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Making Out #9: Zoey Plays Games by Katherine Applegate (and Michael Grant!)
by Rosey 10 October 2018
Making Out #9: Zoey Plays Games by Katherine Applegate (and Michael Grant)
Title: Zoey Plays Games
Front Blurb: Life was bliss for Zoey and Lucas until Aaron showed up on the island. Now Aaron wants Zoey. Claire wants Aaron and Zoey's got a secret that EVERYONE is talking about. How long before Lucas finds out that Zoey Plays Games
Back Blurb: Zoey plays games with Aaron and sets off a wave of broken hearts. Because Lucas is in love with Zoey, Claire has vowed to make Aaron her own. But the island is too small for big secrets.
I don't remember this book. It's Zoey story, so that's probably why.
Fun fact- this is the first Making Out book that wasn't written by Grapplegate – they handed the series over to ghostwriters from book 9. Also, there are also no more reprints for these later books, so it's firmly nostalgia from here onwards.
[Dove: Oh good, a Zoey book. You know how highly I regard the Passmore family in general, and Zoey in particular. This is the point where I really got sick of her nonsense, I think.]
[Wing: I'm pretty sure life wasn't bliss for Zoey and Lucas, book, but cool. Coooool.]
We start with diaries, and for those keeping track it's Thanksgiving, which I think brings us towards the end of November; it's been 4 weeks since Zoey had ABSOLUTLEY NOTHING to be thankful for. Luckily, her parents are now back together and she and Lucas are more in love than ever. (Hmm… hang on, is this the book where Zoey cheats on Lucas?) Speaking of Lucas, he is thankful that Claire owned up about who was driving the night Wade died and for Zoey, Zoey, Zoey. Nina disappoints me with some pretty snarky history of thanksgiving including the phrase "I'm talking good, nice Indians, not the screaming tomahawk-weilding ones we see in movies… the pilgrims were thankful that none of the Indians (known to the politically correct as Native Americans) had tried to scalp them…" So, Nina is getting some major side eye from me, and so is the ghostie. They better not just turn Nina into a dick. Anyway, she is thankful for days off school, not having to do Thanksgiving plays and Benjamin. Claire isn't thankful for anything. [Wing: I'm thankful for you, Claire.]
It's Thanksgiving and Zoey is enjoying a relaxed morning when Lucas shows up in her room, hoping to catch her naked. Ah, so Lucas has forgotten again that he promised not to pressure her about sex. He's so absent minded. They agree to have a "sex truce" for Thanksgiving.
Nina is getting dressed, and her father has requested she wear the floral dress he gave her last Christmas. She's not a fan and describes herself as a "dead-ringer for Laura Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie." Why does it matter what she's wearing? Weeeeellll… Mr Gieger has a Thanksgiving date! And he wants the girls to impress. It's a shame he doesn't understand how impressive Nina and Claire are when left to their own devices. Anyway, Nina is supportive of the dating, but she's not going to wear the dress. Claire shows up to complain that Nina's stereo is too loud and let us know that she isn't nearly as happy about their Father dating as Nina is. There are quite a few call backs in this scene – we get mentions of Nina's abusive uncle and the fact Benjamin used to date Claire within a few lines and I feel like the ghostie wants me to know that they have done their research, damnit.
Nina's New Dress
Claire heads up to her roof. Life has been dull for her since she and Jake broke up. There was the brief flirtation with internet dating, but the guy she had really enjoyed talking to turned out to be a disgusting fatty-fat-fat who Claire couldn't possibly be seen with in public. Claire knows that she's superficial, but hey, what you gonna do? [Wing: Damn it, Claire, I'm no longer thankful for you.] Claire writes in her diary – we learn that he Dad has been dating Sarah Mendel, who works at the bank with him and has a 17-year-old son that goes to some fancy school in Connecticut. Claire wants him to be happy, but doesn't see how anyone can make him as happy as their Mom did. Oh Claire, that's not how this works!
Next we get a diary from Aisha (Hi Hon!) her Mum always goes all out for Thanksgiving, and Aisha gets roped in to helping, while the men chill out and watch the football. This year, her Mum has invited Christopher to spend the day with them, which is sweet. This is followed by a Christopher diary entry where he admits that he loves how over the top Aisha's Mum can be about things like Thanksgiving and he's excited to spend the day with them. He mentions his "dysfunctional family" and I can't remember if this is the first time we hear them talked about in such terms – Christopher is pretty cagey about his past. Anyway, he's looking forward to seeing the Greys and to getting in some make out time with Aisha. [Dove: I'm not sure if Christopher has mentioned his family specifically, but I recall Wing mentioned in the earlier ones that even if Christopher was only talking about the kids he grew up with being dysfunctional and in trouble, it reeks of racial stereotypes, even if Christopher wasn't touched by it. Either way, it's definitely been hinted at.] [Wing: Yeah, it's been hinted at and it really does smack of some racial stereotypes. It's like, here's the "good" black character and here's the "bad" black character, though also, it's pretty telling that Aisha only gets to be the "good" one once her parents move her away from the city and into lily-white Chatham Island.]
Christopher is at work at the Passmore's restaurant before he goes to Aisha's for dinner. Ghostie takes another opportunity to fill us in on some past storylines, demonstrating their credentials for taking over the series – Christopher as many jobs; Christopher and Aisha are the only black teens on the island and at first Aisha refused to date him because she thought that was the only reason he liked her; Christopher cheated on her pretty regularly. I feel like this is a real departure in style. Something I quite liked about these books is that Grapplegate rarely feel the need to remind you of the past like this, and, when they do, they are more subtle about it. They trust the reader to be able to remember what happened a couple of books ago, and I appreciate their faith in me. [Wing: Agreed, especially because there's never any real beginning or ending to the books, they carry one to another.]
Anyway, Mr Passmore tells Christopher he's invited Secret Sister Lara McAvoy to Thanksgiving dinner, and he hasn't told Zoey or her Mum. Ooompf! That's not gonna go down well, Jeff. Christopher suggests it might though "Maybe they'll be excited… you know, getting to know a whole new relative and all." Yeah, that is not how this is going to go, but bless you for trying.
We aren't made to wait long before we find out that, no, Mrs Passmore and Zoey are not happy about Lara coming to dinner. Mrs Passmore even says "She's not my family" but concedes that Lara shouldn't have to spend Thanksgiving alone. Zoey declares Lara a "total druggie" who will probably steal the silverware. I fucking hate the Passmores. Like, Lara is not a saint, but she seems like she has had a very different life to the charmed one Zoey has, and perhaps part of that is due to a lack of family support and maybe the Passmores could make a fucking difference to her, and this familial situation isn't by her design, but oh no…. [rant redacted] [Dove: Oh, thank you for redacting. My recap on the next book also covers this rant, so at least it won't look like I'm copying you. But I feel this so hard. Zoey is such a horrible person about this, and I just want to punch her.] [Wing: Damn it, I want to read the redacted rant!]
Zoey storms home from the restaurant to confront Benjamin, who already knew about Lara's visit and hadn't told her, and find him entangled with Nina on his bed. Zoey is even more pissed off when she realises that Benjamin had told Nina that Lara was coming. Zoey admits she is curious about Lara, but doesn't want her there to ruin our Thanksgiving. Oh my god, Zoey, you are so annoying! It's too early in the book to be annoyed by you.
It is 2.55pm and Nina is attempting to put on make up to go with the dress her Mr Geiger wants her to wear. Apparently, she now looks like Tammy Faye Bakker. Claire is waiting for the bathroom, so Nina takes her time, even sitting on the closed toilet for a few minutes. These two continue to be such a good depiction of siblings. Well done Ghostie.
Nina's Thanksgiving Lerk
Nina heads downstairs to meet the Girlfriend, and discovers the Girlfriend has a son. She also sees how happy her Father is in Sarah's company, and it's cute. We meet the son, Aaron Mendel, and kids, remember that name. He's a New Character, which we didn't get much of under Grapplegate, but will be happening thick and fast now the ghosties are in charge. Anyway, he's a dead ringer for Brad Pitt, apparently. [Dove: I have literally never noticed that description. I've always pictured him as being your standard "tall, dark and handsome". Probably with over-gelled hair.]
Aaron Mandel, Chatham Island's newest hearthrob
[Wing: So they were setting this up for a tv series, right, where 30-year-old actors play teenagers?]
Sarah is either relentlessly chatty and cheerful, or really nervous. We don't get into her character's motivation much, but I'm guessing meeting the daughter's of your new boyfriend, who hasn't dated anyone since their Mum died, is going to be a pretty intense experience. We learn that she and her devastatingly good looking son are staying at the Grey's Bed and Breakfast, she is a cornball who likes to say grace while the son is quiet and charming. Claire is particularly charmed by him, because Claire literally only cares what someone looks like and not what they say or do. Full disclosure: I might still be mad with Claire about Sean/Flyer and unwilling to spend much time on her during this recap. [Dove: That's fair. I spent half of my recent Sweet Valley recap raging about a character's misdeeds (by my standards, the book thought it was just fine) from six books ago. So you hold your grudge. Also, I always assumed that I'd missed something with Claire and her obsession with Aaron, because I missed all of these all the way up to, well, spoiler territory. The books after this seem to think this is very serious business, but the lead up doesn't really show it. You're right, for someone who prides herself on needing a meeting of the minds, her reaction is basically: he's hot. I love him.]
Nina sneaks out between courses to call Zoey and discuss their respective Thanksgiving guests. Nina says that Sarah is a "dwarf. A midget. I never could get those two straight. Maybe the anatomically correct term is munchkin" And I'm glaring at Nina again. She also compares Sarah to June Cleaver and Carol Brady, which I am betting will mean a lot more to American readers than this Brit. They are quintessential housewives, right? The kind that never really existed outside of some TV shows. Anyway, Nina wants Zoey to come and assess Sarah. In return, Nina will visit the Passmores and offer moral support while Zoey faces the half sister from hell. [Wing: Yeah, basically a housewife stereotype for white women.]
Zoey arrives at Nina's house and Nina is struggling with everyone being so cheerful and well behaved. I get ya, Nina. Sometimes I need to head to a corner and scream after too much family time. Zoey heads in to take a look at Sarah, but is dazzled by Aaron instead. He looked like a spokesmodel for Obession cologne. Nina wants to discuss Sarah, understandably, but Zoey is too distracted by the glimpse of Aaron and the smile he gave her. Honestly, she's kind of drunk on him, he's all she's able to think about while Nina talks, she gets a bit confused at the mention of her boyfriend's name and even forgets that Lara is coming to dinner. Oh, Zoey!
Aisha is at home, trying on a new lipstick. She thinks it might be too red, but is pretty sure it will look good with her black velvet dress. Aisha, honey, you are going to look awesome. Lipstick can never be too red, and black velvet is Nineties-tastic. [Dove: *blinks, sighs, puts away velvet jacket she keeps in reserve for going "somewhere nice"*] [Rosey: You get that jacket back out damnit! #Nineties4Eva ] [Wing: The 90s are in again! You wear it everywhere. Also: red lipstick is the best lipstick.] Christopher shows up at her window, to kiss her hello before he arrives by the front door. That's cute but it bites Christopher in the ass when he arrives at the front door, complete with flowers for Mrs Grey and is covered in red lipstick. Whoops! We are told that Christopher will have to tighten his belt a bit to pay for the flowers, but Mrs Grey has been kind to him and is worth it – that's so sweet. Christopher thinks briefly of his own mother, who is probably eating Mcdonalds for dinner.
Benjamin is dressing for Thanksgiving and we are reminded that he mainly wears black, white and grey as it's easy for him to co-ordinate without help. He considers playing one of his "pranks" where he baits someone to try and help the poor blind boy but decides that Lara will be having a tough enough night as it is and puts on a black blazer instead of the plaid one with a polka dot tie that he'd been considering.
Lara arrives and is wearing a denim jumper over a unitard and cowboy boots. I have no idea what a denim jumper might look like, but I think I kind of love Lara's style. Zoey does not, obviously.
Lara's styling forever.
[Wing: Pretend that has a skirt instead of shorts and that's basically a denim jumper over a unitard — though actually, she could have been wearing the shorts version. Not cowboy boots, but I couldn't find one with that combo.]
When Lara greets her as sister, Zoey is quick to point out they are half sisters, which is a phrase she claimed not to like a couple of books ago but now will be using with abundance, lest anyone think she and Lara are real sisters. They have the same eyes, though, points out Lara, desperate to connect with this new family. Although, not desperate enough to quit calling Benjamin the blind boy. [Wing: I hate everything about this. EVERYTHING.]
The Passmores, plus Lara and Nina, sit down for food. I would love to eat an American thanksgiving meal one day. I am especially curious about sweet potatoes/ yams with mashmallows. I guess I could make it at home, but it's difficult recreating a recipe you've never tasted because you don't know if you got it right or not. I once tried making American biscuits, and the texture was amazing, but they has a real bicarb tang and, oh, this isn't what you read these recaps for? Apologies. [Wing: Come visit! We have an open-door policy for Thanksgiving. Everyone is welcome. I'd even make the sweet potatoes with marshmallows thing in your honour, though normally I make the sweet potatoes with honey whiskey.]
Mr Passmore mentions Lara is getting the water taxi home and Benjamin thinks "His dad was shelling out the big bucks for a water taxi, he must have felt more guilty than anyone realised about not having a relationship with Lara while she was growing up." Haven't we established that the water taxi costs about $40? This is the measure for how guilty Mr Passmore feels? While that's not something most people could afford everyday, it's hardly like he is giving Lara a million bucks to make up for the missed birthdays, holiday and occasional weekend treats. Anyway, The family chat a bit, we learn that Lara is a high school drop out, working as a waitress and has no money. Nina tries to make some jokes and Zoey tries to stir some shit by bring up Lara's drug dealer boyfriend. Turns out, he's in jail now, Lara and he have broken up and Zoey might regret taking the conversation down this road because Lara needs somewhere to live. Lara is remarkably unbothered by her impending homelessness and Benjamin tries change the subject because the Passmores are supportive like that. Nina excuses herself and the Passmores are left to their uncomfortable dinner. Mr and Mrs Passmore have had a chat in the kitchen and have decided they should invite Lara to live with them. In the storage space above the garage. Temporarily. Because she's desperate.
Zoey. Is. Horrified.
[Dove: This is probably the Brit in me, and Rosey, chime in if you felt it too, but how crap does staying in the space above the garage sound? I know our houses are smaller, and we have vastly different ideas about what goes where in a house to Americans, so that might sound quite cosy to someone familiar with American house layouts, but to me it sounded like, "You're trash. You'll live with the car fumes. You are not coming in the real house. Aren't we saintly?" Like I said, it could be the Brit/American differences making me feel that way. Or my burning loathing of the Passmore family.] [Rosey: It sounds like it would be breeze blocks and beams and possibly not even insulated. But perhaps it's an extension above the garage? I think it has it's own entrance, so maybe it's like a "granny flat?" But yeah, it feels like the absolute bare minimum her father could do for her, dressed up as the ultimate in compassion.] [Wing: It's a fairly common style in the USA, where there's a bedroom, at least, over the garage. (Super unsafe during an earthquake, BTW, but common. It might even be an entire little flat, depending on the house. Probably a fairly nice space, or at least as nice as the rest of the house.]
Lucas shows up to visit and comfort Zoey, who can not believe that her parents have offered their spare room to a soon-to-be-homeless teenager. They are so insufferable! How could they do this? Lucas, to his credit, tries to talk Zoey down – for once someone actually seems to be thinking about Lara as an actual human being, rather than a problem they need to tidy up. Lucas feels like he can relate – his father is a cold inflexible man who doesn't believe in showing his son any tenderness. Lara has never even knew her father, and now she meets this family man in his lovely home on a beautiful, safe island and she's got to be wondering why his other two children were given the life she wasn't. "And now she's got a chance." Zoey is still a spoiled brat though, and doesn't see why she should have to share her home or her family with Lara.
It's the day after Thanksgiving, and Zoey, Nina and Aisha are going shopping. I now know this is called Black Friday, and it's become a thing in the UK, even though we don't celebrate Thanksgiving. It's literally just companies creating a spending event and, oh, this isn't what you read these recaps for either? Okay. [Dove: I'm with you, dude.] [Wing: Black Friday is horrific and a mess of people sometimes beating each other up for deals. It's also sometimes the only way for families to get special things to give as gifts. I've done it exactly once and never again. My family tends to go to the shooting range instead.]
Nina and Aisha are being fun and they really are the best, but Zoey isn't in the mood for their banter so we aren't allowed to enjoy it either. "She's sharing my bathroom." Zoey revealed the information as if she'd just told them she had leukaemia. I hate you, Zoey. "What if her convict boyfriend show's up?" I hate you, Zoey. "She'll probably turn tricks in her bedroom." I hate you, Zoey.
Claire stayed at home and has spied the perfect opportunity to demonstrate her skills as a master manipulator. She wants to get to know Aaron better, because this guy is apparently frenzy-inducingly hot, but being Claire, she can't just admit that and go talk to Aaron. Instead, she suggests to her Father that Aaron must be bored on the island and before anyone can say "Since when does Claire care if someone is bored?" he has given her money to hold a party to seduce entertain Aaron.
Back to the mall. Aisha has been Christmas shopping, Nina has bought a CD and Zoey has a self help book called Why We Love To Hate Our Siblings. The mall is busy, they've lost the car. This scene serves no purpose.
