Are you intrigued by the idea of forming friendships with people from all over the world, immersing yourself in a foreign language, or gaining familiarity with diverse educational systems? If so, the exceptional opportunity of participating in a semester abroad through various exchange programs could be the perfect choice for you.
In this article, our essay writer online will provide you with valuable insights into the significant benefits of studying abroad. Our aim is to offer you the necessary information to make the most of your time abroad as an international student. Continue reading to discover - what is studying abroad? - and why it is crucial for students to embrace this unique opportunity with enthusiasm at least once in their lifetime.
How Does Studying Abroad Work: Tips for Your Journey
Many students often find themselves unsure of where to begin their study abroad journey. This is primarily due to limited access to information about study abroad programs, which often go unnoticed by young individuals. However, you've come to the right place to gain a general understanding of the journey that study abroad students embark upon. Who knows, you might be the next one in line to have an incredible overseas experience.
So, how does studying abroad work? To be completely honest, the process can be quite lengthy and challenging. However, it is undeniably one of the most rewarding ways to undergo life-changing experiences and foster academic and personal growth, especially during your early twenties. Those who have studied abroad can attest to this. Rest assured; we are here to serve as your study abroad advisor, providing guidance and support for your benefit.
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Prepare for Your Study Abroad Journey
Let's start by answering the 'What does studying abroad mean?'. It is designed for students to pursue higher education studies or conduct research in their field of study in a foreign country for a specific period of time.
Throughout the preparation process for your study abroad journey, there are certain unavoidable steps to follow. However, there's no need to fear. The preparation process should fill you with excitement as you anticipate the new friends you will make, the traditional dishes you will taste, and other studying abroad benefits like the personal growth that comes from stepping out of your comfort zone.

1. Begin the preparation process with thorough research on the country you'll be heading to. You can start by reaching out to the study abroad office at your home university, where they can provide you with a list of potential destinations based on your major program and interests.
2. Truly experiencing a different culture requires actually visiting the host country. However, you can still research and familiarize yourself with the culture and customs of your destination beforehand. Learning about traditions, cultural norms, local laws, and other specific aspects of a foreign country can help ease your adjustment process.
3. Another important aspect to consider is organizing your finances. Many study abroad programs offer monthly scholarships to assist students. However, there may be some expenses related to formal documents before your departure. If your scholarship doesn't fully cover your needs, you might want to consider taking on a part-time job.
4. Lastly, it's crucial to be aware that each study abroad program has its own specific requirements for necessary documents. However, having a national ID and a passport is essential. Make sure to check the expiration dates of these documents and ensure they won't expire soon.

Select the Right Studying Abroad Programs
Expanding your horizon begins with the academic semester abroad. One can only develop maximum potential in themselves once one decides to grow out of their local culture and learn about the world through experience.
In order to make your study abroad experience fruitful and beneficial for your future career, you need to make the right selection of the program. The right selection depends on your field of study. For instance, taking advantage of the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Program would be an excellent idea if you are a student of Social and Political Sciences. Do not miss the chance to learn the local language since German is the second most spoken language throughout the institutions of the European Union. So, spend quality time identifying your academic goals and interests in order to find matching programs.
Keep in mind that study abroad students invest a lot of time and energy into the selection of the right programs, which comes with its own costs. Therefore, research the chosen program in depth in order to clarify its reputation and accreditation.
The Future Leaders Exchange Abroad (FLEX) program is designed for high school students across the USA. The latter gives a chance to American high school students to study for an academic year in Georgia, Kazakhstan, or Poland. If you are prone to jumping out of your comfort zone and discovering less developed parts of the world, this might as well be a chance for you.
If you want to spend the summertime productively, applying for summer studying abroad programs might be the best solution. Make the most out of your study abroad trip with CEA Study Abroad in Aix en Provence, or spend sweet summer days under the Tuscan sun with USAC in Italy. Discover more opportunities below.
What are Some Scholarships for Studying Abroad?
Again, finances can be a major determining factor in the process of selecting a study abroad program destination. That is why you need to be aware of all the possibilities that grant students scholarships in order to afford to study and live in a foreign country. International organizations and governments are working actively in order to make funds available for students of all origins to study at the desired university, at least for a short period of time.
The University Study Abroad Consortium (USAC), as mentioned above, provides the most widespread scholarships for studying abroad. The consortium makes the selection of students who are enrolled in USAC study abroad programs at the undergraduate level of studies and provides them with a significant amount of funds if they showcase special financial needs.
SIT Study Abroad scholarships are available for students who demonstrate academic excellence with a desire to expand their knowledge in their fields of study. SIT finances housing accommodation and tuition fees for selected students.
One of the most feminine-friendly scholarships for studying abroad is known under the name of Corinne Jeannine Schillings Scholarships. The latter provides specific types of scholarships under the range of Silver and Gold for young girl scouts throughout their undergraduate studies.
American and Canadian students specializing in the program of Informational technologies are privileged to have an opportunity to take advantage of the Generation Google Scholarship. This project aims to fund studies abroad for future leaders in the technology industry.
Make the Most of Your Study Abroad Experience
The true studying abroad meaning reflects through activities students choose to participate in. Making the most out of your experience abroad will turn it into one of the most memorable periods of your life. Taking some time off and having fun is the primary 'requirement' for exchange students. Although, many study-abroad students rather choose to enrich their resumes with participation in valuable projects, conferences, and workshops.
Do not shy away from expressing yourself in academic or informal spaces because of the language barrier. Instead, try to act like local students and get engaged in classes and coursework. That way, you will stand out in front of foreign professors and demand a recommendation letter from them at the end of the exchange semester.
Use your leisure for the discovery of local cuisine as well as cultural places and attractions. For instance, if you find yourself in a central European country such as Poland, do not leave it without tasting piquant Pierogi or exploring old town squares in its small and aesthetic cities.
Usually, joining clubs and participating in extracurricular activities gives international students a great chance to network with locals. These types of activities simplify the process of making friends with local as well as other international students.
One of the benefits of studying abroad that is also worth highlighting is its overall purpose of helping students grow professionally as well as personally. Grab each chance to spend time with local friends and other students in general in circumstances that are not usually provided in your home country.
Maximize Language Learning
Learning a local language is at the top of the list in the study abroad checklist. Since Chinese proverbs are known for their practicality and wisdom, we would like to recall one of them regarding immersing oneself in the local language: 'To learn a new language is to have one more window from which to look at the world.' Learning basics and interacting in the local language will help you perceive the culture of the host country from a clear perspective. The decision to travel to a foreign country to get a high-quality education already speaks for your open-mindedness. So, why not make the best out of your studying abroad experience and learn the language as a bonus?
If you have already participated in the studying abroad program, feel free to use our speech writing services to curate a creative narrative to wrap up your experience for a big audience.
Build International Connections
Being a study abroad student already makes you stand out from locals at the host university. Try to use the attention for your benefit and build connections with as many people as you can. People are the most beautiful part of each and every event we experience in life. That goes especially for your study abroad experience. The opportunity to make friends through networking with fellow students and locals is one of the exceptional studying abroad benefits.
Try to keep up with the current events taking place locally in the country of your destination or around the world in general. That will provide you with a plethora of topics to talk about in a conversation with professors, mentors, or fellow students. Building relationships with people around will undoubtedly enrich your personal as well as academic growth.
Our experts have gathered information about some of the most popular destinations for studying abroad programs. Get inspired by the provided list of countries below and make the right choice for you.
FAQs on Studying Abroad
Undoubtedly, the decision to leave your home country and pursue studies abroad is a significant one. It's only natural to have second thoughts, considering concerns about finances and the time-consuming process of gathering documents. However, rest assured that we are here to offer you valuable study abroad tips and address the critical questions you may have.
When it comes to studying abroad, there are both benefits and drawbacks to consider. However, what matters most is that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.
Is Studying Abroad Expensive?
The cost of your study abroad program largely depends on the country you choose as your destination. Program costs can vary from several thousand dollars to euros. However, there are specific study abroad programs specifically designed for international students, which provide funding for studies, housing, and accommodation outside of their home countries.
So, is studying abroad expensive? Well, students have the opportunity to reduce the cost of participation in exchange programs by obtaining scholarships and funding for tuition fees or housing accommodation. For more detailed information, please continue reading the following sections.
Is Studying Abroad Worth It?
The study abroad experience enriches your curriculum vitae and projects your candidature as unique among others for the job market. Spending a certain amount of time in a foreign country speaks of your skills of adaptability, being open to new cultures, self-confidence to meet challenges, and willingness to enrich your daily life with extraordinary activities outside of your home country. So, ask yourself, 'Is studying abroad worth it?' - our response is unquestionably positive.
What are the Pros And Cons of Studying Abroad?
Let's glance through some of the pros and cons of studying abroad in order to paint a clear picture of what to expect in your study abroad journey.
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Pros:

• Establishing pragmatic and life-long relationships and friendships
• Gaining different perspectives and worldviews through the lenses of foreign culture
• Enhancing your resume for the competitive job market

Cons:

• The challenge of the language barrier
• Experiencing feelings of homesickness and culture shock
• Dealing with financial issues

Drawing to the conclusion, it is clear that studying abroad benefits are worth sacrificing some of the negative sides that it might temporarily bring into your life.
Studying Abroad Programs: Countries to Consider
Lastly, we would like to list down specific programs for popular study abroad destinations for you to research and find the one that fits perfectly with your interests as well as your fields of study.
Meanwhile, take advantage of our college essay writing service or admissions essay writing service based on your demands.
Take a look at some of the studying abroad programs we have gathered:
Studying Abroad in Italy
Programs for studying abroad in Italy:

• CIS Abroad - Offers flexible schedules for courses, counseling for probable financial aid, and grants academic advising services.
• CAPA in Florence - Covers expanses of accommodation with a host family or campus dormitory and offers internships at top organizations.
• CEA study abroad in Rome - Interactive classes, covered fees for accommodation, assists with the process of obtaining a visa.

Studying Abroad in Sweden
Programs for studying abroad in Sweden:

• DIS Stockholm - Wide selection of academic programs, highly developed infrastructure of academic space, live in Homestay, and network with international students.
• CCIS Study Abroad in Sweden - Freedom of selecting the academic term, ability to earn convertible credits, and accreditation of chosen courses at your home university.
• USAC Sweden Study Abroad Programs - provides affordable and valuable study abroad programs, including health and safety support.

Studying Abroad in Spain
Programs for studying abroad in Spain:

• CIEE College Study Abroad - designed for students of all academic backgrounds, freedom to earn transferable credits.
• USAC in Alicante - scholarship coverage includes visa assistance, housing, and health care.
• IES Abroad in Granada - covers meal plan and accommodation and gives the opportunity of optional internship or volunteering.

Studying Abroad in Singapore
Programs for studying abroad in Singapore:

• CIEE College Study Abroad in Singapore - get involved in the hub of international commerce, which offers need-based grants.
• UCEAP - offers financial aid along with special offer studies.
• EF Languages Abroad - provides accelerated language learning courses.

Studying Abroad in Australia
Programs for studying abroad in Australia:

• Murdoch University, Study Abroad in Australia - student-centered culture, variety of programs.
• IES Abroad, SemesteYear program in Sydney - practice-oriented learning courses, international community.
• TEAN, Gold Coast at Bond University - academic counseling and guidance, academic flexibility.

Final Thoughts
As you find yourself at the final stage of this article, we're sure you are leaving more informed than you came. Remember that going overseas to complete the studying abroad program is one of the best decisions a youngster can make. The variety of programs and access to funds and scholarships make that easier than it ever was.
Meanwhile, our team of experts is always at your service to help you excel in your studies, so do not hesitate to ask to write my essays.

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14 Biggest Travel Mistakes To NOT Make
When travelling, it’s not unusual to find yourself making a careless mistake now and then. You are after all, exploring an environment that you are unfamiliar with. Whether you are a seasoned traveler or this is your first big trip, you will probably benefit from the following list. With just a little bit of planning, you can cut down your chances of making mistakes and have the best vacation possible.
Number 1 - Booking Without Comparing Rates If you’re one of those people who just books on impulse, basically just the first good deal you see, you are likely paying more than you could be. There are so many different travel sites on the internet, and by spending just a little bit of time researching and comparing, you will quickly learn just how much prices can vary - and you’ll be able to find the best deals - which are probably better than that first one you saw. To keep it simple, compare at least 3 sites like Travelocity, Expedia or Priceline.
Number 2 - Booking Your Trip Way Too Early So you and your friends decided to finally take that trip to Paris next summer. But wait! Don’t rush to book your trip just yet. Of course you want to make it real by booking everything right away but this can be a mistake and you could end up paying more. It’s best if you book your flight 3-4 months before you plan to travel. That’s around the time when airlines begin to increase and lower their rates based on demand. When it comes to cruises and tours, this is where you will want to wait until last minute - that is if you want to pay less. Since boats and tours have to fill up their spaces, they offer amazing last-minute deals, because it’s still better for them to make less profit than no profit at all on those empty seats.
Number 3 - Not Reading Reviews Yes, I know that these days most people do read reviews online, but you would be surprised to learn that there are still many who don’t - they just head over to the closest travel agency and book everything there, based on the advice of a travel agent. Don’t make this mistake - do your own research! Read reviews online. See what former guests have to say; check out photos of the rooms. Because by not doing this, you could find yourself arriving at a place that is far from what was promised - and you probably don’t want to stay in a bad neighborhood or sleep in a bed with bedbugs, right? You don’t have to stay at the best hotel in town, but where you stay is kind of important, and at least checking it out online can save you one big headache.
Number 4 - Traveling In Peak Season By definition, this is the period of highest demand, and it varies by destination. Travelling during the peak season means larger crowds just about anywhere you go. And even worse, you will be paying about double what it would cost you in the low season. Unless you enjoy crowded beaches and waiting in huge lineups to see attractions, you may want to consider travelling during the low season, or even better, the shoulder season - directly before or after high season, when the weather is still good, but there are much fewer people. It will not only be cheaper, but you will also have a more enjoyable time.
Number 5 - Thinking The Only Thing You Need Is A Valid Passport There are many locations you can travel to with a simple passport, but then there are those where you will need a Visa - places like China, Nigeria, or Russia to name a few. Of course this depends not only on the destination, but also where you are travelling from. While you can get a Visa in many countries upon arrival, there are often documents you need to fill out before you arrive - and without these, you can’t get a Visa. Then, another important thing to note is that many countries require a passport that will remain valid for at least six months after your departure date from the country. Make sure you don’t let this one slide. Check to see if you need a Visa or a new passport well in advance.
Number 6 - Skipping Travel Insurance This is one of those things that many people tend to overlook - because well, most of the time you won’t make use of it. But, you really never know when you may need it. It could be a small slip and you break your arm or some other unforeseen circumstance. Travel insurance will have your back and protect you while abroad. It usually doesn’t cost much and it will protect you should there be any medical or non-medical emergencies. Not having insurance could end up costing you thousands, so don’t skimp on this. Seriously!
Number 7 - Forgetting To Contact Your Bank Before The Trip It only takes a few minutes but could save you from being stuck in a foreign land without access to money. Some banks will completely block your account if an overseas charge is made. It is flagged as suspicious. And of course this is usually a good thing, but not when it is you trying to access your funds, thousands of miles away from home. When you call your bank to let them know that you will be travelling, you should also ask about their foreign transaction fees to avoid any bad surprises.
Number 8 - Not Having Copies Of Your Documents You don’t think it will happen to you - losing your wallet, fanny pack or whatever you carry. And getting robbed? Nah, that won’t happen to you, right? Well, the thing is that either of these can (and do) happen to people all the time. No matter how careful you think you are, you should carry copies of your important documents. These include copies of your ID, passport, travel insurance, and credit cards. Of course you’ll want to pack them separate from the originals.
Number 9 - Failing To Find Out Roaming Charges These charges can rack up very quickly, unbeknownst to you. You arrive at your destination and you excitedly call your friend or spouse to let them know you arrived - and before you know it, you’ve been on the phone for half an hour. That single call could cost you a hundred dollars or more. By simply finding out what’s covered by your phone plan, you can avoid any additional charges. If you find out that you aren’t covered, then it’s best if you switch your phone settings to airplane mode before you board the plane. This way, you can still use a Wi-Fi connection wherever available without accidentally using your data. Now, if you do think that you will need to use data on your trip, consider purchasing an international plan - or you can even buy a SIM card once you arrive.
Number 10 - Exchanging Currency At The Airport Sure it’s fast and easy to exchange currency at the airport. However, it’s also worth noting that you will get the worst possible conversion rate for your money. Now, it’s ok to exchange a few dollars to use for a taxi if you must, but the best thing to do is to actually take care of this before you leave. You can check rates of various banks in your area to find the best, and then head over to get the currency you need.
Number 11 - Eating Near Major Tourist Attractions On your trip, you are more than likely planning to visit at least a few of those amazing spots you’ve been hearing about and dreaming about seeing in real life. But any food place, be it a restaurant or food stand, is going to cost double the price (and sometimes more) near any major attraction. And since these places know that people aren’t coming back, they usually don’t worry too much about the quality or consistency of the food they serve. Besides, most visitors just arrived and don’t know much about the local foods so it doesn’t matter anyway. They’re just excited to be there and see the attractions. To most, it’s far more amazing to eat a ‘sub-par’ burger in front of a famous landmark than eating a delicious one at their favorite burger joint back home. Try eating in a ‘non-touristy’ area where the food will actually be amazing. It has to be, otherwise nobody would go back. Yes, you will have to walk a few blocks, but the food will be much tastier and cost a lot less. You can also ask locals about good places to eat. By the way, the same is true when it comes to shopping for just about anything near a major attraction. Stores will always have higher prices. Don’t be lazy. Take the effort and stroll off the beaten path. You’ll surely find the same T-shirt for a third of the price.
Number 12 - Not Packing A Travel Adapter There are 15 types of electrical outlet plugs used around the world, and if your choice of destination uses outlets different than the ones your country does, you won’t be able to plug in anything in without an adapter. You can use USB ports for many things, but we all know how slow those charges can be. In some cases you may not be able to charge at all depending on the power needs of the device. Amazon offers decent universal travel adapters for around 15 to 20 dollars.
Number 13 - Not Taking A Power Bank With You Most places you go will have somewhere to charge your devices - except when your battery is at 10 percent…. that’s when you won’t find anywhere to plug in and charge! You probably already know how that goes… But imagine you are hiking in the wilderness somewhere and you get lost - and then realize that your phone is almost completely drained. It sounds like a horror movie, but it can happen. You can easily avoid a scenario like this by taking a power bank (A.K.A. battery charger) with you. It won’t take up much space in your backpack and can come in very handy.
Number 14 - Planning Too Much For A Single Trip Assuming you aren’t just heading to a resort with a bunch of friends for a week of intoxication and partying, you will likely plan a lot and will want to see and do as much as possible on your trip. This sounds great, but if you plan too many things and fill up each day from morning to night, you could end up finding yourself stressed out and exhausted. Not to mention, when you pack too many things into one day, you can’t even really fully explore and enjoy anything. It’s ok if you don’t visit every single place on your list in one trip. You can save some for next time. Travelling is not only a lot of fun, but a great way to learn about different cultures and gain new insights of the world. With a little bit of preparation, you can ensure that you don’t make any of the mistakes on this list. And sure, while some things are beyond your control - such as flight delays or bad weather - the more prepared you are, the less can go wrong! And that’s a good thing. Do you have any crazy travel stories where things went wrong but perhaps could have been avoided? Or do you know any other mistakes people make while traveling? Share your story in the comments below, so we can learn from each other. If you found this video useful, give it a thumbs up, and share it with your friends, so they too can avoid these travel mistakes.

