An upcoming graphic novel series on the journey of a Wilds-Blesssed Pathfinder and an aspiring Airship Engineer/Pilot through a world covered in mysteries of ages past. https://discord.gg/PbKvUXbd7j First Series Status: Outlining and Worldbuilding
Please do not pass. Stop, watch and post. I need your help and support for me. If you cannot donate, post to your friends. We need you. We are in Gaza. Our situation is catastrophic. We no longer have a home 🏚or a source of livelihood.You have destroyed all our hopes and the dreams of my children. Please help me spread the donation campaign..
Hello friends, this is my family who are displaced in southern Gaza. I hope that friends will help us take them out to a safe country or donate to collect the right to coordinate. Please help us.@sar-soor @appsa @akajustmerry @feluka @marnota @el-shab-hussein @annoyingloudmicrowavecultist@sayruq @tortiefrancis @flower-tea-fairies @tsaricides @riding-with-the-wild-hunt @vivisection-gf @belleandsaintsebastian @ear-motif @ibtisams @animentality @kordeliiius @communistchilchuck @brutaliakhoa @raelyn-dreams @troythecatfish @the-bastard-king @tamaytka @4ft10tvlandfangirl @queerstudiesnatural @northgazaupdates @90-ghost @skatehan @awetistic-things @gentl3manly @baby-girl-aaron-dessner
another campaign brought to my attention by a palestinian i speak personally with, and i trust its legitamcy. Hamdy has suffered great loss since the start of this genocide, his mother, aunt, siblings, cousins, neices and nephews, and 5 month old sister were martyred. despite making the campaign months ago, Hamdy has only received FIVE donations so far, and hasn't gotten any donations in months.
please share and donate to his campaign, no amount is too little!
Hello, my name is Hamdy, and I'm reaching out to you with a heavy he… Mosaab Alnwyry needs your support for Rebuilding Lives: Trying to find
the US deli meat recall has expanded 35 times over, going from 200,000 pounds to 7 MILLION pounds of meat and poultry recalled due to listeria contamination.
if you checked your fridge before, check it again with the new list, there are over 70 products being recalled!
this recall of boar's head products now includes old country branded products. some were also exported to the cayman islands, dominican republic, mexico, and panama.
please note, people have died from this outbreak, dozens of people have been hospitalized, and since listeria can take months to kick someone's ass after exposure and then a while to be investigated and recorded by the government, these numbers are expected to rise. you do not need to have eaten meat or poultry to be exposed to listeria from this outbreak, you could have just eaten food that has come in contact with it like in a kitchen, deli, restaurant, or anywhere else these meats were used to prepare food. listeria is a nasty fucker that loves to contaminate whatever it touches. there is more information on listeriosis and high-risk groups further down this post.
announced july 30th, 2024, current as of july 31st, 2024. this is not a complete copy/paste of the announcement or all relevant information, please check the links for more complete information and updates from the government.
WASHINGTON, July 30, 2024 – Boar's Head Provisions Co., Inc., a Jarratt, Va., establishment, is expanding its July 26, 2024, recall of deli meat products that may be adulterated with Listeria monocytogenes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today. The establishment is recalling approximately 7 million additional pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products. Whole genome sequencing results show that a liverwurst sample collected by the Maryland Department of Health tested positive for the outbreak strain of Listeria monocytogenes.
This expansion includes 71 products produced between May 10, 2024, and July 29, 2024, under the Boar’s Head and Old Country brand names. These items include meat intended for slicing at retail delis as well as some packaged meat and poultry products sold at retail locations. These products have “sell by” dates ranging from 29-JUL-2024 through 17-OCT-24. View full product list. View labels.
