#asset 77 - Ash

[teine-mallaichte]

Day 2 @ailesswhumptober - alt prompt : shock collar.

As part of the assassins training the facility needs to desensitise them them to death, to killing. And hesitation needs to be punished. (Apparently I couldn't resist torturing Ash again and exploring some of who he was earlier in training.)

CW: shock collar, implied death, implied killing, living weapon, dehumanisation, violence, conditioning, torture as training.

AiLessWhumptober List Complex 27

The Desensitisation Room, dubbed the "Death Room" by the assets, often felt more like a morgue than a training room. Its metallic walls glinted dully under harsh lights, casting deep shadows across the space. Every surface was cold steel, from the grated floor - designed to allow blood and fluids to drain away into unseen gutters - to the rows of hooks hanging from the ceiling, reminiscent of a butcher’s shop.

Along one wall stood a large, heavy metal table, its surface scarred from years of use. Thick leather restraints hung from each corner, ready to hold down whatever—or whoever—found itself subjected to the cold dissection blade. Above, an array of tools hung neatly: surgical saws, scalpels, forceps, and clamps, all gleaming under the flickering lights. They were meticulously organized, each one in its place—a grotesque parody of an operating room.

Today, a failure from D Block lay on the table, a living weapon with hollow, dim eyes. But they still lived.

For now.

Asset 77 stood in line, rigid, disciplined, with four other young assets each clad in the black uniform of C Block. Around each of their necks sat a shock collar—heavy and oppressive, a constant threat. The metallic tang of blood lingered in the air, but it was the anticipation—the electric charge in the room—that made their skin prickle. Eyes downcast but alert, his short brown hair sticking to his forehead in nervous sweat. Next to him, Asset 47 was a statue—his face hard, unreadable. They both knew what was coming. There was no avoiding it. No denying it.

They had seen the films, watched the dispassionate executions and dissections, but today was different.

It was real now.

Ahead of them, the first trainee - Asset 51 - was handed a knife that looked too large in his trembling hand. He stared at the blade as if hoping it would disappear, his wide, terrified eyes darting between the instructors and the restrained figure on the table.

“Do it,” the instructor barked. The voice was sharp and clipped, cutting through the room like a knife.

The instructor towered over them, tall and imposing in a pristine dark blue uniform. Every button was fastened, every crease sharp. Their expression was one of cool disinterest, as though the suffering before them was no different from a routine drill. With hands clasped loosely behind their back, they radiated an unmistakable air of dominance. Shoulders back, chin slightly raised, the instructor seemed to dare any of the trainees to step out of line. Cold, calculating eyes swept over the room, lingering on each asset just long enough to remind them of who held the power.

“Remember, you are here to learn to eliminate, not to hesitate. You should be proud. The Facility sees your potential.” The disdain dripped from their voice, especially as they studied 51’s quivering form. “Do you understand? Failure is a stain that never washes away.”

51 didn’t move. The instructor’s jaw tightened slightly, a muscle flickering beneath their skin. They didn’t need to yell; their authority was not in volume but in control—absolute and unwavering. A single, deliberate step forward echoed on the cold, grated floor, sending a shiver down Asset 77’s spine.

“I said, do it.” The instructor's voice lowered, laced with quiet menace.

The room fell into an oppressive silence. 51’s hand shook violently, his breathing erratic, eyes wide with fear. The tension crackled, amplifying the fear that hung in the air.

Then, without warning, 51's shock collar activated.

A sharp crackle of electricity erupted, followed by a choked cry. 51 convulsed, his body seizing as the shock coursed through him. The knife slipped from his hand, clattering against the grated floor. He dropped to his knees, gasping for breath, his face a mask of pain and terror.

Asset 77 flinched at the sound, muscles tensing instinctively. His gaze shot to 51’s crumpled form. For just a second, he imagined himself there, on the ground, the electricity still dancing through his body. His fingers twitched at his sides, dread bubbling up in his throat, he felt his body flinch again.

A small sign of fear, of emotion, of weakness.

That was enough.

Everything went black. A jolt. Electricity. Pain. Pure, unrelenting pain. It engulfed him, took him. No air. No thought.

His knees buckled, but the floor didn’t matter anymore; all that existed was the agony. Bright white spots danced across his vision, a dizzying blur of light and pain, as if his skull might crack under the pressure. Breathe. He couldn’t—there was no air. His throat tightened, choking him from within.

He clawed at the floor, but his hands felt distant, useless. His mind shattered into fragments. Stop. Please, stop. Were the words real or just echoes in his head? The burning in his neck stretched and twisted, every muscle locking into place until his body was no longer his own. His heartbeat pounded loud in his ears, a drum beating him into submission. All he could taste was metal—blood, maybe? Was that blood?

Pain.

Blinding.

It clawed at him. Not just his neck. Everywhere.

Fire in his veins.

All there was, all that ever existed, was the collar and the fire it forced into him.

And then, just as suddenly, it was gone.

He gasped, air flooding back into his lungs, but it burned like acid. His chest heaved, and he collapsed fully onto the floor, coughing and shaking uncontrollably. His limbs twitched, the aftershock of electricity still lingering in his muscles like tiny knives poking from within. Vision blurred, but he could see the dull, cold steel beneath him. His fingers flexed against it. Real. He was still here.

The collar stopped, releasing 77 from its cruel grip. He sucked in a sharp breath, coughing as the air returned to his lungs, the burn still smouldering deep inside him. He tasted copper. Blood.

Somewhere nearby, he could feel 47’s eyes on him, but he said nothing. 47 knew better than to react. Knew better than to flinch. Asset 77 hated him for it. 47 was always so composed.

The instructor’s voice sliced through the haze of pain. "Get up 77."

His fingers curled into fists against the cold steel floor, his body still trembling. But he forced himself to rise, legs shaky beneath him, unwilling to show any more weakness. The instructor’s gaze lingered on him for a second longer, as if daring him to flinch again, to falter, before their attention returned to 51 - still on the ground, gasping for breath, tears streaking his cheeks.

No one moved to help him. The instructor stepped forward, retrieving the fallen knife and shoving it back into the boy’s hand.

“Do. It.”

The trembling in 51’s hands intensified, the knife slipping in his slick, sweaty grip. On his knees now, he stared up at the figure strapped to the table, face pale and drawn. The failure didn’t struggle. Didn’t plead. Barely reacted. As if they had already accepted their fate.

The silence dragged on for what felt like hours, broken only be 51’s ragged breathing.

“Do you want this to be your fate?” The instructors voice was smooth, dangerously calm, dripping with authority. “Make your choice.”

Another flick of the instructor’s finger sent a fresh jolt through 51’s collar.

The scream that followed was louder, raw, and full of agony. His body writhed on the floor, fingers clawing at the air in desperation. When the shock stopped, he lay limp, sobs echoing through the sterile room, a sound of defeat that reverberated off the cold, unforgiving walls.

Asset 77’s throat tightened at the sight. He knew what would come next. If 51 didn’t act, the knife would be passed down the line. Each of them would face this moment sooner or later. The phantom burn of the collar still fresh in his mind, he felt an overwhelming sense of dread.

But 51 didn’t get up this time.

Instead, the instructor’s gaze shifted to the next trainee in line, then to Asset 77.

“Your turn.”

[stallation]

Sam Lewitt

Stranded Asset, 2017 Cast fuel ash, metal hardware, clear Murano glass rods, hazard mask 30 3/8 x 49 5/8 x 11 inches (77 x 126 x 28 cm)

[themattress]

A good video to compare my own scores for Indigo League to.

Suede’s grading can be equated to mine, except that he doesn’t seem to believe in 2.5 (Average) or 1.5 (Bad, but with redeeming qualities).  For him, it’s just the Master Ball / 4 (Excellent), Ultra Ball / 3.5 (Great, but with glaring flaws), Great Ball / 3 (Good), Poke Ball / 2 (Weak), Rock / 1 (Terrible)....or Dark Ball / 0 (Offensive), which isn’t a grade I ever applied.

