#nyu welcome week 2016

[akathecentimetre]

Hey there, so I really like history as a subject, and I'm pretty good at it. The thing is, I don't know what my career options would be if I studied it, or if I would be able to make money. My parents are heavily discouraging me from taking it as a major. As a 'historian' in training' what's your take? Thank you

Hi there! Sorry for the delay, ‘tis the hectic season…

Oh man, I have so many thoughts for you. Full disclosure: this is something I have worked on a LOT over the course of my graduate career both at my uni and on a national level; most of my advice, however, comes from a PhD candidate’s perspective and may not be directly helpful to an undergraduate, and I should also emphasize that everything I can say on this is very firmly based on the U.S. market only. That being said, a lot of what I can say can be universally applied, so here we go - 

The number of history undergraduates in the U.S. has plummeted in the last decade or so, from it previously being one of the most popular majors. There are many interacting reasons for this: a changeover from older to younger, better-trained, energetic professors who draw in and retain students has been very slow to occur, partly because of a lack of a mandatory retirement age; the humanities have been systematically demonized and minimized in favor of the development of STEM subjects, to the occasional benefit of students of color and women but to the detriment of critical public discourse and historical perspective on current events; with many liberal arts colleges going under financially and the enormous expansion of academic bureaucracy everywhere, resources are definitely being diverted away from social and human studies towards fields which are perceived to pay better or perceived, as mentioned in the article above, as being more ‘practical.’ (We do need a ton more healthcare workers/specialists, but that’s a different conversation to have.) But now I feel like quoting a certain Jedi Master: everything your parents say is wrong. Let’s dive into why being a historian is a positive thing for you both as a person and as a professional - 

You will be a good reader. As you learn to decipher documents and efficiently and thoroughly read secondary literature, you will develop a particular talent for understanding what is important about any piece of writing or evidence (and this can go for visual and aural evidence as well). This will serve you well in any position in which you are collecting/collating information and reporting to colleagues or superiors, and evaluating the worth of resources. Specific example - editorial staff at publishing houses either private or academic, magazines, etc. 

You will be a good writer. This will get you a good job at tons of places; don’t underestimate it. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been astonished (not in a punitive way, of course, but definitely with a sense of befuddlement) by how badly some of my Ivy-league students can write. Good writing is hard, good writing is rare, and good writing is a breath of fresh air to any employer who puts a high premium upon it in their staff. History in principle is the study of change; history in practice is presenting information in a logical, interesting, and persuasive manner. Any sort of institution which asks you to write reports, summaries, copy, etc. etc. will appreciate your skills. 

You will be a good researcher. This sounds like a given, but it’s an underappreciated and vital skill. Historians work as consultants. Historians work in government - almost every department has an Office of the Historian - and in companies, writing company histories and maintaining institutional archives. A strong research profile will also serve you well if you want to go on to work in museum studies and in libraries public or private/academic. As a historian, you will know not just where to find information, but what questions you have to ask to get to the answer of how to tackle, deconstruct, and solve a problem. This is relevant to almost any career path. 

You will provide perspective. Historians react to current events in newspapers and online - not just on politics, but culture as well (my favorite article of this week is about the historicity of The Aeronauts). Historians act as expert witnesses in court proceedings. Historians write books, good books, not just meant for academic audiences but for millions upon millions of readers who need thoughtful, intelligent respite from the present. Historians work for thinktanks, providing policy analysis and development (a colleague of mine is an expert on current events of war in Mali and works for multiple thinktanks and organizations because of it). Historians work for nonprofits or lobbying groups on issues of poverty, environmental safety, climate change, and minority and indigenous rights. In a world when Texas school textbooks push the states’ rights narrative, historians remind us that the Civil War was about slavery. Historians remind us that women and people of color have always existed. In this time and world where STEM subjects are (supposedly) flooding the job market, we need careful historical perspective more than ever. We need useful reactions to the 2016 election, to the immigration travesties on display at the southern border, to the strengthening of right-wing parties in Europe - and history classes, or thoughtfully historical classes on philosophy and political science, are one of the few places STEM and business students gain the basic ability to participate in those conversations. [One of my brightest and most wonderful students from last year, just to provide an anecdote, is an astrophysics major who complained to me in a friendly conversation this semester that she never got the chance to talk about ‘deep’ things anymore once she had passed through our uni’s centralized general curriculum, which has a heavy focus on humanities subjects.]

You will be an educator. Teaching is a profession which has myriad challenges in and of itself, but in my experience of working with educators there is a desperate need for secondary-school teachers in particular to have actual content training in history as opposed to simply being pushed into classrooms with degrees which focus only on pedagogical technique. If teaching is a vocation you are actually interested in, getting a history degree is not a bad place to start at all. And elementary/high schools aside, you will be teaching someone something in every interaction you have concerning your subject of choice. Social media is a really important venue now for historians to get their work out into the world and correct misconceptions in the public sphere, and is a place where you can hone a public and instructive voice. You could also be involved in educational policy, assessment/test development (my husband’s field, with a PhD in History from NYU), or educational activism. 

If some of this sounds kind of woolly and abstract, that’s because it is. Putting yourself out there on the job market is literally a marketing game, and it can feel really silly to take your experience of 'Two years of being a Teaching Assistant for European History 1500-1750’ and mutate it to 'Facilitated group discussions, evaluated written work from students [clients], and ran content training sessions on complex subjects.’ But this sort of translation is just another skill - one that can be learned, improved, and manipulated to whatever situation you need it to fit.

Will you make money? That’s a question only you can answer, because only you know what you think is enough money. That being said, many of the types of careers I’ve mentioned already are not low-paying; in my experience expertise is, if you find the right workplace and the rewarding path, usually pretty well-remunerated. 

Specific advice? Hone your craft. Curate an active public presence as a historian, an expert, a patient teacher, and as as person enthusiastic about your subject. Read everything and anything. Acknowledge and insist upon complexity, and celebrate it when you can. 

And finally - will any of what I’ve said here make it easy? No, because no job search and no university experience is easy these days. It’s a crazy world and there are a lot of awful companies, bosses, and projects out there. But I do very firmly believe that you can find something, somewhere, that will suit your skills, and, hopefully, your passions too. 

Resources for you: the American Historical Association has a breakdown of their skills-based approach to the job market, reports on the job market(s) for history PhDs collectively called ‘Where Historians Work,’ and a mentorship program, Career Contacts, which could connect you with professional historians in various workplaces. There is a very active community of historians on Twitter; search for #twitterstorians. For historians who identify as female, Women Also Know History is a newer site which collates #herstorian bios and publications to make it easier for journalists to contact them for expert opinions. ImaginePhD provides career development tools and exercises for graduate students, but could probably be applied to undergrads as well. The Gilder Lehrman Institute is one of the premier nonprofits which develops and promotes historical training for secondary school teachers and classroom resources (U.S. history only). Job listings are available via the AHA, the National Council on Public History, and the IHE, as well as the usual job sites. And there’s an awful lot more out there, of course - anyone who reads or reblogs this post is welcome to add field-specific or resource-specific info. 

I hope this helps, Anon, or at least provides you with a way to argue in favor of it to your parents if it comes to that. Chin up!

[christaporm1]

Week 4 blog post

What did African Americans in the 90s have to look forward to on the internet considering it was and sometimes still is a powerful voice for racist ideas?

The internet gradually taking in more and more African American users throughout the 90s has been amazing because it has created a safe space for black ideas, voices, and experiences. The internet has been used as we have seen today in many grassroots movements such as “Black Lives Matter” and the “Me too” movement these have been prominent in our society. This occurrence of online grassroots movements has been a commonality since the 90s. The following excerpt from the Revolution will be digitized highlights my claim “ the democratizing potential of the Internet, especially given its demonstrably pivotal role in mobilizing a throng of grassroots activists in 1997 Million Woman March on Philadelphia (Everett 2002).” This passage shows that change is possible when viewing grassroots movements begin on the internet they can turn into physical action. As the internet has ‘welcomed’ African American users we have seen a gradual but the real change in awareness in our communities.

  How do someone’s name and the algorithms program into everyday technology work to perpetuate racially discriminating stereotypes?   

In today's day and age, much of our daily lives are dictated by algorithms and we don’t even know it YouTube Facebook Twitter and even airport security is powered by algorithms. Algorithms have the power to decide whether or not you receive government benefits, whether or not you get flagged on the next flight you’re going on because of your name. Many of the algorithms that we have power in our society today were built with racist ideologies built into the infrastructure of the program itself. The following excerpt from The New Jim code exemplifies how algorithms can be used to stereotype and harm people because of the way they look or where they’re from “Normal” names have power by virtue of their perceived They trigger stories about what kind of person is behind the name - their personality and potential, where they come from but also where they should go (Benjamin 2019).” This passage is a shiny example of how someone’s name can dictate the treatment they received from someone else this along with “Objective” Technology makes it easier for those with racist ideologies or discriminatory ideas to discriminate on those who look sound or are slightly different from them. It is important to view and give technology the same responsibility of being equal towards all people before giving it an objective status of neutrality.

I have been using the internet for my whole life why have I not seen any examples of the discrimination described?                               

I asked this question very purposefully because many of the people who deny claims of racism discrimination on the Internet citing that they haven’t seen any widespread examples of racism and discrimination, especially in large well regulated online spaces. I chose this question to highlight examples of systemic racism within the technology companies that we trust most like Google. The following passage from the power of algorithms highlights just how deeply ingrained some of these ideologies are within our day-to-day technological platforms “In 2015, U.S. News and world report reported that a ���glitch” in Google algorithm led to several problems through auto-tagging and facial recognition software that was intended to help people search through images more successfully. The first problem for google was that its photo application had automatically tagged African Americans as apes and animals (Noble 2018)”…Another instance on April 7, 2016, when looking up the keyword “gorillas” an African American couple appears at the images. There is a long-standing racist stereotype that stereotypes African-Americans as subhuman this permeates within white supremacist culture and ideology and it’s not hidden away and it’s not hard to find the tooth samples above sure that these things don’t happen on a one-off they happen often and frequently every day to all kinds of people and these examples are just some that I recorded the Internet is a vast and wide expanse of knowledge it’s easy to imagine all the other things that have gone unnoticed.

What important role do the black operated press and internet forms have in giving a platform for black voices to speak?

African Americans have long been a discriminate group within the United States and I believe nowadays this is common knowledge. However, although there has as of recently been a lot more attention given to marginalized groups including African-Americans there has been no powerful. The black operated press and Internet forms that are African-American operated playing important role in dispersing African-American ideas feelings and culture it is and it is important to continue to give his voice is a platform for speech. The following excerpt from the revolution will be digitized highlights my point that African-American voices need to be heard that they can continue to create change and uplift the communities within and around them “Conceived from the outset as both a political and ideological weapon for the eradication of slavery and other antebellum atrocities, the earliest black political pamphlets, newspapers, magazines, and other forms of black writing established a tradition of protest literature that has been a prominent feature throughout the history of the press’s “uplift” mission or journalistic freedom fighting (Everett 2002).” As stated before this passage highlights how African-American journalistic freedom and platforms for these freedom fighting create a tradition that can help uplift and continue to bring African-Americans and if applicable to other cultures out of this sort of second class citizen status that has been put on them by the racist white counterparts. 

Anna Everett; The Revolution Will Be Digitized: AFROCENTRICITY AND 

THE DIGITAL PUBLIC SPHERE. Social Text 1 June 2002; 20 (2 (71)): 125–146. 

Noble, S. (2018). Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism. New York: NYU Press 36-38. 

Benjamin, R. (2019). Race after technology: Abolitionist tools for the new Jim code. Cambridge: Polity pg 23.

[acuppellarp]

Welcome (again) to A Cup-pella, Jeanne! We’re excited to have you and Haley Sterling in the game! Please go through the checklist to make sure you’re ready to go and send in your account within the next 24 hours. 

OOC INFO

Name + pronouns: Jeanne Age: 25 Timezone: EST Ships: Haley/Chemistry, Haley/Nerdiness Anti-Ships: Haley/NoChem

IC INFO

Full Name: Haley Nicole Sterling Face Claim: Virginia Gardner Age/Birthday: 23 / September 17, 1995 Occupation: Part-time acup barista, part-time level 1 instructor through NYC Ultra Gymnastics, part-time student at NYU, defender for April’s Showers Personality: Competitive, impulsive, determined, naive, ditzy Hometown: San Francisco, CA

Bio:

Oh, the Sterling family. If there was ever a group more fitted for a reality TV show on TLC, it was them. That’s how an outsider would see it, at least. For Haley, it was just her family. The first few years of her life were spent loving her parents and little sister, and then her second mom and her second dad came into the picture. Whenever she went over to her friends houses growing up, they introduced her to their parents. Haley did the same, it just so happened she had a few more parents than them. It wasn’t the picture that she saw on TV, but that didn’t really matter. She had a family that loved and doted on her, that’s what mattered. She was an incredibly content child - set her out in the backyard to run around and play, and she was a happy camper. Or set her up in her bedroom, playing with her little sister (once upon a time, Jemma really did play with barbie dolls properly). She was content, and she was friendly, always running up to strangers and asking if they wanted to be her friend. Needless to say, her parents had to have the stranger danger talk with her more times than she can count, but the fact remains that Haley has always been a people person, easily able to settle into a crowd.

Dedication isn’t a word many people would associate with Haley even today, and it never has been. She comes across as having her head in the clouds 9 times out of 10 and she wasn’t exactly a contender for valedictorian. She’s not the person you to go if you’re looking for reliability, and that’s why a lot of people are thrown off when they find out she’s been honing her skills as a gymnast since the age of 4. It wasn’t some kind of “love at first sight” moment, where Haley knew she wanted to make it her life from day one. On the contrary, she remembers crying in frustration when she couldn’t get a somersault down as easily as the other kids in her class (granted it was within the first week of classes, but Haley’s child mind didn’t care about that).

That’s why it was so invigorating when she finally nailed it by week two… Haley’s never been known for her patience, you see, but the one thing she’s got going for her is that she doesn’t quit. She doesn’t quit because of that same excitement she got when she perfected that first somersault right, followed by her first cartwheel, her first handstand, mastering her first forward tuck and everything over the next few years as she climbed up the levels. She was 8 years old, level 9, when she got her first first place award on the uneven bars, subsequently helping her team take home the win as well. That, my friends, is when Haley fell in love with the sweet taste of victory.

There wasn’t time for Haley to ever cultivate many other areas of extracurricular interest. She’d arrive at school an hour before classes started to make use of the gym’s empty weight room for strength and conditioning, and immediately after school she would make her way down to the gymnastics center for more hours worth of practice. Her dedication and prowess in the sport are what helped her lock in a scholarship offered by NYC Ultra, a gymnastics club located not too far away from NYU’s campus. The school itself didn’t have a gymnastics program, but NYC Ultra had scouted her during her final meet during high school and offered to help fund her higher education if she joined their team upon moving. And its a good thing they did, because her grades certainly wouldn’t be earning her any academic scholarships.

Leaving her family had her balling like a baby, but Haley found herself settling in to New York City life eventually. It was a much different pace than San Francisco, that was for sure. Still, Haley prides herself on never really feeling like a fish out of water, especially since she quickly made friends with the other members of her gym and then at school. Her decision to major in social work was based in her family’s own unconventional-but-still-good history, and as much as she struggled to maintain her school, practice, and work schedules, she did find herself liking the course she was on. She was a full-time student for her first two years, but recently after much debate and guidance from people significantly smarter than her, Haley made the choice to go from full-time student to part-time student.

At the same time, she also made the decision to retire from competing in gymnastics and try her hand at coaching, something she’s discovered a love for. She’s now certified to teach entry-level gymnastics, and she thinks she’s found a good balance to her life. It also lost her her academic scholarship, but with the time she’s freed up from her previously strict practice schedule and full-time course-load, it’s all been a relief. She can study without feeling pressured to make it a priority, and is able to both work and be involved in athletics at a pace that lets her enjoy herself rather than feeling constantly stressed. Sure her schedule is pretty packed, but it’s all things that bring her happiness, so it’s worth it.

See, the thing with Haley is that if she isn’t interested in something, it falls to the wayside. But once she finds her passion and groove, she is all in. That’s the reason why she can’t sit through an algebra class without daydreaming, but she’ll give you a point-by-point breakdown of why Laurie Hernandez should’ve taken the gold for the Women’s balance beam during the 2016 Olympics, or make an entire PowerPoint on why Digimon trumps Pokemon (she’s still gotta catch ‘em all though, make no mistake). She knows what she loves and doesn’t waste her time or energy on things that won’t end up bringing her personal happiness and fulfillment. Is that a good way to be successful in life? Probably not, but has it helped Haley get through the last 23 years with minimal sadness and reason to say she didn’t give something her all? Absolutely, 100%, a thousand times yes.

