#Schatz Reprise

[ainchase]

Ain 4th Path Description

Lofty: Schreier

Apparent Age: 21 yo, Male, Pendulum

After his contact with the goddess was cut off, he worried for her safety. The situation in Elrios only worsened those concerns. Torn by the guilt of failing to fulfill his mission, of causing the El to be damaged, he was further horrified at the sight of humans who continued to recklessly mishandle the El’s power. Why did they keep making the same mistakes? He knew there was nothing he could do - after all, the El was bestowed upon Elrios by the goddess herself. Even so, he could not rid himself of his disgust as he watched humans use the El's power carelessly.

“Should the El really be left in their hands? If only my voice would reach the goddess…”

Anxiety made his physical condition worse. Could it be the wound he sustained inside Henir’s dimension? As a temporary solution, he gathered faint El energy to heal himself. He knew that, using this method, he could maintain his form until he either returned to normal or fulfilled his mission. But the small amount of El energy he had gathered into his body influenced him.  A new power awakened inside him, which he called Arte.

“This situation cannot continue. I must gather the scattered El energy and let the goddess know of this blasphemy.”

Ain maintained his physical condition and assisted the El Search Party, remaining vigilant for any chance to contact his goddess.

Schatz Reprise

Apparent Age: 21 yo, Male, Pendulum

Did the goddess forget me? Left without an answer to his calls, Ain began to think the worst. No, that can’t be it… He tried to suppress his anxiety as his thoughts spun. Perhaps pursuing the El’s whereabouts is not enough to reach the goddess.

But his barely-suppressed anxiety boiled over the moment he discovered the corrupted Dark El. Shocked, horrified, he tried to purify the Dark El in a panic, but instead accidentally exposed his rift-wound to the demonic energy within. He realized what had happened too late. The demonic energy had already corrupted his creation magic.

Once he managed to regain his composure, terror melted into fury. Not only did those fools shatter the El the goddess had given them, they carelessly used the shattered pieces of that El with no remorse. Shameless and ungrateful beings, taking the El’s blessing for granted. The goddess may have given them this blessing, but they did not deserve it.

Awful, uncontrollable emotion pushed him to a decision. No… If the El is left as it is, it will only get worse. My duty is to return energy to El. For that, the destroyed El must first be restored.  But I cannot leave it to those who had damaged it once before. The El must be protected, and I, the emissary of the goddess, must be the one to do it. And so Ain began retrieving the El energy scattered throughout Elrios.

Even as he retrieved the energy, his own power slowly turned. The demonic energy that had fused with his wound still corroded his body, corrupted his being. Perhaps if he used the energy he had retrieved… But that would be misusing his goddess’ power for his own gain. He could not bring himself to do that, especially as he’d completely failed to fulfill his duty. Thoughts like these tormented him with guilt.  Unbeknownst to him, his corruption was spreading to a point he couldn’t even fathom, as the demonic energy took root deep inside.

Bigott 

Apparent Age, Unknown, Male, Pendulum

“...I’ll make it so that the goddess will have no choice but to come and find me.”

A twisted emissary of the god who doesn’t hesitate to destroy to force an answer from the goddess. A class that uses Arte formed by continuously retrieving and returning El energy that supports effective and powerful battles.

The Giant El had been restored. All the energy Ain had gathered had been absorbed into it. He had not expected it, but neither did he mind. The restoration of the El was needed for his mission. For a moment he believed he could soon fulfill his duty. Now, if he sacrificed himself and injected his strength into the Giant El, it would return to its stable state… 

As he stretched his hand toward the El, he winced and recoiled.  An instinct deep within screamed that he shouldn’t do this. Before he could even think, an instinctive repulsion pulled his hand away from the El and toward the ground. The reason for this repulsion soon became obvious. A god’s representative who’d been corrupted by demonic energy and steeped in the power of chaos cannot fully restore the El.

Everything was in vain. He believed everything would return to its place if he could just fulfill his mission, and now what should he do? He couldn’t just decide what to do alone. Confused and more desperate than ever, he called out for his goddess’ answer. Whether she chose to enlighten the path of her foolish emissary, or descend to punish him for failing his mission, or replace him with another… Be it salvation or destruction, so long as she replied, Ain was willing to heed any answer. However, the only thing he received was that same horrifying silence.

Why…? He couldn’t understand. The sudden explosion of the El, Henir, demons, his authority changing from Ishmael to Elria… Unforeseen events piled up, one after another, things he hadn’t been tasked to deal with. He grew resentful of the goddess. He cried out, pleaded, begged, threw his resentment up in prayer, and received only silence. He wasn’t asking for something he didn’t deserve, like those foolish creatures of Elrios! How could she insist on silence in all these situations? Unless she had completely abandoned him–

As his crisis of faith petered into exhaustion, Ain decided to give up and find another way. At this point, he had to hear an answer. Any answer. And if he couldn’t reach the goddess himself, then he would force her to look for him.

