Nothing Could Prepare Me for Watching My Wife Slip Away

By Tom Coughlin from NYT Opinion https://ift.tt/3knZPhh

Where Is the Anti-Biden Tea Party?

By Ian Prasad Philbrick from NYT The Upshot https://ift.tt/3knZRWr

Destiny 2 Showcase - The Witch Queen Reveal Livestream - GameSpot

1. Destiny 2 Showcase - The Witch Queen Reveal Livestream  GameSpot
2. Bungie teases long-awaited character ahead of tomorrow's big reveal stream  Eurogamer.net
3. Destiny 2's The Witch Queen expansion continues to leak like a sieve  PC Gamer
4. Destiny 2: The Witch Queen Showcase Event Livestream  IGN
5. PS Store Leaks Destiny 2: The Witch Queen DLC for 22nd February  Push Square
6. View Full coverage on Google News

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/3yhkjNs

Blue whales returning to Spain’s Atlantic coast after 40-year absence - The Guardian

Blue whales returning to Spain’s Atlantic coast after 40-year absence  The Guardian

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/3gtE1ja

New Zealand sees highest increase in Covid since April 2020 a day after 'unfathomable' lockdown - Daily Mail

1. New Zealand sees highest increase in Covid since April 2020 a day after 'unfathomable' lockdown  Daily Mail
2. Australia concedes lockdowns are 'unsustainable' as Jacinda Ardern extends delta restrictions  Telegraph.co.uk
3. New Zealand records another 41 Covid cases as it braces for biggest outbreak of pandemic  The Guardian
4. Leaders still committed to Zero-Covid are embracing a dangerous paranoia  Telegraph.co.uk
5. New Zealand extends lockdown after 35 new Covid Delta cases  The Times
6. View Full coverage on Google News

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/3krdILM

Can You Have Too Many Chairs?

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/3gwfAl1

Entire Texas town essentially closes with nearly half its people hit by COVID-19

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/3DcrnyE

I’m Supposed To Be in a Wedding. Will I Risk Bringing COVID-19 Home to My Kids?

Welcome to COVID Questions, TIME’s advice column. We’re trying to make living through the pandemic a little easier, with expert-backed answers to your toughest coronavirus-related dilemmas. While we can’t and don’t offer medical advice—those questions should go to your doctor—we hope this column will help you sort through this stressful and confusing time. Got a question? Write to us at covidquestions@time.com.

Today, A.S. in Wisconsin asks:

My best friend is getting married in September and I’m in the wedding. I just found out at least one of the groomsmen has refused to be vaccinated, and the couple is not requiring vaccines or COVID-19 tests from their guests. I have been vaccinated, but I have young children who are not. I will not bring my children, but am I putting them at risk by attending? How do I balance wanting to support my friend but also protecting my family?

As I read your question, you’re asking two different things: First, there’s “what sacrifices should I make to protect my children from COVID-19?” Second, there’s “how do I navigate the social challenges of the pandemic?” Like so many other questions related to the pandemic, neither of these have easy or definitive solutions. But we spoke with a psychiatrist and several pediatric physicians to try and sort them out.

For starters, it’s important to consider the scientific evidence about the spread of COVID-19. You’ve already made one important decision that reduces the risk to yourself and your children: getting vaccinated. However, vaccination can’t completely eliminate the risks facing you or your kids. Emerging evidence suggests that even fully vaccinated people can spread the virus—especially the now-dominant Delta variant—to others. Concerns about this possibility led the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in July to once again recommend that even fully vaccinated people wear masks indoors in most areas of the country.

So if your question is whether you could potentially go to this wedding, get infected with COVID-19, and bring it home to your kids, the answer is yes, there’s a chance that could happen. That would be true even if everyone there is vaccinated, though that would reduce the risk.

That said, children have so far proven remarkably resilient in the face of this virus. As of Aug. 18, 430 U.S. children have died of the coronavirus, and while the death of any child is an unspeakable tragedy, that’s a small fraction of the nearly 630,000 overall U.S. deaths so far. Furthermore, children face lots of dangers whenever they go out into the world, whether it’s for school, daycare or playdates. How a parent weighs any potential danger to their children comes down to their risk tolerance, says Dr. Allison Messina, the chief of the infectious disease division at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital.

