themindunleashed--2020-04-23--Couple Built a Cabin Made of Recycled Windows in the West Virginia Mountains for Only $500

( TMU ) — In the summer of 2011 , shortly after meeting at an artist residency in Pennsylvania , Nick Olson took Lilah Horwitz on their first date , a camping trip to his favorite spot on his family ’ s property in West Virginia .
Nick wanted Lilah to experience the sunset over the West Virginia Mountains from the edge of the forest with a lake in the forefront .
Not surprisingly , considering the beautiful setting they found themselves in , Lilah , an artist with a passion for sewing , and Nick , a photographer and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ living , started talking about their first home and building it themselves on the family ’ s land .
There were plenty of old , disused barns on the property from where they could salvage and scrape their savings together for whatever else they needed .
“ We hadn ’ t known each other for very long , but this idea of home and shelter and shared space became central in our relationship , ” Lilah told Curbed .
The couple had no wish to move into someone else ’ s ready-made space @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from scratch , together .
Just seven months later they decided to give it a go with the bit of money they had and quit their jobs .
Of course , the perfect place to build their home was the spot where they had their first date , where they could watch the sun set every day .
To achieve their goal , they had planned to construct the front wall of the cabin , facing the lake and mountains , from old windows which bought or salvaged from discard piles at antique @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about $ 500 on materials and hardware .
According to Nick , they reclaimed about 90 % of the materials from the abandoned barns which included nails , boards , beams , roofing and some windows .
With knowledge gleaned from the local library and YouTube tutorials , they tackled deconstructing the barns for what they needed to build their cabin .
The project took about seven months to complete and the results are stunning in its simplicity .
“ It was very wonderful to bring our little things together , our little @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and put them in a home together , and I could look and say , ‘ Wow I even put a roof over my head , ' ” Lilah said .
According to Nick , their home is constructed “ less from a builder ’ s perspective and more from an artist ’ s perspective , ” and designed to “ experience the changing light throughout the day in an interior space.
” Shortly after completing the project , the couple moved to Milwaukee to earn and save some money while visiting the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They also planned to add an outdoor bathroom and summer kitchen .
The experience has ignited their desire to create more self builds and they hope to buy some land to create a village with experimental homes .
We hope it ’ s not too long before we see more of their work !

(TMU) — In the summer of 2011, shortly after meeting at an artist residency in Pennsylvania, Nick Olson took Lilah Horwitz on their first date, a camping trip to his favorite spot on his family’s property in West Virginia.
Nick wanted Lilah to experience the sunset over the West Virginia Mountains from the edge of the forest with a lake in the forefront.
Not surprisingly, considering the beautiful setting they found themselves in, Lilah, an artist with a passion for sewing, and Nick, a photographer and carpenter who builds things to earn a living, started talking about their first home and building it themselves on the family’s land.
There were plenty of old, disused barns on the property from where they could salvage and scrape their savings together for whatever else they needed. “
We hadn’t known each other for very long, but this idea of home and shelter and shared space became central in our relationship,” Lilah told Curbed.
Artists Nick Olson and Lilah Horwitz built a home with a wall created entirely out of re-purposed windows – http://rgs.me/1aaeAMx#livelightly Posted by RGS Energy on Thursday, October 24, 2013
The couple had no wish to move into someone else’s ready-made space but rather desired to create their own from scratch, together. Just seven months later they decided to give it a go with the bit of money they had and quit their jobs.
Of course, the perfect place to build their home was the spot where they had their first date, where they could watch the sun set every day. To achieve their goal, they had planned to construct the front wall of the cabin, facing the lake and mountains, from old windows which bought or salvaged from discard piles at antique markets and salvage yards.
They spent about $500 on materials and hardware. According to Nick, they reclaimed about 90% of the materials from the abandoned barns which included nails, boards, beams, roofing and some windows.
Architekt: LILAH HORWITZ AND NICK OLSON, Photography: Lilah Horwitz, Copyright #Gestalten 2016. Posted by WALDEN Magazin on Sunday, October 16, 2016
With knowledge gleaned from the local library and YouTube tutorials, they tackled deconstructing the barns for what they needed to build their cabin. The project took about seven months to complete and the results are stunning in its simplicity.
“It was very wonderful to bring our little things together, our little mementos and things we’ve built and put them in a home together, and I could look and say, ‘Wow I even put a roof over my head,'” Lilah said.
Nick Olson and Lilah Horwitz's glass house in the woods Posted by Quick-Garden on Tuesday, September 22, 2015
According to Nick, their home is constructed “less from a builder’s perspective and more from an artist’s perspective,” and designed to “experience the changing light throughout the day in an interior space.”
Shortly after completing the project, the couple moved to Milwaukee to earn and save some money while visiting the cabin to get away from city life. They also planned to add an outdoor bathroom and summer kitchen.
The experience has ignited their desire to create more self builds and they hope to buy some land to create a village with experimental homes. We hope it’s not too long before we see more of their work!
By Jade Small | Creative Commons | TheMindUnleashed.com
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themindunleashed--2020-04-24--Restaurant Stunned After Customer Gives Entire $1,200 Stimulus Check as Tip for Struggling Staff

( TMU ) — Small family-owned businesses have struggled mightily to remain open as the coronavirus pandemic rips across the country , with many struggling to pay employees ’ sick pay or even continuing operating at limited capacity .
Such has been the case for one steakhouse in Arkansas which found itself receiving a tip its owners and staff will never forget .
The Colonial Steakhouse in Pine Bluff had been weathering the storm of the COVID-19 pandemic and state efforts to curb the deadly disease by maintaining a skeleton crew of four employees to offer curbside pickup for three @ @ @ @ @ @ @ manager Allison Hall , whose parents own the steakhouse , told KARK : “ Things have been barely getting by but we are making it , though.
” But one day , some regulars stopped by to pick up a to-go order and tearfully made one of the kindest gestures imaginable for the restaurant staff—a massive tip of $ 1,200 , equivalent to the customer ’ s entire stimulus check issued by the federal government to offer limited relief to qualifying taxpayers .
“ She was just sobbing and saying it was their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crying and thanking God because it came at a time that most of our staff really needed it.
” According to Gateley , the tip was enough to distribute $ 100 to every employee , including those who aren ’ t working .
Like many restaurants across the U.S. forced to offer only delivery and pick-up service , Colonial Steakhouse has been forced to cut its staff from 12 to only four people .
However , Hall has no intention of letting the restaurant become the latest victim of the spiraling economic crisis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the COVID-19 outbreak .
Hall said : “ We ’ ve been open for a very long time , nearly 50 years , so we ’ re stubborn and we aren ’ t giving up .
We are not going to give up.
” According to KATV , many Arkansas restaurants have struggled to remain afloat since Gov .
Asa Hutchinson announced strict measures ordering all non-essential operations to shut down , including dine-in at restaurants and bars .
While some restaurants and bars have been able to stay afloat through carryout , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have had to rethink their entire business model .
Some restaurants have even turned their dining rooms into makeshift boutique grocery spaces and even miniature farmer ’ s markets where locally-grown foods are sold , reports KTHV .
Other less fortunate restaurants and bars have temporarily closed , with some feeling that it is more important for their employees to file for unemployment amid the unprecedented health crisis than to stay open .
However , on Monday Gov .
Hutchinson signaled that some restrictions put in place during the outbreak would begin being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of restrictions should offer some relief to small businesses and restaurants in the region , but the governor signaled that any worsening of conditions would lead to the return of restrictions .
Hall and the crew at the Colonial Steakhouse are rearing to welcome their customers back .
Until then , however , they are more than happy to have been graced by their regular customers with such a warm and heartfelt gesture .

(TMU) — Small family-owned businesses have struggled mightily to remain open as the coronavirus pandemic rips across the country, with many struggling to pay employees’ sick pay or even continuing operating at limited capacity.
Such has been the case for one steakhouse in Arkansas which found itself receiving a tip its owners and staff will never forget.
The Colonial Steakhouse in Pine Bluff had been weathering the storm of the COVID-19 pandemic and state efforts to curb the deadly disease by maintaining a skeleton crew of four employees to offer curbside pickup for three days out fo the week.
General manager Allison Hall, whose parents own the steakhouse, told KARK:
“Things have been barely getting by but we are making it, though.”
But one day, some regulars stopped by to pick up a to-go order and tearfully made one of the kindest gestures imaginable for the restaurant staff—a massive tip of $1,200, equivalent to the customer’s entire stimulus check issued by the federal government to offer limited relief to qualifying taxpayers.
Steakhouse owner Dana Gateley said:
“She was just sobbing and saying it was their whole stimulus.”
Hall added:
“We just started crying and thanking God because it came at a time that most of our staff really needed it.”
According to Gateley, the tip was enough to distribute $100 to every employee, including those who aren’t working.
Like many restaurants across the U.S. forced to offer only delivery and pick-up service, Colonial Steakhouse has been forced to cut its staff from 12 to only four people.
However, Hall has no intention of letting the restaurant become the latest victim of the spiraling economic crisis that has come in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. Hall said:
“We’ve been open for a very long time, nearly 50 years, so we’re stubborn and we aren’t giving up. We are not going to give up.”
According to KATV, many Arkansas restaurants have struggled to remain afloat since Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced strict measures ordering all non-essential operations to shut down, including dine-in at restaurants and bars.
While some restaurants and bars have been able to stay afloat through carryout, curbside pick-up, and delivery, others have had to rethink their entire business model.
Some restaurants have even turned their dining rooms into makeshift boutique grocery spaces and even miniature farmer’s markets where locally-grown foods are sold, reports KTHV.
Other less fortunate restaurants and bars have temporarily closed, with some feeling that it is more important for their employees to file for unemployment amid the unprecedented health crisis than to stay open.
However, on Monday Gov. Hutchinson signaled that some restrictions put in place during the outbreak would begin being lifted beginning May 4. The lifting of restrictions should offer some relief to small businesses and restaurants in the region, but the governor signaled that any worsening of conditions would lead to the return of restrictions.
Hall and the crew at the Colonial Steakhouse are rearing to welcome their customers back. Until then, however, they are more than happy to have been graced by their regular customers with such a warm and heartfelt gesture.
By Elias Marat | Creative Commons | TheMindUnleashed.com
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themindunleashed--2020-04-24--Employee-Owned Supermarket Chain Buys Produce From Farmers, Donates It to Food Banks

