At this year’s World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, climate activist Greta Thunberg told corporate leaders, politicians, economists, and journalists, that “Our house is still on fire.” Thunberg, who’s castigated world leaders at public forums many times before, continued to harshly criticize them for failing to halt carbon emissions in any significant way. She did, however, note some optimistic observations about awareness of the issues at hand, and make clear that “This is just the very beginning” of the climate change movement.

In her eight-and-a-half minute speech (above), Thunberg told attendees of the annual gathering—which included presidents, billionaire CEOs, and award-winning journalists, among others—that “Any plan or policy of yours that doesn’t include radical emission cuts at the source, starting today, is completely insufficient for meeting the 1.5 or well-below-2-degree [Celsius] commitments of the Paris Agreement.” She added that from the perspective of environmental sustainability, world leaders from across the political spectrum “have all failed” in their charge of tackling “the climate… emergency and [creating] a cohesive and sustainable world.”

World Economic Forum

That 1.5-2.0°C change Greta highlighted in her speech is a reference to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report released in 2018, which states that a rise in average global temperatures by that amount would almost certainly result in catastrophic climate changes. Catastrophic climate changes including a loss of nearly all of the world’s coral reefs, a complete dissolution of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean once every decade, and annihilation of nearly a fifth of the world’s plants and trees.

Thunberg called for members of the forum to “immediately halt all investments in fossil fuel exploration and extraction, immediately end all fossil fuel subsidies, and immediately and completely divest from fossil fuels.” In terms of a timeline, she said that these changes shouldn’t be made in decades or even in 2021, but should be done now.

.@GretaThunberg has just given this message to Davos.

Read more: https://t.co/j80IqPOt2T@TIME #howtosavetheplanet #wef20 pic.twitter.com/NwHFHtBjXP

— World Economic Forum (@wef) January 21, 2020

Although much of Thunberg’s speech focused on criticizing the major producers of carbon emissions, she also took the media task. During a panel discussion that took place prior to her speech, Thunberg recapped the climate science described in the 2018 IPCC report, but then told members of the media that she didn’t think she had seen them once communicate this part of her message to the public. “I know you don’t want to report about this,” Thunberg told the audience attending the panel discussion, “I know you don’t want to talk about this, but I assure you I will continue to repeat these [IPCC report] numbers until you do.”

What do you think about Greta Thunberg’s remarks at this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos? Do you think world leaders are finally primed to divest from fossil fuels and invest in renewable energy resources, or do there need to be a lot more popular movements before any real changes take place? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

Feature image: World Economic Forum

The post At Davos, Greta Thunberg Says This Is ‘Very Beginning’ of Climate Movement appeared first on Nerdist.

A Brief Prelude

Transcribed from my RP Discord…

Me: Our decisions will have consequences and I am both terrified and excited for what comes next.
My GM: This has given me an idea.
Me: Did… did our decisions not have consequences before?
My GM: There are now new consequences.
Me: Oh no.
My GM: There were… less circumstances in the final encounter. Now there are more. Be brave. Be bold.
Me, internally and externally: %$#@.

A Brief History of Me and the Tabletops

Tabletops are where I explore my identities. Tabletops are where I take stock of who I am and what I have done. On the weeks where I felt more dejected, the promise of my alter ego’s adventure was usually more than enough to get me through. Because they never gave up. They may have died, but they never gave up.

I cannot tell you the names of every single PC (playable characters) I have ever played, but I can tell you at least one story about each. I can tell you every thought going through my head as I Random Number Generator-ed my avatar into existence even if I can’t remember the stat blocks. I can tell you the type of person that I was and the exact moment I stopped being that person and moved on. Sometimes, it was the dice telling me that this wasn’t meant to be. Sometimes, it was the dungeon’s master decree. Sometimes, it was me in a moment of quiet revelation. That last one happened a lot in my Starfinder campaign from when my first Skittermander PC sacrificed himself for refusing to rat out his crew and this type of pensive self-sacrifice happened often.

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Skittermanders are great. That is all.

