#those of you who have been keeping track of previous polls i ran for some ungodly reason may have noticed this is her second time in one

[idkaguyorsomething]

On their quest to find Falin, ¿should the party bring along a talented culinary ally? ¿A hungry, underappreciated loner? ¿Some asshole who could very easily get distracted and fuck it all up? ¡¡¡You decide!!!

(Please reblog and explain in the tags)

[gamerwoo]

Seventeen: Welcome to Caratland (Part 13)

(header by the amazing @cozynochu​​​)

Characters: Seventeen x reader (gender neutral)

Genre/warnings: horror/halloween au, interactive au, this part doesn’t really have anything happen so if you’re scared of death or injury or anything ur safe (but the alternate endings include death and injury so do with that what you will)

Summary: The night before Halloween, you and your 13 friends decide to go explore the infamous abandoned amusement park: Caratland, where it’s rumored that rides start on their own, empty mascot suits are seen walking around, and people don’t return the same as when they left. Can you and your friends survive the night in Caratland?

Previous | Next | Caratland Masterlist

After weighing your options, you shrugged and said, “I think I wanna check out the funhouse. It’s probably super creepy now, right?”

“That’s the Halloween spirit,” Wonwoo deadpanned, patting your back before turning to go toward the funhouse. “I think it’s this way.”

“Everybody text if you need anything!” Seungcheol called as the groups went their separate ways.

-

After a bit of searching, the five of you finally found the funhouse. It looked smaller than you remembered, but Hansol remarked that he was pretty sure it was bigger inside than it was outside.

“I think that was part of the gimmick or whatever,” he said.

Because the power was on, the lights were dimly blinking outside the funhouse. You were pretty sure they were supposed to be brighter and steady, but the bulbs were old so you didn’t think too much of how creepy it seemed. This funhouse wasn’t necessarily supposed to be scary since Caratland was aimed toward kids.

The entrance was one of those tunnels that spun around with a swirl pattern on it. It was turning slowly, and Wonwoo led the way into the funhouse, turning his head to warn everyone not to slip on the dust.

“There’s probably a fuck ton of cobwebs in here, too,” Joshua muttered, shining his light around. “My allergies are gonna be so bad by the end of this.”

“You’re the one who wanted to come to the funhouse,” you reminded him, “so stop whining.”

He just mocked you and kept going.

You were at the end of the group, but you managed to keep up. There were a bunch of weird things inside like a bunch of punching bags and slow swinging balls you had to make your way through, a room of streamers that were now falling apart from how old they were, and a bunch of other rooms that had obstacles to go through. The five of you stopped to take pictures and videos while you goofed off in the funhouse, laughing and genuinely having fun. You were glad you went with a group that didn’t have anybody who was necessarily afraid of the abandoned park.

“Can you shine your light a little off to the side?” Minghao asked as he posed for some pictures that he forced Joshua to take for him.

“Can you pose better?” Joshua shot back as he got down on one knee and bent his body down, trying to get the angle that Minghao instructed him to get.

Hansol craned his neck to see the phone screen, “It looks pretty dope, though.”

“Can I have a turn being the model?” you asked, holding two flashlights up above your head. “My arms are tired.”

“I’ll buy you McDonald’s if you stop complaining,” Wonwoo offered.

After a lot of dicking around and picture taking, you reached the end of the funhouse: the mirror maze.

“I forgot about the mirror maze,” Wonwoo whined. “Everyone stay close, okay?”

You were at the end with Minghao in front of you. You grabbed onto his shirt to make sure you wouldn’t get lost, even when he stopped to pose for photos in the mirrors.

“Shouldn’t we keep up with the others?” you asked.

“It’s fine,” he promised. “If we run into mirrors, we just go the other way. There’s only one path, ______.”

You stepped away so you wouldn’t be in his shots, patiently waiting as you looked around. But you did a double take when you saw something bright pink in the mirrors. You turned your head back and pointed your light just right to see the reflection of Eight in the mirrors. You turned this way and that to try to see if you could find where the frog animatronic was, but you couldn’t find the source. When you turned back around to see the reflection, it was gone anyway.

‘It couldn’t have gotten out of the food court,’ you told yourself, ‘it’s probably just some dumb affect the mirrors have.’

Deciding the mirrors probably were made to show reflections of the mascots, you thought nothing else of the reflections.

“Let’s go, _____,” Minghao called.

But when you went to step forward, you ran face first into a mirror. You let out a deep sigh, trying to find your way through the maze, but Minghao was already walking ahead of you so you didn’t get any closer -- it didn’t help that you kept crashing into mirrors, anyway.

“Hao!” you called, trying to get him to slow down at wait for you.

But there was no answer.

You hit another mirror, stepping back and rubbing your forehead. As you glared at the mirror in front of you, you saw Eight looming behind you. You whipped around, shining your flashlight just to see reflections of the pink frog on every single mirror, and your stomach suddenly dropped as your blood turned to ice. You weren’t sure why, but you were getting a bad feeling. Your brain going into overdrive knowing you had to get out of the maze, you figured you had two options: find your way through the rest of the mirror maze since it was the last part of the funhouse, or go back the way you came since you were still near the beginning of the mirror maze. The first option would be good since it was the last part of the funhouse, but difficult since you were still at the beginning of the mirror maze. But the second would be good as well since you had the rest of the maze to go and you were having a difficult time, but it meant having to go backwards through the funhouse all alone. So what were you supposed to do?

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TAKE THE POLL HERE!!!

The poll will close tomorrow (10/25) at 9pm EST!!

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There are multiple alernate endings because each choice also had two more choices so here’s all the possible endings for the other options.

Ferris Wheel Ending 1: You would get to the ride with Seungcheol, Junhui, and Mingyu and check it out. At the end of the part, there would be another choice where you could choose to either ride the ferris wheel with Mingyu and Jun while Seungcheol controlled the ride, or you control the ride while you let your three friends ride it. If you control the ride, you’d stop their cart at the very top of the ride to freak out Seungcheol and Mingyu, but from the top of the wheel, Seungcheol would spot Serenity walking toward the ride with its animatronic eyes glowed to life. He would scream for you to get them down, and luckily, you’d manage to do so in time. Junhui would grab your arm and run just before Serenity could get ahold of you. You’d decide to all meet at the merry go round since it’s in the very center of the park.

Ferris Wheel Ending 2: If you chose to let Seungcheol control the ride while you rode it, you, Mingyu, and Junhui would be too loud while messing around on the ride and wouldn’t hear Seungcheol shouting for help when he spots Serenity coming for him. He doesn’t run because his main concern is getting the three of you off the ride safely, but he spots the animatronic too late and it’s already too close. Junhui manages to jump off the ride when the cart is low enough, but Serenity already has ahold on Seungcheol’s shirt. Serenity would crush Seungcheol’s scull between its metal hands. Junhui would yell for you and Mingyu to run, and Mingyu would help you off the ride before the three of you book it to the merry go round.

Bumper Cars Ending 1: You, Jeonghan, Chan, and Seokmin try to get the ride going. Jeonghan has been making jabs at Chan being the baby all night, and makes another comment about how Chan isn’t old enough to drive the bumper cars himself. This sets Chan off and the two begin arguing with you trying to break them, up. Seokmin is frantically trying to get your attention, and points to one of the cars where Bongbong is sitting with its eyes glowing and the lights on the car turns on. If you decided to try to get into one of the cars instead of making a run for it, you end up in a car with Seokmin with you driving, and Jeonghan and Chan manage to get in a car with Jeonghan driving. You do your best to avoid the animatronic, but you know you can only drive around in circles for so long. Chan gets the idea to jump out of the car near the ride controls so he instructs Jeonghan to drive closer to it. He leaps out and shuts down the ride. Bongbong’s car slides into a cluster of other cars while Jeonghan’s bumps into the gate that fences in the ride, and you and Seokmin slide toward Chan. The four of you manage to escape while Bongbong is trying to get out of the car, and you all decide to meet up with everyone else at the merry go round.

Bumper Cars Ending 2: If you decided to make a run for it instead of hopping in a car, you’d slip on the floor of the ride since it’s very slipper, and you’d fall on your face. Bongbong would go to hit you with the car, but Chan would jump in front of you before he could reach you. He’d get knocked backwards, smashing his head off the metal midway that divides the track, dying on impact as his skull cracks open and he bleeds out on the floor. You would scramble to your feet as Jeonghan tries to hop cars with Seokmin who’s panicking, and the three of you would make a run for it toward the merry go round.

Rollercoaster Ending 1: You, Soonyoung, Jihoon, and Seungkwan would make it to the rollercoaster and decide to walk the path on the side that workers use for maintenance and whatnot. There’s a cart still left on the track, but it’s obvious turning the rollercoaster on wouldn’t be very safe. But as your walking the side of the track, you hear what sounds like a rollercoaster going up the hill. You turn your heads toward the hill, but you’re at the bottom of it and can’t see the other side of it. You make out a rollercoaster peaking over the top of the hill before you can make out Horanghae riding in the front of the ride. As the rollercoaster flies down the hill, you press your body up against the railing of the path to get as far away as possible. But it takes Soonyoung by surprise and he falls over the railing. He’s just barely able to grab the railing, dangling well above the ground. Jihoon quickly reacts and grabs onto Soonyoung’s hand to try to help him, but the railing is clearly old and about to fall apart. Seungkwan falls to the floor in shock, unable to move. If you decide to try to grab Soonyoung’s hand that’s holding onto the railing, you and Jihoon manage to pull him back up to safety before the railing can give out. You collect Seungkwan, go down one of the emergency ladders, and decide to go to the merry go round.

Rollercoaster Ending 2: If you decided to grab onto Jihoon instead to pull on him and try to pull Soonyoung up like that, the railing would break. The three of you would fall to the ground, Soonyoung landing beneath the both of you and dying. Your weight as the height of the fall would also kill Jihoon, while you managed to survive from your friends breaking your fall. You would rush up the emergency ladder to get Seungkwan and help him down before going to the merry go round.

[snkpolls]

SnK S3E13 Poll Results (Manga Reader Version)

The poll closed with 539 responses. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Please note that these are the results of the manga reader poll. Anime only watchers are suggested not to read if you do not wish to be spoiled about certain events! Anime only viewers, click here to view your poll results!

