#we COULD be at lower covid levels | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

probablyasocialecologist · 4 months

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Though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stopped counting Covid-19 cases, according to wastewater data—which emerged early on as an accurate tracker of the ebbs and flows of the virus—we are currently in one of the biggest surges of the pandemic, amid the spread of a new variant, JN-1, as the virus keeps mutating. More than three-quarters of U.S. hospital beds are currently in use due to Covid hospitalizations. Uptake of the most recent booster shot, which should help to protect against the new variant and lower the risk of severe cases and the odds of getting long Covid, hovers around 19 percent. Meanwhile, the most recent White House response to a question about whether they had any guidance for hospitals, some of which have brought back mitigation protocols in response to the most recent Covid spike, came courtesy of press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre: “Hospitals, communities, states, they have to make their own decisions. That’s not something we get involved in,” she replied, appearing exasperated. “We are in possibly the second-biggest surge of the pandemic if you look at wastewater levels,” said Dr. Monica Verduzco-Gutierrez, who runs a long-Covid clinic at the University of Texas, San Antonio, and has had ongoing Covid symptoms since August 2022. “There is no urgency to this. No news. No discussion in Congress. There is no education.”

[...]

Since the Biden administration declared the end of the national emergency in May, Americans across the political spectrum have largely followed the example set by the government and entirely disposed of any level of Covid precautions. Liberal and left-wing outlets have participated in the normalizing of Covid too, dismissing or even ostracizing people who still take precautions as if they are tin-hat conspiracy theorists. “We can’t be in lockdown forever,” has become a common refrain, as if wearing a mask on the subway constitutes “lockdown.” In September, Biden himself participated in the spread of this kind of harmful disinformation when he declared the pandemic “over” on 60 Minutes. “If you notice, no one’s wearing masks,” he said. “Everybody seems to be in pretty good shape.” This is, essentially, governing via “vibes”—so much for “following the science.”

[...]

The consequences of discarding all Covid precautions are becoming clearer, as more people get repeated infections and long-term symptoms, amid an alarming spike in heart problems among healthy young people. People are getting sick more often not due to the myth of “immunity debt,” which posits that the lack of exposure to other people during lockdown has made people less able to fight off infections (three years later), but because Covid weakens the immune system. Each time someone contracts Covid, the odds of long-term complications increase.

#covid19 #coronavirus #usa #democrats #biden

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geneeste · 2 years

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https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/10/us-publics-trust-in-scientists-reverts-to-pre-pandemic-levels/?comments=1&post=41332618

It’s wild how on the nose this comment is:

Comment text in image:

“I really wish reporters would do a better job on this topic. Republicans don't 'distrust science'. Republicans, as they are made up today, are primarily concerned they will fall out of the dominant culture (white christians) in the US and that other cultures will continue to get acknowledgement and respect in policy decisions. Understand that almost all policy decisions - and this is true pretty much everywhere - have a cultural element to them. France's headscarf ban isn't based on science, but on armchair sociology which is part of their culture. Same for tax rates which feel too high or low, but aren't based on some hard math economic model, and so on. 18 as an age of consent is a number pulled out of the air (should be higher for some people, maybe it could be lower for others), as is a 40 hour work week, 21 to drink, 65 to retire, etc. and what we consider 'good' or 'bad' are largely cultural. Eating dogs and horses is 'bad' but pigs are as smart as dogs.

Republicans don't distrust science. But because Republicans are losing the culture war pretty profoundly (I know recent court decisions would suggest otherwise, but the public is increasingly accepting of the things they think should be illegal) the thing they *really* fear is losing cultural authority - the ability to veto other cultures. They lost the ability to veto the LGBTQ community as Americans are increasingly accepting of gay and trans people. Black media increasingly stands alongside white media. Latino and asian media are making gains as well. Disability communities are also making headway. All of these other cultural groups are gaining influence in how the broader community see them, and as a result they get more of a seat at the policy table. To Republicans, all of these gains represent a loss of cultural veto power, which is why the overt racism and antisemitism are ramping up - they are pushing harder against a trend that isn't going their way. They say they are being replaced, but they aren't. They just have to survive a multicultural space like everyone else for the first time in 400 years. This is why they get pissed off when the green M&M isn't sexy any more - *they didn't get a say*. It's a bit of culture that changed which they didn't get a say in, and that's both terrifying and infuriating to them. They're *supposed* to have cultural authority.

Science is a difficult category in this environment because sometimes is favors your cultural instincts and sometimes it doesn't. But when your cultural foundation for lawmaking (white christian culture) is being eroded any scientific view that undermines your cultural instincts feels like a threat. But the real threat is when that scientific view arrives when you are out of power. See, there's nothing that prevented Trump from leaning into the science when Covid broke out, and Republicans would have lined up behind it, because it wasn't the science they opposed, but *who was setting the policy based on that science*. If Trump put his weight behind it, they'd be on board, because it preserves their authority by branding it as a Republican policy - and that really what they want. Because Fauci (not a Republican) was pushing against Trump, because Trump instinctually opposes vaccines and decided that Covid was bad for his polling, that's what made the science toxic to Republicans. Fauci and Democratic officials in states, and then Biden, setting the policies was what mattered. There was a hot minute there where Mike DeWine in Ohio was pulling in the right direction but Trump got in front of the whole thing.

This is also the dynamic behind the election denialism. They don't believe the election was stolen because of evidence. They believe the election was stolen because if it wasn't, than a loss by 7 million votes by the president that has fought harder for that white christian culture (I mean, opening fire on a Black Lives Matter protest in order to hold up a bible at a photo op is pretty fucking on the nose there) and presumably had that culture most strongly aligned behind him would be evidence that they have fallen into the minority permanently. If white christian culture was dominant numerically, they should have won that easily. It's the inability to accept their minority status that *requires* the election be stolen, because the alternative means that the whole game is up - 400 years of slavery and genocide and a civil war to preserve that cultural dominance is finally lost. Maybe just barely, but lost all the same.

My point is that Republicans aren't anti science, but science will be sacrificed as just another pawn in the culture war if that's what is required. If you aren't explaining *why* this is happening, then you are somewhat insinuating that it's the fault of the scientists and leaving the readers to wonder why some scientific views are embraced and others aren't, and the answer has nothing to do with science or scientists. It has everything to do with the messenger and what the science says about their message. I know that seems to over-politicize the topic, but you put 'partisan' in the headline, so you were willing to open the door, just not walk all the way through.”

#us politics #Republicans are cultural minorities now and it’s freaking them the fuck out

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bcofl0ve · 2 years

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Invisible String (Part 2)

(part 2/9)

ship: austin butler x fem!reader

story summary: a summer fling when you were working on the set of the shannara chronicles turned your life upside down with a positive pregnancy test after austin returned to the united states. a pregnancy test, and a daughter that you never told him about. until the elvis biopic found him back in your orbit and forced you to face the music.

chapter summary: trying to process the whirlwind life has become since austin found out about cora is easier said than done, especially with a best friend throwing the word “fate” around.

word count: 1525

authors note: yes i know the shannara chronicles was filmed in new zealand but this is my au and i can do what i want so we’re pretending it was filmed in queensland. covid also doesn’t exist in this story, because i said so, hence the filming schedule being one of my own making.

i live for comments and love talking about my writing, pls feel free to pop me an anon anytime!

xxx

May 1st, 2020

“Well I’ll take back what I said about not thinking you working on set would be a big deal.” Leah said, giving you an apologetic smile. Your mom took Cora for the night to give you some space to decompress from everything, or in other words- drink on Leah’s couch marathoning Parks & Rec.

“Yeah, understatement of the year.” You said, peeling at the label on your bottle. “He seemed pretty pissed, and I guess I can’t fault him for that. But when we were talking about Cora and not me he kinda mellowed out.”