Pets: Haley has had iced coffees last longer than some goldfish. She’s pretty much given up on trying to keep any kind of pet alive at this point, so instead she has her bedroom windowsill decorated with succulents. They’re less likely to ruin her carpet and lose her her deposit.

Relationships:

Jemma Sterling — She’s the first person to admit that Jemma is far from perfect, but she’ll also attempt to rip anyone’s head off who dares insult or undersell her baby sister. Watch it, folks. Haley adores Jemma, even if she does worry her from time to time with just how… we’ll say just how “free” she can be. It’s probably not the best idea, but she trusts Jemma wholeheartedly. In a way, Haley is a little envious of how open her sister is with everything, but that’s a story for another time. She still loves her to the moon and back and then to the moon and back again.

Blair Anderson — Haley and Blair dated for a short time, but that didn’t make it hurt any less when the broke up. Or at least Haley calls it a break up — she won’t say it out loud, but a part of her felt completely jilted and forgotten about when Blair went on her cruise. It’s been months since they’re brief fling, and while Haley hates being anything less than UBER SUNSHINE HAPPINESS, she’s also still angry with Blair. Could she suck it up and just talk to her to get resolution? Of course she could. Has she? Absolutely not, Haley lacks that kind of foresight for common sense.

April’s Showers — Even though she replaced being on a gymnastics team with coaching, Haley did miss the extra boost of athleticism that came with constantly being in practice. She got the idea to join April’s soccer team from her sister, and it’s definitely been a big help in keeping her endorphin levels high and her laziness levels low. It feeds in to her competitive nature, and she digs almost everyone on the team so far. Being on the same team as her sister means they have to share the family brain cell at the same time, but Haley’s enjoying herself.

EXTRA INFO

mmmhalebop ☄️ / HaleyStorm / i’m secretly the fourth member of Hanson

Five latest tweets:

@HaleyStorm: @marvelstudios pls call my insurance company and tell them you’ll cover the surgery to have the heart you ripped out of my chest replaced @HaleyStorm: manny santos hiking up her thong will always be iconic #whateverittakes @HaleyStorm: #gymnastsecret - if you see me hold a position on the bar too long, it’s bc i 100% blanked on the rest of the routine @HaleyStorm: tba @HaleyStorm: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! guess who just saw a dog, me it was me you don’t have to guess

[stunudo]

BAU Prep School AU: 2018

Welcome to the Frederick Buchanan Institute located in scenic Quantico, Virginia, a senior high academy that shapes the best and brightest minds. Its motto is “Behavior, Analysis, Unity,” the mascot the Submariners, colloquially “the Unsubs”. The small school supports the most accomplished faculty from across the country. (image link)  2016-2017 school year  Class of 18

Let’s Try This Again

August 21, 2017 12:47pm

The dampness of the air lingered on every blade of perfectly shorn grass. The mud and chalk melded into a homelike aroma, welcoming JJ back, as she strolled from her car in flipflops and oversized sunglasses. She wrinkled her nose; those boys were going to be a smelly mess in this heat. As she crossed the football field, she spotted him taking shots at the goal, bouncing the balls at all angles and doing bicycle kicks and generally goofing around. He was in his element, his grin wide across his features, which was understandable; he still believed himself alone.

JJ burst into a comical round of applause as he hit the turf hard, after an overly ambitious kick forced him into something resembling a snowboarding move.

“Need a hand?” JJ peered down as he lay with his chest heaving.

“Nah, I’m good. The grass will bury me by next week.” Luke Alvez waved off her outstretched hand. “What are you doing here Jareau?”

“Had to make sure my boys were on their best behavior,” She kneeled beside him, now lounging on his side.

“So, you’re not checking up on me?” Luke teased, balancing his forearms on his knees, unable to settle the excitement within himself. “Cuz I’d say you have enough to worry about right now.” She leaned back, rubbing her perfect baby belly affectionately. “What’s the countdown to now?”

“29 days, but who’s counting?” JJ glanced down her nose. “Come on, humor me with some drills. I need to move.”

“Whatever you say, boss.” Luke rolled a nearby ball her way before dramatically flipping back upright.

That’s how the students found them, their new coach playing goalie as their overly pregnant coach kept him dodging for every corner of the box with her pristine aim. The upperclassmen suffered through tryouts before school began each year as their games started the second week of September, freshmen rarely made starter squad anyhow. If the boys wanted to learn something about grit, these were the best teachers they could have asked for. Not that teenagers ask for things so freely given.

Friday September 1 10:32am

It was as if no time had passed, they filed into the Delaney Owens Memorial Library with casual conversation spilling over the meeting’s set start time. The faculty of the Frederick Buchanan Institute gathered for their annual staff pop-wow. Penelope Garcia sat straight backed at Headmaster Hotchner’s left as her boyfriend and football coach, Derek Morgan leaned casually beside her, making small talk with veteran math teacher, Jordan Todd.

“Alright, everyone, let’s make it official. Welcome to the new school year, for those of you unable to attend our little development weekend in July, we have two new staff members this Fall.” Hotch gestured to the middle of the table to his right. “Luke? Would you like to introduce yourself?”

Luke nodded and held up his hand in a short wave, “Luke Alvez, your new Foreign Language teacher and interim soccer coach. Originally from the Bronx, played professionally after college and have been teaching in California and most recently the Carolinas for eight years.”

“Thanks, alright, now the other new face. Matt?” Hotch looked to the far end of the table, the statuesque Asian man smiled slyly with only one cheek.

“I’m Matt Simmons. I’m filling in for Coach Jareau’s classes while she is on leave. I am currently taking a leave of absence, myself, as foreign correspondent for Al Jazeera, but before that I was on the D.C. political scene.”

“Oh, the girls are going to eat you boys up!” Mrs. Todd teased the pair of attractive new teachers.

“Jordan.” Hotch chuckled.

“Oh, who am I kidding, this day and age, everyone is going to love you.” She sighed, spinning back to the headmaster in her seat.

“Right, anyway, welcome, to you both. Penelope?” Hotch kept the meeting succinct.

Ms. Garcia squealed quietly as she spun to address the whole faculty. “Friends, teachers, countrymeh- peoples. Hi!” The meeting continued, Penelope and Hotch covering the new schedules and upcoming events. Something in the air felt more relaxed than years past, as if the summer had yet to release the staff of her transfixing spell. They made their way to the cafeteria, Chef David Rossi’s delights tantalizing their noses from halls away.

“I’ve got to be honest, I am surprised Jareau didn’t make it today,” Luke confided to Emily and Hotch.

“I was surprised I got her to stay home,” Emily deadpanned. “I’m sorry about tryouts, she really doesn’t listen to reason.”

“No, it was fine. Besides, kept the guys on their toes, her shooting past me even with that big belly.” Luke smirked, Hotch sighed as Emily’s face fell.

“She was playing?!”

“What?” Luke froze. “Uh, no, not really.” His face a mask of fear and inability to lie. They had arrived to find their meals waiting. Two tables set equally for seven, saving Luke from the awkward explanation, he quickly followed Spencer, who was chatting with Alex and Stephen animatedly.

“Smooth, Alvez.” Derek patted him on the shoulder as Emily stepped passed them, anxiously checking her phone. Matt Simmons was the last one to join his coworkers, Rossi had already served everyone and had sat himself between Kate and Tara. This left the last free seat next to Alex Blake. He slipped between the Drama and Debate teacher and the ever-bubbly Guidance Counselor. “Ladies, how are we doing this afternoon?”

Alex didn’t respond but held his curious gaze as Penelope began excitedly chippering away to his right.

Tuesday Sept. 5 10am

The summer heat hadn’t relented for two weeks, leaving the players exhausted and desperate after only an hour of running drills. The linemen had the field while the quarterbacks and wide receivers were working through their flexibility drills inside. May Howard never wanted to tackle her own teammates as badly as when they were able to walk back into the airconditioned school.

“Submariners! Positions!” Coach Morgan barked from his perch on the sled. “That means you too, Turner!”

Lucas filled in beside May as their hands and heads fell into line across the turf. Their lungs strained as they waited for the starting whistle. Their coach eyed them, leaving the moment lingering; training their reflexes as much as trying their patience. Then the blast, a jolt of force pushed the large metal framework.

“Don’t stop, get it,” Derek pushed his team. “You go until the play ends. You go until their line breaks and then you take them down!”

May hated being shorter than the guys in moments like this, her legs crossing twice as many steps to keep up with theirs. Lucas laughed as the Coach drew out his ending whistle. Their bodies burning hotter than the midday sun.

“Shower up. We hit the playbook tomorrow. Hard.”

12:57pm

Azalene Curtis could not believe this is where they had been enrolled for the new school year. The place was a freaking castle, she gawked out of the driver’s side as pulled up to the parking lot nearest the Rothschild Auditorium. Her little brother, Jackson, was running late for Freshman Orientation and of course she had to be the one to drop him off. Her hair was braided and wrapped around her head to keep its weight back and off her neck. She helped her brother out of his side of the car and walked him to the doors that had been propped open.

“Lena, you can go now.” Jackson grunted, his elbow crutches easily maneuvered over the lip of the door frame.

“Are you sure? This is an old building, make sure you ask for help if there are too many stairs.” She always worried he would be too pig-headed and miss a class, something their parents tended to ignore when it did happen.

“Are you going to be like this all year?”

“What? Looking out for you? Hell yeah, high school is vicious.”

“You said the same thing about middle school.”

“And I was right, wasn’t I?”

“Whatever, loser, see you later.”

“Have fun, Jax!” Lena turned to descend the slightly inclined walking path. A sleek red convertible came to a screeching halt at the sidewalk. A tiny Hispanic girl nearly jumped from the passenger’s seat as her older brother called from the driver’s side.

“Don’t be rude, Rita. It looks bad on all of us!” Ignacio Cruz reprimanded his freshman sister.

“Go to Hell, Iggy. I’m only rude when you make me late!” And she ran past the Curtis siblings as if they weren’t even there.

Wed. Sept. 6  7:31am

“Good morning everybody. My name is Matt Simmons and I will be filling in for Coach Jareau this fall. I know formality is expected here, but I believe in mutual respect. If you can act in an appropriate manner, you get to call me by my first name.” He stood at the front of his first hour Journalism class in a fresh gray button down matched with a black and white paisley tie. He read the crowd easily, from the overly attentive girl in the front row to the completely disinterested guys in the back.

“You’re actually the Matt Simmons.” Sacha Kane took a quick picture of him. “Best first day of school. Ever.” She read her caption to her Instagram post barely beneath her breath.

“Guys? No pictures, this is a classroom.” Matt sighed. “For those of you who don’t know me, I am a reporter with Al Jazeera. I have a bachelor’s degree from NYU and a master’s from GW.”

“You’re also Hannah’s uncle.” Iggy Cruz added from his perch in the last row, attempting to bring the new teacher down a peg.

“That is correct, Hannah Chang is my sister’s daughter.” Matt smiled easily, arrogant senior guys weren’t really that intimidating after reporting in conflict zones for the past ten years. “And your father is on the Board of Regents and Maya here is Mr. Walker’s daughter. It’s really cozy here at F.B.I., isn’t it?”

“We’re all about getting cozy, handsome.” Sacha leaned back, biting her lip.

“Ms. Kane?” Mr. Simmons raised his eyebrows. “Are we going to have a problem?”

She rolled her eyes and sat up straight, his voice switched from sultry to commanding in an instant. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting from his first day teaching, but this certainly hadn’t been it. Mr. Simmons turned down the lights and began his opening presentation. He left the class with reading assignments and to bring in a print media example of a current events opinion piece for the next day.

“Way to piss off the new teacher, Sacha. Since when do we have homework on the first day?” Jake sassed down at his flirtatious classmate on the way to his second period.

“Jakey, come on. He had that ready before I even snapped a pic.” She grinned confidently. “This semester is going to get me past ten thousand followers.”

10:36am

Luke Alvez’s throat hurt from talking during his morning classes. He started the semester with simple conversations, introductions and asking about the students. Second period was the beginners, but most of the teens had some knowledge of the language as their household staff or nannies may have spoken it around them. There was only one crack about tequila or cerveza, which he chalked up as a win. Now that he was done with his long stretch of classes, he realized how early in the day it was to have lunch.

“I feel like I just had breakfast.” Luke admitted as he grabbed his plate from the cart that Rossi had wheeled in to the staff dining hall, before ducking back to the cafeteria.

“You’re telling me, man. But if you don’t eat now, you’re going to regret it.” Derek shared from experience.

“How’s your first day going, teach?” Kate teased as she dug into her perfectly prepared meal.

“Pretty good, all things considered. I guess Penelope was teaching them at the end of last semester, so I can’t really win any popularity contests.”

“Yeah, don’t sweat it, man. My girl has these kids by the heartstrings and their parents by their wallets, but she was not meant to be teaching. Trust me.” Derek Morgan chuckled.

“We’re just glad you’re here now. Let the craziness of last year be left in the past.” Tara added in her comforting voice.

“Funny the history teacher is talking about leaving things in the past,” Alvez chided.

“Oh, watch out, he’s got the comeback.” Derek egged his coworkers on.

They continued like that up until the bell rattled them back to reality. The easy banter hinting that perhaps this team was going to work out while past line ups had left people slipping between the cracks.

3:42pm

Spencer had been to the principal’s office numerous times over his academic career. Usually as the victim of some sort of bullying, the bruises hidden beneath his oversized clothing. Once it was because he had explained something during a biology lesson and his lab partner thought he was sexually harassing her. And another had been because his history teacher deemed him a distraction to other students and he had to remain in the principal’s office for the remainder of the quarter during that class period. The principal promptly retired the following summer.

These experiences were racing through his thoughts as he knocked on Hotch’s office door after the first day of the new school year. Clammy hands betraying his nerves.

“Come in,” the headmaster’s voice genial. “Reid? Everything okay?”

“You tell me,” Spencer didn’t sit but stood with one hand in his pocket to hide the tension it held. “I have fewer classes on my schedule this year and you gave Sociology to a glorified cameraman.”

“Matt Simmons has an undergraduate degree in Sociology, Reid. He is more than qualified to teach an introductory class on it.”

“As do I. In addition to my three doctorates in other fields.”

Hotch eyed the younger man. “Reid! What is this really about?”

“Do you think I can’t handle the course load? Did I somehow lower the standards with a full schedule?”

“Last year I lost two qualified educators, one to a personal vendetta of a student and one to trauma from the hands of another student. I cannot put my faculty at risk of burn out or exhaustion when the very people we are charged with nurturing could, rather poetically, bite the hand that feeds them.”

“This isn’t about my curriculum?”

“No.”

“Or my attempt at a stargazing club?”

“Not at all, though that really was just asking for kids to sneak off and neck.”

“Neck?” Spencer rubbed his absentmindedly, not getting the reference.

“Spencer,” Hotch leaned on his desk top, signaling the science teacher to sit as well. “I purposely gave you a prep period this year. I don’t want you to work yourself sick. We need to all be on our A game. That means accepting a break, even if we think we’re invincible.”

Spencer’s lips curled into a blushing smirk. “Clever word choice, Hotch. Invincible is late Middle English but has Latinate roots; ‘in’ and ‘vincibilis’ respectably.”

“Reid.”

“Sir?”

“I asked a lot of you, and even more so of Penelope, last term. This is my way of trying to remedy that.”

“Oh.” Spencer caught on. “Well, it was my pleasure. Besides, I kind of owed it to her, too.”

“No, you didn’t, but that’s what makes you a great teacher, Reid. You care so deeply, you take on the burdens of other’s growth. Just make sure you’re taking care of yourself too, yeah?”

“Yeah, okay.”

Friday Sept 8 6:12pm

Maya Walker scrambled through loading the dishwasher, causing both her parents to glance between themselves. She had three different chapters to read, a dozen geometry problems to proof out and a trumpet solo to prepare for seating auditions next week. The pressure was starting to sink in. She gave up snapping Meg Callahan and just called her on speaker.

“This is only the first week of the next four years of my life and I am DROWNING, girl.”

“Hey, Maya.” Meg’s voice sounded overly cheerful.

“Did you just answer the phone at the dinner table? Nu-uh, Kate is going to kill you!”

“Rough week? That sucks,” The line became muffled as Meg clearly played on her aunt’s sympathies to get excused early from the family meal. “Okay, I have ten, twelve minutes tops before she is going to call your mom and check on you.”

“You didn’t have to answer, dork!”

“I couldn’t stand it! Chris was doing light saber noises while trying to convince Kit to eat his Brussel sprouts. They’re Brussel sprouts! It is physically impossible to like them until you’re at least twenty-five!”