1. Pokémon! I Choose You! = 4 (SUEDE: 4) 2. Pokémon Emergency! = 4 (SUEDE: 3.5) 3. Ash Catches a Pokémon = 4 (SUEDE: 4) 4. Challenge of the Samauri = 2 (SUEDE: 2) 5. Showdown in Pewter City = 4  (SUEDE: 4) 6. Clefairy and the Moon Stone = 3 (SUEDE: 3) 7. Water Flowers of Cerulean City = 2.5 (SUEDE: 3.5) 8. The Path to the Pokémon League = 3 (SUEDE: 0) 9. The School of Hard Knocks = 4 (SUEDE: 4) 10. Bulbasaur and the Hidden Village = 3 (SUEDE: 3) 11. Charmander the Stray Pokémon = 4 (SUEDE: 4) 12. Here Comes the Squirtle Squad = 4 (SUEDE: 3) 13. Mystery at the Lighthouse = 2.5 (SUEDE: 3.5) 14. Electric Shock Showdown = 4 (SUEDE: 4) 15. Battle Aboard the St. Anne = 4 (SUEDE: 3.5) 16. Pokémon Shipwreck = 4 (SUEDE: 3) 17. The Island of Giant Pokémon = 4 (SUEDE: 3) 18. Beauty and the Beach = 3 (SUEDE: 0) 19. Tentacool and Tentacruel = 3.5 (SUEDE: 3.5) 20. The Ghost at Maiden's Peak = 4 (SUEDE: 3.5) 21. Bye-Bye Butterfree = 4 (SUEDE: 3) 22. Abra and the Psychic Pokémon = 4 (SUEDE: 3.5) 23. The Tower of Terror = 3 (SUEDE: 3) 24. Haunter Versus Kadabra = 3.5 (SUEDE: 4) 25. Primeape Goes Bananas = 1 (SUEDE: 3.5) 26. Pokémon Scent-sation = 1.5 (SUEDE: 3) 27. Hypno's Naptime = 2.5 (SUEDE: 2) 28. Pokémon Fashion Flash = 3 (SUEDE: 3.5) 29. The Punchy Pokémon = 1.5 (SUEDE: 3) 30. Sparks Fly for Magnemite = 3 (SUEDE: 3) 31. Dig Those Diglett = 3.5 (SUEDE: 2) 32. The Ninja Poke-Showdown = 2 (SUEDE: 3) 33. The Flame Pokémon-athon = 3.5 (SUEDE: 3.5) 34. The Kangaskhan Kid = 4 (SUEDE: 3) 35. The Legend of Dratini = 3.5 (SUEDE: 3.5) 36. The Bridge Bike Gang = 3.5 (SUEDE: 3) 37. Ditto's Mysterious Mansion = 4 (SUEDE: 3) 38. Electric Soldier Porygon = 3.5 (SUEDE: 3) 39. Pikachu's Goodbye = 4 (SUEDE: 3.5) 40. The Battling Eevee Brothers = 3.5 (SUEDE: 3.5) 41. Wake up, Snorlax = 3 (SUEDE: 1) 42. Showdown at Dark City = 2.5 (SUEDE: 3.5) 43. March of the Exeggutor Squad = 3 (SUEDE: 3.5) 44. The Problem with Paras = 2.5 (SUEDE: 3.5) 45. The Song of Jigglypuff = 4 (SUEDE: 3.5) 46. Attack of the Prehistoric Pokémon = 4 (SUEDE: 3.5) 47. A Chansey Operation = 3.5 (SUEDE: 3) 48. Holy Matrimony! = 4 (SUEDE: 4) 49. So Near, Yet So Farfetch'd = 3 (SUEDE: 1) 50. Who Gets to Keep Togepi? = 1 (SUEDE: 3.5) 51. Bulbasaur's Mysterious Garden = 2 (SUEDE: 3.5) 52. Princess Versus Princess = 3.5 (SUEDE: 3.5) 53. The Purr-fect Hero = 1.5 (SUEDE: 1) 54. Case of the K-9 Capers = 2 (SUEDE: 3) 55. Pokémon Paparazzi = 4 (SUEDE: 3) 56. The Ultimate Test = 4 (SUEDE: 3.5) 57. The Breeding Center Secret = 4 (SUEDE: 3) 58. Riddle Me This = 3.5 (SUEDE: 2) 59. Volcanic Panic = 4 (SUEDE: 3.5) 60. Beach Blank-Out Blastoise = 1.5 (SUEDE: 1) 61. The Misty Mermaid = 3 (SUEDE: 2) 62. Clefairy Tales = 4 (SUEDE: 3) 63. The Battle of the Badge = 4 (SUEDE: 3) 64. It's Mr. Mimie Time = 3.5 (SUEDE: 3.5) 65. Holiday Hi-Jynx = 2 (SUEDE: 3) 66. Snow Way Out = 3.5 (SUEDE: 2) 67. Showdown at the Poke Corral = 3.5 (SUEDE: 3.5) 68. The Evolution Solution = 3.5 (SUEDE: 3) 69. The Pi-Kahuna = 4 (SUEDE: 2) 70. Make Room for Gloom = 1 (SUEDE: 2) 71. Lights, Camera, Quacktion! = 4 (SUEDE: 3) 72. Go West, Young Meowth = 4 (SUEDE: 4) 73. To Master the Onixpected = 3.5 (SUEDE: 3.5) 74. The Ancient Puzzle of Pokemopolis = 4 (SUEDE: 3.5) 75. Bad to the Bone = 4 (SUEDE: 3) 76. All Fired Up = 3 (SUEDE: 2) 77. Round One - Begin! = 2 (SUEDE: 2) 78. Fire and Ice = 3.5 (SUEDE: 2) 79. The Fourth Round Rumble = 3.5 (SUEDE: 3) 80. A Friend In Deed = 3 (SUEDE: 3) 81. Friend or Foe Alike = 3.5 (SUEDE: 2) 82. Friends to the End = 4 (SUEDE: 3.5) [TOTAL = 3.5 (Great, but with glaring flaws)] [SUEDE = 3.0 (Good)]

So Suede’s total grade for the series is exactly as he said on the video: a Great Ball. Mine is higher, an Ultra Ball, because I am much more liberal with my perfect scores than Suede is. I know that it’s part of his job, but I honestly think that Suede is way too much of a nitpicker.

Now, here are my biggest disagreements with him:

- His grading of “Pokemon Emergency” as weaker than the episode before it and after it makes no sense to me since the three episodes together are pretty interconnected...he says as much himself in another video. I don’t get his criticism at all that “too much happens in it”...taking it as the second part in an hour-long premiere, the events feel perfectly natural.

- He overrates “Water Flowers of Cerulean City”. Misty’s conflict with her sisters was incredibly shallow in its presentation, the battle being interrupted by Team Rocket and then Ash just getting the badge as the pity badge Daisy was intending it as before Misty stepped in was infuriating, and while funny, Brock being away doing “stuff” made no sense storywise.  

- WAY too hard on “Path to the Pokemon League”. It’s not the best of episodes and foreshadows the problematic Ash vs. Paul rivalry in DP, but I think everyone being jerks was kind of the point, and at the end they get around it by trying to look at their similarities rather than their differences. Also, AJ’s Pokemon clearly were giving consent for that harsh training. 

- Despite some good atmosphere, I think “Mystery at the Lighthouse” is just average.

- His nitpicking causes him to underrate “Pokemon Shipwreck” and “Island of the Giant Pokemon”, the latter of which does hold up for me and easily deserves a perfect score.

- I totally get why he hates “Beauty and the Beach”. But honestly? This is my take.

- What is up with his high ratings for the Primeape episodes and the Celadon Gym Battle? That was some horrendous writing - Primeape was utterly useless and forgettable, and the Celadon Gym Battle was the last and worst case of Ash getting a pity badge in the series.

- “Dig Those Diglett” was a big victim of his nitpicking. It’s a lot better than he says it is.

- He thinks “The Kangaskhan Kid” is the weakest Safari Zone episode, I think it’s the best.

- I would mention “Ditto’s Mysterious Mansion”, but he corrected his infamous views on it.

- Dude, “Wake up, Snorlax” was hilarious, I don’t get what you’re bitching about!

- “The Problem with Paras” gets an Ultra Ball? Really, Suede!?

- He has a huge problem with “So Near, Yet So Farfetch’d”, but NOT with “Who Gets to Keep Togepi?” and “Bulbasaur’s Mysterious Garden”? Yeah, he does bring up some big problems with the latter two in his screw-ups videos, but he doesn’t go nearly far enough - “Who Gets to Keep Togepi?” was one of the most nonsensical episodes in the series thanks to that problem, and “Bulbasaur’s Mysterious Garden”, if not for its confused moral, would be almost as forgettable as “Make Room for Gloom”. “So Near, Yet So Farfetch’d” was perfectly fine.

- I totally get his disappointment at the butchery of Cinnabar Island in “Riddle Me This”, and agree that the episode goes all over the place. That’s why I have it as 3.5 instead of 4. But I think it’s still so entertaining and well-presented, especially Blaine himself, that I can forgive it.

- More needless nitpicking on “Battle of the Badge”. Sure, it could have been a two-parter, but as a single episode, I think it still works very well and accomplishes exactly what it needs to. 

- His grading and mine on the two postponed “Christmas episodes” are practically swapped.

- “The Pi-Kahuna” was AWESOME. You’ll never convince me otherwise, Suede!

- He doesn’t go hard ENOUGH on “Make Room for Gloom”. It’s #2 on his personal list of worst episodes and yet he gives it a Poke Ball!? He gave “Wake up, Snorlax” a Rock and even admitted that he remembers more about that than he does this episode! WTF, Suede?

- And he goes too hard on “Bad to the Bone”, “Fire and Ice”, and “Friend or Foe Alike”. I enjoyed the plot of “Bad to the Bone” and didn’t find it bad in the slightest.  The atmosphere and quiet moments of “Fire and Ice” was so good that I could easily ignore Ash’s obnoxious attitude.  And while the .5 in my 3.5 for “Friend or Foe Alike” does come from the Team Rocket part dragging out too long and the climactic battle with Ritchie being way too fast and overall just plain sucking, I still think there was merit in seeing Team Rocket just snapping from too much failures and being so dead-set determined on screwing Ash over out of pure spite, and the scene of Ash’s loss was so powerful that it easily redeems the episode. However, with that said, I am among those who prefer the Electric Tale of Pikachu version.

- Almost everything he says after recapping the episodes and the grades he gave them is spot-on.  ALMOST.  He sadly loses me when he says “Team Rocket was such a stroke of genius that many viewers stopped watching the series in Black & White when they temporarily left and were replaced by three robots in trench-coats”  Suede is sadly operating under the same fallacy that Dogasu and many others have: that Team Rocket staying humorous from the OS through DP means that they were completely consistent in their characterization. This is a lie. Team Rocket, especially after Takeshi Shudo departed, have always been changing how they’re portrayed. And by DP, the brilliantly comedic and three-dimensional TRio had devolved into unfunny, obnoxious, one-note running gags who forced repetitive conflicts and ate up screentime that was better spent elsewhere. Were their BW incarnations particularly interesting characters? Hell no! But they actually serviced the show in their new role rather than detracted from it. Their new purely professional, villainous personas and limited screentime was an asset to the show, whereas their wacky, zany shtick had not been for the good part of a decade. If people actually quit in BW after being able to endure 8 years of stagnation, then they’re basically this, and I have little patience for them.

[frangolive]

Visions of the future past out in the ether …

MDA:20009 DIGITAL COMMUNITIES

Week 10: Playing the Crowd

In socially populated online gaming worlds, where overlapping rule sets, both strange and familiar are agreed to contractually and negotiated evolutionally, it is no surprise to find the attractions of escapism, accelerated ideal self-expression and intersection of political goals and societal communion (de Zwart & Humphreys 2014).

Out amongst the ethereal interstellar particles of hydrogen and helium that make up deep space, the MMORG (massive online roleplay game) of EVE, is combining all these attractions with the tiers of Maslow’s (1943) hierarchy of needs along its historical narrative thread, to see how humans react to contexts of what would seem to be the opposite of first world laws and governments (de Zwart & Humphreys 2014, p.78, Piech 2016).

Current percentage of gamers will be shipshape ready for interstellar war if and when it is declared thanks to the huge platforms of online gaming that involve conflict and military strategies, brutality and hegemony, elitism and bigotry that will shape the ‘Goffman frame’ of their social mores in a galaxy far far away where lack of a moral compass or sense of humanity may be deemed an asset, not a crime (de Zwart & Humphries 2014)

Away from the passivity of watching networked texts in a broadcast form, digitally networked nationstates are forming and storming and deciding who to cast their votes and video modes of affinity with, via their heavily invested online actions, environmental controls and intensive iterations of war and peace, crime and punishment and digitally networked socionomics (Taylor 1997).

THOUSANDS of Eve Online players just got SCREWED OVER by ONE GUY!  (Pretty Good Gaming, Published on Sep 15, 2017)

Sounds like Trump and the Nth/Sth Korea dynamic …

However, we don’t have to prostitute the fear factor of stranger danger and ‘others’ trauma online, to bulldoze policy, codes of practice and create a reactionary result of deeply centralized government controls with unprecedented power and no courts’ supervision back out into our offline communities (The Guardian 2017).

The high adrenalin addictive nature of affordance in some games is not the social norm for all and the crowdsourced networked communities of more listening and learning games can provide meta data for advocative socially inspiring activist and artistic causes (Taylor 1997, p.174).

