the number that they lose among progressives and the young they will make up with [Nikki] Haley Republicans, moderates and independents.

“Since there’s no meaningful primary, he doesn’t have to appeal to the base. All of that makes for a campaign where he’s going to run to the centre and progressives are going to feel very much in the wilderness.”

For the third election in a row, progressives are confronted with the argument that a vote for anyone but the Democratic nominee is effectively a vote for Trump, a man who has demonised immigrants, vowed to shut down the border immediately and resume construction of a border wall. There is no reason to believe that he would urge Israel to exercise restraint in Gaza.

A dulling of the early optimism about Biden’s progressivism may have been inevitable as the presidential election loomed. When Republicans won the House in the 2022 midterm elections, the window of opportunity for sweeping legislation slammed shut. The war in Ukraine has consumed huge time and resources. The cracks between Biden and a younger generation over Israel were always there but it took the Hamas attack to bring them to the surface.

Matt Bennett, an executive vice-president of the centrist thinktank Third Way, describes Biden as a moderate by disposition who believes in compromise. “He’s governed the way he promised he would when he ran for president, the way he has always portrayed himself, which is somebody who’s at the centre of the Democratic electorate,” he said.

“He’s not on the liberal fringe; he is not a conservative Democrat. He’s always navigated to about the middle point of where the party is. That’s why he got there before Obama did on marriage equality, famously, because he saw where the party was headed and that’s where he has steered quite successfully as president. No one’s going to be happy with him all the time but most Democrats should appreciate that he’s done an extraordinarily good job.”

But Andrabi of Justice Democrats is less sanguine. He warns that Biden is failing to follow the will of the voters who elected him – and could pay a price.

He said: “It’s imperative that the Biden administration and Democratic leadership listen to those voters who are screaming at the top of their lungs in rallies, in meetings, everywhere they go that the current state of the Biden administration’s policies in Gaza, on immigration, on climate change is insufficient for core bases of their voters that got President Biden elected, that got Democrats a majority in the Senate and that is going to be crucial to getting Democrats to flip the House.

“But they’re not listening and lip service is not going to convince anyone when what we are seeing on the other side is nearly 30,000 dead Palestinians, let alone the ongoing existential crisis of climate change or an immigration system that is broken and their solution is to criminalise more folks. None of these are what the core base of the Democratic voters support.”

#excerpts #the actual article is even longer #2024 elections

[beardedmrbean]

WASHINGTON − The Supreme Court on Monday rejected the appeal of a Minnesota woman who said she was wrongly denied unemployment benefits after being fired for refusing to be vaccinated for COVID-19 because of her religious beliefs.

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development determined she wasn’t eligible for benefits because her reasons for refusing the vaccine were based less on religion and more on a lack of trust that the vaccine was effective.

The case shows that the vaccine debate continues to smolder after the pandemic and after the Supreme Court in 2022 halted enforcement of a Biden administration vaccine-or-testing mandate for large employers but declined to hear a challenge to the administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for health care facilities that receive federal funding.

Still pending is an appeal from military chaplains who challenged the military’s vaccination requirement. Although that requirement was later rescinded at the direction of Congress, the chaplains argue they lost out on training opportunities and promotions because they requested religious exemptions.

'Cancel culture' Supreme Court rejects case on dust-up between Catholic student and Native American

Minnesota said the unemployment benefit appeal denied Monday wasn’t worth the Supreme Court’s time because benefits have been given to others who were found to have a sincerely held religious objection to the vaccine, so there’s no overarching question to address.

Lawyers for the Upper Midwest Law Center, which represented Tina Goede, had argued she was treated differently by the Minnesota courts than others who successfully appealed their denial of benefits. 

Refusing to get vaccinated, fired from a pharmaceutical company

After refusing to get vaccinated, Goede was fired in 2022 from her job as an account sales manager for the pharmaceutical company Astra Zeneca. Her position had required her to meet with customers in hospitals and clinics, some of which required proof of vaccination.

She told the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development her religious beliefs prohibit injecting foreign substances into her body, which is a “temple of the Holy Spirit.”

A Catholic opposed to abortion, Goede also objected to the COVID-19 vaccine because she believed it was manufactured using or tested on an aborted fetal-cell line. (A cell line from an abortion decades ago was used to create Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine. Fetal cells were used in the early testing, though not in the production, of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.)

But Goede told the unemployment law judge she wouldn’t receive the vaccine no matter how it was made “because it doesn’t work.”

The judge said Goede was declining to take some vaccines, but not others, “because she does not trust them, not because of a religious belief.”

Goede’s attorneys said the judge had interrogated her religious beliefs with “unfair `gotcha’ questioning."

“He couched his denial of benefits in Ms. Goede’s credibility and then discounted her religious beliefs by determining that her secular beliefs outweighed them,” the lawyers told the Supreme Court.

At the same time the Minnesota Court of Appeals upheld that decision last year, it reached the opposite conclusion for two others who had been denied benefits after asserting religious objections.

Goede’s lawyers said her case presented a question that will reoccur: how to analyze a religious objection to an employer policy when those objections coincide with secular beliefs.

#nunyas news

[ladylooch]

Letters in Your Last Name- Chapter 11

A/N: So the next several chapters center in the COVID universe. A fun dynamic of Kevin has to leave and Sam has to stay. Our lil babes are gonna go through it a lil bit now 🥺

Word Count: 4.6k

Warnings: COVID talk, swearing, angsty

NHL suspends season indefinitely as coronavirus outbreak continues.

The air in the apartment is almost giddy despite the unknown of what is to come of the 2019-2020 NHL season. With the Coronavirus beginning to grip the world more fiercely, all large events in the United States have come to a screaming halt, seemingly overnight. As disappointing as it is for obvious reasons, it is even more so for the Wild specifically as they were really beginning to turn their season around. The last game against the Ducks in Anaheim was a dynamic game for Kevin with two power play goals to lead the team to their latest, and maybe last, win of the season. For now, players, and their families, have no choice but to wait in limbo to see what the next steps will be.

