#so they were put into the system for awhile- id have to do more research abt orphanages in the 80s

[ollyollyaxe]

ooof fuckin Thinking about hoffman and angelina being orphans, maybe not from birth- but pretty young, 5 & 15 ish, spending a few months in an orphanage/foster care before angelina gets adopted, but mark never does, he stays in the system until he ages out, his only real human connection being his baby sister - anyway im cool im fime

[shurisneakers]

shut in [4]

Summary: When your high profile mission goes terribly wrong, you’re forced to hide in a safehouse with a man you’ve never met before. With seemingly nowhere else to go, you’re forced to work together to figure out who is trying to have you assassinated before it’s too late. (Sam Wilson x Reader, Hitman AU)

Warnings: cursing, threats

Word count: 3.7k

A/N: greetings everyone!! how are we all doing? i have nothing to say here tbh so anyway stan sam wilson being a lil shit whenever possible. 

i also appreciate feedback so if you would like to, please consider dropping me an ask or comment ly guys!! also if you want to be on the taglist, it’s mentioned at the bottom of the chapter.

here’s my ko-fi if you’d like to support my writing <333

Previous Part || Shut In Masterlist

“I’ll keep an eye out.”

“Alright, thank you.”

You hung up the call, trudging back to the house, discarding the battery along the way.

The air had a chill to it and there was an occasional breeze that went past, rustling leaves providing an eerily comforting background score. The temperature tended to rise as the day went on but nights were especially cold due to the abundance of trees. 

Even though the stress of the situation you were in constantly consumed all your waking thoughts, you still found the time to appreciate how beautiful your surroundings were. 

The last few days were barely memorable. Sam and you tended to stay out of each other's way unless your meal time coincided or you watched the local news together. The schedule had worked out favourably.

He wasn’t very hard to live with.

Most of the time.

His commentary and small jokes were never-ending but were not as unwelcome as you initially thought. It brought some much needed light into your otherwise dreary day. When it came to figuring out how to do laundry due to your now extended stay or whose turn it was to do it, things got a bit messy but were resolved quickly.

He used to disappear often for hours on end. You never concerned yourself with going after him to find out where he went, figuring that unless he was hatching a plot that led to your demise, he was entitled to his own privacy. He’d return a while later, calmer than when he left.

It was fine. Nothing to write home about. Neither of you were dead yet.

“What are you doing on the bed?” You were reconsidering your last thought when you walked into the bedroom to resume your self-interrupted sleep, only to find him face down on the sheets. “It’s my day today.”

“Just give me some time. I’ll be out of here soon enough.” His voice was muffled as he spoke into the sheets.

“You can take all the time you need tomorrow when it’s your turn.” You swatted at his legs, earning a grunt of chagrin from him.

“Go eat some soup and maybe you’ll calm down,” he fired back, unmoving.

“Today’s not soup day. Which you would know if you paid attention to our schedule. That we made. Together. The same schedule which says it’s my turn today.”

He groaned, shoving his face deeper into the pillow. “My back’s killing me. Just give me a few.”

“Why, what’d you do?” you asked curiously, letting go of his leg.

“Combat training. Took a few beatings, fucked up my spine.”

“Does it hurt a lot?”

“It comes and goes.” Sam finally rolled onto his back, giving you a view of his face. His bone structure was amazing, even from quite possibly the ugliest angle you could have over him. “You should’ve seen the other guy.”

You just stared at him as he linked his arms behind his neck, elevating his head to look at you. He had a small stubble that was starting to grow longer. You wondered if he would shave it. He looked good regardless.

“How’s your beloved?”

“Huh?”

“The person you keep sneaking around to talk to on the phone. I’m not your dad, y’know. You can talk to them inside the house, ‘m not gonna ground you,” he quipped, a small, teasing smile on his face.

“He’s not my lover. Just... an acquaintance.” You felt the awkwardness starting to set in after you trailed off. “Anyway since you’re awake, we need to talk.”

“‘Bout what?”

“What happened that day. We’ve been avoiding it but we need to figure out what went wrong. Or at least a clue.”

“Okay,” Sam agreed, wincing as he sat up straight. “How do you want to do it?”

“Just talk me through how you got put on this mission and what exactly happened that day, I guess.” You took a place on the bed, leaning backward on your hand for support.

He nodded, delaying for a second to collect his thoughts before beginning.

“So basically-”

The sun was particularly relentless that day.  

The ringing bell above the door of his favourite coffee shop was a welcoming sound. The barista smiled at him in greeting, asking if he wanted his usual to go.

His park bench was empty as it always was. Sam liked to think of it as a small gift from the universe; the fact that it was perpetually unoccupied.

He liked to sit there and watch people’s day go by. His iced coffee-

“I don’t really require that much detail.”

“Patience. I’m getting there.”

It was arguably one of the most peaceful days he had had in awhile, and he was hoping to keep the streak going. Nothing seemed like it would phase him, not even the phone ringing, drawing his attention away from the scene in front of him. Caller ID didn’t trace who it was.

“Hello?”

“Wilson.”

Sam gripped the cup so hard he thought it might spill over onto his jeans.

“I told you not to call me, Ransone.”

“But honey we had such a good time last night,” he faux cooed, “You know I have needs-”

“I’m not getting involved in your stupid organisation, Vincent. I told you I’m done,” Sam broke in, not wanting to waste time listening to his stupid dramatics.

“Listen here, Wilson.” The swift change in his tone was looming, threatening. “You’re done when I say you’re done-”

“Wanna bet?” Sam took a sip of his coffee. “I thought we made it clear in Detroit that we’re done. Honey.”

He added the last part out of pure spite just to get a rise out of him. Much to his glee it seemed to work as Ransone let out a deep exhale before continuing.

“That was before we found out there’s a mole in my gang. I want you to kill him.”

“This is way below my pay grade. Have one of your interns do it. Your shitty murder warehouse hasn’t seen much action in a while.”

“This is Pierce we’re talking about. If he’s working for another organisation, his ass is going to be so guarded, these kids couldn’t wouldn’t even get past the gate. Besides, you know my murder warehouse is for special guests only-”

“Man, it must suck real hard to be you right now,” Sam didn’t wait for him to complete his sentence. He finished the last bit of the drink he had left, gathering his things before standing up. “Find someone else. I’m out.”

“You might want to reconsider that. We found him.”

He stopped in his tracks.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Sam said steadily, grip on the phone tightening.

“I think you do, though. Had us fooled for a while there, thinking he’s dead. A little more research, some cash into the right pockets and boom! There he is, clear as day.”

Sam felt a chill go up his spine.

“He doesn’t know we know. We’re just keeping an eye on him for now.”

“If you even fucking think of touching him-” his fists were balled up, struggling to keep his anger from rising.

“Oh, don’t worry, I won’t.” Ransone laughed. “I’ll just have one of my interns do it.”

“Don’t fuck with me, Ransone. It’s not somethi-”

“Do this hit and I’ll leave him alone,” Ransone interjected. “You’ve worked so hard to pull him from our radar, Sammy. It would be a shame if it all went to waste.”

Sam’s jaw clenched. Suddenly the day didn’t seem as bright as it was a few minutes ago.

“I’ll text you the details. You tend to leave me on read so I thought I’d make it more fun. Do you want the confetti with the message or the lasers-”

Sam just hung up the call, feet firmly rooted in his spot. He had no idea what he was going to do.

The notification of a new text alerted him. Pierce’s address along with the exact timeline of when he’d be home.

It was across the country. If he botched the mission on purpose, Ransone wouldn't be able to find him for a few days at least, much less reach him. He could go on the run-

‘Do it or he dies.’

His train of thought was interrupted by a picture that made his blood boil.

Especially when it exploded with the stupid confetti effect.

“Okay, basically he threatened you with something to go do the hit.” You didn’t ask him what exactly he was threatening him with and Sam didn’t really elaborate.

“Yeah. Didn’t leave me with much of a choice. He’s batshit fuckin’ crazy anyway, I knew he’d do whatever he felt like.”

“So you ended up going.”

Pierce didn’t seem to get many visitors. Not that anyone could be blamed, this guy was one of the biggest pieces of shit Sam had had the misfortune of meeting.

Over the two days he had staked out in front of the mansion to find out if this guy had as much security as Ransone had boasted of, Sam had come to the conclusive truth that no, he very much did not. He had a standard home security system which was lacklustre compared to the rest of the house.

Maybe he just assumed that being a senior member of the mob would garner some fear to his name. Dumbass.

He found the tall shrubbery surrounding the property to be out of the line of sight of the camera, and climbing it wasn't very hard. He landed softly on the manicured lawn, adjusting his gloves and checking his surroundings before pulling his gun that was secured in the waistband of his pants.

He removed the safety, keeping it close to him as he stalked through the front yard.

The red car parked at the side earned an eye roll from him. If he had one, there was no doubt there’d be more. He just had to find a basement or garage.

Walking around the house, he kept close to the wall, searching for any opening to the basement.

It didn’t take long before he found a set of stairs to the exterior entrance of the basement. He checked to see if anyone was around before making his way down them. The lock was unsurprisingly easy to pick.

The basement was mostly dark save for a few strategic lights placed to highlight the magnificence of his several race cars. The man was moved slower than the second coming of Jesus. The cars just seemed like an overcompensation.

The switchboard was not difficult to find. He pulled open the cover, glancing at the switches before turning all of them off, plunging the whole basement into darkness. If his security system was as outdated as Pierce was, it would have turned off along with the rest of the house.

“Oh, that’s why the cameras weren't working when I showed up.” Bits that seemed amiss were beginning to place itself together the more his story progressed. “I assume you entered the house through the window on the side?”

“Sure did.”

Your guess was right. He’s the reason why it was ajar by the time you arrived.

As soon as he entered he had his gun raised. Scanning the room as he went past, his senses were dialed up to eleven. If he was really under the protection of Serpentine, they were doing a terrible job. He had gotten in completely unscathed.