The products subject to recall were distributed to retail locations nationwide and some were exported to the Cayman Islands, Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Panama. The products shipped to retailers bear establishment number “EST. 12612” or “P-12612” inside the USDA mark of inspection on the product labels.
most people exposed to listeria will not experience a serious infection. but listeriosis, the illness caused by listeria, can become pretty bad and can take weeks to show symptoms after exposure. listeriosis can cause lifelong disability or death. for people who are pregnant, listeriosis can cause stillbirths, miscarriages, premature births, and life-threatening infections in newborns.
say you ate a bad deli meat sandwich a week ago, or any food that may have come into contact with these deli meats, and you theoretically got exposed to listeria with an immune system not strong enough to fight it off. it could be weeks or even months before listeriosis starts affecting you. consider writing down what you ate, and where, and when, just in case you need to tell this to a medical provider in the future. if you do develop listeriosis, it may become difficult to remember these details later.
if your hypothetical sandwich (or whatever you ate involving the recalled products) had been thoroughly cooked, it may have killed off the listeria. listeria is killed with heat, which is why deli meats are suseptible to listeria contamination.
this is a type of contamination so serious and easily spread that entire delis are going to be shut down to be thoroughly cleaned. if you had these products in your kitchen, even if you cooked them before eating, the united states food safety and inspection service recommends deep cleaning your fridge to stay safe. consider what else may have come into contact with the contaminated food.
as a reminder, having previously been infected by covid-19 is one of the many things that can cause a weakened immune system, and many people with weakened immune systems do not know they have weakened immune systems until they get infected with something serious. you can temporarily have a weakened immune system just from a lot of stress or not getting enough sleep, so make sure you get plenty of rest if you are concerned. good quality rest makes the immune system stronger.
Consumption of food contaminated with L. monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, a serious infection that primarily affects people who are pregnant, aged 65 or older, or with weakened immune systems. Less commonly, persons outside these risk groups are affected.
Listeriosis can cause fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms. An invasive infection spreads beyond the gastrointestinal tract. In people who are pregnant, the infection can cause miscarriages, stillbirths, premature delivery or life-threatening infection of the newborn. In addition, serious and sometimes fatal infections can occur in older adults and persons with weakened immune systems. Listeriosis is treated with antibiotics. Persons in the higher-risk categories who experience flu-like symptoms within two months after eating contaminated food should seek medical care and tell the health care provider about eating the contaminated food. (rune note: emphasis mine)
FSIS is concerned that some product may be in consumers’ refrigerators and in retail deli cases. Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them and retailers are urged not to sell these products with the referenced sell by dates. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase. Consumers who have purchased these products are also urged to clean refrigerators thoroughly to prevent the risk of cross-contamination.
FSIS recommends retail delis clean and sanitize all food and non-food surfaces and discard any open meats and cheeses in the deli. Retailers may refer to FSIS’ guideline, Best Practices Guidance for Controlling Listeria monocytogenes in Retail Delicatessens, for information on steps to prevent certain ready-to-eat foods that are prepared or sliced in retail delis and consumed in the home, such as deli meats and deli salads, from becoming contaminated with L. monocytogenes.
the wikipedia page for listeriosis notes: “Listeriosis may cause mild, self-limiting gastroenteritis and fever in anyone.” and “People who were previously healthy but were exposed to a very large dose of Listeria can develop a noninvasive illness in which the bacteria do not spread into their bloodstream or other body sites. Symptoms can include diarrhea and fever.”
and here is the united states center for disease control page on this outbreak.
Get the most up-to-date information here.
as of the time this post is going up, the CDC page has not yet been updated with the latest recall information, and reflects the previous, smaller recall.
list of all affected product names under the cut. check the product information list for more information on each product and where they were exported, and here is what the labels look like.
this list is long.
do not risk this. do not mess with listeria. do not eat these recalled foods!
I did this on my phone while recovering from medical treatment, so please let me know if the formatting came out wrong.