Messina advises parents who are nervous about their children getting COVID-19 to ask themselves a question: what are you really worried about? As she points out, the data suggest previously healthy kids are at low risk of severe disease from the virus. However, the Delta variant makes this calculation harder—pediatric ICUs in hard-hit states are hitting capacity, but it’s unclear if Delta is inherently more dangerous to kids or if more kids are falling ill simply because this strain is so transmissible and kids under 12 can’t yet be vaccinated.

“When I answer these questions, I don’t really answer them as ‘you should’ or ‘you shouldn’t,'” Messina says. “I just say, these are the risks that you would face if you decided to do this.”

If you decide to attend the wedding, there are other ways you could reduce your risk of bringing the virus home to your kids. You could wear a mask, for instance, though they are better at preventing infected people from spreading the virus, rather than helping the wearer avoid getting infected, so consider wearing one at home for a while after you get back (getting tested afterwards and self-isolating if you’re positive could be smart, too). Depending on your relationship, you could ask the couple getting married to require masks, even if just for unvaccinated guests. You could also decide to attend the ceremony but skip the reception to lessen your overall exposure, but given that you’re in the wedding party, that could be socially difficult. (Also consider the venue—outdoor, well-ventilated spaces are generally safer than indoor, poorly ventilated ones.)

That brings us to the second part of your question: how to deal with the social side of your dilemma. The first step is having a conversation with your soon-to-be-wed friend, says Dr. Sophia Albott, a psychiatrist with the University of Minnesota Medical School and the practice University of Minnesota Physicians. Discuss your concerns, talk about potential solutions, and frame things around your children’s safety, she says. “These conversations are difficult to have, but there is potentially an opportunity even for some reaffirmation of their friendship or some sort of two-party empathy.”

If you decide not to attend the wedding or minimize your participation, your friend could be angry or disappointed. Weddings are always stressful, but the upheaval of the pandemic has drawn up a lot of extreme emotions in many people. Albott suggests that you work to keep your conversation respectful, and be sure to acknowledge how your friend is feeling. That’s especially wise if, like so many other engaged couples, your friend had to delay or otherwise change their wedding plans because of the virus.

Finally, while you’re worrying about your children and friends, Albott recommends showing yourself a little kindness, too. Problems like these aren’t easy to navigate, and it’s important to make sure that you’re getting enough sleep, exercise, and connection with other people. “The pandemic has just gone on so long, that I think everyone is tired,” says Albott. “As much as we can, [we should] take care of ourselves, give ourselves a break, and give other people a break.”

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/3B2Cbxo

Top Democrat agrees $3.5 trillion budget bill is 'Democratic wish list'

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/3goRNn9

Teen driver charged with murder of Tony Baker’s son, 2 others

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/3koiVUe

Former Afghan British Embassy guards claim G4S BLOCKED their numbers when they escaped Kabul - Daily Mail

1. Former Afghan British Embassy guards claim G4S BLOCKED their numbers when they escaped Kabul  Daily Mail
2. Afghanistan: Person on no-fly list flown to UK during Kabul evacuation  BBC News
3. Person on no-fly list flown from Kabul to UK ‘no longer of interest’  Evening Standard
4. Afghanistan: The Taliban were going to kill me  Sky News
5. UK evacuated person from no-fly list from Afghanistan  Business Insider
6. View Full coverage on Google News

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/2UNgrGu

Taliban says it won't allow Afghans to reach Kabul airport as UN warns of 'credible' reports of executions

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/3kicyC5

UK child immunisation drop due to ‘vaccination fatigue’, advisers say - The Guardian

UK child immunisation drop due to ‘vaccination fatigue’, advisers say  The Guardian

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/2UIsRPM

Here are the companies mandating vaccines for all or some employees

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/3zaIhvi

Sensors and AI to monitor Dorset social care patients

Data from sensors in patients' homes will be analysed to warn of health problems.

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/3gtirLL

Half a dozen students at a German university had their limbs turn blue and police think someone may have poisoned a campus kitchen

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/3gtqg3O

I'm a Councilman in the Least Affordable Region in the U.S. Here's How We Can Fix the Housing Market

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/3jdI4C0

Kamala Harris accuses Beijing of ‘coercion’ and ‘intimidation’ in South China Sea - The Guardian

1. Kamala Harris accuses Beijing of ‘coercion’ and ‘intimidation’ in South China Sea  The Guardian
2. Kamala Harris flight from Singapore delayed for ‘possible anomalous health incident’  The Independent
3. Kamala Harris says to buy Christmas presents - but fails to address Afghanistan in Singapore speech  Daily Mail
4. How Afghanistan rattled Asia and emboldened China  BBC News
5. Kamala Harris accuses Beijing of 'coercion and intimidation' in South China Sea  Telegraph.co.uk
6. View Full coverage on Google News

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/3zgHPvi

NBC News poll shows demographic breakdown of the vaccinated in the U.S.