 Its largely a matter of choice about which platforms of social gaming make your heart sing, whether it be a kickstarter game that calls for strategies that include both cruelty and sympathy or a Biogame, that harvests the networked pattern recognition of players to identify pathology strains!

http://biogames.ee.ucla.edu/

You could explore the great affinity online peeps have for cats and put your allegiance in the way of the HK Project, a truly cosmopolitan platform for aesthetics that do not include hegemony but instead encompass and welcome respect and diversity.

“ Although the team has worked hard so far on HK, it's still pretty early in its development cycle. The developer doesn't expect a release for several more years, especially considering that the team only consists of two humans and two cats (the blog also admits that the cat in charge of communication isn't doing its job very well).”

You could just as easily combine ground breaking codes of practice and aesthetic engagement by immersing yourself in a platform by one of your favourite media stars …

 At the end of 1999, the singer also became involved in video games, when he appeared in Quantic Dream's Omikron.  He played a character named Boz, a hunted revolutionary.  "It was relatively unprecedented to have such a big star embody a character within a game and not just appear as a thinly veiled version of themselves," says Thomas McMullan, a tech journalist at Alphr who played Omikron as a teenager.  "And Bowie engaged to a level that went beyond just lending his face. He worked on it from a musical point-of-view as well.  A bit that really sticks in my memory is a secret concert that you could discover if you uncovered some clues, and it showed you a clip of him playing in a fictional band. It felt like sneaking into an underground concert."

(Entertainment Infinity 2017)

https://www.kotaku.com.au/2016/01/the-video-game-that-changed-how-i-saw-david-bowie/

One of the most powerful aspects of online gaming is the ability to self-express and experiment the many facets that we may be too ‘gun shy’ to take out in our offline publics for whatever reason.

Many gamers play and are played by expressions of a fluid self that Nathan Jurgenson claims is the norm for social interactions in a world where an ephemeral death can be replaced with a Goffman like reframed silhouette of ideals and aesthetics (de Zwarth & Humphries 2014).

While Omikron: The Nomad Soul is Bowie's most direct interaction with the gaming industry, his influence on creators and players alike is impossible to miss.

The most obvious evidence of Bowie's influence comes from Hideo Kojima's Metal Gear Solid series. First came numerous references to "Major Tom" in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, referencing Bowie's "Space Oddity" and "Ashes to Ashes". According to the Metal Gear Wiki, both songs were considered for ending songs for the game, only to be replaced as the game's space themes became less pronounced during development.

Then there's Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, a game featuring the private military company Diamond Dogs, a name derived partially from the Bowie album of the same name. Indeed the game opens with a cover of Bowie's "The Man Who Sold The World" by Midge Ure.

And let's not forget this image, which made the rounds a couple of years back

https://www.kotaku.com.au/2014/03/david-bowie-is-every-metal-gear-solid-character-ever/

So, in our digitally networked communities of online games that have remained one of the few platforms (apart from porn, ironically) that have hung on and ridden the roller coaster of internet economics and socionomics, don’t let the hours spent engaged as a digital layer of yourself endanger or harm the offline layers of your person or others (Castronova 2004, p. 173).

Ask yourself, will it harm or will it help this one life I have to live – until the next one? …..

REFERENCES:

AskaScientist 2018, ‘What space is made of”, viewed 26 May 2018, <askascientist.co.uk/space/what-is-space-made-of/>

Castronova E 2004, ‘The Price of Bodies: A Hedonic Pricing Model of Avatar Attributes in a Synthetic World’, KYKLOS, Vol.57, pp.173196

de Zwart, M & Humphreys, S 2014,' The Lawless Frontier of Deep Space: Code as Law in EVE Online', Cultural Studies Review, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 77-99.

Entertainment Infinity 2017, ‘Omikron: The Nomad Soul – David Bowie Interactions/Music’, [online], viewed 24 May 2018, <https://youtu.be/-eOulnVZv0o>

EVE Online, 2014, Home: EVE online, viewed 3 August 2016, <www.eveonline.com>.

Piech K 2016, ‘Political Economy, An Introduction to the Theory of Economic Policy’, viewed 25.5.18, <https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Diagram-of-Maslows-hierarchy-of-needs_fig15_308530946>

PrettyGoodGamers 2017, ‘

THOUSANDS of Eve Online players just got SCREWED OVER by ONE GUY!

’, [online] viewed 26 May 2018, <

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEO-Gc-VKV4

>

Taylor, J. (1997). The emerging geographies of virtual worlds. Geographical Review, 87(2), 172-192. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.lib.swin.edu.au/docview/225336600?accountid=14205

 The Guardian 2017, ‘Gillian Triggs Australian Government ideologically opposed to human rights’, [online], viewed 20 May 2018, <https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/jul/26/gillian-triggs-australian-government-ideologically-opposed-to-human-rights>

Thornhill T, 2014, 'The online videogame battle that cost $300,000: Gamers see hundreds of costly spaceships destroyed after user forgot to pay bill to defend their base', The Daily Mail, 29 January, viewed 3 August 2016, <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2547908/EVE-online-sees-biggest-battle.html>.

IMAGES:

Hk Project 2017, [image],https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CdcBpUmUkAEOJh4.jpg

[gretonew]

The legendary Ian Chappell believes a cricket team’’s “prized” possession amid this COVID-19 pandemic is depth and India and England are well placed on that front unlike Australia.

“It has become abundantly clear during this pandemic-ravaged era that one of the prized ingredients in a cricket squad is depth. Ideally it should be both in batting and bowling,” the former Australia captain wrote in a column for ESPNcricinfo.

“India displayed their ample depth - particularly in quick bowling - in defeating Australia on their recent tour. In making six changes from the first to second Test and still defeating England comfortably at Edgbaston, New Zealand surprised with their talent too.”

Chappell said England too showed their depth in the ODI series against Pakistan and it will hold them in good stead in the Ashes.

“England have displayed both depth and flexibility by comprehensively blanking Pakistan in their three-match ODI series. Their prospects for the Ashes in Australia were also boosted by the skilful showing of both Saqib Mahmood and Brydon Carse, two bowlers whose pace should be an asset on bouncy pitches.”

The 77-year-old former batsman said in terms of depth in batting, India are well placed than any other cricket-playing nation.

“When it comes to batting talent, India are best placed...

Read more

from Scroll.in https://ift.tt/3euLhdI

[otherwolves]

Get into my OC

I was tagged again by @aischeu​ 💖

NAME: Wren Avistan AGE: 26 GENDER: Male ORIENTATION: Bisexual PROFESSION: Warlock BACKGROUND: Centuries ago, the city-state of Drerul was ruled by a theocracy. Although culture and trade flourished, key members of the nobility felt the Sultan held too much power. These ambitious humans called forth three devils, one for each of their houses: Royalty, Black Duke, and Lady Ashes. Deals were done, contracts signed, and the newly made tieflings overthrew the Sultan of Drerul. A senate was established with the heads of the three houses in power. Wren is the youngest of three siblings in the current ruling line of House Avistan. He grew up largely neglected by his parents and his relationship with his eldest sister, Hawk, was particularly strained. When she assumed control of the family’s wealth and assets when Wren was 14, she sent him to live separately from the Avistan estate, citing that he was an “embarrassment.” In an effort to avoid an arranged marriage, Wren fled the continent when he was 19 and drifted aimlessly on his own until he stumbled upon the realm of an Archfey, Caoimhe. As a trespasser he was hers to claim, but in the fashion of his ancestors Wren struck a deal; he negotiated seven years of freedom and a pact. Caoimhe became his patron, granting him his warlock abilities. This was three years ago.

PHYSICAL Body type: Curvy  Eyes: Strawberry red Hair: Steel blue Skin: Dusky violet Height: 5′11″ Weight: ~77 kg

SKILLS (S.P.E.C.I.A.L + M) Strength: 4/10 Perception:  7/10 Endurance: 9/10   Charisma: 10/10 Intelligence: 5/10 Agility: 6/10 Luck: 10/10  Magic: 7/10

LIKES Colours: Gold, brass, copper, teals Smells: Spices, heady perfumes, black tea Food: Anything spicy Fruit: Hot peppers, pomegranates, nopales Drinks: Chai, specifically the kind made in Drerul Alcoholic drinks: The stronger the better

OTHER Smoke: Recreationally Drugs: Recreationally Driver’s license?: N/A

This time I tag @ruinrome, @crotah, and @may12324!

[bdscuatui]