LIST OF BOAR'S HEAD PRODUCTS CONTAMINATED AND RECALLED:
Virginia Ham
Whole Fiber Cappy Ham
Half Hot Butt Cappy Ham
Gourmet Pepper Ham Half
Sweet Slice Ham
Whole Sweet Slice Ham
Half Natural Casing Cappy Ham Half
Tavern Ham
Extra Hot Cappy Ham
Rosemary Sundried Tomato Ham
Sweet Slice Ham Baby Half
Head Cheese Olive Loaf
Pickle & Pepper Loaf
Liverwurst Paté 8oz Bologna
Thin Half Bologna
Thick Half Beef Salami Natural Casing
Pork & Beef Frankfurters
Giant Steakhouse Slab Bacon
Natural Casing Beef Franks 8/1 Canadian Style Bacon
All Natural Traditional Ham
All Natural Applewood Smoked Ham
Garlic Bologna
Lower Sodium Bologna
Beef Bologna Spiced Ham Square Half
Hot Smoked Sausage 1LB
Skinless Pork & Beef Franks 8/1 1LB
Beef Knockwurst 1LB
Skinless Beef Frankfurters 4/1 8"
Cocktail Frankfurters 12oz
Virginia Ham Half Skinless Pork & Beef Frankfurters 4/1 2.5 LB
SmokeMaster Beechwood Smoked Black Forest Ham
Whole SmokeMaster Beechwood Smoked Black Forest Ham Half
LIST OF OLD COUNTRY PRODUCTS CONTAMINATED AND RECALLED:
OC CAPPY HAM FIBER 1/2
OC HOT BUTT CAPPY- FIBER
OC GOURMET PEPPER HAM
OC BLACK FOREST HAM 1/2
OC SWT SLICE SMK HAM 1/2
OC CAPPY BRAND HAM NC 1/2
OC TAVERN HAM OC ROSEMARY/TOMATO HAM
OC SWT SLICE HAM BABY1/2
OC ALL NATURAL UNC HAM
OC CANADIAN STYLE BACN JR
OC ALL NAT UNC SMKD HAM
OC HABANERO HAM OC SEASONED CKD FRESH HAM
OC BEECHWOOD SMOKD HAM WH
OC BOURBONRIDGE SMKD HAM
OC BROWN SUGAR & SPICE DELIGHT OFF THE BONE HAM
if you are a high-risk group and have eaten these foods or anything that may have come into contact with them, breathe. get a lot of rest and pay attention to your body over the coming weeks and months, and figure out where you can go to get medical care in case you start showing signs of infection.
Amidst all the images coming out of palestine of death and destruction created by the zionist occupation, i think it is important that we take a moment to remember palestine as it was- seen and captured through the eyes of talented photographers like Shahed @shahednhall and remember exactly what was senselessly lost in the past few months.
This is Al-Azhar university, where Shahed used to study. She was an exemplary student, and used to get regularly invited by her teachers to give lectures.
Since the university was bombed and destroyed by the IOF, all she has left are these pictures. Even through all the violence and death around her though, she still makes sure to keep up with her studies through the university's online programme.
This is a shop Shahed had visited only some time before october. She told me it was run by an artist who painted these beautiful home items, and engraved them by hand with customers names. Shahed had photographed them because they were so eye-catching and beautiful, and had sent the woman her photos so she could use them to promote the shop.
Shahed has told me this shop isnt there any more. She is currently trying to get in touch with the woman who used to run this shop again, but shahed doesn't know if she is even alive or not.
Shahed has an eye for beauty in all things, and it shows in her work and in conversation. It has taken on a different meaning now when so much of everything she knows has been stolen by the occupation from her and other palestinians like her.
In her own words:
"As you know, I like to photograph a lot, everyone liked my photography. I was filming everything because a memory can never come back again. This sentence is not understood by many. I am happy because I photograph everything."
What had been a hobby of collecting moments for her has now become something of an archive of all the things in Palestine that have been lost to the zionist occupation.
Shahed's outlook on her photography tends to colour our conversation as well. She finds it is more productive to talk to me about her hope for a better future, rather than all the bleakness around her right now.
"Yes, because I see inside every picture of new hope, I feel a great motivation that I will survive to see that life is more beautiful than what I live at the moment. I seek to return to a life that is more beautiful than the one we live now, a very difficult life because it has turned black and white."
I don't know how anyone can look at her photos and think of anything but hope
The mainstream media in the west and elsewhere can lie all they like- but we will know always that palestine was and is a land full of beautiful people. Never forget that the death, illness and destruction in palestine today was something imposed upon them by the colonizers, and has been imposed upon them for decades.