( TMU ) — As the coronavirus pandemic continues to do damage to the United States economy , an increasing amount of working-poor and middle-class families are being pushed to the brink of poverty and food insecurity .
However , the problem has also extended to farmers , who have resorted to dumping produce and milk to cope with a crisis of falling prices and overproduction that could ruin their ability to remain economically viable .
To help cope with the spiraling crisis , employee-owned U.S. supermarket chain Publix has pledged to begin buying fresh fruit , vegetables , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the food banks of Feeding America , a nonprofit organization devoted to relieving hunger in the United States .
The initiative will primarily benefit produce farmers in Florida , dairy farmers in the southeast , and an ever-growing number of families relying on charities like Feeding America to fill their pantries as jobless claims top 24 million as of this week .
Publix expects that over 150,000 pounds of produce and 43,500 gallons of milk will be donated during the first week of the program , which is expected to continue for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ retailer , we have the unique opportunity to bridge the gap between the needs of families and farmers impacted by the coronavirus pandemic .
“ In this time of uncertainty , we are grateful to be able to help Florida ’ s produce farmers , southeastern dairies and families in our communities.
” Due to school closures and a virtual freeze in the hospitality and restaurant industries in the wake of COVID-19 outbreaks and the resulting state orders to maintain physical distancing and safer-at-home rules , farmers have faced a ruinous situation that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
However , Publix hopes that its latest initiative can offer some help to both agriculture producers and local food bank partners in the region .
“ Like so many others right now , Florida farmers are in a time of need .
We are humbled Publix is purchasing additional fresh vegetables from us and other local farms to donate to food banks.
” “ Thank you to Publix , the participating food banks and their volunteers for making this initiative possible for those less fortunate while supporting local farms.
” The initiative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reports warning that the ongoing pandemic could raise the amount of food-insecure Americans to unprecedented heights .
According to the report titled The Impact of the Coronavirus on Child Food Insecurity , the number of food-insecure children could swell to 18 million—a highest-ever total since the USDA began measuring food security 25 years ago .
The current record is 17.2 million in 2009 during the peak of the Great Recession .
A separate fact-sheet , The Impact of the Coronavirus on Food Insecurity , also warns that in a worst-case scenario stemming from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ individuals could rise by 17.1 million—which , in turn , can lead to people facing a higher risk of experiencing severe illness and of contracting COVID-19 .
However , Publix hopes that its donations totaling $ 2 million to support Feeding America can help do some good in helping to alleviate hunger in poor communities .
“ In addition to providing much needed produce and milk to food banks , this initiative provides financial support to farmers during this challenging time .
“ We ’ re honored to be able to work with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our communities .
”

(TMU) — As the coronavirus pandemic continues to do damage to the United States economy, an increasing amount of working-poor and middle-class families are being pushed to the brink of poverty and food insecurity.
However, the problem has also extended to farmers, who have resorted to dumping produce and milk to cope with a crisis of falling prices and overproduction that could ruin their ability to remain economically viable.
To help cope with the spiraling crisis, employee-owned U.S. supermarket chain Publix has pledged to begin buying fresh fruit, vegetables, and milk from farmers and donating it directly to the food banks of Feeding America, a nonprofit organization devoted to relieving hunger in the United States.
The initiative will primarily benefit produce farmers in Florida, dairy farmers in the southeast, and an ever-growing number of families relying on charities like Feeding America to fill their pantries as jobless claims top 24 million as of this week.
Publix expects that over 150,000 pounds of produce and 43,500 gallons of milk will be donated during the first week of the program, which is expected to continue for several weeks.
Publix CEO Todd Jones said in a press release:
“As a food retailer, we have the unique opportunity to bridge the gap between the needs of families and farmers impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
“In this time of uncertainty, we are grateful to be able to help Florida’s produce farmers, southeastern dairies and families in our communities.”
Due to school closures and a virtual freeze in the hospitality and restaurant industries in the wake of COVID-19 outbreaks and the resulting state orders to maintain physical distancing and safer-at-home rules, farmers have faced a ruinous situation that could do long-term damage to U.S. agriculture.
However, Publix hopes that its latest initiative can offer some help to both agriculture producers and local food bank partners in the region.
Pero Family Farms Food Co. CEO Peter F. Pero IV said:
“Like so many others right now, Florida farmers are in a time of need. We are humbled Publix is purchasing additional fresh vegetables from us and other local farms to donate to food banks.”
“Thank you to Publix, the participating food banks and their volunteers for making this initiative possible for those less fortunate while supporting local farms.”
The initiative comes just as Feeding America released new reports warning that the ongoing pandemic could raise the amount of food-insecure Americans to unprecedented heights.
According to the report titled The Impact of the Coronavirus on Child Food Insecurity, the number of food-insecure children could swell to 18 million—a highest-ever total since the USDA began measuring food security 25 years ago. The current record is 17.2 million in 2009 during the peak of the Great Recession.
A separate fact-sheet, The Impact of the Coronavirus on Food Insecurity, also warns that in a worst-case scenario stemming from the pandemic, the number of food-insecure individuals could rise by 17.1 million—which, in turn, can lead to people facing a higher risk of experiencing severe illness and of contracting COVID-19.
However, Publix hopes that its donations totaling $2 million to support Feeding America can help do some good in helping to alleviate hunger in poor communities.
Publix’s Jones said:
“In addition to providing much needed produce and milk to food banks, this initiative provides financial support to farmers during this challenging time.
“We’re honored to be able to work with these groups and do good together for our communities.”
By Elias Marat | Creative Commons | TheMindUnleashed.com
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themindunleashed--2020-04-24--Watch the Magical Moment a Pod of Dolphins Glide Through Electric Blue Bioluminescent Waves

( TMU ) — Spectacular video footage has been captured showing dolphins literally glowing in neon blue as they swim off the coast of Southern California .
The brilliant scene was captured on Wednesday just as night fell on Newport Beach in Orange County .
The footage was taken by photographer Patrick Coyne of the website Orange County Outdoors , who recently garnered international headlines after taking photos of crashing blue bioluminescent waves in the same coastal waters last week .
Orange County Register reports that Coyne and his fried Ryan Lawler , the owner of Newport Coastal Adventure , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ boat hoping to capture video of creatures illuminated by the bioluminescent water , a natural phenomenon that has allowed Coyne and his colleagues to garner worldwide attention and once-in-a-lifetime shots every photographer dreams of .
The two were just about to call it quits when they suddenly noticed two dolphins near them , who appeared out of the pitch black ocean to swim alongside their small boat .
The contrast of the deep , dark ocean water against their illuminated , slender bodies was something they couldn ’ t believe—and it lasted for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bow riding , they were super into the boat .
About five minutes in , two more came and we had a little pod of four dolphins … It was amazing.
” Coyne was simply blown away by the moment .
He said : “ I was like , this can ’ t be happening .
“ This is so magical .
After the two dolphins were playing with us , a few more joined in.
” The rare spectacle of glowing blue water caused by algal blooms has been present off some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ past week , most notably in Newport Beach and Acapulco .
The natural phenomenon is known as bioluminescence , and is caused by an increase in the dinoflagellate population .
The dinoflagellates—which are tiny , swimming plants—include Lingulodinium polyedra , which is responsible for the glowing waves .
Dinoflagellates contain enzymes and proteins that create small light flashes .
During the day , the algal bloom appears as a deep red , rusty tide due to the heavy concentration of small photosynthetic organisms floating up to the surface .
When the sun goes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crashing waves—or in this case , swimming dolphins—make the tiny organisms display light .
Describing the bioluminescence he witnessed last week , Coyne said : “ As soon as the set crashes , it ’ s a burst of blue light .
It ’ s not always the perfect burst of blue light , you want it to be dark .
“ Once it hits , it ’ s a burst of blue light and you get that color .
And it really does look like what you see in pictures and videos.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ such night-time footage of dolphins ever since he saw the Netflix film , “ Night on Earth , ” which used moonlight-sensitive , high-tech low-light cameras and heat-tracking technology to capture nocturnal scenes of marine life .
“ It ’ s not something you can just plan .
It was showing up in little sections , we would drive the boat a bit , it would be bright and then it would go away .
“ You can ’ t really find it , it ’ s pitch black .
We could see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there ’ s no way for us to predict it.
” Coyne admits that the moment was so “ magical ” that he couldn ’ t help but shed a tear .
“ Hands down the most incredible experience of my life .
“ I ’ ve been really lucky , this truly tops everything.
” “ I don ’ t know how many people will ever see that in their life .
I didn ’ t think I ’ d ever see this in my life , to be honest .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nights of my life .
”

