#heart center philadelphia

[heartcarepa]

Heart Disease in Canada

Heart Disease in Canada

Heart disease is the general term for several diseases of blood vessels and the heart. Heart disease is Canada's second-leading cause of death, accounting for more than 51,500 deaths.

Heart Care Consultants is the best heart center philadelphia who provide top cardiologist philadelphia

The heart muscle can be damaged by heart disease or it may not work properly. Plaque, which is composed of cholesterol, calcium, and fat, builds up inside the coronary arteries. Over time, this plaque can become hardened or rupture. The coronary arteries become narrower and blood flow to the heart is reduced. When plaque ruptures, a blood clot may also form. The blood flow to the heart muscle will be blocked in such a situation.

Heart diseases that are commonly known include: ischemic disease (IHD), acute coronary infarction (AMI), angina, cardiac arrhythmias, stroke and heart failure. Symptoms of heart disease include shortness in breath, palpitations and fatigue.

The Canadian Chronic Disease Surveillance System is a network of chronic disease surveillance systems in Canada's provinces and territories, led by the Public Health Agency of Canada. The CCDSS data is used to estimate the number of Canadians with heart disease, and those newly diagnosed. The trends in mortality are also examined.

PHAC has recently published a publication entitled 'Report From the Canadian Chronic Disease Monitoring System: Heart Disease In Canada, 2018' which describes the epidemiological trends, profiles and subsets of IHD, AMI, as well as heart failure.

Who is affected by this?

About 2.4 million Canadians (or one in twelve) aged 20 and older had IHD. This is the most common form of heart disease. About 578,000 (2%) of those individuals had a past history of AMI. A further 669,600 (3.6%) Canadian adults over 40 had heart failure.

Men vs. Women

In any year, it is observed that more men than woman have IHD, AMI, or heart failure. Only those over 85 years old are exempt. The rates of these diseases remain higher for men at this age than they are for women, but the gap between the two sexes is decreasing.

In the same way, men are more likely to die (for any reason) than women with IHD, heart failure or both. Women aged 45-74 with a past history of AMI were 1.3 times as likely to die in any given year from any cause compared to their male counterparts.

Women may have subtler symptoms, which can lead to a delay in seeking medical attention. Women also tend to experience more complications than men (e.g. Major bleeding is more common in women than men.

Check out the section below titled 'Dive Into the Data' to find out estimates based on age and gender.

Young vs. Old

As Canadians age, heart disease affects more people. Around two-thirds of Canadians with IHD, and more than 80% of Canadians with heart failure are over 65.

Even at an earlier age, heart disease can occur. In 2012-2013, 38,000 Canadians aged between 20 and 39 were diagnosed with IHD. Over 35,000 Canadians aged between 40 and 54 were diagnosed with heart failure.

Check out the section 'Dive Into the Data' below to find out estimates by gender and age.

Increase or decrease?

Over the past 13 years, from 2000-2001 until 2012-2013, the proportion of Canadians with IHD or heart failure has remained relatively constant while mortality rates have declined by 24% and 26 % respectively.

Over the same time period, the proportion of people with an AMI history increased by 67% while mortality rates from all causes decreased by about 35%. These trends indicate a better chance of survival due to improvements in the management of diseases and treatment.

Check out the section 'Dive into the Data' below to see trends throughout the years.

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[janeyseymour]

Your Song

a sweet one shot based on Elton John's Your Song. Attached is my own version of it, if you wanted to give it a listen!

WC: ~1.95k

Melissa is sitting next to you as the two of you soak up the sun in the Summer morning. You both have your cups of coffee, waking up with the sun and the world around you, not quite used to sleeping in just yet. You have your guitar with you, and you’re strumming little tunes and fingerpicking different licks that feed your heart and your soul as she watches you in awe. And then something happens, and you begin to play a tune that you really haven’t played in a while. You sing it in earnest as your heart swells with love for the woman beside you. She has a gentle hand on your knee, and she squeezes it gently when you sing the first line of one of her favorite songs.

It’s a little bit funny, this feeling inside… I’m not one of those who can easily hide.

You remember when you first realized that you had feelings for the redhead who worked in the room next door to you. It was… unpredictable to say the least. And once you realized that, you did everything you could to hide those feelings for her. You were shocked that you were able to because well… you weren’t someone who could usually hide.

It took you months to confess your feelings to the redhead, when she was speaking of finally getting herself back out there, and you couldn’t hold back anymore.

“Just one date with me,” you blurted out before you could stop yourself. “Just one. And if it doesn’t work… it doesn’t work.”

She took you up on that offer, and here you were- three years later and married. You never thought you would get a chance with the absolutely stunning woman that was Melissa Schemmenti, but here the two of you were with shining diamonds on your fingers and the change in your last name to show for it. You haven’t been happier, and Melissa hasn’t been happier either- Barbara has attested to that too, so you know its the truth. 

I don’t have much money, but boy if I did- I’d buy a big house where we both could live.

As two teachers working in center city Philadelphia in an underfunded and poorly run school, you weren’t rolling in dough- even though the redheaded second grade teacher has been with the district for over two decades and has unofficial tenure.

But the two of you have spoken about moving out of your tiny little townhouse and upgrading to a big house. One where the two of you could live, and you think you might have convinced her at this point to have at least one child of her own.

“I mean… I would love to have a little Schemmenti running around,” you admit shyly as your curled up on the couch one night. You’re watching some movie where the main character is pregnant, and it makes you yearn for a child of your own.

“Y/N,” Melissa sighs as she looks at you. “I’m too old to have a baby.”

“But I’m not,” you tell her. “And… you’re so good with the kids at school, and I’ve seen the way that you go out of your way to make babies smile while we’re grocery shopping.”

Your wife purses her lips. “M-maybe. But I have to think on it.”

You give her your best puppy dog eyes.

“If we can get the money for a nice house and to afford IVF… I don’t think it’s off the table.”

You made her pinky swear that if you ever had the money and you were still at the age where you could bear a child, the two of you would go through with it. After that, you got a job at the local diner waitressing on Sundays. She hates it because it steals you from her, but she always comes in to visit you and keep you company. The money that you make immediately goes into a jar that has the words ‘Future’ written on it in your loopy handwriting.

So excuse me forgetting, but these things I do… You see I’ve forgotten if they’re green or they’re blue. Yours are the sweetest eyes I’ve ever seen. Who are you kidding? You could never in a million years the beautiful shade of green that your wife’s eyes are. They were the first thing you noticed when you met her five years ago. She didn’t believe you when you told her that.

“Was it my boobs?” she chuckles on your third date. 

You roll your eyes. “Your eyes. They’re… mesmerizing. I saw the way that they sparkled when you were talking about your kids or someone you loved, and I was determined to make your sweet eyes sparkle like that… did I succeed?”

“I would say so,” she smirks as she leans in to kiss you.

“Good,” you mumble against her lips. “They’re gorgeous, you know.”

“My eyes?” the redhead practically swoons.

You see your opportunity, and you run with it. “No. Your boobs,” you deadpan.

She smacks you on the arm playfully, and you put your arms up in defense. “Hey! I was joking!”

Since meeting her, you’re positive that her eyes are the sweetest ones you’ve ever seen. They’re so… expressive. You can see in her beautiful eyes when she loves something or someone, and you consider yourself the luckiest woman alive to be able to get to see them every morning when you wake up.

And you can tell everybody this is your song. It may be quite simple, but now that it’s done- I hope you don’t mind, I hope you don’t mind that I put down in words how wonderful life is now you’re in the world.

You didn’t even really mean for this Elton John to turn into your song, but it did. You were just playing around on the guitar that she keeps in her classroom while you waited for her to finish up dismissal duty for the day.

If you’re being quite honest, you forgot that you even knew you could play that song until you heard it on the radio in her car this morning. So, after a few misfired chords, you begin to play and lay your voice over the simplistic yet stunning chords.

She comes in, ready to head out for the night, when she sees you sitting up on her counter, criss crossed and with the stringed instrument in hand. And then she hears your voice. And she can’t do anything but lean against the doorframe and listening to your soft and angelic voice.

When you fire out the last chord, she starts clapping softly from where she stands, and it startles you. You immediately turn red upon seeing her. 

"I didn’t know you play,” Melissa says softly as she comes in.

“I dabble,” you shrug as you put her guitar back where it lives.

She furrows her brows. “I wouldn’t call that dabbling. How long you been playing?”

“Since I was thirteen,” you shrug. “My dad taught me basic chords, and I just picked up the rest.”

“Well, you’re damn good. And I love that song.”

“I do too.”

“Play it again for me when we get to my place?” she asks as she grabs your bags.

You do, and she sits and watches, mesmerized.

“Those words are true, you know,” you say softly. “Life is wonderful now that you’re in the world… my world.”

She kisses you gently as she wraps her arms around your waist. “It’s like I see in technicolor now.”

If I was a sculptor, but then again, or a man who makes a position in a traveling show. I know it’s not much, but it’s the best I can do. My gift is my song, and this one’s for you.

“Do you ever think we would be better off if we weren’t teachers? Or at least one of us wasn’t?” you ask Melissa.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean like… if I was a sculptor, or… someone who makes potions in a traveling show,” you sigh softly. “Like in our song… maybe then we could have a big wedding.”

Your fiancée rolls her eyes as she pauses making dinner to wrap her arms around you. “I think that we both love teaching, and I think that I love this little life of ours, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

“I just… I know it’s not much,” you frown slightly. “We could be so much better off.”

“We’re doing the best that we can do, and that’s more than enough for me,” Melissa promises you as she kisses your cheek. 

“I know that’s what you say, but-”

“If you were a sculptor or a man who made potions in a traveling show, I would never see you,” she says softly. “Being on the same schedule is really nice.”

You smile a bit sadly. “I just wish that-”

“I don’t wish for anything else… we have a perfect life,” Melissa promises you. “Besides, you know I don’t want a big wedding- having just our Abbott family and our families.”

“A-are you sure?”

“As long as I have you, it’s enough,” the redhead kisses you softly.

And you can tell everybody this is your song. It may be quite simple, but now that it’s done- I hope you don’t mind, I hope you don’t mind that I put down in words how wonderful life is now you’re in the world.

Your big day has arrived, and as of an hour ago, you are officially Mrs. Y/N Schemmenti. After a simple ceremony in the courtyard at the school, the place that brought the two of you together in the first place, you move the ‘reception’ over to Barbara’s house.

Your wife had insisted on making all of the food for the party, and by some grace of God, the task at hand was completed last night. Barb spent this morning decorating and giving Gerald detailed instruction of how to lay it out so it was ready for when you all got to the Howard household before heading out to witness the two of you tie the knot.