Shahed doesn't like to share images of misery with me, but please remember that she and her family are suffering right now. The happy children in the pictures, her little sisters, are suffering from severe hepatitis and are no longer recieving treatment due to overcrowding at what hospitals are left in gaza. Shahed herself has been weak and ill for days, narrowly surviving multiple massacres in just the past few days while trying to get food for her family. They all got displaced just last week due to the intense bombing in khan younis, and in doing so have lost precious funds that could have gone into food and clean water. They are starving.
Shahed is only 21 years old but the responsibility of taking care of all 17 of her family members rests solely on her shoulders.
TIME IS RUNNING OUT. PLEASE HELP SHAHED EVACUATE HER FAMILY TO SAFETY.
She has only gotten $47k/80k, and she needs to get to $50k within this week.
Have you ever experienced seeing your dream broken in front of your eyes and not being able to do … Shahed Muhammad needs your support for H
This gfm was verified and appears on hussein @/el-shab-hussein and nairuz @/nabulsi list of vetted fundraisers (#224) so please dont hesitate to donate whatever you can, and please keep sharing!!!
Take this as a call to action, please repost her her fundraiser in your discord servers, in your whatsapp groups. Repost her photgraphy and share her story on whatever social media you have reach, so that people can help because i really cant get her to her goal in time alone.
As we near shaheds short term goal of 50k, donations have already started to die down and i am sorry to say this but that CANNOT stand.
SHAHED NEEDS TO RAISE THE REST OF THE 80K AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. MAYBE EVEN WITHIN THE NEXT WEEK
This is because she has informed me that while she has already registered her siblings and father for evacuation with the hala travel agency in egypt, she has struck a deal with the travel coordinators that if she is able to collect the rest of the amount soon then the rest of the family can be evacuated together as well.
With seventeen family members, adults being priced at $5k per ticket and children at $2.5k, shahed needs to raise nearly $70,000 for their travel fee and then another 10k to account for the exorbitant commission (upto 30%) that gazan bankers demand to do the wire transfer of the money to gaza.
I know i have been saying this for weeks now, but the situation really is beyond desperate. If shahed isnt able to scrounge up these funds in time for when the egyptian border opens, most of her family including herself will have to stay behind and miss this chance to get out of gaza when they still can. And with tensions being escalated everywhere by the zionist occupation, we dont know when they will get a chance like this again.
Shahed has told me it is likely she wont be able to be online as much soon because even after getting displaced again, the bombing has followed her there too. Network outages will be expected, and i genuinely worry about when i might hear from her again. She is very sick, and very tired as well. I am really scared for her. Please dont let her go now, she needs help now more than ever.
Please spare any amount you can, and please keep sharing her fundraiser wherever you have reach outside of tumblr too. We cannot rest, and i really need you to lend me a hand in sharing her fundraiser cause again i cant do this on my own, and we cannot afford to fail her when we have gotten her so far.
Hello, I am a human medicine student from Gaza City. I am asking you for urgent help in publishing the link for my family and delivering it to people interested and able to help us. I did not want to do that, but the tragic situation we are living in is what made me have to do this. I feel sad and helpless, after we had Everything, we are now homeless on the streets, we live in a tent next to a dilapidated public toilet and there is sewage, filth and waste everywhere, we sleep on it! We suffer from terrible heat, insects and scorpions, the danger of death, bombs and missiles, in addition to hunger of course, and the danger of pollution and terrible diseases.Especially digestive, respiratory and reproductive! My younger siblings are suffering and very sick. They are terrified of everything, especially scorpions and insects. My father and mother cannot bear it any longer. You have the right to imagine that when you spend your life building for yourself and your children to live a decent life, all of this goes away in the blink of an eye, and now when you reach the age you should To rest in it, you are forced to start over !!? , but the most important thing now is to try to stay alive and protect your children from all the factors of death that surround us! I ask anyone who has humanity or conscience to feel our situation and put himself in our place. How can a person who has lived with dignity all his life accept this? We are dying slowly every day. Please, if anyone can help, even if just a little, do not delay! Your little means a lot to us!
https://gofund.me/5f12ba33
Hello,
My name is Bridget and I'm managing this fundraiser for Raghad and her family. Raghad and… Bridget Pallas needs your support for Hel
Qanou family is only at £5,659 of £55,000 as of 08/01/24. Please at the very least access the link, read their story, and donate what you are able!!