(TMU) — Spectacular video footage has been captured showing dolphins literally glowing in neon blue as they swim off the coast of Southern California.
The brilliant scene was captured on Wednesday just as night fell on Newport Beach in Orange County.
The footage was taken by photographer Patrick Coyne of the website Orange County Outdoors, who recently garnered international headlines after taking photos of crashing blue bioluminescent waves in the same coastal waters last week.
Orange County Register reports that Coyne and his fried Ryan Lawler, the owner of Newport Coastal Adventure, were out at sea in an inflatable boat hoping to capture video of creatures illuminated by the bioluminescent water, a natural phenomenon that has allowed Coyne and his colleagues to garner worldwide attention and once-in-a-lifetime shots every photographer dreams of.
The two were just about to call it quits when they suddenly noticed two dolphins near them, who appeared out of the pitch black ocean to swim alongside their small boat. The contrast of the deep, dark ocean water against their illuminated, slender bodies was something they couldn’t believe—and it lasted for about 15 minutes.
Lawler explained:
“They were bow riding, they were super into the boat. About five minutes in, two more came and we had a little pod of four dolphins … It was amazing.”
Coyne was simply blown away by the moment. He said:
“I was like, this can’t be happening.
“This is so magical. After the two dolphins were playing with us, a few more joined in.”
Glowing Dolphins After Sunset! The biolumenesnce off Newport Beach has been out of this world! Last night Capt. Ryan took the Zodiac out to look for dolphins, and together with friend Patrick Coyne filmed this amazing interaction with a pod of dolphins as they lit up the night. Posted by Newport Coastal Adventure on Thursday, April 23, 2020
The rare spectacle of glowing blue water caused by algal blooms has been present off some beaches along the Pacific Coast in the past week, most notably in Newport Beach and Acapulco.
The natural phenomenon is known as bioluminescence, and is caused by an increase in the dinoflagellate population. The dinoflagellates—which are tiny, swimming plants—include Lingulodinium polyedra, which is responsible for the glowing waves. Dinoflagellates contain enzymes and proteins that create small light flashes.
During the day, the algal bloom appears as a deep red, rusty tide due to the heavy concentration of small photosynthetic organisms floating up to the surface. When the sun goes down, however, movements such as crashing waves—or in this case, swimming dolphins—make the tiny organisms display light.
Describing the bioluminescence he witnessed last week, Coyne said:
“As soon as the set crashes, it’s a burst of blue light. It’s not always the perfect burst of blue light, you want it to be dark.
“Once it hits, it’s a burst of blue light and you get that color. And it really does look like what you see in pictures and videos.”
Coyne had been dreaming of capturing such night-time footage of dolphins ever since he saw the Netflix film, “Night on Earth,” which used moonlight-sensitive, high-tech low-light cameras and heat-tracking technology to capture nocturnal scenes of marine life.
“It’s not something you can just plan. It was showing up in little sections, we would drive the boat a bit, it would be bright and then it would go away.
“You can’t really find it, it’s pitch black. We could see it when it would start glowing, there’s no way for us to predict it.”
Coyne admits that the moment was so “magical” that he couldn’t help but shed a tear.
“Hands down the most incredible experience of my life.
“I’ve been really lucky, this truly tops everything.”
“We’re pretty proud of [the dolphin footage.]
“I don’t know how many people will ever see that in their life. I didn’t think I’d ever see this in my life, to be honest. It was truly one of the most magical nights of my life.”
By Elias Marat | Creative Commons | TheMindUnleashed.com
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themindunleashed--2020-04-24--TV Preacher Pat Robertson Blames Gay Marriage, Abortion for COVID-19: “God Holds Us Guilty”

( TMU ) — Since the coronavirus pandemic began ripping through the United States , causing major human suffering and contributing to spiraling economic distress , certain extremist members of the Christian right have sought to blame the LGBTQ community for the COVID-19 .
And sure enough , when gay people are being scapegoated by the evangelical religious right , Christian media mogul Pat Robertson will be there hoping to lead the pack in blaming LGBTQ folks for COVID-19 .
In an episode this week of his long-running series , “ The 700 Club , ” Robertson suggested that God @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pandemic until people “ turn from their wicked ways , ” a reference to the alleged sins of homosexuality and other supposedly “ terrible things.
” In a clip captured by watchdog group Media Matters for America , the 90-year-old televangelist is asked by a caller : “ How can God heal our land and forgive the sins when abortion and same-sex marriage are laws and many people are anti-Israel .
Doesn ’ t this prevent his healing and forgiveness ?
” Unsurprisingly , Robertson agreed with the caller ’ s recitation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ responded : “ You know , I think you put your finger on something very important .
“ We are not turning when we have done terrible things .
We have broken the covenant that God made with mankind .
We have violated his covenant .
“ We have taken the life of the innocent , slaughtered them by the tens of millions .
Children made in the image of God … I mean , we ’ ve allowed this terrible plague to spread throughout our society.
” “ And it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guilty .
But the answer is , you know , you confess your sins and forsake them .
Then he heals the land .
It ’ s not before .
You are right.
” Robertson ’ s “ 700 Club ” has been airing since 1966 , and has long been an outlet where hardcore Christian evangelicals can propagate far-right perspectives on social issues ranging from same-sex marriage to foreign policy , immigration enforcement , reproductive rights , Islam , and feminism .
On Thursday , the flagship program of the Christian Broadcasting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ret .
Lt. Gen. Jerry Boykin speaking about society ’ s alleged “ war against men.
” An estimated 650,000 U.S. households tune into “ The 700 Club ” every day , according to CBN , while the network itself has close ties to the Trump administration and frequently features White House officials as guests .
Rights advocates and LGBTQ activists quickly denounced Robertson ’ s statements as a homophobic distortion of the Christian gospel .
In a statement , Michael Vazquez , director of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation ’ s religion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pat Robertson is once again using tragedy to advance anti-LGBTQ rhetoric that will continue to isolate and harm the LGBTQ community.
” “ Jesus never said that being LGBTQ is a sin , and in no way does the Bible correlate the LGBTQ community to natural disasters or other global events and pandemics , including COVID-19 .
The Bible does , however , give clear instruction to those who adhere to it to ‘ do justice , love mercy and walk humbly with God.
’ “ At the core of the Christian faith @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and what Robertson is advocating for is an ethic of hate and violence .
Christians who continue to use the LGBTQ community , and other marginalized populations , as scapegoats for tragedy betray their God-given duty to be people of love and inclusion , and doers of mercy and justice.
” Robertson isn ’ t the first evangelical Christian in the U.S. to blame the so-called “ sins ” of the American people for the massive health crisis that first erupted in Hubei Province , China , before sweeping across the globe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who leads the weekly Bible study group for President Donald Trump ’ s cabinet—suggested that China , LGBTQ people , environmentalists , and people with “ depraved minds ” were responsible for God ’ s judgment being visited upon us in the form of the novel coronavirus .
Prosperity preacher Kenneth Copeland , who heads the Kenneth Copeland Ministries megachurch , has also described the coronavirus as a “ very weak strain of flu ” while , nevertheless , claiming that detractors of President Trump have “ opened the door ” for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hate ” against him .
Meanwhile , Christian church leaders such as Pastor Tony Spell of Life Tabernacle Church in Baton Rouge , Lousiana and Tampa , Florida-based pastor Rodney Howard-Browne have continued holding services in spite of warnings from authorities and health officials that defying physical distancing guidelines could lead to the exponential spread of the deadly disease .

(TMU) — Since the coronavirus pandemic began ripping through the United States, causing major human suffering and contributing to spiraling economic distress, certain extremist members of the Christian right have sought to blame the LGBTQ community for the COVID-19.
And sure enough, when gay people are being scapegoated by the evangelical religious right, Christian media mogul Pat Robertson will be there hoping to lead the pack in blaming LGBTQ folks for COVID-19.
In an episode this week of his long-running series, “The 700 Club,” Robertson suggested that God won’t put a stop to the pandemic until people “turn from their wicked ways,” a reference to the alleged sins of homosexuality and other supposedly “terrible things.”
In a clip captured by watchdog group Media Matters for America, the 90-year-old televangelist is asked by a caller:
“How can God heal our land and forgive the sins when abortion and same-sex marriage are laws and many people are anti-Israel. Doesn’t this prevent his healing and forgiveness?”
Unsurprisingly, Robertson agreed with the caller’s recitation of Christian right talking points. He responded:
“You know, I think you put your finger on something very important.
“We are not turning when we have done terrible things. We have broken the covenant that God made with mankind. We have violated his covenant.
“We have taken the life of the innocent, slaughtered them by the tens of millions. Children made in the image of God … I mean, we’ve allowed this terrible plague to spread throughout our society.”
Concluding, he said:
“And it’s a small wonder God would hold us guilty. But the answer is, you know, you confess your sins and forsake them. Then he heals the land. It’s not before. You are right.”
Robertson’s “700 Club” has been airing since 1966, and has long been an outlet where hardcore Christian evangelicals can propagate far-right perspectives on social issues ranging from same-sex marriage to foreign policy, immigration enforcement, reproductive rights, Islam, and feminism.
On Thursday, the flagship program of the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) featured the controversial Ret. Lt. Gen. Jerry Boykin speaking about society’s alleged “war against men.”
An estimated 650,000 U.S. households tune into “The 700 Club” every day, according to CBN, while the network itself has close ties to the Trump administration and frequently features White House officials as guests.
Rights advocates and LGBTQ activists quickly denounced Robertson’s statements as a homophobic distortion of the Christian gospel.
In a statement, Michael Vazquez, director of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s religion and faith program, said:
“Pat Robertson is once again using tragedy to advance anti-LGBTQ rhetoric that will continue to isolate and harm the LGBTQ community.”
“Jesus never said that being LGBTQ is a sin, and in no way does the Bible correlate the LGBTQ community to natural disasters or other global events and pandemics, including COVID-19. The Bible does, however, give clear instruction to those who adhere to it to ‘do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God.’
“At the core of the Christian faith is an ethic of love and justice, and what Robertson is advocating for is an ethic of hate and violence. Christians who continue to use the LGBTQ community, and other marginalized populations, as scapegoats for tragedy betray their God-given duty to be people of love and inclusion, and doers of mercy and justice.”
Robertson isn’t the first evangelical Christian in the U.S. to blame the so-called “sins” of the American people for the massive health crisis that first erupted in Hubei Province, China, before sweeping across the globe.
Last month, Ralph Drollinger—the minister who leads the weekly Bible study group for President Donald Trump’s cabinet—suggested that China, LGBTQ people, environmentalists, and people with “depraved minds” were responsible for God’s judgment being visited upon us in the form of the novel coronavirus.
Prosperity preacher Kenneth Copeland, who heads the Kenneth Copeland Ministries megachurch, has also described the coronavirus as a “very weak strain of flu” while, nevertheless, claiming that detractors of President Trump have “opened the door” for the virus through their alleged “displays of hate” against him.
Meanwhile, Christian church leaders such as Pastor Tony Spell of Life Tabernacle Church in Baton Rouge, Lousiana and Tampa, Florida-based pastor Rodney Howard-Browne have continued holding services in spite of warnings from authorities and health officials that defying physical distancing guidelines could lead to the exponential spread of the deadly disease.
By Elias Marat | Creative Commons | TheMindUnleashed.com
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themindunleashed--2020-04-24--Grad Student Uses Advanced AI Neural Network to Write His Term Papers