RATE THE EPISODE 534 Responses

WIT kicked off the arc fantastically according to the viewers! This episode got overall positive reviews, with 95% of respondents giving it a 4 or 5 rating.

An ideal opening episode in my opinion!

Incredible start for possible the best season yet ♥

Awesome opening episode to set the stage for the arc to come. Pacing was just right, imo.

HYPE MY SOLDIERS

I think it was a great ep and did pretty well with the chapters it adapted. The dialogue was there and so were the scenes, the ending hyped what is coming so much so I'm already in love!

Lack of creavity when it come to the OP and ED visuals, but the ep overall was good.

The soundtrack slaps, voice acting is on point, and the animation proves to be very promising. Overall, it's a great episode to start off the second cour!

Awesome episode with awesome soundtrack.

One of the best episodes of the whole series, which was surprising.

RATE THE OP 533 Responses

Overall respondents liked the new Linked Horizon opening, which was a great summary of the current arc, but overall it fell flat as a song that most would be willing to label as their favorite.

OP depicts the upcoming battle well!

Great adaptation, just wish the opening was a little more original

It is the worst OP of all. The song is disappointing; it sounds like typical, boring song from random shonen series.

The opening definitely had some parts to it that felt recycled from previous openings, but I guess it's just Linked Horizon's way of linking them all together.

SPACE OPERATION RAINBOW!!!

To me it looks like they ran out of time to make an OP so they slapped a green filter on what they had done already.

RATE THE ED 530 Responses

The 104th-centered still-frame ED has some mixed reviews with most of the fandom sitting somewhere in the middle between loving and hating it. Respondents overall are leaning more toward the positive, however.

ED is perfect with the time skip just over the horizon

WE GOT A FEW NEW SAWANO TRACKS. HOW ARE YOU FEELING ABOUT THEM? 530 Responses

Well over half the fandom are already pumped for new music from the series’ composer Sawano Hiroyuki! A whopping 76% already feel that he’s killing it. 22% need more time to decide how they feel. A small sliver of respondents don’t really care for the OST. Who hurt you?

ost perfect as usual

It was good but at this point everything sounds like it's been reused a bunch of times. Hopefully we get some new great tracks later on..

Hyeh

The bassline in the new rendition of "Attack on Titan" (or however Sawano spells it) is amazing. I cannot wait for the S3 soundtrack to be released.

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING WAS YOUR FAVORITE MOMENT? 532 Responses

The scene with the Beast Titan appearing with his army of titans took 30% of the vote, with Levi attacking Reiner as a close second with 22% of the vote. 10% overall liked the entire episode, and 7% favorited the cliffhanger staredown. We can all agree the battle to come has us all hyped!

I repeated the scene where Reiner appears until the end of the episode tons of times already

Did they really had to skip Levi's frustrated expression after he failed to kill Reiner? It was my favorite moment…

Levi attacking Reiner and everything after that has become one of my favorite scenes in the series. Damn!

Nice Erwin Screentime, nice Levi nyooming behind Eren

Best girl makes her appearance

the last three minutes of the episode where the warriors show up was fucking amazing

ON SCALE OF ARMIN TO ERWIN, HOW GOOD ARE YOU AT GIVING ORDERS? 526 Responses

The majority of respondents relate to Armin’s timid nature a bit more when it comes to overall confidence in giving orders. Just a small 6.3% of you guys feel you have the charismatic swag that Erwin brings to the table.

I loved Armin giving orders politely.

How was Armin overcoming social anxiety a billion times cooler then eren flying over a 60m wall, becoming a titan and basically saving humanity.

ON A SCALE OF 1-5, HOW MUCH DO YOU WANT TO GO HORSEBACK SURFING? 528 Responses

This was in no way a serious question. But at an almost even split, 35.8% of voters would totally try their hand at horseback surfing, while 35.2% would never risk their life doing such a dangerous activity!

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE ANIMATION QUALITY IN PART TWO SO FAR? 529 Responses

Overall respondents are pleased with the animation in the first episode of the RtS arc, with 54% stating that it’s the best animation they’ve seen from the series yet. 42% feel it could be better, but is also not the worst. A small percentage don’t find the animation all that impressive.

I can’t believe how clean all of the animation is looking. SUPER impressed with the difference in art-style compared to season 1 as well.

The animation is on the highest level.

i miss the thick lines the show used to have

i really love the colour palette of this season and the op especially.

IMO the color tones on this episode could've been handled better, it was too gloomy on some scenes :(

The animation & art style was almost as good as season 2’s (which is one of my favorite pieces of animation of all time) but still lacked in some areas.

Looks like they went all out with budget on this season and I'm loving it

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE CG COLOSSAL TITAN IN THE OPENING? 532 Responses

57% of respondents aren’t too upset about the GCI Colossal Titan in the opening and say they don’t mind either way. 35% aren’t happy at all with the decision to make the Colossal CGI, while a few actually find the effect super cool.

ON A SCALE OF 1-5, HOW EXCITED ARE YOU TO FINALLY SEE THIS ARC ANIMATED? 533 Responses

The overwhelming majority are extremely excited to see this arc animated after all these years. With its high levels of action and drama, it’s no surprise to us to see that the fandom is looking forward to getting this arc in an animated form!

IVE WAITED MORE THAN 2 YEARS FOR THIS IM NEVER BEEN SO FUCKING HYPED IN MY WHOLE LIFE

I've waited so many years that I'm satisfied and ready to pass now that my favorite arc is being animated

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE ADAPTATION OF RTS SO FAR? 532 Responses

67% of respondents are feeling very satisfied with the way the arc is unraveling in the anime, finding that it’s a very close adaptation of the original source material. 23% feel that it’s still too early to judge the adaptation properly, and a few less feel that the adaptation so far is somewhere between good and bad.

Fantastic adaptation.

Good pacing jumping right into the action, while staying faithful to the manga.

Overall very good, but could be a TAD better

I think the adaptation so far has been great, but I need to see how the action is handled before I say for sure whether it's well adapted or not.

It was ok.

It was very well-adapted! All the important details were there and nothing important seemed to be missing, which was something I was sad about in the last arc. It seems like everything I want will get covered.

How do we come back from there without breaking my heart?

PART 2 IS SLATED FOR 10 EPISODES. DO YOU THINK THIS WILL BE ENOUGH TO ADAPT THE ARC WELL? 531 Responses

Voters are confident that WIT knows what they’re doing by shortening the amount of episodes that will air for this action-heavy arc, with only ¼ of respondents feeling that they haven’t given themselves enough screen time to cover every last detail. 10% don’t want to say either way.

i was disappointed in knowing it was a 10 episode arc, but seeing the quality and taking into account that this is an action-heavy arc, i'm bouncing off of the walls to see what wit has underneath their sleeve. hopefully they don't ruin the best arc

one advantage of the short season is that they cant draw out the serum bowl for too long. God, that was a painful wait when the manga was dropping those chapters.

Really well done, the pacing in particular was great. After seeing it I was convinced 10 episodes was perfect for this arc. A 6-4 split is perfect.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE VERY SPOILERY OPENING? 532 Responses

61% of respondents agree that the opening, while spoilery, is a great summary and teaser of what is to come for those who only watch the anime. Without context, they can’t know what every last symbolic image in the opening means, after all! 23% of voters expressed distaste at how much WIT is spoiling the viewers, however. 9% aren’t even concerned about it.

The whole opening was just one big “fuck you” to people who don’t read the manga.

it only becomes obvious b/c manga readers keep pointing stuff out. Yes, the intros have always hinted at things but it goes so fast that I don’t think every person will know exactly what something means if they’re anime only.

The Opening is good representation of this phase of the story ending.

I don't get why people are making a big deal over the "spoilers" in the opening when they're not even anime-onlies themselves in the first place.

Man, it only seems spoilery for those of us who know what's coming. Anime onlies don't understand the context of the images, so they can't recognise them as spoilers unless it's directly identified as such! We gotta stop judging this stuff from the perspective of someone who already knows what's coming.

It's definitely not holding back on the indications that'll happen in the arc

HOW DID THE NEW ED MAKE YOU FEEL? 527 Responses

61% of manga readers felt nostalgic seeing the images of the 104th during their trainee days coupled with a somber song. 20% felt sad about the ending, and 15% were just disappointed with the entire thing.

Lazy ending.

WHAT DID YOU THINK ABOUT THE RED EYES ON THE TITANS? 533 Responses

Just over half of the fandom feel that the red-eyed pure titans was a cool aesthetic to add to show that they are under some form of control by a shifter. 33% feel it’s a cool addition, but not really necessary. 11% don’t care.

I was on board with the red eyes until the cart titan also had them. No longer made any sense.

I don't get why Pieck's eyes are red when she's not a mindless being controlled by Zeke…

Like the red eyes but why does Pieck have them too.

WHICH SCENE FROM THE PREVIEW ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO? 530 Responses

Perhaps unsurprisingly, over half of the fandom is most hyped to see the Eren vs. Reiner showdown in Shiganshina. Although not far behind, 28% of respondents are excited about Erwin’s badass unhooding moment as he challenges Reiner.

THUNDER SPEARS FOR NEXT CHAPTER!!!!!!!!!!

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ON THE EPISODE?

Even though I totally know what will happen, the episode is written and directed in a way I still get goosebumps and forget I actually know what will happen. And the music, oh god. That's amazing. These two together have a really good effect.

I need the next one RIGHT NOW.

AAAAAHH!!!!

It was an introduction episode, so imo, it's just there to put the basis for the rest of the season. There was a good balance between the "emotionally charged" scenes and the more quiet ones, all this accompanied with an increasing tension in the background.

I wish theyd reanimated the scene of armin talking to eren about the opening instead of just reusing the animation from season 1.

that Zeke smile is like : hey there, i am here to euthanize you all. Love it !

I'm buying tickets into denial islaaand, bye, bye!

Airpipes. AIRPIPES. p.s. cracking soundtrack

Reiner has been enjoying himself some Marley protein, he extra swole now.

Armin was the MVP

PIECK!!!

I don't like the fact that WiT decided to spoil a lot. Some anime onlies already have guessed that Armin is going to be burned and then will become the next CT. So the serumbowl won't be as emotional and exciting for them anymore. I don't understand why WiT decided to do such thing. Don't they want anime-onlies to enjoy the show?

