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bakutae · 5 years ago

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bnha headcanons #4

today’s menu:

bakugou katsuki with a dollop of shouto todoroki

scenario:

where you try to cook dinner for him

prompt:

‘i love you, so much, but please stop trying to cook me dinner. you suck.’

bakugou katsuki

it wasn’t a special occasion but you wanted to cook, and you shall

who would go against that?

well, bakugou did

you two had been together for quite some time now and you even shared an apartment together

there were times where you felt... well, experimental in the kitchen and wanted bakugou to come home to warm, delicious home cooked dinner after a long day

calling your cooking skills bad was an understatement

it was absolutely horrendous

you tried making curry once, instant curry, to be exact

how did you even mess up instant curry? it's literally just pouring water into it and stirring and adding your ingredients that you want in the curry

well, firstly, you added too little water and you boiled the curry for too long, causing most of the water content to evaporate and more paste like from the curry powder

you didn't mix the curry while it was boiling- it wasn't in the instructions though! how were you supposed to know that? and adding on the fact that most of the water content evaporated, you ended up with burnt curry

i mean hey, more char is added into your dish which makes it more flavorful..right?

bakugou came home to the smell of burning and at first he thought a fire was occurring somewhere and him being a top hero and all, was obviously on high alert in case anyone needed help

but when he took a closer sniff, he realised that it was coming from the kitchen

he peeked inside the kitchen and saw you trying to scrape the burnt curry off the saucepan, mumbling to yourself on how stupid you were for not using a non stick pan instead

he then shifted his glance to the plate next to the dishwasher and squinted

the curry looked..burnt and lumpy and it didn't look like it was edible

but bakugou didn't think much of it, how bad could it be?

it wasn't long before he wrapped his arms around your hips and snuggled his face into your neck, sighing in content, causing you to squeal from his hot breath on your neck

and well, long story short, it didn't taste nice, and ended up having pizza delivered for dinner, asking the delivery man to throw out the saucepan that could not be revived

of course you tipped the delivery man, it would be rude not to

this time, you wanted to go for something more ambitious; filet mignon

you couldn't help it, you were doing some grocery shopping and just so happened to drop by the meat section and saw a huge thirty percent discount on the meat

it was calling out to you, dancing on the shelves, waiting for you to pick them up

or at least that's what you told bakugou

bakugou rolled his eyes as he tried to take over the kitchen

he was a fantastic cook, actually and he didn't want to see the poor beef be served in such a pitiful way

however, you shoved him out from the kitchen telling him that everything will be alright and told him to go talk to kirishima or something if he was bored

you first added salt and pepper to both sides of the meat, carefully massaging it into the meat to make sure the the salt and pepper really make the meat flavourful and that your massaging would make the meat even more tender

you then tossed the meat into a saucepan, a new one this time since your old one got uh destroyed

you waited for a few minutes before flipping it over; or trying to flip it over

you had done it again

the meat was firmly stuck to the bottom of the saucepan as you panicked

the heat was still on and you didn't want to burn that side so you quickly turned off the heat and tried to quickly move the saucepan to a flat, cooler surface

the saucepan handle was metal, and since the saucepan was already quite hot, you held it without thinking and pain shot through your hand as you quickly let go of the saucepan, your beef falling on the floor, half cooked and probably burnt on the other side

bakugou heard the ruckus and came flying to you, worried that you got yourself injured in the process

he certainly didn’t expect the sight that he saw

you, with a shocked look on your face, hair all messed up and sticking to your neck from sweat

the meat, on the floor, contaminated with all sorts of germs, visibly stuck to the saucepan since the saucepan was tilted in a ninety degrees

he burst out laughing

'oh my god- pfft y/n, oh y/n darling, i love you, so much, but please stop trying to cook me dinner. you suck'

you pouted and your fingers went to nip at the corner of your top as you tried to defend yourself

'i forgot to butter the pan suki, maybe we should just get a non-stick pan and everything will be okay'

bakugou helped you with cleaning up

needless to say, you ended up another night with pizza delivered and once again, asking the delivery man, once again to help throw out the saucepan with the meat still stuck on it

shouto todoroki

it was your anniversary today and shouto wanted to prepare something special for the day

he knew how much you absolutely loved food, so he decided to make you a homemade meal for dinner

this guy actually took months to come up with the dishes that he was making

in his mind, he was envisioning a romantic candlelit dinner, with homemade aglio e olio and a side of mashed potatoes

shouto had no experience in cooking at all, he had never even held a kitchen knife in his entire life, except when thieves are threatening him with knifes and he coolly freezes them and slips the knife out of their hands, but that was it

he didn't think it'd be hard at all since he did some research on how to make aglio e olio and it did seem like one of the easier foods to make for beginners

it only needed the pasta noodles, garlic, salt and pepper, parsley and red pepper flakes- easy enough

he already had the ingredients needed, all he needed to do was to get you out of the house, which was easy

he gave you a long list and requested you to get them at the grocery store that was quite far from your place

at first, you insisted that shouto go with you

you were aware that it was your anniversary and shouto seemed to have forgotten about it

even so, you wanted to spend time with shouto, but he was so insistent that you go alone that you left alone, starting to feel down as you slipped on your shoes ad left with a sigh

shouto heard it, and he felt so guilty for making you upset, but he had to get cooking

he hurriedly tried to boil the water and he waited for the water to boil

when the water was boiling rapidly, he casually tossed the noodles in, watching as the noodles started to bend and sink deeper into the boiling water

he didn’t know how long to cook it for, and therefore decided to search it up on the internet

just then, he received a call from you

he picked up and you told him that the list was unclear and that the sprinkles in the supermarket had many types; striped ones, those in the shape of a heart and those rounded ones

he scratched his head as he wondered if he really did write down sprinkles; he had forgotten, as at that time he was just writing down anything that came to mind, focused on getting you out of the house

a smile crept onto his lips as he envisioned you staring at the packets of sprinkles in confusion and wondering which one to pick

‘shouto? why are you giggling?’

he snapped out of it and told you to buy whichever you liked best and then ended the call

his phone screen was on google, which the question ‘how long do i cook pasta for’ in the search tab

that was when he remembered what he was doing before you called

he slowly tore his eyes off the phone and peered inside the pot

great, at least it hasn’t been boiled into one lump of dough yet

he quickly turned off the heat and poured the water out, then took a strand and placed it into his mouth

it was melting in his mouth, the moment he placed it into his mouth, he could barely bite it before it was swallowable

it was far from al dente; and he still had to fry it in the pan with the other ingredients after this

he was at a lost, and decided to toss everything into the pan with some olive oil in it

the scent of garlic invaded shouto’s senses and he sighed, it smelt nice, at least

when he tried to stir the noodles, it started breaking and it looked a lot less appealing, but again, it smelt great

he absentmindedly stirred the noodles, waiting for the garlic to be cooked as it sizzled furiously in the pan

he then heard the sound of keys, followed by the sound of you opening the door

oh my gosh, you were back already? he was sure you’d take quite some time with the groceries since there was a lot of things to buy

he ran to the door to greet you, and saw you carrying at least four plastic bags on each arm and he ran to help you

‘y-y/n? why’re you home so quick?’

‘oh shouto, the grocery store is basically my second home, i know my way around’

he decided to tell you his plan, since it had already fell through

you grinned, so wide it almost scared shouto

‘i thought you forgot about our anniversary!’

you enveloped him in a warm embrace and press a quick kiss to his cheek and soon enough, a slightly smoky smell filled your noses

shouto suddenly pulled away and was running to the kitchen

‘my pasta!’

you trailed behind him, seeing the mess in front of you

the pasta at the ends were colored black as shouto tried to gingerly stir the pasta

the pasta at the bottom of the pan was burnt to a crisp

‘oh my gosh, shoutoo, i love you, so much, but please stop trying to cook me dinner. you suck.’

you gently stepped beside him, trying to assist him in cleaning up as he stood there, a blushing mess at the fact that you said that you loved him shouto todoroki is a shy as heck boyfriend oh man

taglist: @bnha-homeroom

#bnhabookclub #event: provisional license 2020 #tag: fluff #shouto todoroki #shouto todoroki x reader #bnha fluff #bnha #boku no hero academia #boku no hero imagines #bakugou katsuki #bakugou katsuki fluff #shouto todoroki fluff

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a-crimson-lion · 4 years ago

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“It Makes Me Wanna Keep Him At Arm’s Length” An Overview On Katsuki Bakugo’s Development

[I should by no means be the one writing this analysis, but here we are. Obviously it’s an overview on Katsuki’s character development, but there’s a bit more to it than that. Keep reading if you want the details.]

Table of Contents

i) Prologue

I) A Brief Explanation

II) The “What The F*** Is Your Existence” Phase

II.A) Breaking The Barriers

III) The “I Can’t Let You Get Ahead Of Me” Phase

IV) The “Why Don’t You Care About Yourself” Phase

V) Final Address+Conclusion

Word Count: 4415

[Warning: Contains manga spoilers up to Ch. 284. Will also include spoilers for the movies and OVAs, as well as the special Deku & Bakugo: Rising two-shot manga. Reader’s discretion is advised. Not scared off yet? Good. Let’s do this.]

i) Prologue

Alright, no beating around the bush, I guess.

We all know this has to deal with Ch. 284, and the milestone that came with it. We got a rare look inside Katsuki’s perspective, and we saw firsthand how much his perspective has changed from the start of the story. I don’t think we’ve ever gotten such an in-depth look into Katsuki’s psyche since Deku vs Kacchan 2. It’s honestly impressive.

...which is why I’m so confused by a certain kind of response to it.

When you look past the swarms of tumblr posts absolutely losing their s*** over Katsuki getting further character development, you come across an… admittedly troubling response. The idea that “Katsuki always cared.” The idea that as early as the Battle Trial, if not middle school, Katsuki was secretly keeping an eye out for Izuku in their tumultuous relationship.

...no. Just-. No, what the-

I’ll get to why this particular response pisses me off in a bit, but before that, I wanna give a run down of Katsuki’s development, according to the narrative. Anyone who’s been around my blog long enough knows that I don’t exactly hold Katsuki in good graces. (Pretty much the opposite, actually.) However, in light of recent developments, that’s not what this post is gonna be focusing on. And as such, I’ll keep the snark and branch conversations to a minimum… to the best of my abilities.

So… how are we gonna do this?

I) A Brief Explanation

After we finish this brief “tutorial” section, the next three segments of the post will cover the various time frames of Katsuki’s development. I’ll be going through a general rundown of Katsuki’s perspective and the various evidence points that lead me to my conclusions. It’s essentially a glorified retelling. Sound good? Alrighty then!

II) The “What The F*** Is Your Existence” Phase

Time Frame: Ch. 1-Ch. 116 [Sludge Villain Arc-Late Provisional Hero License Exam Arc]

In case the Prologue didn’t make things clear, let me spell it out: Katsuki didn’t always care.

At least, he didn’t “always care” in the positive sense.

To clarify, this isn’t just 3rd Year Middle School Katsuki to UA Katsuki. This is all the way back to the River Incident. Katsuki has had this mentality for that long and then some when you shift out of backstory territory. We’re talking about the same kid who nearly murdered Izuku in the Battle Trial, blasted Izuku to kingdom come in the Training of the Dead OVA, and decked Izuku during the Final Exams. So…

The following hinges majorly on the line Katsuki stated in Chapter 284, and the title of this analysis: “It makes me wanna keep him at arm’s length.” Contrary to popular belief, this does not just apply to the idea that Katsuki wants to stick around Izuku to keep him from destroying himself.

...it’s also a major contributor to the reason Katsuki bullied Izuku in the past.

So let’s backtrack to the River incident. Katsuki takes one wrong step on a log, slips, and falls down into the river below. Izuku is the only one that goes down to help him. This infuriates Katsuki because he was fine, as was said by him and everyone but Izuku that was present that day. This is also the first time Katsuki becomes aware of something he echoes in the Ch. 284 flashback:

“He just… Deep down, he doesn’t take himself into account, y’know?”

This is Katsuki’s first run in with Izuku’s inherent selflessness. Initially, he takes it as pity; in his words, Izuku is “looking down on him.” And this bothers him a great deal. Then when it comes to Quirks, Katsuki gets one and Izuku doesn’t. This assures Katsuki of something he shortly discovered previously: Izuku isn’t all that special.

It’s a brief comfort. Because Izuku hasn’t taken the damn hint and stopped hanging out with him and his friends. The Quirked kids. The normal kids.

And worst still, he’s willing to get in Katsuki’s way just because someone else is in his line of fire. In the back of his mind, it’s the River Incident all over again, though he’s not being feared for; he’s being feared of. It’s all wrong. Deku isn’t strong like the rest of them. Deku can’t be a hero. Deku knows that.

...he knows that he doesn’t stand a chance, right? He knows how the world really works. Is he… is he putting on an act?

One of the few remarkable traits Katsuki has right from the get-go is his disdain against dishonesty. So, when he sees Izuku putting on a brave face and acting like a hero, and Katsuki decides that Izuku’s just “pretending,” Katsuki takes the matter into his own hands. He’ll get Izuku to show his true colors in due time. That’s what heroes do, right? Take down the bad guys? And Izuku faking about caring for others when everyone else clearly puts themselves first and foremost sounds pretty bad guy-like, at least at the time.

So, Izuku keeps on trucking, occasionally trying to join back up with Katsuki’s group on a near frequent basis. Even when that fails, he tries his damnedest to catch up.

But what many people forget is that at some point, Izuku stopped following, at least actively.

By Chapter 1, he’s making sure to keep from drawing attention to himself. He’s not as enthusiastic as everyone else in the class, he tries backing away from Katsuki and shrinking down on himself, tries defusing the situation. That doesn’t sound like Izuku’s still trying to keep up. Even in the special two-shot manga dedicated to Heroes: Rising, Izuku isn’t the one to draw attention to Katsuki’s presence. And even when he does go after Katsuki and the villain, his attention is more so focused on the villain, thoughts of staying out of Katsuki’s way to not offend him likely somewhere in his mind.