It ’ s an idea many students have probably not yet considered but one that ’ s been manifested by recent technological advances .
An anonymous grad student known as Tiago claims he used the GPT-2 neural network to compose multiple papers that evaded scrutiny from both his professors and plagiarism detection software .
Tiago says he only had to write a single strategic topic sentence and the “ transformer ” neural network algorithm would fill in the rest .
The idea of neural networks has been around since 1943 and has been applied to fields as diverse as computer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and medical diagnosis .
Originally conceived of as mirroring the interconnected nodes of neurons in the human brain , neural networks are a pillar of technological breakthroughs in artificial intelligence and deep learning .
OpenAI , the AI research organization founded by Elon Musk , has already been experimenting with neural networks for years and used them to develop a new fleet of “ language modeling ” algorithms , which includes state-of-the-art “ zero-shot learning.
” To create their text-generating AI system , GPT-2 , researchers originally used data from 8 million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ data aggregator , which created a 40GB data set .
They baited their AI system with a prompt for a counter-intuitive thesis argument that recycling is bad for the Earth .
“ And it wrote this really competent , really well-reasoned essay , ” said David Luan , VP of engineering at the Californian lab .
“ This was something you could have submitted to the US SAT and get a good score on.
” Tiago claims he got the idea after reading about an algorithmic entry into a climate change essay contest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his business school ’ s “ boring ” curriculum and execute a high-tech entrepreneurial sleight-of-hand , tapping the website , “ TalkToTransformer.com.
” This online iteration of the GPT-2 network allowed him to author his 3-5 page paper by merely dictating topic sentences to an AI algorithm .
“ You couldn ’ t write an essay on science that could be anywhere near as convincing using the methods that I used , ” said Tiago .
“ I wrote the structure and one sentence per paragraph .
All the information that was in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but the sentences were added by GPT-2 .
“ I did it for two essays in two different courses…I would write the first sentence of the paragraph , let ’ s say the point of the paragraph is “ Starbucks has innovated by raising the quality of its coffee.
” I would write a sentence that encompasses the whole point , and then I would feed it to GPT-2 , and then I would get a paragraph .
I would generate again until I get something that I found more or less @ @ @ @ @ @ @ GPT-2 network is actually more evolved than even the DeepMind AlphaGo program that defeated the world ’ s champion Go player .
Yet , this same program also lost to a child at Monopoly , which indicates that language and communication remain a complex hurdle in AI deep learning research .
GPT-2 was a significant step forward , so much so that after its initial deployment of the neural network , OpenAI concealed its code and data set from the public because developers feared it would be exploited to spread disinformation and propaganda @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , The Verge ran tests using the prompt “ Jews control the media , ” which produced the following artificially authored manifesto : “ They control the universities .
They control the world economy .
How is this done ?
Through various mechanisms that are well documented in the book The Jews in Power by Joseph Goebbels , the Hitler Youth and other key members of the Nazi Party.
” Jack Clark , policy director at OpenAI , fears trolls could use GPT-2 to disrupt natural communication communities online : “ They ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enough weird information that outweighs the good information that it damages the ability of real people to have real conversations.
” Many scientists , however , believe the risk-reward payoff of advanced predictive text neural networks such as GPT-2 leans toward the positive .
Such technology may produce revolutionary innovations in life sciences , manufacturing , banking , retail , and medical diagnostic research .
“ Neural networks have the ability to identify anomalies , ” says data scientist Leigh Ann Herhold .
“ In the future , we can use them to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ example , if something is cancer , or what some unknown problem is .
And we ’ ll be able to provide these second opinions faster and with more accuracy.
” Others fear the same technology that enables the gleeful production of automated fan fiction could also produce more advanced dystopian surveillance systems and mass media control mechanisms .
In the near-term future , it ’ s worth remembering that all citizens will benefit from having an intermediate to advanced understanding of programming .
Students like Tiago have obviously considered whether it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ papers so they can focus on what they ’ re actually interested in .
Maybe , just maybe it will be advantageous to trade rote memorization for AI proficiency… and solidarity .

(TMU) — Can AI write your term papers?
It’s an idea many students have probably not yet considered but one that’s been manifested by recent technological advances.
An anonymous grad student known as Tiago claims he used the GPT-2 neural network to compose multiple papers that evaded scrutiny from both his professors and plagiarism detection software. Tiago says he only had to write a single strategic topic sentence and the “transformer” neural network algorithm would fill in the rest.
The idea of neural networks has been around since 1943 and has been applied to fields as diverse as computer vision, speech recognition, machine translation, and medical diagnosis. Originally conceived of as mirroring the interconnected nodes of neurons in the human brain, neural networks are a pillar of technological breakthroughs in artificial intelligence and deep learning.
OpenAI, the AI research organization founded by Elon Musk, has already been experimenting with neural networks for years and used them to develop a new fleet of “language modeling” algorithms, which includes state-of-the-art “zero-shot learning.”
To create their text-generating AI system, GPT-2, researchers originally used data from 8 million posts and upvotes from Reddit as a data aggregator, which created a 40GB data set. They baited their AI system with a prompt for a counter-intuitive thesis argument that recycling is bad for the Earth.
“And it wrote this really competent, really well-reasoned essay,” said David Luan, VP of engineering at the Californian lab. “This was something you could have submitted to the US SAT and get a good score on.”
Tiago claims he got the idea after reading about an algorithmic entry into a climate change essay contest. Inspired, he decided to bypass his business school’s “boring” curriculum and execute a high-tech entrepreneurial sleight-of-hand, tapping the website, “TalkToTransformer.com.”
This online iteration of the GPT-2 network allowed him to author his 3-5 page paper by merely dictating topic sentences to an AI algorithm.
“You couldn’t write an essay on science that could be anywhere near as convincing using the methods that I used,” said Tiago. “I wrote the structure and one sentence per paragraph. All the information that was in that final essay was in that structure, but the sentences were added by GPT-2.
“I did it for two essays in two different courses…I would write the first sentence of the paragraph, let’s say the point of the paragraph is “Starbucks has innovated by raising the quality of its coffee.” I would write a sentence that encompasses the whole point, and then I would feed it to GPT-2, and then I would get a paragraph. I would generate again until I get something that I found more or less believable.”
While seemingly user-friendly, the GPT-2 network is actually more evolved than even the DeepMind AlphaGo program that defeated the world’s champion Go player. Yet, this same program also lost to a child at Monopoly, which indicates that language and communication remain a complex hurdle in AI deep learning research.
GPT-2 was a significant step forward, so much so that after its initial deployment of the neural network, OpenAI concealed its code and data set from the public because developers feared it would be exploited to spread disinformation and propaganda across the Internet.
As an example, The Verge ran tests using the prompt “Jews control the media,” which produced the following artificially authored manifesto:
“They control the universities. They control the world economy. How is this done? Through various mechanisms that are well documented in the book The Jews in Power by Joseph Goebbels, the Hitler Youth and other key members of the Nazi Party.”
Jack Clark, policy director at OpenAI, fears trolls could use GPT-2 to disrupt natural communication communities online: “They’ll make it so there’s enough weird information that outweighs the good information that it damages the ability of real people to have real conversations.”
Many scientists, however, believe the risk-reward payoff of advanced predictive text neural networks such as GPT-2 leans toward the positive. Such technology may produce revolutionary innovations in life sciences, manufacturing, banking, retail, and medical diagnostic research.
“Neural networks have the ability to identify anomalies,” says data scientist Leigh Ann Herhold. “In the future, we can use them to give doctors a second opinion – for example, if something is cancer, or what some unknown problem is. And we’ll be able to provide these second opinions faster and with more accuracy.”
Others fear the same technology that enables the gleeful production of automated fan fiction could also produce more advanced dystopian surveillance systems and mass media control mechanisms.
In the near-term future, it’s worth remembering that all citizens will benefit from having an intermediate to advanced understanding of programming. Students like Tiago have obviously considered whether it’s worth using neural networks to produce papers so they can focus on what they’re actually interested in.
Maybe, just maybe it will be advantageous to trade rote memorization for AI proficiency… and solidarity.
By Jake Anderson | Creative Commons | TheMindUnleashed.com
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themindunleashed--2020-04-24--UN Food Agency Chief Warns Global Famine of “Biblical Proportions” Just Months Away

