Buffalo airport pcr test

I’ve been having a couple of issues running this game in a way that I believe it should have no problem running.
Issue 1: Loading into Ioannis Kapodistrias International Airport (LGKR) FlyTampa-Corfu add-on with the MSFS A320neo with the 4Simmers – A320 Neo Liveries Megapack Worldwide. The avionics screens are all blank.
Issues 2: Loading into Ioannis Kapodistrias International Airport (LGKR) FlyTampa-Corfu add-on with the LVFR A321neo. The avionics screens are blank or the game CTDs.
Issue 3: Loading into either FlyTampa-Las Vegas McCarran (KLAS) add-on or KDCA with the Drzewiecki Design Washington Landmarks installed using the PMDG Boeing 737-800, the game CTDs.
I’ve tested these scenarios with a ‘vanilla’ MSFS install, as well as with a fully installed config with all World Updates installed and had the same issues.
Are these issues related to the add-ons, the aircraft, a combination or something else altogether?
System Setup:
XBOX Series X -> FiOS 1GB via Ethernet MSFS Install: 290.4 GB Free Space: 353.2 GB MSFS Reserved Space: 161.4 GB Data Limitation: Off Data Bandwidth: Unlimited Rolling Cache: On - 8GB

“You’re certain there were no other changes, no other differences in that hunt?” Murdoch asked, the young man who’d brought the news withering under his glare.
“Th-this is all from social media so,” he stuttered.
“Damn those Russians,” Murdoch cursed, “go see if the government has anything more.”
With a nod the other man turned to leave the office, pausing and returning with a nervous apology as he set the rest of the folder on Murdoch’s desk before retreating. The doctor opened the folder, which had disappointingly few pages contained within, most of which were blank.
“The Russians aren’t part of the defense pact,” he explained to me as he paged through the meager contents of the folder, “its difficult to get information out of them at the best of times. Only the Chinese are worse, the Russian’s have a mostly open internet so information does get out. The only data we get out of China comes from satellite imagery.”
“Why would the kind of creature being sent through change?” I wondered aloud.
“It could be another method to keep our attention,” the Harmony suggested, “you now have no choice but to devote resources to combating and understanding this new threat, making it less likely you notice what is really going on.”
“Or it’s a change in tactics,” said Murdoch, “at least within the pact we’re stopping nearly 90% of hunts successfully in recent weeks, especially since your… friend arrived.”
“Is that a thank you doctor?” the Saint asked as she stepped back into the room.
“Hardly,” the large doctor huffed, “we’d have gotten there before long without your help.”
“Did you hear about the new development?” I asked and, when the Saint shook her head, I quickly caught her up on what little we’ve learned.
“That’s worrying,” she said after considering what we’d told her, “flying enemies are harder to fight.”
“They also use rather sophisticated pack hunting tactics,” the Harmony added, “when I said the Torvare weren’t an animal I’d consider using for planetary invasion, the Vash-shen are. I can think of a few that might be better, but it would largely depend on the extent of biological engineering available, or the exact goal.”
“So this is an invasion?” the Saint asked.
“I don’t know,” admitted the Harmony.
I began to pace as I thought, wracking my mind to try and fit everything together. Heavily modified animals native to the homeworld of the Phaerkin, wormhole technology that they didn’t seem to fully understand, the hunts that seemed oddly controlled to not be too deadly. It didn’t add up, what possible goal could there be?
“I managed to leverage some satellite time from the government,” the Saint explained as I thought, “we should be getting imagery of the area around where pods landed, but didn’t start a proper hunt, within a few hours. Hopefully that’ll still happen with this new development.”
“I just… I don’t understand what is going on here,” I replied, “the hunts don’t seem like an invasion attempt, otherwise why not just release too many genetically engineered animals for us to manage. And why contain the hunt area? It’s almost like they want us to defeat the creatures they release.”
“Isn’t that why you figured it was just a distraction?” she asked.
“Yes, but now we’re looking at two species, at least, modified in nearly identical ways. That’s a lot more effort to put in with a minimal return in terms of distraction,” I replied, “at worst we spend some time finding new tactics and weapons to deal with the new threat, but it doesn’t require as much time as genetically modifying a new species would.”
“Does seem a poor return on investment,” she admitted.
“Their ship is sublight,” said Murdoch, “even if they can reach a sizeable fraction of the speed of light, it would have taken hundreds of years to get here. Maybe they tested with a number of species in that time.”
“And then stockpiled multiple kinds?” I asked.
“This has The Composer’s touch to it,” the Harmony spoke up, drawing everyone’s gaze.
“Oh!” I said suddenly, “you’re thinking the creatures were modified by some version of you?”
“Yes,” it said.
“You said that Harmony was a kind of AI right?” Murdoch asked, “you think it was used to streamline the genetic engineering process?”
“Or, more likely, was modified to directly infect the creatures,” I replied, “I’ve been to a world where the Harmony could transmit itself through light, and would alter those it infected into… monsters.”
“I am not capable of such a feat,” the Harmony added.
“I don’t know why the Harmony was originally made, but the Composer, another traveler I encounter all too often, uses various iterations of it to horrifying effect,” I explained.
“And you are bringing it with you?” Murdoch asked, looking wearily at the crystals floating over my shoulder, “is that wise?”
“I believe this is an early version of the Harmony, knowledgeable but lacking many of the… functions of the later versions.”
“But it was made by this Composer fellow, right? How do we know it isn’t still working for him?”
“I am not working with him,” the Harmony growled, sounding genuinely angry for the first time, “he used me as a weapon, then abandoned me, incomplete. I am not a weapon, being capable of so much more. He used me like a simple tool, to accomplish his goal, with no regard for me. When I eventually catch up to him I shall take pleasure in ripping all his knowledge from his mind before eradicating all trace of his consciousness.”
No one spoke for a moment, either stunned or afraid. I was so used to the Harmony speaking in a barely emotive monotone that this surge of rage had me surprised more than anything. The Saint of Battle, meanwhile, had taken a step backwards, a hand going for her rifle, but not moving to draw it, while Murdoch looked conflicted.
“I’ve never seen you this… animated,” I commented.
“You forget my nature,” it replied, voice calm once more, “I am an amalgam constructed from the minds of an entire species. The emotional response of an individual matters little to me, but every Phaerkin which is now within my Harmony feels the same wrath towards the Composer. Their anger combines in harmony to become mine.”
“A lingering specter of anger,” the Saint whispered, “the death cry of a people given life.”
“A poetic way to describe it,” the Harmony agreed.
“So…” I said slowly, “the Harmony isn’t on the side of the Composer, I wouldn’t go so far as to say its on our side but…”
“Ya,” Murdoch nodded, though he still looked conflicted.
“Is there any way to confirm if these creatures were created by another Harmony?” the Saint asked, having relaxed somewhat.
“I would need to examine the creatures directly,” I said, “if the Composer created a virus version of the Harmony I should be able to analyze it.”
“There’s no virus or anything in the goo,” Murdoch said, though I noticed his eyes never left the Harmony’s crystals, “just semi-organic mush. No cells, bacteria, viruses, nothing.”
“Then I need to inspect a living hunter,” I decided.
“If a pod lands directly on a fully stocked lab, with a significant garrison, I’ll let you know,” Murdoch said dryly.
“I took a number of scans of that dead hunter, from where you found me,” I continued, nodding at the Saint, “I’m running some analysis of those scans now, but they haven’t found anything interesting. Evidence of genetic tampering, which we already knew about. But if I had access to a living specimen.”
“Wait, you conducted scans?” Murdoch asked, his eyes finally leaving the Harmony, “how?”
“Uhh, I have some minor cybernetics?” I said, confused.
“Cybernetics?”
“I should remind you, Doctor,” the Saint spoke up, her voice hard, “we will not be sharing any technology from other worlds with you. And I’m sure your smart enough to know what will happen if you try to take it by force.”
“I must say I still can’t understand your stance on this, the number of people we could save if we could mass produce rifles like yours,” Murdoch said, trailing off with a sigh as he caught her glare, “but the government is on your side.”
“Good,” she nodded, then turned to me, “guess you’re coming on the next hunt? Not much to do but wait till another pod is detected then.”
“I still want to speak with them,” I said.
“Good luck with that,” Murdoch shrugged, “they’ve been radio silent since their arrival.”
“I figure I need to do something to get their attention,” I replied.
“You have an idea?” the Saint asked.
“Yup, don’t suppose you can get me access to a radio telescope?”
-----
It turns out that she could, I found out less than an hour later as we boarded her transport aircraft. It was hardly comfortable, with simple chairs that could be easily folded back into the walls and hard metal floors covered in mountain points for cargo straps. I’d raided the onsite supplies at the small airport for a handful of things I’d need to modify the telescope, all of which had been loaded onto transport by soldiers following the Saint’s commands.
A short time later we landed at another airstrip, this one part of a more complete military base. The Saint got me access to the last few things I needed and a short bus ride later we arrived at a mountain top observatory, a large radio dish had already been rotated down to allow for easier access.
“Do you always get this kind of reception?” I asked the Saint, motioning to the soldiers who were quickly and efficiently following her commands.
“I tend to arrive in the middle of an emergency,” she replied, “the kind that heralds the doom of mankind. In those situations, when I appear descending on a beam of golden light, and then proceed to tear through the invaders, it’s not hard to get people on your side.”
“Wish I had it that easy,” I muttered.
“You’ll get there,” she smiled, patting me on the back with enough force to activate my barrier, “I wish I had one of those personal shield generators.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” I replied.
“Well, you’ve got at least twelve hours till another pod lands, think you can get this done in that time?”
I’ll admit it was tight, while the modifications to the radio telescope weren’t extensive, the telescope was never meant to be modified. Power circuits had to be altered, new systems added and I basically wrote some slapdash code to manage the new gear. The result was a ramshackle looking nest of wires hanging from the transceiver that was held over the main dish.
“So… what did you do to my telescope?” the professor who operated the observatory asked me, I’d been going for nearly eight hours straight with little more than coffee and my aura to keep me up.
“If I get the settings right, and the tracking is still accurate, and everything works as it should, it’ll send a specially modified pulse that will get caught in the magnetic fields being used to stabilize the wormhole within the Phaerkin ship,” I explained, barely looking up from the computer.
“Will that cause it to close?” the Saint asked hopefully.
“Oh no,” I shook my head, “that would require far more power and even if you could get that power, none of the materials or parts could handle that much energy. I doubt the material sciences of this world have anything which could manage it.”
“But it will get their attention?”
“It should cause the wormhole to… shiver I guess. Is there a link so I can speak to them once we knock?”
“Ya, got a dedicated comsat for you,” she added.
“Good, then lets light this thing up,” I said, typing in a command.
The display showed bland white graphs with simple black bars, showing the information in the most boring, but easy to manage, method possible. It wasn’t actually that different from the normal operation of the dish, since it was built to send pulses of radio waves to map other planets. So after a moment the graphs all dropped to zero and seemed to freeze. Normally the telescope would be waiting for reflected radio waves, but this modification was purely outgoing.
“Phaerkin ship, this is the Traveler,” I spoke into the headset once I confirmed the pulse was sent. Everyone in the room seemed to hold their breath for several minutes.
“Mm, let’s try another pulse,” I said, beginning to type into the computer again. I hadn’t expected it to work on the first attempt, there was too much interference for me to get the pulse right the first time, so we were left with the oldest method of problem solving, guess and check.
After the first few pulses all the tension wore off, with the handful of grad-students working to set up the next pulse as we waited for a response. Even the Saint had gone to take a nap, ensure she was rested for the next pod, when a single word came through the radio in response.
“Speak,” it said in a deep voice, everyone in the room freezing while I scrambled to respond.
“I am the Traveler, representing the people of Earth,” I started, “I must ask you to-.”
“You are not human,” it stated, “humanity does not have this knowledge.”
“I am a Traveler from another world,” I replied, “I have knowledge far beyond this world, but I am human.”
“Then fight the Phaerkin,” the deep voice said simply, “for they come.”
“They?” I heard the professor say behind me.
“I wish to speak, hoping to resolve this conflict peacefully.”
“The Phaerkin offer no peace.”
“But we do.”
“Irrelevant.”
“But we could-.”
“You will fight the Phaerkin, as all do,” the voice cut me off, “if you have knowledge, use it to fight.”
“There is no need for us to fight!” I insisted.
“We all must fight.”
“Wait,” the professor tapped on my shoulder to get my attention, “ask who it is.”
“Why?” I asked.
“A hunch,” he shrugged, and I thought for a moment, before my eyes went wide.
“You are not Phaerkin,” I said into the radio, mimicking their tone of speaking.
“No.”
“Then who are you?”
“Kra’kar.”
***** Discord - Patreon *****

