The young men in our study were between the ages of 14 and 17 from families with low incomes and lived in high-crime neighborhoods. They were split into three groups. The first group received money on reloadable gift cards every week. The second group was offered an after-school program and received money on a gift card as long as they attended the first few sessions. The third group served as a comparison or “control,” and participants were able to take advantage of the programming after the completion of the study.
When asked about how they spent the money they had received, participants reported a variety of expenses. Some spent it on personal items and entertainment like clothes, video games, and activities such as amusement parks. Others reported using the money for necessities, such as helping out a parent with groceries or fixing a car. Some participants reported that they saved the money to reach goals such as purchasing a car or helping their family move out of their neighborhood and purchase a house.
Receiving the cash transfer alone led to an increase in healthy behaviors. Participants who received the cash transfer were less likely than the control group to do things like drink alcohol, use marijuana, take prescription medication without a prescription, be in a physical fight, carry a weapon, or use a vapor product. Some participants said they felt the extra money helped them to perform better in school by allowing them to buy supplies, and others felt that the cash alone helped reduce crime. We also found that the cash transfer plus programming improved the financial health of participants, which may be because the after-school programming included financial education.
Beyond the benefits of the cash, the young men who were offered and attended the after-school program noted that having a safe, neutral space to go after school helped them stay away from the violence in their neighborhoods.
2K notes
·
View notes
I’ve been watching DR S2 and is it just me when I say Zane feels like a background character?
(spoiler under cut)
He lost the tournament in his FIRST ROUND. It wasn't even a long fight! I know main characters aren't immune, but..seriously?
I know ZANE of all the ninja could’ve won that match. Since the writers are really hammering down the fact that he’s a robot in these past seasons, why make him lose a match against one of the easiest elemental masters?
I feel like if Zane is really embracing this robotic side of him, he could detect objects/people at high speeds. His reflexes would be more advanced (like a robot) if the writers weren't using him as another punching bag this season.
Poor guy can't get a break.
73 notes
·
View notes
god it’s soooo difficult to put into words but like. while lestat’s love and violence and emotional impulsivity could be stifling at times and even dangerous, it was his love and insecurity that was the problem. he didn’t want to keep louis on display, he wanted to love him and be loved by him. of course, problems arose because lestat is both a terrible communicator and has severe uncontrolled abandonment issues and rage and unresolved trauma, but his actions came from a place of deep, deep fear of being alone and wanting someone to love/someone to love him. he wanted to travel with louis, he loved louis for his hobbies, he loved sharing his interests with him and opening up when he could. he wanted him and louis to experience life, the world—together. armand is not like this. he’s obsessed and “in love” with louis the same way you become enamored with a rare bird, a priceless one-of-a-kind piece of art. he’s a thing to keep, to take care of, look but don’t touch, etc. like all of the art in his penthouse. he controls louis’ safety, his eating schedule, his time outside the house (which at this point seems nonexistent). he keeps the books out of reach. he keeps an artificial tree and light and pebbles to placate his deeply depressed lover. he doesn’t want to travel the world with louis, he doesn’t want louis to be out on his own, and he frames it all under the guise of protecting him. louis is reserved and depressed in a way that is so opposed to his depression in the rue royale era. whereas before he was incensed with guilt and anger and fear and grief and sadness, now he seems like an empty shell. his deep well of emotion, even negative emotion, has turned to apathy. and obviously this could very well be caused by claudia’s death and lestat’s disappearance, but armand very obviously is not trying to help louis. in this state, louis is at both his most vulnerable and his most likely to go along with armand’s whims, to sink further and further into that apathy because then his trauma won’t hurt so much. and it just plays right into armand’s hands…..
1K notes
·
View notes
Lieutenant Deets and Medic Duo
And finally the aloof lt and dr chaos. Completing the char sheets for the 343rd. As always, text is below c: 👇
Lieutenant Deets
CT-3335 - Previously known to her batchmates as Koor or Koor 33. Koor which is Mando'a for Deal, was the name that she and her batchmates gave each other to distinguish themselves as a unit and as a promise to one another to stay alive. Unfortunately, that promise would be broken as each member of Koor squad died. So she changed her name to be that which everyone else called her. Three-Three and then later DT when she made a self deprecating joke about how she was a defective clone, (a to be decommissioning clone, DT-3335) It stuck, and later evolved into Deets when she joined the 343rd and her ability to relay a wide variety of detail for missions and about drama about the base.
Krells ship isn't a place that nurtured kindness or kept those that didn’t pay attention to the little things. It’s not that any clone was complacent but it’s a different kind of twist on the mind when you’re made to feel observed, to constantly think that little bit further than the terror in front of you. Deets initially as she worked for intelligence and supplied crucial intel while she worked under Pong Krell. She would specialise in field work, setting up temporary HQs and intel points on hostile planets. That is until she fell victim to a clanker airdrop, where a battalion of B2s found the camp and laid waste. Severely injuring them all and killing two. She claims that’s the day 33 died. Half a b2 was still active and shot her in the groin for starters, would have killed her if back up hadn't shown up and she'd had a blood transfusion in the LA-AT.