“I will return the El to the goddess.”

Even if it means destroying the goddess’s beloved Elrios.  If I can reach her… it’ll be worth any sin.

===

translation by yours truly editing courtesy of @blazingsnark

note: these are heavily edited and are not direct translations but we did our best to stay true to the source while not sounding like complete garbage -- enjoy!

[add-psychic]

Ainchase “Ain” Ishmael 4th path

Lofty: Schreier | Schatz Reprise | Bigott

[peti-eyes]

False hope

Schatz reprise

Timelapse:

[otokeneko]

FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT

[lilith-devi-nyx-elsword-theorist]

I........... I really want to hug him so much rn, you don’t understand.

Ever since Ain’s first release, I’ve always saw him as a male magic caster as a not literal mirror of Aisha. But I’ve seen Ain as this cool character for so many years.

Just seeing 4th Ain, makes me cry. MAH MANS HURT!

[elsjobproject]

Schatz Reprise

1/5 - Altera - Clear 'Nasod Foundry' [0/1]

The journey was getting longer. Despite the constant attempt to communicate, the Goddess didn't respond. Ain was starting to feel unsettled. Did something go wrong?

Did I do something wrong? Did something happen to the Goddess? Or… perhaps the Goddess has forgotten me.

His uncertainty pushed his thoughts to the extreme, but Ain tried to push those thoughts away. There's no way the Goddess has forgotten me. It's because there are so many abandoned Nasods here. The smell of rust felt like blood and giving him strange thoughts. Ain hurried to leave the place. Ignoring the fact that he, as an angel, had no reason to find the smell of blood ominous, and there was another reason for his uncertainty.

2/5 - Altera - Clear 'Altera Core' [0/1]

As he fought against the massive Nasod army in Altera Core, Ain struggles and feels the limits of his power, but didn't feel as uncertain aas before. In fact, the uncertainty he felt was somewhat resolved, and his mind felt clearer than ever.

The floating island Altera. A place he would have never visited if it weren't for the stolen El. To think it's here he found an army of Nasod soldiers, one of the reasons for the El Overload! Did the Goddess predict this outcome?

Was this confusion, uncertainty, and wavering also the intention of the Goddess? In that case, he will follow her will and eliminate all enemies.

3/5 - Enter 'Feita Village'

The Nasod army stayed silent and the stolen El shard was retrieved. It finally felt like everything was falling into place. Perhaps the Goddess predicted everything will resole like this. Every problem that happened in Elrios and the restoration of the El must all be according to her great plan. As such, he just needs to walk the path she ordered him without single doubt. He was ashamed to feel uncertain from the Goddess not responding.

Feita sent the El Search Party a request for help. This too, must be part of the Goddess's plan. Do not show doubt and walk the path the Goddess shines.

4/5 - Feita - Clear 'Shrine of Dedication Entrance' [0/1]

Something was wrong. When he was faced with the El corrupted by demonic energy, Ain felt the unwavering faith within him shatter. The only thought remaining in his head was that he must purify the El, and his unplanned response prove to be disastrous. When Ain came in contact to the Dark El without protecting himself, the demonic energy began to permeate.

The demonic energy spread to his chaos wound and when he finally realized what was happening, it was already too late. After short, but horrible time mixed with pain, regret, and self-blame passed, Ain was able to regain composure. However, his power was already mutated from demonic energy.

5/5 - Feita - Clear 'Underground Chapel' [0/1]

Soon, uncontrollable, heightened emotion began to overwhelm Ain. Foolish beings who shows no remorse despite neglecting the blessing from the Goddess and shattered the El. The shameless who enjoy the blessing of the El more than deserved, yet do not cherish it. How can he not loath the very being that caused everything? As demonic energy begins to take over his body, his anger kept boiling. Yes, perhaps he started off the wrong way.

His mission is to return energy to the El, in order to complete his mission, he must first restore the El, but he cannot entrust this important mission to those who have already damaged it. It must be him. Only he, as the messenger of the Goddess, can right this wrong. Ain dragged his body that no longer feels like his own and headed deeper in to the shrine.

(recorded: 03/02/2023)

[aestheticallypleasinganimeboys]

Ain (Lofty: Schreier, Schatz Reprise, Opferung) - Elsword

[aquamarina0814]

Schatz Reprise Can't wait for evil Ain to come to NA!!

[elrios-trash]

I am imagining this. Arme Thaumaturgy and Schatz Reprise

AT: SR, where are you?

SR: At the bus stop, waiting for the bus

AT: Hurry up!

SR: Okay, I am just waiting faster.

Darling, where are you?