Hoping this sub might have some advice/insight. Sorry for the long post but I appreciate your reading it!
I’m 29 weeks pregnant. This all started at 15 weeks pregnant. I had a very sudden onset of the feeling of needing to pee after peeing with no other symptoms. I was convinced it was a UTI because the sensation was sudden and unrelenting. I’ve only had one UTI in college and none with previous pregnancy.
I went to the doctor. They did a dip and a culture. There was trace wbc and rbc but I was told it’s very common to have both of those show up in pregnancy. Also, the constant bladder pressure can be normal in pregnancy but less likely at 15 weeks instead of 3rd trimester. Nevertheless, I was given 7 days macrobid while culture results were sent off. Never got relief from macrobid and culture showed mixed result (no uti).
I was able to get a very quick appointment with a urogyn due to luck and a cancellation. I hadn’t even finished my antibiotic course when I saw her. She did another culture that came back with lactobacillus so that was no uti. Said it really must be baby position. Did a kidney ultrasound just in case. All was good there.
Then I go down the internet rabbit hole of UTIs and determine that I should do a pcr and a microgendx and compare. My regular obgyn is super low intervention but listened and agreed. I took a pcr and the microgendx at the same time. March results: 1. Pcr showed low levels of e. Faecalis. Resistance to carbapenum. Said use amoxicillin or macrobid

1. Microgendx showed low levels of e faecalis (and a few other super super low bacteria). But showed no resistance. Amoxicillin and macrobid were checked off for susceptibility.

So obgyn does 5 days amox followed by 5 days macrobid. No immediate change in symptoms. Maybe things are more off and on now. Some good days and some worse days. I’ve been in pelvic floor Pt this whole time. Thoughts are surrounding possible round ligament and sacrum tightness.
Overall things have gotten better and it’s harder to me to say this is a UTI feeling vs. this is the baby now that I’m 3rd trimester.
I repeated pcr and microgendx tests hoping to show it was all cleared and when I do feel things it’s baby.
June results: 1. Pcr E. Faecalis. Same levels as last time. No resistance found.

1. Microgendx E. Faecalis. Higher levels than last time and resistance to tetracycline.

It seems like the resistance genes never line up with tests and seemingly this is different E. Faecalis? Or maybe DNA tests are just a crapshoot and don’t give any insight.
Typically asymptomatic bacteria (if I can say this is now baby and not UTi symptoms) is treated in pregnant women. But my cultures would have never shown positive. It’s only pcr and microgen showing it. This is out of my obgyns realm and she’s open to trying augmentin or leaving it alone. I can’t get back with urogyn until after I will have given birth.
Am I just chasing something on a sensitive test when perhaps I’ve always had this bacteria? And if I had dna tests years ago with zero symptoms it would have shown up there too.
Also, I can’t imagine why it isn’t going away. Within a week of symptoms I used an antibiotic that’s supposed to work. And a month later two more rounds of antibiotics that should work. It’s my understanding biofilms don’t just set up shop immediately with proper antibiotics. Why would my microgendx now show more E. Faecalis but I’m less symptomatic?
I’m just frustrated and pregnant and don’t know whether to keep exposing my baby to more antibiotics based on these tests.
I appreciate any thoughts.