The queens walk back into the werkroom after Honey's elimination.
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Kandy talks about how clear it is that it can really be anyone who ends up in the bottom and that makes it even more important to always bring your A game.
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The queens then all gather around and Honey's mirror message as Orion reads it to the group. Rock talks about how she will really miss her hometown sister and that she knows that Honey really wanted to be here. Robbie mentions that all of them want to be here and that in order to stay they have to put up a fight. Kerri then asks Orion how she is feeling after falling into the bottom right after winning a challenge. Orion talks about how it was a shock to her system to think that she could go home so quickly after coming out as the strongest in a challenge. She goes on to say that it really made her realize that no one is safe here.
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In her confessional, Orion talks about how she doesn't plan on going through that again and that she is going to really have to focus in these challenges.
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The queens start to separate and go through their de-dragging processes. Rock tears up as she talks with Jaymes about how sad she is that Honey was eliminated and that she knows that she is such a good drag queen and that she definitely had more to show and sadly had to get sent home. Jaymes tries to convince her to just focus on her own place in the competition and to not get distracted because her opportunity could slip through her fingers.
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THE NEXT DAY
The queens reenter the werkroom and talk about what they think will be coming their way.
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In her confessional, Jade talks about how the competition is progressing well for her and that all she can hope for in this next challenge is that there isn't another group or team aspect so that she can stand out on her own.
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The queens all gather around the table and discuss the upcoming challenge. Monica asks the queens what they think is coming their way this week. Kandy jokingly responds by saying that whatever it is she will fight to win the challenge. Robbie laughs and says that she will have to get past her. To which Kandy plays along saying that it won't be too tough for her to do that. They then here the siren announcing their RuMail.
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Following Ru's message, RuPaul enters the werkroom.
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Ru tells the girls about the mini challenge. She explain that she will be holding a screen test for her new provocative RuPaul's Chocolate Bar ad campaign. She tells the queens that they are young ingenues new to Hollywood that would do whatever it takes to land the gig. She then sends the queens to get into quick drag. One by one the queens all arrive for there provocative chocolate ads. As they perform Ru makes them act crazier and crazier. After all the queens have performed Ru announces that the winners of the mini challenge are...
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Jaymes Mansfield, Rock M Sakra and Kerri Colby!
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Following this, RuPaul tells the queens about their next maxi challenge. She tells the queens that they will work in teams to help her to create an ad campaign to launch her new dating apps! Ru tells them that they would be creating ads for the following dating aps:
- End of Days an app for doomsday preppers
- fibstr an app for pathological liars looking for a real connection
- Madam Buttrface an app for women who have a banging body...but her face.
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She goes on to say that Jaymes, Rock and Kerri will be the team captains and will get to choose their teams. They choose their teams as follows:
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Team Jaymes
Jaymes Mansfield - Marcia Marcia Marcia - Jan - Jade Sotomayor
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Team Rock
Rock M Sakura - Robbie Turner - Orion Story - Elliott with 2 Ts
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Team Kerri
Kerri Colby - Kandy Muse - Monica Beverly Hillz - Akashia
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Akashia looks annoyed by being left until the last choice as she walks over to join Kerri's team. Ru tells the groups which app they are designing for and goes on to say that they will have creative control over the script and their goal should be to make her tap that app!
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Ru then leaves the teams to start preparing for their performances.
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PREPARATIONS FOR MAIN CHALLENGE
When Ru leaves the werkroom, the queens separate into their groups to begin working on their ad campaigns. We see Jaymes's group sitting down to talk about their ad for End of Days. Jaymes asks the group if they have any ideas for their ad. Jan, Marcia, and Jaymes volley ideas off of one another whilst Jade doesn't contribute as much to the conversation. Jaymes attempts to throw to Jade to see what she is thinking and what role she wants to play in the ad. Jade mentions that she is fine with whatever they decide for her. Jan gets a little frustrated and adds that she thinks that it's important that everyone feels good about the direction they are going with the ad because they will all be on the line if it fails.
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In her confessional, Marcia talks about how she can see the frustration Jan is feeling since Jade really isn't contributing to the group in any kind of meaningful way. She goes on to say that she isn't going to go down for Jade.
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On the other side of the werkroom, we see Kerri's group working together on their ad.
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Kerri mentions how badly she wants to win this challenge but that it's clear that she and her team are really hitting a brick wall.
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Kerri, Kandy, Monica, and Akashia are shown discussing ideas for their ad. There are moments where they all just blankly look at each other. Monica jokes that she doesn't know how to be ugly so she doesn't know how to approach this challenge. Kerri laughs at this and says that they need to all lean into what Akashia thinks. Akashia laughs this off and says that she thinks that they should make sure that they make it funny and that she isn't sure that any of their ideas have been funny. Kandy then asks her to come up with something funny that they can use to which Akashia draws a blank.
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The final group of Rock, Elliott, Robbie, and Orion all try to come up with a premise for their ad. Robbie mentions that they could have a lot of fun with this because they can make sure that the ad plays into everything not being what it seems.
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Robbie mentions that so far in the competition she hasn't been getting the kind of attention that she wanted so she sees this challenge as an opportunity to change that.
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As the group continues working, Robbie takes more of a leadership role in the group coming up with most of their ideas. There are occasions when Rock offers ideas but Robbie cuts her off to insert her own ideas and it seems that both Orion and Elliott are following more of what Robbie is saying even though she isn't the leader. This plays onto Rock's face but she doesn't make it an issue with her entire group as they come up with their ideas.
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The queens then arrive to set where they are met by their directors, Michelle Visage and Carson Kressley!
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They work with Rock's group first. As they work through their material, Robbie continues to take control of things and talk over Rock which makes Carson ask the group who the team leader is. When they all say Rock, Michelle then asks why it seems like Robbie is the one in charge. Robbie pipes up to mention that she came up with most of the ideas and that Rock hadn't contributed as much to the direction of the ad as the other girls so that's why she is more vocal about how things are supposed to be staged. Rock looks gagged about this and when Carson and Michelle then start taking notes Rock tears up and mentions to Orion how she feels like she was just thrown under the bus.
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In her confessional, Rock elaborates on how she feels that Robbie really sold her up the river and made her look bad in front of the judges and how she can't believe that is the game the other girls are playing.
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Kerri's group is the next to go film their ad. Michelle and Carson become a little frustrated with the group as it seems like there is no flow to their ideas. Michelle even asks Kerri if they had prepared anything. Kerri tells her that they did have a concept, even though they didn't, and Carson lets her know that they need to see it. As they continue to go through their material Kerri starts getting a lot of great feedback from Carson and Michelle who love what she is doing. They also laugh a bit at Kandy and Monica. Akashia, however, keeps getting told that she isn't connecting and that her deliveries are flat. She then decides to change up her accent to be funnier but that doesn't translate either.
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Monica mentions that she has been working hard to prove that she should have been brought back to the competition a second time around and here Akashia is likely dragging her team down to the bottom.
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Jaymes's group is the final group to work with Carson and Michelle. This team seems to work together much better than the other groups in that they have a clear concept and that each of them have moments in the spotlight. They respond really well to Jaymes and even reference her to the other queens when they give them feedback. Marcia and Jan also get positive feedback and only slight adjustments. Jade is told that she could play bigger to especially match what the other queens are doing because they don't want her to fade into the background with the challenge.
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In her confessional, Jan mentions that she thinks her team really nailed it and that she can see the win going their way.
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ON THE MAIN STAGE
RuPaul takes to the runway and welcomes everyone to the main stage and introduces the guest judges Nico Tortorella and Courtney Love. She explains that the queens were challenged to create ads for wacky new dating apps and on the runway the theme is... Feathers!
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FEATHERS RUNWAY
The queens all begin their runway presentation of their feather looks. Kerri, Jade, Monica, and Jaymes have really strong looks for this category. Rock really gags the judges with her black swan look as it is so different from her typical runway presentations. Elliott and Akashia both flop the runway category this week however.
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JUDGING
RuPaul announces that it's time to screen their commercials.
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Team Jaymes is first. They do a great job of telling the story of finding love right before an asteroid hits. Jaymes plays an astronomist that is the focal point of the app and is one of the comedic centers of their ad. Marcia plays up a girl looking to lose her virginity before the catastrophe and also brings about some laughter. Jan seems to go a little too over the top while Jade doesn't seem to push far enough with her performance. Overall, they have a solid commercial.
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They then watch Team Rock's ad. Their ad see a group of women who have a history with catfishing and how they want to be able to live their multiple lives through the dating app. It culminates on them all ending up on a date with one another after they tell the tale of a different person, they still all end up making out. Robbie really carries the ad while Rock is barely memorable and Elliott and Orion both come off a little strained.
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Team Kerri's ad is the final ad watched. In their ad, Akashia plays the spokesperson for the ad while Kerri, Kandy, and Monica are all "success stories". Akashia plays too seriously and it is strained and forced. There aren't many moments of humor from her characterization whereas Kerri really leans into being ugly both in the look and even in physical comedy. Kandy and Monica both are ok, though they are eclipsed by how funny Kerri is throughout the ad.
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Ru tells the girls that they worked in teams but they will be judged individually. She goes on to say that Jaymes Mansfield, Kerri Colby, and Robbie Turner are the tops of the week. The three queens look excitedly at one another. She then goes on to say that Rock M Sakura, Elliott with 2 Ts, and Akashia are the bottom queens of the week. Following this she releases Kandy Muse, Monica Beverly Hillz, Orion Story, Jan, Jade Sotomayor and Marcia Marcia Marcia backstage to untuck.
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The critiques then begin.
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Michelle starts with Jaymes and tells her that she absolutely loved her in her ad. She goes on to say that of all the groups she felt that she came out ahead as the strongest leader as her team worked well together and actually delivered a solid commercial. Courtney Love tells her that she loves the character that she puts on and that she can tell that she is a funny queen and will be one to watch.
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Carson moves on to Rock and tells her that she looks great on the runway and that she has such an imagination. He goes on to say that is what made it so strange to see her as a deer in headlights when they came to taping and that he found her to be the most ineffective leader of the three. He goes on to say that she should be happy that she had a teammate who even remotely came up with something for them to use because it could've crashed and burned. Courtney Love tells her that she is surprised to learn that she was the leader of the team because she didn't really have a leading performance in the ad they just watched.
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Carson then talks to Robbie and tells her she was the saving grace of her team. He goes on to say that it was quite awkward during taping when Robbie announced that their team leader didn't pull their weight but that he still feels like Robbie came up with material that should've worked and that she was the person in her team that really sold it. Nico Tortorella agrees and adds that he thought her performance this week was one of the strongest and that she really stands out from the crowd.
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Michelle then talks with Elliott and tells her that she wasn't memorable at all. She goes on to say that they had the easiest way to make something really funny and that all the ideas were there but the execution on her part just wasn't as effective. Nico Tortorella tells her that he didn't connect with her in the challenge and that would make it hard for a consumer to want to buy anything that you are marketing.
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Michelle tells Kerri that she thinks she wasn't the strongest team leader because it was evident during rehearsals that there wasn't a solid concept coming into the challenge and that really falls on her. She goes on to say that she still found her performance to be incredibly funny in a way that is unexpected for Kerri and for that she applauds her. Courtney Love tells her that she is so beautiful to look at and that she thinks that juxtaposition really helped her to be really funny in the challenge.
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Carson ends the critiques with Akashia and tells her he wanted to enjoy her performance but that she was tough to get through rehearsals and that the final product really showed that she just didn't connect with the challenge. Nico Tortorella tells her she came across really flat and that there was so much opportunity to make it funny but that he feels she dropped the ball in that regard.
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Ru then sends the queens to the back while the judges deliberate.
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The queens return from untucking backstage.
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RuPaul then goes on to announce her decisions.
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She announces that....
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Jaymes Mansfield is the winner of the challenge!
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Jaymes celebrates winning her first challenge and talks about how she feels the judges have finally taken notice to her and she isn't going to let down Ru.
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RuPaul tells Kerri and Robbie that they both did a great job as well and that all three queens can step to the back.
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She then speaks to Jade, Akashia and Elliott.
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She announces that Jade is safe. She thanks the judges and walks to the back to join the other queens.
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Elliott with 2 Ts and Akashia are in the bottom two and up for elimination. Both queens look determinedly towards the judges.
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Elliott mentions that she knows Akashia turns the party when she lip syncs but that she isn't one to be underestimated because she knows she can perform.
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Akashia says that she can't believe she is up for elimination once again and that she will send Elliott home just like she had to send the last girl home.
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RuPaul announces that the time has come for them to lip sync for their lives. They had to prepare a lip-sync performance to the song Celebrity Skin by Hole.
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Good luck and don't FUCK it up!
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The lip-sync is...a strong one! Elliott surprises the queens in the back with how she goes full tilt into her performance. Akashia, as well, is really putting her all into the performance. Each queen really feeds off each other and performs with grit. As the song progresses, Akashia loses her wig but continues to lip sync with it laying on the floor of the runway.
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The lip sync ends and RuPaul announces...
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Elliott with 2 Ts... shantay you stay
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Akashia... sashay away
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The queens clap for Akashia as she departs the main stage and delivers her exit line.
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11 Queens Remain...
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SPREADSHEET
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ALL STARS 4 VOTING TO BEGIN LATER THIS SEASON

2019 was a hard year for NLMB, losing members back to back to different opps and starting a new bloody war with DeathRow, in 2020 the war will slow down due to a lot of factors. Most members who put in work in that war will get locked up and NLMB will focus on other opps just like DeathRow, we will come back in the summer of 2022 to that beef.

Willie "Ghost 🕊️" Coker

08/31/2019
I didn't had space to include Ghost in the last part so i decided to do it here, it's not that important to the NLMB/DeathRow beef so it's ok if i include it at the beginning.
Ghost also known as Rat was a respected OG from GME, i am not sure if he was the target or not but DeathRow and Lakeside dissed him a lot, Fa Fa Fa said they killed Ghost and ever since then GME didn't do anything for him, ignore the video from the store, that's not Ghost, it's a mistake by the one who made the post, the one who died in the store was an innocent as far as i know and it happen way after Ghost died. This happen in the same month DeathRow killed Willie, DeathRow was sliding a lot in 2019.
Ghost was outside with multiple people in his own hood when shots rang out from an unknown direction, he was shot multiple times in the chest and he died at the hospital.
"Ghost got hit up" 0:58

Michael "Aero 🕊️" Portis

01/05/2020
One of the reasons i believed Savo 🕊️ was killed by kings was Aero death, months after Savo died, Aero was sliding with FatLord 🔒 on some kings, which made sense at least during that time, Savo died in a hood cool with the kings, Aero is sliding on the kings, it was making sense into my head that Aero died trying to get revenge for Savo + that's what i was told, again i was wrong. As i said in my previous post, Savo was killed by NLMB, Aero was just a hothead who was sliding on his opps, nothing weird.
Aero was on the frontline and did a lot of dirt for DeathRow, he earned the nickname "23" for a reason, in my previous post i put a screenshot with Fa Fa Fa straight up saying Aero killed G Dottie 🕊️. I know a lot of people believed Aero killed an innocent, but people told me that Garcia 🕊️ was a known king, why would Aero and FatLord slide on some innocents and specifically target them?
Aero and FatLord were driving a turquoise SUV when they made a U-turn at the end of the street and parked in the block close to a king hood, both got out of the SUV with armed 9-mm handguns and approached Garcia and his neighbor as they were outside talking, they opened fire hitting the neighbor in the arm and hitting Garcia multiple times, Garcia returned fire with his own weapon striking Aero multiple times who died at the scene, FatLord was also shot multiple times, FatLord left Aero there and went to a hospital with the SUV in the same clothes that CPD saw on the footage. Garcia was pronounced dead at the hospital, police recovered 19 9-mm shell casings and 10 .40-caliber shell casings from the crime scene.
This is a very controversial situation because at first, people said after FatLord recovered from his wounds, he told the police what happen and also snitched on BD 🕊️ but now they saying free him, they saying that someone else ratted and not him, but according to this article, CPD is using FatLord as a source, FatLord was the one who allegedly was the driver on the Willie hit, FatLord is still locked up so who knows.
The scanner also confirms that they was sliding on some kings because they was having problems lately, it could be possible that some kings gave the location of Savo to NLMB, Savo was killed right at his home so NLMB probably got the drop from someone.
NLMB and ABK will diss Aero hard because he killed G Dottie, someone also recorded Aero on the ground, which was heavily mocked by his opps.
"Lil Aero a dumbass got hit on a hit" 0:23

Tristan "Tedo G 🕊️" Rogers

04/05/2020
NLMB first loss in 2020 but not because of gun violence, Tedo was from the MuskegonBoyz clique, he was killed by a car in DucciWay 🔱 hood, there is not a lot to say about him, he was a respected OG who was either related to Kobe 🕊️ or close to him.

Shianne "Anna 🕊️" Reynolds

04/19/2020
Anna was a very loved member from MTG 079 now more known as BiyoBlock, she was Biyo 🕊️ sister, at first people believed that she was not gangbanging but that's false, there is a lot of captions with her saying she was using guns to slide, i don't think she was active when she died in that life and she probably was not the target either. However, she probably was active in the past and as we all know, the past is catching up to you, her vigil was also shot, allegedly by NLMB again.
What i know is this, allegedly NLMB saw some MTG 079 members in traffic in SirconnCity 🔱 hood, they sped up behind them and shot the whole car, Anna was just unlucky since she was in the car with them, she was hit in the head and CPD pronounced her dead at the scene. This was one of the first getback NLMB got for Capo, but it will not stop here, NLMB will get more getback for Capo months later.
2020 was a hard year for MTG 079, they lost 4 members, Anna 🕊️, Pook 🕊️ who was not killed by any opps, LB 🕊️ an original who was also close to Biyo, LB was killed in DrillCity 📶🔱🅱️ hood, last one is Jeezy Snow 🕊️, we will get later to him.

Anthony "C-Note 🕊️" Smith

04/27/2020
C-Note was an OG from NLMB, to be more specific he was from the MuskegonBoyz clique, from what i know he passed away from natural causes, nothing to do with gun violence. He was born in 1985 so he was old compared to a lot of main members from MuskegonBoyz clique like G Farro for example, you could say he was from that White Folks generation.

Junius "BoBo 🕊️" Thurston

05/07/2020
BoBo was a very loved member from ABK, he was one of the main faces from there. BoBo was also a rapper, one of his best songs Pigs Hot where you can see a lot of ABK members including Yogi 🕊️, BoBo was close to NLMB as well, he did a song with Juvie and before his death you could see him around G Herbo.
BlackMobb was having a field day when BoBo was killed, even though BoBo left that life behind while starting a truck company, it's not like your opps will forgive you or forget that you did dirt in the streets or hurt their people, that shit is stucked until you die, even if you are 30, 40, as long as you put yourself in danger(go back to the city) you can get killed anywhere.
BoBo exit his car and went to a gas station in a relatively safe area far away from any hood, a black Audi pull up and a rear passenger open fire, he ran north from the station but then a gunman got out of the car and chased after him, firing more shots. BoBo collapsed and the gunman caught up to him standing over him and fired more shots, BoBo was pronounced dead at the hospital, police said he was shot multiple times.
BlackMobb were not the only ones having a field day with his death, PocketTown also dissed him:
"BoBo got his ass smoked, 20 bullets took his soul" 2:45
It is sad because BlackMobb and ABK were like this, but friends are turning to enemies and both sides lost main members in this war.

