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      New Horror for Readers Who Want to Be Completely Terrified

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      Curdle CreekBy Yvonne Battle-FeltonThe town at the center of Yvonne Battle-Felton’s new novel, CURDLE CREEK (Holt, 292 pp., $27.99), is a small, all-Black, separatist community with a strict population policy: “One in, one out.” To keep the enclave safe, there are many yearly rituals required of residents, including Moving On, Warding Off, the Calling and the Running of the Widows.Osira has always lived in Curdle Creek, but she fears her standing because her children broke the town’s rules and ran away. Then her father’s name is called for a murderous ritual, but rather than submit, he flees. With her position jeopardized, Osira is forced to prove herself by traveling into different realms to answer for Curdle Creek’s sins and make things right … whatever that means.“Curdle Creek” explores the sacrifices people are willing to make for safety, and how surrendering freedom for the common good can sometimes morph into self-immolation. Power struggles, pettiness, violence perpetrated in the name of religion, along with dark secrets hidden in the fabric of the community, make life in the small town a repressive, stressful nightmare. With tight dialogue, elegant writing and a startling ending, this is a wonderful novel about the worst monsters of all: people.Nether StationBy Kevin J. AndersonIä! Iä! Cthulhu fhtagn! Rejoice, Cthulhu devotees, Kevin J. Anderson’s NETHER STATION (Blackstone, 308 pp., $27.99) is a fun, pulpy mix of science fiction and cosmic horror that clearly admires, and pays homage to, H.P. Lovecraft.Cammie Skoura is a neurodivergent astrophysicist who investigates wormholes. She and a professor have spent years studying one wormhole in particular, Nether, but after losing an important research probe, they had to abandon the project.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      A Trump Rally Speaker Trashed Puerto Ricans. Harris Reached Out to Them.

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      Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign moved quickly on Sunday to elevate and denounce racist and inflammatory remarks made by speakers at a rally for former President Donald J. Trump at Madison Square Garden in New York.Before Mr. Trump had even taken the stage, warm-up speakers had called Puerto Rico an “island of garbage,” referred to Ms. Harris as “the devil” and “the Antichrist,” and made racist or derogatory remarks about Latinos generally, African Americans, Palestinians and Jews.The remarks at the rally came as Ms. Harris wrapped up a day in Philadelphia, where she spent time courting Pennsylvania’s significant Puerto Rican population by visiting a local Puerto Rican restaurant. While there, she talked about a new plan she announced on Sunday to bring economic opportunities to Puerto Rico, discussed her visit there after Hurricane Maria, and said that even as a senator she had “felt a need and an obligation” to “make sure Puerto Rico’s needs were met.”“This is not a new area of focus for me,” she said. She received a warm reception from the crowd, with chants of “Sí, se puede.”Before the Trump rally on Sunday, Ms. Harris had already taken aim at her Republican rival in a video message to Puerto Rican voters. She noted that, as president, Mr. Trump had resisted sending aid to the island after back-to-back hurricanes, adding that he had offered nothing but “paper towels and insults.”“I will never forget what Donald Trump did and what he did not do when Puerto Rico needed a caring and a competent leader,” she said.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      DJ Clark Kent, Who Introduced Jay-Z to the Notorious B.I.G., Dies at 58