Các giao dịch bất động sản ở Massachusetts cho các hạt Hampden, Hampshire và Franklin, ngày 9 tháng 2 năm 2020 AgawamPhát triển Nhà ở & Đô thị của U S A để Chase Reisbig, 12 Mansion Woods Drive, #B, $ 148,100.Justin David đến JLX Properties LLC, 69 Kensington St., $ 125.000.Matthew M. Weiner đến Neri Daniel Teo Morataya và Juan Ayala, 1443 Main St., 155.000 đô la.Patrick E. Goonan đến Alyssa L. Febo, 616 Suffield St., $ 8.150.Thomas F. Marquette đến Joseph Marquette, Michael Marquette và Thomas F. Marquette, bất động sản cuộc sống, 469 North Westfield St., 100 đô la.AmherstLuke Woodward và Dori E. Ehrlich cho Jennifer A. Lorang, 45 Spaulding St., $ 387.920.BelchertownTập đoàn bất động sản Inc., đến David Lee Brosseau và Felicia Marie Brosseau, 290 Rockrimmon St., 229.900 đô la.Rakshitha Athukorala cho Michael A. Demento Jr., và Amanda L. Ryan, 1130 Liên bang St., 400.000 đô la.BernardstonTimothy E. Deneault và Mary E. Glabach đến Don J. Powell và Tammy J. Powell, 222 đường Brattleboro. 160.000 đô laPatrica K. Cohn ở Middlebury, từ Ct đến Jacob Hubbard, 530 Huckle Hill Road, 150.000 USD.BlandfordWilliam E. O KhắcBrien cho Daniel M. Wead và Camille V. Wead, 104 Main St., $ 157.000.Cánh đồngJames J. Hoffey và Becky A. Hoffey cho Alfred J. Albano Jr., người được ủy thác, Regina Murdock, người được ủy thác và Sugar River Nominee Trust, người được ủy thác, 138 Brookfield Road, 295.900 đô la.CharlemontRobert A. Canuel đến Margaret J. Veith, 17 Warfield Road, $ 162.500.ChicopeeBeverly G. Rossi và Robert A. Beaulieu đến Kelly G. O SựBrien, 79 Providence St., $ 142,260.Brian T. Gorman và Suzanne P. Gorman gửi 685 Fuller LLC, 685 Fuller Road, 492.444 USD.Cynthia I. Buss, đại diện, và Dona M. Hall, bất động sản, cho David E. Lopez, 248 Carew St., $ 185.000.John Martin đến Slawomir P. Madro, 200 Lambert Terrace, Đơn vị 71, $ 176.500.Jongsun J. Lim, đại diện, và Ronald R. Lempke, bất động sản, đến Jason A. Spear, 294 Britton St., $ 163.500.Linda M. Ledbury đến Kinda Shea, 61 Abbey Abbey Drive, Đơn vị 128, $ 157.000.Marshall Payne đến Juan D. Rios, 551 -553 Front St., $ 235.000.Perry R. Dulude và Michael J. Hearn đến Sol Maria Culhane, 117 Pondview Drive, 227.000 đô la.Theresa Johnson, đại diện, và Christine Clarke, bất động sản, đến Precious Ng và Gilberto Ng, 25 ngõ Lanelark, Đơn vị 6086D, 125.000 đô la.Thomas E. McMahon đến 9 Canal LLC, 9 Canal St., 150.000 đô la.Waycon Inc., đến Leslie L. Christen và Susan M. Christen, 2 Stockbridge St., $ 370.000.DeerfieldRichard V. Smiaroski Estate và Stephen Smiaroski, đại diện cá nhân, đến Eric J. Covey và Heather C. Poulin, 202 Mill Village Road, 210.000 đô la.Đông LongmeadowNgân hàng Mỹ đến JMB Property Management LLC, 48 Van Dyke Road, 108.000 USD.David L. Lorenzi Jr., đến Susan Jones và Susan P. Jones, 27 đường Hill Hill, 54.000 đô la.Emily R. Gralia, Emily R. Quinn và Kyle Quinn đến Carole L. Jones, 337 Pinehurst Drive, Đơn vị 337, 300.000 USD.Marco Andrea Scibelli đến Lori Crum, 43 đường Pease, 375.000 USD.Mark Lorenzi đến Susan Jones và Susan P. Jones, 27 đường Hill Hill, 54.000 đô la.Regina M. Retynsky đến Kristin M. Lapointe và Kyle J. Sherman, 66 Smith Ave., $ 235.000.Đông thànhRonald P. Finnessey Sr., và Rosemarie Finnessey đến Ronald P. Finnessey Jr., và Michelle Shanley, 84 Northamtpon St., $ 310.000.Warren Jones và Roberta Jones đến James G. Mailloux, 44 Maple St., $ 217.500.ChungAlyn M. Hastings và David W. Hastings đến Thomas W. Wyman và Susanne H. Lacosse, 88 North Cross Road, $ 310.000.GranbyMountain Stream LLC, đến Joseph M. Macsisak, Phố Amherst, 49.900 đô la.John R. Blanchard đến Heather L. Cruz, 18 High St., 150.000 đô la.Ronald A. Gnatek đến Jill A. Hodnicki và Carole L. Peternansel, Phố Amherst, 90.000 USD.Cánh đồng xanhAmanda Hale-Doyle, Hồi nka Hồi Amanda Vigue và Melissa Vigue cho Jessica A. Washer, 30 Vòng tròn Glen Glen, Đơn vị B-30, Chung cư Nhà Greenfield Town, 165.500 đô laSean M. Paper Estate, Lorraine H. Bates, đại diện cá nhân, đến Robert E. Shave, 16 Coolidge Avenue, 192.000 đô laPaul Eliot Hurwitz và Roseanne Apfeldorf Hurwitz đến Thomas A. Powers, 80 Munson St., 138.000 USDMichael W. Smith động sản, Bonnie Smith, đại diện cá nhân và cá nhân, đến Samuel Veillette và Jamie Veillette, 234 Barton Road, 209.000 đô la.Greenfield Paper Box Co., cho David A. Erickson và Gallagher K. Hannan, 55-57 Pierce St., 200.000 đô la.HampdenLeslie A. Glista đến Mark A. Imbriglio và Dawn M. Imbriglio, 438 Main St., $ 275,000.Michael D. Laffert và Sharyn A. Laffert đến Michele Laffert, 437 Wilbraham Road, $ 309.000.HolyokeAna Ynoa đến Carla L. Cruz và Elvin A. Ynoa, 962 Main St., 100.000 đô la.Cristal Redding cho Gregory M. Case, 42 Washington Ave., $ 120.000.Edward S. Scott và Dawn Scott đến Jennifer A. Perez, 35 Saint James Ave., $ 257.500.Tổng chưởng lý bang Massachusetts, Holyoke City, Ronald M. Pellitier và Home Equity Assets Realty LLC, người nhận, đến Home Equity Assets Realty LLC, 1117 Main St., $ 155,895.Raymond W. Barron, bất động sản, và Rebecca A. Rolon, đại diện, đến Karol Makusiewicz, 297-299 Sargeant St., 255.000 đô la.HuntingtonGoss Road Estates LLC, đến Mark Iwanicki và Christine Stochlinski, Goss Hill Road, 79.900 đô la.LeverettKimberly A. Adams, "fka" Kimberly A. Brownlee và Kimberlee A. Brownlee, đến Marielle L. Emond, 20 North Leverett Road, 100.000 đô la.Douglas P. Glazier, Ronald P. Glazier và Terry P. Glazier đến John A. Fiscella và Laurie L. Lassiter, đường Montague. 55.000 đô la.LeydenCatherine C. Cayer đến Kayla B. Bernard và Jonathan R. Rice, 18 Eden Trail, 295.000 USD.LongmeadowAntonio DiGioia đến Hans A. Doup, 486 Đường Maple, $ 225.000.Chelsea A. Samble đến Joanne Hetherington, Đường 176 Dunn, $ 445.000.Ramona O. Carando đến Constantine Delis và Sarah Delis, Churchill Drive, $ 330.000.LudlowSamuel P. Carson và Debra A. Carson đến Jackson Rodriguez LLC, 200 Center St., Đơn vị 13, $ 100.000.Đức ôngCarolyn D. Szarlan đến Robert P. Williams, 7 Cơ khí, $ 210.000.MontagueSusan T. Bellemare và David P. Brule đến Phillip E. Lucas Jr., và Lauren A. Lucas, 12 Carlisle Ave., 195.000 đô laGiáo dụcNgân hàng Wells Fargo NA, ủy thác và Tín thác cho vay thế chấp Carrington cho Patricia Duffy, 37 Hatfield St., 158.000 đô la.Michelle A. Carrera đến Ngân hàng Hoa Kỳ NA, ủy thác và Ủy thác tham gia chính của LSF10, 201 Nonotuck St., $ 182.500.Alan Joseph Clemente cho Simon Elliot Scher, 5 Vòng tròn Austin, 184.000 đô la.Peter M. Schlessinger đến Ferdene I. Chin-Yee và Scott Reed, 24 Stoddard St., 150.000 đô la.Linda S. Youngblood và Alicia M. Spence đến Maha Moushabeck và Harrison Williams, 89 Straw Ave., và Holyoke Street, 515.000 đô la.Joel P. Westerdale và Sarah-Jane Poindexter cho Christopher J. Kusek và Molly Kusek, 68 Fort St., 341.000 đô la.Hoa Kỳ Phát triển Nhà ở & Đô thị cho Donna Hoener, 400 South St., $ 175.000.trái camDavid C. Dorow đến Timothy A. Mallet, 151 đường Athol, $ 17,381,17.Ronny Departo và John Gregory đến Nicole Ward và Thomas Ward, 157 West River St., $ 209.000.Karen R. Anderson và Robert D. Anderson đến Ngân hàng Hoa Kỳ NA, ủy thác, 75 E. Main St., $ 441.017,98.PalmerAnnunziata Cardaropoli đến Tòa án Quận Hoa Kỳ, 36 Edgewood St., $ 50.000.David Swain đến Donald P. Lafleur và Dawn Lafleur, 2214 Main St., $ 160.000.Melissa Desimone, Melissa A. Cormier, Tracy N. Cormier và Tracy Herzik đến Steven E. Cormier và Ann A. Cormier, Jim Ash Road, 24.500 đô la.Peter E. Easton và Deborah L. Dill to Lisa M. Ducharme, 49 Meadowbrook Lane, Đơn vị 49, $ 127.000.Steven E. Cormier và Ann A. Cormier cho Jerald E. Jacobs Jr., và Paige A. Jacobs, 146 Jim Ash Road, $ 34,900.ShutesburySean A. Sawicki và Brittany E. Sawicki, "fka" Brittany E. Dawson, đến David J. Bourgeois và Naomi R. Bourgeois, 1 Pelham Hill Road, 205.000 đô la.Michael E. Shane đến Donna West và Gary West, 57 Shore Drive, 65.000 đô la.Nam HadleyJamison J. Buchanan đến Daniel North và Brittania Weatherspoon-North, 15 Kimberly Drive, $ 262.500.David L. Morrissette, đại diện cá nhân, Brian H. Lyons, đại diện cá nhân, và Gerard W. Morrissette, bất động sản, đến Trang T. Tran, Hai Tran và Danh Lang, 41 Susan Ave., $ 170.000.Remigiusz Paluszak, Remigiusz M. Paluszak, Liliana Herakova và Liliana L. Herakova đến Stacie D. Manning, 159 Lyman St., $ 235.000.David A. Stuntz đến Mary T. Quesnel, Đại lộ Richview, $ 40.000.NamwickBernard F. Berard và Lisa M. Berard đến Melanie Ann Guillemette và Joshua Alan Goodman, Nơi ẩn náu, 430.000 đô la.Fiore Realty Holdings LLC, đến Hamelin Framing Inc., Sawgrass Lane, $ 117.000.John M. Zomek, Carole Sullivan, Stanley C. Zomek Jr., Christopher Sullivan, Loretta A. Fedora-O hèConnor và Loretta A. Fedora đến Ronald Vandervlet và Lisa Vandervlet, 392 North Loomis St., $ 142.000.SpringfieldAmat Victoria Curam LLC, đến Xiomara Bezares, 75-77 McKnight St., $ 167.000.Aquarius Real Real LLC, đến Lekeisha Walker và James C. Lee, 3 Ashley St., $ 170.000.Barbara Tardy đến Jack Tardy, 278 Denver St., 100 đô la.Chad T. Lynch và James W. Rocca đến Alexis R. Marquez và Yailine S. Figueroa, 264 Main St., 165.000 đô la.Chad T. Lynch và James W. Rocca đến Danielle Johnson và Patrick Johnson, 149 Quincy St., # 151, $ 224.500.Daniel M. Grogan đến Cig4 LLC, 7-9 Glendell sân thượng, 90.000 USD.Derek J. Rose và Erica L. Rose đến Waleska Lugo-DeJesus, 192 Wollaston St., $ 181,200.Destiny R. Norcott, William F. Kern, giám đốc điều hành, và Clarence A. Norcott, bất động sản, đến Angelo A. Gomez và Dawn E. Bourbeau, 22 Boyer St., 80.000 đô la.Edward T. Longtin và Ellen M. Longtin đến Barbara A. Mason và James G. White IV, sân thượng 124 Pheonix, 152.000 đô la.Eli S. Santana và Jessica Sotomayor đến Nancy Rivera và Edgar Galarza, 115 Catalina Drive, 220.000 USD.Erik J. Correa và Yazdel T. Correa đến Cig4 LLC, 845 Worthington St., 98.000 đô la.Cực kỳ sạch sẽ (2) LLC, đến David D. Guasco Loja, 80-82 Knox St., $ 201.000.Insight Homes LLC, đến Jose J. Diaz, 140 W. Alvord St., $ 215.000.Jahjan LLC, đến Anthony McNeil, 11 Sidney Place, 150.000 đô la.Hoàng tử Joan đến Erica Canty, 2 đường Washington, 255.000 đô la.John W. Cody đến Nicole O. Ogoke, 122 Rhinebeck Ave., $ 203.000.Karen J. Amato đến Peter Creanza, 617 Nassau Drive, 149.500 đô la.Lori A. Maynard cho Edward G. Brush Jr., và Lindsey C. Brush, 105 Temby St., 130.000 đô la.Maura C. O hèNeil đến Alfred Shattelroe và Shunard Hoa, 67 Gillette Ave., 80.000 đô la.Michael P. Hogan đến Vòng Hai LLC, 33 Margerie St., $ 78.500.Milton Finklea đến Erika Flores, 76 Cambridge St., $ 62.000.Ming Tsang, người nhận, Nhà thi hành luật thành phố Springfield và Timrick Gresham đến Ming Tsang, Lifang Luo và Lisa Cassidy, 108-110 Colton St., 210.000 đô la.Nancy Geurrandeno đến Regina M. DiGiovanni, 123 Peekkill Ave., $ 220.000.Norman C. Levesque đến Jasnia Realty LLC, 914-916 Belmont Ave., $ 192.000.Phoenix Island LLC, đến Npn Realty LLC, 91 Pinevale St., $ 1,300,000.Ngân hàng PNC đến Juan Angel Santana, 11 San Miguel St., $ 90,160.Ryan H. Flannery đến Alexis J. Veguilla và Yonaiza Sanchez, 26 đường Brittany, $ 185.000.Sandra Jean Savenko, Evelyn Marie Pratt và Eleanor M. Artioli đến Luisa M. Melendez, 1009 Carew St., 169.900 USD.Thành phố Springfield đến Sonia Vazquez và Sonia N. Senrra, Phố Clark, $ 476.Thành phố Springfield đến Yudeli Rijo, ủy thác và Altagracia Rijo Trust, ủy thác của, 38 Lafayette St., $ 38,850.Stoneridge Realty LLC, đến Ironsides Sumner LLC, 16-20 Sumner Ave., 5.500.000 đô la.TAScon Homes Llc đến Billy Santiago (JR), 41 Merrimac Ave, $ 239.500.Ngân hàng TD đến SA Capital Group LLC, 246 Dwight Road, $ 115.000.đồPaul F. Russell Jr., và Crystal L. Russell cho Aaron L. Plankey và Kayla J. Plankey, 16 Pinecrest Circle, $ 245.000.Edward P. Wloch và Cindy L. Wloch cho Paul F. Russell Jr., và Crystal L. Russell, 47 Gould Road, $ 286.000.Leon A. Gaumond Jr., và Candace O. Gaumond cho George H. Plouffe, 58 Church St., 229.900 đô la.WendellSharon Wachsler đến Ellen M. Trousdale, Locke Hill Road, gian hay còn gọi là đường 208 Locke Hill Road, $ 316.500.Tây SpringfieldDavid J. Giám mục và Barbara S. Giám mục cho Luis Rosario và Maria M. Ortiz, 82 Harney St., 256.000 đô la.Joyce A. Polastri đến Ivan Mokan, 15 Oxford, $ 100.000.Julie Thomson, Pete Thomson và Julie E. Van Doren đến Molly S. Moynihan và Justin D. Adams, 33 Woodmont St, $ 215.000.Marilyn M. Tomlinson, Paul R. Tomlinson và Mark E. Tomlinson đến Cameron Beaulieu, 46 đường Braintree, $ 245.000.Sebastian Murphy đến Richard A. Strong và Ann T. Strong, 453 Cold Spring Ave., Unit 3, $ 70.000.Svetlana Kaletina và Vladimir Kaletina đến Natalya Sosnina, 524 Cold Spring Ave., Đơn vị 4, 70.000 đô la.Westfield Christine Pajouh đến Joseph G. Thibault, 48 East Silver St Unit 4, $ 87.500.Eagle Home Users LLC, đến Kevin Lugo và Robin A. Conley, 1 Auburn St., 238.000 đô la.Prime Partners LLC, đến Anatolie Popescu, 6 Miller St., $ 185.000.Susan N. Nokers và Susan M. Nief cho Alan R. Kelley và Carol L. Caldwell Kelley, 125 Western Circle, 195.000 đô la.Tristan P. Kiendzior, Renee S. Kiendzior và Renee S. Phụ huynh cho Brian C. Baker, 76 Westminster St., 194.900 đô la.WilbrahamAndrew K. Fortune và Lauren Anne Fortune tới Alison L. Mapplethorpe và Gregory J. Balicki, 18 Devonshire Drive, 269.900 USD.David J. Strickland và Gina M. Strickland cho Scott Michael Gierlich và Mindy Gierlich, 281 Three Rivers Road, 512.000 đô la.James H. Anderson đến Jules O. Gaudreau III, 2205 Đường Boston, Đơn vị L110, $ 185.000.Cảnh quan núi Inc., đến Gerard F. Bruno và Hilda Rivera-Rivera, 599 Main St., $ 451.000.Yongqi Chen và Chuanping Jian đến Connor Courtney, 59 Glenn Drive, $ 239.000.WorthingtonBenjamin E. Cenedella và Rachel Cenedella cho Michael J. Squadrille, người được ủy thác và Squadrille Family Revocable Trust, 44 Goss Hill Road, $ 325.000.Joseph D. Frost đến Marian J. Welch và John P. Welch, 40 Old Post Road, 184.000 đô la.Jane L. Reid McAn Khoa cho Michael J. Burke và Marie Burke, 217 Lindsey Hill Road và Buffington Hill Road, 135.000 đô la.[ad_2] Nguồn

