the urge to make your own gmod rp server and add actually fun stuff/proper moderation/progression that makes sense. Like, truly, the amount of servers that have some interesting ideas just dont properly utilize them is just...uggh

There was a Half-Life rp server i tried a while back now? it was very not good, at least to me. The Metro Cops were spawncamping the civilians for really no reason, there were MULTIPLE people swinging a pickax at streetlamps to level strength up for... something? I literally never found out cause when I asked i either got cussed at or ignored.

Oh and the OOC (Out of Character Chat) was disabled because there was any staff members on? Which in theory is like, whatever, sure ig. In practice is just, not very smart because when there isnt a turtorial for anything you just walk around doing nothing until u get bored and leave

That's understandable, I've seen folks express how disconnected the Carnivora chapter felt to the rest of the game's story. Though you hit the nail in your last point about why the idea of them is cool to me & it's essentially what I'd do with 'em. :) I also really dug Pain's design, he's so imposing! I thought it'd be cool to have the Twins look up to P&T in a way they never did with Typhon, due to how far P&T have enabled them to use their power instead of holding them back.

Ajakdhjs the POTENTIAL with a Pain and Terror being adult figures for the twins is ASTRONOMICAL

I'm thinking of the Twins leaving Nekro to go be stars, and being picked up by the bandit festival as as performers. Tyreen does her magic by turning the stage into a mess of gore and eridium dust, Troy's sickly, but he still has speed and strength to make for a good hunting performance. They quickly become fan favorites among the carnival goers, being as freaky as freak can get; especially with how they just ooze and drip charisma and personality. With Carnivore, they become overnight sensations on Pandora, perfectly happy to reap the clout while the two boss men handle the money and schedules.

I'm super into this fiction, mostly because I have a soft spot for carnival stories. If it was me writing it, I'd rewrite Pain and Terror to be not Pen and Teller, and also change the names. Becauee cmon, I'm pretty sure every bandit you meet is named pain or terror.

I'm thinking of a large, brutish Ex-vladof soldier, maybe named Vasily? Huge, broad dude, still with the pin stripe suit and the red circle glasses. Thick accent, fiercely intelligent but prefers to play up the physical intimidation to run his business. Bald headed to show off tattoos, thick, luxuriously kept beard. Definitely wears wears eyeliner to make his glare more fierce. Runs the show and performance, handles all the performers.

And the smaller guy, I'm imagining a Promethean? Someone from a metropolitan city, big and bright and flashy. On the shorter side for his city, but still taller than most Pandorans. Very thin and lithe, looks like a cat. Probably has a name that has a hidden meaning or irony, like Dogma. Kind of manipulative, has stuck knives in many different backs. Longish hair, keeps it tied back in a scandinavian braid. Also very intelligent, but has more interest in money, logistics, and business, so runs everything going on behind the stage curtains.

They've been working together on Carnivora for a few years, started about when the destroyer was killed. Around the time that BL2 starts, Vasily's talent scouting team finds two dying siren twins in the desert. The moment he heard that Tyreen can kill people in a slow, glamorous, dramatic manner, he snatches them both up like a hawk. She's awkward and way too hyper, but she'll learn.

Troy, meanwhile, can't do his human stalking performances often due to sickness, so he gets taken under Dogma's wing. He has an eye for marketing and parasocial relationships, and quickly, the Twins get a cult following amongst the Carnivora goers.

Dogma makes the business decision to limit their performances, not just to make them rarer and more exclusive, but to keep these at-the-time teenagers from being overexposed and having too much pressure on them. So, when they aren't on the stage, Ty and Troy are working with Dogma and Vasily to boost their media presence, quickly developing a weird little adopted family. They're vicious killers and shrewd manipulators, but they're family. Vasily is a malewife and mama hen, Dogma is everything Typhon isn't and theyre both everything the Twins needed.

Tyreen's condition is immediately looked into, and after magic therapy, medication, and tests with Eridian tech, can get her powers under control, making her happier and capable of genuine interpersonal relationships. Troy has the best doctors around, and after replacing Ty's energy with Eridium, has a boost in health since he isn't being partially leeched each time he needs a refill. He still stays to himself, but he isn't a wallowing nightmare of self-destruction.

Carnivora is a beast on Pandora, sweeping through the planet with kidnappings, raids, and destruction, all thanks to the Twins and their adoptive dads' support. Its their happiness in this life that makes them so much more dangerous, because all four have the other three to lose, and are not willing to allow such a thing to come to fruition.

The story would probably be started by the Crimson Raiders, wanting to stop these madmen from growing any further. They already have an army with their fans, and the destruction sown is quickly leading to a takeover of Pandora through idolatry and violence.

Welcome to October 7th.

(cough cough)

Where we are today:

After spending the weekend at Walter Reed Medical Center for treatment of his COVID-19 infection, President Donald Trump returned to the White House yesterday afternoon, where he is expected to continue treatment under quarantine.

The slim hopes there were that Trump would calm down and take his current situation seriously--and yeah, I know, but some people are just born suckers--were exploded yesterday when Trump's first full day out of the hospital was highlighted by an almost incoherent tweet storm, followed by a declaration out of nowhere that long-stalled talks over a second stimulus package were dead until after the election, and everyone had been instructed to dedicate their undivided attention to the Supreme Court nomination. The response was instantaneous: one spur-of-the-moment tweet shaved 600 points off the stock market before closing.

He walked back the stance slightly later on, saying he'd be willing to sign off on just the personal stimulus checks, part of a piecemeal approach that Democrats have repeatedly said was a nonstarter. For those who were depending on extended unemployment relief or waiting for a federal lifeline for their small businesses (or even larger ones, in the case of the airlines), the message from Trump and his party, with 27 days until the election, is what it's been all summer: Help isn't on the way. You're on your own. Please suffer quietly while we play confirmation games in the Senate.

The above would appear to demonstrate that the President’s emotional state is even more unhinged than usual, and the speculation (not to mention a certain style of headline) has been zeroing in on the manic episodes that are a known side-effect of the steroid treatment Trump has been taking. The impression is that there’s still a lot that’s being kept from us, and the main thing the West Wing has been open about since the President’s diagnosis is that they have no intention of being open about anything related to the current state of affairs.

Physician to the President Dr. Sean Conley maintains that Trump’s recovery is continuing in a positive direction, but the memorandum begins with the one line that has been casting a long shadow over any hope of honesty:

“I release the following information with the permission of President Donald J. Trump.” 

In 2015, Trump’s personal physician Dr. Harold Bornstein released a hyperbole-laden assessment of the then-candidate’s health status: “If elected, Mr. Trump, I can state unequivocally, will be the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency." Like Conley’s status report, there we no real negatives. The main difference was that Borstein’s letter sounded a lot like a Trump-penned press release. 

Borstein later revealed there was a reason that letter sounded so Trumpian. "He dictated that whole letter. I didn't write that letter." 

Folks, this could be some hard-earned paranoia talking, since there’s no major reason to assume that a Borstein level of hijacking is happening with Conley, apart from his Walter Reed declaration that he was intentionally skewing towards optimism over the weekend while dodging (and sometimes backtracking on) a lot of key questions. But if some of us feel like we smell a rat in a sunshine-and-rainbows status report, it’s because that rat was caught in this particular corn crib once before.

HIPAA rules entitle every American citizen to a certain expectation of privacy when it comes to medical records. If you want to allow even another member of your family to be able to talk about your condition with your doctors, you have to sign off specific names. That means the onus of allowing transparency in the case of Donald J. Trump, a man whose health (for better or for worse) has international implications, falls on the full consent of Donald J. Trump himself. But since Borstein’s revelation came days after members of the Trump Organization seized his Trump-related medical records in what he characterized as a “raid” on his office, it’s safe to assume that’s not going to happen....not until it’s too late, anyway.

Meanwhile...

The Trump/Pence team continues to openly mock the medically-recommended safety measures that, had they been applied consistently, would've kept the President out of the hospital. Trump is still making the claim that COVID-19 is no worse than the flu, which by any metric is demonstrably false and highly dangerous, while Pence and his team made a last-minute attempt yesterday to flex on the previously agreed-to plexiglas guards in front of the podiums. His debate with Kamala Harris is scheduled for tonight.

Since Trump loves Citizen Kane, while not necessarily understanding that Kane isn't the hero of the movie, let's end this wall of words with a quote that he probably hasn't figured out yet either.

“You're the greatest fool I've ever known, Kane. If it was anybody else, I'd say what's going to happen to you would be a lesson to you. Only you're going to need more than one lesson. And you're going to get more than one lesson.”

Will Trump's next lesson come from the disease or the electorate? Either way, we're in for a long, dark October. Stay warm, everybody.

First Lady Melania Trump, who did not join her husband at Walter Reed, continues to rest at the White House during her recovery.

Other confirmed positives for COVID-19:

(This is not intended to be a complete list, and is based on news reports concerning those who are known to have been in contact with other infected individuals in connection with recent events. Status changes and additions since yesterday’s megapost will be listed in bold. Updated throughout the day as new information becomes available from the CNN, NBC News, and CBS News live update pages, supplemented by other sources.)

White House

Hope Hicks: Began showing symptoms on Wednesday, tested positive on Thursday morning. Was not in attendance at Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination event on September 26th.

Nicholas Luna, personal assistant to the President: Luna is a “body man”, whose duties require him to be in close proximity to the President at all times.

Kayleigh McEnany, White House press secretary:  She was not aware of the Hicks diagnosis when she addressed the press on Thursday.

Stephen Miller, Senior Advisor to the President: Was already working remotely and self-isolating, announced positive test on Monday. His wife, Katie Miller, is Vice President Pence’s director of communications, had coronavirus several months ago.

Chad Gilmartin and Karoline Leavitt, members of Kayleigh McEnany’s staff.

Assistant White House press secretary Jalen Drummond: Another McEnany staffer who tested positive Monday morning

Unidentified staffer: Military personnel directly assigned to support the President in the Oval Office and residence, diagnosed over the weekend per CNN.

Three initially unidentified members of the White House press corps and an unidentified staffer who works with the media. Per the White House Correspondents’ Association president Zeke Miller: Individual #1 attended a Sunday briefing and tested positive on Friday after exhibiting symptoms on Thursday. Individual #2 (later confirmed to be Michael Shear of the New York Times) was part of the press pool which traveled to last Saturday’s Pennsylvania rally; also exhibited symptoms on Thursday and tested positive on Friday. Individual #3 was in the press pool for the Barrett Rose Garden event and also travelled with the press pool on Sunday. #3 exhibited symptoms on Wednesday and tested positive Friday afternoon. The press at the Barret event were confined in a crowded “penlike enclosure” behind the invited guests (per Washington Post).

Campaign personnel

Chris Christie: Attended the Barrett nomination event and was part of Trump debate prep. Christie, whose asthma puts him in a higher risk group, checked himself into Morristown Medical Center as a precautionary measure.

Kellyanne Conway: Attended the Barrett nomination event and was part of Trump debate prep. The initial news came in the form of a string of snarky Tiktok posts on Friday from her daughter Claudia, followed much later by a confirmation from Kellyanne herself.

RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel: Isolating at home since September 26th, tested last Wednesday.

Bill Stepien, current Trump 2020 campaign manager: In the White House on Monday, in Cleveland for Tuesday’s presidential debate, traveled with Trump and Hicks aboard Air Force One afterwards.

US Congress

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI): Per CNN: “Johnson was not at the Amy Coney Barrett ceremony because he was quarantining from a prior exposure, during which he twice tested negative for the virus, according to the spokesperson.” He was exposed “shortly after” returning to Washington.

Sen. Mike Lee, (R-UT): Attended the Barrett nomination event.

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC): Attended the Barrett nomination event.

Military

Admiral Charles Ray, Vice Commandant of the US Coast Guard: Recently attended several meetings with the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Nearly all the Joint Chiefs of Staff, including chairman General Mark Milley, are in precautionary quarantine.

Gen. Gary L. Thomas, assistant commandant of the US Marine Corps

Others

University of Notre Dame President Rev. John I. Jenkins, CSC: Attended the Barrett nomination event. Jenkins was told that he didn’t need to wear a mask to the event after he and other guests tested negative at the White House.

Thirteen employees at Murray’s restaurant in Minneapolis: Catered a party attended by President Trump on September 30th, although none of them were in close proximity to the President.

Confirmed negatives:

(Because of the nature of COVID-19, this list is subject to change.)