When you get there, it’s beautiful- more beautiful than you had expected. There’s a stunning balloon arch, a garden of flowers, pictures of the two of you, and a few tables set up perfectly.

Your eyes well, as much as you will them not to. “How did we afford all of this?” you whisper to Melissa.

“We didn’t.” You look over at her, and her eyes are shining with tears too. “Barb?”

“The Abbott crew threw it together for our two favorite teachers,” the kindergarten teacher smiles. “Go on.”

Mr. Johnson announces the two of you in with the most sincerity that you’ve ever heard from him before he says softly, “And for your first dance…”

He hits play on the phone that is connected, and the familiar melody melts over your body as you pull your wife in close.

The Abbott clan and your families watch as the two of you sway back and forth, dancing together as a married couple for the first time. Barbara films it, tears of happiness falling down her cheeks.

“I hope you don’t mind… I hope you don’t mind, that I put down in words… how wonderful life is, now you’re in the world,” you sing to her softly as she rests her head on your shoulder. 

Life has been strange up until this time in your life, and you’ve had your doubts about love and life before… but with Melissa Schemmenti by your side? Life is wonderful. 

#cover #singing #ukulele #melissa schemmenti fanfiction #melissa schemmenti fanfic #melissa schemmenti x you #melissa schemmenti #melissa schemmenti x reader #abbott elementary fanfic #abbott elementary fanfiction #abbott elementary

[canonicallyobserving911]

WIP Wednesday

Fanonwriter2023 on AO3

Where CANON and FANON collide!

Season 7 FANON FanFic: Buddie Multi-Chapter Fanfic - Hiatus Reading: “I’m still in love with you but... I needed to learn how to love myself too!”

Chapter 28 will be posted soon.

This is an EPIC LOVE STORY!

Currently 27 chapters completed: 1.09M Words; Rated: Mature

One chapter will be posted at a time.

___________

I'm excited to finish writing Chapter 28 because at the end of Chapter 27, Buck, Eddie and Chris had just arrived in Philadelphia, PA so that Buck could say goodbye to his friend, Malone who passed away in December. Also, he wants to visit Daniel's grave again but this time he brought his husband and their son with him. While they're in PA, they're going to Hershey and Lancaster but is it possible they'll bump into the Buckley parents while they're visiting museums and eating Hershey's chocolate? When they were planning the trip, Eddie hoped they wouldn't but with their luck, it's possible. Buck planned a celebration for Eddie while they're there since he received his Paramedic Certification Certificate but Eddie's the only one who doesn't know about it.

When they return to L.A., of the four cardiac tests Dr. Salazar scheduled for Buck, he'll have two left to complete but the Diazes are worried since he fainted during the tilt table test and they're wondering if there are any long-term effects to his heart after the lightning strike. Additionally, all three members of the Diaz family are supporting one another as Buck continues to face the fact that he died last year and as he proceeds to deal with all 7 stages of grief. He was on the bargaining stage at the end of Chapter 27 but the next stage is depression so how will he deal with it, especially with everything else that's going on in their family?

___________

Here's a snippet from Chapter 28 of Buck and Eddie having a conversation while they're in bed in their hotel room in Philadelphia, PA.

___________

They're lying in bed facing each other and Buck decides to ask the question he's been wanting to ask since Tuesday. “Can I ask you a question?”

“You know you can ask me anything.  What would you like to discuss?”

He unwraps one of his arms, lifts his hand and cups his cheek.  “First, I want you to know how proud I am of you.”  After the words leave his lips, he closes the millimeters of space between them and he places a kiss onto his lips that’s soft, tantalizing and filled with love and devotion.  When he pulls back, he continues.  “Babe… from September to December, you worked hard to pass your Paramedic Certification Course, you accomplished your dream and me and Chris wanted to celebrate your achievement with you again.  I know we did it back in December after you finished your final exam but you’re officially a paramedic now and that’s important.”

Eddie nods as he remembers everything they did earlier in the day to celebrate.  With a smile on his face, he replies, “Thank you for the cake, the song and for the tour at the Giant Center”.

“You know you don’t have to thank me.  We wanted to do all of it just for you, Eddie because you deserve it.”  He takes a moment to prepare the next part because he knows how his husband internalizes everything and he wants the next thing he says to land properly.  “You becoming a paramedic is huge and extraordinary but we didn’t know you received your official certificate until I found it inside of one of the drawers in our credenza.  Um… you didn’t tell us about it but do you want to talk about why you didn’t mention it?”

Eddie sighs as the internal conflict he’s felt since it arrived last week increases.  “When it was delivered last Friday… I opened and looked at it but…”  He shrugs his shoulders as he tries to think of the words, he wants to use to describe how he felt.

“But what?” 

“With everything we have happening right now... it all seems so far away and I’m wondering if I should…”

He interrupts him and whisper asks, “If you should what?  Eddie, please don’t say you’re thinking about stopping.”

How is Eddie going to respond to Buck's question? 👀

Is he really considering giving up his dream of becoming the Critical Care Paramedic of Los Angeles County? 🙃

If so, why? 🤷🏽‍♀️

___________

Fic Summary: Months after Buck and Eddie were hit by the same lightning strike; they’re still struggling with the aftermath of it.  But before they make their love confessions, they’ll spend time getting to know themselves as individuals first. Eddie learns to enjoy the simple things in life as he participates in activities on his own and with new friends while Buck learns the rest of the 31-year-old deep dark family secret about his conception and birth. Their journey to forever is still a work in progress but once they finally admit they’re in love with each other, everything that follows their love confessions will be cataclysmic.

__________

Chapter Summaries

Chapter 1 - Eddie makes a new friend while Buck receives devastating news regarding the sperm donation he made for Connor and Kameron.

Chapter 2 - Buck does a lot of research to learn more about the abnormalities found in his red blood cells and Eddie starts a new therapy journey that’s all about him and not the traumas he’s experienced.

Chapter 3 - After more than a month, Buck and Eddie finally spend time together outside of work but it doesn’t end well and they part with a lot of uncertainty regarding their places in each other’s lives.

Chapter 4 - Eddie has a few realizations about his life which causes him to consider moving back to El Paso, TX while Buck continues to be reminded of his past which causes him to take an impromptu road trip across America.

Chapter 5 - Both Buck and Eddie have difficult conversations with their parents and Buck finally learns the truth behind the reason why his mother despised him while Eddie finally tells his mother about the way she tries to control him.

Chapter 6 - More than two weeks after Buck pushed Eddie away after suggesting they needed a break; Eddie decides to try again. Eddie’s there for Buck when he’s at his worst just like Buck was there for him when he was at his worst and he won’t let Buck give up.

Chapter 7 - After Buck’s mental breakdown, Eddie has his back the same way Buck had his when he had his own breakdown more than a year ago.  They share several vulnerable and emotionally intimate moments with one another and they begin to realize their small, sweet and caring gestures matter just as much if not more than any grand gesture ever could because these are the foundations of a long-lasting love relationship.

Chapter 8 - Buck, Eddie and Chris all have their own therapists and during their sessions, they reflect on their pasts while they’re in the present so they can prepare for their future together as a family.

Chapter 9 - Buck and Eddie are there for each other when Buck has to testify as a witness during the trial.  But by the end of it, they’ll both realize their individual and shared traumas are going to keep resurfacing until they talk about them, deal with the fact that they’re in love with one another and face the fact that they can’t live without each other.

Chapter 10 - As Buck and Eddie finally begin to confront their past traumas, they realize how much they need each other to fill in the gaps of their memories.  Additionally, the universe screams at them for what appears to be the one hundredth time so Buck can realize he doesn’t have to ‘find it’ because he already ‘made it’ and Eddie’s reminded tomorrow isn’t promised and he doesn’t have to die alone if he doesn’t want to.

Chapter 11 - A “virga” or dry thunderstorm is in the forecast but once the rain starts, the thunderstorm happening outside won’t be able to match the storm brewing inside between Buck and Eddie.  It’s the universe’s final scream and when the tumultuous winds begin to blow, they’ll have one last chance to hold onto everything they’ve built over the last six years or they’ll lose it all forever.

Chapter 12 - Buck and Eddie have always shared a deep physical attraction and an emotional intimacy that’s unmatched but now that they’re in a relationship, they’re learning how to navigate the romantic intimacy they’ve been waiting for six years to explore. The love they have for each other is a once in a lifetime, soulmate, love of their lives type of love that transcends space and time.

Chapter 13 - While navigating the newness of their romantic relationship, Buck and Eddie take advantage of every moment they spend together. As their individual lives, people from their pasts, time constraints and the possibility of losing each other again make attempts to interrupt and interfere with their journey to forever, they love, care for, support and hold onto each other even tighter to withstand it all.

Chapter 14 - Buck and Eddie can see the lights at the end of the tunnels regarding the results of Buck’s Cancer Screening along with everything else they’re dealing with. But are the lights they see exits to the tunnels or are they headlights on different runaway trains that are speeding towards them in an effort to interrupt their forever?

Chapter 15 - Buck and Eddie have known they were exactly who the other one wanted in a partner since they met six years ago when they agreed to have each other’s backs. They’re in a romantic relationship, they’re both preparing to ask the other one to spend forever with them and by the end of the seventh week into their relationship, together they will plan their most important and greatest adventure for their future.

Chapter 16 - As Buck and Eddie begin to prepare for their marriage ceremony that will take place in Rome, Italy in December 2023, they start planning their first international adventure as a romantic couple. Even though Chris is still the only person they’ve told about their relationship, several people who know them have already witnessed the love they share and as the days continue, others will witness it too.

Chapter 17 - As Buck and Eddie get closer to departing Los Angeles for their international adventure, a moment in time will remind them; life is fragile, tomorrow isn’t promised and every second of everyday should be cherished because everything can change in an instant. The result of that realization will cause them to hold onto each other even more.

Chapter 18 - As Buck, Eddie and Chris prepare for family gatherings before and during the Thanksgiving holiday, the “Santa Ana Winds” start to blow and all sorts of expected and unexpected familial drama ensues.

Chapter 19 - As Buck and Eddie get closer to their wedding day, the universe begins to align everything so that some of their parent and children's relationships are strengthened while others come to an abrupt end.

Chapter 20 - With only 14 days remaining until Buck, Eddie and Chris depart Los Angeles, CA traveling to Rome, Italy, for their first family adventure, an early morning conversation about “tying up loose ends” helps Buck and Eddie realize there are still several things left unfinished on their ‘To Do’ lists. The question is will there be enough time to complete all of them?

Chapter 21 - Buck, Eddie and Chris are finalizing their ‘To Do’ Lists, double checking their itineraries and packing their suitcases in preparation for their trip to Europe so they can board their flight that departs Los Angeles, CA on Friday, December 15, 2023 at 3:25PM.