At the bus stop, waiting for the bus.

Hurry up.

Okay. I'm just waiting faster.

[oftheflamingheart]

KCS Two Princes Podcast QnA October 17, 2020

Part 1

Transcripts below each image. Slight edits made to some questions for clarity.

Q: How will Amir’s and Rupert’s relationship change in the final season?

A: I think the boys do some growing up in this season, especially in terms of what it means to be in a relationship. in the past they’ve had to deal with monsters, but this season focuses a bit more on dealing with the ups and downs of being a couple.

Q:  should I grab the tissues?

A: Grab ALL the tissues...

Q: Rupert is my fave and he always gets made fun of. Will he have his moment of validation?

A: Who makes fun of Rupert??? I want names! That said there’s definitely a fun change the dynamic between Rupert and Amir this season.

Q: Will we see more of porridge in season three?

A: Yes, lots of porridge this season!

Q: how many songs will be in season three? (Eyes looking left emoji)

A: The incredibly talented Matt Schatz has written 9 amazing songs (plus 2 reprises).

Q: Who’s more nervous for the wedding? Rupert or Amir? (Eyes emoji again)

A: Rupert. 100%

Q: Someone asked about porridge, but will there be more Fitzroy?

A: Yes, Fitzroy is back too!

Q: Will there be more of Cecily and Joan?

A: Yes, Joan and Cecily have a lot more to do this season!

Q: Who’s your favorite character in the two princes?

A: Impossible to answer. I absolutely love that Rupert is a hero who leads with his heart. But I also have a soft spot for lovable sociopaths like Barabbas, Percy Junior and Lavinia.

Q: When people didn’t want the Royal Wedding was it homophobia or because two kingdoms were together?

A: A little of both. People who are against different cultures mixing often tend to be the same people who don’t like homosexuality or gender non-conformity. The series has always tried to show that all forms of discrimination are connected and that you can’t overcome one without overcoming them all.

[thisdaynews]

Silicon Valley faces partisan tug of war over 2020 census

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/silicon-valley-faces-partisan-tug-of-war-over-2020-census/

Silicon Valley faces partisan tug of war over 2020 census

Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg vowed the company would “treat next year’s census like an election.” | Drew Angerer/Getty Images

technology

Tech companies have pledged to take steps to prevent interference — but their efforts could further complicate Silicon Valley’s relations with the GOP.

Democrats are making a plea to tech giants like Facebook, Google and Twitter that failed to stop hoaxes and trolls from swarming the 2016 election: Don’t bungle the 2020 Census.

Some lawmakers fear that the once-a-decade tally will become a magnet for misinformation from overseas and U.S.-based trolls seeking to keep minority groups from filling out their census forms correctly — or at all.That would be a reprise of the Kremlin’s efforts to inflame social and political divisions before the last presidential contest, as well as a possible preview of interference in next year’s election.

Story Continued Below

Democrats’ big worry is depressed census participation among minorities, which would give outsize representation to rural whites once states use the results to redraw their political districts in 2022.

And for the tech industry, they argue, the census is a chance to show that the companies have learned the lessons of 2016 — at a time when they’re under fire from an increasingly skeptical Washington.

“This is one of the most foundational aspects of American democracy and this will go a long way towards determining whether or not they view themselves as part of the American community,” Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) told POLITICO.

He and members of the Democratic-led Congressional Black Caucus are among Capitol Hill’s most active lawmakers on the matter. Black Caucus leaders met with Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg in May to discuss Facebook’s efforts to shield the census, a company spokesman told POLITICO.

More recently, the Black Caucus launched a 2020 census task force, and caucus spokeswoman Gabrielle Brown said the group plans to offer recommendations to tech companies on how they can bolster participation in the count. The caucus, whose members include several House committee leaders, is also eyeing a slate of hearings devoted to the census that are expected to touch on the online industry’s role, Brown said.

Tech companies have pledged to take some steps to prevent interference with the count — including a promise by Sandberg to “treat next year’s census like an election.” But their efforts could further complicate Silicon Valley’s relations with Republicans, who accuse the industry of catering to liberals.

Some critics on the right are already calling foul on the efforts the industry has previewed, alleging that the push to secure the census is politically motivated and meant to help Democrats.

“We’re supposed to trust that they will work with the census in a fair and equal way, and I just don’t see how anybody can conclude that,” said Dan Gainor, vice president of the conservative watchdog group TechWatch.The group has accused online platforms of systematically stifling conservative speech, an unproven charge that tech companies deny.

The concerns come at a charged time for the census. Next year’s count will be the first ever to allow residents to submit responses entirely online and to extensively rely on technology in the field over pen and paper, a shift that could make it especially ripe for misinformation. The normally staid process already became politically charged last year, when the Trump administration embarked on an ultimately unsuccessful quest to add a question about whether respondents are U.S. citizens, a move that opponents called a thinly veiled attempt to depress the count in heavily Democratic communities.