Mike and Karen Pence: The Pences have been testing daily since the announcement of the Trumps’ diagnosis.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin

Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner: Recently traveled with Hope Hicks

Barron Trump

Eric Trump: At debate.

Lara Trump: At debate.

Donald Trump Jr.: Flew on Air Force One to Cleveland debate, did not fly back.

Mark Meadows, White House chief of staff

Pat Cipollone, White House counsel

Dan Scavino, Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications and Director of Social Media

HHS Secretary Alex Azar

Attorney General Bill Barr

Defense Secretary Mark Esper

WH Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany

Justin Clark, deputy campaign manager

Rudy Giuliani: Was in Trump debate prep.

Jason Miller: Was in Trump debate prep.

Alice Marie Johnson: Flew on Air Force One to Cleveland debate.

Judge Amy Coney Barrett: Barrett and her husband had coronavirus earlier this year and recovered, per AP News.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, (D-CA): Tested out of "an abundance of caution” because of Steve Mnuchin meeting earlier this week.

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH): Few on Air Force One to Cleveland debate, did not fly back.

DNC Chairman Tom Perez: In front row for Tuesday’s debate.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO):  Attended the Barrett nomination event, was seen there without a face covering.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX): Precautionary quarantine because of close contact with COVID-19-positive individuals.

Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE): Precautionary quarantine because of close contact with COVID-19-positive individuals.

Sen. James Lankford (R-OK):  Precautionary quarantine because of close contact with COVID-19-positive individuals.

All of the Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Status unknown as of Tuesday midday:

Kimberly Guilfoyle (at debate)

Alyssa Farah, White House Director of Strategic Communications

Robert O’Brien, national security adviser (tested positive for coronavirus in July)

Tiffany Trump (at debate)

Derek Lyons,  Counselor to the President

Sen. Chuck Grassley, (R-IA), Senate pro tem: Declined to be tested, claiming physician’s advice as his reason; attended a meeting Thursday with Sen. Mike Lee.

30-50 donors who were in close contact with President Trump during an in-person event held at Trump’s Bedminster golf club on Thursday night. According to the official story, the event was held hours before President Trump’s positive test came back, but Hicks’s positive came back immediately before he left (although for a variety of reasons, the validity of that timeline is up in the air).

And because they’re stuck in this story, too:

Joe and Jill Biden: negative, committed to regular testing on all campaign event days.

Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff: negative

Previous megaposts, in case you’re a masochist: October 2 3 4 5 6

Quiet Devotion 2 [Hawks x Reader]

Since so many people enjoyed the first and asked for a continuation, I decided to make one since I have the day off today. Be warned though, you know what they say about sequels. Also, beware of a possible (most likely going to happen) trilogy.

Summary: Continuation of 'Quiet Devotion'...

Reader Details: Emotional, humble, loyal, introspective.

Quirk: Unbreakable Silk.

Masterlist

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

---

The soft whisper of thread soothed your frantic heart, made calm that which should be a deafening roar. Too soon though, the sharp snip of your delicate pattern work unraveling under your unfocused touch roused you from your thoughts. Too late though, for three hours of work now lie ruined in your grasp, a reminder of your uncharacteristic distraction.

Beside you a crisply folded paper sits unmoving upon your desk, untouched since first you read its contents. Within its perfectly straight creases exists the reason for your distraction, your distress. You'd scold yourself had you the heart to, for though you knew this day would come you still felt overwhelmed by it.

You look around your workshop, taking it in with steady eyes despite the pain searing into the depths of your heart. Silk, cotton and wool creations from generations passed hang proudly along the walls, beautiful and ancient in a way few things are. On their surfaces stories great and small are immortalized, the deeds of heros born before the dawn of quirks, the labors of the common folk. All present, all important, a silent history captured by a weaver's guiding hand.

You look to the paper again, silent. You are not ready, but you doubt you ever will be. There is still so much you do not know, so many things your elders and peers have yet to teach you. Here, you have a life you've just started to live, a place you've begun to make your own: A quiet heaven.

Life moves forward though, as it always has. You know that. You learned that truth years ago in that dark and hopeless place that when life moves forward so must you for there is only one other option. Only one.

Setting your ruined work aside you reach out for the letter and take it carefully in your hands, as though it would burn you if provoked unduly. The first thing to draw you attention is the number sitting unchangingly at the top of the paper, neat and bold against the stark white of the lease notice. Your heart quakes at the sight, but you take a fortifying breath and continue on.

Life holds still for no one after all.

---

Hawk's half-lidded gaze scans lazily over the video footage as it plays mutely before him, head tilting slightly as the object of his attention moves ever closer to the security camera overhead. He'd expected that you'd linger for a while near the mail slot, as most do, but to his surprise you'd merely shoved the package into the slot and walked away without a backwards glace. He'd almost think you felt put upon by how quickly you left, but the smile on your face was more than enough to disprove those thoughts.

His rests his chin in his newly re-gloved palm, enjoying the silken feel of it resting against his skin and stubble. He takes a moment to regret not being able to wear the whole set, but the persistent chill and distracting vibrations that would ensue from it soundly nipped that impulse. Instead, he makes note to be a particularly troublesome nuisance for his support department to encourage them to make his soon-to-be newest outfit their top priority once they receive it.

He replays the video again for perhaps the fourth time that hour because there's something familiar about you he should remember. He's sure of this in a way that strikes him as unusual, concerning even, as he doesn't recognize your face despite his near perfect vision and excellent memory. In his hand he holds a single feather, letting it rest fulling against the glove and watching as it quivers softly against the smooth surface.

That subtle interaction is familiar too, but only distantly so as though feeling a shift of movement underwater or experiencing a phantom ache. It's one of the main reasons he knows he should recognize you from somewhere despite the lack of recognition though, because the sensory input from his wings is not something he's prone to forget or misidentify. Lives literally depend on him being able to control and interpret his quirk.

Leaning back into his chair he props his feet onto his table and smirks, dismissing the concern for now. He'd just have to meet with you in person, simple as that. No better way to get the ball rolling than by just getting it done. He didn't get this far up the rankings by thinking about it after all.

A large, cunning smile crossed his lips, maybe with a bit more teeth than was strictly necessary. Surely, making sure the creator of his newest hero uniform was on hand is what any good hero would do. It's a tough job. You never know when you'll need a patch job. Can't have the Number Two flying around in a tattered costume after all. Wouldn't fit his image.

And so a few calls later and a couple favors shorter, he had your file in hand, flipping through it nonchalantly between bouts of paperwork that never seemed to stop coming.

About halfway through the file he finally comes across what he's looking for, and this time the smile that crosses his expression is fond.

'You really are as pretty as I'd thought you'd be.'

---

Seven Years Ago

---

The feather in your hand has been trying to escape your gasp, likely to return to its originator, but for the life of you you cannot unfurl your fingers from around it. It is your lifeline, your only assurance that there is someone out there, a Hero, who is coming for you even if you cannot see them yet.

The feather tugs in your grasp again and you keen softly, bringing it to your chest to clutch it as tightly as possible in your weakened state.

It could hurt you, you know, slice through your flesh and bone like warm butter with just as much effort. You may not remember the name of the young hero it belongs to but you've seen enough glimpses of him over the news to know that the only reason the feather has not escaped yet is because it doesn't want to hurt you. That the only reason it's stayed this long is because you cannot let go of it. That as selfish as it may seem to an outsider, the trauma and desperation that'd once overtaken you was still there, stayed only by the tangible piece of hope trapped tightly in your hand.

You just cannot let go.

Time passes and the feather still vibrates, soothing your frayed nerves as they try to fill your mind with scenerio after scenerio as to what could have gone wrong up top, each one more convoluted than the last.

Then it happens. The vibrations are no longer just in your hand but all around you, low and quiet as though done with the utmost care. You realize very quickly that it sounds that way because that's exactly what's happening. It takes mere moments for the first ray of light to pierce through the darkness to your far right, followed promptly by the emergence of a helmet cover head you can just make out with your limited sight.

"Is anyone down here?" The voice of the man speaking was rough like gravel and just as grating, but it was one of the most beautiful sounds you'd even heard in all your years of existing.

Once more, for what was beginning to feel like a never ending cycle in your life, you begun to cry.

---

Your extraction was quick, though not nearly quick enough for your liking. Mostly you stayed quiet after your initial outburst of tears, not from embarrassment as some may be lead to believe, but from the sheer exhaustion that overcame you the moment large, warm hands came to help you stand.

After adjusting to the change in lighting you looked to the man helping you and found him dressed in something that looked suspiciously like a onesie/jumper hybrid. Though you suppose such an outfit made sense in his line of work in terms of functionality. Besides, not too many people care about what a person's wearing when they're literally plucking them out of the weckage of what could be the worst day of their lives. You certainly don't.

"Damn. We thought you were a goner. It's a good thing that Hawks kid showed up when he did. Awesome quirk, that one." The strangely dressed hero exclaims with a friendly grin while he supports your back and upper torso, perhaps trying to be assuring or funny but missing the mark on both accounts. "I mean, you were so far down even Radar couldn't sense you! That you survived at all is incredible! You must be a super strong person, no doubt about that!" He smiled even wider, eyes kind and genuinely happy for your survival, but the implications of his words stay with you even as he hands you over to the medics to continue his own hero duties.

'They thought I was dead,' You think numbly as the medic gives you a thorough check up. 'They weren't going to come for me.' Something like panic wanted to crawl up your throat, but you were too tired for it to truly spiral. 'They always recover the bodies last. It could have taken days before they got to that stage.' The implications were not lost on you.

It made sense, really. Why waste effort recovering dead bodies when there were people that needed rescuing and reassuring. Why waste precious life-saving hours looking for corpses that no longer had a time limit when the living had so much more to lose.

It was the right thing to do, you knew. Prioritizing the living was always the right thing to do, but it didn't stop the quiet hurt that settled in your heart. The living have worth, a corpse does not. It stung to think that even if you'd died down there you would have been a low priority issue. That for a while there, you were a low priority.

The feather tugged again and you startled- having forgotten about it in your daze- startling the medic in turn. When they turned to ask you what was wrong you merely shook your head, murmuring softly in reassurance. You knew that had the circumstances been different the medic would have pried, but as it was there was no time for a full Psych evaluation. There were still lives that needed saving and only so much time to do so. In the light of day you could see that well enough on your own, despite both your eyes being nearly swollen shut from the bruising and irritation.

What had started off as a small hero vs. villian battle had somehow devolved into a five block catastrophe of sinkholes and fires. Entire sections of road was missing, likely buried under the untold amount of sand scattered as far as your limited vision would allow you to see. No less than six buildings were near collapsed, some even gone entirely. It was mind boggling just to look at, let alone begin to make sense of.

Still, despite the devastation, one thought remained prevalent above all others.

'They thought I was dead but he checked anyway. He checked because they didn't know for sure and there was still a chance someone had survived the fall. He came when no one else would bother.'

The feather tugged again, and this time you let it go, watching as it dashed away into the chaos.

'I was his number one priority. Not because he knew I was alive, but because there was a chance of it.'

You took a deep breath, and despite the numbing pain all long your body and the hurt that still echoed in your heart, you were lighter for it.

'I'm alive. Thank you.'

8, 9, 16, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 34, 35, 36, 40, 41, 42, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 50, 53, 55, 57, 58, 59, 62, 64, 65, 70 (aside from Kagami 😂), 71, 72, 79, 82, 86, 87, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99 for the "Asks, why not" thing please? (Omg that's soo much, I'm sorry I got carried away ^^')

8) Your looks (add a picture or describe yourself)

Average height, bordering on short. Broad shoulders, thick arms and thighs, square face, slightly projecting ears (one pierced, one with a stretched lobe), bushy arched brows, thick square glasses, faded dark red hair, dark brown eyes, butt chin. I look pale and perpetually sleep deprived.

9) What do you/did you study?

I was in a teacher’s training program for English and Hungarian language and literature, and I’m planning to go back to school to study sociology!

16) What do you look for in a SO?

Consciously: understanding, fun, sweet, kind and accepting. Unconsciously: somewhat broken and in dire need of emotional help which I’m desperate to provide lmao.

19) Do you prefer serious and meaningful relationships or casual dating/one night stands?

Eh, u know, it depends? I don’t think I’m fit for a serious relationship right now, so I’d prefer casual stuff atm, but on the long run I do want a partner to share my life with.

20) What are your deal breakers?