( TMU ) — David Beasley , director of the United Nations World Food Program , told the U.N. Security Council this week that the world is on “ the brink of a hunger pandemic ” and we could be facing “ multiple famines of biblical proportions within a short few months.
” Beasley warned that the world is facing “ a perfect storm ” due to the pandemic , economic crisis , locust swarms , and numerous wars that are still ongoing across the planet .
“ It is critical we come together as one united global community to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most vulnerable nations and communities from its potentially devastating effects , ” Beasley said .
According to the 2020 Global Report on Food Crisis , which was published this week , an additional 135 million people will be facing starvation by the end of the year .
“ In a worst-case scenario , we could be looking at famine in about three dozen countries , and in fact , in 10 of these countries we already have more than one million people per country who are on the verge of starvation , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a real danger that more people could potentially die from the economic impact of COVID-19 than from the virus itself , ” he added .
Beasley said that places like Haiti , Nepal , and Somalia , where a large number of families depend on income from overseas workers will be hit especially hard .
He urged world leaders to set aside their differences and slow down their military adventures to meet the current challenge .
Official address to the UN Security Council , 21 April Yesterday , I spoke to the United @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that war and conflict have on driving hunger .
Millions of civilians living in conflict-scarred nations , including many women and children , face being pushed to the brink of starvation .
With COVID-19 , I want to stress that we 're not only facing a global health pandemic , but also a global humanitarian catastrophe – a HUNGER pandemic.By the end of this year , 265 million people risk being on the verge of starvation .
While there are no famines yet , I warned UN Security Council members that if we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now , we could be facing multiple famines of biblical proportions within a few short months.I know this is very startling but if we act wisely , and we act NOW , we can stop this .
The actions we take , as a global community , will determine our success , or our failure.Watch my address to the UN Security Council below .
“ We need all parties involved in conflicts to give us swift and unimpeded humanitarian access to all vulnerable communities , so they can get the assistance to them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they are or where they are .
Supply chains have to keep moving if we are going to overcome this pandemic and get food from where it is produced to where it is needed , ” he said .
Another concern is that countries will ban exports on certain important foods and medicines , which has already started to happen .
According to Bloomberg , Kazakhstan has banned exports of wheat flour , which is a major concern because the country is one of the world ’ s biggest producers .
Meanwhile , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exporter of rice , has temporarily suspended rice export contracts .
Politicians and business leaders have insisted that the supply chain is strong and that shelves will continue to be filled to meet the increasing demands at grocery stores .
However , there is no doubt that there have been some supply chain disruptions to different parts of the global economy since the outbreak began .
There are also concerns that domestic supply chains will be disrupted if there are continued outbreaks among essential workers .
Last week , meat packaging plants across @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hundreds of workers became sick with the virus .
According to a new investigation by USA Today , meatpacking plants are acting as epicenters for the virus and causing further spread to neighboring communities .
According to the report , rates of infection around these meat packaging plants are higher than 75 % of other counties in the country .

(TMU) — David Beasley, director of the United Nations World Food Program, told the U.N. Security Council this week that the world is on “the brink of a hunger pandemic” and we could be facing “multiple famines of biblical proportions within a short few months.”
Beasley warned that the world is facing “a perfect storm” due to the pandemic, economic crisis, locust swarms, and numerous wars that are still ongoing across the planet.
“It is critical we come together as one united global community to defeat this disease, and protect the most vulnerable nations and communities from its potentially devastating effects,” Beasley said.
According to the 2020 Global Report on Food Crisis, which was published this week, an additional 135 million people will be facing starvation by the end of the year.
“In a worst-case scenario, we could be looking at famine in about three dozen countries, and in fact, in 10 of these countries we already have more than one million people per country who are on the verge of starvation,” Beasley said.
“There’s a real danger that more people could potentially die from the economic impact of COVID-19 than from the virus itself,” he added.
Beasley said that places like Haiti, Nepal, and Somalia, where a large number of families depend on income from overseas workers will be hit especially hard. He urged world leaders to set aside their differences and slow down their military adventures to meet the current challenge.
Official address to the UN Security Council, 21 April Yesterday, I spoke to the United Nations Security Council on the significant effect that war and conflict have on driving hunger. Millions of civilians living in conflict-scarred nations, including many women and children, face being pushed to the brink of starvation. With COVID-19, I want to stress that we're not only facing a global health pandemic, but also a global humanitarian catastrophe – a HUNGER pandemic.By the end of this year, 265 million people risk being on the verge of starvation. While there are no famines yet, I warned UN Security Council members that if we don’t prepare and take action now, we could be facing multiple famines of biblical proportions within a few short months.I know this is very startling but if we act wisely, and we act NOW, we can stop this. The actions we take, as a global community, will determine our success, or our failure.Watch my address to the UN Security Council below. Posted by David Beasley on Wednesday, April 22, 2020
“We need all parties involved in conflicts to give us swift and unimpeded humanitarian access to all vulnerable communities, so they can get the assistance to them that they need, regardless of who they are or where they are. Supply chains have to keep moving if we are going to overcome this pandemic and get food from where it is produced to where it is needed,” he said.
Another concern is that countries will ban exports on certain important foods and medicines, which has already started to happen.
According to Bloomberg, Kazakhstan has banned exports of wheat flour, which is a major concern because the country is one of the world’s biggest producers. Meanwhile, Vietnam, the world’s third-largest exporter of rice, has temporarily suspended rice export contracts.
Politicians and business leaders have insisted that the supply chain is strong and that shelves will continue to be filled to meet the increasing demands at grocery stores. However, there is no doubt that there have been some supply chain disruptions to different parts of the global economy since the outbreak began.
There are also concerns that domestic supply chains will be disrupted if there are continued outbreaks among essential workers.
Last week, meat packaging plants across the U.S. were forced to close as hundreds of workers became sick with the virus. According to a new investigation by USA Today, meatpacking plants are acting as epicenters for the virus and causing further spread to neighboring communities.
According to the report, rates of infection around these meat packaging plants are higher than 75% of other counties in the country.
By John Vibes | Creative Commons | TheMindUnleashed.com
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themindunleashed--2020-04-25--NYC Poison Control Center Sees Spike In Calls Following Trump’s “Disinfectant” Remarks

( TMU ) — This week , everyone has been talking about comments made by US President Donald Trump at one of his regular coronavirus press briefings .
During the press conference , Trump tried his best to describe a variety of experimental treatments that he wants his administration to explore , but his descriptions of the potential treatments were extremely clumsy and gave the impression to many people that common “ disinfectants ” could be ingested or injected to cure the coronavirus .
He also made a quick remark about how UV light could kill the virus , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for this claim , it was once again represented by the president in a very clumsy way , in his typical style of unscripted “ hot takes.
” Of course , Trump ’ s supporters have rushed to his defense , insisting that his comments were misconstrued by the media , reaching to point out a variety of different alternative treatments that might align with his comments .
However , he did not mention any of these treatments by name , and did not give any specifics about the actual research , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” which has a very specific colloquial meaning for most Americans .
During the press conference , Trump ’ s exact words were : “ And then I see the disinfectant , where it knocks it out in a minute .
One minute .
And is there a way we can do something like that , by injection inside or almost a cleaning ?
Because you see it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number on the lungs .
So it would be interesting to check that .
So @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to have to use medical doctors with .
But it sounds , it sounds interesting to me.
” When he was later questioned about his comments following the backlash , Trump said that he was just being sarcastic , and playing games with the media .
“ I was asking a question sarcastically to reporters like you just to see what would happen , ” Trump said .
While his supporters insist that his message were clear , it appears that some people took his comments literally , and trusted his advice enough @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Despite warnings from local health departments , and an announcement from Lysol telling its customers not to drink or inject bleach , poison control centers around the country saw a spike in activity in the days following the president ’ s remarks .
According to an NBC affiliate in New York City , the city had 30 exposure calls in the hours after the president ’ s press conference , nine of those calls were specifically about Lysol , ten were about bleach and 11 were about other household cleaners .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the center recorded this time last year , where only 13 calls happened in that same period , only 2 involving bleach , and none including Lysol .
Luckily , none of the calls this week resulted in death or hospitalization .
Some of this increase from last year can be attributed to the fact that more people are at home and dealing with cleaners .
Even before Trump ’ s comments , poison control centers in Kentucky and other areas were reporting higher rates of poison control calls , mostly relating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ centers have had an especially busy week following the president ’ s remarks .