Meanwhile, Jake is working out. He's been sober since Halloween and is using exercise to help himself cope with the cravings. Well done Jake! I still think someone should get you some counselling, but that seems like too much to hope for. Being at home right now sucks for Jake. There is a gaping wound in the family structure left by Wade's death and Thanksgiving wasn't much fun, especially as Jake knows about his father's infidelity. I guess it was extra difficult this year, as it seems that despite the sighting of her a couple of books ago, Holly is missing again. Anyway, Jake takes a shower and considered shaving, but what's the point – he has nowhere to be. This is so sad. Like, grow a beard if you want a beard and for sure don't shave if you don't feel like it, but the implication that Jake doesn't think he is worthy of self care makes me sad. [Dove: Behold! The Beard of Sorrow.] Can someone please get this kid a professional to talk to? He's restless – considers homework, watching TV and working out again before his Mum tells him Claire called. At first he's annoyed – they haven't spoken since the party in the last book a few weeks ago. But Claire has left a message about the party she's having tonight and figures he at least has a reason to shave now. [Wing: UGH JAKE HOW ARE YOU STILL MY FAVOURITE.]
Nina gets home from the mall and Claire is setting up for the party, which Nina still knows nothing about. Claire dresses it up as a favour to their father – entertaining the girlfriend's son – but Nina has met Claire and knows that Claire wouldn't go to all this trouble unless their was something in it for her. Nina thought of Aaron's dark hair and hazel eyes. Even Claire had to have noticed the guy was gorgeous… "Are you after Aaron?" Obviously, Nina is spot on, but Claire manages to make her question her judgement. In the end, Nina realises she doesn't care why they are having the party – she's just looking forward to sneaking off to her bedroom with Benjamin.
We then get one of those "quirky" chapter set ups that we all love about Making Out. According to Wallace Stevens… there are thirteen ways of looking at a blackbird. There were also thirteen (or more) ways of looking at Claire and Nina Geiger's party. Here are eight of them. This is a bit weird? I think I'd like it, if it were describing the same moment form eight perspectives, but it's just a chapter of party, framed weirdly. I looked the poem the ghostie is referencing, and I still don't think it works.
Jake is last to arrive, he doesn't want to risk being alone with Claire. He sits on the floor next to Aisha, who informs him that Lara is moving in with the Passmores.
Claire notices that Aaron isn't that interested in talking to her, and seems a lot more interested in Zoey. That's okay by Claire though – she likes a challenge.
When Christopher suggests they all play poker, Nina and Benjamin slip off to Nina's room.
Christopher is feeling pretty confident about poker – he wins the first hand, but then loses the rest and regrets having suggested it.
Aisha knows Christopher is gambling money he can't afford to lose. Zoey and Claire are bored by the poker.
Nina and Benjamin are having a great time in her room
Lucas has noticed that Aaron is ogling Zoey. He hears Aaron inviting Zoey to a movie and he's not happy. He tells Aaron that Zoey is his toy and it seems like this is the first Aaron has heard about Zoey having a boyfriend.
Zoey is pissed off – she says it's because Lucas acted like he owned her but she also thinks about Aaron's eyes while she kisses Lucas sooooooooooo… I think someone was annoyed that her flirting was interrupted.
There's a diary entire about rites of passage from Zoey where she remembers for the first time in books that she cheated on Jake with Lucas and I am the kind of person who will callously break someone's heart if I find myself irresistibly attracted to another person. That's right, Zoey. [Dove: Also, she snogged Tad when she was pissed off with Jake. I know I hate her, so I can't be fair, but it's not as if the girl has a history of not cheating.] [Wing: And a history of being hypocritical as hell, considering how she's been blowing up at Lucas.]
Zoey has rocked up to Lara's apartment to loan her a duffel bag for her house move. She's trying to follow the advice in Why We Love To Hate Our Siblings and get to know Lara in her own environment. The room is simultaneously messy and almost empty – there are dishes piled up in the kitchen, but little in the way of furniture or other belongings. Zoey puts this down to Lara not having much of a nesting instinct, but it really doesn't seem surprising for a 19 year old? Go on Zoey, scrape up the things you actually own and I bet you don't have much of a pile either. Turns out Lara's boyfriend stole a bunch of her stuff when they broke up too. She does have some of her paintings though – her more commercial work, which Zoey likes, and some of her more abstract pieces, which Zoey does not. Anyway, by this time Zoey is crawling to get out of the apartment and I still don't feel like we've really gotten to know Lara any better. At this point, she is less of a character and more of an anti-Zoey plot point.
More journals musing on rites of passage: Lucas is mostly interested in gaining access rights to Zoey's passage; Nina thinks that rites of passage are mostly about pain, although lately she's been thinking about doing It. She capitalises It, which is adorable; Benjamin thinks of losing his sight as a right of passage, but lately he's been thinking about another passage he'd like to explore with Nina. Basically, and unsurprisingly, the phrase "rite of passage" leaves all these kids thinking about sex.
Aisha is at Zoey's, looking for help analysing a poem for English class. She's not a poetry person and prefers less touchy-feely subjects. It's Benjamin who answers the door though, and although he is not the Passmore she seeks, he wonders if Aisha can help him look something up on The Internet. It's so fun to read 90s references to The Internet – it's such an everyday tool now like shoes or running water that sometimes I forget it didn't really exist when I was a child. Anyway, Aisha was familiar with the internet. She'd used Claire's America Online account a few times over the last few months and done some websurfing. Awww, the past! Benjamin has heard about some experimental treatments in Boston that could reverse blindness. He wants Aisha's help to look up the hospital and doctors and swears her to secrecy – he doesn't want to get anyone's hopes up till he knows more.
Zoey is wandering around the island, not sure what to do with herself, but not wanting to deal with anyone who will want to talk about Lara, or Lucas because she's still annoyed with him for embarrassing her in front of Aaron. She ends up on the beach, where, surprise! Aaron is flying a kite. How wholesome! Did I slip into an Enid Blyton recap? She watches him, wanting to call out to him but telling herself to walk away – that damn Lucas has got his suspicious mind into her head and she won't stand for it! She hasn't done anything wrong so decides to call out to Aaron, who trips over and what larks! They end up sitting together, Zoey thinking innocent thoughts like you're gorgeous, he saw they way I was staring at you. Because even though I am in love with Lucas, I'm dying to kiss you right this very second. She finds out he's staying a couple of extra days because his Dad is away on business, but it's okay because he's a musician and finds the island inspiring. Zoey would love to hear him play! But Aaron doesn't think Lucas would enjoy it as much, it's a shame not all guys realise that there is more to life, and relationships, than sex. She should drop by the Bed and Breakfast if she does want to hear him pay though. Zoey thinks this sounds dangerous, even though Lucas has nothing to worry about and doesn't control her, so she probably won't go. These mental gymnastics are exhausting. It's no wonder I've never had an affair.
Benjamin is sitting alone at his computer thinking about the information Aisha has just Asked Jeeves [Dove: Was his question "Does Jeeves have an evil twin?"]. He has a panic attack, thinking about how huge the impact of his blindness has been on him, how much he would like to be able to see again and how much of his identity is tied up in being blind. If he regained his sight, just who would Benjamin Passmore be?
[Wing: I … am actually very sympathetic toward Benjamin right now. On a lesser scale, I had similar thoughts about starting to take bipolar meds, afraid I would lose myself and my writing, etc. But it did not happen, thank god. Still, I understand this worry and for once, I'm fairly fond of him in this moment.]
Nina, Lucas, Benjamin and Zoey are hanging out at the Passmores house. Nina and Lucas have ended up sharing the sofa and the Passmore siblings are in the armchairs. Neither Nina or Lucas are very happy about the seating arrangement, but the Passmores seem unaware. Nina rags on Saturday Night Live but Zoey wants to watch it because there is a blues musician on and Aaron likes the blues. Benjamin is distant and snappy, and Nina assumes he is mad at her and doesn't love her any more. He goes to bed early. Then Zoey goes to bed too, leaving Lucas and Nina to let themselves out.
Claire has been waiting by the phone in a silk blouse because she told Aaron to call me if you're bored tomorrow, I'll probably be around. He should have understood this was an invitation to come and make out, and he didn't take her up on it, and she's pretty sure it's because he wants Zoey. Why do all the guys want Zoey?!
Next up, we have an entry titled Zoey's Erotic Dream but don't get too excited – She's at a bar, drinking beer and smoking (transgressive!) and Aaron is on stage, looking right at her, playing a song called "Zoey."
Sunday is delightfully broken up into a timeline of Lara's moving in Chez Passmore. People come to gawk, the family are cold. I just feel really sorry for Lara, tbh.
In the afternoon Jake comes to call on Lara. She uses the power of Tight Jeans makes him carry her stereo up the stairs. They talk about Halloween, the last time they saw each other, when Lara scared the shit out of Jake by pretending to conjure Wade's spirit on the ouija board. Jake thanks her, because that night made him change his life – he's been sober since then. Lara is confused – being sober doesn't sound like anything to be thankful for.
The Passmores et Lara have a strained "welcome" dinner and then all disappear to their rooms. Zoey is disappointed when her boyfriend calls, but decides to spend the evening with him and remind herself how much she loves him so she can safely visit Aaron tomorrow for a song. Just a song. [Dove: I think what pisses me off so much about Zoey's near-constant infidelity is that she paints herself as a true romantic, a beautiful yearning soul who wants to meet its other half, or some such shit, and then as soon as she meets "the one", she immediately starts moving on to the next guy. Like, Aisha and Nina are less than her in some way related to romance, because they're less flowery about it all, when actually, she's the one sullying the perfection of monogamy because she can't stop snogging new boys. (Disclaimer: when I say "perfection", I mean Zoey's ideal, not that monogamy itself is the perfect/only way to love).] [Rosey: God, yes. And suddenly I realise the genius of Zoey only ever writing the first chapter of her romance novel. She is only interested in the beginning! Nice work, Grapplegate.] [Wing: … oh shit, that's great. I've always looked at it as that standard writing flaw where you don't move past the first part until you make it somehow "perfect" but it works on multiple levels. Damn.]
Back to school! The girls are hanging out on the ferry. Zoey is all fluttery about Aaron. Claire decides she is over him. I am bored of this now and hope Aaron leaves soon.
Christopher is broke. His work on the island is all pretty seasonal, and with winter setting in, he's earning less. Time to find another job.
Nina is in Zoey's bedroom, trying to engage her BFF in some Lara gossip but Zoey is moonily folding socks, and one assumes, thinking about Aaaaaah-ron. Nina heads down to Benjamin's room to see him instead and hears Aisha say "I wish I could kiss you right now…. you're turning me on…watch what you say, other people might be listening." and Benjamin reply "This is so great." I think we all know there will be a completely innocent explanation for this, but Nina, instead of walking in and finding it, decides to assume her boyfriend and best friend are fucking and runs home to cry to Nine Inch Nails.
Zoey is trying to distract herself from thoughts of visiting Aaron. She doesn't see why she shouldn't though. Just because Lucas is suspicious and can't be trusted, it doesn't mean she would do anything . She just wants to hear a cute guy play a song in a hotel room. That's all. [Wing: When I want to hear a cute guy play a song in a hotel room, it's very rarely innocent, Zoey. Also, Lucas is not the only one who can't be trusted.]
She heads to the Grey's Bed and Breakfast and lets Mr Grey assume she is there to see Aisha before poking round to find Aaron's room. She lies to him and says Lucas doesn't mind her being there, in fact he'd wanted to come and hear Aaron play too, but had to study! This visit is a perfectly innocent goodbye, which is why Zoey has to do all these little deceptions. When Aaron plays the guitar, all she can think about is the sound of his voice and her heart skips beats. Aaron then tells her he hasn't ever had a girlfriend – girls aren't into guys who don't believe in sex before marriage. Zoey is blown away – finally someone who understands her! (Although, I think this is the first time Zoey has said she doesn't believe in sex before marriage? Doesn't she usually say that she isn't ready? [Dove: Yes, it's always been I'm not ready. I think she's just thrilled that she'd not have to keep gluing her underwear on for at least one boy on the planet.][Rosey: At this point, I can't blame her for that. ] ) Anyway, she can't resist any longer and kisses him, just to say goodbye. But what's that? Aaron drops the bomb, he's not leaving tomorrow afterall! Hmm… I think I understand what Claire sees in this boy now.
There's The List (Part Two) comparing Lucas to Aaron. Zoey made pretty much this exact list in the first book about Lucas and Jake. This does not bode well for Lucas. It includes that Zoey might be in love with Aaron, which… Jesus, Zoey, you met him four days ago! You have spoken to him four times. I know you are seventeen and passions run high, but love? You're a writer – try infatuation, lust, desire, intrigued, entranced, bewitching, obsession, attraction…
Benjamin uses the school office to call the hospital in Boston. He gets special favours because when he was ill he missed a lot of school and his complicated records mean he's spent a lot of time in the office and knows the staff.
Claire sees Aaron when she gets off the ferry and is annoyed when she realises he was waiting for Zoey. She's at the mall with Nina though, so Claire takes the opportunity to get him up her Widow's Walk. I feel like that could be a dangerous place to be for a man who doesn't respond the way Claire wants him to. Aaron doesn't, but Claire resists the urge to toss him over the rails. [Wing: Aww, Claire, I feel like that's actually personal growth for you.]
Nina is pissed about what she overheard between Benjamin and Aisha and heads to Christopher's to fill him in on the wild affair she thinks they are having. It's weird that she didn't talk to Zoey about this at the mall and clear it up already? I guess maybe Zoey was in an Aaron Daze and didn't respond. Christopher laughs off her accusations, but after Nina leaves he decides to give Aisha a call anyway and is surprised to hear from her brother that she is with Benjamin.
Jake goes to see Lara, because she clearly reminds him of Zoey but with a darker, intriguing edge. She's up in her room above the garage getting hammered and tries to get Jake to drink. She tries to get him to join in, and he's tempted but he couldn't let himself fall into that trap. Once he started drinking the monster inside would have to be fed over and over, until Jake himself was totally obliterated. Which is British slang for drunk. I wonder if Grapplegate knew that? Is it used in the States? Anyway, intentional or not, nice double-entendre. He pours away the beer she gives him and tells her that everything she is offering is too tempting, but she should call him if she decides to get sober. Damn Jake! How are you turning out to be my favourite and least problematic character? [Wing: SERIOUSLY. I am half-besotted by Jake at this point. When did you get so awesome?]
Christopher skips his morning kiss with Aisha – if there is any truth in what Nina said, he can't think about it before he goes job hunting. He puts on his good suit and heads into Weymouth. After the forty-third rejection of the day, a man in a computer shop directs him to the army recruitment office. Christopher is skeptical but they'd pay for college, there would be travel, he'd get health benefits and vacation time… His only reservation is Aisha. So he asks about special provisions for married recruits. Why you asking that, Christopher? [Wing: Oh, god. This is — ugh, I'm not going to get into the terrible issues behind armed forces recruitment in the USA and how it targets minorities, particularly poor minorities and — god, nope, I'm out. This just makes me bang my head on the table.]
Nina skipped school because she was so upset about Benjamin and Aisha, and in the evening gets into full spy wear to hide outside Benjamin's window and catch them in the act. [Wing: Nina, have you become a Wakefield?]
Aisha is studying with Zoey, who is being odd because her head is entirely full of guiltexcitement about her kiss with Aaron. Aisha then heads down to Benjamin's room, where he tells her that he spoke to the hospital and needs her help with some forms, but it looks like he might be a candidate for the surgery.
Zoey should be writing a paper for school about The Scarlet Letter. I think she would have been more into this assignment when she found out about her Mum and Jake's Dad. Right now, she doesn't want to think about adultery and instead listens to the blues CD she bought because of Aaron. She notices that Aisha has left her mittens behind and decides to drop them up to the Bed and Breakfast for her. So thoughtful.
Jake is at home, also not writing his paper on The Scarlet Letter, when Lara shows up. She's cold and unwell looking and is here to apologise to Jake for the other night. Her drinking is out of control and she wants his help. She want to be the kind of person Jeff Passmore would be proud to have as his daughter which is super sad. Maybe Jeff Fucking Passmore should get his daughter some help with her drinking? It seems like he helped her mover her stuff and has left her pretty much up to her own devices since. She cries, Jake comforts her. They make out. [Dove: *shakes head* Jeff has really done fuck all for his daughter, except move her into the garage. What a saint.] [Rosey: What a great guy.]
Nina is still outside Benjamin's window. She has an eight-point plan to murder Benjamin and Aisha and get away scot free. Point eight is die bitter and alone, stray cats my only company. Nina saw Aisha arrive, and go to Zoey's room first, but when she see's Zoey leave the house, she knows that Aisha is in there with Benjamin and she sneaks in to listen at his door. She hears more incriminating phrases like Nina deserves to know the truth and starts crying. Benjamin hears her at this point and he and Aisha open the door. Nina confronts them about what she heard and they explain that Aisha had been helping him use the internet and they ended up on a chat site, where Aisha read out the chat to Benjamin. That actually is a perfectly reasonable explanation. I dunno if you ever used chat rooms in the 90s, but there was a lot of that. Anyway, Benjamin explains what he has been researching and that he didn't want Nina to help in case it didn't come to anything and she got her hopes up. Seems like Nina isn't as excited as one might expect about the prospect of Benjamin getting his sight back though.
Claire too is failing to complete her The Scarlet Letter assignment. She also finds an item she needs to return to Aisha, and heads to the Bed and Breakfast. She might bump into Aaron while she's there, but it would merely be coincidence if she did.
Zoey, meanwhile, is already in Aaron's room. And his arms for that matter, lamenting that the memory of him singing to her made her heart hurt and she shouldn't be there, she has a boyfriend who is really in love with me. We're a couple and I'm not the sort of girl who goes around kissing guys who aren't her boyfriend. Except that we've only known you a couple of months Zoey, and it's the second [Dove: Third.] [Rosey: I stand corrected.] time you've done it, so, maybe you are that sort of girl? Which is fine, but you need to tell people and let them know where they stand. Anyway, Aaron tells her that he is in love with her and they kiss.
And Claire see's the whole thing from the street.