Chapter 22 - While Buck, Eddie and Chris spend the first 8 days of their European family adventure in Italy, their primary reason for going will be fulfilled as well as several others they hadn’t considered or anticipated.

Chapter 23 - As the Diaz Family continues their Italian family adventure, they’ll say, “Ciao” or hello and goodbye to a lot of things almost immediately after they become an official and legal family.

Chapter 24 - After Buck, Eddie and Chris arrive in London, England on December 24th; the Diazes immediately start preparing to spend their first family Christmas together. During their stay, each of them will hear a few choice words that will be the life raft to get them home to complete their searches to be seen and to be found.

Chapter 25 - After spending more than two weeks in Europe, Eddie, Buck and Chris are back in Los Angeles and they’re getting ready to attend Maddie and Chimney’s New Year’s Eve party. During the event, they have plans to make two surprise announcements but the question is, who’s really going to be surprised, the Diaz family or their found family at the 118?

Chapter 26 - Buck and Eddie are once again faced with their greatest fear of losing each other but this time it could be permanent and if it is, then they won’t be able to spend the rest of their lives together.

Chapter 27 - After Buck resumes therapy, he’ll continue to face the fact that he “DIED” in March 2023 and during those sessions, he’ll learn about the 7 stages of grief. As he continues his healing journey, Eddie will be right by his side just like he promised and the Diaz family will start to deal with their three minutes and seventeen seconds loss as a family.

Chapter 28 - Will be posted soon.

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Read chapters 1-27 are available on AO3.

Continue reading on AO3

#buddie #eddie diaz #evan buckley #christopher diaz #the buckley diaz family #buckley diaz family #buddie fanfic #ao3 fanfic #911 fanfic #911 abc #911 on abc #Fanonwriter2023 on AO3 #“I'm still in love with you but... I needed to learn how to love myself too!” #Chapter 28 will be posted soon. #The Diaz Family #Married Buddie #buddie wip #WIP Wednesday

[allelitewrites]

Barbed Wire Heart

She Needs You (Part One)

Word Count: 1473

Relationship: Reader X Hangman Adam Page

------------------------------------------------------------

On October 25, 2023 in Philadelphia, after the team of Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson, and Hangman Page, better known as the Hungbucks won their ROH Six Man championship defense, an event occurred that left you in disbelief.  You were ringside for the match and celebrated in the ring afterward with your two closest friends and fiancé. But the video on the big screen soon changed from the Elite's images and showed Swerve Strickland opening the door into you and Adam's home just twenty minutes away from the Liacouras Center, where Dynamite was being held. You watched as he raided and tore things off of your shelves. Living in a small town outside of Philadelphia was a common thing. However, you couldn't figure out exactly how Swerve managed to know exactly which house was yours. Strickland and Prince Nana took their own tour around your home, kicking their dirty shoes up on your couch, ripping important photos apart, and throwing one of your favorite necklaces, a gift from Hangman somewhere in the grassy backyard.

You and Hangman booked it out of the ring even though it was totally pointless. You had to explain to your fiancé that there was no way you'd make it home in time. You still had your own match to wrestle and Hangman refused to let you out of his sight.

Later on, after a long half hour of your mind running at a million miles a minute, you wrestled in a Philly Street Fight. You requested that all of the Elite remain in their locker room as for the match would obviously get out of hand. It was a draining match, however you were thankful you ended up not losing any blood. While you ended up being successful in winning the match, the big screen once again flickered to Swerve Strickland and Prince Nana. You quickly grabbed a microphone and spoke before they had the chance.

"Whatever you want from me, you're gonna have to get over yourself and drop it." You huffed as you tried to catch your breath, still feeling the impact of the match. "Your problem isn't with me, Swerve. It's with Hangman. Don't bring me into your bullsh..."

"No need for the frustration." Swerve laughed. His enlarged face on the bright screen in front of you.

Nana's smile grew as the camera panned to where they were standing. Directly outside of the Elite's locker room. Standing outside of where you told your best friends to wait. Nana put a few brooms within the handles of the doors, preventing it from being able to open. "You better watch out. As Swerve said before, Hangman's loved ones would be the one to face the consequences of his actions. You just happen to be the one he loves most."

Nana walks out of frame with Swerve and the camera cuts. You toss the microphone out of the ring and start to limp your way to the back in an attempt to help your friends. Then you take a large hit to your back. What feels like hundreds of kicks are dropped upon your already damaged body. For a second they stop and you are able to make out the faces of Brian Cage, Toa Liona and Bishop Kaun.

It was a planned attack.

Even though you couldn't see it, the camera footage came back up on the big screen. You could hear the Hungbucks banging on the door, trying to find a way, anyway out that they could.

Swerve's music hit. As you tried to climb back to your feet, the pain across your body continued to make gravity feel like it was so much stronger. Collapsing at the knees repeatedly. Swerve and Nana finally made it to the ring, staring you down like a cat stalking it's prey. Strickland reaches under the ring and pulls out a black bag. The black bag known infamously to every single wrestler and every single wrestling fan on the planet. As Strickland climbed in the ring he backed his men off. He looked back at the big screen to still see no sign of Hangman or anyone else getting out of the room. Just a bunch of helpless banging on the door.

Swerve brought a microphone up to his mouth, the black bag still in his hand. He used his foot to knock you over again, then pressing your head into the ring mat with the bottom of his shoe. "It's a shame I need to do this to you. Your fiancé wanted to make this personal. Now where is he? He's in the back in a panic. Locked in a room. Watching me push your head into the floor with the bottom of a shoe that I used to walk around the dirty city of Philadelphia." The crowd booed as Swerve insulted their, and your hometown. He then kicked you directly in the head but you somehow managed to get your arms up enough to block most of the shot. "You know, maybe the two of you will have a real nice talk after this. He can't protect you. He can't save you. He doesn't really love you, does he? If he loved you he would be out here by now, wouldn't he?"

You immediately popped up to your feet to defend the cowboy but when you swung at Swerve, Toa Liona knocked you down. Swerve threw the microphone at you before opening the bag and dumping hundreds of thumb tacks onto your back. The coldness of the small pieces of metal gave you goosebumps. You had no energy to move. Being held in place didn't help as Swerve climbed to the top of the ropes. He jumped off and drove his two feet into the tacks that were resting on your back. You screamed and writhed in pain but you were picked up again. This time Swerve had you up straight, pile driving you into the already bloodied collection of tacks. You tried rolling away but the pain in your neck was unbearable. Every time you tried to move, the tacks drove themselves further into your skin.

Swerve grabbed you by your hair, pulling you into a slouched sitting position facing you both towards the hard camera. The final tack falling from your temple, your blood was trickling hastily down your face, leaving a metal taste in your mouth and a burning sensation in your eyes. Prince Nana gave Swerve another microphone. "This is what happens. This is what happens, Hangman!" Swerve yells, still holding your head up. "I warned you, cowboy. And now you can't do anything about what's already been done." He drops you and you limply fall to your side. Your face was turning the mat a dark red as you laid there gasping for air. "Whose house?" Swerve cheekily mumbles, making the crowd scream 'Swerve's house' in reply.

Just as Swerve stood back up straight, he saw the door break open. Hangman broke through all of the broom sticks and was fully sprinting towards the ring. You wiped the blood out of your eyes and managed to roll around a bit, being able to lean on your elbow. The second the Hungbucks made it through the curtain, Swerve and his group bailed from the ring. Hangman ran right passed you to try and get to Swerve, however, he was already gone.

First, Nick tried to help you up, but you pushed him away asking for space. Instead, you pulled yourself to the ropes. You turned to look at Adam but he refused to break eye contact with Strickland. You got yourself up to your knees and then Matt tried to assist you. Again, you pushed him away.

You managed to get up to your feet but you were using the ropes to carry all of your weight. Finally, Matt went over to Hangman and pushed him away from Swerve. "Forget him. She needs you right now."

Hangman turned to look at you. The panic finally overpowered his anger as he rushed to you, wrapping an arm around your back. "Shirt." You manage to say.

"What about it?" Adam asks.

You cough a bit before turning to the side to spit out blood from your mouth. "I don't want to ruin your shirt." You say as you try and keep him from being worried. He told you that he didn't care about the shirt but you forced a smile and replied, "No, but I like that shirt."

Hangman rolled his eyes, knowing you were trying to make sure he wasn't too worried despite the fact you were standing in front of him covered in blood. He pulled his shirt off, revealing his large shoulders and chest and allowed you to rest his weight onto him. He held you up, whispering repeated apologies in your ear.

#adam page #hangman adam page #the elite #hangman page x reader #hangman #hungbucks #aew #hangman fanfiction #hangman adam page x reader #hangman x reader #hangman page

[jerzwriter]

Tobias took his friend Casey to his hometown of Washington, DC, to show her how they did the holidays. She was impressed, but now it was time to show him how it was really done in her hometown of Philadelphia. As they spend time surrounded by Christmas magic, will they be able to keep their promise to be "just friends?"

Book: Open Heart Characters: Tobias Carrick & Casey MacTavish (F!MC) Rating: Teen Words: 1,700 A/N: This is an altered version of a fic I wrote in 2022... but as I'm finally filling in the gaps of my Tobias/Casey headcanon, I needed to make some changes. If you're following the HC, this story would take place after Part Two: With a Capitol T. Part three will be about the last leg of their trip, and the epilogue will follow. I originally posted these as one ridiculously long fic... crazy town. lol I'm also in the process of updating my Tobias/Casey masterlist to make this a little less confusing... for me, more than you! lol. Thanks to anyone who checks this out!

Series Masterlist | Tobias x Casey Masterlist Masterlist

The day after their DC adventure, they slept in a bit. Casey had assured Tobias that while there was plenty to see during the day, the real Christmas magic in Philly took place at night, so a little more sleep wasn't just doable—she encouraged it!

When they arrived, she immetiately treated him to her favorite bagels to start the day, then it was time for a daylight stroll through Christmas Village.  Tobias was duly impressed. The tiny shops had an old-world charm, right in the middle of a bustling city, but Casey told him...

“You haven’t seen anything yet! Just wait until tonight!"

Philadelphia’s City Hall was a grand structure that was breathtaking no matter the time of year, but like everything else, during the holidays, it was spectacular. Surrounded by a cornucopia of holiday treats, it couldn't help but bring out the child in them. Casey was eager to ice skate, but Tobias passed. Still, he was happy to watch her twirl. He had no problem joining her on the Ferris wheel, taking in the sights of the City from high above, before they headed to Macy’s for the Christmas Light Show. Not one to pass up a chance to shop, Tobias spent a little more time there than Casey had budgeted for, but the good thing? By the time they left, darkness had fallen upon the City of Brotherly Love, and Tobias stood in awe in the center of it. Casey was one hundred percent right. As beautiful as it had been during the day, nothing could compare to now. 