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      He was a producer and club D.J. who helped rappers find their voices and fortunes, and who later became known as a raconteur of hip-hop history.Antonio Franklin, known as DJ Clark Kent, a widely respected hip-hop insider for four decades who had influential relationships with many leading rappers, died on Thursday at his home in Greenbrook, a township in northern New Jersey. He was 58. The cause was colon cancer, his wife, Kesha (Vernon) Franklin, said.Mr. Franklin’s career followed the trajectory of hip-hop itself. He entered the scene just as it was taking shape, in New York in the 1980s, and he reached prime time when rap itself did, in the mid-90s. After being a club D.J. for years, he moved on to work as a producer and took jobs with Atlantic Records and Motown.In 1995, he produced a rap classic — and his first hit song — with “Player’s Anthem” by Junior M.A.F.I.A., a group formed by the Notorious B.I.G., who also appeared on the track. The song became a breakout single for the group and introduced Lil’ Kim to the international hip-hop audience.The next year, he produced three songs on Jay-Z’s debut album, “Reasonable Doubt.” His most noteworthy contributions were to the song “Brooklyn’s Finest.” Mr. Franklin provided the vocals for the hook, and he suggested to Jay-Z and his manager, Damon Dash, that they include Notorious B.I.G. on the track. The two somewhat hesitantly agreed — without realizing that Mr. Franklin had already asked Notorious B.I.G. to wait downstairs. The collaboration took place instantly.That kind of behind-the-scenes orchestration was ordinary for Mr. Franklin. In 1998, he saw a young man who went by Shyne freestyling in a barbershop, then introduced him to Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs, who signed him to a record deal on the spot.“I practically knew every rapper before they made their records,” Mr. Franklin told the pop culture publication Complex. “They wanted to be familiar with the D.J.s and what was happening in hip-hop. I was happening in hip-hop.”We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Hoaxing Yourself

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      On This Week’s Episode:People who tell lies — about their accent, their diet, their shrewdness — and then believe the lies more than anyone else.Getty ImagesNew York Times Audio is home to the “This American Life” archive. Download the app — available to Times news subscribers on iOS — and sign up for our weekly newsletter. More

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      Pushing employers to ‘more aggressive programs’

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      From:
      Sent:
      Ziemer, Scott A [Scott.Ziemer@umr.com]
      5/19/2020 5:58:29 PM
      To:
      CC:
      Subject:
      Haben, John M [john_m_haben@uhc.com]
      Paradise, Rebecca B [rebecca_paradise@uhc.com]; Aue, Bobbie J [bobbie_j_aue@umr.com]
      RE: ASO migration off R&C
      Attachments:
      20200518 UMR OON Strategy Overview.pptx
      Hi John,
      Attached is abbreviated presentation that we have been using to explain the strategy. Long story short we are going to
      force a change in 2021 for the clients using R&C.
      We are changing our legacy CRS program starting on 1/1/21 and clients in that will get our new OON solution
      called CRS Reference. It uses Medicare pricing with Advocacy in lieu of Fair Health. Clients will have to opt out if they
      want to keep Fair Health.
      For clients using Fair Health in our current CRS program, they will get a renewal with CRS Reference starting with
      1/1/21 renewals. Again, they will have to opt out if they have to keep Fair Health.
      We have been leading with a non-Fair Health solution since 5/1/19 on new business. Again expectation is that
      client would have to require us to offer Fair Health.
      Goal is that any client who has Fair Health (1.81M) will be off of it by 1/1/22, unless they have required us to keep them
      on it. Not sure what the exception rate will be, but I would hope that 75+% of the membership will off.
      Let me know if you have any questions or would like me to walk you through the strategy. I’ve talked to Matt P about
      this last week and am talking with Saurabh and Neil Brok! on Friday with Hogan/Freiberg, etc…
      From: Haben, John M
      Sent: Tuesday, May 19, 2020 2:20 PM
      To: Ziemer, Scott A
      Cc: Paradise, Rebecca B
      Subject: RE: ASO migration off R&C
      Importance: High
      Scott,
      Do you have a sense of the total volume of members you will have moved off R&C by 1/1/2021 and how much will you
      have still have on R&C?
      Also, do you think you’d get all those clients off R&C by 1/1/2022?
      Trying to reflect where you’d be in the UHN business plan for 2021.
      John
      From: Ziemer, Scott A
      Sent: Monday, May 11, 2020 4:31 PM
      To: Haben, John M
      Cc: Paradise, Rebecca B
      Subject: RE: ASO migration off R&C
      John, here you go:
      CONFIDENTIAL
      Plaintiffs’ Exhibit
      304
      Cause No. CJ-2019-482
      UHC_PA_00388957
      P304.001 More