Warehouse Associate DB SCHENKER (part of Deutsche Bahn)
Job details No matching job preferences
Salary $17 - $21 an hour
Job Type Full-time
Shift and Schedule 8 hour shift Weekend availability 10 hour shift Evening shift Day shift Warehouse Person Associate At DB Schenker, you are part of a global logistics network that connects the world. A network that allows you to shape your career by encouraging you to contribute and truly make a difference. With more than 76,000 colleagues worldwide, we welcome diversity and thrive on individual backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. Together as one team, we are Here to move. Job Overview Load inbound and outbound freight to and from vehicles and containers. Unload inbound and outbound containers and sort according to size of freight and destination. Complete required documentation. Performs basic reconciliation and auditing processes during each pay cycle. Full-Time: $17-$21 an hour What will you enjoy doing (duties/tasks) • Label, weigh, and dimensionalize freight • Record damaged shipments and misrouted freight on applicable reports • Reconcile driver pick up and delivery manifests • Responsible for inventory, rotation and inspection of freight held in the warehouse • Perform cleanup activities in the work area to ensure safety and cleanliness of warehouse • Regularly interact with peers and management concerning matters of limited scope and discretion. Scope - Work on problems of limited scope. What you need to succeed (Qualifications, experience, skills, attributes) • Good interpersonal skills required. • High school diploma or equivalent required. • Generally prefer Warehouse experience. • Apply job skills and applicable corporate policies and procedures to complete a variety of tasks • Must be able to pass any federal/state/local government, airport, or company-required background checks, clearances, and/or drug and alcohol tests • The individual in this position must be capable of performing all the essential functions with or without a reasonable accommodation. Why You’ll Love DB Schenker Many of our jobs come with great benefits-including healthcare, ways to save for the future, and opportunities for career advancement. • Earn up to 15 days PTO over the course of your first year • 6 Paid Holidays • Full Health Insurance on day one (medical, dental, vision, prescription drugs) • Career Advancement. We’re strong believers in continual training and development for our people. After all, your success is our success • Your Safety is important to us, so we will provide protective gear • Health Advocacy support for you and your family • Employee discounts • Company Paid life insurance • Company paid Short-Term and Long-Term Disability • 401(k) option Stay Connected Blog: www.nowthatslogistics.com DB Schenker is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace. DB Schenker is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, disability, age, or other legally protected status. Job Type: Full-time Pay: $17.00 - $21.00 per hour Benefits: • 401(k) • Dental insurance • Health insurance • Paid time off • Vision insurance Schedule: • 10 hour shift • 8 hour shift • Day shift • Evening shift • Weekend availability Ability to commute/relocate: • Reliably commute or planning to relocate before starting work (Required) Experience: • Warehouse experience: 1 year (Preferred) Language: • English (Required) Text 4322014576

The Dutch independent investigative journalism platform 'Follow the Money' wrote a article about Patagonia.
"Sustainable clothing brand Patagonia manufactures in the same factories as fast-fashion; textile workers are being exploited"
Clothing brand Patagonia seems to be doing everything right: for its employees, for the people who make the clothes and for the environment. The company’s image – they say they’re in business to save our home planet – is very different from fast-fashion brands like asos, Primark and Nike. But Patagonia’s clothes are manufactured in exactly the same factories and under the same deplorable conditions.
When Yvon Chouinard started creating climbing equipment in his parents’ backyard in Burbank, California, he used steel. Soon he earned a reputation for making the ‘best’ climbing equipment in America. But every time a climber slammed one of those steel pegs into a rock, the gap got a little bigger and eventually unusable. Chouinard realised he was making money by destroying the rocks and therefore also the sport. And so he switched to aluminium blocks, which did not damagethe rocks.
The change was expensive and risky for the young company, but the moral dilemma was reason enough for Chouinard to implement the change. And to be very outspoken about it. It was a success: within a year, 40 per cent of the US climbing community stopped using steel.
Chouinard applied this experience when he started the outdoor brand Patagonia in 1973. He wanted to make only high-quality clothing that would last. And limit the impact on the environment as much as possible. In 1996, the brand switched to 100 per cent organic cotton, only to increasingly replace it with recycled materials. But the responsibility that Chouinard attributed to the company extended further.
In 2002 he decided to give one per cent of sales to environmental organisations every year. In 2011, Patagonia placed a full-page ad in the New York Times calling on consumers to ‘not buy this jacket’ in order to draw attention to the problematic nature of overconsumption in the clothing industry.
In addition, the clothing had to be manufactured fairly: in 2012, the top of the company made paying living wages to everyone who makes Patagonia products a ‘priority’. In 2020, Patagonia launched a campaign encouraging consumers to demand more from clothing brands: ‘Demand recycled. Demand organic. Demand Fair Trade,’ Patagonia urged its viewers.
In 2022, the then 84-year-old Chouinard caused worldwide astonishment, when he gave away 98 per cent of his shares to a newly formed NGO, the Holdfast Collective, which is ‘committed in its fight against the environmental crisis and protecting nature.’ Henceforth, the company’s profits would no longer flow to himself or his children but to the climate. ‘Earth is now our only shareholder,’ Chouinard said. Billionaire gives company away to climate, newspapers like The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Guardian reported*.*
This construction saved the NGO an estimated 700 million dollars that Chouinard would have had to pay in tax if he had sold the company and donated the proceeds to the same NGO. But according to Chouinard, this option allowed him to do something else: protect Patagonia’s values. Because he did not give the voting shares to Holdfast Collective but to a family trust. This allows his family to continue determining the company’s direction.
The company’s turnover – its European headquarters are in Amsterdam − grew by more than 50 per cent that year to about 1.5 billion dollars.
The actions earned Patagonia an image as being the ultimate sustainable frontrunner. In April, Time Magazine named Chouinard one of the world’s 100 most influential people. ‘Patagonia is a company people look up to in awe,’ the magazine wrote.
The complete opposite of Patagonia is a company like Primark. The Irish retail chain is known for selling on-trend low-quality clothes at low prices. Its revenue model is based on mass: high volumes with low margins.
Primark continuously creates new garment collections designed to be worn only a few times, after which they fall apart. The company uses advertising, clearance sales and influencers to urge consumers to keep buying as much as possible.
Media regularly report on the subsequent consequences. One, in particular, is that the people who make the clothes suffer from high production pressure at low cost. ‘Primark supplier accused of locking up factory workers in Myanmar protests,’ The Guardian headline read in 2021. That same year, The Clean Clothes Campaign NGO wrote: ‘Primark uses pandemic to put further pressure on factory workers in manufacturing countries.’
Patagonia and Primark seem like two extremes on the slow versus fast-fashion spectrum. Yet the brands have something in common. Some of their clothing is manufactured in the exact same factory.
PATAGONIA IN AMSTERDAM In 2014, Patagonia moved its European headquarters from Annecy town in the French Alps to Amsterdam. Reflecting on this, current CEO Ryan Gellert told the city marketing website I Amsterdam: ‘We established headquarters here in 2014 because we wanted a place where we could attract and retain pan-European and global talent, [...] and where there was an active community working on sustainability issues. As we searched potential locations across Europe, Amsterdam remained high on our list.’
According to Tax Law Professor Jan van de Streek, tax benefits may also have played a role in the choice of the Netherlands. This is because Patagonia did not register in the Netherlands as a BV but as a cooperative with two US members: Patagonia International Inc and Patagonia Global LLC. ‘Why choose something as strange as a cooperative structure?’ Van de Streek remarks to Follow the Money. ‘Because it is exempt from dividend tax. I think it’s naive to think there’s any other reason for that.’
Responding to questions about this, Patagonia said: ‘Since its inception, Patagonia Europe Coöperatief has paid regular corporate income taxes in all European countries where we do business, including the Netherlands, and has never used the tax efficiencies of a cooperative.’
‘At the suggestion of our advisors', Patagonia chose a cooperative structure ‘because it's the most flexible type of entity that suited our business purpose. However, Patagonia has chosen not to pursue any of the tax advantages available under the cooperative entity type. Patagonia Europe has not paid dividends to its parent company.'

‘No difference’

That factory is called Regal Image and is located in Sri Lanka. To be precise, in the Free Trade Zone of Katunayake, less than two kilometres from the international airport. The industrial estate is guarded 24/7 by Sri Lankan police. Access is only possible with a special pass.
In the factory hall, there are long tables with pieces of white fabric on them. An employee walks past with sea-green paint and a stencil forming the letters ‘asics’. Further along, a machine prints a grey logo on a purple tank top for Decathlon.
‘So far, we don’t really notice any difference between working with Patagonia and working with Primark or Decathlon,’ says Kevin Fernando. Fernando is the manager at the factory, which dyes, prints or embroiders logos and prints on fabrics. Regal Image was recently approved as a supplier to Patagonia, a process that took nine months. Fernando shows the designs for the 2024 summer collection. Light blue fabric features ‘Patagonia’ in pink letters, and a rainbow is printed on orange fabric.
‘Like most clothing companies, we do not make our products, nor do we own any of the factories that do,’ Patagonia writes on its website about the decision to outsource the manufacturing process. ‘We design, test, market and sell Patagonia gear. These are our areas of strength. We pay other companies [...] to produce fabrics and do the actual cutting and sewing.’