As the April 1 date designated as Census Day — the point by which the government will have made contact with all U.S. households — nears, any compelling evidence that the industry is failing to beat back misinformation would add further heft to calls in Washington to investigate, regulate or even break up big tech companies. The industry has faced widespread derision for allowing Russian-backed trolls and bots to spread fake news and divisive messages before the 2016 vote, including posts and ads that researchers have said were aimed at deterring African Americans from casting ballots for Hillary Clinton.

Some industry players are trying to get ahead of Washington and take action before being drawn into a political fracas. Sandberg’s pledge, which she announced in June as part of a civil rights audit, said the company would put “people, policies and technology in place to protect against census interference.”

Sandberg also teased plans to update the company’s content policies this fall to specifically address census misinformation. A Facebook spokesperson told POLITICO the update is expected to build off the company’s existing policies aimed at thwarting voter suppression efforts.

Facebook, Google and Twitter have also committed to help the Census Bureau quash false information about the tally, as Reuters reported in March. A Twitter spokesperson said company representatives have held several meetings with Census Bureau officials and civil rights groups to talk about those efforts.

But lawmakers like Schatz are still seeking greater commitments.

Last month, the Hawaii Democrat pressed the CEOs of Facebook, Google, Twitter and Reddit in a series of letters to “help ensure that the 2020 Census is full, fair, and accurate” by taking steps to restrict and disclose misleading information that appears across their products. He urged the companies to tweak their algorithms and policies to ensure misleading information is not recommended to users, to swiftly take down any fraudulent news about the census, and to provide reports to Congress and federal agencies on their efforts to maintain the tally’s integrity.

Meanwhile, Brown said the Congressional Black Caucus has reached out to tech companies to stress the importance of combating misinformation about the census, particularly as it relates to historically underrepresented racial and ethnic minorities.

“It’s well documented what Russian bots did at the behest of the Kremlin in terms of targeting communities of color with misinformation” in 2016, said Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.), one of the House lawmakers leading the caucus’ task force. “I could see that same type of tactic being deployed when it comes to getting an accurate census count.”

Clarke added that the tech companies “need to join us in this particular campaign to make sure, particularly in communities that are hard to count, that they are working in concert with the Census Bureau to try to get as many people as possible to fill out the census.”

Sandberg’s May meeting was with three other Black Caucus members now spearheading the push: caucus Chairwoman Karen Bass (D-Calif.) and Reps. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.). The sitdown preceded the following month’s announcement from Facebook on its census integrity efforts.

But even the ostensibly apolitical promise to prevent interference faced opposition from conservatives, including the Media Research Center, the umbrella organization for Gainor’s TechWatch group. It accused Facebook of working with liberal leaders to push “for even more censorship than Facebook already has” — questioning, for example, whether “any mention of illegal immigration on the census would be removed as ‘potentially suppressive.’”

Representatives for Facebook, Google, Twitter and Reddit declined to say whether they plan to implement Schatz’s recommendations. A Facebook spokesperson said the company appreciates “his input as we finalize the plans we recently announced regarding the census.” A Twitter spokesperson said the company intends to respond to Schatz’s letter, but declined to comment further.

A Google spokesperson said the company “is committed to combating misinformation and fraudulent activities to help ensure the integrity of the count,” but did not comment on Schatz’s specific requests. Reddit did not offer comment.

Some Democrats say the absence of more sweeping steps has left them nervous that the industry won’t do enough to help secure the census.

“We need much more effective preventive steps to take responsibility for some of the misuse of social media,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.). “My feeling is that the tech companies have yet to fully take responsibility.”

Read More

[add-psychic]

Ain 4th path Lofty: Schreier | Schatz Reprise | ?

[jscottscales]

The Health 202: Three reasons Obamacare might not get another big SCOTUS moment

Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch and Chief Justice John Roberts. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Will Obamacare get a fifth major hearing in the nation’s highest court? Probably not — but never say never when it comes to the nation's controversial health-care law.

There’s a new legal challenge raising the possibility — albeit a slight one — that the Supreme Court could hear a reprise of the first major Affordable Care Act lawsuit from six years ago. Twenty conservative, ACA-opposing states, led by Texas, have filed suit in federal court arguing the entire law is invalid because the reason the court found it constitutional — its penalty for lacking health coverage — will go away in January under the tax overhaul passed by Congress.

The case went relatively unnoticed until last week, when the Trump administration made legal waves saying it won’t defend the ACA against this new challenge. Such a posture is rare but not unprecedented (recall that the Obama administration refused in 2011 to defend the federal law banning the recognition of same-sex marriage because it considered the legislation unconstitutional).

