What is it? : Torchwood ("Above the police, beyond the government") is a spin off series from Doctor Who (which I've long intended to write an editorial about). It's about an organisation set up by Queen Victoria to protect Britain and its Empire against extra terrestrial threats (especially the Doctor himself). The series follows the activities of Torchwood 3 (Torchwood 1 was the London based part of the organisation, which was destroyed by the Daleks and Cybermen in season 2 of Doctor Who, and Torchwood 2 is in Glasgow ) and is set in Cardiff.
I'm specifically reviewing the recently broadcast story "Children of Earth", and I'll be spoiling the hell out of it, so if you ain't watched it, and plan to, then stop here.
As mentioned above, Torchwood is based around the exploits of a group of people who fight alien attacks on Earth. The group is somewhat reduced after the death of two main characters at the tail end of the last season, leaving only 3 operational characters. Captain Jack Harkness, a human from several thousand years in the future, he was a time agent (whatever that is still hasn't been explained), and has an excess of life force since he was brought back from the dead in season 1 of Doctor Who. Basically that amounts to him being unkillable, he is described as a "fixed point in time" which seems to mean that he will live until he is due to die, and until then nothing can kill him (he's been blown up, poisoned, shot, stabbed, exposed to radiation, buried for 3500 years, etc, etc).
Secondly there's Ianto Jones, who is one part tea boy, one part hitman and one part Captain Jack's gay lover. In the first episodes of Torchwood, he was the one who did all the dirty work, dumped bodies in the river, wiped witnesses memories, etc. A real nasty piece of work, but came across as the competent one in the team, who allowed all the others to be as messed up as they were, because at the end of the day, Ianto would tidy things up. As time went on, they softened the character, and he developed a truly wicked sense of humour, which earnt him the nickname (with me and my friends at least) of "Comedy Ianto".
Finally, there's Gwen Cooper, an ex-policewoman who was recruited into the team to bring both a human touch and police skills to the group. She was a bit wet to start off with, but has become a far more interesting character since she developed gun-fu skills.
Children of Earth was a 5 day "event" story, where each episode was broadcast across a week. The story is about an Alien species returning to Earth following a deal they made with the British government in the 1960's. The deal was, that the government gave the Aliens a group of children, in exchange for a cure to a flu which potentially would wipe out 5-10% of the planets population. The deal at the time was good, 20 or so kids for millions of lives, but now the Aliens are returning, the government is keen to cover up this deal, and sets out to kill everyone who knew about it, including the person they got to do the actual exchange itself, Captain Jack Harkness.
The first part is basically, the Torchwood team being re-introduced with both Ianto and Captain Jack having their families introduced for the first time, the threat being introduced (through lots of kids talking in unison), and the government starting its tidy up plan, which involves blowing up the Torchwood hub using a bomb they implant into Captain Jack (they shoot him, and do surgery before he heals the gunshot). It's tense gripping stuff, you know they can't kill Jack, but the destruction of the base, and all of the support equipment the team uses is quite shocking (especially more shocking I thought was the fact that Captain Jack put his psychotic brother in suspended animation in the Torchwood hub, who I guess now is dead (I actually thought that the remains they found in part 2 were going to be his brother, and they were going to have a DNA test done, and it was going to leave you in suspense for a couple of episodes about whether they'd actually managed to kill Jack, but alas, no)).
Day Two is the Torchwood team (both of them) now on the run from the government, trying to arrange support, Gwen tries to contact the government, not knowing that its them that are after her, while Ianto goes after Jack's remains. They meet up at the end of the episode and arrange a breakout (in the meantime, Jack has grown back from the head/shoulder/arm remains that have been found, and been encased in concrete to keep him out of the way).
Day Three, the Torchwood team take up petty crime to fund their operations, and set up in an abandoned Torchwood warehouse. Meanwhile the aliens, who have been spookily announcing their arrival through kids, arrive and loiter around in a smoky tank. Torchwood starts spying on the government, and meet up with a kid who was supposed to be handed over to the Aliens in the 60's and now has a link to them. The Aliens make their demand, they want 10% of the children of earth or else they kill everyone on the planet. They're not clear on how they'll do this, and no-one really seems to make any attempts to attack the aliens. The government also captures Jacks daughter and grandson, in an effort to force him to keep quiet.
Day Four, brings together the information on the exact details of the deal made in the 60's, Jack's exact involvement, and Torchwood spies on the Governments plans to hand over the kids (choosing the lowest performing 10%). Torchwood then uses the recordings they've made of the governments planning meetings to blackmail them, and allow Captain Jack and Ianto access to the Alien. They threaten the Alien, which then releases a virus which kills everyone in the building (MI-5 headquarters I believe), including Captain Jack and Ianto (Captain Jack of course gets better). The aliens also uses their connection to the survivor of the 60's abductions to kill him, in a pointless but deus-ex-machina providing manner.
Day Five, a US General siezes control of the UK government, and prepares to hand over the requested 10% of kids (apart from a throwaway line about information being phoned in from Germany because the electronic systems are down, it's never mentioned about reactions from other countries, but it seems as if they're all happily handing over their kids as well). The Aliens reveal they want the kids, because they harvest chemicals from their brains which give them a nice feeling, admitting that basically they're intergalactic junkies. Gwen returns to Cardiff, to tell Ianto's family that he's dead, and to help protect his niece and nephew, while Jack gets locked up for treason. Meanwhile, the government hit squad who happily blew the hell out of the Torchwood hub in episode 1, and kidnapped Jacks daughter and grandson get all uppity about the government handing over kids, break Jack out of prison since he's the go-to guy for fighting aliens. Jack uses the energy wave the aliens used to kill the survivor in the last episode, and broadcasts it through his grandson (since the aliens are talking through the kids, they must be linked), killing his grandson. A weepy Jack is then seen 6 months later talking to Gwen, saying it was all his fault, and he's off intergalactic hitchhiking to get away from it all.
High Points : Okay, it was brilliantly written and acted, the script was sharp, funny, and action packed. I loved the characters as written, the plot twists were good (I never saw the doctor guy from the first episode as the spy he was), and although they forgot a lot of things, it was forgivable. Except for the ending, I really enjoyed Torchwood: Children of Earth, and right up to the ending I would have recommended it to anyone.