Exactly as expected you'll find a strange titan next to the beasty

I love Mikasa’s improved design and hope they show more of her working in a team like the manga. Focusing on the mission ect without pandering

RIP nameless soldier killed by Reiner.

Very happy to get a glimpse at best girl Pieck

Really no questions about our exactly right girl in this poll ? I am dissapointed :/

Watching this episode is bringing back all the suspense and awe I felt when I read this part in the manga. What a treat to be able to relive it!

They did a great job at keeping the tension and the "well shit everything's about to go wrong" from chapters 73 and 74, and managed to make the explosion at the end worth it, despite the fact I still think Reiner's continued survival throughout the arc is stupid and wish the anime had changed it so it'd be more believable, but here we are.

WHERE DO YOU PRIMARILY DISCUSS THE SERIES? 514 Responses

Thank you to everyone who participated! We’ll see you again in a few days!

[pressrowmedia]

Riverside Football Rankings, Week 6

So, we have our first controversy.  The new Number One team actually lost, but based on Power Index, they move to the top spot.  The main factors in determining Power Index are: Won-Loss Record, Road Wins, Wins against Higher Division teams, and Strength of Schedule/Opponents' Won-Loss.  In the end, league play will balance everything out.  

Current (10/1) CIF-SS Poll.

Without any further adieu, here are the Week 6 Rankings.

#1 NOTRE DAME (4-2) /DIVISION 7 / SUNBELT

 LAST WEEK: #2

The Titans lost 48-21 vs. Paloma Valley, in Week 6, but previous opponents Aquinas, Hillcrest, Xavier Prep, Tustin and Rubidoux all won.  The Wildcats rolled up 382 rushing yards and 6 rushing TD against Notre Dame's defense, while holding the Titans to 279 yards on offense.  Notre Dame was also flagged for nine penalties, totaling nearly 100 yards.  QB Rodney Koenig was victimized by a pick 6 early in the game.  Paloma Valley jumped out to an early 21-0 lead, and never looked back.

Doesn't get any easier for the Titans, who'll play their fourth straight road game at Valley View (2-4), coming off of a big win over Arlington.  The Eagles will test Notre Dame's secondary, as they average 200 yards per game through the year.

Ultimately, the Titans fortunes will come down to how they perform in league play.  The new Sunbelt League should be intriguing, as with just a three-game schedule, margin for error will be tight, like trying to squeeze the 60, 91, 215 interchange during rush hour on a Friday.  The Titans managed to stay in the Division 7 top ten, despite the loss.

#2 RAMONA (5-1) / DIVISION / 12 RIVER VALLEY

 LAST WEEK: #4

The Rams scored an impressive 20-0 win over Patriot (4-2, ranked 8th in D10) to kick-off league play.  Previous to their Week 5 Bye, it had been the Rams' offense that had been the focal point, in Ken Mushinskie's revival, averaging 45.3ppg over a three-game win streak.  To date, the Rams have allowed 15.3ppg on the season, and 64 points over their four-game streak (32 in a September 14th match-up with Poly). The Warriors averaged 283.8 yards per game over their first five, and the Rams held them to 146, and forced three turnovers, winning despite totaling under 200 yards of their own.

The Rams take on Hillcrest (3-3, 1-0) Thursday, the Trojans coming off of an impressive win against Norte Vista.  A win for the Rams could put them in the drivers' seat in the developing River Valley league race.  One of Coach Mush's strengths, is his ability to get the Rams to focus on matters at hand.  The old, boring “one game at a time” strategy.  Hillcrest is explosive, so the Rams have a task ahead of them.  Look for them to incorporate some ball control early, while Senior QB Brandon Osayande looks to pick his spots against the Hillcrest D, which was impressive in shutting down NoVi on Friday, allowing the Trojans to go to the half up 40-7.

If the Rams can start 2-0 with two road wins, they will have a leg (or a horn) up, as two of their last three games are at home (La Sierra & Norte Vista), with their road game being at Jurupa Valley.  The formula is there for Ramona to succeed: Senior QB in Osayande, top-flight RB in Donte Roby, Jr., and a defense that has been up to the challenge.  The Rams always play hard, and don't beat themselves.  Don't be shocked if that allows them to overcome some of their liabilities (undersized, lots of underclassmen in key positions).  This is a big week for Ramona's very talented linebacking corps.  They'll need to contend with the Hillcrest run game, while the secondary deals with the speed of the Trojans' receivers.  The Rams are 5th in the most recent Division 12 CIF Poll.

#3 NORTE VISTA (4-2) / DIVISION 9 / RIVER VALLEY

 LAST WEEK: #1

The Braves were throttled by Hillcrest, 54-13.  They played their fourth straight game without Senior RB Chris Melesio, but Miron Hazem (14 att 104 yds TD), Eddie Allain (16 att 80 yds TD) and Josef Luckey (4 att 28 yds) took up the slack. Senior QB Julian Corey completed 4 of 5 passed, for 86 yards.  Over Corey's last three games, he is 10 of 12 through the air, for 230 yards and 2 TD.  As Corey continues to develop, he could play a huge factor in determining the River Valley race, and in the CIF Playoffs. After averaging 370 yards rushing over the previous three games, Hillcrest held the Braves to a paltry 212 yards, while rolling up over 400 on their own, taking a 40-7 lead to the half.  The loss dropped No Vi out of the Top 10 in the CIF-SS Division 9 Poll.

Norte Vista tries get back on track against La Sierra, who until last year, had been the only team to defeat the Braves on the field, back in 2014, when current Arlington Head Coach Jeff Roney led the Eagles to the River Valley crown.  Over the last three seasons, No Vi has scored an average of 51.3 points in games against La Sierra, including 65 back in 2015. Having Melesio back would provide the Braves with a huge lift.  The defense also looks to redeem themselves, after allowing over 400 yards in the Hillcrest loss, while the offense will look to bounce back from a game where they committed six turnovers.

Last week's stumble non-withstanding, the Braves remain a contender in the River Valley.  Since the league formed in 2012, No Vi has been the regular season champ of the RVL every season except for 2014 (La Sierra) and as part of a five-way tie in 2017.  They took a haymaker from Hillcrest Friday, but a win over La Sierra could allow them to take a breath, and settle back in.  Everyone knows that Ken Batdorf will have his team ready, and look to guide them over the early speed bump against Hillcrest.

#4 HILLCREST (3-3) / DIVISION 10 /  RIVER VALLEY

 LAST WEEK: #6

To quote Ebby Calvin “Nuke” La Loosh from Bull Durham, the Trojans “announced their presence with authority” in Friday's 54-13 win over Norte Vista.  The win over the Braves was Hillcrest's second in a row, after losing three straight, which dropped them from the #1 spot in the CIF Division 10 Poll.  Sophomore RB Dominique Clay ran for 112 yards and 4 TD, while Sophomore QB Camren Payne completed seven passes, five for more than twenty yards, including a 79 yard strike to Ryan Howard.  The Trojans used a thirty-three point second quarter to roll to a 40-7 lead at the half.  The offense rolled up 434 yards, while the defense forced three turnovers.  Clay notched his second 100 yard performance of the season, after not having played since September 7th against Kaiser.  

Next up for Hillcrest is a key match-up with Ramona.  Both Hillcrest and Ramona knocked off ranked teams in Week 6, which could put the winner at the pole position, in what looks to be a fairly tight race in the RVL. Last week, I'd said that Hillcrest could be the most talented team in the league, and they showed that on Friday night.  Another reason I like Hillcrest, is that young guys like Clay, Payne, Ryan Howard and Isaac Perez will improve with each additional week of varsity experience.  The defense is led by four Seniors, Josh Ford, Ezekial Holliday (both two-year starters), Christian Murillo and Erik Rivera (three-year starters).  The Trojans forced seven turnovers over the last two weeks, while committing just one of their own.

The key for Hillcrest will be to peak at the right time, and have the young team playing their best football, heading into November, and the CIF Playoffs.  In their five non-league games, the Trojans didn't play a team below Division 8, which could pay dividends in October & November.  Their opponents' winning percentage is .528, which ties them for fourth among city teams.

#5 LA SIERRA (5-1) / DIVISION 12 / RIVER VALLEY

 LAST WEEK: #3

The Eagles are becoming Riverside's version of the “Cardiac Kids” as they rallied from behind to defeat Jurupa Valley 25-24, denying the Jaguars their first league win since 2014.  The defense held up, finishing the evening out with a Goal Line Stand.  The five wins are the most by an Eagles' squad, since they went 8-3 in 2014 under current Arlington Head Coach, Jeff Roney.

Bryce Poppe had 188 yards passing, and threw for 3TD, while the Eagles also amassed 200 yards on the ground, where they were led by Lamar Gaines, with 86 yards and a TD.  Andre Thomas continued to do Andre Thomas things, nine catches for 166 yards and two trips to pay dirt.

This week, the Eagles lock up with Norte Vista, as the Braves will be looking for redemption, coming off of their loss at the hands of Hillcrest.  The last time La Sierra knocked off No Vi was back in 2014.  There is familiarity between the two teams, as Gary Hedlund served as Ken Batdorf's offensive coordinator, back in 2014, prior to taking the La Sierra job.

The Eagles were a hair from losing to an 0-6 Jurupa Valley.  That's the bad news.  The good news is, they hung on and won the game.  They have now logged four road wins, with three in come from behind fashion, late in the game.  The combination of Poppe to Thomas might be the most dynamic in the league, and they can run the ball well enough to keep teams honest.  

The Eagles' defense has been stingy in key spots, when it's counted.  In their loss to Rialto, La Sierra gave up 38 points, but it should be pointed out two of those scores by the Knights came on punt returns.

The Eagles are like a deep philosophical argument.  On the down side, their strength of schedule is ranked the lowest amongst Riverside teams, and they've had to eek out some close games under against those opponents.  

Some will say that playing from behind eventually catches up with you.  The other side of that coin, is that La Sierra is now 4-0 on the road.  Are the Eagles one of those teams, that if you let them hang around, will just find a way to beat you?  The River Valley League will know soon enough.