It felt like they had stepped into a Christmas movie, with the aroma of roasted chestnuts filling the air as carolers sang Christmas songs nearby. There were plenty of harried shoppers pushing through the crowds, but for every one of them, there seemed to be a dozen others who were casually strolling around, soaking in the wonders of the season. Laughing families with tired toddlers in strollers or sitting atop their father’s shoulders, coworkers giggling over mulled cider, and couples – couples of every age strolled by hand in hand, often stopping to take a picture in front of the iconic LOVE sculpture. Tobias closed his eyes and took in a long breath - it truly was Christmastime. This was a feeling he was certain was only a part of his past. Sure, he had enjoyed holiday parties, happy hours with friends, and the like, but this... this was different, and he wanted to commit every second to memory.

“Excuse me,” a young woman's voice interrupted Tobias from his reverie. “Would you mind taking our picture?" She asked, motioning to the gentleman by her side. "Selfies are great and all, but they only go so far.”

“'I'd be delighted,” he smiled, removing a gove to better grasp her phone. He took one picture, then another, and egged them on a bit before snapping the third. "Oh, come on, give her a little kiss! On the count of three! One, two...” Snap!

The couple thanked him profusely before walking away, and he found himself unsettled by the emotion welling up inside him... was that... envy? His mind began to wander, and he could almost picture walking through the city clutching Casey’s hand; she'd stop them in their tracks to reach up and kiss his cheek, walking arm in arm; an older couple would stop them to declare how they remind them of themselves when they were younger. It was a picture that was as enticing as it was terrifying, but he couldn't shake the image if he wanted to, and in reality, he didn't want to. But a tap on his shoulder from none other than the subject daydream brought him back to reality, and he only hoped she couldn't read his mind.

“Ready to head to City Hall again?” she asked, handing him a pretzel purchased from a street vendor. "You’ll see; it’s a different world once the sun goes down.”

“Lead the way, princess,” he smiled, fighting the visceral urge to take her hand. “Lead the way.”

~~~~~

“OK,” he admitted as the imposing historic building awash in colorful lights came into their view, “and it is not easy for me to do... but you win. Christmas in Philly is pretty amazing.”

“Yey!!” she squealed, jumping up and down like a child who had just won a treasured prize. She had Tobias mesmerized, and her eyes landed on him; he was smiling. Not any smile, but that smile that made his dimples stand out, where his eyes crinkled, and then she'd just melt. She quickly looked away. She had to. She may have been loathe to admit it, but she was well aware of the effect that smile had on her, and no. There was no way she was going there.  “And you haven’t even seen the tree lit up at night yet,” she said, attempting self-distraction. “I’m so glad you’re enjoying it!”

“Wait, you’re not gonna gloat?”

“No,” she smiled. “I’m just so happy to see you experiencing this all for the first time... to share it with you. I wanted you to feel the magic, too.”

“Oh, trust me, Casey, I feel it. This is something I'll never forget."

They arrived at the Town Hall tree, and once again, Tobias was forced to surrender. “Wow! OK. I’m giving up completely... your tree wins.”

“Ha!” she yelled, nudging his shoulder with hers. “I told you so!”

“Hey, what happened to no gloating!”

She looked up at him with a devilish glint. “Can you just give me this, Carrick?"

He hoped his eyes would not betray him. I would give you anything, he thought but settled with saying, "Sure. You can have this."

“Thank you! I mean, it is the greatest Christmas tree in the world, so..."

“Yeah, no,” a booming voice shouted out from behind, bursting the little bubble they had created

Casey turned around with a cocked brow and hand on her hip. Her Philly attitude is on full display. “Excuse me?” she challenged.

“I mean, this is nice and all, but if you want to see the best in the world, ya gonna have to head to New York."

Crossing her arms in defiance, she glared at the entirely too-tall stranger. "I don’t believe you.”

“Have you ever seen it?”

“Uhm, no... not in person.”

“Then you can’t judge, can you?" The man smirked. "I’m a New Yorker. TRUST me on this.”  

“Well, if it’s so great... what are you doing here?”

“Ehh… my wife is from Philly,” he shrugged. “I have to indulge her every now and again.”

“Well, how kind of you,” Casey replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Hey,” the man chuckled jovially, “Happy wife, happy life.  And, while New York may have the best Christmas tree, I will concede Philly has the best women!” He slapped Tobias on the shoulder with such force he had to stop himself from stumbling forward. “Isn’t that right, buddy?”

Casey and Tobias turned to each other, deer caught in the headlights. Casey’s wit seemed to drain from her, along with the color on her face, as Tobias turned back to the man, trying to recover.

“While I don’t disagree with you, she’s not my wife... not even my girlfriend... we’re just friends.”

Casey didn't understand the way her throat clenched or why her eyes filled with water at his words, but the man took a long look at her, then Tobias, and smiled. "“Well, I’d get to work on that if I were you, pal. Capiche? Happy Holidays, you two.”

Casey’s cheeks were redder than the bows adorning the massive tree, and it had nothing to do with the cold. Unable to look at Tobias, she peered down at her Uggs as if they had an answer. Wiggling her toes in the soft fleece, she struggled for something to say. But as she looked away, Tobias's eyes never left her. He could have been honest about his feelings, or he could have uttered any of the dozen bad jokes he had at the ready to defuse the situation, but he couldn't do either. Honesty wasn't an option, but neither was lying about his true feelings. There was a wall of fire burning between them, but neither would risk getting burned.

“I have an idea,” he said, attempting to put them both at ease.

“What’s that?” Casey asked gratefully.

“Let’s put this ‘greatest Christmas tree of all’ thing to rest once and for all.  What do you say we swing by New York on the way home tomorrow.”

“Seriously?”

“I don’t joke about things like this.”

Casey bit her lip as she smiled. “I’d love to!”

“So we have a plan for tomorrow! But what do you want for the rest of the night?”

“Let’s take a ride down 13th Street. You have to see those lights! They don't call it the Miracle on 13th Street for nothing! Then... cookies and a movie at the hotel? If we’re adding New York to the itinerary, we should probably rest up.”

“If medicine doesn’t work out for you, you have a career as a cruise director, kid,” he grinned. “Let’s go.”

An hour later, they sat on the couch in their hotel room, a bowl of popcorn and a plateful of cookies within reach as they watched “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Exhausted, Casey had to lie down, placing her feet on Tobias’s lap. Unsure how to react, he rested his hand atop her ankle and exhaled when she didn't balk.

Look, Daddy. Teacher says, every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings. That's right, that's right!

The movie concluded and delivered a lump the size of coal in TObias's throat. “You know, I am man enough to admit... that damn line gets me every time.”

But Casey didn’t answer; she had fallen fast asleep.  With a tender smile, Tobias slipped off the couch to retrieve a blanket. There was no sense waking her. After tucking it around her, he leaned over to place the most delicate kiss atop her head.

“Sweet dreams, princess,” he whispered before heading to bed. "Sweet dreams."

~~~~~

Casey was absolutely giddy when she hopped into Tobias’s car the next morning.

“I can’t believe we’re going to New York, too! This has been the greatest trip,” she enthused. “It really feels like Christmas, doesn’t it, T?”

“It sure does,” he softly smiled.

“How long is the drive?” She asked

“Once we’re on the NJ Turnpike, we’re looking about two hours.”

“Great!” she beamed. “That gives us plenty of time for holiday music!”

They made it ten minutes before Mariah Carey belted out of the surround sound in Tobias's car. (Can one really go longer than that without hearing Mariah during this season?) Casey amped up the volume, and then it happened! Her voice may have been off-key; her “seat dancing” technique was nothing anyone would ever wish to emulate, but she grabbed her empty coffee cup as an improvised microphone and gave one hell of a performance for her imaginary crowd. Meanwhile, her live audience of one was grinning from ear to ear.

“I don’t want a lot for Christmas There is just one thing I need Don’t care about the presents underneath the Christmas tree I don’t need to hang my stocking there upon the fireplace Santa Claus won’t make me happy with a toy on Christmas Day I just want you for my own More than you could ever know Make my wish come true All I want for Christmas is yoooooooooouuuuuuuuuuu.”

“You’re gonna give Mariah a run for her money,” Tobias chuckled. 

“Really,” Casey winced. “I’m pretty sure she’d tell me to keep my day job…. Well, once I’m back at my day job."

“Hey! You’re getting closer every day,” he reassured. “You’ll be back to Ethan driving you bonkers in no time.”

“Hmm. When you put it that way it sounds odd to say I hope so, but I do hope so. Still, until then, I have a gig in this car and I take my obligations very seriously!"

She looked up at him with an endearing smile. "Don't worry! I promise to buy you a huge bottle of Advil as soon as we hit the City!”

“No need,” he laughed, pointing to his glove compartment. “There are some in there, but I don’t need them.”

“Good,” Casey smiled. “Next up, Santa Claus is Coming to Town!”

She began singing the song, a la Bruce Springsteen, but she had no idea how much Tobias agreed. Seeing Casey this happy? Santa was not coming to town, he had already arrived and delivered the greatest gift he had ever received.

Final stop coming up: New York! 🍎

@choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics

Tagging Tobias Stans only - @alj4890 @kyra75 @coffeeheartaddict2 @brycesgirl @icecoffee90 @storyofmychoices

#choices fanfic #open heart #open heart choices #choices open heart #open heart fanfic #tobias carrick #tobias carrick x mc #holiday fics #tobias x casey #playchoices

[mariacallous]

Whether you're a student, a journalist, or a business professional, knowing how to do high-quality research and writing using trustworthy data and sources, without giving in to the temptation of AI or ChatGPT, is a skill worth developing.

As I detail in my book Writing That Gets Noticed, locating credible databases and sources and accurately vetting information can be the difference between turning a story around quickly or getting stuck with outdated information.

For example, several years ago the editor of Parents.com asked for a hot-take reaction to country singer Carrie Underwood saying that, because she was 35, she had missed her chance at having another baby. Since I had written about getting pregnant in my forties, I knew that as long as I updated my facts and figures, and included supportive and relevant peer-reviewed research, I could pull off this story. And I did.

The story ran later that day, and it led to other assignments. Here are some tips I’ve learned that you should consider mastering before you turn to automated tools like generative AI to handle your writing work for you.

Find Statistics From Primary Sources

Identify experts, peer-reviewed research study authors, and sources who can speak with authority—and ideally, offer easily understood sound bites or statistics on the topic of your work. Great sources include professors at major universities and media spokespeople at associations and organizations.