As he made his way deeper into the house, the sound of some movie playing became louder. But he had cut off the power supply to the house.

His eyebrows pulled together tightly into a frown, he made his way down the hall towards the sound. No one was in the dining or living room he canvassed.

Finally, Pierce’s silhouette became clearer. He appeared to just be sitting there idly while a smaller screen played in front of him. It wasn’t a TV, just an iPad.

If Pierce was asleep it would just make the job easier. Gun raised, Sam made his way into the room silently.

Pierce was still. Sam raised the gun, taking a step closer.

A floorboard creaked.

He immediately cringed, shoulders tensed as he came to an immediate stop. It seemed like forever as he waited for Pierce to wake up, to brandish a gun and try and defend himself.

He didn’t.

Taking a step to the side, Sam moved diagonally. Each one was slow. Ready for any sudden movements from his end.

He finally stopped in front of Pierce.

A bullet hole in his forehead. Eyes open. Chest still.

He was dead.

“Fuckin’ hell,” Sam breathed out, lowering his gun. Pierce’s glassy eyes stared blankly ahead. He didn’t look like had been dead for too long.

A soft thud in another room made his head snap up. It was in the same direction from where he came.

He silently moved backwards to the corner of the room, hoping that the darkness was enough of a disguise as he saw someone stalking down the hallway.

“And that’s when you come in. Thought you were comin’ back to make sure he was dead.”

“I had just got there. Saw that everything was off, and just assumed it was a power outage.”

“What about you? How’d you end up there?” Sam had his legs crossed, leaning forward to listen to you.

“Ransone told me that there was a spy who was sending information out for nearly two years. Needed him gone and he wasn’t sure if his other agent would show up-” you mentioned to him- “I guess that’s you. Told me I had an opening at 8pm. When I got there, the CCTV was off. Found the window open so I just used that.”

You were replaying your memory, step by step to remember what exactly you had seen. 

“Heard the movie playing, found no one when I went down the hall. I saw the car keys on the island, which came in handy later. Entered the room, pushed his head with the gun and he just slumped over like a damn rag doll. That’s when you made your grand entrance.”

“Got one chance to make an impression. Had to make sure I looked cool, emergin’ from the shadows and whatnot.”

“It doesn’t make sense though.”

“Ouch. Thought it was pretty legit, actu-”

“No, no-” you waved him off. “Not your entrance. The henchmen thing.”

He paused, mulling over what you said. “If he was working for Serpentine, he would have been more careful. Why did they show up after he’s dead?”

“I don’t think they work for Serpentine. If Pierce was giving them information, they wouldn’t kill him.” You had good reason to be confident about that. You thought you did, from previous assessments.

“Unless they were scared that he’d switch again,” Sam suggested. You looked up from your fidgeting fingers to him. “Didn’t want any of their secrets going back to Ransone. They got to him before we did.”

“Why’d they shoot at us then? If they killed him and left, why’d they wait for us to show up? Why did they try to kill us?”

“I think we’re ignoring the important thing here,” he paused. You looked at him expectantly, prodding him on. “How did they know we were coming? They should have killed him and disappeared but they expected us.”

You tilted your head. “Are you saying-”

“There might be more.”

“Pierce might not have been the only one,” you finished. “There are more spies.”

“Tipped ‘em off. Told them we were going to be there.”

“And killing us was just to poke Ransone with a stick,” you murmured, eyes downcast, fidgeting with your fingers again. “But that just seems random. It doesn’t make sense.”

“None of this makes sense, sweetheart.” Sam scoffed, leaning back again.

“We’re missing something. There’s something wrong.” You looked at him. “If it’s just a random attack, why did they release our face to the whole fuckin’ country? Why are they specifically targeting us?”

“Finishing what they started. Covering all their tracks from that day. If we’re not dead, we’re a liability.”

“What if it’s not Serpentine at all? What if it’s another gang?”

“Serpentine has the most motive.”

“We don’t know that.”

He looked at you incredulously. “I think there’s substantial evidence to suggest they fuckin’ hate us. Besides, they’d want me dead specifically.”

“Why?” you inquired, eyes narrowing.

He opened his mouth like he was going to explain but closed it a second later, leaving you guessing.

“Fine, but it doesn’t mean they’re the only ones who do.” You made a point to ask him later or at least conduct your own research into it. 

“Okay,” he said, shifting to lean on his elbows, “who else could it be? If Pierce was working for Serpentine and Ransone found out, sends someone to kill him, it’s essentially an attack on one of their own members. I’d say that's a pretty good motive.”

“I don’t know. Hydra doesn’t like us either. There’s Ten Rings too. But Serpentine just doesn’t work out.”

“How are you sure?” he asked. “You a spy for them too?”

You rolled your eyes at him as he raised his eyebrow. “It doesn’t make sense. What if we’re missing something? Did we go through everything?”

“I just went through my entire story down to the most irrelevant details. Twice. Nothing’s missing on my end.” He pushed himself off the bed, taking a long stretch before looking back at you.

“I think we should do it again. Just to make sure.” You rotated your torso to look at him. “We can figure it out-”

“You’re going to lose your mind if you keep at this any longer for today. Take a break.”

“I can’t take this lightly. Everyone’s out there looking for us and there is no one we can trust-”

“And going through our stories for the third time today is going to solve that how?” He had his hands crossed over his chest like a stern parent.

“I’m sorry but our faces are probably plastered in every damn police precinct in the country,” you snapped, “And I think that us remembering something some stupid detail might actually help rather than, I don’t know, taking naps and eating sandwiches. So no, I’m not going to drop it. Because I actually want to get out of here.”

You didn’t mean to sound so angry with him. He had told you everything twice already and patiently answered questions that you had. You didn’t think he was lying. You had no way of knowing but you hoped that some sort of allegiance was being formed between you both.

There was silence for a minute, leaving enough time for the guilt to creep in when he didn’t fire back. It’s what you expected.

“I’m not asking you to drop it. I’m saying take a break,” he said calmly. “You’re thinkin’ enough for the both of us anyway.”

You let out a small exhale, forcing the edge to retreat from your voice.

“I’ll be back in a while.” With that he turned around and left the room. A few minutes later you heard the backdoor open and shut.

Great.

You massaged your throbbing temples, eyes closed. He was right. Your mind wasn’t clear and you had been at this for hours. You wouldn’t be able to think critically.

Or at all.

You dropped back on the bed, grabbing a pillow and pressing it to your face. The coolness of the fabric felt nice.

You just let out a sigh, turning to your side to hopefully get some sleep.

_____

You woke up what seemed like hours later to a dark room.

It took your eyes a while to adjust stepping out into the hallway illuminated by the light in the kitchen.

“Hey,” Sam’s voice rang out. “Made you a sandwich.”

You rubbed your eyes groggily, looking where he was pointing. Sure enough, there was a sandwich on the table. He sat at the seat adjacent to it.

“Thank you.” You contemplated sitting next to him for dinner. It would be a first.

In the end you just grabbed your plate, giving him a half smile before making your way to the couch. You settled on sitting on the floor instead, leaning your back against the foot of the sofa.

The TV was already halfway through playing Megamind so you just let it continue, mindlessly chewing on the bread. As far as peanut butter sandwiches go, it wasn’t all that bad.

“Wilson,” you called out sheepishly, eyes not leaving the movie. “I’m sorry for snapping at you. It wasn’t right.”

“It’s okay.”

How he let go of it so easily was beyond you. The sandwich was surprising too, but you took it, not wanting to change his mind. He couldn’t have poisoned it. You had checked his stuff.

You sat in silence for the rest of the movie. Your mind kept slipping in and out of thought but it was a comfortable atmosphere you found yourself in.

After the credits started rolling, you went to leave your plate in the sink. Sam brushed past you, grabbing the blanket at the foot of the couch, launching himself onto the cushions.

“What are you doing?” you asked, puzzled as he snuggled in.

“Going to sleep?” He tilted his head to look at you.

“Use the bed.”

“It’s your turn today.”

“Your back’s fucked up. I’ll take the couch.”

He didn’t budge.

“Go on.” You mentioned to the room with a shrug of your shoulder.

“You’re not going to let me argue, are you?”

You pressed your lips into a straight line to hide a smile, shaking your head lightly.

“Well, okay.” He let out a small noise as he got up. “Guess I’m sleeping business class tonight.”

Sam walked past you, careful not to bump into you. You swapped places with him, making your way to the couch, readjusting the blanket that was haphazardly left there.  

“Y/N.” You peered at him from the corner of your eye, only to fully turn when you caught his gaze. “I appreciate it.”

You just nodded, tossing the blanket over yourself as he switched off the light.

Next part

[techcrunchappcom]

New Post has been published on https://techcrunchapp.com/congressional-candidates-discuss-economic-development-covid-19-national-news/

Congressional candidates discuss economic development, COVID-19 | National News

CHESTERTOWN — Republican Andy Harris is facing a challenge for his seat representing Maryland’s 1st District in the U.S. House of Representatives from Democrat Mia Mason.

Harris and Mason sat down for individual interviews during which they were asked the same set of questions. Mason’s interview was conducted Sept. 16. Harris sat for his interview Sept. 25.

Over the next three weeks, we will publish their responses to those questions in a series of articles. Future topics include race, balancing agriculture and the environmental stewardship and health care.

The 1st District comprises the entirety of Maryland’s Eastern Shore and parts of Baltimore, Carroll and Harford counties.

Early voting in Maryland runs Oct. 26 through Nov. 2. Election day is Nov. 3.

Question: While several counties/communities in the district are doing well on the economic development front, others are struggling with the loss of industries/populations. What would you do to help improve economic development and growth to those areas in the district most in need, and what additional measures can be done at the federal level to enhance economic development in the district?