Now with all that, why are we giddy? Because since October, we haven’t spent more than 7 consecutive days together. Therefore, the idea of getting extra, almost borrowed time, has us both on a comfortable high. Kevin and I are having a lazy day, a rarity during the late season that we are taking advantage of now. We already ate a delicious dinner of grilled cheese and tomato soup. Now we are catching up on a few Netflix releases we have missed in the last few weeks. To All The Boys Part 2 is playing on our living room TV. My hand loosely fingers the strands of Kevin’s hair. I can tell he is drifting in and out of sleep on my lap.

The shrill sound of his phone ringing jolts both Kevin and I from our relaxed positions. He reaches for it on the coffee table, flipping the screen. We both see the picture of him and his mother. He clears his throat and rubs the sleep from his eyes.

“Ahoj?” Kevin answers in Czech. I can hear the rushed sound of talking over the other end and furrow my brows inquisitively. Kevin stands and walks out of the room to our bedroom, listening intently. When he returns a few minutes later, he is off the phone and has a worried expression. “The U.S. is banning air traffic to and from Europe on Friday.”

“What? No way… that can’t be true.” I say, becoming alert. How has this already escalated to a point where we would essentially shut down commerce and travel between continents? Fear grips my throat at the look on Kevin’s face.

“My mother just told me.” He motions to his phone. He reaches for the remote for the TV and flips to one of the national news programs. There, the President is confirming what Kevin’s mom told him just now. A travel ban will begin on Friday. All non-US citizens are restricted from entering the United States if they are coming from 26 different European countries- including Switzerland and Sweden. For now it seems, Kevin would be able to return to Europe from the United States. How long that will last is unknown at this time.

Kevin and I grow dead silent as we watch the press conference play out on NBC.

“Does this mean you need to go?” I wonder what we are both thinking out loud.

“I… Don’t know…” He trails off. I faintly hear a sound and I know it’s the fictitious noise of our bubble of bliss giving way to the cold, dreadful reality of a global pandemic.

“Kev, I’m getting nervous.” I admit to him. He reaches for me and pulls me across the couch, into his chest.

“Me too.” He whispers against my head. “I’ll call around tomorrow and figure out what I should do.” He assures me. I know his words are meant to soothe me, but they don’t. Instead, the lump of fear in my chest expands until I feel like I’m suffocating.

The next day, I sit quietly at the island in the kitchen as Kevin makes his calls. The kitchen is filled with smells of soup simmering in the crock pot and my latest bath and body works candle burns in the center of the counter. It feels like any other, winter day, but it isn’t. His first call is to Andy Heydt, Director of Hockey Operations for the Wild. Andy is still unsure of the exact direction the NHL is advising for players, but he promises to follow up with Kevin once he hears more. The next call is to his agent, who echos the same thing to Kevin- they still don’t know what to advise players to do at this time. The next few calls are to his parents, a few friends in Sweden including his trainer, Andreas. Life seems to be going on normally in Sweden despite the news from across the pond.

“This seems to be a lot of hurry up and wait.” Kevin shrugs as he tosses his phone down and sits next to me. He reaches for a piece of granola from the bowl in front of me and crunches on it. “I can’t really do anything until the NHL decides what we can do.”

“Well, they have already suspended the season, so it’s highly likely they would support players returning home.” 

“Yeah, it’s just tough because we don’t know how long that will be. A few weeks, a month? No one knows at this point and if they let us leave, we likely won’t be able to return until the travel ban is lifted.”

“What a mess.” I murmur, grabbing a cluster of granola. I bring it to my lips, but can’t stand the idea of eating anything else while my stomach summersaults inside of me. I drop it back into my bowl and push the rest to Kevin. “If you can go, do you think you will?”

“I’m not sure. Honestly, I might have to with my VISA. If the league isn’t running, that means I’m not authorized to be here longer than 90 days. This shutdown could be longer than that.” Kevin explains to me, letting out a frustrated sigh. “At least we can spend some time together.” I nod in agreement. Yet, I can’t help but reflect on how long we will have.

Kevin and I pass the time snuggling on the couch under a large blanket, watching HGTV. I’m a sucker for Love it or List it even though the entire show seems staged and fake. At least it is a distraction from the heaviness of what is happening in the world right now. Kevin has fallen into a brief cat nap when his phone begins to buzz again. He puts it on speaker as Andy’s voice rings out.

“Hi guys. I just got word from the NHL & NHLPA that they are making moves to allow for players to return home. An announcement will likely be coming in the next few hours. Because of VISA expirations, the NHLPA is recommending all Non-U.S. Citizens return home. Kevin, at this time you are required to return to Sweden and self-quarantine for now. Start looking for tickets for the first flight you can find. They’re going fast. If you need help, let me know and we can get our office on it as well. The NHL & NHLPA will be meeting again in the next few weeks to decide on additional next steps for resuming the season. There is optimist talk for that to begin at the end of this month, but the likelihood of that is looking slimmer by the hour.”

“Okay.” Kevin confirms. I don’t look at him while he wraps up the conversation.

“Be safe, Kevin.” Andy ends the call with a click, off to call the other international players on the Wild.

“I guess I’m going.” Kevin whispers, pulling me into his lap. He buries his face into my body and I hold him close. I don’t want him to go. I am so afraid that he can’t stay with me. The idea of no set date of a return for the league, and therefore Kevin, makes my stomach twist into an uncomfortable knot. The way this seems to be coming together- the talk of visa expirations and leaving despite a travel ban- the league is preparing for an extended break. Kevin lifts his face and looks into my eyes. A pained expression flashes across when he takes in my tears. Now that they have started, I can’t stop them. 

“I know.” He tells me, pulling me forward and resting his cheek against mine. “I’m sorry.” I nod and a hiccup sob escapes my lips. “It will be okay.” He assures me. We both know he can’t guarantee that, but it eases a bit of the pressure in my body to know he believes it.