For example, writer and author William Dameron pinned his recent essay in HuffPost Personal around a statistic from the American Heart Association on how LGBTQ people experience higher rates of heart disease based on discrimination. Although he first found the link in a secondary source (an article in The New York Times), he made sure that he checked the primary source: the original study that the American Heart Association gleaned the statistic from. He verified the information, as should any writer, because anytime a statistic is cited in a secondary source, errors can be introduced.

Dive Into Databases

Jen Malia, author of The Infinity Rainbow Club series of children’s books (whom I recently interviewed on my podcast), recently wrote a piece about dinosaur-bone hunting for Business Insider, which she covers in her book Violet and the Jurassic Land Exhibit.

After a visit to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Malia, whose books are set in Philadelphia, found multiple resources online and on the museum site that gave her the history of the Bone Wars, information on the exhibits she saw, and the scientific names of the dinosaurs she was inspired by. She also used the Library of Congress’ website, which offers digital collections and links to the Library of Congress Newspaper Collection.

Malia is a fan of searching for additional resources and citable documents with Google Scholar. “If I find that a secondary source mentions a newspaper article, I’m going to go to the original newspaper article, instead of just stopping there and quoting,” she says.

Your local public library is a great source of free information, journals, and databases (even ones that generally require a subscription and include embargoed research). For example, your search should include everything from health databases (Sage Journals, Scopus, PubMed) to databases for academic sources and journalism (American Periodical Series Online, Statista, Academic Search Premier) and databases for news, trends, market research, and polls (the Harris Poll, Pew Research Center, Newsbank, ProPublica).

Even if you find a study or paper that you can’t access in one of those databases, consider reaching out to the study’s lead author or researcher. In many cases, they’re happy to discuss their work and may even share the study with you directly and offer to talk about their research.

Get a Good Filtering System

For journalist Paulette Perhach’s article on ADHD in The New York Times, she used Epic Research to see “dual team studies.” That's when two independent teams address the same topic or question, and ideally come to the same conclusions. She recommends locating research and experts via key associations for your topic. She also likes searching via Google Scholar but advises filtering it for studies and research in recent years to avoid using old data. She suggests keeping your links and research organized. “Always be ready to be peer-reviewed yourself,” Perhach says.

When you are looking for information for a story or project, you might be inclined to start with a regular Google search. But keep in mind that the internet is full of false information, and websites that look trustworthy can sometimes turn out to be businesses or companies with a vested interest in you taking their word as objective fact without additional scrutiny. Regardless of your writing project, unreliable or biased sources are a great way to torpedo your work—and any hope of future work.

For Accuracy, Go to the Government

Author Bobbi Rebell researched her book Launching Financial Grownups using the IRS’ website. “I might say that you can contribute a certain amount to a 401K, but it might be outdated because those numbers are always changing, and it’s important to be accurate,” she says. “AI and ChatGPT can be great for idea generation,” says Rebell, “but you have to be careful. If you are using an article someone was quoted in, you don’t know if they were misquoted or quoted out of context.”

If you use AI and ChatGPT for sourcing, you not only risk introducing errors, you risk introducing plagiarism—there is a reason OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, is being sued for downloading information from all those books.

Historically, the Loudest Isn’t the Best

Audrey Clare Farley, who writes historical nonfiction, has used a plethora of sites for historical research, including Women Also Know History, which allows searches by expertise or area of study, and JSTOR, a digital library database that offers a number of free downloads a month. She also uses Chronicling America, a project from the Library of Congress which gathers old newspapers to show how a historical event was reported, and Newspapers.com (which you can access via free trial but requires a subscription after seven days).

When it comes to finding experts, Farley cautions against choosing the loudest voices on social media platforms. “They might not necessarily be the most authoritative. I vet them by checking if they have a history of publication on the topic, and/or educational credentials.”

When vetting an expert, look for these red flags:

You can’t find their work published or cited anywhere.

They were published in an obscure journal.

Their research is funded by a company, not a university, or they are the spokesperson for the company they are doing research for. (This makes them a public relations vehicle and not an appropriate source for journalism.)

And finally, the best endings for virtually any writing, whether it’s an essay, a research paper, an academic report, or a piece of investigative journalism, circle back to the beginning of the piece, and show your reader the transformation or the journey the piece has presented in perspective.

As always, your goal should be strong writing supported by research that makes an impact without cutting corners. Only then can you explore tools that might make the job a little easier, for instance by generating subheads or discovering a concept you might be missing—because then you'll have the experience and skills to see whether it's harming or helping your work.

[jayhawksofficial]

Jayhawks Tour Update April 2024

Spring has sprung and we've got a bunch of shows coming up - with more announcements on the way.

We're back on the road in a few weeks with a show in St. Louis followed by two nights in Nashville. Our old pal and bandmate Stephen McCarthy will be joining us for the 2 Nashville shows, making for a very rare Jayhawks lineup.

We return to the east coast in early May with 4 shows, including a headlining slot at the Sing Us Home festival in Philly. NOTE: due to an unavoidable conflict, Karen Grotberg won't be able to make these May shows. As in recent years, Stephen McCarthy will be filling in with us again for this run.

In June, we'll be making our only Twin Cities concert appearance of the summer on 6/6 at the cool Utepils Brewing Company location, tucked away in the Bryn Mawr neighborhood. Then we're off to Spain to do some shows with our good friends at Heart of Gold.

On the Fourth of July we're doing the American Music Fest in Berwyn, IL, followed by a one off in Western Michigan. August finds us in the Ohio Valley for a couple of shows.

We're working on more 2024 shows to add to the schedule - the latest tour news can always be found on our website.

Tour dates & ticket links: bit.ly/JayhawksShows

See you soon!

TOUR SCHEDULE (as of 4/10) 4/19 - St. Louis, MO - Sheldon Concert Hall (sold out) 4/20 - Nashville, TN - City Winery (sold out) 4/21 - Nashville, TN - City Winery 5/2 - Beverly, MA - The Cabot 5/3 - Hartford, CT - Infinity Hall 5/4 - Philadelphia, PA - Sing Us Home festival 5/5 - Tarrytown, NY - Tarrytown Music Hall 6/6 - Minneapolis, MN - Utepils Brewing Company 6/13 - Barcelona, Spain - Parallel 62 6/14 - Bilbao, Spain - BBK Music Legends festival 6/15 - Vigo, Spain - Mar de Vigo Auditorium 6/16 - Madrid, Spain - Noches del Botanica 6/17 - Valencia, Spain - La Rambleta 7/4 - Berwyn, IL - American Music festival 7/5 - Three Oaks, MI - The Acorn (sold out) 8/15 - Lexington, KY - The Burl 8/17 - Cincinnati, OH - Memorial Hall 9/13 - Grass Valley, CA - Center For The Arts

#Jayhawks #tour dates

[notbecauseofvictories]

Not a question but thank you for reminding me about I Am In Eskew it's so fucked up (complimentary)

Actually, question, are there any real life cities that have Eskew vibes?

This is technically from a while ago, but I think---in all honesty, in all earnestness---all cities have Eskew vibes.

(Yes, even that one. Yes, that one too. And that one. And---)

I think it is impossible to create a city that's not a little fucked up, that doesn't have a gaping maw at the center of it. I've lived in a lot of cities, personally (Chicagoland, Detroit, Cincinnati, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago again) and can attest to their very heart being something deep and consuming. A city wants to swallow you whole, and turn you into food and fodder; that's what a city is for. To turn you into something it can use. The idea that there are some places that exempt themselves somehow, doesn't make sense.

It's much easier to believe that instead, every city has its preferred mode of consumption...

It's much simpler, more straightforward, to think that every city wants to eat its inhabitants whole.

#interestingly enough I think that eskew is so powerful BECAUSE it could be any city #not your city! just any city. any place. a place. where people go to be lost. #I think if it were more specific it would be less interesting. #caranthira #i am in eskew

[teex]

The roller coaster of emotions was tough for Giroux as he walked out of the Wells Fargo Center as a Flyer one last time. As he prepares to make his first walk into the arena as a visitor, he is braced for another barrage of emotions. “I think going to Philly is going to be — it’s going to be hard,” Giroux said. “Being able to be in that building for a lot of years and the memories in there. But, saying that, I’ll have to keep my emotions in check and just play a good game and hopefully, give the fans a good show.” Giroux’s first taste of his post-Flyers reality came when he attended Laughton’s wedding this summer and was seated at a “former Flyers” table. He also experienced a trial run last weekend when the Flyers visited Ottawa. Following dinner with some of his former teammates the night before the game, he exchanged shoves and chirps with them on the ice. When Giroux returns to Philadelphia, he’ll get to see injured friends like Sean Couturier, Cam Atkinson, and van Riemsdyk. He’ll see the way his former teammates are trying to carry on his legacy. He’ll drive the streets he drove for 15 years and hear Lou Nolan’s voice announcing his name again. It will be as familiar as home because it’s a place where he touched hearts and had his heart touched. It’s a place he said he never thought he’d leave. Although Braun said Giroux expressed during free agency that he was “jealous” Braun was returning to Philly, Giroux is extremely grateful for where he’s at.

11/11 Inquirer article about Giroux leaving and returning to Philly

#edit: jeez this posted way bigger than it looked as a draft #claude giroux #nhl #flyers #its behind a paywall but heres a clip

[heartcarepa]

Take Action Now: Heart Attacks are Rising in Young People

Take Action Now: Heart Attacks are Rising in Young People

In the recent past we have been hearing many high profile cases of young celebrities getting a heart attack. If we look around in the community each one of us has heard a case of cardiac arrest, heart complications amongst young people.

In a recent article in economic times, Top Cardiologist Philadelphia USA have warned USA People have 2 – 3 times more chances of developing heart condition than western countries owing to genes and lifestyle. As per data published by NCRB (National Crime Records Bureau) heart attacks have increased by mind boggling 53% in the last 5 years.

USA is regarded as a nation for one of the best cardiologist philadelphia in the world but still the increasing numbers are of grave concern. It is high time that as IUSA citizen we take appropriate measures of ourselves and our family to ensure no untoward incident happens in our own family. This blog is to not only raise awareness about heart attack complications and cases amongst young adults but also mentions key measures to avoid it.

Your risk of getting heart disease is influenced by a number of things. At least one of the

Three most common risk factors for the condition is present in more than 50% of all people in USA:

High cholesterol

Smoking: Although statistics in the past suggested that men smoke more than women, the gender gap in cigarette consumption has become closer over the years and today has become a major reason for developing cardiovascular complications.

High blood pressure: Stress, Hectic lifestyle, Junk food, Improper sleep are some of the major contributors to CAD amongst young people of USA. Women who take birth control pills & smoke carry a very high risk of CAD.

Some of the other factors also include:

Sedentary lifestyle

Obesity

Family history of cardiovascular disease

Diabetes

Heavy alcohol intake

Some top tips for maintaining healthy heart for healthy-life:

Exercise frequently: A regular exercise program can improve your heart health. Set a goal for at least 150 minutes of outdoor activity or more each week. Brisk 40 minute walk to cover 4 km is good enough for a healthy heart.

Keeping a healthy weight: Being overweight or obese raises your chance of developing heart disease. Follow a diet that is good for your heart: Home cooked meals are the best and the safest. Limit your intake of processed meals and sweets.

Managing stress: Growing evidence suggests that you should minimize the effects of stress on your heart health.

Getting a yearly check-up: Predicting heart attack can be challenging, particularly if you don’t have any symptoms. The best method to monitor risk factors is to have an annual

check-up by a heart specialist philadelphia today and take immediate measures before complications escalate.

Remember it is never too early or late to take preventive measures to keep your heart healthy. Consult a heart specialist today!

Consult heart specialist philadelphia offering their patients top-notch medical care and is highly regarded as one of the top cardiologist philadelphia USA. She has always promoted newer technological advancements in the area of cardiac electrophysiology so her patients get top-notch medical care and results.

To consult cardiology center philadelphia for any queries regarding your heart health, please call 215-535-4494 or drop an email at [email protected] or fill the appointment form on the website.

#top cardiologist philadelphia #heart specialist philadelphia #cardiologist philadelphia #philadelphia heart surgery #Heart Care Consultants in Philadelphia #heart center philadelphia #heart care consultant usa #best cardiologist philadelphia #cardiology center philadelphia

[arrozaurus]

As the effects of climate change become impossible to ignore, the crueler side of the denial project—now lurking as subtext—will become explicit. It has already begun. At the end of August 2011, with large parts of the world still suffering under record high temperatures, the conservative blogger Jim Geraghty published a piece in The Philadelphia Inquirer arguing that climate change “will help the U.S. economy in several ways and enhance, not diminish, the United States’ geopolitical power.” He explained that since climate change will be hardest on developing countries, “many potentially threatening states will find themselves in much more dire circumstances.” And this, he stressed, was a good thing: “Rather than our doom, climate change could be the centerpiece of ensuring a second consecutive American Century.” Got that? Since people who scare Americans are unlucky enough to live in poor, hot places, climate change will cook them, leaving the United States to rise like a phoenix from the flames of global warming. Expect more of this monstrousness. As the world warms, the ideology so threatened by climate science—the one that tells us it’s everyone for themselves, that victims deserve their fate, that we can master nature—will take us to a very cold place indeed. And it will only get colder, as theories of racial superiority, barely under the surface in parts of the denial movement, make a raging comeback. In the grossly unequal world this ideology has done so much to intensify and lock in, these theories are not optional: they are necessary to justify the hardening of hearts to the largely blameless victims of climate change in the Global South and to the predominantly African American cities like New Orleans that are most vulnerable in the Global North. In a 2007 report on the security implications of climate change, copublished by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, former CIA director R. James Woolsey predicted that on a much warmer planet “altruism and generosity would likely be blunted.” We can already see that emotional blunting on display from Arizona to Italy. Already, climate change is changing us, coarsening us. Each massive disaster seems to inspire less horror, fewer telethons. Media commentators speak of “compassion fatigue,” as if empathy, and not fossil fuels, was the finite resource. As if to prove the point, after Hurricane Sandy devastated large parts of New York and New Jersey, the Koch-backed organization Americans for Prosperity (AFP) launched a campaign to block the federal aid package going to these states. “We need to suck it up and be responsible for taking care of ourselves,” said Steve Lonegan, then director of AFP’s New Jersey chapter. And then there is Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper. In the midst of the extraordinary 2014 winter floods, the tabloid ran a front-page headline asking its readers to sign a petition calling on the government “to divert some of the £11 billion a year spent on overseas aid to ease the suffering of British flood victims.” Within days, more than 200,000 people had signed onto the demand to cut foreign aid in favor of local disaster relief. Of course Britain—the nation that invented the coal-fired steam engine—has been emitting industrial levels of carbon for longer than any nation on earth and therefore bears a particularly great responsibility to increase, as opposed to claw back, foreign aid. But never mind that. Screw the poor. Suck it up. Everyone for themselves.

This Changes Everything, by Naomi Klein

#climate change #denialism goes hand in hand with racism and hatred of the poor #with a tint of christian fundamentalism

[janeyseymour]

Tough Philly Girl

I don’t know, this came to my head, and I couldn't get it out

As usual, unedited, written while half awake, and hoping it's good enough.

Summary: Melissa's always been tough. Why?

WC: ~3.15k

“Why do you always have to be such a fucking asshole?!” you shout at your girlfriend, and you know you don’t usually curse when in arguments with each other, but… well, she started cursing at you first. She had called you a bitch, and you just lost it.

“I’m a fucking asshole?!” she screams back at you. “You’re the asshole!”

“We’ve been dating for two years, Melissa!” you yell as tears stream down your face. “I thought that by now, you would’ve let me in! I thought you would’ve dropped the ‘tougher than you’ complex! But no! Fuckin’ no! You still have your fucking walls up so fuckin’ high that I don’t even know the woman I fell in love with!”

“Newsflash: I didn’t ask you t’fall in love with me!” she retorts.

“You know what? Fuck this…” you wipe at your tears angrily. “I’m done. I’m not fucking doing this anymore.”

“Fine, run! Like you always do! God, you can’t ever just fight the fight!” She yells as she storms out of your shared bedroom. “All you do is fuckin’ run!”

“When you call me a bitch and fucking asshole,” you grumble. “Yeah, I do. I don’t deserve to put up with this shit.”

You pack a bag, and you leave the house that has become both of yours. You don’t even look back as you pull out of the driveway. You have absolutely no idea where you’re going, but you’ll- you’ll be okay.

You’re not, actually. Your heart is breaking inside of you as you drive through center city Philadelphia during rush hour. One of the worst cities to drive through at this time, the only one being worse is New York City.

Somehow, you end up at Janine’s house.

“Y/N!” her eyes light up at the sight of you, but then they flicker to the bag you have slung over your shoulder and the tears still rolling down your cheeks. “Uhm, are you okay?”

“Can I spend the night?” you ask meekly. “I- uh… Melissa and I had a fight, and I- I don’t know where else to go.”

“Y-yeah! Of course! I can set up the couch,” she says quickly as she ushers you inside. “Although I’m shocked you came here, and not to Barbara’s.”

“Going to my girlfriend’s best friend is probably not the smartest thing,” you chuckle bitterly. “I’m sure Barb’s gonna hate me tomorrow.”

You’re met with Gregory Eddie sitting at the dinner table. His posture immediately straightens out, and you swear you can see just the smallest blush creep into his cheeks.

“Hey,” you sigh softly. “I’m sorry I’m interrupting your date night.”

“A-are you okay?” he asks you gently- far more gently than you’ve ever heard from him at school unless he’s talking to his girlfriend.

“Melissa and I had a fight, and I had to get out of there,” you sigh softly. “I- I couldn’t keep fighting.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Janine asks.

You shrug, and the couple continues to watch you. With a sigh, you start to spill what had happened. Really, all you wanted was for the feisty redhead to drop her tough girl act, even just slightly for you. But she refused- she flat out refused, and then she doubled down on it. And because you were big on communication, you tried to speak your concerns… and that threw her for a loop. You knew your girlfriend, sure you did- the two of you live together. But after two years of dating Melissa, you thought you would’ve known her more than you did. And you can’t spend your life with someone who stays guarded- you can’t marry someone who still has the walls up around you, even if you know her a lot more than most people. She still refuses to talk about most of her family to you. 

The two listen, and then Gregory cuts in. “You know you know way more about Melissa than any of us do.”

“I should know everything about her after knowing her for two and a half years and dating her for two,” you huff.

“You live with her, you have to know more than you think,” Janine tells you.

“I didn’t even know she had a sister until she mentioned it at school,” you huff. “Don’t you think I should’ve known that before… no offense, people like you knew?”

“I mean,” Janine bites her lip. “I guess. But that’s just Melissa.”

“We’ve been dating for over two years,” you repeat. “I should know a lot more about her- I should know every side of her, and I really only know the tough girl side.”

“Isn’t that what you fell in love with to begin with though?” the man asks.

“Yes,” you grumble. “But I thought-”

“Has it crossed your mind that she doesn’t have a softer side?”

“Everybody does, especially teachers,” you mutter. “I’ve seen her soft with her kids. I know she has a soft side. She just doesn’t ever fucking show it to me, unless it’s after…” you turn red at the thought of her head between your legs.

“I’m sorry you guys had a fight,” Janine tells you. “That really sucks.”

“It sucks for all of us,” you sigh as you roll your eyes. “She’s gonna be a menace tomorrow.”

Back at the house, Melissa is fuming. She knows that your concerns and thoughts are entirely right- she hasn’t dropped every wall that she probably should with your history. And that’s what makes her even more pissed- she knows she’s at fault for this, and she really doesn’t know how to make it right.

Her first call, of course, is Barbara.

“Melissa, dear?”

“She left,” the redhead bites out. “She fucking left!”

“What do you mean she left?” Barbara immediately turns concerned.

“She left me! And it’s all my fault! She- she’s gone Barb!”

“Oh dear lord,” the kindergarten teacher grumbles. She moves away from the phone for a few seconds, probably relaying to Gerald what’s happening right now. “I’m on my way.”

When Barb is at your house, Melissa is pacing furiously back and forth.

“Well, sweetheart,” the older teacher asks gently. “Have you talked to her about all of this?”

“No, why would I?”

“Because she’s your girlfriend, and she cares about you… every side of you,” Barbara hits her with a pointed look. “You couldn’t have expected to keep the tough girl act up for forever.”

“I know, but I thought I had more time,” the redhead runs her hands through her hair and fidgets with her necklaces. “It took me nearly five years to open up to you.”

“Well, that may be true, but we aren’t romantically involved with each other.”

“So you think I’m to blame for this one?” Melissa groans out.

“All I’m saying is… try to see it from her side,” the kindergarten teacher says. “And you better not come into the staff room tomorrow being a…” she trails off before humming.

“I can’t promise nothin’.”

“Do you want me to stay tonight?”

“No,” Melissa grumbles. “I gotta figure out what I’m gonna do about Y/N, although the way she packed a bag, I’m not sure I can get her back this time.”