Harris: There are some counties on the Eastern Shore that certainly are lagging behind other counties in the district. What we have to do first of all, just on the national level, we have to make sure we get the economy going again. The economy was going very well before the COVID pandemic. We have got to get it back on track. Part of the post COVID environment is going to be actually attracting some of the manufacturing back to the U.S. I think there are counties on the Eastern Shore that are ideal sites for attracting some of that business back to the U.S.

The other thing we need to do, we need to make sure we don’t hurt the other industries on the Shore, whether it is the tourism industry, the watermen industry or the agriculture industry. We have to make sure the federal government doesn’t get in the way of allowing those industries to prosper in the recovery.

We have had record increases in median family income in the U.S. and in the 1st Congressional District before the COVID pandemic and we need to return to that kind of economy

Mason: Currently there is a plan for 2021 for neighborhood revitalization. Our district has about six different regions that comprise that. The outline of this program is to help our communities with manufacturing, help them with jobs, help them with the healthcare issues that they have. What I can do on the federal level is to be able to provide federal block grants so that this program is fully funded, because the state of Maryland is currently shortchanged due to the current budget crisis with the pandemic. I think this would be something that we can work together with other house leaders and then work with our Senators to pass because this is something that is happening across the entire nation.

Question: What is your position on how the COVID-19 pandemic is being handled by the State of Maryland and nationally? If placed in charge of COVID-19 related responses what would you handle differently?

Mason: The best thing that we have seen is our governor stand up against President Trump. Because he (Gov. Larry Hogan) was sued by our opponent, Rep. (Andy) Harris, he has had to revert back to a lot of things. He provided a three-phase plan that the other governors and even federal leaders did not have. So the governor did do a good job there.

As far as implementing it and getting it done faster than the federal government, that is where Gov. Hogan has failed. Because I know my opponent sides with the President, the conspiracy theories, the whole anti-masking and everything else is completely detrimental to our healthcare providers and our healthcare workers. It put them at risk. It definitely put nurses and doctors into the COVID ward and the ICU where they ended up with COVID themselves and it could have been prevented.

Instead of hunting for PPE (personal protective equipment) to sell to other states, we could have used the PPE and reduced the COVID numbers in this state drastically, if it was implemented back in January or February versus mid to late March.

Those were the things that I see for leadership that can change. I am all about making sure that we get rid of bad leaders and Andy Harris was one of those bad leaders because he went from Frederick all the way down to Salisbury to basically reopen Maryland, force our schools to reopen too soon and even wanted to try to have them open before the school year ended because he did not believe in the science or the deaths.

Currently five out of the nine counties on the Eastern Shore have double the rate of COVID cases than anywhere else in the state. So if you are going down Route 50 from Queens Anne (county)/the Chesapeake Bay Bridge to Ocean City, it is a COVID hotspot continuously along that route. We see the same issues in other states, like in the corridor of Louisiana on Route 10, these are the problems that we see where people are just moving from state to state, that they are not taking the safeguards required to wear masks properly. The places where there are no restrictions and they want to debunk the science about this pandemic has completely failed us.

So with that failed leadership, he (Harris) has worked against our healthcare workers, our teachers and our communities and desperately has degraded the technology in our communities that needed it years ago by voting against our communities.

With that we are now in phase three. I know there is a rush for a vaccine, however, we need to make sure that is a quality instead of quantity measure and that is a safest way to make sure we get a vaccine, by not rushing the process or circumventing the FDA or CDC guidelines to basically get this done before Election Day.

Harris: The most important thing to remember is this is a novel coronavirus. This has not been seen on the earth before last year. So we really had no experience whatsoever with it. We have had experiences with related coronaviruses, but not with the one that causes COVID-19 as a disease. No one knew what was the right thing to do because we have never seen this before.

At the federal level, precautions were taken. I think some of the most important precautions were stopping international travel since we knew this virus originated in China, spread to Europe and then spread to the U.S., stopping international travel was important.

Beyond that, the most important thing the federal government could do was to accelerate the development of treatments and vaccines so that we could shorten, to the greatest extent possible, the duration of this pandemic. That is exactly what we are doing with Operation Warp Speed, which is going to have, I believe, a licensed vaccine before the end of the year, which means probably by next summer we can return almost to a state of normal, which is so important to the economy of the Eastern Shore.

On the state level, the important thing was for the governor to monitor how the state was doing, and once the lockdowns were imposed, to engage how quickly we could come out of the lockdowns. I thought we waited a little too long to come out of the spring lockdown. Since the Eastern Shore economy is so dependent on the summer season, I thought we could have come out a little earlier. We did come out and I think we came out fairly safely. The bottom line is in Maryland we came out without stressing our health system really at all. Stopping elective procedures was a financial strain on our health system, but we did not fill our hospitals and we did not have patients who couldn’t get care because of healthcare system constraints for COVID-19.

What would I have done differently? Given that we didn’t know much about this last year, we were all learning at the same time, it is easy to play Monday morning quarterback, but the fact of the matter is we have passed the spike in deaths in the country. Our rate of hospitalizations has gone way down, our death rate has gone way down. All the trends are in the right direction, with the development of therapeutics and, I believe by the end of the year, licensing of a vaccine.

People have to realize how significant Operation Warp Speed was to cut through the red tape of product development and vaccine development and therapy development yet preserving the safety and efficacy requirements that the FDA has. Being in the federal government for awhile, you learn there is a lot of red tape that can come out of Washington. Some of that red tape is not necessary, some regulation is. Obviously the FDA needs to ensure that drugs are safe and efficacious, but there can be a lot of red tape that slows down drug and vaccine development that is not necessary.

The government is making the investment of producing the vaccines as they are being researched and in the regulatory approval process. This usually doesn’t occur. There is usually a one-year lag time or so, but in this case one year is tens of thousands of lives. The decision was made, and I think it was the right decision, to go ahead and produce these vaccines in parallel with testing the vaccines.

Now some of the vaccines are not going to pan out and we will have spent money producing them that is never going to be used, but that is OK, because I am convinced several of them are going to pan out and we are going to have hundreds of millions of doses by early next year.

Learn more about the candidates at www.andyharris.com and miadmason.us.

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[gffa]

I say this pretty much every week, but it’s still true every week–this is a collection of fics that I’m really, really glad exist in the STAR WARS fandom, there are some that are just absolute gems that should be shoved in people’s faces because they’re just so good. Some fics that are the kind that make my brain all fizzy with how much I enjoy them and how satisfying and/or heartbreaking and/or joyous they can be. All the things Star Wars should be! ✦ untitled by fireflyfish, obi-wan & anakin, ~1k    “You should be inside,” a voice says, painfully familiar. “The desert can kill with cold just as easily as with heat, Master.” ✦ Family by lilyconrad, obi-wan & anakin & qui-gon & darth maul & cast, sith!obi-wan, 6.8k    Seven years after the duel on Naboo, Obi-Wan Kenobi has turned to the dark, Maul has turned to the light, and young Anakin is caught somewhere in-between. Can Qui-Gon rescue his Padawan before it’s too late? ✦ Oversharing by glare-gryphon, obi-wan/anakin & obi-wan/anakin/padme, NSFW, 2.4k    In summary: it was about Obi-Wan feeling it every time Anakin & Padme have sex & getting frustrated about it. ✦ Pies, Books, and Swords, obi-wan & qui-gon/tahl, 1.2k    Qui-Gon Jinn has made quite a good name for himself, as far as holonet cooking shows go. ✦ wonderterror by peradi, han/leia & han/luke & obi-wan/anakin (maybe?) & anakin/padme & cast, 6.5k    The Skywalkers aren’t entirely human. Here’s what that means. ✦ The Question, Twenty Years Late by Eirian Erisdar, obi-wan/satine & luke, 1.2k    Set just post-ROTJ in a timeline where Satine survived. Waiting alone for an emissary from the newly-formed Imperial Senate to demand Mandalore’s fealty to the Empire, Satine is surprised by an unexpected guest, holding a very precious bundle. ✦ Dreamers by LuchaDoRa, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, 6.2k    Obi-Wan dreams sometimes. So does Anakin. ✦ Sigh No More by edenwolfie, obi-wan/anakin/padme & ahsoka & luke & leia & cast, 158.2k wip    Anakin makes slightly better choices, Obi-Wan is a Mess™ and Padmé deserves none of this. AU from Mustafar onward with liberal manipulation of canon to culminate in some angsty, fluffy, domestic fix-it because we all deserve better. ✦ Broken by lilyconrad, obi-wan/anakin & rex & padme & cast, NSFW, sith!obi-wan (sort of), dark themes, 20.8k wip    The Twins are unstoppable enforcers of the Emperor’s will, the sun and moon that hang in the black void of his rule. It is said they are not the same age and that under their hoods they do not look alike, but they fight as one entity, silent and terrible as an eclipse in a spring sky. ✦ No Galaxy for Good Jedi by Annie_Walker, obi-wan & anakin & padme & qui-gon & dooku & yoda & cast, some obi-wan/satine, sith!qui-gon, 124.8k wip    Obi-Wan Kenobi was only a young padawan when he ran away with three-year old Anakin. He had no choice after his Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, fell to the Dark Side by Master Dooku’s manipulations. ✦ untitled by albaparthenicevelut, obi-wan & anakin, accidental pirate obi-wan, 1k    Obi Wan was in Scarif, which was concerning actually. Obi Wan Kenobi, Rebel Operative, Dashing Duke, and Pirate King, should not be within a system of the Empire’s top secret military research base, much less in the very city in which it was located. ✦ and gravity, scientists say, is weak by victoria_p (musesfool), obi-wan & anakin + referenced obi-wan/satine, 3.2k    “You’re not the only one who’s ever been in love, Anakin.” ✦ Rest by copper_sky, obi-wan/anakin, ~1k    Anakin has a huge weakness for having his hair played with and a sleepy Obi-Wan indulges him. full details + recs under the cut!