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/3gqXwbS

Midlife blood pressure explained: what’s normal, when to worry and what to do

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/3yeIDzI

Mark Drakeford refuses to rule out return of coronavirus restrictions as cases soar - Wales Online

1. Mark Drakeford refuses to rule out return of coronavirus restrictions as cases soar  Wales Online
2. All Welsh councils have pledged to take in refugees fleeing Afghanistan, FM says  ITV News
3. Wales 'needs to do more' to help Afghan refugees says Wales' First Minister  Wales Online
4. View Full coverage on Google News

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/3mBCew2

Screaming baby found on ground after mom wrecks SUV in 100-mph chase, Minnesota cops say

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/3sIu0TU

Little Mix's Leigh-Anne Pinnock welcomes she's welcomed TWINS - Daily Mail

1. Little Mix's Leigh-Anne Pinnock welcomes she's welcomed TWINS  Daily Mail
2. Perrie Edwards Welcomes Baby With Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain  E! News
3. Little Mix singer Perrie Edwards welcomes first baby with Liverpool footballer Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain  Sky News
4. Jesy Nelson issues crushing update over relationship with Little Mix bandmates  Birmingham Live
5. View Full coverage on Google News

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/2Wcw7DY

Bitcoin comes to UK PayPal - but not for payments

PayPal will allow cryptocurrency investment - but the assets cannot be used to make payments.

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/3mmNnRz

Pfizer-BioNTech’s Vaccine Is the First COVID-19 Shot to Get Full Approval From the U.S. FDA

On Aug. 23, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first COVID-19 vaccine, one made by Pfizer-BioNTech, for anyone 16 years and older. The vaccine requires two doses and according to company studies, is 91% effective in protecting people from COVID-19 disease, including from severe illness. The vaccine received the FDA’s emergency use authorization (EUA) in December, which allowed the company to distribute and administer the shot due to the urgent public health threat of the pandemic.

“I am hopeful this approval will help increase confidence in our vaccine, as vaccination remains the best tool we have to help protect lives and achieve herd immunity,” said Pfizer chairman and CEO Albert Bourla in a statement.
[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

With full approval, little in the way of how the vaccine is made will change, according to Pfizer. The two companies are discussing with the FDA how the labels on the approved vials will be revised to reflect the full licensure, but the manufacturing process will not change appreciably.

What will change is the quality control requirements for each lot of vaccine. As with any approved vaccine, the FDA must now conduct its own analysis of each lot manufactured and give the green light to release those lots on to the market. Under the EUA, the companies sent samples from each lot they made to the FDA at least 48 hours before distributing, along with their own analysis of the doses’ safety and quality but did not have to wait for the FDA to release them.

What may also change are vaccine mandates from both public and private agencies including governments, schools, and businesses. Having an approved vaccine may provide stronger support for such entities to require vaccination for employees, students and customers. While some already do have such mandates in place, the FDA approval may lead more organizations to adopt similar requirements. The full licensure may also help to sway those who have been reluctant to get vaccinated with a shot that was not approved. “While millions of people have already safely received COVID-19 vaccines, we recognize that for some, the FDA approval of a vaccine may now instill additional confidence to get vaccinated,” acting FDA Commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock said in a statement. “Today’s milestone puts us one step closer to altering the course of this pandemic in the U.S.”

Pfizer and BioNTech submitted their request for approval in May, and the agency had eight months to review the 340,000 page package that included data from 44,000 people who participated in clinical trials. Those data showed that overall, the two doses of vaccine are 91% effective in protecting people from COVID-19 disease up to six months after the second dose. The FDA requires follow-up data of at least six months in order to qualify for approval.

In the months since the vaccine has been administered around the world, the FDA has also added warnings about rare side effects that can occur among vaccinated people, including the risk of inflammation of the heart muscle and tissues surrounding the heart.

With an approved vaccine, Pfizer-BioNTech can also start selling and distributing its shot through its own channels. However, Pfizer said it has an agreement with the U.S. government to provide doses through April 2022, at no cost to Americans, and expects the U.S. government to remain the sole distributor of its vaccine through that time. The vaccine will therefore continue to be offered at the same sites where it has been distributed until now—at federal or state mass vaccination sites, pharmacies, hospitals, doctors’ offices and other health care centers.