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There is a fundamental difference between the tabletop and the video game screen. I’m the type to become attached to any characters that represent me. I’m obsessed with this idea of the “persona,” the masks we wear and present to others. The visage we project in attempt to give us strength. We become Shepherd. We become our Guardian. But those PCs adhere to the rules of a distant realm, a developer with static options.

On the tabletop, there are rules, but those rules are easier to bend and break. The book is just a reference, and the world is collaborative and if you ask nicely enough, there can be some concessions, a trade off, a discussion. The lack of a graphic cards means that it also exists solely in our heads. You are your character: their voice, their conscience, their guide…until you’re not.

And like in any fiction, there is a point where the character becomes a separate entity from you, still closely entangled, but not quite the same anymore.

Some Time, Right Before The End…

After two and a half long years, my Starfinder campaign has reached the last act, the final confrontation with the Big Bag, the Grand Maw, intent on devouring this universe and leaving nothingness in its wake. In the moments before the final encounter kicks off, my character makes an uncharacteristic call for divine consultation. See, Pasatsat Multo (loving called Alt-Satsat) is a Maraquoi Witchwarper. The maraquoi are a species of macqueue looking alien with large bug eyes. The witchwarpers are spellcasters trained in piercing the veil of infinite realities, able to manipulate the environment and peer into the countless realities.

Alt-Satsat, as the name hinted at, is the alternate reality version of Satsat Mutlo, a Maraquoi Operative, who joined up with the Advent Calamity as a means to gain access to certain places he could not alone and had once listened to Baku’s 18 hour long podcast (a nod to Old Man Henderson). When news of a potential way to combat the Grand Maw by ascending to godhood presented himself, Satsat (and by extension me), took after his inspiration and took the gamble to try and become something greater. He (and I) knew that his specialized skill set of stabbing things would not be enough in the final battle. He had to become more, and alas he failed, and instead blazed a trail for Pasatsat to follow.

Alt-Satsat’s reality was consumed by the Grand Maw. Under Alt-Baku (who through vague narrative choices managed to survive up until the end of days), he trained his compound eyes to each of the realities the Grand Maw consumed, and has been bringing fragments of the doomed worlds to combat the evil that exists in this one. This world has a chance, ever so slightly, to be saved, and Alt-Satsat wants to take it.

Pasatsat Multo knows that gods are real in his universe, but he has not worshiped any. He has never really felt the need to, even when faced with oblivion. Still, in this moment of uncertainty, he calls out and instead finds me.

He asks, “Are you Ibra?”

Ibra is the god of balance, and I’m neither godly or balanced, I reply. No, I’m you. Or rather, a version of you.

He is confused, as he has the right to be.

“I do know why you’re here though. Like the previous version of yourself, you seek knowledge on how these things end,” I reply, “and funnily enough, I don’t know how things will end either.”

Alt-Satsats simmers, “how exactly is that funny?”

“Because you exist because I am so uncertain myself. You, Witchwarper, represent everything I wish I had. The ability to understand how the myriads of every which way unfolds, to see the alternate outcomes just before they happen, to change reality in the smallest ways. You’re a metaphor for catastrophic thinking, for seeing the worst outcomes, the greatest fears come to past, and you’re a metaphor for the deep breath that prevents me before spiraling out. Roleplaying you has given me such a strange courage. The bravery to ask a question and be ready for whatever the response is. To watch the waveform collapse. To remember to take stock of the moment and not just the written past and nebulous future. It’s funny, because even with the ability to see beyond the veil, the only thing certainty in your uncertainty and your only response is to push forward because that’s the only response that works.”

There is a pause. He chuckles, “I guess that is funny… But still, I want to know if there’s any respite for me and companions in the future.”

I break the bad news, “you were actually supposed to have a Beach Episode, but the Advent Calamity decided to beat the evil pirate instead.”

“What’s a beach episode?”

“For you, a chance to rest in some hot springs with your compatriots.”

“I think I’m glad I fought beside them. I think I’m glad I’m fighting beside them. I am certain of this.”

“I know.”