So then why does Katsuki keep antagonizing him in the first chapter of canon proper? And even before that, most likely?

“It makes me wanna keep him at arm’s length.”

...Izuku didn’t stop being Izuku. Izuku didn’t stop being selfless.

And his selflessness is what pisses Katsuki off to no end. So, he keeps pursuing Izuku, keeps trying to get him to “drop the act.” Makes him a “punching bag,” as Izuku states in Chapter 8. Because the way things work, Izuku should not be trying to be a hero. He should not be trying to put on a brave face when he’s scared s***less. He should not be sticking his neck out for others when he doesn’t (or rather, didn’t) have anything to stick up for himself.

Katsuki was born with something that made everyone consider him prime hero material. Izuku was born without that, and was considered the opposite… and yet, he still tries.

And this character trait, this selflessness, it drives Katsuki insane. And it continues to do so well beyond the Battle Trial Arc. Even when Katsuki is able to begrudgingly accept that Quirkless Deku has a Quirk now, somehow, his selflessness continues to bring Katsuki grief. While it’s never inherently brought up, this is the dividing factor between Izuku’s fight against Shoto in the Sport’s Festival and Katsuki’s fight with Shoto in the Sport’s Festival.

Izuku was willing to go all out at the cost of himself just so Shoto could accept what was his. Katsuki just wanted a good brawl, to be the undisputed first place.

This even continues well into the Final Exams, though the fact that Katsuki is running high on arrogance and anger does nothing to soothe matters. It takes a deck to face and later an explosive kabedon wall smash to get Izuku and Katsuki working together, and let’s not forget that when Izuku was trying to get Katsuki to realize they were still fighting All Might, regardless of whatever handicaps he may or may not have, he gets decked in the nose for his efforts. While it’s technically a subtler play on Izuku’s selflessness and concern for others, Katsuki likely took it as further mockery, another attempt for Deku to try and get under his skin and throw him off.

In any case, throughout this time period, Katsuki cares f*** all for Izuku or his philosophy, opting to brute force things up until the very end of the time frame. But what causes the eventual shift?

II.A) Breaking The Barriers

A number of things, actually.

None of the proceeding events ever do a clean cut on Katsuki’s worldview. It’s more like chiseling through a wall than breaking it down with a hammer.

The Sludge Villain is the first hint that Izuku might not be faking and Katsuki might not be at the top. While many claim that Katsuki leaves Izuku alone because he feels indebted to him but doesn’t want to admit it, it’s more than likely that he’s more focused on his own self-loathing. This incident is what defines him for a good chunk of the series, to his chagrin.

The Battle Trial is just another nail in the eventual coffin. Katsuki thinks he’s finally got Izuku right where he wants him, only for Izuku to pull a 500 IQ play and prioritize the exercise over his and Katsuki’s squabbles, taking the brunt of Katsuki’s attack and attention while giving Ochako the opportunity to capture the bomb. That look of frustration is Katsuki realizing that not only did Izuku get ahead, he got ahead with the very thing Katsuki despises. Needless to say, it f***s with him well until the aftermath outside of UA’s gate.

Shoto refusing to use his flames is another chip off the marble that is Katsuki’s pride. It reinforces the idea that Izuku is doing something that Katsuki isn’t, something that Izuku shouldn’t have in the first place, beyond a Quirk at least. So, Katsuki rages, because he can’t understand why it’s such a big deal, in both Izuku’s and Shoto’s cases.

The Final Exams just hammer the point home further. Katsuki’s one-track minded attempts to bring down All Might are met with no results. He would have failed that exam if it wasn’t for Izuku’s selflessness or Katsuki “lowering himself” to cooperate with him. Had Katsuki not gotten decked in the face and dragged off or got saved at the last minute while he was knocked out, he definitely would have failed on account of becoming a liability.

The Training Camp attack is an odd mix of Katsuki’s current philosophy and the next stage in it. He knows Izuku’s gonna go and save his ass, and he wants no part of that because hasn’t he made him suffer enough already? Hasn’t he already proved time and time again that he’s getting better, despite the fact that Katsuki doesn’t want or believe it? Despite the fact that it shouldn’t even be happening if things were right in the world? Izuku does recognize Katsuki’s wounded pride, however, which is instrumental in getting him out of All For One’s clutches during Kamino.

If we briefly direct our attention to the Make It! Do-Or-Die Survival Training! OVA, Katsuki is pretty adamant on claiming he only got the power back on in the underground mall to complete the exercise. And I don’t think that’s Katsuki’s “tsundere” talking, either: I genuinely believe that Katsuki’s only thoughts at the moment was getting the exercise done. Everyone else was just secondary. And remember, Katsuki hates dishonesty, which is probably why he doesn’t take credit for “saving” Izuku and Shoto. While his actions did save the two of them and everyone else in the mall, that wasn’t his intention, which is an interesting flip on Izuku’s performance back in the Battle Trial. Couple that with the fact that Katsuki is injured (and therefore weak, and in need of help), and it’s no wonder he’s in a sour mood towards the end of it all.

And this sour mood carries over to the final nail in his coffin: the Provisional License Exam. He only gets by the first half because other people had the sense to tag along, but the second half regards his undoing because he still doesn’t get the whole selfless aspect of saving people in the second half of the exam. This was also foreshadowed back in the aforementioned OVA with Katsuki’s excessive animosity towards the victim dummy. Whether they be real or fake, Katsuki’s disregard of either victim doesn’t grant him his hero license.

This is the straw that breaks the camel's back for Katsuki. And ultimately, this sparks the start in his shift to the second phase of his development.

III) The “I Can’t Let You Get Ahead Of Me” Phase

Time Frame: Ch. 117-~Ch. 257 [Late Provisional Hero License Exam Arc-Early Paranormal Liberation War Arc]

Since this is only the second phase of Katsuki’s development (and given that this is Katsuki we’re talking about), don’t expect to get much of an upgrade with this shift.

Essentially, it boils down to two things: Katsuki stops viewing Izuku as an annoyance, and starts viewing him as an obstacle. Simultaneously, he starts seeing the viability of saving, at least as a tool in a hero’s kit.

Let me explain.

While Deku vs Kacchan 2 is the first time Izuku and Katsuki have attempted to talk out their issues… not much gets addressed. Sure, Katsuki becomes aware of Izuku not looking down on him, but Izuku is never made aware of the deeper issues regarding Katsuki’s loathing beyond that. It primarily serves as a half-barebones narrative checkpoint, a segway for Katsuki to get in on the secret of One For All.

...let’s also talk about that, shall we?

So Izuku’s been getting better as a hero and with his Quirk. Then Katsuki finds out after he gets kidnapped and rescued that Izuku is the successor to their mutual idol. And that’s after essentially being told he can’t be a hero in his current state due to the PLE. And what is his usual response to adversity? He decides to get ahead of it.

He’ll surpass Class 1-A so there won’t be another Battle Trial. He’ll surpass Izuku and One For All so he can truly claim that he’s the best of the best.

Unfortunately, we don’t get to see more of this development until the Joint Training Arc. However, keep in mind that this is only the second stage. Katsuki wants to prove that he’s the best, so of course he’s gonna step up his game. That means taking advice from the LITERAL (former) #1 HERO, and making the victory as flawless as possible. After all, Katsuki himself said in Chapter 208:

“I’ve decided! We’re gonna win this match with a perfect victory! 4-0, with everyone unscathed! That’s the kind of victory there is for the strongest guys out there!”

...it might be a slight exaggeration when he says he’s hardly changed at the end of that chapter, but then again it is a stretch to even call it an exaggeration.

That aside, Katsuki also makes it part of his agenda to keep tabs on OFA. This would fit into the “Katsuki secretly cares” agenda, but we haven’t reached that point. Right now, in these moments, Katsuki figures that if One For All starts getting freaky, he wants to know about it so he can get a leg up. And maybe part of him still wants to call Izuku out.

He was minorly ticked when Izuku allowed himself to make a mistake during their unauthorized fight. And he constantly reminds Izuku to not forget that he’s supposed to surpass him (or the other way around).

Taking off the rose-colored glasses for a moment, it does make sense for Katsuki to say this beyond the context of positive motivation. We are talking about the same Katsuki who lashed out at Shoto for holding back. It’s reasonable to assume that he doesn’t want Izuku to do the same, and lagging behind more or less equates to holding back.

And Katsuki still isn’t completely invested in Izuku’s training for Izuku’s sake. After the Joint Training, Katsuki tries getting Izuku to manifest Black Whip again, and nopes out shortly afterwards when nothing comes of their sparring sessions in Chapter 217. This still isn’t the Katsuki we see in the 284 flashback. He’s still got a ways to go.

Yes, this even rings true for Katsuki during Heroes: Rising. While the film might be the ultimate Bakudeku dream come true, there really isn’t… much depth in regards to Izuku and Katsuki’s past. Y’know, the thing that most people are hoping gets resolved? It only gets referenced a few times in the film, but doesn’t overall factor into anything meaningful. Most of the time when Izuku and Katsuki team up, Katsuki only gets to the fight because he wants to throw hands with villains on an island where (if the status quo had remained unchanged) was likely selected because it had little to no serious villain activity. It just so happens that protecting and working with Izuku is an unintended byproduct of these fights. Katsuki even drops the infamous “lowering myself to work with Deku” line just before the big climax. And even with the transfer of OFA to Katsuki, it strikes less as overcoming a longstanding obstacle and more as plot convenience, especially since by the end of the fight OFA nopes back into Izuku so hard that Katsuki gets mind wiped about the whole thing.

Even during the Endeavor Arc, we don’t see much growth beyond the Ending fight, where Katsuki prioritizes saving Natsuo over throwing hands like he usually would, learning to take saving as more than a tool. This is significant considering it’s Katsuki, but unfortunately, there’s not much else thereafter. The entire arc won’t get referenced as an overall stepping stone until Ch. 284.

And thus, we head to the final phase.

IV) The “Why Don’t You Care About Yourself” Phase

Time Frame: ~Ch. 257-Ch. 284 [Early Paranormal Liberation War Arc-Paranormal Liberation War Arc (Present)]

So here’s an interesting tidbit: Katsuki can’t handle nonphysical confrontation.

Leave him with the fact that his kidnapping could have gotten most of the class expelled because they decided to go rescue him or avoided such while knowing of the operation? He’ll pay back Eijiro for the expensive night vision goggles and make Denki suffer Quirk overuse so he doesn’t need to be reminded.

Get stuck in the middle of a Todoroki Family Drama scene? He’ll try bragging about how he did better than the current #1 Hero to attempt curbing off the situation.

Put him in a discussion with Izuku where they address his additional Quirk manifestations and the full weight of his potential/legacy? Katsuki will brag about having a skill already in his toolkit to ignore the fact that he has the potential to fall behind.

This defines the earlier days of this phase. We don’t see what happens in the timeframe between that and the start of the War Arc until the Chapter 284 flashback. I believe that during the gap between 257 and this flashback, Katsuki allowed himself to process the full weight of what he and Izuku were told during that meeting.

And this marks one of his biggest revelations to date.

Izuku’s selflessness is no longer something annoying. It’s a potential fatal flaw.

For the first time, it’s hitting Katsuki that Izuku is no longer an obstacle, or just an obstacle. Izuku is a person who is working himself to the bone and past that, who would die at the drop of the hat if he thought the payoff was well worth it. He’s finally starting to see that what Izuku is doing to himself is dangerous, and he wants to know what he can do to prevent the serious ramifications.

This is a big phase in his development, no doubt, but um… it’s not the last phase.

If I’m being honest, we’re nowhere close. Why? Well, two reasons:

A) Katsuki still has yet to properly take a loss.

Any and all of Katsuki’s losses are either in his head or narratively negated. And his disproportionate win/loss ratio doesn’t do him any favors either. He’s culminated a philosophy that he can’t and shouldn’t lose, but losing is a crucial aspect of improvement and being human in general. In the case of the story, Chapter 275 suggests that Katsuki wants to face off against Tomura as payback for Kamino. He essentially wants to extend the narrative and treat that loss like a delayed win, as if the loss hadn’t happened yet. Many people claim that this is a bluff he used to cover his true intentions of keeping an eye on Izuku, but I don’t think that’s the case. While sticking by Izuku is a contributing factor, getting a win is equally so, because Katsuki hasn’t properly adjusted to a loss. His strategy for dealing with any kind of loss is just to bulldoze through it like nothing happened, instead of taking the time to understand why he lost and to apply that knowledge for future encounters.

Be aware of your surroundings during the Sludge Villain.

Focus on your priorities and communicate with others during the Battle Trial.

Don’t ignore the situation just to focus on your own intentions during the Training Camp attack.

HELP PEOPLE during the Provisional License Exam.

There are so many lessons Katsuki could have learned sooner if he had taken the time to properly digest his losses. But he didn’t. He still doesn’t. He might have learned some of them eventually, but the fact remains that he nearly ran head first into a suicide mission just because he couldn’t take the loss and was dead set on getting even.

And keep in mind, Katsuki was lamenting on struggling to keep up with Izuku earlier before their encounter with Tomura, and how he couldn’t afford to stay a loser, so this is likely less far-fetched than you think.

Okay, so then what’s the second reason Katsuki’s development is far from over?

B) He hasn’t fully connected the dots on what he did to Izuku.

So far, Katsuki has recognized that he was off-put by Izuku’s selflessness, and that he bullied him over that.

What he hasn’t recognized is how much of a role he played personally in that part of Izuku’s personality, or at least it’s present day incarnation.

Let me clarify a bit. Katsuki is aware that he was distrubed by Izuku’s selflessness. He is aware that bullied him and that, at some degree, was wrong. But I don’t think he’s quite connected the dots on how his intervention has led to Izuku’s current brand of martyrdom.

At the start of the series, Izuku just cares about others. After making sure he gets down to the river safely, he’s willing to lend a hand to Katsuki, who fell from a pretty concerning height ig we’re being honest.

But this unnerves Katsuki. And it leads to his physical altercations with Izuku from time to time.