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      UnitedHealthcare fee revenue

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      From:
      Sent:
      Hogan, Scott W [Scott.Hogan@umr.com]
      10/2/2018 5:38:49 PM
      To:
      CC:
      Subject:
      Czech, Bruce P [Bruce.Czech@umr.com]
      Ziemer, Scott A [Scott.Ziemer@umr.com]
      FW: CEO Call-OON Programs
      Attachments: OON Deep Dive w Local Market CEOs (092818)_fv.pdf
      Bruce as per our discussion — attached above is what was presented by UHC/UHN on Sept 28 CEO call. The email below
      that Scott Z sent was in response to what was discussed on CEO call letting Greg and Kathy know we are working to track
      similar to what UHC/UHN are doing. Thanks.
      From: Hogan, Scott W
      Sent: Friday, September 28, 2018 11:47 AM
      To: Benson, Mike; Braun, Helmut M; Czech, Bruce P; Dahlke, Ann M; Dunn, Lori A; Freiberg, Brian H; Hiatt, Kimberly M;
      Johnson, Heidi J.; Lattimer, Patrick J; Napier, Donald P; Pavlic, Gregory M
      Cc: Ziemer, Scott A
      Subject: FW: CEO Call – OON Programs
      FY!
      From: Ziemer, Scott A
      Sent: Friday, September 28, 2018 11:42 AM
      To: Pavlic, Gregory M; Wiseman, Katherine E
      Cc: Freiberg, Brian H; Hogan, Scott W; Aue, Bobbie ]
      Subject: CEO Call – OON Programs
      Pav/Kathy,
      Plaintiffs’ Exhibit
      142
      Cause No. CJ-2019-482
      It is my understanding that on the UHC CEO call, UHN will be laying out a strategy to become more aggressive with their
      OON programs. They have done some investigation and believe that UHC is reimbursing OON providers at much greater
      levels than our competition. In order to reduce the gap, they are proposing a move over time towards non-secured (i.e.
      not a contracted discount) reductions backed by member advocacy to help keep members from being balanced billed.
      As you are aware, today UMR and UHC have comparable shared savings (CRS and SSP) programs – especially now with
      our rollout of our new CRS solutions and specifically the solution that impacts RAPLE. However, with this new direction
      there may be some questions about UMR and our strategy. The good news is that we already have programs available.
      CRS Benchmark program (30% of savings with $50k savings cap per claim) – we rolled this out as a solution to
      address reasonableness of OON reimbursement. It achieves reimbursements below an established Medicare
      benchmark through a program administered entirely through MultiPlan. Multiplan leverages it’s DataiSight program
      (non-secured) for the most of the reimbursements and has a back end member advocacy program to limit member
      balance billing. The program gets to lower OON costs (DiS generally is less than 250% of Medicare) while impacting
      almost all OON claims.
      о
      Non Par Cost Containment (NPC^2) program ($3.50 PEPM +30% of savings) – this program rolled out because of
      pressure on shared savings fees and level of reimbursement. The program leverages MNRP for all services except for
      those paid at the INN level of benefits as well as radiology, anesthesiology, pathology, lab and emergency
      claims. Members are not held harmless for the claims that are impacted by MNRP but are for the other
      claims. Effective 10/1 we made an enhancement to use the CRS Benchmark process, rather than only network and fee
      UHC_PA_00299725
      P142.001 More

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      Review: ‘We Live in Cairo’ Falls Short of Being Revolutionary