You hadn’t actually seen Austin since he left your house the night before, the timing of Baz giving everyone a long weekend off working out perfectly. But you’d sent him a text inviting him over to see Cora when he was free, figuring it couldn’t hurt to transition into some sort of amicable dynamic before you had to orbit around each other at work all day every day.

“My cousin had a baby without telling the father and when he found out he lost his shit, took her to court for almost full custody and everything. Austin doesn’t seem like that type though.” Leah continued, a little too casually for your liking. You didn’t know what you would do if Austin was that type.

“Small blessings.”

Leah nodded, lowering her voice with a look in her eyes that gave you an inkling of the direction the conversation was going in. “But hey, at least him and Vanessa ended things for good, one door closes and another opens.”

She wiggled her eyebrows at you then, and you scoffed.

“Did you not hear me saying he’s pissed at me? I don’t think getting back together is in the cards here.”

“Well not now,” She continued, bumping your shoulder “But you never know. You gotta admit him being back here, a job opening up for you like it did- it all seems orchestrated by fate, doesn’t it?”

You wouldn’t give your best friend the satisfaction of admitting that it had crossed your mind, briefly. So rolling your eyes, you leaned forward to turn up the volume on the TV and effectively cut her off before she could interrogate you any further.

---

May 2nd, 2020

Cora saw Austin pulling into your driveway before you did, squinting out the window and turning back to you.

“Your frien’s here again?”

Jumping down, she held onto your pant leg as you opened the door, eyeing him curiously.

“This is Austin baby,” You said and gently nudged her out from where she had started to hide behind you. He walked into the house, crouching down onto her level as he shed his sunglasses.

“And I heard you’re Cora, how’s your chin feeling?”

She looked at him quietly for a beat, rocking on her heels. “Mommy gave me a p’incess bandaid and it made it all better.”

“It did?” He said, feigning shock with raised eyebrows. “Do you think the bandaid has magic powers?”

Cora giggled, putting a finger to the Cinderella bandaid over her stitches with a serious nod.

“You know, I think Austin would love to build Legos with you if you asked him,” You said and Cora unpeeled from your side to step closer. Austin looked at her with an expectment smile, and you could see it in his face how much he adored her already, a pang of guilt surging through you.

“Can we play Legos? They’re in my closet, mommy hasta’ use a chair to get ‘em cause she’s small.”

Both you and Austin laughed at that, a welcome break in the tension- even if caused by your daughter calling you short.

“I think I might be able to grab ‘em sweetie, you wanna show me where they are?”

Cora ran off with Austin trailing behind her, and you waited until they rounded the corner to lean against the door and take a breath. The past few days felt weeks and seconds long all at once.

---

May 15th, 2020

The first visit went well, and did what you’d hoped it would in regards to erasing any awkwardness at work. But you were so busy with your own job that you barely saw Austin for longer than a few minutes anyways. The extent of your hushed conversations were Cora, and planning the pop-ins at your house that were becoming regular.

Almost every time he wasn’t at set until obscenely late he was pulling into your driveway. And with each visit he talked to you a little more- as opposed to the laser focus he’d had on Cora to begin with. You could sense that he was still hurt, but all you wanted was for your daughter now was to have parents that could get along with each other. Somewhat awkward small talk was better progress on that than nothing.

“I see him!” Cora said from where she was standing on the couch by the window, having been waiting there since you told her he was coming over an hour ago. She scrambled down to open the front door as soon as his car pulled to a stop, running outside without shoes on to greet him.

She still didn’t know who he really was, and you hadn’t figured how exactly you were going to tackle that, but Austin didn’t seem in a rush either- nor had he brought it up yet. Until then, Cora seemed more than content to make “mommy’s friend” her best friend, not that you could complain about how fast she’d taken to him.

“Austin!”

“Cora Jean!” He crooned as he swung open the car door, scooping her up as she got to him. Holding her on his hip, he reached into the backseat and came back out with two bundles of white flowers, handing one to Cora and carrying the other himself. You realized what he was doing before he got to the door, swallowing thickly.

“Hiya,” He said when he reached you, handing over the other flowers with a soft smile. You could see a faint tint in his cheeks, at least you thought you might’ve- not trying to stare at him for too long.

“Our flowers match mama!”

Cora looked between the two of you excitedly, one arm looped around Austin’s neck as you let them into the house with a quiet “Thank you.” towards him.

Looking down at the flowers, your mind wandered back to the first time he’d brought you flowers that 2015 summer. You’d been out sick for three days and he made the trip to the store and your apartment with them in spite of knowing he was being photographed. The two of you scrolled through the headlines about him buying flowers for a “mystery girl” together while laying in bed. And the gossip amusing then, when there were no real stakes.

You were distracted by Cora’s antics of the day, dragging both you and Austin into a tea party with her stuffed animals, and didn’t notice that there was a small card in your flowers until after he left for the day.

Sitting down at the kitchen table, you bit on your bottom lip as you opened it.

Y/N,

I’m still trying to process being kept in the dark and missing out on so much of our daughter’s life. But she’s a great kid and I want to do right by her by doing right by her mom. Dinner at mine the next time you’re kid free for the night?

Austin

---

June 1st, 2015

You hadn’t planned on going to the welcome party the producers were throwing together for the cast and crew, not when you didn’t exactly know anyone enough to drink an exuberant amount around them. But a text from another girl on the lighting team asking if you were going convinced you. Which was all good and fine, until she ditched you twenty minutes in to attach herself to a male member of the crew.

You were standing against the wall contemplating leaving, just having finished your drink, when someone’s voice coming towards you pulled your attention.

“Hey! It said, and you didn’t realize who it belonged to in the dark of the club until he got a little closer.” “I don’t think we’ve met, I’m Austin,”

You recognized him then, grown out blonde hair pulled back into a man-bun. Though you thought he pulled it off, that and the halfway undone button up shirt he had on. He was just as cute as he was in the pictures you’d seen, to the extent that you were surprised he was talking to you over some of the other girls orbiting around unoccupied.

“I think it’d be bad if I didn’t know your name when you’re the star of the show,” You quipped back and he grinned,

“You got a name yourself?”

“It’s Y/N, I’m on the light crew.” You said over the music and he gave a little nod as he sipped the drink he was holding. “Pretty name for a pretty girl.”

Well, you hadn’t been expecting that.

He glanced at the party, looking back to you with a raised eyebrow. “You wanna dance?”

At first you thought you heard him wrong, but he reached out a hand and you took it, letting him pull you out onto the dance floor. The two of you fell into a natural rhythm, and when he ducked his head down to kiss you let him do that too, snaking a hand up the side of his neck and as he pulled you closer to him by the hips.

And in the morning when you woke up to the rise and fall of his shirtless chest next to you your breath caught in your throat. The events of the night before came back to you in pieces, and still didn’t feel quite real. He could’ve pulled anyone at the party and pursued you. Some girl from the lighting team.