Remember, Izuku followed Katsuki at the time, but somewhere down the line he stopped. But he never stopped being Izuku, so Katsuki continued to pursue him. Izuku had already been willing to give up in some degree on ever keeping up with Katsuki the way he used to. He knew, at some level, that he wasn’t accepted.

That he wasn’t worth as much as everyone else.

Katsuki bullied Izuku because he was selfless. But Katsuki’s bullying, coupled with the rest of society’s ostracization, twisted and warped that selflessness with low self-esteem, low self-worth, and self-destructive tendencies. Katsuki wasn’t the sole bully of Izuku, but he was a primary perpetrator. And his actions only made the very thing he despised so, so much worse.

...and until he can recognize THAT aspect of his relationship with Izuku, his journey is far from over.

So yeah, Katsuki’s making progress, but we’re still not out of the woods yet.

V) Final Address+Conclusion

So now for the obvious question: why did I write all of this?

I said it at the beginning, about how some people claimed that Katsuki cared all along. I brought up a bit about how it pissed me off. Why, exactly?

Because when people insist that Katsuki threatening Izuku to not go to UA comes from a place of concern, they disregard Chapter 1 Katsuki’s gigantic ego and utter disregard for others, much less so for Izuku.

Because when people insist that Katsuki’s shocked face at the end of the Battle Trial was because he was upset with how he hurt Izuku, they disregard the fact that Katsuki was willing to almost murder Izuku, and if not that then brutalize him, and that at this point Katsuki absolutely loathes getting shown up, which is what Izuku inadvertently did.

Because when people insist that Katsuki always cared from the very beginning, they (un)intentionally undermine one of the few things that draw people to Katsuki’s character: his character development.

On his own, Katsuki is an prodigious, antisocial and angry teen looking for fame and fortune in the industry who grows into a dedicated source of confidence and understanding as he finally allows himself to branch beyond his initial handicaps. If you insist that Katsuki always had the awareness and concern he displayed in 284’s flashback, what do you get instead?

A selfish, self-centered, fickle, emotionally-constipated asshole whose growth is more comparable to a ramp instead of a mountain.

...not as impressive, is it?

While I’m pretty sure this is just a minor trend, that doesn’t excuse the lack of care it demonstrates. If you aren’t willing to admit and live with the fact that Day 1 Katsuki is the worst of the worst and that he did progressively get better through trials and tribulation, why bother? When you insist a character like Katsuki was fine from the start, you take away part of what makes that character so endearing. If they were never an ass to begin with, then what the hell was their problem at the start, or even now? Why the hell would we condone that? It’s important to recognize character flaws and to give them their due, because seeing a character grown out of them is far more self-fulfilling and relatable than insisting that they were always in the right place from the start.

...but then again, that’s just me. Thanks for reading.

-Crimson Lion (20 September 2020)

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eyeslice · 5 years ago

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How to Licensing Your Invention

After producing an elegant service to a genuine issue, they desire to build a business that makes money from that solution. Inventors can still benefit from their advancements via licensing. When you accredit your invention, a person else constructs the business as well as you share in the profits. Also check out https://azbigmedia.com/business/want-to-be-a-successful-inventor-use-these-ideas-to-help/

Licensing may be your finest method if the obstacles to access for products or services that use your invention are big. Licensing is likewise a good method if your toughness and also passions do not include constructing a company.

Invent Early, License Later

A typical method for licensing as well as the invention is to invent early and afterward certificate later. Inventors that use this strategy presciently uncover the best solutions to problems years before their peers. They after that file for and also get patent defense for their inventions, and then wait.

Years later on, services uncover those remedies and incorporate them into their products and services. Typically a wide range of organizations as well as markets will embrace a service, and personalize it to their specific demands. They are still bound to pay the patent owner of the service. The patent holder profits by possessing the solution long before it is commonly taken on.

Invent, Sell, License

Other inventors choose to actively promote the adoption as well as the licensing of their technologies. They identify that there are commonly several practical options to an issue, and also seek to urge the fostering of their option.

The very first requirement in this approach is submitting that the very least a provisional patent application. Otherwise, possible licensees can not be certain that you possess the solution you are offering them. Provisional patent applications are relatively low-cost to file but offer a year of security for your idea while you discover its commercial practicality.

The next demand is proactively certifying your invention is to create a sensible solution that will save the licensing party money, even if they likewise pay you. Proactively certified suggestions have normally relocated beyond the suggestion stage, as well as consist of models and also test information. Your licensee must have the ability to see just how to rapidly and effectively adapt your invention. You may also like to read this topic https://usa.inquirer.net/56347/everything-you-need-to-know-to-be-a-successful-inventor

First Thing Toward Patenting Your Invention: The Search

Maybe you have a concept for a brand-new item simmering in the back of your mind. You've done a couple of Google searches but have not found anything comparable. This makes you positive that you have stumbled upon the NEXT BIG THING.

Daily inventors tell me they "haven't found anything like it." And also while that's a good start, chances are that they haven't been searching in the appropriate places.

Before spending added cash and sources, it's the correct time to find out definitively if the invention is one-of-a-kind, figure out if there is a market for it, as well as check out exactly how to make it much better.

Inventors ought to browse online to discover 2 or 3 competitive products. If they're terrified to search, that's a good thing, because, in my experience, it typically indicates they're on the right track.

And also, of course, the objective needs to be to locate various other items out there that are currently attempting to resolve the very same problem as their invention. That demonstrates that a remedy is needed. As well as if there is a requirement by a large enough group of people, after that they stand a much better opportunity of transforming the invention into a successful endeavor.

So inventors must go to a patent agent or patent lawyer with examples of 2 or three other comparable items, as well as after signing a retainer contract (which develops the agent/client connection) the conversation counts on the specifics of the product including illustrations, mockups, and/or models.

At this moment, the agent or attorney will certainly do a more extensive search of the U.S. Patent Office as well as various other appropriate databases in the United States and/or globally. They are establishing if this invention is without a doubt unique, or if there are even more comparable patented items.

Their psychological attachment to the invention will shadow their judgment, and also they will certainly guide away from locating other comparable items. From my experience with customers who have done their search, they have neglected similar items that have currently been patented because they can not deal with the fact that their suggestion isn't as one-of-a-kind as they when believed it was. Also see https://theavtimes.com/2020/07/01/amazing-ways-inventhelp-can-assist-you-as-an-inventor/

Nonetheless, finding additional comparable products does not indicate that all is lost. The technique changes to comparing the proposed invention with the copyrighted one as well as going over methods to improve it and make it patentable. A great patent representative or attorney will certainly offer unbiased understanding at this phase. The procedure is to take the invention, disregard the parts that have already been included right into an additional patent or licenses, as well as the rest is a patentable invention.

They then submit for and obtain patent protection for their inventions, and also then wait.

The following demand is proactively certifying your invention is to create a practical service that will save the licensing event money, also if they additionally pay you. And yes, the goal should be to find other products in the market that are already trying to fix the same problem as their invention. Their emotional attachment to the invention will cloud their judgment, and they will certainly steer away from finding other similar items. The process is to take the invention, disregard the parts that have currently been incorporated into one more patent or licenses, and also the remainder is a patentable invention.

#InventHelp #Entrepreneurs #Ideas #Innovation #Products #Technology #Inventions #Prototypes #Inventors #Patent

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somegirlsnerdywords2 · 4 years ago

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Favourite Anime 2020

1. Fruits Basket 2nd Season (Rating: 10/10 - 25 Episodes - Spring 2020)

Genres: Slice of Life, Comedy, Supernatural, Drama, Romance, Shoujo

Synopsis: A year has passed since Tooru Honda began living in the Souma residence, and she has since created stronger relationships with its inhabitants Shigure, Kyou, and Yuki. She has also grown closer to the rest of the Souma family and has become familiar with their ancestral secret, having helped them with many of their personal issues. The closer Tooru gets, however, the more she begins to realize that their secret holds a darker truth than she first presumed. Summer is approaching and Tooru is invited to spend her days with the Soumas, mainly Kyou and Yuki. Tooru wishes for an easy-going vacation, but her close relationships with the two boys and the rest of the Soumas may prove to cause trouble. As they grow more intimate, their carefree time together is hindered by older hardships and feelings from the past that begin to resurface. The Eternal Banquet also dawns on the members of the zodiac, and they must tend to their duties alongside the unnerving head of the family, Akito Souma. With the banquet approaching and a plethora of feelings to be solved, will Tooru's life with the Soumas remain peaceful, or will she find herself in a situation from which she cannot escape? [Written by MAL Rewrite]

2. Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun (Rating: 10/10 - 12 Episodes - Winter 2020)

Genres: Comedy, School, Shounen, Supernatural

Synopsis: The famous "Seven Wonders" that every school seems to have are a staple of Japanese urban legends. One of the most well-known of these tales is that of Hanako-san: the ghost of a young girl who haunts the school's bathrooms. Kamome Academy has its own version of Hanako-san's legend. Rumors claim that if one successfully manages to summon Hanako-san, she will grant her summoner any wish. Lured by the gossip, many people have tried to call upon her, yet every attempt has failed. However, when Nene Yashiro, a girl hoping for romantic fortune, dares to summon Hanako-san, she discovers that the rumored "girl" is actually a boy! After a series of unfortunate events involving Nene's romantic desires, she is unwillingly entangled in the world of the supernatural, becoming Hanako-kun's assistant. Soon, she finds out about Hanako-kun's lesser-known duty: maintaining the fragile balance between mortals and apparitions. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

3. Otome Game no Hametsu Flag shika Nai Akuyaku Reijou ni Tensei shiteshimatta... (Rating: 9.5/10 - 12 episodes - Spring 2020)

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance, Fantasy, School

Synopsis: Most people would prefer being the protagonist of a world full of adventure, be it in a game or in another world. But, unfortunately, a certain girl is not so lucky. Regaining the memories of her past life, she realizes that she was reborn in the world of Fortune Lover—one of the games she used to play.

Unfortunately, the character she was reincarnated into—Katarina Claes—is the game's main antagonist, who faces utter doom in every ending. Using her extensive knowledge of the game, she takes it upon herself to escape from the chains of this accursed destiny.

However, this will not be an easy feat, especially since she needs to be cautious as to not set off death flags that may speed up the impending doom she is trying to avoid. Even so, to make a change that will affect the lives of everyone around her, she strives—not as the heroine—but as the villainess.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

4. Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu 2nd Season (Rating: 9.5/10 - 12 Episodes - Summer 2020)

Genres: Psychological, Drama, Thriller, Fantasy

Synopsis: A reunion that was supposed to spell the arrival of peaceful times is quickly shattered when Subaru Natsuki and Emilia return to Irlam village. Witnessing the devastation left behind by the calamities known as Sin Archbishops, Subaru sinks into the depths of despair as his ability to redo proves futile. As the group makes their way to the Sanctuary in search of answers, Subaru has an unexpected encounter with the Witch of Greed—Echidna. Subjected to her untamed rhythm, he is forced to dive into the spirals of the past and future. At the same time, several mysterious threats set their sights on the Sanctuary, heralding a horrific fate for the hapless people trapped within. Everlasting contracts, past sins, and unrequited love will clash and submerge into a river of blood in the second season of Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu. Pushed to the brink of hopelessness, how long will Subaru's resolve to save his loved ones last? [Written by MAL Rewrite]

5.Chihayafuru 3 (Rating: 9.5/10 - 24 Episodes - Fall 2019 Leftover)

Genres: Game, Slice of Life, Sports, Drama, School, Josei

Synopsis: Winning the high school team tournament was a great accomplishment for the Mizusawa members. Each of them has made great strides in improving themselves, and the victory symbolizes how far they've come. But after accomplishing one goal, their individual aims are within reach. Chihaya Ayase has her sights set on Wakamiya Shinobu and the title of Queen, and now that Taichi Mashima has made it into Class A, he can finally compete against Arata Wataya. Everyone in Mizusawa wants to get better, and there's no telling what the future holds if they keep trying. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

6. Boku no Hero Academia 4th Season (Rating: 9/10 - 25 Episodes - Fall 2019 Leftover)

Genres: Action, Comedy, Super Power, School, Shounen

Synopsis: After successfully passing his Provisional Hero License exam, Izuku "Deku" Midoriya seeks out an extracurricular internship with a professional hero agency. At the recommendation of his mentor All Might, Midoriya lands a position under All Might's former sidekick, Sir Nighteye, now a famous hero in his own right. As Midoriya's classmates further their own abilities through various internships, up-and-coming villain Kai Chisaki utilizes his terrifying powers to gather favor in the criminal underworld. Known by the moniker Overhaul, Chisaki's ambitions collide with the League of Villains and its leader, Tomura Shigaraki. Through his work with Sir Nighteye, Midoriya discovers Chisaki's crime syndicate and the villain's hostile relationship with a mysterious young girl named Eri. Fearing for the child's safety, Midoriya and his upperclassman Mirio Toogata must work together to put an end to Chisaki's reign of terror. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

7. Haikyuu!!: To the Top 2nd Season (Rating: 9/10 - 12 Episodes - Fall 2020)

Genres: Comedy, Sports, Drama, School, Shounen

Synopsis: Karasuno enters into the second half of Nationals with brand-new opponents: Inarizaki High. The long-standing powerhouse team includes a few familiar faces, namely Miya Atsumu. Named Japan's "best high school setter," Miya previously rubbed elbows with Kageyama at the All-Japan Youth Intensive Training Camp. Karasuno will have to overcome a setter that outranks their own, and Atsumu's twin brother is on the team, too. (Source: ANN)

8. Haikyuu!!: To the Top (Rating: 8.5/10 - 13 Episodes - Winter 2020)

Genres: Comedy, Sports, Drama, School, Shounen

Synopsis: After their triumphant victory over Shiratorizawa Academy, the Karasuno High School volleyball team has earned their long-awaited ticket to nationals. As preparations begin, genius setter Tobio Kageyama is invited to the All-Japan Youth Training Camp to play alongside fellow nationally recognized players. Meanwhile, Kei Tsukishima is invited to a special rookie training camp for first-years within the Miyagi Prefecture. Not receiving any invitations himself, the enthusiastic Shouyou Hinata feels left behind. However, Hinata does not back down. Transforming his frustration into self-motivation, he boldly decides to sneak himself into the same rookie training camp as Tsukishima. Even though Hinata only lands himself a job as the ball boy, he comes to see this as a golden opportunity. He begins to not only reflect on his skills as a volleyball player but also analyze the plethora of information available on the court and how he can apply it. As the much-anticipated national tournament approaches, the members of Karasuno's volleyball team attempt to overcome their weak points and refine their skills, all while aiming for the top! [Written by MAL Rewrite]