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      Egyptians stand up to their government in a play that excels in its design but rings hollow when its subtext and character development are scrutinized.Building a new world is just as difficult, maybe even more so, as tearing down an old one. Just ask the Arab Spring revolutionaries of “We Live in Cairo,” whose solidarity fractures after they get what they were fighting for.The brothers Daniel and Patrick Lazour’s show, which opened on Sunday at New York Theater Workshop, is divided into a before and after, with intermission sitting neatly in the middle: The leadup to the violent protests of January and February 2011, which prompted the resignation of the autocratic Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, followed by the buildup of bitterness and strife. But while passions supposedly run high, the temperature of this new musical — which at best and at worst feels like “Rent” on the barricades — almost never rises above tepid.Like Mark Cohen, the aspiring filmmaker in “Rent,” Layla (Nadina Hassan), a photographer, takes on the responsibility of documenting the action, in this case the resistance of a handful of young Cairenes fighting government oppression.Layla meets them through her boyfriend, Amir (Ali Louis Bourzgui, the lead in the recent revival of “The Who’s Tommy”). The group’s firebrand, Fadwa (Rotana Tarabzouni), who comes from an activist family, landed in jail for criticizing Mubarak on Facebook. Its levelheaded pillar is Amir’s brother, Hany (Michael Khalid Karadsheh), who wants to attend law school in New York, and its party-loving jester is Fadwa’s wealthy cousin, Karim (John El-Jor), an artist who spray-paints caricatures of the country’s leaders.Those murals connect to some of the brightest elements of Taibi Magar’s production — the physical ones. Tilly Grimes’s set, with carpets in red tones and a place for the band at the back of the stage, has a lived-in quality that suggests the warmth of the friends’ relationship as well as the feeling of relative safety that prevails at their hangout. David Bengali’s video design does the heavy lifting when the outside world intrudes, and includes illustrations by the Egyptian artist Ganzeer that represent Karim’s work alongside projected news images, some of them appropriately brutal. (Raphael Mishler designed the papier-mâché head of Mubarak that Karim wears when we meet him.)Unfortunately, design alone does not a musical make, and piddly details like book and score must be taken into account. There is no questioning the Lazours’ passion for the project, which has been in the works for a decade and premiered at American Repertory Theater, in Massachusetts, in 2019 — the album “Flap My Wings (Songs from We Live in Cairo)” was recorded remotely with various singers the following year. But the characters are never convincingly defined, except for Fadwa, who also benefits from Tarabzouni’s fiery performance.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Trump Rally Opens With Insults Aimed at Latino, Black, Jewish and Arab American Voters

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      Former President Donald J. Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday opened with a standup comic who called Puerto Rico an “island of garbage” in a set that also included derogatory remarks about Latinos generally, African Americans, Palestinians and Jews.It was a startling program for a campaign that has been trying to cut into Democrats’ support among Hispanic, Black, Jewish and Arab American voters in an effort to win in several key battleground states.The comic, Tony Hinchcliffe, was the warm-up act ahead of several other speakers whose remarks were laced with vulgar insults, profanity and racist comments.The crowd inside Madison Square Garden was predominantly white, with a significant number of Latinos. Many groaned at Mr. Hinchcliffe’s insult to Puerto Rico. Still, he told a tasteless, vulgar joke about the size of Hispanic families, mentioned watermelons as he called out a Black man in the audience and mocked Palestinians as rock-throwers and Jews as cheapskates.At roughly the same time on Sunday, Vice President Kamala Harris was in Philadelphia courting Pennsylvania’s sizable Puerto Rican population with a stop at a local Puerto Rican restaurant, Freddy & Tony’s.But in New York, Mr. Trump’s rally featured a series of speakers whose remarks were far outside of longstanding political boundaries.One, Sid Rosenberg, a conservative radio host, referred to Hillary Clinton with profanity and a sexist epithet. And Grant Cardone, a businessman who spoke early in the program, referred to Ms. Harris as if she were a prostitute. Later in the program, Tucker Carlson, the former Fox News host, mocked Ms. Harris’s racial identity and intelligence as he jeered the idea that she could win in November. More