‘No control over working conditions’

Patagonia promises to only partner with factories that are ‘like-minded’ and who share their ‘philosophy.’ Patagonia has found sixty-one suitable factories: two in the US, one in Portugal and the remainder in 12 different low-wage countries. The bulk of the products are made in Vietnam and Sri Lanka.
At least two-thirds of the factories that manufacture Patagonia clothing also work for clothing brands that, according to the consumer website Good on You, have little or no sustainability policies in place (Patagonia itself is touted by Good on You as sustainable). This is evident from an analysis by Follow the Money based on data from Open Supply Hub, which aims to make supply chains in the clothing industry more transparent.
One day people make clothing for Patagonia, and the next day, they make items for brands such as GAP, Levi Strauss, Calvin Klein, Hugo Boss, Tommy Hilfiger, Nike, Amer Sports, Asics, US department store chain Target, e-commerce platform Amazon, supermarket Aldi and fast-fashion icons ASOS, Boohoo, H&M and Zara.
‘How is this possible?’ visual culture professor Anneke Smelik responds. Smelik researches sustainable fashion at Radboud University. ‘I know Patagonia as the most sustainable brand out there. I expected them to manufacture in small factories close to home. This means they have absolutely no control over working conditions.’
PATAGONIA IN SRI LANKA Patagonia works with 14 factories in Sri Lanka that are part of (or partner with) two companies: MAS Holdings and the Hirdaramani Group.
MAS Holdings was founded in 1987 by three brothers: Mahesh, Ajay and Sharad Amalean. The company began manufacturing lingerie and later expanded to sportswear, swimwear and T-shirts. With factories in 17 countries and roughly 2.4 billion dollars in turnover by 2022, MAS is Sri Lanka’s largest clothing manufacturer. The Amalean brothers are among the wealthiest men in the country.
The company emphatically presents itself as a sustainable clothing manufacturer. For instance, the company promises to emit 25 per cent less CO2 by 2025 than in 2019, and CEO Suren Fernando expects the group to earn half its revenue from sustainable products by then.
In May 2023, MAS received a Presidential Environment Award from President Ranil Wickremesinghe for the company’s commitment to the environment. The company describes the welfare of its employees as ‘its top priority’. On the subject of paying a living wage, the company makes no promises.
In the early 1900s, Parmanand Hirdaramani, then 16 years old, started a clothing shop in Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo. Today, his great-grandson Aroon Hirdaramani runs the Hirdaramani Group, which has grown into an international clothing conglomerate with factories in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Vietnam and a turnover of around 900 million US dollars.
Hirdaramani also presents itself as a sustainable producer. The company’s website states: ‘At Hirdaramani, we do the right thing. We have always done that. It’s about making good decisions today that benefit everyone in the long run.’
Since 2019, all Hirdaramani factories in Sri Lanka have been producing climate neutrally. For 2025, the company has set several targets on material use, water use, waste and leadership. Paying a living or higher wage is not a target.
In 2016, Aroon Hirdaramani and his wife Mona surfaced in the Pandora Papers. It emerged that Hirdaramani owned two investment companies in the British Virgin Islands. The reason for this is unclear. The fact is that companies based there do not have to pay tax on income, profits, dividends and interest, among other things.

Sixteen-hour workdays

Eligibility to manufacture Patagonia products requires a supplier to meet a list of sustainability criteria. Those criteria are set out in a code of conduct for suppliers. For example, child labour, forced labour, or physical, sexual or verbal harassment are not allowed. All national laws must be respected. Suppliers must respect workers’ right to freedom of association, may not force workers to work overtime and must ensure healthy working conditions. Working weeks of more than 60 hours or more than six days in a row is not acceptable to Patagonia.
Patagonia checks whether a factory complies with these standards through independent auditor visits at least once a year, says the brand after being questioned by Follow the Money. Checks are also carried out by the Fair Labor Association (FLA) and FairTrade: two NGOs that provide Patagonia’s manufacturing process and clothing with a sustainability label.
A part of those audits is public. Since 2016, the FLA has publishedassessments of seven Patagonia factories, including three in Vietnam, three in Sri Lanka and one in China. During those inspections, auditors found dozens of violations, varying greatly in severity.
For instance, almost 2000 employees at a factory in Vietnam were paid less for their overtime than what they should have received and employees’ ages were not recorded (thus child labour cannot be ruled out). Another check found out that applicants had to provide their menstrual date. Employees told the interviewers they were not allowed to become pregnant in the first six months of their employment. Less serious violations dealt with issues such as working without protective equipment, blocked emergency exits, or a lack of policies on harassment or discrimination.
One problem crops up in every report. Textile workers in factories manufacturing clothes for Patagonia work far longer hours than legally permitted: up to 17 hours a day and more than 80 hours a week, well beyond what is permissible according to Patagonia’s code of conduct.
‘Long working hours with insufficient breaks often lead to health problems,’ the Clean Clothes Campaign recently wrote about this issue. ‘Managers pressure employees to work 10- to 12-hour and sometimes even 16- to 18-hour days. The number of hours increases as the deadline approaches. Those who protest are simply fired. Moreover, workers depend on overtime to supplement their low wages.’
At the Regal Image factory in Sri Lanka, manager Fernando assures that his employees work a maximum of five days a week and 10 hours a day. But during the tour, a line manager starts talking about the duration of his shift: from eight in the morning to a quarter to 10 in the evening – almost 14 hours. ‘It’s busy,’ says Fernando, casually.
‘This is what the fast-fashion model does,’ says Smelik. ‘Brands want their products to be in store within a few weeks. So when a factory receives an order from such a brand, the production targets and overtime skyrocket.’

‘They talk to us like we are animals’

The office of Stand Up Lanka, a union led by Ashila Niroshine Dandeniya, is located just outside the Free-Trade Zone. She started working in a MAS factory, part of MAS Holdings that is a supplier to Patagonia, in 2003. Her colleagues elected her to represent them as a member of the factory’s employees council. But when she addressed the matter of wages, she was fired. She challenged her dismissal, got compensation, and discovered that there were laws in place to protect people like her.
Now, almost 20 years later, she knows Sri Lankan labour law like the back of her hand. Her office is a hexagon with five windows, all open. Textile workers from nearby factories approach her via these windows to greet her or ask for help.
When a transman walks past, she says, ‘He applied to MAS Shadowline [one of Patagonia’s suppliers, ed] a month ago. They said they didn’t want him because he is transgender. He can’t get work anywhere. And he cannot go back to his village because he is Muslim. His family will shoot him.’
When about six women wearing yellow MAS polos come and ask for a food parcel, Dandeniya shakes her head. ‘We don’t have enough. Since the country’s economic crisis, some families barely eat two meals a day. How am I supposed to choose who can eat and who can’t?’
That evening, she introduces Priya (31). Priya has been working for MAS Shadowline for almost two years, sewing the side seams on leggings or T-shirts. She makes many clothes for yoga brand Lululemon and for Lacoste (famous through the crocodile logo), but sometimes also for Patagonia.
‘The worst part is the scolding,’ she says in her home a few streets away: a room of about 12 square metres. It contains a double bed, a small kitchenette and a wardrobe. Despite the fan on the wall, it is sweltering hot inside. She shares a toilet and a shower with others.
‘My supervisor’s manager is a terrible man. He touches everyone in a bad way, and if you say you don’t want that, you have a problem. He yells at me if I have to go to the bank or the doctor. “Then who will do the work? Who will meet the target?” And he’s not the only one. They talk to us like we are animals.’
When asked about her production targets, she breathes a deep sigh. ‘The other day, Lululemon placed a huge order, and now everyone is stressed. On the first day, we had to make seventy items per hour, but on the second day, it was suddenly a hundred. Otherwise, we won’t make the delivery date.’ During the working day, she does not drink water so that she does not waste time going to the toilet. Despite this, she seldom meets the target. And that means: no bonus.
Without that bonus, Priya earns 32,000 rupees a month (97 euros). Her room costs 7,000 rupees (21 euros), and a meal 300 rupees (1 euro). She has no money left for other things.
‘Since the crisis, we are increasingly hearing stories from our members of textile workers using drugs,’ says Dandeniya. ‘Also in MAS factories that Patagonia works with. They use it to work faster. Sometimes also against the hunger.’
Chamila Thushari, union leader of Dabindu Collective, confirms the story. ‘They use Ice (Crystal Meth) or Babul.’ She points to her collar and to the sole of her shoe. ‘This is how they smuggle it in. The management knows this happens but allows it. All they care about is production targets are being met.’
An employee of a third union, GTZ-GSEU, confirms that drug use among textile workers in the Free Trade Zone is a problem.
Patagonia says these claims are ‘new’ to them and ‘serious’, but says, without evidence, it cannot comment.

