Neliza Drew (she/her)

I'm starting to thing Amazon is sponsoring everything.
On the one hand, we still have cultural events. On the other... only those our corporate overlords approve of.

What the U.S. Government Is Dismissing That Could Seed a Bird Flu Pandemic Egg producers suspect bird flu is traveling through the air. After a disastrous Midwestern outbreak early this year, we tested that theory and found that where the wind blew, the virus followed. Vacci...

After a bird flu outbreak tore through Midwestern barns, killing millions of chickens and spiking egg prices, the federal government didn’t investigate if the virus was airborne.

So ProPublica did.

Absolutely terrifying reporting from @natlash.bsky.social:

www.propublica.org/article/bird...

book: an orange overlay of color; the scene: a huge mountain lodge hotel with illuminated windows; the wide staircase leads to a riverbank; the ripples and shadows of the river form a skull; A Farrah Wethers Mystery. Full Body Manslaughter. Elizabeth Amber Love; art by Thomas Boatwright

A luxury lodge in the mountains. Fall foliage passed its peak. A cosmetics corporation team-building event. One massage therapist, her best friend, animal rights activists, and a murderer. Read Full Body Manslaughter: buy.bookfunnel.com/p... #BookSky #Writers #SistersInCrime

THEY PEPPER SPRAYED A BABY

THEY PEPPER SPRAYED A BABY

Please read this entire excellent piece by Caroline, which points out that a judge ordered the Feds (again) to stop doing **this exact kind of thing** and they are still continuing to do it all over Chicago

For coming from a party that loves to crow about supporting small business, Trump’s cuts to the ACA are the biggest attack on small business people imaginable

Some UPS and FedEx planes are grounded. What does that mean for holiday shipping? UPS and FedEx's fleets of MD-11 planes are grounded, which can each carry thousands of packages. Logistics experts say some cargo could shift to passenger planes, trains and trucks.

UPS and FedEx's fleets of MD-11 planes are grounded, which can each carry thousands of packages. Logistics experts say some cargo could shift to passenger planes, trains and trucks. n.pr/3WOO6Ml

You just killed people with your ineptitude. Rich people don't belong in government "by the people."

The thing about ACA is that if an American describes how it works to someone from literally anywhere else, the other person will be utterly horrified at its deliberate cruelty.

The way the horror of pre-ACA healthcare sounds to an American, is basically how ACA sounds to everyone else on earth.

Insulin's High Cost Leads To Lethal Rationing Alec Raeshawn Smith was 23 when diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and 26 when he died. He couldn't afford $1,300 per month for his insulin and other diabetes supplies, so he tried to stretch the doses.

Before ACA, many Americans couldn’t afford insurance

Alex Smith was a diabetic who got kicked off his Mom’s insurance at 26

He made 35k a year which was “too much” for Medicaid, but not nearly enough to cover insurance premiums

He had to ration his insulin & died a month after losing insurance

This is so insane. #MedicareForAllNOW

Reminder that, unless a creative freelancer has a spouse with a day job that offers health insurance, they likely have an ACA plan. And with the hits to creative industries the past few years, I'm guessing many qualify for subsidies.

Related reminder that comic creators are freelancers.

If I keep the same plan, it goes up $203 to $850 a month. I can’t go without health insurance, cancer, ongoing meds, mental health everything- I don’t know how any of us are going to survive. It’s so fucking bleak.

Please understand that Americans who have a serious chronic illness essentially have no where to run to.

(The immigration rules of countries with the kind of health care system it takes to keep me alive deny me admission because I'm seriously chronically ill, and, therefore, a 'drain on resources')

The USDA is the fail safe for SNAP.

They have a contingency fund to ensure it’s covered in the event of a shutdown.

They’re refusing.

Grocery stores stepped up to try and help by offering discounts to any SNAP recipients and the USDA told them they had to stop.

Starvation as a policy choice.