“Preach!” Maya filled in. “But seriously, I am dying. Do you have homework? Maybe we can hit the bookstore tomorrow or Sunday. I am going to lose it if I am stuck in my room all weekend.”

“It’s the first week of school, I have like one page of Algebra homework.”

“Which could take hours.”

“Mrrrrrrp. Nope, sorry. I can’t draw it out that long.”

“Please? Because you value me as a friend and person?”

“Maya Walker, don’t go begging now!” Meg cackled. “But seriously, I am sorry you have so much work. And I am slightly terrified for next year. Hey, you said you signed up for Journalism, right?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Is Mr. Simmons as hot as Kate is saying he is?”

“Whoa, go Kate!” Maya cheered on the nurse’s taste. “Yes, he is built like a Greek god, with all the ageless beauty of his Asian roots.”

“Ugh, I wish my teachers were hot.”

“Dude!”

“Okay, well, like, not our parents, obviously.”

“I should hope so!” Mara shuddered. “But seriously, Journalism is first hour, he already knows my name and who I am. It’s going to be a long year.”

“Still a great view to wake up for every morning.”

“Whatever, traitor. So no study sesh this weekend?”

“Nah, sorry. I am babysitting and then we have something on Sunday.”

“You owe me!”

“Yeah, yeah, well I better scram. Hugs!”

“Thanks, Meg. Talk later.”

“Yep.”

Maya hung up the phone and fell dramatically into the mound of quilts atop her bed. She was procrastinating, but something about two days and four assignments felt daunting. After twenty minutes on her favorite puzzle game, she gave in. She got out her trumpet and got to work.

Next Chapter: Uphill

@mentallydatingspencerreid @dontshootmespence @ultrarebelheart @lyrasilverroseelizabethamanti @cynbx @rikersgirl22 @pllfrommars @wheresthewater  @darknesstoglowing @adropintheocean1234567 @tleighstone12 @unitchiefwives @sam-carter-in-training @prettyboysjello @ddreammcatcher @thegirlinflames  @night--hawk @t25luver @onlyalittleteenwolfobsessed @thismiss02 @unitchiefwives

[sophiekraymer]

A Very Long Victuuri Fic Rec List

Hi! So I made a super long list of Victuuri fanfic suggestions for my friend who just finished watching Yuri on Ice. I figured I’d go ahead and also share them here! 

Warning: I’ve been reading Victuuri every night before bed for about a year, so this list is very very long (aka there are 37 fanfics on here)

********Until My Feet Bleed and My Heart Aches-  http://archiveofourown.org/works/8748484/chapters/20055247

Words: 197,681 Chapters: 14/14

SINGLE HANDEDLY THE BEST FIC ON THIS ENTIRE LIST!!!!

‘…Of all the rivalries in the world of sports over the years, perhaps none has become so legendary as that of Russian figure skater Viktor Nikiforov and his rival, Japanese Yuuri Katsuki…’

A single event changes the course of Yuuri’s life, throwing him into a bitter rivalry with Viktor Nikiforov that spans across his entire skating career. But as the years go on, rivalry and hatred begin to develop into something very different and Yuuri doesn’t seem to be able to stay away, no matter how hard he tries.

Hatred and love are two sides of the same coin and even though everything changes, some things are still meant to be.

********Of Bright Stars and Burning Hearts-  http://archiveofourown.org/works/10450500/chapters/23069073

Words: 208,409 Chapters: 9/9

THE SECOND BEST FIC ON THIS ENTIRE LIST

Viktor doesn’t remember the first time he met Yuuri Katsuki.

This however, is what Viktor does remember…

Part 2 of the Rivals series and companion fic to ‘Until My Feet Bleed and My Heart Aches’. One small change alters the course of both Viktor and Yuuri’s entire lives, creating a rivalry that spans across many years and a world where they both tell a very different side to the story.

****Magic & Ice-  https://archiveofourown.org/works/9322724/chapters/21127244

Words: 303,928 Chapters: 41/41

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has begun accepting NEWT transfer students. For 5th year Yuuri Katsuki it’s a dream come true, and a chance for his to find his place in the world, both on the ice and off.

16 year old Yuuri is off on a fun-filled adventure, full of friends and discovery, as he learns how to fall in love, and how to love himself. He might be chasing his idol, 17 year Viktor Nikiforov, but Viktor may be closer than he seems, as he too struggles to find his place in the world.

The Harry Potter AU where they’re still Skaters!

****Gubraithian Fire-   https://archiveofourown.org/works/11256162/chapters/25165083

Words: 117,957 Chapters: 18/?

Seven years have passed since the end of the Second Wizarding War, and with the world turning a little brighter in the aftermath, the wizarding world has grown a little closer. Mahoutokoro might be the logical school of choice if you live in Japan, and Uagadou if you live anywhere in Africa, but if Hogwarts just so happens to have a more intriguing curriculum, why not go there instead, now that they actually accept students from outside the UK and Ireland?

Well, frankly, Ludmila and Ilia had little choice but to send Viktor there just in time for his sixth year of education. With a dark wizard, or several of them, on their heels, there really had been no other option than to flee from Russia, settling down in a flat in London’s West End instead, with top-rated aurors on the case and a chandelier the size of the moon in the living room.

With worry gnawing in the back of his mind and his heart attempting to hammer itself through his rib-cage, Viktor plunges himself into studies, Quidditch, too many towers, friendship, and… wait, who’s that guy with black hair and glasses that suddenly set the world aflame by breathing in his general direction?

Welcome, students, to the Hogwarts Role Reversal AU.

***All The World’s A Stage-  http://archiveofourown.org/works/9135670/chapters/20759239

Words: 112,291 Chapters: 10/10

The romance actor victor fic where Yuuri is hired to teach him to figure skate for a movie

Everyone has a guilty pleasure.

For Yuuri, it just happens to be romance movies starring famous heartthrob Victor Nikiforov.

(And, honestly, on the spectrum of guilty pleasures, he figures that his is on the far, far more innocent side.)

***Come Out of Hiding (I’m Right Here Beside You)-  https://archiveofourown.org/works/9083449/chapters/20654911

Words: 84,345 Chapters: 33/33

THE BROADWAY AU!

After forgetting the words to his song during a vocal competition as a teenager, Yuuri Katsuki decided singing was not for him. Instead he went to NYU to study English. He never expected Viktor Nikiforov, Broadway star extraordinaire looking to direct his first production on the stage, would ever find his up-and-coming lead… in him.

***The Rules for Lovers-  http://archiveofourown.org/works/9645131/chapters/21790376

Words: 323,342 Chapters: 20/20

Prince Yuuri Katsuki has a duty to his country, above all else (his desires, his dreams, and his happiness included), and he knows this alliance will help to ensure the safety of his people. That’s the only reason he accepts Prince Nikiforov’s hand in marriage. The pleasant surprise, of course, is the part where they fall in love along the way. The unpleasant one, well…

That’s a long story.

**Bear Your Soul on the Ice-  http://archiveofourown.org/works/9092290/chapters/20670766

Words: 166,203 Chapters: 25/?

At age fourteen, Katsuki Yuuri had been determined to be Japan’s next great figure skating hope, but with no coach that would never happen, so his ballet instructor packs him up off to Russia to train with Yakov Feltsman. The Yakov Feltsman, otherwise known as the coach to rising figure skating star – and Yuuri’s idol – Viktor Nikiforov.

**Empty Spaces Between Stars- http://archiveofourown.org/works/10847568/chapters/24084063

Words: 99,146 Chapters: 11/?

Victor gets just as drunk as Yuuri at the Sochi Banquet, and they disappear together after the dance-offs. They wake up the morning after with rings on their fingers, and pictures of them kissing after getting married the night before are all over the tabloids… but neither of them remembers a thing. They decide to stay married for a while for the sake of Victor’s sponsorships, and in exchange, Victor coaches Yuuri through nationals…

**Like a Fairytale-  http://archiveofourown.org/works/9373529/chapters/21220337

Words: 73,412 Chapters: 13/13

In which Prince Victor gets swept off his feet at a royal banquet and will go to any length to find his ‘Cinderella’ Yuuri.

(And Phichit is the fairy godmother who has no idea what he’s doing).

“The crown prince of the Nikiforov kingdom, infatuated with a mystery pastry chef he’s only just met. This is exactly the kind of scandalous love story my life has been missing… So, what’s he look like? What exactly is Prince Victor’s type?”

“…Sweet.”

“Well, he does make pastries.“

**Love So Life-  http://archiveofourown.org/works/9226067/chapters/20923982

Words: 114,335 Chapters: 12/12

Yuuri Katsuki was simply living his college life, teaching ice skating lessons to little kids, when suddenly his idol and champion figure skater Victor Nikiforov bursts in and requests that he start babysitting his three year old nephew, Yuri Plisetsky. Yuuri finds himself growing to be a part of their family and helping them work through their complicated family issues.

This is an AU based on the shojo manga Love So Life (2008-2015) by Kaede Kochi. The main difference from the manga will be the ages of Yuuri (23 not 16) and Victor (27 not 25), so therefore the “waiting until the main character is of age” plotline is not necessary or present. That also means that my story will be more focused on romance than the original :)

**Six Hours Ahead-  http://archiveofourown.org/works/10355178/chapters/22879563

Words: 88,416 Chapters: 14/?

When Yuuri downloaded the harmless quiz app, he didn’t expect to become best friends with the Russian boy who asked him for a rematch.

-

Porkcutlet: Wait, you’re from Russia right?

Makka: I am, why?

Porkcutlet: I was just wondering what it feels like to walk on the same ground as a real life angel?

Makka: Umm

Makka: It just feels like walking?

-

(In which Yuuri unknowingly befriends Viktor online and gushes to him about the living legend himself)

**The Unusual Truth-  http://archiveofourown.org/works/11898384/chapters/26878350

Words: 132,618 Chapters: 16/16

***I don’t usually enjoy Alpha/Beta/Omega fics, but this one is actually quite good and subverts the trope a bit

A different kind of ABO love story

It’s a few weeks before his 19th birthday and Viktor Nikiforov has just won his first Grand Prix Final Gold. He should be busy celebrating, but instead he’s forced to attend the ISU’s stupid presentation seminar. It was going to be awful, not just because he was sure to be the oldest newly presented skater there, but also because he would definitely be the only Omega. Being stuck in a room full of Alphas was definitely low on his list of things he wanted to do just days after his first major Senior Gold.

That is until a tiny boy walked into the room and went and changed everything.

*Body Music (Reverse AU)- http://archiveofourown.org/series/620569

A series of 16 oneshots in which Yuuri is older than Victor and Victor comes to Yuuri begging him to be his coach.

*Heel Sit Stay- http://archiveofourown.org/works/11651712/chapters/26213652

Words: 22,211 Chapters: 4/?

Yuuri gave up a skating career to care for his ailing dog four years ago. Now he’s at the 2016 World Dog Show in Moscow, his faithful partner Vicchan in perfect health. They’re athletes of a different sport now–doggy agility–and they’ve come to defend their titles as reigning champions. For Yuuri, though, it was just a nice way to pass the time. Nothing truly nerve-wracking ever happened at these dog shows.

He really should have realized that there was a high chance he’d run into a certain Russian dog lover.

(AKA the dog show AU)

*Lessons in Love- http://archiveofourown.org/works/9250658/chapters/20972102

Words: 106,456 Chapters: 11/?

All Viktor wants is for his son to be happy - and if that means spending countless hours at the ice rink, a million more in the ballet studio, and devotedly cheering for Katsuki Yuuri at every competition he enters, then that is precisely what he’ll do. He just didn’t expect to become a fan, too. (He didn’t expect to fall in love.)

*Miliy-  http://archiveofourown.org/works/11471580/chapters/25721622

Words: 42,794 Chapters: ¾

Viktor finds himself in a sticky situation – referring to more than the mess in his pants after watching his favorite camboy’s show.

In other words, how do you tell a camboy with a celebrity crush on Viktor Nikiforov that you are, in fact, the very man you role play with him as? The answer - you don’t.

*Story of My Life-  http://archiveofourown.org/works/11145114

Words: 5,354 Chapters: 1/1

There are 3,140,000 results on Google Search for why you should meet your idol. Meeting your idol could allow you to tell them personally how much they mean to you and can inspire you to be more like your idol.

However, there are 20,300,000 reasons why you shouldn’t meet your idol.

Or; AU where Victor is a famous author and Yuuri is his biggest fan.

*Sequel to My Life- http://archiveofourown.org/works/12303582

Words: 14,116 Chapters: 1/1

Victor has always wished his life was like a novel.

You know, one of those romance books with a hot, half-naked guy pictured on the cover that ends with an engagement and a steamy sex scene.Victor wishes his life is like those young adult stories where there are four different confusing love triangles and three different misunderstandings that somehow resolve each other by the end. Yeah, those kind of books.

But instead, he lives in a boring reality; one that is as far off from a romance novel as possible. There are no steamy sex scenes, and well scripted dates, and misunderstood love triangles between the main characters.

Just a steady, two month, long-distance relationship with the most precious man he can ever think of. And while it’s no Victor Nikiforov romantic comedy - although nothing could truly be as well scripted as a Victor Nikiforov book - he supposes nothing ever is.

Sequel to Story of My Life.

All this, and love too-   http://archiveofourown.org/works/9378959

Words: 3,882 One Shot

Royalty AU

“I am wondering,” Viktor whispers into the charged air between them, and when did they get so close? Has Viktor’s nose always been a hair’s breadth away from Yuuri’s? “If it would be entirely improper of me to request a kiss. I know that we are not due to be married for several more weeks, but it would be wrong of me to deny that I have been enamored with you since the first time I laid eyes on you.”

“Only if you mean it.” Yuuri whispers back, lips parting. Breathless, hard to form words, his throat so very dry, his chest so very tight. “Please, only if you mean it.”

“If I am to ever mean anything more than I mean this, then I pray the gods strike me down.”

Bittersweet Dissonance- http://archiveofourown.org/works/10673280/chapters/23628108

Words: 23,898 Chapters:5/5

Victor’s attention is swayed to the gorgeous violinist playing in the park across from the rink. Yuuri is baffled by the kind actions of the attractive figure skater. In the meantime, both learn to open up to each other, and their lives finally take a turn for the better.

Born to Make History- http://archiveofourown.org/works/8785183/chapters/20139673

Words: 11,122 Chapters: 3/3

Victor Nikiforov, Heir Tsesarevich and Grand Duke of Russia, needs a husband and only a Japanese Prince will do.

Enter Stage Left- http://archiveofourown.org/works/12513064/chapters/28491300

Words: 21,616 Chapters: 4/5

"How about we practice lines together? It would be great! Who better as my coach than the guy who wrote it? You said so yourself, no one knows the characters better than you!” Victor suggests.

Victor watches as Yuuri’s eyes search for an answer, flickering between the script and Victor. He wants nothing more than to see them shine just for him.

“Alright,” Yuuri decides shyly. “I’ll run lines with you.”

After all, it’s just acting…

Or; the writer!yuuri and actor!victor fic that no one asked for.

I Will Break the Ice of Your Heart- http://archiveofourown.org/works/9120484/chapters/20728225

Words: 51,474 Chapters: 9/9

“Yuuri…” The teacher whispered near his ear.

Fuck… he’s…

“Y… Yes?” he stuttered.

Hot…

Yuuri is a talented but very shy student who enters in a new university for his last year. There, he meets a coldhearted and strict philosophy teacher: Viktor Nikiforov. Despite their differences, the two of them start to get closer…

Language Barriers- http://archiveofourown.org/works/10153565/chapters/22557656

Words: 237,735 Chapters: 38/38

Victor Nikiforov had always wanted to travel the world. When an opportunity arises to spend his final year of university study abroad, he is quick to leap at the chance. Twelve months spent in twelve different countries, he can’t wait to see new places, meet new friends, and finish out his degree with a bang. He just didn’t expect to fall in love along the way.

Yuri Katsuki only applied because his friend forced him to. He’s just trying to get through the year, keep his head down and his grades up. Victor has other ideas.

Make my heart beat out of my chest ‘verse-  http://archiveofourown.org/series/656144

A series of 4 oneshots about Adventures with Yuuri Katsuki, living dance legend, and his ridiculous popstar husband, Viktor “I’m Extra” Nikiforov.

Of Dahlias and Deadlines- http://archiveofourown.org/works/10695813/chapters/23690199

Words: 80,867 Chapters: 20/35

All Victor wants is to get dahlias for Khloe and Brad’s wedding in under 24 hours.

Hope comes in the form of the little family florist in his neighborhood and the quiet smiles of one Katsuki Yuuri.