Lee "KTS Rio 🕊️" Cameron

07/12/2020
If you follow the drill scene, then you know who was KTS Rio, one of the main faces from PocketTown and Lil Los 🔒 little brother, he was a huge loss for PocketTown, after his death a lot of stuff went down.
Rio was driving a vehicle with two other teenagers near a gas station in KakiWorld 🔱🅱️⭐️✊🏿 hood when a silver SUV pulled up and someone inside started shooting, Rio was shot multiple times and he was pronounced dead at the hospital. The 14-year-old boy was shot in the back and a 17-year-old boy was hit in the right arm, both were taken to the hospital in good condition.
After his death PocketTown goes by "RioGang" in his honour, Rio was also one of their main rappers, one of his most known song is NLMBK, Faro dissed him in a song after he died:
"Rio got hit and they left his ass twitching" 0:38
"Rio got hit, y'all ain't get your getback" 1:05
A lot of people are saying NLMB killed KTS Rio but if you watch Freeband BoBo 🕊️ video that CH88 made, it is very clear that NLMB didn't do anything to Rio, because the war started when Lil Greg 🕊️ was killed, that's also what BoBo said. The beef was not serious until Lil Greg died, BoBo also said the whole war started because of a bitch, Lil Greg wanted to call his guys to kill BoBo because of a girl. Feel free to watch the video, it's explaining a lot of stuff.
Remember there is a difference between "twitter beef" like disses and blood beef, KTS Dre did dirt on NLMB but he did that for Lakeside while PocketTown was his second hood(he started to claim PocketTown after KTS Von died), so Lil Greg was the first guy to die in that beef, we will get later to him.
Now honestly it is not known who killed KTS Rio, but one of the most plausible theory is that SirconnCity killed him, months after KTS Rio died, PocketTown lost KDawg 🕊️, another top member while sliding on SirconnCity hood, his article doesn't mention anything about sliding but both sides said that.
"We doing hits without hoodies and masks, Rio got hit, he got stretched like an elastic" 1:08
"KDawg got hit on a hit, he dead" 0:24
They are main opps but since PocketTown top members were sliding, i think that means something, especially after Rio died.
This won't stop at KTS Rio, this year would be the most hardest year for PocketTown, they will lose 6 members in one year and they was all top members, but not all of them were killed by opps.
Big Glizzy/Lil James 🕊️ (June 07 2020), killed at a party in Robbins, a suburb of Chicago.
KTS Rio 🕊️ (July 12 2020), KDawg 🕊️ (September 27 2020), Nuke 30 🕊️ (November 25 2020), killed OT, LA Glizzy/Lil Ant 🕊️ (January 12 2021), killed OT, Killa Spook 🕊️ (March 26 2021), we will get later to Killa Spook.
"They lost 6 niggas in one year, tryna make the rest of them disappear" 1:53

Antoine "BT 🕊️" Rose

08/22/2020
BT was a very loved member from NLMM and 358Gang, he claimed both sets, he was also close to NLMB, one of the reasons he died. Even though NLMB and 358Gang are opps, as i said in my previous parts, NLMM was always a set focusing on money, they was never known to slide like that, so that's probably why he was close to NLMB and cool with NLMB opps, 358Gang. BT also appeared on the Maurice show.
I think everyone knows that Fa Fa Fa straight up said they killed BT, so why they killed him? Well even though BT was not involved in their beef, it doesn't matter, he was close to NLMB and 358Gang killed Mook 🕊️ in 2019, so DeathRow got their getback for him. I don't think BT was the specific target because the shooting occured in TheBush 👑🦁 territory, which are opps to DeathRow. BT was shot in the head and in the abdomen, CPD pronounced him dead at the scene, a 32 year old man was also shot in the abdomen and in the leg, he was taken to the hospital in critical condition.

Sean "Cello Da Shoota 🕊️" Wilson

09/07/2020
There was a lot of back and forth between NoGood and NLMB, mainly because NLMB killed Montae 🕊️ and it was forever stuck there, even though NoGood and NLMB are old opps, that beef was really inactive compared to Lakeside for example, but this all changed when Montae was killed, Montae was very loved by NoGood and like Jeff Fort said "there is not going to be any killing without killing" Cello was not really a main face from NLMB, he was from the NoLimit clique but his original hood was JBG 🔱 also known as MoneGang.
Cello was driving with someone else in the car in NoGood ⭐️✊🏿 hood, Jay Savage and Deonte 🔒 fired shots and the person in the backseat fired back, hitting one of them in the forearm, Cello was hit in the neck and died at the hospital, the other person was listed in good condition after being shot in his thigh, he has a license to carry his gun. Jay Savage and Deonte were both charged with his murder, both were from NoGood and close to Montae.

Deshawn "Jeezy Snow 🕊️" Fletcher

10/15/2020
Jeezy was in ABK 4️⃣🍸⭐️✊🏿🔱 hood driving his car when Mally 🔒 opened fire from the sunroof of a silver Chrysler 300, he was shot multiple times in the head, neck and upper torso, he died at the hospital two days later. There is a lot of contradiction of the car used in the murder, what we know for sure is that Mally shot from the sunroof. Mally also searched the murder on google to see if Jeezy died.
This was a a crazy hit for many reasons, one of them is that Lil Wet was driving the car, Lil Wet did this two months after he beat his quadruple murder case, the case is complicated but to this day Mally is still locked up for it. The full foia if you want to read more, from what i know the case is very strong against Mally but let's be real, Lil Wet beat a quadruple murder, everything is possible in Chicago, so i won't be surprised if he is beating it.
Lil Wet also hinted in his song "Nun Stop" about the hit, the music video was deleted or made private, but the audio version is still up.
"Gotta ride for my gang, Steph got the wheel, Lil Mally might come out the roof " 0:44
Jeezy was actually very close to DoggPound 🅱️, you can see him around them in old videos and i think he was related to some members from there too, i am not sure if he was claiming DoggPound at one point but members from there still say rip to him, again it doesn't mean every DoggPound member was close to him. It is a complicated situation but this was another getback NLMB got for Capo, a top member from MTG 079 and very loved.

Gregory "Lil Greg 🕊️" Jackson III

01/28/2021
The death that started all and guess what caused this? Well if you didn't guess it, it was a bitch, Lil Greg 🕊️ got into his feelings because BoBo 🕊️ was messing with a girl that he liked so when Lil Greg saw him, he tried to get the green light from other members to come and kill him right there, allegedly NLMB told him BoBo is not an opp and that he is staying out of the way, Lil Greg tried to call other members but it was too late.
PocketTown members got the drop from BoBo and went to kill Lil Greg who was in a barbershop far away from EastSide, Lil Don 🔒 walked up to him and shot Lil Greg in the face inside the barbershop, he was pronounced dead shortly after at the hospital, CK was actually charged because they found him in the same car that was used in the murder, he stayed solid and beat the case, CK was the one driving.
Lil Greg was a very loved member from NLMB and a main face from there, he was from the MuskegonBoyz clique but very close to G Herbo and even celebrities like 21 Savage paid respects to him, he was respected because he was a trapper making money from drugs to raise his kids, his death hurt a lot of people and you could say that his death made "DrenchGang" more famous because the getback was huge in terms of impact on the media, i am of course speaking about KTS Dre, his death was international news because of the way he died + Killa Spook, we will get later to them.
"Me and Gregg was sharin' clothes, but we weren't really bros" 0:18
"Lil Greg died, that started some shit, but how many checked after broski got hit?" 0:36 he is also upping 4 fingers, which is probably a reference to Killa Spook, KTS Dre, BoBo and probably Lil Don from PaxTown.
Moowop 🔒 also confirmed 3 opps died for Lil Greg, again most likely a reference to Killa Spook, KTS Dre and BoBo. Lil Don was also shot multiple times but he survived
NLMB was hurt but the opps were dissing Lil Greg hard, especially Lil Don:
Lil Don called Lil Greg biggest score of 2021
This started a new bloody war in the EastSide which caused a lot of damage, members getting locked up, members getting killed, members getting shot and so on, PocketTown was also unlucky to get hit with a "RICO" and most of their top members got locked up, there is barely any main faces out there besides Denny G and Lil Ant, they also have internal beef now.
The indictment also mentions they found the gun which was used in Lil Greg murder, the whole situation was fucked up for PocketTown, they lost like 10 members to this indictment + Lil Don got locked up + internal beef, the whole hood was hit hard by this indictment and a lot of "snitching" rumours are in the air.
The members who got locked up are Lil Rah 🔒, EJ(he was released), Rello 🔒, Dreski 🔒 MT Larry🔒 who actually shot back when Spook died, Corey Got Clout 🔒, PacMigo 🔒, Dwight 🔒 and DreadHead Larry 🔒

Dante "Killa Spook 🕊️" Thomas

03/26/2021
Killa Spook was like a leader in PocketTown, he had a lot of respect and his name says it all "Killa Spook" it's not a name you earn for doing nothing, he was a known killer who did a lot for PocketTown, him and KTS Von 🕊️ went to slide on Lamron in the past, he was very active, him and Denny G were sliding on SirconnCity as well.
Spook 🕊️ was partying with a lot of members inside StainCity🔱⭐️✊🏿 hood, it was a party for their fallen member KDawg 🕊️ who was killed sliding on SirconnCity in 2020, two shooters(this might be PocketTown shooting back but i personally think those are the offenders), NLMB and GME got the drop from a bitch and shot the whole party up, Killa Spook was shot by a stray bullet through a window, he was pronounced dead at the scene, Lord was shot in the head and he was taken to the hospital in critical condition, Denny G was taken to the hospital in critical condition and he recovered after some time, other members got shot as well but it was nothing serious like the ones i mentioned above.
Right after the party got shot up, PocketTown went to slide on NLMB and hit someone in the leg, there are a lot of things that points NLMB for doing this hit but it is confirmed that GME was also involved, Lil B from GME was arrested by CPD with the car used in the murder, he was released because CPD didn't had proof that he did the murder.
There are many names around Spook death, Faro, Lil Ro, Twino 🕊️, EMoe from GME, 7Moe 🕊️ from GME, it is not known exactly who killed Spook but it is hard to tell, what should be confirmed for sure is that it was a NLMB/GME hit, even CPD and FBI believes that. In case you guys don't know, FBI was trying to build a RICO but their main suspect Max 🕊️ was killed, so i think the case is really not that strong anymore. I do think FBI is monitoring what is going on between NLMB and PocketTown now.
PocketTown was hurt to the core by his death, NLMB and GME were dissing like crazy and celebrating Lil Greg a lot, it's a lot of disses that i am sure most of you saw, if you want way more details, watch CH88 video.

Londre "KTS Dre 🕊️" Sylvester

07/10/2021
Dre was getting out of prison after his fiancee paid his $5,000 bond on Friday, for some reason Dre decided to leave only on Saturday, what Dre didn't knew is that his decision will cost him his life and potentially the life of two other innocent females. Dre was shot around 64 times by multiple shooters from two different vehicles far away from EastSide in every side of his body, a 60 year old female was shot in the knee and a 35 year old female suffered a graze to her mouth while walking by, both were taken to the hospital in good condition. Dre was DOA and his death will have a huge impact in the streets, after his death the president of America, Joe Biden, was forced to do a meeting to slow the violence in Chicago, this was because his death had an immense impact in the international news because of the way that he died.
I would leave in the comments a list of some the countries news speaking about KTS Dre, because it would take too much space in the post.
Dre was an upcoming rapper in the drill scene, his most famous song being a feature with Rio called "NLMBK Pt. 2" but in the drill scene he mostly became known for punching Kyro, one of the many reasons Kyro diss him a lot. Dre was very active in the streets before his death, he did a lot of dirt and a lot of his opps wanted him gone. Dre was also suspected by CPD for killing Magic 🕊️ in 2019. He was originally from LakeSide but he started to claim PocketTown after the death of his brother in 2015, he is what people believe Von was, don't get me wrong, Von was active in the streets but Dre was something else.
I heard many names around Dre death, Faro, the DrenchGang Twins, Moowop, Kyro, Lil Hot, honestly i am not sure who killed Dre but NLMB and even PocketTown/LakeSide made it known who did it on social media. Faro being pretty clear that this was a getback for Lil Greg.
Losing so many people in such a short time affected PocketTown in many ways, a lot of them decided to step down because when shit gets real, you need to think about your life too, most of them have families, it might be a coward way but can you blame them? 10 members locked up for indictment, 9 top members killed between 2020-2022, Denny G was almost killed, Meechie was almost killed, Lil Don got locked up, Lil Art barely survived after being shot 20 times, Lord was left in critical condition, this is the worst period for PocketTown and Lil Don also confirmed that his people are scared and he only got four guys who are willing to slide.
Sadly the ones who will suffer the most is the family, his mom was devastated that she can't even give him a proper funeral because of the way that he died.

Christopher "Gucci 🕊️" Daniels

08/05/2021
Gucci was near the sidewalk in GhettoWorld 4️⃣🍸 hood when a vehicle passed by and someone fired shots at him, he was shot in the chest and he was pronounced dead at the hospital.
This is one month after Dre was killed, Gucci was a member from the MuskegonBoyz clique, i didn't saw PocketTown or LakeSide celebrating anything, in fact they still say "getback got no date" for Spook and Dre, it might be other opps that NLMB have, remember NLMB beefs with 30+ sets, it could also be personal beef, mistaken identity and so on.

Felder "Stro Dolla 🕊️" Tatum Jr.

08/15/2021
Stro Dolla was with a group of people inside GottiWorld 🔱 hood when someone opened and hit him in the chest, he was pronounced dead at the hospital, a 34 year old woman was also shot in the leg, she was taken to the hospital in good condition. Again i don't think he was the target but who knows, i didn't saw any opps celebrating, Stro Dolla was claiming NLMM but he was close to NLMB.He was also close to BT 🕊️ who was killed in 2020 by DeathRow, he was also a rapper, most likely Stro Dolla was just at the wrong time, wrong place, to my knowledge GottiWorld and NLMM or NLMB don't have beef. GottiWorld are actually opps to PocketTown.