The next morning, you sigh as you walk into the staff room to put your lunch away- you already miss having your girlfriend’s leftovers, and instead you’re stuck with a ham and cheese sandwich and a bag of chips. You know you won’t have Melissa making you a cup of coffee like she usually does, and you sigh as you make your own.

You don’t even bother to stick around to watch the news with your friends- er… her friends, and you really don’t want to see the redhead today. But of course, as you’re hustling down to your classroom, you see her. She looks at you, you look at her, and then you continue on your paths.

She storms into the break room, half slamming things around as she puts her own lunch away and makes her own cup of coffee. She finds an extra mug and pours you a cup before coming down to your classroom. She places it in front of you and glares at you. When you don’t so much as glance at her, she huffs.

“Just because we’re fighting don’t mean I don’t still love you.” She plants a rather aggressive kiss to your hairline, and you still don’t respond. “Fine.” And with that, she leaves your classroom.

“She won’t even look at me,” your girlfriend groans to her friends. “I brought her a cup of coffee, and she still wouldn’t look at me.”

Gregory and Janine share a look- they know how you feel on the subject, and they aren’t about to interject with their own thoughts. They had talked about it after heading to bed last night, and because you weren’t asleep, you also knew how they felt on the matter.

“Do you really think one cup of coffee is going to fix this issue between the two of you?” Barbara asks her best friend.

“I thought it would get her to look at me.”

Lunchtime rolls around, and you actively avoid the staff room. You take your kids down to the lunch room before anyone else and sneak into the break room. You grab your sacked lunch and bolt back to your room.

Melissa comes knocking on your door about ten minutes into lunch.

“I really don’t want to talk to you right now,” you say plainly.

She sighs, clearly upset, and turns on her heel. You hear the way her heels hit the linoleum floor angrily. 

The rest of the day passes by painfully slowly, and come the end of the day, you really don’t want to have to go home to her, but you aren’t about to put yourself on Janine and Gregory again.

“You can stay with us again if you need another night,” Janine still offers.

“I appreciate it, but I have to figure out what I’m going to do moving forward,” you sigh.

“A-are you thinking of breaking up with her?” Gregory asks you, terrified for what might happen if you do split. 

“I don’t know,” you sigh. “I love her, but if I can’t get through to her anymore, I don’t really know… I can’t spend my life with someone I don’t know every side of.”

You have no idea Melissa was standing on the other side of the door and could hear you. She practically runs out of the school. She’s going to have to do something big to keep you by her side.

When you enter your home… house… old house (?), you sigh. It looks darker than usual, as if the house knew the two of you were fighting. It’s a gray day, and the natural light that usually shines through the big window in the kitchen only reflects your mood. You sigh as you pull out a few things to grade.

About half an hour later, Melissa comes in, and it’s almost like she has her tail between her legs.

“Y/N?” she calls softly. You fight the urge to look up, keeping your eyes trained on Brianna’s math test in front of you. “Amore?” You still don’t respond.

She finds you at the kitchen table, glasses on top of your head and grading quickly. She  shyly holds out a giant bouquet of flowers she bought for you.

“Very pretty,” you mumble, but you don’t take them. You quickly flicker your eyes back to the paper that you’re in the middle of marking.

“Y/N,” the redhead says softly, and she places the flowers down next to you. “C’mon.”

“Flowers don't fix our issues,” you tell her quietly. “I’m still pretty pissed at you.”

“I’m sorry I called you a bitch and an asshole,” she whispers as she wraps her arms around your shoulders. 

You shrug her off.

“Thank you, but I’m still pissed,” you tell her honestly. She doesn’t make another move for you. She slinks away. She cooks dinner silently. It’s quite a change in your house- the two of you always listen to music while in the kitchen. This tension could be cut with a knife, and all that’s audible is the scrawling of your marker and the sizzling of the vegetables she’s sautéing.

“Dinner’s ready,” she tells you.

“‘m not very hungry,” you mumble, and at this point she knows you’re just being stubborn.

“You gotta eat, hun,” she says softly.

“I will,” you sigh and pick up your things. You’ll finish grading in the home office the two of you have set up but rarely use.

“Y/N,” she calls after you. “C’mon. I apologized for calling you a bitch, I brought you home flowers, and I cooked dinner!”

“I already told you that wasn’t why I’m pissed,” you call over your shoulder as you continue to head for the office. “I thought I made it pretty clear why I’m upset, and if you don’t know why I’m really upset… we have a bigger issue on our hands.”

Melissa hates eating dinner by herself. It’s always something she’s loved to share with others. She stabs the food with her fork more aggressively than she usually would. She settles on the couch after doing the dishes- something the two of you usually do together. She misses having you next to her. She turns on the television, but her mind is anywhere but with whatever is on the screen.

You thought, and maybe hoped, that your girlfriend would come into the home office. But she doesn’t. You can hear the television playing, so you sigh and finish grading. And once you’re finished grading multiple subjects, you head to your shared bedroom, and you pack a bag. You suppose you’ll be staying at a hotel tonight. 

“I’ll see you later,” you tell her as you walk through the living room, duffel bag slung over your shoulder.

“Where are you going?” she asks, eyes filling with fright.

“Dunno,” you shrug. “Just not… here.”

“Y/N,” she says meekly- it’s weird to hear her voice like this. “Please don’t do this.”

“I’m not doing anything,” you sigh as you take your keys from the holder by the front door. “I’ll see you later.”

“Where are you going?” she repeats, firmer. 

“Probably the Marriott. I don’t want to be here right now.” You don’t give her a chance to say anything more before you walk out.

She almost follows you, but she doesn’t. She knows if she comes out and just continues to beg you to stay, it’ll just be another fight. So she does the only thing she knows to be the right choice at this point in time- she calls her best friend.

“Barb, I can’t lose her,” Melissa rushes out as soon as the kindergarten teacher answers.

“What do you mean, honey?”

“She’s going to break up with me, and I can’t lose her. I can’t,” the redhead states firmly. “I- I bought her flowers, I apologized for calling her a bitch, I cooked dinner… she won’t talk to me!”

“Melissa, no one said anything about losing her,” the older teacher says calmly.

And that’s when she reveals what she heard you tell Gregory and Janine.

“Well, what do you think you should do?”

“She wants me to open up! But I- I hate being vulnerable,” she sighs.

“You’ve been dating her for two years,” Barbara reminds her. “You’ve seen her at her most vulnerable. Maybe it’s your turn.”

“I- fuck.”

“You don’t want to lose her, do you?”

“No. I need her.”

“Then maybe it’s time to allow her to see you- all of you.”

“She has,” Melissa mumbles before sobering. “O-okay. Fine. But if this doesn’t work, you get to deal with post-breakup Schemmenti.”

“I’ve done it before,” the kindergarten teacher rolls her eyes. “I’ll do it again, although I really would not like to. Y/N is good for you.”

“Thanks, Barb,” the redhead sighs into the phone.

“Go get your girl back,” the kindergarten teacher encourages her friend before hanging up.

Melissa grabs the flowers that she’s since put in the vase and heads outside, only to discover it’s pouring rain. She doesn’t even care. She has to get you back.

She manages to hit every single traffic light on the way to the hotel, and then she has to circle the block a few times to find a parking spot. By the time she’s parked, she’s about a quarter of a mile away and she’s in the middle of a torrential downpour with no umbrella. She doesn’t care. She has to get to you.

You’ve just managed to check into your hotel room, and she misses you by one elevator ride. She must look insane when she runs into the hotel lobby, hair clinging to her soaked clothes and holding a sad and now saggy bouquet of flowers.

“Ah,” the concierge at the front desk eyes her. “You must be here for the sad girl that just checked in.”

“Please… tell me what room number she is,” Melissa wheezes out, trying to catch her breath.

“I’m afraid that’s against company policy,” the man behind the desk says.

“Can you phone her and tell her she has a visitor then? Please?”

The employee seems all too excited to tell her no.

The redhead looks like she’s about ready to kill, but she pulls out her phone, dials her guy, and in no longer than two minutes does the smug employee look like he’s about to shit bricks as he uses his keycard to allow her up to your room.

There’s a knock on your door, and you sigh from your bed.

“I didn’t call for room service,” you say loudly enough that whoever is behind the door can hear you. They only knock again.

With an angry breath, you stand from your bed and make your way to the door. You whip it open, ready to tell off whatever room service person is behind your door, but you’re greeted with Melissa. Her red hair is no longer curled, but soaked straight and clinging to her body. Her leather jacket is doused in rain water, and her old Abbott sweatshirt sticks to her skin. The flowers she’s holding droop with the added weight from the rain. Her makeup is running, and she’s out of breath, but she’s here.

“Please don’t leave me,” are the first words out of her mouth. “Please. I can’t live without you.”

You go to shut the door on her, but her the toe of her dock catches the door, and she finally sighs, “Do you want to know why I have to be so tough all the time?”

Interest now piqued, you raise a brow and slowly open the door.

This ought to be good.

Next

#melissa schemmenti x you #melissa schemmenti #melissa schemmenti fanfic #melissa schemmenti x reader #abbott elementary fanfic #abbott elementary fanfiction #abbott elementary

[icestarphoenix]

Pennsylvania Headcanons

PA’s State Spirit forms cracks and chips all over his body, like that of stone. Small chipped pieces float around him. The revealed inside caused by the chips is shrouded by a bright purple light. The biggest rupture is on his back, with a large crater that has light bursting out of it.

The gaps in his body don’t really exist, it’s just how the Spirit looks. Touching the cracks and gaps will feel like normal skin, but those spots feel more sensitive to PA.

The stone cracks are a reference to the Keystone State nickname. A keystone is the middle stone at the top of an arch that holds all the other stones in place and lets the structure bear weight. It’s the most important part, without it the arch falls. 

Pennsylvania was a very important state as the site of the former capital, where the Declaration and Constitution were signed, and being economically important in manufacturing and agriculture.

He’s cracked and chipped now because he’s kind of past his glory days of being the heart and center of the country. He doesn’t have the capital anymore and he gets outclassed in many industries that used to be his best.

The significant crater being where it is is a little nod to how PA feels that he should have some serious back problems after carrying the country for decades.

While sort of a random choice for Spirit color, purple used to be a color only obtainable by royalty due to how difficult it was to get the pigment. Nowadays, anyone can have vivid purple stuff for cheap. It makes his exposed interior look like amethyst, which is findable in Pennsylvania. Also I needed some more purple-colored Spirits for this country. Blue and gold for so many of these official colors…

PA likes making handcrafted wooden pieces as a hobby. He often forgets that the Statehouse has power tools, which makes his finished works all the more impressive.

His large Amish population makes him forget about having power tools as an option.

Many of the states have their own cast iron skillets that they’ve seasoned over decades (the South all have theirs monogrammed.) Even Florida knows not to mess with them, but that doesn’t stop other, well-meaning states from causing some close calls.