Well, that was far too much Zoey! And basically a less interesting rehash of the first book – where Zoey wants Lucas but is with Jake. And since she's only just made out with Aaron, so we've got at least another book of Aaron-Zoey-Lucas drama to look forward to. Yay.
[Dove: This is where the series really started my hatred of the Passmores in such a fiery way. Jeff has just left Lara to rot. Zoey is a complete beast to her, when she's not falling in love with a boy she's spoken to for three seconds, Benjamin isn't there yet, but he will be shortly, and my reasons are spoilers. Zoey really does my head in. I hate the way always thinks she's "in love" with boys that she just finds really really hot. I think I'd have more respect for her if she'd just cool it on the ONE TWOO LUV thing, and admit she's keeping her options open and enjoys falling in lust or new attraction or whatever it is she keeps mistaking for love.]
[Wing: The quickly falling in love thing feels like a very realistic high school thing to me, but the fact that she keeps pushing the true love thing and that she's so hypocritical about things is what annoys me most about her.]
Category: Making Out
Tags: 90s references, comments by Dove, comments by Wing, Oh my cheating heart, recaps by Rosey, the ROMANCE of it all
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Material relating to the career of Peter McIntyre, Editor of the Edinburgh University Calendar, and former Clerk to the University Senate
Scope and Contents The material relating to Peter McIntyre's work with Edinburgh University is composed of the following: a) 3 x letters from Laurence Olivier: 16 June 1964; 5 July 1964; 29 July 1965 b) Pamphlet entitled 'The Robes' by Peter McIntyre c) Pamphlet entitled 'The Old College' by Peter McIntyre d) Notes for a pamphlet on the Old College Statuette (Sir Cowasji...
Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / Material relating to the career of Peter McIntyre, Editor of the Edinburgh University Calendar, and former Clerk to the University Senate
Material relating to the University studies of James K. Watson
Scope and Contents The scrapbook or album (commonplace book) contains class cards, class certificates, notes and other printed matter relating to the study period of James Kenneth Watson at Edinburgh University - covering 1888-91, and subjects such as Chemistry, Practical Chemistry, Anatomy, Practical Anatomy, Anatomical demonstrations, Botany, Natural History, Institutes of Medicine, Practical Physiology, Practical Pathology, Practical Materia Medica, including Pharmacy, Materia Medica, General Pathology,...
Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / Material relating to the University studies of James K. Watson
Material relating to Thomas Archibald Campbell Brownlie B.Sc. (Engineering), Edinburgh 1935
Scope and Contents Material from Edinburgh University period, 1930s: - 6"-ruler - 'The Pupil's Own' - University of Glasgow - Prelim' Exam' Papers on Arts, Science, Medicine - 1932 - Edinburgh University note-books - 1934 largely - Strength of materials; Field work lectures; Field work; Hydraulics; Drawing - Class certificates - Edinburgh University, 1932-35 - Dynamics;...
Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / Material relating to Thomas Archibald Campbell Brownlie B.Sc. (Engineering), Edinburgh 1935
Material relating to William V. Stevens
Fonds — Box CLX-A-13, Folder: Coll-1241 / E87.56
Scope and Contents The material includes: copies of papers relating to a Complimentary Dinner held in February 1967 for the Rt. Rev. R. Leonard Small, OBE. DD. and these are composed of final arrangements, guest list, and note of the proceedings, as well as photographs and menu for the event. a copy of a list of players in the Edinburgh University Association Football XI, 1925-1930, and a copy of arrangements for...
Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / Material relating to William V. Stevens
Matriculation Albums, 1627-1980
Series — Volume EUA IN1/ADS/STA/2
Scope and Contents These volumes provide a list of names of matriculating students at the University of Edinburgh. Throughout most of them ( up until about the 1920s) only a signature or name of the matriculating student is recorded. The University of Edinburgh was unique in this process, where only a signature or name was necessary to matriculate. No details were recorded, for example about parentage or date of birth. Occasionally some classes taken by the student, the professor from whom tuition was received or...
Matriculation Index, 1783-1968
Scope and Contents Beginning as separately bound 'General' and 'Medical' matriculation, this series is renamed 'Matriculation Index' in 1852 and then 'Matriculation Index and Class Lists' in 1870. From 1894-1895 it is simply named 'Matriculation'. From 1911/1912-1967/1968 it is named 'Matriculation Index.
Matriculation Laureation accounts, 1693-1765
Identifier: EUA IN1/ADS/LIB/2/Da.1.35
Scope and Contents Matriculation and Laureation accounts for classes of Regent William Law, 1693/1694 - 1708/1709; Matriculation accounts for Humanities classes, 1709/1710 - 1720/1721 (Prof. L Dundas), 1726/1727 - 1733/1734 (Prof. A. Watt), 1734/1735 - 1740/1741 (Prof. J. Kerr), 1741/1742 - 1764/1765 (Prof. G. Stuart).
Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / EUA IN1, Records of the University of Edinburgh / Administration and Support Services / Library / Acquisitions
Scope and Contents Matriculation accounts for classes of Regents H. Kennedy, 1694/1695 - 1696/1697, A. Massie, 1698/1699 - 1702/1703 and R. Stewart, 1703/1704 - 1711/1712. Laureation accounts for 1698. 1702, 1706, 1710, 1712 and 1713-1746.
Scope and Contents Matriculation and Laureation accounts for Regent W. Scott (111, 115, 119), 1695/1696 - 1706/1707. Matriculation accounts for Greek classes, 1707/1708 - 1735/1736, also for classes in 1762/1763 (Civil Law, Public Law and Scots Law), in 1764/1765 (Rhetoric and Scots Law) and in 1765/1766 (Humanity, Logic, Natural Philosophy and Moral Philosophy).
Scope and Contents Matriculation and laureation accounts of classes of Regents J. Row, C. Erskine and C. Drummond 1696/1697 - 1707/1708. Matriculation accounts for classes of Logic and Metaphysics 1708/1709 - 1764/1765, of Natural Philosophy 1762/1763 - 1764/1765 and of Rhetoric 1765.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Principles of Microeconomics 3e15.3 The Safety Net
By the end of this section, you will be able to:
Identify the antipoverty government programs that comprise the safety net
Explain the safety net programs' primary goals and how these programs have changed over time
Discuss the complexities of these safety net programs and why they can be controversial
The U.S. government has implemented a number of programs to assist those below the poverty line and those who have incomes just above the poverty line. Such programs are called the safety net, to recognize that they offer some protection for those who find themselves without jobs or income.
From the Great Depression until 1996, the United States' most visible antipoverty program was Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), which provided cash payments to mothers with children who were below the poverty line. Many just called this program "welfare." In 1996, Congress passed and President Bill Clinton signed into law the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, more commonly called the "welfare reform act." The new law replaced AFDC with Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).
Link It Up
Visit this website to watch a video of President Bill Clinton's Welfare Reform speech.
TANF brought several dramatic changes in how welfare operated. Under the old AFDC program, states set the level of welfare benefits that they would pay to people experiencing poverty, and the federal government guaranteed it would chip in some of the money as well. The federal government's welfare spending would rise or fall depending on the number of people in need, and on how each state set its own welfare contribution.
Under TANF, however, the federal government gives a fixed amount of money to each state. The state can then use the money for almost any program with an antipoverty component: for example, the state might use the money to give funds to families with low income, or to reduce teenage pregnancy, or even to raise the high school graduation rate. However, the federal government imposed two key requirements. First, if states are to keep receiving the TANF grants, they must impose work requirements so that most of those receiving TANF benefits are working (or attending school). Second, no one can receive TANF benefits with federal money for more than a total of five years over their lifetime. The old AFDC program had no such work requirements or time limits.
TANF attempts to avoid the poverty trap by requiring that welfare recipients work and by limiting the length of time they can receive benefits. In its first few years, the program was quite successful. The number of families receiving payments in 1995, the last year of AFDC, was 4.8 million. November 2020, according to the Congressional Research Service, the number of families receiving payments under TANF was 1.0 million—a decline of nearly 80%.
TANF benefits to poor families vary considerably across states. For example, again according to the Congressional Research Service, in July 2020 the highest monthly payment in New Hampshire to a single mother with one child was $862, while in Mississippi the highest monthly payment to that family was $146. In part, these payments reflect differences in states' cost of living. As reported by the Department of Health and Human Services, in 1995 total spending on TANF was approximately $19 billion. Spending increased yearly through 2001, then it was roughly flat at approximately $26 billion until 2005, then it increased again through 2010, where it peaked at nearly $35 billion. It then decreased again to around $30 billion in 2020. When you take into account the effects of inflation, the decline is even greater. Moreover, there seemed little evidence that families were suffering a reduced standard of living as a result of TANF—although, on the other side, there was not much evidence that families had greatly improved their total levels of income, either.
The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)
The earned income tax credit (EITC), first passed in 1975, is a method of assisting the working poor through the tax system. The EITC is one of the largest assistance program for low-income groups, and as of December 2021, about 25 million eligible workers and families received about $60 billion in EITC. For the 2021 tax year, the earned income credit ranges from $1,502 to $6,728 depending on tax-filing status, income, and number of children. The average amount of EITC received nationwide was about $2,411. In 2021, for example, a single parent with two children would have received a tax credit of $5,980 up to a modest income level. The amount of the tax break increases with the amount of income earned, up to a point. The earned income tax credit has often been popular with both economists and the general public because of the way it effectively increases the payment received for work.
What about the danger of the poverty trap that every additional $1 earned will reduce government support payments by close to $1? To minimize this problem, the earned income tax credit is phased out slowly. For example, according to the Tax Policy Center, for a single-parent family with two children in 2013, the credit is not reduced at all (but neither is it increased) as earnings rise from $13,430 to $17,530. Then, for every $1 earned above $17,530, the amount received from the credit is reduced by 21.06 cents, until the credit phases out completely at an income level of $46,227.
Figure 15.5 illustrates that the earned income tax credits, child tax credits, and the TANF program all cost the federal government money—either in direct outlays or in loss of tax revenues. CTC stands for the government tax cuts for the child tax credit.
Figure 15.5 Real Federal Spending on CTC, EITC, and TANF, 1975–2016 EITC increased from under $10 billion in the late 1980s to almost $42 billion in 2000 and to over $61 billion in 2016, far exceeding estimated 2016 outlays in the CTC (Child Tax Credits) and TANF of over $25 billion and $18 billion, respectively. (Source: Office of Management and Budget)
In recent years, the EITC has become a hugely expensive government program for providing income assistance to people below or near the poverty line, costing about $60 billion in 2021. In that year, the EITC provided benefits to about 25 million families and individuals and, on average, is worth about $2,411 per family (with children), according to the Tax Policy Center. One reason that the TANF law worked as well as it did is that the government greatly expanded EITC in the late 1980s and again in the early 1990s, which increased the returns to work for low-income Americans.
Often called "food stamps," Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a federally funded program, started in 1964, in which each month people receive a card like a debit card that they can use to buy food. The amount of food aid for which a household is eligible varies by income, number of children, and other factors but, in general, households are expected to spend about 30% of their own net income on food, and if 30% of their net income is not enough to purchase a nutritionally adequate diet, then those households are eligible for SNAP.
SNAP can contribute to the poverty trap. For every $100 earned, the government assumes that a family can spend $30 more for food, and thus reduces its eligibility for food aid by $30. This decreased benefit is not a complete disincentive to work—but combined with how other programs reduce benefits as income increases, it adds to the problem. SNAP, however, does try to address the poverty trap with its own set of work requirements and time limits.
Why give debit cards and not just cash? Part of the political support for SNAP comes from a belief that since recipients must spend the the cards on food, they cannot "waste" them on other forms of consumption. From an economic point of view, however, the belief that cards must increase spending on food seems wrong-headed. After all, say that a family is spending $2,500 per year on food, and then it starts receiving $1,000 per year in SNAP aid. The family might react by spending $3,500 per year on food (income plus aid), or it might react by continuing to spend $2,500 per year on food, but use the $1,000 in food aid to free up $1,000 that it can now spend on other goods. Thus, it is reasonable to think of SNAP cards as an alternative method, along with TANF and the earned income tax credit, of transferring income to those working but still experiencing poverty.
Anyone eligible for TANF is also eligible for SNAP, although states can expand eligibility for food aid if they wish to do so. In some states, where TANF welfare spending is relatively low, a poor family may receive more in support from SNAP than from TANF. In 2021, about 41.5 million people received food aid with total benefits of just over $108 billion, which is an average monthly benefit of about $287 per person per month. SNAP participation increased by 70% between 2007 and 2011, from 26.6 million participants to 45 million. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the 2008-2009 Great Recession and rising food prices caused this dramatic rise in participation. Likewise, between 2019 and 2021, the number of participants in SNAP increased by 5.8 million, the amount per person increased by 67%, and total benefits nearly doubled as a consequence of the sharp recession due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020.
The federal government deploys a range of income security programs that it funds through departments such as Health and Human Services, Agriculture, and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) (see Figure 15.6). According to the Office of Management and Budget, collectively, these three departments provided an estimated $62 billion of aid through programs such as supplemental feeding programs for women and children, subsidized housing, and energy assistance. The federal government also transfers funds to individual states through special grant programs.
Figure 15.6 Expenditure Comparison of TANF, SNAP, HUD, and Other Income Security Programs, 1988–2013 (est.) Total expenditures on income security continued to rise between 1988 and 2010, while payments for TANF have increased from $13 billion in 1998 to an estimated $17.3 billion in 2013. SNAP has seen relatively small increments. These two programs comprise a relatively small portion of the estimated $106 billion dedicated to income security in 2013. Note that other programs and housing programs increased dramatically during the 2008 and 2010 time periods. (Source: Table 12.3 Section 600 Income Security, https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/budget/fy2013/assets/hist.pdf)
The safety net includes a number of other programs: government-subsidized school lunches and breakfasts for children from low-income families; the Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), which provides food assistance for pregnant women and newborns; the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which provides help with home heating bills; housing assistance, which helps pay the rent; and Supplemental Security Income, which provides cash support for people with disabilities and elderly people experiencing poverty.
Congress created Medicaid in 1965. This is a joint health insurance program between both the states and the federal government. The federal government helps fund Medicaid, but each state is responsible for administering the program, determining the level of benefits, and determining eligibility. It provides medical insurance for certain people with low incomes, including those below the poverty line, with a focus on families with children, the elderly, and people with disabilities. About one-third of Medicaid spending is for low-income mothers with children. While an increasing share of the program funding in recent years has gone to pay for nursing home costs for older people who cannot afford to pay for housing. The program ensures that participants receive a basic level of benefits, but because each state sets eligibility requirements and provides varying levels of service, the program differs from state to state.
In the past, a common problem has been that many low-paying jobs pay enough to a breadwinner so that a family could lose its eligibility for Medicaid, yet the job does not offer health insurance benefits. A parent considering such a job might choose not to work rather than lose health insurance for their children. In this way, health insurance can become a part of the poverty trap. Many states recognized this problem in the 1980s and 1990s and expanded their Medicaid coverage to include people earning up to 135% or even 185% of the poverty line. Some states also guaranteed that children would not lose coverage if their parents worked.
These expanded guarantees cost the government money, of course, but they also helped to encourage those on welfare to enter the labor force. As of 2014, approximately 69.7 million people participated in Medicaid. Of those enrolled, almost half are children. Healthcare expenditures, however, are highest for the elderly population, which comprises approximately 25% of participants. As Figure 15.7 (a) indicates, the largest number of households that enroll in Medicaid are those with children. Lower-income adults are the next largest group enrolled in Medicaid at 28%. People who are blind or have a disability account for 16% of those enrolled, and seniors are 9% of those enrolled. Figure 15.7 (b) shows how much actual Medicaid dollars the government spends for each group. Out of total Medicaid spending, the government spends more on seniors (20%) and people who are blind or have a disability (44%). Thus, 64% of all Medicaid spending goes to seniors, those who are blind, and people with disabilities. Children receive 21% of all Medicaid spending, followed by adults at 15%.
Figure 15.7 Medicaid Enrollment and Spending Part (a) shows the Medicaid enrollment by different populations, with children comprising the largest percentage at 47%, followed by adults at 28%, and those who are blind or have a disability at 16%. Part (b) shows that Medicaid spending is principally for those who are blind or have a disability, followed by the elderly. Although children are the largest population that Medicaid covers, expenditures on children are only at 19%.
Section URL: https://openstax.org/books/principles-microeconomics-3e/pages/15-3-the-safety-net