Before this episode begins, I am so happy to say that this is the 100th episode of MDR! I guess I knew we'd reach it one day, but still can't believe it. It has truly felt like it's flown by, but the countless memories I have are a reminder of the past year and a half, and all 100 episodes. I am so appreciative of the support on this project, it has been so much fun to bring to life, and I can't thank everyone enough for letting us get to this milestone. Enjoy the episode <3
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the queens return to the workroom after Sharris' elimination
🏁Kami CF: Coming back from the last elimination, I feel like we need at least two to three business days to decompress. It was wild!
Steph: Well...how y'all doin'?
the queens look around the room in silence
Whorechata: I just wanted to say something. Things got really out of hand earlier, and I know it was hard for all of us. But if there was any group to go through this with, I'm glad it was you all.
Wren: Aw, thank you. I feel the same wa-
Whorechata: I mean really, there's no group I'd want to go through being safe with. It was such an intense moment, but you all held me down.
Sue: ...
Anthyy: That's not where I thought you were going with that!
Whorechata: Oh and I guess the Sharris thing was unfortunate too, but the real tragedy was just so much worse.
🏁Whorechata CF: Whew, let me try and hold back these tears. I knew this competition would get intense, but I never knew the level it would get to. So when Micro called me safe, it was a wake up call about just how nasty things can get here. A disaster, truly.
Morgs: I don't want to excuse what Sharris said. It was definitely not a nice thing to say.
Wren: I swear there's a "but" coming.
Steph: Wren, this is a family show...
Morgs: But, I have to be real and say that I'm sad to see her gone. She was someone I was really close with, and I know that this meant so much.
Blondie: You can be sad that your friend isn't here anymore, but you really can't be sad that her toxic energy was removed from this environment.
Morgs: My relationship with Sharris wasn't toxic. I know she did some of you wrong. But that wasn't my experience.
🏁Morgs CF: I feel like I'm put between a rock and Jackie Cox's face right now. All of the other queens are allowed to react however they want to when it comes to one of their friends going home. But when I do it, it feels like I'm not really allowed to feel sad about it.
Anthyy: I never saw myself picking Sharris to go home, especially this early. But I can reveal that I chose her lipstick. And I do feel for Morgs, that's your sister. What it came down to was that I needed to make sure the competition was kept as drama free as possible.
Morgs: I understand, it's okay.
🏁Anthyy CF: Morgs and Sharris were two people I had an alliance with. Even before we came here, I knew we'd look out for each other. However, it comes down to what feels right on a human level, and Sharris took things too far with Wren. I had to take a stand, even if it meant sending home an ally.
Wren: Full tea, what Sharris said didn't really bother me. I've heard worse, and I'm sure I'll hear worse in the future.
Blondie: That's not fair to you, though.
Wren: It's okay! You all know that me loving myself isn't an issue, I'm not about to let that get to me.
🏁Wren CF: I mean, how did Sharris want me to react? Did she want this to be the part where you bring out the tiny violin and switch everything to black and white while I wistfully look through a window while a single tear falls down my well defined cheekbones? Girl bye.
Blondie: One thing's for sure, people proved who they really were. Some of you who rode for what Sharris was saying, I won't forget that.
Fleur rolls her eyes and laughs
🏁Blondie CF: My relationship with Fleur has gone down to a zero. Or scratch that, a negative two. We do run in similar circles, and I was expecting that to mean something in this competition. And it did for the first day or so. But when the pressure got turned up, Fleur showed her true colors. I need space from her right now, or else I'll pop off, and I'm not trying to be a fighter again. All that screaming messes up your vocal chords, and Fleur is not worth that!
Fleur: The vagueness is killing me.
Blondie: I'm not being vague, I'm just not giving you the attention you're craving.
Fleur: Blondie, be so real right now. Do you think I'm scared of you? Do you think there's any reason why I should be scared of you in this competition?
Blondie: Based on who won a challenge, maybe!
Fleur: Oh right, I forgot you won a challenge. Or did you even win it? It felt a lot like Zodya carrying you.
Blondie: The win is still sitting pretty. Something not everyone can say!
🏁Fleur CF: Blondie, I tried. I tried to defy the odds and actually get along with you here. But you've just proven to me that everyone here is truly awful. I'm not worried about anyone here being able to take me out. So why not give them hell and make them all miserable? That sounds even nicer than a crown. Yes, that'll do just fine. Get ready for it, you woke up the bitch. Well, the inner bitch. The outer bitch has been here the whole time. You know what I meant. And edit some nice villain music under all of that. It's showtime!
The Next Day
the queens dance into the workroom and over to the table
🏁Kami CF: It's a new day in the workroom, and I'm hoping the next challenge is something like baking cupcakes. That might be the only thing capable of bringing us back together. But for real, that would be so fun...
Zodya: Sue, I have to ask how you felt during the last lipsync.
Sue: I was fine. Really, I was so fine! And side note, but the sheets in the hotel are really great at absorbing tears. Or so I've been told.
🏁Sue CF: I really thought that last week could've been it for me. Everything felt so right, but it just wasn't enough. I'm desperate to prove myself as a strong competitor here, and someone that people should be afraid of. But without a win, it's hard to do that.
Whorechata: I was surprised at the top two, and that's only a moderate read.
Zodya: I'm scared for this answer, but who would you have taken out of the top?
Anthyy: And I know you might say me, but I don't really care. I know I turned it out, mama.
Whorechata: I would have replaced both of you! I think Sue should've been up there. And the other spot would have to go to a beautiful queen, full of talent, starts with a W...
Wren: Aw, me?
Whorechata: No, me.
Wren: Oh! Not sure why I'm even surprised by that at this point.
the workroom door swings open and Micro walks in, wearing a tailored white suit with a matching hat and cherry red lip
Micro: Hello queens!
Steph: Alright, pimp mama!
Micro: Last week, things got a little tense. And uh, that might be a bit of an understatement. Which is why for your next challenge, it would make sense to do something a little more lighthearted.
Kami: Yes please!
Micro: But you know how we do things around here. For your next challenge, you'll be killing each other.
Blondie: Oh dear god.
Micro: With your acting, of course! The ten of you will be randomly split into two teams of five. In this group, you will be in charge of producing a plot, trailer, and captivating poster for the next big horror movie. How you choose to work within your team, that's up to you. But if I were you, I'd be sure to contribute if you want to avoid the bottom. And on the runway, category is "Pretty Little Prosthetics". Good luck, and get ready to scream!
🏁Blondie CF: For our challenge this week, we're split into teams as we create a horror movie. On my team, we have Fleur, Kami, Whorechata, and Zodya. And on the other team, Anthyy, Morgs, Steph, Sue, and Wren. Less than thrilled to be on a team with Fleur, but it's a strong group, and I think our chances of winning are pretty solid!
the teams scatted through the workroom, with Blondie, Fleur, Kami, Whorechata, and Zodya talking by the couches
🏁Whorechata CF: It's starting to get to me that I haven't really been performing at the level I know I'm capable of here. I'm feeling a new sense of determination this week, and I have a whole list of ideas for this challenge. It's time to prove why I'm here.
Whorechata: So...I have ideas.
Fleur: There's a first for everything!
Whorechata: I'm thinking it could be cool to have the movie be shown from two different perspectives. The same story, but you see it differently depending on who it's focusing on. A sort of play on how the same situation can be perceived differently by different people.
Zodya: Wait, I love that?
Kami: That's a really great idea.
Whorechata: I know, that's why I said it! I mean...thanks!
🏁Kami CF: I do tend to feel stressed in group challenges. Especially with this big of a group. There are five of us. There might be more room to hide, but it's also so much harder to stand out. I want my voice to be heard, and I want to shine, but I'm not sure how.
Fleur: I'll volunteer to work on the poster.
Kami: Nice! Do you want help on that?
Fleur: Hmm, I think I can do it on my own.
🏁Fleur CF: First of all, I'd rather eat sand than work with anyone on my team. And, the poster is a huge part of this challenge. If I do it on my own, that means all the credit goes to me. Maybe a bad idea if the poster turns out ugly, but I'm not too worried about that. My only worry now is what to wear for the lipsync this week!
Zodya: Blondie, do you have an idea of what you're working on?
Blondie: I'll do whatever you need. Put me wherever and give me something to do.
Whorechata: Work with me on the script. I need someone to read through it and make sure it makes sense. One little issue, can you read?
Blondie: You bitch.
🏁Whorechata CF: I didn't plan on taking a leader position this week, but it kinda fell into place. We're getting some good work done, most of us at least. Kami, I know she wants to contribute, but I don't know what she's done yet? And that's starting to worry me. We might not be able to get this done in time...
the team of Anthyy, Morgs, Steph, Sue, and Wren talk around the table
Anthyy: Ladies, ready to win? I need this one!
Wren: Oh please, you do not need another win right now. I'm already getting the Greantee flashbacks as is!
🏁Wren CF: Being on a team with Anthyy is really scary. I like her, we get along. But if we do well, that means another win for her. At a certain point, we need to stop her.
Sue: I feel like I could work on the poster? I can do my best with that!
Wren: That's perfect. Do we want ours to be a parody of iconic movies, or should it be fully original?
Morgs: I would maybe bring those ideas together. It can be a new and fresh idea, but still referencing certain ideas that have worked before.
Wren: I like that, I like that.
Anthyy: I would feel most comfortable working on the poster.
Steph: I think Sue mentioned wanting to work on that.
Anthyy: I don't want to take it away from her of course.
Sue: No, it's okay! Whatever is best for the team.
Anthyy: Are you sure?
Sue: If that's what will make our team strong, that's what we should do.
Anthyy: Thank you Sue, such a queen! Morgs, do you want to get some work done on this?
Morgs: Anything for you, well of course!
the team works on their script before coming back together to go over their progress
Anthyy: I have the outfits for the poster almost done. But don't worry, they'll be done.
Wren: Not to be shady, but what were the two of you doing for all that time? You were gone for awhile, and didn't get anything done.
Morgs: She just said she was working on the outfits and that they're almost done.
Wren: The two of you talked a lot about what you were going to contribute, I'm not seeing much of anything. You need to do your part in the group.
Anthyy: We are. Don't diminish our work!
Wren: I don't see what work I'm diminishing...
🏁Wren CF: Maybe I need to appoint myself as the team leader, because we are not making enough progress. Anthyy and Morgs are like the two friends in school who work together on all the projects, but never get anything done because they're talking the whole time. We have serious work to do!
Morgs: I've been adding to the script, Anthyy's done the outfits, we've done more than enough.
Wren: That's not what I asked you two to do. Morgs, you were supposed to look over what I was doing, not add your own stuff.
Morgs: I get that, but I'm not going to sit back and do nothing.
Wren: Well it feels like you're either doing nothing, or just making things worse.
🏁Anthyy CF: Wren is making me and Morgs feel horrible during this challenge. We're doing the work, more than some other people in the team! But she ignores that since they're friends. It's making me question if I want to even be here, because she's making me feel so bad right now.
the teams continue to work, as Whorechata goes over to the other team
Whorechata: So like, what if we had more time?
Steph: We have to be on the runway soon, I don't think that's an option.
Whorechata: If we all ask for a few more hours, maybe Micro will give it to us.
🏁Whorechata CF: What we have so far is good. But time is our biggest issue. If we can get a little extra, I know we can pull it all together. And it helps the other team too, it makes sense.
Anthyy: I don't think we need the extra time.
Wren: We don't, I know we don't.
🏁Wren CF: Your poor time management is not my fault. We were given the time we were given. If you can't make that work, start packing your bags.
Whorechata: But would you be against it?
Anthyy: I'm not making a scene over extra time, but we don't need it.
Whorechata: So what I'm hearing is that I can ask for more time...
Morgs: I wouldn't be mad with more time.
Sue: I'm happy to make it work either way.
Whorechata: Perfect!
Whorechata leaves the workroom to ask a producer about extra time, before realizing there are no producers, only Micro. She drags Micro into the workroom while she's halfway done with getting ready for the runway
Micro: Chile, what now?
Whorechata: You know how much we love you, right? And how you really don't even need a corset, no matter what everyone says about your waist.
Micro: Excuse me?
Whorechata: What I'm saying is, we need a little more time for the challenge.
Micro: And everyone's good with that?
Whorechata: They'd love it!
Micro: I'm asking them...not you.
Whorechata: Sorry, I'm just speaking for the people. I'm motherly like that.
Micro: Does anyone strongly object to a few more hours for the challenge.
Anthyy and Wren hesitate before raising their hands, and bringing them back down when nobody else objects
Micro: Alright, you can have a few more hours. But you better use it and make this the best challenge yet.
Whorechata: Mwah, thank you!
🏁Wren CF: When Micro says that there's an extension, I start to see red. Our group does not need this extra time. We may not have everything done right now, but when we hit the runway, it would've been ready.
Micro leaves the workroom and the queens talk while getting ready by the mirrors
Wren: This is such bullshit, just so you all know.
Kami: What happened?
Wren: This whole extra time.
Kami: Were you guys done with your work?
Wren: ...that's not the point. We would've been done with it.
Anthyy: To me, it just feels like riggory. Micro wants the underdogs to win this week, so she's giving you more time.
Zodya: Underdogs?
Anthyy: I don't mean that in a shady way. I'm just saying that our team seemed stronger, and Micro wanted to make it less obvious. It's clear to me.
Wren: Exactly.
🏁Zodya CF: I don't know what Anthyy and Wren are trying to get at with this. I saw their work, it's nowhere near done. And in what world are we the underdogs? Anthyy sees everything by the numbers, but that isn't the only thing that matters in a challenge like this.
Anthyy: Look, it doesn't matter. Congrats on winning this week, woohoo!
Runway
the lights flicker and an electric magenta light floods the runway as Micro struts down the center
Micro Episode 5 Look
Micro: Welcome back to the runway of Micro's Drag Race: All Stars Two! This week, the queens were challenged with working in teams to come up with original horror film concepts. And joining me on the judging panel is a queen with killer creativity, Lisbon!
Lisbon Guest Judging Look
Micro: Lisbon, thank you for being here!
Lisbon: Anything for you...as long as you give me a crown one day.
Micro: Ha!
Lisbon: I'm not joking...oh at all.
Micro: Oh. I'll see what I can do about that! Do you have any terrifying moments from your time on MDR that might inspire you in a challenge like this?
Lisbon: Why yes, I have quite a few! Season One Episode Twelve, All Stars One Episode Twelve, XDRVTW Episode Six. I'd have to say those really stick out.
Micro: Any reason?
Lisbon: Nope, none at all! Lisbon pulls out her voodoo dolls of Unieke, Tiwa, and Crystal
Micro: Well, that is not at all troubling! You ready to get into things?
Lisbon: Please, before I turn these dolls into a pile of fluff.
Micro: Alright! First up on the runway, category is "Pretty Little Prosthetics"!
"Bad Juju" by Jujubee plays
Anthyy: Tonight on the runway the theme is prosthetics! And honey trust me this theme is just asking itself for it to be a creppy spooky lewk, but i already served that last week and on episode 1 an literally thorught the whle halloween special for miss Xtina so this time i wanted to make sure i am as girly as i can be with this prostehtics them! But also there is another layer to it i would never just go for a look and dont do nothing behing to it. Tonight on the runway i am channeling a broken porcelain ballerina doll. My whole dress is made out of glass and i am walking very carefully but stunning-ly by the runway. Her story is that her soul is trapped inside a ballerina's figure body and as you can see on the skin an thorughout her body she is slowly turning into that sad ballerina with the glass pieces cutting through her skin,, thats what the prostheticas are in my look! they modify her whole face, she is sad on the glass side, she is trapped and she is bleeding! but in pink! cause pretty girls have pink blood! Don't try and check it though! This runway also need to have a personal touch for me to feel good about it and tonight i wanted to honur my grandma, since she always wanted to become a ballerina but never made it! so granny tonight! you are the prettiest glass ballerina on the mainstage of the biggest compeitiotn!
Anthyy Look
Blondie: KERMI! I AM READY FOR MY CLOSE-UP MON AMOUR! Tonight I am representing the original camp/fashion icon Miss Piggy! I am wearing prosthetic ears, a nose, and a cute wiggly tail! I am also wearing more passing than usual to create that big girl magic energy, so not only am I appropriating fat people, but pigs as well! The dress is completely made by moi and completely bedazzled, I get actual pearls and diamond encrusted headband, and I styled the 40 inch weave myself! I am taking a huge risk going camp, but I rather go out looking like a pig, than actually being one (cough cough Alex cough cough) . And you don't like it, expect this karate chop! HI-YA!
Blondie Look
Fleur: People say I am two faced which I don't necessarily agree with because I say what I want when I want but I just wanted to pay homage to the losers of my past arguements who call me two faced by wearing a prosthetic head! Two heads is always better than one head, am I right
Fleur Look
Kami: For my prosthetics lewk I am getting down and dirty mawma! I just wanted to do something fun this week, so I have gone with this sort of pig prosthetic thingy. This is for my fellow vegan/vegetarian qweens! #ISTANDWITHVEGANTEACHER
Kami Look
Morgs: Silicon manufacturing with your own skin using inorganic compounds of negotiated slurp products for your bodacious perfect size scabs snack for youthful glow anti aging properties may turn vou slime new products for you soon including waters I discussed with Wren stay tune #microfracking
Morgs Look
Steph: for my prosthetic look tonight i wanted to gag everyone by showing that i can be green with envy and still be pretty. just look at my skin and my long nose and she’s bald! also that rat is just a little scrumptious snack for later YUMMY YUMMY!! what’s not to love. i love a long soft prosthetic nose, ears, and chinnnn. if ur chin ain’t long, you’re just wrong!
Steph Look
Sue: So for this runway I am serving you the end of the world but she I still a bad bitch because uwu.
Sue Look
Whorechata: On the runway tonight I am feeling very SAFE! I am a kraken craking backs mawma! She is giving a full squid head prosthetic this evening. I am ready to wreck holes and boats tonight!!!
Whorechata Look
Wren: Today on the runway I am giving you Ratrina Ratson, heir to the Ratson throne. She is DRIPPING in like a million fucking layers of jewels, necklaces, bracelets, and silver. When she moves it sounds like windchimes. I have been consistently getting the critique that I don't drag things up enough, and I hope thisll change that. This is what happens if the rats in Cinderella were sent to the ball instead of her, Cinderella has rats in it right? I'm literally just realizing while typing this that I have never seen Cinderella.
Wren Look
Zodya: For this runway, I am showing off a look inspired by the Dilophosaurus! I have used prosthetics to make myself look fully reptilian, including my large, colorful flaps of skin off my face and hands. And don’t forget to mention my talons, as well as the horns sprouting out throughout my body. Don’t mess with me, queens, or else I’ll tear you apart and eat you alive…in Minecraft!
Zodya Look
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Micro: Thank you ladies. You all look gorgeous, or terrifyingly disturbing. But hey, these looks will definitely be hard to forget. Now, let's take a look at your horror movie scripts.
Team 1: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1e-6bIAzNsvFOqKMMaqR7z5Y2ca503HZnzg15Ym4GfLc/edit#
Team 2: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EoPn63HhkzwHNf1O4zJJ_Zj0U7tk07x96rx_iCZO4jg/edit?usp=sharing
https://youtu.be/eVFuGpRHkdU
Critiques
Micro: Based on your performances tonight, Lisbon and I have formed some opinions. It's time for your critiques.
Micro: First up, Team 1 (Blondie, Fleur, Kami, Whorechata, Zodya)!
Lisbon: Well, hello ladies… and Fleur. This concept was really interesting! I like that you weren’t afraid to approach it more seriously and it felt very atmospheric. However, it fell a little flat for me I guess? The addition of the hallucinations felt odd and left me wondering if Desireé or whatever was like- magic? I think this felt like a solid horror short story but I feel like it lacked imagination and was pretty middle of the road content wise. As for your runways… Blondie, I really love this look as I am the Miss Piggy extraordinaire but I wish it was elevated a little more. It’s giving Ariana meets Miss Piggy which I love but it’s definitely a bit more pedestrian than I’d like for All Stars. Fleur this is one of my top looks of the night you look absolutely horrid, no note really other than the glitter bouquet feels a wee bit cheap. Kami, this is cunt. No notes. Lucky, you look good! It’s a great look, I just want more mug I suppose. Zodya this is fierce, I love a concept that is well executed! One note and this is mainly a personal preference, I wish the face was more cunt less monster, but obviously that’s nitpicking.
Micro: Hello pretty ladies!! I think within this group, you all have such clear strengths, and I was curious to see how that would work in a team format. And I have to say, I’m really impressed by what you came up with. Starting with the poster, I think it captures that eery feeling and the split down the poster played perfectly into the story of the movie. I think some more contrast on the poster could’ve made it pop even more, but I thought it was nicely done! In the plot, I think this was structured a little more as a scene or trailer, rather than it being an overall summary of what the film would be about and the journey it would take us on. It was well written, I just think it ended up being overshadowed by the trailer since the vibe was quite similar between the two. Speaking of the trailer, it was so gripping. I was reading as fast as I could to see what would happen next, and that level of suspense isn’t easy to achieve. My one little nitpick would be that I wish the split perspectives were showcased more, but really fantastic work. On the runway, solid looks from each of you! Kami, I love the campiness of this look, and how you and Blondie played into the pig elements of the movie. Very clever! Fleur, this is the blend of concept and glamour that you do so well, nicely done. Lucky and Zodya, these creature looks can be tough to hold onto the fashion, but you both managed to pull it off. The scaling is grand and extravagant, two of the strongest looks of the night. Overall, very impressed by your group!
Micro: Next, Team 2 (Anthyy, Morgs, Steph, Sue, Wren)!
Lisbon: You guys… acting challenges are hard and I get that but this thing? Was super fun!!! Oh my god!!! I think taking the camp and parody route is a risk that is well worth taking because this was really good! Troglodyte was a standout in my opinion, but everyone had their moments. This was such a fun watch and you mixed two horror franchises really well! Micro is a lot scarier though to be honest. My issue tonight with this team is the runways as opposed to the other team over there. Starting with Anthyy, I love the concept as a former dancer, I just know this execution could’ve been a little more en pointe. I’m hilarious. I just wish it was more clearly prosthetic. Morgs, this is a well executed cliché with a fun twist. I’ve seen and was expecting a booby girl but I like that you are pink, this runway isn’t winning any awards though. Steph… girl… these prosthetics are so good… but this dress is god awful. You are giving Party City girl, and that’s the point blank truth. Sue. Meh. It’s fine, just not mind blowing. WREN WHY ARE YOU A RAT? This look is train wreck central. Those are necklace and earring PNGs on that dress and I don’t even know what’s going on with your face. Rat? Why? But like, this group had a phenomenal challenge, but was challenged with looks.
Micro: This team is full of some creative creative ladies, so I was really excited to see y’all in a team together. And I just have to say, the execution of this was incredibly well done. The poster, I love the custom looks, the dark shadowy feel, the scary ass “person” in the back, and the little “probably not though” at the bottom. That was a really fun little comedic touch that gave the poster some depth. I have to be honest, I was a little worried when I saw that the concept was so similar to Drag Race, just with a darker twist. I think for a challenge like this, it could’ve been an opportunity to go balls to the wall. But within the concept, you found really nuanced ways of telling the story. The character building and storytelling was next level, and it made me so invested in what was happening. The audio as well, in the words of Wendy Williams, “it was scuh-ary”. I think the way you structured everything as well was something we could actually see with a plot and trailer, clean and concise. The twisted humor throughout the trailer added lots of special touches, I loved to see it. On the runway, some serves were served! Anthyy, this dark ballerina moment is so pure, but also has darker levels beneath the surface. Steph, I think the actual prosthetic work here is amazing. But the dress, I wish it was so much more!! Morgs and Sue, I love how you both took a more standard fashion silhouette, and infused that prosthetic twist throughout. Wren, rat queen! This week was truly a return to the originality and dedication you showcased on Season Six, and this runway proves that. It’s weird, it doesn’t make sense, it’s glamorous, it checks all the boxes. Nicely done. Overall, great work from this team!!
Micro: Thank you ladies. This week, you worked in teams. But your individual work is what matters here. When I call your name, please step forward.
Micro: Anthyy, Fleur, Morgs, Steph, Zodya. The five of you are safe. You may step to the back of the stage.
🏁Anthyy CF: Disappointed to only be safe, but this week was really awful for me, and I'm just glad I was able to make it through.
Micro: Blondie Dahl. On the runway, you were a blushing bacon bride.
Micro: Whorechata Grande. In the challenge, you had us all questioning reality.
Micro: Wren Wyvern. This week, you scurried your way to the top.
Micro: Whorechata, Wren. Congratulations, you are the top two queens of the week!
🏁Whorechata CF: And that's how you do it.
🏁Wren CF: Yes!! Fuck yes!! Finally I get my moment, this is what I've been waiting for!
Micro: Blondie, you are safe.
Blondie: Better than getting the pork chop!
Micro: Sadly, that means Kami and Sue, you are the bottom queens of the week.
🏁Kami CF: This is a horrible feeling. I know how badly I want this, and the thought of my dream being cut short, it's heartbreaking.
🏁Sue CF: I'm devastated right now. I wanted this to be the week where I got to the top, not fall to the bottom. I don't want to be the reason Kami goes home, but I need to fight for my spot.
Micro: Whorechata, Wren. In a moment, you will lipsync for your legacy and for the right to eliminate one of the bottom queens. Head backstage to Untucked and deliberate.
Untucked
the queens enter Untucked
🏁Zodya CF: The bottom two this week is crushing to see. You don't want it to be you, but it stings seeing such amazing people in the bottom. For once, I am glad to not be in the top.
Kami: First and foremost, congratulations! Not the ideal situation, but the two of you crushed it, and we need to celebrate that.
Wren: Aw, thank you. I don't want to be obnoxious with how I'm feeling, but this just feels amazing. Like, ahhhhh!!
Whorechata: I told myself that I would be able to win this challenge if I set my mind to it. And look at me now! It makes me feel great.
Steph: I'm obviously really happy for the two of you, but devastated at who's in the bottom. I really didn't expect this.
Sue: I thought I gave it my all this week. But when you hear the critiques, it's hard not to feel like you could've done more. I guess that's what I'm feeling right now.
Steph: Aw, Sue. I thought you were great.
Sue: Thanks. This just, it means more to me than I thought it did? And to go from feeling like I was picking up steam to totally crashing, it's not a slay moment.
Steph: Very not slay.
Blondie: Whatever happens, you two have brought so much to this. It means a lot that I can call you my sisters.
Morgs: Did anyone have issues working with their team?
Zodya: I think we all got along!
Kami: There was a clear end goal of what we wanted to get done. It would've been nice to feel like we all had the chance to do our fair share, but it was a good experience overall.
Whorechata: I know you wanted to do more. But it's up to you to step in and make sure you're involved. You'll get left behind if you wait for us to bring you in.
Kami: Yeah, I get it. It's just a lot of emotions, sorry.
Whorechata: Hey, you're good.
Anthyy: I thought we worked really well. We all brought our own unique twist, and it came out great in my eyes.
Morgs giggles
🏁Anthyy CF: The other team does not need to know how bad things were for us. If they know, then they'll think I'm not good at working in a team. They need to think that everything went perfectly!
Kami: I would love the opportunity to speak with the top queens if that's alright. Just plead my case a bit.
Sue: That would be nice for me as well.
🏁Sue CF: I want to prove to the top queens this week that I deserve to be here. I regret letting Anthyy take over for the poster. But a lot of the love that the characters got, I helped with that. This isn't my time to go, I know it isn't.
Whorechata: Alright, let's chat!
Kami talks with Whorechata and mentions their connection to Season Five, and how she wants to represent for that. She shares that during Season Five, she felt like she was overshadowed by Moof, and unable to really stand on her own as a strong competitor. Being in the bottom made her realize how badly she wants this, and moving forward, she's dedicated to giving everything she has to this competition
Sue talks with Wren and Wren says that she thought Sue would've been in the top this week. Wren tells Sue that her heart is being pulled in two different directions. While she's gotten close with Kami, she can't overlook her long friendship with Sue. Sue tells Wren that she stands by what she did in the challenge, and wishes she took more responsibility for her contributions
while the top and bottom queens deliberate, Anthyy and Morgs chat by the touch up mirrors
Anthyy: Honestly, I'm over it.
Morgs: Oh no, over what?
Anthyy: I feel like I need to leave maybe. The way Wren made me feel during the challenge, and saying we weren't doing enough.
🏁Anthyy CF: When we were working on the challenge, Wren said multiple times that she didn't think Morgs and I were doing enough. And to me, that felt like a really shady way of ganging up on us to make sure none of the praise for the challenge got shown to us. I felt myself getting closer with Wren, but her questioning my work ethic, it really broke me.
Morgs: You can't leave. You're doing too well.
Anthyy: I didn't come here to deal with all this stress. I came here to win, and the pressure is eating away at me. And now for someone to be coming after me, I can't do it anymore.
🏁Morgs CF: Losing Anthyy isn't an option right now. She's the closest person I have here, and I know that she would regret leaving. That's my girl, I need to make sure she's alright.
Morgs: I will cry if you go home, and you don't want to make me cry.
Anthyy: No, I don't want that! I know I need to fight through this, but it's really hard. I'm not sure what I'll do.
the queens return to the runway
Micro: Welcome back queens! Will the top two queens of the week please step forward.
Whorechata Lipsync Look
Wren Lipsync Look
Micro: Prior to tonight, you were asked to prepare a lipsync performance of "Die Young" by Kesha.
https://youtu.be/NOubzHCUt48
Micro: This is your chance to impress me, and earn the right to give one of the bottom queens...the chop.
🏁Whorechata CF: Little do they know, I put pockets all up in here. Give me all the lipsticks, send 'em all home!
🏁Wren CF: Oh bitch, I'm ready for this! I need to give these girls a few lessons.
Micro: Good luck, and don't fuck it up!
Read the lipsync here!
Micro: Well, that was something! I've made my decision.
...
...
Micro: Wren Wyvern. You're a winner, baby!
🏁Wren CF: I did it!! If you asked me how I felt a few hours ago, I would've said that I was questioning my place here. But this little taste of victory, it snapped me right back into place.
Micro: Whorechata. You are safe to slay another day. You may step to the back of the stage.
Whorechata: Safe, of course. Smile through the pain, smile through the pain.
Micro: You may step to the back of the stage.
Whorechata: I mean, I could. But what if I stood here? Would I be a winner.
Micro: ...no. No, you would not.
Whorechata: Shh, no more words.
Micro: Now, will the bottom queens please step forward.
Kami and Sue step to the front of the stage with shaky hands
Micro: I won't lie, this sucks. Both of you are such special queens in this competition. Wren. With great power comes great responsibility.
Wren: Ugh, this is the worst part.
Micro: Which queen have you chosen...to get the chop?
Wren: Ultimately I believe with one of you I would not be in the top and you were such a joy to have on our team and you did a lot of the conceptualizing. I am not about to have my Bebe Zahara Benet moment so the person I have chosen is…
...
...
Wren: Kami.
Wren's Lipstick Choice
Kami smiles and wipes away a tear as Micro and the other queens get emotional
Wren: I'm so sorry.
Kami: It's all good, I promise!
🏁Kami CF: I wanted this. I wanted this so bad. But I'm leaving this competition as a better queen than I was when I walked in. Seeing people believe in me gave me permission to believe in myself. My time will come.
Micro: Kami. You are one of the kindest, genuine, and most talented queens to ever grace this stage.
Kami: I appreciate that more than I can say. It might not have ended the way I wanted, but I'm forever grateful for this experience.
Micro: Sadly, I must ask you to sashay away.
Kami walks to the back of the stage as Anthyy leads a crowd of queens up on stage to embrace Kami before she leaves
Kami: Love you all. Until we meet again!
Micro: Whew. Congratulations to the nine of you for making it through another week. I know I get all "whaaaa" and a little "oh my damn" at these eliminations, but this one hit different. And they're only getting harder each week. Keep up the great work, and let the music play!
"Banjo" by Bebe Zahara Benet plays
Next Time on Micro's Drag Race: All Stars
Micro: Get ready for the buffoonery, riggory, and tomfoolery of "Robbed: The Musical!".
Anthyy: I don't know if I can do this anymore. It's all too much.
🏁Wren CF: The competition is being flipped on its head. Things can change so quickly.
Track Record
Cast Shot w/ Placements