The rest of the day is awful. Kevin begins to make his arrangements to leave and soon we can’t hide from the truth. He leaves tomorrow for Sweden on a one-way ticket. Kevin releases a heavy sign when his purchase is confirmed and flips his phone to the other side of the couch. He looks at me, but I can’t bring myself to meet his gaze. I know I should at least be pretending to be supportive in this, but it’s difficult. There is so much unknown in this world. It’s scary, yet I felt like if we were together, we could make it through. Now he is leaving and the loneliness is hovering. I can feel it descending on me like a despondent shadow trying to steal my joy.

The crockpot beeps in the kitchen signaling the Chicken Wild Rice soup is done. We both glance in that direction before our eyes meet in a loaded look. I feel tears stinging my eyes and I have to look away. I don’t want to cry again. I want to be strong for now and then completely fall apart after he leaves tomorrow.

Kevin stands and slowly walks over to the windows, looking out at the Minnesota skyline. The sun has set and the city lights twinkle in the cold winter night. I know we are both thinking similar things. This morning when the sun rose, everything was okay. Different, but okay. Now, when the sun rises tomorrow, Kevin will leave for an undetermined amount of time. I swallow the lump in my throat and slowly rise to finish the soup. I stir in the heavy cream and spoon us both up a small bowl, handing Kevin his at the window. He turns to me, grabbing it from my hands and pulling me into his arms.

“Sam, I don’t want to go. I need you to know that…” He trails off, whispering into my hair. All I can do is nod my head in acknowledgement.

“This is going to be really hard.” I whisper to him. I’m afraid if I talk any louder, my voice will break.

“I know, baby.” Kevin rests his mouth on the top of my head. We stay like that for minutes- until the soup is cold and the show ends and the sadness has begun to suffocate us. I pull away first to look into his beautiful face.

“I love you.” I say simply. It won’t fix anything or change this pandemic, but at least we have that.

“I love you too.” He responds. I grab his soup bowl from the table and walk back into the kitchen. I set the bowl down on the counter and frown at all the soup in the crockpot. The last thing I’m interested in right now is eating. The only thing I feel right now is nothing at all. I’ve evidently gone numb in the last hour.

“Baby.” Kevin calls to me from the hallway. “Let’s go to bed.” He holds his hand out for me and I take it, following him slowly down to our room. But I don’t want to go to bed. I don’t want to fall asleep and wake up knowing he will be gone in a matter of hours. Kevin throws the comforter back on our bed and pulls me into him. He settles me deep into his chest and holds on tightly. No wandering hands. No sexy smooches. Just the deep intimacy of holding one another close.

“Maybe it won’t be that long.” Kevin murmurs to me. I shake my head no. My heart can’t take the speculation of the what ifs tonight. I tilt my face up to look at him, wanting to memorize every bit of this moment together. “Even when I leave tomorrow, a part of me is staying here with you.” He tells me, brushing a strand of my hair behind my ear and holding my face in his hand. I close my eyes and lean into his touch. His thumb brushes against my lips before I feel him kiss me. It’s emotional-filled with pain, sorrow, and a deep love that leaves me aching. His hands pull me in tighter and I lace my hands behind his head.

I don’t know how I will possibly let him go tomorrow.

_ _ _

“Alright. I think that’s it.” Kevin says as he grabs the final suitcase from my SUV. He sets it on the ground and closes my trunk. Between the multiple suitcases and all of his hockey equipment, he has the luggage cart overflowing. I can’t imagine how much that all costs to fly across the ocean.

“Do you need help?” I ask him, fidgeting with my keys.

“No, I got it.” He assures me, sliding each of his arms into his backpack. “Come here.” He demands, tugging me into his chest and squeezing me tightly. We stay like that for several moments. I realize that I’m crying and I don’t even care. What is the point in being strong now? This entire week, this entire virus, has been exhausting, terrifying, and at times, heartbreaking. I want to go back to yesterday morning. The blissful, ignorance of it all was reassuring and safe. 

“I don’t want to let go.” Kevin whispers to me. I just shake my head in response; there are no words left to say.

His hand rubs comfortingly up and down my back through my winter jacket. I blink rapidly as I pull away, rubbing the sleeves of my sweatshirt under my eyes. Kevin’s arms stay around me as he looks down into my face. 

“I don’t know what to say to make this less hard.” He admits to me. “All I know is that I miss you so much and I’m not even gone.”

“Kev, we can’t change this. Just be safe.” I mumble to him, standing on my toes and bringing our lips together. He immediately opens his lips and his tongue finds my mouth. The kiss is passionate and painful. I never want it to end. His hands pull me tighter to him. I grip his jacket firmly, trying to stay as close and held by him as possible. 

“I love you.” I tell him earnestly when we pull apart.

“I love you too.” He repeats to me. The sadness on his features breaks my heart all over again. “Be safe, okay?” I nod my head as my bottom lip quivers again.

With all my remaining resolve, I step from his arms completely. Kevin stays there for a moment, just looking at me. I’ve never seen his face so sullen, his eyes so desperate and his demeanor so damn sad.

“Kev… just go.” I encourage him, knowing it’s what he needs to hear. A final, dark expression crosses his face but he nods in response.

“Bye.”

“Bye. Have a safe flight.” I watch as he puts his mask on. I swallow hard, determined to keep it somewhat together until he has disappeared into the airport.

“I’ll call you when I get there.” He tells me as he puts his hands on the cart. It takes all my will power to not step towards him and beg for him to hold me just a few moments longer. Instead I look at his shoes, because if I look at his face, I’ll be done.

“Okay.” I whisper to him. When I lift my eyes to his, I’m right. I’m done. Tears fall from my eyes in a steady stream. Kevin’s eyes are getting glassy and he’s trying hard not to let his tears fall. He reaches for me and I rush into his arms one final time. My tears soak into the shoulder of his jacket. When we release each other again, we know it has to be the last time.