She finds though that, she doesn't mind so much. Okay, so her testosterone plumates to zero and its bad for a time being, she loses a lot of weight and muscle mass as the medics try to solve one problem after the other. It’s after an undetermined amount of time she's lucid enough to wake up. Sometimes though, she wishes she hadn’t. It turns out she wasn't saved by back up. They were bate. And the clones that survived? abandoned to die, bar from two. Deets was saved because she discovered further information on the whereabouts of a drone factory and they were attacked before she could disclose what she learnt. The other clone rescued was used to keep her alive.
It’s almost out of her control, she gives the information without even fighting, choked by guilt and shame to have been the one spared for noticing a small detail. The medic onboard takes pity on her and gets her back in one piece, or whats left of her. What follows are as a result of the worst cycle of her short and sad life. The drop in T is noticeable, and she's not mad about it, she keeps up with the standard fitness expected by all clones once her levels are fixed. Starts looking more feminine. Its nice in her opinion, she like the way she looks. Leans into it. Until what few forces left under Krells command after his wickedness had been revealed are cleaned up. Quietly existing in surveillance, the medics of their battalion have been covering for her, clearing her for action but not putting her on the field. She doesn’t know who did it, but when she’s alerted that she will be decommissioned, she finds herself not back on Kamino but on Naboo.
Bonus: Deets is Ace, low testosterone will do that to you. She's not really titillated by anything anymore. But she does like Kiss, more than she’s like anyone since her batchmates. Her and kiss grow close and have a fledgling relationship where Deets is only soft and herself with Kiss. And Kiss is tender and heartfelt with her. They are, in their own ways, the moms of their company.
Bonus 2: DT is a sheltered character, quiet and observant, tending towards the depressive disastrasiation, morbid assumptions and dry humour to pad her sharp edges. It’s why she gets on best with Jaig who is also depressed and bitter. Her armour seeks to embrace her shape. The shoulder pads were originally equipped to make her shoulders seem broader than they were. But now its a sign of her experience and expertise. She has a b2 on hr left thigh as a joke, but also as a reminder that if it hadn’t hit her other leg she wouldn’t be who she is today.
Medic Duo
aka Dr Do-over, dudu one time Ro was sky high on painkillers. The twins were in stitches literally and figuratively.
Duo is the 343rd CMO, or just their medic as the 343rd are such a small unit his only other medical support is Pax. Who they call Nurse, affectionately. They're a soft touch under cover of a mad scientist telling her vode all the details of how badly they kriffed up. Saying things like:
I had a twin in the tube and i ate them / I had tea with the Chancellor after my heroic efforts on Geonosis / i'm the closest clone to Prime
mainly things that cant be proven or disproven but they are normally saved for shinies and younger clones that won't question the validity of these claims. And more importantly to distract from whatever they are going through. But it's more an example of how hairbrained they are in regard to their methods of getting the troops what they need. And he will get them whatever they need so long as it keeps them sane and healthy.
Despite gratuitous explanations on what happens to a liver with extended access to engineerings supernova moonshine, thats all she cares about, seeing them all through to the end. Duo, Kiss and Ro have known each other the longest. Duo is the reason why Kiss was able to keep Mooch as her service dog. The reason Ro has all her limbs, and why Jaig is able to get replacement optics when the cheap cybernetics they send give out.
Most important Duo is the reason why most of the trans clones were able to transition. Starting with Kiss. Kiss plays it down, but Duo will tell anyone trying to hide their pain how miserable she had been before, how all she talked about was ancient Nabooen culture. Duo doesn't tell them how reluctant she would be to attend physicals, or the little ways that went unnoticed by untrained eyes that she would neglect her health. Similar to Ro when she joined them. Choosing self flagellation over the admittance of unseen pain. So they took it upon themselves to provide Kiss with options. Then Ro and by the time Deets came alone toward the end of the war he was already equipped to deal with her baggage with tall tails and prescription should the patient require further medical support.
bonus: Duo, Lash and Leki were delighted to meet one another. They are the powerhouse of the trans collection they have going on at the 343rd, Lash is their researcher, Leki the supplier and Duo the mastermind and manipulator of GAR funds.
bonus2: Duo is gender fluid. A fact that only became apparent after Kiss transitioned. Their gender fluxuates, and Duo like the check in it allows with oneself when assessing where they are at on a given day. Duo also particularly like making strangers squirm when they says today it's she/them and what them puzzle over what today means.
For the rest of Kiss & company: Kiss // Jaig // Leki // Ro // Pax // Lash // Deets // Duo
53 notes
·
View notes