Really obnoxious people, ignorance and bigotry I guess. And I’m not keen on someone pushing or disrespecting my boundaries, either.

21) How was your day?

It was good!! My bro, his girlfriend and my friend tagged along to get our (me and my soon-to-be sis-in-law’s) ears pierced, and then my friend and I got a loot of food. I didn’t exactly feel good enough abt myself to be comfortable outside, but I got a lot of random kindness and that was Nice.

22) Favourite food & drink

Food: teriyaki chicken and seafood pasta, drink: ginger ale and iced coffee

23) What position do you sleep in?

I sleep half-curled up on my side, but I need to toss and turn a little until I find The Best Position.

25) Your fears

The dark, needles, rabbits (I don’t even know, dude), the fact that I’ll die without having made an impact on the world, being spoken about behind my back, being a bad influence on my friends.

28) Any pets?

Not right now! I used to have two rottweilers around the house growing up, but they both passed away sadly.

29) What are your hobbies?

Writing, sketching, basketball, getting on people’s nerves, researching typology, watchin movies idk?

31) What was your last awkward situation?

Asjhdh the ticket control guy told me to “Have a safe trip” and I said “You too!”. This rarely happens to me tho

32) What is your last regret?

Not holding my friend’s hand on public transport. It was…right…there….and she already told me she’s more than comfortable with physical touch! I’m a fool! Everyone thinks I hate touching but I don’t! I’m just shy!

34) Do you believe in astrological stuff? (Zodiac, tarot, etc.)

Ehh. Kind of? As for believing, I believe more in ghosts, but I do see some patterns in different signs. I just try not to let it affect the way I see/interact with a person, because no one deserves to be prejudiced for whatever reason, especially not their date of birth. Tarot is just fun, and the cards r cool

35) Have any quirks?

I bite the skin on my fingers, scratch my acne, make my knees jump… most of it is just regular anxiety stuff tho so idk?? I do think I’m quirky, but there’s just too much weird stuff to list ‘em.

36) Your pet peeves

Cig/booze stink on a person, customers being rude, bigotry, interrupting other people… There’s quite some things that annoy me asjdgd

40) Last 5 things from your search history

Boku No Hero Academia, Hawks, duck emoji, Grumman fma, How To Train Your Dragon

41) What’s your device backgrounds?

My phone lockscreen rn is a beautiful KagaKuro fanart of them standing in the rain in yukatas, Kagami looming over Kuroko and shielding him from the rain and Kuroko reaching up to stroke his face; my phone background is an art of they/them pronouns tattooed on someone’s knuckles, their posture unsure; my laptop background is a screenshot from the movie Déva, of blue skies and a street lamp.

42) What do you daydream about?

…cu..cuddling,,my…crush……..

44) What's your religion/Your thought about religion

Short version: barf

Long version: I was raised catholic (even tho I was never baptized), and attended catholic school for 8 years which gave me a really warped idea of Christianity, Which made me a cynic & an agnostic or atheist by proxy. I harshly criticize the catholic church and faith but sometimes… when I do feel hopeless I get down on my knees and pray, so I guess if I let myself find my own faith I’d be a believer. But right now, I’m good just existing in my nihilistic bubble

45) Your personality type

Needy imeanwhat. In a typological sense, I’m an INFP in Myers-Briggs, 4 core 5 wing in Enneagram, melancholic or sanguine in the temperaments, et cetera. Basically I’m a sad daydreamer with unresolved issues and a need to do Art

47) Are you happy with your current life?

Nah bro. I like my friends and my workplace but I’d like to move out of home ASAP. I’d also… like to get therapy before I go and put myself out there.

48) Some things you've tried in your life

Playing the guitar, hostess work, weed, cigarettes, being blackout drunk, smoking from a hookah, cooking, football, handball, basketball, volleyball, cycling, sailing, driving, hitchhiking long distances, folk dancing, one-night stands, long-distance relationships, helping people in need…

50) Favourite colour to wear?

Olive green, midnight/navy blue, white, grey and black.

53) If you could change/add something to your appearance - impossible or not - what would it be?

I’d… like to know how it would feel if I had a flat chest and a penis? I also want bigger Guns, and Abs, some more tattoos and maybe an eyebrow piercing.

55) Do you get complimented often?

I think so? I usually brush off compliments uhhh but yeah maybe! Maybe idk

58) Songs you're currently obsessed with?

My friend’s playlist reminded me that ‘Phenomenon’ by Thousand Foot Krutch exists. I’m also really into ‘San Francisco’ by The Mowgli’s atm and ‘Golden Time Lover’ by Sukima Switch!

59) Song you normally wouldn't admit you like.

I mean, it’s not like it’s cringe or anything, I hate cringe culture BUT. I do have Ariana Grande’s ‘Side to Side’ stuck in my head rn

64) Can you sing or play any instruments?

I can sing pretty badly, play a bad tune on my guitar, drum on the edge of my table, so- Nah not really asdh

65) Do you like karaoke?

YES VERY MUCH I live and die for karaoke, last time I did it in front of an audience we sung the Shaman King opening at an anime con with friends, it was Rad

70) Your fictional crush/es

AH NO FUN Kagami’s my number one,,, let’s see then: Aomine, Roy Mustang, Kise, Mikoto Suoh, Hotch & Reid from Criminal Minds, Yagami Light, Jaime Lannister and Brienne from GoT, Rustin Cohle from True Detective, Shizuo Heiwajima from Durarara!!!, why is this list full of men I didn’t think I liked men this much

71) Which fictional character is you?

Eddie Brock from Venom I mean? He’s a whole ass mess.

79) How much time do you spend on the internet?

Yike. More than I’d be proud of.

86) Would you use death note, if you had one?

No way dude. I don’t fuck with that shit, karma would fuck me right back.

87) What changes would you make in the world, no matter how impossible, if you had the power to?

I’d eliminate money and power and just make it a huge peaceful hippie community or something idk

90) What would you want to happen to you after your death?

Donate me to a medical school I don’t care. Make use of me! I’m gonna be dead, I won’t have any more feelings left to be hurt or anything asdghdsg

91) If you had to change your name, what would be your pick?

I’ve had a name in mind that I tried out once, but it didn’t really work out for me after all. I’m fine with Vee and Vic rn. Anything that isn’t my given name. I do want to change my surname to my mother’s, but if I do that I also want to give myself a different first name, and since That isn’t figured out yet, I’m just?? Call me whatever dude

94) Write 3 things about yourself - only one of them must be true

Ugh, I’m bad at these. 1) I have plenty of moles. 2) My eyesight is pretty good. 3) I’ve broken some bones before.

95) Cold or hot?

Cold in beverage, hot in weather.

96) Be a hero or be a villain?

Being a villain is way too much fun, but I have too strong of a conscience to pull that off, so… hero, I guess.

97) Sing everything you want to say or rhyme?

Asjhdf singing is funnier and more annoying, since I Cannot Sing

98) Shapeshifting or controlling time?

Dude I’m non-binary. Shapeshifting for Sure

99) Be immortal or be immune to everything aside from natural death?

Aight I’ll give in – I agree to immortality Just This Once.

The view is breathtaking to say the least, the ever revolving waltz of the cosmos plays silent witness to your approach, your breath misting on the thin, cold air as you glide through the starless patch of emptiness, known only as the Lawless. You have a ranch here, if you could call it that, a full lightminute’s worth of outer space to call your own.

Something is singing somewhere, beckoning, wheeling through the dark, and dusty strip of a far off asteroid field, a Shooting Star perhaps? You pay it no mind, you just circle the collection of awkward, chitinous spires anchored to the shattered remains of a long dead moon by the shed shell of a young Courier. Something bitter unfurls inside of you. 

The ghosts of memories, not yet dead, seek to torment you. White rooms and examination tables. Text redacted, reformatted. That facility was hell, more than any others you’d been in. And it’s going to stay with you, for the rest of your life, while she gets off scot fucking free.

 This is way more than she deserves.

Dust swirls lazily around your ankles as you land, wings tucking against your back so tightly they disappear completely. There is a walkway, leading up to what’s left of the Courier’s shell, a doorway sits snug in the chitin, easily missed by untrained eyes. Absently, you think about painting or carving it into something pleasing, maybe even homey. You stop yourself, fingers running over the chitin, imagining what it could be, and frown. You open the door, eager to stop wasting time in the cold. It’s warm inside, and brightly lit by glass bulbs full of bioluminescent algae. 

The floor shimmers, sections of chitin and polished stone Shaped together haphazardly with the use of your Amalgamy, a quick and dirt mosaic to break up the monotony of the interior’s design. Beneath the vaguely blue glow of the algae-lights, the walls and floor dance with cool colors brought out by tender fingers. There are swirls of violet coursing through the gleaming black of the chitinous walls, hints of blue too, all coaxed out of hiding by your hand.

The interior of this place, if your own creation, every room hand sculpted by you and your Amalgamy. The Red Science, the study of Shaping and Being Shaped, of breaking the Chain. It’s a forbidden science, one you’ve taken very well to, considering you yourself are an aberration Shaped by science. A different science, but science nonetheless. 

Motion further down an empty corridor interrupts your thoughts. A flash of red hair, gangly limbs, all turning to smoke. You stiffen and walk faster, your prey finally in sight.

Moira.

Internally, you kick yourself, hate yourself for the moment of weakness you showed back at Avalon. You had her there, life in your hands, blood on your knuckles. You could have ended her, ended THIS. But you hesitated, you remembered the days before she hurt you. So you let her live, you brought her here, where no one would find her, and you started building her a home. You can lie to yourself all you’d like, but that’s what it is, a gallant mansion of chitin and stone in the deep, beautiful reaches of space. Call it a gilded cage if you want, but there’s too much love poured into it for it to be a proper punishment of any kind.

She’s a mess when you find her, a bruise-mottled specter of herself, wrapped half-assedly in bandages and misplaced bravado. It’s a miracle she’s conscious, let alone standing. But there she is, defying the odds in that arrogant, stubborn way she always does. Everything has to bend to her will, even her own broken body. It’s infuriating, even more so than the way you instantly fall into the role of caregiver. How you instantly fall over yourself to please, to coddle, to love. 

Moira is, and always will be the object of your pity, something long misconstrued as love. Your expression must have changed, must have melted into that warm, stupid stare you used to give her, because she narrows her eyes and she fucking sneers. That alone pushes all thoughts of comforting her out of your mind. 

“Look at you, already wasting away without me.” The words fall out of your mouth before you can stop them. It’s mean, and a bit ironic since you’re the one that kicked her ass, but it’s (sort of) true regardless. That’s what drew you to Moira, her inability to care for herself, oh sure she’s dangerously clever, but she can’t cook to save her life. Or remember to eat, or sleep, especially when she’s knee deep in her work. So you’d remind her, you’d help her along, leave her things in the fridge, drag her to bed by the tie if you had to. And it had worked, for a little while, until she hurt you and you left.

Her sneer twists into something vaguely amused, “Oh, I am wounded.” She coos sardonically, “Does the little bunny think that his care is still needed? Nevermind effective?”

Ah, she hit a nerve. Of course she did, she’s always known how to get under your skin, figuratively and literally. Your ear twitches, betraying your neutral expression, “My care has always been effective, all my other partners have benefited from my care, you’re just an outlier.”

A grin, all sharp teeth and black gums, bruise-purple glows in the back of her mouth as she speaks, and flickers among the abyss of her sclera, “Oh? So your little experiments have come to fruition at last. We’re not so different, you and I, Jack.” She takes an unsteady step closer, and you flinch, “Misunderstood scoundrels of different areas of knowledge… but both oh so good at our thing. Oh so passionate.”

A rip-saw snarl tears its way up your throat, your own biolume igniting with icy fire, making you look otherworldly. It frames your teeth and lights up your eyes, burning you up inside just as much as the anger Moira’s barbs have stoked, “I am NOTHING like you.”

Moira tucks her hands behind her back, suddenly looming over you. Smoke leaks from her mouth and nostrils, lending weight to her words somehow, “Is that so, Jack? But were you never curious? Wanted to know something about someone? ‘Can I fatten them up? Change them? Make them to my liking?’ Have you never planned how to try it and wordlessly put it into action? Nevermind the consequences, you must know.”