Not that you were interested in holding him back.

xxx

tag list: @chernayawidow @theinvisiblecapricorn @aalishifts @mavericksicybabe @cryingabtab @kittenlittle24 @invisiblee-smoke @mrs-munson-quinn @cevans-winchester @kikilovesdankmemes @oh-austin @chrissie-soula @starcatchxr @butlervol6 @thedeviltohisangel @redhoods-gf @gabrielajimenez @stlover288 @alqvarde @loudwombatmugkid @austinbrainrot @ab4eva @m0ndayagain @marlowmode @kingbouji3 @gardenavenue @yeonimii @eliseinmemphis @blurredcolour @tiddieshakeshownu @fallininlovewithurlove

#invisible string by bcofl0ve #sorry if this felt short the story is rlly going to start picking up now so future chapters will be longer!#and also less choppy because a lot more will be happening in the span of one day LOL #not all the tag list tags worked im trying to fix it i promise #austin butler #austin butler fanfiction #austin butler imagine #austin butler x reader #austin butler fanfic #austin butler headcanons #austin butler imagines

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gumjrop · 6 months

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The Weather (according to Wastewater)

SARS-CoV-2 levels in wastewater are being reported by Biobot again as they file an appeal with the CDC. For now, we will use the map below from WastewaterSCAN, another source for wastewater surveillance. One quarter of the nation’s wastewater testing sites remain shut down while the appeal is being processed, creating an overall gap in data reliability that we could continue to experience for several months to come. We anticipate releasing another COVID map depicting transmission levels developed by the People’s CDC in the coming weeks. According to WastewaterSCAN, nationally, COVID wastewater levels are at medium while the Northeast, Midwest, and the South are high since their last update from October 31, 2023. Across the US, COVID wastewater levels are at 239.7 Pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV) Normalized on October 31, 2023, down from a peak of 430.5 PMMoV Normalized on August 28, 2023, but slightly up from 201.8 PMMoV Normalized on October 18, 2023. PMMoV normalization differs from how Biobot normalizes data, so the raw numbers are not directly comparable with Biobot’s.

Wins

On October 27-29, #namingthelost hosted a memorial at St Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery in NYC in order to name, honor, and mourn the individuals that we have lost and continue to lose due to COVID and COVID-related complications. On their homepage, #namingthelost states “We know it didn’t have to be this way, that our country’s leaders made choices that risked our lives. We know we can choose a different way forward that is about caring for all of us.”

Hospitalizations and Deaths

New weekly hospitalizations associated with COVID have stopped dropping, staying at a constant of over 15,000 hospitalizations for the past three weeks including the week of October 28, 2023. According to the CDC’s COVID Data Tracker, there have been another 4,000 reported deaths from COVID in the past month of October. We mourn these 4,000 individuals as this is not “normal.” A reminder that the lives and livelihoods of everyone in our entire society continue to remain at stake. Do not lower your standards as many in society, especially those in the business sector, normalize this ongoing atrocity as they demand for a return to on-site work even though most people prefer the option of remote work. Continue to demand layers of protection such as high-quality masking, ventilation, filtration, and testing, in all settings to prevent ongoing COVID infections, hospitalizations, Long COVID, and death.

Vaccines and Treatment

Do not wait to get an updated COVID vaccine for those 6 months and older! Multiple options are available including Pfizer, Moderna, or Novavax. Access continues to be challenging especially for those with certain health insurance plans or who are uninsured. Lack of interest and access difficulties have likely all contributed to a low uptake of only 3.5% of Americans receiving the most recent and updated COVID vaccine. The Bridge Access program ensures no-cost access and you can find a location as determined by the federal government, but be sure to call ahead and ask to ensure local participation. Similarly, federal funding for COVID treatment options, such as Paxlovid and Lagevrio, have transitioned from the federal government to health insurance plans on November 1, 2023. Individuals with Medicare or Medicaid will have access through the end of 2024 and those uninsured will have access at least through the end of 2028 via the federal government, but limited information has been provided. Test to Treat locations continue to provide no-cost access to those without insurance while Pfizer’s Patient Assistance Program can also provide no-cost access to Paxlovid (Nirmatrelvir–Ritonavir). If your health insurance plan does not cover COVID treatments such as Paxlovid, you can participate in the Co-Pay Savings Programs offered by Pfizer, which drops the cost out-of-pocket down to 140 dollars.

Long COVID

The scientific understanding of Long COVID continues to grow with a recent study demonstrating that viral persistence may potentially affect some individuals resulting in Long COVID. However, another study that compared Long COVID outcomes among patients who received Paxlovid at the Veterans Health System did not observe lower rates of Long COVID after treatment. A guaranteed treatment for Long COVID remains to be determined while the primary approach in avoiding this is to employ layers of protection such as consistently using a high quality mask or respirator in order to lower the risk, ultimately preventing a COVID infection.

Take Action

HICPAC, the federal committee that advises the CDC and DHHS on infection control practices in healthcare, met on November 2-3 and voted on draft documents, which continue to fail to protect patients and healthcare workers from COVID infections. We provided a nationwide virtual space to protest the CDC HIPCAC meeting on Thursday, November 2nd. Multiple members of the People’s CDC were recognized to provide public comments to members of HICPAC during the meeting. We also submitted the following official statement this week as our comment. We provide instructions and asked you to also submit a comment to them using our recommendations in response to their terrible decision via email to [email protected] by 11:59 pm on Monday, November 6th to include in their meeting minutes (date has passed). The next steps of their process will include the publication of draft documents in the Federal Register, which can be reviewed and commented on by the general public. Lastly, local groups are a primary opportunity to impact your community. Get involved locally and join a local group.

#op #covid #long covid #covid isn't over #covid 19 #covid-19 #coronavirus #pcdc #people's cdc #pandemic #covid news #covid19 #public health #covid pandemic #medical #medical news #img #described in alt text

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berniesrevolution · 1 year

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IN THESE TIMES

The future of the four-day work week is looking brighter after the results of a major new study were released last month.

Nearly 3,000 workers at over 60 organizations took part in the latest trial of reduced working time — and the findings surpassed most expectations. A large majority of workers reported significant improvements in their quality of life. And it wasn’t just employees who preferred the shorter working week: more than 90% of employers who participated opted to continue the arrangement.

The U.K.-based experiment introduced a four-day week or equivalent cut in hours, with no loss of pay, from June to December 2022. Research teams at Boston College, Cambridge University and the London think tank Autonomy studied the effects. Overall, workers reported lower levels of stress and burn out, higher job satisfaction and less conflict between work and family demands. They also said they felt more capable at work and better able to manage their time.

Almost all (96%) said they preferred working four days and most put a high value on their new free time. Asked how much money would persuade them to return to a five-day week, 29% said they would want a 26-50% pay increase, while 8% wanted more than 50% and another 15% said no amount of money would lure them back.

Employers benefited as well. Compared with the pre-trial period, there were fewer staff resignations and days off for illness. Revenues saw a slight increase. Asked to score their experience on a scale from 0 (negative) to 10 (positive), the average among employers was 7.5 for productivity and 8.3 overall.

One likely reason for the trial’s success is that it recognized there was no one-size-fits-all formula. Each organization could choose its own approach to work time reduction so long as it offered significant reductions without loss of pay. The trial was also meticulously prepared, with two months of workshops, coaching, mentoring and peer support, drawing on experience from earlier pilots in more than 100 companies in the United States, U.K., Australia, Canada and Ireland. This approach was geared to help participants improve well-being and economic prosperity at the same time — by designing new working practices and changing company culture.

The trial took place during a pitched moment in history, as evolving digital communications combined with a global pandemic to wreak havoc on the concept of “normal” employment. More employees than ever could work anytime and anywhere with a suitable device and internet signal. And most everyone who took part had fresh memories of when workplaces closed down, human proximity seemed lift-threatening and online meetings redefined personal interaction.

In some ways, the Covid pandemic gave the four-day week a boost by forcing companies to adapt to new ways of thinking and working. One manager of a manufacturing company in the UK trial observed, “I think we have come out of the pandemic with a new outlook on life… There’s a greater expectation around flexible working, hybrid working — people are taking that opportunity to think ‘I want to do something completely different.’”