✦ untitled by fireflyfish, obi-wan & anakin, ~1k    “You should be inside,” a voice says, painfully familiar. “The desert can kill with cold just as easily as with heat, Master.”    This is a short snippet based on a text post that’s theorizing about what we might get from an Obi-Wan Kenobi movie and, good god, is it painful and perfect. The spectre of Anakin Skywalker haunting Obi-Wan on Tatooine, some undefined combination of maybe the Force or maybe just a hallucination, and it’s almost gentle in tone, it’s almost comforting, except that only further emphasizes the loss, it only makes it hurt more. It’s beautifully written and so very heartbreaking and absolutely in line with what I imagine Obi-Wan went through on Tatooine. Gorgeous and hurtful, just as it should be. ✦ Family by lilyconrad, obi-wan & anakin & qui-gon & darth maul & cast, sith!obi-wan, 6.8k    Seven years after the duel on Naboo, Obi-Wan Kenobi has turned to the dark, Maul has turned to the light, and young Anakin is caught somewhere in-between. Can Qui-Gon rescue his Padawan before it’s too late?    I don’t know how I missed this fic until today! But, oh, I really loved it, as it’s such a manipulative and angry Obi-Wan, who seems to care about Anakin in some way, but also absolutely uses him and isn’t with him for entirely altruistic reasons. The surface may be similar in a lot of ways, but it’s such a different character from canon (in exactly the way it’s supposed to be!) where he loved Anakin so much, where he would never have used him for such selfish purposes, though, in almost any universe, their connection and their sheer chemistry is still alive and crackling. I love the moments with Qui-Gon, who carries such a heavy weight, whatever he is or isn’t responsible for with Obi-Wan’s path and the loss of Anakin, he feels the weight of it on himself anyway and I felt so much for him, all the more so because he desperately did want to put things right, but wouldn’t cross certain lines. And Maul maybe not being good, but not being the creature of hate, not being the Sith that he was before! And the ending! All of this was really, really fun and captured my imagination and wrote some lovely interactions we don’t see much (Maul talking about how he found himself and Anakin similar! such a lovely and deft touch the fic had with that!) and was perfect as it was. ✦ Oversharing by glare-gryphon, obi-wan/anakin & obi-wan/anakin/padme, NSFW, 2.4k    In summary: it was about Obi-Wan feeling it every time Anakin & Padme have sex & getting frustrated about it.    Holy christ, my brain just about melted from the hotness of this fic. I’m not even sure I’ll be able to write a coherent rec for it! It’s one of those that hit my id perfectly, but is also really beautifully written, and the combination just pretty much made me incoherent for how much I loved it. Anakin being a provoking brat about knowing that Obi-Wan shares his experiences when he’s with Padme, that she knows the effect they have as well, those two beautiful little smug shits, is great just to begin with, but doing so to get a reaction from Obi-Wan? To provoke him into shoving Anakin down onto the bed, to give Anakin what he wants, which is to be fucked until he doesn’t have to think about anything else, knowing that it will carry over to Padme, what he’s experience, what Obi-Wan is doing to him, that the three of them combine through Anakin, all things I am really, really here for. It’s got so many great little details, the way Obi-Wan is so caringly, lovingly vindictive about it, the way Anakin comes while riding Obi-Wan, but then is flipped over so Obi-Wan can fuck him more thoroughly, really take his time with Anakin, really get joyful revenge on Padme as well, that he describes Anakin enough to make Padme groan, because Obi-Wan is a master of really good, happy revenge like this. But also, wow, does Anakin really, really enjoy when Obi-Wan does this and I’m just. Going to maybe keep this one on my reader for awhile longer, because it was so lovely. ✦ Pies, Books, and Swords, obi-wan & qui-gon/tahl, 1.2k    Qui-Gon Jinn has made quite a good name for himself, as far as holonet cooking shows go.    My only complaint about this fic is that it’s not at least 30k long and I can’t read more of it because, oh my god, it is fucking precious and absolute delightful. Little toddler Obi-Wan is the most adorable thing I have ever seen and there are so many little moments that had me practically cooing at my reader or just outright laughing because they were so perfect. It’s one of those things that sounds almost too fluffy, but there’s a sharpness to the writing and genuine hilarity to the timing of it and the imagery presented, so it’s one of my favorite things that I’ve read recently. Little moppet Obi-Wan stealing the show is the most precious thing and I WANT MORE OF THIS SO BADLY OMG but also this is perfect the way it is. ✦ wonderterror by peradi, han/leia & han/luke & obi-wan/anakin (maybe?) & anakin/padme & cast, 6.5k    The Skywalkers aren’t entirely human. Here’s what that means.    This was a neat, fun little piece about mixing Lovecraftian horror with the Star Wars universe and what that means for Anakin Skywalker, literal child of the Force, and his children. It was just really fun to see the way some people were in awe of them and some people were terrified of them and I’m always down for things that play with the Force in a universe where things work differently from canon! This was a delightful read today. ✦ The Question, Twenty Years Late by Eirian Erisdar, obi-wan/satine & luke, 1.2k    Set just post-ROTJ in a timeline where Satine survived. Waiting alone for an emissary from the newly-formed Imperial Senate to demand Mandalore’s fealty to the Empire, Satine is surprised by an unexpected guest, holding a very precious bundle.    I have a very desperate wish for post-ROTS fic where Obi-Wan goes to a still alive Satine to stay with her and this fic really makes me want that 100k epic of it, but also it’s lovely just as it is and, oh, the understated emotion and sheer amount of loss Obi-Wan is wading through here, how he’s still Obi-Wan Kenobi even when he’s been laid bare before her, with so little left of himself, that she’s the only spark still left of who he is, that and this precious bit of Anakin he still has in his arms, the innocent life here. And the reunion between Obi-Wan and Satine is lovely and perfect and it’s heartbreaking but also hopeful and beautifully written. I loved this one a lot. ✦ Dreamers by LuchaDoRa, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, 6.2k    Obi-Wan dreams sometimes. So does Anakin.    The author’s notes say this fic was written a long time ago and that was something I felt while reading, like it had been written back when the fandom atmosphere was different, like Obi-Wan being thought of as someone who definitely always follows the rules, etc. But where this fic got me was in the second half, where Anakin is being a brat, trying to ruffle Obi-Wan with details of his dream, but Obi-Wan just looks him dead in the eye and not quite smiles and tells him to keep going and that is 100% the Obi-Wan Kenobi I know! Anakin egging Obi-Wan on to get a reaction out of him, to provoke his Master into shoving him up against the wall, to wrap Anakin’s legs around him like in his dream, to push him down onto the bed, until Anakin is out of his mind with desperation to please, please just fuck him already, all of that was also great. The sex itself was also nice, as Obi-Wan takes care to properly open Anakin up first, to not just shove roughly into him, the wait to finally push into Anakin, then having Anakin ride him while guiding him, all of that was very, very nice and exactly what I’m here for. Anakin being a brat and biting off more than he can chew when Obi-Wan finally responds, yesss, I will read a thousand stories about that if I can! ✦ Sigh No More by edenwolfie, obi-wan/anakin/padme & ahsoka & luke & leia & cast, 158.2k wip    Anakin makes slightly better choices, Obi-Wan is a Mess™ and Padmé deserves none of this. AU from Mustafar onward with liberal manipulation of canon to culminate in some angsty, fluffy, domestic fix-it because we all deserve better.    New Rec: I believe I’ve recommended this fic at least once before? But now that it’s up to 22 chapters, I’ve caught up on the fic and it was time to write a fresh rec for it. I do have a few things you need to just roll with the fic for–that the characters go hide out on Tatooine instead of fighting back, that Obi-Wan is often more indecisive than he would be, that Anakin’s emotional problems tend to go away more easily than I think they would. But the point of the fic is to write a really long, really revel-in-it story about the domesticity of these characters on Tatooine, to just wholly embrace digging into the slice of life stuff in this remote, isolated area where it’s just the three of them + the twins + Ahsoka. It’s a story that has the room to breathe with the characters, that it’s not about dragging things out, but instead that the whole point of the story is that slow, incrimental moving forward with the relationship(s). It’s a story that I pick up when I want something where the characters are (for the most part) taken away from galatic level action and instead are given something like a peaceful life (as much as one can get post-ROTS, of course) and I just want to roll around in something that’s hopeful and kind. The length is nice as well, because it really gets across that this is a story that’s meant to be a slow burn and a slow build even once things finally do catch fire. As mentioned, I don’t feel like it’s dragging things out, but instead that the slow process is the whole point, that it’s about building their relationships, their life here, step by step. It’s domesticity and slice-of-life and really reveling in it to the fic’s heart’s content. But also omg I admit I’m definitely here for the sex scene, because Anakin and Padme are adorable, Obi-Wan and Anakin had a very pretty frottage scene earlier, but then chapter 22 was exactly what I wanted–where they finally have the time and both are in the right place for something more intense, something deeper. And, boy, does Anakin find that he enjoys being held down, that he has Obi-Wan’s attention all on him, that he likes the way he feels when he’s pressed down onto the bed and held there, when he’s filled up with Obi-Wan, who opens him up with such care and affection, until there’s no other noise in his head, that all the anxieties and fears and insecurities are pushed out, as Obi-Wan pushes into him. I’m really not kidding that I will read that a thousand times because Anakin needs it a thousand times and Obi-Wan being able to give that to Anakin is so good for him as well. There’s also a lot of cute stuff with Ahsoka coming and going, watching the twins grow up, and more! But I can’t lie, I’m here for Anakin Skywalker, my precious child, getting the happy life I always wanted for him. ✦ Broken by lilyconrad, obi-wan/anakin & rex & padme & cast, NSFW, sith!obi-wan (sort of), dark themes, 20.8k wip    The Twins are unstoppable enforcers of the Emperor’s will, the sun and moon that hang in the black void of his rule. It is said they are not the same age and that under their hoods they do not look alike, but they fight as one entity, silent and terrible as an eclipse in a spring sky.    Chapter 5: This is an update rec and will focus on this chapter, rather than the fic as a whole. This chapter reminded me all over again how heartbreaking this whole story is, to see how much of Obi-Wan and Anakin have just been forever lost, that there may be embers left, but who they were are really and truly gone. And it was difficult to read because it implies what must have been truly soul-breaking to get them to this point, to see them so destroyed in spirit and so afraid and so pliant to what Sidious orders them to do. Seeing it through Ahsoka’s eyes, the contrast against how you know this won’t be a happy ending of a story, they’re too gone, there’s not enough left, they’re just empty shells of who they used to be, only the most basic of instincts and connection to each other left. And it’s so sad, but also beautifully done, that even if maybe I have a little hope that they might get a bittersweet ending (and I’m not prepared to hold my breath on that, but either way I’ll be satisfied, I know I’m not reading a sunshine fic here), and I know I’ll have a lot of feelings along the way. Plus, the bits of clone world building with the way they look at strong enemies, really just gave me a lot of feelings, like… it’s not better this way, but there is at least something to hold onto, however small it is. I feel like that describes so much of this fic, too! ✦ No Galaxy for Good Jedi by Annie_Walker, obi-wan & anakin & padme & qui-gon & dooku & yoda & cast, some obi-wan/satine, sith!qui-gon, 124.8k wip    Obi-Wan Kenobi was only a young padawan when he ran away with three-year old Anakin. He had no choice after his Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, fell to the Dark Side by Master Dooku’s manipulations.    I have a handful of caveats about this story to start out with–the writing really needs a good scrub with the beta brush, as there are constant typos and misused words, up to half a dozen of them on almost every page of the story. I mention this to encourage readers past it because the writing underneath that is very solid and very easy to just read, read, read, but I had to be in the right headspace for it, I admit. Second, there’s a lot of fairly minor details of canon that don’t really work with the story, including that Qui-Gon as a Sith isn’t really how Sith are in canon, it’s more the Soft Sith thing that fandom loves–which, by the way, I am totally fine with! Third, this is an Obi-Wan who isn’t quite like the majority of canon, he’s much younger and more all over the place, but that works for his age, where he’d be about as old as he is in TPM. And, finally, I admit that the Obi-Wan/Satine stuff felt like it came up a little too fast and kind of derailed the fic until it got back in track. I mention these things not to give a back-handed compliment, honest! I wouldn’t have read well over 100k of fic and kept coming back for more if I thought this was a bad story, but I genuinely want to encourage people to pick it up because it’s very much worth it, even if I might have skipped past it myself because of these things. Those things all said, holy crap, I definitely ate up this fic like you wouldn’t believe! The thing about the story is that it’s very solidly done, it’s almost one hundred and thirty thousand words and I felt like I could read that much more all over again if the author happened to drop it in my lap right this second. It caught my attention because the heart of the story, for all that it occasionally drifts off into other things, is set on Obi-Wan and Anakin’s relationship, that they love each other dearly, that they are the most important person in each other’s lives, and that was so incredibly satisfying to read. The fic winds its way through several twists and turns, there’s a lot happening and it’s not in any rush to get to the end, there’s plenty of breathing room here, in the sense that each section of the plot (whether they’re on the run, whether one of them has been captured by the Sith or the Jedi, whether they’re staying on Naboo or Mandalore for awhile, etc.) has plenty of time to have things actually unfold there, it spends time on each of these thigns. Yet I never felt like it was padding things out just to up the word count, it felt like each scene was there because that’s what the story wanted to be focused on in the moment. That may sound like a weird thing to focus on, but when I read longfic, one of the major things I’m wary of is a story that’s just endlessly dragging things out, so many scenes that don’t advance the plot or the characters. With this one I felt like these scenes were the point, that action happens just as often as it needs to (there are several fight scenes in the fic!), that it’s a story that’s not about rushing to the end, but about the long haul of this journey it’s on. Though, ultimately, what endeared this story to me is that Obi-Wan and Anakin’s older brother&younger brother (edging into something like father&son territory) was the heart of so much of the story, that pages and pages were dedicated to either their high octane antics and how desperately they didn’t want to be separated, how much they worried and missed the other when they were, how Anakin is devastated when away from Obi-Wan, how adorable moppet Anakin is and he’ll curl up against Obi-Wan when falling asleep, how there are moments of quiet domesticity that were a joy to read and soothed my soul. I enjoyed the plot of this fic a great deal, it hit me right in the genfic id places, but this relationship is what got me to pick up the fic and is absolutely the highlight of it, it’s what really got to me about the story and why I’m so glad to have read this one and look forward to every update! ✦ untitled by albaparthenicevelut, obi-wan & anakin, accidental pirate obi-wan, 1k    Obi Wan was in Scarif, which was concerning actually. Obi Wan Kenobi, Rebel Operative, Dashing Duke, and Pirate King, should not be within a system of the Empire’s top secret military research base, much less in the very city in which it was located.    I love the Accidental Pirate Obi-Wan thing that popped up on tumblr and this was an absolutely delightful addition to it, so silly and light-hearted and cracky in just the right ways, it just gleefully embraced everything that’s so much fun about the whole thing! Obi-Wan is handsome and dashing and everyone can’t help swooning over him and Vader’s so irritated by this (but also maybe kind of understands) and it just filled my heart with joy and light to read this short fic of Obi-Wan on Scarif with the Death Star plans! ✦ and gravity, scientists say, is weak by victoria_p (musesfool), obi-wan & anakin + referenced obi-wan/satine, 3.2k    “You’re not the only one who’s ever been in love, Anakin.”    This is one of the author’s sharper fics and I wound up enjoying it for all the feelings it gave me, the way Obi-Wan loved and continues to love Satine, but the path for them to be together seems impossible. It’s an understated fic, but that works well for what this is, a conversation between Obi-Wan and Anakin about Satine and the bloom of hope in Anakin that maybe he could tell his Master about Padme someday. And I love that it’s such a small thing, a small bit of understanding that Anakin gains on who Obi-Wan actually is, that maybe it could have changed things, because that’s how it is with Star Wars–sometimes the smallest things maybe could have changed everything, if only the galaxy had been a little kinder. This was a lovely read and put me right back in the mood for more Obi-Wan/Satine again! ✦ Rest by copper_sky, obi-wan/anakin, ~1k    Anakin has a huge weakness for having his hair played with and a sleepy Obi-Wan indulges him.    Oh, man, this was entirely soft and fluffy and sleepy and warm! It’s exactly what it says on the tin and that’s what I went into the fic hoping to get and I came out just feeling that content, nice feeling. It’s soft and sweet and, goddammit, sometimes Obi-Wan and Anakin need that, okay! This was a nice thing to cap my evening reading off with, just sleepy cuddles with Obi-Wan’s hand in Anakin’s hair, Anakin cuddled against his Master’s side, everything content and right in the galaxy in this moment.