Low Points : Okay, so killing main characters is shocking, we're shocked already when you killed off two of the main cast at the end of season 2, now I'm just annoyed. While there's a good point to be made that "not everyone will make it through alive", why kill off the most popular character (except Jack) and in a pointless way. Ianto dies because all Torchwood do to fight the aliens in the first 4 episodes is shout at them a little. Also where's the threats from Jack, his daughter makes the point that Jack is immortal and therefore a very dangerous man to annoy, but no-one points this out to the Aliens (well, Ianto tells them to look through the history of Earth to see what Jack is capable of). If he was annoyed enough, Jack quite literally has the time to get every member of the Alien species and kill them in new and inventive ways.
They forget about all sorts of things to move the story along, but throwaway lines could have sorted all that out, what happened to the Torchwood Pterodactyl? what happened to Captain Jack's brother who was in deep freeze storage (as well as many other people according to previous episodes), what happened to all the aliens that Torchwood keeps in cages (the Weevils for example, Torchwood captures them, but can't return them home since they don't know where they originate), all of these were in the Torchwood hub when it went boom. Having someone finishing paperwork for the move while the hub was having maintenance done would have sorted this, a mention afterwards of condolences to Jack about his brother, etc. Just something to let us know that you haven't forgotten about these things, because we certainly haven't.
The shock ending I found didn't work for me, they went straight to the sacrificing a kid to save the world. No-one tried anything else? After all, this is the same "world" where UNIT threatened to blow the entire planet up (using something called the Osterhagen Key, a series of linked nuclear bombs on fault-lines) rather than let the Daleks take it over last year. No one tried killing the aliens, which after all were Junkies. If you threatened to kill the kids rather than let them take them, they'd cave in and request less kids. After all they'd want a fix, and the idea of the supply drying up completely would frighten them. The shock ending would have worked, if you'd seen people trying different solutions first, leaving the sacrifice as the only option. However, as shown, they went straight for the kiddie killing option without bothering to try anything else first.
But . . my main complaint is . . everyone gives up. If you've nothing to lose, then you've nothing to lose by fighting, but nobody bothered fighting.
The government guy who was told to hand over his kids, didn't bother fighting (by going to the press outside to tell all) he just blew his entire families brains out.
UNIT, who are supposedly the world wide force to fight alien menaces, didn't fight, they just rolled over and gave up (they happily fight Daleks, Cybermen and Sontarans, all of whom are mighty galactic empires feared across the universe, but a bunch of intergalactic junkies whose only demonstration of power is to kill a building worth of people . . .).
Torchwood, don't try to fight the aliens, just trying the age old mentod of shouting at them then going straight to the human sacrifice when that doesn't work (I know I've made that point before, but hell, the Aliens are called the 456, named after the frequency they broadcast on, and Jack doesn't even bother to try broadcasting the kill signal on that frequency first before transmitting it through his grandson even though he knows it'll but the kid to a crisp. A heroic ending would have been for them to storm the alien who has appeared on Earth, and use the kid from the 60's he's shown to be hooked up to, to broadcast the signal, freeing the kid and defeating the enemy at the same time.
Hell, even the government gives up, without a word of how to fight the aliens, they start discussing how to choose which kids to hand over (and no-one seems concerned that a "rogue state" might not hand its kids over, expecting someone else to take up the slack (which would start a domino effect as more and more nations thought they could get away with it. In fact the UK government doesn't even fight back when a US General seizes control of the country.
Everybody just gives up. I once read that drama is all about struggle, not necessarily violent struggle, but the struggle to overcome obstacles. Maybe the writer of Children of Earth was trying to prove that statement wrong, but at the end, no one struggles, they all just give in, and that just seemed pathetic to me (and its difficult to enjoy watching people being pathetic).
So what do you really think ? : Well I think you've probably got the idea if you've read this far. Four and a half good episodes, followed by an ending which kind of ruined everything that went before. They're releasing this on DVD this week, and friday evening I was in the DVD section of my local supermarket, and thought "on monday I'll buy Torchwood, it's been that good" (even though its all still recorded on my Sky+ box), after fridays episode, nahh, I won't bother. Watching people struggle with adversity is only really good if there is some kind of pay off at the end, there wasn't in this.
Russell T Davies (the writer of Torchwood and Doctor Who) has many times proven himself capable of writing amazingly good starts to multipart stories, followed by very dissapointing final parts.
In Doctor Who he wrote the amazingly good "Sound of Drums" which has the world conquered by humanity from the future, driven mad from the knowledge that at the end of the universe there is nothing. Only to end it with the Doctor becoming all powerful because everybody in the world chants his name, so he becomes all glowy and floats and fixes everything including wish the last year away (admittedly that part was actually set up sensibly (the future humans could only kill their ancestors without causing a paradox by use of a "paradox machine", when it is destroyed, they end up in a grandfather paradox, and dissappear)).
In The Second Coming, he sets up a fantastic premise of the second coming of Jesus (with the vatican trying to cover it up, governments and media corporations trying to control what he says, etc, etc), but then ruins it with a really stupid premise that Jesus has only returned so he can be murdered, so humanity can move on without religion, because no one does anything bad unless it's in gods name (or maybe that everyone would behave if there's no heaven, its not really explained that well), it never considers that people are bad for other reasons than religion, but blame it (the amount of murderers who say god told them to do it), or the possibility that many would claim that this was all another test to see who truly had faith.
But Children of Earth, just proves it again, he can write, and he can write well, but by heck he doesn't know how to wrap up a story to a satisfying conclusion.
Final Words : Nothing more to say really, guess despite all of what I've written, I'm still looking forwards to the final Doctor Who's written by Russell T Davies (although thats more because I really like David Tennants incarnation of the Doctor), but am prepared to be dissappointed.
First 4 episodes 9.5/10, last episode 3/10.