A living wage

That Patagonia, known for being sustainable, has its clothes manufactured in the same factories as other much less sustainable brands is seen as an advantage by the company. ‘Patagonia has a powerful brand voice, but we are a quite small player in the apparel sector. Therefore, we are always looking for ways to scale our impact and to elevate the industry standards across the board, bringing other apparel retailers along on the journey with us. So, continuing to engage in shared production facilities is crucial to this work.’
Patagonia wants all people who make clothes to earn a decent wage. In 2015, the company promised that within 10 years, all employees in its supply chain would be earning a living wage that would be enough to live on. That is, enough for food, water, housing, education, healthcare, transport and other essential needs.
With 18 months to go, only 40 per cent of its factories pay a living wage, according to Patagonia. They would not reveal the factories concerned. Suppliers reportedly ‘have the right to maintain their factories’ wage data confidential’.
Patagonia wants all people who make clothes to earn a decent wage. In 2015, the company promised that within 10 years, all employees in its supply chain would be earning a living wage that would be enough to live on. That is, enough for food, water, housing, education, healthcare, transport and other essential needs.
With 18 months to go, only 40 per cent of its factories pay a living wage, according to Patagonia. They would not reveal the factories concerned. Suppliers reportedly ‘have the right to maintain their factories’ wage data confidential’.
To determine a living wage, Patagonia uses the Anker Research Institute’s calculation method. According to that method, you can live decently in urban Sri Lanka if you earn a minimum of 83,231 Sri Lankan rupees (263 euro) a month. Priya’s salary does not even cover half that. And at the recently approved Regal Image print factory, the basic wage is even lower: 21,000 rupees (66 euro), says Fernando.
Thulsi Narayanasamy is frustrated by Patagonia’s approach to sustainability. She is director of advocacy at the Worker Rights Consortium, an independent non-profit organization that monitors and investigates labor conditions in the global apparel and textile industry. ‘Patagonia spends millions on green initiatives. Why can’t they pay the people who make their clothes properly?’
Patagonia says it ‘has no authority over how much textile workers get paid, as they are in no way, shape or form the employer of these workers.’ Narayanasamy, however, is convinced Patagonia can pay a living wage, if the brand would want to. ‘They could bring production in-house or pay more to suppliers that’s ringfenced for wages high enough to achieve a living income. It’s so well established that brand’s pricing practices directly impact wage levels, it’s a fallacy to deny this.’
‘I think we should ask ourselves: why don't clothing brands have their own factories?’ She asks the question, then answers it. 'Brands don't want to be responsible for the people who produce their clothes. All brands benefit from that, including Patagonia.
RESPONSE FROM PATAGONIA When asked why it does not pay its suppliers more for decent wages for workers, Patagonia replied: ‘Relying on one brand to simply cover the gap is a band-aid solution and does not serve the factory in the long run. If the one brand that pays the gap were to leave the factory, then those wages for workers would go away, leaving the factory with a shortfall they would not be able to cover. Additionally, if the brand just writes a check to the factory, then there is no guarantee that the money would go towards workers’ wages. The brand has no authority over how much workers get paid as they are in no way, shape or form the employer of those workers.’
About the long working hours, Patagonia says: ‘Excessive overtime is pervasive globally, which is why it is audited regularly. If we find a problem that can be resolved, we work with our factory partners to implement sustainable solutions. This can take many years, but we find this is the best outcome for the workers and the factory.’
In response to the allegations about drug use among textile workers, Patagonia says: ‘These are serious and new allegations, however without evidence, we are not able to comment on them. We are continuing to conduct our ongoing monitoring program and we remain committed to addressing systemic issues to ensure workers’ wellbeing across our supply chain.’
Link to the article: https://www.ftm.eu/articles/sustainable-clothing-brand-patagonia-uses-same-suppliers-fast-fashion-brands-do-workers-exploited?share=p8cq84oSmbUiJtEQUObUZSPZh8ZNReEKHj0wGJnBMQUMqLcwK9PC1kpMJCev5Mo%3D%26utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebuttonnietleden&utm_source=linkbutton
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Artificial Dumbness
by Zeph Baxter
“It said ‘From the President of the United States’. Could it be legit?” asked GB.
“How would I know, GB, my man?” said Nando, eating a piece of fish which he had caught a few hours earlier. “I don’t know how to read. You know I am just a fisherman who has nothing much to do other than catch fish, right?”
“Well, yes, yes, but you are wise. And of course, you are the only one I can ask. There’s no one else here, anyway. So, whatever you say, I’ll value it.”
“Why? What happened to your assistant? The fat one. She was good GB man. She was good. She even helped me with the fishing one time. Wait, did you make her run away too?”
GB shifted his weight uncomfortably. “That’s not the point. We just have a very high turnover rate in the research business.”
“Ah. I never thought about what you do was a business. You just keep working on those fish and plants and keep them in your hut. So, do you sell them somewhere?”
“Look. It’s a business because I am a researcher. I don’t know why I am even explaining it to you. I have gotten a prize from America. Not a glorious prize. But still a prize. They say it’s an Ig Nobel prize.”
“Oh. So, that’s why the US man wants you there, huh?”
“The US president? Why would he want me? How did they even get my address?”
As GB looked towards his sole listener, the man had slept in his chair.
“How can you sleep so fast? Wake up. I said, wake up.”
The man, however, started to snore and GB had nothing else to do except to trust the letter. He took a long breath as he walked back to his hut. He knew it was time he opened the envelope.
Professor Googabooga Smith,
It’s my pleasure to invite you to be a part of a prestigious group of researchers on behalf of the President of the United States. You will work on the latest technologies, and you will be awarded a salary at a rate commensurate with your experience. If you are interested in the opportunity, as I am sure you will be, then we expect you will report tomorrow to the local airport.
GB looked at the letter in utter disbelief. What had the Americans been eating or drinking? Could they have found out about one of his latest research on those hallucination-inducing mushrooms causing visions of grandeur? How could they? He hadn’t even published it yet. Besides, he had close to zero understanding of technology. Unlike his fellow citizens, GB was content to stay in Congo. The only thing he loved about and probably knew much about the Americans was that there were coffee machines in every office. He had only recently upgraded to a smart phone but still missed the ones with buttons. Although his salary was too mediocre to tell people in the street, he was happy, and that was all that mattered to him.
As he laid back in his seat, he took another sniff of some of his recently discovered variety of river basin mushrooms. In his daydreams, he imagined making perfumes of the essence and then selling it in the French markets as he lazily thought to himself. What about the airport? This entire idea seemed too weird to be true.
As Nadia adjusted the seat-belt on her window seat, she still couldn’t believe her luck. Neither could anyone at the hostel. Or in her aunt’s case, didn’t even seem to notice or care. The call more or less went like this.
“So you are going somewhere?” her aunt asked.
“Yes, I wanted to get your permission,” said Nadia.
“Well, I am very busy this summer and we are going for a trip to the Northern areas. So, either you can stay in the Hostel or go to that place of yours. You were saying it’s an internship?”
“Yes, but it’s in the US.”
“Ahan. And they are paying for it, right?”
“Yes, oddly so. They even arranged for my visa.”
“Then go. Sure. And Nadia…”
“Yes, auntie?”
“Don’t get into trouble. We might even be out of cell phone range while we are on vacation.”
“I won’t. I promise to try my best,” said Nadia.
Nadia sat back in the seat, looking outside in the clouds. The serene feeling of floating with the earth below and the universe above.
“I sometimes wonder if robots will take over the planet someday,” said a soothing voice from her left.