Take a (Deep) Breath

The conversation with myself in my head ends, and I’m back at the tabletop with my best friends. I remember to take a deep breath before confirming that Alt-Satsat got his divine pep talk and is ready for the next session: the final boss.

I laugh to myself because it’s funny how I sometimes forget to breathe. I get so caught up with all the variables, all of the pathways, all of the what-if’s and could-have-been’s, and sometimes forget the most natural thing: to breathe, to feel the air enter and exit the body, give the brain a chance to rest from parsing out an endless count of binary tree branches.

My PCs tend to be representations of my anxieties at a particular time, a test case for how to deal with anxiousness in the sandbox of a game. And Alt-Satsat is just the latest character to help process all the catastrophic thinking I was running in my head yesteryear. And I don’t know how the game or life will end, but I guess I do know one thing I’m certain about.

Our decisions will have consequences and I am both terrified and excited for what comes next.

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Season: 4 / Episode: 14

The raid against the Shie Hassaikai was successful. Deku tapped into One for All’s power at 100% thanks to Eri and managed to defeat Overhaul with a pocket healer/terrified girl tied to his back within nothing but their senpai’s cape. But the mission was successful, although it was not without its cost.

After a recap of Deku’s little fight clinic, we get a quick glimpse of Suneater saving Eraserhead and the hero groups slowly starting to regroup underground. Topside, Eri’s unable to properly control her power and we get one last glimpse to the twisted psychology that is Overhaul before Eri’s reverts Overhaul (and his henchmen) to his original states, giving Uravity a chance to apprehend him with the patented Gunhead Martial Arts. Eri’s reversion continues to plague Deku, but thankfully Eraserhead is able to stop him from getting erased from existence.

The battle’s over. And now the aftermath begins…

Heroes and villains are taken to their respective hospitals (which of course, there would be separate hospitals for heroes and villains). Wounds are triaged and damaged is assessed. Most everyone is relatively fine, spare Sir Nighteye who doesn’t have the brightest prognosis with the gaping hole in his midsection. But he seems more shocked about how Midoriya was able to twist the future. But by 9:15AM, the rescue is a confirmed success.

However, the day is still young, and Overhaul’s police escort has a run with the League of Villains who continue to prove they are every bit as dangerous as you’d expected an organization named the League of Villains would be. After completely destroying the convoy, the League of Villain and their leader Shigaraki proceed to dismember Overhaul so that he will never be able to use his quirk every again, and then steal the quirk erasing bullet for good measure. Talk about brutal.

Back at the raid site, the post-game statistics are compiled. Four houses were collateral damage, but thankfully only three civilians were injured, and even then only just scratches. Part of it was the fact it was a weekday morning in a residential area and part of it was because Deku took the fight to the goddamn skies and then back to the pit like the soon-to-be pro. Deku ignores the fact that his arm is messed up again, and we see that most of the heroes are en route to a healthy recovery. Eri’s a little feverish and under quarantine, but Eraserhead reassures Deku that she’s going to be taken care of. However, there is one bit of somber news.

As Deku is ushered to the basement level of the hospital, he is greeted by a surgeon, Recovery Girl and All Might who all inform him that Nighteye is not going to make it to the morning. What follows is a tearful reunion between Hero and Sidekick. Sir Nighteye and All Might makes amends and realizes the future is not as immutable as he once thought, and that all of the energy from the heroes’ intent to save Eri managed to twist fate. But Nighteye’s final act Nighteye tells his greatest pupil, Lemillion, that he’ll become a finer hero than anyone else and then telling everyone to smile, because other society would not have…

Watching My Hero Academia? Check out BNP’s other reviews of the series here.

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What is Medicare Part C?

To understand Medicare Part C, commonly referred to as  Medicare Advantage, it is important to know that it is an alternative to Original  Medicare and is run by private insurance companies. Medicare Part C provides everything Medicare Part A (hospital insurance) and  Part B (medical insurance) do, in addition to offering coverage for things like vision, dental, hearing, and prescription drugs. Medicare Part C is optional and there is no penalty for not signing up.