TL/DR at end of the post
So, since dust has settled post the Orissa train disaster, time to point out the reasons. I've handmade a schematic to illustrate the scenario.
Incident- 3 trains got into an accident at Bahanaga Bazaar in Orissa due to multiple factors at around 7 PM on June 2.
What actually happened?
​
https://preview.redd.it/qzwzk1az904b1.jpg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=069c7943701c61aa838784e466a1fc4e4abf545b
We look at the above schematic to understand what happened. In normal train operations, slower trains (like Goods) make way for faster trains on the route (like SMVT Howrah and Coromandel in this case). Hence they are put on loop lines (also called sidings) marked as Loop1 and Loop 2 above.
In this case, goods 2 and goods1 occupied loop 2 and loop 1 respectively. This looping happens due to mechanism used to switch between tracks. These are called switches or points. The troublemaker in this case is Switch/Point no 17A, (labelled towards center right in diag).
Now Indian Railways uses something called Route Relay Interlocking/Electronic interlocking, to ensure that these web of switches are set such that 2 trains do not end up on same track. The same mechanism also controls the signal viz if there is train ahead, the signal will duly turn red.
Goods 2 was duly looped by setting switch 17A towards Loop 2. Later, to allow Coromandel Exp, switch 17A was aligned such that it would have allowed to Coromandel to pass through Main Down line (labelled at extreme center-left). Ideally, the train should have followed the black (C) marked path, meanwhile overtaking Goods 2. The signal S1 (at center right of diagram) should have displayed Green signal, meaning proceed at full speed (or permissible speed, which is 130 kph for this section). Similarly, the Bangalore SMVT Howrah train on Up Main would have crossed Coromandel, going towards opposite direction.
Hereafter, based on reports of Railways (link of which will be mentioned below) 3 scenarios emerged-

1. Scenario 1- Most plausible- Someone in the control cabin of the particular station decided to flip switches at very last moment and thereby changing orientation of Switch 17A (directing coromandel to loop2, on which goods2 was standing), which was set for high speed passing of Coromandel through Mainline, overtaking goods 2. As a result, the signal S1 would have turned Red because of goods2 standing in path of coromandel. The driver couldnt brake and dashed into goods
2. Scenario 2- The switch 17A never oriented towards mainline after looping of goods2. It was still oriented towards loop2, despite controller switching it towards mainline. This may have happened due to switch servo failure (the motor which controls the switch), while the computesystem thought the switch has been changed and thus signal S1 being green. In this particular case, possibility of sabotage cant be ruled out
3. Scenario 3- Switch 17A would have been set towards loop2. In this case, the signal S1 should have duly displayed Red, but there is a possibility that Signal S1 did not show any aspect, thus pointing to a potential signal failure

Whatever scenario may have been true, the coromandel, instead of going through mainline, changed tracks and entered loop line 2 (marked by Red (E) arrows) at a speed of 128kph (the speed while entering loop should never exceed 30kph). This 128 kph entry into loopline first derailed the train and at the same time, locomotive of Coromandel dashed with rear of goods2 and landed on top of it. So it came across as a double whammy for the train- collision and derailment at same time.
Where does Bangalore SMVT Howrah Exp come into picture?
As the Coromandel derailed, its coaches went flying in all directions. Some coaches of Coromandel hit the rear 2-3 coaches of SMVT Howrah Express, which was crossing coromandel at the same time through Up Mainline.
Could Kavach have prevented the accident?
While KAVACH anti collision system is a good mechanism to prevent accident, it unfortunately couldnt have prevented the accident
Did coaches play an important role in reducing impact of accident?
At 128 kph, all coaches would have failed due to extreme stresses. However, the LHB coaches (the red and silver ones you see in max trains today) still prevented telescoping of coaches (meaning coaches dashing into each other), and rather allowed coaches to fall on its side.
Who do we blame?

1. The maintenance team, who didnt expect the switches and signal beforehand (in case of scenario 2 and 3)
2. The section controller, who changed switches at wrong time (in case of scenario 1)
3. Ultimately railways, because of a. Heavy freight movement at cost of neglecting maintenance coz, well, freight operations bring in $$ b. Understaffing of railways, esp when 3 lakh posts are vacant

TL/DR- accident happened due to any of 3 causes- signal failure or controller failure, thus sending coromandel directly in line of freight train, derailing and colliding at same time. THe other train, Bangalore Howrah, was merely at wrong place at wrong time, and collided with coaches of derailed Coromandel Exp.
Feel free to ask follow up questions
Source- Internal report of railways - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1833uwOLWjhvCeh-bb5jmE5QpPi5i6N0z/view