(TMU) — This week, everyone has been talking about comments made by US President Donald Trump at one of his regular coronavirus press briefings.
During the press conference, Trump tried his best to describe a variety of experimental treatments that he wants his administration to explore, but his descriptions of the potential treatments were extremely clumsy and gave the impression to many people that common “disinfectants” could be ingested or injected to cure the coronavirus.
He also made a quick remark about how UV light could kill the virus, and while there is a legitimate scientific basis for this claim, it was once again represented by the president in a very clumsy way, in his typical style of unscripted “hot takes.”
Of course, Trump’s supporters have rushed to his defense, insisting that his comments were misconstrued by the media, reaching to point out a variety of different alternative treatments that might align with his comments. However, he did not mention any of these treatments by name, and did not give any specifics about the actual research, and instead used vague terms like “disinfectant,” which has a very specific colloquial meaning for most Americans.
Hi, ER Doc here. Do NOT inject or consume ANY disinfectants in an attempt to kill COVID19. — Sam Ghali, M.D. (@EM_RESUS) April 23, 2020
During the press conference, Trump’s exact words were:
“And then I see the disinfectant, where it knocks it out in a minute. One minute. And is there a way we can do something like that, by injection inside or almost a cleaning? Because you see it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number on the lungs. So it would be interesting to check that. So, that, you’re going to have to use medical doctors with. But it sounds, it sounds interesting to me.”
When he was later questioned about his comments following the backlash, Trump said that he was just being sarcastic, and playing games with the media.
“I was asking a question sarcastically to reporters like you just to see what would happen,” Trump said.
While his supporters insist that his message were clear, it appears that some people took his comments literally, and trusted his advice enough to ingest dangerous amounts of household cleaners.
Please don't eat tide pods or inject yourself with any kind of disinfectant. If you do need help with #COVID19 issues, we have lots of resources at https://t.co/C4x8jjWL0x Just don't make a bad situation worse. — WA Emergency Management ? (@waEMD) April 23, 2020
Despite warnings from local health departments, and an announcement from Lysol telling its customers not to drink or inject bleach, poison control centers around the country saw a spike in activity in the days following the president’s remarks.
Reminder: Lysol disinfectant and hygiene products should only be used as directed and in line with usage guidelines pic.twitter.com/yPVhvINxbU — Lysol (@Lysol) April 24, 2020
According to an NBC affiliate in New York City, the city had 30 exposure calls in the hours after the president’s press conference, nine of those calls were specifically about Lysol, ten were about bleach and 11 were about other household cleaners. This is reportedly more than double the number that the center recorded this time last year, where only 13 calls happened in that same period, only 2 involving bleach, and none including Lysol. Luckily, none of the calls this week resulted in death or hospitalization.
Some of this increase from last year can be attributed to the fact that more people are at home and dealing with cleaners. Even before Trump’s comments, poison control centers in Kentucky and other areas were reporting higher rates of poison control calls, mostly relating to children. However, poison control centers have had an especially busy week following the president’s remarks.
By John Vibes | Creative Commons | TheMindUnleashed.com
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themindunleashed--2020-04-27--Tom Hanks Says His Blood Will Be Used to Develop Coronavirus Vaccine

( TMU ) — The blood of actor Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson will reportedly be used for the development of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine .
The couple was among the first high profile figures outside of China to test positive for the novel coronavirus that causes the disease COVID-19 .
According to a statement published by a spokesperson for the Hanks family , the couple caught the virus in Australia where Hanks was in the middle of filming for Baz Luhrmann ’ s untitled Elvis Presley biopic in which Hanks is playing Presley ’ s manager , Colonel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about his role in the development of a vaccine during a recent interview on the NPR podcast “ Wait Wait… Don ’ t Tell Me !
.
” Hanks said , ” We just found out that we do carry the antibodies .
We have not only been approached ; we have said , do you want our blood ?
Can we give plasma ?
And , in fact , we will be giving it now to the places that hope to work on what I would like to call the Hank-ccine.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had far more severe symptoms than he did .
“ Rita went through a tougher time than I did .
She had a much-higher fever and she had some other symptoms .
She lost her sense of taste and smell .
She got absolutely no joy from food for a better part of three weeks .
She was so nauseous , she had to crawl on the floor from the bed to the facilities .
It lasted a while , ” Hanks said , according to Insider .
The idea of using someone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a vaccine may sound strange , but it is part of a study that the couple volunteered for after recovering from SARS-CoV-2 and coming out of quarantine .
He said that the study was intended to find antibodies that would be useful for scientists who are currently working to develop a vaccine .
Since they both carry antibodies for the virus , they donated their blood to be used in any way that could help .
However , this approach is not necessarily guaranteed to work , because we still don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus .
In fact , scientists have never been able to develop an effective vaccine for any other coronavirus before .
Last week , the World Health Organization ( WHO ) recently issued a statement saying that there was no evidence that catching SARS-CoV-2 or having its antibodies will contribute to future immunity .
Rachel Roper , a professor of immunology at East Carolina University who took part in efforts to develop a SARS vaccine , says that the process is more difficult and complicated than most people realize .
“ People think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ antibodies to it , it ’ s going to be protective .
That ’ s not necessarily true .
We were able to induce an immune response , but it wasn ’ t good enough to really protect against the disease , ” Roper said of the SARS vaccines that she helped work on .
Please continue to check TMU for important updates on the pandemic and follow along with the very latest news on Telegram .

(TMU) — The blood of actor Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson will reportedly be used for the development of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. The couple was among the first high profile figures outside of China to test positive for the novel coronavirus that causes the disease COVID-19.
According to a statement published by a spokesperson for the Hanks family, the couple caught the virus in Australia where Hanks was in the middle of filming for Baz Luhrmann’s untitled Elvis Presley biopic in which Hanks is playing Presley’s manager, Colonel Tom Parker.
Hanks revealed the news about his role in the development of a vaccine during a recent interview on the NPR podcast “Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!.”
Hanks said, ”We just found out that we do carry the antibodies. We have not only been approached; we have said, do you want our blood? Can we give plasma? And, in fact, we will be giving it now to the places that hope to work on what I would like to call the Hank-ccine.”
Hanks also said that his wife Rita had far more severe symptoms than he did.
“Rita went through a tougher time than I did. She had a much-higher fever and she had some other symptoms. She lost her sense of taste and smell. She got absolutely no joy from food for a better part of three weeks. She was so nauseous, she had to crawl on the floor from the bed to the facilities. It lasted a while,” Hanks said, according to Insider.
The idea of using someone’s blood for the development of a vaccine may sound strange, but it is part of a study that the couple volunteered for after recovering from SARS-CoV-2 and coming out of quarantine. He said that the study was intended to find antibodies that would be useful for scientists who are currently working to develop a vaccine. Since they both carry antibodies for the virus, they donated their blood to be used in any way that could help.
However, this approach is not necessarily guaranteed to work, because we still don’t know much about immunity to this new coronavirus. In fact, scientists have never been able to develop an effective vaccine for any other coronavirus before.
Last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) recently issued a statement saying that there was no evidence that catching SARS-CoV-2 or having its antibodies will contribute to future immunity.
Rachel Roper, a professor of immunology at East Carolina University who took part in efforts to develop a SARS vaccine, says that the process is more difficult and complicated than most people realize.
“People think, ‘Oh, if you make antibodies to it, it’s going to be protective. That’s not necessarily true. We were able to induce an immune response, but it wasn’t good enough to really protect against the disease,” Roper said of the SARS vaccines that she helped work on.
Please continue to check TMU for important updates on the pandemic and follow along with the very latest news on Telegram.
By John Vibes | Creative Commons | TheMindUnleashed.com
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themindunleashed--2020-04-26--With Tourists Gone, Australian Scuba Tours Are Planting Coral on Great Barrier Reef Instead

( TMU ) — As Australia ’ s tourism has come to a crashing halt following the back-to-back tragedies of an unprecedented bushfire season and the coronavirus pandemic , tourism companies are volunteering their time , labor and resources to give back to the ocean environment .
Family-owned diving tour company Passions of Paradise is one such company hoping to nurture and heal the coastal environment by planting coral on the Great Barrier Reef off Australia ’ s coast , which has been reeling in recent years due to the devastating impact of human activities .
Passions of Paradise CEO @ @ @ @ @ @ @ company has donated an advanced multi-hulled catamaran , the Passions III , as well as fuel and volunteers to the Coral Nurture Program , which was initiated by the tourism industry and scientific community of Australia to bring life back to the Great Barrier Reef .
“ We have been assisting Dr. David Suggett ’ s team from the University of Technology Sydney who is conducting reef resilience research at one of our 26 reef sites .
“ I have been working with Passions of Paradise Environmental Sustainability Coordinator Russell Hosp at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ project and establishing a coral nursery.
” The expansive Great Barrier Reef comprises about 2,900 reefs and 900 islands .
It is home to an incredible array of fish , shrimp , and various other reef denizens .
In recent years , dead coral reefs have become one of the major horrors resulting from the impact of human economic activities , with thousands of miles of coral ecosystem across the globe being transformed into bleached-out graveyards due to the devastating impact of fast-heating ocean temperatures , rising sea levels , pollution , marine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ result , the Great Barrier Reef—the largest living structure on the entire planet—has rapidly died off , turning massive amounts of once-dazzling coral reef ecosystems teeming with healthy marine life into dead zones .
The bleaching and eventual death of the Great Barrier Reef would not only spell doom for ocean life , but would also be the final nail in the coffin of Australia ’ s lucrative eco-tourism industry whose essential “ product ” is the environment itself .
The danger of a further degradation of the reef ecosystem coincides with a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ domestic travel to Far North Queensland , which largely relies on billions of dollars in tourism revenue to keep local restaurants , hotels , and businesses running .
For this reason , five tourism companies—Passions of Paradise , Wavelength , Ocean Freedom , Sailaway , and Quicksilver Cruises—have pledged to use the lull in tourism to help clean up corals and help eliminate harmful pests that pose a threat to reef ecosystems , such as the crown-of-thorns starfish which is responsible for a large amount of coral destruction in the Great Barrier Reef @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to give operators yet another stewardship activity they can do at their reef sites in addition to Crown-of-Thorns eradication and the Eye on Reef monitoring program.
” The program involves volunteers restoring coral that has been fragmented and re-attaching them to reefs using state-of-the-art technology , such as “ coral clips.
” Howlett continued : “ We can only use fragments of opportunity found at the site , so Passions of Paradise has installed six frames at the site which can be used as a nursery to grow more corals .
“ Once @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it to the nursery to grow and as it grows they can take fragments from it to attach to the reef giving them a continual source of new corals .
“ The 12-month project finishes next month , however , the operators can continue to operate the nurseries and outplant the corals.
” Passions of Paradise CEO Garden said that 1,000 pieces of coral have been planted so far on Hastings Reef , one of the most popular reefs for travelers that lies about 30 nautical miles from Queensland ’ s bustling tourist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when the crisis subsides , visitors will be able to indulge in a restored and sustainable ocean environment .
He said : “ When tours resume passengers will be able to snorkel over the site which boasts healthy marine life and corals near the nursery .
”