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Guest Review: Degenesis – Black Atlantic
Guest post by Pablo Ruiz Valls
Degenesis never fails to amaze. In Black Atlantic (BA), the closure of the Jehammed Trilogy adventures, the game shows its strengths in full. I won't, very unjustly, go over the excellent production values of the art, typesetting and graphic design. If you've seen them you know they knock it out of the park. Degenesis truly sets a new gold standard for the RPG industry. Full stop.
Here I want to speak of the song that Black Atlantic sings. Game masters (GMs) who've run the previous installments of the trilogy already know how these books work: you've got an introduction to the geographic setting, then a list of major players in the region and then the adventure itself. If you're new to Degenesis, this might sound pretty basic, right? Well, let's go through them again.
Geographical tidbits in Degenesis are never something so simple: Every paragraph is a plot hook, every location hides clues to the story, be it the overarching themes of the whole of Degenesis or local events. In any case, they serve to run adventures on their own and to avoid a sudden lull in the game's pace if players decide to explore that ramshackle town instead of the obvious path all clues point towards to. This game kills railroads; more on that later.
In BA we're introduced to northwestern Franka, the land of the Britons. This is a land of tradition and faith, of hard working people and the legends they believe in. Some are jubilantly celebrated as they walk among the populace. Like Saint Vicarent, who single-handedly saved this land from the scourge of the Pheromancers. Some are whispered and feared, like Cernunnos, god protector of the forests in the south, or the decaying Vulture and his army of cannibals across the narrow sea up north. The ruins of Nantes, the bridge at Morlaix and the bustling inns in Brest, among others, all present opportunities to develop narration and with that, the personal stories of the player's characters.
The characters are the pillars of the game, both player and non-player varieties. They push the story forward and forge the history of the world through their actions and their reactions. This is the core principle of any RPG, that players have agency. But many games grind the agency of NPC down to the stereotype into which the acronym has devolved. Not Degenesis, though. More than just stat blocks, NPCs are believable humans with motivations and intent, and these serve the GM well in improvising. Instead of overpreparing for every possible scenario, a GM who knows the intentions of his agents well can react to anything the characters put into play.
BA has a wide cast of characters, tangled in different webs. From the amorous mishaps of the Salt Wolf Parel and the jealousy he's awakened in town, to the otherworldly phenomena the Delilah fears, the mysteries of the defeat of the Pheromancer King Ganaress the Red Pack is after, and the tragedy of Oppolus's estranged family are a handful of examples. Different spheres of interaction which will collide and trigger reactions, from utter chaos to redemption, opportunities arise for the GM and players to build a network of allies and gain enemies to shape their own narration through the setting. More notably than in previous installments, the agencies of the different factions are flexible and tied to the personal actions of the player characters. Moral dilemmas arise naturally, forcing the players into having to choose carefully, with the consequences rippling well beyond the time and space of this setting. The stakes have never been this high.
Then comes the adventure. Some people get the books and treat the adventures as scripts, as other games do. They soon become disappointed in its narrative structure. They call it too linear, too railroading. The presented adventure is one of many possible ways of the adventure to develop, but Degenesis has always asked for the GM to be smart. All adventures are a succession of events, of nodes that connect to each other and allow the narration to go forward.
The adventures in Degenesis campaign books are more an example than a script. They just show how the assets described previously can come into play, how do NPCs react to certain events, what is happening around the world. Of course, players will most probably deviate from the described path, but the nodes can be repositioned and modified at the GM's whim to suit the ever-changing context of the developing game. Once again, these are tools for the GM to use, not a recipe. A RPG should be fun for the players and the character, and strapping the game to a prewritten path never is.
Without spoiling too much of the plot, BA is the glorious ending the Jehammed Trilogy deserves. Players are thrown in the middle of several narrative threads which they can pick upon and develop, and they will surely discover more about the world and themselves in the process. The adventure is fertile soil for character development, as the players will face challenges and mysteries that run deep into the themes of the game. Major world-changing events depend on the actions of the players, without turning the players into unstoppable machines. Degenesis is not a game of power escalation, but of willpower and player agency. Old allegiances will be put into question and the characters, if they make it through, will come out with open eyes to a world that only moments ago hid in plain sight.
BA elevates the tone of the game from the surface appearance of the unique post-apocalypse taste to the greater truths that lie beyond. Both players and the GM will revel in the setting, characters and events that take place in it, and both will surely be more hooked to the universe than when they started the book.
Black Atlantic can be purchased in PDF and print from the publisher, Sixmorevodka. For more info about Degenesis, see the the overview page and my initial review and actual play review.
Burrito King's Guide to GURPS
Three for Thursday: Games in the Library