AMA RESOLUTION 235 November 2018 INAPPROPRIATE USE OF CDC Guidelines FOR PRESCRIBING OPIOIDS (Entire Document)
“Resolution 235 asks that our AMA applaud the CDC for its efforts to prevent the incidence of new cases of opioid misuse, addiction, and overdose deaths; and be it further, that no entity should use MME thresholds as anything more than guidance and that MME thresholds should not be used to completely prohibit the prescribing of, or the filling of prescriptions for, medications used in oncology care, palliative medicine care, and addiction medicine care: and be it further, that our AMA communicate with the nation’s largest pharmacy chains and pharmacy benefit managers to recommend that they cease and desist with writing threatening letters to physicians and cease and desist with presenting policies, procedures and directives to retail pharmacists that include a blanket proscription against filling prescriptions for opioids that exceed certain numerical thresholds without taking into account the diagnosis and previous response to treatment for a patient and any clinical nuances that would support such prescribing as falling within standards of good quality patient care; and be it further, that AMA Policy opposing the legislating of numerical limits on medication dosage, duration of therapy, numbers of pills/tablets, etc., be reaffirmed; and be it further, that physicians should not be subject to professional discipline or loss of board certification or loss of clinical privileges simply for prescribing opioids at a quantitative level that exceeds the MME thresholds found in the CDC Guidelines; and be it further, that our AMA encourage the Federation of State Medical Boards and its member boards, medical specialty societies, and other entities to develop improved guidance on management of pain and management of potential withdrawal syndromes and other aspects of patient care for “legacy patients” who may have been treated for extended periods of time with high-dose opioid therapy for chronic non-malignant pain.
RESOLVED, that our American Medical Association (AMA) applaud the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for its efforts to prevent the incidence of new cases of opioid misuse, addiction, and overdose deaths
RESOLVED, that our AMA actively continue to communicate and engage with the nation’s largest pharmacy chains, pharmacy benefit managers, National Association of Insurance Commissioners, Federation of State Medical Boards, and National Association of Boards of Pharmacy in opposition to communications being sent to physicians that include a blanket proscription against filing prescriptions for opioids that exceed numerical thresholds without taking into account the diagnosis and previous response to treatment for a patient and any clinical nuances that would support such prescribing as falling within standards of good quality patient care.
RESOLVED, that our AMA affirms that some patients with acute or chronic pain can benefit from taking opioid pain medications at doses greater than generally recommended in the CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain and that such care may be medically necessary and appropriate, and be it further
RESOLVED, that our AMA advocate against misapplication of the CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids by pharmacists, health insurers, pharmacy benefit managers, legislatures, and governmental and private regulatory bodies in ways that prevent or limit patients’ medical access to opioid analgesia, and be it further
RESOLVED, that our AMA advocate that no entity should use MME (morphine milligram equivalents) thresholds as anything more than guidance, and physicians should not be subject to professional discipline, loss of board certification, loss of clinical privileges, criminal prosecution, civil liability, or other penalties or practice limitations solely for prescribing opioids at a quantitative level above the MME thresholds found in the CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids.””
Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force - Draft Report on Pain Management Best Practices: Updates, Gaps, Inconsistencies, and Recommendations Official Health and Human Services Department Released December 2018
“The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) of 2016 led to the creation of the Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force (Task Force), whose mission is to determine whether gaps in or inconsistencies between best practices for acute and chronic pain management exist and to propose updates and recommendations to those best practices. The Task Force consists of 29 experts who have significant experience across the disciplines of pain management, patient advocacy, substance use disorders, mental health, and minority health.”
In addition to identifying approximately 60 gaps in clinical best practices and the current treatment of pain in the United States, HHS PMTF provided recommendations for each of these major areas of concern. In alignment with their original charter, the PMTF will submit these recommendations to Congress to become our ‘National Pain Policy’. The 60+ gaps and inconsistencies with their recommendations will serve to fill gaps in pain treatment at both the state and federal level; and the overwhelming consensus was that the treatment of pain should be multimodal and completely individualized based on the individual patient. The heart of each recommendation in each section was a resounding call for individualization for each patient, in regards to both non-pharmacological and pharmacological modalities; including individualizations in both opioid and non-opioid pharmacological treatments.
While each of the gap+recommendation sections of what is poised to become our national pain policy is extremely important, one that stands out the most (in regards to opioid prescribing) is the Stigma section. Contained in this section is one of the core statements that shows our Health and Human Services agency - the one that should have always been looked to and followed - knew the true depth of the relationship (or lack of) between the overdose crisis and compassionate prescribing to patients with painful conditions:
“The national crisis of illicit drug use, with overdose deaths, is confused with appropriate therapy for patients who are being treated for pain. This confusion has created a stigma that contributes to raise barriers to proper access to care.”
The recommendation that follows - “Identify strategies to reduce stigma in opioid use so that it is never a barrier to patients receiving appropriate treatment, with all cautions and considerations for the management of their chronic pain conditions” - illustrates an acknowledgment by the top health agency of the federal government that the current national narrative conflating and confusing compassionate treatment of pain with illicit drug use, addiction, and overdose death is incorrect and only serving to harm patients.
Since March of 2016 when the CDC Guidelines were released, advocates, patients, clinicians, stakeholders, and others, have began pointing out limitations and unintended consequences as they emerged. In order to address the unintended consequences emerging from the CDC Guidelines, this task force was also charged with review of these guidelines; from expert selection, evidence selection, creation, and continuing to current misapplication in order to provide recommendations to begin to remedy these issues.
“A commentary by Busse et al. identified several limitations to the CDC guideline related to expert selection, evidence inclusion criteria, method of evidence quality grading, support of recommendations with low-quality evidence, and instances of vague recommendations. In addition, the CDC used the criterion of a lack of clinical trials with a duration of one year or longer as lack of evidence for the clinical effectiveness of opioids, whereas Tayeb et al. found that that was true for all common medication and behavioral therapy studies.
Interpretation of the guideline, in addition to some gaps in the guideline, have led to unintended consequences, some of which are the result of misapplication or misinterpretation of the CDC guideline.
However, at least 28 states have enacted legislation related to opioid prescription limits, and many states and organizations have implemented the guideline without recognizing that the intended audience was PCPs; have used legislation for what should be medical decision making by healthcare professionals; and have applied them to all physicians, dentists, NPs, and PAs, including pain specialists.441–444 Some stakeholders have interpreted the guideline as intended to broadly reduce the amount of opioids prescribed for treating pain; some experts have noted that the guideline emphasizes the risk of opioids while minimizing the benefit of this medication class when properly managed.”
“The CDC guideline was not intended to be model legislation for state legislators to enact”
“In essence, clinicians should be able to use their clinical judgment to determine opioid duration for their patients”
https://www.hhs.gov/ash/advisory-committees/pain/reports/2018-12-draft-report-on-updates-gaps-inconsistencies-recommendations/index.html
HHS Review of 2016 CDC Guidelines for responsible opioid prescribing
The Pain Management Task Force addressed 8 areas that are in need of update or expansion with recommendations to begin remediation for each problem area:
Lack of high-quality data exists for duration of effectiveness of opioids for chronic pain; this has been interpreted as a lack of benefit Conduct studies Focus on patient variability and response for effectiveness of opioids; use real-world applicable trials
Absence of criteria for identifying patients for whom opioids make up significant part of their pain treatment Conduct clinical trials and/or reviews to identify sub-populations of patients where long-term opioid treatment is appropriate
Wide variation in factors that affect optimal dose of opioids Consider patient variables for opioid therapy: Respiratory compromise Patient metabolic variables Differences in opioid medications/plasma concentrations Preform comprehensive initial assessment it’s understanding of need for comprehensive reevaluations to adjust dose Give careful considerations to patients on opioid pain regimen with additional risk factors for OUD
Specific guidelines for opioid tapering and escalation need to be further clarified A thorough assessment of risk-benefit ratio should occur whenever tapering or escalation of dose This should include collaboration with patient whenever possible Develop taper or dose escalation guidelines for sub-populations that include consideration of their comorbidities When benefit outweighs the risk, consider maintaining therapy for stable patients on long term opioid therapy
Causes of worsening pain are not often recognized or considered. Non-tolerance related factors: surgery, flares, increased physical demands, or emotional distress Avoid increase in dose for stable patient (2+ month stable dose) until patient is re-evaluated for underlying cause of elevated pain or possible OUD risk Considerations to avoid dose escalation include: Opioid rotation Non-opioid medication Interventional strategies Cognitive behavior strategies Complementary and integrative health approaches Physical therapy
In patients with chronic pain AND anxiety or spasticity, benzodiazepine co-prescribed with opioids still have clinical value; although the risk of overdose is well established When clinically indicated, co-prescription should be managed by specialist who have knowledge, training, and experience with co-prescribing. When co-prescribed for anxiety or SUD collaboration with mental health should be considered Develop clinical practice guidelines focused on tapering for co-prescription of benzodiazepines and opioids
The risk-benefit balance varies for individual patients. Doses >90MME may be favorable for some where doses <90MME may be for other patients due to individual patient factors. Variability in effectiveness and safety between high and low doses of opioids are not clearly defined. Clinicians should use caution with higher doses in general Using carefully monitored trial with frequent monitoring with each dose adjustment and regular risk reassessment, physicians should individualize doses, using lowest effective opioid dose that balances benefit, risk, and adverse reactions Many factors influence benefits and risk, therefore, guidance of dose should not be applied as strict limits. Use established and measurable goals: Functionality ADL Quality of Life
Duration of pain following acute and severely painful event is widely variable Appropriate duration is best considered within guidelines, but is ultimately determined by treating clinician. CDC recommendation for duration should be emphasized as guidance only with individualized patient care as the goal Develop acute pain management guidelines for common surgical procedures and traumas To address variability and provide easy solution, consideration should be given to partial refill system
Human Rights Watch December 2018 (Excerpt from 109 page report)
“If harms to chronic pain patients are an unintended consequence of policies to reduce inappropriate prescribing, the government should seek to immediately minimize and measure the negative impacts of these policies. Any response should avoid further stigmatizing chronic pain patients, who are increasingly associated with — and sometimes blamed for — the overdose crisis and characterized as “drug seekers,” rather than people with serious health problems that require treatment.
Top government officials, including the President, have said the country should aim for drastic cutbacks in prescribing. State legislatures encourage restrictions on prescribing through new legislation or regulations. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has investigated medical practitioners accused of overprescribing or fraudulent practice. State health agencies and insurance companies routinely warn physicians who prescribe more opioids than their peers and encourage them to reduce prescribing. Private insurance companies have imposed additional requirements for covering opioids, some state Medicaid programs have mandated tapering to lower doses for patients, and pharmacy chains are actively trying to reduce the volumes of opioids they dispense.
The medical community at large recognized that certain key steps were necessary to tackle the overdose crisis: identifying and cracking down on “pill mills” and reducing the use of opioids for less severe pain, particularly for children and adolescents. However, the urgency to tackle the overdose crisis has put pressure on physicians in other potentially negative ways: our interviews with dozens of physicians found that the atmosphere around prescribing for chronic pain had become so fraught that physicians felt they must avoid opioid analgesics even in cases when it contradicted their view of what would provide the best care for their patients. In some cases, this desire to cut back on opioid prescribing translated to doctors tapering patients off their medications without patient consent, while in others it meant that physicians would no longer accept patients who had a history of needing high-dose opioids.
The consequences to patients, according to Human Rights Watch research, have been catastrophic.”
[https://www.hrw.org/report/2018/12/18/not-allowed-be-compassionate/chronic-pain-overdose-crisis-and-unintended-harms-us](
Opioid Prescribing Workgroup December 2018
This is material from the Board of Scientific Counselors in regards to their December 12, 2018 meeting that culminated the works of a project titled the “Opioid Prescribing Estimates Project.” This project is a descriptive study that is examining opioid prescribing patterns at a population level. Pain management is a very individualized process that belongs with the patient and provider. The Workgroup reviewed work done by CDC and provided additional recommendations.
SUMMARY There were several recurrent themes throughout the sessions.
Repeated concern was voiced from many Workgroup members that the CDC may not be able to prevent conclusions from this research (i.e. the benchmarks, developed from limited data) from being used by states or payors or clinical care systems to constrain clinical care or as pay-for- performance standards – i.e. interpreted as “guidelines”. This issue was raised by several members on each of the four calls, raising the possibility that providers or clinical systems could thus be incentivized against caring for patients requiring above average amounts of opioid medication.
Risk for misuse of the analysis. Several members expressed concerns that this analysis could be interpreted as guidance by regulators, health plans, or clinical care systems. Even though the CDC does not plan to issue this as a guideline, but instead as research, payors and clinical care systems searching for ways to reign in opioid prescribing may utilize CDC “benchmarks” to establish pay-for-performance or other means to limit opioid prescribing. Such uses of this work could have the unintended effect of incentivizing providers against caring for patients reliant upon opioids.
…It was also noted that, in order to obtain sufficient granularity to establish the need for, dosage, and duration of opioid therapy, it would be necessary to have much more extensive electronic medical record data. In addition, pain and functional outcomes are absent from the dataset, but were felt to be important when considering risk and benefit of opioids.
...Tapering: Concerns about benchmarks and the implications for tapering were voiced. If tapering occurs, guidance was felt to be needed regarding how, when, in whom tapering should occur. This issue was felt to be particularly challenging for patients on chronic opioids (i.e. “legacy” patients). In addition, the importance of measuring risk and benefit of tapering was noted. Not all high-dose patient populations benefit from tapering.
Post-Surgical Pain
General comments. Workgroup members noted that most patients prescribed opioids do not experience adverse events, including use disorder. Many suggested that further discussion of opioids with patients prior to surgery was important, with an emphasis on expectations and duration of treatment. A member suggested that take-back programs would be more effective than prescribing restrictions.
Procedure-related care. Members noted that patient factors may drive opioid need more than characteristics of a procedure.
Patient-level factors. Members noted that opioid-experienced patients should be considered differently from opioid-inexperienced patients, due to tolerance.
Chronic Pain
It was noted that anything coming out of the CDC might be considered as guidelines and that this misinterpretation can be difficult to counter. There was extensive discussion of the 50 and 90 MME levels included in the CDC Guidelines. It was recommended that the CDC look into the adverse effects of opioid tapering and discontinuation, such as illicit opioid use, acute care utilization, dropping out of care, and suicide. It was also noted that there are major gaps in guidelines for legacy patients, patients with multiple diagnoses, pediatric and geriatric patients, and patients transitioning to lower doses.
There were concerns that insufficient clinical data will be available from the dataset to appropriately consider the individual-level factors that weigh into determination of opioid therapy. The data would also fail to account for the shared decision-making process involved in opioid prescribing for chronic pain conditions, which may be dependent on primary care providers as well as ancillary care providers (e.g. physical therapists, psychologists, etc).
Patient-level factors. Members repeatedly noted that opioid-experienced patients should be considered differently from opioid-experienced patients, due to tolerance.
Members noted that the current CDC guidelines have been used by states, insurance companies, and some clinical care systems in ways that were not intended by the CDC, resulting in cases of and the perception of patient abandonment. One option raised in this context was to exclude patients on high doses of opioids, as those individuals would be qualitatively different from others. A variant of this concern was about management of “legacy” patients who are inherited on high doses of opioids. Members voiced concerns that results of this work has caused harm to patients currently reliant upon opioids prescribed by their providers.
Acute Non-Surgical Pain
Patient-level factors. Members felt that opioid naïve versus experienced patients might again be considered separately, as opioid requirements among those experienced could vary widely.
...Guidelines were also noted to be often based on consensus, which may be incorrect.
Cancer-Related and Palliative Care Pain
It was noted that the CDC guidelines have been misinterpreted to create a limit to the dose of opioids that can be provided to people at all stages of cancer and its treatment. It was also noted that the cancer field is rapidly evolving, with immunotherapy, CAR-T, and other novel treatments that affect response rates and limit our ability to rely upon historical data in establishing opioid prescribing benchmarks.
Concern that data would not be able to identify all of the conditions responsible for pain in a patient with a history of cancer (e.g. people who survive cancer but with severe residual pain). Further, it was noted that certain complications of cancer and cancer treatment may require the least restrictive long-term therapy with opioids.
The definition of palliative care was also complicated and it was suggested that this include patients with life-limiting conditions.
Overall, it was felt that in patients who may not have long to live, and/or for whom returning to work is not a possibility, higher doses of opioids may be warranted.
https://www.cdc.gov/injury/pdfs/bsc/NCIPC_BSC_OpioidPrescribingEstimatesWorkgroupReport_December-12_2018-508.pdf
CDC Scientists Anonymous ‘Spider Letter’ to CDC
Carmen S. Villar, MSW Chief of Staff Office of the Director MS D­14 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 1600 Clifton Road Atlanta, Georgia 30329­-4027
August 29, 2016
Dear Ms. Villar:
We are a group of scientists at CDC that are very concerned about the current state of ethics at our agency. It appears that our mission is being influenced and shaped by outside parties and rogue interests. It seems that our mission and Congressional intent for our agency is being circumvented by some of our leaders. What concerns us most, is that it is becoming the norm and not the rare exception. Some senior management officials at CDC are clearly aware and even condone these behaviors. Others see it and turn the other way. Some staff are intimidated and pressed to do things they know are not right. We have representatives from across the agency that witness this unacceptable behavior. It occurs at all levels and in all of our respective units. These questionable and unethical practices threaten to undermine our credibility and reputation as a trusted leader in public health. We would like to see high ethical standards and thoughtful, responsible management restored at CDC. We are asking that you do your part to help clean up this house!
It is puzzling to read about transgressions in national media outlets like USA Today, The Huffington Post and The Hill. It is equally puzzling that nothing has changed here at CDC as a result. It’s business as usual. The litany of issues detailed over the summer are of particular concern:
Recently, the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP) has been implicated in a “cover up” of inaccurate screening data for the Wise Woman (WW) Program. There was a coordinated effort by that Center to “bury” the fact that screening numbers for the WW program were misrepresented in documents sent to Congress; screening numbers for 2014 and 2015 did not meet expectations despite a multi­million dollar investment; and definitions were changed and data “cooked” to make the results look better than they were. Data were clearly manipulated in irregular ways. An “internal review” that involved staff across CDC occurred and its findings were essentially suppressed so media and/or Congressional staff would not become aware of the problems. Now that both the media and Congresswoman DeLauro are aware of these issues, CDC staff have gone out of their way to delay FOIAs and obstruct any inquiry. Shouldn’t NCCDPHP come clean and stop playing games? Would the ethical thing be to answer the questions fully and honestly. The public should know the true results of what they paid for, shouldn’t they?
Another troubling issue at the NCCDPHP are the adventures of Drs. Barbara Bowman and Michael Pratt (also detailed in national media outlets). Both seemed to have irregular (if not questionable) relationships with Coca­Cola and ILSI representatives. Neither of these relationships were necessary (or appropriate) to uphold our mission. Neither organization added any value to the good work and science already underway at CDC. In fact, these ties have now called into question and undermined CDC’s work. A cloud has been cast over the ethical and excellent work of scientists due to this wanton behavior. Was cultivating these relationships worth dragging CDC through the mud? Did Drs. Bowman and Pratt have permission to pursue these relationships from their supervisor Dr. Ursula Bauer? Did they seek and receive approval of these outside activities? CDC has a process by which such things should be vetted and reported in an ethics review, tracking and approval system (EPATS). Furthermore, did they disclose these conflicts of interest on their yearly OGE 450 filing. Is there an approved HHS 520, HHS 521 or “Request for Official Duty Activities Involving an Outside Organization” approved by Dr. Bauer or her Deputy Director Ms. Dana Shelton? An August 28, 2016 item in The Hill details these issues and others related to Dr. Pratt.
It appears to us that something very strange is going on with Dr. Pratt. He is an active duty Commissioned Corps Officer in the USPHS, yet he was “assigned to” Emory University for a quite some time. How and under what authority was this done? Did Emory University pay his salary under the terms of an IPA? Did he seek and receive an outside activity approval through EPATS and work at Emory on Annual Leave? Formal supervisor endorsement and approval (from Dr. Bauer or Ms. Shelton) is required whether done as an official duty or outside activity.
If deemed official, did he file a “Request for Official Duty Activities Involving an Outside Organization” in EPATS? Apparently Dr. Pratt’s position at Emory University has ended and he has accepted another position at the University of California ­ San Diego? Again, how is this possible while he is still an active duty USPHS Officer. Did he retire and leave government service? Is UCSD paying for his time via an IPA? Does he have an outside activity approval to do this? Will this be done during duty hours? It is rumored that Dr. Pratt will occupy this position while on Annual Leave? Really? Will Dr. Pratt be spending time in Atlanta when not on Annual Leave? Will he make an appearance at NCCDPHP (where he hasn’t been seen for months). Most staff do not enjoy such unique positions supported and approved by a Center Director (Dr. Bauer). Dr. Pratt has scored a sweet deal (not available to most other scientists at CDC). Concerns about these two positions and others were recently described in The Huffington Post and The Hill. His behavior and that of management surrounding this is very troubling.
Finally, most of the scientists at CDC operate with the utmost integrity and ethics. However, this “climate of disregard” puts many of us in difficult positions. We are often directed to do things we know are not right. For example, Congress has made it very clear that domestic funding for NCCDPHP (and other CIOs) should be used for domestic work and that the bulk of NCCDPHP funding should be allocated to program (not research). If this is the case, why then is NCCDPHP taking domestic staff resources away from domestic priorities to work on global health issues? Why in FY17 is NCCDPHP diverting money away from program priorities that directly benefit the public to support an expensive research FOA that may not yield anything that benefits the public? These actions do not serve the public well. Why is nothing being done to address these problems? Why has the CDC OD turned a blind eye to these things. The lack of respect for science and scientists that support CDC’s legacy is astonishing.
Please do the right thing. Please be an agent of change.
Respectfully,
CDC Spider (CDC Scientists Preserving Integrity, Diligence and Ethics in Research)
https://usrtk.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/CDC_SPIDER_Letter-1.pdf
January 13, 2016
Thomas Frieden, MD, MPH Director Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1600 Clifton Road Atlanta, GA 30329-4027
Re: Docket No. CDC-2015-0112; Proposed 2016 Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain
Dear Dr. Frieden:
There is no question that there is an opioid misuse epidemic and that efforts need to be made to control it. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is applauded for its steps to undertake this lofty effort. However, based on the American Academy of Family Physicians’ (AAFP’s) review of the guideline, it is apparent that the presented recommendations are not graded at a level consistent with currently available evidence. The AAFP certainly wants to promote safe and appropriate prescribing of opioids; however, we recommend that the CDC still adhere to the rigorous standards for reliable and trustworthy guidelines set forth by the Institute of Medicine (IOM). The AAFP believes that giving a strong recommendation derived from generalizations based on consensus expert opinion does not adhere to evidence-based standards for developing clinical guideline recommendations.
The AAFP’s specific concerns with the CDC’s methodology, evidence base, and recommendations are outlined below.
Methodology and Evidence Base
All of the recommendations are based on low or very low quality evidence, yet all but one are Category A (or strong) recommendations. The guideline states that in the GRADE methodology "a particular quality of evidence does not necessarily imply a particular strength of recommendation." While this is true, it applies when benefits significantly outweigh harms (or vice versa). When there is insufficient evidence to determine the benefits and harms of a recommendation, that determination should not be made.
When evaluating the benefits of opioids, the evidence review only included studies with outcomes of at least one year. However, studies with shorter intervals were allowed for analysis of the benefits of nonopioid treatments. The guideline states that no evidence shows long-term benefit of opioid use (because there are few studies), yet the guideline reports "extensive evidence" of potential harms, even though these studies were of low quality. The accompanying text also states "extensive evidence" of the benefits of non-opioid treatments, yet this evidence was from shorter term studies, was part of the contextual review rather than the clinical systematic review, and did not compare non- opioid treatments to opioids.
The patient voice and preferences were not explicitly included in the guideline. This raises concerns about the patient-centeredness of the guideline.
https://www.aafp.org/dam/AAFP/documents/advocacy/prevention/risk/LT-CDC-OpioidGuideline011516.pdf The Myth of Morphine Equivalent Daily Dosage Medscape Neuro Perspective
For far too many years, pain researchers and clinicians have relied on the concept of the morphine equivalent daily dosage (MEDD), or some variant of it, as a means of comparing the "relative corresponding quantity" of the numerous opioid molecules that are important tools in the treatment of chronic pain.
...And, most unfortunately, opioid prescribing guideline committees have relied on this concept as a means of placing (usually arbitrary) limits on the levels of opioids that a physician or other clinician should be allowed to prescribe. Although these guidelines typically bill themselves as "voluntary," their chilling effect on prescribers and adaptation into state laws[2] makes calling them "voluntary" disingenuous.
Although some scientists and clinicians have been questioning the conceptual validity of MEDD for several years, a recent study[3] has indicated that the concept is unequivocally flawed—thereby invalidating its use empirically and as a tool in prescribing guideline development.
The authors used survey data from pharmacists, physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants to estimate daily morphine equivalents and found great inconsistency in their conversions of hydrocodone, fentanyl transdermal patches, methadone, oxycodone, and hydromorphone—illustrating the potential for dramatic underdosing or, in other cases, fatal overdosing.
Patients with chronic pain (particularly that of noncancer origin) who are reliant on opioid analgesia are already sufficiently stigmatized and marginalized[7] to allow this type of practice to continue to be the norm.
Although the use of MEDD in research and, to a greater extent, in practice, is probably due to unawareness of its inaccuracy, we posit that the use of MEDD by recent opioid guideline committees (eg, the Washington State Opioid Guideline Committee[8] and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Guideline Committee[9]) in the drafting of their guidelines is based more heavily on disregarding available evidence rather than ignorance. Furthermore, their misconduct in doing so has been more pernicious than the use of MEDD by researchers and individual clinicians, because these guidelines widely affect society as a whole as well as individual patients with persistent pain syndromes. We opine that these committees are strongly dominated by the antiopioid community, whose agenda is to essentially restrict opioid access—irrespective of the lack of data indicating that opioids cannot be a useful tool in the comprehensive treatment of carefully selected and closely monitored patients with chronic pain.
Above 100% extracted from: Medscape Journal Brief https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/863477_2
Actual Study https://www.dovepress.com/the-medd-myth-the-impact-of-pseudoscience-on-pain-research-and-prescri-peer-reviewed-article-JPR
Are Non-Opioid Medications Superior in Treatment of Pain than Opioid Pain Medicine? Ice Cream Flavor Analogy...
In the Oxford University Press, a November 2018 scientific white paper[5] was released that examined the quality of one of the primary studies that have been used to justify the urgent call to drastically reduce opioid pain medication prescribing while claiming that patients are not being harmed in the process.
The study is commonly referred to as ‘the Krebs study’. “The authors concluded that treatment with opioids was not superior to treatment with non opioid medications for improving pain-related function over 12 months.”
Here is an excerpt from the first paragraph of the design section (usually behind a paywall) from the Krebs study that gives the first hint of the bias that led to them to ‘prove’ that opioids were not effective for chronic pain:

“The study was intended to assess long-term outcomes of opioids compared with non opioid medications for chronic pain. The patient selection, though, specifically excluded patients on long-term opioid therapy.” 