[jeremythessler]

15 Hilarious Videos About Contractor Concrete Sealant

Even though it is an additional price, Additionally you ought to realize that it's going to convey a lot of Positive aspects as opposed to once the work is completed DIY design. With a selected amount of money, you can benefit from the convenience of having an expert work with your concrete slab installation or repair.

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Concrete has an incredibly very low coefficient of thermal expansion and shrinks as it matures. All concrete buildings crack to some extent, due to shrinkage and rigidity. Concrete that's subjected to prolonged-length forces is vulnerable to creep.

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Comment: I've a basement flooring that is uneven as a consequence of The position of the outdated drain. I want it re-leveled to make sure that water doesn't drain to exactly the same area given that we is going to be Placing down new carpet. Most important depression is about 2". Most is off by 1/2" . Total area is 371 sq ft.

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Mineral admixtures use recycled materials as concrete components. Conspicuous elements include things like fly ash, a by-item of coal-fired electric power crops; ground granulated blast furnace slag, a byproduct of steelmaking; and silica fume, a byproduct of industrial electric powered arc furnaces.

[teine-mallaichte]

Concept pictures for the characters in my On The Run series.

Seeing as they escape during a mission it made sense that they wouldn't be in their facilities grey jumpsuits but would be in more role specific outfits, and 44 had been free for about 5 years so she can wear whatever she wants

[thrashermaxey]

Ramblings: Panthers Producing, Tampa Chasing History, Binnington, Murray, & Couturier (Feb 20)

  Don’t look now, but the Ducks have won three of their last four games. Two via the shutout including a 4-0 victory over the Wild on Tuesday evening. None of these contests have seen John Gibson, either. Ryan Miller is healthy and providing exactly what’s expected of him: providing legitimate netminding if/when Gibson isn’t in the crease.

  Anaheim is just three points back of the final Wild Card spot – held by the struggling Wild. This despite boasting a league-worst -50 goal differential.

  That Pacific Division is yuck.

  **

Those cats from Minny are trying their darndest to fall out of the playoff picture. They’re 1-6-3 over their past 10 games. They sure appear to miss Mikko Koivu a great deal.

  **

On the other side of the ledger, the Blues simply refuse to lose. They put their 10-game win streak on the line against the Leafs on Tuesday and despite blowing a 2-0 lead in the third period, came away victorious in overtime off the stick of Ryan O’Reilly.

  Robert Thomas has been toiling away on the fourth line during even-strength play, but the rookie pivot is beginning to look awfully comfortable on the top power-play unit. He didn’t have any points in this one but he has six in his last seven games.

  Thomas should be considered a real threat to break out in 2019-20. Keep that one in your back pocket for draft season next fall.

  Another start for Jordan Binnington and another victory. He hasn’t lost in a full month with 13 of his 15 starts in 2019 have been quality – meaning at or above league average save percentage – around 0.910. 

  He’s been a key figure in the revolution happening in Missouri these days. The real question is where we peg him as an asset moving forward? Obviously, this type of run will not be sustained. No one can run hot forever. But a 25-year-old who appears capable of leading a playoff-calibre team should be worth some serious action in drafts next season.

  **

Andreas Johnsson returned to action. He skated 15:27 alongside Nazem Kadri and William Nylander at evens. The Leafs didn’t receive a power plays in this one, but Johnsson was practicing on the left point on the second unit.

  Johnsson is a very interesting player moving forward. Will he price himself out of Toronto as an RFA this summer or is he destined to be a swiss army knife for the squad? He’s a sleeper right now; let’s see if that lasts through the summer.

  **

For those leagues who employ two-week playoff matches, this week was the kickoff to the 2019 Fantasy Post-Season. The team with the healthiest schedule is the Panthers, and they got things moving and shaking in the right direction on Tuesday with a 4-2 victory over the Sabres.

  Florida plays eight contests over the next two weeks including six at home. They may not be a playoff team, but they score like one – kicking around the top half of the league for goals for. Their big cats really flashed their teeth late in this one.

  Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov both chipped in three points – all accrued in the third frame to seal the victory. They were some pretty tallies too.

  https://dobberhockey.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/02/Hubey-deke.mp4

    Barkov has seven points in his last two games and remains above a point-per-game pace. On the other hand, Huberdeau’s production has to be a welcomed sight for those owners who were getting used to his early season dominance. The skilled winger came into this tilt with just three points in his previous eight games.

  His name has been in trade rumours leading up to the deadline. 30 teams should be calling if Dale Tallon is dumb enough to move him. 