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


IMAGINE PEACE TOWER in cooperation with the artist.
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Tower, Viðey island and its surroundings.
Post on October 9 2008.
is available from Heimur webstore here and from Iceland Post here.


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Александр Александрович Фиркс (1817—1889) — русский генерал, участник русско-турецкой войны 1877—1878 гг.

Родился 18 декабря 1817 г., происходил из дворян Курляндской губернии и воспитывался в школе гвардейских подпрапорщиков, откуда 4 сентября 1836 г. выпущен прапорщиком в Лейб-гвардии Волынский полк. В 1840 г. он был прикомандирован к войскам Кавказского корпуса и, находясь в рядах Куринского егерского полка, принимал участие в целом ряде экспедиций против горцев и за боевые отличия был пожалован орденом св. Анны 4-й степени с надписью «За храбрость». В 1841 г. Фиркс вернулся в Волынский полк, в котором продолжал служить до 1855 г., когда был зачислен в запасные войска. В 1857 г. он получил в командование Томский пехотный полк; 6 января 1863 г. произведён в генерал-майоры и затем назначен помощником командира 9-й пехотной дивизии; в том же году определён на должность окружного генерала 1-го корпуса внутренней стражи. При реорганизации гарнизонных войск Фиркс в 1864 г. был назначен помощником начальника местных войск Петербургского военного округа, а в 1869 г. получил в командование 33-ю пехотную дивизию. По производстве 28 марта 1871 г. в генерал-лейтенанты, он был переведён на ту же должность в 12-ю пехотную дивизию. С началом Турецкой кампании 1877—1878 гг. Фиркс принадлежал с своей дивизией к Рущукскому отряду, причем за отличное мужество и распорядительность, оказанные им в сражениях у Трестеника и при Мечке (14 и 30 ноября), награждён орденом св. Владимира 2-й степени с мечами и 19 марта 1878 г. получил орден св. Георгия 4-й степени

По возвращении в Россию Фиркс в 1879 г. был назначен командиром 11-го армейского корпуса, в 1883 г. — временно командующим войсками Киевского военного округа, 30 августа 1885 г. произведён в генералы от инфантерии.

Среди прочих наград имел ордена св. Станислава 1-й степени (1868 г.), св. Анны 1-й степени (1870 г., императорская корона к этому ордену получена в 1873 г.), Белого Орла (1881 г.), св. Александра Невского (1883 г.).

Умер в июле 1889 г.

Литература

 Список генералам по старшинству на 1886 год

Персоналии по алфавиту
Родившиеся в 1817 году
Умершие в 1889 году
Генералы от инфантерии (Российская империя)
Участники Кавказской войны
Участники Русско-турецкой войны (1877—1878)
Кавалеры ордена Святого Георгия IV класса

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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I'm beginning this post overlooking a black sand beach and a decent Pacific break in Guatemala. This is the last stop before we head north to Mexico and out of Central America. I have really enjoyed our stops in Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Guatemala. Admittedly, I have a greater appetite for hair-raising cab rides, local beers, and pigeon spanish conversations that go nowhere than most but I keep hearing people say there is nothing here and I completely disagree. It just takes a little persistence.
That being said, it's tough to talk about some of these places without sounding condescending or over-privledged and uninitiated. I keep hearing people describe areas as 'rustic, 'simple,' and 'undeveloped.' I know these people are just trying to be PC but it seems a little funny because i'm sure these traits are the same virtues they would extoll about Amish country or Tuscany. Let's call a spade a spade, these places are poor, dirt poor. People are often living quite literally in the dirt. Life is hard and cheap for many at this latitude. These are facts.
This post isn't meant to be a downer or make anyone reevaluate their life choices. Far from it. I just want to disprove some of the negative things people say about these locations and a little background info seemed relevant.
When we arrived in Nicaragua, the view from the open deck did not look encouraging. We docked at an industrial port, as we often do. The view beyond the containers didn't provide many clues as to what was out there. Everyone was saying it was very dangerous and making jokes about knife fights and three-legged dogs. Others were saying that you would get sick if you ate any food anywhere. (A few days later I'm still feeling fine. I'll stick with Anthony Bourdain's mantra that you are far more likely to get sick from the chaffing tray of eggs in your hotel than you are from locally prepared food.) Anyway, the prospects did not look good.
After a short walk out of the port we encountered the city of Puerto Corinto. It's not much of a town in terms of size. There are a lot of people riding bicycles and selling handicrafts to tourists. There were some restaurants, none of which looked very interesting.
There really wasn't a lot going on in the town. Also, it is oppressively hot and dusty. We were faced with a decision, turn back for AC, a nap, and buffet food onboard or roll the dice and try to find something interesting. We had heard of a beach that was supposedly nice and not far away so we hired a teenager on a bicycle to ride us there.
This interaction was a great example of what is often very frustrating about Central America. There are many guys trying to take you to different places, with the strategy for attracting customers being 'be the loudest, and get right in their face.' If that doesn't work, just grab a potential customer's arm and pull him or her toward your bicycle while screaming 'beach, beach, 5 dollar.' The first guy offered to take us for $5 a piece. Then another guy came over and offered to take us for $2 each. You can see where this is going. Eventually we left with the third guy for $1 a piece. It's hard not to feel bad for these guys, in a way they are their own enemies. If they would just agree that they wouldn't take anyone for less than $5 they would all be better off.
Anyway, our guy rode us through some pretty sketchy neighborhoods, all the while chatting away in Spanish. I told him that I am a musician and that I play the saxophone, (one of the very few things I know how to say) and we chatted at length about whether the saxophone is difficile or facile to learn.
Eventually we arrived at this place that was called a beach, but was more or less just a place where you could get to the water. There was a great restaurant right on the water, however. The view was killer, a nice breeze kept the sweat in check, and the food was slamming.
We had garlic shrimps, which I think were the largest shrimps I have seen in my life, salad, fries, and plenty of local beers. The beers also might have been the coldest in the world. They were literally frozen.
One of the things that I love about Central America is the paint. Everything is joyfully slapped with thick coatings of cheap, boldly-colored paint. It's totally normal to paint your house pink or bright orange.
In Guatemala, we visited Puerto Quetzal. There is a beach club sort of place called Nautilus. We took a ride in a van, crammed with 14 people to get there. On the way, we traveled through some aggressively poor areas. Motorbikes zipped by on both sides of the van and we passed many stores that were guarded by teenagers with shotguns at the entrance.
Nautilus itself is right on the beach, which is black sand. The water is very warm and there are pretty big waves. After being in the Caribbean for so long, it was nice to be swimming in the OCEAN! The bar and restaurant part is built up on stilts and has a thatched roof. It's a pretty nice shady spot with a killer view of the beach.
There are several different entrance options for the club. I chose the option of a bucket of beers and a plate of fried fish. All the entrance packages include free wifi, at least until enough people get there and the network crashes, and use of the thatched umbrellas and chairs.
Greg, the guitarist from the orchestra and I caught all of these fish.
When it was time to go, we gathered in the parking lot to wait for our prearranged van ride. Instead of a van coming to pick us up, a pickup truck showed up. Some people rode in back, which is apparently fine in Guatemala.
All in all it was a really great day. We could have stayed in the port area, which was super clean and safe, but I don't think that would have been a very authentic experience. Everywhere we went in Central America was very open and friendly. There are definitely some areas that I would avoid, but then again, there would really be no reason for me to be there. There are many cool things to do in these countries, it just takes a little persistence.


NetRack registered its participation in BICSI India 2018, Hyderabad. BICSI provides a single platform to learn from the Information & Communications Technology (ICT) community experts and to network with peers, industry leaders and exhibitors. In BICSI Satellite Seminar, NetRack highlighted its highly acknowledged NRSe series, ultra-rigid enhanced racks for high density application in data centers & server room. NetRack also briefed about Airflow management in complex IT infrastructures.
NetRack outlines the importance of creating a healthy environment and adopting environment friendly practices for the data centers. NetRack's NRSe series help enhance thermal management with the air seal kit and blanking panels & bottom brushed access to enhance grounding & bonding. The product range of NetRack is UL certified and follows all the international guidelines for product manufacturing.
Is it secure to use cell phones to get the OTPs (One time password)?
Chatbots and games: the next gen diagnostic tools?


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Catastrophic health plans offer low costs with comprehensive insurance coverage
Written by: Susan Manning | Reviewed by: Les Masterson
Health insurance is necessary, but it can also be expensive. However, there's an alternative for some Americans — catastrophic health insurance.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) allows catastrophic health insurance for young adults and people who can't afford other health insurance and have faced hardship. These plans have all the benefits of a standard health plan, but with much higher deductibles and lower premiums.
What's a catastrophic health plan?
Catastrophic health plans have been around awhile as a low-cost alternative to health insurance. However, the ACA beefed up catastrophic health plans' coverage while restricting plans to only two groups of people:
People under the age of 30
Anyone who qualifies for a hardship exemption
Catastrophic health plans offer the same comprehensive coverage found in regular health insurance plans, but with low premiums and high out-of-pocket costs when you need health care services.
Catastrophic health plans are a low-cost alternative to health insurance, with much higher deductibles and lower premiums.
It covers emergency medical costs, basic health screening and other routine check-ups.
To quality for this type of health plan you must be under 30 years old or if over 30 had recent financial hardships.
Hardships that can make you eligible for catastrophic health plans include: declared bankruptcy, suffered domestic violence, have disabled or aging family member, or face eviction or foreclosure.
It may be a good option for people who can afford giant deductible and still have medical needs.
ACA plan, Medicaid, CHIP (Child healthcare insurance plan) and short-term health plan are alternatives to the catastrophic health insurance you can also look into.
How much does catastrophic health plans cost?
The average cost of a catastrophic health plan in 2020 is $195. That's signficantly less than the usual monthly costs in an employer-sponsored plan or an individual health plan.
One downside to catastrophic health plans is the deductible. Catastrophic health plans' deductibles, which you have to pay for health care services before the plan chips in money, are much higher than other health plans. Catastrophic health plans' deductible is $8,150. That's significantly higher than other plans. For instance, high-deductible health plans' average deductible is about $2,500 for single coverage. The deductibles in health maintenance organization and preferred provider plans are even lower.
However, once you reach your deductible in a catastrophic plan, the plan covers the rest of your health care costs for the year.
What does a catastrophic health plan cover?
Catastrophic health plans cover:
Emergency medical costs
Three primary care visits per year, including an annual check-up
Routine vaccines, such as a flu shot
Basic health screenings
Plans must also cover 10 essential services:
Pregnancy, maternity and newborn
Mental health and substance abuse disorder services
Rehabilitation services and devices
Preventative, wellness and chronic disease management
Pediatric services, including dental and vision
Who qualifies for a catastrophic health plan?
The biggest group who qualify for a catastrophic health plan are those under 30 years old. However, certain financial hardships will allow someone over 30 to get a catastrophic plan.
An important part to remember is that the hardship has to have happened within the past year, meaning it doesn't have to be your current situation. For example, if you were homeless or evicted in the last year, you could qualify for an exemption, even if you have since landed housing.
Other reasons for exemptions include:
Your face eviction or foreclosure
You had damage to your property because of a natural or human-caused disaster
You suffered the death of a family member or your expenses increased unexpectedly because you had to start taking care of a disabled or aging family member
Your utilities were almost shut off
You suffered domestic violence
The best way to determine if you qualify for one of those exemptions is to go to your state's health insurance exchanges. You'll enter your information, including income, and the site will offer a catastrophic health plan option if you qualify.
If you qualify for an exemption, but your state's health insurance exchange isn't showing catastrophic health insurance as a choice for you, contact the exchange directly and provide your information.
What is the difference between major medical and catastrophic coverage?
major medical coverage in the ACA exchanges is tiered by metals — Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum. Bronze tiers have lower premiums and higher deductibles. As you work your way up toward Platinum, premiums increase and deductibles decrease.
On the flipside, catastrophic health plans don't have tiers. It has one large deductible that needs to be met before the plan pays for care. However, once that deductible is met, there are no more charges to the insured for that year.
Is a catastrophic health plan worth it?
Those who benefit most from catastrophic health plans are healthy individuals under the age of 30. People under 30 are likely to not need as much health care as older people, so a catastrophic health plan can decrease health care costs. A catastrophic plan can serve as a safety net in case of a serious medical issue.
For those who have no other options but still have medical needs, a catastrophic health plan may be worth it. The question is whether you can afford the giant deductible if you need care.
How to buy a catastrophic health insurance plan
Buying a catastrophic health plan is fairly straightforward. The most comprehensive place to begin is healthcare.gov. However, insurance can also be purchased directly from carriers.
Some options include online purchasing, phone, community organizations, an agent/broker and even paper applications.
Alternatives to catastrophic health plans
Catastrophic health plans have low premiums, but those might still be too much for some people. Plus, the deductible means huge out-of-pocket costs when you need care, which isn't ideal for everyone.
There are other options to catastrophic health plans:
ACA plan — ACA plans purchased in the marketplace are eligible for subsidies that reduce health plan costs. Your income must be between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty level to qualify. That's between $12,760 and $51,040 if you're single; $17,240 and $68,960 for a couple and $26,200 to $104,800 for a family of four.
Medicaid — People with low incomes may qualify for Medicaid. Thirty-eight states have expanded Medicaid eligibility so that people who make 138% of the federal poverty level can get Medicaid. The other states are stricter. However, states often have more flexible income levels for specific situations, such as for pregnant women.
Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) — CHIP is an option for children who live in lower-income households, but whose families don't qualify for Medicaid. State eligibility levels vary. The range goes from 170% of the federal poverty level to 400% of the federal poverty level. For example, in Alabama, children are eligible at 312% of the federal poverty level. In Florida, the limit is 210%. In some states, CHIP is also available for low income, uninsured pregnant women, who can receive prenatal, delivery and postpartum care.
Short-term health plan — A short-term health plan doesn't offer the comprehensive coverage found in standard health insurance plans, but a short-term plan can offer temporary, low-cost coverage. Short-term health plans are available for one year in most states with the option to extend coverage for three years. They have low premiums but high out-of-pocket costs and limited coverage. For instance, you may have trouble finding a short-term plan with mental health and prescription drug coverage. Not all states allow short-term plans and some states limit the plan's length.
Catastrophic health plans are an option for young people and those who are facing hardships. However, make sure to compare the pros and cons of each of your options to find a plan that best meets your needs.
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Spinal Foraminotomy surgery takes out a portion of bone and other tissues that might be squeezing the nerve as they leave the spinal column. This process is implemented to relieve the symptoms of nerve root compression in circumstances where the foramen is being trampled by bone, disc, scar tissue or extreme ligament development and leads to a pinched nerve or nerve root compression. Foraminotomy operation is often executed as a minimally invasive surgery process.
Spinal Foraminotomy surgery takes pressure off of a nerve in your spinal column. This permits the spine to move more effortlessly. Patients feel improvement in their symptoms and are released of their pain which is triggered by nerve root compression. Foraminotomy surgery is therefore very beneficial in decreasing the pain triggered by nerve compression.