#6 POLY (3-3) / DIVISION 9 / INLAND VALLEY  LAST WEEK: #5

The Bears are coming off of their most impressive performance of the year, a 49-0 win over Canyon Springs, yet took a slight drop in the rankings.  The Bears rolled up 320 rushing yards among five players, and QB Budd Bernie was very efficient, completing 9 of 10 passes for 106 yards in the win.  More importantly, Derek DeWitt had his full complement of players on defense, which was led by Warren Hardin, who had 7 tackles, after missing time with an injury.  Jaylon Keeton also returned to give the Bears' defense their cornerstones along the defensive line.

This week, Poly looks to go 2-0 in the newly configured Inland Valley league, as they'll play Orange Vista on Saturday.  Greg Zomalt left Citrus Hill to helm the Coyotes program, but brought over the “process” from the old place.  They run, run, run the ball.  Four rushers combining for over three hundred yards on the ground per game.  The front seven of the Bears will be severely tested.  On the defensive side, Orange Vista has only allowed one team (El Monte) to score as many as twenty points. They've only surrendered 68 points all season (11.3 ppg).  Offensive Coordinator Bill Powell will have to dial up a game plan to exploit the talents of Jermaine Henderson, Budd Bernie, and Jerry Sandefeur, among others, if the Bears expect to go to 2-0 in league play.  A fourth win for Poly would mark the most successful season during the DeWitt Era.

The goal for the Bears is to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2015, and this year's version of Poly Football could be a sleeping giant in the IVL.  Orange Vista will be a tough out, but a win over the Coyotes would allow Poly to build on the momentum from the big win over Canyon Springs. The Bears have dealt with nicks and bruises all season, and look to finally be healthy, particularly on defense.  Saturday will be a good barometer by which to judge their progress.

#7 JW NORTH (2-4) / DIVISION 8 / INLAND VALLEY  LAST WEEK: #7

The Huskies finally got to bark a big, with a 42-12 win over Perris to open Inland Valley League play.  The offense finally got clicking, which North Head Coach Dennis Brown attributed to their line play, as the Huskies rolled up 483 yards, 342 on the ground, an aspect they'd been trying to improve over the last two seasons. Both Jerrell Calhoun and Venasio Mika'ele went for over one hundred yards, and North led 28-6 at the half, in cruising to victory. Senior QB Nick Satcher completed passes, to five different receivers, throwing for 141 yards, connecting with Jerrell Calhoun for a TD.  The North defense, which had taken its lumps, surrendering 137 points over a three-game losing streak before the bye, finally negotiated the learning curve against the Panthers.

This week, North hosts 1-5 Lakeside, as they look to go 2-0 in Inland Valley League play.  The Lancers won their opener over Ramona 17-14, but have dropped all five of their games since, and haven't won a road game since they knocked off Orange Vista last September 15th.  The Huskies will need to keep their mojo going, and seem to have gotten a boost over the bye week, where they were able to get healthy, and make some adjustments, which resulted in the big win over Perris.  The backfield combo of Mika'ele and Calhoun is formidable for any defense, especially when the offensive line, anchored by four Seniors, two of whom are three-year starters (William Smith and Omar Gudino Flores) has found its rhythm.  And don't forget about Nick Satcher, the Senior QB who threw for nearly 1,900 yards and 16 TD in 2017.

The Huskies' playoff win in 2016, was their first since before they moved to the Inland Valley out of the Big VIII.  In recent years, though, the Huskies have missed the playoffs more than they've been in it, winning their opening round game over Grand Terrace in '16, and going one and done in 2014.  This being an even-numbered year, should bode well for the Huskies.

#8 ARLINGTON (0-6) / DIVISION 8 / SUNBELT  LAST WEEK: #8

The Lions fell to Valley View, 34-6, to drop their 6th straight, and 9th out of their last 10, dating back to last season, after a 7-0 start.  The Lions actually led 6-0 early, and it was a 7-6 game at the half, before Valley View reeled off 27 straight 2nd Half points, aided by three Arlington turnovers.

Doesn't get any easier for Jeff Roney and his crew, as they have Paloma Valley on the road.  The Wildcats have won three in a row, and scored 47, 48 and 48 points in those wins.  Arlington has allowed forty points or more in four of their six games.

This is the last non-league game for Arlington, who have taken their shots thus far, but could wipe the slate clean with a couple of wins in Sunbelt League play.  Ezekial Valentine had a rushing TD in his first game for Arlington, and should help QB Isaiah Leuta, who already has weapons such as Devin Johnson, and Mike Hollis at his disposal.  The defense, anchored by their standout line, will need to step up over this last month of the season.

#9 ML KING (0-6) / DIVISION 4 / BIG VIII

 LAST WEEK: #9

Looked as if things had started to turn for King, as they'd played at OT game vs. Poly (3-3) on September 8th, and lost a one-point game to Elsinore on September 14th, before stepping out for their bye week.  Returning to action this week, Norco reminded the Wolves they still play in the Big VIII.  The Cougars rolled up nearly 500 yards against King.

Doesn't get any easier with their next opponent, Roosevelt (4-2).  The Mustangs knocked off Corona 57-0, to start Big VIII play.  Their only losses are to Servite (Division 1) and Tesoro (Division 2).  While King has struggled, the Wolves had surrendered 106 points over the first five games, before the 42-7 loss to Norco.

At this point, King is mostly playing for pride.  The Big VIII is a tough league, with four teams in the running for playoff seeding.  The showdown with Corona on October 12th, could be King's last real chance to enter the win column in 2018.  Notre Dame transfer Adeal Bavadi leads King in rushing and has 3 TD (most on the team) between his running and as a receiver.  He's averaging nearly six yards a pop on the ground, while King has struggled, particularly from the QB position, as they only average 82 yards per game through the air.  Of King's eight leading tacklers this season, four will be back next year.

[citizentruth-blog]

Families Suffer, Health and Security Risks Grow as Government Shutdown Continues

Congressional Republicans are faced with severing the will of their constituents or angering President Trump who seems locked in on receiving funding for his proposed border fence.  United States President Donald Trump threatened to continue the partial government shutdown for 'months or even years' during a January 4th news conference in the White House Rose Garden. The President followed up his boisterous remark by walking out of a meeting with House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) calling it a "total waste of time." He would publish the following tweet. https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1083099784012091396

Americans Mostly Blame Trump For Shutdown

After several major outlets had problems fact-checking President Trump's Oval Office address on immigration, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked a move to get the chamber to vote on spending bills to reopen the government and pay workers the money owed to them. "The last thing we need to do right now is trade pointless -- absolutely pointless -- show votes back and forth across the aisle," McConnell said on the Senate floor. He continued, "The political stunts are not going to get us anywhere." While he claims his concern is avoiding 'political stunts' his true intentions likely lay with the low popularity of the government shutdown. Congressional Republicans are faced with serving the will of their constituents or angering President Trump who seems locked in on receiving funding for his proposed border fence. A recent Reuters survey reads: The national opinion poll, which ran from Jan. 1 to Jan. 7, found that 51 percent of adults believe Trump “deserves most of the blame” for the shutdown, which entered its 18th day on Tuesday. That is up 4 percentage points from a similar poll that ran from Dec. 21 to 25. Another 32 percent blame congressional Democrats for the shutdown and 7 percent blame congressional Republicans, according to the poll. Those percentages are mostly unchanged from the previous poll. A Morning Consult poll shows similar results with 33 percent blaming 'Democrats in Congress' and 47 percent blaming 'President Trump.'

via Morning Consult + POLITICO 'National Tracking Poll #190109 January04-06,2019'

Workers And Families Continue To Suffer

"The shutdown is definitely hard on the family," an individual with knowledge of a situation of a government contractor said. Gizmodo collected GoFundMe stories from workers also affected by the shutdown: From a government worker named Julie Burr in Kansas City, Missouri: Being a contracted government worker, I’m losing pay every day that this government shutdown continues. I’ve taken on extra shifts at my 2nd job but it isn’t going to pay rent and all my bills. Being a single mom, I’m in panic mode right now. If you’d like to help, any donations are appreciated. Another from a single mother captures the plight individuals are facing: From a worker named Kinata Holt in Missouri: I am a single mom of 6 children who depend solely on me. As a veteran and federal employee my only income has been stopped do to the government shutdown. I have sought and exhausted all other resources but they have not been enough to keep up with my bills or my children needs. I am not sure when will be able to return to work and I am merely asking for those who can to please help with a monetary donation of your choice.- A mom in need.... God Bless And the story from two boys about their mother sums up the struggle. As many are aware the president has called for a government shutdown. I am 14 years old who is in 8th grade and my brother is 12 years old who is in the 6th grade. What the president does not know, my mommy is not a democrat or a republican she is an independent. An independent mom who works for the federal government. My mom is a single mom of 2 boys trying to make ends meet. My mom does not get help from the state, she works really hard to provide for me and my brother. She raises us to know that education is #1. She is a strong independent woman. The last few weeks have been really hard. My mom was in the process of trying to move so my brother and I can have our own room. This has come to a stop now. Because she has not received her pay check and interest rates have gone way up. In addition, our lease is up and we don’t know what we are going to do. My brother and I came up with an idea... If we can get help, we can help our mom for a couple of weeks so she doesn’t have to go on unemployment, she mentioned she has to pay all loans and unemployment back and i know that will be just another stress for her. My mom needs new glasses for the new year because she lost her old pair. Shes afraid to go to the doctor because she will have to pay. I think its kind of funny, that my mom now ask me to read whats on the TV, or hands me a piece of paper and say “ Robert read this”. Prescription Meds, I know she has not picked up. Gas, to pick us up for school. Rent, her bills. We need lunch money and groceries for our home. My little brother drinks 2 gallons a week, cause hes a growing boy and he loves cereal. My mom has given her life to the country and has worked for the government for the last 10 years. i feel so sad for her. My mom cant get a second job because we are her second job. She picks us up and drops us off to school everyday and also take us to our sports every day. My brother and I are reaching out to the world to see if we can raise enough money so that she doesn’t have to worry anymore. We just want her to relax and know that everything will be okay, despite her job in jeopardy. Thank you world for reading this. God Bless Everyone as they go through this difficult time in America! Signed, Robert & Tris

Security And Health Risks

"The ongoing federal government shutdown has stopped most food safety inspections, but the Food and Drug Administration is planning to resume at least some of them. To do it, the agency will have to force furloughed workers to come back without pay," reported NBC, detailing what Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb told one of their reporters. Dr. Gottlieb would also publish the following Twitter thread to update concerned citizens. https://twitter.com/SGottliebFDA/status/1083055700593516545 "The shutdown needlessly risks the safety, security and efficiency of our national airspace system," Captain Joe DePete, President of the Air Line Pilots Association, said in a show of industry solidarity toward the federal workers hit by the funding fight according to Dallas News, echoing concerns of some who feel flying may not be safe during the shutdown. "At this point in time, the traveling public has not anything to be concerned about, three months from now, I might not say that." John Goglia Former Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Board member and independent safety consultant told CNN. His take is more optimistic than others have about the current state of the TSA during the partial shutdown.   Read the full article

[gamenaffection]

My thoughts on Final Fantasy XV

Final Fantasy XV has been one hell of a ride. I consider it a decent Final Fantasy game based on my experience with it.