  **

No points for Rasmus Dalin despite leading all Buffalo skaters in PPTOI with 5:59.

  **

The illness-riddled Penguins overcame a couple of one-goal deficits to defeat the flailing Devils 4-3. Sidney Crosby posted an assist to extend his point streak to six contests, while Evgeni Malkin’s apple pushed his personal streak to eight games.

  Matt Murray stopped 33 in this one, including some bell ringers in the final frame. He has three wins in his last four tries. He’s 14-5-0 with a 0.931 save percentage since returning from injury in mid-December.

  The Pens are third in the Metro and just two points behind the Caps.

  **

Carter Hart was given the Tampa Bay treatment on Tuesday. The 20-year-old netminder surrendered three goals on six shots before getting the yank. No sweat, kid the Bolts are chasing history as one of the all-time great teams.

  Here’s a look at the a few of the top seasons of all-time (Win %)

1929-30 Bruins (0.875) – 44 GP

1943-44 Habs (.830) – 50 GP

1976-77 Habs (.825) – 80GP

2012-13 Blackhawks (.811) – 45GP [Lockout season]

1977-78 Habs (.806) – 80GP

1944-45 Habs (.800)  -50GP

1995-96 Red Wings (.799) – 82GP – 62 wins [NHL RECORD]

1975-76 Habs (.794) – 80GP

2018-19 Tampa Bay (.787) – 61GP – on pace for 62 wins

1970-71 Bruins (.776) – 78GP

  Yes, we can look to the shootout and overtime frame as boosters for this squad, but their RPt% (regulation point-percentage) is still a very pretty 0.730.

  This is a special team, doing special things.

  Sadly, Nikita Kucherov was held off the scoresheet and wasn’t able to hit triple-digits on Tuesday despite the Lightning beating Philly 5-2. Tampa has now won seven straight games for the THIRD time this season.

  Nutty.

  **

Sean Couturier continued his hot streak by adding two assists. The 26-year-old has recorded four consecutive multi-point outings; has 22 points in his last 15 games, and is playing just a hair below a point-per-game output on the campaign.

  His 132 points over the last two seasons sit tied with Sebastian Aho and Brent Burns for 27th most. Not bad company to keep.

  **

Henrik Lundqvist made 43 stops as the Rangers defeated the Hurricanes 2-1 a crucial tilt for Carolina. The loss kept the Canes a single point out of the final Wildcard spot held by Columbus.

  **

Speaking of Columbus, they weren’t able to create any extra separation on Tuesday when they fell 3-2 to the Canadiens. Tomas Tatar tallied the game-winner with under seven minutes to play in this one. Tatar has been a very shrewd pickup for many poolies. Left for dead in Vegas, he’s risen from the fluorescent ashes of Sin City to be a contributing member of the fantasy landscape once again.

  The 28-year-old has 11 points in his last 12 games and has vastly outperformed the player who went the other direction in Max Pacioretty.

  Jesperi Kotkaniemi chipped in with two assists in the win. The 18-year-old is posting a very respectable rookie campaign, clicking right at the half-point-per-game mark. 

  He's the real deal. 

  **

For those gearing up for a lottery pick, get excited for Kaapo Kakko. The recently turned 18-year-old is scoring goals in the Finnish Liiga at an unheard of rate.

  {source}<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Kaapo Kakko- making goal-scoring history among u-18 players in Finnish Elite League… check this out. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Octagon?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Octagon</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/2019NHLDraft?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#2019NHLDraft</a> <a href="https://t.co/OTISEamGFP">pic.twitter.com/OTISEamGFP</a></p>— Andy Scott (@Andy_Scott15) <a href="https://twitter.com/Andy_Scott15/status/1097946211468730368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2019</a></blockquote>

<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>{/source}

  **

Roman Josi tallied two goals and an assist, Ryan Ellis chipped in three assists, and Pekka Rinne made 36 stops as the Preds defeated the Stars 5-3. The Stars have lost three straight and are heading the wrong direction heading into the trade deadline next Monday. 

  **

The Oilers were without Connor McDavid on Tuesday against the Coyotes due to illness. I'd be a little queasy too seeing my team tumbling to the bottom of the standings once again.  

  The Oilers stuck to the script and lost their fifth straight and 11th of their last 12 with a 3-2 shootout defeat. 

  **

Kucherov has been getting most of the attention these days, and for good reason. Before his scoreless evening on Tuesday he had 18 points in his previous five games and has a whopping 99 points in 61 games. He’s on pace to be the first player to break 130 points in nearly 25 years.

  Here’s the thing though, Patrick Kane is somehow running even hotter right now. He has an incredible 65 points in 37 games stretching back to Nov. 24th. He recently surpassed Mike Hoffman’s earlier season point streak of 17 games for the longest run of the season.

  Kane has produced 40 points on his current 18 games run. 40.

  In the Last 10 years, the top streaks are:

  Kane – 26 games in 2015-16

Crosby 25 games in 2010-11

Taylor Hall – 19 games in 2017-18

Steven Stamkos – 18 games in 2009-10

Corey Perry – 19 in 2009-10

Phil Kessel – 18 in 2008-09

  Don’t take these lengthy point-streaks for granted. They don’t come around too often. 

  And don't go handing that Hart trophy to Kuch just yet. If Kane can drag the Blackhawks to the post-season – and they're only one point back right now, his massive point totals and lack of surrounding talent will be difficult to argue against. 

  **

Follow me on Twitter @Hockey_Robinson

      from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-rambling/ramblings-panthers-producing-lightning-chasing-history-binnington-murray-couturier-feb-20/

[worldcup-news-blog]

Virat Kohli And His Boys Would Want To Stamp Authority On Series

New Post has been published on http://worldcupnews.info/virat-kohli-and-his-boys-would-want-to-stamp-authority-on-series/

Virat Kohli And His Boys Would Want To Stamp Authority On Series

#Ashes #ChampionsLeague

India almost pulled off a sensational win in the 1st Test of the three-match series in Kolkata and as the scene shifts to Nagpur, skipper Virat Kohli and his boys would be keen to establish that the glitches they experienced on the first two days of the Eden Test were just small wrinkles that have been decisively ironed out. India were favourites to sweep the series, but the Sri Lankans escaped in the fading light of Kolkata. Kohli would hopefully have no such concerns when the 2nd Test begins.

Having earned the psychological edge by decimating the Sri Lankan top and middle-order during the final session of the drawn first Test, the hosts will once again play on a green track at the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) Stadium in Jamtha.

The hint of grass on the pitch is in keeping with the team’s preparation for the gruelling South African tour which starts next month.

A decent cover of green on the match strip is a marked departure from what has been a traditionally low and slow batting belter over the years. However, till the first ball is bowled, it will be difficult to presume the kind of bounce that will be on offer.

“It seems to be a good pitch. It will be helpful for the fast bowlers at least on the first two days,” said Kohli.

For India, the challenge will be to produce an improved performance in trying conditions even though it is expected that the challenge to score runs on this track will be a wee bit less than what it was at the Eden Gardens under overcast conditions.

Kohli has shown how to take a bull by its horn with the magnificent ton in a pressure situation and his men will be itching to do the same against Suranga Lakmal and company.

India’s most technically equipped opener Murali Vijay will be making a comeback into the playing XI as Shikhar Dhawan has taken a break for personal reasons.

Experts felt that Vijay’s compact technique was missing during the first two days as Dhawan is known to be a bit edgy early on. The Delhi left-hander did score 94 in the second innings but it was when batting had become easier during the fourth afternoon.

Vijay’s ability and clarity on where his off-stump is makes him a valuable asset in the longest format as he has the patience to leave a lot of deliveries.

Another certainty in the playing XI is Ishant Sharma -the most capped player in the current Test squad with 77 matches in whites.

With Bhuvneshwar Kumar getting married, the lanky speedster is expected to get two shots to keep the other pace bowling contenders in the playing XI for South Africa tour on tenterhooks.

Ishant has done his hard yards in the domestic circuit with 20 wickets from four Ranji Trophy games. He has bowled 116 overs in all, which has been a commendable effort as he was leading the side in all those games.

But it will be interesting to see if India persist with two spinners – especially Ravindra Jadeja, who made very little contribution with the ball and had a lukewarm match as a batsman.

If it’s a case of variation in spin bowling, chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav is an option but in case there is good carry, rookie Vijay Shankar could be handed his maiden Test cap.

Shankar’s bowling is still not menacing – he is at best a military medium pacer with a speed of nearly 120 km per hour as his 27 wickets in 32 first-class games would suggest. But it is his batting average of 49.16 with five hundreds and 10 fifties that makes him a contender.

With Hardik Pandya missing from the set-up, Shankar has a chance of fitting into the jigsaw puzzle, bringing the required stability that comes with a No.6 batsman.

A total of 118 runs (with a century) and six wickets from three Ranji Trophy games will not warrant an India call-up unless someone is summoned for a specific role.

While KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara and skipper Kohli will come into the game brimming with confidence, Ajinkya Rahane will be looking to quickly hit the straps after his twin failure in Kolkata.

Sri Lanka on their part will be happy that they have not lost the first Test after initially dominating the home team for the better part of first four days.

There is a high chance that pacer Lahiru Gamage will lose his place in the playing XI after an indifferent performance on a seamer-friendly Eden Gardens track, where he went for 156 runs in two innings with only a wicket to show for his efforts.

If Sri Lanka continue to play three pacers, then left-arm pacer Vishwa Fernando could be an option. And in case they want to go with extra slow bower, then chinaman Lakshan Sandakhan is waiting in the wings.

Teams (from):

India: Virat Kohli (capt), KL Rahul, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Vijay Shankar, Kuldeep Yadav, Rohit Sharma.

Sri Lanka: Dinesh Chandimal (capt), Angelo Mathews, Dimuth Karunaratne, Niroshan Dickwella, Dhananjaya de Silva, Suranga Lakmal, Dasun Shanaka, Viswa Fernando, Lahiru Gamage, Lakshan Sandakan, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Dilruwan Perera, Roshen Silva.

Match starts at 09:30 a.m.

(With PTI inputs)

[junker-town]

Notre Dame’s Playoff chances look better and better by the week

The Irish have no margin for error. They might not need any, if they keep playing like they did against USC and NC State.

After Notre Dame whomped then-No. 10 USC in South Bend on Oct. 22, the Irish had a clear path to the Playoff. It was to not lose any more games.

Of the 12 teams to make the Playoff in its first three years:

100 percent lost either zero or one game.

100 percent beat at least three teams in the Playoff selection committee’s top 25 at the end of championship weekend, on “Selection Sunday.”

100 percent beat at least six teams that were .500 or better at that point.

92 percent were power-conference champions. (Notre Dame can’t do this because it’s an independent, but the committee’s indicated it won’t hold that against the Irish.)