(Continue Reading)

#politics #the left #in these times #economics #labor rights #workers rights #progressive #progressive movement #democratic socialism

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wumblr · 9 months

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i haven't made a covid post for a while but there does seem to be another summer wave going on

hospitalizations, wastewater, and positive tests are fairly similar to past years' summer waves (but not as bad as 2022). deaths remain lower than any other point during the pandemic, and excess deaths have returned to pre-pandemic levels (deaths are delayed compared to other variables, so whether it continues this way seems... fairly important)

excess deaths are as always a heinously complicated thing. i might be underestimating dec 2022 (i'm still estimating based on WHO 20-21 data, total deaths being about 2x reported deaths, weighted to a slightly higher multiple in weeks with more deaths and a lower multiple in weeks with fewer deaths) -- but we do seem to be in the first 2 or 3 week period of negative excess deaths since, uh, the very first week of lockdowns (which, if you recall, may have prevented a small but noticeable number of other preventable deaths). this could be underreported and subject to later updates, but the margin is small and the updates don't usually change the numbers too much. you can't really underreport a severe spike, when that happens we start talking about refrigerated morgue storage trucks and mass graves

CDC's estimate of excess deaths. i'm also mixing CDC's reported deaths for the 2023 with johns hopkins data from prior years, because JH ceased reporting and i didn't want to rebuild a spreadsheet that was never terribly precise to begin with (it's intended to help me to chart uncharted waters, or gauge whether what they're saying in the news really matches the available data, which... mostly it does but you know there's a tendency to downplay it)

recent research shows that the original variant killed 3 of 4 types of brain cells (pericyte, endothelial, and microglia), while other variants killed fewer types of brain cells. that said, i don't want to downplay that all variants still have potentially deleterious effects on the brain. it does seem that newer variants are losing potency, but this is not necessarily a linear progression, as omicron killed two types of brain cells while alpha and beta only killed one type. this is, of course, in addition to microclotting, cytokine storms, and fused neurons, each of which have deleterious effects in the brain as well as the rest of the body (although the fused neuron study was observed in a petri dish and not in vivo)

so... it appears to be substantially less lethal at the moment, this does not mean it can't regain potency in the future, but in any case you still don't want to catch it and it is presently circulating

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fanhackers · 7 months

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During the pandemic, we, fans, have been able to rely on some of our already existing coping mechanisms to deal with the increased strain of our mental health due to the global crisis. Participants in a study about the mental health of PhD students during the pandemic responded that their coping strategies mainly included social interaction and recreational activities. Furthermore,

Lower scores of depression and anxiety were predicted by the strength of the overall social network (…) NAUMANN, SANDRA, LENA MATYJEK, KATHARINA BÖGL, SCHOLAR MINDS, AND ISABEL DZIOBEK. UPDATE ON THE MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS IN ACADEMIA: EFFECTS OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON EARLY CAREER RESEARCHERS’ MENTAL HEALTH AND SATISFACTION WITH PHD TRAINING, 2022.

In another survey, this one about Philippine BTS fans, social interaction and recreational activities were both listed as ways that fandom supported participants’ mental health.

Despite being isolated from one another geographically due to the lockdown, the fans felt that BTS was with them throughout the pandemic, through their music, live videos, tweets, pictures, and even the mere thought of them. VANGUARDIA, MARC. “LOVE YOURSELF, BTS ARMY: PARTICIPATORY FANDOM AND AGENCY DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.” PHILIPPINES COMMUNICATION SOCIETY REVIEW, 2021, 229.

These digital networks of intimacy allowed for comfort, happiness, and healing to be conveyed and received across miles in the physical realm and created imagined yet profound connections that acted as safe spaces for ARMYs online. VANGUARDIA, MARC. “LOVE YOURSELF, BTS ARMY: PARTICIPATORY FANDOM AND AGENCY DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.” PHILIPPINES COMMUNICATION SOCIETY REVIEW, 2021, 231.

By seeing other ARMYs and interacting with them on various social networking sites, the (survey) participants felt less lonely as a part of a community of people who shared not only the same interest and admiration for BTS but also similar experiences regardless of their cultural, linguistic, gender, and other identifying background. (Participants) pointed out that relationships were formed not only as fans of the same idols but as individuals who were included in each other’s support systems. VANGUARDIA, MARC. “LOVE YOURSELF, BTS ARMY: PARTICIPATORY FANDOM AND AGENCY DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.” PHILIPPINES COMMUNICATION SOCIETY REVIEW, 2021, 241-242

The individual activities and actions that the participants engaged in as fans of BTS served as a distraction from the bleak reality of the pandemic. By being occupied with tasks such as streaming, voting, and getting updated on the fandom over stan Twitter, the fans were able to focus on accomplishing things instead of dwelling on their problems and concerning themselves with the situation of the world around them. By being able to control something they found an anchor that was constant, and had a sense of agency in a time of almost complete uncertainty. (…) The participants exhibited a high level of consciousness of the positive effects and potential drawbacks of their engagement in the fandom. They recognized the various ways that their actions could affect their well-being, and adjusted accordingly by putting themselves in conducive situations that would provide them the greatest benefit. VANGUARDIA, MARC. “LOVE YOURSELF, BTS ARMY: PARTICIPATORY FANDOM AND AGENCY DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.” PHILIPPINES COMMUNICATION SOCIETY REVIEW, 2021, 239-240.

Fandom might be seen then, as a culture that adapted well to the pandemic. It would be tempting to characterise academia as also not needing to change drastically in a world in lockdown.

Drawing a parallel between these two is not a new statement.

In some cases, we argue that academic research interests paralleled fannish passion. HAYASHI, AYA ESTHER. 2020. “REIMAGINING FAN STUDIES IN THE AGE OF COVID-19 AND BLACK LIVES MATTER.” TRANSFORMATIVE WORKS AND CULTURES, NO. 34. HTTPS://DOI.ORG/10.3983/TWC.2020.2029.

However, both fandom and academia have their issues, which were not only carried over into the pandemic but might have been amplified by it . As McMillan Cottom explained in a roundtable about the state of higher education,

Overall, most college leaders saw COVID-19 as an opportunity to do more of what they had already been doing. Schools that had wanted to respond to inequality doubled down on that. School that had been trending toward profit-seeking especially under the guise of a public institution-like Purdue and Arizona State -doubled down. SHENK, TIMOTHY, MAGGIE DOHERTY, NILS GILMAN, ADAM HARRIS, TRESSIE MCMILLAN COTTOM, AND CHRISTOPHER NEWFIELD. ACADEMI AFTER THE PANDEMIC: A ROUNDTABLE ON HOW COVID-19 HAS CHANGED AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES. OTHER. DISSENT, 2021.

(…) participatory culture of affiliation in the BTS ARMY fandom can be ambiguous at best in its effect on fan mental health. VANGUARDIA, MARC. “LOVE YOURSELF, BTS ARMY: PARTICIPATORY FANDOM AND AGENCY DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.” PHILIPPINES COMMUNICATION SOCIETY REVIEW, 2021, 243.

Notwithstanding the positive impacts of involvement in BTS ARMY? The participants generally agreed that some other ARMYs can be very “toxic”, or overly competitive, intense, or aggressive in their way of supporting BTS and engaging in “fan wars” with fans of other groups. To address this problem, some fans distanced themselves from stan Twitter altogether, avoided “toxic” fans by curating the accounts they were following or accounts following them, or decided to temporarily leave or stayed only to focus on ARMY common goals true to the ideals of BTS: The process if compartmentalization of personal and fandom life and interactions between online ARMY friends and personal/in-real-life friends that some participants reported as coping mechanisms for their mental health were a steady reality in network society where inclusions and exclusions always came together. VANGUARDIA, MARC. “LOVE YOURSELF, BTS ARMY: PARTICIPATORY FANDOM AND AGENCY DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.” PHILIPPINES COMMUNICATION SOCIETY REVIEW, 2021, 243.

In a world so changed by the pandemic, looking forward, we cannot accept neither the idea that we can go back to normal, nor the idea that we have moved toward a digital utopia. Harris says,

During the protests and reckoning over systemic racism in American life over the past year, students have been a major part of the national energy. But they haven’t had the chance to be on campus, to be in spaces where they can organize. A lot of college leaders, particularly at predominantly white institutions, are very concerned about what is going to happen when students come back. I think a lot of energy that has been pent up over the last sixteen, seventeen months will reveal itself on campuses. SHENK, TIMOTHY, MAGGIE DOHERTY, NILS GILMAN, ADAM HARRIS, TRESSIE MCMILLAN COTTOM, AND CHRISTOPHER NEWFIELD. ACADEMI AFTER THE PANDEMIC: A ROUNDTABLE ON HOW COVID-19 HAS CHANGED AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES. OTHER. DISSENT, 2021.