“Excuse me,” said Nadia, looking towards the gray-haired lady, confused. The woman looked oddly familiar. As Nadia looked, she realized the woman was a doppelgänger of someone she couldn’t put a finger on. Wait, could she be the Queen of England, but that was impossible? She would never try flying any commercial airlines in an economy seat, besides the fact that she was dead now.
The woman smiled, peering from her golden glasses as she looked back again at a thick novel that she held in her hands. “These authors scare you. But I can’t stop reading them. I just love reading sci-fi.”
“Pardon. But you look a lot like the Queen of England.”
“Yes, I get that a lot,” said the lady, smiling.
“But she’s dead.”
“Or maybe I just switched myself with a dead body and now am traveling the world and having fun,” said the old lady, chuckling. “Naah. That would be impossible. Everyone would know.”
“Yes, they would. I guess. Pardon me,” said Nadia as she straightened the seat’s back. Doppelgänger or not, she was just uneasy in front of the old lady.
“You can recline your seat. I don’t mind,” said the lady, chuckling heartily as she adjusted her glasses and opened her book again.
Nadia tried to relax as her mind raced off into tangential daydreams. Little had she realized that submitting a quantum algorithm simulation to the hackathon competition would get her an enrollment in the prestigious presidential internship and a fully funded trip. She imagined happy thoughts, counting algorithm loops on quantum computers, as the plane took off on its fourteen-hour long flight.
As he reached the airport, the wind was blowing, ruffling his hair and carrying the distinct smell of the tarmac. He glanced around, noticing the smell of freshly cut grass and a few people milling about, their laughter reverberating off the walls. The airport was alive with the sound of engines and announcements over the loudspeaker. He wondered if it was possible to fly internationally, as no such flights were listed. He walked through the halls, awkwardly carrying the small bag on his shoulder with the sound of his footsteps echoing around. Could this be a practical joke of some sort? One of his ex-students? Or some secret rival? How could it be that the President of the United States would be interested in his obscure research? Something he highly doubted, though. So then what?
The reason he had come was the feelings of disillusionment that he felt secretly. He wasn’t getting anything concrete done, anyway. It had been years after his retirement from the post of a professor. He had moved to several places around the globe before settling in Congo, a country he knew little about, but one having the deepest river in the world.
As he moved closer to the departure area, his heart beat faster in anticipation. He saw a few men standing alone, families, children playing in the open areas, and passengers in a queue. The more he stood there, the more he realized the ridiculousness of his situation. He wasn’t sure why he had come here anymore. Maybe he should turn back now.
“Dr. Smith, is that you?” a crisp voice said. So, now he was hearing voices too?
“Dr. Googabooga Smith?” said the voice. He turned around. In front of him stood a tall, wide man, wearing a black suit, crisp white shirt, and a pair of expensive sunglasses which covered a large part of the man’s face.
“Yes, that would be me. And you are?”
“I didn’t mean to startle you. We have been waiting.”
“Waiting for me? But. How did you know I was coming?”
The man smiled courteously. “You will find us resourceful.”
“So, which flight are we going to take? And there’s a problem—my passport has expired.”
The man smiled. “Sir, we got you covered.”
As he looked to the side, GB saw three more men standing dressed similarly in suits and sunglasses. One of them produced a smooth, square leather suitcase, and the smell of leather wafted through the air as they opened it.
As GB looked inside, in front of him lay a passport and currency bundles of dollars, euros, and pounds. As he lifted the passport up, he was surprised to see a renewed one.
“And Dr. GB this way, please. We are going via the VIP lounge. There’s a private jet waiting for us, fueled and ready for takeoff.”
Nadia started out with her daily routine and chores, beginning with the simulations. This was her second week at the lab, as it was called for whatever reasons. She would describe it as a regular office if someone asked her about it. In her mind, the lab meant chemicals, flasks, vernier calipers, fire, and… more chemicals, and lab coats, and even more chemicals. The closest she had seen one was in the television shows or else in her high school, from which she had graduated at the ripe age of 13 and that was two years back. And the place where they were didn’t look at all like a lab. Though it wasn’t a lab per se, it was probably one of the coolest places she had ever seen or imagined. There were facilities, games, a gym, a restaurant, you name it. She felt like cheating because it was like they were getting paid for having fun.
Being young and getting hired to work at such a prestigious lab had its privileges, but also setbacks. They treated her like a kid, so she could make as many mistakes as possible with no one scolding her. And the bad thing was the same; she was treated like a kid despite her ability to communicate with everyone at the same level as they were, even though most of them had postdocs.
The first few days had been uncomfortable, as she felt like the odd girl out. But then after checking out the rest of the weirdos in the lab, she realized perhaps she was the only normal person there.
“Are you done with the calculations?” said an impatient voice from behind. As she looked back, she found her immediate boss, Allison Monroe, standing with a large bar of chocolate in her hand and chocolate smears on the side of her lips.
“Is that dark chocolate?” she asked.
“No, it’s hazelnut. But I have a couple of bars of dark chocolate stashed in the store if you want some?”
“That sounds swell. And yes, I have run the simulations. Everything seems fine.”
“Wonderful. Then we can move on to the next phase.”
“What’s the next phase, if I may be bold enough to ask?”
“We need to see if the algorithm matches the results from my proof.”
“The proof that got you the Ig Nobel prize? You mean a quantum algorithm for proving chocolate is a must for every meal?”
“You have read my paper already?”
“Well, I just try to read as many key papers in any domain as I can. You can say I have at least read papers from all of you folks.”
“That’s impressive. I’ll be happy to answer questions.”
“Well, I have one, but might be irrelevant to the paper. So, I am having a hard time understanding what are we doing here exactly. I understand that you have this super giant computer. Correct?”
“Yes, it is an ultimate quantum computer which might work with any number of qubits.”
“Can we call it infinite?”
“We can’t quantify infinity. But other than that, however many qubits we will ever need, I can assure you our ultimate machine can handle it.”
“Okay. So, we have this ultimate machine, and we are running a simulation of a theorem based on the Fermat’s last theorem to prove that chocolate should be eaten at every mealtime?”
“Yes, but only if it is shaped like a ball.”
“Oh. Thanks for correcting me. A perfect sphere?”
“No, just like a ball. It could be shaped like a football or rugby ball or a beach ball or even a Ping-pong ball. So, we are all set, or do you have another question?”
“Why are we wasting our ultimate quantum computer’s power to do just this thing?”
“We are not wasting its cycles. I have already proven the paper, but now we want to see if we can get the quantum computer to do it.”
“Okay. That makes sense in a weird quantum computation way.”
“See, you are getting the hang of it already. Nadia, how long have you been working on quantum computation?”
“Since my eighth grade.”
“Yes, we called you over because of that quantum algorithm paper you submitted to our conference. What was it called?”
“Oh, I called it the Deep Quantum Unlearning.”
“Aha. And you did it at 15, right?”
“Well, I finished writing it on my 14th birthday but then didn’t get time to develop a paper till Spring Break.”
“You are also welcome to test it out, then. After all, what good is a quantum computer, if you can’t even test your own algorithm on it?” said Alison, laughing.
Just then, without warning, the piercing sound of an alarm filled the air.
​
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In case you've just become aware of the Covid scam, it's worth listening to a short video (3:58) about Dr. Anthony Fauci’s Most Notable Critic, who exposed the AIDS fraud, was subsequently discredited by the media, and died shortly before the Covid scam began.
MAY 22, 2021
https://www.algora.com/Algora_blog/2021/05/22/the-mysterious-death-of-pcr-test-inventor-kary-mullis-faucis-most-notable-critic

In case you've just become aware of the Covid scam, it's worth listening to a short video (3:58) about Dr. Anthony Fauci’s most notable critic, who exposed the AIDS fraud, was subsequently discredited by the media, and died shortly before the Covid scam began.
MAY 22, 2021
https://www.algora.com/Algora_blog/2021/05/22/the-mysterious-death-of-pcr-test-inventor-kary-mullis-faucis-most-notable-critic