As long as you are enrolled in Medicare Part A and B, you can enroll in Medicare Part C. Just like enrolling in Parts A and B, signing up for a Medicare Advantage plan and/or a Medicare prescription drug plan can occur during a seven-month period that:

• Starts three months before the month you turn 65

• Includes the month you turn 65

• Ends three months after the month you turn 65 

Each year, you can make changes to your Medicare Advantage or Medicare prescription drug coverage for the following year. There’s a fall Open Enrollment Period when you can sign up for a Medicare Advantage plan, switch from one Medicare Advantage plan to another, or drop your plan and return to Medicare Part A and Part B. This period is called the Annual Election Period (AEP), and it runs from October 15 – December 7.

On the other hand, you may have waited to sign up for Medicare Part C if you were working for an employer when you turned 65 and had healthcare coverage through your job or union, or through your spouse’s job. This would allow you to enroll in a Part C Medicare Advantage plan during the Special Enrollment Period (SEP) which is 63 days after the loss of employer healthcare coverage.

Who is Eligible for Medicare Part C?

Any Medicare beneficiary, regardless of age, can purchase Medicare Part C. However, you must be already enrolled in Medicare Part A and Part B in order to be eligible for Medicare Part C. Additionally, you must reside within the service area of the Medicare Advantage plan you want.

Here are the criteria for Medicare Part C eligibility:

• You must be enrolled in both Medicare Part A and B. Many people think they can drop Part B if they enroll in a Medicare Part C plan; however, this is wrong. If you drop Part B, you will immediately be kicked out of your Part C plan.

• You need to live in the plan’s service area. This Medicare Part C eligibility will be based on the address that you have on file with Social Security. You must choose a plan that operates in that same county. Some plans will be specific to only one or two counties, while others might span the whole state.
• You must not have end-stage renal disease. This is the only medical question on the Part C application.

Note that Medicare Advantage plans have election periods. This means that you can enroll in the plan during your Initial Enrollment Period or during the Annual Election Period in the fall. There are also certain Special Election Periods  for certain circumstances like moving out of state and losing your plan. In this scenario, you would be granted a SEP to enroll in a plan mid-year in your new state.

Types of Medicare Part C Plans

There are three plans associated with Medicare Advantage. They are Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs), Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs), and Private Fee-For-Service (PFFS) plans.

With HMOs, a primary care doctor in a network is chosen by you. That doctor will be responsible for your care and give you referrals to see a specialist.

PPOs have network and out-of-network doctors that you can see and facilities you can use, often without a referral.

A PFFS plan determines whether it will accept Medicare insurance, how much it will pay doctors, other health care providers and hospitals, as well as how much you must pay when you get care. This plan does not require you to choose a primary care physician and you do not need a referral from a primary care physician to see a specialist.

Medicare Part C Costs

The extra coverage provided by Medicare Part C is good, but it does come with extra costs. You can’t opt out of Medicare Part A and Part B, so keep in mind that if you decide to enroll in Medicare Part C, you must pay for it and continue paying the Part B premium.

Medicare Part C premiums vary depending on the type of plan and the state you live in. The average monthly premiums are usually lower than what you would pay for Medicare Part B. However, you still have to pay your annual deductible, copayments, and coinsurance for your Part C plan.

Each year, plans establish the amounts they charge for premiums, deductibles, and services. Only some Medicare Advantage plans have an annual deductible, in addition to the standard Part B deductible. Plans that include prescription drug coverage may charge another deductible for drug coverage.

Copayments are for specific services such as doctor visits. Usually copays are a flat dollar fee. Some types of plans charge higher copays to see providers out of your network.

Each Part C plan can charge different out-of-pocket costs and have different rules for how you get services including whether you need a referral to see a specialist or have to go to only doctors that belong to the plan for non-emergency or non-urgent care.

Keep in mind that these rules can change each year. However, what you pay may change only once a year – on January 1. To learn more about Medicare, head over to Medicare.gov. To learn about Medicare Advantage, Supplement, and Prescription Drug plans, request a free quote.