My last main FF title I played was FF12 when it was first released. Sadly, I did not enjoy that FF title. From start to finish, I was just not having fun, I literally had to force myself just to see how it ends, because I hate leaving games unfinished. 

FFXV was not the case, I was enjoying the whole experience of the guys and their long journey to reclaim the throne. I want to talk about the positives I've seen with this game, but then there are the negatives, they are such an eye sore that do damage to the experience in some ways. I'm sure most players have experience glitches along the way with this game. Here are the glitches I experienced: the camera being locked in place for starters. No matter what direction I move with the right joy stick, the camera stays locked in place. Forcing me to leave a dungeon, reload my save, or fast travel to somewhere else in order to fix this issue. Not being able to pick up items off of the ground was another annoying issue I ran into. Then there's the admantoise boss battle... ...it was such a damn mess. Can't believe this huge boss battle was unchecked. You can tell it was literally thrown in the last minute.

While on the subject of negative things I found in FFXV, there were a couple of things that bothered me from the story. The most common issue is how certain scenes or events happened in game, and were never shown in game what really happened. For example, Gladiolus leaves the party and comes back later on. Of course, this is later on mentioned that you will get to see his story as a part of DLC. While I'm glad we are getting an answer to this, it's not an answer that is "Free of charge". It's just ridiculous to me that they cut out important events like this all because of dumb reasons. And I'm sure making the players pay up, might be one of those reasons. 

Comparing this to my experience with the previous FF games, it's just silly. It's like, cutting out that one part in FFVII where Cloud leaves the party and he just comes back like nothing happened. At this point when it's things like this, I would have to agree with other,s to an extent, when they say, "I have to remind myself this isn’t a Final Fantasy game.." You sometimes have to keep this in mind just to not be so harsh on this game, but it's difficult for me and a lot of other players who feel the same. 

My other main complaint is how they handled Luna's story. For an important character in the game, we knew very little about her, or how Noctis really felt about her. [I have read the recent article explaining this. It was still a poor excuse. ] There are rumors saying that they butchered her backstory due to "complaints" about it, but we will never really know. Just only going based on an assumption that others pointed out from a poll. Finishing off this talk about negative comments for this game, I have this to say: this is the end result of being in development hell for 10 years.

This is why I don't go on an angry rant or whine all day about the bad things. Because I knew, and many others saw this coming as well, that this game was going to be an incomplete experience, one way or another. I'm still bothered by the fact, it could have been a whole lot better. And I feel that, others felt a little cheated from this experience. Unlike the previous FF titles, you got the full experience. 

Even with all that has been said, I still enjoyed this game. It is memorable for what it was. I fell in love with the main characters, and to me, that doesn't happen often. There are other RPGs where I will maybe like one or two characters, and that's it. But this time, I loved their company. The boys were real to me. They were alive. Over time they grew on you and you learned so much about their personalities, and the way they interacted with each other. They reminded you of hanging out with friends, and I'm glad when games make characters relate able or remind you of the good things from your life.

 Top notch voice acting was a major influence. Both the dubbed and the subbed versions. Even after platinuming the game, and moved onto another game. I miss their chatter. I miss...the guys and their voices. Because I'm so familiar with the many things they say.  When voice acting is that memorable, you know they delivered a good voice acting experience. The battle system I knew I was going to love from the start, it's done by the same team who handles the Kingdom Hearts games. The amount of content is there, and even harder challenges exists so you will be there for quite a while if you're the type of person that wants to complete it all. My game file is at 147 hours. That shows how much love and time I spent on that game. I admit at first, I thought Prompto taking photos was silly. But over time, I realized that he can sometimes take some really amazing photos. This feature added onto the experience of sharing with others on social media. It was a way to share the journey with your friends IRL. 

The moogle chocobo carnival event was a nice touch. I loved the fact that anything you got from that event, it was also carried over onto the main game. That mariachi outfit is priceless in cutscenes. And last, but not least. The music to this game. The wonderful Yoko Shimomura brings out the best in this OST, I fell in love with the battle themes. And let's not forget the track, Somnus.

Overall, even though it had it’s flaws. I considered it one of my top favorite FF titles. It didn’t replace my love for Final Fantasy VII[my first FF] but it came close to it. I want to be positive and hope, the FF7 remake is treated well. But truth is, I’m very doubtful. We will find out later on when it’s actually released.

[gordonwilliamsweb]

Covid Was a Tipping Point for Telehealth. If Some Have Their Way, Virtual Visits Are Here to Stay.

As the covid crisis wanes and life approaches normal across the U.S., health industry leaders and many patient advocates are pushing Congress and the Biden administration to preserve the pandemic-fueled expansion of telehealth that has transformed how millions of Americans see the doctor.

This story also ran on USA Today. It can be republished for free.

The broad effort reaches across the nation’s diverse health care system, bringing together consumer groups with health insurers, state Medicaid officials, physician organizations and telehealth vendors.

And it represents an emerging consensus that many services that once required an office visit can be provided easily and safely — and often more effectively — through a video chat, a phone call or even an email.

“We’ve seen that telehealth is an extraordinary tool,” said David Holmberg, chief executive of Pittsburgh-based Highmark, a multistate insurer that also operates a major medical system. “It’s convenient for the patient, and it’s convenient for the doctor. … Now we need to make it sustainable and enduring.”

Last fall, a coalition of leading patient groups — including the American Heart Association, the Arthritis Foundation, Susan G. Komen and the advocacy arm of the American Cancer Society — hailed the expansion of telehealth, noting the technology “can and should be used to increase patient access to care.”

But the widespread embrace of telemedicine — arguably the most significant health care shift wrought by the pandemic — is not without skeptics. Even supporters acknowledge the need for safeguards to prevent fraud, preserve quality and ensure that the digital health revolution doesn’t leave behind low-income patients and communities of color with less access to technology — or leave some with only virtual options in place of real physicians.

Some worry that telehealth, like previous medical innovations, may become another billing tool that simply drives up costs, a fear exacerbated by the hundreds of millions of dollars flowing into the burgeoning digital health industry.

Companies offering remote urgent care, virtual primary care and new wearable technologies to monitor patient health are exploding, with the annual global telehealth market expected to top $300 billion by 2026, up nearly fivefold from 2019, according to research company PitchBook.

“I don’t think there’s any debate that there is a value in better access, but if this is just a one-off service that adds another billing option without fitting into patients’ regular care, I don’t know if it will do much for patients’ health,” said Tom Banning, head of the Texas Academy of Family Physicians.

Perhaps the most contentious issue facing politicians, insurers and hospitals is how much a telehealth visit is worth in a system that is already breaking the bank.

While Medicare and other insurers fueled the explosion of telehealth over the past year by paying the same rates as for in-person visits, many are expected to push for lower prices when the federally designated public health crisis ends. At the same time, physicians and hospitals are looking to maintain income.

“Payers are unlikely to give providers carte blanche,” said Dr. Hoangmai Pham, a former senior medical official at health insurance giant Anthem. But Pham noted insurers could reward physicians and hospitals that take greater responsibility for their patients’ overall health with higher rates for telehealth. “There’s an opportunity here,” she said.

For now, tens of millions of Americans have gotten used to meeting their doctor on a laptop or smartphone, and pressure is building on the federal and state governments to loosen rules to preserve virtual visits after the health crisis ends.

“I don’t want to go back,” said Suzy Brantley, a 67-year-old Texan who works at an accounting firm outside Dallas.

Brantley has been going to the same medical practice for more than 15 years. “I love them there,” she said. But when the practice closed its doors last spring, requiring virtual visits, Brantley found she enjoyed the more convenient way to do routine business like refill a prescription.

“You don’t have to leave work to go to the doctor,” she said. “I can just step into the break room for a few minutes and use my phone. … I love it.”

She’s far from alone. In a nationwide poll last year, 8 in 10 Americans who had used telehealth said they “liked it” or “loved it.” Nearly the same share said they were likely to continue using it after the pandemic, according to the survey by the Harris Poll.

Just a year ago, telehealth — or telemedicine, as it’s also called — was largely a curiosity. Patient and physician wariness and strict rules about how doctors could bill had squelched widespread use.

Fearing fraud and overuse, the federal government tightly restricted the kind of video and audio visits that could be billed to Medicare, limiting use mainly to rural areas and to visits in which a doctor was in an office or hospital, rather than working remotely.

“There was a fear that if there was the slightest opening in the Medicare payment system, people would find a way to abuse it,” said Sean Cavanaugh, who oversaw Medicare during the Obama administration.

That changed suddenly in spring 2020 as pandemic lockdowns shuttered physician offices. Almost overnight, doctors were forced to pivot to virtual care to maintain contact with patients and keep money flowing.

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The Trump administration moved quickly to facilitate the shift. The Medicare agency dramatically expanded the kind of services that could be provided virtually. Officials added 140 telehealth services to the list of what Medicare would pay for during the pandemic, including emergency visits, eye exams, speech and hearing therapy, and nursing home care.

Critically, Medicare raised fees for virtual visits to match those for in-office exams, a move followed by state Medicaid programs and many commercial insurers.

The surge was explosive. While fewer than 1% of primary care visits in Medicare occurred virtually in January 2020, by April nearly half did, according to data compiled by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission.