Viezec is here to assist you with the best quality low-cost medical processes. The medical facilities at Viezec cost about 70-80 percent lesser than USA, UK and other nations. Visiting patients will be enrolled in the top hospitals in India for the processes. You would be required to be in India for about a week for maximum of the cases. This is conceivable because wherever suitable the surgeries are done by minimally invasive method. Virtually all our doctors are board certified doctors and trained in the West.The estimated expenditure, all inclusive cost of Orthopedic Spinal Foraminotomy will be USD $6200 and this might differ contingent on the implant, surgeon, facility and city of the process. Viezec works towards guaranteeing reasonable medical amenities to its patients.
Stop using aspirin or any other recommended or over-the-counter medication before your process.
Tell your surgeon if you are allergic to any medication.
You might need some tests before the process to assess your medical condition, like MRI or X-ray of your spine.
If you are a smoker, you need to stop smoking. Stop taking medications that make it tougher for your blood to clot.
If you have diabetes, heart ailment or other medical complications, see your regular doctor.
Speak to your doctor about your smoking and alcohol ingestion.
Let your surgeon know immediately if you get a cold, fever, flu, herpes breakout or other diseases.
Visit a physical therapist to learn workouts to do before the Foraminotomy surgery.
Don't drink or eat anything for 6 to 12 hours before the Foraminotomy process.
During the Foraminotomy surgery, you will be sleeping with general anesthesia. A cut is made in the middle back of your spine. Skin, muscles and ligaments are moved to the side. A surgical microscope could be used to see the inner parts of your back. Some bone is expunged to open the nerve root opening. Other bone might be taken out at the back of the vertebrae to create space. To guarantee your spinal column is stable a spinal fusion might be done. The muscles and other tissues are placed back. The skin is then sewed together.
The patients are kept in the retrieval room while the doctors carefully monitor their improvements if you are operated upon the neck, you will have to wear a soft neck collar. Maximum individuals get out of bed and sit up within some hours of the operation. Be cautious while moving your neck. You should be able to drive within a week's time and recommence light work after a month. If you are not wearing the neck collar, you will be tutored to move your neck cautiously. Physical therapy is suggested when patients have additional pain or weakness.
What conditions are treated with a Foraminotomy surgery?
Spinal Stenosis (tapering of the spinal canal or foramina) is the most common reason why patients go through a Foraminotomy. Less common conditions that can result in stenosis and necessitate a decompression embrace facet cysts, fractures and tumors.
There is no pertinent reason as to why some folks have Spinal Stenosis and others don't. Soft tissue and bony structures narrow the regions of neural elements in the spinal canal. Tapering in the spinal canal is called central stenosis and narrowing in the foramina is foraminal stenosis.
What is involved with Spinal Foraminotomy surgery?
An incision of one inch is made on your back. A needle is inserted via the skin incision onto your spine. A series of dilators are used to spread the muscle tissue rather than cutting it. After the needle and dilators are removed, the tube retractor is clipped to secure it in position. Then the Foraminotomy surgery is implemented via this tube. For better imagining, a microscope is used. The Foraminotomy surgery takes around an hour per level.
What symptoms are relieved with Spinal Foraminotomy surgery?
Buttocks and leg pain, numbness, stinging, aching, heaviness, weakness and incapability to walk are symptoms relieved with this operation.
The success rate for this process is around 80 – 90 percent.
Should I have the Foraminotomy operation?
If your way of life is majorly affected by the spinal stenosis symptoms, this process can change your life.


At the top of the bag sew 3 little X's with the Red thread.
This Blessing should be done on the night of a Waning Moon.
The child should be bathed and ready for bed. Have a small table set up with everything you need on it. A parent, close family member or dear friend should be holding the baby.
With everyone standing around the table, if you cast a circle, you would do that now.
and the grace of the Sun.
1st: May the Goddess give you Grace.
2nd: Sun and Moon light on your face.
3rd: Give you strength in any danger.
4th: Share your kindness with a stranger.
5th: Always keep you in good health.
6th: Know the value of yourself.
7th: Guide you to your Sacred path.
8th: Help the learning of your Craft.
So Mote it Be, this Blessings bound.
With the power of this Charm, keep (name) safe from threat or harm.
Everyone present should place a kiss on the infant's forehead.
Place the Charm in the infant's room, safely out of the way from little hands.
Let the candle burn out on its own.