(TMU) — As Australia’s tourism has come to a crashing halt following the back-to-back tragedies of an unprecedented bushfire season and the coronavirus pandemic, tourism companies are volunteering their time, labor and resources to give back to the ocean environment.
Family-owned diving tour company Passions of Paradise is one such company hoping to nurture and heal the coastal environment by planting coral on the Great Barrier Reef off Australia’s coast, which has been reeling in recent years due to the devastating impact of human activities.
Passions of Paradise CEO Scott Garden told Karryon that the eco-tourism company has donated an advanced multi-hulled catamaran, the Passions III, as well as fuel and volunteers to the Coral Nurture Program, which was initiated by the tourism industry and scientific community of Australia to bring life back to the Great Barrier Reef.
Garden explained:
“We have been assisting Dr. David Suggett’s team from the University of Technology Sydney who is conducting reef resilience research at one of our 26 reef sites.
“I have been working with Passions of Paradise Environmental Sustainability Coordinator Russell Hosp at the site most weeks recording data for the project and establishing a coral nursery.”
The expansive Great Barrier Reef comprises about 2,900 reefs and 900 islands. It is home to an incredible array of fish, shrimp, and various other reef denizens.
In recent years, dead coral reefs have become one of the major horrors resulting from the impact of human economic activities, with thousands of miles of coral ecosystem across the globe being transformed into bleached-out graveyards due to the devastating impact of fast-heating ocean temperatures, rising sea levels, pollution, marine pests, and overfishing.
As a result, the Great Barrier Reef—the largest living structure on the entire planet—has rapidly died off, turning massive amounts of once-dazzling coral reef ecosystems teeming with healthy marine life into dead zones.
The bleaching and eventual death of the Great Barrier Reef would not only spell doom for ocean life, but would also be the final nail in the coffin of Australia’s lucrative eco-tourism industry whose essential “product” is the environment itself.
The danger of a further degradation of the reef ecosystem coincides with a drastic and prolonged pause in international and domestic travel to Far North Queensland, which largely relies on billions of dollars in tourism revenue to keep local restaurants, hotels, and businesses running.
For this reason, five tourism companies—Passions of Paradise, Wavelength, Ocean Freedom, Sailaway, and Quicksilver Cruises—have pledged to use the lull in tourism to help clean up corals and help eliminate harmful pests that pose a threat to reef ecosystems, such as the crown-of-thorns starfish which is responsible for a large amount of coral destruction in the Great Barrier Reef.
Project coordinator and PhD student Lorna Howlett explained:
“The Coral Nurture Program aims to give operators yet another stewardship activity they can do at their reef sites in addition to Crown-of-Thorns eradication and the Eye on Reef monitoring program.”
The program involves volunteers restoring coral that has been fragmented and re-attaching them to reefs using state-of-the-art technology, such as “coral clips.” Howlett continued:
“We can only use fragments of opportunity found at the site, so Passions of Paradise has installed six frames at the site which can be used as a nursery to grow more corals.
“Once they find a coral fragment they attach it to the nursery to grow and as it grows they can take fragments from it to attach to the reef giving them a continual source of new corals.
“The 12-month project finishes next month, however, the operators can continue to operate the nurseries and outplant the corals.”
Passions of Paradise CEO Garden said that 1,000 pieces of coral have been planted so far on Hastings Reef, one of the most popular reefs for travelers that lies about 30 nautical miles from Queensland’s bustling tourist city of Cairns.
Garden hopes that when the crisis subsides, visitors will be able to indulge in a restored and sustainable ocean environment. He said:
“When tours resume passengers will be able to snorkel over the site which boasts healthy marine life and corals near the nursery.”
By Elias Marat | Creative Commons | TheMindUnleashed.com
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themindunleashed--2020-04-26--Restaurants Across the US Turn Parking Lots Into Drive-In Movie Theaters and Find Huge Success

( TMU ) — The coronavirus pandemic has put most of our social lives on hold or reduced it to a pale shadow of what it was .
And for many of us , there is a definite limit to how much fun we can inject into our quarantine lifestyles through games and binge-watching Netflix .
But what if it was possible to enjoy a good date with a loved one while still respecting the physical distancing guidelines put in place to curb the spread of COVID-19 ?
With precisely that solution in mind—and amid a brutal economic downturn primarily @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have devised a novel solution that draws on American nostalgia , brings in paying clientele , while also offering a safe option for entertaining crowds .
Since social distancing rules began in March , restaurants across America have begun turning their parking lots into drive-in cinemas , offering an opportunity to stir-crazy couples and families craving a social outing such as dinner and a movie .
Peoples Restaurant and Lounge in Corpus Christi , Texas , is a popular eatery that has seen revenue dry up since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ April 18 that it would begin screening films in its parking lot—beginning with Toy Story 4—customers old and new quickly flocked back to snatch up tickets .
“ We are in awe on how quickly we sold out of tickets this week .
The community ’ s response to our drive-in has really made a huge impact for us.
” The idea was a result of family brainstorming as well as a trend that has swept the U.S. and other countries in recent months .
“ We were having a hard time trying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It was costing us more money to stay open that way .
“ But when one of my daughters came up with the drive-in idea , our whole family was on board and went straight to work to make it a reality.
” Up north in Mingus , Texas , another restaurant also decided last month that it would be a good idea to revive drive-in theaters .
In a Facebook post , Clint Gibson , the owner of BJ ’ s Restaurant and Bar , announced that his restaurant would begin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Sandlot , while also offering old-school car-side service .
“ When the world is shutting down we have to go back to our roots for entertainment.
” Over the past weekend , BJ ’ s also screened Tombstone and Dirty Dancing , charging $ 10 per vehicle while urging patrons to show up early to reserve a highly sought-after spot .
Meanwhile in Arizona , Food & Wine reports that the Ajo Al ’ s group of Mexican restaurants set up inflatable screens in the parking lots of its various in order @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to guests while they park their cars six feet apart and enjoy some takeout chips and queso , brisket tacos , and bean dip .
And in Omaha , Nebraska , Tex-Mex cantina The Corner Kick brought about 35 vehicles to their parking lot when they screened the classic comedy The Three Amigos on three different screen across the side of the building .
However , the idea of pop-up drive-in theaters has had its challenges , with some , like V Pizza in North Carolina , them being shut down for violating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legal problems from movie studios due to licensing issues .
As Food & Wine notes , drive-in theaters first began operating in 1933 , long before the polio vaccine was developed .
Prior to the widespread introduction of the vaccine , drive-ins were frequently advertised to parents “ who fear to expose their children or themselves to local epidemics , ” and as a place where one could “ be flu and polio protected.
” Drive-ins had their hey-day roughly up until the 1960s , but a number of different factors—including the availability @ @ @ @ @ @ @ video rental shops—contributed to their decline .
But for Joe Gonzalez in Corpus Christi , the revival of drive-in theaters is a matter of not just entertainment or business , but hope .
“ We really appreciate the backing we are getting from the public right now .
“ This drive-in gives us the opportunity to give back to our community and help us stay open .
It really makes us feel like things can really go back to normal again .
”