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EXCLUSIVE: Sadie Frost Goes to Lawyers Over Mail on Sunday Hacking Revelations
Graham Johnson Jan 4, 2019
SADIE Frost is considering legal action against the Mail on Sunday over emails it holds containing illegally intercepted transcripts of her personal voicemails, as revealed in a Byline Investigation.
The 53-year-old actor is in discussion with a leading London law firm specialising in media privacy litigation after a story on this website exposed the newspaper's secret links to phone hacking.
After reading our story, Ms. Frost told us exclusively: "There was no public interest justification for any of this snooping and hacking, and I will be taking legal advice."
She added: "I am upset to hear the Mail on Sunday was discussing my private voicemails with phone hackers, with a view to writing a story about me and my family's personal business."
Exclusive: our New Year's Day story
We revealed on Tuesday how Britain's biggest mid-market weekend publication – which continues to deny any involvement in the unlawful eavesdropping practice – was sent emails laden with stolen details of Ms Frost's private life.
The highly sensitive information had been gleaned from messages Ms. Frost and her ex-husband actor Jude Law left on the the voicemails of their former nanny Jade Schmidt, by convicted hacker Glenn Mulcaire and passed to the MoS by co-conspirator Greg Miskiw.
Now the two have turned whistle-blower to contradict six years of denials of wrongdoing by the million-a-week-selling paper's Editor-in-Chief Paul Dacre, its legal managers, and its Managing Editor John Wellington.
The effects of the hacking on Ms. Frost were significant – leaving the parent-of-four suffering anxiety and depression and wrongly suspecting her own mother of selling stories on her.
She has told how hacking by tabloids, including the News of the World and rivals Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), put her through "living hell".
Until our story, Ms. Frost did not know she was also targeted for the Mail on Sunday – edited at the time by Peter Wright (pictured below) – mainly for her connections to the so-called 'Primrose Hill' set of celebrities such as Mr. Law and her friend the model Kate Moss.
In 2015, Ms. Frost was awarded £260,250 in damages for 'tortious information gathering' at the Daily Mirror, the Sunday Mirror and the People newspapers, a record amount for a damages award on a privacy case.
l-r: Whistleblowers Greg Miskiw and Glenn Mulcaire, Sadie Frost, Peter Wright, Paul Dacre (c) PA/ IPSO
Their owner, MGN admitted writing 27 stories about her between 2003 and 2006 derived from hacked voicemails.
In January 2012, Ms. Frost had received £50,000 in a settlement from Rupert Murdoch's News Group Newspapers – owners of the News of the World and The Sun – for hacking between 2003 and 2006.
In March 2015, she told the High Court during proceedings against MGN how the illegal news-gathering had affected her life, causing her to fall out with Ms. Moss – her best friend – and question her trust in her family.
Ms. Frost, star of 26 feature films, said she became a nervous wreck and was afraid to leave the house for fear of being pursued by photographers.
"It is difficult to explain the damage this has done to me. For many years, I was in a living hell," she said in a witness statement.
Ms. Frost outside the High Court when she was a witness in 2015
"I was suffering from depression, anxiety and regular panic attacks. I found it hard to leave the house and, if I finally made myself, I was followed… or they [the photographers] would turn up where I was going. This made my anxiety even worse."
Ms. Frost said her children's lives were also impacted by paparazzi attention every time she left the house.
In the witness box, she said: "I was somebody trying to pull my life back together and these articles were coming out every day, which affected my work, my family and me as a mother.
"I couldn't take my son to the park for two years because every time I did I was photographed. He would be crying and get upset and I would have panic attacks."
She described being ambushed by photographers as she left an Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting as "the lowest of the low" and a "nightmare", comparing it to the time a photographer turned up at her father's funeral.
"I was so unhappy that I found it difficult to sleep and eat – and this got reported in the papers. Absolutely nothing was left alone," she said.
"I thought it would be good for me to stop drinking, so I went to AA – and MGN published that as well. I had nowhere to turn to as the Press was in every area of my life."
Retreating into the house to escape the constant attention, Ms. Frost said she "became what the papers were saying about me. I became a wreck."
Byline Investigates has put detailed questions to the Mail on Sunday about the Anderson emails, but it has not responded either to those or to our January 1 story.
However, Mr. Wellington said at the time: "Neither Chris Anderson nor the Mail on Sunday have ever knowingly used information that was illegally acquired by Greg Miskiw."
More on this subject here, here, and here
More from Byline Investigates The Mail
Mail's alleged criminality revealed by Byline Investigates and Expose News in over 50 stories in the last 5 years – read them here
PI who targeted Meghan Markle for The Sun targeted Muhammad Ali for the Daily Mail 'while he was dying', according to shocking interview
Meghan Markle PI tells John Cleese during interview how he illegally obtained the comedian's bank details and sold them to tabloids
Meghan Markle Investigator Danno Hanks explains how he obtains confidential "Personal Identifiers" and illegally sells them to the tabloids, including the Daily Mail
More articles filed under Paul Dacre
Allegations of Mail on Sunday 'criminality' cast gloom over Paul Dacre's Ofcom bid
Graham Johnson Jul 26, 2021