A florist Yuuri and wedding planner Victor AU.

Pulses that Beat Double-  http://archiveofourown.org/works/12210117/chapters/27730044

Words: 41,714 Chapters: 9/?

Katsuki Yuuri traveled all the way from Japan to study medicine in London, but finds himself very short on funds. He’s long had a fascination with the scandalous Baron Viktor Nikiforov, so he’s shocked when the baron takes an interest in him. So shocked he runs away as quickly as possible. But Viktor Nikiforov is a persistent man when he sees something he wants.

AKA The Victorian Era Sugar Daddy AU

Raison d’Être-  http://archiveofourown.org/works/11535771/chapters/25899183

Words: 29,273 Chapters: 2/?

1. reason or justification for existence; the thing that is most important to someone or something; the sole or ultimate purpose of someone.

President Nikiforov of Russia has a few weaknesses: premium rye vodka, an attention span of 30 minutes, and a torrid love affair with the Japanese Prime Minister.

Siren’s Call: A Collection-  http://archiveofourown.org/works/12657330/chapters/30138846

Words: 30,174 Chapters: 62/?

A siren hardly belongs abroad a pirate ship, but love and adventure tend to bend the rules even of nature and myth.

A collection of minute-ficlets for the siren au created by lucycamui and crimson-chains for the YOI Nautical Zine.

Skater Next Door-  http://archiveofourown.org/works/11903991/chapters/26893467

Words: 41,359 Chapters: 24/24

When Yuuri finds out that his next-door neighbour is none other than Victor Nikiforov, he has a small break down.

He has a second small break down when he sees Victor Nikiforov shower his son in love and attention.

And a third break down when Victor asks him, Yuuri Katsuki, a poor, single parent, ballet dancer, out on a date.

Sugar High-  http://archiveofourown.org/works/10221779/chapters/22681472

Words: 115,192 Chapters: 8/?

“Baby boy, you can have whatever you want. Just tell me, and I’ll give you the world.” Yuuri is completely speechless. Was it going to be this easy? To get money from someone so handsome, so alluring, so rich? Just by asking? Victor presses on. “I can’t give you what you want if you don’t tell me.”

“…Will you help me pay my college tuition?” Yuuri finally speaks, deciding to be straightforward, remembering why he signed up for this in the first place.

“If that’ll make you happy, then so be it. Now…lay on the bed.”

–

Yuuri Katsuki is a college student struggling to pay rent, tuition, and just about everything else. When he sets up an account for a sugar daddy dating app, he doesn’t expect anything to come out of it. Instead, he meets Victor Nikiforov, and so begins their walk on the fine line between their physical relationship and something more.

Sweet on You- http://archiveofourown.org/works/11167470/chapters/24926778

Words: 17,910 Chapters: 10/10

Victor Nikiforov is the owner of a popular bakery in St. Petersburg, and he loves it. But just when he starts to grow bored of the same routine every day a cute foreign college student comes to visit and suddenly becomes all Victor can think about…

AKA the bakery au/rom-com that probably no one asked for.

The Chronicles of Katsuki Yuuri, Unconventional Heartbreaker-  http://archiveofourown.org/works/9823961/chapters/22058708

Words: 6,757 Chapters 1/1

The five times Yuuri Katsuki unknowingly steals the heart of everyone around him and the one time he does it on purpose (sort of).

The Tsesarevich Lives!-  http://archiveofourown.org/works/10589628/chapters/23407527

Words: 50,123 Chapters: 21/21

An Anastasia AU. Victor is an orphan with no name, no family, and no memory of a time before he was ten years old. Could he really be the missing Nikiforov heir? An adventure across Europe with two con-men will lead him to the answer.

Tu meum Animum-  http://archiveofourown.org/works/8892469/chapters/20382040

Words: 60,419 Chapters: 18/18

Viktor is many things but, lately, there are things that are added in his repertoire and he brushes it off as a trick of the imagination since he does not consider himself a stalker and most definitely not a dork.

—

In which Viktor is a fourth year Slytherin in Hogwarts and is very much infatuated with a cute fourth year Gryffindor.

Twenty-Five Hours-  http://archiveofourown.org/works/9677486/chapters/21856832

Words: 22,861 Chapters: 3/3

In which Yuuri spends a 25 hour flight next to Victor Nikiforov, skating legend, and feels it might simultaneously be the best and worst thing that has ever happened to him.

Write Me In C Major-  http://archiveofourown.org/works/9578384/chapters/21657281

Words: 87,188 Chapters: 11/15

Living Legend of figure skating Victor Nikiforov has just won his fifth world title and doesn’t know where to go from here - until he falls in love with Katsuki Yuuri’s music at first hearing.

Movie composer Katsuki Yuuri is trying to bounce back from a series of flops when his idol shows up with absurd requests.

Victor wants Yuuri to compose about him; Yuuri wants Victor to skate about him.

[mrsrcbinscn]

Franny’s NPC Music Pals

Alternatively: McKala rudely writes a novel about Daniel Maitland and everyone else just gets bullet points.

.

Obvs she’s got a million but these are her main NPC music buddies that will be referenced in game.

 Daniel “Dan” Maitland (June 14, 1980)

FC: Martin Sensmeier 

Born in Alaska, moved to Payne Lake, Georgia when he and Franny were in middle school

Alaska Native, Tlingit and Koyukon Athabascan

 Beginning of his contact with Franny

Daniel has been Franny’s best friend since middle school. They were an inseparable trio with the late Molly Vaughn, who was Franny’s best friend since Kindergarten. The three of them got matching tattoos when they were twenty. It’s bluebonnets because of the song Cowboy Take Me Away

Daniel and Franny got a second matching tattoo the year Daniel was inducted into the Native American Music Awards Hall of Fame and they were both inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame -- it’s matching banjos on their wrists

  His dad always liked country music so he got into it a little as a kid, but mostly listened to rock in the early 90s, got real into grunge, but in late high school he rediscovered country and bluegrass music

He and Franny played in a rock band in their last two years of high school but they were both getting really into country and bluegrass together at this time so they’d get together and jam

 Acquiring a love for country/folk music

 Daniel has said in interviews that, “Unlike Franny, my music taste wasn’t very diverse until I was in  high school. I was a product of the 80s and 90s, you know, rock n roll, grunge, Franny and I were even part of a rock band with some classmates. I got a car and could drive us around. Franny usually commandeered the cassette player. She really opened my ears to influences outside of rock music.”

 On how a Nirvana fanboy grew up to study bluegrass music academically and become a bluegrass musician; “It was really our senior year of high school that I fell head over heels for country and bluegrass music. He isn’t always considered country, but I discovered the music of John Denver in the late nineties. After his death, Franny and I went to a record store and purchased one of his Best Of compilation albums because all we really knew [...] Country Roads, the obvious. We sat on my bedroom floor, I had my guitar, Franny had her thrift store mandolin, we played with that album and came up with harmonies until my sister bangs on my door at almost midnight to tell us to shut up. I found a cassette tape we recorded from that day actually, I still have it. We have a lot of recordings of our early- I don’t even want to call it work, we were just playing around. That night sent me down the rabbit hole.”

 He hasn’t just ditched rock music though, he’s a guitarist and backup singer in a female-fronted alt-rock band Venus and The Flytraps.

 He has a prolific career as a songwriter, a successful career as a solo artist, he and Franny Robinson form an americana-bluegrass duo called Dara & Danny, and he’s one of the members of a kind of “supergroup” of musicians living in Appalachia called Pardon My Banjo. Daniel used to play mandolin in a band called NDN Cowboys- a country-folk band made up of all Native Americans, but he left the band on friendly terms in 2010, the year after Dara & Danny was formed.

 Daniel went to East Tennessee State University to pursue a degree in Country, Bluegrass, and Old Time Music, the only place in the world to offer such a degree.

 Personal Life

 Daniel was born in Juneau, Alaska, to a Koyukon-Athabascan mother and a Tlingit and white father. His paternal grandfather is of English, Croatian, and Czech descent. Daniel maintains a home in his native Alaska, and in Kentucky, his primary residence. Shortly after his birth, he, his father, and his siblings moved to the Hoonah–Angoon Census Area where they lived in various communities with friends and relatives of his father, primarily Hoonah and Pelican, while his mother worked as a civil engineer in England and sent money home. He didn’t live with his mother until, in 1991, she got a job opportunity with the Georgia Department of Transportation, and the family relocated to the town of Payne Lake in Clayton County.

 “Payne Lake’s this little nowhere town sandwiched between Jonesboro and Lovejoy, in the rural part of Clayton County,” Maitland explained in an interview. “You’re driving south from Jonesboro, you blink and you passed through Bonanza and Payne Layne, then you’re in Lovejoy.”

 Daniel became a classmate of Franny Sor Robinson at Lovejoy Middle School and Lovejoy High School. “She’s been my best friend for 30 years,” Maitland said in a 2021 interview. “It’s been a gift to know her for long. We’ve been through marriages, kids, all of the good and bad in life together. It’s great to have somebody besides your family and partner to lean on and to knock some sense into you when you need it. Apart from my family, the only non-negotiable people in my life are Franny and, uh, Madalaine, my oldest kids’ mom. I’ve always just had a better time being one or two token guys in a friend group of mostly women.”

 In 2009, he and Robinson formed the duo Dara & Danny together after having regularly collaborated since the start of their music careers.

 Twice divorced, his divorces were the inspiration behind Dara & Danny’s “The Divorce Album”, a critically acclaimed and fan-beloved album about divorce and the lead up and aftermath. Daniel wrote most of the lyrics and Franny wrote the music to go with Dan’s lyrics, which was unusual because she usually writes most of the lyrics. In addition to his divorces, Daniel’s had several rocky serious relationships that have served as song inspiration.

 In 2003, Daniel married Madalaine Snow, daughter of English banjo-player John Mitchell and North Carolina Cherokee and Lumbee Native American activist, sociologist, poet, and musician Atsila Snow in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. They had two children together, son Larkin Maitland Snow (b. 2003), and daughter Kalia Maitland Snow (b. 2004). They divorced in 2006 but they’ve remained friends.

 Snow’s children and older step-children from her current relationship occasionally visit Kentucky with Maitland’s children. “They’re my kids’ siblings. They’re welcome in my home anytime for a trip to the mountains with or without my kids.” Maitland has said in an Instagram live with Kalia, where he was teaching other dads how to do their daughters’ hair. “Her brother -- okay, for the sake of clarity I’m going to say just once stepbrother and stepsister, but those aren’t words we really use in our family. Her brother and sister literally call me like ‘hey, Dan, can my friends and I come crash at your place some weekend this month? We want to go hiking and white water rafting somewhere different’ and I’m like ‘great, any vegans or food allergies I need to know about for dinner?’ If you are my kids’ family, you are my family too. I stay at Maddy and Eric’s house when I have a show within an hour and a half drive to hangout with them and Larkin and Kalia. Eric and I have gone on fishing weekends together. We’re very fortunate that our divorce was a very mutual, natural conclusion to that part of our relationship, and that we’ve gotten to maintain a wonderful friendship. I feel like our marriage ending made my family grow, not shrink. And I hope all of Larkin and Kalia’s siblings through Maddy and Eric feel welcome in my family. Like a weird bonus uncle.”

 Larkin and Kalia mainly lived in Swain County, North Carolina, with their mother and attended New Kituwah Academy, a private Cherokee-language-immersion K-6 school. In 2019, Kalia moved to Cumberland, Kentucky to live with Daniel so she could graduate from high school there and get Kentucky tuition at University of Kentucky.

 In 2006, Daniel began dating Canadian actress and Mohawk indigenous rights activist Gina Taylor, but they split in 2009. They have one daughter together, Ariadne Maitland (b. 2007). Daniel is on good terms with Gina, and Ariadne lives primarily in Kentucky with him. 

He briefly dated Oscar-nominated actress Amanda Dunham in 2009.

 He married Australian journalist Sasha Teller in 2010. They divorced in 2014 and had two children together, boy girl twins Jack and Maxie (b. 2011). In 2018, he sued her for primary custody, citing Teller withholding his right to see the twins. He won primary physical and joint legal custody of Jack and Maxie, and was court-ordered to have the twins spend Christmas and three weeks in the summer with Sasha in Australia.

 In 2019, his son Larkin came out as pansexual and two-spirit. Dan retweeted their tweets that clarified their pronouns are “he/xe/they” and that “I don’t dislike the terms nephew, son, grandson, but do not call me a man.” He has been supportive of his son’s identity, appearing at North Carolina and Kentucky pride events with them, his daughter, and their mother.

 In February 2016, Daniel began dating American artist, poet, writer, and singer-songwriter Whitney Sullivan (born April 8, 1991). Her mother is from the Zuni tribe and she grew up on the Zuni reservation with her siblings, mother, and her father, whose ancestry comes from the Lummi, Ute, and Omaha tribes, and one Irish great-grandfather, hence the last name. 

 On her friend’s current girlfriend, Franny Sor Robinson has said, “If Daniel don’t marry her, I might have to.”

............

Serghei Adamescu (November 24, 1982)

FC: Andrei Tiberiu Maria

Romanian-born sound engineer that Franny regularly words with

Met when he was studying at Pride U when she was getting her Masters’ there and they #vibed

He’s a dope guy

Not much to say about him other than he’s damn good at his job

 Lora Lopez (November 1, 1978)

FC: Sandra Hinojosa

Mexican-American singer and songwriter she went to NYU with

Franny’s collaborated with with and written songs for her

She stared in one of her music videos as the love interest and they got to makeout half-naked which Franny described as “fun as hell”

Lora makes music in English and Spanish

Padraig Chen (May 10, 1987)

FC: Lewis Tan

Irish-Chinese alt-rock singer and musician

Met through her Scottish Seoul Hanoi’d bandmate Max Cho 

They’ve written together a few times

Mostly just jam and vibe together

He sends her a lot of his demos for her opinion

[randomlicious00-blog]

Editor Conversations V2: A Conversation with Legendary Film Editor Susan E. Morse, ACE

Susan E. Morse ACE, known as “Sandy,” graduated Yale with a degree in History before going to Film School at NYU. She never graduated film school, though, because she took an internship that turned into a job and she never looked back.

Early in her career she was an Assistant Editor, working on “Annie Hall” and Interiors. After assisting on a handful of films, she became Woody Allen’s film editor, across the 22-year height of his filmmaking career.

But her career isn’t all Woody. In 1980, Sandy was Associate Editor alongside Thelma Schoonmaker on “Raging Bull,” worked on Marc Lawrence’s “Two Week’s Notice,” “Music and Lyrics” and “Did You Hear About The Morgans?,” and cut episodes of “Louie” and “Billions”. Right now, she’s working down the hall here at Light Iron on a feature called “Novitiate.”

She has been nominated for an Oscar, 5 BAFTAs and an Emmy. When she was honored with a Muse Award in 2005, she publicly thanked every one of her Assistant Editors as part of her presentation.

Her credits include: “Annie Hall” (Woody Allen, 1977) “Interiors” (Woody Allen, 1978) “Manhattan” (Woody Allen, 1979) “Raging Bull” (Martin Scorsese, 1980) “Arthur” (Steve Gordon, 1981) “Zelig” (Woody Allen, 1983) “The Purple Rose of Cairo” (Woody Allen, 1985) “Hannah and Her Sisters” (Woody Allen, 1986) “Radio Days” (Woody Allen, 1987) “Crimes and Misdemeanors” (Woody Allen, 1989) “Husbands and Wives” (Woody Allen, 1992) “Manhattan Murder Mystery” (Woody Allen, 1993) “Bullets Over Broadway” (Woody Allen, 1994) “Mighty Aphrodite” (Woody Allen, 1995) “Deconstructing Harry” (Woody Allen, 1997) “Celebrity” (Woody Allen, 1998) “Two Week’s Notice” (Marc Lawrence, 2002) “Music and Lyrics” (Marc Lawrence, 2007) “The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond” (Jodie Markell, 2008) “Did You Hear About the Morgans?” (Marc Lawrence, 2009) “Louie” (TV Series, 2012) “Billions” (TV Series, 2016)

About Blue Collar Post Collective (BCPC): The Blue Collar Post Collective is an accessible and focused grassroots non-profit, supporting emerging talent in post production.

The BCPC is FREE and welcomes all post production professionals. Join us on Facebook to become an official member. Facebook is the main hub for events, information and support. Also follow us on Twitter for up to the minute tech and industry news and insights, as well as livetweets from important events and seminars. Follow us on instagram (and twitter) to keep up with our daily photo themes, like #workstationwednesday and #timelinetuesday. If you are not on facebook message us below and we will add you to a list for our upcoming mailing list.

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Manhattan Edit Workshop’s mission is to provide the highest quality education for filmmakers and editors. Focusing on both the art and technology inherent to our craft. We foster a “learn by doing” approach in an atmosphere where mistakes are encouraged as part of the process and the only “silly” question is the one that isn’t asked.

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[theonewithfriendsforever]

The Ones with The Cast

Leslie Buffay (April 30, 1998; 21yo)

   Family:

Parents; Frank Jr. and Alice Buffay; Phoebe Buffay (Surrogate)

Siblings; Frank Buffay Junior Jr (21); Chandler Buffay (21)

Grandparents; Frank Buffay (d. 2009); Sheila Craddock (ex. Buffay); Charles (d. 1983) and Cecile Knight

   Education:

NYU (2016-2017)

   Current Residence:

495 Grove Street Apt. 19, West Village, Manhattan, NY

Roommates: Ben Geller (24); Max Boscarino (19)

   Occupation:

Office Temp at Tipton’s Temporaries (Manhattan);

Barista at Starbucks (West Village)

   History

Raised upstate, Leslie had quite the unique upbringing. One of a set of triplets, she and her siblings didn’t find out until they were eight that their Aunt Phoebe was their surrogate and carried them to full term.

Her father was often called, “the village kook,” by their neighbors, and while that did upset her as a child, she now acknowledges that he was a bit kooky. Then again, so was everyone on her father’s side of the family, and it explains a lot about her own personality, too. 

Their mother, though very upbeat and sweet, was much more rational, and was often left to play the bad guy during punishments. Because of this, the triplets preferred their father’s company until their teen years. Alice was hurt by this, always afraid that it was because she wasn’t their “birth mother”, but once they became teenagers, she realized the truth of it was simply that she was the only one enforcing rules around the house. 

When Leslie turned 12, she began to gravitate more towards her mother, who encouraged her artistic passions, and assured her that she would find a job in art if she really tried, and practiced. 

Leslie still has the discipline to draw every night for two hours after work, no matter how little sleep she might get because of it. Her mother had always encouraged her to do this after school, during school, whenever the fancy struck, and still fawns at every photo Leslie sends her of her current work. 

When the triplets were ten, they’d go spend time with their Aunt Phoebe in the city every third weekend of the month. As teenagers, they were free to visit on the weekends, as long as they didn’t have any other responsibilities, and as long as Phoebe was willing. Lucky for Leslie, Aunt Phoebe welcomed her no matter what, even after she married Uncle Mike, and Leslie took advantage of their hospitality. She would visit museums, watch people paint or draw in the park, and take in shows at small galleries. It was the best time of her life.

There was no doubt in her mind that she wanted to go to art school, but midway through her first year at NYU, Leslie knew that higher education just wasn’t for her. Her mother didn’t approve of her dropping out of school and not enrolling elsewhere, but her father was supportive at first. When she began doing temporary office work for a company, he began to put the pressure on for her to come home and go to trade school. What did she need a degree in art for, when she could learn to fix appliances, or paint cars, or something useful? 

After the fifty-seventh fight over her future, Leslie stopped calling her parents and decided to just become a vagabond in the city, surfing from couch to couch at friend’s places, and sometimes with strangers. It wasn’t completely awful, her Aunt Phoebe had it much worse when she was homeless, but it really did feel isolating to not have anywhere to make space just for herself. 

When Ben insisted that she move into his apartment, going so far as to sell his queen size bed and purchase bunk beds instead, she accepted, but only because she knew she could trust him, and because, well, bunk beds!

Falling in love with Ben came easily; he was charming, and intelligent, and when she said something other people gave her funny looks for, he always understood. Plus, he is really, really cute. 

Most of their roommates so far have simply been flakes, or couldn’t handle the city, or just couldn’t find jobs they were comfortable with taking (what’s wrong with temp work?!), but Max has settled in nicely, and their auras all compliment each other perfectly, according to Leslie.

Ben has made her a little art corner for her easel, a space just for her to paint in, and lets her spread out across the apartment with her artwork as needed. Normally, clutter bothers him, and so Leslie tries to keep everything as neat as possible, but it does often get out of hand.

Being an office temp is usually pretty chill, moving from job to job every so often, never staying anywhere longer than six weeks, sometimes as little as three days. It has expanded her horizons, given her a broader taste of the world, as she has temped everywhere from a receptionist desk at a makeup company, to entering data at a medical records digital archiving company. It’s a lot of fun, but it isn’t a “steady job”, as her parents would say, so she has to work nights at the Starbucks in their building. 

Face claim: Allisyn Ashley Arm

[houseofmind]

2 Year Anniversary PD Update

A lot has happened since I last brought you up to speed with my life and academic endeavors. Given that my last update post was over 2 years ago, I wasn’t sure where to start. With that said, this post has been opened and worked on (and opened and worked on, and so forth) so it’s a long one :X If you’re new, welcome! Also, please be sure to check out the list of things I learned during my PhD. 

Spring/Summer 2016

Briefly, I moved to Pittsburgh about a week after that update post. I crammed as much of my stuff as I could along with Fausto (my cat) into a rental car and drove to my new place amidst a snowstorm. I made it there safely (although I had to make an overnight stop that I swear gave my cat anxiety). My new home exceeded my expectations (2 bedroom, living room, kitchen, basement, washer/dryer, short commute < $1,000), but leaving NYC and most of my friends was bittersweet. 

I went into lab the next day after arriving in Pittsburgh. THAT felt really weird because it was when reality hit. New job, new role, new boss (and new style), new techniques, new approaches, new life basically. My first challenge in the lab was learning the “bread and butter” technique: in vivo extracellular recordings of VTA dopamine neurons. Initially, this scared the shit out of me because I had 0 electrophysiology experience so I was worried about how long it would take for me to be decent and start collecting good data. I was trained by the RAP in the lab; I shadowed her for a week and copied down as much as I could. Then, I did an animal every day for a month. That’s about how long it took for me to get comfortable. (Side note: if you move to a lab and need to learn a new technique, my advice is to attack it aggressively until you learn it!). At the beginning I encountered problems such as having my animal bleed too much, giving too much anesthetic, taking too long (a whole day for just one surgery), making bad electrodes, not being able to find dopamine neurons, etc. The really cool part was seeing myself get better: not making the same mistakes, being able to correct mistakes when they happened, becoming faster and more efficient, optimizing my procedure. It was a great reminder of why I love doing science and that I am capable of learning new things :]

Then came the part where my advisor asked me to think of projects related to his prior work and funding. Call this my second challenge in the lab. He suggested a “safe” project and a “pie in the sky” project. I really appreciated his flexibility and willingness to have me choose projects and questions that I cared about, while also offering his guidance and steering me in better directions. After I pored over his grants and (then still in press papers), I came up with 2 ideas and presented my experimental design to the lab. Next, I got to work! During this time I received funding from a T32 program within the Psychiatry at Pitt, which would cover my stipend until I was able to secure my own funding (more on this in Fall 2015). 

Work was interrupted for a couple of days in May that I took off to attend my graduation in NYC. My parents and one of my brothers were able to fly in from Puerto Rico and I was really pleased. I am the only (and first!) PhD in either side of the family so I could tell that this was a big deal to them and that they were really proud of me. Obviously, this made me feel proud of myself :D

Here is a pic of me on graduation day:

After I came back, it was time to get down to business. My first cohort of “real animals” was ready for all the single unit dopamine (DA) neuron recordings I had to do. Even though I had only been doing this technique for ~2 months, I managed to get some interesting preliminary data that my PI was enthusiastic about, he suggested I write an F32 (NIH postdoctoral fellowship grant). For the August deadline, meep! Most of June and July was spent working around the clock to not only gather and analyze the data, but also write the proposal. IT WAS INSANE. During this time, I also traveled to San Sebastián in the Basque Country (within Spain) for the International Society for Developmental Psychobiology (ISDP) meeting. It was my first time out of the country since 2013 and it was quite exciting because I was awarded their dissertation prize! I was only there for 4-5 days but I managed to hang out with my PhD advisor and conference buddies, gave a talk on my dissertation research, meet some pretty cool people from all over,  take in some breathtaking views, eat pintxos, and go to the beach. I guess you could call this my “vacation” over the summer. Finally, the last exciting thing to happen over the summer was that I received an invitation from the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP) to attend their annual meeting in December (more on this below). 

Fall/Winter 2015

After submitting my grant, I continued to perform experiments related to my F32 proposal project. I also started generating animals for another project in which I would look at the effects of chronic mild stress (i.e. depression model) in a neurodevelopmental model of schizophrenia-like deficits. I also got the grant score for my initial submission, which I knew was not within funding range so that meant resubmission in the spring. What can you do? During this semester I participated in the weekly career and research development (CARD) seminar, which is oriented towards helping postdocs gain the skills necessary for transitioning into an independent research position. This was required for me to get the T32 $$$, but I would strongly advise anyone who has access to these types of programs to attend! Topics covered included but were not limited to: how to negotiate, conflict management, how to prepare a job talk, authorship, mock K review process, etc... There is also a writing block portion of the seminar in which participants are divided into topic specific mini groups and get feedback from at least 2 other faculty on a weekly basis before grant submission. Besides being able to cultivate a positive and professional relationship with my T32 director, I’d say that the CARD seminar was the best thing about participating in this T32 program. 

In terms of travel and meetings, I attended the SfN 2015 conference in Chicago and I’ve got to say that my experience there was so positive it even made me change my mind about Chicago!!! It was the first time I was attending this meeting without having a poster so I focused on trying to meet the dopamine/electrophysiology folks and attending all the socials I could fit in :D Right after SfN, I went to NYC to visit some friends still in grad school over Thanksgiving. I cannot stress how important it is to keep in touch with your friends and make time for them. Anyhow, I got back and then it was time to fly down to Florida for the ACNP meeting. This was my first official presentation as a PD so I was really nervous (also presenting a new technique, new project, new everything!) but my boss was really supportive and the people that came by my poster were kind, insightful and encouraging. The location is also superb and the science top notch, I think this has dethroned Gordon Amygdala as my favorite meeting (most of those people were here anyway!) and I will definitely keep applying for that travel award for as long as I have to. After ACNP I flew home for Christmas and got an invitation from my advisor to co-author a review paper w/ another PD in the lab. This paper has been published already and can be found here. 

Spring 2016

I basically spent the spring working on additional experiments for my main project that I thought were necessary after presenting at ACNP and getting feedback (i.e. extra controls, increasing n, diff stats, etc...). This was a good thing because I also used some of that data for my F32 resubmission, which was due in April. As I wrote that sentence I remembered that this time was particularly busy for me in the lab as the cohort of animals for my other project (MAM-CMS) was born and I was running 2 behaviors + recording all of these animals (8 group total). It was so crazy busy (yet productive) that I swore to myself never to schedule that many experiments for the same couple of months ever again. 

Summer 2016

I presented a new and improved version of my main project poster at the Society for Biological Psychiatry in Atlanta. This was very cool because I had never been there (omg the aquarium!) and I got to reconnect with a lot of people I had met during my PhD but had not seen since the start of my PD. Apparently they really like this meeting and it is one of their go-tos. One of these people was my PhD advisor, whom I worked with on trying to wrap up and expedite my remaining PhD papers. Another person was another female minority graduate student that I knew during my PhD at NYU. It was great catching up with her and hearing about all the great science she will be doing in her PD lab and how the transition was for her. I remembered thinking that there are many paths that can lead to the same outcome, and feeling at peace. 2 interpersonal crises later, I received the score for my F32 resubmission and it was so good I A) almost fell off my chair and B) started crying (like, really). If you’re anything like me, you probably already know that you cannot have it all. It always feels like either I’m great in my personal life and so so at work or I’m killing it at work and everything else has gone to shit. To me, the score meant funding was pretty much a given, so it tipped the scales back to the killing it at work scenario and I settled for being happy with that and harnessing what was left of my happiness into that new positive direction. You can read about my F32 project here. I spent the rest of the summer celebrating my birthday, good fortune and prepping my first PD paper for submission. Also, I GOT A CAR! For the first time in nearly 7 years since I did my PhD in Manhattan and lol cars in NYC. 

Fall 2016

Remember that slump I mentioned I was in at the beginning of the summer? I decided to get over it by taking a solo trip to Thailand :] That is a post in itself (which will likely not end up here) but it was truly a once in a lifetime trip. I liked that it was hard (+16 hours to get there), new (first time ever in Asia) and was something totally out of my comfort zone. I met people from all over the US, rode elephants, visited UNESCO world heritage sites, learned about Buddhism, bar-hopped in Khao San Road and the red light district, shipped in a professional masseuse from the temples for a full body massage, ate weird food, etc. etc. Some of these pics can be found my scrolling down in my IG.  I feel like everyone should do something like that for themselves, at least every once in a while. I also learned that culture shock is funny because it can happen once you get back from your trip. I had a soft meltdown upon arriving at JFK and spent my first night back talking to a friend/processing everything I had witnessed. Can’t wait to go back and this time make it to Krabi or Phuket! 

During this semester, I also submitted my initial paper for my main project and added experiments to my secondary project. In more exciting news, I published a first author PhD paper on the effects of early life stress on social behavior and neural activity in cortical and limbic areas. You can read it here. I also got a travel award to present this work at the Society for Social Neuroscience in San Diego jus prior to SfN 2016, where I presented my first SfN poster as a PD. I was overwhelmed by the positive response and I got to do a podcast w/ Deb Budding from Neurocurious. Even though I was dead tired and delirious from my poster session being immediately before, it was SO MUCH FUN <3 I just checked and its still not up but will link it here when its available! SfN 2016 was followed by ACNP 2016 (first time presenting my MAM/CMS data, now DEFINITELY my favorite meeting), although I flew down to Florida early so I could make it to Art Basel (basically a conference, but for art!). I had such a great time that I almost forgot that my paper was rejected :( When I got back to Pitt, I focused on collecting data for the last experiments in yet another (small) project (that I have not mentioned previously yet). Then I went off to Puerto Rico to spend NYE w/ my family and friends :D

Winter 2016-2017 (aka where am I now)

I published another PhD paper. This one is a co-first paper and I’m really proud of it because it represents an effort by our group to incorporate techniques used in humans to facilitate translation of findings between animal models and humans. 

I revised and resubmitted my previously rejected paper. System says it’s still under review so we’ll see what happens... 

I submitted a grant based on an idea I had last fall that ties in nicely with my current work (pitched the idea to advisor at SfN 2016, luckily he agrees it is interesting/worth the shot).

Collected prelim data for above-mentioned grant.

Organizing the outline for a review I want to write that’s related to my grant. A colleague/mentor gave me the idea to do this since it’s a good chance to get a publication of all that lit search you did anyway! 

Put in 2 travel award applications (1 no, 1 still waiting) to present my work 

Nearly done collecting data for that random project 3 that slipped my mind for most of this post. I think this is because it’s not my main project and its a follow-up of someone else’s project. Presented this data at lab meeting and got some feedback about graphing/analyzing data. Working on this and aiming to submit by early summer. 

Traveling to Boston in 2 weeks to present in the Poverty and the Brain symposium at the Eastern Psychological Association meeting

Accepted a position as an ad hoc member of ACNP’s minority task force in order to help increase the participation of underrepresented minorities (URMs) in the college and to help retain them

Accepted a position as Review Editor in the Editorial Board of Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience 

WHEW. I finally got it all out. There you have it, what I’ve been up to since starting my postdoc and why I haven’t been more active on Twitter/here. Hopefully it goes someways in attenuating my I-should-be-posting-more-guilt :P 

Also, please feel free to write if you have any questions about PD life, the grad to PD transition or anything else you have read about here : ) In case you didn’t know, I started this blog as a grad student who DID NOT think they were going to make it in academia so the fact that this blog is still alive and so many of you still follow it/engage motivates me to keep it going for as long as I can. Maybe one day I’ll have a job and can look back at everything that led to that there. That’s the dream. Until next time! 

xoxo

Dr. M

[tears-of-araxes-blog]

News after Obama was elected to a second term- listed (roughly) chronologically, most recent first: 

[For this post, from the most recent, to after his reelection in 2012]

In the final week of his presidency, Obama sends hundreds of U.S. Marines to Norway in a move that puts more U.S. military at Russia's doorstep (READ)

Obama sends 3,500 U.S. troops and tanks to Russia's border in one of his final decisions as president. Russia reponds by saying, "These actions threaten our interests, our security, especially as it concerns a third party building up its military presence near our borders." (READ)

Obama sanctions Russia over unproven hacking claims (READ ).

Obama takes parting shot at Russia in UN finale: "We see Russia attempting to recover lost glory through force", the US leader said without a hint of irony. "If Russia continues to interfere in the affairs of its neighbors, it may fuel nationalist fervor for a time, but over time it's also going to diminish its stature." Obama also appeared to be detached from reality when he said, "The world is by many measures less violent and more prosperous than ever before (READ ).

Obama takes parting shot at Russia in UN finale: "We see Russia attempting to recover lost glory through force", the US leader said without a hint of irony. "If Russia continues to interfere in the affairs of its neighbors, it may fuel nationalist fervor for a time, but over time it's also going to diminish its stature." Obama also appeared to be detached from reality when he said, "The world is by many measures less violent and more prosperous than ever before (READ ).

Although President Obama began his administration with a dramatic public commitment to build a nuclear weapons-free world, that commitment has long ago dwindled and died, as Obama plans a 30-year, $1 trillion, taxpayer-funded program to modernize  US nuclear arsenal and production facilities. (READ ).

Obama opens up relations with Vietnam by agreeing to sell them weapons ( READ ).

Obama plans to increase deployment of heavy weapons and other equipment to NATO countries in Central & Eastern Europe ( READ).

Instead of condemning Turkey for shooting down a Russian jet, Obama voiced his approval ( READ ). And instead of offering condolences to Russia, Obama blames Russia ( READ ).

Obama announces US war in Afghanistan will not end in 2016, as promised ( READ ).

The White House made clear yesterday that they oppose any independent investigation of the recent US attack on a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Afghanistan, and the next day the US smashed into the wreckage of the hospital with a tank, forcing their way in and destroying potential evidence that would be used in a war crimes investigation ( READ ).

Obama: Mistakes Made in NATO War on Libya, US Should ve Done Even More. Suggests Even More Intervention the Answer ( READ ).

In Letters to Congressmen, Obama Pledges More Money for Israel, Talks Up Attacking Iran ( READ ).

Former Bush Official With Ties To CIA Torture Program Now Advises Obama Interrogators ( READ ).

After US drones kill hostages in Pakistan, Obama invokes American Exceptionalism ( READ ).

Obama won't call it Armenian 'genocide' on 100th anniversary of atrocity ( READ ).

US intelligence used for Saudi airstrikes in Yemen ( READ ).

Obama halts US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan ( READ ).

Obama approves US airstrikes in Tikrit ( READ ).

Sounding a lot like Bush, Obama says the US is going after ISIL wherever it hides, ( READ ).

Huh? Obama: Defeating ISIS Hinges on Syria Regime Change ( READ ).

Obama administration to allow sales of armed drones to allies - will sell to allied countries, some of which have troubling records on human rights and political freedoms ( READ ).

Obama's Blank Check For War: Obama's authorization for the use of military force (AUMF) against ISIS permits action anywhere in the world against not just ISIS, but "associated forces" ( READ ).

13 Years, $1 Trillion Plus Spent, Obama Declares Afghan War a Success - Insists Protracted Occupation Made World 'Safer' ( READ ).

Obama administration refuses to pursue charges against CIA torturers in spite of scathing report ( READ ).

Obama has signed more executive memoranda than any other president in history ( READ ).

President Obama is actively seeking options for how to use ground troops in Iraq ( READ ).

Obama Extends NSA Spying Powers Yet Again ( READ ).

Obama Plans to Increase Number of Troops in Afghanistan in 2015 ( READ ).

In Secret, Obama Extended U.S. Military Role in Afghanistan Combat ( READ ) - contradicting his statement in May " Americas combat mission will be over by the end of this year. Starting next year, Afghans will be fully responsible for securing their country.

White House, C.I.A. Working Together to Thwart Release of Agency's Torture Report ( READ ).

Obama immigration speech: Sounded just like Bush's 2006 speech ( READ ).

Obama punts on net neutrality ( READ ).

Obama doubles the number of troops in Iraq ( READ ).

Obama again pushing for TPP ( READ ).

Obama Could Reaffirm a Bush-Era Reading of a Treaty on Torture ( READ ).

America's deadly double tap drone attacks are 'killing 49 people for every known terrorist in Pakistan' according to Stanford/NYU study ( READ ).

White House exempts Syria airstrikes from tight standards on civilian deaths ( READ ).

U.S. Ramping Up Major Renewal in Nuclear Arms ( READ ).

U.S. to keep 9,800 troops in Afghanistan ( READ ).

Mass surveillance just earned another 90-day blank check, nine months after President Obama promised to rein in the NSA s spying powers ( READ ).

Obama and Cameron push for war on ISIS in Syria and Iraq - insists anyone who opposes this conflict is an "isolationalist" ( READ ).

Obama's Pentagon Covered Up War Crimes in Afghanistan, Says Amnesty International ( READ ).

Obama Authorizes Airstrikes in Iraq (yet somehow says, "As commander in chief, I will not allow the United States to be dragged into fighting another war in Iraq") ( READ ).

Thank You, President Obama. Love, Israel ( READ ).

Six US Presidents Have Destroyed Iraq ( READ ).

How the Obama Administration is Keeping Big Coal Alive ( READ ).

Afraid to Stoke Populist Ire, Obama Abandons 'Inequality' Rhetoric ( READ ).

Rubbing our noses in it: Obama's FAA gives first approval of commercial drones in US to... BP ( READ ).  Obama appointee and fellow Democrat Anthony Foxx who is the secretary of Transportation, which oversees the FAA, said that BP's use of drones is "another important step toward broader commercial use of unmanned aircraft."

Obama Seeks to More Heavily Censor Drone Killing Memo ( READ ).

Speaking at the West Point commencement speech, President Obama put forward his foreign policy vision, which he described as might doing right, declaring that I believe in American exceptionalism with every fiber of my being. ( READ ).

Obama to announce direct training of "rebels" in Syria ( PHOTO ).

Deal Welcoming US Military Into Philippines Slammed As 'Betrayal' ( READ ) - protesters burn effigy of Obama in Philippines ( PHOTO).

Obama breaks campaign promise on net neutrality ( READ ).

At the same time the US is accusing Russia of being militarily provocative, the US sent 600 troops to Poland to counter "Russia's aggression in Ukraine;" deployed six American F-15 aircraft inside Lithuania ; pledged a $10 million increase in border security aid to Moldova ; declared its desire to strengthen NATO's military cooperation with Armenia and Azerbaijan ; stated that it wanted to send more troops to Romania ; decided to send more US troops and military aircraft into Uganda ; announced it would expand its covert support of the Syrian opposition , and fomented unrest in Venezuela .

US secretly created 'Cuban Twitter' to stir unrest ( READ ). White House calls it a "a development-assistance programme." ( READ ).

Obama The Least Transparent President in History ( READ ).

Obama says 'bigger nations cannot simply bully smaller ones'. Wait... what? ( READ ).

Obama defends Iraq invasion: "But even in Iraq, America sought to work within the international system. We did not claim or annex Iraq s territory, nor did we grab its resources for our own gain. Instead, we ended our war and left Iraq to its people and a fully sovereign Iraqi state could make decisions about its own future. ( READ ).

Obama Wants More NATO Troops in Eastern Europe ( READ ).

US Regime-Change Operation in Ukraine Exposed in Leaked Diplomatic Phone Call ( READ ).

The Obama administration has killed 4,700 individuals in numerous countries, including Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia, bragged Sen. Lindsey Graham ( READ ).

Obama administration extends $6.5 billion loan guarantee to build nuclear reactors ( READ ).

One of the most generous offerings for corporate America in the U.S. tax code is about to become even more bountiful under an Obama administration proposal ( READ ).

Obama's NSA 'Reforms' Are Little More Than a PR Attempt to Mollify the Public ( READ ).

Obama Unveils Vague NSA Reforms, Denies Wrongdoing ( READ ).

Groups to Obama: Your Fossil Fuel-Driven Policies Equal 'Catastrophic Climate Future' ( READ ).

Christmas day, 2013 announcement: Obama is sending Hellfire missiles and drones to Iraq ( READ ).

Obama plans $355 billion upgrade to nuclear weapons ( READ ).

Obama s photo policy smacks of propaganda ( READ ).

I am sorry that they, you know, are finding themselves in this situation, based on assurances they got from me, said Obama, apologizing to Americans receiving insurance cancellation notices.  In 2009, Obama said: If you like your health-care plan, you ll be able to keep your health-care plan, period. No one will take it away, no matter what. ( READ ).

"A Corporate Trojan Horse": Obama Pushes Secretive TPP Trade Pact, Would Rewrite Swath of U.S. Laws ( READ ).

Amid government shutdown, Obama signals cuts to Social Security, Medicare ( READ ).

Obama wants war on Syria, the people don't ( READ ).

Obama appears to be delusional: I didn't set a red line (on Syria), the world set a red line  ( READ ).

Obama administration asks Supreme Court to allow warrantless cellphone searches ( READ ).

White House knew Glenn Greenwald's partner David Miranda would be detained ( READ ).

Obama refuses to cut off military aid to Egypt in spite of brutal crackdown on protesters ( READ ).

Obama Appoints Documented 'Liar' to Convene NSA Review Board -- Investigation established by James Clapper is part of president's so-called transparency reforms ( READ ).

Obama's 'Tonight Show' Domestic Spying Comments Contradicted By New York Times Story ( READ ).

Obama toasts George HW Bush: 'We are surely a kinder and gentler nation because of you' ( READ ).

The case against Edward Snowden is the seventh under President Barack Obama in which a government official has been criminally charged with leaking classified information to the media. Under all previous presidents, just three such cases have been brought. ( READ )

Obama administration implementing a crackdown called the Insider Threat Program. Millions of federal employees must watch for "high-risk persons or behaviors" among co-workers and could face penalties, including criminal charges, for failing to report them.  Leaks to the media are equated with espionage. (READ) .

The CIA has been operating a secret drone base in Saudi Arabia for the past two years (READ) .

Obama is running the biggest terrorist operation that exists, maybe in history" - Noam Chomsky

Edward Snowden: Obama expanded 'abusive' security programs (READ) 

In justifying his actions in Syria, Obama said, "[T]here are folks who say, you know, 'We are so scarred from Iraq. We should have learned our lesson. We should not have anything to do with it.' Well, I reject that view as well." (READ)

In his 2009 inaugural address, Obama claimed that we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals.  Now, in defending NSA spying, Obama says, "You can't have 100 percent security and also then have 100 percent privacy We are going to have to make some choices as a society." (READ)

Obama decides to arm rebels in Syria, in spite of it being against U.S. law to arm designated terrorist organizations.  Obama's justification: The arms sent by the U.S. won't get into the hands of the al-Qaeda fighters amongst the rebels (READ)

Obama defends PRISM sweeping surveillance efforts (READ) .

Obama's NSA collecting Verizon customer phone records - under the Obama administration the communication records of millions of US citizens are being collected indiscriminately and in bulk, regardless of whether they are suspected of any wrongdoing (READ) .

President Obama uses a sledgehammer against dissent - From Jeremy Hammond to Bradley Manning and the AP, Obama's 'assault on journalism' is a threat to our democracy (READ) .

Obama admits the U.S. kills innocent civilians: "it is a hard fact that U.S. strikes have resulted in civilian casualties" (READ) .

The United States has formally said for the first time that it killed Yemeni-American cleric Anwar al-Awlaki and three other US citizens in anti-terror strikes abroad  (READ) .

Obama administration secretly obtains trove of Associated Press phone records in "unprecedented intrusion"  (READ) .

Cornel West: Obama 'Is a War Criminal'  (READ) .

Four Obama policies that help keep Gitmo open (READ) .

Obama's calls George W. Bush a "good man" at Bush library dedication (READ) .

The first of 500 Marines have begun deploying to Spain as part of a new rapid reaction force to respond to threats against U.S. citizens, government personnel or installations in Africa ( READ ).

It s Official: A Democratic President Proposes to Cut Social Security  (READ) .

While Urging Gun Laws at Home, Obama Joins NRA to Weaken U.N. Arms Trade Treaty (READ) .

Signed the Monsanto Protection Act into law.

Obama Admin: GPS Tracking Without Warrants Necessary - Insists Tracking Americans' Every Movement Has 'Minimal' Privacy Impact ( READ ).

Obama inflames anti-Iran hysteria by speculatively claiming "Right now, we think it would take over a year or so for Iran to actually develop a nuclear weapon, but obviously we dt want to cut it too close" ( READ ).

Obama administration to let spy agencies scour Americans' finances ( READ ).

U.S. Steps Up Aid to Syrian Opposition, Pledging $60 Million ( READ ). Previous related: Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri has called on all Muslims to back the rebels in Syria in the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad ( READ );( READ ).

Is Obama really the 'lesser of two evils'? Could John McCain or Mitt Romney have gotten away with what President Barack Obama is doing?  Where Democrats once feverishly denounced the actions of George W. Bush, they are now eerily silent when their own candidate behaves in much the same way as his predecessor ( read entire article ).

Obama sends U.S. troops to Niger to set up drone base ( READ ).

Obama's Possible Frack-Friendly Energy Plan a 'Nail in the Coffin' for Climate: Choice of MIT professor Ernest Moniz, known for championing gas fracking, as head of Department of Energy receives rebuke ( READ ).

Obama Maneuvers to Keep Kill List Memos Permanently Secret ( READ ).

Obama OKs $50 million to assist France in Mali ( READ ).

In State of the Union, Obama Misleads on Foreign Policy.  "Over the next year, another 34,000 American troops will come home from Afghanistan," the President said. But Obama is overselling this withdrawal: by the end of this year, the number of troops in Afghanistan will be about equal to the number that were there when Obama was elected. This is only a withdrawal because he decided to triple troop levels in an ill-advised military surge ( READ ).

Barack Obama is Pushing Gun Control at Home, but He's a Killer Abroad ( READ ).

White House: Drone Killings Ethical and Wise ( READ ).

US responds to Israeli attack on Syria by warning Syria ( READ ).

Obama's nomination of Mary Jo White for SEC chief reveals the president still isn't serious about cracking down on big banks ( READ).

Obama Inaugural Speech: US to Maintain Global Military Presence ( READ ).

The Untouchables: How the Obama Administration Protected Wall Street from Prosecutions ( READ ).

MLK: I have a dream.  Obama: I have a drone ( READ ).

The Pipeline President: Obama s Keystone XL ( READ ).

Three Ways Obama Carried Bush s Tyrannical Torch, in Just One Week - Warrantless wiretapping of American citizens, Indefinite detention without charge or trial, Targeted killings of suspects by drone, without any pretense of due process (even if they are US citizens) remains none of the American people s business ( READ ).

Obama signs 2013 NDAA - blocking closure of Gitmo ( READ ).

Amy Goodman: Obama s New Year s Resolution: Protect the Status Quo - a number of bills were signed into law by President Barack Obama that renew some of the worst excesses of the Bush years ( READ ).

The Obama Administration deported more than 400,000 undocumented immigrants in the 2012 fiscal year, the most in the nation's history ( READ ).

Announced on Christmas eve: The U.S. will be sending Army brigades into as many as 35 African nations in early 2013 ( READ ).

Obama Administration Snubs Risk, Set to OK 'Frankenfish' ( READ ).

The US is going to substantially increase its military presence in the Philippines, increasing the number of troops, aircraft and ships which routinely rotate through the country, - a reason given: to serve The Philippines when struggling against natural disasters. ( READ ).

Obama's Deficit Proposal: Cut Social Security Benefits ( READ ).

Remember All the Children, Mr. President. Remember the 35 children who died in Gaza this month from Israeli bombardments (with your approval and U.S. weapons).  Remember the 168 children who have been killed by US drone attacks in Pakistan since 2006.  Remember the 231 children killed in Afghanistan in the first 6 months of this year ( READ ).

Barack Obama's tears for the children of Newtown are in stark contrast to his silence over the children murdered by his drones ( READ).

Obama sends 400 troops to Syrian border ( READ ).

Obama grants unprecedented powers for warrantless surveillance. The rules now allow the little-known National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) to examine the government files of U.S. citizens for possible criminal behavior, even if there is no reason to suspect them. Now, NCTC can copy entire government databases flight records, casino-employee lists, the names of Americans hosting foreign-exchange students and many others. The agency has new authority to keep data about innocent U.S. citizens for up to five years, and to analyze it for suspicious patterns of behavior. Previously, both were prohibited ( READ ).

Obamacare Architect Leaves White House for Pharmaceutical Industry Job ( READ ).

US to leave 10,000 troops in Afghanistan past 2014 ( READ ).

Obama 'drone-warfare rulebook' condemned by human rights groups ( READ ).

Obama says he is "fully supportive" of Israel's attack on Gaza. There is no country on Earth that would tolerate missiles raining down on from outside its borders" (We wonder if Obama applies this logic to Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia and Afghanistan where the U.S. is raining down missiles on those countries) ( READ ).

Obama Administration: Hamas to Blame for Gaza Violence.  Says Israel 'has the right to defend itself' (but makes no mention of Palestinians having the same right) ( READ ).

Obama-appointed Afghanistan commander supports troops there past 2014 (READ) .

U.S. expands counterterrorism assistance in Cambodia in spite of human rights concerns ( READ ).

Julian Assange: Reelected Obama a 'wolf in sheep's clothing'.   All of the activities against WikiLeaks by the United States have occurred under an Obama administration. ( READ ).

[38-planes]

The Love Story Behind Come From Away

Intermission [November 24, 2016]

The important thing to remember about Come From Away, now playing at the newly restored Royal Alexandra Theatre through January 8 prior to its Broadway opening, is that it’s a love story

On one level, it’s the story of the mutual devotion that erupted between 6579 airline passengers from around the world when their planes were grounded in Newfoundland in the aftermath of 9/11 and the people of Gander who took them in. And in another sense, it’s about Toronto lawyer Michael Rubinoff’s infatuation with this story and his desire to bring it to the musical theatre stage.

But most of all, it’s about the husband and wife team of Irene Sankoff and David Hein, who picked up Rubinoff’s challenge to write the show, researched it exhaustively, and then saw it through numerous workshops and productions before landing it safely here.

Most people have been so busy telling the story of the show itself that they’ve left out the more intimate but equally winning saga of Irene and David.

But we’re righting that balance today, early on a crisp autumn morning—not too early because that’s not how Sankoff rolls.

“I don’t like mornings,” laughs Sankoff.  “In fact, when I was pregnant with our daughter Molly, we joked that I never got up early enough to have morning sickness.”

Molly, now three and a half, is at school on this particular day, so it’s just Sankoff and Hein in their bright, cheery home in the East York area of Toronto.

They’re a comfy couple who look as happy as they are, combining the best qualities of romcom and sitcom.

What do they look like? Hein has the classic “charming dad” look of a beloved TV series, with an endearingly rumpled air reminiscent of Dick Van Dyke’s iconic Rob Petrie. But Sankoff is more like Valerie Harper’s Rhoda Morgenstern, with a warm smile, a husky voice, and a ready way with a quip.

How did this pair get together? Hein tries to explain.

“We met on the first day of university at York in the theatre program. That we agree on. But we disagree on precisely when.”

“I’m sure it was the welcome BBQ,” says Sankoff in a tone that brooks no disagreement.

“She’s wrong,” Hein dares to venture . “It was the welcome pancake breakfast.”

Sankoff’s jaw sets just a bit. “They didn’t even have a pancake breakfast that first week. It was the opening BBQ. Drop your stuff in the dorm, come on down, have something to eat and meet the man you’re going to marry.”

Hein throws up his hands in submission. “She actually has a much better memory than me.”

Regardless of where and when it happened, was there instant chemistry between them?

“I’m not sure if it was love,” suggests Hein, “but it was something at first sight.”

Sankoff sets the record straight. “We were both seeing other people at the time and continued for about a year and a half. But we were very good friends and we got along instantly.

“I was very serious about getting terrific grades. I had a double major in psychology and theatre. I remember I came fourth in my first-year psychology class and got very depressed.”

“I was a good student, too,” insists Hein sheepishly.

“Yeah, but you went out,” counters Sankoff, spitting the word out like a malediction. “I hadn’t seen a movie since, er, The Little Mermaid.”

So her heart belonged to Disney musicals?

“I always loved all musicals. The first one I ever saw was Guys and Dolls. And Les Mis was a huge influence on me. My mom took me to it twelve times and then we stopped, because I thought thirteen was unlucky in those days.”

While Sankoff was storming the barricades, Hein was on his own musical journey.

“My mom took me to the Winnipeg Folk Festival. And I loved Newfoundland music too. Great Big Sea. Figgy Duff. The world of the singer-songwriter. I think I wanted to be Jim Cuddy.”

Sankoff has her return volley ready. “I wanted to be Donna McKechnie. God, when I saw A Chorus Line at Stratford this summer, I wept all the way through it. I knew it by heart.”

Her mention of the classic musical leads Hein to a sort of playwriting epiphany. “You know the dramatic bones of Chorus Line and Come From Away are really very similar. The anecdotal structure, the interviews that shaped it. The whole thing.”

But then it’s back to their slow-growing romance.

“It wasn’t one thing that brought us together,” reasons Hein. “We just started hanging out a lot.”

Sankoff shakes her head ruefully. “David was very goofy. I got my first B after we started hanging out together.”

He laughs. “Yeah, we started hanging out. And then we started…” His voice drops an octave. “… HANGING OUT!”

They look at each other fondly. “No one in my life was like David,” admits Sankoff. “They were all so focused and serious and he was so, well, goofy.”

“You use that word to describe me a lot,” says a slightly hurt Hein.

“But you were, David,” insists Sankoff gently. “You were.”

After their time at York, Sankoff went to New York City to work on her masters in theatre at NYU and Hein followed, landing an internship making music for The Muppets. (His undergraduate major was set and lighting design.)

They were living at International House, a residence for foreign graduate students attending NYU, which Hein describes as “a kind of dress rehearsal for what happened to Gander in Come From Away.  There were people from 110 countries all around the world. An amazing community. Every month there would be celebrations. We’d dress up like characters from our country. Irene was Anne of Green Gables, I went with a friend as Bob and Doug Mackenzie.”

But then came 9/11. Even after all this time, the two of them grow quiet remembering it.

“My cousin was working in one of the towers,” says Hein softly, “but she got out.”

They both remember how life went on a few days later—especially theatrical life. “I was acting in an Ionesco Festival at the time,” says Sankoff, “and David was designing a play called The Dreamer Examines His Pillow.”

They had gotten engaged and were planning to eventually tie the knot in Toronto, but one night, Hein said “let’s get married now.” So they eloped to City Hall, four blocks from Ground Zero.  They had a larger, more formal ceremony in Toronto the next year.

After they returned to Toronto their lives just kind of chugged along for a while, with Hein recording several albums of his songs and designing over sixty shows, until he “got burned out painting the set overnight for no money.”

Sankoff kept busy “as a receptionist, as a tutor for kids, and as a member of the cast of The Mousetrap at the Toronto Truck Theatre.”

But they weren’t spending much time together.

“So in 2009, we said ‘Let’s hang out this summer and write a show.’”

And they did. The result was My Mother’s Jewish Lesbian Wiccan Wedding, based on true events in Hein’s life.

They discovered their own personal writing dynamic. “David is the one who puts things down on paper first,” says Sankoff. Hein counters with: “And Irene is the editor who tears it apart and makes us rewrite it fifty times until we get it right.”

Sankoff smiles. “I don’t know how you write with someone you’re not married to.”

Hein replies: “I heard someone say that writing is fighting.”

“No. WE say that,” snarks Sankoff.

“Yeah,” agrees Hein. “We like to write in a coffee shop. Because there are witnesses.”

The show found a berth at the Fringe, proved to be a huge popular hit, then got picked up by Mirvish Productions for a successful transfer to the Panasonic.

Enter Michael Rubinoff, well-known theatrical lawyer and associate dean of Performing Arts at Sheridan College, which is known for its highly regarded musical theatre program.

“He asked to meet us,” Sankoff remembers, “and we were so nervous. It was like an interview. Very formal, and he just asked us a lot of questions. We didn’t think it went very well.”

But it didn’t end there. Hein points out that they met again over mac and cheese in Kensington Market and got to know each other a lot better.

“He told us his idea about writing a musical about the events in Gander when all the planes landed there after 9/11,” Hein enthuses. “I loved it. I loved the story of Gander being this giant airport where the world used to come to refuel, then planes got bigger and the world stopped coming. And then, the world came back again.”

What Sankoff loved were the individual stories: “Like Bonnie, who took care of all the animals that wound up there.” Rubinoff was warmed by the show’s overall humanist message. But despite their different points of view, they all agreed on one thing. Hein sums it up: “This wasn’t a 9/11 story. It was a 9/12 story.”

From that point on, it kept moving steadily, with a lengthy research trip for Sankoff and Hein to Gander for the tenth anniversary of the event in 2011, two student workshops at Sheridan College in 2012 and 2013, and then a whirlwind courtship by the American musical theatre scene, from the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, through the workshop process at the Goodspeed Opera House, to a trifecta of record-breaking productions at regional theatres in LaJolla, Seattle, and Washington, D.C, with unanimous rave reviews at every stop along the way.

How did Sankoff and Hein cope with this crazy ride?

“I’ve always compartmentalized this,” shares Sankoff. “I’d say, ‘Now we’re in Seattle, let’s take Molly to play in the fountain. Now we’re in LaJolla, let’s go look at the ocean.’ But when I saw on Facebook that all our cast and designers were coming into Toronto, then I thought my worlds were colliding.”

The regular moms and dads that Sankoff and Hein hang out with can’t quite understand that, depending on the response to the show when it opens on Broadway, they might either be very wealthy, or have to scramble to make a living.

“Our Muggle friends think what we’re doing is so risky,” allows Hein. “They think it’s like playing slots with your life.”

But for this couple who are as in love with their chosen profession as they are with each other, there’s no turning back.

“It’s not that I wouldn’t do anything else,” admits Sankoff. “It’s that I couldn’t do anything else. I was no good working in the real world. No good at all.”

“We used to argue whether or not theatre could change the world,” says Hein. “I think it can.”

“I don’t,” snaps Sankoff. Then she softens. “Or I used to think it couldn’t.”

[hurstdigital]

10 ways VR can benefit the Healthcare Industry

Virtual Reality – 10 ways VR can benefit the Healthcare Industry

Get Animated!

October 16, 2017

Many industries are now using Virtual Reality and the technologies that go with it, from designing products to walkthroughs of properties for sale, but the one industry that stands to benefit hugely from Virtual Reality is the healthcare industry – and, of course, the patients it serves.

Using Medical Virtual Reality to plan complex surgeries

Medical Virtual Reality enables surgeons to plan and rehearse complex procedures such as the separation of conjoined three-month-old twins at Minneapolis’ Masonic Children’s Hospital, which also used 3-D modelling to give surgeons and specialists a real-life look at the connection between the twins’ hearts in July 2017.  1

Of course, 3-D modelling is an extremely sophisticated way of preparing for what was extremely sophisticated surgery, but surgery on that level and in that detail can also be assisted by something a little less sophisticated.

For example, Google Cardboard prepared surgeons for the successful heart operation at Miami’s Nicklaus Children’s Hospital to save the life of four-month-old Teegan Lexcen in 2016. 2

 Using Medical Virtual Reality to control robotic surgery

Robotic surgery, controlled through Virtual Reality, enables a surgeon to turn what was once a major invasive operation into little more than keyhole surgery, causing less trauma to the patient and less stress to the surgeon, seated comfortably at a console throughout the entire procedure.

One such device is the da Vinci Si, the NYU Langone Medical Center’s computer-assisted surgical system.  Positioned over the patient, three robotic arms use surgical instruments controlled by the surgeon, while a fourth holds 3D cameras. 3

And not only does the console not have to be anywhere near the patient, dual-console operations can permit assistance from additional surgeons, perhaps from another specialty,

 Using Medical Virtual Reality to understand the needs of elderly patients

As patients grow older, it’s often difficult for medical students or even new doctors to understand the effects age can have on a patient, and even more difficult for them to empathise with their senior patients.

Embodied Labs created a Medical Virtual Reality programme to show younger medical personnel what life feels and looks like to be 74 years of age.  Their “We Are Alfred” uses a Medical Virtual Reality headset, headphones and a hand tracking device to simulate six different scenes from the point of view of an elderly man with visual and hearing problems.

Although it’s not treatment oriented, “We Are Alfred” does help younger medical professionals appreciate age-related difficulties their older patients may have. 4

 Using Medical Virtual Reality to combat the stress of long-term hospitalisation

For long-term patients just knowing they’re going to be in hospital for weeks to come – if not months – can add to the stress of being hospitalized in the first place.

To relieve that stress and so promote faster healing, patients at Los Angeles’ Cedars-Sinai hospital offer patients the chance to explore virtual reality worlds to help them release that stress, and in many cases this translates to shortening the patient’s stay and the amount of resources required during that stay. 5

 Medical Virtual Reality as an alternative to anaesthesia

But Virtual Reality doesn’t just offer long-term benefits to patients in the long term:  for short-term, minimally-invasive procedures, distraction through Virtual Reality scenarios offer frail and elderly patients an alternative to potentially risky anaesthesia and sedation.

And as for an alternative to anaesthesia or sedation for younger patients, Virtual Reality provides an equally-effective distraction for children undergoing anything from painful procedures to just simple injections. 6

  Medical Virtual Reality as an alternative to painkilling medications

Virtual Reality might provide a welcome distraction from short-term discomfort, but as for chronic long-term pain, such as that suffered by burns victims and sickle cell disease patients it offers more than just a distraction: it’s been found to provide actual pain relief.

SnowWorld – a video game developed by the University of Washington game – overwhelms players’ senses and pain pathways to the brain while they hurl virtual snowballs at virtual penguins. And this according to a military study, works better than morphine for soldiers with burn injuries. 7

 Using Medical Virtual Reality to treat PTSD

But soldiers don’t just suffer physical trauma:  Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can take a serious toll on those returning from war zones such as Iraq and Afghanistan.

Although a paper from the University of Southern California cited the use of Virtual Reality for PTSD back in 1997 it’s only now when Virtual Reality headsets are commercially available (and much more affordable) that patients can be gently guided through replays of the kind of scenes triggering anxiety and fear since their return until they can cope with those memories. 8

 Using Medical Virtual Reality to treat specific phobias

It’s said that up to 5% of Americans suffer from a “clinically significant phobia”.

San Diego’s Virtual Reality Medical Center provides a 3-dimensional computer simulation – plus monitoring and feedback – to treat specific panic and anxiety disorders.

There, the therapist and client go through increasingly higher levels of anxiety in virtual reality, repeating each until the client becomes comfortable with that virtual situation and then moving up to the next level of treatment. 9

 Using Medical Virtual Reality to relieve stress and depression

For more generalised anxiety, out in the real world there’s meditation to help calm things down … and the same is applicable in the virtual world, too, no matter whether it’s the patent or the practitioner getting stressed out.

DEEP, according to the inventor’s website, is a “meditative and psychoactive Virtual Reality game that is controlled by breathing”.

Essentially, it’s a mixture between a video game and a yogic breathing teacher helping the user learn yogic breathing techniques to relieve stress, anxiety and mild depression using a commercially-available Oculus Rift VR headset and a device to measure the expansion of the user’s diaphragm to monitor breathing. 10

 Using Medical Virtual Reality to cure homesickness

Another Virtual Reality-related calming technique – this time specifically for younger patients going stir-crazy in their hospital bed – comes from VisitU, a Dutch company setting out to cure a very common additional malady suffered by youngsters in hospitals everywhere:  homesickness.

VisitU might not be able to take homesick children away from their wards, but they’ve come up with the next best thing:  a Virtual Reality visit back home, thanks to a 360-degree camera and a virtual headset.  But it’s not limited to a virtual tour of a familiar household:  it’s also used to give children the opportunity to attend parties and sporting events. 11

 References:

1

2 http://edition.cnn.com/2016/07/13/health/google-cardboard-saved-baby/index.html

3 https://med.nyu.edu/robotic-surgery/physicians/what-robotic-surgery/how-da-vinci-si-works

4 https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/we-are-alfred-embodied-labs-carrie-shaw-virtual-reality-medical-students-elderly-geriatric-care_us_57505bbce4b0c3752dccbeaa

5 http://hitconsultant.net/2016/06/30/virtual-reality-patient-experience/

6 http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20170202-the-surgeon-using-virtual-reality-instead-of-sedatives

7 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120638735

8 https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/innovation/how-virtual-reality-helping-heal-soldiers-ptsd-n733816

9 http://www.vrphobia.com/

10 http://owenllharris.com/deep/

11 http://visitu.nl/

[zipgrowth]

Can an Online Tool Depolarize Campus Discussions?

As a new school year kicks off in a time of mounting political scandals and heightened polarization, some campuses have added a new component to their freshman seminar programs—an online training in how to talk politics (productively).

The training was created by Heterodox Academy, a nonprofit group working to foster “viewpoint diversity” on campuses, with the goal of making college classrooms more welcoming to student populations who hold a variety of political beliefs.

“I’m hearing from so many students and professors that even in seminar classes, they can’t get people to talk,” said Heterodox Academy’s founder, Jonathan Haidt, on an episode of the group’s podcast. “There’s a lot of fear on campus—on all sides and among professors—and we want to fix that.”

Haidt, a New York University business professor trained as a social psychologist, worked with other psychologists to develop the training, which it then spun off into a separate group called Open Mind. The online exercise gives a quick primer on the inner workings of the mind, showing how the human brain is wired for things like confirmation bias, the tendency to fit new information into previously-held belief systems. It explains how two well-informed and well-intentioned people can interpret the same facts in wildly different ways, depending on their perspectives.

Heterodox Academy isn’t without its own critics of how it is approaching the issue of free speech on college campuses. When the group held a conference in New York this summer to discuss the issue of viewpoint diversity on campus, the mix of speakers from higher education—representing liberal beliefs and conservative ones—had trouble aligning on solutions, or even how to frame the issue. As one article about the event in National Review put it, “The panelists all saw a problem regarding the state of speech and expression at American universities, but they couldn’t agree about what the problem was.”

Heterodox Academy has pivoted since the group started in 2015, changing its strategy to adapt to the unexpected election of President Trump and the social and political upheavals that followed.

One frustration the group faced was that some on the far right started using materials and quotes from Heterodox Academy as evidence to discredit and try to tear down higher education. But the group is made up entirely of professors and graduate students, and the last thing they want to do is contribute to the demise of their own institutions.

So these days Heterodox Academy spends less time calling out the problem of political bias on campus and more time offering resources for colleges and professors to address the issue, such as the Open Mind training.

The training takes only about 10 to 20 minutes to complete. It walks students through a series of questions about their political beliefs and attitudes toward people with opposing views. “How do you feel about individuals who identify as progressive (people on the left)?” it asks, prompting users to move a slider bar from 0 (very unfavorable) to 100 (very favorable).” It then asks the same question about how the person feels about people who identify as conservative.

“It kind of reminds people that we don’t all know everything and there’s a lot to be learned from diverse perspectives,” says Caroline Mehl, director of the Open Mind project, in an episode of Heterodox Academy's podcast. “It also prepares people to enter into disagreements and conversations that have conflicts in them with a different perspective, where it no longer has to be about proving that you’re right or winning the argument. It’s an opportunity to learn from the other perspective and learn and find growth from it.”

The tool was released last just last year. This fall, Open Mind leaders say, three campuses are piloting the training: Wilkes University, in Pennsylvania, plans to make it part of first-year seminars, Auburn University will deliver it to a group of 500 students as part of a Critical Conversations speakers series, and NYU’s business school will pilot it with some of its entering students.

Mehl hopes more colleges will incorporate the training into first-year seminars, or even make it part of freshman orientation. “Our goal is to really equip an entire community with this shared language and practices that they can all refer back to over the course of the year and over the course of their college experience,” said Mehl, in the podcast interview.

Individual faculty members are also asking students to go through the online training at the start of their courses. Mehl said in an interview with EdSurge this week that more than 200 professors have assigned the training to their students.

The Heterodox Academy's leaders say the issue of speech on campus has far-reaching implications.

For instance, if a campus climate is inhospitable to socially conservative students and those with deeply religious views, “then we’re going to be suppressing participation by lower income people and among Latinos and Blacks and other groups, because they just tend to be more religious and more conservative,” says Musa al-Gharbi, editor in chief and communications director for Heterodox Academy.

A ‘Two-Front War’

From the beginning, Heterodox Academy has struggled to build trust on both sides of the political divide. Some professors, especially those who identify as liberal, see the group as right-leaning and therefore don’t want to be associated with it. Even though Open Mind started within Heterodox Academy, they separated the projects, which means professors can use the training without being affiliated with the larger organization.

“Some people are afraid to join because they think that others will think they’re conservative—and that would be a terrible thing for people to think about anyone in some departments,” said Haidt, on his group’s podcast. “We did have some pieces on our blog that were attacking universities or saying we think there is a problem… We’ve also been pretty balanced left and right, but people on the right tend to want to write more on the blog.”

The reality is that the group, which now counts about 2,000 members, has drawn more liberals than conservatives. About 30 percent of members are liberal, 50 percent are either moderate or centrist, and 20 percent are conservative, says Musa al-Gharbi, editor in chief and communications director for Heterodox Academy, and a sociology researcher at Columbia University.

Meanwhile, some people on the right want to see the group do more to take colleges to task for not including enough conservatives. The group’s goal, though, is not to reach some specific proportion of liberal and conservative professors on campus, says al-Gharbi.

“The reality is that most professors are on the left,” says al-Gharbi. “And so if there’s going to be meaningful change, at least in the foreseeable future, it’s going to have to come from people who probably have orientations that are left of center.” Al-Gharbi himself identifies as left-leaning, but he has done research to show, for instance, how certain bodies of research by liberal faculty members suffer from liberal bias in their research design. "I’m a strong opponent of Donald Trump," he says, "but I think it’s important, particularly for democrats, to have a clear and accurate understanding of what happened in 2016," rather than produce research that affirms what the authors wish to be true.

That's a difficult needle to thread. Actually, Haidt used a different, more precarious metaphor during the group’s conference this summer, according to a report in The Chronicle of Higher Education: “We’re on a ship, the ship is kind of going down, and rather than fighting with each other, we actually can work together and patch it up,” Haidt said. "It’s a pretty good ship, other than it’s sinking."

Can an Online Tool Depolarize Campus Discussions? published first on https://medium.com/@GetNewDLBusiness

[kacydeneen]

Demand for Blood Drops, But Need for Donors Remains

The American Red Cross, America’s Blood Centers and similar agencies are not shy about getting the word out for blood donors — their ads are everywhere,  and workers are constantly visiting high schools and college campuses to hold blood drives.

But despite their persistence, the number of donors is dwindling.

Red Cross Launches #MissingTypes Campaign to Recruit Donors

The number of blood donors for the American Red Cross has dropped by a little more than 1 million since 2009, and the organization — along with others — has issued pleas for people to turn out to give blood. The agency points out that just 3 percent of the United States’ population donates blood.

"Every day thousands of patients across the United States rely on generous blood donors for critical blood transfusions," said Gail McGovern, president and CEO of the Red Cross, in a recent press release, announcing an initiative to encourage people to donate. "However, we have seen a troubling decline in the number of new blood donors. We urge the public to roll up a sleeve and fill the missing types before these lifesaving letters go missing from hospital shelves."

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According to America’s Blood Centers, 40,000 pints of blood are needed per day. But while that number may seem high, the demand for blood has actually dropped in recent years. The fall in demand came about thanks to a number of technological and medicinal advancements in recent years that have helped doctors to improve the utilization of blood products in patient care — especially when it comes to transfusions. 

Despite a drop in demand, blood collection centers are still desperate for donors, and experts say people shouldn't be fooled: blood donations are still critical to the health industry, and there is still immense need for more donors. 

A Year on, Horrific Grenfell Tower Fire Haunts Britain

“What interests me about blood donation is that there’s been a lot of changes over the last 10 years that have affected both the supply and the demand,” said Dr. Eric Gehrie, an assistant professor of Pathology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

For instance, studies done in recent years have shown that patients who have been treated with a more conservative transfusion policy versus those who have been treated with a more liberal transfusion policy have done either the same or better with a more conservative policy, Gehrie said. 

And because of medical advancements, doctors are also able to better guage nowadays whether a patient needs a transfusion, he added. Rather than transfusing someone, doctors may, for example, give them medication that can help them. 

Gehrie pointed to the Hippocratic Oath that doctors live by in his explanation of the ways in which doctors have shifted from blood transfusions to other methods of care. 

"If there's something that we can do less of, like transfusion, that will actually improve people's outcomes or not expose them to a blood donor if they don’t need to be exposed, and we can simplify care by doing it — we're very motivated to do that," he said. 

Nevertheless, he said, blood donations are crucial. And even with alternative forms of care driving down the demand for blood, there is still a desperate need for it. 

The American Red Cross’ annual reports show that blood donations began to fall after 2009. And according to Chris Hrouda, president of blood services for the American Red Cross, 2009 was when the organization hit a peak number of transfusions, the “most we’ve transfused ever,” he said.

Since then, yearly blood donors have dropped steadily from 3.8 million people in 2009 to 2.7 million people in 2017, which is the most recent data the organization has released.

“Hospitals have invested a lot in technology,” Hrouda said in a recent phone interview. "Everything from robotic surgeries to better IT systems…around patient outcomes for various things in the health care system, including transfusions.”

It’s a welcome advancement by those in the medical field, but it hasn’t come without drawbacks. 

Hrouda said it may be hard for people to understand, since demand has decreased, but there is still an absolute need for blood, which means there’s an absolute need for donors.

“We’ve continued to reduce our collections to manage with demand declines,” he said, adding that because of the decreased demand, people have the perception that they don’t need to donate as frequently.

But they do.

As recently as last summer, the Red Cross issued a plea for blood donors, citing a “critical blood shortage” which was due, in part, to the season — blood donations tend to fall during the summer.

“The decline in summer donations is causing a significant draw-down of our overall blood supply, and we urgently need people to give now to restock hospital shelves and help save lives,” said Shaun Gilmore, president, Red Cross Biomedical Services said in the July 2017 press release. “Every day, patients recovering from accidents or those receiving treatments for cancer or blood disorders rely on lifesaving blood products regardless of the season.”

Every two years, the Department of Health and Human Services conducts a study into blood collection and use in the United States. The most recent report, published in September 2016, shows data from the year 2013 that represents a 4.4 percent decline in the number of blood units transfused as compared to 2011.

The study also confirms what blood collection agencies have said: both blood collection and use fell.

“The gap between collection and utilization is narrowing,” the study says. “As collections decline further and hospitals decrease transfusions and manage products more efficiently, the decline in surplus inventory may be a concern for disaster preparedness or other unexpected utilization needs.”

This year, the Red Cross is working to target this issue in an effort to avoid running into the same problem.

Earlier this week, the organization launched an initiative called the “Missing Types Campaign,” meant to “ illustrate the need for new blood donors to ensure lifesaving blood is available for patients,” according a press release from the organization.

To promote the campaign, the letters A, B and O — which are the main blood types — will be taken out of corporate logos, brands, social media pages and websites, in an effort to show the vital role of blood donors.

Also on Monday, the New York Blood Center declared a “blood emergency” in the New York area, calling on people to donate.

“We’re calling on everyone to do what they can to spread the word, host a blood drive or simply take an hour out of their day to donate,” said Andrea Cefarelli, Senior Executive Director of Donor Recruitment for New York Blood Center, in a press release.

The push for donors aligns with World Blood Donor Day, celebrated on June 14. Spearheaded by the World Health Organization, it’s a day meant to both honor blood donors for their efforts, and to raise awareness about the necessity of blood donations.

But even as collection agencies make their pleas for donors heard, experts can’t point to a singular reason for the drop in donors; they say it can be attributed to a number of factors.

One possible reason is tighter guidelines on who can donate blood, which adds to the elimination of a number of donors, Hrouda said. One example of this, he said, is testing hemoglobin in donors.

Hemoglobin is a protein that has iron and carries oxygen to tissues in someone’s body, according to the Red Cross. If the levels in those results for males are too low, they’re deferred for six months, while females are deferred for one year.

“We are decreasing eligibility,” he acknowledged.

Gehrie, who also serves as the medical director of the blood bank at Johns Hopkins, said the safety of the blood supply is another key issue that can affect who donates.

“Part of keeping the blood supply safe is making sure that the only people who go to donate blood are people who feel good and healthy, and choose on their own to donate blood,” he said.

And while donation centers want to encourage as many people as possible to donate, they don’t want people to feel pressured to donate, he said, because the reality is that they need donors who are healthy and meet the standards required to donate.

Dr. Timothy Hilbert, director of NYU Langone’s Blood Bank, also noted the change in criteria as one possible reason, and raised the issue of consistent donors beginning to age out.

“It’s always easier to collect blood from a donor you have established a relationship with,” he said.

Hilbert, who is also an assistant professor of pathology at NYU, added that there seems to be fewer opportunities for people to donate blood, as some donor centers have closed down. Many hospitals, for example, used to house their own blood donor centers, he said, but several have been shuttered.

“On the whole, people have fewer opportunities to donate than they did years ago,” he said.

Another reason for the drop could be generational, experts speculate. But there’s no way to tell for sure.

“People of a certain generation, in their mind, donating blood was sort of a civic responsibility that they would do…it was viewed as a positive thing to do,” Gehrie said. “Whereas now, I think people are aware that it’s a little more complicated than that.”

Hrouda echoed that sentiment, saying that the “greatest generation” — the World War II generation — has been a very strong donor base for the Red Cross. But there isn’t strong data to tell whether blood donation falling is truly a generational issue or not.

One thing that is for sure, though, is that blood donation centers are working to appeal to younger generations. Both Hilbert and Hrouda pointed to marketing as a key component of driving donors to collection centers.

“All of these collection agencies have tried to create a social media presence,” Hilbert said, adding that they are “aware that the way people relate to their communities has changed and they’re trying to keep up with that.”

“People will say donor centers aren’t doing enough, but I believe they are,” Gehrie said. “I do think that they are really trying.”

Hrouda acknowledged that the Red Cross is working to keep up with the way younger generations through social media and other creative campaigns.

“There is still a constant need for blood and I wouldn’t want anybody to walk away from this story thinking they don’t need to donate blood anymore,” Gehrie added. “Because we need it.”

Photo Credit: Thomas Fredberg/Science Photo Library/Getty Images, File Demand for Blood Drops, But Need for Donors Remains published first on Miami News

[randomlicious00-blog]

Editor Conversations V2: A Conversation with Legendary Film Editor Susan E. Morse, ACE

Susan E. Morse ACE, known as “Sandy,” graduated Yale with a degree in History before going to Film School at NYU. She never graduated film school, though, because she took an internship that turned into a job and she never looked back.

Early in her career she was an Assistant Editor, working on “Annie Hall” and Interiors. After assisting on a handful of films, she became Woody Allen’s film editor, across the 22-year height of his filmmaking career.

But her career isn’t all Woody. In 1980, Sandy was Associate Editor alongside Thelma Schoonmaker on “Raging Bull,” worked on Marc Lawrence’s “Two Week’s Notice,” “Music and Lyrics” and “Did You Hear About The Morgans?,” and cut episodes of “Louie” and “Billions”. Right now, she’s working down the hall here at Light Iron on a feature called “Novitiate.”

She has been nominated for an Oscar, 5 BAFTAs and an Emmy. When she was honored with a Muse Award in 2005, she publicly thanked every one of her Assistant Editors as part of her presentation.

Her credits include: “Annie Hall” (Woody Allen, 1977) “Interiors” (Woody Allen, 1978) “Manhattan” (Woody Allen, 1979) “Raging Bull” (Martin Scorsese, 1980) “Arthur” (Steve Gordon, 1981) “Zelig” (Woody Allen, 1983) “The Purple Rose of Cairo” (Woody Allen, 1985) “Hannah and Her Sisters” (Woody Allen, 1986) “Radio Days” (Woody Allen, 1987) “Crimes and Misdemeanors” (Woody Allen, 1989) “Husbands and Wives” (Woody Allen, 1992) “Manhattan Murder Mystery” (Woody Allen, 1993) “Bullets Over Broadway” (Woody Allen, 1994) “Mighty Aphrodite” (Woody Allen, 1995) “Deconstructing Harry” (Woody Allen, 1997) “Celebrity” (Woody Allen, 1998) “Two Week’s Notice” (Marc Lawrence, 2002) “Music and Lyrics” (Marc Lawrence, 2007) “The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond” (Jodie Markell, 2008) “Did You Hear About the Morgans?” (Marc Lawrence, 2009) “Louie” (TV Series, 2012) “Billions” (TV Series, 2016)

About Blue Collar Post Collective (BCPC): The Blue Collar Post Collective is an accessible and focused grassroots non-profit, supporting emerging talent in post production.

The BCPC is FREE and welcomes all post production professionals. Join us on Facebook to become an official member. Facebook is the main hub for events, information and support. Also follow us on Twitter for up to the minute tech and industry news and insights, as well as livetweets from important events and seminars. Follow us on instagram (and twitter) to keep up with our daily photo themes, like #workstationwednesday and #timelinetuesday. If you are not on facebook message us below and we will add you to a list for our upcoming mailing list.

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Manhattan Edit Workshop is a New York Film Editing School offering a full range of basic to advanced manufacturer certified training courses, from the Avid, Autodesk, Assimilate and Apple products to the complete suite of Adobe applications.

Manhattan Edit Workshop’s mission is to provide the highest quality education for filmmakers and editors. Focusing on both the art and technology inherent to our craft. We foster a “learn by doing” approach in an atmosphere where mistakes are encouraged as part of the process and the only “silly” question is the one that isn’t asked.

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