Cars are essential in most of the U.S. They're also increasingly unaffordable The average new car costs $50,000. The average used car is $25,000. Insurance, repairs and maintenance are soaring. But America's car-centric habits also cost us in more subtle ways.

The average new car costs $50,000. The average used car is $25,000. Insurance, repairs and maintenance are soaring. But America's car-centric habits also cost us in more subtle ways. n.pr/47B4pRT

The Guardian view on art and health: the masterpiece can cure the body as well as the soul | Editorial Editorial: From a Van Gogh self-portrait to Gauguin’s dreamscapes, new studies show that seeing original art can calm stress and boost health

Apparently new studies show that seeing original art can calm stress and boost health
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Looks like white U.S. citizens are the biggest group of SNAP recipients. People criticize SNAP without bothering to find out who uses it. “They should get a job.” It must be nice to have never been laid off, become ill, or get paid such low wages that you need help.

The USDA now threatening grocery stores who offer discounts to SNAP recipients.

People are going hungry. Their benefits were illegally cut off leaving them to starve.

40% of SNAP households have children.

If grocery stores & local business want to step up to help… let them.

Trump sets 7,500 annual limit for refugees entering US. It'll be mostly white South Africans The Trump administration is restricting the number of refugees admitted annually to the United States to 7,500 and they’ll be mostly white South Africans

This will be the lowest ever number of refugee admissions set by any president.

President Trump's move is not only racist, but an affront to our moral commitment to protect people seeking safety.

I keep seeing people say, oh, trans people must take a hit for the greater good and, first of all, no, you don't get to discard someone else's rights and second, we know from past experience that marginalized communities like theirs are merely the first to be targeted. They'll come for you next.

This is a photo of a paperback copy of The Atrocities by me (Jeremy C. Shipp). The cover features a creepy old manor house, storm clouds, and a hedge maze. The book is against a brick wall with vines growing around and over the book.

Hey Bluesky peeps, could you help spread the word?

My Shirley Jackson Award-nominated gothic fiction book THE ATROCITIES is on sale today for $1.99 on Kindle.

www.amazon.com/Atrocities-J...

We can't go backwards.
We need to reduce the use of fossil fuels and transition to renewables.

Yes, this, & set up a recurring donation if you can.

Cash is ALWAYS better than collecting food through drives. Food banks have deals with suppliers that enable them to stretch a dollar further than what we can buy at retail prices. They can take $5 and get $15+ in value from it to feed folks.

Little something for all the Matthew 25 voters out there!

A trip to the indie bookshop or local library (or supporting them online) instead of placing an order through a mega-retailer.

Heading to a local coffee shop instead of an international chain.

Joining an indie's book club, fostering IRL connections.

Asking a librarian instead of relying on AI.

*Becoming Altar* is now shipping! You could get one! Or even give one! 😍 🎶 👀

Just a thought: How about we stop shaming the poor for buying things that may not be essential, and start shaming the rich for making a profit off things that are essential?

Worth noting: After the end of the three-year pilot program this year, the Irish government found that for every pound invested, they got 43% profit. Keeping artists alive and financially safe is not just for moral good, it's also beneficial in terms of economics. Just let artists keep making art.

Trump Canceled 94 Million Pounds of Food Aid. Here’s What Never Arrived. ProPublica obtained records from the Department of Agriculture that detail the millions of pounds of food, down to the number of eggs, that never reached food banks because of the administration’s cut...

Records obtained by ProPublica indicate that food banks across the country were expecting more than 27 million pounds of chicken, 2 million gallons of milk, 10 million pounds of dried fruit and 60 million eggs that never arrived.

This ‘Privacy Browser’ Has Dangerous Hidden Features The Universe Browser is believed to have been downloaded millions of times. But researchers say it behaves like malware and has links to Asia’s booming cybercrime and illegal gambling networks.

The Universe Browser is believed to have been downloaded millions of times. But researchers say it behaves like malware and has links to Asia’s booming cybercrime and illegal gambling networks.