text:
Home/April 2020, Opinions/How Easily We Allow Government To Suspend Our Rights
How Easily We Allow Government To Suspend Our Rights
By Ron Ewart|2020-04-29T01:58:36-04:00April 29th, 2020|
By Ron Ewart
"Dictatorship naturally arises out of Democracy, and the most aggravated form of tyranny and slavery arises out of the most extreme liberty" —Plato
"Experience has shewn, that even under the best forms of government, those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny." —Thomas Jefferson
"We beseech you Oh Lord, in the name of justice and the sanctity of our God-given natural rights, to deliver us from the edicts of the CDC, NIH and WHO and those politicians that parrot their words and pass laws and issue executive orders from their advice. Although they speak with the authority, knowledge and experience of the alleged highly trained expert, their pronouncements and utterances are based on false premises, in-adequate information, insufficient, inaccurate, or purposely padded statistical data and flawed computer models. They have turned us into virtual slaves in what was once a free land, on a thread of data so thin it should be called pseudo science."
Some educated idiot (purportedly a German researching man's inhumanity to earth)) back in 1970 foisted upon the rest of the world the "Precautionary Principle" theory, "which is a strategy for approaching issues of potential harm when extensive scientific knowledge on the matter is lacking. It emphasizes caution, pausing and review before leaping into new innovations that may prove disastrous."
In lock-step with the Precautionary Principle, your "all-wise" government, from the mayor of every city, to the executive of your county, to the governor of your great state, at the behest of the alleged medical professionals, couldn't wait to lock you up in your home before ALL of the facts were sorted, processed, analyzed and peer reviewed.
From the exalted halls of government, one by one, in the name of public health and safety, came a cascade of executive orders by governors and mayors, giddy with their newfound powers, to shutter businesses, close churches, shut down schools and force people to stay in their homes under the threat of fines and jail time, allegedly to save us from the deadly threat of a virus spawned somewhere near or in Wuhan, Communist China, whose efficacy was not fully known.
Oops! It turns out that the infamous Coronavirus wasn't much more deadly than the common flu where somewhere between 25,000 and 60,000 die every year and that is even with a vaccine. We don't quarantine the entire country for the flu. We didn't quarantine all of America for the SARS, MERS and Ebola virus outbreaks. Why did we shut down America for the Coronavirus? Could it have been an opportunity to implement world government, or some other evil design? Or, is the government testing us on how much we will tolerate government interference in our lives and the suspension of our civil rights?
Yes, the Coronavirus appears to be more infectious than the flu or other viruses, but as the data pours in from all around the world, people are contracting the virus in huge numbers but aren't showing any symptoms. The early death rates of 3.4% projected by the WHO (March 3rd) turned out to be way above the actual death rates that now appear to be about 0.5%, or even lower.
So we shut down an entire country of 330,000,000 people, destabilized the economy, threw tens of millions out of work and forced tens of millions more Americans to be locked up in their homes, for a virus with a death rate comparable to other virus death rates.
But what is even worse, in a state of government and media induced fear, the American people laid down and abrogated their God-given natural rights and handed them over to an inefficient, corrupt and negligent government that doesn't really know what it is doing but is drunk with the power that the virus handed them. (Can we trust that Anthony Fauci and Deborah Birx really know what they are talking about with such limited data to go on? Mostly they are guessing.)
There are some protests around the country to the nationwide lockdown but the protests are a token to what they should be if Americans weren't so docile in their approach to government edicts. There should be huge marches of tens of thousands of people surrounding every state capitol in America, in a show of INDIGNANT REBELLION. Is American individual freedom not worth defending any more? Are we but pawns (or toys) of an all-powerful, central government, dancing to every "song" the government sings?
In response to the threat, government has thrown trillions of dollars at the problem in the form of Federal Reserve actions and massive stimulus handouts by printing phony money, to the tune of about $7 Trillion. $7 Trillion mind you! The increase in the national debt and deficit will be with us for decades, probably never to be re-paid. The potential for a deep depression grows by every day the lockdown is extended.
In defiance of government's overreach, businesses should open their doors again. Churches should entice their parishioners to return to the pews. Public schools should get back to the work of teaching our children. The people should start congregating with reasonable precautions like the same reasonable precautions they exercise about the flu, colds and other viruses.
Is this reckless? Some might consider it so. Those who wish to preserve individual freedom will call it, "give me liberty, or give me death."
Sure, more people will contract the virus, but most of them won't know they have it. Yes, some people will die but the entire population will begin to build up anti-bodies to the disease and thus be protected when the virus strikes again at the next cold and flu season. Would a vaccine help? Of course, but that will come in time. Older people (70's and 80's) are more susceptible to the virus and should be protected where possible.
If government can lock up the entire nation, in response to a perceived but questionable threat, in direct violation of the Constitution and the suspension of your unalienable, God-given rights, what else can it do? Anything it wants ladies and gentlemen! Anything it wants!
If government can abrogate the Constitution and suspend your rights, it then follows that they can take away your guns, prohibit you from speaking, stop you from peaceably assembling, interfere with the free expression of religion, outlaw the redress of grievances and take over the free press. (The free press is dead anyway and has become a shill for the Democrat Party)
Like a tyrant King they can tax you to the point of taking everything you own away and leave you penniless and without property. They can invade your home without a warrant. They can throw you in jail without a trial. They can take your life with impunity. What are you going to do about it? How are you going to stop them? The only and final defense against absolute power is armed revolution.
Their power and authority to suspend your rights is the power of the gun, the power of the tyrant, the power of a dictator, the power of a ruling elite, the power of an Absolute Democrat Monarchy, the power of institutionalized corruption, or even the power of too many laws. How close are we to the power of the gun and the abrogation of individual rights? Closer than you might think! We came even closer when leaders in the American government decided to suspend your rights in the name of Public Health and Safety! Under what clause in the Constitution does Public Health and Safety supersede your God-given natural rights?
Now you might be thinking that this can't happen in America. You are wrong because it has already. As an example, right now in the U. S. House is Democrat-sponsored Bill, HB 5717, ("Gun Violence Prevention and Community Safety Act") legislation designed to strip you of your gun rights and virtually repeal the 2nd Amendment through the back door, in direct violation of Article V of the Constitution.
H.R. 5717 would create a national permit requirement to buy a gun, establish a national gun registry, institute a national "Red Flag Gun Seizures" law, ban virtually every semi-automatic rifle in private hands in the country, make it a felony to purchase a "high capacity" magazine, tax firearms at 30 percent and ammunition at 50 percent, provide for jail time for anyone who buys more than one gun in a one-month period, force gun owners to lock up their guns at all times, criminalize the sale of any firearm to a person under 21 (despite a person being considered an adult at 18), ban the sale of suppressors, and make it a crime to construct a gun in one's own home.
Among the many far-reaching provisions in the bill, Section 803 of the draconian bill, under "Increase in excise taxes relating to firearms," would amend Section 4181 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to read as:
There is hereby imposed upon the sale by the manufacturer, producer, or importer of the following articles a tax equivalent to the specified percent of the price for which so sold:
(1) Articles taxable at 30 percent:
Pistols.
Revolvers.
Firearms (other than pistols and revolvers).
Any lower frame or receiver for a firearm, whether for a semiautomatic pistol, rifle, or shotgun that is designed to accommodate interchangeable upper receivers.
(2) Articles taxable at 50 percent: Shells and cartridges. (Source www.jbs.org)
Will this Bill accomplish what its sponsors intend it to do, "prevent gun violence?" In a pig's eye! It's a ruse, a con and a fraud, like most Democrat legislation! Make no mistake! Their goal is gun registration and then confiscation.
If this Bill were to pass and signed into law, it would make millions of Americans lawbreakers and make gun ownership so expensive as to render ownership impossible for the average citizen. It would drive many gun manufacturers out of business, which of course is the Democrat's plan to take your guns away.
The Bill has no chance of passage now, but what if Trump is not re-elected in November and the Democrats take the House, the Senate and the Presidency? Remember, this is how we got Obama Care.
What is happening in America today is the direct result of "How Easily Americans Allow Government To Suspend Their Rights", mostly because they are not paying any attention.
Read more powerful conservative articles like this one HERE.
© 2020 Ron Ewart – All Rights Reserved
E-Mail Ron Ewart: info@narlo.org
About the Author: Ron Ewart
Ron Ewart is a nationally known author and speaker on freedom and property rights issues and author of his weekly column, "In Defense of Rural America". For 14 years Ron has been the president of the National Association of Rural Landowners (NARLO) (www.narlo.org), a non-profit corporation headquartered in Washington State, acting as an advocate and consultant for urban and rural landowners. Ron can be reached for comment at the following e-mail address: r.ewart@comcast.net