Hi everyone. I have been dealing with mystery symptoms for about 7 years now and am curious if my story is similar to anyone’s here or if anyone can weigh in on what to expect with follow up testing. Over the course of these symptoms, they have gotten worse each year, with new symptoms, and I have been dealing with a daily ongoing “flare” possibly since February 1st.
Over the last 7 years, I experience very frequent cold or flu like symptoms (swollen painful glands, sore throat, congestion, dry cough, chest pain, headache, dull ear ache) that are never Covid, the flu or strep. The only thing to help those symptoms is either a lot of rest for days or a steroid taper.
Other symptoms that have come over the years that I have been dealing with daily for over 4 months: joint pain, neuropathy/burning/tingling/numbness in my hands and sometimes feet, hair loss, extreme fatigue, weakness, heavy limbs, stiffness and discomfort when I wake up and usually before bed, chronic daily hives, unexplained large bruises on legs only, petechiae from barely touching legs, rash on chest and sometimes face (not malar) that disappears quickly, scaly lesions that pop up on neck and scalp. I have also been treated for low iron, low hemoglobin and low ferritin with iron infusions since 2020.
The biopsy of my hives was inconclusive. The biopsy of one of the neck/scalp lesion showed seborrheic dermatitis, which I have never had before. I had a negative lip biopsy for Sjögrens.
All of my bloodwork and urine have been normal except for consistently low c3 and c4.
I have seen dermatology, hematology, infectious disease, a GI specialist, ENT, allergist and countless primary cares over the years. I am currently seeing a rheumatologist.
My rheum has ruled out all possible infections and vitamin deficiencies and I understood what she said to mean she believes the low complements to be caused by either an autoimmune disorder (despite negative ANA and ENA panels) or a deficiency of the immune system. I see an immunologist in 2 weeks. My rheumatologist wants to see me back in a month and a half for further testing.
What can I expect for monitoring with her moving forward? Is it still possible this is all autoimmune? Has anyone else gone through this before getting a diagnosis? Could my ANA still eventually be positive? What would the monitoring and follow up testing look like?
I do not have a history of any infections. I feel like all of my own research always comes back to Lupus, but I know there are a lot of other explanations out there. I am just concerned about going years without treatment if that is the case, as my life has drastically changed since February and my symptoms seem to get worse with time. I take Zyrtec daily and just started 15mg of Meloxicam prescribed by my rheum for the joint pain.
I also want to note that one infection we looked into was syphilis. I did not believe it to be syphilis and I do not have a history of STDs, nor have I ever had symptoms of syphilis. However, my PCR test was non reactive, my FTA-ABS was reactive, but then my TP-PA and rash biopsy were both non reactive. The infectious disease doctor believed it to be a false positive, but I felt that was worth mentioning.
Any advice or insight would be helpful. Thank you in advance!

Edit to add: formatting and false Positive syphilis info
Hi everyone. I have been dealing with mystery symptoms for about 7 years now and am curious if my story is similar to anyone’s here or if anyone can weigh in on what to expect with follow up testing. Over the course of these symptoms, they have gotten worse each year, with new symptoms, and I have been dealing with a daily ongoing “flare” possibly since February 1st.
Over the last 7 years, I experience very frequent cold or flu like symptoms (swollen painful glands, sore throat, congestion, dry cough, chest pain, headache, dull ear ache) that are never Covid, the flu or strep. The only thing to help those symptoms is either a lot of rest for days or a steroid taper.
Other symptoms that have come over the years that I have been dealing with daily for over 4 months: joint pain, neuropathy/burning/tingling/numbness in my hands and sometimes feet, hair loss, extreme fatigue, weakness, heavy limbs, stiffness and discomfort when I wake up and usually before bed, chronic daily hives, unexplained large bruises on legs only, petechiae from barely touching legs, rash on chest and sometimes face (not malar) that disappears quickly, scaly lesions that pop up on neck and scalp. I have also been treated for low iron, low hemoglobin and low ferritin with iron infusions since 2020.
The biopsy of my hives was inconclusive. The biopsy of one of the neck/scalp lesion showed seborrheic dermatitis, which I have never had before. I had a negative lip biopsy for Sjögrens.
All of my bloodwork and urine have been normal except for consistently low c3 and c4.
I have seen dermatology, hematology, infectious disease, a GI specialist, ENT, allergist and countless primary cares over the years. I am currently seeing a rheumatologist. She has ruled out all possible infections and vitamin deficiencies and I understood what she said to mean she believes the low complements to be caused by either an autoimmune disorder (despite negative ANA and ENA panels) or a deficiency of the immune system.
I see an immunologist in 2 weeks. My rheumatologist wants to see me back in a month and a half for further testing.
What can I expect for monitoring with her moving forward? Is it still possible this is all autoimmune? Has anyone else gone through this before getting a diagnosis? Could my ANA still eventually be positive? What would the monitoring and follow up testing look like?
I do not have a history of any infections. I feel like all of my own research always comes back to Lupus, but I know there are a lot of other explanations out there. I am just concerned about going years without treatment if that is the case, as my life has drastically changed since February and my symptoms seem to get worse with time.
I take Zyrtec daily and just started 15mg of Meloxicam prescribed by my rheum for the joint pain.
I also want to note that one of the infections mt rheum looked into was syphilis. I did not believe it to be syphilis and I do not have a history of STDs, nor have I ever had symptoms of syphilis. However, my PCR test was non reactive, my FTA-ABS was reactive, but then my TP-PA and rash biopsy were both non reactive. The infectious disease doctor believed it to be a false positive, but I felt that was worth mentioning that I did at one point have a false positive for syphilis antibodies.
Any advice or insight would be helpful. Thank you in advance!

My whole family is sick this week. Sore throat and colds
I have a few boxes of rapid tests and have tested negative every day since getting symptoms. Yesterday on Day 5 I saw a very slight positive on one brand of test. Had one more like this. I had to squint. Immediately I took another test and more throughout the day using a new box. All negative.
Then I did a NAAT (basically PCR) yesterday and it was Covid negative.
Today tried a new brand of rapid test and it was negative. Tired of taking tests. Any thoughts?

So I’ve been in contact with someone who had cold sores a couple of days ago and she not gotten tested (multiplex pcr urine test) at a private clinic , she made it aware that she had only gotten cold sores 4 times in her life and has had it as a child and her cold sore got triggered last week Friday, and the other one she remembers was a year ago from now.
However she got a test done today and it came back negative at HSV1 & HSV2, however everywhere that I read online states that cold sores are a result of HSV1 yet her test results came back negative (baring in mind she has had cold sores as a child). Has anyone got an awnser to this ?

I have had fatigue/weakness, chills without fever along with pain in the perineum and penis for the past year. I was on antibiotics for 5 weeks three of which was Cipro and and the other two on doxycycline. The antibiotics did not help. All urine PCR analysis including mycoplasma where negative. I have been seeing a physiotherapist and been doing regular stretches. I have tried every supplement recommended for cpps. However it has been over a year now and I still suffer from the fatigue and the pain. Are these all symptoms of cpps? My doctor has tried Mri, organ ultrasounds, blood tests and heart echograms and they have all been normal. So I am confused what could be causing this. Any help is appreciated thanks.

Hi, I’m a first time mom, 33yo. This is my first ever pregnancy. Husband and I are both very healthy and don’t have any relative with chromosomal disorders. So when we only ordered nipt thinking we could know the gender sooner. I’ve never thought I would go through what I’m going through right now and it’s a total nightmare for me. I have been reading a lot posts here and found them helpful. I thought my story would be somewhat similar to these posts, either true positive or false positive found by amnio (more likely false positive since my NT showed 1.1mm and everything else all seemed normal) but now something unusual happened to me.
I finally had my amnio done yesterday after waiting for 3 weeks at 16w. Today, I received GC’s call informing me Rapid PCR test came back inconclusive. She said it could be because of mosaic, or something else is attached to the chromosome so they can’t detect it or it could be Y chromosome ? It sounds impossible to me since it’s pretty clear on sono that baby is a girl.
What should I do now? I’m so devastated. GC said this doesn’t happen often in their hospital, maybe only 2-3 times per year. So I’m even more confused. What are the possible reasons? How should I manage my expectations now? Should I prepare for the worst? 😭 Anyone with similar experience please share your story. I’d really appreciate.