We have to reflect on how to adapt to this world, possibly, how to use our current opportunities to change.

What practices can we introduce at conferences that don’t tokenize BIPOC scholars? (…) Let’s diversify editorial boards and conference planning committees. (…) Let’s create alternative funding for conferences and journals, to transform these practices from unremunerated service activities to activities where labor is honored. HAYASHI, AYA ESTHER. 2020. “REIMAGINING FAN STUDIES IN THE AGE OF COVID-19 AND BLACK LIVES MATTER.” TRANSFORMATIVE WORKS AND CULTURES, NO. 34. HTTPS://DOI.ORG/10.3983/TWC.2020.2029.

#fanhackers #fandom studies #academia #aya esther hayashi #timothy shenk #maggie doherty #nils gilman #adam harris #tressie mcmillan cottom #christopher newfield #marc vanguardia #katharina bögl #sandra naumann #lena matyjek #isabel dziobek #author: szabo dorottya

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astraltrickster · 8 months

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The thing about access clash is that there's a hierarchy of access needs. Unfortunately, that hierarchy is hard to solidify into Simple, Statable Rules, because there are a lot of individual factors at play, but an extremely simplified version might look something like this-

"Not having this need met is":

An IMMEDIATE or near-immediate threat to my life

Something that WILL cause a major medical incident that PROBABLY won't be life-threatening but has a significant chance of becoming so

A long-term POTENTIAL threat to my life

Something that will cause me severe pain, fatigue, or other major distress in both the short and long term

Something that will cause me acute major distress, but with no risk of long-term harm

Something that will be moderately distressing at worst in the short term, but is likely to cause significant harm to my health and/or quality of life in the long term

Something that will cause a slight decline in my long-term health

Something that will cause me to be mildly to moderately inconvenienced or upset in a way an abled person would not

To an extent, we calculate things based on this kind of hierarchy of priorities every day for ourselves without even realizing we're doing it - for instance, many disabled people would be far happier and healthier in the long term (priority 6) if they didn't need to be employed or at least could find a job that wouldn't commit constant ADA violations, but can't just quit because then they'd lose their homes and more (priority 3 at lowest). Many others remain in constant financial peril because living on the streets or constantly having to e-beg hangs around priority level 3, but any job they can find demands that they compromise on priority 2 or even worse. Unfortunately, a lot of people kinda suck at applying it to interpersonal or systemic/society-wide clashes.

For example, let's talk about masks. The need to go maskless could be anywhere from an 8 to a 4 for many autistic people. Unfortunately, for immunocompromised and immunosuppressed people - of whom there are more than you probably think - the need to not be exposed to covid is a 1. Wear your fucking mask or find a workaround for being in poorly ventilated spaces with crowds. I am begging you.

Of course, there are other intersecting factors as well, such as how easy it is for the person on either side to provide that accommodation or find an alternative, how common the clash may be (and depending on the severity of the need and how easy it is to find alternative accommodations, this may raise OR lower its priority), how long the impact of the clash will last, and how important it is for any given person, disabled or otherwise, to be able to access the specific space in question in the first place.

For example, I have a pretty severe phobia of certain medical equipment. Some people need that kind of medical equipment 24/7. If all things were equal, if my phobia were maybe 10% more severe, this might constitute a total inability for either of us to leave our homes - they would be unable to leave their equipment behind, and I would be unable to force myself out the door if I knew I'd be unavoidably confronted with that trigger. So, we're at an impasse, right?

...except, I can leave my house, not just because it's not 10% worse, but because I'm not unavoidably confronted with that trigger - I can just look away. I can leave the room, or the store aisle, and come back when the other person has left. I can sit on the opposite side of the auditorium from them. It is much harder and more dangerous for someone dependent on that medical equipment to make sure to always remove themselves from my sight and the sight of anyone else with my phobia, partially because a phobia is invisible - it's rare that visibility or invisibility is inherently a make-or-break determiner in access clash, but it very much can be part of one in such cases where the trigger for someone's invisible issue is someone else's visible disability, because it means that in order to be well and truly sure they're not triggering someone, one of the people involved would have to avoid everyone in the world who has not explicitly "consented" to seeing them exist. They would not be allowed to exist in public.

Everyone has a right to exist in public. Someone who has a condition that makes them dependent on something that triggers me is not infringing on my right to do so; they are exercising their own. Someone with a facial difference is not infringing upon the right of someone with PTSD from a major accident that involved facial trauma to exist in public; they are exercising their own. Someone with a tic disorder is not infringing upon the right of people with sensory issues to exist in public; they are exercising their own. Someone with a colostomy bag or someone who uses adult diapers and can't (or even doesn't WANT to) hide them perfectly is not infringing on the right of someone with cleanliness/germ-related OCD to exist in public; they are exercising their own.

If someone cannot exist in public without allegedly infringing on your own right to do so, then they are not, in fact, actually infringing on yours. If anticipating your access need would bar another disabled person from public existence, risk their life, or bar them from public existence because it risks their life, then you are the one who needs to yield and find an alternative accommodation.

This is doubly egregious to try to dispute on social media, because...the block button exists. If someone's talk about their hallucinations triggers your own paranoia and delusions, you can block them. If someone's limb difference triggers your PTSD about your own accident, you can block them. If someone's body positivity has the opposite effect on you and triggers your own eating disorder, you. Can. Block. Them. You do not have to try to force them to trigger tag their own existence, let alone stop posting at all or even stop existing as a disabled person who is comfortable with and open about their disability.

It doesn't mean the one who needs to find an alternative isn't Really Disabled, but all people involved being Validly Disabled doesn't mean that all access needs are equal in priority.

#disability #serious tag

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ukrfeminism · 1 year

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3 minute read

The cost of living crisis is putting women in the UK “at risk of harm, destitution or death”, campaigners have warned.

A damning statement, signed by 80 organisations, said spiralling living costs are having “devastating” repercussions on women due to placing them at “greater risk of violence and abuse”.

Campaigners, who are demanding the government take urgent measures, warned frontline workers at refuges for domestic abuse victims are being forced to use their own money to help women - including those who have gone without food for days.

Frontline organisations like refuges, which house many women at risk of murder if they remain at home with their partner, are said to be grappling with soaring bills while “demand for support to escape abuse” is rising.

Leading organisations in the women’s sector warned the cost of living crisis is having a disproportionate effect on all women but is hitting abuse victims hardest - noting women are forced to make the "unthinkable choice” of remaining trapped with an abuser or being left destitute if they manage to flee.

Baljit Banga, executive director of Imkaan, an umbrella organisation dedicated to addressing violence against black and minority ethnic women, said: “Economic justice is part of social justice and the constant struggle towards equality in our society.

“In the current economic crisis the lives of all women must be acknowledged and a comprehensive response must ensure equal participation, contribution and the fulfilment of life.

“The response must centre on the lives and material realities of those women who permanently occupy the margins due to intersectional oppression.”

Campaigners argued the most impoverished women will bear the brunt of the cost of living crisis as they are hardest hit by “cuts to social security and public services”.

“Despite being the ‘shock absorbers of poverty’, managing household budgets and families who rely on them, women have lower levels of savings and wealth than men and are more likely to be in debt,” the organisations warned. “Women take on the majority of unpaid labour and are more likely to be in insecure employment”.

They noted this is especially true for Black and minoritised women due to them being more likely to live in poverty - with migrant women hardest hit.