text:
Georgia Senate Runoff Elections: Vote Counting Begins
Home 2020 Election
in 2020 Election, Entertainment, overnight, wire
(ATLANTA) — Georgia officials counted the final votes of the nation's turbulent 2020 election season on Tuesday night as polls closed in two critical races that will determine control of the U.S. Senate and, in turn, the fate of President-elect Joe Biden's legislative agenda.
The two Senate runoff elections are leftovers from the November general election, when none of the candidates hit the 50% threshold. Democrats need to win both races to seize the Senate majority — and, with it, control of the new Congress when Biden takes office in two weeks.
President Donald Trump encouraged his loyalists to turn out in force even as he undermined the integrity of the electoral system by pressing unfounded claims of voter fraud to explain away his own defeat in Georgia.
As of late Tuesday night, it was too early to call the close races.
In one contest, Republican Kelly Loeffler, a 50-year-old former businesswoman who was appointed to the Senate less than a year ago by the state's governor, faced Democrat Raphael Warnock, 51, who serves as the senior pastor of the Atlanta church where Martin Luther King Jr. grew up and preached.
The other election pitted 71-year-old former business executive David Perdue, a Republican who held his Senate seat until his term expired on Sunday, against Democrat Jon Ossoff, a former congressional aide and journalist. At just 33 years old, Ossoff would be the Senate's youngest member.
This week's elections mark the formal finale to the heated 2020 election season more than two months after the rest of the nation finished voting. The heightened significance of the runoffs transformed Georgia, once a solidly Republican state, into one of the nation's premier battlegrounds during the final days of Trump's presidency.
Biden and Trump campaigned for their candidates in person on the eve of the election, though some Republicans feared Trump may have confused voters by continuing to make wild claims of voter fraud as he tries to undermine Biden's victory. The president has assailed Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, repeatedly for rejecting his fraud contentions and raised the prospect that some ballots might not be counted even as votes were being cast Tuesday afternoon.
State officials said there were no major problems with voting on Tuesday.
Gabriel Sterling, a top official with the Georgia secretary of state's office, said voting was smooth across the state with minimal wait times, though lines of around an hour built up in Republican-leaning Houston, Cherokee, Paulding and Forsyth counties.
While they have no merit, Trump's claims about voter fraud in the 2020 election have resonated with Republican voters in Georgia. About 7 in 10 agree with his false assertion that Biden was not the legitimately elected president, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 3,600 voters in the runoff elections.
Election officials across the country, including the Republican governors in Arizona and Georgia, as well as Trump's former attorney general, William Barr, have confirmed that there was no widespread fraud in the November election. Nearly all the legal challenges from Trump and his allies have been dismissed by judges, including two tossed by the Supreme Court, where three Trump-nominated justices preside.
Even with Trump's claims, voters in both parties were drawn to the polls because of the high stakes. AP VoteCast found that 6 in 10 Georgia voters say Senate party control was the most important factor in their vote.
In Atlanta's Buckhead neighborhood, 37-year-old Kari Callaghan said she voted "all Democrat" on Tuesday, an experience that was new for her.
"I've always been Republican, but I've been pretty disgusted by Trump and just the way the Republicans are working and especially the news this weekend about everything happening in Georgia," she said. "I feel like for the Republican candidates to still stand there with Trump and campaign with Trump feels pretty rotten. This isn't the conservative values that I grew up with."
But 56-year-old Will James said he voted "straight GOP."
He said he was concerned by the Republican candidates' recent support of Trump's challenges of the presidential election results in Georgia, "but it didn't really change the reasons I voted."
"I believe in balance of power, and I don't want either party to have a referendum, basically," he said.
Even before Tuesday, Georgia had shattered its turnout record for a runoff with more than 3 million votes by mail or during in-person advance voting in December. The state's previous record was 2.1 million in a 2008 Senate runoff.
Democrats counted on driving a huge turnout of African Americans, young voters, college-educated Georgians and women, all groups that helped Biden win the state. Republicans, meanwhile, have been focused on energizing their own base of white men and voters beyond the core of metro Atlanta.
If Republicans win either seat, Biden would be the first incoming president in more than a century to enter the Oval Office facing a divided Congress. In that case, he would have little shot for swift votes on his most ambitious plans to expand government-backed health care coverage, address racial inequality and combat climate change.
A Republican-controlled Senate also would create a rougher path to confirmation for Biden's Cabinet picks and judicial nominees.
With many Republicans skeptical of the outcome even before the results were announced, Georgia Republican Party Chair David Shafer said the party was closely watching the vote counting.
"Other than the good Lord above, we are trusting no one," Shafer said during an election night event at an Atlanta hotel, noting that 8,000 Republican volunteers were observing voting and counting. "We will have eyes on every part of this process, and we are doing everything in our power to restore the confidence of the people in the integrity of our elections."
Peoples reported from New York. Bynum reported from Savannah, Ga. Associated Press writers Haleluya Hadero, Angie Wang, Sophia Tulp, Ben Nadler and Kate Brumback in Atlanta contributed to this report.
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Your brand identity represents your company. When people look at your brand, they are not just looking at a fancy logo designed in nice colours. They are looking at the heart of your company.
You want clients to see a business with integrity and values.
That will either make company stand out or fade in the crowed.
The goal is to attracted new business opportunities and to saver current connections in order to make money.
Branding is a way to make your company's product known to potential clients. When designing a logo, it is better to use professionals that can help capture your company's identity. Therefore, time and effort is essential when designing a logo.
Make sure that you set aside enough time so you are not rushed. Professional designers have the ability to capture your words in an image. Keep in mind that the brand you decide on must be interesting so you can attract consumers.
Your company's brand must be effective in order to ensure that the competition is left in the dust.
Once you have a brand identity that represents the true nature of your company, your next step is to make sure that your brand visually exposed.
After all, the purpose of the process is to gain costumers in order to sell a product or service. This can be in the form marketing materials like stationary, printed clothing, corporate gifts, and personalized gifts .
Bill boards, newsletters and pamphlets are other ways of exposing your brand. When an opportunity arises like a fundraiser, be sure that your brand is display prominently. Gifts is an excellent way to attract an audience.
Make sure that the gifts you present is of a high quality and relates to your specific area of expertise.
If you decide to change your brand in future, the goal is to reflect your business attributes.
Even after re-branding that includes a new logo design, your current clients and future potential clients must be able to associate the new brand immediately.
Working with a professional team will help you in reaching this goal.