9. Kakushigoto (Rating: 8.5/10 - 12 Episodes - Spring 2020)

Genres: Slice of Life, Comedy, Shounen

Synopsis: Kakushi Gotou is a somewhat popular manga artist whose works are known for inappropriate content. Because of this raunchiness, when his daughter Hime was born, he vowed to keep his profession hidden from her, believing that she will be disillusioned if she finds out. This paranoia-induced belief leads Kakushi into hectic situations. Despite being a single father, he does his best and often resorts to extreme ends just to protect his secret, such as guising as a salaryman every day or holding emergency drills in case Hime somehow finds her way to his workplace. Kakushigoto tells the story of a father and daughter living side by side, maintaining their peaceful existence as the father attempts to preserve the status quo. However, there is a saying: "there are no secrets that time cannot reveal." In time, Hime must learn the reality behind the things she took for granted as she grew up. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

10. Fire Force Season 2 (Rating: 8/10 - 24 Episodes - Summer 2020)

Genres: Action, Supernatural, Shounen

Synopsis: After his confrontation in the Nether with his younger brother Shou, Shinra Kusakabe's resolve to become a hero that saves lives from the flame terror strengthens. Finding a way to turn the Infernals back into people, unraveling the mystery of the Evangelist and Adolla Burst, and saving his mother and Shou—these are the goals Shinra has in mind. However, he has come to realize that attaining these goals will not be easy, especially with the imminent danger the Evangelist poses. The Evangelist's plan is clear: to gather the eight pillars—the individuals who possess Adolla Burst—and sacrifice them to recreate the Great Cataclysm from 250 years ago. Having been revealed by the First Pillar that the birth of a new pillar is approaching, Shinra is determined to protect his fellow pillars from the Evangelist. Thus, the fiery battle between the Special Fire Force and the Evangelist ignites. Together with the Special Fire Force, Shinra's fight continues as he uncovers the truth about the Great Cataclysm and the nature of Adolla Bursts, as well as the mysteries behind human combustion. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

#fruits basket 2nd season #jibaku shounen hanako-kun #Toilet-bound Hanako-kun #Otome Game no Hametsu Flag shika Nai Akuyaku Reijou ni Tensei shiteshimatta #my next life as a villainess #re:zero season 2 #chihayafuru 3 #boku no hero academia #haikyuu to the top #kakushigoto

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nissakii · 4 years ago

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"You can be a hero!" - The Strongest Hero BNHA Game Review

We’re so used to watching our favorite characters fight their battles and anime as we cheer them on relentlessly. We are always on the sidelines and hope they succeed in their endeavors, but we are never in the stories ourselves.

That has now changed with the new mobile game that came out recently based on the popular anime Boku no Hero Academia by Kohei Horiskoshi.

Welcome to: Boku no Hero Academia - The Strongest Hero.

Today, a week after the global release of the game, having played a little and explored some of its features, we will dive into what the game brings to the table, the mechanics of it and what you can expect!

Makii and I worked together on this, especially since we are both fans of BNHA and love to delve deep into these kinds of reviews.

So to start off, this game has had its global release on the 19th of May 2021 and was published by Sony Pictures Television for the US and by A PLUS JAPAN for the EU already on the 18th of the same month.

Many people have pre-registered for the game release beforehand in hopes of snagging rewards, and only quickly enough the first million downloads were established in a matter of days. No wonder at all, since BNHA is one of the most popular new generation anime. There is a huge fan base surrounding it who are eager to play the game.

Before the global release was initiated, it was released by the chinese studio Xin Yuan on December 3rd 2020, which resulted in many people using VPNs and emulators to experience the charm of ‘The Strongest Hero’. No wonder the game downloads skyrocketed when it was released globally in english (more languages such as german and french coming soon), it was recorded that the players had problems getting into overloaded servers, but those problems were quickly managed.

If you have no idea what the anime or manga of BNHA is about but are still interested, let me give you a quick synopsis.

In a world where 80% of the population are born with mutant abilities called “Quirks”, the job of the superhero became more than just a fantasy in comics. Now, the police are second rate as everyone looks up to the heroes who support and save the world.

Izuku Midoriya, also known by his nickname ‘Deku’, is one of the few Quirkless humans but still admires hero-work like nobody else.

Until one day the tables turn and he ends up with his own new power, now ready to go to renowned U.A. highschool for heroes to become what he always wanted to be: someone who saved lives with a smile on his face.

Now in this game, you are the one who steps into the shoes of a young aspiring hero who wants to climb up the ladder of success and defeat all villains in your way while protecting your people.

Are you stoked now? Let’s find out more!

The Game:

Advertised as an action MMO-RPG, The Strongest Hero brings not only one but multiple different player modes that you can enjoy alone or with friends online!

Firstly, it’s an immersive story-telling game that lets you relive the actual plot of the anime Boku no Hero Academia so spoiler alert for the ones who haven’t watched it yet, this game will be dealing with the Deku’s story throughout it all.

It starts off with the first episode of the anime, showing us recaps and recreations of the anime but in the game-animation with small bits of interaction to refresh our memory on the fateful incidents that made Deku a true hero. With this retelling of the story, avid watchers of the anime can enjoy everything again from a new perspective, and new people with no knowledge of BNHA can still enjoy the game just as much.

It was even mentioned that the story campaign will be dealing with the contents of season one to three so far, with more already in planning.

So the developers made sure that the game is not only catered to its original fanbase, but to everybody out there!

Now with Deku as the first person you play as, we fast forward to Izuku who is more advanced in his skill set, as he already uses his original ‘shoot-style’ and One for All Full Cowling. You’re now a provisional Hero who just got his license, working for your own agency and completing missions all around town, meaning there is a little skip between the beginning of the game and where you actually start in Honei City.

The open-world is huge and leaves all sorts of possibilities to explore as you not only defeat villains, but also talk to the citizens and maybe even collect trash to fulfill your duty as a hero. Not only Deku is at your disposal, but currently a lot of other class 1-A students will soon fall into your hands! As Toshinori was released as a hero in the last update on May 26th we can assume that there are more to come.

Game modes:

Single player: As previously mentioned, the game will immediately lead you through the single player story campaign, as you try to keep the city safe and sound by defeating villains and completing missions.

There are next to the main-story missions the daily missions in which you ensure the city’s prosperity to get more rewards daily.

With this mode you can play with a multitude of skills and combos and the handling on the phone is very pleasant. With a left joystick on the touchscreen and skill buttons on the right you can activate the swift and powerful attacks that we already know from the anime.

There are also multiple things to do as a single-player as you can collect your daily supplies in several missions which you will need for training your hero, enhancing your gear and more limited to 20 runs for each supply with several difficulties.

Hero trials, commissions and even more features are all available despite being alone keeping you busy for a while, as some don’t even need stamina to fulfill since stamina limits the player in the missions they can do.

And if that is all too much action you can simply explore the city on your own and search for special items on your way.

This is extremely interesting for the ones who like to play at their own pace and alone to enjoy a mix of story-telling and hack n slash combat.

PvP: Contrary to the first mode, if you’re more interested in actually playing against others, ‘The Strongest Hero’ won’t disappoint in its Player vs. Player mode.

Even here we have multiple ways to play, as the Arena takes on a more classic 1 vs 1 feel in which you can defeat other players similar to other fighting-games, or the Super Co-Op battle which allows you to play 3 vs 3.

Soon we will also know what the mysterious War Zone Co-Op entails, as that feature is still to be launched.

Other Co-Op features are also the Agency assessment, the joint operation and Emergency.

Emergency shows us more of the work of a hero, in which you suddenly trigger an event that is of urgent matter and has to be completed with a team of other players quickly. Time runs out, and it is all about the true work of a hero where you have to act quick!

There is truly something for everyone in here

Not just an MMO:

Truly, this game is a lot more than just an MMO, even though its open-world is a huge part of it all.

To get your preferred heroes and play them, the game has a gacha system in place for you to pull for your luck!

Deku is in the player’s repertoire from the start, and his skill-set is very dynamic and swift with less damage but a lot more speed. His comments are just as loud as in the anime, and if that doesn’t give you any satisfaction do not worry! Every hero has his own fighting style and can be explored by playing the missions in which you will quickly deploy Denki Kaminari and Kirishima Eijiro.

The game differs between three types of heroes: Speed, Power and Technical as the three examples Deku, Kirishima and Denki already represent each respectively.

There is also knowledge that there will be Pro-heroes and even some villain characters in the mix.

The skills range extremely from heavy handed to swift or long to short range attacks. Just as varied as the fighting style is, we have beautiful animations that display the Quirks and many possibilities to use them.

Done with all the fighting? Look at the adorable dorm feature in which you can earn more stamina and organize a dorm room for your heroes. You can even make their chibi-versions run around in that room and catch a break from all the hero work.

Although the story might pester you with it’s orange glowing button in the upper right corner, you can just ignore everything and explore the gorgeously crafted open world environment(in most cases).

Yes, you can even walk up buildings!

Of course there is an autofinding feature to briskly get you to where your missions lead you, but if you so desire you can look at the urban starting world and walk around.

Since everyone else will have Deku as their first hero as well, it is incredibly amusing to see all the other Deku's running about.

The starting setting is true to the anime and shows us urban and modern Japan, with a strong hint of technological advancement.

The preset graphics on SD will give you the ability to walk around smoothly, but if your phone can take it, I urge you to at least try to up the graphics to a better resolution. The scenery is truly mesmerizing, and the art style as well as the visual effects have a huge appeal.

It’s even nicer to look at for the ones who haven’t seen enough of the BNHA universe in the anime, because now there are an abundance of regions to explore and the developers have made sure to give us a lot of eye candy.

“You” can be a Hero!:

After all this technical talk, why should you play this game?

First of all, from what I have witnessed as an excited anime watcher and manga reader, the story is catered to include the player.

It’s a lot more different than just watching Deku go through the world, you are actually responsible for how the mission turns out. It’s exhilarating to see characters from the anime like Kamui Woods and Mt.Lady talk to you and ask for help, as they are characters we didn’t see all that much in the anime. It gives the impression to be needed and included which is a great asset!

A hero doesn’t stray away from any work, so yes you will have to pick up trash from time to time or just talk to people to assess situations! Still, there are a lot of cameos of other characters like Hatsume Mei who takes care of your support gear.

Second of all, there is a lot of freedom for you.

From all the different game modes and mechanics to the story and even the split up Co-Op modes, you will have a lot of possibilities to explore and find why you want to play the game.

One thing is for certain, the gameplay has something for everyone and gives adequate rewards to you for every mission or task you clear. Features get unlocked gradually through playing the story and leveling up, which keeps the player on their toes.

One mission quickly leads to another, and it seems there is no end to what you can do, especially in the beginning of the game.

Sadly, that is also one of the drawbacks I will have to mention.

Due to the immense freedom and possibilities, the game bombards you with a lot of information. As a first time player, it’s probably that you will get overwhelmed by the forceful approach of the tutorial, but after a while it definitely gets a lot better in my opinion.

My personal highlights are the gacha system as I love to collect and work to pull my favorite characters, the story as a fan of the franchise and the co-op because I love to play the game with friends. So far I haven’t had the ability to actually play with others, but from what I’ve seen it all has a lot of potential.

Even though we’re talking about a free-to-play game, since stamina is one of the necessities to play missions etc, it is very scarce and often drives one to want to buy it, which is why the game leans towards a pay-to-win game. Still, with a bit more patience and some hard work everything is playable for free.

All in all, I shall conclude that The Strongest Hero is an honest and great attempt at making an anime based game which held a lot of expectations from the fanbase.

The immersive factors are amazing, the animations are top tier and the possibilities seem endless. At the end of the day it’s a game that is playable regardless of how much time you have due to the auto-play-function in many features and can be enjoyed in your personal way.

I hope you enjoyed our take on reviewing the game and give it a shot! If you have played it already or are planning to, please leave your personal impressions in the comments!

What a Co-Op teatime! Hope to see you again!

SUUMASHU!!

-Nissa & Makii

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acustardduckling · 5 years ago

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So this was 2019...

I’m a little late with my speech this year! But it’s still January 1st.

As per usual, I’ll summarise the events of the previous year under the cut.

I’m gonna be real. 2019 wasn’t a great year. A close family member of mine lost his battle with cancer, and it’s been pretty hard for his side of the family. We’re supporting them as best we can, but prayers are appreciated.

My cough and stomach issues are ever-present, too -- no developments in medical science have been made to determine what the hell is wrong yet, other than calling it ‘gastritis’, but I’m taking medicine to make it less irritating. So... could be worse!

NOW FOR THE GOOD NEWS:

I started my Master’s Degree in Creative writing, and I’ve been having a lot of fun with it. It’s been a lot of work too, of course -- meeting the writing requirements is no easy feat, but I feel like I’m accomplishing something. I’m writing a novel about ghosts! Maybe you’ll get to read it someday. Maybe.

OH ... AND I ACTUALLY HELPED PUBLISH A BOOK THIS YEAR, I FORGOT ABOUT THAT. I was a co-editor for an anthology produced by my university, and my name was on the front cover. That’s a reeaaally big deal for me!!!

STILL HAVEN’T LEARNED HOW TO DRIVE, but I got myself a provisional license. 2020 will probably be the year of getting an official licence, and for getting a paying job. It’s a little scary, but I feel like it’s about time!

I’ve been writing for Splattales and Octowussabi a lot this year too. Made lots of lovely roleplay memories~ I hope to make many more, but if you want a summary, I’d advise reading the blogs themselves, h e h e h.

Well, that’s pretty much everything I can summarise off the top of my head. No doubt a lot more happened, but I’ll do an ‘end of a decade’ reflection some other time, eh?

Here’s to 2020!

It’s gonna be a good year. IT WILL BE. IT WILL.

#New Year Speech #Life of Jasmib

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gordonwilliamsweb · 4 years ago

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Addiction Treatment Providers in Pa. Face Little State Scrutiny Despite Harm to Clients

This investigation is a joint project of KHN, a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues, and Spotlight PA, an independent, collaborative newsroom dedicated to producing investigative journalism for all of Pennsylvania.

This story also ran on Spotlight PA. It can be republished for free.

When Ian Kalinowski was at work, his mom usually texted him. So when he saw her number show up as an incoming call around lunchtime one Tuesday, he figured it had to be important.

Now, more than seven years later, he remembers her screams, the shock and the questions she asked over and over again.

“Why are they saying this to me? Why are they lying to me?” Ian recalled his mom asking. “They’re telling me Adam’s dead. Why would they do this to me?”

Adam was Ian’s older brother. Growing up, it seemed they spent every second together. Football, hockey and tag filled long days outside their Pittsburgh home. When Ian moved away for college, he and Adam turned to online poker to stay in touch. Adam served as best man at Ian’s wedding, and Ian admired his brother’s artistic streak. Adam could turn any piece of paper into an origami swan. His mom’s home is still full of swans.

Adam’s struggle with opioid and alcohol addiction was painful for Ian to watch. The problems began, it seemed to Ian, after Adam dropped out of college and used drugs to deal with his depression. Adam sought treatment, and he relied on methadone for many years, but his problems continued. When he was 32, he typically drank dozens of beers each day. On Feb. 3, 2014, he entered a treatment center run by Addiction Specialists Inc., according to a lawsuit later filed by his family against the facility. The center, in a Fayette County strip mall, was about an hour’s drive south of Pittsburgh.

Less than 24 hours after Adam made it to the facility, he was dead, according to expert reports from doctors in the family’s wrongful death lawsuit. Ian couldn’t understand what went wrong, and neither could his mom, still in denial on the other end of the phone call.

What his family didn’t know was that Addiction Specialists, often known as ASI, had a history of violating state rules. In a later federal investigation into the facility’s billing and drug distribution practices, a grand jury concluded that a litany of problems occurred at the business many months before and after Adam’s arrival.

In the wrongful death suit, a lawyer for the Kalinowski family alleged Adam wasn’t evaluated by a physician when he arrived at ASI, didn’t receive the medication or treatment he needed, became increasingly uneasy and anxious throughout the night and killed himself. An Allegheny County judge in December 2019 said the business, two of its owners — Rosalind and Sean Sugarmann — and an ASI physician were negligent in caring for Adam. The judge ordered them to pay over $1.6 million in damages, although Ian doubts they ever will.

ASI eventually shut down, two years after Adam died.

In recent interviews with KHN-Spotlight PA, the Sugarmanns denied responsibility for Adam’s death and maintained that ASI was a good facility. Rosalind said it helped a lot of people in a rural area with a high drug-overdose rate.

Addiction treatment facilities in Pennsylvania, like ASI, are licensed and regulated by the state to ensure they follow certain rules and keep vulnerable people struggling with addiction safe. Oversight used to fall to the Department of Health. But in 2012, the state created the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, a $125 million agency set up to give substance use the attention lawmakers felt it deserved.

At the time of Adam’s death in 2014, the department had taken few disciplinary actions against ASI. It had issued citations and required the company to submit plans to correct them. But the Sugarmanns told KHN-Spotlight PA that, at the time, they didn’t fear the state would shut them down.

Perhaps for good reason.

A KHN-Spotlight PA investigation found that the department has allowed providers to continue operating despite repeated violations of state regulations and harm to clients. More than 80 interviews and a review of thousands of pages of state government and court records revealed that the department lacks resources and regulatory power, uses an inherently flawed oversight system that does little to ensure high-quality or effective care, and rarely takes strong disciplinary action against facilities when so many Pennsylvanians need services.

The department has no standard criteria for when it should force facilities to serve fewer patients and, as of early April, had revoked just one treatment provider’s license in nearly a decade. It doesn’t, as a regular practice, compare facilities to see if any stand out for an unusual number of violations or the most client deaths. And since state inspections focus heavily on records, they can be tricked with fraudulent paperwork, former employees in the treatment field said.

This leaves Pennsylvanians — who suffer one of the highest drug overdose death rates in the nation — in the dark about which treatment facilities have troubling track records.

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Some advocates point out that overregulating or closing facilities could leave people suffering from addiction without options for care. But in the current system, state and judicial records show, some patients have received inadequate treatment or even died; certain facilities have fraudulently billed insurance companies; and owners rake in federal and state tax dollars, as well as private money from victims of the opioid crisis.

“Many of these rehab facilities are not properly run or supervised, and many are in it for the money,” said Peter Friday, an attorney who represented Adam’s family in their lawsuit. “These places have been unbridled.”

Who Polices the Providers?

Even though the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs provides the licenses that allow addiction treatment facilities to operate, Jennifer Smith, secretary of the department, said it has limited responsibility for them. Law enforcement agencies are often better positioned to take action against troubled providers, she said, and insurance companies that pay for services also offer oversight.

“It’s not our job to really police the providers,” Smith said in an interview. “Our function is to really try to enable them to meet the [state’s] requirements, and by doing so, enabling them to provide quality services.”

Yet, as the regulating body of these treatment facilities, the department collects some of the most critical information necessary to properly police them, including reports of client deaths and physical and sexual assaults.

Smith said most providers are trying to do good work. She said annual inspections ensure facilities meet safety standards, like having enough staff members and a building that’s up to code. But inspections are not meant to evaluate quality of care, she said.

The KHN-Spotlight PA investigation found the department makes little of what it knows about troubling facilities accessible to the public. Its website shows if a facility currently has a provisional license — a designation indicating the provider failed to meet several state requirements and will be inspected more frequently until it resolves those concerns — but not whether it ever received such a sanction in the past, for what issues, nor how they were resolved.

The department does not post the reports it collects about deaths and assaults, which represent some of the most concerning events at treatment facilities.

When KHN-Spotlight PA filed a public records request for those reports, the department shared only incidents that it decided did not warrant investigation. It said it could not provide the total number of such events at specific facilities since it doesn’t have aggregate data prior to September 2019, when it launched a new electronic reporting system. Even the available data from that new system provides an incomplete picture, as less than a quarter of treatment facilities had enrolled in the voluntary system as of March 2021.

Smith said people should pick facilities the same way they do primary care doctors, based on publicly available information, personal recommendations and discussions with insurers.

One of the main public resources the department offers is a website with reports from its facility inspections. Inspectors write these reports after a site visit, listing any violations of state regulations they found. But these reports provide a limited window into the daily reality for clients, as there’s no indication of which violations are more severe than others, and many regulations focus on building conditions and completion of records. One regulation, for example, mandates the temperature at which refrigerated food must be maintained.

In response to each violation inspectors find, the facility submits a plan to address it. If the facility fails to provide a plan or follow through on it, the department has two primary options: force the facility to reduce the number of clients it serves or issue a provisional license. If the department wants to permanently revoke a facility’s license, it must go through an administrative court process to get approval.

In nearly a decade before December 2020, the state issued provisional licenses to fewer than 80 facilities — less than 10% of providers— and forced only three to reduce their capacity, according to data from the department. In ASI’s case, regulators said multiple times that the company failed to document that it provided required counseling and other services. A department spokesperson said it didn’t force ASI to operate under provisional licenses before 2015 because the business submitted plans of correction the department found acceptable. Even if a facility has many violations, the department considers how cooperative it is in working to fix them, Smith said.

After a recent reorganization, the department formed a quality improvement unit with three employees, Smith said. The unit may work directly with treatment facilities but is meant to address broader prevention efforts and other addiction-related programs as well. The department is also working with a national company to provide an online platform where clients can leave reviews of facilities, starting in spring 2022.

But many employees and clients in the treatment field are skeptical of any long-term improvement. For years, they’ve seen troubled facilities make fixes, only to have the same deficiencies arise in later inspections.

The department’s own records show the cycle can persist for years.

Years of Citations, Little Action

At SOAR Corp methadone clinic in Philadelphia, inspectors from the state Department of Health first issued citations for unqualified employees in 2009, before the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs was created and took over inspections in 2012. Inspectors at the time also found one counselor who was responsible for 40 clients — above the state-mandated maximum of 35.

SOAR Corp responded by saying it had demoted an unqualified counselor, had hired another counselor to lower caseloads and would ensure future hires met the state’s requirements.

But state records show that within a year of those 2009 citations, the facility was cited three more times for similar issues: hiring an unqualified project director, overloading counselor caseloads and lacking enough medical personnel. Year after year, state inspectors found the same problems. Yet the state approved SOAR to open additional locations in Lansdowne, Levittown and Warminster in 2010, 2016 and 2018, respectively.

In interviews with KHN-Spotlight PA, a dozen former employees and nearly a dozen current and former clients across multiple SOAR sites complained about poor hiring practices and chronic understaffing as just two symptoms of their much larger concerns. They believed the company relentlessly pursued profits by getting as many clients in the door as possible, with little care for the quality of treatment.

The Philadelphia location has received three provisional licenses from the state, in 2012, 2019 and 2020, putting it among the 10 most frequent recipients of this sanction over nearly the past decade.

The former counselors felt that expectations to maximize “billable hours” led to their burnout. And they saw high turnover among staffers. The former and current clients said they sometimes went weeks without therapy or were switched from one overwhelmed counselor to another every few months.

Nicole Tihansky was a client at SOAR’s Levittown location for about a year until last fall. She said she waited more than a month before getting her first counseling session, and then was assigned about five counselors, one after the other.

“It makes you just want to get in and out of the session quickly, because you know you’ll get another counselor in a month,” she said.

Understaffing is a problem across the treatment industry, according to employees in the field. But former SOAR employees who have worked for multiple companies said SOAR stood out in their experiences for its high staff turnover and inadequate therapy.

“It’s not about therapy or addressing the needs of clients,” said Esther Kirshenbaum, a counselor who worked at the Philadelphia location from 2017 to 2019. “The attitude is to just get clients in here and make sure we get paid.”

In a statement, SOAR CEO Richard Mangano said the company “makes every effort to comply with local, State, and Federal regulations.”

KHN-Spotlight PA shared with SOAR a detailed list of more than a dozen allegations from their reporting, including violations of state regulations and putting profits over patient care. Mangano did not address them specifically.

“Soar Corp categorically denies any allegation or suggestion of wrongdoing. … Soar Corp has and will continue to work with DDAP to improve the important services it provides,” Mangano wrote, referring to the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs.

In its responses to state citations in recent years, SOAR explained that clients didn’t show up to scheduled counseling sessions, and that services like drug tests and physician evaluations had been provided but simply not documented properly.

The Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs has never forced SOAR to decrease its capacity, nor have state officials initiated the administrative court process to permanently revoke its license.

Former clients and employees said state licensing inspections were announced ahead of time, causing a rush by SOAR employees in the days before a site visit to complete treatment plans, counseling notes and other required paperwork.

Nicholas Cucchiaro was a SOAR counselor from 2017 to 2018. He shared with KHN-Spotlight PA what he reported to the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs and the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General after he was fired. He told the agencies that a senior administrator at SOAR instructed him to make up counseling notes for clients who had gone weeks without an assigned therapist.

“These are notes from therapy sessions that never happened,” he said, adding he knew it was wrong but feared losing his job if he didn’t comply.

About a dozen other former employees and clients described to KHN-Spotlight PA their own experiences of similar practices, ranging from thrusting months’ worth of forms upon clients in the days before an inspection to backdating their paperwork.

The Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs and the attorney general’s office both agreed to look into the allegations, Cucchiaro said, but he didn’t hear of any consequences for SOAR.

The attorney general’s office told KHN-Spotlight PA that it reviewed “a small number” of complaints regarding SOAR and referred the matter to the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs.

Smith, the department head, said that as a general matter it’s difficult to prevent facilities from falsifying paperwork, because state regulations require advance notice of licensing inspections. But if the department receives a complaint, it can conduct unannounced inspections, she said, and other facilities have been cited for fraudulent paperwork.

Unannounced site visits were made in response to the complaints at SOAR, according to a department spokesperson, and citations were issued for violations that did not include fraudulent paperwork. SOAR’s Philadelphia location received provisional licenses in 2019 and 2020, but as of mid-April all the company’s sites were operating on full licenses after remedying the cited issues.

A Growing Industry

One significant limitation on the department’s oversight is its inability to impose financial penalties on treatment facilities.

In contrast, the state’s environmental protection and health departments can fine polluters and nursing homes for violations.

A 2017 report from the state auditor general’s office urged lawmakers to allow the department to charge licensing fees and assess financial penalties, pointing to other states that do so. Smith told KHN-Spotlight PA that fining facilities would help weed out repeat violators.

A bill introduced in the Pennsylvania legislature to allow the department to generate licensing fees went nowhere two years ago. A similar measure was recently referred to the state Senate Health and Human Services Committee.

“I hope that it’s considered quickly as ensuring drug treatment facilities are given appropriate oversight is of utmost importance,” the bill’s sponsor, state Sen. Judy Schwank (D-Berks), said in a statement.

Meanwhile, with millions of dollars on the line, the treatment industry is growing in Pennsylvania. Over the past four years, the state has seen a net gain of about 40 facilities, the department said, bringing the total to more than 800 treatment providers. State budget documents suggest the industry’s client capacity has grown by about 5,000 over a similar period.

The Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs employed 82 people, including two dozen who conduct facility inspections, as of April. That's about half the number of dog wardens employed by the state to inspect kennels.

Smith said there is “adequate staff to perform our current licensing responsibilities.”

In December 2018 — the same year the department said it received complaints from former SOAR employees and clients — it approved the company to open a location in Warminster. Inspection surveys at the facility since have found it violated state rules by providing a certain medication without state approval and failing to provide the required hours of therapy to some patients.

A former SOAR supervisor who is still working in the treatment industry and asked not to be named doubts the state will ever take stronger action against the company.

“The state knows the demand for treatment and the demand for medication-assisted treatment,” the former supervisor said. “If you took SOAR’s license in Northeast Philadelphia and didn’t give them a provisional, you could be displacing 500 clients.”

The Need for Treatment

The urgency of the opioid crisis puts regulators in a tough position: If they shut down a facility, where will all the patients get treatment?

James McKay, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s medical school who researches the efficacy of addiction treatments, said facilities that are committing insurance fraud or actively harming patients should be penalized. But the question becomes more complicated when judging how well a facility is serving its clients.

In Philadelphia, where there are many treatment programs, it might make sense to close one that has ineffective interventions, untrained counselors and many clients dropping out, McKay said.

“But if you’re out in the middle of the state and there’s only one treatment program in any reasonable distance, as long as they're not treating you badly, you’re at least going to get some support and meet others in recovery,” he said. “So much of this depends on what the other alternatives are.”

In western Pennsylvania, an inpatient detox and rehab facility called Clear Day Treatment of Westmoreland has received multiple provisional licenses since it opened in 2018. State inspectors have noted at least six incidents that involved drugs on the premises and have cited the facility at least twice for understaffing, writing that the lack of sufficient staff fails to ensure “efficient and safe operation.”

Despite these concerns, the facility is the only one in the county that provides detox services while allowing patients to stay on any of three medications for opioid use disorder. Many patients in the area need that service, said Colleen Hughes, executive director of the Westmoreland Drug and Alcohol Commission. (The commission is one of more than 40 agencies across the state that the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs contracts with to coordinate substance use services locally.)

The commission determined in 2017 that a lack of residential rehabs in the county was one factor delaying people’s treatment. Clear Day responded to a request for proposals to meet that need from companies that manage Medicaid-paid behavioral health for the state in that region. Clear Day has been awarded nearly $750,000 in state Medicaid funds left over from previous years to help with startup costs, according to Southwest Behavioral Health Management, one of the companies that put out the request.

Stephen Devlin, executive director of Clear Day, said in a statement that Southwest Behavioral Health Management closely monitored those funds, which helped the facility provide “much needed” addiction treatment services.

“State auditors have been diligent in ensuring that Clear Day addressed all deficiencies that have been identified during audits,” Devlin wrote, “and, further, that Clear Day provides strong and effective treatment to the individuals in our care.”

Hughes said her office has addressed the issues of understaffing and drugs on the premises with Clear Day through meetings and training sessions.

Smith, head of the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, said: “None of us want to see providers closing. We want them to be successful. We want them to be able to deliver the services for their benefit and for ours.”

Waiting for Consequences

In Fayette County, ASI came under fire from state and federal authorities in 2015.

The FBI raided the facility that October. The following January, a federal grand jury indicted one of the owners, Rosalind Sugarmann, and an ASI doctor on multiple counts of illegally distributing a medication to treat opioid addiction.

Nearly three months later, a counselor employed by ASI overdosed while staying at the facility, an attorney for the state later said in an administrative court filing against ASI. Ultimately, a bankruptcy case forced the business to close.

In late 2016, Sugarmann pleaded guilty to illegal drug distribution and health care fraud. But that hasn’t kept her and her family out of the recovery business. Less than a year after she was released from prison, Sugarmann — who has talked publicly about her own substance use decades ago — announced she was opening a recovery home.

“I’m not going to stop working with addicts ever. That’s my calling in life,” Sugarmann said in an interview with KHN-Spotlight PA. “Somebody helped me, and I help somebody else.”

But two families said Sugarmann failed their loved ones.

There’s Adam Kalinowski, who died at ASI in 2014, and there’s 37-year-old James Pschirer, who died of an overdose in a recovery home Sugarmann’s family operates. These homes offer peer support and often have curfews and rules designed to help people stay away from drugs after they’ve been discharged from inpatient treatment.

In Kalinowski’s case, Sugarmann said ASI reported his death to everyone it was required to. There’s no indication from department records that the state cited ASI in connection with his suicide.

(The Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs wouldn’t comment on Kalinowski’s case specifically but said it worked with the FBI to investigate problems at ASI.)

Neither Sugarmann nor her husband, Sean, mounted a defense against the Kalinowski family’s lawsuit in court. In a recent interview with KHN-Spotlight PA, Sean Sugarmann placed the blame for Kalinowski’s death elsewhere, saying that the facility was staffed correctly and that, given his eventual suicide, Kalinowski never should have been sent to ASI.

Kalinowski’s family also sued UPMC Mercy, the Pittsburgh hospital where he was treated before going to ASI, and affiliated entities, but resolved the claims against them through a private settlement, according to a family attorney. UPMC denied responsibility for Kalinowski’s death. In a pretrial court filing, an expert witness for UPMC directed blame at ASI, saying Kalinowski was well enough to be safely discharged to a residential treatment facility. That he wasn’t evaluated by a doctor, nurse or professional counselor when he arrived at ASI was a concern, the expert wrote, and “perhaps this tragedy could have been avoided” if ASI had provided a higher level of care.

More recently, Rosalind Sugarmann has faced criticism for her involvement with recovery homes.

In February 2019, while still under federal supervision, Sugarmann announced on a blog that she was “back in commission!!” and would open a men’s recovery home called The Second Act outside Pittsburgh.

A 2017 law gave the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs new power to regulate recovery homes in addition to treatment facilities. The state missed a June 2020 deadline to implement the voluntary licensing process but plans to roll out the program this year.

James Pschirer turned to The Second Act for a place to stay in the fall of 2019. His mom, Andrea Zack, helped him with rent, writing out a $250 check to Sugarmann, according to a photocopy of the check the family provided.

Then, on Nov. 1, 2019, James died inside the home from a fentanyl and cocaine overdose, a photo of the death certificate provided by his family showed.

Andrea and James’ sister, Amanda Pschirer, went to The Second Act to collect his clothes and personal items. Andrea kept the coins in his pockets, knowing he had touched them.

It wasn’t until after James’ death that his family found out about Sugarmann’s criminal conviction, they said.

Amanda knows her brother chose to use drugs, but she thinks he could still be alive if he had stayed in another home with better oversight. And she’s angry that nothing stopped Sugarmann from being involved with one.

“I am worried that someone else will die under her care,” Amanda said.

In interviews, Rosalind and Sean Sugarmann downplayed their involvement with The Second Act. “My kids are involved in the recovery homes,” Rosalind told KHN-Spotlight PA. “I’m not an owner there.” The business is registered in their children’s names, and Rosalind said she’s lived in Los Angeles since early 2020.

Still, Sean Sugarmann acknowledged helping his adult children manage the business, and said in March he was living in the men’s home at that time. One of his daughters referred questions about The Second Act to Sean. Rosalind promotes the business on social media accounts, encouraging people to move in. She told KHN-Spotlight PA, “I’m not gonna deny that I’m a consultant.”

Sean said an overdose death “could have happened anywhere, and I think it happens everywhere.”

Last fall, Amanda Pschirer reached out to state officials with concerns about recovery homes. But she said she didn’t receive a response for four months. The department said a computer glitch with an online form, discovered in January, caused the delay in responding to her submission and about 260 others.

Ian Kalinowski, whose brother died at ASI seven years ago, has followed Rosalind’s posts online and saw that she’s still involved in the recovery business. He’s outraged.

He and his family are still grieving Adam’s loss. Ian wishes his young children had gotten to meet their uncle. He doubts the ASI defendants will ever provide the $1.6 million-plus that the judge said they owe.

Ian recognizes that ASI’s leaders faced some consequences for problems at the business.

“But there have still been no repercussions for what happened to my brother,” he said of the Sugarmanns.

He’s not optimistic there ever will be.

Methodology: How We Investigated Pennsylvania’s Addiction Treatment Industry and Found Weak Oversight of Providers

Pennsylvania is at the epicenter of the nation’s opioid crisis, ranking among the top five states for overdose death rates and top 10 for number of adults suffering from substance use disorder in recent years, according to national data. And the addiction treatment industry there is growing.

Federal grants, state initiatives and Medicaid pump millions of taxpayer dollars into the field annually. The state has seen a net gain of about 40 licensed treatment facilities over the past four years, bringing the total to more than 800.

But an investigation by Spotlight PA and KHN found the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs — which licenses these facilities — provides weak oversight and lacks the resources and regulatory power to police them, allowing providers to continue operating despite repeated violations and harm to clients. The department has no standard criteria to determine when it should force facilities to serve fewer patients and, in nearly a decade, has revoked just one provider’s license.

Spotlight PA, an independent, collaborative newsroom reporting on the Pennsylvania state government and statewide issues, began investigating the oversight of addiction treatment facilities shortly after its launch in late 2019. The newsroom later partnered with KHN, a national organization that produces in-depth journalism about health issues.

Our team began by scraping thousands of facility inspection reports from the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs’ website. We then analyzed them to find the most egregious citations: ones that mentioned a failure to report patient deaths and assault, that noted medication errors or that revealed unsafe staffing ratios.

We also requested from the department historical data about which facilities had received provisional licenses — designations indicating that facilities have failed to meet several state requirements and will be inspected more frequently until they resolve those concerns. The department didn’t have an automated system to gather this data but agreed to compile it manually. It provided the information with the following caveat: “Due to incorrect data entered into the licensing database, the attached report may not include all provisional licenses since 2012. It is as close to accurate as we can determine base[d] on the available data.”

Additionally, the team filed an open records request for reports of unusual incidents. These are certain serious events that the department requires facilities to report, including client deaths and incidents of physical and sexual abuse, among others. The department provided reports of only those incidents that it decided did not warrant investigation. It said it could not provide the total number of such events because it doesn’t have facility-specific aggregate data prior to September 2019, when it launched a new electronic reporting system. Even available data from that new system provides an incomplete picture, as less than a quarter of treatment facilities had enrolled in the voluntary system as of March 2021.

Reporters also reviewed the department’s administrative court history to see cases in which the state had initiated legal action against a facility.

To further inform our reporting, Spotlight PA launched a public callout for readers to send in tips and concerns about facilities.

Using a combination of these sources — facility inspection surveys, provisional license history, administrative court cases, limited reports of unusual incidents and tips from the public — we compiled a list of 34 facilities that appeared to have the most troubling track records.

From the short list of facilities, Spotlight PA and KHN reporters then reached out to current and former employees and clients at various locations. The interviews helped establish whether people’s firsthand experiences matched the concerns that arose in the data.

Our reporters also reviewed the licensing applications that these facilities had submitted to the state, as well as lawsuits filed by clients and employees against the facilities. We interviewed former employees of the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs to understand the oversight system and challenges within the agency.

The final story was based on interviews with more than 80 people and a review of thousands of pages of state government and court records.

Spotlight PA is powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. The independent, nonpartisan newsroom is funded by foundations and readers like you who are committed to accountability journalism that gets results: spotlightpa.org/donate

KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.

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wikiuntamed · 1 year ago

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On this day in Wikipedia: Tuesday, 31st October

Welcome, Benvenuta, Velkommen, Willkommen 🤗 What does @Wikipedia say about 31st October through the years 🏛️📜🗓️?

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Image licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 de? by Arne Müseler

31st October 2018 🗓️ : Death - Willie McCovey Willie McCovey, American baseball player (b. 1938) "Willie Lee McCovey (January 10, 1938 – October 31, 2018), nicknamed "Stretch", "Mac" and "Willie Mac", was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman from 1959 to 1980, most notably as a member of the San Francisco Giants for whom he played for 19..."

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31st October 2013 🗓️ : Death - Johnny Kucks Johnny Kucks, American baseball player (b. 1933) "John Charles Kucks (July 27, 1932 – October 31, 2013) was a pitcher for the New York Yankees and Kansas City Athletics in Major League Baseball. In 1952, he was signed as an amateur free agent. Johnny Kucks won the final game of the 1956 World Series between the Yankees and Brooklyn Dodgers,..."

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31st October 1973 🗓️ : Event - Provisional Irish Republican Army Three Provisional Irish Republican Army members escaped from Mountjoy Prison in Dublin aboard a hijacked helicopter that landed in the prison's exercise yard. "The Provisional Irish Republican Army (Provisional IRA), officially known as the Irish Republican Army (IRA; Irish: Óglaigh na hÉireann) and informally known as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary force that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland, facilitate Irish reunification..."

Image licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0? by Erik G

31st October 1923 🗓️ : Event - Fahrenheit The first of 160 consecutive days of 100° Fahrenheit at Marble Bar, Western Australia. "The Fahrenheit scale () is a temperature scale based on one proposed in 1724 by the physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686–1736). It uses the degree Fahrenheit (symbol: °F) as the unit. Several accounts of how he originally defined his scale exist, but the original paper suggests the lower..."

Image by Stilfehler

31st October 1822 🗓️ : Event - Agustín de Iturbide Emperor Agustín de Iturbide attempts to dissolve the Congress of the Mexican Empire. "Agustín de Iturbide (Spanish pronunciation: [aɣusˈtin de ituɾˈbiðe] ; 27 September 1783 – 19 July 1824), full name Agustín Cosme Damián de Iturbide y Arámburu and later known as Emperor Agustín I of Mexico was an officer in the royal Spanish army. During the Mexican War of Independence he initially..."

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Primitivo Miranda (1822-1897)

31st October 🗓️ : Holiday - Girl Scouts Founders Day (United States) "Scouts' Day or Guides' Day is a generic term for special days observed by members of the Scouting movement throughout the year. Some of these days have religious significance, while others may be a simple celebration of Scouting. Typically, it is a day when all members of Scouting will re-affirm the..."

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#OnThisDayInWikiHistory #WikiUntamed #WikiWandering #WikiQuest

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brainmassfinance · 4 years ago

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Pre Market update (D Street) : Thursday, 17 Dec 2020 (Weekly Expiry)

The Indian stock market is expected to open flat as trends on SGX Nifty indicate a flat start for the index in India.

On December 16, benchmark indices ended higher for the fourth consecutive day with record closing high. The Sensex was up 403.29 points or 0.87% at 46,666.46, and the Nifty was up 114.80 points or 0.85% at 13,682.70.According to pivot charts, the key support levels for the Nifty are placed at 13,628.7, followed by 13,574.7. If the index moves up, the key resistance levels to watch out for are 13,714.5 and 13,746.3.

US Markets

Wall Street rose on December 16, with the Nasdaq closing at a record high as investors awaited a potential fiscal economic stimulus package and after the Federal Reserve repeated a pledge to keep its benchmark interest rate near zero.

Asian Markets

Asian stocks were set for gains on December 17 as progress toward a long-awaited US stimulus package and a pledge by the Federal Reserve to keep interest rates low helped the Nasdaq benchmark to a fresh record high.

SGX Nifty

Trends on SGX Nifty indicate a flat start for the broader index in India. The Nifty futures were trading around 13,682 level on the Singaporean Exchange.

Crude

Oil prices hit a nine-month-high early on December 17 after US government data showed that crude stockpiles fell last week and on optimism over a coronavirus relief package in the United States.

Fed pledges to keep buying bonds

The Federal Reserve on December 16 vowed to keep funneling cash into financial markets until the US economic recovery is secure, a promise of long-term help that fell short of hopes of an immediate move to shore up a recent pandemic-related slide.

With interest rates anchored at zero likely for years to come, the Fed added a more explicit promise to continue the current bond-buying program until there is “substantial further progress” in restoring full employment and hitting its 2 percent inflation target.

Union Cabinet approves auction of spectrum

The Union Cabinet and the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 16, approved a proposal of the Department of Telecommunications to conduct spectrum auction and assistance of about Rs 3,500 crore for sugarcane farmers, among other key decisions.

Bharat Biotech's Phase I result shows coronavirus vaccine safe

An Indian government-backed COVID-19 vaccine showed it was safe and triggered immune responses during an ongoing early-stage trial, the company involved in the study said in a statement on Wednesday.

Bharat Biotech, the private company developing COVAXIN with the government-run Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), said: “COVAXIN demonstrated acceptable safety profile and high immune response. . . No serious (grade 3-4) adverse events were reported.”

Phase II and Phase III clinical trials are underway.

Tax refunds worth Rs 1.48 lakh crore issued so far this fiscal: I-T Department

The income tax department on Wednesday said it has issued refunds of over Rs 1.48 lakh crore to more than 1.02 crore taxpayers till December 14. Of this, personal income tax refunds worth Rs 45,264 crore and corporate tax refunds of Rs 1.03 lakh crore have been issued.

CBDT issued refunds of over Rs 1,48,274 crore to more than 1.02 crore taxpayers between April 1 and December 14.

"Income tax refunds of Rs 45,264 crore have been issued in 1,00,02,982 cases and corporate tax refunds of Rs 1,03,010 crore have been issued in 2,00,854 cases," the department said in a tweet.

SEBI eases norms for FPO, tightens rules for stressed companies

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has allowed promoters more space to raise funds via a Follow-on Public Offer (FPO) and has also taken steps to limit price manipulation when companies are relisted after undergoing bankruptcy proceedings.

The regulator, in its December 16 board meeting, approved recalibration of minimum public shareholding norms for companies going through Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP), and also doing away with the applicability of minimum promoters’ contribution and subsequent lock-in requirements for follow-on public offer.

US retail sales fall 1.1% in November as virus surges

US retail sales fell sharply in November, according to government data released Wednesday, a further sign of economic trouble as COVID-19 cases climbed and lawmakers remained deadlocked on approving economic stimulus.

Sales fell 1.1 percent compared to October, when sales also dipped, the Commerce Department reported, much sharper than expected.

The data were released as the ongoing deadlock in Congress on more fiscal aid as well as the surge in virus cases have raised fears the world's largest economy is heading for a renewed slowdown.

SEBI allows fintechs to apply for mutual fund licenses with relaxed norms

In its board meeting held on December 16, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) decided that even sponsors that don’t meet the profitability criteria can apply for mutual fund (MF) licenses.

“This move will help fintechs that are looking at entering the mutual fund (MF) industry to seek MF license,” says the chief executive officer of a fund house, requesting anonymity.

However, the fintech company will have to demonstrate the existence of a Rs 100 crore net-worth in the mutual fund, till it records five years of continuous profitability.

Bitcoin breaks above $20,000 for first time

Bitcoin smashed through $20,000 for the first time on December 16, its highest ever.

The cryptocurrency jumped 4.5 percent to move as high as $20,440. It has gained more than 170 percent this year, buoyed by demand from larger investors attracted to its potential for quick gains, purported resistance to inflation and expectations it will become a mainstream payment method.

FII and DII data

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) net bought shares worth Rs 1,981.77 crore, whereas domestic institutional investors (DIIs) net sold shares worth Rs 1,718.45 crore in the Indian equity market on December 16, as per provisional data available on the NSE.

#nifty #banknifty #tradewithraj #brainmassfinance #brainmasscommunity

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diaspora9ja · 4 years ago

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Tauriga Sciences Inc. Surpasses the 10,000 Follower(s) Threshold on its Instagram Page

12_14 PR Picture

Snapshot of @taurigum Instagram Web page

The “Swipe Up” Characteristic has been Activated, Enhancing the Firm’s E-Commerce Enterprise

NEW YORK, NY, Dec. 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — via NewMediaWire — Tauriga Sciences, Inc. (OTCQB: TAUG) (“Tauriga” or the “Firm”), a income producing, diversified life sciences firm, with a proprietary line of useful “complement” chewing gums (Flavors: Pomegranate, Blood Orange, Peach-Lemon, Pear Bellini, Mint, Black Currant) in addition to two ongoing Biotechnology initiatives, as we speak confirmed that the Firm has achieved an necessary company milestone. The Firm has reached and surpassed the ten,000 Follower(s) Threshold (the “Threshold”) on its Instagram Web page: @taurigum (Hyperlink: https://www.instagram.com/taurigum/). Because of this, the “Swipe Up” mechanism has been activated, which has the potential to materially profit the Firm’s quick rising E-Commerce enterprise section.

The Firm’s Instagram Web page, @taurigum, was launched throughout August 2019. Since then, the Firm has steadily accrued a loyal base of Followers – primarily by the launch of a broad array of revolutionary merchandise. The Firm has observed an acceleration in its Instagram Follower(s) to coincide with the latest surge in its E-Commerce enterprise.

The ten,000 Instagram Follower(s) milestone comes with rapid, tangible advantages. As soon as this Threshold has been reached, Instagram makes it simpler to drive visitors to an E-Commerce web site through Tales with the “Swipe Up” to Hyperlink Characteristic. This allows net visitors to be directed to your E-Commerce web page, e-mail sign-up listing, with out requiring the customer to Click on your bio first. This Characteristic Alone is a Recreation Changer!

ABOUT TAURIGA SCIENCES INC.

Tauriga Sciences, Inc. (TAUG) is a income producing, diversified life sciences firm, engaged in a number of main enterprise actions and initiatives. The corporate manufactures and distributes a number of proprietary retail merchandise and product strains, primarily targeted on the Cannabidiol (“CBD”) and Cannabigerol (“CBG”) Edibles market section. The principle product line, branded as Tauri-Gum

, consists of a proprietary complement chewing gum that’s Kosher licensed, Halal licensed, and Vegan Formulated (CBD Infused Tauri-Gum

Flavors: Mint, Blood Orange, Pomegranate), (CBG Infused Tauri-Gum

Flavors: Peach-Lemon, Black Currant) & (Vitamin C + Zinc “Immune Booster” Tauri-Gum

Taste: Pear Bellini). The Firm’s commercialization technique consists of a broad array of retail clients, distributors, and a fast-growing E-Commerce enterprise section (E-Commerce web site: www.taurigum.com). Please go to our company web site, for extra data, in addition to inquiries, at http://www.tauriga.com

Complementary to the Firm’s retail enterprise, are its two ongoing biotechnology initiatives. The primary one pertains to the event of a Pharmaceutical grade model of Tauri-Gum

, for nausea regulation (particularly designed to assist sufferers which are subjected to ongoing chemotherapy therapy). On March 18, 2020, the Firm introduced that it filed a provisional U.S. patent software overlaying its pharmaceutical grade model of Tauri-Gum

. The Patent, filed with the usP.T.O. is Titled “MEDICATED CBD COMPOSITIONS, METHODS OF MANUFACTURING, AND METHODS OF TREATMENT”. The second pertains to a collaboration settlement with Aegea Biotechnologies Inc. for the co-development of a speedy, multiplexed, Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) take a look at with superior sensitivity and selectivity.

On October 6, 2020, the Firm introduced that it has been accepted to function as a U.S. Authorities Vendor (CAGE CODE # 8QXV4)

On October 7, 2020 the Firm disclosed a Strategic Alliance with Suppose BIG, LLC, Social Impression Startup Based by CJ Wallace, Son of Christopher “The Infamous B.I.G.” Wallace.

The Firm is headquartered in New York Metropolis and operates a regional workplace in Barcelona, Spain. As well as, the Firm operates a full time E-Commerce achievement middle positioned in LaGrangeville, New York.

DISCLAIMER — Ahead-Trying Statements

This press launch comprises sure “forward-looking statements” as outlined by the Personal Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 which characterize administration’s beliefs and assumptions regarding future occasions. These forward-looking statements are sometimes indicated through the use of phrases comparable to “might,” “will,” “expects,” “anticipates,” believes, “hopes,” “believes,” or plans, and should embrace statements relating to company goals in addition to the attainment of sure company objectives and milestones. Ahead-looking statements are based mostly on current circumstances and on administration’s current beliefs with respect to occasions that haven’t occurred, that will not happen, or that will happen with totally different penalties or timing than these now assumed or anticipated. Precise outcomes might differ materially from these expressed in ahead wanting statements attributable to identified and unknown dangers and uncertainties, comparable to usually are not ensures of common financial and enterprise situations, the power to efficiently develop and market merchandise, client and enterprise consumption habits, the power to consummate profitable acquisition and licensing transactions, fluctuations in change charges, and different components over which Tauriga has little or no management. Many of those dangers and uncertainties are mentioned in higher element within the “Threat Components” part of Tauriga’s Type 10-Ok and different filings made sometimes with the Securities and Trade Fee. Such forward-looking statements are made solely as of the date of this launch, and Tauriga assumes no obligation to replace forward-looking statements to replicate subsequent occasions or circumstances. You shouldn’t place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.

Contact:

Tauriga Sciences, Inc.

555 Madison Avenue, fifth Ground

New York, NY 10022

Chief Government Officer

Mr. Seth M. Shaw

Electronic mail: [email protected]

cell # (917) 796 9926

Instagram: @taurigum

Twitter: @SethMShaw

Corp. Web site: www.tauriga.com

E-Commerce Web site: www.taurigum.com

Source link

from Diaspora9ja https://diaspora9ja.com/tauriga-sciences-inc-surpasses-the-10000-followers-threshold-on-its-instagram-page/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tauriga-sciences-inc-surpasses-the-10000-followers-threshold-on-its-instagram-page

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dailynewswebsite · 4 years ago

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You have rights when you go to vote – and many people are there to help if there’s trouble at the polls

Ballot staff, election observers and ballot displays are all available at voting locations to make sure the 2020 election proceeds easily and safely. Macrovector/iStock through GettyImages

Regardless of all of the challenges to this 12 months’s election – lengthy traces, requires voter intimidation, baseless claims of fraud – voting is a basic civil proper.

As a political scientist who research campaigns and elections, I’ve confidence in American democracy. A number of individuals are working on the polls and behind the scenes to make sure election 2020 runs easily and safely.

Right here, I’ll define your rights as a voter and clarify the place to show in case you encounter bother on the polls.

First, a caveat: Elections in america are run by the states, so there are 50 variations of every part I’m about to say – extra with Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and different abroad territories. Particular details about polling areas, voter ID necessities and the right way to vote could be discovered on the Nationwide Convention of State Legislatures web site or at your state’s Secretary of State web site.

Voter ID

Test your state’s necessities earlier than you permit to vote. Thirty-five states request or require that voters to point out some type of identification on the polls. Voter ID legal guidelines could also be very strict, requiring a photograph ID like a legitimate driver’s license or U.S. passport, as in Georgia, Indiana and Mississippi.

Know whether or not it’s good to carry a type of paperwork, or whether or not a present utility invoice or financial institution assertion will do, as is the case in Ohio, the place I dwell.

In Washington, D.C. and 16 states – together with New York, Minnesota and Wyoming – all voters have to do to confirm their id is state their identify and tackle, and maybe signal the ballot e book. Ballot staff verify they’re registered to vote.

2020 issues

Lengthy traces

As a result of excessive voter turnout, in addition to pandemic-related ballot station closures and social distancing necessities, be ready to face in line. When you’re there, keep there: Even when your polling place closes while you’re in line, you continue to get to vote.

If somebody tries to show you away as a result of the ballot station closes, name the Election Safety Hotline. A group of nonpartisan voting rights advocates will present data on what to do subsequent.

Technical issues

If you happen to make a mistake marking your poll, ask ballot staff for a brand new one. If voting machines malfunction, you possibly can request a paper poll.

Ballot employees

A corps of civilian volunteers is dispatched to polling websites throughout the U.S. to assist Individuals vote and make sure the integrity of U.S. elections.

Ballot staff

Ballot staff work with native election boards to assist their fellow residents vote. They open and shut the voting website, be certain that voting is a protected and arranged, help voters who want any assist whereas voting and, after polls shut, report outcomes to the county board of elections.

The precise lineup of ballot staff varies from state to state. Most could have, as Wisconsin does, a chief election inspector – also called a precinct election officer or clerk – who verifies voters on the polling place and distributes ballots.

Some ballot websites might have greeters, who be sure that certain voters are within the right line and, in the course of the pandemic, help with cleansing.

Election observers and ballot watchers

Some individuals on the polls are partisan citizen observers. “Ballot watchers” are recruited by the political events to observe for exercise that would undermine the pursuits of their get together or group. Voters might go to them with questions. Simply know they don’t seem to be neutral sources.

A Democratic volunteer observes early voting in Philadelphia on Oct. 7, 2020. Gabriella Audi/AFP through Getty Pictures

Different displays at ballot websites are nonpartisan observers, a few of whom come from overseas to make sure the integrity of American elections. Lecturers like myself additionally observe elections to check the method and to supply suggestions to enhance elections. Some teachers might report issues to officers to make sure election integrity.

The foundations and legal guidelines about election commentary fluctuate by state however, typically talking, election observers don’t have interaction with voters – they observe.

“Challengers” are a type of ballot watcher who’ve the authority to query voters’ eligibility to solid a vote. That’s one motive having correct identification is significant on the polls.

Some states distinguish between “ballot watchers” and “challengers” whereas others don’t. In most locations, any type of official election observer have to be a registered voter within the state they’re monitoring.

The variety of ballot watchers per precinct varies, from one in Ohio to as many as three per political get together in Iowa. In some states, like Florida, ballot watchers should put on a reputation badge.

Indicators of bother?

If somebody questions your capacity or {qualifications} to vote, first determine this individual and their authority to interact with you. Are they an official ballot employee or a partisan volunteer?

Members of the Proud Boys, a right-wing militant group that has threatened to face outdoors ballot websites, should not official U.S. election displays. Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis through Getty Pictures

There aren’t any language necessities to vote – some states even have interpreters on website – nor should you move a check first. In case your eligibility to vote is challenged or your identify will not be within the ballot e book, ask for a provisional poll.

[Deep knowledge, daily. Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter.]

Report any intimidation to the Election Safety Hotline, keep calm and observe the recommendation. The 2020 election is occurring beneath troublesome circumstances, however it’s nonetheless a federal crime to intrude, in any manner, with an individual’s vote.

Daniel R. Birdsong doesn’t work for, seek the advice of, personal shares in or obtain funding from any firm or group that may profit from this text, and has disclosed no related affiliations past their tutorial appointment.

from Growth News https://growthnews.in/you-have-rights-when-you-go-to-vote-and-many-people-are-there-to-help-if-theres-trouble-at-the-polls/ via https://growthnews.in

#Growth News

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michiganprelawland · 5 years ago

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Insys Therapeutics: The Company Fueling The Opioid Epidemic

By Kate Wills, Michigan State University Class of 2023

June 27, 2020

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, more than 770,000 Americans have died from drug overdoses since 1999 – and 7 out of every 10 overdoses are due to opioids [1]. While this epidemic and its causes are multifaceted, it is undeniable that large drug companies manufacturing opioids have contributed to the problem.

Insys Therapeutics, a pharmaceutical company based in Arizona, has consequently received strict legal scrutiny for their role in the opioid epidemic. In 2012, the company embarked on an elaborate racketeering scheme to increase sales of their drug Subsys, a “rapid onset opioid approved to treat breakthrough cancer pain” meant only for a “small, crowded, and tightly controlled market” [2]. The Fetanyl Spray contained risks for “misuse, abuse, addiction, overdose, and serious complications due to medication errors,” and could easily be abused in the same way that other illegal opioids could [2].

The company’s top executives received their sentencing in January of this year – eight years after the initial scheme launched. John Kapoor, the founder of Insys Therapeutics received five and a half years in prison, while the former vice president of sales Alec Burlakoff, was sentenced to 26 months in prison [3]. These sentencings come after years of litigation and indictment hearings dating back to December of 2016.

The initial indictment included many top executives of Insys Therapeutics, many of which held regional sales manager positions. The criminal violations of these individuals were extensive, including (but not limited to) racketeering conspiracy, mail fraud conspiracy, and wire fraud conspiracy [2].

Essential to Insys’s marketing scheme were licensed practitioners that would write large numbers of Fetanyl Spray prescriptions in exchange for company paying them off in the form of what Insys called “speaker program events” [2]. These speaker program events were hidden under the claim that they were peer-to-peer educational meetings discussing the Fetanyl Spray. However, many of these events “involved no education and no presentations,” involved the same repeat attendees who were mostly support staff of the practitioner with no ability to prescribe the drug, and were often mere “social gatherings at high-priced restaurants” [2]. In fact, Insys sales representatives were encouraged to pay practitioners to prescribe the Fentanyl Spray, and not worry about the speaking abilities of these medical professionals. Alec Burlakoff, the Vice President of Sales at Insys, told a representative that she need not worry about the communication skills of the practitioners – “they do not need to be good speakers, they need to write a lot of [Fetanyl Spray prescriptions]” [2].

Insys sales representatives tracked these professionals around the country and ranked them in groups called “deciles” on a scale of one to ten [2]. Those who wrote the most prescriptions of painkiller products were ranked in decile ten – these “high decile” practitioners were targeted by Insys’s sales team [2]. In addition to these identified high deccile practitioners, the Insys sales team actively recruited practitioners known to have shady prescribing habits, whose pain clinics were colloquially named “pill mills” [2].

Although these professionals were bound by their license from the Drug Enforcement Administration to “refrain from accepting or agreeing to accept bribes and kickbacks in exchange for prescribing any drug,” their duties were disregarded in pursuit of the luxurious promises Insys made [2]. The company sales team instructed practitioners to prescribe Subsys to patients without cancer, moving its purpose to all breakthrough pain –ignoring the constrictions of the FDA approval [2]. Theco-conspirator practitioners averaged as much as 11 Fetanyl Spray prescriptions per week, forgoing the drug’s approval solely for breakthrough cancer pain and prescribing it for non-cancer patients [2]. While they encountered risk for their unlawful prescriptions, payout was large for practitioners, at times reaching over $250,000 in checks for speaker events [2]. This partnership between Insys Therapeutics led to countless patients receiving prescriptions for highly addictive Fetanyl Spray and encountering all the risks that came with Subsys – without even needing the prescription.

While the co-conspiracy with practitioners was essential to the scheme of Insys Therapeutics, the company’s criminal actions extended much further than handing out prescriptions to people who did not need them. Insys engaged in insurance fraud to receive payment for their drug. It was difficult for the practitioners’ offices to obtain prior authorization for Subsys, so Insys utilized their kickback program to assist their co-conspirators, gifting them support staff to fill out and fax authorization paperwork [2]. However, this was not enough for Insys Therapeutics – insurers and pharmacy benefit managers approved payment for only about 30-33 percent of Subsys prescriptions[2]. To solve this hiccup, Insys created a team to seek prior authorizations directly from insurers on behalf of patients – in the first week, approval jumped to 46 percent [2].

The scam continued, and the Reimbursement Unit was created when need for help with insurance approval increased. This unit rewarded prior authorization approvals with bonuses for employees, setting a minimum threshold for the whole unit [2]. These employees were often given a script and list of best practices to use to gain prior authorization, including “false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises” [2]. The company tracked communication with insurers and pharmacy benefit managers to discover what phrases resulted in denial of prior authorization. They learned that phrases like calling “on behalf” of a doctor to act like they were calling from the doctor’s office, and to answer with a script when asked why the patient was being treated for breakthrough cancer pain when they did not have cancer [2]. By gaining prior authorization through deliberate manipulation of insurers and pharmacy benefit managers, Insys allowed countless patients access to a dangerous drug.

While the Insys Therapeutics executives involved in this scam have been sentenced in court, the greater picture this case presents cannot be ignored. It exposes the deep influence drug companies have in aiding the opioid epidemic, and the ability of these businesses to forgo the health of their fellow human beings in pursuit of profits. Insys is just one example of profit overcoming morality in the pharmaceutical industry – who will be next, and what will that mean for public health?

________________________________________________________________

Kate Wills is an Honors College student in Michigan State University majoring in International Relations (James Madison College) and Economics with a minor in Arabic. She plans on attending law school after graduation in 2023.

_______________________________________________________________

[1]NCHS Releases New Monthly Provisional Estimates on Drug Overdose Deaths, CDC, 9 September 2020 https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/podcasts/20190911/20190911.htm

[2] United States of America v. MICHAEL L. BABICH, ALEC BURLAKOFF, MICHAEL J. GURRY, RICHARD M. SIMON, SUNRISE LEE, JOSEPH A. ROWAN, 6 December 2016 https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/page/file/947866/download

[3] “Insys Founder Gets 5½ Years in Prison in Opioid Kickback Scheme” Katie Thomas, 23 January 2020 https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/23/health/opioids-insys-kapoor-prison.html

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cryptodictation · 5 years ago

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Clubs, solidarity and the Coronavirus | Radio…

They belong to two different worlds. They represent two different ways of conceiving the social objective with which the clubs were founded. The first is a limited company: the mighty Manchester City. It has a majority owner, Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a member of the ruling family in the United Arab Emirates who bought it in 2008 for € 360 million and is now worth € 4.36 billion. A sheik whose fortune exceeds 30 billion dollars according to the Spanish newspaper Marca. The other is Lanús, a non-profit civil association made in Argentina, far removed from the values with which the Premier League is managed. Its owners are the partners: a businessman, a teacher or the grocery store in the neighborhood. About 27 thousand who today pay their quota. The coronavirus tested how solidarity is managed in times of pandemic. That value that retains an indisputable meaning even in the wildest capitalism. Those who have less often give more.

While the owner of the English SA would charge the British state a million dollar to use its London convention center where a hospital was set up, in the south of Greater Buenos Aires Lanús built a reserve medical center at zero cost for the municipality local. For now, he has placed sixty beds where his historic basketball gym and a more modern micro-stadium used to be. It is only a part of what it does, like hundreds of sports institutions in Argentina that do not forget their origins and the objectives for which they were created.

Manchester City owner and shareholders they would be earning between two and three million pounds per month with the rent of the ExCel Exhibition Center located in the docks located next to the river Thames in a 400 thousand square meter property. They give it to the English state that uses it through the National Health Service of the United Kingdom as a temporary hospital with 4,000 beds. The information was disclosed by The Sunday Times in a special note signed by four journalists.

This is what the ExCel Exhibition Center looks like, as a temporary hospital. (EFE)

The use of the potential to refer to the news that the British media gave – and that many others replicated during the following days – is due to the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Company (ADNEC), the owner of the ExCel denied that it charged the Boris Johnson government for the transfer of the property. “To be clear, profit has always been the furthest thing from our minds,” said Humaid Al-Dhaheri, the managing director of ADNEC. Manchester City is the first cousin of this society. On February 14, UEFA punished him with two seasons of inactivity in the European cups and to pay a fine of 30 million euros for violating financial fair play. He inflated the sponsorship income and injected money into the club whose origin he could not credit.

The miseries that the Premier League shows in pandemic times, leave in a gray area the denial of the company that belongs to the family of Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan. According to journalist Chas Newkey-Burden of The Independent, the skulls of the world's richest league are already planning a closed-door TV mega-event for the European summer. They do not want to return £ 762 million in rights that they have already collected and have in their treasuries.

It also provides two more facts: that Tottenham billionaire president Daniel Levy, a Cambridge economist with a reputation for being stingy announced that it would reduce 20 percent of the salary to 550 employees that it has in its club in April and May, although he bagged £ 7m in 2019. Liverpool licensed its workers – those who don't play – to cut costs, despite the fact that its owners of the Fenway Sports Group chaired by the Americans John Henry and Tom Werner took it to shovel in 2019. They did so thanks to the Premier League won by the J��rgen Klopp team and the success of the Red Sox, the team American baseball professional based in the city of Boston and who achieved the 2018 world series, sanctioned by the US MLB because he obtained it with bad arts.

Separated by an abyss of SA

The coordinates to understand how the English football of the SA works are from a galaxy that does not correspond to the more earthly world of the clubs that extend across the map of Argentina. Lanús is an exponent of the middle layers in our popular sport. It does not form part of the group of higher-income civil associations (Boca, River and the rest of the big ones), but it is not in the lower lot either. It is characterized by the order of its accounts and the social work it displays in its area of influence.

During the pandemic and in quarantine when all the clubs see their income reduced to almost nothing, Lanús transformed his Arturo Rellán gym – where he played basketball for decades – into a field hospital. Through the club's foundation, the Genrod electrical supplies company, which has been collaborating with it for years, donated eighty beds. Some forty-five have already been placed in the provisional health center set up at the headquarters, Lanús donated twenty to the neighborhood Narciso López hospital and fifteen began to be placed in the Antonio Rotili microstadium, the largest of the two that the institution has.

https://twitter.com/clublanus/status/1248426252240732162

The club did not start collaborating yesterday with this hospital in Lanús Este. It has been doing so since 2017. Raised 4 million pesos for the neonatology sector last November during a solidarity gala. He gathered about five hundred people in the sports complex where his La Fortaleza soccer stadium is located. The same property that today is completely empty and where not even the kids from the lower divisions who lived in the pension and are today in their homes remained. The president of the Nicolás Russo club and that of the homonymous Foundation, Alejandro Marón, agree that “the commitment of the Lanús club at this delicate moment is total and absolute ”. It is also in other institutions such as Rosario Central, Newells, River, Boca, Racing, San Lorenzo, Huracán, Banfield and those that added their solidarity contribution after the quarantine began. ANDn the city of Luján, four party clubs joined together to gather food and distribute it to those most in need: Flandria who plays in Primera B, Luján de la C, Luján Rugby Club and Luján Tenis Club.

Nonprofit civil associations are champions of solidarity and do not need the millions of SAs to prove it. They are always ready to help and that includes neighborhood clubs, the weakest link in the chain. They feed children and grandparents, gather clothing and food, contain the neighbors, collect a barely symbolic social quota, and on top of that they survive on zero income. “In Europe you can't get it,” said Rubén el Ratón Ayala in a 1975 advertisement. The San Lorenzo scorer was right, although he was referring to a boot brand of the time.

Argentine clubs do not sell, they contribute to the community and when they were managed by an SA, they ended up as Blanquiceleste. In other words, in the hands of Fernando Marin, the businessman friend and official of former President Mauricio Macri, who was associated with an offshore registered in Liechtenstein and also a sheik. His name is Mohammed Hussein al Amoudi, he passed through Racing like a shadow and he is 73 years old. He is Ethiopian and, like Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the owner of Manchester City, a billionaire.

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