Andrea Simon, director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition (EVAW), said the “cost of living crisis is exacerbated by the rising cost of energy” but noted “it did not emerge overnight”.

She added: “As with the Covid-19 pandemic, many of the risks to women experiencing abuse could have been foreseen and prevented.

“The situation we find ourselves in is the result of 12 years of austerity policies that have hit the poorest hardest, widened inequality and hammered public services and specialist women’s organisations supporting victims and survivors of male violence.”

Ms Simon said the “funding crisis” the women’s sector is grappling with is by no means a new issue but warned the coronavirus crisis coupled with the “latest round of economic shocks is especially dangerous for women”.

She added: “Frontline services cannot keep plugging every gap created by government cuts to statutory services and social security, whilst facing funding cuts themselves.”

The organisations in England and Wales are demanding the government to establish an Emergency Fund for charities to provide help for women and children enduring male violence and stop “the risk of death or destitution” - with migrant women and those with no recourse to public funds included in this support.

Among other demands, the frontline services are also calling for benefits to be urgently raised so they tally with soaring inflation and energy bills.

Farah Nazeer, chief executive of Women’s Aid Federation of England, the UK’s largest domestic abuse charity, said: “The rising cost of living is having an unprecedented impact on women and children experiencing domestic abuse and the life-saving services they need.

“Without action now, we fear frontline services will risk going under, and many women will be forced to stay with an abuser, even when their lives are at risk. We urge the prime minister and chancellor to protect women, fund the organisations they need and tackle the inequalities that mean they are at the sharpest edge of this crisis.”

Between two and three women are murdered each week by their partners or ex-partners in England and Wales.

Jo Todd, chief executive of Respect, a leading domestic abuse charity which helps deliver perpetrator programmes, said: “We know that financial concerns can lead to increased tension and arguments in the home, creating a context where abuse can become more severe or frequent.”

While Jayne Butler, chief executive of Rape Crisis England & Wales, said rape and sexual violence victims can go on to endure a “wide range of severe, long-term, even lifelong, impacts” as she warned “access to specialist support” can play a key role in the “healing” process.

Sara Kirkpatrick, chief executive of Welsh Women’s Aid, added: “It is unacceptable to normalise a culture where the most vulnerable have nowhere to turn.”

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skepticoyote · 6 months

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Almost died, now what?

Last week (Saturday October 14) my partner and I flew to Toronto to spend a few days with his parents. They rented a nice AirBnB and we had a whole week of fun activities planned (mostly museums because we are boring people). We were really excited since neither of us have traveled since before Covid and it had been literally years since we had seen his family.

The morning of our trip I was feeling a little nauseous and threw up, but passed it off as travel nerves. Something you need to understand about me is that I have struggled with stomach issues for the better part of a decade. I will have these seemingly random bouts of extreme nausea and vomiting anywhere between 3 weeks and 3 months apart, usually lasting about 2 - 4 days. During these attacks I am usually unable to eat anything and can barely keep water down. Weed helps, but obviously it isn't ideal.

So, we caught our flight & landed in Toronto, met with my inlaws & settled in at the AirBnB. Around 3PM I started to feel kinda queasy so I took a quick nap, then we all went out to grab some dinner. As we walked around I started feeling worse and worse, until finally at around 7 I had to run to a restroom at goddamned Loblaws. Did the deed, cleaned myself up, went on my way, still feeling weak and gross. We picked up some Gravol and I headed to bed, hoping that by the next morning I would be back to normal.

Oh hell no.

What followed was nearly 30 hours of vomiting. I couldn't even keep water down and nothing I did helped. There were a couple of points where I was halfway asleep on the bathroom floor, just because I didn't want to keep getting out of bed. It was nice and cool, and close to the toilet.

Sometime the next day MIL - a retired nurse - insisted on taking me to the ER. Off I went to Toronto Western in a cab with my partner and my little metal barf-bowl. At this point I was so loopy that I can't even remember what time of day it was. Everything kinda runs together so I'm sorry if this confusing to read.

Triage saw me pretty much right away and immediately the nurse was concerned. I was grey, one of my eyelids was drooping, and I absolutely reeked of ketones.

Too tired to explain ketones, ketoacidosis or the Krebs cycle so click here if you need to: KETONES

They drew some blood and I waited for the results. I expected them to just hook me up to a banana bag, some strong antiemetics and send me on my way... nope. I was admitted and sent immediately to the ICU and diagnosed with metabolic acidosis. My blood was literally too acidic and was killing me.

The first night is a blur. I remember a CT scan and a shitload of bloodwork. Luckily they were able to get my ketones down, but they were still too high. For example, a healthy persons ketone levels should be lower than 0.5 mmol/L. At admission mine was at a 4.0, and later that night tested again at 8.0. That's 16 times the normal healthy level.

The doctors were baffled. Basically (lol pH humor), it was like I had the blood of a profoundly diabetic person... but my blood sugars were perfect. At one point they were asking if I might have ingested wood alcohol or antifreeze. They asked if someone may have spiked my drink. To quote the main doc, I did not look like my bloodwork. I had poison in my blood and no one knew why.

More bloodwork, more tests... at one point I had an IV in each arm. A second CT was done. They were looking for anything that could cause this and there was just nothing there. As far as the CTs show, all of my internal organs appear normal (although I have a teensy cyst in my liver apparently) and with persistant medicine over the course of 2 days they were able to get me eating and drinking again. My ketones eventually seemed to level off but they were still high EVEN THOUGH I WAS FEELING FINE. No clue what would cause my ketones to jump like that. It could have been caused by the vomiting, but nowhere near that high... and even then, we still don't know what's causing the vomiting. They discharged me late Thursday night with strict instructions to speak with my family doctor when I flew home on Friday to immediately get my blood drawn again to monitor my ketone levels. They sent me home with a packet of paperwork... all my test results, all the comments and notes from the medical team at Toronto Western.

I won't get into the frustrations of Friday... we had to fly home at 6:00am after being discharged at 11:00pm the night before, and then begin the torturous process of getting my bloodwork done at home. It was a headache and wound up taking another 9 hours of waiting between the two hospitals in my city. Finally, late on Friday I was able to get my blood drawn and my results... my ketones were still way, way too high at 4.0. Again. For no reason. And yet another team of doctors left baffled by my issues.

The doctors at the Regional told me that I am to come straight back to the ER if I have even a hint of nausea or dizzyness. If I don't, I could just... die, I guess? I'm going to need to have biweekly bloodwork to monitor my ketone levels until they figure out what is causing this. I've also go an emergency referral to an endocrinologist and internal medicine doctor here in town.

Since I've been home I haven't been sick at all, although I'm still weak from the whole thing. There was a 50% chance I could have died that night at the hospital, and it was very likely that if I hadn't gone to Western when I did, I would have been dead the next morning. It was honestly a miracle that I didn't end up on dialysis.

So I've been taking it easy, forcing myself to eat every few hours to try and keep my ketones low. And it's been hard. Wednesday I have an appointment with my family doctor and to say that I'm nervous is an understatement. I'm terrified that he's going to play this off as nothing, or that I'm looking for drugs... because that's what he does. He doesn't listen. But I have my goddamn novel of test results and doctors' notes from Toronto AND the Regional here in town, and I'm ready to slap him with it if I need to. I need him to get me in to a GI doc ASAP, and not one who just tells me to stop smoking weed or test me for parasites. I'm not shitting in any more buckets, I swear to fuck.

Anyway. That's where I'm at. I'm not dead but I almost was and it really sucked and I don't recommend getting metabolic acidosis.

#personal #medical #serious

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dontmeantobepoliticalbut · 2 years

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After vaccines became available, a partisan gap in deaths emerged

Analysis by Philip Bump

There are times when correlation really seems as though it is obviously representative of causation. Some set of data lines up so neatly that it’s hard to escape reaching an obvious conclusion. This can be dangerous, certainly, but usually it’s simply because the data are causally related. A plus B seems to equal C because it does.