[elstine-harboson]

Misconceptions:  PT. 4 - Coat of Arms

Hello, hello folks! I know it has been awhile since I have done a Misconceptions post, but lately I have been inspired with recent historical research and as always wanted to share some interesting, overlooked things with you all. 

In addition, here are the links to the other Misconceptions with a brief mention of subject matter.

Past Misconceptions: 

1. Just about everything you need to know about Plate Armor!

2. No idea what half-swording is? Learn this awesome, and vital combat technique!

3. Learn about the awesome details of Shields!

Now, without further delay let us act like the Knights we so desperately want to be, and charge into this interesting subject of the Coat of Arms!

1. Where does the term come from?

Well, I am glad you asked mystical person! There are many theories, especially on the region you are studying, but the one that I have seen the majority of the time and makes sense to -me- which doesn't necessarily make it right... Is the idea that originally before battles, Tribes, Armies, Factions, etc would decorate and paint their shields before battle. We can see this anywhere from Biblical times and regions, to Greece, to Celtic lands, Roman lands, and beyond. It was traditional for people to draw intimidating, religious, generally important, historical, or sometimes even silly things on their shields that they'd be exposing to the enemy on the battlefield.

Why? Well, various reasons. Religious symbols could be painted to offer the warrior strength, protection, or other ideas of miracles and blessings. While some would draw demons and such, all in the purpose to scare the enemy or seem intimidating.

Long story short, it wouldn't be long before shields were used as a means of identifying others on the battlefield and used to judge how the battle was going. For example: "Oh no, John was three lines behind the front line and I can see his shield in the front, that would imply we are being pushed back on that flank! Go rally on the guy with a big demon on his shield!"

Ah! Suddenly it might begin to click for you - that is right. Over time, we took these symbols from the shields and placed them on gabesons or tabards to cover the front of our armor, rather than the shield. With our symbols and colors on the front and back, it could easily identify friend from foe. More over, we also get the full term of the word.

A shield was considered a weapon, an arm. The tabard acts as a coat that goes over your armor, therefor you now have a coat of your arm's colors and symbols; a coat of arms.

(Please note, this is only one origin story - but perhaps, the most common and widely expressed by historians.)

2. Okay, great - I learned some fancy history. What now?

Ah, another excellent question! Thanks for asking! A fair question at that... what does one do with this knowledge? Well, there are a few things I can recommend for some fun times, greater immersion and added roleplay potential!

First, if you are a Knight or Soldier, even a Mercenary - it would not be unlikely for you to see the coat of arms all around you on a battlefield or even just within a city. Let us say that Tom and John are both unrelated Knights, each unknowing of the other. They are simply fighting in the same battle, on completely different flanks. 

The battle begins and all is going well, except suddenly the horns are heard in the backfield and John's commander tells him to go to the opposite flank and help Sir Tom, who is wearing a red coat of arms with a sword on it. Alright, good so John does just that and brings his troops over to help Sir Tom who is easily identified by his coat.

Long story short, lets skip a year into the future to Stormwind. John sees a familiar coat of arms, and approaches - indeed, it is Sir Tom, the two talk about the battle, share a beer, and become great friends.