Those sites would also be responsible for giving Americans an additional, booster dose of the vaccine which the FDA is currently considering as a way to bolster protection against the more infectious Delta variant. The agency is expected to announce its decision on whether a booster is needed in coming weeks; the FDA has already authorized a booster shot for people with compromised immune systems.

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/388EIJY

Bigger than the moonwalk: New system pulls water from thin air

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/3B5L5ug

COVID-19 patients on ventilators at a hospital in the Ozarks say they should have taken the virus more seriously and gotten vaccinated

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/3D9D3SS

Hysterical Remainers silenced over Ian Botham trade envoy panic: 'Move on!' - Express

Hysterical Remainers silenced over Ian Botham trade envoy panic: 'Move on!'  Express

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/3D9D21g

Anti-vax passport protesters storm ITN studios - The Independent

1. Anti-vax passport protesters storm ITN studios  The Independent
2. Up to 200 anti-vaxxers storm ITN's London HQ  Daily Mail
3. Anti-covid vaccine protesters storm ITN offices London  Evening Standard
4. Covid: Anti-vaccine protesters storm ITN HQ, home of ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 news operations  ITV News
5. Anti-vaccine protesters storm ITV and Channel 4 studios as police surround building  Daily Star
6. View Full coverage on Google News

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/2WaJynV

Off-duty New Orleans officer killed at Houston restaurant

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/3mmZE8w

Outcry over Tanzania leader's 'flat-chested' women footballers remark

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/2WisCM7

Prisoners to plug worker shortage in meat industry

Meat industry leaders tell the BBC the government is "keen" to link up businesses with inmates.

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/3kgc6nU

Prisoners to plug worker shortage in meat industry - BBC News

1. Prisoners to plug worker shortage in meat industry  BBC News
2. UK food firms beg ministers to let them use prisoners to ease labour shortages  The Guardian
3. View Full coverage on Google News

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/3AVZfho

Missouri man dies saving young family members in Lake Michigan, sheriff says. ‘A hero’

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/3AVR58K

Italy – once overwhelmed by COVID-19 – turns to a health pass and stricter measures to contain virus

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/3kk7c9d

‘Not a walk in the park’: calls for visitors to ‘respect’ Snowdon - The Guardian

‘Not a walk in the park’: calls for visitors to ‘respect’ Snowdon  The GuardianView Full coverage on Google News

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/3844crR

Texas School Cancels Classes After State Passes Controversial Social Studies Law

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/3gqj9cl

Psychonauts 2 Review - IGN

Psychonauts 2 Review  IGNView Full coverage on Google News

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/3sDfQn2

Brian Travers: UB40 saxophonist and songwriter dies at 62 - BBC News

1. Brian Travers: UB40 saxophonist and songwriter dies at 62  BBC News
2. UB40 saxophonist and songwriter Brian Travers dies aged 62 after brain cancer battle  Daily Mail
3. Brian Travers dead: UB40 sax player dies aged 62 after cancer battle  Metro.co.uk
4. Brian Travers dead: UB40 star dies aged 62 after cancer battle  The Mirror
5. UB40 saxophonist and songwriter Brian Travers dies aged 62  The Guardian
6. View Full coverage on Google News

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/2WjAPiU

One dead, another hurt after car flips over and crashes into trees, SC cops say

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/3khODCL

Dermot Gallagher insists Leeds United and Liam Cooper could have fared even worse with refereeing decisions against Everton - Yorkshire Evening Post

1. Dermot Gallagher insists Leeds United and Liam Cooper could have fared even worse with refereeing decisions against Everton  Yorkshire Evening Post
2. EXTENDED HIGHLIGHTS: LEEDS UTD 2-2 EVERTON  Everton Football Club
3. No rest for Everton as Huddersfield and Brighton loom  Royal Blue Mersey
4. Everton launch late bid to sign Leeds United target, Whites attacker on brink of Elland Road exit  The Yorkshire Post
5. AWAY DAYS ARE BACK! | ON THE ROAD: LEEDS UNITED V EVERTON  Everton Football Club
6. View Full coverage on Google News

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/3j9ZoI3

New super variant 'Covid-22' could be even more dangerous than Delta, expert claims - The Mirror