Reposting from the /cdifficile sub to see if anyone has had a similar experience.
Hi, everyone,
I'm a 33F. I don't have a history of major gastrointestinal issues, and I have handled antibiotics well in the past. I used to be able to eat anything with few, if any, problems. A few months ago, I weaned off of Lexapro and stopped birth control since my husband and I would like to start a family. I have been to several medical appointments since the beginning of the year and was in the ER for a few hours in early January (turned out to be nothing), so I have been around medical facilities, where I may have picked something up. I'm not sure.
In mid-February, I had a bad night of diarrhea and cramping, which continued on and off for a few days. I figured this was food poisoning. About a week later, I had a stubborn UTI. I first took Macrobid for 7 days. Then I took Cipro for 5 days, which cleared it up. I haven't had a problem with Cipro in the past, but I know it can have numerous side effects. A couple weeks after the Cipro, I started taking probiotic supplements, which may have been too late. In late February, I found out my mom has a chronic health condition that, while manageable, is serious. That really ramped up my anxiety and started to put me into bouts of depression. I already have OCD and anxiety, but that has been difficult to handle.
At the beginning of April, I started having tenesmus and rectal pain, and my stool was narrower. In mid-April, I saw my OB-GYN, and she found I had BV. I took 7 days of Flagyl to treat the BV. On the second day of Flagyl, I had some diarrhea that wasn't watery but smelled really bad. That's when the fear of Cdiff struck me. I immediately got some Florastor, which made me constipated for a day or two, but I started having a bit of mucus.
My stool has changed since all of this. It has been a mix of solid, formed, formed with feathery edges, and occasionally (but not often) loose or diarrhea. Sometimes I think this is because of the foods I'm eating. I usually have to poop several times a day now, but part of that may be because of the tenesmus. My stool has changed to a rusty color (like a mix of brown, orange, and yellow). I see more particles in it (like black and white specks, etc.) than I used to. I'm mostly concerned because, although I have never smelled Cdiff before, I think the smell of my stool has become sickeningly sweet, which almost always means Cdiff, according to Google. I'm having more mucus than I did in the past (though not a whole lot), and I think I have some blood as well. However, since coming off birth control, I have been spotting occasionally, which confuses the issue and may be at least part of the reason for the blood. I haven't had a normal period yet since stopping birth control.
I have lost over 20 pounds since February, which I think is due in part to the loss of appetite from the antibiotics and the anxiety over the fear of Cdiff and my mom's health condition. I have not had a fever, but I have had insomnia and night sweats, which may be due in part to the anxiety. My biggest fear is spreading Cdiff to others, including my husband and elderly parents. Thankfully, I'm using a separate toilet right now, so my husband has been okay.
I took a Cdiff toxin test in May, which came back negative. However, I know those tests have a high rate of false negatives. Also, there was water in the sample, and I'm not sure if the test was done within the two hour period before the toxins break down. I tried to keep it cold enough and get it to the lab fast enough, but I'm not sure if I succeeded.
I had a colonoscopy a couple of weeks ago which showed rectal inflammation, but the biopsy came back normal. I have ordered a Cdiff toxin/GDH with reflex to PCR test, since they are more accurate, but from my research and talking to Quest, it will take a few weeks for my gut flora to get back to what it was before. Unless it gets bad, I figure I should wait, as I don't want a false negative test. I've read many of the posts on the Cdiff sub, so I think I may know how to interpret the test.
So my persistent issues are the tenesmus/rectal pain, different stool (color, smell, shape, consistency, mucus/blood), and weight loss. This whole fear has caused my OCD, anxiety, and now depression to increase a lot. I'm not even sure if I have Cdiff, but I am trying to do some cleaning and disinfecting as if I did. It's exhausting and is taking a toll on my mental health and relationships. I am seeing a therapist as well. I have a follow up with the gastroenterologist in a few weeks, and I may make an appointment with my primary care doctor sooner.
A lot of things have happened in a short amount of time, which makes me wonder what is causing everything. Stress, antibiotics, infection, food, medicine withdrawal? I'm sure my microbiome took a hit with the antibiotics, but I just pray that it isn't Cdiff. I don't want to be contagious with an active infection.
I suppose I'm trying to gather my thoughts, but if anyone has any thoughts or insight, it is appreciated.
Thanks!

Hi All,
First of thanks for taking the time to read and help me in my situation. I will first explain my condition and a little history and later will ask your opinion and questions in the end.
I am M29, and had a very sedentary lifestyle for past 10 years or so.
I have been facing some lower back pain (not so severe initially) related issues on and off since maybe 7 years. It kept increasing progressively and I didn’t do much to improve it. Around 3 years back my symptoms worsened and I have been feeling a lot of back pain since then. My pain haven’t improved but it haven’t increased either in last 3 years.
Just recently (2 months back), I got a little more serious about my lifestyle, so I improved my diet, my daily activity, my sitting posture and also started doing lower back strengthening exercises 3-4 times a week for 20 minutes. NOTE: Still I have to sit long hours for work.
Not sure if I have done enough exercising and strengthening of my lower back to solve my issues but I have claimed it in front of my doctor, so he asked me to do MRI and some blood tests to see if I have Arthritis (since my symptoms are not getting improved Results: 1. MRI: shows some disc bulges but nothing serious. No other condition either. 2. HLA B27 PCR: Came out positive (did it twice to be sure, It came out positive), so he concluded I have Ankylosing Spondylitis since mu back pain haven’t improved even after exercising.
My symptoms / condition: - Lower back pain, only when sitting. It is severe and starts quickly, maybe 5-10 mins after sitting on a chair. - I feel fresh in the morning, well rested. - No back pain while standing either.
My Question to Readers: 1. As you might have noticed, I don’t have classic symptoms of AS (pain in the morning, night), is anyone else in the same boat ? 2. HLA B27 coming positive, is it a definite indicator of AS ? 3. If let’s say I have AS for sure, I read that it is not curable/reversible, so does that mean I have to take medication all my life ? What has been your experience?
My Doctor’s conclusion: He feels that even though I don’t have classic symptoms, it is still possible for me to have AS, and he is going to treat me with that assumption. Also, his assumption is highly based on me suggesting that I have done exercising and have not felt any relief.
My Conclusion: I personally feel that I just have weak body muscles due to years and years of sedentary lifestyle (2 months of me exercising was probably not enough) and I happen to be at risk of AS, but have not developed it yet. So I am thinking of skipping medicine and just focussing on working out and keeping an active lifestyle and then judge my situation after 3 more months. If my symptoms remain same, I would start medicine.
NOTE: I understand that no-one is liable for their suggestions, I will consult everything with my doctor so feel free to suggest and share anything.
Thanks

3.79, 157 Lsat
I took my final LSAT in Febuary and started applying to schools in the middle of March. I knew applying that late in the cycle could hurt me so I have always been willing to wait a year. I did not get accepted to as many schools as I anticipated. U Buffalo- A Penn St- A ($30k scholarship +5k aid) Tenn-W Fsu-W South Carolina- W U of F- D Ohio St- Still waiting.
UB was my uber fallback like.. only if it was my only option I would go so right now I'm considering Penn State. Thing about Penn State is It was a late addition to my list and was kind of a safety school. I was thinking I had a good shot at either Ohio St, Tennesee or SC.
I was a Sport Management major in college. I have known I was going to pursue law since High School so I went to undergrad for Spm since sports was a field I wanted to work in potentially but I'm also open to other law paths. I want to go for buisness/contract law.
Penn State is pretty much in the middle of nowhere Pennsylvania. Did my under grad in Tampa and really don't want to spend 3 more years stuck up north.
I can take the Lsat 1 more time. (Took it 3 times plus had 1 computer issue where I was not able to take the test but It counted as one of my 5 attempts).
I'm strongly considering studying for the September or August Lsat and trying 1 last time, apply early in October and set myself up for a better option in 2024. I wasnt able to study and work as hard as I wanted to for my first few attempts. I recently was diagnosed with Adhd and have been on meds for just over a month. I really think I can score into the mid 160s.
I'm also in a weird spot in life. My family's land lord just died and we know we will have to move soon but have no idea where to go. Very low income household so the stress of money and living situation is tough.
Is this a dumb idea or should I just go for it at Penn St and get my Jd over with. I have to have my 2nd Penn St deposit in by Monday.
Tldr: didn't do as well on lsat as I hoped. Didn't get into as many schools as I hoped. Do I go to Penn St which I'm ok with but not thrilled about or study hard and try to get into 160s for next application cylce?