What is my point here? Tabards are like wearing an ID all over you for everyone to see! It is invitation for others to approach you and say "hey, I saw you at the Siege of Orgrimmar!" Now, will that happen a lot? I have no idea - but at the very least, you can use it yourself as a clear and easy opening to introduce yourself to another warrior type, rather than potentially awkwardly jumping in.

Second, you can a cool ass custom coat of arms! There are lots of websites and artist that can make fancy ass family crest (Essentially more elaborate coat of arms), and such. You can put it on a website such as Tumblr, use it as your banner, provide a link to it on your TRP3 profile - and then you'll be remembered as that cool guy with an awesome custom coat of arms.

3. You mentioned a Family Crest, what is the difference? 

Ah, awesome question - thank you! I usually explain it as follows: a coat of arms is like wearing a name tag at work. People know your name, maybe your position, and likely know where you work. Great for at a glance information which is important in battles and such, not so great for details.

A family crest on the other hand is like your license, or social security card. It is more private, but if you give it to someone they can find out a lot more about you. The colors represent specific things, the shapes, the items, the way they are arranged, they tell the history of you and your family. It is much more personal, much more elaborate - at least that is my take on it. 

Alright folks, that is all this time around! We appreciate any likes and reblogs, and try to interact with everyone that gives us a question on the reblog or via messaging system. If you'd like to learn more about a particular subject, or make a suggestion for our next Misconceptions post, feel free to contact me on Tumblr or in-game as Elstine.

Thank you so much for the read and reblog, hope you all learned something!

[reviewape-blog]

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[douglasacogan]

A true insider's reaction to Senator Cotton's commentary about federal criminal justice reform efforts

In prior posts here and here and here, I noted the commentary from Senator Tom Cotton attacking the federal criminal justice reform bills moving through Congress and some responses it has engendered.  Today I receive an email from the son of a federal prisoner who maintains this interesting blog with postings from his father.   The blog is worth checking out and it is titled "Blue Collar Criminal: 60-something small business owner.  Screwed by the DOJ.  Now I'm in prison.  These are my thoughts."

In addition to pointing me to this blog, the prisoner's son shared his father's response to the piece Senator Cotton wrote in the Wall Street Journal and gave me permission to reprint his father's writings here:

I write this response to Sen. Tom Cotton's editorial ("Reform the Prisons Without Going Soft on Crime") from within my 8 X 10' federal prison cell I share with another medicare-eligible inmate.  We agree that Cotton's essay should have been entitled - Reform the Prisons Without Doing a Damn Thing.

Cotton bases a lot of his assertions on statistics. In lieu of rebutting them, which would be a bit hard given my current lack of access to the internet, I have to settle on "inferior" data, which is the actual experience of actual prisoners whom I know, and find every bit as credible as anyone I knew on the "outside".  The specific ones I'm bouncing Cotton's preposterous claims off of, are guys with 10+ years of incarceration, and who have experienced a wide variety of federal prisons before working themselves down to the federal camp.  Though I've only been "down" one year, I find my bullsh*t detector is pretty reliable, and comes in handy when evaluating prison stories and reading editorials such as Cotton's.  Based on these findings, I not only doubt the factuality of the statistics he uses, I gravely mistrust the motives behind them.

I came here a big fan of Sen. Cotton's.  I first knew of him when he was a soldier, serving in Iraq, who was thought for awhile to be fictitious, due to the cognitive dissonance produced by the idea of a Harvard Univ./Harvard Law School grad being an infantry officer. I was very attuned to him, since my son was also in Iraq at the same time.  He also put his pen to good use in rebutting anti-war propaganda.  I was shocked, when my "adventure" with the DOJ brought me here, to find that Cotton, along with another of my conservative heroes - Sen. Jeff Sessions - were regarded as the mortal enemies of federal inmates, at least those who followed the progress of issues related to prison reform.  My move away from fanhood has been sealed by this editorial, which has impressed me that he's traded the tools of war for the tools of sophistry.

For starters, in Cotton's mind, we are all "criminals", a word he loves to repeat. One-size-fits-all.  Excuse my sensitivity, and I leave it to friends and family to defend my name, but many of these guys are as fine individuals as any I know, and were "productive, law-abiding citizens" until the feds came after them.  (If you find that hard to swallow, you might care to read Harvey Silverglate's 'Three Felonies A Day'.)

He calls the House bill "flawed", and to the extent that it tampers with mandatory minimum sentences, or gives judges more discretion, a prescription for a "jailbreak". Why is lengthening a sentence wise, but shortening some foolish?  Why is Cotton incapable of recognizing that prison populations are comprised of both truly dangerous, bad-guy criminals, and nonviolent, non-dangerous law-transgressors (including some who are truly and factually innocent)? Many of the guys I know in here would probably only "endanger communities" by cutting their neighbors lawn while they're on vacation.  (And I'm not here making a distinction between "white-collar" and "drug offenders".  I've learned that 'drug offender' is also not a one-size-fits-all category).

In his paragraph on the current "drug epidemic", he cites a number of statistics to justify mandatory minimum sentencing, but ends by essentially admitting those statistics might not be significant or prove his point.

His statements about how very little of recidivism is attributable to parole violation, does not purport with what I've seen nor the experience of my "experts".  Most of the guys in my unit who have prior convictions are here now because their parole officer caught them 'high'.  One guy here, a farm boy, had a prior drug felony, and "caught" an 8 year sentence for a felony firearms crime.  He was deer hunting in a tree stand, having lost his right to bear arms by virtue of being a drug felon. Cotton's statistic to prove that drug convictions lead to rearrests for murder and rape 77% of the time, strikes my fellow inmates as not only false, but weird, crazy scare tactics.

Cotton's cherry-picked example of a drug dealer, Wendell Callahan, who murdered his girlfriend and her daughters, is great for demagogic purposes, but irrelevant to the debate of shortening the eligible sentences of nonviolent felons.  This has to be weighed in a context that looks objectively at good outcomes as well as negative.  Keeping families apart, and depriving children of their fathers, when its not necessary for the public good, is a social evil; and this is what mandatory minimum sentences often do.  It leads to and insures that the next generation will likely repeat the mistakes of their parents.

Cotton attacks even the term "mass incarceration" on the strange basis that it couldn't possibly be big, since it could be bigger.  I would say simply, that whichever country incarcerates the highest percentage of it's citizenry deserves the title of "mass incarcerator".  This would be the United States.  One book I've read states that the U.S. incarcerates 6 to 12 times more than the following countries: Canada, U.K., France, Germany, Italy or Australia.  Yet Cotton thinks we don't lock up enough.

But it gets worse. Cotton writes that "virtually no one goes to federal prison for "low-level, nonviolent" drug offenses.  Even I, a relative newbie, know guys who are not only here for that, but have sentences exceeding 10 years.  He says those that are here for just that have only pleaded to that, though they actually committed more serious offenses. Baloney.  Here's how that goes - they commit a crime deserving 1 year (for example) and plead "down" to a 4 year sentence, because they're being threatened with a 12 year sentence.  My friends here can't believe that Cotton doesn't know this.

It's not unusual for the feds to concoct 20 charges, and settle for 2. It happens to everyone.  It happened to me.  They are extremely creative in their use of enhancements.  (If the real crime were so heinous, why would they settle for a much lighter sentence?)

And then this - "Presidential pardons are a much better instrument of justice than broad sentencing reductions." Puh-leeze! (I think this ridiculous statement was just a set-up for his snarky shot at Trump.)

Cotton dismisses fiscal conservatives who would hope to reduce the cost of the American prison system. "The costs," he says, "of crime ... far outweigh the downsides of putting serious criminals behind bars."  That all depends on what you consider to be "serious" criminals, and how you calculate the "downsides".  At my camp, the common consensus is that the average age here is 50+.  That includes quite a few in their 70s, and about 3 or 4 in their 80s. Maybe a dozen use canes.  The financial distress on families and the negative economic impact on communities would certainly be part of the calculation of the "downsides", as would unquantifiable costs such as the loss of adult children to care for aged and debilitated parents.  Certainly also there's a tremendous cost to communities who have lost key employees and employers, volunteers to non-profits, etc.  There's a 80 yr old oncologist/researcher who's here due to a financial transgression of a side company he was a partner to.

As to his closing assertion that "mandatory minimums .... work", there is a great body of research that would show otherwise.  I, for one, would love to see a poll taken of federal judges as to the truth of that statement.

Sen. Cotton ends his diatribe against prison reform, the kind that might actually reduce the prison population, with an affirmation of "faith-based and other antirecidivism programs".  I heartily concur, in fact, I wish everyone would embrace the teaching of the Bible. In it we read this great truth - "For judgment will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumph over judgment." (James 2.13)

If that is deemed as soft on crime, we need to deeply consider where we are heading.

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8247011 http://sentencing.typepad.com/sentencing_law_and_policy/2018/08/a-true-insiders-reaction-to-senator-cottons-commentary-about-federal-criminal-justice-reform-efforts.html via http://www.rssmix.com/

[fadingpersoncollectorstuff-blog]

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Does someone know how much roughly insurance will probably cost after a DUI? Perhaps someone who has had one in the past could tell me.

Can I put car insurance in my name on my brothers car?

My brother recently got a dui and he already has sr-22 insurance. His license is going to be taken away and he lost his job because his job involoved driving a vehicle. He wont be able to pay for his insurance and car. I don't have the credit to out right buy his car from him but loan is in his name. I want to take over his payments for him cause he wont get back out of the car what he owes the bank. The bank will let him keep the car as long as the payments are made I know that, but will they allow me to put full coverage insurance on his car and drive it? I am trying to save his credit and his car from gettin takin""

""Insurance, Drivers license, and insurance all from different states?""