1. New super variant 'Covid-22' could be even more dangerous than Delta, expert claims  The Mirror
2. Essex Covid: New study shows the Delta variant could still be transmitted even by those double vaccinated  Essex Live
3. How To Stay Safe From Delta When You're Already Vaccinated  MSNBC
4. After Alpha, Covid’s Delta variant spreading its tentacles in Punjab  The Tribune India
5. Minnesota Hospitals Struggling With Delta Surge  WCCO - CBS Minnesota
6. View Full coverage on Google News

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/2WmHgBU

The Jeopardy! host gig is reportedly now Ken Jennings' 'job to lose'

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/388tDbQ

Woman finds heartbreaking poem with shelter dog’s paperwork: ‘I come with baggage’

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/3keE8jD

Desperation as Afghans Seek to Flee a Country Retaken by the Taliban

By David Zucchino from NYT World https://ift.tt/3gn8TSi

At Least 10 Killed in Tennessee Flash Floods and Dozens More Are Missing

McEWEN, Tenn. — Catastrophic flooding in Middle Tennessee left at least ten people dead and dozens missing Saturday as record-shattering rainfall washed away homes and rural roads, authorities said.

Business owner Kansas Klein watched in horror from a bridge Saturday morning as cars and entire houses were swept down a road in Waverly, a town of about 4,500 people that Klein, 48, has called home for more than half his life. Two girls who were holding on to a puppy and clinging to a wooden board swept past, far too fast for Klein and other onlookers to go down and grab hold of them.
[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

After being told by authorities to go back, Klein returned a couple hours later, shocked that the floodwaters had almost entirely receded and aghast at the destruction that was left behind.

“It was amazing how quick it came and how quick it left,” Klein said.

Klein said his restaurant, a decade-old New York-style pizzeria, was still standing, but the morning deluge of between 10 and 12 inches (25 to 30 centimeters) of rain in Humphreys County had caused floodwaters to reach 7 feet (2.1 meters) inside the eatery, rendering it a total loss.

After leaving his restaurant, Klein walked to the nearby public housing homes and heard yelling. A man had just recovered a baby’s body from one of the homes. Other bodies would soon follow.

“I’m looking at my restaurant, thinking how horrible it was that I lost my restaurant and then I walk around the corner and see someone’s baby dead — my restaurant doesn’t mean a whole lot right now,” Klein told the Associated Press in a phone interview Saturday night. The City of Waverly Public Water System is under a boil water advisory until further notice.

The low-income homes — dozens of block buildings known as Brookside — appeared to have borne the brunt of the flash flood, Klein said.

“It was devastating: buildings were knocked down, half of them were destroyed,” Klein said. “People were pulling out bodies of people who had drowned and didn’t make it out.”

Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis told news outlets more than 30 people have been reported missing. It was not immediately clear how many had lived at Brookside, located about 60 miles (96 kilometers) west of Nashville.

Four shelters were set up Saturday night for residents whose homes flooded, and a high school in McEwen was being used to reunite families. Phone lines knocked out during and after the storm complicated search efforts, the sheriff’s office said in a statement.

“There were people inside homes asleep and woke up to their house moving, like it was going down the creek,” said McEwen resident Michael Pate.

Two of the bodies recovered were toddlers who had been swept away from their father, Davis told WSMV-TV.

Waverly couple Cindy Dunn, 48, and her husband Jimmy, 49, were rescued from their attic by a crew who used a bulldozer to reach them.

“Hell. That’s what we had to go through,” Cindy Dunn told The Tennessean.

She said her husband woke her up Saturday, telling her that floodwaters had pushed her car to their backyard. Eventually the water in their house rose to at least 6 feet (1.8 meters) high, forcing them to the attic. Dunn said the rooftop wasn’t an option.

“My husband is dealing with cancer. He’s going through chemotherapy. And I am an amputee. So there was no going anywhere besides the attic,” Dunn said.

Dunn said their home and neighboring houses “are gone.”

Just to the east of Waverly, the town of McEwen was pummeled with about 17 inches (43 centimeters) of rain in less than a day, prompting water rescues, road closures, and communications disruptions. That rainfall total smashed the state’s 24-hour record of 13.6 inches (34.5 centimeters) from 1982, according to the National Weather Service Nashville, though Saturday’s numbers would have to be confirmed. The service said no additional rainfall was expected Sunday.

Flood warnings remained in effect through Monday morning for Duck River near Hurricane Mills in Humphreys County and Piney River near Vernon in Hickman County.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee tweeted on Saturday, “Tennesseans, please stay cautious of rising floodwaters caused by heavy rainfall in parts of Middle TN. We are actively working with emergency response officials & first responders as they support Tennesseans in flooded areas.”

The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency activated its emergency operations center and said agencies that include the Tennessee National Guard, the state Highway Patrol, and Fire Mutual Aid were responding to the flooding. In a bulletin, TEMA called the situation “dangerous and evolving” and urged people to avoid travel in the affected counties.

Klein isn’t sure for what the future holds for his family or his town.

He also isn’t sure what happened to the two girls and the puppy he witnessed who had been clinging on to the board. He heard that a girl and a puppy had been rescued downstream, and that the other girl was also saved, but he wasn’t sure it was them.

“This is the third 100-hundred year flood that we’ve had in about 10 years,” referencing 2010 and 2019 floods. “But this is 100 times worse than either one of them was. … The last report I saw was there were 31 missing. This is a small town so the odds are I know most of those people.”

___

Rico reported from Atlanta.

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/3DbjsBy

Boris Johnson and pregnant wife Carrie are spotted at Italian restaurant - Daily Mail

Boris Johnson and pregnant wife Carrie are spotted at Italian restaurant  Daily MailView Full coverage on Google News

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/3kdX9T9

Two boys, ages 6 and 8, steered their father's car off a Texas freeway after he was struck by a bullet while driving

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/3D69CkD

Chelsea FC XI vs Arsenal: Starting lineup, confirmed team news, injury updates for Premier League today - Evening Standard

1. Chelsea FC XI vs Arsenal: Starting lineup, confirmed team news, injury updates for Premier League today  Evening Standard
2. Another defeat and Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal DNA may not be enough to save his job  The Guardian
3. Arsenal vs Chelsea - Premier League: Live score, team news and updates  Daily Mail
4. Thomas Tuchel makes surprising Frank Lampard revelation after big Chelsea decision - football.london  Football.London
5. Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke confirms new Granit Xhaka contract in programme blunder  Daily Star
6. View Full coverage on Google News

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/3goUaWT

Mum who caught coronavirus while pregnant dies after delivering baby she never met - The Mirror

1. Mum who caught coronavirus while pregnant dies after delivering baby she never met  The Mirror
2. Samantha Willis, Derry mum, dies of Covid after giving birth… 'We'll make you proud', vows husband Josh as family plunged into anguish  Belfast Telegraph
3. Husband's tearful tribute to hero mum who passed away  Derry Daily
4. Samantha Willis tributes after Derry mum dies from Covid-19 after giving birth  Belfast Live
5. Heartbroken husband pays tribute to young Derry woman who died of Covid-19  Derry Now
6. View Full coverage on Google News

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/3moXoxC

De Bruyne, Foden, Stones - Man City injury news and return dates - Manchester Evening News

1. De Bruyne, Foden, Stones - Man City injury news and return dates  Manchester Evening News
2. HALF-TIME MANCHESTER CITY 2-0 NORWICH | MATCHDAY LIVE  Man City
3. FPL Gameweek 2 round-up: Saturday goals, assists, bonus and injuries  Fantasy Football Scout
4. A new record and Farke's admission - five signs Man City are back to best after Norwich win  Manchester Evening News
5. Norwich City family miss Man City loss after Stockport fail  Eastern Daily Press
6. View Full coverage on Google News

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/3898vSI

We spoke to hundreds of prison gang members – here's what they said about life behind bars

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/39GOth1

White mobs rioted in Washington in 1848 to defend slaveholders' rights after 76 Black enslaved people staged an unsuccessful mass escape on a boat

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/2QTkBdr

Kim Kardashian supports Kanye West as she listens to album Donda while cruising in her car - Daily Mail

1. Kim Kardashian supports Kanye West as she listens to album Donda while cruising in her car  Daily Mail
2. Kanye West wipes his Instagram, posts sole picture of his childhood home  NME
3. Kanye West and Irina Shayk 'split' after his secret lunch date with Kim Kardashian  Daily Star
4. Kim Kardashian and ex Kanye West enjoy lunch out in Malibu as fans think they ‘will get back together’...  The Sun
5. Kim Kardashian shows support for ex Kanye West after his 'split' from Irina Shayk  The Mirror
6. View Full coverage on Google News

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/2W997VT

A ghost town's caretaker

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/3kiyQn6

A Miami paramedic had sex with a patient. He lost his license, but that’s not exactly why

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/2WhQChV

Superficial Empathy and Watching the Afghan Tragedy On the Little Screen

Well hello! I’m so glad you’re here. A version of this article also appeared in the It’s Not Just You newsletter. Sign up to get a new edition every Saturday.

My living room looks like the staging area for an academic Lollapalooza. I have two children packing for college, so bags and bins and clip-on lamps and awkward plants and guitars and speakers and bundles of sage and humidifiers are piling up. And just like last fall, each kid will bring enough to stuff an entire car like a turducken.
[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

It’s not like we’re unaware of how absurdly fortunate we are even as we slog through this second pandemic year with weary impatience. My children know that in Afghanistan and many other places, they wouldn’t be going to college this fall, they wouldn’t have easy access to vaccines, much less choices about pronouns or their bodily autonomy.

But if we’d forgotten, footage this week out of Afghanistan and Haiti was a blunt reminder. I’ve been watching TV news in tears as women with kids like mine and hundreds of other Afghan families run through the streets of Kabul, pulling small carry-on suitcases behind them, younger kids struggling under backpacks. If they make it into the airport past Taliban gunfire, through barricades that surround the Afghan capital’s airport, and onto one of the Air Force C17 cargo planes, those slight bags will be all they have when they arrive in America or some other country.

And yet, I confess that even with all that was unfurling on the screen, I couldn’t resist picking up my phone and scrolling. And of course, I got distracted by an Instagram ad for big fat sectional sofas or some shirt. And next thing you know, I’d click over to a shopping site, even as the devastating new reports kept coming.

My attention span is now short, shallow, and prone to melodrama. It’s shameful. And every time I realize I’m drifting into trashy contentland at a serious moment, I get a pang and force myself to pull back and see the world with a little more perspective. Then I start searching for ways to help real people in the real world, hoping that a ping from my phone doesn’t reactivate my squirrel mind.

Subscribe here to get a fresh edition of It’s Not Just You every Saturday

Trouble is, this quest to keep a perspective rooted in reality is even more complicated after a year during which we’ve all become dependent on digital communications and media for so much more.

The sublime, the absurd, the tragic, and my dog food order all get flattened into the same 2D world. We do everything within our little screens, from seeing a doctor to grocery shopping, to Zooming with relatives and colleagues, to consuming most of our entertainment.

And our lizard brains, craving dopamine and adrenaline as they do, tend to lump together all the different kinds of on-screen emotional jolts. It doesn’t matter whether the hits come from heart-splitting footage of babies in peril, a gossip site, a Twitter outrage thread about governors and anti-mask mandates, overflowing ICU units, photos of your ex’s wedding or pictures of a Kardashian’s ex’s wedding. The world can start to seem like one endless TV series, not quite real.

It’s far too easy to lose your place in the universe, to get soft and self-absorbed, to focus on how upset you were by the sight of those families in the heat of a tarmac far away, instead of seeing them as 3D human beings. In his new book, “Our Own Worst Enemy,” conservative author Tom Nichols argues that this squishy self-absorption is epidemic in the U.S. He’s not entirely wrong. Even if it’s not narcissism, as he posits, there’s a certain numbness that sets in after constant exposure to tragedy, even if it’s only on the TV.

However, America is also a place where people have to mobilize to cover gaps in the safety net, whether it’s an online fundraising drive to help someone pay for a kidney transplant or bake sales for school supplies. It is a place where much of the population has have come from somewhere else with nothing but a suitcase or less. So I don’t believe our collective heart muscle has totally atrophied. As we speak, there are hundreds of volunteers in Washington, D.C. who are putting together apartments with furniture, toys, bedding and welcome signs for Afgan evacuees. (As in the photo below, courtesy of Pandemic of Love. See below for info on how to help.)

So, in my lastest quest to not be so cynical, I’ll get out of my head and support those volunteers, and week, in particular, I wish there’s were something we could do for the Marines who are lifting little children over barbed wire in Afghanistan and grieving for all the children they can’t help. Those men and women will carry the emotional burden of what they’ve witnessed for all of us. It’s not just an upsetting 30-second video clip; for them, it’s real life.

❤️‍🩹 Here are ways you can help people in Afghanistan and earthquake relief efforts in Haiti. Plus, how to talk with veterans about the fall of Afghanistan. And see below for ways to support resettled Afghan evacuees in the U.S. via Pandemic of Love. Photo above is courtesy of Pandemic of Love

Sign up to get a new edition of It’s Not Just You every Saturday.

