Notices by Kat O’Brien (obrien_kat@mastodon.world)

This article left me more worried about potential for the Ebola outbreak to spiral out of control.
Medical staff at epicenter have almost no protective gear, test results take 4 days, people suspected to have Ebola are mixing with public, people are attacking doctors with rocks, many don’t believe Ebola exists … how on earth are rich countries not stepping up to do more?
Also, brave reporting by NYT reporter Declan Walsh & photographer Arlene Bashizi.
Gift link.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/30/world/africa/ebola-epicenter-congo.html
#Ebola

This book was fantastic, I highly recommend. It’s a novel telling the story of two girls/women, but particularly one of them, from age 7 in 1950 Tehran all the way to present day.
The Lion Women of Tehran, by Marjan Kamali.
#books #bookstodon

FIFA is totally unhinged. I love the World Cup so much, but this year’s is shaping up to be a disaster, between Trump’s xenophobic, anti-visitor policies and FIFA’s price-gouging.
I’m trying to help some people on ticket options and the prices are both wildly expensive and price ranges nuts.
Check these - all early round games. Category 4 (cheapest) - $69-3,450? Category 2 -$460-23,000? 🤯🤯 Category 1 - $805-63,250?!
Price gouging.
#fifa #worldcup

Tokyo Marathon done in around 4:09. 5th of 6 World Marathon Majors.
Not near my fastest or near my slowest, happy with race. When I couldn’t run or really live life for ~2 years due to concussion and stroke, didn’t know if I’d be here here, for sure didn’t expect to have run 10 marathons since.
#tokyomarathon #running #runnersofmastodon

Bib picked up for Sunday’s Tokyo Marathon. Going for star No. 5 of the World Marathon Majors. My goal is 6, not adding ones that became Majors since I began my quest.
#tokyomarathon #runnersofmastodon #Running

This is astonishing.
One of the world’s top newspapers is being hacked apart by its owner, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
Famous for having some of the best international coverage of any outlet - my dream as an aspiring journalist was to be a political/international correspondent for the Washington Post - and in recent decades it also had some of the best sports coverage; Bezos is now decimating it bc he alienated its core audience by caping to Trump.

n.pr/4qAlWBj

#journalism #washingtonpost

@mlawton so depressing.

I bet everybody will be shocked to know that the 75 countries that Trump is now INDEFINITELY suspending immigrant visas to are largely majority Black and Brown people. The only exception are formerly of the USSR or Soviet-aligned.
All part of the “Make America White Again” movement 😵💫

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/14/immigrant-visas-suspended-trump#:~:text=The%20Donald%20Trump%20administration%20has,pathways%20to%20the%20United%20States.
#uspol #immigration #racism

Just think, if Congress had impeached and removed Donald Trump after the insurrection at the Capitol 5 years ago today, he wouldn’t be President and we wouldn’t have (non-complete list):
*Shuttered USAID
*Slashed medical research
*Mafia actions to coerce media, universities, business leaders, etc
*Kidnapped a head of state & threatened to invade allies
*Military policing U.S. cities
*USG accounts mimicking Nazis
*Measles breakouts
*President giving pardons for pay

And so much more
#uspol #Jan6

RE: https://journa.host/@NatalieDavis/115827087505291166

Continuing in their goals to make the U.S. an only white country. 😵💫
They’re straight up racist xenophobes who think Nazis are aspirational and not some of the worst people in history.

Since Barcelona is the World Capital of Architecture for 2026, I started the year with an architecture run. And a chapuzón, or capbussada in Català. In the sea every month since I moved to Spain.
#running #newyear #barcelona #architecture

Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad, Bon Nadal to all! Last night, I celebrated Christmas Eve with some Catalan friends at the home of one. Today, having a quiet Christmas Day. The popovers turned out amazing.
#christmas #popovers #nadal #navidad

Loved this piece by Pablo Manriquez on Notre Dame President Fr Bob Dowd speaking up on behalf of immigrants.
Frankly, far, far more important than whether Notre Dame’s football team misses the college football playoffs
https://open.substack.com/pub/migrantinsider/p/the-priest-who-listens
#notredame #immigrants

I’ve been having pain on my right abdomen, at lowest end of rib cage, intermittently for a few weeks to 2 months. It was mild & I thought prob muscular from taking up kayaking in July.
It’s gotten worse past couple weeks and really bad the last several days, I feel it every breath in. So I put in a consult with doctor (public) in Barcelona. They called me and asked if I could go in in like 2 hours!
I have to get tests done, which may take 1-2 weeks, but still so impressed with sanidad en España.

This bar in Gràcia (Bar El Roble) has breakfast torrades named for players from FCB Femení 😍
Also, the sunset was 🔥 today in Barcelona.
#barça #fútbol #football #soccer #barcelona

I did the awful thing of listening to a lot of Trump’s lie-filled, rambling speech. I learned that I am destroying Europe! 😱 - since I’m an immigrant and also have worked the past 3 years in sustainability. Sorry guys, I didn’t know Europe was terrible because of me 😔
Anyway, here’s what’s left of Europe after immigrants like me destroyed it, according to Trump. He said people are getting raped & killed like you’ve never seen, but I see kids on carnival rides, people on walks and at the beach 🤷🏼♀️

Why FCC chair Brendan Carr may be the most dangerous person in media. In The Intercept via The Media and Democracy Project: https://theintercept.com/2025/09/19/fcc-brendan-carr-trump-kimmel/
#censorship #DictatorTrump #uspol #freespeech

Ick. Doing my daily browsing of global newspaper covers on Kiosko.net, and got an ad inspired by Nazi propaganda encouraging me to join ICE 😵💫
At the time, I had VPN on phone with U.S. location.

ICE is eating the soul of America. Will anything remain?
https://www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/ice-is-eating-the-soul-of-america
#uspol #immigrants #heart #ice

Una flotilla de barcos con representación de 40+ países ha salido de Barcelona hoy, intentando romper el bloqueo de Gaza por Israel. Ojalá lo logren.
#gaza #palestina #ayudahumanitaria

https://www.lavanguardia.com/internacional/20250831/11015669/barcelona-despide-flotilla-intentara-romper-bloqueo-gaza.html