Someone has told me that this is illegal and that it falls under the tri-state law but I havent been able to find any links or anything describing this situation. Im wondering because my husband has a California license and our truck is registered in Arizona with Missouri insurance (we live in Missouri now & my husband is active duty Army) When we contacted our insurance company when we moved here they just informed us that we would just need to make sure our insurance has where we currently live & keep the vehicle. According to the person who told me their husband had a TX license, KY registration, and NC insurance.""

Why isn't the Affordable Healthcare Act more like car insurance?

I'm just wondering why no one thought to copy how car insurance works to work with healthcare. Think about it, we'd save a lot on government spending. Those who buy healthcare, are covered through insurance. If you don't buy healthcare, it is up to you to buy it, and if you're asked to show proof of health insurance and don't have it, you're fined. It's simple, easy, and perfectly understandable by anyone. So.. if it works for car insurance... why wouldn't it work for health insurance?""

liberty insurance car insurance

liberty insurance car insurance

Auto Insurance?

I have a 1981 Chevy Silverado that I have poured money into over the years. I was wanting to full coverage seeing as how much money I have put into it. These trucks are very common so they aren't worth a lot. I'd say the going rate for a nice specimen would be $3,500 in my area. I have somewhere around $10,000-$12,000 invested in mine. Can I have it insured for what I have in it or just what its worth? I've never had full coverage insurance so I have no idea. Thanks for any input.""

How will the insurances work out with 95 car accidents at one scene?

Just wonder because of news yesterday at California highway. I don't know about law in that state but what if it's like this in new york where I live. Ya know whoever fault will pay by their own insurance for repairs and injury for victims and a vehciles. Same for most state. How would 95 different insurance handle it? It might will have several lawsuits. With 95 cars, hard to say who started the accident and whatever if it's one person cause 95 altogther or all 95 is fault on it own. Some may not even have insurance. There would be 95 different drivers so it will be 95 different verison or story of what happening. The court with lawyers and several case line up, it can last 100 years before it all done.""

Maternity Insurance?

I'm looking for health insurance that I can have for basic coverage, and at somepoint (if needed) add maternity coverage. Everything I have looked at so far will only cover ...show more""

""If you move to a higher-cost car insurance state, when does the increase take effect?""

If I move to a new state that has higher car theft and higher minimums, which I imagine would definitely increase my premium, would I have to pay as soon as I told the company of the address change? Or, would the increase only be seen on my next bill (a few months later)? This is for moving from Arizona to Washington, if it matters. Thanks!""

Best car insurance quote for a 17 year old. (UK)?

im going on my parents insurance, and i need the cheapest insurance as possible. i heard a company named something like 'quantitive' do a good price? but im not sure... looking for no more than 2000""

Does car insurance get significantly cheaper when you turn 21?

Does car insurance get significantly cheaper when you turn 21?

Any suggestions on best Health Insurance for a diabetic?

My son is in his late twenties, without health insurance and was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes, requiring him to take insulin daily. We are trying to help him with this financially, and bills are enormous. Any ideas on what might be the best health insurance plan for him? Thanks in advance for any suggestions.""

Is there an insurance that gives the same benifits as AAA at a lower price?

AAA is awsome but expenisve is there any other car insurance that offers the same benifits at a lower price

What is this type of insurance called? And how much?

So from general information, i know typically an arena will say that you need some insurance to cover (X) amount, like $1,000,000. My question is how does that person get that insurance? What does the insurance policy look like? And how much would he/she have to pay to get that insurance?""

Where can I sign up for just 1 week of health insurance?

I just graduated and I will have travel health insurance (for a extended trip celebrating graduation) until September 16th and my health insurance from my new job will start on Septemeber 21st. Everything online for health insurance keeps giving me monthly rates -- is there a way I can just buy 1 week's worth of insurance? (I live in Massachsuetts, so while I would normally go uninsured for 5 days, I hear it might cause me huge tax issues under the new mandatory health insurance laws)""

Is it cheaper to buy your own insurance or go on your parents insurance?

I was looking at prices online for one person and it's between 2K and - 3k for 6 Months just for me and my friends are own there parents insurance and they only pay 100 - 200 a month is that true about that? Where close to the same age.

Car Insurance Online Chat?

Does anyone know if there is a car insurance company that offers online chat with a representative? If so, which one? A lot of the ones I am looking at ask for all of your information and if when I call others they put you on hold for a long time!""

Do I qualify for my parents health insurance?

I have a job that offers health insurance at a price I'm in school I'm 22

Do any of you have insurance?

Car insurance cell phone insurance life insurance health insurance renters insurance homeowners insurance Title insurance Troll insurance No matter what the product its good to have insurance AM I RIGHT?

How do you find out if buisness's / companys have insurance?

how do you find out if a newspaper company has insurance

""Spouse suspended license, live together, can I get auto insurance?""

Actually, it is my son in law who has a suspended license. My Daughter's policy was canceled and she wants to start a new policy, but she says that no insurance company will touch her because she lives with someone with a suspended license. Is this for real? Sound like a bunch of hog-wash to me. She lives in Massachusetts.""

Car insurance first time owner?

Hi, I'm an international student with USA drivings license in Fl. I'm covered by my boyfriends car insurance company in order to drive his car but that's everything what I have as insurance. I'm on my way on buying a new car and I don't know what to do. Because I have my driving's license for an less than year the rates are pretty high. Almost 500$ for a month. Does anybody know any cheap insurance company that will help me to overcome this obstacle and moreover is there any other trick that I can use in order to reduce the rates. Thank you in advance.""

Most Comprehensive Health Insurance for a College Student?

I'll be going to college in a few years, and I'm fully aware of the healthcare crisis. Although money is an issue, my health is more important. Assuming that money is not ...show more""

What is the cost of an insurance for a 250 cc scooter? (Louisiana)?

I know that there are many options, but a vague answer is fine. I just want to know if it will be around 100$ or 500$.""

What is the average car insurance rate for a teenager?

I am currently under my mom's insurance. I don't know what she has, but she said after I get my license I need to give her $1200 up front for my part of the insurance. Is there anything cheaper I can get on my own? JSYK: I am a 17 year old about to get a license in 10 days. I have a 3.8 GPA and got over a 90 on the written portion to get my permit. I live in New Jersey, and I am a female. I currently have about $1,100 saved from working the passed few months but I need some of it for band camp and I am paying for my car. My parents won't put anything forth to help me with the payments.""

Is a 1978 lincoln mark v cheap to insure?

i am looking at a very cheap car to insure. i was looking into one of these classic cars. i currently drive a 1995 ford explorer V6 and its RWD that costs $140 a month on insurance and it gets worse gas mileage than a 1969 lincoln mark iii. as far as i know, this is a 34 year old car and registration is probably gonna cost 50 bucks or less and i live in NH. im 19 and have no tickets or accidents, will the lincoln mark v be cheaper than my explorer. i only have liability""

Cheapest Car Insurance here in Florida?

My wife will going to finance a car this month. A ford focus to be specific and its my first time to avail an Auto Insurance but I'm driving for four years in Philippines and I'm now 24 yrs old. Some advice what car insurance company is the cheapest for first time buyer and who doesn't have a credit history? My wife is 29 and we got our license here in Florida last month. I drive for more than 4 years and my wife just learned how to drive last year before we went here in US.

Infiniti g35 insurance rate for a 19 year old?

Infiniti g35 insurance rate for a 19 year old?

Will my car insurance skyrocket if I switch from a '97 to a '09?

I live in NYC so my car insurance is already astronomical. I drive a 97 Saturn right now and Im thinking of getting a Prius because of gas prices. Do you think my insurance will increase by a lot because of the difference in model and year? I know I could just get a quote but that's a process with my insurance company.

How much does insurance cover?

I have blue cross shield insurance I am fourteen how much would I be for Invisalign On my bottom teeth? I got braces on my top years ago The insurance covered all of my tonsilectomy we paid nothing out of pocket.

liberty insurance car insurance

liberty insurance car insurance

If the insurance company totals my car do they keep it?

My car is old. Its a 95 Neon and it was backed into this weekend. We got one estimate of 2600 but that is more than the car cost. If we go thru the insurance company and they total the car will they keep the car or let us keep it. It still runs fine.

Insurance rebate?

If you cancel your car insurance, do you get a rebate as you do with road tax?""

What are the risks with Co-signing on a car and putting insurance in my name for a bf?

My daughters father needs a new and wants us to get it together. I would be co-signing on the car and the insurance would be in my name. It would mainly be his car, I would only pay $100/month on the insurance. I'm very hesitant about doing this as a) our relationship is rocky b) he has a bad record...many tickets/fines to the point where he could not get approved for insurance c) I dont want to get screwed over. He's pretty upset that im saying I dont want to, and is complaining that he cant rely on me, but I feel im protecting myself and my credit. So what exactly are the risks, and how can I get him to understand why I'm saying no?""

Cheapest car insurance south australia?

what is and the price, for the cheapest car insurance places in south australia for a japanese import car with a turbo for a p plater, 16 years old, nealry 17? thanks""

Can an insurance co suspend your liscense ?

the insurance co is threatening that a suspension is in progress if a payment is not made. payments have been made for the past 3 years but now they want the remaining 2000, and said they can suspend the liscense. Is this true? in the state of CA""

Which auto insurance carrier is best?

I want to find a reliable company. I've looked into Geico and Allstate... just don't know how they handle claims and things. Any input?

How can I start an auto insurance business in California?

How can I start an auto insurance business in California?

I have question about car insurance?

so i literally bought my car insurance 2 days ago and i just got into a accident .... i have full coverage and a guy ran his red light and hit me and just left... will my insurance company think that i was just telling a lie or will they help me...i have progressive...

Why are so many Americans so damn dumb?

why don't they realize things like how the insurance companies are screwing them? Insurance companies keep 30% of every dollar spent and it goes in their pocket. They exist to deny you service, to keep you sick. America is the only industrialized country in the world without universal health care. I await the predictable comments about that, fed to most americans by the likes of hannity, savage and limbaugh, all with great health insurance.....so, why are so many americans so damn dumb?""