At UnitedHealth Group, the nation’s largest health insurer, the number of covered telehealth visits increased nearly thirtyfold, rising from 1.2 million visits in 2019 to 34 million last year. Other insurers reported as much as an eightyfold increase.

“Very quickly, it became clear that we could deliver very good care to our patients via televisit,” said Dr. Manish Naik, chief medical information officer at Austin Regional Clinic in central Texas.

The medical group not only helped its primary care physicians pivot to telehealth, but it also built a virtual urgent care system that allows patients to connect by video with on-call doctors 24 hours a day, a model used by large medical systems such as Kaiser Permanente.

Other systems are moving beyond televisits to expand use of remote monitoring tools in people’s homes that track vital signs of patients with chronic illnesses such as diabetes.

Perhaps nowhere has telehealth proved more transformational than in mental health services and treatment for patients addicted to drugs.

“Telehealth has been a godsend,” said Ellen Bemis, chief executive of AMHC, a network of behavioral health clinics in rural northern Maine. Bemis said the clinics are already seeing patients adhere better to their medications as they remain in better contact virtually.

“I hope we never go back,” she said.

In Alaska, health officials feel the same way. “What we’ve seen through covid was amazing,” said state Medicaid director Albert Wall, noting a major decline in patients missing appointments.

Whether these changes endure depends largely on Congress and the Biden administration, which hasn’t indicated whether it will make permanent the looser telehealth rules rolled out last year. The rules will sunset when the public health emergency ends, likely at the end of this year.

The uncertainty is fueling an urgent effort by physicians, hospitals, patient advocates and others to persuade government officials not to reimpose the strict limitations.

Democrats and Republicans in Congress have introduced bills to cement the changes. In statehouses, advocates for expanding telehealth have introduced more than 650 bills, according to the Alliance for Connected Care, a telehealth lobbying coalition.

“We’ve seen the potential of telehealth,” said Dr. Christopher Crow, chief executive of Texas-based Catalyst Health Network, which helps primary care physicians manage their practices. “Now, we have to make sure we realize it before everyone starts shifting back to the exam rooms.”

Major physician groups are pushing to maintain equal reimbursement for telehealth and in-person visits.

Dr. Susan Bailey, president of the American Medical Association, said Medicare should continue to allow patients to receive virtual care in their homes and in all areas of the country, not just rural areas.

The association is also pushing for Medicare to keep reimbursing doctors for consulting with patients by phone, a move Bailey said would ensure that patients without broadband internet service aren’t left behind.

The push for more billable services has raised concerns about fraud, especially as physicians and hospitals develop more efficient systems to see patients remotely. “Overuse is absolutely a concern,” said Dr. Von Nguyen, chief medical officer at Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina. “Once these systems are in place, I suspect, the risk will be greater.”

Nevertheless, many insurers and state Medicaid programs, two groups that typically look more skeptically at services that can drive up costs, are backing telehealth expansion.

And despite initial fraud concerns, nearly a dozen Medicaid and insurance industry officials interviewed for this article noted that thus far they’ve seen little evidence of widespread misuse.

“There is fraud in traditional medical care, too,” said Dr. Donna O’Shea, a senior executive at UnitedHealth Group.

Several insurance officials said telehealth could ultimately save money by routing some medical care from high-cost doctors’ offices and hospitals to lower-priced virtual visits, particularly for urgent care.

And some insurance companies — including Harvard Pilgrim Health Care in New England and Priority Health in Michigan — are marketing health plans with lower premiums that steer patients to virtual care.

“We see this being a long-term change,” said Dr. Michael Sherman, Harvard Pilgrim’s chief medical officer.

Sherman said the health plan is even exploring whether to help low-income patients get internet access to expand telehealth further. “We have proven to ourselves that this works,” he said.

KHN correspondent Rachana Pradhan and digital producer Hannah Norman contributed to this report.

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

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This story can be republished for free (details).

Covid Was a Tipping Point for Telehealth. If Some Have Their Way, Virtual Visits Are Here to Stay. published first on https://nootropicspowdersupplier.tumblr.com/

[thisdaynews]

Flush with cash, Yang wrestles with where to spend it

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/flush-with-cash-yang-wrestles-with-where-to-spend-it/

Flush with cash, Yang wrestles with where to spend it

The reality is that his newfound campaign riches are creating internal tension about whether to beef up the Iowa operation or bet it all in New Hampshire.

Yang’s strong focus has always been on New Hampshire, the first-in-the-nation primary state where he has spentmore time than any of the top-tier candidates. The campaign sees it as ripe ground for him — Democratic voters relish their independent-streak and showed they were open to non-traditional candidates in the past, delivering Sen. Bernie Sanders a decisive win in the 2016 primary.

Their goal, to date, has been to finish at the top of the second-tier in order to stay relevant after the early-voting states. Suddenly though, with money to play in Iowa as well, there is a vigorous debate about where to spend the cash and Yang’s other precious commodity— his time.

“I think if we overperform expectations will have a very powerful narrative coming out of New Hampshire that people don’t expect us to be at the top four here,” Yang said after wrapping up the final of 14 events during a four-day trip here. “If we break the top four, I think people will see that we have a ton of energy behind us.”

Yang’s $16.5 million — 65 percent more than the previous quarter — placed him fifthin terms of fundraising for the Democratic presidential candidates, about $4.7 million less than Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who came in fourth. He raised almost five times more than Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, another second-tier candidate who has invested so heavily in New Hampshire that she has all but moved here.

Since the money started to flow, Campaign Chief Nick Ryan said they have been staffing up in not only Iowa and New Hampshire but also starting to build out a Super Tuesday organization. But the campaign declined to provide any information about their staffing, including how many people work on the campaign or how many have been hired since the fundraising surge.

Ryan said he sees the opportunity for a larger-than-usual number of candidates to survive past the caucuses, given the nature of the field.

“We are going to have a couple of trips into New Hampshire, but it will be more Iowa than New Hampshire,” he said, adding it is based on the voting calendar.

Staff in New Hampshire want more investment here, including the candidate’s time. Steve Marchand, Yang’s local senior adviser, said he wants the candidate to essentially live here.

“There was a decision made I think that we had to disproportionately invest over the last few months in Iowa in order to make up for the kind of head start in New Hampshire,” Marchand said. “A lot of the focus of that is that it has an impact on the ability to make the debate stage.”

There hasn’t been a poll in the field for more than two weeks in Iowa and more than a month in New Hampshire, making it difficult to tell whether the new investments or his performance in the Dec. 19 nationally-televised debate have moved the needle for him in either state.

But his crowds have noticeably started to look different. At events in the summer and fall, the audience tended to be male and younger — scruffy millennials who knew about him from his interviews on their favorite podcasts. Now there’s a solid mix of gray hair and women in the audience. Several people said in interviews before a town hall at a restaurant here that they were impressed by his recent debate performance.

The campaign calls their supporters the “Yang Gang” and people who are still kicking the tires on his candidacyare “Yang-curious.”

Yang is also becoming a discussion point inside Sanders’ local headquarters, according to those close to his campaign. They see him as a threat, albeit small, in a primary that could be decided by a sliver of votes.

“I think that our bit here is very, very strong,” Yang said. “I think people here in New Hampshire are very independent-minded and they have skepticism that Washington, D.C. career politicians are going to provide the solutions that are going to improve our lives.”

Marchand, who was previously mayor of Portsmouth, one of the state’s largest and most liberal cities, ran for governor in 2018 with the central theme that he was New Hampshire’s Sanders-equivalent. He supported Sanders in 2016.

“We’re definitely getting voters that are peeling off of Bernie,” Marchand said. “They still love these other candidates — that’s not the question — it’s just that they really want to win, and they want somebody that makes them feel really excited about who they’re going to vote for.”

The campaign said the changes they’ve seen are tied to Yang’s performance in the December debate, arguing it is mainly because he got significantly more time to speak with fewer candidates on the stage. His participation in the January is tenuous, as he only has one of the four qualifying polls needed with less than a week left before the deadline.

In New Hampshire,Yang is investing heavily in television to continue to help get his name out, keeping up with the top of the field in terms of spending. Counting the last two months and all booked ads through the end of this month, his campaign will spendmore than $2 million here, more than Sen. Elizabeth Warren and former Vice President Joe Biden combined. Sanders blows them all out with $3.9 million, according to Advertising Analytics, an ad tracking firm.

There are signs the advertising might be raising his familiarity amongvoters. At an event at Concord High School on Thursday, several hundred students took a break from classes — though not all voluntarily — to see Yang speak. When he asked how many had seen his ads, almost everyone raised their hands.

Ryan, the campaign chief, said their own internal polling shows Yang on the rise nationally.

“You’re missing any public polling that would reflect that movement,” he said. “A lot of our internal metrics — be it name ID, consideration, likability, as well as our top lines — they are reflecting that once polls go back into the field, we’re going to start seeing some different numbers.”

Yang’s performance here will largely depend on who remains in the second-tier following Iowa a week earlier, according to Dante Scala, a University of New Hampshire professor who has authored a book on the state’s primary. Yang will still struggle to pick up enough votes to make it to the top of the second-tier, especially if candidates like Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado survive past Iowa, Scala said.

“It’s not enough to have the money, you also have to have the message, and I’m not quite sure how is he going to expand or break out of this niche,” he said.

Read More

[digitalmark18-blog]

The Cincinnati Enquirer wrote an audience-driven article using Instagram Stories (and it wasn't even about a hippo)

New Post has been published on https://britishdigitalmarketingnews.com/the-cincinnati-enquirer-wrote-an-audience-driven-article-using-instagram-stories-and-it-wasnt-even-about-a-hippo/

The Cincinnati Enquirer wrote an audience-driven article using Instagram Stories (and it wasn't even about a hippo)

If you follow news organizations on Instagram, you probably see a dozen news quizzes or “things to know” every week on your Instagram Stories. Now, there’s nothing necessarily wrong about testing followers on current events and sharing roundups. But on a platform that lets users vote, rate something’s emoji-level, ask questions directly, and more — there might just be opportunity for a little more engagement.