If you consider recent history, it’s probably about time for another dramatic, Obamacare-flavored Supreme Court case. Just about every other year since Congress has passed the ACA, the Supreme Court has heard a challenge to the sweeping health-care law.

There was the 2012 NFIB v. Sebelius decision, which upheld the law’s individual mandate to buy coverage. Two years later, the court eased contraception coverage requirements for certain corporations.

Then, in 2015, there was the infamous ruling in which the court said insurance subsidies could be provided even in states relying on the federal Healthcare.gov website instead of running their own marketplaces. The following year, the court heard a challenge to an “accommodation” for nonprofit employers that objected to covering birth control, although it ultimately punted that decision.

How serious, really, is this latest challenge from Texas and Co.? We can’t say with 100 percent certainty, especially considering that no one took the King case very seriously at first. But it’s hard to imagine the Supreme Court is itching to reconsider the same old questions of A) whether it’s constitutional for the government to require people to buy health insurance and B) whether the rest of the law can stay in effect without the individual mandate.

While the news about the latest Obamacare challenge sucked up a lot of oxygen last week, here are three reasons such a case may not be destined to reach SCOTUS:

1. There’s no longer a question of congressional intent.

The whole 2012 case revolved around this key question. Can the government constitutionally require people to buy health-care coverage?

Both the Obama administration defending the law and its challengers agreed the individual mandate was key to the entire law. Without requiring healthy people to buy coverage, it would be too punitive to require insurers to cover sicker, expensive people because of the exorbitant costs. The entire law was viewed as standing or falling based on the requirement to buy insurance.

Now Congress has removed the penalty for being uninsured – raising the question of whether the mandate is even a mandate anymore. If the mandate is no more, than the entire law has no basis on which to stand, Texas is arguing.

“Once the heart of the ACA — the individual mandate — is declared unconstitutional, the remainder of the ACA must also fall,” the plaintiffs wrote.

But some legal scholars — including several prominent libertarians — have noted that because Congress has removed the penalty but left the rest of the law in place, it has made clear the mandate is not in fact essential to the rest of the ACA.

“There is a big difference between a court choosing to sever a part of a law, and Congress doing so itself,” Ilya Somin, a law professor at George Mason University, wrote on Reason.com in February. “Congress has already effectively neutered the individual mandate, while leaving the rest of the ACA in place.”

Could the federal government force people to buy broccoli? That was one of the questions considered in the NFIB's 2012 challenge to the ACA. (Jennifer Chase for The Washington Post)

2. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. probably isn’t eager to take up another Obamacare case.

Roberts, a noted conservative on the court, shocked many when he upheld the mandate in 2012 -- not under the federal government’s power to regulate interstate commerce but because of its power to tax citizens. In the majority opinion, Roberts defined the penalty for being uninsured as a “tax” in a legal twist that just about no oneanticipated.

Now without that “tax,” it’s fair to ask whether Roberts’ entire legal basis for upholding the law would crumble. It’s a question Roberts may not want to revisit. He took heaps of criticism from conservatives and Republicans back in 2012 for writing the 5-to-4 decision upholding nearly all of the ACA.

“Given the widespread criticism of Roberts’s opinion, it would be difficult to imagine Roberts taking another 180-degree-turn on such relatively recent precedent,” Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington University who has followed Obamacare litigation, told me.

Granted, just four of the nine SCOTUS justices would have to consent for the case to be accepted under court rules. So if the three remaining justices who sided with striking the ACA – Justices Anthony Kennedy, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito — plus the newest justice, Neil M. Gorsuch, were open to taking the case, a potential hearing is a possibility. 

3. The mandate appears less important than previously thought, anyway.

To reiterate, the mandate was viewed in 2012 as the glue that held the ACA together. To put it another way – it was the stick to prod people into buying coverage, while the law’s insurance subsidies and Medicaid coverage were the carrots to entice them.

But it turns out the mandate is less effective in motivating Americans to get coverage than previously predicted. Many health-policy experts have argued the penalty just wasn’t sizable enough to convince people to buy coverage they felt they couldn’t afford.

In its most recent projection, the Congressional Budget Office said around 8 million people would be uninsured in a decade without the mandate — a projection one-third lower than the agency’s previous forecast of 13 million uninsured.

The case, currently before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas in Fort Worth, is scheduled for arguments later this year. Nicholas Bagley, a health-law professor at the University of Michigan, said SCOTUS consideration would depend on what the lower courts do — but he’d be surprised if it went that far.

“The case is so odd, and the arguments so strained, and I’d be surprised if the Supreme Court ended up taking it,” Bagley wrote me in an email.