Can I trust American Health Insurance?

I'm going to an American university and I have to buy student health cover. How trustworthy is it actually? If I get sick, will the insurance just say that my injury/illness isn't covered and left me to die - even if it's an insurance company that the university requires students to buy insurance from??""

Why at 22 years old is a first time drivers insurance so dam high?

Yeah so the title says it all. Has anyone got any tips on how to lower insurance down a bit I'm looking at prices from 2k-2.4k at the moment and that's only on a 1.3 ford fiesta. Hopefully someone has a few tips on how to get the cheaper insurance ;p

Where can i get really cheap auto insurance. when i turn 18 I am getting my own car and own insurance.?

I don't make that much money probably only about 200-300 dollars a month so I wanted to know where i could get the cheapest car insurance in ME. i don't want to do a car quote now because I am not old enough and I don't actually have my license and a car now but I would just like an average or what around what the cheapest cost is. Thanks

Is healthcare ever going to be affordable again in our country?

I just got an e-mail saying that my insurance premiums are going up again and now I'm going to be paying $500+ per month for insurance premiums. This is for a high deductable plan where I have to meet $2,500 in deductable before I get covered at 100%! It's like my raises don't matter anymore and they only serve to keep my head above water when each year when my insurance spikes. I get hit harder than anyone because I am in the employee plus family category. 1. Is there a ray of hope at the end of this tunnel? Will we ever get back to affordable health care (us guys that don't work for huge companies)? 2. Are there any alternative solutions for me out there? I can get covered 100% for employee only, but my wife and child need coverage. Please Help

What should i do with my insurance to test drive cars?

I am looking at a car tomorrow that i will more than likely buy. My insurance is comprehensive but says the driving of other cars extension is not included for any driver named on the policy I have phoned my insurance company Diamond and the guy said it would cost me 17.50 to insure the car for a day third party. I undestand that third party means if i bump someone my insurance pays for their damage but not for mine. If i decide to buy the car should i be getting fully comprehensive for the day?

How to get health insurance?

how does a student (college) go about getting health insurance? i used to be on my sisters insurance but she is currently not working there anymore and has lost her insurance, therefore am not covered anymore. How do i get health insurance?? thanks""

Anyone have Mega Insurance?

It's supposed to be for the self employed. Is the high premium worth the benefits or even the coverage compared to other insurance companies out there (like e health insurance.com)

What happens if i cancel by car insurance?

I have recently turned 17 and can start driving in the UK. There is obviously a large difference between insurance quotes for my car depending on whether i hold a provisional license or a full license. While i am on a provisional i can get a quote for 620 with Quinn-Direct but this will go up to 2000+ after i pass my test. What happens if i buy my insurance then cancel it when i pass my test and get a quote from elsewhere, (I can get one for 1400) will i get a percentage of my money back or will it just be lost? Cheers Rob""

SO confused about this car insurance issue?

ok, due to being in the hospital giving birth, i missed a second payment on my car insurance in one term. i was told by my broker that was it, there was nothing i could do, they would cancel. my insurance company is ING. i said ok so what next? she told me on july 10th that they were sending out a registewred letter that day stating it was cancelled (my payment was late on june 25th). 2 wks later i had not received anything so i called my broker again. this was at 1 pm (they close at 4) and no one called me back. finally, i called back again, she called ING and called me back saying ok they said if you can pay it today it wont be cancelled (i had asked MULTIPLE times if this was an option, i was told no) by the time she told me that, it was 330 pm. I live a 1/2 drive away and by the time i got the baby together, went to the bank etc, it would be after their closing time so i couldnt do that. i contacted another broker who my mother deals with and he told me that they would send me my""

Wich car will cost more?

wich car will cost more in insurance? im a 16 year old boy with a3.0. i dont need exact prices just wich costs more. 2004 mustang v6 or 2004 silverado 1500 access cab 5.3 litre v8. thank you

Is there an insurance that will insure me and not my car?

my friend had an insurance that insured just him for any car he was driving idk what it was called but it was only for ohio residents anyway(im in pa) ....how would it work?

Insurance on 2011 subaru STI?

I'm 19 sold my truck that had become a money pit and saved about 5 grand to put down on a new car. I make about $1950 a month at my job and have been there for a year. I came across a subaru Impreza STI for the price of $29000 only has 400 miles on the car and I can afford the payments per month (around $400) I'm just curious about insurance costs. I'm 19 been driving for 3 years no accidents and no tickets... What should I expect for insurance per month??(ballpark estimate) my insurance guy is not in til tomorrow just asking to see what you guys think

If I had this non fault accident would my car insurance still gone up?

Okay a week ago I was about to have an accident I passed a railroad track when no train was comming and the bars were up as well so I passed the railroad and I made a turn so this had a stop sign at a corner and didn't make a complete stop so I was passing since I didn't have a stop sign or yield sign and this guy just stepped on the gas and went into the wrong way and then he tried to jump into the way that I was going and I was about to hit him because there wasn't enough space for him to change lanes safely. And so I remember that the day that my dad went to get insurance for his car they told him that they had a record of the accident that he had back in 1991 which wasn't his fault.

How much is car insurance for a 19 year old female in south carolina?

How much is car insurance for a 19 year old female in south carolina?

Do you need proof of car insurance to get your license in Illinois?

Do you need proof of car insurance to get your license in Illinois?

What is the cheapest motorcycle insurance?

so im gonna get a motorcycle but i dont know much about all the insurance and stuff..and i just wanted to know which is the cheapest? i go to school with a guy who pays $80 every 3 months, which is only about $26 every month, which seems like a pretty good deal.""

liberty insurance car insurance

liberty insurance car insurance

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/safeco-home-insurance-online-quote-kyle-rivera"

[clarencevancleave]

Meet the RE Tech Founder: Pat Healy from Prismana

In our latest real estate tech entrepreneur interview, we’re speaking with the founder of Prismana, Pat Healy. Those who have been in the industry awhile know Pat is no stranger to real estate. He was an organizer for REBarCamp NY for many years, and formerly employed by Onboard Informatics. He is truly one of my favorite people in this industry, and he’s on my short list of people I reach out to every time I’m in NYC.

Without further ado…

What do you do?

Prismana is a business intelligence company that offers its customers the ability to better understand where their efforts are yielding fruit and which ones may need adjustments. The platform came about from me having one too many meetings with my clients where they were going to make decisions that I knew would not be in their best interest but they didn’t have the best information possible. After a lot of research and conversations with several companies in the small business space, I grew frustrated that there was no cost effective way to do this. There were plenty that helped big companies but nothing for companies under 100 people. Marketing intelligence systems at the time were complicated and expensive – often costing more per month than the clients’ entire marketing budget.

What problem does your product/service solve?

Prismana helps clients understand which channels are converting regardless of how their customers choose to contact them. It’s a unified solution that doesn’t require companies to couple together lots of different solutions (call tracking, commerce tracking analytics, etc) and hope they work in order to measure the effectiveness of any given channel. It’s also really easy to implement and use. Most people can be up and running in a few minutes once they’ve decided how they want their customers to be able to contact them and how they choose to capture the lead. Prismana is not intrusive so it won’t disrupt your current systems so you don’t have to worry about a lot of messy integrations either. Lastly, Prismana is cost effective so it won’t break the bank in order to let you know if your lead generation efforts are working or not. You can put that extra money towards something else – like giving your best performing employees spot bonuses or something.

Prismana can work with just about any online marketing effort you can think of:

Organic Search

Paid Advertising

Email Marketing

Referral Sources

Affiliates

Social (organic and paid)

It also doesn’t care how your customers contact you. This is great for business that have a mix of forms, inbound calls, email, chat, etc. It takes all of your leads in and passes the source to you instantly so you can capture that in any system you may be using. It’s really kinda cool when you think about it. We’ve worked hard to simplify things.

What are you most excited about?

I’m really excited about all of the enhancements we’ve been making and the growth we are experiencing. We’re a new company so growth is our big objective next to delivering the best product possible. Growth means we can hire more people and step up our product road map velocity. That’s been the hardest thing for us up until recently. Small teams are great for being nimble but we’re certainly looking forward to putting more hands on the product so that we can do all of the things we’ve been envisioning.

We take a lot of time to speak to our customers to find out what their pain points are in terms of making decisions about their business. Lots of conversations about what they love about what we do and what they feel is missing. Between those conversations and our team’s internal sessions there’s A LOT of things we can’t wait to get to.

What’s next for you?

The next big thing for us is developing our insights feature where customers can see high level intelligence about which channels are getting the most activity, missed opportunities, and recommendations of possible new channels they may want to consider exploring. There’s a bunch of other things we are still discussing putting in there but we want to keep it simple to start and fold in features that our customers are asking for – not what we think they want. The platform is so flexible that we find a new use case every week and that keeps us thinking about what is next. We’ve got some pretty big plans for it if that’s not obvious from these answers.

What’s a cause you’re passionate about and why?

Over the past few years, I’ve gotten involved more and more with the Boy Scouts of America. I was a Scout as a youth and my son has taken interest in it as well. I think it’s a great organization and it teaches the boys a lot of practical skills that seem to be less and less common these days. I think the leadership skills that are ingrained in them help to develop clear headed, functional and productive adults.

I moved around a bit as a kid from urban to suburban to rural areas and one thing that was consistent for me was the ethos of Scouting. And those skills I learned helped me regardless of where I was. I firmly believe that it was instrumental in molding me into the person I am today. I want every young person to have this kind of an opportunity to push themselves to be their best. I could certainly see myself working with the BSA on a larger scale. They just have so much to offer.

Thanks to Pat for sharing his story. If you’d like to connect, find him on LinkedIn here.

We’re constantly looking for great real estate tech entrepreneurs to feature. If that’s you, please read this post — then drop me a line (drew @ geekestatelabs dot com).

The post Meet the RE Tech Founder: Pat Healy from Prismana appeared first on GeekEstate Blog.

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