Here is an analogy given in the Oxford Journal white paper to illustrate how the study design was compromised:
If I want to do a randomized control study about ice cream flavor preferences (choices being: vanilla, chocolate, or no preference), the results could be manipulated as follows based on these scenarios:
Scenario A: If a study was done that included only current ice-cream consumers, the outcome would certainly be vanilla or chocolate, because of course they have tried it and know which they like.
Scenario B: If a study was done that included all consumers of all food, then it can change the outcome. If the majority of study participants do not even eat ice-cream, than the result would certainly be ‘no preference’. If the majority do eat ice-cream it would likely be ‘chocolate’. Although this study is wider based, it still does not reflect real world findings.
Scenario C: In an even more extreme example, if this same study is conducted excluding anyone who has ever ate ice-cream at all, then the conclusion will again be ‘no preference’ and the entire study/original question becomes so ludicrous that there is no useful information to be extracted from this study and one would logically question why this type of study would even be conducted (although we know the answer to that)
Scenario C above is how the study that has been used to shift the attitudes towards the treatment of pain in our nation's medical community was designed. “One has to look deep into the study to find that they began with 9403 possible patients and excluded 3836 of them just because they had opioids in their EMR. In the JAMA article, they do not state these obvious biases and instead begin the explanation of participants stating they started with 4485 patients and excluded 224 who were opioid or benzo users.” That is the tip of the iceberg to how it is extremely misleading. The Oxford white paper goes into further detail of the studies “many flaws and biases (including the narrow focus on conditions that are historically known to respond poorly to opioid medication management of pain)”, but the study design and participant selection criteria is enough to discredit this entire body of work. Based on study design alone, regardless of what happened next, the result would be that opioids are no more effective than NSAIDs and other non-opioid alternatives.
The DEA Is Fostering a Bounty Hunter Culture in its Drug Diversion Investigators[8]
A Good Man Speaks Truth to Power January 2019
Because I write and speak widely on public health issues and the so-called “opioid crisis”, people frequently send me references to others’ work. One of the more startling articles I’ve seen lately was published November 20, 2018 in Pharmacy Times. It is titled “Should We Believe Patients With Pain?”[9]. The unlikely author is Commander John Burke, “a 40-year veteran of law enforcement, the past president of the National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators, and the president and cofounder of the International Health Facility Diversion Association.”
The last paragraph of Commander Burke’s article is worth repeating here.
“Let’s get back to dealing with each person claiming to be in legitimate pain and believe them until we have solid evidence that they are scamming the system. If they are, then let’s pursue them through vigorous prosecution, but let’s not punish the majority of people receiving opioids who are legitimate patients with pain.”
This seems a remarkable insight from anyone in law enforcement — especially from one who has expressed this view in both Pain News Network, and Dr Lynn Webster’s video “The Painful Truth”. Recognizing Commander Burke’s unique perspective, I followed up by phone to ask several related questions. He has granted permission to publish my paraphrases of his answers here.
“Are there any available source documents which establish widely accepted standards for what comprises “over-prescription?” as viewed by diversion investigators?” Burke’s answer was a resounding “NO”. Each State and Federal Agency that investigates doctors for potentially illegal or inappropriate opioid prescribing is pretty much making up their own standards as they go. Some make reference to the 2016 CDC Guidelines, but others do not.

1. “Thousands of individual doctors have left pain management practice in recent years due to fears they may be investigated, sanctioned, and lose their licenses if they continue to treat patients with opioid pain relievers.. Are DEA and State authorities really pursuing the worst “bad actors”, or is something else going on?

Burke’s answer: “Regulatory policy varies greatly between jurisdictions. But a hidden factor may be contributing significantly to the aggressiveness of Federal investigators. Federal Agencies may grant financial bonuses to their in-house diversion investigators, based on the volume of fines collected from doctors, nurse practitioners, PAs and others whom they investigate.

"No law enforcement agency at any level should be rewarded with monetary gain and/or promotion due to their work efforts or successes. This practice has always worried me with Federal investigators and is unheard of at the local or state levels of enforcement.”

Commander Burke’s revelation hit me like a thunder-clap. It would explain many of the complaints I have heard from doctors who have been “investigated” or prosecuted. It’s a well known principle that when we subsidize a behavior, we get more of it. Financial rewards to investigators must inevitably foster a “bounty hunter” mentality in some. It seems at least plausible that such bonuses might lead DEA regulators to focus on “low hanging fruit” among doctors who may not be able to defend themselves without being ruined financially. The practice is at the very least unethical. Arguably it can be corrupting.
I also inquired concerning a third issue:

1. I read complaints from doctors that they have been pursued on trumped-up grounds, coerced and denied appropriate legal defense by confiscation of their assets – which are then added to Agency funds for further actions against other doctors. Investigations are also commonly announced prominently, even before indictments are obtained – a step that seems calculated to destroy the doctor’s practice, regardless of legal outcomes. Some reports indicate that DEA or State authorities have threatened employees with prosecution if they do not confirm improper practices by the doctor. Do you believe such practices are common?”

Burke’s answer: “I hear the same reports you do – and the irony is that such tactics are unnecessary. Lacking an accepted standard for over-prescribing, the gross volume of a doctor’s prescriptions or the dose levels prescribed to their patients can be poor indicators of professional misbehavior. Investigators should instead be looking into the totality of the case, which can include patient reports of poor doctor oversight, overdose-related hospital admissions, and patterns of overdose related deaths that may be linked to a “cocktail” of illicit prescribing. Especially important can be information gleaned from confidential informants – with independent verification – prior patients, and pharmacy information.”

No formal legal prosecution should ever proceed from the testimony of only one witness — even one as well informed as Commander John Burke. But it seems to me that it is high time for the US Senate Judiciary Committee to invite the testimony of others in open public hearings, concerning the practice of possible bounty hunting among Federal investigators.
C50 Patient, Civil Rights Attorney, Maine Department of Health, and Maine Legislature Collaborative Enacted Definition of Palliative Care
One suggestion that our organization would like to make is altering the definition of “palliative care” in such a manner that it can include high-impact or intractable patients; those who are not dying this year, but our lives have been shattered and/or shortened by our diseases and for whom Quality of Life should be the focus. Many of our conditions may not SIGNIFICANTLY shorten my life, therefore I could legitimately be facing 30-40 years of severe pain with little relief; that is no way to live and therefore the concern is a rapidly increasing suicide rate.
This is a definition that one of our coalition members with a civil rights attorney and the Maine Department of Health agreed upon and legislators enacted into statues in Maine. This was in response to a 100mme restriction. This attorney had prepared a lawsuit based on the Americans with Disability Act that the Department of Health in Maine agreed was valid; litigation was never the goal, it was always patient-centered care.
A. "Palliative care" means patient-centered and family-focused medical care that optimizes quality of life by anticipating, preventing and treating suffering caused by a medical illness or a physical injury or condition that substantially affects a patient's quality of life, including, but not limited to, addressing physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs; facilitating patient autonomy and choice of care; providing access to information; discussing the patient's goals for treatment and treatment options, including, when appropriate, hospice care; and managing pain and symptoms comprehensively. Palliative care does not always include a requirement for hospice care or attention to spiritual needs. B. "Serious illness" means a medical illness or physical injury or condition that substantially affects quality of life for more than a short period of time. "Serious illness" includes, but is not limited to, Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, lung disease, cancer, heart, renal or liver failure and chronic, unremitting or intractable pain such as neuropathic pain.
Here is the link to the most recent update, including these definitions within the entire statute: https://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/22/title22sec1726.html?fbclid=IwAR0dhlwEh56VgZI9HYczdjdyYoJGpMdA9TuuJLlQrO3AsSljIZZG0RICFZc
January 23, 2019
Dear Pharmacists,
The Board of Pharmacy has had an influx of communication concerning patients not able to get controlled substance prescriptions filled for various reasons, even when signs of forgery or fraudulence were not presented. As a result of the increased “refusals to fill,” the board is issuing the following guidance and reminders regarding the practice of pharmacy and dispensing of controlled substances:

1. Pharmacists must use reasonable knowledge, skill, and professional judgment when evaluating whether to fill a prescription. Extreme caution should be used when deciding not to fill a prescription. A patient who suddenly discontinues a chronic medication may experience negative health consequences;
   
2. Part of being a licensed healthcare professional is that you put the patient first. This means that if a pharmacist has any concern regarding a prescription, they should attempt to have a professional conversation with the practitioner to resolve those concerns and not simply refuse the prescription. Being a healthcare professional also means that you use your medication expertise during that dialogue in offering advice on potential alternatives, changes in the prescription strength, directions etc. Simply refusing to fill a prescription without trying to resolve the concern may call into question the knowledge, skill or judgment of the pharmacist and may be deemed unprofessional conduct;
   
3. Controlled substance prescriptions are not a “bartering” mechanism. In other words, a pharmacist should not tell a patient that they have refused to fill a prescription and then explain that if they go to a pain specialist to get the same prescription then they will reconsider filling it. Again, this may call into question the knowledge, skill or judgment of the pharmacist;
   
4. Yes, there is an opioid crisis. However, this should in no way alter our professional approach to treatment of patients in end-of-life or palliative care situations. Again, the fundamentals of using our professional judgment, skill and knowledge of treatments plays an integral role in who we are as professionals. Refusing to fill prescriptions for these patients without a solid medical reason may call into question whether the pharmacist is informed of current professional practice in the treatment of these medical cases.
   
5. If a prescription is refused, there should be sound professional reasons for doing so. Each patient is a unique medical case and should be treated independently as such. Making blanket decisions regarding dispensing of controlled substances may call into question the motivation of the pharmacist and how they are using their knowledge, skill or judgment to best serve the public.
   

As a professional reminder, failing to practice pharmacy using reasonable knowledge, skill, competence, and safety for the public may result in disciplinary actions under Alaska statute and regulation. These laws are:
AS 08.80.261 DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS
(a)The board may deny a license to an applicant or, after a hearing, impose a disciplinary sanction authorized under AS 08.01.075 on a person licensed under this chapter when the board finds that the applicant or licensee, as applicable, …
(7) is incapable of engaging in the practice of pharmacy with reasonable skill, competence, and safety for the public because of
(A) professional incompetence; (B) failure to keep informed of or use current professional theories or practices; or (E) other factors determined by the board;
(14) engaged in unprofessional conduct, as defined in regulations of the board.
12 AAC 52.920 DISCIPLINARY GUIDELINES
(a) In addition to acts specified in AS 08.80 or elsewhere in this chapter, each of the following constitutes engaging in unprofessional conduct and is a basis for the imposition of disciplinary sanctions under AS 08.01.075; …
(15) failing to use reasonable knowledge, skills, or judgment in the practice of pharmacy;
(b) The board will, in its discretion, revoke a license if the licensee …
(4) intentionally or negligently engages in conduct that results in a significant risk to the health or safety of a patient or injury to a patient; (5) is professionally incompetent if the incompetence results in a significant risk of injury to a patient.
(c) The board will, in its discretion, suspend a license for up to two years followed by probation of not less than two years if the licensee ...
(2) is professionally incompetent if the incompetence results in the public health, safety, or welfare being placed at risk.
We all acknowledge that Alaska is in the midst of an opioid crisis. While there are published guidelines and literature to assist all healthcare professionals in up to date approaches and recommendations for medical treatments per diagnosis, do not confuse guidelines with law; they are not the same thing.
Pharmacists have an obligation and responsibility under Title 21 Code of Federal Regulations 1306.04(a), and a pharmacist may use professional judgment to refuse filling a prescription. However, how an individual pharmacist approaches that particular situation is unique and can be complex. The Board of Pharmacy does not recommend refusing prescriptions without first trying to resolve your concerns with the prescribing practitioner as the primary member of the healthcare team. Patients may also serve as a basic source of information to understand some aspects of their treatment; do not rule them out in your dialogue.
If in doubt, we always recommend partnering with the prescribing practitioner. We are all licensed healthcare professionals and have a duty to use our knowledge, skill, and judgment to improve patient outcomes and keep them safe.
Professionally,
Richard Holt, BS Pharm, PharmD, MBA Chair, Alaska Board of Pharmacy
https://www.commerce.alaska.gov/web/portals/5/pub/pha_ControlledSubstanceDispensing_2019.01.pdf
FDA in Brief: FDA finalizes new policy to encourage widespread innovation and development of new buprenorphine treatments for opioid use disorder
February 6, 2018
Media Inquiries Michael Felberbaum 240-402-9548
“The opioid crisis has had a tragic impact on individuals, families, and communities throughout the country. We’re in urgent need of new and better treatment options for opioid use disorder. The guidance we’re finalizing today is one of the many steps we’re taking to help advance the development of new treatments for opioid use disorder, and promote novel formulations or delivery mechanisms of existing drugs to better tailor available medicines to individuals’ needs,” said FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D. “Our goal is to advance the development of new and better ways of treating opioid use disorder to help more Americans access successful treatments. Unfortunately, far too few people who are addicted to opioids are offered an adequate chance for treatment that uses medications. In part, this is because private insurance coverage for treatment with medications is often inadequate. Even among those who can access some sort of treatment, it’s often prohibitively difficult to access FDA-approved addiction medications. While states are adopting better coverage owing to new legislation and resources, among public insurance plans there are still a number of states that are not covering all three FDA-approved addiction medications. To support more widespread adoption of medication-assisted treatment, the FDA will also continue to take steps to address the unfortunate stigma that’s sometimes associated with use of these products. It’s part of the FDA’s public health mandate to promote appropriate use of therapies.
Misunderstanding around these products, even among some in the medical and addiction fields, enables stigma to attach to their use. These views can serve to keep patients who are seeking treatment from reaching their goal. That stigma reflects a perspective some have that a patient is still suffering from addiction even when they’re in full recovery, just because they require medication to treat their illness. This owes to a key misunderstanding of the difference between a physical dependence and an addiction. Because of the biology of the human body, everyone who uses a meaningful dose of opioids for a modest length of time develops a physical dependence. This means that there are withdrawal symptoms after the use stops.
A physical dependence to an opioid drug is very different than being addicted to such a medication. Addiction requires the continued use of opioids despite harmful consequences on someone’s life. Addiction involves a psychological preoccupation to obtain and use opioids above and beyond a physical dependence.
But someone who is physically dependent on opioids as a result of the treatment of pain but who is not craving the drugs is not addicted.
The same principle applies to replacement therapy used to treat opioid addiction. Someone who requires long-term treatment for opioid addiction with medications, including those that are partial or complete opioid agonists and can create a physical dependence, isn’t addicted to those medications. With the right treatments coupled to psychosocial support, recovery from opioid addiction is possible. The FDA remains committed to using all of our tools and authorities to help those currently addicted to opioids, while taking steps to prevent new cases of addiction.”
Above is the full statement, find full statement with options for study requests: https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/FDAInBrief/ucm630847.htm
Maryland’s co-prescribing new laws/ amendments regarding benzos and opioids
Chapter 215 AN ACT concerning Health Care Providers – Opioid and Benzodiazepine Prescriptions – Discussion of Information Benefits and Risks
FOR the purpose of requiring that certain patients be advised of the benefits and risks associated with the prescription of certain opioids, and benzodiazepines under certain circumstances, providing that a violation of this Act is grounds for disciplinary action by a certain health occupations board; and generally relating to advice regarding benefits and risks associated with opioids and benzodiazepines that are controlled dangerous substances.
Section 1–223 Article – Health Occupations Section 4–315(a)(35), 8–316(a)(36), 14–404(a)(43), and 16–311(a)(8) SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: Article – Health Occupations (a) In this section, “controlled dangerous substance” has the meaning stated in § 5–101 of the Criminal Law Article.
Ch. 215 2018 LAWS OF MARYLAND (B) On treatment for pain, a health care provider, based on the clinical judgment of the health care provider, shall prescribe: (1) The lowest effective dose of an opioid; and (2)A quantity that is no greater than the quantity needed for the expected duration of pain severe enough to require an opioid that is a controlled dangerous substance unless the opioid is prescribed to treat: (a.) A substance–related disorder; (b.) Pain associated with a cancer diagnosis; (c.) Pain experienced while the patient is receiving end–of–life, hospice, or palliative care services; or (d.) Chronic pain
(C.) The dosage, quantity, and duration of an opioid prescribed under [subsection (b)] of this [section] shall be based on an evidence–based clinical guideline for prescribing controlled dangerous substances that is appropriate for: (1.) The health care service delivery setting for the patient; (2.) The type of health care services required by the patient; (3.) and The age and health status of the patient.
(D) (1) WHEN A PATIENT IS PRESCRIBED AN OPIOID UNDER SUBSECTION (B) OF THIS SECTION, THE PATIENT SHALL BE ADVISED OF THE BENEFITS AND RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH THE OPIOID.

 (2) WHEN A PATIENT IS CO–PRESCRIBED A BENZODIAZEPINE WITH AN OPIOID THAT IS PRESCRIBED UNDER SUBSECTION (B) OF THIS SECTION, THE PATIENT SHALL BE ADVISED OF THE BENEFITS AND RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH THE BENZODIAZEPINE AND THE CO–PRESCRIPTION OF THE BENZODIAZEPINE. 

(E) A violation of [subsection (b) OR (D) of] this section is grounds for disciplinary action by the health occupations board that regulates the health care provider who commits the violation.
4-315 (a) Subject to the hearing provisions of § 4–318 of this subtitle, the Board may deny a general license to practice dentistry, a limited license to practice dentistry, or a teacher’s license to practice dentistry to any applicant, reprimand any licensed dentist, place any licensed dentist on probation, or suspend or revoke the license of any licensed dentist, if the applicant or licensee: (35) Fails to comply with § 1–223 of this article.
8–316. (a) Subject to the hearing provisions of § 8–317 of this subtitle, the Board may deny a license or grant a license, including a license subject to a reprimand, probation, or suspension, to any applicant, reprimand any licensee, place any licensee on probation, or suspend or revoke the license of a licensee if the applicant or licensee: (36) Fails to comply with § 1–223 of this article.
14–404. (a) Subject to the hearing provisions of § 14–405 of this subtitle, a disciplinary panel, on the affirmative vote of a majority of the quorum of the disciplinary panel, may reprimand any licensee, place any licensee on probation, or suspend or revoke a license if the licensee: (43) Fails to comply with § 1–223 of this article.
16–311. (a) Subject to the hearing provisions of § 16–313 of this subtitle, the Board, on the affirmative vote of a majority of its members then serving, may deny a license or a limited license to any applicant, reprimand any licensee or holder of a limited license, impose an administrative monetary penalty not exceeding $50,000 on any licensee or holder of a limited license, place any licensee or holder of a limited license on probation, or suspend or revoke a license or a limited license if the applicant, licensee, or holder:
(8) Prescribes or distributes a controlled dangerous substance to any other person in violation of the law, including in violation of § 1–223 of this article;
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect October 1, 2018.
Approved by the Governor, April 24, 2018.
https://legiscan.com/MD/text/HB653/id/1788719/Maryland-2018-HB653-Chaptered.pdf

1970 - "The Love You Save" by The Jackson Five enters the Billboard Soul Singles chart where it will peak at #1 and remain there for 6 weeks
1984 - Michael is on the cover of US magazine
​
https://preview.redd.it/mupw1cqdcv3b1.jpg?width=194&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=22341f64768e6df605942a9ad15af47ffbab0207
1990 - Thousands of Michael Jackson fans pour onto the grounds of St John's Hospital and Health Center in Santa Monica, Los Angeles to support Michael who was admitted last night suffering from severe chest pains.
Doctors today ran a battery of tests to find out what ails him.
“He’s undergoing several important tests today,” said Jackson spokesman Bob Jones. “I don’t think it was a heart attack. He just experienced some discomfort. He had been feeling bad the past two or three days.”
2009 - Michael attended rehearsals and goes to Dr Klein’s in Beverly Hills
2013 - Jackson v AEG Trial Day 23
Katherine was at court with Austin Brown.
Paul Gongaware Testimony
AEG cross
He was asked about Michael's final two rehearsals at Staples Center. Gongaware couldn't recall details about the first one. He said he wasn't particularly attentive about Jackson's health & appearance. This was the 1st rehearsal after Jackson missed one 4 days earlier. Gongaware said Michael rehearsed on June 23rd. "He was fine," Gongaware described, saying his understanding was that Michael was okay. Gongaware said he wasn't being specifically attentive on the 23rd because he didn't think there was a problem with Michael. Michael rehearsed on Jun 24th. Gongaware watched "Thriller" in its entirety, it was the 1st time they were using costume. He said Michael seemed fine.
​

Putnam: "Was he engaged?"
Gongaware: "Yes"
Putnam: "Any physical issues?"
Gongaware: "No, I didn't see any, He did a good rehearsal"

On June 25th, Gongaware got a call from Randy saying he had a call from DiLeo asking him to go to Michael's house because something was going on. As Randy got to Michael's house, an ambulance was leaving and Randy followed it to the hospital. Gongaware said. "I didn't know what was going on"
"At that point I was apprehensive because I didn't know what was happening." Gongaware said he didn't hear anything for a while, so he called Randy to see what was going on and he said Michael had died. "I was in shock," Gongaware recalled. "The artist was gone, he just passed away. How did this happen?!". Gongaware said he no idea what caused Michael to die, never contemplated the idea of Michael Jackson dying. Gongaware talked very matter-of-factly about the day Jackson died. Gongaware said he questioned how it happened. "I called Kenny right away and told him. He was at Staples Center," Gongaware recalled. "The atmosphere at Staples was very somber."
After Michael's passing, Gongaware said they had to shut down production. He was then involved in Jackson's memorial service.
As to why This Is It was happening in London, Gongaware explained it was Michael's best market. "We didn't know how strong it would be." Putnam asked Gongaware if AEG considered a tour in the US. "No, he had all those child allegations flying, it was the wrong thing to do" he said.
Gongaware: "He didn't tour very often, I don't think he liked it very much. There were lots of things he would rather be doing". Michael never did "meet and greet, according to Gongaware
The exec said Michael came out with the phrase "This Is It" because this was the last tour he was going to do.
Michael only agreed to 50 shows, but Gongaware said AEG Live was interested in more
Gongaware said the Dangerous tour lost money due to cancellations. He said he thought HIStory nearly broke even. Gongaware worked on Dangerous, HIStory" and one Jacksons tour back in the 80s. Michael's primary concern was not making money off his shows, Gongaware said. His primary concern was with the art, the performance
"This Is It was supposed to be spectacular", Gongaware said. He would be doing 8-10 shows a month, so about 3 a week.
Gongaware said he never saw Michael take drugs. Aside from drug use in 93, Gongaware said he didn't have any other knowledge of his using drugs. "He was lively, engaged, he seemed happy," Gongaware said about Michael
Putnam asked Gongaware about the day he thought Jackson was impaired after an appointment with Dr. Arnold Klein. The questions prompted a sidebar. He said Jackson "wasn't quite the same" but didn't testify about Jackson's demeanor in detail. He was told Michael was at Dr. Klein's office. Gongaware said he was not familiar with the doctors who treated Michael. Putnam announced be had no more questions at this time
Jackson redirect
In response to Panish questions, Gongaware said This Is It was only the second tour that AEG Live would promote and produce
Panish asked if the exec was concerned about Michael.