My tumblr followers are majorly inactive so all donation posts are shared to my twitter as well.
I am Asmaa from Gaza, from a family of 8, a lawyer and a graduate of Palestine University. I climbed the ladder to build my life and future step by step, but everything ended and was destroyed because of the war.
I am Asmaa, 25 years old, the daughter of this beautiful family of 8 members. … Asma Ayyad needs your support for Help me and my family esca
I've witnessed the evidence of the tragedy that has struck our lives in Gaza, where my family and I have survived amidst numerous previous wars. But today, we face the most dangerous and fierce battle in the current war. The urgent need intensifies for us, as we have nothing left and are unable to secure our basic needs such as food, water, and safe shelter.
Here is our story - On October 7th, our lives changed forever. My family and I left our home for southern Gaza, hoping to return soon, but that was not to be. Our home was besieged and then completely destroyed. Our home, once a bastion of hope, now lies in ruins, a stark reminder of our shattered dreams.
The night before we set off south was terrifying. The sounds of bombing were everywhere, making a great noise that was so great that it ripped through our souls. Every explosion shook the ground like earthquakes, sending intense air strikes of fear through our trembling bodies. Making us terrified. It was so great, and the blood was in the air, making it hard to breathe. When dawn came, we looked around us, and realized that our home was now a symbol of loss and despair.
We ran into the streets and with each step we took into the unknown streets, we felt as if we were plunging deeper into the abyss of our shattered existence, leaving behind everything we own in our home: Clothes, important official documents, the car, and literally it's almost everything - the enormity of our loss weighed heavily upon us.
I appeal to the world as a whole to hear my cry and the mournful cry of my family in Gaza. We need the helping hand that reaches out to wipe our tears and build a bridge to safety.
Your donation is not just a donation; it's an opportunity to rebuild life and brighten a better tomorrow. Be part of our hopeful story, for we need your hand to start anew.
The purpose of the fundraising campaign
The goal of this fundraising campaign is to rescue my family - my parents, my siblings, and me - through the Rafah Crossing to Egypt, which currently requires $5000 per person. This campaign is our only chance to stay alive, and I humbly request your assistance at this critical time. I will provide you with a comprehensive breakdown of the expenses, committing to transparency and clarity.
I am Asmaa, 25 years old, the daughter of this beautiful family of 8 members. … Asma Ayyad needs your support for Help me and my family esca
disabled people are worth whatever cost or resources is needed to keep them alive. disabled people are worth it even if they don’t live long. they’re worth it even if they will need extra support and resources for every day of their life. they’re worth it even if they spend all they life indoors. none of it is wasted. none of it is in vain. time, effort, money, resources spent on a life are not wasted. these things have served their purpose. the joy of someone’s existence is not undermined by not lasting forever. there’s no meaningful point, some threshold where you can say “okay this is enough. after that it’s not worth it.” it’s always worth it.
This is resonating deeply with me today. People have constantly been blocking the ramp out of my apartment lately and it makes me feel like I am not worth the effort. I’m glad there are still people who think otherwise
Sorry for the hiatus!! Life got busy this year but im gonna do my best to get some revised biology worldbuilding out soon for some of the lithian species including Vostrakka and vVKrr!!
Wif and Wer will be used as blanket terms for man and woman on this blog for nonhuman characters!! The words man and woman feel a bit human specific to use for the arthropods so I'm going to be borrowing a few old english words in their stead!! Nonbinary doesnt sound species specific so that term and others like it will stay the same (although what is binary may mean something different for species with a different gender structure).
Vostrakka (plural: Vostrakka) are one of the main original species in Starboard Forward!
Biology
Vostrakka are a humanoid arthropod species. They are hexapods, with two sturdy hind legs they stand on and two pairs of arms, the larger pair attached at the shoulders and the secondary smaller pair attached lower and closer to the back.
They have three digits on each hand; two fingers and a thumb.
They have thick protective chitin plates covering their bodies except for the segmented neck and tail which tend to be fleshy under the "fur".