POST PROGRAMMING ALERT: On Wednesday, The Post will host some of the country’s leading mental-health experts and policymakers for a live discussion of strategies to address the most pressing mental-health challenges, including the increasing rate of suicide, combating the stigma associated with mental illness and improving access to care for at-risk populations. Speakers include Sens. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) (to be interviewed by your Health 202 author), National Alliance on Mental Illness chief executive Mary Giliberti, National Institute of Mental Health Director Joshua A. Gordon, and New York City first lady Chirlane McCray. Register to attend here. 

AHH: Delegates at the American Medical Association's annual meeting this week rejected a recommendation the AMA maintain its opposition to medically assisted death, instead voting for the organization to continue reviewing its guidance on the issue, The Post's Lindsey Bever reports. Lawmakers voted by a margin of 56 to 44 percent to have the AMA’s Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs keep studying the current medical ethics guidance. That position, adopted a quarter-century ago, labels the practice “physician-assisted suicide” and calls it “fundamentally incompatible with the physician’s role as healer.”

"The council spent two years reviewing resolutions, not so much on whether to support the practice but on whether to take a neutral stance on what has become a divisive issue among health-care providers," Lindsey writes. "Even with delegates sending the report back for further discussion, their vote Monday means the AMA’s guidance remains unchanged for now. Andrew Gurman, immediate past president, said in a statement that such discussion would take place at a future policymaking meeting."

A World Health Organization aid worker from Congo gets vaccinated in Mbandaka, Congo. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick)

OOF: The world is waiting to see whether thousands of doses of vaccines dispatched to health workers in Congo will halt the latest Ebola outbreak. The experimental vaccine could help stop the disease's most serious outbreak since the 2014 epidemic in West Africa faster than the traditional approaches doctors have tried for decades, the AP’s Sam Mednick and Lauran Neergaard report.

Thousands of doses created by the Public Health Agency of Canada and owned by U.S. pharmaceutical giant Merck were rushed in to affected areas. “Health experts say the next two weeks will be critical in determining whether the outbreak will be brought under control,” Sam and Lauran write. “The WHO is now shifting efforts to more remote areas to contain the outbreak. The organization has predicted there could be up to 300 cases of Ebola in the coming months.”

But getting the vaccines in good condition to the right people is a real challenge. “The shots must be transported deep into forests with few paved roads without it spoiling in the heat," Sam and Lauran write. "Health workers have to identify and track down anyone who’s had contact with a sick person. Hardest of all, they must persuade a scared and wary population that shots pushed by foreigners could save their lives.”

In this photo, a makeshift memorial continues to grow outside the Pulse nightclub, the day before the one-month anniversary of a mass shooting in Orlando. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

OUCH: Two years after the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, the first five emergency responders describe the nightmares, flashbacks and outbursts they've since experienced, in this deep dive by WMFE’s Abe Aborava. “Even though most had responded to gruesome scenes of murder, suicide and car accidents, that didn’t prepare them for the psychological injury of PTSD," Abe writes. "Going forward, they would relive June 12 in flashbacks and nightmares, see danger behind every closed door, and become irritable and impatient with spouses and co-workers.”

Two of the five responders were fired for mistakes on the job following the shooting, one was never cleared to return to work and two were offered work reassignments in order to receive treatment. Orlando Police Department Chief John Mina told Abe that officers dealing with PTSD can come forward to request reassignments or treatment without it affecting future promotions. “We wouldn’t want someone out on the street who was having issues,” Mina said. “We may be held liable because of that, because we knew about that. But again, I’ll go back to the fact that they don’t have to come forward. They can receive treatment anonymously.”

Twenty-six first responders to the Pulse shooting, including the five featured in the story, were evaluated or treated at the University of Central Florida’s Restores clinic, Abe reports. “I’ll never be the same [as] before Pulse,” Officer Alison Clarke, who is going through the Restores program, told Abe. “You can recover to a certain extent. At least for me, I can recover to a certain extent. But I know that I’ll always have some type of small anxiety issue. It’s just learning how to live with it and function with it.”

A 3-D artist's rendering of the powerful genome editing tool, CRISPR/Cas9. (Stephen Dixon)

— Two studies published yesterday warn that editing cells’ genomes with CRISPR-Cas9 could increase the risk of cancer. The studies found cells whose genomes were successfully altered by the editing tool had the potential to develop tumors in patients, which may pose a major potential hurdle for the technology, STAT’s Sharon Begley reports.

Experts are taking the finding seriously, even amid the enthusiasm over CRISPR for its potential to help scientists treat and possibly even cure genetic diseases. Sam Kulkarni, chief executive of CRISPR Therapeutics, told Stat the results of the studies are “plausible.” Kulkarni acknowledged it is “something we need to pay attention to, especially as CRISPR expands to more diseases. We need to do the work and make sure edited cells returned to patients don’t become cancerous.”