With a final longing look, he turns and pushes the cart towards the door. I watch his retreating back, eating up every second that I can get of him. When he disappears through the door, a strangled sob escapes my lips. God damn it. Leaving him at this airport might just kill me. I suck in a breath of air and it immediately comes out as another sob. I press my hand to my lips and turn, jumping into my SUV and resting my head on the steering wheel. I don’t care that I’m sitting in a space someone else could use. I don’t care that security is walking along the sidewalk encouraging people to keep moving. I can’t think of anything beyond the deep, aching pain in my chest.

This is not how it’s supposed to be.

_ _ _

In July, the ringing of a FaceTime call pulls me away from my intense concentration of coloring in my adult coloring book. Entertainment is tough to come by when most of the city is shut down still due to COVID. Living in downtown was warm and homey prior to COVID. Now, it’s just cold and industrial without people around. I miss the constant stream of cars and noise. In April, I had to buy a white noise machine just to be able to get to sleep every night. 

I reach for my phone, smiling when I see Kevin’s face. 

“Hi!” I say excitedly, “Tell me you have good news!” 

There have been rumblings in the hockey and media circles that the NHL is close to resuming. It’s been almost five months since the NHL season was paused. It’s been over 100 days since I’ve seen Kevin. To say it’s been difficult would be an understatement. What feels more difficult is that Kevin is able to live relatively normal in Sweden, while we have been under various mandates and lock downs to mitigate the spread of this virus. When Kevin first returned, he was cautious. He spent most of his time in his apartment or training at the local arena. However, as the months have dragged on, he’s gotten pretty loose. Part of me worries for him and the other part of me is insanely jealous.

“Relatively good.” He confirms. “I’ll be back soon!”

“Yay!” I yell, kicking my legs in excitement.

“And then I’ll be leaving for Canada in three weeks.”

“What? No.” The smile drops from my face. “The league is doing the bubble?” I groan, throwing myself back down onto the couch.

“Yeah.” He sighs deeply. “Sorry, babe. But at least we will have some time together.” I watch as Kevin walks out of the arena and into the bright sunlight. Sweden looks gorgeous today. Kevin waves to someone out of the camera view, then looks back down at his phone. “I’m heading back to my place to look at flights. I can let you know what a few of the options are to see what works best?”

“Whatever gets you to me the fastest and soonest.” I say to him. He grins in response, nodding. “I miss you so much, Kev. I’m so excited to see you!” 

“Me too, baby. What are you up to?”

“Coloring.” I show him my coloring book. It’s a black and white page filled with different types of flowers. In the middle in loopy calligraphy are the words eat a bag of dicks. “For Alex.” I wink at Kevin who bursts out laughing.

“I want to be there when you give that to him.”

“You better get here soon then. I think I’m going to frame it and give it to him for his birthday next week.” I giggle wickedly at that. “Speaking of birthdays, what are you doing for yours tomorrow?” I wonder, tossing my art project to the side and focusing in on him.

“Andreas is taking me to a good pizza place here.” He mentions his off-season coach as he settles into the driver seat of his car. “I wish you were here though.” He gives me a small, sad tilt of his lips.

“Stupid COVID.” I pout at him. “I hope someone gets you a princess cake!” 

“I actually got myself one already.” He admits somewhat sheepishly. “I’ve been dying for a piece all day but forced myself to wait until after training.”

“Cake for breakfast is definitely a birthday tradition for you.” I wiggle my eyebrows at him. We both grin as we remember his birthday last year in Sweden. Frosting everywhere, his sheets being ruined and us not caring at all.

“Just doesn’t taste as good without you though.” He beams at me.

We chat a little bit longer as Kevin drives back to his place. Eventually, we end the call as Kevin gets ready to hop into the shower. He has a meeting with a company for a potential sponsorship opportunity. It’s an athletic, energy drink that we do not have in the United States. He says he will bring some back for me to try.

Once our call ends, I busy myself with completing Alex’s picture. I search around various websites for a frame, finding one on Amazon that can be delivered tomorrow. Satisfied with my purchase, I begin the chores I’ve been putting off for the last few days, including laundry, dishes, and cleaning the bathroom. Once I’ve accomplished those, I turn my attention to dinner. I found a soup recipe on Pinterest that seems light enough for summer. Even though the summer heat in Minnesota feels oppressive at times, there is something about soup that comforts me. I could use some of that as I wait out the last few weeks before Kevin arrives. I ponder when he may be back. Hopefully it’s within the next week or so. It’s hard to know what options are available with how limited the flight choices are these days.

My phone jingles as I’m cutting up the onion for my soup. I glance down, seeing it’s the front desk of our building. I click the green button and shove my phone between my cheek and shoulder so I can continue working on dinner.

“Hi Dave.” I answer. We have a few people who work the front desk here, but I know it's Dave today. With limited interaction with the outside world, I've gotten to know the front desk people and their schedules well. Dave is my favorite though. He's in his second career after retiring from the Postal Service at an early age.

“Hi Sam, you have a food delivery here.”

“Oh, really? I didn’t order anything. Does it say from where?” I ask adjusting the phone from my shoulder to my hand.

“Not sure. It’s just a white bag.”

“Okay, I’ll be down in a second.” 

I end the call as I’m stuffing my feet into my sandals. I grab my keys from the bowl, trying not to frown at the sight of Kevin’s keys. Soon. He will be home soon. I take the elevator to the lobby. Dave is waiting for me outside the elevator and hands me the white bag.

“I figured I’d save you a few steps.” He smiles kindly at me.

“Thanks, Dave. Are you heading home soon?” 

“I am, but I’ll be back tomorrow- same time and place.”

“Well, I’ll stop by with some soup. I’m trying a new recipe tonight.”

“I’d like that. Goodnight, Sam.”