If you follow the Cincinnati Enquirer, though, you might get the chance to decorate some digital coloring book pages of Fiona the Hippo, or even sound off on the city’s public transit problems — and have the newsroom hear you out.

hello it’s #nationalcoloringbookday and @NyergesMike helped a weird idea of mine come to life and now it’s on the @Enquirer’s instagram story!!

check it out if you like fun: https://t.co/7uZxUiSyQ9 pic.twitter.com/H9ZYRKoqOT

— Mallorie Sullivan ✨ (@malloriesullivn) August 2, 2018

“People think of Instagram as food pictures and [being] really extravagant,” said Mallorie Sullivan, the Enquirer’s social media manager, who also has an Instagram for her dog. “I never thought people would really care about real life issues on here and they do.”

Remember, Instagram Stories are the fun lil circles-at-the-top-of-your-feed format the platform “borrowed” from Snapchat; in our previous coverage of the format, we had the discussion about what to call the “annotated mix of photos and videos, arranged in time order, vertically formatted, designed for mobile, navigated via tap, often (though not always!) meant to disappear after a certain period of time.” That was in reference to the framework from Google that allowed news developers to build their own Story-esque tool for their sites, but it’s important to remember that Stories — using it as a proper noun here, in a nod to the Snapchat Stories format that Instagram/Facebook/Messenger ran with, and because these are legitimately Instagram Stories we are talking about here — are a new playground for publishers.

A report from INMA by Yusuf and Sumaiya Omar provides a solid description of each platform’s Stories and how publishers can use them smartly. “Nearly a billion Snapchat, Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook, and Messenger accounts now create and watch Stories. It’s no longer a sidebar to social media,” they wrote in the report, with highlights shared by Journalism.co.uk. (Mark Zuckerberg agrees, saying in February that “Stories are on track to overtake posts and feeds as the most common way that people share across all social apps.”)

News organizations have tried highly produced shows on Snapchat and mobile video on Instagram’s IGTV, not to mention just posting to the permanent feed itself. But Instagram has rolled out several new features lately that add toys to the social sandbox, and the Enquirer has been smartly playing with some of them.

Sullivan leads the social media strategy for the paper’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (they’ve stepped back from Snapchat because of low engagement). Those three channels have three distinct audiences — notably, their older followers on Facebook tend to berate the Enquirer’s page for sharing pop culture jokes or getting too creative. “We don’t use a lot of memes on Facebook because people get mad at us because ‘we’re a legacy newspaper and we shouldn’t be acting that way’,” Sullivan told me, though I imagined the air quotes through our phone call. Sullivan is part of a four-person digital team (the others are producers).

The Stories, though, are her “testing ground for my dumb ideas.” A Facebook Journalism Project event in Cincinnati encouraged her to think about how to focus on the interactive component of Stories. In the past few weeks, Sullivan has experimented with stories celebrating national “holidays” for hot dogs and coloring books (don’t worry, this isn’t all about food). For the former occasion, Sullivan used a Story to ask readers to build their ultimate hot dog via polls and the recently-released Q&A feature — and then she went home and concocted the hot dog toppings herself to end the Story, bacon, jalapeño, and all).

you guys…I did it for the ‘gram

see the 🌭 combinations that were most popular with @Enquirer readers: https://t.co/7uZxUiSyQ9 pic.twitter.com/Eiy15Niwu7

— Mallorie Sullivan ✨ (@malloriesullivn) July 19, 2018

She drew on the newspaper’s coloring contest for children in the fall as inspiration behind black-and-white graphics of local zoo animals, like Cincinnati celebrity (and children’s book star) Fiona the Hippo. Users could screenshot the images and add their own flair with stickers, different brushes, and more, and Sullivan uploaded them to the Enquirer’s Story to keep the artistry going.

But the biggest splash came from using the Q&A feature to ask readers for their thoughts on the city’s public transit problems. The Story was meant to get followers reading a multi-phase, year-long project the Enquirer had embarked on; earlier in the week, Sullivan had asked people via polls if they got around on bus, bike, or car, and then invited them to join a Facebook group created for the project. But the replies ended up sparking a conversation of their own. With this Story, she reminded them of that interaction and shared some tidbits from the published project and asked followers what changes they want to see in Cincinnati’s public transportation. Within a half hour, the 33,000-follower account had 15 to 20 responses.

Sullivan checked with the reporter leading the project to see if she could compile a complementary article based on the responses. The answer: “Go for it. The more people we can get talking about transit in Cincinnati, the better,” Sullivan said. She wrote up a list of five things that Cincinnatians want to see changed in public transportation, which, coincidentally, isn’t too far off from the list by the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority and accounting firm EY shared in the main story. More than 100 people swiped up on the crowdsourced article in the Story to read it.

“To get more than 50 swipes up was really surprising to me. It showed me that this wasn’t a dumb idea. This is really important and people value this and want their voices heard even if you don’t think they do,” Sullivan said.

In addition to Stories, she’s toyed with newsletter-style roundups in regular Instagram posts. She assembles a few newsworthy local happenings into a multi-slide post with a numbered caption, so followers can swipe through and see the corresponding images, and it’s apparently one of the most popular items on the Enquirer’s Instagram. Their throwback Thursday posts also do well, drawing from the Enquirer’s archives.

Source: http://www.niemanlab.org/2018/08/the-cincinnati-enquirer-wrote-an-audience-driven-article-using-instagram-stories-and-it-wasnt-even-about-a-hippo/

[highschoolharrier]

A follow up to our LA composite rankings from yesterday.  Brother Martin returns 4:23/9:18 runner Hunter Appleton and 4:24/9:43 runner Hayden Courrege.

Drew Haro is the head cross country coach at Brother Martin High School in New Orleans, the #1 team in our Louisiana pre-season composite poll.  This is his first year as head coach but has been the distance coach for track for several years and coached three state qualifiers this past spring.  Haro ran for Brother Martin and then LSU.  Brother Martin cross country has been a nationally recognized program several times in the previous decades.

High School Harrier: How does it feel to be the head coach of the school you ran at and won a state title with?

Drew Haro: This is a question that people have asked me a bit recently, and I still don't entirely know how to answer it. I think my feelings are a combination of humility, excitement, and nervousness. I mean, ever since I got into teaching and coaching, I've thought about what it would feel like and look like to give back to the school that introduced me to our great sport. More than anything though, I think I just feel a huge level of responsibility to the tradition and legacy that our school has developed over the years. This pumps me up and terrifies me at the same time.

HSH: How much has your daily workload changed now that you have moved from assistant coach to head coach?

DH: The biggest thing that has changed, so far, is that as head coach I receive a lot more emails/phone calls for things as the "point man" of the cross country program. In terms of the day to day planning of things, I had a decent understanding of the work expectations coming in. I'm sure as the school year progresses I'll see my work load increase in ways I have not predicted yet.

HSH: How many athletes do you expect to compete for you in the fall?

DH: We are fortunate at Brother Martin that interest in cross country is pretty high. Once we reach out to the new students at the beginning of the year, we will probably have a roster of  approximately 85 athletes.

HSH: How has your training gone with the team so far this summer?

DH: Summer training has been pretty productive. We get around 20 guys consistently to summer practice. We always see guys learn from previous years the importance of summer consistency in order to get better for the fall. Watching this commitment and improvement really gets exciting. However, there's always a few guys we'd like to see more over the summer, but we just have to trust that they are holding their own and doing what's right for the team.

HSH: What is your overall training philosophy for your distance program?

DH: You know, I think about my training philosophy pretty regularly. What I've come up with over the years is that good distance running comes from two things: patience and consistency. I believe that strength with a large aerobic base is extremely vital. This doesn't necessarily mean that I'm a big mileage guy. I believe in balance, but I do enjoy watching athletes reap the benefits of good strong tempo workouts supplemented with higher turnover work. All this being said, I'm always learning and trying to be creative to keep our runners engaged day in and day out. At the end of it all, though, I desire our program to reach the following three goals: for athletes (1) to find camaraderie with one another, (2) to embrace the process, and (3) to find team/individual success.

HSH: Hunter Appleton ran 9:18 this spring which is close to top 10 all time in the state.  What can we expect to see from him this fall?

DH: I don't like to forecast cross country times because the course and the race conditions can throw off that kind of thing. What I can say is that I fully expect Hunter to rival his own teammate, Hayden Courrege', everyday in practice and subsequently in every race. They both lead with great poise and intensity. With those two guys pushing each other each day, good things will happen.

HSH: What do you think the biggest strength of your team will be this year?

DH: I truly believe that the camaraderie that our team is developing will be pivotal in teaching each runner how to run for his teammates not just himself. I hope that this camaraderie will increase our depth making us that much tougher and stronger.

HSH: What do you believe is the most important part of a high school athletes training regime?

DH: Diversity. We sometimes forget that these kids are young and need special attention to develop every aspect of their athleticism and not just the aspects that are "running specific".  

HSH: How big of impact do you think not having a metro meet the week before district will be for your team this year?

DH: I don't believe the impact for us is that big. We never had a problem racing Metro. We built our training around our racing schedule, so we prepared for that situation. We've always believed that races are types of workouts, so since we won't have Metro, we'll simply substitute another workout somewhere that can help us get better. Not having the Metro meet is unfortunate, though, because historically, it's been a special meet for the city. However, with the addition of the 5A Regional, having the Metro meet at a time of the year where it means something was very difficult to figure out for all classifications represented in the city.

HSH: Is there any runner on your team who you feel will be ready to have a breakout season?

DH: We have some solid underclassmen who have been really consistent since last track season, so targeting any one athlete is tough. Part of the fun of coaching this sport is seeing who makes those big jumps as the season progresses and makes the case for a varsity spot. I can't wait!

Photo courtesy of Brother Martin.

[viralhottopics]

The 10-a-day diet tested: ‘I feel like a sentient composter’

New research suggests that we ought to be eating 10 portions of fruit and veg a day. Stuart Heritage plies himself with the good stuff, and Guardian cook Felicity Cloake judges his efforts

Like everyone else in the world, my blood ran cold when I heard that we are now expected to eat 10 portions of fruit and vegetables every day. That is double the previous recommended amount, and even that required too much effort for my liking. Oh, sure, the effects of 10 a day sound miraculous researchers claim that it would decrease our chance of heart disease by 24%, stroke by 33% and cancer by 13% but it sounds a bit much, doesnt it?