Shares of CRISPR Therapeutics and some biotech stocks tanked following the news, CNBC’s Angelica LaVito and Meg Tirrell report. “Shares of CRISPR Therapeutics tanked nearly 13 percent, shares of Editas Medicine dropped nearly 8 percent, shares of Intellia Therapeutics fell nearly 10 percent, while shares of Sangamo Therapeutics shed more than 5 percent,” they write.

Sens. Lamar Alexander and Patty Murray, leaders of the Senate HELP Committee. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

— Tune in this morning to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, where Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar will appear to take questions on his agency's plan to combat high prescription drug prices. Expect lots of drilling by Democrats over why the administration has backed away from Trump's previous support for allowing direct Medicare Part D price negotiations. And top Republican Lamar Alexander said he especially wants to hear more about proposals in Trump's blueprint to prevent branded drugmakers from delaying generics from going to market and end the so-called "gag rule" preventing pharmacists from telling patients about how to get drugs more cheaply by paying for them out-of-pocket.

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar testifies June 6 on Capitol Hill. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

— States got guidance yesterday from HHS's Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on how to leverage Medicaid to combat the opioid abuse epidemic. The guidance includes information and recommendations on how to make sure evidence-based care is provided to infants born exposed to opioids and how to enhance federal funds for telemedicine practices that could help patients struggling with opioid addiction.

The number of infants with opioid exposure increased nearly five times between 2000 and 2012, the agency noted. “The number of American infants born dependent on opioids each day is heartbreaking,” HHS Secretary Alex Azar said in a statement. “Today’s announcement reflects the Trump Administration and HHS’s commitment to helping states use Medicaid to support treatment for this condition and other challenges produced by our country’s crisis of opioid addiction.”

— David Pasch has left HHS, where he served as digital director, for a position with the Republican digital firm Targeted Victory. Even if you don't know Pasch, you may recall the “Creepy Uncle Sam” anti-Obamacare ads he helped craft at his former job with Generation Opportunity back in 2014:

— A few more good reads from The Post and beyond:

GuideWell Mutual Holding Corp., the parent company of health insurer Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, appointed former Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell to its board of directors Monday. It's a paid position, but GuideWell declined to give specifics.

The Senate Finance Committee will hold a business meeting to consider the "Helping to End Addiction and Lessen (HEAL) Substance Use Disorders Act of 2018."

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee holds a hearing on the 340B Drug Pricing Program on June 19.

From toilets to handshakes: The logistics behind the meeting between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un:

President Trump said the death of Otto Warmbier “had a lot to do” with the formation of the meeting

Watch Stephen Colbert's take on the historic meeting: 

Source

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/the-health-202/2018/06/12/the-health-202-three-reasons-obamacare-might-not-get-another-big-scotus-moment/5b1ec8f91b326b6391af0988/

[davedimartino]

NEW THIS WEEK 02.24.09

With the excitement of the Grammys now long since gone, it's time for the music business to stand or fall purely on the quality of its new product!

In short? If all of this week's new releases are top-notch, quality stuff, then I think we can count on years and years of a healthful, thriving music business! But if, on the other hand, most of this week's are dreary and stale reruns of an earlier, better time, it might be appropriate for everyone in the industry to just throw in the towel, admit defeat, and perhaps individually focus on improving their own personal lots in life--and business be damned!

Well, you can take a look for yourself--but as far as I can see, any week that features a lot of great reissues, good albums by really old artists, and a new album by the Jonas Brothers is conclusive proof that music's on an upswing like never before!

Speaking purely as a rock critic, I don't think I'm alone in comparing this year's music riches to those released in the golden year of 1969--except now everything's even better produced! I predict a long and healthy life for the music industry and indeed each and every one of us!

Guess I’m just an optimist! You too?

 Jonas Brothers: Music From The 3d Concert Experience (Hollywood)  I think a lot of people would be genuinely shocked to find that this new live Jonas Brothers album--the soundtrack from the movie of sort of the same name--contains some frighteningly accurate covers of Metallica, the Pretty Things, early '60s pop hit "Please Don't Talk To The Lifeguard," and a by-rote recitation of all 18 minutes and 42 seconds of Isaac Hayes's "By The Time I Get To Phoenix" amid all the marvelous contemporary pop hits! Luckily, that's not the case here, and I'd be willing to bet no one will care either way! Heck, these guys are kind of cute and they can really play their instruments!

 Van Morrison: Astral Weeks Live At The Hollywood Bowl (Listen To The Lion/EMI) A few years back I noted the irony that I managed to see Brian Wilson play Pet Sounds, Arthur Lee play Forever Changes, and the Zombies play Odessey And Oracle all within a few scattered months. If I'd only seen this great concert--which in fact I did manage to see--back then, and maybe seen the Velvet Underground reuniting to play their third album live, I could simply stop listening to music entirely, give serious consideration to getting that doctorate in psychology, and stop spending so much time thinking about myself instead of other people! Anyway, this is great live recording by a great artist covering one of the greatest albums of all time, and the cover's deliberate artistic nod to the notion of "Neil Diamond dressed as Zorro" only adds to its greatness! Buy it today!