Notre Dame is still on course, now 7-1 after a 35-14 cruise past No. 14 NC State on Saturday. If the Irish win their last four games — Wake Forest, at Miami, Navy, at Stanford — they’ll make the top four going away.

Few teams have a chance to stop Notre Dame.

Their best asset is a voracious running game, which ranked No. 1 in S&P+ and second in yards per carry entering the weekend. NC State figured to be a test. The Wolfpack have an elite front, led by All-American end Bradley Chubb. They have kept running games in check all year. Notre Dame had faced similar defenses twice, resulting in a 1.5-yard average against Georgia and 4.6 against Michigan State.

Against NC State, what would the Irish be? The offense that tears up defenses for 8 or 10 yards per rush (which it’s usually been) or the one that can’t move a pile 2 yards (which it was against Georgia)? It turned out to be closer to the former.

The Irish ran 54 times for 342 yards, an average of 5.9. They did that despite NC State knowing the run was coming, and Brandon Wimbush scaring no one with his arm. Wimbush threw 19 times for 104 yards.

They turned the game into a rout in the third quarter, when Wimbush didn’t throw a pass and the Irish ran nine times for 116 yards. The Wolfpack still couldn’t tackle Josh Adams, who hit a 77-yard home run and carried four other times that quarter for 22 more yards.

Adams finished with 217 yards on 27 carries. He’s entrenched himself among the best backs in the country, next to Penn State’s Saquon Barkley and Stanford’s Bryce Love.

Wimbush briefly appeared injured in the third quarter, but he returned. Notre Dame needs him as a runner, but it might not need him to pass much.

Most rush defenses are not Georgia’s. The Irish could run over everyone else they play, then figure something out for Georgia, Alabama, or whoever else.

The run game wasn’t the only impressive thing against NC State.

On defense, the Irish took a usually effective NC State passing offense and reduced it to ash. Quarterback Ryan Finley had to throw 37 passes to get to a measly 213 yards, with one score and one pick mixed in. Finley’s 5.8 yards per throw paled in comparison to his 7.9 entering the day.

The Irish were hard on Finley, and they didn’t show cracks anywhere else. The Wolfpack ran for a 2.1-yard average and couldn’t run at all late in the game, even when they tried.

On Tuesday, Notre Dame could be in the Playoff top four.

The first committee ranking comes out then (7 p.m. ET, ESPN). The top two teams will be Georgia and Alabama, who are on an SEC Championship Game collision course. The Irish are in the mix to be in the top five or so.

But the first ranking isn’t what’s important. What’s important is that the Irish are putting together a championship resume. They have four more chances to slip up. If they don’t, this thing’s going to work out in their favor.

[isaacscrawford]

The Messenger Also Matters: Value-Based Payment Can Support Outreach To Vulnerable Populations

With the proliferation of value-based payment initiatives and implementation of the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA’s) coverage expansions, states have had many opportunities in recent years to improve the health of vulnerable populations through health promotion, prevention, and care coordination. We believe value-based payment models can and must support accountable health care delivery systems in partnering with community-based “messengers” to engage vulnerable individuals in health education and promotion. We explore one such messenger program, ACCESS, a Brooklyn-based project of the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health, which trains barbers and hairstylists to help formerly incarcerated men learn to recognize and act upon their own health risk factors. Value-based payment offers an opportunity to support programs such as this.

Credible Messengers And Social Determinants Of Health

“Messengers,” as we define them here, are community health workers—those who serve “as a liaison/link/intermediary between health/social services and the community to facilitate access to services and improve the quality and cultural competence of service delivery.” Unfortunately, there are few dedicated funding streams available to support the messenger role. Fee-for-service payment arrangements do not reimburse these activities. Value-based payment, on the other hand, not only highlights the need to support messengers but also potentially provides funding to do so.

Value-based payment programs hold the health care delivery system accountable for meeting health goals for entire enrolled or attributed populations, which requires more than just providing better medical care. Shortfalls in medical care are responsible for only an estimated 10 percent of early mortality in the United States, while individual health-related behavior is responsible for 40 percent. Even the finest delivery system can only expect to see a modest improvement in the health of its community if it focuses only on the very thing it has been designed to do—providing medical care to sick people. Value-based payment requires delivery systems to redefine nothing less than their product, place, and providers. The product must be health; the place must be where people live and work; and the providers must include credible, community-based messengers.

Credible messengers can bring to delivery systems important knowledge about social determinants of health that impact individuals’ ability to access and act upon health-related information. We focus here on one social determinant—incarceration. Individuals formerly incarcerated have become eligible for Medicaid in large numbers and, as such, participate in a variety of value-based payment initiatives. New York State, where the ACCESS program has been implemented, is moving aggressively toward value-based payment in Medicaid. In 2015, the state announced its intention to shift 80–90 percent of its Medicaid managed care provider payments from fee-for-service to value-based arrangements by 2020.

Delivering Health Information To Formerly Incarcerated Individuals

In the United States, nearly 700,000 state and federal prisoners are released annually, and more than 11 million cycle through local jails. Incarcerated individuals have poorer physical health status than the rest of the population, a high burden of mental health and substance abuse disorders, and, once they are released, are more likely than the general population to be uninsured. However, under the ACA, more than one-third of inmates released annually from state and federal prisons are estimated to be Medicaid-eligible. If this pattern holds true for those released from local jails as well, there are potentially millions of formerly incarcerated individuals newly eligible for Medicaid—and for the value-based payment initiatives that may come with it.

The burdens of incarceration are distributed unevenly. Sixty percent of New York State prisoners come from New York City, and two-thirds of the 28,000 people released each year return to the city. Some Brooklyn neighborhoods have especially high incidences of incarceration and concomitant prison spending, earning them the dubious honorific of “million-dollar blocks,” even though they are among the poorest neighborhoods in Brooklyn.

At the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health (AAIUH), we found a striking overlap between Brooklyn’s million-dollar blocks and areas where we were already engaged in health-promotion activities. Founded in 1992, the AAIUH is an independent, nonprofit organization that collaborates with community members to incubate, test, and replicate neighborhood-based interventions to improve health conditions disproportionately affecting minorities. Arthur Ashe, a world-renowned African American tennis champion and social justice advocate, founded the AAIUH in partnership with the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center. Using community-based participatory research, the AAIUH navigates disparate worlds—the institutional universe of academic medicine and day-to-day life in multi-ethnic, multi-linguistic neighborhoods.

Among other projects, the AAIUH has a long history of training barbers and hairstylists to deliver health education related to breast cancer, cardiovascular disease, asthma, and diabetes in women, and HIV/AIDS and prostate cancer in men. When we began the ACCESS program in 2009, exploratory work revealed that more than 80 percent of barbers working in our ongoing projects had themselves spent at least one night in jail. This made them particularly credible messengers for our priority population of formerly incarcerated men and the supportive women in their lives. Guided by input from a community-based advisory board, we conducted focus groups of barbers, stylists, and customers to determine the best way to discuss incarceration and health, and which health issues would be most important to the community. Based on that input, the program emphasized cardiovascular disease, stress, and HIV/AIDS. We developed a health curriculum to increase awareness of these conditions, emphasizing prevention and the importance of “knowing your numbers”—that is, understanding health indicators such as blood pressure and cholesterol levels. The curriculum included a resource guide for community health and social services related to the priority conditions and services for the re-entry population.

We trained barbers and stylists to deliver the curriculum in six establishments in the Bedford-Stuyvesant and Crown Heights areas of Brooklyn, emphasizing that health messages must be delivered in a way that could be useful to any member of the community who might know someone who had been incarcerated, instead of focusing solely on the formerly incarcerated themselves. In addition to the health messages and the resource guide, ACCESS included an HIV-focused health education video played several times a day in participating salons and barbershops and 12 AAIUH-sponsored Health Resource Days held at these establishments.

The project evaluation consisted of pre- and post-intervention surveys of patrons. The pre-intervention survey assessed patrons’ familiarity with risk factors, prevention, and resources related to the priority conditions. For example, patrons were asked multiple-choice questions such as: “What are some of the warning signs of a heart attack? What is a normal blood pressure reading?” The post-intervention survey of the same individuals sought to determine whether they had been exposed to the intervention and whether their knowledge regarding any of the previously asked questions had changed. Survey respondents’ ability to identify ways to assess their cardiovascular disease risk increased from 44 percent to 62 percent, and understanding that condom use can decrease the spread of HIV increased from 77 percent to 88 percent.

We view ACCESS as a pilot program that helped us understand the health and social needs of formerly incarcerated individuals, the challenges in creating and maintaining relationships with this vulnerable group, and innovative ways to reach the population with credible health messages. The next phase of the program will focus on health literacy.

Policy Opportunities To Support Credible Messengers

ACCESS illustrates the power of using a community’s own assets—its credible messengers—to engage and connect with members of a vulnerable population before they become patients. Such programs are ideally suited to partner with delivery systems under value-based payment programs that hold the system accountable for meeting population health goals. This type of partnership is an important element of the New York State Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) program, a type of Medicaid Section 1115 demonstration waiver. Under this program, the state will restructure the Medicaid delivery system, with a goal of reducing avoidable hospital use by 25 percent over five years. Hospital-led entities called performing provider systems may receive financial rewards for achievements in system transformation, clinical management, and—importantly—population health. Many such projects require performing provider systems to partner with community-based organizations to help engage, educate, and link to care low- or non-using Medicaid recipients.

All three performing provider systems located in Brooklyn asked the AAIUH to partner with them; the AAIUH serves on the advisory board of one and recruited uninsured participants to complete its patient activation measure survey. AAIUH staff also collaborated on the implementation plan for another performing provider system and, for a third, helped develop a cultural competency and health literacy strategic plan and a plan for training and community engagement activities.

New York State’s goal of shifting Medicaid toward greater accountability for cost and quality echoes a similar one set by the US Department of Health and Human Services in 2015: Then-secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell pledged that 50 percent of Medicare fee-for-service payments would be made through alternative payment models—such as accountable care organizations or bundled payments–by 2018, and that 90 percent of all traditional Medicare payments would be tied to quality or value by then. We believe that achievement of such ambitious goals is heavily reliant on delivery systems’ ability to engage with a strong community-based infrastructure of credible health messengers.

New York State also presents an opportunity for health plans to support messengers in community-based health promotion right now. The state’s Medicaid health homes are well positioned to engage with messengers to provide health education and promotion. Recognizing the particular challenges associated with reaching formerly incarcerated individuals, New York’s health home program includes several pilot collaborations between health care and criminal justice system partners. The partners identify eligible incarcerated individuals and engage them in the program during their transition into the community. Credible messengers such as those trained under the ACCESS program have the potential to help health homes with the important task of engagement.