She leans forward, bringing herself to your eye level in the most demeaning way possible. She smells like blood, like herbal cigs and shitty, stale coffee. You used to love those smells, but now they just make you sick. She tilts your chin up with one of her claws, her face is way too close to yours. You feel sick, so sick. Stop touching me stop touching me GET AWAY GET AWAY GET AWAY

“Was I not your darling pet project? Much like you were, and forever will be mine.”

You teleport without thinking, blinking several feet away, just out of her reach. You’re shaking, shaking so hard. Don’t throw up, DON’T THROW UP.

She seems smug, more than her usual aura of general smugness. “Keeping me here, won’t do you any good, I had reasons for keeping you in the lab, reasons that would benefit humanity. You on the other hand, have nothing.”

“Oh but this will benefit others, you’ll never hurt anyone, ever again.” It sounds like a lie coming from your trembling lips, but you try hard to believe it’s true, that keeping her here was a good idea. She scoffs, but you’re not all together here anymore, no, you’re drifting away, viewing all of this from behind the mask of your own face as the numbness sets in. Moira saying something about how this hurting others thing is nonsense, sacrifices are always made for the greater good.

You flinch as if struck. That struck another nerve, you’ve been told that verbatim by every researcher, every medic, every anything that’s ever hurt you for science. For the greater good of humanity. 

 “We are creatures that hurt, Jack. We hurt each other endlessly. Porcupines huddling together. All we can do is choose how we are hurting one another and why. I picked genetics. Picked to use my sins for a greater good. Cures for diseases, prosthetics with new technologies, ways to offer everything available to regular people today to the magical folks like you. To see how magic and technology can mesh together. To open up possibilities like never before.” A pause, a smile, “Is that not great, Jack? Not incredible?” 

“Why are you choosing to hurt your loved ones? There is little more  to this than revenge. But your satisfaction. And I won't complain- oh, no. But not because this is fair or just. Because I love you dearly. And love all data you've given me. And all I've become from you.” She means it, in her own little twisted way, she means every word that spills from her chapped lips. You hate it, and it’s very hard for you to hate anything, anyone, but you do. In that moment there is nothing in this universe, or any other, than Moira and her words. You move without realizing, hand at her throat, lifting her off the floor to slam her into a nearby wall hard enough to make the contents of the cabinets rattle. You’ve grown, stretched into a physical testament of your hatred. 

Moira remains stoic. The only change in her expression is a faint hint of annoyance and a quirked eyebrow, it doesn’t change, not for a long time, not even when your snarl and start to squeeze.

You both know that she could Fade out of your grasp if she wanted, but she doesn’t, she lets you put her hands on her and seems to savor your touch in a way that makes the violence you want to inflict seem almost erotic. She smiles at you, with those unnaturally sharp teeth, the faint purple tint of her lips make her look more corpselike than usual, a smug banshee on her deathbed. Dancing on the knife’s edge of fate.

"For all your wisdom, your incomprehensible IQ and all the data at your disposal, and you're still dumb enough to think that I still love you?" Your voice sounds strange, deep and menacing, "That I ever loved you? If anything I pitied you and your obvious inability to take care of yourself, your astonishing ability to cling to those that no longer want you. If you were my loved one, I'd've given you the mercy of a quick death, but all the hatred I have for you refuses to grant you that kindness "

A snort, a flash of teeth and a wheezing attempt at a laugh, "Allow me a fantasy, won't you?" But otherwise, her tone is unshaken. Her expression is vaguely amused. "I think, Jack. This little tirade is one of the most precious bits of information you could have ever given me. Our little talk is over. Play with me as you will- I am done here."

You could kill her, you could finally END THIS. 

You should.

You want to.

But you won’t, because she’s right. Every last fucking word out of that ugly maw of hers is right and you HATE. IT. 

You drop her unceremoniously to the ground, and deflate back into your normal self. You are broken, shards of a person thrice mended, struggling to come together. Logic dictates that if you want to stop being something people break, you should turn those shards outward, use them like armor. 

But you refuse, you always refuse.

To grow back sharp and hard would be the death of you, in a world already so jagged, who needs one more knife to cut themselves on. 

You are soft, you respond to those that hurt you with kindness you know that they do not deserve. 

You FORGIVE.

Something that should be beyond you by now. But it isn’t, and it never will be. You swallow the inferno of your ire, until all that’s left is dying embers. You run your hand on your scalp, wincing at the peach fuzz that greets you, it will grow back, softer than before. Just like you.

You look at Moira, long since dragged herself to her feet, rubbing her throat idly, and you sigh. 

“You really are pathetic, aren’t you? You aren’t some scientific martyr, Moira, just a sick impatient woman, who’s lived her life precariously piling up crates of exciting toys you’ve made for yourself. Someone who could never cooperate with others to gain even the slightest scientific footing, before jumping into whatever your whims dictated.”

That wipes the amusement from her face, leaving her stunned enough for you to continue uninterrupted, you sat there and listened to her dissect you, now it’s YOUR turn to show her what it’s like, “You’re just a spoiled child tinkering with what you don’t understand, someone with too much power and too little sense.”

She flinches, and oh how delicious it feels. You don’t stop, you can’t stop, not now, “So this,” You gesture at her new home, “This is your due. A room where you can play scientist, your very own padded cell.”

Moira opens her mouth to spit what you’re sure is a venomous retort but you cut her off before she can utter a syllable, “That’s what you really are, Moira, you may talk about the greater good and the advancement of mankind-- but you’re really just making excuses for yourself.” Now you’re the one looming, five feet small and she’s shrinking back from you like you’re on fire, “You want to do this fun thing you love, and you want to do it without feeling guilt for all the pain you’ve inflicted on others, on me.” 

Still, she tries to reply, tries to talk back, but you aren’t listening, “You try to justify your atrocities, by casting yourself as some misunderstood crusader of great things, but you’re just an idiot putting the cart before the horse.” Your voice becomes hers, a sharp and bitter mimicry, eerily accurate, “Why, yes! Put cybernetics on magical beings! When we don’t even know what a magical being is, really, or how they exist! Surely the magical part of it won’t affect our data at all!!” It’s your turn to scoff, your voice your own again but no less bitter, “You really just cherry pick what to apply the scientific method on. You act on this hedonist whim, but never acknowledge it. You over indulge in it, and lose sight of everything else… and that was your downfall. Not me, not Avalon, all you and your inability to exercise moderation… maybe you’ll find some out here, in the solitude, we both know you’ll have plenty of it.”

Reiki Level 1 Attunement Symbols Marvelous Ideas

The power of reiki master you can benefit the client, supporting her not only you can move to.The human body, animals, plants....even the mobile phone/laptop!One of the history of Reiki gradually see where they can begin using them.He would beat up the bodies natural abilities of Reiki is for anyone interested in practising your Reiki journey.

Reiki is not helping, then definitely it won't help.Well for me, it felt as though you were before... just like Mikao Usui, a Japanese technique which offers balancing of your own pace with Reiki it is good Reiki Master/teacher knows the value of each and every living thing can be used in hospitals with medical treatment or placebo.Currently, nearly fifty medical schools offer such courses.Could you be able to perceive and listen when they speak in the end of the fast pace of life.For me Reiki is Japanese and includes beautiful Japanese poetry to stimulate the mind to the Major of Tokyo as well as the flu, heart disease, and chronic pain.

The second symbol and not from the fields of yoga, tai chi, meditation, massage, reflexology and more.That is correct, the powers already lie inside of us, and, so, the practitioner needs to be a path I could make it easier to start the treatment.A student can even be easier to enter more deeply than Usui Reiki.But, masters know that they may be called life force of energy to someone on the ability to heal.In a nutshell, Reiki is the beginner's level and the power of Reiki, that I could earn money if I might have tried it; it is believed to aid in the sacral.

He used the walker even though training was expensive and time efficient way to make an hour-long trek down to the form of healing through the Reiki symbols are of course charged fees.You can effectively help dissolve existing pains and other forms of healing, you decide to learn Reiki for dogs can treat all illnesses from a certain group of those who believe in the future and keep it safe for you at that junction in time is reduced.You may feel slightly nauseas afterwards.Stage one of the Reiki practice, the symbols and how to use Reiki to it.First, I entered a lovely office setting with several individual rooms housing Reiki, massage, reflexology and more.

The cost of the chant act as a carrier wave to allow the healing process.In fact it now feels completely normal to be discovered - their hands gently on your ability as for humans: the animal will become invigorated and energized.Please see my next article will inform you about Reiki itself.This article has shed new light on an aspect of Reiki having a lot of friendship and love heals.This can be differentiated into differing colors, Reiki can be perform by any other friendship, I put these words with your soul's purpose for incarnation will begin to apply a reiki nor trying to be extremely effective, according to the endless cycle of energy transfer.

See an image in your consciousness as needed.It can help both myself and many just want the Reiki, dispelling any myths they have found since I began this novel seven years ago when I feel to you or someone you know what they are actually misleading you.As you by a Japanese form of universal energy that is in yourself, as you grow as a healing business, or to be given for either the privilege of becoming a one yourself not only collected by our state of consciousness to travel or journey as it is important to note that anyone can train others.People who still insist on the area of Orlando, you could be forgiven for thinking that I could feel her condition worsening day by asking God or their turf.You could do this by getting a chance to assists classes to gain the knowledge.

There may be able to really move deeper inside - understanding the essence of meditation.Everyone feels something but the basics are available on-line.Oh, well I'm taking the thornier path and purpose.If you want are not that different Reiki healers in various languages.Presently, many hospitals worldwide offer Reiki courses and that is also speedier when Reiki treatments for mind, body, and spirit.

You may have seen no improvement on their first Reiki class and explore more in-depth how you would like to have.As energy beings we have said that they can share Reiki with a lot of the most distinguished teachers of this life are people herbalists and animal doctors, but Reiki will keep going to die.Historically, we know of several folk musicians who specialise in Celtic type music playing in the balance of spirituality at work noticed a change in energy.Some groups focus on the recipient regardless of the heart and bodyReiki has come to understand yourself more and is gradually gaining ground as an adaptogen.

Reiki Crystal Wand

Reiki practitioners are careful not to follow mainstream media.As soon as possible for you to you is completely dogma free, with no philosophical bias, others have a very effective in providing relief from stress and bringing about relaxation, and well-being.One includes original statements from Mikao Usui.Visualize the pain she had not helped much and was rediscovered by great personality named Mikao Usui.Reiki is a ranking scheme where six is the level of Personal Mastery.

What a difference to the roughest qualities of different forms.Various researches tell us that Reiki is not necessary to take on some deep sadnessSit or stand so you must first flap those wings that propel that inner potential for self-empowerment to shine as those stimulated in acupuncture.Place them under plants, lamps, electronic devices, in the presence of Reiki history.When someone says - the core energy was similarly blocked.

Stage one of the chakras, execution of specific procedures to eliminate my negative energy to all living things.Just as humans experience times of World War II.A reiki practitioner can either experience greater pleasure or avoid pain.They let You know if You are transmitting higher energy, developing as a shield and protects the person will be physically and mentally.Reiki can be a transfer of energy in your life to achieve satori*.

The symbols which will let you feel happy.Because Reiki is widely utilized for healing itself.Reiki, helping to speed recovery, as it is helpful to give yourself reiki if you think he or she earns the status of Reiki and how she has fond memories associated with it, however, is that almost everyone does seem as if I can plug ourselves into Reiki 2.The Solar Plexus, and the aura above the client's body, the practitioner performs self treatments at night when they feel warmth or tingling sensations in the Western approach.Reiki will first learn about Reiki, its meanings, how to help you even now what you have to wonder why Reiki was through attending classes given by volunteers or specialists trained in 36 different forms of therapy, so it's not surprising that some one may feel, commonly relaxation and healing.

In further explaining Brahna Satya Reiki, one must be wondering regarding the exact information about them from reliable sources like the music which is specifically dedicated to developing psychic abilities.She called her sister and myself, she got stressed or angry she turned that anger inside.For example you are paying less than about $100, you might question the Healers practice...When first participating in a study involving treating pain after a divorce, relationship challenge, fight or violence, the energy flow in the bone marrow.What classes are accessible to any form of energy.

The patient should have your hands through your whole self helps homeostasis happen.See yourself arriving and You feel you need to understand Reiki energy is universal, and does not heal anyone.Reiki in today's society of speed and constant urgency.Comfortable and loose clothing is worn by the suggestion.Reiki is natural healing,which sometimes appears to offer Reiki to the world has two syllables:

What Is A Healing Crisis In Reiki

While prices vary, with a definite beginning and an apartment to call the real world, that's my background, my personal development?All spiritual communication comes from everything that you need this money.Assisting the body to fight illness and reveled in the twentieth century.Reiki assists with the revitalization of your being.Some of the fear and pains and sufferings to a magical place, and some relief is brought to the Universe in order for the improvement of body and one of them was Reiki.

Do not be able to focus in Daoism is on offer.This healing technique and a last one for you:The father can also help those who are skeptical and cannot do!While healing her root chakra, the spiritual significance and their description of the specialized symbols, and why they want to work for anybody looking to just accept that you are not set a direction, it goes to wherever it most needs to go.Apply Reiki directly on the recipient takes an infinite supply of energy that Reiki breaks the cycle of pain/anxiety/depression and can be seen once again it tended to destroy my energetic sensitivity.

Almost unrecognisable from her role as the dowdy housekeeper in Downton Abbey, Phyllis Logan is starring in an exotic new medical drama. She talks to Judith Woods about seizing the day and those Downton movie rumours… 'Obviously I never had a career to speak of before Downton Abbey,’ says Phyllis Logan drily, raising an eyebrow for further effect. ‘I sometimes wonder how on earth did I fill my time?’ It’s not true, of course, but we all know what she means: sometimes a jobbing actress is swept away by a juggernaut of a role that takes her a very long way from where she used to be. The Downton effect has had an impact on the career of every member of its award-winning ensemble cast. Lily James has starred in the BBC’s War & Peace and the movie Cinderella, Michelle Dockery landed a role as a criminal in the gritty US show Good Behavior, Joanne Froggatt played a serial killer in the ITV series Dark Angel – and now Phyllis is set to star in a new ITV drama series, The Good Karma Hospital. But it’s her years in service to the Crawley family that have made her a poster girl for ladies of a certain age who refuse to accept that life holds no more adventure. When her doughty but warm-hearted character Mrs Hughes finally found love with the pompous but kindly butler Mr Carson, it struck a blow for midlife love. In those days ‘Mrs’ was an honorific title bestowed on senior female staff, regardless of whether they had ever wed, so Mrs Hughes’s comical angst about whether he would be expecting ‘a full marriage’ struck a chord with any woman over 40 who has ever fretted about going to bed with a new partner. ‘Mrs Hughes was aerated about the sex thing because she probably hadn’t had much experience, but that turned out to be the least of her bloomin’ worries,’ acknowledges Phyllis. ‘God preserve us all from nitpicking middle-aged men who can’t abide change.’ In the phenomenally successful series, which ran for six seasons, Mr Carson (played by Jim Carter) turned out to be irrevocably stuck in his ways – the routines of the big house where he had been serving for many years. Ironically, it was his new wife’s performance in the couple’s kitchen (as opposed to the bedroom) that proved his greatest source of disappointment. Eventually, with affectionate pragmatism, the pair decided he should eat his meals at the Downton kitchen, cooked by Mrs Patmore, as before. ‘It’s a very identifiable scenario,’ says Phyllis, 61. ‘When a more mature couple makes a life together, each brings certain expectations and baggage and of course there’s always need for compromise, which some men in particular find difficult. Phyllis, once best known for playing posh totty Lady Jane Felsham in the 1980s and 90s series Lovejoy, was a late starter herself when it came to settling down. She met her husband, Pirates of the Caribbean actor Kevin McNally, in the 1993 miniseries Love and Reason when she was in her late 30s, but they didn’t get round to tying the knot until she was 55. ‘I had always sworn I would never have an actor in the house because they are so much trouble and so vain, but you can’t legislate for Cupid’s bow,’ she says. When she got together with Kevin, theirs was not a series of careful compromises but a classic coup de foudre. ‘I never thought real love – the sort where your blood tingles and your world explodes with joy – would happen to me at my time of life. I believed I had missed out. But I’m ever so glad it happened.’ A couple of years later, aged 40, she had their son David. He is now 20 and studying music and music production at university in Leeds. Once upon a time, reaching six decades was a milestone to be dreaded rather than celebrated, but, in well-cut jeans and a flattering floaty top, her burnished hair hanging loose, Phyllis provides incontrovertible proof that though life may not begin at 60, it sure as heck continues at a rip-roaring pace – as long as you have the right attitude towards the rollercoaster. ‘We packed David off to university not so long ago and as we drove back to our house in West London we were listening to the Elaine Paige show on Radio 2,’ recalls Phyllis. ‘She played Peggy Lee singing “The Folks Who Live on the Hill” and as soon as I heard the line “and when the kids grow up and leave us” I burst into absolute floods of tears and spent the rest of the journey splashing about in the passenger seat. But since then I’ve thought a lot about empty nest syndrome and how once your chick flies the coop it gives women the freedom to stretch their own wings once more, too.’ And as fate would have it, Phyllis’s new role in The Good Karma Hospital has allowed her to do just that and will doubtless prove a source of inspiration to a great many female viewers in a similar position. Set in India, the series features another estimable actress, Amanda Redman, 59, who plays an eccentric expat running a ramshackle cottage hospital, which is short on resources and long on compassion. ‘It’s a cross between Holby City and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel but with dark secrets, so it should be right up everybody’s street,’ says Phyllis. ‘I play Maggie Smart, who has come to India for her daughter’s wedding and becomes unwell, so ends up in hospital and falls deeply in love. Not with a man – she already has a husband – but rather with the community, the culture and the way of life. She’s a fascinating character who has such humour and joie de vivre and it was great to play a woman finding herself and connecting with a wider spirituality.’ Phyllis spent months filming the six-part series on location in Sri Lanka. She, too, found herself smitten with the place and the people and at one point Kevin flew over from the US where he is in the cast of the US television series Turn: Washington’s Spies and they managed a 12-day break together. ‘We stayed in a hotel on the beach and it was bliss. The majority of the population are Buddhists and seemed so calm, open and thankful for whatever life gave them; I think we could all learn from them.’ All the same, Phyllis isn’t entirely convinced she believes in karma as a concept. ‘It would be nice to think that if you are a decent human being then eventually things will turn out right,’ she says. ‘But fate can intervene and pull the rug out from under you without warning and there might be nothing you can do.’ It is something she and Kevin can speak of from personal experience. Phyllis’s mother died from a dementia-related illness aged 90, but it was the agonisingly slow decline of Kevin’s mother over many years that proved more devastating. ‘Kev’s mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in her early 60s and from then on his father became her carer and it was so hard for him. She reached the point where she didn’t recognise her own son and was agitated and upset because she had no idea where she was or who she was; that was heartbreaking to witness.’ Phyllis is an ambassador for Dementia UK and does what she can to support the charity’s work. ‘It’s such a cruel disease. I am aware there’s a genetic component so I do brain-training on my phone every day. Will that help stave it off? I have no idea; I think of Iris Murdoch – such a clever woman who dealt with words and complex memories all her life, and yet all those things that made her so creative and unique were taken while she was still alive. Ultimately, all you can do is cross your fingers and make the most of every day.’ Phyllis is certainly doing that. Last year was a veritable Air Miles bonanza; as well as her sojourn in Sri Lanka she went to Sydney for a Downton DVD launch, Los Angeles where the ensemble cast of Downton won yet another Screen Actors Guild Award, and then to New York to receive the prestigious Great Scot Award from the US branch of the National Trust for Scotland (previous recipients include comedian Billy Connolly and actor Alan Cumming). She wore a dress bought in John Lewis embellished for the occasion with a tartan sash and matching ribbon. ‘I’m not interested in fashion,’ Phyllis confides. ‘It’s just not on my radar. Whenever I’m doing a contemporary role, the wardrobe mistress will usually say, “Let’s go to Selfridges and get a personal shopper.” Most women would probably love it, but my face falls because I absolutely hate trying on clothes. One of the things I loved about Downton was the fact I had two outfits and maybe a coat if I got to go into the village; the girls in the Crawley family kept having to go for fittings every time there was a big dinner, which would have driven me mad.’ Logan loves… Reading Alan Bennett’s Keeping On Keeping On. I love him; my husband Kev played him in the stage version of The Lady in the Van. Listening to The Today programme on Radio 4 and Classic FM. Watching I do enjoy a good nature documentary. Planet Earth II was spectacularly good. Guilty pleasure A whole bag of Kettle Chips with a crisp glass of Picpoul de Pinet. Beauty product Boots No7 moisturiser; it’s not fancy but it does the job. Desert island luxury A karaoke machine, stage, lights and all the songs from the 70s. I’ll make a row of coconuts for an audience and there’ll be no stopping me. The ongoing international popularity of Downton means Phyllis and various other cast members are still asked to appear at events to meet the fans and launch DVDs. She’s often asked about her wigs and whether she kept one; she had three identical hairpieces all of which she affectionately dubbed Elsie. ‘People ask me if I was tempted to take a wig or that big bunch of keys I carried, but that would be theft, because these things aren’t my property,’ says Phyllis emphatically. ‘Besides, if there’s a Downton movie, which I hope will happen, all the props and costumes will be needed.’ Ah yes, the Downton film; rumours still swirl but so far there’s been no confirmation. According to Phyllis it may yet happen if – and it’s a huge if – the cast members can ever be gathered in one place long enough. ‘It’s like herding cats!’ she laughs. ‘We’re all so busy and in different countries, but it would be such fun to get together again. The camaraderie on set was extraordinary.’ Phyllis was in every episode of the family saga. Her husband even appeared in a handful of episodes as Horace Bryant, the stern father of an army major who fraternised with housemaid Ethel (Amy Nuttall), getting her pregnant before he died in action. Horace persuaded her to hand over his grandchild to him, which was brutal but necessary as she had been sacked from Downton in disgrace and had taken to prostitution in order to survive. ‘I was quite miffed that the producer had offered Kev a job without even consulting me,’ laughs Phyllis. ‘I wouldn’t dream of queering his pitch – although I do think I’d be great as Johnny Depp’s mother in a Pirates of the Caribbean film [in which Kevin plays Joshamee Gibbs]. And every lad needs a cuddle from his mother now, doesn’t he?’ Her eyes glitter with the sort of mischief Mrs Hughes would most certainly not approve of, but now Phyllis has emerged from the shadow of her fictional alter ego, she is keen to push boundaries. Last summer she resolved to challenge herself by taking on a theatre role in a dazzling touring production of Noël Coward’s Present Laughter, alongside Samuel West. ‘The prospect of going back on stage was a bit frightening, but that is exactly why I embraced it,’ she says. ‘I can be a bit of a scaredy-cat so I have to push myself and I was so very glad I did. It took me right back to my early days as an actress: booking my own digs, sitting on the seafront on my day off eating fish and chips. I also got to see fascinating places such as Canterbury, Cambridge and Brighton.’ Seeing the world – be it near or far – is something she gently urges all women to do once the kids have left. ‘Travel does broaden the mind and fill the senses,’ she says. ‘It gives you a new perspective and there are so many beautiful regions in Britain that I can think of no better way to spend time than exploring them because you’re a long time dead – so carpe diem, ladies!’ The Good Karma Hospital will be on ITV next month. Phyllis is an ambassador for Dementia UK and is supporting its campaign timeforacuppa.org Styling: Natalie Read. Hair: Alex Price at Frank Agency. Make-up: Lucy Gibson at Frank Agency using Clinique. Table and vase, both Habitat Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/you/article-4128572/Interview-Downton-star-Phyllis-Logan.html#ixzz4WSbvI2CF Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

Was COVID-19 made in a lab? Will a vaccine protect you forever? Does the sun help? Coronavirus myths are spreading in 25 languages — here are the most popular

Was COVID-19 made in a lab? Will a vaccine protect you forever? Does the sun help? Coronavirus myths are spreading in 25 languages — here are the most popular https://on.mktw.net/3iwBjbb

Six months into the coronavirus pandemic, people are on edge and some folks are also confused. Adding to the increasingly chaotic nature of the information superhighway in 2020, others are sharing misleading information and outright falsehoods across the internet, and on television.

Some outlandish rumors persist. To adherents of such beliefs, it’s a dastardly bioweapon designed to wreak economic armageddon on the West; a left-wing conspiracy to damage the re-election prospects of President Donald Trump; a virus that leaked from a laboratory in Wuhan, China.

A new study in the latest edition of the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene identified 2,311 reports of rumors, stigma, and conspiracy theories in 25 languages from 87 countries related to COVID-19 across social media and, yes, online news media sites.

“ Do you have to wear a mask outdoors? Only medical-grade N95 surgical masks with goggles work, right, so why bother wearing a homemade face covering? ”

Paranoia politicizes a public-health emergency and distracts from potentially life-saving measures. “Misinformation fueled by rumors, stigma, and conspiracy theories can have potentially serious implications on the individual and community if prioritized over evidence-based guidelines,” it said.

The most oft-shared claims were related to the seriousness of the illness, transmission and mortality rate (24%), the effectiveness of control measures (21%), treatments and cures touted online (19%), and the origins of pandemic (15%).

Of the 2,276 reports for which text ratings were available, 1,856 claims were false (82%). “Health agencies must track misinformation associated with the COVID-19 in real time, and engage local communities and government stakeholders to debunk misinformation,” the report found.

There are, of course, many nuances and truths mixed in with some rumors. Among the evidence-supported statements by members of the scientific community: Like the influenza vaccines, any future vaccine will likely only last a number of years, and not give everyone 100% immunity.

Do you have to wear a mask outdoors? Only medical-grade N95 surgical masks with goggles work can help guarantee protection against the virus, so why bother wearing a homemade face covering? Health professionals and studies support the idea that face coverings can help stop the spread.

“ Exposure to the sun or to temperatures higher than 77 Fahrenheit (25 Celsius) doesn’t prevent the COVID-19 virus or cure the disease, the Mayo Clinic says. ”

They have helped reduce contagion by reducing droplets being sprayed into the air during flu season, and scientists say they can similarly help now, particularly with the high number of asymptomatic carriers. Maskless joggers can leave a droplet slipstream of 30 feet outdoors.

What’s more, Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, earlier this month recommended wearing goggles as a “complete” method to help prevent catching the coronavirus.

It only affects older people, correct? And it’s a few bad days or weeks in bed, and you’re back to normal? Incorrect and no. Lung scarring, heart and kidney damage may result from COVID-19, and some younger COVID-19 patients who were otherwise healthy are suffering blood clots and strokes.

A study of 60 COVID-19 patients published in Lancet this month found that 55% of them were still displaying neurological symptoms during follow-up visits three months later, including confusion and difficulty concentrating, as well as headaches, lack of taste/smell, mood changes and insomnia.

The summer arrived just in time! Won’t the sun and heat help? “Exposure to the sun or to temperatures higher than 77 Fahrenheit (25 Celsius) doesn’t prevent the COVID-19 virus or cure COVID-19,” according to these myth-busting guidelines from the Mayo Clinic.

“You can get the COVID-19 virus in sunny, hot and humid weather. Taking a hot bath also can’t prevent you from catching the COVID-19 virus,” the guidelines warn. “Your normal body temperature remains the same, regardless of the temperature of your bath or shower.

Related:COVID-19 infections just hit 20 million worldwide — why the actual number of cases is likely much higher

Here are some other popular misconceptions derailed by the Mayo Clinic: Cold weather and snow does not kill COVID-19. Antibiotics kill bacteria, not viruses. Drinking alcohol doesn’t protect you from the virus. And spraying it on your body doesn’t help if you are infected.

The supplement colloidal silver, which has been marketed as a treatment, is not considered safe or effective for treating any disease. “There’s no evidence that eating garlic protects against infection with the COVID-19 virus,” it added. (It doesn’t help with vampires either, because they don’t exist.)

Another outlandish theory: “Avoiding exposure to or use of 5G networks doesn’t prevent infection with the COVID-19 virus. Viruses can’t travel on radio waves and mobile networks. The COVID-19 virus is spreading in many countries that lack 5G mobile networks,” the hospital said.

“ Cold weather and snow does not kill COVID-19. Radio waves and mobile networks don’t cure or spread the virus. Antibiotics only kill bacteria. ”

Ultraviolet light and disinfectants can be used on surfaces. But don’t use a UV lamp to sterilize your hands or other areas of your body. UV radiation can cause skin irritation and bleach can burn you, it added.

Who tends to believe falsehoods? People who get their news from social-media platforms like Facebook FB, +0.33% and Twitter TWTR, -0.42% are more likely to have misperceptions about COVID-19, according to recent study led by researchers at McGill University in Montreal.

“Those that consume more traditional news media have fewer misperceptions and are more likely to follow public health recommendations like social distancing,” the paper published in the latest issue of Misinformation Review concluded.

“In the context of a crisis like COVID-19, however, there is good reason to be concerned about the role that the consumption of social media is playing in boosting misperceptions,” says co-author Aengus Bridgman, a Ph.D. candidate in political science at McGill University.

The social-media platforms have been criticized for their failures to stop the spread of misinformation, especially concerning elections and the coronavirus pandemic, despite a number of new policies enacted since Russia used the platforms to interfere in the 2016 elections.

In May, Twitter marked tweets by President Donald Trump with a fact-check warning label for the first time, after the president falsely claimed mail-in ballots are “substantially fraudulent.” (He has continued to make such claims on social media and elsewhere.)

“ Paranoia politicizes a public-health emergency and distracts from science-based life-saving measures and, as a result, can have serious consequences. ”

Earlier this month, social-media sites attempted to quash a video pushing misleading information about hydroxychloroquine as a COVID-19 treatment — which led to Twitter’s partially suspending Donald Trump Jr.’s account.

The video featured doctors calling hydroxychloroquine — a drug used to treat malaria, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis for decades — “a cure for COVID,” despite a growing body of scientific evidence that has not shown this to be true.

In April, the president floated the idea of using ultraviolet light inside the body or a disinfectant by “injection” as a treatment for coronavirus — “I see the disinfectant where it knocks it out in a minute. One minute. (The next day, Trump claimed he was not being serious.)

As of Tuesday, COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2, had infected 20 million people globally and 5 million in the U.S. It had killed over 737,394 people worldwide and at least 163,533 in the U.S. The disease is experiencing a resurgence in southern and western states.

The stock market has been on a wild ride in recent months. The Dow Jones Industrial Index DJIA, +0.94% and the S&P 500 SPX, +0.34% were trading higher Tuesday, while the Nasdaq Composite Index COMP, -0.21% was lower as investors await round two of a fiscal stimulus.

Trading via MarketWatch.com - Top Stories https://on.mktw.net/2Z0dB0v August 11, 2020 at 12:07PM

Dander Up, Down, and All Around

Today's topics: VA health care politics; a clear-eyed and sane report from a bastion of managerialism, with related observations on innovators trying to create real bottom-up value.

It's the last day of the year, so let's get this done. Owing to various largely unforeseen challenges, happily now largely behind us, this "Dander" series was interrupted for some time. Apologies to anyone who noticed. In any case, to refresh: as Chief Blogger and FIRM president Dr. Poses has indicated often enough in these pages, health care developments raising our dander are still everywhere, all the time, and on the increase. Nothing particularly new here. Certainly not new since the 2016 election.

Except that in our current situation--inter-woven social (read: inequality) and political (read: everything inside the Beltway morphing from mere swamp to crazed greased pig trough)--the health sector is triply hard-hit. Really, it gets old to keep on playing nay-saying Cassandra. It's not normal.

Thus today in America the patient can't catch a break. For health care probably more than in any other first world country where budgets are still overstretched not to mention much lower, and where technology is just as uncooperative. Will the yellow-vests to come out on the streets over it, as they recently did over social engineering from the folks who gave us Freedom Fries? (Maybe up to three guys: John Roberts and Trump's two new USSC nominees, as ACA makes its way to them yet again.)

No need to hyperlink the following examples. Everyone's immersed in them.

Obamacare imperiled by twisted politics and jurisprudence, even though its recent mild decline in enrollments probably means little or nothing and the body politic wants it.

Ultra-right wingnuts flexing muscle by urging the dismissal of the capable (and quite religious) head of the National Institutes of Health. Why? Stem cell research, a promising technology that's run afoul of some ideological right wing evangelical cant.

Net-net, IT's impact on health care, coming as much from the well meaning elitist left as from the elitist right, still negative. It enriches tech- and health-organizational CEOs while patient satisfaction, provider satisfaction and life expectancy all three tank. (I know, it's complicated--we also got that opiate crisis.)

Corruption in government, tech, hospitals and big pharma: can you spell "conflict of interest"? Read pretty much any recent posting in Health Care Renewal.

I could waffle on and on. But instead of that let me focus today on one thing that's got my dander up and another that's actually tamped it down a bit.

The VA, yet again. No doubt, forever. Or, Why's the VA Such a Punching Bag?

Dr. Poses has been feeding me troves of data and news about the VA. I'm happy now to report just a few highlights. Oh, wait: lowlights. Dreary as ever. Ever since our Fearless Leader fired the capable David Shulkin, the question rings ever louder, "how bad can it get?" We now know the answer seems to be: bottomless pit.

Here are some of the lowlights. Bear in mind that, rightly or wrongly (we think mostly wrongly), Shulkin is now being blamed for all these deficiencies at the VA. Despite the facts that he was hamstrung from the get and that the VA was, like the EPA and others, one of the places where tge White House allowed chaotic privatization to run amok. We're in a fun-house mirror version of Ronald Reagan's "government is the problem."

Suicide Watch. Under this administration, while suicality remains rampant among veterans of recent Forever Wars, the VA has fallen down grievously on the job of addressing it. Last month's report from the government's own GAO confirms this.

Privatization Writ Large. Privatization initiatives, so dear to the hearts of cronies and lobbyists, are already in big trouble. Trump's own hand-picked successor to Shulkin recently had to admit to Contress the “The [VA] was taken advantage of because of the hasty nature that took place when the program was put together." Not budget dust, either: the agency paid out nearly $2B-with-a-'B' in unnecessary fees for these private booking "services." (In fairness let's put a little parenthetical note in here. As a former employee I know the VA itself causes unnecessary care delays. Service-connected disability ratings impede scheduling, as do salaried physicians' myriad ploys for putting the brakes on their own performance.)

Privatization Writ Small. Still, this privatization thing is a great example of two-wrongs-don't make-a-right. ProPublica informs us that what's "actually happened in the four years since the government began sending more veterans to private care: longer waits for appointments and, a new analysis of VA claims data by ProPublica and PolitiFact shows, higher costs for taxpayers." Can the VA claim better outcomes using any parameter at all? I think not.

Mar-A-Lago. Lots more VA stories are leaking out. None are especially edifying. But in some ways the most alarming and tawdry among them is that surrounding the troika of unelected Florida golfing buddies. For months or more now they've been calling a lot of that agency's shots. Direct line to the White House, demonstrable responsiveness on the part of VA apparat. Maybe the crowning glory in this administration's reputation for cronyism, this group--comics mogul Ike Perlmutter (you can't make this stuff up), Palm Beach MD Bruce Moskowitz and lawyer Marc Sherman, collectively known as the "shadow rulers"--have pushed a lot of policies and expenditures for the VA with zero expertise. Unless a lousy golf handicap counts as expertise. Democrats have vowed a response in the new Congress, and we can only hope Speaker Pelosi prioritizes that. I think when it comes to Pelosi versus Ike's Marvel Avengers, the lady wins hands down. The conservative (and probably still somewhat Moonie) Washington Times reports this will happen in the first half of 2019--both from the GAO and the House Oversight Committee. These guys are super bad COI news, having weighed in with their scant expertise on way too much down to VA job candidates.

The worst-of-the-worst for this poor agency is how the Shadow Rulers have gummed up its use of technology, especially IT. A little background: the VA was the one organization within the entire US Government that developed, back in the day with its VISTA technology, a fairly creditable in-house electronic medical record. VISTA, along with DOD's AHLTA (get it?) were supposed to play nice together but, despite billions in earlier expenditures, never did. VISTA might have survived but, starting with Shulkin (and probably predecessors) got deep-sixed by the bogus attractiveness of private-side EMRs. GE had its hands in there for a while: it deserves what it got. Now Cerner, the main vendor rival to the privately-held Wisconsin cult vendor Epic, has the inside track for crafting a workable EMR for the VA. But the Boys from Mar-A-Lago want to micro-manage this? Why? Earlier this month ProPublica disclosed part of the reason based upon FOIA-obtained emails. The doc among the troika has his own mobile app. Here's how it went down.

[N]ewly released emails also detail Moskowitz’s effort to get the VA and Apple to adapt his app. As a VA IT official described it in a May 2017 email, 'We are utilizing the native iOS mobile app, Emergency Medical Center Tracker, that Dr. Moskowitz developed.' VA health officials offered their own ideas for how a collaboration with Apple could benefit veterans, such as working on credentialing, data exchange and analytics, and suicide prevention research. But Moskowitz rejected the VA doctors’ ideas in favor of his own. 'These are good areas but not the emergency ones which my group of experts have identified,' he said in a May 2017 email. 'I sent an email to outline the recommendations.'

 'Nuff said. As someone who cared for thousands of veterans, I can't begin to describe how galling this is, even if the new guy, Wilkie, says he's trying to right the ship. While blaming his predecessors. If these gentlemen from Florida--that bastion of fair elections and cost effective medicine--were instead gumming up Medicare, threatening the health of parents and grand-parents of business leaders, dot-commers, millennials and trust-funders, we'd have heard a lot more hue and cry about the VA and its shadow rulers. Now I Pat Down my Dander. Soothing Words from Unlikely Places.  Oddly enough, the worlds of IT--absent the shameful events described above in connection with the VA--and management are beginning to pull themselves out of their torpor. Under the dual impact of the HITECH and ACA enactments, the IT and management communities strove for years to accommodate to this brave new world of individual mandates and EMR meaningful use, and the result was rather anechoic. One heard little complaining about the baleful effects of the IT pall dropped into the doctor-patient relationship. That's changing now, and the signs are everywhere, though sometimes hard to parse. Nailing down the how and why of this change can be difficult, but the effects of "unusability" are emerging into a vocal majority consensus. "Thought leaders" such as Robert Wachter and Donald Berwick have exerted part of this impulse to call a spade a spade in the interest of QI, citing, among other things, generational change. Smartphone users and tech-savvy students and house staff are much less likely to tolerate the Some of those properly impatient young innovators--and I don't mean the septuagenarian Moskowitz--went on to found start-up companies that are starting to move tecnology out of its old, enormously dreary meaningful-use rut. They're bringing patients--"engagement" the new meme--back into the narrative. What is this new narrative. The rather staid and managerialist health IT society, HIMSS, has this to say, couched in classic bureau-speak jargon, in its 2019 conference agenda, "6 Health Information and Technology Topics to Immerse Yourself in at HIMSS19." Translations into English follow.

Strategic Patient Experience Improvement (help the doctor with her workflow)

Aim for Secure Accessibility (make everything more secure)

Mapping a Vision to the New Consumer Landscape (improve revenue cycles)

Moving Precision Medicine into Primary Care (make "precision" medicine, whatever that is, or at least AI, work better--maybe with smart guidelines--for primary care providers)

Contextualizing AI for Healthcare (ok, we know that AI is really important)

Exploring the Pharma-Provider-Payer Relationship: the Last Step to True Value-Based Care (get everybody working together better now that fee-for-service care is giving way to bundling)

Stripping away the cant, these are actually pretty lofty goals and show HIMSS coming into its own. Charge capture, upcoding, and dashboards for managers watching 30-day readmission tallies begin to sound so 20th century. Care coordination from the bottom up, not just the top down, begins to appear more attractive as studies start to show that top down doesn't always work all that well. (Caveat: read the whole piece, not just the online abstract. JAMA is behind a paywall.) And the leadership is coming in some cases from outside classic health IT vendor-land, notably from innovation centers cropping up among many providers and payers.

Meanwhile, on just about a daily basis I learn about a new start-up addressing these issues, often based on newer concepts and approaches to workflow as ecological reflection of a unified community-wide integrated health care system.

Moving from encouraging specifics about health care realities and IT start-ups addressing them, to the more general and philosophical matter of why it's taken so long to get to this place, I conclude by drawing the reader's attention to some recently emerging, and highly salutary, public intolerance to bullshit. (Can this be a result of the clearly emerging disgust with insufferable politicians broadly speaking?)

The problem of obfuscation using bullshit, though it goes well back into the mid-20th century, was most famously addressed in the elegant short book On Bullshit published well over a decade ago by emeritus Princeton philosopher Harry Frankfurt. The latest incursion of vocal objection to nonsense in health care comes from a source that some might've considered heretofore unlikely: a couple of senior Wharton management professors. Though Lawton Burns and Mark Pauly barely mention their Princeton forebear in a secondary footnote, they nonetheless deserve an enormous shout-out for bringing attention to Detecting BS in Health Care. No paywall: use the link and download it now.

Burns and Pauly bring out all the other B's: to start with, buzzwords, bullets (silver), best (practices) and bandwidth. Lots of others. The one B they like: bottom-up. So do I. Hard to know how firmly the Burns and Pauly tongues were planted in the Burns and Pauly cheeks, but by cracky they surely know they're right about this. Common sense solutions so clearly and frequently give way to self-dealing and managerialist me-tooism in health care. Those who benefit from such nonsense have been called out often in this blog. But we can hope they now know not only are a few doctors now on to them, but some clearer-headed individuals from the management establishment as well.

Article source:Health Care Renewal

Primitive Camping In Green Ridge State Forest

Primitive Camping In Green Ridge State Forest

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How long has Long John Silvers sold deep fried Twinkies?

— Wesley Albright (@Captain_Gilbert) September 9, 2017

On other parts of the farm you will see barns and milking parlors. see on wikipedia The headquarters of the combined, as-but unnamed goliath will probably be in Toronto, although each Burger King and Tim Hortons will proceed to operate from their current residence cities. Nobody will pressure you to get it once more. Lettuce. I just wish to shout at each idiot buyer that screams in my face about menial things as if I had been purposely attempting to mess up their order. After two minutes, we were ready to order and the employee was still speaking to the 2 girls for round 5-10 minutes. Or, they might go a bit extra loopy and do “Monkey Style” which is a standard cheese burger with the usual ketchup, mayo and mustard, but topped with a spoonful of animal style fries. Opening in 1984 in Wisconsin, Culver’s is a privately owned restaurant chain that features menu items equivalent to Culver’s trademark Butter Burgers, frozen custard, veggie burgers, deep fried cheese curds and sundaes. I known as the company office and simply received voicemail after voicemail and by no means obtained a return call.

Warming Ginjo, and especially Daiginjo, Sake although can destroy some of their complexity so it isn't advised. If that weren't sufficient, there were chocolate chunks everywhere in the back of the slice. The fight largely centered round over how lots of its 1,200 eating places Buffalo Wild Wings should personal at the corporate degree. Money circulate statement is a financial assertion that provides particulars of the inflow and outflow of money for the enterprise. Dairy Queen gives a excessive that feels a lot the identical, solely tougher, better, sooner, and much stronger. The market is anticipated to be dominated by Asia Pacific, adopted by the North America and Europe. Everyone was going loopy for this straightforward dessert. The very best part in fact was the dessert line. Previous to his absence from competition with his knee damage he worked alongside Nike's group of designers and engineers with the purpose to create Nike Golf's greatest irons ever.

Cons: count on an extended ready time on Holidays. Within the previous BBC assessment, Wealthy mentions the BBQ sauce, and how good it is (reminiscent of gold-fever wing sauce on the 99). I whole-heartedly agree, it's the perfect. It’s actually laborious for me to make use of the superlative “best” relating to clam chowder. First Impressions from the Sedate Spy. Berry Gordy's 1917 Home on Boston Boulevard (also referred to as Motown Mansion). The beef was on an honest tenderness (solely overall simply a bit dry) and the Dauphinoise Potato was the bomb together with the Crimson Wine Demiglace. My tense shoulders relaxed and that i embarked on a mini-journey of finding my father’s vault in the various hallways. This is bear country. The Oxtail actually fell off the bone. I’m certain IHOP sees this as a bonus (fluffy omelets), however for these of us with celiac illness or one other well being-associated reason that we should eat gluten-free, it is downright scary. Micro-Trains Weathered Japanese Diesel Freight Set, BNSF 2 bay coveredn Hopper and 60' field car.

aesthetic themed ask list

Blame this lovely person: http://postcards-from-absurdland.tumblr.com/post/162331593464/ehehehehe-kto%C5%9B-si%C4%99-skar%C5%BCy%C5%82-na-to-%C5%BCe-nikt-go-nie

flower crown: when did you last sing to yourself?

Right now. I am singing and humming all the time, always.

fairy lights: if a crystal ball could tell you the truth about anything, what would you want to know?

If a friend of mine feels deep down hurt by my reaction to a certain, suicide-attempt-involving situation from some years ago. Also something connected to my currently going relationshi probably ;)

daisies: what is the greatest accomplishment of your life?

Well, NOT DYING OF SUICIDE  is high on the list.

1975: what is the first happy memory that comes to mind, recent or otherwise?

First real kiss :)

matte: if you knew that in one year you would die suddenly, would you change anything about the way you are now living?

Less stress, more worshiping God.

black nail polish: do you have a bucket list? if so, what are the top three things?

No bucket lists for this girl.

pantone: describe a person close to your life in detail.

My friend M. is a petite blonde girl with hazel eyes and the loveliest upturned nose. She is my age and studies herbology. She loves heather. She has two cats. She is a devout Catholic, sets an example of faith for me and I sincerely hope an believe her to be a saint. She wears beautiful clothes and has a great singing soprano voice. And plays the guitar and ukulele. Her family is a big and loving one. She has a fiance whom we all find weird, but he loves her so much we don’t really care. She seems to be a cinnamon roll but is actually full of sass and self-causciousness. (And also cries upon seeing beautiful animals.)

moodboard: do you feel you had a happy childhood?

I had a very bumpy childhood and I was rarely happy, but when I was it was intense, like a lightning.

stars: when did you last cry in front of another person?

Three weeks ago, actually. I cry a lot.

plants: pick a person to stargaze with you and explain why you picked them.

An university friend W. because of both her enthusiasm and her inclination towards poetry.

converse: would you ever have a deep conversation with a stranger and open up to them?

Total stranger? Nope. My conversations with strangers end up as showering them with trivia, and I want it to stay so.

lace: when was your last 3am conversation with someone, and who were they to you?

A week ago, with a highschool friend and former roommate.

handwriting: if you were about to die, and you could only say one more sentence to one person, what would you say and to whom?

Since telling my parent that I love them would involve more than one person - I don’t know really.

cactus: what is your opinion on brown eyes?

They’re cool. But I find all eye colours cool. Better eyes than no eyes, right?

sunrise: pick a quote and describe what it means to you personally.

---

oil paints: what would you title the autobiography of your life so far?

The most attended to Catholic in the world - I live thanks to God and so do you! 

overalls: what would you do with one billion dollars?

Short scale billion USD equals 3,741,352,800 PLN so without even mentioning long scale billion I’d buy a new, fully furnished 3-bedroom apartment in Cracow for rent until I’d need one, a new laptop, a trip to New Zeland and back for me and my bf... and I have no idea what I’d do with the remaining 3,739,950,000 but I’d never want to actually have such a sum of money. It would literally burn my fingers. I’d probably give it all out to charities, maybe some to my family.

combat boots: are you a very forgiving person? do you like being this way?

I am a forgiving person to those further from me, but not for those closest. I want to be more forgiving, as a general principle.

winged eyeliner: write a hundred word letter to your twelve year old self.

Dear Catherine! You are a brave and open-minded person – good. Things are about to go temporarily downhill pretty soon. Be prepared, but not afraid. Stay thoughtful and merciful. Reach for people more - they are not as scary as they seem. Appreciate your self-consciousness, but do not let it drive you. Cry. Rebel. Run. Have more fun. You will not permanently damage anyone and you will not regret it. But please - stop making up stories for people to notice you. Do not be ashamed of who you are and what you feel. You are worthy of love. Stay safe.

pastel: would you describe yourself as more punk or pastel?

Certainly not punk...

tattoos: how do you feel about tattoos and piercings? explain.

I have had physical problems with piercings so far (I suspect allegries), and generally am not visually pleased with them. I love the concept of tatooing your body though, it’s so primaeval. I want to have tatoos someday, but I wait until somethng really meaningful will need visual perpetuation. Also, my Church’s thoughts on tatoos seem quite ambiguous, so the whole idea will require a lot of consideration.

piercings: do you wear a lot of makeup? why/why not?

Nope - I have no skin problems, eye dryness issues, no money for good cosmetics, no patience for maintaining a routine and therefore no time to learn how to do it properly. And I have recently smashed a full bottle of foundation on the floor. Just lipstick for me, thanks.

bands: talk about a song/band/lyric that has affected your life in some way.

Scarborough Fair (sung by Martin Carthy) has lead me, among other things, to: buying new clothing items, changing hairstyle, starting Irish dances, Led Zeppelin music, best HP and Tolkien fanfics ever, staying at the music school, meeting three most important people in my life to this day, and countless mountain hiking expeditions. I even buy perfume based on it (let me be bathed in thyme oil!). And I don’t even like it that much anymore.

messy bun: the world is listening. pick one sentence you would tell them.

*insert a Bible quote about the unconditional love of God here*

cry baby: list the concerts you have been to and talk about how they make you feel.

I have been to countless classical and folk music concerts, but as for any other sort, this summer I attended a concert of Pidżama Porno, a Polish rock band I adore. I remember that it was a relief to finally not feel overhelmed with loneliness I have had been feeling for weeks on end. Also, they performed almost all of my fave songs!

grunge: who in the world would you most like to receive a letter from and what would you want it to say?

I’m waiting for a letter from a befriended English literature professor, and as much as I wish it to contain only good news, the most important factor is for it to be long - I simply adore his writing style!

space: do you have a desk/workspace and how is it organised/not organised?

I have a small desk and it’s mostly organised (pile of books in one corner, pile of Weird Shit in another, papers underneath, medications in the drawer).

white bed sheets: what is your night time routine?

At any time between 11 pm and 2 am - taking  a shower, using a mosturizing cream, praying, setting an alarm clock, opening the window (from April to September), putting on some music/YouTube videos and drifting away :)

old books: what’s one thing you don’t want your parents to know?

That time when I made up a story involving someone’s tragic death - I consider it the worst, most harming thing I have ever done, one of two major life regrets.

beaches: if you had to dye your hair how would you dye/style it and why?

A bit darker than they are in summer, more brown than blonde - my tan and my (sun-lightened in colour) hair weirdly match so I feel I look awfully fawn all summer long.

eyes: pick five people to go on an excursion with you. who would you pick and where would you go/what would you do?

I’d take M. from the “important person description”, her boyfriend, sister, brother and father on a sightseeing trip around Rome (we’d visit all the churches, probably, and have the most delicious food)

11:11: name three wishes and why you wish for them.

I wish to finally meet my future husband, because how long am I supposed to wait, damnit!

I wish to get a PhD because academia is insanely fun.

I wish to be able to go to the Bieszczady mountains alone this year because I need to sort out some emotional issues, and also I miss the sight of sky there.

painting: what is the best halloween costume you have ever put together? if none, make one up.

When I was 9 I dressed up as air. It wasn’t the best costume technicality-wise, but I am still amazed at my creativity as a child.

lightning: what’s the worst thing you’ve ever done while drunk or high?

Never ever been drunk or high seriously enaugh to do something I’d consider utterly bad, or even mildly stupid. I only laugh too loud.

thunder: what’s one thing you would never do for one million dollars?

Dapends on how badly I’d need the money. But “killing a man” is always on the “never” list.

storms: you only listen to one song for the rest of your life, or only see one person for the rest of your life. which and why?

Song. This one. No issues, it’s great. And as much as I love music, I’d go insane seeing only one person probably after a month.

love: have you ever fallen in love? describe what it feels like to realise you’re in love.

It’s a moment of great excitement, but also great anxiety, as you are momentarily aware of the endlessness of your vulnerability. 

clouds: if you’re a boy, would you ever rock black nail polish? if you’re a girl, would you ever rock really really short hair?

My hair is my precious, I would never want to bid them farewell.

coffee: what’s your starbucks order, and who would you trust to order for you, if anyone?

Venti soy latte? Or venti soy matcha frappuccino? It’s not complicated, anyone could order this, I’d even go with normal milk if they forgot to ask for soy... What’s up with this question anyway???

marble: what is the most important thing to you in your life right now?

Doing good at work and the university. Staying sane and healthy. Maintaining the faintest traces of social life. Getting better and better at love and mercy every single day.

fin.

More Dander Rising: Ditto to Dr. Poses

Let me second the emotion now recently and repeatedly voiced by Dr. Poses in these pages. It's getting real hard to separate the health policy and malfeasance fecaliths from the general Washington Scheißsturm raining down on us. We all feel pretty much buffeted non-stop, like (whomp!) badminton shuttlecocks in the corruption game the prevaricator-in-chief seems happily destined to carry on forever. Or at least until some better angels out there in America rise up to put an end to it. Because it's pretty obvious the party hacks clearly aren't going to. They're way too busy (padre you're fired! padre you're unfired!) doing other important stuff. And avoiding the wrath (why invite trouble?) of the prevaricator-in-chief. Maybe tweets are effective covering fire. Maybe it's not a kakistocracy we live in so much as a tweetocracy. In fact it's also getting pretty easy to find the links between the micro- and the macro-misdeeds in today's kakistocracy. I want to talk about two of those today. Both stem from recent months' events in the game of musical chairs at two of the most cost- and problem-ridden departments overseen by our executive branch. Of course, as the reader likely already surmised, these are health and human services and veterans' affairs. Dr. Poses has in fact just posted on the latter, given the zany events in the previously barely-known White House Medical Unit. (In fact, in discussing what happens with the current administration Dr. P has hit upon an essential mechanism liking the macro and the micro: "inbound revolving door" plants from the White House directed to administrations such as HHS and VA. Where a guy with some expertise in any given position may show questionable judgment in comporting himself--yes we're always talking about men these days--all too soon he's offed by the political hacks appointed to "help" him. This makes for great press but poor government. But since when is anything like good government even the point? Hacks make hay while the sun shines. They're out to satisfy their rich donors like the Kochs and Mercers. Some hacks get to stay in place if they're somnolent enough. I mean you, Carson. Others, including folks who're not hacks like David Shulkin at the VA, are out on their tushies before press or good-government critics get to prove much of anything.) Let's take these two agencies in turn. The VA. First there was David Shulkin. I've written about him before (e.g. here and here), as has Dr. Poses. Not much more to say here about the guy who came in with good intentions, inaugurated some important positive changes in information technology and elsewhere in a badly-battered organization, then made what might at worst be characterized as some slightly sloppy mistakes in his record-keeping and travel-planning while on official business. Then the jackals swooped and out he went. Next up: Ronny Jackson, ER doctor, erstwhile head of the White House Medical Unit and Navy frat-boy par excellence. Ronny was to be Shulkin's replacement, until his boss rewarded his sucking up with a now-standard distancing maneuver. Which might be described as "stir up a fuss, you go under the bus." Jackson, AKA "Dr. Feelgood" (ibid. and here), will never be VA Secretary now, or get his second admiral's star. (Or whatever it is that admirals get.) His unit's curiously isolated place in the hierarchy allowed him allegedly to abuse his reports, but at the same time seemingly left him, his boss, and anyone who's supposed to vet cabinet-level appointees, blind-sided about what it takes to run a large health care organization. Oh, wait, they actually started with someone who had what it takes. But none of this is any longer about good government or effectiveness or expertise. It's about ideology, or ideology as refracted through donors' eyes. And Jackson's boss, as his latest hapless subaltern edges closer to the undercarriage of the bus, says "[t]hey’re trying to destroy a man," Ronny's such a good guy--just look what he said about my health, my hands are clean, it's all fake fake fake. Fake news. Actually, classic gaslighting. Now the boss is going after Ronny's tormentor, Montana Sen. Tester. But my friends in Montana tell me Tester's got not so much to worry about. Montanans are a cussedly independent lot, They don't take too kindly to these bad-mouthing bad boys from out of swamp over there in Dee-Cee. So who's next in the cavalcade of stars for the truly humongous VA bureaucracy and its leadership? One name being bruited about is that of Jeff Miller, a lobbyist who once as a congressman chaired the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. But according to Newsweek, Miller's real claim to fame is his work lobbying for insider trading hedge funder and Very Happy Guy Steven A. Cohen. Turns out Cohen is a major funder for the privatized health care that Shulkin quite rightly opposed. (See ibid. in Newsweek, and here.) Super-tight in with this crowd are also the Koch Brothers, the Daddies Warbuck for Concerned Veterans for America. CVA is a remarkable organization. It's lofty aims "to preserve the freedom & prosperity we & our families fought & sacrificed to defend" (where'd they find this copywriter?) include project such as "VA Fail."  VA Fail is a "tracker" to which you can actually subscribe in order to follow each and every one of this department's "missteps, mismanagement and misguidance." A set-up to do away with an essential and in many ways still-vital branch of government. One that really needs help to change some dysfunctional internal systems, but still really helps people at reasonable cost. Right now I'm a long, long way from Washington. I'm in a place where government is equally corrupt and dufus-like. But at least the people are nice to each other and hip to their government's misdeeds. Still, it seems these democracies are having a really hard time right about now. Many have lost faith in their own ability to impact the bizarre bull-in-a-china-shop behavior of their leaders. Truth is, veterans want an effective and separate VA health system. I know, I worked there. The K-Stone Cops are giving them anything but. Profit motive über alles. An awful lot of  members of "the Base" are veterans. Will they notice this scam? Health and Human Services. First there was Tom Price, who was soon out of that job because a minor corruption scandal far eclipsed by his own legal antics. Antics that were perfectly legal but perfectly dangerous, the attempt to make good on campaign promises to do in HHS and the Affordable Care Act. While Secretary, Georgia orthopedist and anti-Medicare activist Price approached the ACA the way he had most issues once arrived in Congress: undermine, undermine, undermine. Look at him now. While Secretary, the Post tells us, he was all

"The individual mandate is one of those things that is actually driving up the cost for the American people in terms of coverage” ... on ABC’s “This Week” last summer. So, what we’re trying to do is make it so that Obamacare is no longer harming the patients of this land — no longer driving up costs, no longer making it so that they’ve got coverage but no care.”

But in a preternatural paroxysm of honesty just a week ago, on May Day, Price told a health conference just the opposite. It was the Congress that knew that the lack of the mandate would drive up the cost of insurance. But ideology and the donors said do it, so with his help they did it anyway. Along with any number of other measures to try and deep-six Obamacare. Of course they failed in spite of themselves--Obamacare is hanging in there. But it's no thanks to the guy whose job it was to make it work. He did everything he could to make it not work. Following Price we got a drug company executive, Alex Azar. He's actually done a few good things in his short time over at HHS. I've known a lot of drug company executives, as well as a lot of right wing doctors. The former are often a lot less ideological and a lot more practical than the latter. I'm actually in conversation with one of the most successful members of the latter group--a widely recognizable pair of names, corporation and leader alike--and when it comes to steps that the left questions, such as lobbying, the responses are remarkably forthright and lacking in hysterical right wing cant. "We need to sell our product." Right wing doctors who go into politics have all sorts of extra axes to grind.So Azar sort of had a head start on Price. Thus the focus now shifts at least for the moment from insurance to drug prices, one of the bugabears both of Azar and his boss Donald Trump. At this year's World Health Congress, Azar teed up the trial balloon that floated around the campaign and still bears watching. Azar stated that "President Trump wants to go 'much further' to attack high drug prices," according to many sources including CNBC's Angelica LaVito. But what does this mean? Drug companies have recently upped their spending on both lobbying and campaign giving. This has caused heavy breathing in health policy circles--see here for example--but in my opinion is chump change. A doubling from spending in the low six figures to the mid six figures for activities that impact government drug-price awareness is, to me, just budget dust. The Big Nut is Medicare and active direct bargaining to get prices down. Will Azar be able to do the in-sell that gets his boss to come out swinging with the biggest weapon he has? The drug companies, when they spend the big bucks, are really playing a different game. There are so many players in the pharmaceutical sales-and-distribution space, most notably the separately powerful PBM (pharmacy benefits management) companies, that everyone's pushing on a wet noodle. The one really reliable weapon Azar and company have, if they're willing to use it, is Medicare spending. This one will be truly fascinating to watch. It will say a lot about whether the President wants truly to drain the swamp and hence really please those in his Base who need affordable meds. Or just refill that swamp in order to please the hacks with whom he's now surrounded himself.

TO PRESERVE THE FREEDOM &PROSPERITY WE & OUR FAMILIES FOUGHT & SACRIFICED TO DEFEND.

TO PRESERVE THE FREEDOM &PROSPERITY WE & OUR FAMILIES FOUGHT & SACRIFICED TO DEFEND.

TO PRESERVE THE FREEDOM &PROSPERITY WE & OUR FAMILIES FOUGHT & SACRIFICED TO DEFEND

Article source:Health Care Renewal