I wave goodbye and hit the 15th floor again before peering into the bag. I can see a gold, Wuollet’s Bakery sticker on the white box along with a red ribbon securing the sides. It’s sizable and heavy, but I’m unsure what is in it or who it could be from. When I enter the apartment, I set the bag on the counter and carefully lift the box out of the bag. Beneath the box is a white card with my name on it. I open the envelope and flip the card over to read the message. 

Save some for when I’m home on Friday. I love you!- Kevin

My stomach drops to my knees and I let out an excited squeal. I carefully undo the ribbon from the box and open the top to reveal a Princess Torte. Although not completely the same, it’s very similar to what Kevin will be having tomorrow for his birthday. I glance at the time, seeing it is after midnight in Sweden, meaning it’s officially his birthday. I grab my phone and click on his name to begin the FaceTime call. Kevin picks up after one ring.

“Hi birthday boy.” I murmur to him through my large grin. He cheeses back to me in his dark apartment.

“Hi beautiful.” He tells me as he sits up, pausing the show he is watching.

“It’s your birthday, but I’m getting cake?” I ask him, flipping the camera so he can see the cake.

“Well, it is technically for both of us.” He insists, his smile somehow grows larger.

“You’re really coming back that soon?”

“Yep!”

“Baby…” I trail off, looking back at the princess cake.

“Friday.” He confirms to me.

“Two more sleeps.” I respond.

“I have to quarantine…” He reminds me.

“Shush. Don’t ruin it.” I tell him, grabbing a knife to cut into the cake. 

“Okay.” He laughs. “Hey, that’s a big piece.” He scolds me jokingly, watching me cut into the green fondant. “At this rate, you’re going to eat it all without me.”

“Oh my god, Kevin. You like this cake more than me.” I tisk at him, turning the camera so it’s back on me.

“Eh.. It’s good, but not that good.”

“Uh huh.“ I roll my eyes at him while savoring the bite of sugary goodness.

“It’s really doing something for me watching you suck on that fork.” Just to tease him, I flick my tongue up the fork and giggle. “You’re gonna have to pay for teasing me like this.”

“Looking forward to it.” I tell him, running my tongue along my lips tantalizingly slow. I watch him gulp before I take another slow bite of the cake.

“Damn.” He mutters to me, blowing out a quick breath. “I can’t wait to kiss that mouth.”

I take a sip of my water from my Yeti and laugh lightly. When I return my gaze to him, he’s watching me through sleepy eyes.

“You should go to sleep. Just because it’s your birthday doesn’t mean you get a day off from training.” I tease him. Kevin yawns and rubs a hand over his face.

“That’s true. If anything, I’m probably going to get my ass kicked.” 

“That’s how you know Andreas cares.” I give him a sweet smile, pushing the cake away to lean against the counter. “I’ll see you soon though.”

“So soon.” He whispers back to me. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Okay. I love you. Happy birthday, babe.”

“Thank you. Love you.” He smiles before I end the call.

My heart swells as I glance at the clock.

Only 48 more hours of living in different countries.

But who’s counting?

#letters in your last name au #kevin fiala #Kevin Fiala Fic #los angeles kings #my writing #hockey fan fiction #hockey writing #NHL writing

[catsnuggler]

I hope I'll get back to work soon. I hate it, and it's not like the other sheet metal workers are any less prejudiced than my dad, any less homophobic, transphobic, misogynist - but they don't have the power over me that my dad has. Not like he'll have that power if we lose the house, and we end up on the street... which I obviously don't want to have happen. I want to be free in a way that doesn't require losing a roof over my head, merely preserving this one, and then moving to a different living situation.

Folks, I'll be 26 in a few months. I graduated community college 6 years ago. I should have had a job and been able to maintain it, but domestic concerns, transportation concerns, and let's not forget the coronavirus all threw wrenches in my damn gears - oh, and fuck the algorithms, absolutely fuck them.

I wish I had the power to convince him - genuinely convince him. And I wish we were financially stable. I wish I could even set boundaries he would respect. I wish he would see me as an equal. I wish he wouldn't put me in a position where, as I pray that somehow he and I will get the work to save our skins, and that I'll be able to save up to move out, I find myself praying I can one day cut off my one surviving parent. I wish I didn't have to wish for that, but my partner is nonbinary, and I can't, I won't, I fucking refuse to allow a situation where they get to meet my dad while staying in the closet, for the sake of not depriving me of a parent. I don't want to have to lose him, but if he continues being an awful person, with whom the love of my life would not be safe being themself, then I must cut him off once I can.

Once I can.

I have waited years. I'm now doing something, or at least I will be doing something again once the union lines something up, but will it be enough? When? How long? Not to mention I don't want to work sheet metal, it's just what I have to do right now, but I'm sacrificing my passions and my self for the hope I can help keep us afloat - "us" including a transphobe father who harasses me while lying and claiming to take a middle-of-the-road stance, to make me seem like the extremist, even as he paints me as a dumb know-nothing for barely arguing with him... because his mind is made up... and I know I won't move him... and the last thing I fucking need is to make the conversation longer, encourage him to act more angrily, to slam things, possibly break things, maybe even my own things... the longer I submit, the longer that maybe, just maybe, he'll decide he's had his fill, and shut up with his hate... for a time.

I'm cis, and I have to put up with this bull fucking shit. Gods, trans people get the absolute shortest end of the fucking stick, and deserve a fuck lot better than this.

I'm so fucking tired. I'm so fucking tired.

[mariacallous]

While Democrats have traditionally claimed education as a motivating issue for their base, bolstered by long-lasting support for public schools and deep ties with teachers unions, the ground has, in recent election cycles, started to shift. Republicans on the state and federal levels have recently seized some territory for themselves, transforming it into a winning topic for their own voters.

Naturally, education has long been a cultural flashpoint, with politicians capitalizing on fears of youth indoctrination for decades. But a maelstrom of modern factors—among them discontent instigated by the coronavirus pandemic, backlash to a recent reckoning on racial injustice and transforming concepts of gender identity, and savvy political attunement to the electoral power of grievance—have given the idea of parental rights renewed salience.

“At the root of this, parents’ love and concern for their kids is the most powerful force in education,” said Jon Valant, director of the Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institute. “That can be used for good, or it can be exploited.”

Public schools are particularly susceptible to political attacks because of their massive reach, and because it is nearly impossible for adults to truly know what is occurring within school walls, said Jack Schneider, associate professor of education at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. “Schools are places where we are both literally and metaphorically making the future,” Schneider said. “So if you want to make an argument about the American way of life being under threat, then saying, ‘These evildoers have a plot to use the schools to turn young people against America,’ that’s a pretty frightening prospect for people.”

That prospect has shaped American politics from as far back as the nineteenth century, when debates over which version of the Bible should be taught in schools erupted into violence. In 1925, the infamous Scopes trial centered on whether the principles of evolution could be taught in public schools. As the twentieth century progressed, some parents feared Communist infiltration in schools at the height of the Cold War; later, conservative Christian parents in particular resisted the implementation of comprehensive sexual education.

“This idea of parental rights, and you’re seeing it emerge again right now, is one that has long been with us on the conservative side,” said Melissa Deckman, CEO of the Public Religion Research Institute, who wrote a book about the Christian right’s influence in school board elections at the end of the twentieth century.

Those parental anxieties have been rekindled in part by the Covid-19 pandemic, which saw many schools across the country closed for an extended period of time. Anger over lengthy school closures crossed party lines, making Democratic politicians reluctant to “engage on issues of education,” said Valant, as the party feared political backlash. Republicans gained ground during this period, in large part because they successfully portrayed themselves as the party that wanted to return kids to in-person schooling.

Ideological disagreements about the pandemic curdled political rhetoric on education and invited heightened discourse over what is being taught when schools are open. Critical race theory, an educational framework for understanding how racial discrimination is embedded in American social and political systems, has increasingly become a boogeyman of the right and a purported example of indoctrination in public schools. “In no way is [critical race theory] inherently connected to pandemic school closures, but the shutdowns have changed the settings in which politics are happening in schools right now,” said Valant.

The election of Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin in 2021 was a sign of how education issues could factor into politics. Youngkin had highlighted the idea of parental rights in his campaign, a deliberately vague yet useful framework for earning support from generally disgruntled parents.

Controlling public education has remained a rallying cry for other Republicans, perhaps most notably Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida, who successfully established the idea that something nefarious was happening in public schools under a nebulous aegis of loosely connected political concepts—parental rights, the cultural backlash to the racial justice protests in the summer of 2020, and the increased acceptance and visibility of transgender Americans among them. Outrage, politically manufactured and otherwise, regarding mask mandates and school closures snowballed into the larger “politics of grievance” that Schneider argued has characterized Republican politics.

“It’s like a diet entirely made of sugar,” said Schneider. “There’s a kind of instant rush of feeling like you are finally being heard and that you get to give voice to your outrage and your anger. The problem is, it just doesn’t actually lead to anything, at least not anything positive and substantive for those who are aggrieved.”

Social media has also played a mobilizing and radicalizing role in the fight over what is taught in public schools. In the battles over school boards in the 1990s, Deckman said, conservative Christian parents became invested through their churches, whereas now “social media has galvanized people on the far right” to become involved.

The annual PRRI American Values Survey, released this October, found that 92 percent of Americans believe that their children should be taught the good and bad aspects of American history, as opposed to omitting portions that might make them feel uncomfortable or guilty. The poll also found that while 66 percent of Americans think public school teachers provide students with appropriate curricula that teach the good and bad of American history, 29 percent overall believe that teachers and librarians are indoctrinating children. But the majority of Republicans, 54 percent, believe that teachers and librarians are indoctrinating students with “inappropriate curricula and books that wrongly portray America as a racist country.”

That divide is even starker in red states. In recent months, several Republican-led states have considered or approved legislation education purported to expand parental oversight and protect children, but which would also limit what is taught in schools and determine how vulnerable populations of children are treated. These bills range from preventing transgender students from using bathrooms that match their gender identity, to notifying parents if their children begin using different pronouns or expressing questions about gender identity, to barring transgender athletes from participating in girls’ or women’s sports. DeSantis’s administration is moving to expand Florida’s controversial “Don’t Say Gay” law, initially prohibiting discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in classrooms through third grade, to also apply to fourth through twelfth grades.

Florida’s Department of Education also rejected an advanced placement class on African American studies, and the state’s laws restricting lessons about racism, sexual orientation, and gender identity have led to teacher confusion and the removal of books from school libraries and classrooms. Twenty-six states banned or opened investigations into more than 1,100 books between July 2021 to March 2022, amid the spate of state laws restricting lessons on race and racism, sexual orientation, gender identity.

Meanwhile, on the federal level, the Republican majority in the House of Representatives narrowly passed a “Parents’ Bill of Rights” last week, which would increase parental oversight of their children’s public education. The bill would require local school systems to provide information on book lists, curricula, incidents of violence, and whether their child uses another name or pronouns within school walls. Representative Julia Letlow, the bill’s sponsor, argued that it was “not an attempt to have Congress dictate curriculum, or determine the books in the library,” but instead “aims to bring more transparency and accountability to education, allowing parents to be informed.”

It squeaked through the House with opposition from a few Republicans and all Democrats, and is unlikely to be considered in the Democratic-controlled Senate, making the legislation primarily effective as a messaging document. Approving the bill had been a key campaign pledge for House Republicans ahead of the 2022 midterm elections as part of their “Commitment to America” platform.

But it is unlikely that such ideologically tilted legislation regarding parental rights could be implemented in blue states or on the federal level. Moreover, there is danger of overreach and backlash. The Parents’ Bill of Rights did not earn universal support from Republicans in the House largely because it would involve such direct federal government involvement in education, which is theoretically antithetical to the conservative view of education.

Moreover, policies such as removing books from school libraries could ultimately invite backlash from parents. “If left to the logical conclusion that you want to completely remove anything talking about race or gay people from schools, I just don’t think it’s possible in the twenty-first century,” Deckman said. Views about gender and sexuality in particular have changed dramatically since the ’90s, and the social media trends that have galvanized the right have also mobilized the parents of LGBTQ children who do not want to see their children targeted.

And while targeting gender-affirming care for children may be red meat for the Republican base, it may not gain purchase among the larger American public. DeSantis was reelected by wide margins, but other candidates who emphasized education-related battlefronts in the culture wars were less successful. (Indeed, many of the candidates that Youngkin endorsed and stumped for—highlighting his own victory as champion of parental rights—fell in their elections.)

Schneider also argued that traditionally Republican constituencies might eventually be frustrated by policies that divert funding from their own public schools in favor of vouchers for private institutions. “Rural white people who overwhelmingly vote for Republicans, and who were and remain majority Trump supporters, those folks are not going to be pleased when their local public schools disappear,” Schneider said. “It also won’t be very appealing to conservative white suburbanites when the schools that they often are quite proud of for a variety of reasons begin to suffer, because funding begins to be slashed.”

Polling also shows that while Americans may be pessimistic about the state of public education in general, they are often pleased with the schooling that their own children are receiving. According to an NPR/Ipsos survey released last April, 88 percent of respondents said “my child’s teacher(s) have done the best they could, given the circumstances around the pandemic.” Strikingly, 76 percent of respondents agreed that “my child’s school does a good job keeping me informed about the curriculum, including potentially controversial topics.” A September Gallup poll found that, although only 42 percent of Americans were satisfied with the country’s education system, 80 percent of parents with children are completely or somewhat satisfied with their oldest child’s education.

Voters have traditionally trusted Democrats more on issues of education, although that gap narrowed in the wake of the pandemic. Valant argued that, as anger around the school closures fades into memory, education will become less of a salient issue for Republicans. “We very rarely have a sort of extended period where it seems like Republicans see more political advantage in education nationwide than Democrats do. And I do think that is a product of our immediate situation, and I don’t think that’ll last forever,” Valant said. A poll released by the National Parents Union last week found that parents trust Democrats more than Republicans to formulate a parental “bill of rights.”

In the short term, however, Republican-led states will likely continue to champion their concept of parental rights, and implement policies that fall within that framework, even if they are unable to gain traction nationwide. “I think there will be five years of real political victories for the right that come at a very steep cost once Americans catch on to what the real consequences of that will be,” Schneider said.

[quotesfrommyreading]

Last week, in his State of the Union address, President Joe Biden told the American public that “we have broken COVID’s grip on us.” Highlighting the declines in the rates of COVID deaths, the millions of lives saved, and the importance of remembering the more than 1 million lost, Biden reminded the nation of what was to come: “Soon we’ll end the public-health emergency.”

When the U.S.’s state of emergency was declared nearly three years ago, as hospitals were overrun and morgues overflowed, the focus was on severe, short-term disease. Perhaps in that sense, the emergency is close to being over, Deeks told me. But long COVID, though slower to command attention, has since become its own emergency, never formally declared; for the millions of Americans who have been affected by the condition, their relationship with the virus does not yet seem to be in a better place.

Even with many more health-care providers clued into long COVID’s ills, the waiting lists for rehabilitation and treatment remain untenable, Hannah Davis told me. “I consider myself someone who gets exceptional care compared to other people,” she said. “And still, I hear from my doctor every nine or 10 months.” Calling a wrap on COVID’s “emergency” phase could worsen that already skewed supply-demand ratio. Changes to the nation’s funding tactics could strip resources—among them, access to telehealth; Medicaid coverage; and affordable antivirals, tests, and vaccines—from vulnerable populations, including people of color, that aren’t getting their needs met even as things stand, McCorkell told me. And as clinicians internalize the message that the coronavirus has largely been addressed, attention to its chronic impacts may dwindle. At least one of the country's long-COVID clinics has, in recent months, announced plans to close, and Davis worries that more could follow soon.

Scientists researching long COVID are also expecting new challenges. Reduced access to testing will complicate efforts to figure out how many people are developing the condition, and who’s most at risk. Should researchers turn their scientific focus away from studying causes and cures for long COVID when the emergency declaration lifts, Davids and others worry that there will be ripple effects on the scientific community’s interest in other, neglected chronic illnesses, such as ME/CFS (myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome), a diagnosis that many long-haulers have also received.

The end of the U.S.’s official crisis mode on COVID could stymie research in other ways as well. At Johns Hopkins University, the infectious-disease epidemiologists Priya Duggal, Shruti Mehta, and Bryan Lau have been running a large study to better understand the conditions and circumstances that lead to long COVID, and how symptoms evolve over time. In the past two years, they have gathered online survey data from thousands of people who both have and haven’t been infected, and who have and haven’t seen their symptoms rapidly resolve. But as of late, they’ve been struggling to recruit enough people who caught the virus and didn’t feel their symptoms linger. “I think that the people who are suffering from long COVID will always do their best to participate,” Duggal told me. That may not be the case for individuals whose experiences with the virus were brief. A lot of them “are completely over it,” Duggal said. “Their life has moved on.”

Kate Porter, a Massachusetts-based marketing director, told me that she worries about her family’s future, should long COVID fade from the national discourse. She and her teenage daughter both caught the virus in the spring of 2020, and went on to develop chronic symptoms; their experience with the disease isn’t yet over. “Just because the emergency declaration is expiring, that doesn’t mean that suddenly people are magically going to get better and this issue is going to go away,” Porter told me. After months of relative improvement, her daughter is now fighting prolonged bouts of fatigue that are affecting her school life—and Porter isn’t sure how receptive people will be to her explanations, should their illnesses persist for years to come. “Two years from now, how am I going to explain, ‘Well, this is from COVID, five years ago’?” she said.