 Lamb Of God: Wrath (Epic) This album reminds me of three things! First, the phrase Lord God, Lamb of God, Son Of The Father, You who take away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us! Secondly, the fact that Rath was a Waterloo, Indiana-based company that made great bacon before ultimately closing up shop a few years back! Finally, a band with name Lamb Of God features a lead singer who actually has a strange patch of hair growing on his back! Between you and me, I think that second point may carry the most weight!

 K'naan: Troubadour (Octone/A&M)  While the cultural impact of contemporary rap and hip-hop can't be overstated, I've often felt that something was missing--and I think that may have been the heretofore unheard rappers of Somalia and the Arctic Circle! Providing one-half of the answer is Somalian rapper K'naan, who's heard here with guests like Damien Marley, Mos Def, Chubb Rock, and hip-hop legend Adam Levine of Maroon 5, in a fabulous collection largely recorded in Kingston, Jamaica and packed to the gills with potent political points, primary positive perceptions, and other cool stuff! Some say this may be one of the year's biggest albums, while others say you should brake first before turning right at a red light! Hey, another store just closed!

 Chris Isaak: Mr Lucky (Wicked Game/Reprise)  It's hard to say that Chris Isaak's unique, '50s-inspired ultra-cool persona was long missed in the seven years it's taken him to produce a brand new album. Mainly because that sentence has too many modifiers! But the man himself can do no wrong, and in 2009, with guests Trisha Yearwood and Michelle Branch joining him, it's as if he never left! Evocative, moody, sexy, and, as always, strangely distant, Isaak sings in his timeless way, and when he does, an invisible hand enters your chest cavity, clutches your heart, squeezes it a little, says, "Good as new, boss," and then slams the hood down watching you as you drive off into the distance! Then it call up your English teacher and--together--they laugh at you!

Steven Wilson: Insurgentes (K-Scope)  It's a peculiar quirk of fate when a musician with a built-in cult audience--who'll buy nearly anything with his name on it--actually happens to be remarkably good, adventurous and compelling, and that's certainly the case with Mr. Wilson, who otherwise plays with his excellent, arty Brit band Porcupine Tree. This set--officially his debut solo album--comes in multiple configurations, including a gorgeous 2CD/DVD and accompanying book limited edition, and is glorious listening throughout. In the same manner that, say, Radiohead no longer need be concerned with recording a "hit single," Wilson has the leeway to make any sort of recording he wants--without any major-label commercial pressures--and as heard here, does so with startling success and energy. Plus, wearing a gas mask on your album cover is always cool! Buy it today!

 Isaac Hayes: Black Moses (Stax) When you get right down to it, there were fewer cooler people in the world of popular music than Mr. Isaac Hayes, and this double-album--originally released in 1971--features the man at the peak of his powers! The best possible example of how the man could take outside material and make it his own, this set features his "Never Can Say Goodbye" and "(They Long To Be) Close To You" and glides along soulfully in deep, deep groove. The completely fab new CD reissue features the original fold-out cover art, miniaturized, and is the sort of thing nearly everybody should have hanging in their house to prove their worth as humans! He'd probably think so, too!

 J.J. Cale: Roll On (Rounder) Speaking of impeccably cool musicians, look no further than Tulsa legend J.J. Cale, who's back with his first album since winning a Grammy with his Eric Clapton collaboration of 2006, The Road To Escondido. A little more upbeat in places than you might come to expect with Cale's previous work, Roll On is precisely played, economically arranged, and sounds like it might've been recorded any time within the past 50 years. It probably was! All told, it's no Lamb Of God, but what the hey!

 Company Of Thieves: Ordinary Riches (Wind-up) Company Of Thieves is an interesting Chicago trio featuring a powerful lead vocalist in Genevieve Schatz--who'll either end up being loved by millions or being perceived as the contemporary equivalent as that hat-wearing chick in the 4 Non Blondes' video "What's Up," it's her call! They play melodic songs with a lot of emotional oomph and I suspect if you see them in live performance you will either like them a lot or perhaps be distracted by your date's unexpected urge to drink excessively! That stuff does happen! It's an either/or world for Company Of Thieves!

 Green River Ordinance: Out Of My Hands (Virgin)  Few expected President Obama to be such a vocal fan of John Fogerty, but his recent insistence that all new bands sound like Creedence Clearwater Revival is taking some heat from unexpected quarters! Dudes, cut him some slack!