An example of this is the overlap of COVID-19 deaths since 2020 and partisanship. Last month, I reviewed the evolution of the pandemic, assessing where fatality from the virus was sharpest. Even in the era of omicron — a moment when we’re dealing with a less-deadly virus and have better vaccines and treatment to address it — there is a noticeable gap between Democratic- and Republican-voting places, just as there has been for months.

The word “places” is important there. What we could produce was analyses like the one below, showing how Florida and Ohio counties that voted for President Donald Trump in 2020 had higher rates of death, month after month, than ones that voted for Joe Biden. That didn’t necessarily mean that more Trump voters were dying, just that places where more of them lived saw higher fatality rates.

(In mid-2021, Florida briefly stopped reporting county-level death tolls.)

Why might it be the case that places with more Trump voters saw more deaths?

Well, we know that many of those who died of the virus last year were unvaccinated. The Kaiser Family Foundation estimates that about 234,000 deaths from June 2021 through March 2022 could have been prevented had the decedents been vaccinated against the virus. That protection, too, held into the omicron era.

We also know that Republicans were less likely to get vaccinated than Democrats. Republican officials often downplayed the utility of vaccination, responding to framing of the shots as an unnecessary intrusion from the government. Trump-voting counties were also more likely to seek alternative treatments for COVID, such as the drug ivermectin — treatments that were shown repeatedly not to be effective.

All of this, though, was correlation. We couldn’t say that more Republicans were dying, specifically, so the link to partisanship was indirect, however clearly rational an assumption it might have been.

Last month, though, the National Bureau of Economic Research published an important study from researchers affiliated with Yale University. They took 577,659 death records from Ohio and Florida between January 2018 and December 2021 and matched the decedents to a 2017 voter file. In other words, they were able to identify the partisanship not only of the places those people lived but of the people themselves.

What they found is that the rate of excess death — that is, deaths above the expected toll relative to the pre-pandemic baseline — was higher for Republicans, particularly after vaccines were rolled out.

“Registered Republicans in Florida and Ohio had higher excess death rates than registered Democrats, driven by a large mortality gap in the period after all adults were eligible for vaccines,” the researchers write. “These results adjust for county-by-age differences in excess deaths during the pandemic, suggesting that there were within-age-by-county differences in excess death associated with political party affiliation.”

You can see that on charts included in the report. Democrats and Republicans in Ohio and Florida died at higher rates than would have been expected based on 2018 patterns. But Republicans were much more likely to do so, particularly after the second dark, vertical line on the graph — the point at which all adults became eligible for vaccines.

In another chart, the point is made explicitly. Before the vaccines, the pattern of deaths during the pandemic looked the same for Democrats and Republicans, even in counties that would later have lower vaccination rates. Then, after vaccinations became available, the divergence emerged — and was much wider in counties with lower vaccination rates.

This is something else we knew, too: Counties that backed Trump more heavily in 2020 had lower vaccination rates. In other words, there was a separate correlation between vaccination rates and Trump support. If we separate out the counties in Ohio and Florida that backed Trump by a margin of at least 40 points and those that backed him by a narrower margin, we see another separation.

More-Trump-supportive places had higher death rates than less-Trump-supportive ones during peaks in the pandemic, and both had higher death rates than Biden-supportive ones.

“The results suggest that the well-documented differences in vaccination attitudes and reported uptake between Republicans and Democrats have already had serious consequences for the severity and trajectory of the pandemic in the United States,” the researchers conclude. “If these differences in vaccination by political party affiliation persist, then the higher excess death rate among Republicans is likely to continue through the subsequent stages of the COVID-19 pandemic” — exactly as we’ve seen in county voting data.

Sometimes correlation is causation.

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canmom · 1 year

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extremely morbid statistics i felt compelled to look up

i can't seem to find data on the number of deaths worldwide in 1946, but i assume it was about 50M💀/y, which is what it was in 1950. estimated deaths caused by wwii and all its genocides and famines is apparently best estimated at 70-85 million, about 3 in every 100 people across the world. so it would have taken less than two years for more people to have died after wwii than due to wwii.

meanwhile if you extrapolate that back, for six years of war that's about 300M💀 from all the usual sources on top of the ones caused by the war. which means that during wwii, the annual deaths goes up by about a quarter. enormous as far as any sort of world historical event goes but it means that all the other things in the world that kill people were and are doing so at a rate that's like quadruple wwii, which is insane to try to think about.

that number has gradually gone up a small amount, about another 10M💀/y, because the population went way up but the death rate went significantly down at the same time. it's gonna go waaaay up in the future though, bc the death rate isn't getting much lower.

and since that same graph of deaths has a notable spike in the last couple of years, let's... yeah, let's look at the pandemic i guess. it's gone up from 57.94M💀/y to 69.25M💀/y from 2019 to 2021. about a 20% bump, not sure where this year will come in as. to corroborate, there are about 6.67M💀 directly confirmed to be covid by the end of 2022, but excess deaths from the pandemic is apparently around 18.2M💀by the end of 2021 (with huge error bars), which includes people directly killed by covid, people who died because the healthcare system collapsed, and probably a bunch of deaths caused indirectly by all the economic disruption, fuck knows how it all shakes out. so that's comparable to wwii, similar order of magnitude.

'60 million people die every year under business as usual' and 'we are living through a world war level of excess death' are the kind of pieces of information a human brain doesn't really have the capacity to comprehend non-abstractly I think, which may be for the best. of course there's a big difference between dying in a war and dying peacefully of old age - or for that matter dying young of malnutrition. but I'm going to get stuck on some kind of horrible mortality statistics rabbit hole if i continue and that always ends staring at the number for 'suicide', or some weird abstract attempt to comprehend entropy and reconstruct why everything is so absolutely horrible from first principles. so it's probably best if i just stop looking.

a deer doesn't think or feel anything about deer mortality statistics. it's a human affliction, from the era of biopower, to be able to notice, to invent the idea of 'numbers' and put a handle on the scale of it. and with all the error bars and powerlessness and abstraction, it's a flimsy handle, and it's painful to hold for long, like a rusty piece of metal. you could die of tetanus!

you and about 60,000 other people this year.

#death

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misfitwashere · 1 year

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What happened to SWA?

via FB. (Same thing that happened at Boeing, General Motors, etc. Operations staff replaced with accountants.)

Larry Lonero

ntpdooeSrsa8huYlac21t7t34r08a:4e61u58ytsd4M2c7m2eu uA11 103 ·

What happened to Southwest Airlines?

I’ve been a pilot for Southwest Airlines for over 35 years. I’ve given my heart and soul to Southwest Airlines during those years. And quite honestly Southwest Airlines has given its heart and soul to me and my family.

Many of you have asked what caused this epic meltdown. Unfortunately, the frontline employees have been watching this meltdown coming like a slow motion train wreck for sometime. And we’ve been begging our leadership to make much needed changes in order to avoid it. What happened yesterday started two decades ago.

Herb Kelleher was the brilliant CEO of SWA until 2004. He was a very operationally oriented leader. Herb spent lots of time on the front line. He always had his pulse on the day to day operation and the people who ran it. That philosophy flowed down through the ranks of leadership to the front line managers. We were a tight operation from top to bottom. We had tools, leadership and employee buy in. Everything that was needed to run a first class operation. When Herb retired in 2004 Gary Kelly became the new CEO.

Gary was an accountant by education and his style leading Southwest Airlines became more focused on finances and less on operations. He did not spend much time on the front lines. He didn’t engage front line employees much. When the CEO doesn’t get out in the trenches the neither do the lower levels of leadership.

Gary named another accountant to be Chief Operating Officer (the person responsible for day to day operations). The new COO had little or no operational background. This trickled down through the lower levels of leadership, as well.