A condition that was once mired in skepticism, scorn, and gaslighting, long COVID now has recognition—but empathy for long-haulers could yet experience a backslide. Nisreen Alwan, a public-health researcher at the University of Southampton, in the U.K., and her colleagues have found that many long-haulers still worry about disclosing their condition, fearing that it could jeopardize their employment, social interactions, and more. Long COVID could soon be slated to become just one of many neglected chronic diseases, poorly understood and rarely discussed.

  —  Long COVID is the emergency that won’t end

#katherine j. wu #long covid is the emergency that won't end #current events #science #medicine #biology #human biology #disability #chronic illness #ableism #covid 19 #pandemic #long covid

[zedecksiew]

TURNING INTO A CLOUD

My grandmother, Chow Choon Hee（邹春喜）, passed away at 9:55pm on 18th January 2023. She was 96.

+

My grandmother was born premature.

She survived---a fiercely independent young woman. She rode the North Malayan train alone. She cut through the Bertam jungle with Orang Asli friends.

"I wore a machete on my waist and walked about like a boy," she once told us.

+

My grandmother was a life-long church-goer.

She remembered the Christian missionary who came to visit her father, and convert him. The missionary told her father: "You should cherish your daughters as much as yours sons."

She never forgot this. She was a devout Christian.

+

My grandmother was married and lived through the war. She suffered and survived.

That was a generation of freedom-fighting communists and prime ministers. I'd argue that my grandmother's life was just as fiery as any of these.

Her favourite phrase in her last years was "ping on"---Hakka for "peace".

+

My grandmother had nine surviving children.

I couldn't speak to her much. I don't speak Hakka, and she doesn't speak English. We spoke to each other in Malay, sometimes.

If I visited her alone she'd still ask: "Mana Sharon?" She had 22 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren, and remembered them all.

+

My grandmother had a fall on 3 January. A few days later she and my aunt tested positive for Covid.

My aunt was forced to care for her while being incredibly ill and isolated herself. We as societies had decided the pandemic was over, right? So my grandmother was killed.

She died from complications from pneumonia caused by the coronavirus.

+

My grandmother was admitted to hospital before the end.

We went in to see her, the evening she passed. My father, my mother, my sister, Sharon and I. We put on aprons and masks and face shields and had to touch her hand and face with surgical gloves on.

She has good vitals, considering. She had laboured, assisted breathing. In consultation with doctors, the family had decided against invasive procedures.

+

My grandmother's face seemed so small, amidst the hospital pillows. Her white hair seemed like a wisp.

Sharon and I have been talking about my grandmother a lot. About how she lived a full life, about how she was so fierce, so independent. About how she would soon go to the god she loved.

"My grandmother is dying," I said.

"Grandmother is turning into a cloud," Sharon replied. This image has helped me the most. She will be free, and be like rain, and fall on all of us.

+

At her hospital bed, I imagined my grandmother's white hair and small face becoming cloud, becoming glory.

#obituaries #real life #grandmothers

[ravenkings]

[...]

Apocalypse is familiar, even beloved territory for Silicon Valley. A few years ago, it seemed every tech executive had a fully stocked apocalypse bunker somewhere remote but reachable. In 2016, Mr. Altman said he was amassing “guns, gold, potassium iodide, antibiotics, batteries, water, gas masks from the Israeli Defense Force and a big patch of land in Big Sur I can fly to.” The coronavirus pandemic made tech preppers feel vindicated, for a while.

Now, they are prepping for the Singularity.

“They like to think they’re sensible people making sage comments, but they sound more like monks in the year 1000 talking about the Rapture,” said Baldur Bjarnason, author of “The Intelligence Illusion,” a critical examination of A.I. “It’s a bit frightening,” he said.

[...]

For some critics of the Singularity, it is an intellectually dubious attempt to replicate the belief system of organized religion in the kingdom of software.

“They all want eternal life without the inconvenience of having to believe in God,” said Rodney Brooks, the former director of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

[...]

Critics counter that even the impressive results of L.L.M.s are a far cry from the enormous, global intelligence long promised by the Singularity. Part of the problem in accurately separating hype from reality is that the engines driving this technology are becoming hidden. OpenAI, which began as a nonprofit using open source code, is now a for-profit venture that critics say is effectively a black box. Google and Microsoft also offer limited visibility.

Much of the A.I. research is being done by the companies with much to gain from the results. Researchers at Microsoft, which invested $13 billion in OpenAI, published a paper in April concluding that a preliminary version of the latest OpenAI model “exhibits many traits of intelligence” including “abstraction, comprehension, vision, coding” and “understanding of human motives and emotions.”

Rylan Schaeffer, a doctoral student in computer science at Stanford, said some A.I. researchers had painted an inaccurate picture of how these large language models exhibit “emergent abilities” — unexplained capabilities that were not evident in smaller versions.

Along with two Stanford colleagues, Brando Miranda and Sanmi Koyejo, Mr. Schaeffer examined the question in a research paper published last month and concluded that emergent properties were “a mirage” caused by errors in measurement. In effect, researchers are seeing what they want to see.

[...]

A.I., just like the Singularity, is already being described as irreversible. “Stopping it would require something like a global surveillance regime, and even that isn’t guaranteed to work,” Mr. Altman and some of his colleagues wrote last month. If Silicon Valley doesn’t make it, they added, others will.

Less discussed are the vast profits to be made from uploading the world. Despite all the talk of A.I. being an unlimited wealth-generating machine, the people getting rich are pretty much the ones who are already rich.

Microsoft has seen its market capitalization soar by half a trillion dollars this year. Nvidia, a maker of chips that run A.I. systems, recently became one of the most valuable public U.S. companies when it said demand for those chips had skyrocketed.

“A.I. is the tech the world has always wanted,” Mr. Altman tweeted.

It certainly is the tech that the tech world has always wanted, arriving at the absolute best possible time. Last year, Silicon Valley was reeling from layoffs and rising interest rates. Crypto, the previous boom, was enmeshed in fraud and disappointment.

#technology #ai #capitalism #article