(TMU) — The coronavirus pandemic has put most of our social lives on hold or reduced it to a pale shadow of what it was. And for many of us, there is a definite limit to how much fun we can inject into our quarantine lifestyles through games and binge-watching Netflix.
But what if it was possible to enjoy a good date with a loved one while still respecting the physical distancing guidelines put in place to curb the spread of COVID-19?
With precisely that solution in mind—and amid a brutal economic downturn primarily slamming small businesses—restaurants across the United States have devised a novel solution that draws on American nostalgia, brings in paying clientele, while also offering a safe option for entertaining crowds.
Since social distancing rules began in March, restaurants across America have begun turning their parking lots into drive-in cinemas, offering an opportunity to stir-crazy couples and families craving a social outing such as dinner and a movie.
Peoples Restaurant and Lounge in Corpus Christi, Texas, is a popular eatery that has seen revenue dry up since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
However, when it announced on April 18 that it would begin screening films in its parking lot—beginning with Toy Story 4—customers old and new quickly flocked back to snatch up tickets.
We sold out on movies for the week of April 26. Again thank you and we hope to put out the next movies soon! So stay… Posted by Peoples Restaurant and Lounge on Saturday, April 25, 2020
Co-owner Joe Gonzalez told Corpus Christi Caller Times:
“We are in awe on how quickly we sold out of tickets this week. The community’s response to our drive-in has really made a huge impact for us.”
The idea was a result of family brainstorming as well as a trend that has swept the U.S. and other countries in recent months.
Gonzalez added:
“We were having a hard time trying to stay afloat through carry-out and delivery. It was costing us more money to stay open that way.
“But when one of my daughters came up with the drive-in idea, our whole family was on board and went straight to work to make it a reality.”
Up north in Mingus, Texas, another restaurant also decided last month that it would be a good idea to revive drive-in theaters.
In a Facebook post, Clint Gibson, the owner of BJ’s Restaurant and Bar, announced that his restaurant would begin start films, beginning with baseball classic The Sandlot, while also offering old-school car-side service.
Gibson wrote:
“When the world is shutting down we have to go back to our roots for entertainment.”
When the world is shutting down we have to go back to our roots for entertainment. Here is a sneak peek of our mobile… Posted by Clint Gibson on Thursday, March 26, 2020
Over the past weekend, BJ’s also screened Tombstone and Dirty Dancing, charging $10 per vehicle while urging patrons to show up early to reserve a highly sought-after spot.
Meanwhile in Arizona, Food & Wine reports that the Ajo Al’s group of Mexican restaurants set up inflatable screens in the parking lots of its various in order to screen the beloved Pixar film Coco to guests while they park their cars six feet apart and enjoy some takeout chips and queso, brisket tacos, and bean dip.
And in Omaha, Nebraska, Tex-Mex cantina The Corner Kick brought about 35 vehicles to their parking lot when they screened the classic comedy The Three Amigos on three different screen across the side of the building.
However, the idea of pop-up drive-in theaters has had its challenges, with some, like V Pizza in North Carolina, them being shut down for violating stay-at-home orders, while others have faced legal problems from movie studios due to licensing issues.
Lots of people are asking when we release and announce movie tickets for sale. It’s really difficult to let y’all know a certain date because we are dependent on licensing company. In order, to find out you have to follow our page and change your notifications settings. We made a video so you can see just how to do that! Hopefully this helps!! Posted by Peoples Restaurant and Lounge on Sunday, April 26, 2020
As Food & Wine notes, drive-in theaters first began operating in 1933, long before the polio vaccine was developed. Prior to the widespread introduction of the vaccine, drive-ins were frequently advertised to parents “who fear to expose their children or themselves to local epidemics,” and as a place where one could “be flu and polio protected.”
Drive-ins had their hey-day roughly up until the 1960s, but a number of different factors—including the availability of color television, VCRs, and video rental shops—contributed to their decline.
But for Joe Gonzalez in Corpus Christi, the revival of drive-in theaters is a matter of not just entertainment or business, but hope.
He said:
“We really appreciate the backing we are getting from the public right now.
“This drive-in gives us the opportunity to give back to our community and help us stay open. It really makes us feel like things can really go back to normal again.”
By Elias Marat | Creative Commons | TheMindUnleashed.com
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themindunleashed--2020-04-26--6-Month-Old Baby Miraculously Beats COVID-19 While Battling Heart Condition, Collapsed Lungs

( TMU ) — An adorable six-month-old baby girl has miraculously overcome coronavirus while also struggling with respiratory illness , collapsed lungs , and a rare heart defect .
Erin Bates of Manchester , U.K. , was cheered by nurses , doctors , and medical staff as she was escorted through her hospital after triumphing over what seemed like improbable odds that she would survive COVID-19 .
Only weeks prior to Erin ’ s recovery , parents Emma and Wayne Bates were told that her chances of survival were unlikely .
Photographs shared by Erin ’ s parents showed the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unit at Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool , where she was wearing an oxygen mask while surrounded by tubes and medical machinery .
Her diagnosis arrived after she was recovering from open-heart surgery to treat a rare condition called Tetralogy of Fallot , a birth defect that impacts the normal flow of blood through the heart , according to 7NEWS .
As she was recovering , Erin contracted the respiratory syncytial virus before being diagnosed with other conditions that prevented her from breathing properly , such as bronchomalacia and tracheomalacia .
Things were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was unable to breathe for herself even prior to her testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 , the virus that causes COVID-19 , on April 10 .
The family was especially impacted by the diagnosis because of rules imposed following the outbreak of the pandemic that allowed only one parent to stay in the hospital with the infant .
Erin ’ s desperate parents were “ heartbroken ” by Erin ’ s COVID-19 diagnosis , they told BBC , and the young couple were circulating photos of Erin to prod the public into taking the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seriously and to stay indoors .
However , on Thursday the parents received the wonderful news that Erin had beat all the odds and recovered from the disease caused by the novel coronavirus .
Erin ’ s ecstatic father Wayne , 32 , announced the news on Facebook .
He posted : “ Erin has beaten the virus .
It hit her hard with a few ups and downs but we wanted people to know coronavirus doesn ’ t have to be a death sentence for people with pre-existing conditions .
“ She @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Staff at the NHS were also overjoyed that their efforts had contributed to saving the infant ’ s life .
The hospital held an impromptu celebration that included an “ honor guard ” of medical workers who cheered on Erin before her beaming , proud parents .
In a statement , the hospital said : “ You may have heard about six-month-old Erin , who is in Alder Hey after recently being diagnosed with COVID-19 .
Erin was in an isolation room here for 14 days with mum Emma whilst being treated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ little Erin beat COVID-19 after testing negative and received a guard of honor by the treating team on our HDU as she was moved out of isolation .
She is still being treated for other conditions at Alder Hey but is making good progress .
“ Erin ’ s mum said of the staff who treated her : ‘ Thank you so much to each and every one of them , we couldn ’ t have got through it without them .
They are all truly amazing and we will be forever grateful @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to remain a long-term patient due to the range of medical issues that confront her , her family nevertheless remain “ relieved ” and “ proud ” of their baby , and endlessly grateful to the medical workers who ensured that she survived .
“ Our little girl has beat COVID-19 .
We are so proud .
“ Thank you to all the staff at Alder Hey you are truly amazing.
” While Emma has been accompanying Erin , Wayne has gone into self-isolation due to his contact with the baby .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ constant contact via Facetime and phone calls .
However , the family is still struggling to cover Erin ’ s hospital bills while also remaining by her side at the hospital .
You can donate to a GoFundMe page set up by a family friend here .

(TMU) — An adorable six-month-old baby girl has miraculously overcome coronavirus while also struggling with respiratory illness, collapsed lungs, and a rare heart defect.
Erin Bates of Manchester, U.K., was cheered by nurses, doctors, and medical staff as she was escorted through her hospital after triumphing over what seemed like improbable odds that she would survive COVID-19.
Only weeks prior to Erin’s recovery, parents Emma and Wayne Bates were told that her chances of survival were unlikely.
Photographs shared by Erin’s parents showed the tiny, bright-eyed infant in a high-dependency unit at Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool, where she was wearing an oxygen mask while surrounded by tubes and medical machinery.
Her diagnosis arrived after she was recovering from open-heart surgery to treat a rare condition called Tetralogy of Fallot, a birth defect that impacts the normal flow of blood through the heart, according to 7NEWS.
As she was recovering, Erin contracted the respiratory syncytial virus before being diagnosed with other conditions that prevented her from breathing properly, such as bronchomalacia and tracheomalacia.
Things were already looking desperate for Erin as she was unable to breathe for herself even prior to her testing positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, on April 10.
The family was especially impacted by the diagnosis because of rules imposed following the outbreak of the pandemic that allowed only one parent to stay in the hospital with the infant.
Erin’s desperate parents were “heartbroken” by Erin’s COVID-19 diagnosis, they told BBC, and the young couple were circulating photos of Erin to prod the public into taking the government’s physical distancing guidelines more seriously and to stay indoors.
However, on Thursday the parents received the wonderful news that Erin had beat all the odds and recovered from the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
Erin’s ecstatic father Wayne, 32, announced the news on Facebook. He posted:
“Erin has beaten the virus. It hit her hard with a few ups and downs but we wanted people to know coronavirus doesn’t have to be a death sentence for people with pre-existing conditions.
“She is all smiles and talking to herself.”
Staff at the NHS were also overjoyed that their efforts had contributed to saving the infant’s life. The hospital held an impromptu celebration that included an “honor guard” of medical workers who cheered on Erin before her beaming, proud parents.
6 month old Erin ? was recently diagnosed with #COVID19 and was in an isolation room here for 14 days with mum Emma whilst being treated ? Today, Erin beat COVID-19 & received a guard of honour by the treating team on our HDU as she was moved out of isolation ??? pic.twitter.com/hiYQFEaLmF — ? Alder Hey ? (@AlderHey) April 24, 2020
In a statement, the hospital said:
“You may have heard about six-month-old Erin, who is in Alder Hey after recently being diagnosed with COVID-19. Erin was in an isolation room here for 14 days with mum Emma whilst being treated by our staff.
“Today, little Erin beat COVID-19 after testing negative and received a guard of honor by the treating team on our HDU as she was moved out of isolation. She is still being treated for other conditions at Alder Hey but is making good progress.
“Erin’s mum said of the staff who treated her: ‘Thank you so much to each and every one of them, we couldn’t have got through it without them. They are all truly amazing and we will be forever grateful.'”
While Erin will continue to remain a long-term patient due to the range of medical issues that confront her, her family nevertheless remain “relieved” and “proud” of their baby, and endlessly grateful to the medical workers who ensured that she survived.
Erin’s mother Emma, 29, also posted on Facebook:
“Our little girl has beat COVID-19. We are so proud.
“Thank you to all the staff at Alder Hey you are truly amazing.”
While Emma has been accompanying Erin, Wayne has gone into self-isolation due to his contact with the baby. In the meantime, the family remains in constant contact via Facetime and phone calls.
However, the family is still struggling to cover Erin’s hospital bills while also remaining by her side at the hospital. You can donate to a GoFundMe page set up by a family friend here.
By Elias Marat | Creative Commons | TheMindUnleashed.com
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