---

GALLERY 📷

No road trips this week, so just one image of Brooklyn’s Prospect Park in the early morning light when the grass looks like frayed velvet and the sunrise hasn’t yet burned off.

Subscribe here to get a fresh edition of It’s Not Just You every week. And follow me on Instagram for more photos @SusannaSchrobs

---

THE ROUND-UP 🌟 (NEW!)

“Afghan girls and young women are once again where I have been — in despair over the thought that they might never be allowed to see a classroom or hold a book again,” writes Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai.

😷 How we assess our own COVID-19 risk, plus tips for how to evaluate your fall plans with the Delta variant in mind.

🔥 In With the Olds According to LA Magazine, there’s a new Gray Pride movement taking off as people over 50 gain economic and cultural clout with the help of some famous, barrier-breaking olds.

📽️ LongShots: The 13 new documentaries in the BBC’s online festival allow us to travel the globe virtually. Visit a school for housewives in Iceland, an iconic newsstand in Paris, two canine guardians that watch over the oldest skate park in Santiago, Chile, and much more.

💄 Who needs makeup? The Huffington Post reports that full-face makeup is a thing of the past thanks to the pandemic. And sure, cosmetic sales are down. But the piece also includes these findings from a 2016 study: “conventionally attractive individuals out-earned their peers by about 20%. When researchers started factoring in ‘grooming’ (which, for women, included makeup), the gap narrowed.” One researcher told the HuffPo that managers may be “using women’s use and nonuse of makeup as a way to judge how compliant and committed they are to doing other kinds of work.”

In the good news department…

💵 The US Education Department announced it will cancel $5.8 billion in outstanding student loans for more 320,000 borrowers, including many veterans, who are unable to work due to permanent disabilities.

🧵 For hours each day, these male prison inmates sew personalized quilts for children in foster care. One quilter told the Washington Post he had a new respect for the craft: “I learned quickly that women who have sewn all their lives are mathematical geniuses. It takes a lot of math to calculate your seam allowances.”

Subscribe here to get a fresh edition of It’s Not Just You every Saturday

---

EVIDENCE OF HUMAN KINDNESS ❤️

Here’s a reminder that creating a community of generosity elevates us all.

SUPPORTING AFGHAN REFUGEES

With the rush to evacuate as many at-risk Afghan nationals and special immigrant visa holders from Afghanistan as possible, the United States and several other countries will be receiving refugees over the next few weeks.

Already, several hundred families have arrived in the Washington, DC area and organizations like the Lutheran Family Services and the International Rescue Committee (IRC) have been putting in place a resettlement process and gearing up to handle the many refugees yet to arrive, many of whom risked their own safety to help American and allied military personnel in Afghanistan.

In support of these organizations, Pandemic of Love will be focusing on two specific efforts: funding permanent housing by paying rents for up to six months at a time and helping to underwrite the cost of furniture and essential items that are needed to start a new life in a new country.

Pandemic of Love has been able to fund rent for 15 families and underwrite the cost of $10,000 worth of furniture in under 72 hours as of August 19. One of the apartments being prepared to welcome an Afghan family in Washington, D.C. is pictured above, and please see information below and at Lutheran Family Services on how you can help.

Anyone living in the D.C. area who would like to donate their time can email details of their availability to the local chapter of Pandemic of Love here: https://www.tfaforms.com/4922452 Or go to PandemicofLove.com, select GIVE HELP and share your contact info noting under OTHER that you’re interested in volunteering to help Afghan refugees.

Story and images courtesy of Shelly Tygielski, founder of Pandemic of Love, a grassroots organization that matches volunteers, donors, and those in need.

---

☝️Check it out: I’ll be leading two creative writing workshops in upstate New York next month with the phenomenal New York Times bestselling novelist Libba Bray. They’re open to all regardless of experience (details here). And they’re just a few of the experiential learning events you can try that weekend.

---

COMFORT CREATURES 🐕

Our regular acknowledgment of the animals that help us make it through the storm.

Kim shares this photo of Belle who was adopted at Wags Rescue of Feasterville, PA in January of 2020, just before the pandemic. She writes: “Little did we know about what was about to happen… and how grateful we’d be to have this beautiful creature in our lives.”

Send your images to me at Susanna@Time.com, and visit me on Instagram @susannaSchrobs for more.

And, if someone forwarded this edition of It’s Not You, consider subscribing here.

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 13001087 https://ift.tt/3j9uuQ6