They all disengaged the operation, disengaged the employees and focused more on Return on Investment, stock buybacks and Wall Street. This approach worked for Gary’s first 8 years because we were still riding the strong wave that Herb had built.

But as time went on the operation began to deteriorate. There was little investment in upgrading technology (after all, how do you measure the return on investing in infrastructure?) or the tools we needed to operate efficiently and consistently. As the frontline employees began to see the deterioration in our operation we began to warn our leadership. We educated them, we informed them and we made suggestions to them. But to no avail. The focus was on finances not operations. As we saw more and more deterioration in our operation our asks turned to pleas. Our pleas turned to dire warnings. But they went unheeded. After all, the stock price was up so what could be wrong?

We were a motivated, willing and proud employee group wanting to serve our customers and uphold the tradition of our beloved airline, the airline we built and the airline that the traveling public grew to cheer for and luv. But we were watching in frustration and disbelief as our once amazing airline was becoming a house of cards.

A half dozen small scale meltdowns occurred during the mid to late 2010’s. With each mini meltdown Leadership continued to ignore the pleas and warnings of the employees in the trenches. We were still operating with 1990’s technology. We didn’t have the tools we needed on the line to operate the sophisticated and large airline we had become. We could see that the wheels were about ready to fall off the bus. But no one in leadership would heed our pleas.

When COVID happened SWA scaled back considerably (as did all of the airlines) for about two years. This helped conceal the serious problems in technology, infrastructure and staffing that were occurring and being ignored. But as we ramped back up the lack of attention to the operation was waiting to show its ugly head.

Gary Kelly retired as CEO in early 2022. Bob Jordan was named CEO. He was a more operationally oriented leader. He replaced our Chief Operating Officer with a very smart man and they announced their priority would be to upgrade our airline’s technology and provide the frontline employees the operational tools we needed to care for our customers and employees. Finally, someone acknowledged the elephant in the room.

But two decades of neglect takes several years to overcome. And, unfortunately to our horror, our house of cards came tumbling down this week as a routine winter storm broke our 1990’s operating system.

The frontline employees were ready and on station. We were properly staffed. We were at the airports. Hell, we were ON the airplanes. But our antiquated software systems failed coupled with a decades old system of having to manage 20,000 frontline employees by phone calls. No automation had been developed to run this sophisticated machine.

We had a routine winter storm across the Midwest last Thursday. A larger than normal number flights were cancelled as a result. But what should have been one minor inconvenient day of travel turned into this nightmare. After all, American, United, Delta and the other airlines operated with only minor flight disruptions.

The two decades of neglect by SWA leadership caused the airline to lose track of all its crews. ALL of us. We were there. With our customers. At the jet. Ready to go. But there was no way to assign us. To confirm us. To release us to fly the flight. And we watched as our customers got stranded without their luggage missing their Christmas holiday.

I believe that our new CEO Bob Jordan inherited a MESS. This meltdown was not his failure but the failure of those before him. I believe he has the right priorities. But it will take time to right this ship. A few years at a minimum. Old leaders need to be replaced. Operationally oriented managers need to be brought in. I hope and pray Bob can execute on his promises to fix our once proud airline. Time will tell.

It’s been a punch in the gut for us frontline employees. We care for the traveling public. We have spent our entire careers serving you. Safely. Efficiently. With luv and pride. We are horrified. We are sorry. We are sorry for the chaos, inconvenience and frustration our airline caused you. We are angry. We are embarrassed. We are sad. Like you, the traveling public, we have been let down by our own leaders.

Herb once said the the biggest threat to Southwest Airlines will come from within. Not from other airlines. What a visionary he was. I miss Herb now more than ever.

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blogger-1111 · 4 months

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Why Digital Marketing is Important in 2023???

Let’s start by understanding what digital marketing is all about before we dive into why it’s so important. In the rapidly evolving landscape of business and technology, one thing stands out as a true game-changer – digital marketing. In 2020, we stepped into the digital age with full force, pushed by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This shift has led businesses to adapt to digital methods for their survival. Every business wants more clients and customers, right? Well, that’s where Digital Marketing comes in handy. It’s like the key to attracting people and creating leads.

Digital marketing means promoting your brand, service, or product using the internet and digital gadgets like phones, computers, and tablets. It’s made up of different parts, including content marketing, search engine marketing, search engine optimization, social media marketing, influencer marketing, and more.

Now that we’re clear on what digital marketing is, let’s talk about the importance of digital marketing in 2023.

Reach a Larger Audience

Cost-Effective

Targeted Marketing

Measurable Results

Provide Flexibility

Increased Engagement

Increased Brand Awareness

Competitive Advantage

Improved Customer Experience

Reliable Lead Generation

1. Reach a Larger Audience

When you advertise on TV or in a magazine, it’s hard to control who sees your ad. You might have some idea about the people who usually read that magazine or live in a certain area, but it’s mostly just guessing. However, with digital marketing, you can discover and target a very specific group of people who are likely to be interested. For instance, you can use social media to display ads to a particular group based on factors like their age, location, interests, connections, or activities. Alternatively, you could utilize methods like PPC or SEO to display ads to individuals who have searched for certain words related to what you’re selling.

2. Cost-Effective

Digital marketing is more affordable than traditional marketing, which is ideal for businesses that have limited funds and resources. With digital marketing, your small business can start the process immediately. You have complete control over how you spend your money, targeting certain marketing streams depending on your needs. The reason behind its easy affordability is the low investment techniques such as SEO, Content Marketing, etc. Some techniques, usually at the beginner level, come at no cost. Other techniques are paid, but the charges are lower than any traditional marketing technique like SEM (Search Engine Marketing). SEO is cheaper than SEM and focuses on organic traffic. So having a good Content Marketing strategy can help you in all aspects of Digital Marketing. Digital marketing helps you track day-to-day campaign performance, so you know what channels are performing well and which aren’t, helping you optimize your campaign budgets for high ROI. You only need to conduct some studies and then try any of the types of digital marketing mentioned above.

3. Targeted Marketing

Digital marketing allows you to pinpoint your audience with precision. This means you’re not wasting your resources on people who might not be interested in your product or service. Instead, you’re focusing on those who are most likely to engage and convert. This kind of targeting leads to higher efficiency and better results. Whether it’s showing ads to specific demographics on social media or using keywords to appear in search results for people looking for exactly what you offer, digital marketing lets you be where your potential customers are.

4. Measurable Results

One of the biggest advantages of digital marketing is that it’s like having a dashboard that shows you exactly how your efforts are working. Unlike traditional methods where you’re left wondering if your ad in a magazine brought in any customers, digital marketing gives you concrete numbers. You can see how many people clicked on your ads, how many liked your posts, how long they stayed on your website, and much more. This data helps you understand what’s effective and what needs improvement, allowing you to adjust your strategies for better outcomes.

5. Provide Flexibility

Digital marketing isn’t set in stone. It’s flexible and adaptable. If something’s not working as expected, you can change it quickly. Let’s say you’re running an ad campaign on social media and you notice it’s not getting the response you hoped for. With a few clicks, you can adjust the targeting, and the content, or even pause the campaign altogether. This flexibility helps you stay quick and adaptable in a business world that is changing quickly.

6. Increased Engagement

Digital marketing isn’t just about sending messages to your audience; it’s about engaging with them. Whether it’s through interactive social media posts, engaging videos, or informative blog articles, digital marketing methods encourage your audience to participate. They can like, comment, share, and even contribute their own content. This two-way communication builds a stronger connection between your brand and your customers.

7. Increased Brand Awareness

Being seen and recognized is crucial for any business. In the vast online world, digital marketing helps your brand stand out. With consistent and creative messaging, your brand becomes familiar to your audience. They start recognizing your logo, colors, and style, even if they haven’t made a purchase yet. This familiarity can turn into trust and loyalty over time.