Perhaps not. We wanted to investigate how much fruit and vegetables you need to eat to gain the maximum protection against disease, and premature death. Our results suggest that although five portions of fruit and vegetables is good, 10 a day is even better, said Imperial Colleges Dr Dagfinn Aune, lead author of the research.

What does it mean exactly? Its 10 servings of 80g portions so three tablespoons of peas, or one pear, say, is a single portion. So, is it do-able?

A YouGov poll from 2012 reported that only one in five of us manage to hit five portions a day, let alone 10. Brave pioneer that I am, I decided to find out over the course of a long weekend, before Guardian cook Felicity Cloake judged my efforts and offered some suggestions of how better to hit my goal.

Friday Breakfast

My breakfast usually consists of horrifyingly sugary cereal, to provide me with the artificial jolt of energy required to see me through the morning. Today, however, I eat a grapefruit, a banana and an apple. Better yet, a whole grapefruit counts as two portions. Still, its 7.30am, and Ive already almost hit half of my daily quota. In your face, science. Im going to live for ever.

Except Im not, obviously, because as Harley Street dietitian and sports nutritionist Raquel Britzke points out, favouring fruit over vegetables has problems of its own. Both give you carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and fibre, she says. But fruits tend to have more carbs, and consequently more sugar, than vegetables. If you have a slow metabolism or are trying to lose weight, I recommend eating seven portions of veggies and three portions of fruit. Great.

A happy start to the experiment. Photograph: Stuart Heritage

Lunch

G2 sends a photographer to my house, to show the world what I look like when Im near some vegetables. Inadvertently, my lunch becomes all the things that the photographer tells me to put into my mouth. This ends up being an apple, a banana and two different carrots.

Dinner

On a normal day, my meal of chicken and potatoes would have been entirely vegetable-free but, knowing that I now have a target to hit, I pile up a mound of cherry tomatoes on the side and work through those as well. Its not quite the advice I was given by another nutritionist, Laura Thomas, who suggested that all meals should consist of at least 50% vegetables, but its a start. A bowl of watermelon for pudding and Ive easily hit my 10.

Total intake: 10 portions.

Felicitys verdict

Stuart has immediately discovered the easy part of fruit and veg consumption: the fruit bit. Australians are told fruit should make up just two of their recommended seven portions a day because of its effect on blood sugar and he has got through 60g of sugar for breakfast alone. Although our own government seems to take the view that any fresh produce is better than the traditional British diet of Jammie Dodgers, it might be wise to swap some of this fruit for avocado on toast or a mushroom omelette occasionally, and save the sweet stuff for pudding later in the day.

Saturday Breakfast

Now that I have a toddler who can shout the word pancakes in a vaguely threatening manner, Saturday breakfast is always a rigidly enforced stack of banana pancakes. The good news: one stack has a whole banana in it. The bad news: it also has eggs and flour in it, which fill me up much more than just a banana would. However, I still manage to heroically force down an apple and two satsumas as well. Four portions, done and dusted by 8am. I am the best.

Saturday breakfast: banana pancakes and fruit. Photograph: Stuart Heritage

Except, wait. After checking the NHS website, I realise that a satsuma only counts as half a portion, which knocks me back down to three. Undaunted, I eat two more satsumas to boost me back up, which means that Ive now eaten four satsumas in a row for breakfast. This is no way for a man to live.

Snack

I put my son down for a morning nap and, because of this stupid challenge, think: What a perfect opportunity to eat an entire raw carrot. It has been years since I last ate an entire raw carrot, and now I see why. Raw carrots are rubbish all chew and no reward. The carrot takes a thousand years to eat. It takes so long that my son wakes up before I finish, and I have to put the rest of it in my pocket for later. All this work, trying to sneak in a vegetable whenever I have a moment of downtime, is starting to make me feel less like a person and more like a sentient composter.

Lunch

A bowl of chicken-and-vegetable soup (which counts as a portion, according to the label), and two portions of grapes. Two portions of grapes is 28 grapes, which I count out one by one like some sort of shivering Victorian waif. What have I become?

Later, while running errands, the wind begins. There is a good three-minute stretch where a brand-new fart pops out of my trousers with every step I take. This is new. So much for science; I worry that if everyone eats 10 portions of fruit and veg a day, well all end up dead from methane inhalation.

Dinner

Meatballs and pasta and tomato sauce (homemade, so it counts) and another big bowl of watermelon. Ive hit my 10 portions again, and I only had to accidentally fumigate one shop to do it.

Total intake: 10 portions.

Felicitys verdict

Banana pancakes are a painless way to get fruit into children; top with berries to add an extra portion, and ring the changes with cheesy courgette or crispy carrot fritters occasionally. Equally, at this time of year, when salads feel a bit punishing, soup is a lifesaver: minestrone will happily absorb any old odds and ends you have in the fridge. You can also add finely chopped veg to meatballs and burgers (grated carrot or finely chopped spinach are good candidates) and, of course, if Stuart ever finishes that sugary watermelon, he could always knock up a chocolate beetroot or parsnip-and-orange cake as an after-dinner treat.

A bountiful breakfast. Photograph: Stuart Heritage

Sunday Breakfast

The plan was to have a nice, big, healthy breakfast and then head out as a family to a fancy event in London. However, a combination of train cancellations, a sick wife and barely any sleep means that breakfast now consists of a chocolate chip cookie that I made with my son yesterday. The cookie has a glac cherry on it. Glac cherries apparently do not count towards your 10 a day. This feels like an oversight on the part of the NHS.

Lunch

Post-event, with my wife home unwell, my son and I find ourselves in the nightmarish epicentre of tourist hellscape London. Thomass advice for eating out is this: Ordering vegetable sides is a good option, but you could also think about replacing one of your protein foods with beans they can count as one portion per day. Trying to get more vegetarian meals in, too, will make it much easier, and this is consistent with the advice to cut back on red and processed meat.

However, this is an emergency; I just want to survive today. Lunch ends up being something that can be eaten quickly at the nearest possible kid-friendly place: a burger and chips from Giraffe. (Chips dont count as a portion, by the way. I checked.) I could have ordered vegetables but, after yesterdays carrot debacle, I realise that I would still be there chewing on it now if I had. Knowing what a failure today has become, and remembering that Thomas said they count, I order a smoothie. At least thats something.

On the train home, I distract my son and, when he isnt looking, eat some of the snacks I bought for him. I manage six grapes and a third of a satsuma, which is about two-thirds of a portion in total. Still counts, though.

Basically watermelon is terrible for you. Photograph: Stuart Heritage

Dinner

Poor marital communication means that we end up eating chips again in the evening. On the plus side, we also have baked beans. Half a can of baked beans equals one portion of vegetables, and for one beautiful moment I toy with the idea of getting back on track by gorging myself on a multipack. However, the NHS guidance points out that anything over half a can still only counts as one portion, because they dont give the same mixture of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients as fruit and vegetables. This, it dawns on me, also applies to my doubled-up portions of grapefuit, apple and banana on Friday. I check the NHSs five a day website and it explains that to get the maximum benefits, you need to eat different types of fruit and vegetables. Stupid NHS. This isnt why I pay my taxes.

More watermelon for pudding, but this doesnt really make up for anything, especially since Britzke has decided to single out watermelon as one of the worst fruits to eat, thanks to its high glycemic index. Nutritionally, today has been a disaster.

Total intake: 3.66 portions.

Felicitys verdict

The problem with fruit and vegetables is that they tend to take more preparation than merely opening a packet (or, in Stuarts case, the biscuit tin), so its a good idea to keep carrot sticks or broccoli florets handy for those moments when you dont have time to faff about with cooking, ideally with a pot of something delicious to dip them into so you dont lose the will to live and reach for the crisps instead. In fact, like many healthy eating regimes, fitting more fruit and veg into your diet is much easier with a bit of forward planning. Stock up on frozen veg, tins of beans and pulses, and jars of fruit to add to meals when the salad drawer is bare. Also remember that although the potato is cruelly classed, by the powers that be, as a starchy food rather than a vegetable by the powers that be, the sweet potato is not and it makes seriously delicious chips. Just saying, Stuart.

MONDAY Breakfast

Yesterday broke me. Carting a kid about for a day is stressful enough as it is, and fretting about hitting a seemingly arbitrary vegetable target just added another level of anxiety to proceedings. So, today, screw it. Im just going to eat like normal. And, hey, if it kills me, it kills me. Breakfast is a leftover grapefruit. Happy now?

This only soups up the tally by one. Photograph: Stuart Heritage

Snack

An apple. If were being honest, its an apple and two Cadbury Creme Eggs. But were only counting the fruit and vegetables I eat, not any of my other disgusting dietary habits. Still, thats two portions so far.

Lunch

More chicken-and-vegetable soup. That makes three portions of fruit and veg. If these were the bad old days, back when we were all gormless knuckle-draggers who only thought we needed to eat five portions a day to be healthy, Id have been laughing. God, I miss the bad old days.

Dinner

I make shepherds pie. It contains two tins of tomatoes, two onions, two carrots, a leek that I had lying around and some frozen peas. If Ive done my maths right, divided by five, I think this works out at three portions a person. Add in the requisite bowl of watermelon at the end and thats four portions.

Total intake: seven portions.

Felicitys verdict

In just four days, Stuarts achieved fruit and veg enlightenment: the secret to eating more is to incorporate them into your ordinary diet, rather than hoping youll magically turn into the kind of person who enjoys snacking on raw kale. Adding extra portions to stews, curries, ragus and the like makes it feel a lot less like eating rabbit food than munching on a raw carrot next time he could try mixing some celeriac into the mash on top of his shepherds pie, too. And dont worry if some days are better than others: if beans on toast and an apple are the best you can manage, its still better than nothing. Even if you do have a Creme Egg on the side.

Total four-day intake: 30.66/40 portions

(If you let me have the doubled-up fruit and veg, which you shouldnt, but hey.)

Without really trying, Ive come tantalisingly close to the target. It hasnt made me too farty. It hasnt caused me any stress. So perhaps this is the secret here: you should just eat as many portions of fruit and vegetables as you can without letting it take over your life. If it goes belly-up for a day which it will, because there is more to life than endlessly chewing on foliage then thats not a big deal. After all, whats the point of living longer if its just going to make you uptight, unhappy and flatulent? Quit whining, science. Im doing fine.

Read more: http://bit.ly/2mclNYo

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