Regina Belle performing at the third staging of 'Red Rose for Gregory' held at the Liguanea Club in New Kingston on Sunday.
Organisers of the Red Rose for Gregory concert are already in talks with R&B sensation Brian McKnight to headline next year's event.
"In 2020, we will be celebrating Gregory's 70th birthday, so we'll be doing it bigger and better," Gregory Isaacs' widow, June, toldThe Gleaner. "We are already talking to Brian McKnight, so plans are in place for next year, and it's a nice feeling," she said.
Sunday night's third annual staging of the concert at New Kingston's Liguanea Golf Club enjoyed a large turnout as international acts Regina Belle and Peabo Bryson brought the evening to a blissful end.
In a near 60-minute set, Belle oozed sultry, soulful vocals as she took patrons on a musical journey that made pit stops at love, fun, and fervour. The audience sang and swayed to classics likeThis is Love, Make it Like it Was, andIf I Could, which she dedicated to parents as she drew closer to the crowd. She also performed her latest song,Freedom, which features Iyanla Vanzant and honours Black History Month. A dancing tribute to the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, delighted attendees, and it was not long before Belle's contemporary, Bryson, was on stage.
Dressed in a red blazer and black pants, the balladeer serenaded the audience with tracks likeI'm So Into You, Can You Stop the Rain, Tonight I Celebrate My Love, andA Whole New World, for which he was joined on stage by Belle. The Grammy-winning song stood out as a crowd favourite as the entertainers slow-danced.
The event was organised by the Gregory Isaacs Foundation and part proceeds will go to the Patricia House drug rehabilitation centre in Kingston. Isaacs, who passed away in 2010 at the age of 59, was never private about his battle with drug addiction.
Bryson also shared his support of the concert's cause.
"I don't do it (drugs), but I've been around it my entire life and career, so I understand it. I've had family members who really needed that help, so it's personal to me in that way," he toldThe Gleaner. "In my field of art, it (drug addiction) has always been an issue, and I think it's because most artistes want a little bit of relief. All Elvis Presley wanted was 10 hours of sleep, so did Michael Jackson – uninterrupted sleep. It's hard to turn off and come down, so you end up needing help doing it. There's also yoga, meditation, zen. There are a number of things you can do that don't have anything to do with drugs, but I'm happy to be a part of anything that provides a system for everyone that needs help," Bryson said.
He added that he did not have a favourite song from the 'Cool Ruler' and appreciated his entire catalogue.
June Isaacs described how different her husband was.
His nephew, Rey Isaacs, performed a tribute rocking a fedora, likewise singer Junior Sinclair, who added his touch to Isaacs' songs includingHard Drugs, Don't Want to Be Lonely Tonight, andSoon Forward. Japanese saxophonist Megumi paid her respects in a lively, charismatic way, as she did renditions of Isaacs'My Number One, Love Is Overdue, and a special performance with esteemed saxophonist Dean Fraser. The evening also saw the presentation of plaques to select friends and family in Isaacs' life.