The oldest cast iron skillet in the house belongs to PA, a 140-year old ERIE logo Griswold lovingly named Firefly. This is probably the closest thing he has to a child.

Washington nearly put her in a dishwasher once. Firefly was unharmed, but it took four states holding PA back to give them enough time to escape before he beat Wash to a pulp for almost killing his baby.

I’ve considered giving PA pants that flare out at the bottom, kind of like disco pants from the 70’s.

Disco as a genre and subculture saw its origins in Philadelphia and New York City.

The moment he senses a spotted lanternfly nearby, PA will not be stopped by anything until he annihilates it with the wrath of a thousand northeasterners. Then he goes back to whatever he was doing like nothing happened.

Spotted lanternflies are not fireflies. The latter is endangered and is good pest control. Spotted lanternflies are an invasive species and are harmful to many native flora that are important to the state’s economy.

As one of the strongest states in the country, he often causes slight property damage whenever he does so.

Sometimes PA and other afflicted colleagues (mainly New Jersey) will go together to different states and compete to see who can get rid of more in an allotted time. Truthfully, the contest doesn’t really matter and they don’t keep close counts. It's just as many as they can find.

PA is part of the Groundhog Day “inner circle,” the ones that plan the event and care for Phil. As the humans do, he will claim that Punxsutawney Phil is immortal just like himself and that he’s been the same groundhog for 136 years, no matter how much the other states try to disprove him.

Punxsutawney, the borough’s personification, is also part of the inner circle. Unlike PA, Punxsy can understand “Groundhogese,” the only person able to do so besides the president of the inner circle.  

Marines (the personification) often does under-the-table deals with PA, exchanging chocolate for crayons. While PA doesn’t necessarily need chocolate from Marines, it is an excuse to eat more chocolate.

Hershey, Pennsylvania is the Chocolate Capital of the US. It has the Hershey Company headquarters and their chocolate factory.

Lehigh, Pennsylvania has the Crayola headquarters.

#welcome to the table #welcome to the statehouse #ben brainard #wttt #wttsh #wttt pennsylvania #headcanons #finally found enough motivation to make another one of these

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

Jazmin Evans had been waiting for a new kidney for four years when her hospital revealed shocking news: She should have been put on the transplant list in 2015 instead of 2019 — and a racially biased organ test was to blame.

As upsetting as that notification was, it also was part of an unprecedented move to mitigate the racial inequity. Evans is among more than 14,000 Black kidney transplant candidates so far given credit for lost waiting time, moving them up the priority list for their transplant.

“I remember just reading that letter over and over again,” said Evans, 29, of Philadelphia, who shared the notice in a TikTok video to educate other patients. “How could this happen?”

At issue is a once widely used test that overestimated how well Black people’s kidneys were functioning, making them look healthier than they really were — all because of an automated formula that calculated results for Black and non-Black patients differently. That race-based equation could delay diagnosis of organ failure and evaluation for a transplant, exacerbating other disparities that already make Black patients more at risk of needing a new kidney but less likely to get one.

A few years ago, the National Kidney Foundation and American Society of Nephrology prodded laboratories to switch to race-free equations in calculating kidney function. Then the U.S. organ transplant network ordered hospitals to use only race-neutral test results in adding new patients to the kidney waiting list.

“The immediate question came up: What about the people on the list right now? You can’t just leave them behind,” said Dr. Martha Pavlakis of Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and former chair of the network’s kidney committee.

Pavlakis calls what happened next an attempt at restorative justice: The transplant network gave hospitals a year to uncover which Black kidney candidates could have qualified for a new kidney sooner if not for the race-based test — and adjust their waiting time to make up for it. That lookback continues for each newly listed Black patient to see if they, too, should have been referred sooner.

Between January 2023 and mid-March, more than 14,300 Black kidney transplant candidates have had their wait times modified, by an average of two years, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing, which runs the transplant system. So far more than 2,800 of them, including Evans, have received a transplant.

But it’s just one example of a larger problem permeating health care. Numerous formulas or “algorithms” used in medical decisions — treatment guidelines, diagnostic tests, risk calculators — adjust the answers according to race or ethnicity in a way that puts people of color at disadvantage.

Given how embedded these equations are in medical software and electronic records, even doctors may not realize how widely they impact care decisions.

“Health equity scholars have been raising alarm bells about the way race has been misused in clinical algorithms for decades,” said Dr. Michelle Morse, New York City’s chief medical officer.

Change is beginning, slowly. No longer are obstetricians supposed to include race in determining the risk of a pregnant woman attempting vaginal birth after a prior C-section. The American Heart Association just removed race from a commonly used calculator of people’s heart disease risk. The American Thoracic Society has urged replacing race-based lung function evaluation.

The kidney saga is unique because of the effort to remedy a past wrong.

“Lots of time when we see health inequities, we just assume there’s nothing we can do about it,” Morse said. “We can make changes to restore faith in the health system and to actually address the unfair and avoidable outcomes that Black people and other people of color face.”

Black Americans are over three times more likely than white people to experience kidney failure. Of the roughly 89,000 people currently on the waiting list for a new kidney, about 30% are Black.

Race isn’t a biological factor like age, sex or weight — it’s a social construct. So how did it make its way into calculations of kidney function?

The eGFR, or estimated glomerular filtration rate, evaluates kidney health based on how quickly a waste compound called creatinine gets filtered from blood. In 1999, an equation used to calculate eGFR was modified to adjust Black people’s results compared to everyone else’s, based on some studies with small numbers of Black patients and a long-ago false theory about differences in creatinine levels. Until recently that meant many lab reports would list two results — one calculated for non-Black patients and another for Black patients that could overestimate kidney function by as much as 16%.

Not every Black kidney candidate was affected. Some may have had kidney failure diagnosed without that test. For others to have a chance at benefitting from UNOS’ mandated lookback, transplant center staff-turned-detectives often worked after hours and weekends, hunting years-old records for a test that, recalculated without the race adjustment, might make the difference.

“You’re reaching out to the nephrologist, their primary care doctors, the dialysis units to get those records,” said Dr. Pooja Singh of Jefferson Health’s transplant institute in Philadelphia, where Evans received her new kidney. “That first patient getting transplanted for us was such a great moment for our program that the work didn’t feel like work after that.”

A high school sports physical first spotted Evans’ kidney disease at age 17. While finishing her master’s degree and beginning to earn her Ph.D. at Temple University, she started dialysis — for nine hours a night while she slept — and was placed on the transplant list.

How long it takes to get a kidney transplant depends on patients’ blood type, medical urgency and a mix of other factors — including how long they’ve spent on the waiting list. Evans was first listed in April 2019. When the Jefferson transplant center unearthed her old lab tests, they found she should have qualified in September 2015.

“Just for context, when I was still an undergrad I should have been on the list,” she said, recalling the anger she felt as she read the letter. What she called “a mind-blowing” credit of 3½ more years waiting also provided “a glimmer of hope” that she’d be offered a matching kidney soon.

Evans got a new kidney on July 4 and is healthy again, and grateful the policy change came in time for her.

“You don’t know if people would be alive today” if it had been enacted earlier, she said. Still, that extra step of “making amends to fix the situation for those that we can — I feel like it’s very important and it’s very necessary if you’re truly wanting to bring more equity and equality into the medical field.”

#us politics #news #ap #2024 #the associated press #kidney transplant #racial bias #us healthcare #eGFR #estimated glomerular filtration rate #transplant surgery

[thelasttime]

I’m so happy she’s happy! Honestly, it warms my heart that she’s having fun and enjoying herself 🥰 Can you please explain what team he plays for though? (I’m British 😂)

he plays for the kansas city chiefs! their team actually just won the superbowl last season and he’s one of the best tight ends in the league right now

his brother is jason kelce who plays for the philadelphia eagles! he’s a center and also extremely talented (there’s actually some stuff about jason helping travis with football when they were younger because travis was going through some stuff). jason is married and has .. two kids! if i’m not mistaken.

jason and travis are extremely close and they have their own podcast together (which is where travis said that he wanted to give taylor a friendship bracelet with his phone number on it). they also played each other in the superbowl which is when travis’ team won and jason’s team lost

all’s this to say is that they’re good people and they’re very talented at what they do

#asks #asking you this* #anonymous

[jerzwriter]

Teaser Thursday

Hey, y'all - I have been tagged by so many in WIP Wednesdays - and I've been so behind - so thank you to all who sent them to me. I'm a little too late for Wednesday, but here is a Teaser Thursday! This is a sneak peek at my long overdue final chapter of A Different Fate. I'm expecting this to be posted by Saturday. :) Enjoy

A Different Fate: Final Chapter Open Heart | Ethan Ramsey x Kaycee MacClennan (F!MC)

Boston and Philadelphia had their skyscrapers for sure, but none held a candle to those in New York City, and at this moment, Kaycee couldn't have been more grateful for the city she now called home. Sixty-eight floors, she thought, as she took a tentative step into the opulent elevator. Sixty-eight floors stood between her and the lobby, and she prayed they would stop at each one.

She rushed to the back corner, relying on the walls to keep her upright as more passengers piled in. Good. More people, more stops... she needed time. Time to think, to plan, to breathe.... sixty-eight floors should have been enough for her to center, to gain a semblance of composure, but it went by in a flash.

She looked up with horror as the mahogany doors slowly slid apart. Was it possible this was a dream? Her head was spinning, and her mind jumbled; she wasn't prepared, and how was she foolish enough to assume she would be? The other passengers eagerly jumped out. Tourists and locals alike were alive with chatter about their evening plans. A direct contrast to Kaycee, who stood frozen in place. If not for the gruff voice of the elevator operator ushering her back to reality, she may have stood there all night.

“Ma’am, are you getting out?”

She turned to him, then back to the door, strongly considering ordering him to bring her right back upstairs. But something inside her stirred. Tobias was right; she was no longer playing the part of the ingenue, filled with hope, wonder, and naivete that was both her greatest asset and her biggest weakness. No, she was a big girl now, and whatever awaited her on the other side of that door... she could handle it.

“Ma’am," the man repeated. Growing irritation in his voice. "Shall I close the doors?"

“Uhm. No," she said, standing upright and brushing her hands over the front of her gown. "No. I’m getting off here.”

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Open Heart: @alwaysmychoices @coffeeheartaddict2 @peonierose

Ethan Only: @custaroonie @mrs-ramsey @parisa-kh @zealouscanonindeer

Ethan x MC Only: @cariantha @cryomyst @youlookappropriate

#ethan ramsey #ethan ramsey x mc #open heart #open heart choices #choices open heart #a different fate #wip