Building The Business Case

With current financial support of community-based messengers based on a patchwork of public and private grants and state and local general funds, they remain an afterthought to the health care delivery system. Value-based payment provides an opportunity for accountable delivery systems to support credible messengers in a more consistent way—and, in fact, the systems’ success may depend upon doing so.

To partner in any of the existing or new value-based payment programs, ACCESS and other programs like it must continue to develop solid evidence of their return on investment for health care delivery systems. The next task for the AAIUH is to build the business case for replication of the credible messenger model—both for formerly incarcerated men and for other vulnerable populations.

By bringing health care services within reach of millions of people who previously did not have access, the ACA increased the need for delivery systems to think more creatively about reaching community members outside their walls. This mandate includes community members who have historically been underserved by the health care delivery system, with its traditional means of delivering health messages and impacting individuals’ behavior. As a result, delivery system leaders, policy makers, and other stakeholders must consciously include credible messengers in any value-based payment program designed to improve population health and reduce health disparities.

Article source:Health Affairs

[westernmanews]

WATERTOWN — A large majority of companies that chose Massachusetts as a place to expand their business would do it again, primarily based on its innovative economy, industry clusters, and skilled workforce, according to “Choosing Massachusetts for Business: Key Factors in Location Decision Making,” an 18-month study commissioned by MassEcon, a non-partisan economic-development organization, and conducted by the UMass Donahue Institute’s Economic and Public Policy Research group.

A statewide survey of businesses that had expanded within Massachusetts found that more than three out of four (77%) would choose to locate or expand here again, if faced with the same decision, and 64% rated the state as a “good” or “very good” place to do business. Nearly all of the surveyed companies (96%) cited the state’s high-quality workforce as a key factor in choosing Massachusetts. According to survey respondents, the top three strengths of doing business in Massachusetts were workforce, superior industry clusters, and the community environment.

“This report is a valuable tool for us to use to measure our successes in creating a business environment that supports employer growth and uncover opportunities to strengthen collaboration across the state to help our cities and towns increase jobs and investment,” said Housing and Economic Development Secretary Jay Ash. “I look forward to the solutions that we can implement with our partners across business, nonprofit and government sectors to improve the business environment for the benefit of all Massachusetts residents.”

The comprehensive study was drawn from a multi-faceted survey and in-depth interviews of nearly 90 companies that had expanded or relocated within Massachusetts over the past 10 years.

“We are heartened by the validation of Massachusetts as an outstanding location for business expansion,” said Susan Houston, executive director of MassEcon, “but equally important, this study tells us that we can’t be complacent. For Massachusetts to maintain — and grow — its leadership position, we must continue to nurture our key assets and address the challenges that could undermine our economic competitiveness.”

The post Study: Most Businesses That Chose Massachusetts Would Do So Again appeared first on BusinessWest.

[teine-mallaichte]

Day 2 @angstober - Prompt: Countdown.

Ash learns that he is to be decomissioned

CW: dehumanisation. references to - death, mental health issues, self worth, execution, public execution, self destruction.

Angstober Complex 27

Ash stared at the TaskSlate, his heart pounding like a war drum in his chest. The message glared back at him, cold and devoid of any compassion: "Asset 77: Scheduled for decommissioning in six weeks."

The sterile room around him warped and blurred. The stark white walls pressed in, as if closing around him. Six weeks. Forty-two days. A countdown to his own execution. The relentless tick of time echoed in his mind—a cruel reminder of the fate awaiting him. He could almost hear the distant roar of an approaching tidal wave, swallowing everything in its path.

A final, brutal end. He had watched others taken to the North Training Yard, their bodies crumpling like discarded shells, executed with precision before a cold, silent audience of peers. Soon, that would be him. His death wouldn’t be quiet. It wouldn’t be private. It would be public. An example. The price of failure.

Ash swallowed hard, the taste of metal on his tongue. Part of him had known this was coming. He had felt the end drawing nearer with each misstep, each hesitation on a mission. Each question that slipped past his lips had signaled his doom. He had fought it. Tried to push through. To keep his mind focused. But the fog settled in deep. Long days passed where he couldn’t bring himself to eat, couldn’t find the strength to face training. Hours—entire missions—passed where his mind wandered, lost in the haze.

Kerr had seen it too. The push for performance enhancers wasn’t care; it was a warning. A final attempt to wring whatever remained of him out before he was no longer of use.

The recalibrations, the reconditioning—all of it had failed. The white rooms, the suffocating deprivation, the electric shocks—they had stripped him down and broken him apart. But they hadn't rebuilt him. He couldn’t be rebuilt. He had watched the others. The way they looked at him, their silent knowing gazes. They had seen this happen before. They knew the signs, and so did he.

Forty-two days.

His hand tightened around the TaskSlate, knuckles white. Could he change anything in that time? Was there anything left to fix? He had clawed his way to the top, earning his place as the Facility's best assassin. But none of that mattered anymore. Not his rank, not his history, not even his kills. His usefulness had an expiration date. The countdown had begun.

Forty-two days, and then it would all be over. No more missions. No more recalibrations. No more fog. Just the final moment when the bullet would find him, and his body would drop like the others before him.

And then, there would be nothing.

[teine-mallaichte]

I saw this prompt from @whumpwordsoftheday and apparently it tickled something in my brain 😂 and apparently I an torturing Ash again.

CW: non-con drugging, dehumanisation, restraint, medical trauma maybe, panic, drugging.

complex 27

The room hummed with the sterile scent of chemicals, punctuated by the low hiss of gas. Dull lights flickered overhead, casting wavering shadows on the metal walls. Ash sat rigid, chest tight, muscles coiled with tension. His wrists and ankles were securely fastened to the chair, a plastic mask clamped over his mouth and nose, the cold gas pressing against his skin.

Don’t inhale.

"Don’t struggle, just breathe it in,” Sergeant Kerr’s voice cut through the low hum, too calm, too smooth. He stood, arms clasped behind his back, every movement measured, orchestrating the scene.

Ash tightened his lips into a thin line, his jaw clenched so tightly he could feel the muscles in his neck straining. His body trembled with the effort to fight against the instincts screaming at him to breathe.

Don’t breathe.

His lungs burned, the ache spreading through his chest like fire, every second an eternity. His vision blurred at the edges, fingers digging into the metal armrests as his body twitched under the strain, muscles taut like drawn wires. He could hear the faint creak of the bindings around his wrists cutting into his skin as tremors rippled through his arms.

Kerr’s boots echoed on the floor as he stepped closer, hands still clasped behind his back, his gaze sharp and steady. His head tilted slightly, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, as if amused by Ash’s defiance. “Stubborn as ever. Admirable,” Kerr murmured, leaning down until his face was inches from Ash’s, “but useless.”

Ash’s chest spasmed, his ribs aching as he tried to push through the overwhelming pressure building inside him. His throat convulsed with the effort, and sweat beaded along his hairline, running in slow rivulets down the sides of his face. He could feel Kerr’s presence, but it felt muted, like looking at a figure from behind glass.

The thought flickered - Is this real?

Kerr crouched down, his calm demeanor never wavering as his eyes scanned Ash's face. "This isn’t personal." His voice was low, almost gentle. “You just… need correcting.”

His pulse roared in his ears, drowning out everything. The pain in his chest clawed at him, unbearable. Muscles screamed for oxygen. Still, he held on. His knuckles were white. Fingers scraped the chair’s surface, but his gaze staying locked on Kerr.

"You’ll give in," Kerr whispered, his tone dripping with certainty. “It’s just nature. Even the strongest can’t outrun it.”

His body trembled, every nerve alight. His vision darkened, black spots swirling. The ache in his lungs morphed into a sharp, stabbing pain. Sweat soaking the back of his neck.

Not yet.

Kerr’s face twisted in irritation. “Still fighting.” His voice was a low hiss. “I suppose that’s what earned you the top rank, isn’t it?” He leaned in close, gripping Ash's chin and lifting his head, forcing eye contact, “But that rank won’t matter if you’re dead.”

The jab in Ash’s side came fast, pain exploding through the bruise from his last mission. He gasped. Involuntary. Lungs burning as cold gas rushed into his chest. His body convulsing, coughing as the gas scorched its way through him.

Everything hit at once—pain, gas, air—and Ash felt the world shatter around him.

Not now. Not here.

The lightheadedness hit him like a wave, his muscles slackening as the tension unraveled. For a second, his thoughts flared, desperate to hold on, fight, but the drug pulled it all away - everything slipping beyond his reach. The room, Kerr, the chair - they all seemed to blur into something indistinct, shapeless.

None of this is real. It’s not happening. Not again.

Kerr's hand let go of his chin, letting his head droop. The gas hissed louder, pressing in on him, the burning ache in his chest fading into a distant, dull throb. He watched Kerr through heavy-lidded eyes, the man’s face swimming before him, like watching someone through deep water.

“Much better,” Kerr said, almost soothingly, his voice a mockery of comfort. He adjusted the gas levels with a flick of his wrist, keeping Ash groggy, disoriented, but painfully conscious.

Ash’s pulse pounded in his ears, but the sound seemed to come from somewhere else. His body felt heavy, like it was sinking into the chair, yet he still strained against the restraints, feeling them only faintly. His limbs wouldn’t listen. Not mine.

“You see how much easier things are when you comply?” Kerr’s voice hovered over him, his hand brushing Ash’s sweat-soaked hair away from his forehead, almost gently.

Ash’s fingers twitched against the chair, his nails scraping weakly at the metal as he fought to keep his focus, but everything was slipping. His mind drifted in and out, tethered by the sharp, suffocating edge of the gas and the low hum of Kerr’s voice.

“Now,” Kerr continued, walking over to the table to retrieve a syringe, “let’s deal with that overactive mind of yours.”

Ash’s eyes flickered, trying to follow Kerr’s movements, but his body felt distant, heavy. He tried to speak, his words slurring from the fog in his mind. “What…?”

Kerr returned, wiping antiseptic over Ash’s arm. “It’s just a little something to help you. You see, 77,” Kerr murmured as he slid the needle into Ash’s skin, “For all your skil and ability… You think too much. That’s your problem.”

No. Not again. Not...

The cool metal bit into Ash’s arm, and he felt the rush of the drug as it slid into his veins, pulling him further into the haze. His thoughts, already fragmented, began to dissolve entirely, swallowed by a wave of cold calm. His body went slack in the chair, his breathing evening out as the drug took hold.

“Just relax,” Kerr’s voice echoed in the distance. “Stop resisting. It’ll only make things harder for you.”

Ash’s limbs felt like lead, his head lolling to the side as his eyes fluttered closed. His mind, already fragmented, dissolved entirely into the cold calm of the drug. Kerr’s voice echoed distantly, 'We’ll have you sharp again soon.' The world faded, leaving Ash in darkness.