"I certainly wanted him to do well".
Panish: "Were you concerned about his children and his family, sir?"
Gongaware: "I was concerned about him"
Panish: "How about his family and children, sir?"
Gongaware: "I supposed. I was focused on Michael"

Brian Panish asked Gongaware a couple different ways if he was concerned about Jackson's mother & children. Gongaware looked up toward the celiling and then said he'd thought about it and he was concerned about Jackson's mom & children
"I believe he was a good father," Gongaware said about Michael Jackson.

Panish: "Did you know he was a great son to his mother?"
Gongaware: "I believe he was"

Panish asked if Gongaware ever called Katherine Jackson to express his condolences. The executive said no. Gongaware said he also didn't think that he sent Katherine Jackson or Jackson's children a condolence card.

Panish: "After Michael died, did you ever send a card to his mother?"
Gongaware: 'I don't think so"
Panish: "Did you ever call her to express your condolences?"
Gongaware: "No"

Panish asked Gongaware several questions about the executive changing elements of his deposition testimony. "I believe I testified truthfully," Gongaware said. "I don't believe I changed my testimony substantially."
Panish then started pointing out what he said were inconsistencies in Gongaware's testimony
This led to questions about whether Gongaware was mistaken when he wrote in an email that AEG was paying Conrad Murray's salary. Gongaware said he didn't necessarily think he was mistaken. He also said he didn't remember writing the email. As to the email Gongaware wrote that AEG, not Michael paid Dr. Murray. Panish asked again if Gongaware recalled writing this email. He said no. Gongaware said he spent 2 days with his lawyers preparing for his deposition, one-two hours discussing the email about AEG paying Dr. Murray. Panish pointed out several answers Gongaware gave on his deposition and the changes he asked to make to the transcript after meeting with attorneys. Panish said Gongaware changed his testimony several times as a result of meeting with AEG's attorneys. Panish said Gongaware also changed his testimony again while on the stand and under oath. Panish tried to impeach Gongaware, which is a legal way to call into question the witness' credibility.
Later in the case, the judge will instruct the jurors that if they think a person lied, they may disconsider part of all of his testimony. As to the email about AEG paying Dr. Murray, Panish pointed out that Gongaware changed his answers several times throughout his testimony. One time he said the email was shorthanded, normal course of business and didn't really think it was a mistake. Yesterday, Gongaware answered the same question saying he was mistaken when he said AEG was paying Dr. Murray. Gongaware explained he thinks he said the same thing but different ways. Gongaware was also asked about a key email he wrote that has come up several other times during the trial. Talking about Murray, he wrote:

We want to remind him that it is AEG, not Michael who is paying his salary. We want him to understand what is expected of him

​

Panish: "Do you have any idea why you might have written that AEG is paying his salary?"
Gongaware: "No. I mean, I was mistaken there. We weren't going to pay his salary. We would have advanced the money on Michael's instructions"

Panish then asked Gongaware about Lou Ferrigno and whether he was an employee of AEG Live. Gongaware said no, reiterating his previous testimony that he made a deal with Ferrigno. He said Ferrigno would have been an independent contractor. Panish asked whether Ferrigno had a contract with AEG Live. Gongaware said he didn't know. Panish asked Gongaware if he hired Lou Ferrigno to be Michael's trainer. "I made a deal for Michael," Gongaware said. Ferrigno was an independent contractor, Gongaware said he didn't know whether Ferrigno was submitting bills to his office.

Panish: "So you stiffed Lou Ferrigno, you didn't pay the Incredible Hulk?"(Everyone in the courtroom laughed out loud)
Gongaware: "I don't know how he would get paid, if he would submit bills or not"

Panish said Gongaware testified yesterday that he was not concerned with Michael because he was working out with a trainer. Today Gongaware testified Michael was going to work out with Lou Ferrigno. Gongaware said he didn't know whether Ferrigno had an independent contract agreement or not and if he got paid. Panish inquired about AEG only paying people with fully executed contract. Gongaware said he didn't know the status of Ferrigno's contract. "I don't know specifically when Mr. Jackson saw trainers, but I believe he was seeing trainers," Gongaware explained.

Panish: "He was seeing Lou Ferrigno to be in the next Incredible Hulk?"
Gongaware: "I don't think so"

Panish said Gongaware testified he was not concerned about Michael because he was working out with Lou Ferrigno. He said he didn't say that.
"When he was sick on June 19, I didn't know what was happening," Gongaware explained. "After that, Michael was great."
Panish asked whether he ever received Conrad Murray's contract. Gongaware, when shown an email from June 16, 2009, that included Murray's contract, said he didn't generally read contracts. "Dr Murray wasn't supposed to get paid. If Michael would've signed the deal, Dr Murray would've been paid for his work in London," Gongaware said .

Panish: "You didn't have time to ready budgets, you didn't have time to read contracts, right?"
Gongaware: "I didn't read budgets early on"

Panish asked if Gongaware had any document to prove that Dr. Murray was told that anyone else, but AEG, was paying him. Gongaware didn't recall.

Panish: "Did you have anything in writing saying it was Michael, not AEG, paying Dr. Murray?"
Gongaware: "I don't know"

Gongaware said he believed Dr. Murray signed one version of the contract, but doesn't know whether the one showed to him was it. Gongaware said he knew of no document that said his company's payments to Conrad Murray were actually part of a loan to Michael. Gongaware, on the stand for the sixth day, said he didn't know what Murray assumed about who was paying him.
The jury was shown an email from Timm Wooley, the AEG accountant on Jackson's This Is It concert series sent Murray June 6, 2009:

"I am sorry for the long delay in getting this to you, but I hope that, with your input and comments, we can dispose of the agreement quickly and arrange for payment of the May & June fee installment"

Gongaware testified that although he made the deal with Murray, and that the contract was emailed to him in 2009, his court appearance was the first time he had seen it. Gongaware repeated his contention as he has throughout his testimony, that "He was working for Michael Jackson. He wasn't working for us" The contract shown to the jury said it was between AEG Live and Murray. The contract also said Murray was to "Perform the Services reasonably requested by Producers" (AEG). Trell testified earlier that this was one of several mistakes in a draft that would have been cleaned up in the final version

Panish: "You expected Dr Murray, just like Ferrigno, to get paid for services provided to AEG right sir?"
Gongaware: "He wasn't working for AEG"

Gongaware said he was tasked to make the deal, determine compensation for Dr. Murray.

Panish: "If he was Michael's personal doctor, why hire him?"
Gongaware: "I think he wanted to set up the payment. I was told to negotiate his compensation"

Panish asked Gongaware about his contention that Jackson was always able to perform and nail shows when necessary Gongaware repeated he believed when lights went on, Michael was always there. Panish pointed out Michael canceled several shows on the Dangerous tour. The lawyer cited several shows over Jackson's career that he missed: Bangkok, South America and the need to move a couple in Mexico City.
Panish then asked Gongaware about Dr. Stuart Finkelstein, who the lawyer kept referring to as Gongaware's friend of 25 years. Finkelstein, a possible witness in the trial, was on the last leg of the Dangerous tour before it was canceled. Gongaware said Dr. Finkelstein is now a drug addiction specialist. "There were two occasions where he (Dr. Finkelstein) told me he treated Michael, but never talked about Demerol or injections," Gongaware said. "I believe he's mistaken," Gongaware said if Dr. Finkelstein gave deposition to the contrary.

Panish: "Did Dr. Finkelstein tell you he put MJ on a 24 hour morphine drip?"
Gongaware: "No"

Gongaware denied that Finkelstein told him that he thought Jackson was suffering from a prescription drug addiction. He also denied that Finkelstein told him that another doctor on the Dangerous tour was giving Jackson Demerol shots. Dr. Forecast, from London, was Michael's doctor treating the artist during Dangerous tour
Gongaware said he was never alarmed about Jackson's health and said he saw him as being well

Panish: "Is safety paramount to AEG live?"
Gongaware: "Safety should always be expected"

Gongaware said he didn't know if there was a person in charge of safety at rehearsals
​

Panish: "In your opinion, this is a baseless, shakedown lawsuit?"
Gongaware: "I don't understand the merit in it"
Panish: "You answered interrogatories in this case blaming everything on Mrs. Jackson?"
Gongaware: "I don't recall"
Panish: "Did you sign anything in this case saying that Mrs. Jackson was trying to extort money from AEG?"
Gongaware: "I don't recall"

Regarding whether Jackson's children suffered a loss after their father's death, Gongaware said:

"I believe they suffered a great loss"

Gongaware agreed that the best recollection of what happened in 2009 is the emails, but said he remembers from his head too.
"He was always amazing," Gongaware said about Michael.

Gongaware: "I thought he was great"
Panish: "Despite Bugzee saying he was deteriorating in front of his eyes?"
Gongaware: "My eyes told me differently"

Gongaware said the demand for tickets to Michael's memorial service was huge, comparable to the demand for the This Is It tour. Gongaware said the amount of people still in line to buy tickets for This Is It could've sold out 100 shows. (ABC7)
​

Panish: "Do you remember what you said Elvis died of?"
Gongaware: "Heart ailment"

But Panish recalled Gongaware giving a different answer earlier on, saying he believed it was prescription drugs
Gongaware was asked about extending the This Is It tour. He was shown emails from promoters wanting Michael concerts in India, Australia. Gongaware said he would have liked the "This Is It" tour to continue, but they only had agreement for 50 shows. On 3/18/09 -- asking about MJ going to India for the show, Phillips responded:

"Thanks, Thomas. Michael will definitely be heading your way"

Gongaware said he thinks they were making plans in case Michael said ok, let's go. Email on 3/17/09 from Phillips:

"We have a 4 year plan that includes Australia, however, we have to finish London first.

Gongaware, who didn't like Australian's promoter, responded:

"Over my dead body. But let's see what he says before I p**s on his parade."

​

Panish: "Did you ever see Michael under the influence of prescription medication in June 2009?"
Gongaware: "When he came back from Dr. Klein's office"
Panish: "Did you investigate?"
Gongaware: "No, he was coming from his doctor, I didn't think there was a need"

​

Panish: "Your goal was to have as many shows as possible?"
Gongaware: "I would've liked that"
Panish: "The more shows you had, the more money AEG would've gotten, right?"
Gongaware: "Yes"

Panish asked Gongaware if he had talked to Phillips since he'd been on the witness stand. He said he hadn't discussed the case. Panish then asked if Phillips was aware Gongaware said he was content with AEG Live being #2 concert promoter behind Live Nation. Gongaware said he's expressed his opinion that AEG Live doesn't need to be the #1 promoter
AEG recross
Marvin Putnam, in re-direct, asked Gongaware if he tried to give his best testimony possible in deposition. Gongaware said "Yes"
He asked Gongaware why he never sent a condolence card to Jackson's family. "I'm not good with cards", he said. He said the memorial service was how he wanted to honor the singer. Gongaware said he spent a lot of time thinking about Jackson after his death "What I did, I tried to put the memorial show together," Gongaware said. "I think it was the best thing for me to do, commemorate his life."
Memorial was at the Staples Center with 15,000 people, live fed to Nokia Theater with 5,000 people. Gongaware said he worked directly with Randy Jackson on the memorial. It cost over a million dollars, AEG and Michael's estate bore the cost. "I'm glad I did what I did," Gongaware said, adding memorial was shown to millions of people interested in Michael around the world
Putnam tried to rebut all the claims that Gongaware changed his testimony. Gongaware said he feels he hasn't changed his answers
Putnam also showed jury Gongaware's police statement. Panish had said his comment to police was different from testimony. Panish keyed in on whether Gongaware testified that it was five weeks or two weeks between his first two conversations with Conrad Murray. The police statement said Gongaware told detectives a few weeks separated the calls regarding Murray and the contract
Another document that defense attorney Marvin Putnam showed Gongaware was Lou Ferrigno's contract. Ferrigno's three-page contract designated him as an independent contractor. It was signed by AEG accounting exec Julie Hollander. Putnam showed an independent contract agreement with Ferrigno fully executed. Julie Hollander signed on behalf of AEG effective April 27, 2009
Putnam finished his examination of Gongaware by showing him Conrad Murray's contract. Putnam questioned Gongaware about Dr. Murray's contract. The exec said Michael had to sign it in order for it to be valid. Putnam showed Gongaware language in the agreement that said Michael Jackson had to sign the agreement for it to be a valid contract. Putnam also keyed in on language that said Murray was being engaged "on behalf and at the expense of Michael Jackson"
Jackson redirect
Then it was Panish's turn again. He said there isn't a date on the contract showing when Julie Hollander signed Ferrigno's agreement. Panish questioned Gongaware about whether Ferrigno's contract may have been signed after Jackson's death. Gongaware said he didn't think he sent any contracts to Julie Hollander after Jackson's death. Panish pointed out that Hollander was signing contracts after Michaelhad died. He asked to see the original contract.

Panish: "Lou Ferrigno was retained by AEG, right?"
Gongaware: "Yes"

Panish asked Gongaware whether he thought it would have been better for him if he had reviewed documents and e-mails before testifying. "I relied on the advice of my attorney," he said. "All this legal stuff, I don't understand it," he said. Gongaware said he expected his lawyers would act on his best interest and that he testified truthfully and factually in his deposition. Panish asked if Gongaware expected to be believed now when he wouldn't recall his answers in deposition. Defendant objected, judge sustained
Panish also repeatedly referred to the number of AEG Live defense lawyers in the courtroom. He was later admonished to stop mentioning them. Putnam had noted that Katherine Jackson's side was being represented by four law firms. Panish said he didn't care if Putnam brought it up
With that Paul Gongaware was excused, subject to recall if needed.
Randy Phillips Testimony
Phillips said he met with six attorneys to prep for testimony between 6-8 times over the last two weeks, probably for about 30 hours. Phillips said he went through a bunch of emails, probably 30, from the period in question. He also read his deposition.
Randy Phillips, the chief executive officer of AEG Live, disclosed that his lawyers advised company executives not to review old e-mails before testifying. "They felt it would be better if I went in without preparation," he said, referring to his lawyers. (AEG Live lawyer Marvin Putman said outside of court that the volume of documents they would have needed to review was massive, making it impossible for them to prepare. )
Panish asked Phillips whether he was eager to tell his side of the story. "I believe you called me as a witness, so I'm here," Phillips said flatly
Phillips attended two years of law school, but didn't graduate.
​

Panish: "Who's higher up than you at AEG Live?"
Phillips: "No one at AEG Live"
Panish: "You are the top dog, so to speak?"
Phillips: "Yes"

Phillips reports to an executive committee who would then report to Tim Leiweke. Phillips said he doesn't know why Leiweke left the company. Phil Anschutz now belongs to the executive committee.
Panish at one point asked the executive whether he was familiar with the music industry. "Familiar with the music industry? I was working in it," Phillips replied.
Phillips said he agreed with statements attributed to him and defense attorney Marvin S. Putnam that the case was a shakedown.

Panish: "Do you think this is an extortion, shakedown lawsuit?"
Phillips: "Yes or no answer? Yes"
Panish: "Did you sign a document under the penalty of perjury saying Mrs. Jackson aided and abetted Joe Jackson to extort money from AEG?"
Phillips: "It's possible, I don't remember. I wish you wouldn't keep calling it a baseless shakedown lawsuit"
Panish: "You believe this case is an extortion, correct?"
Phillips: "Yes"

​

Panish: "You told Mr. Ortega that AEG checked everyone out, including Dr. Murray?"
Phillips: "I wrote in an email to Kenny Ortega that I thought Dr. Murray had been checked out. I still do, to some extent"
Panish: "You said he was a great doctor?"
Phillips: "Because that's what I was told"
Panish: "Did you write an email that AEG checked everyone out?"
Phillips: "Yes, I did"
Panish: "That was not true"
Phillips: "In retrospect, not 100%.It's what I knew at the time"

​

Panish: "Isn't it true you said AEG live doesn't lose money, sir?"
Phillips: "Among other things I said"

Panish showed Phillips a Forbes article where he said AEG is about making money, since they are a business.

Phillips: "Live Nation is the largest concert promoter in the world"
Panish: "Do you like being number 2?"
Phillips: "Love it! I'd rather be a successful number 2"
Panish: "You don't want to be number one?"
Phillips: "Not if it means losing money"

Phillips said Mr. Anschutz told him he's happy being a number 2
Panish asked if it was true Phillips wanted to meet with Michael to tour in 2007. Phillips answered it was the opposite, they asked for a meeting.
Jackson lawyer Brian Panish, who has been previously told by the judge not to argue with witnesses, quickly tangled with Phillips. "Please don't argue with me because then I will argue back and get in trouble," Panish told Phillips at one point. "Then that's an incentive for me," Phillips joked (everyone laughed)
​

Panish: "Did you learn Colony Capital purchase note on Neverland?"
Phillips: "Yes"
Panish: "Is Barrack one of principals on Colony Capital?"
Phillips: "Yes"

On 6/13/08, Phillips sent an email to Colony Capital with a summation of plans for Michael for four years:

I caution you that Michael is not fast and a total perfectionist (needs to be controlled as much as possible)

Phillips said he was referring to Michael's spending
​

Panish: "Neverland was his beloved home, right sir?"
Phillips: "Hard to answer, because of the things Michael told me"

When the executive appeared to crack a smile, Panish asked if he thought the proceedings were funny.

Phillips:"No, I think it's tragic"
Panish: "Do you think any of this is funny, sir?"
Phillips: "No, I think it's tragic"

Tohme Tohme was a business associate with Colony Capital, who was also working with Michael. Panish asked if Phillips thought there was a conflict of interest with Tohme working for Colony and Michael. He said "No"
Court Transcript