The neck and tail are covered with long setae, giving them a fluffy appearance
Their hind feet have three toes, two in front and one at the heel
At the end of their tail is a pair of pinchers.
They have chewing type mouthparts similar to weevils located on the underside of the snout near the end. On their head is two large compound eyes with pupil-like eyespots. These are often stylized in official art to be more expressive but they do not possess eyelids.
They possess a pair of antennae on the top of their head.
Vostrakka are single sexed and all individuals with decent fertility are capable of siring or laying eggs.
Respiration is done through four large spiracle nostrils located beneath the arms. Air is drawn in through these and into a pair of proto-lungs within the chest cavity. The chest chitin has a split down the center and between it and the thorax with soft tissues inbetween to allow the chest to expand and contract
Their chitin is covered in miniscule setae, similar to human peachfuzz. This setae is how they sense touch
They can be in pretty much any color, though typically the soft tissue between their chitin plates are lighter than the surrounding chitin and their fur tends to be the more vibrant color on their bodies.Their eyes, pedipalps and antennae tend to be the same color or similar colors. They can have a white spotting gene although this is less common. Melanism and albinism also occurs rarely.
Their life cycle begins with an egg, which hatches into a larvae. They pupate at about 3 years of age, now resembling the adult form with a paler exoskeleton.
Vostrakka live around the same lifespan as humans, on average living to 80-90 years with a known maximum of 135.
Genetics
There are two main forms of Vostrakka body type, stout and long.
Long Vostrakka stand around 6'5"-11' tall on average with necks and tails around the same length. Stout Vostrakka have a more compact frame, standing at an average height of 4'-5'5". Their tails are noticeably shorter at around 2'6"-3'6" in length.
Vostrakka are extremely genetically diverse with a large variation in antennae and pincher shapes, color, and eyespot shape(typically a plus, four pointed star, rounded rectangle, rounded square, oval, or circle)
Their neck consists of a single segment and is extremely short. (edited)
Stout and long genes are not mutually exclusive however and there are plenty of Vostrakka who inherit traits from both, such as a tall Vostrakka with a short neck or a short Vostrakka like Goose(orange Vostrakka pictured above) with a long neck and tail.
Society
Vostrakka are a communal species much like humans and live in villages or cities depending on which one suits the individual. children are raised somewhat communally, often carried in the neck fur of trusted adults.
Gender is not a concept in Vostrakkan culture and most will use They/Them or other neutral pronouns. Those living with humans or other gendered species will often choose a different set of pronouns as self expression, although it is usually considered an aspect of style to them. The main exception to this is Vostrakka raised by/alongside a gendered culture. These individuals typically do grow to have their own sense of gender identity from the culture they were raised in.
Communication
Vostrakkan vocalizations are limited to clicks and shrill grinding of the mouthparts. These vocalizations are typically emotional and used to express stress, anger, joy, and fear. Vocalizatons are typically subconscious.
The main method of communication for Vostrakka is four-armed sign.
The upper two arms are the “main” arms of the vostrakka. The hands on these arms are used to sign nouns and verbs.
The smaller, lower set of arms are the “secondary” arms. These hands are used to modify the nouns and verbs signed by the upper arms by simultaneous signing to indicate verb tense, adjectives, and pronouns.
Signing is a rhythmic action due to the clicking of the finger chitin and when accompanying music it acts as both the lyrics and percussion.
Welcome to Starboard Forward! an upcoming comic trilogy with speculative biology, original arthropod species, and ancient deities of Chaos, Order, and The Wilds.
In a world bearing the scars of a war between gods teetering on the brink of renaissance, an aspiring airship engineer enlists the help of a Pathfinder, a person chosen and inoculated by the spores of one of the bestial Primordial Gods to be able to navigate the Wilds to assist her in her search for answers to the mysteries surrounding what the Old Gods left behind.
When things go south, the pair finds themselves on the run, rocketing through the sky on a homemade airship and into the beginning of a journey that will leave echoes far into the future.
Ill make a more complete pinned post in the future with graphics but for now heres the link to the discord for those interested! This discord will be updated with worldbuilding development and in the future will have patreon sections for early pages!!
Askbox and discord are both open for any questions!!