text:
Q: Implementing Search on a UITableView which is getting results from Firebase DB I have a UITableView which gets data from a Firebase Realtime Database. I need to add search for the list, the data fetched is of class called Post. Once the user clicks on the cell, it passes the data to a Detailed View Controller. The search is not currently working because it's searching on a NSDictionary instead of the Post, also I'm unsure on how to go about it.
class PostTable: UIViewController, UITableViewDelegate, UITableViewDataSource, UISearchResultsUpdating {

func updateSearchResults(for searchController: UISearchController) {
    filterContentForSearchText(searchController.searchBar.text!)
    print(searchController.searchBar.text)
}

func searchBarIsEmpty() -> Bool {
    // Returns true if the text is empty or nil
    return searchController.searchBar.text?.isEmpty ?? true
}

func filterContentForSearchText(_ searchText: String) {
    print("Search Text = " + searchText)
    filteredPosts = filteredPosts.filter({( post : Post) -> Bool in
        print(post.title.title.lowercased().contains(searchText.lowercased()))
        return post.title.title.lowercased().contains(searchText.lowercased())
    })

    tableView.reloadData()
}

func tableView(_ tableView: UITableView, cellForRowAt indexPath: IndexPath) -> UITableViewCell{
    let cell = tableView.dequeueReusableCell(withIdentifier: "postCell", for: indexPath) as! PostTableViewCell
    cell.set(post: posts[indexPath.row])
    let user : Post

    if searchController.isActive && searchController.searchBar.text != "" {
        user = filteredPosts[indexPath.row]
    }
    else
    {
        cell.set(post: posts[indexPath.row])
    }
    return cell
}

@IBOutlet weak var scrollView: UIScrollView!

@IBOutlet weak var tableView: UITableView!

var searchActive : Bool = false

let searchController = UISearchController(searchResultsController: nil)
var posts = [Post]()

var filteredPosts = [Post]()

override func viewDidLoad() {
    super.viewDidLoad()

    if Auth.auth().currentUser == nil {
        switchStoryboard()
    }

    let cellNib = UINib(nibName: "PostTableViewCell", bundle: nil)
    tableView.register(cellNib, forCellReuseIdentifier: "postCell")
    var layoutGuide:UILayoutGuide!

    tableView.delegate = self
    tableView.dataSource = self
    tableView.tableFooterView = UIView()
    tableView.reloadData()

    searchController.searchResultsUpdater = self
    searchController.dimsBackgroundDuringPresentation = false
    definesPresentationContext = true
    tableView.tableHeaderView = searchController.searchBar

    observePosts()
}

func switchStoryboard() {
    DispatchQueue.main.async {
        let vc: UIViewController? = self.storyboard?.instantiateViewController(withIdentifier: "ViewController")
        var window: UIWindow? = (UIApplication.shared.delegate?.window)!
        window?.rootViewController = vc
    }
}

override func didReceiveMemoryWarning() {
    super.didReceiveMemoryWarning()
    // Dispose of any resources that can be recreated.
}

func observePosts() {
    let postsRef = Database.database().reference().child("Data").queryOrdered(byChild: "priority")
    print(postsRef)
    postsRef.observe(.value, with: { snapshot in
        var tempPosts = [Post]()

        for child in snapshot.children{

            if let childSnapshot = child as? DataSnapshot,
                let dict = childSnapshot.value as? [String:Any],
                let title = dict["title"] as? String,
                let logoImage = dict["image"] as? String,
                let url = URL(string:logoImage),
                let address = dict["address"] as? String,
                let contact = dict["contact"] as? String,
                let description = dict["description"] as? String{

                let userProfile = UserProfile(title: title, photoURL: url)
                let post = Post(id: childSnapshot.key, title: userProfile, description: description, image: userProfile, address: address, contact: contact)
                print(post)
                tempPosts.append(post)
            }
        }

        self.posts = tempPosts
        self.tableView.reloadData()
    })
}

func getImage(url: String, completion: @escaping (UIImage?) -> ()) {
    URLSession.shared.dataTask(with: URL(string: url)!) { data, response, error in
        if error == nil {
            completion(UIImage(data: data!))
        } else {
            completion(nil)
        }
        }.resume()
}

func numberOfSections(in tableView: UITableView) -> Int {
    return 1
}

func tableView(_ tableView: UITableView, numberOfRowsInSection section: Int) -> Int {
   if searchController.isActive && searchController.searchBar.text != ""{
       return filteredPosts.count
   } else {
       return posts.count
   }
}

func tableView(_ tableView: UITableView, didSelectRowAt indexPath: IndexPath) {
    tableView.deselectRow(at: indexPath, animated: true)

    let postsInfo = posts[indexPath.row]
    print(postsInfo)

    let Storyboard = UIStoryboard(name: "Main", bundle: nil)
    let DvC = Storyboard.instantiateViewController(withIdentifier: "PostTableDetailed") as! PostTableDetailed
    DvC.getName = postsInfo.title.title
    DvC.getDesc = postsInfo.description
    DvC.getImg = postsInfo.title.photoURL.absoluteString
    DvC.getAddress = postsInfo.address
    DvC.getContact = postsInfo.contact

    self.navigationController?.pushViewController(DvC, animated: true)
}
}

A: cellForRow is wrong
func tableView(_ tableView: UITableView, cellForRowAt indexPath: IndexPath) -> UITableViewCell{
    let cell = tableView.dequeueReusableCell(withIdentifier: "postCell", for: indexPath) as! PostTableViewCell
    let post = searchController.isActive ? filteredPosts[indexPath.row] : posts[indexPath.row]
    cell.set(post: post)
    return cell
}

It's sufficient to check for searchController.isActive.

And you have to filter posts not filteredPosts. I changed also the signature of filterContentForSearchText to conform to the naming guidelines.
func filterContent(for searchText: String) {
    filteredPosts = posts.filter{ $0.title.range(of: searchText, options: .caseInsensitive) != nil }
    tableView.reloadData()
}

And be aware that didSelectRowAt can crash or cause unexpected behavior when the searchController is active.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
var gulp = require("gulp");

var Plugin = require("./Plugin");
var Task = require("./Task");
var Watch = require("./Watch");
var Short = require("./Short");

module.exports = Short;
module.exports.task = Task;
module.exports.watch = Watch;

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub